Ellisburg dates to 1803, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 91% of U.S. towns · #248 of 758 in New York. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 5 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1895 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1817.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Ellisburg’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ellisburg is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #248 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ellisburg’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 Ellisburg’s 24.0 sits near the middle of its state (59% of New York towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.1 points). Two sources give 1803.
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 Ellisburg’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
This was long the territory of various cultures of indigenous peoples. Prehistoric remains show evidence of indigenous occupation for thousands of years prior to European encounter. The St. Lawrence Iroquoians had villages along the upper St. Lawrence River from the 1300s into the late 1500s. Along the southern areas of the Great Lakes, the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy controlled territory from present-day New York into Pennsylvania and Ohio and south into Virginia. In historic times the Onondaga people were concentrated in this area. The Five Nations together identified as the Haudenosaunee.
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.
In 1803, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Ellisburg’s post office opened in 1817, and the census of 1820 counted 3,531 people here.
How does Ellisburg rank for history?
Ellisburg is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #248 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 Ellisburg?
Two places: the Pierrepont Manor Complex (listed 1977) and the Amos Wood House (2012).
How old are the homes in Ellisburg?
38% of Ellisburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.1 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1967.
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 the Library of Congress (4), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
1941
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1941