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History · Ellicottville

Ellicottville’s post office opened in 1820, and 50% of its homes were built before 1940

3 places in town are on the National Register. Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1830.

1820first post office
3on the National Register
50%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Pubdog · Public domain
Quick answers

How Ellicottville began

When was Ellicottville founded?

1820

The Ellicottville post office opened in 1820, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 626 in 18302020 census: 256206 years
Founding year: the first Ellicottville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Ellicottville’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 Ellicottville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 2,067 in 1910; 1,317 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Ellicottville’s homes were built before 1940.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1892 to 1909, drew every building in Ellicottville.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ellicottville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ellicottville’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

Ellicottville, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0001850190019502000Peak: 2,067

Peaked at 2,067 in 1910; 1,317 people lived here in 2020.

20 censuses, 1830–2020.

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

The story

How Ellicottville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ellicottville.

Read it all →

The indigenous Seneca people know the town as Hadíashë́dahgwá'geh, or 'place where they used to hold councils'.

The Town of Ellicottville was established in 1820 from the town of Franklinville (then known as Ischua). The town lost some of its territory when the town of Ashford was formed in 1824. In 1858, a small part of the town was taken to aid the formation of the town of East Otto.

The Village of Ellicottville was formerly the county seat for Cattaraugus County. The county seat moved to Little Valley in May 1868.

The John J. Aiken House and Bryant Hill Cemetery are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ellicottville, 1822 to 1971

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1822Born hereCharles Henry Bryan is born here
  3. 1842Born hereAlbert Haight is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1910CensusPopulation peaks at 2,067
  6. 1924On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1971Born hereBrian Dunkleman is born here
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Ellicottville on the map, 1924 to 1964

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

Ellicottville on the 1924 USGS mapEllicottville on the 1941 USGS mapEllicottville on the 1964 USGS map1924Ellicottville 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 Ellicottville.

Every building

Ellicottville, building by building, 1892–1909

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Ellicottville fire insurance map, 1892, sheet 11892Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the National Register

3 listings protect 79 historic buildings

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
79
each building in a district counts

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Ellicottville

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Brian DunklemanAmerican comedian, actor and television persona… · b. 1971
C
Charles Henry BryanAmerican politician · b. 1822
Albert HaightNew York politician and judge · b. 1842

Questions about Ellicottville’s history

What year was Ellicottville founded?

The Ellicottville post office opened in 1820, 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 Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.