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History · Duane

Duane’s post office opened in 1833, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 7 buildings. Below: maps from 1985 on and the census since 1830.

1833first post office
2on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Duane began

When was Duane founded?

1833

The Duane post office opened in 1833, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 247 in 18302020 census: 180193 years
Founding year: the first Duane post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Duane’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Duane are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 421 in 1890; 174 people lived here in 2010.Deep rootsA post office since 1833: 193 years of Duane.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Duane’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Duane’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Duane, census by census

01002003004001850190019502000Peak: 421

Peaked at 421 in 1890; 174 people lived here in 2010.

19 censuses, 1830–2010.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Duane’s Wikipedia page.

Timeline

Duane, 1833 to 1985

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1833Post officeThe Duane post office opens
  3. 1890CensusPopulation peaks at 421
  4. 20th century
  5. 1939BuiltDebar Pond Lodge is built
  6. 1965Post officeThe Duane post office closes
  7. 1985On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story

How Duane came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Duane.

Read it all →

The town of Duane was formed in 1828 from part of the town of Malone. One of the first endeavors was the processing of iron ore. The town is named after James Duane, a proprietor and first colonizer.

The Meacham Lake Hotel was a popular tourist resort until it closed in 1921. The land was purchased by New York State and converted to a campground by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Former New York State Route 99 was converted to County Road 26 in 1994. Gordon's Crossing is located at the intersection of old Rt. 99 and County Road 26.

The Duane Methodist Episcopal Church and Debar Pond Lodge are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Duane, decade by decade

Today8 recent
Eclipse above Meacham2024Eclipse above MeachamDebar Pond Lodge2017Debar Pond LodgeDebar Pond Lodge in2017Debar Pond Lodge inDuane2014DuaneMeacham Lake Franklin County New York2010Meacham Lake Franklin County New YorkFranklin CR 26 reassurance marker2009Franklin CR 26 reassurance markerFormer NY 99 in Duane Center2009Former NY 99 in Duane CenterDuane Methodist Episcopal Church2009Duane Methodist Episcopal Church
On the map

Duane on the map, 1985 to 1994

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Duane. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Duane on the 1985 USGS mapDuane on the 1994 USGS map1985Massena sheet · 1:100,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Duane.

On the National Register

2 listings protect 8 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
8
each building in a district counts
first listed
1991
Duane Methodist Episcopal Church
Duane Methodist Episcopal ChurchDebar Pond Lodge, built 1939
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Classical Revival1
Duane Methodist Episcopal ChurchClassical Revival
Debar Pond LodgeBuilt 1939

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Duane had its own post office from 1833 to 1965.

Duane
1833–1965
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Duane Center
Gone or out of use
Duane Methodist Episcopal ChurchchurchSchool Number 2school
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Duane
HooseLadd

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Santa Clara6 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBrighton6 historic placesA+Malone9 historic placesA+Bellmont1 historic placeA−

Questions about Duane’s history

What year was Duane founded?

The Duane post office opened in 1833, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Duane?

Two places: the Duane Methodist Episcopal Church (listed 1991) and the Debar Pond Lodge (2014).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (8), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.