East Greenbush dates to 1630, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 61% of U.S. towns · #595 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Craver Farmstead and the John Jr. Carner House. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1841.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives East Greenbush’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, East Greenbush is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #595 of 758 in New York. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of East Greenbush’s overall grade.
New York towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New York town has 12.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so East Greenbush’s 4.8 sits below most of its state (34% of New York towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1630.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about East Greenbush’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
East Greenbush, at the time part of the Town of Greenbush, was part of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck, and then of Albany County, prior to the creation of Rensselaer County in 1791. The town of Clinton was established on February 23, 1855, from the town of Greenbush at the same time as the town of North Greenbush. On April 14, 1858, the town name was changed to East Greenbush by New York State Laws of 1858, Chapter 194.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of East Greenbush. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1893Troy sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of East Greenbush.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewMorner House - December 1911, 1911
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on East Greenbush’s page.
In 1630, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. East Greenbush’s post office opened in 1841, and the census of 1860 counted 1,607 people here.
How does East Greenbush rank for history?
East Greenbush is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #595 of 758 in New York. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in East Greenbush?
Two places: the Craver Farmstead (listed 1996) and the John Jr. Carner House (2004).
How old are the homes in East Greenbush?
15% of East Greenbush’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1978.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), 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.
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