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History · Eldred

Eldred’s post office opened in 1873, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1922 on.

1873first post office
0on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Eldred began

When was Eldred founded?

1873

The Eldred post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 212153 years
Founding year: the first Eldred post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Eldred’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19223 editions of the USGS map, 1922 to 1967. Watch Eldred change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Eldred’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewGeorge W. Christians: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Eldred on the map, 1922 to 1967

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

Eldred on the 1922 USGS mapEldred on the 1942 USGS mapEldred on the 1967 USGS map1922White Lake 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 Eldred.

The story so far

Eldred, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Eldred yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Eldred is a rural hamlet (and census-designated place) located in the central part of the town of Highland, Sullivan County, New York, United States. The community is located along New York State Route 55, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) north of the Pennsylvania border and 13.5 miles (21.7 km) southwest of Monticello. As of the 2020 census, Eldred had a population of 212. Eldred has a post office which opened on October 5, 1831, with the ZIP code 12732. Public education in Eldred is serviced through the Eldred Central School District.

Its first post office opened in 1873.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Eldred, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s1 item
George W. Christiansc. 1942George W. Christians
1950s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
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.

George W. Christians
Retake this viewGeorge W. Christians, c. 1942

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Eldred’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Eldred

Nobody well known was born in Eldred itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Stefanie DolsonAmerican basketball player · b. 1992
Randall BatinkoffAmerican actor · b. 1968
Stanley FinchFirst director of the FBI · b. 1872
C
Charles Van EngerAmerican cinematographer · b. 1890
D
Daniel N. RobinsonAmerican philosopher · b. 1937

Questions about Eldred’s history

What year was Eldred founded?

The Eldred post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (1) and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.