–Not graded

History · Ellisburg

Ellisburg’s post office opened in 1827, and 67% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1895 on, and the census since 1820.

1827first post office

0on the National Register

67%homes built before 1940

4old photos & papers

7famous people

Add an old photo Share a memory

From Ellisburg’s archive · credits on each photo

Quick answers

How Ellisburg began

When was Ellisburg founded?

1827

The Ellisburg post office opened in 1827, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 3,531 in 18202020 census: 186199 years

Founding year: the first Ellisburg post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Ellisburg’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 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18953 editions of the USGS map, 1895 to 1958. Watch Ellisburg change.Old housesHalf of Ellisburg’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 5,614 in 1860; 3,352 people lived here in 2020.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ellisburg’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ellisburg’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 viewMr. Ralph Secor, moved by the New York …: stand where they stood+15 Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

On the map

Ellisburg on the map, 1895 to 1958

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

1895Pulaski 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 Ellisburg.

The story

How Ellisburg came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ellisburg.

Read it all →

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.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Ellisburg in 1878

Passages that mention Ellisburg, cut from the printed page as they were published.

board of education of the city of Watertown. The " Union Literary Society," at Belleville, in the town of Ellisburg, was incorporated in April, 1826, and is still in operation. The "Orleans Academy" was put in operation in 1851, and continued for many years. The " Brownville Female Seminary" was op… — **History of Jefferson County, New York**1878 · page 106Read the page →
Read the text
board of education of the city of Watertown. The " Union Literary Society," at Belleville, in the town of Ellisburg, was incorporated in April, 1826, and is still in operation. The "Orleans Academy" was put in operation in 1851, and continued for many years. The " Brownville Female Seminary" was opened in 1849, and continued in operation until April 5, 1855, when an act was passed allowing it to sell its property and close up.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

1, 1821, died Aug. 26, 1826; Alfred, born Jan. 12, 1825, died March 12, 1844. The four former were born in Brattleborough, Vt., the three latter in Ellisburg. In March, 1817, the family moved from Brattleborough, and settled in the southwestern portion of Ellisburg. The father died Aug. 12, 1855 ; … — **History of Jefferson County, New York**1878 · page 376Read the page →
Read the text
1, 1821, died Aug. 26, 1826; Alfred, born Jan. 12, 1825, died March 12, 1844. The four former were born in Brattleborough, Vt., the three latter in Ellisburg. In March, 1817, the family moved from Brattleborough, and settled in the southwestern portion of Ellisburg. The father died Aug. 12, 1855 ; the mother, July 29, 1857.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Ellisburg, 1810 to 1941

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

19th century
1810Born hereAmos E. Wood is born here
1825Born hereFrancis Bates Pond is born here
1836Born hereMarietta Holley is born here
1859Born hereA. Page Brown is born here
1860CensusPopulation peaks at 5,614
1895On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
20th century
1941In the archiveMr. Ralph Secor, moved by the New York defense relocation corporation from the Pine camp …

By decade

Ellisburg, decade by decade

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

1940s4 items

Mr. Ralph Secor, moved by the New York defense relocation corporation from the Pine camp expansion area to a farm near …

1941Mr. Ralph Secor, moved by the New York defense reloca…

1941Mr. Ralph Secor, moved by the New York Defense reloca…

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.

Retake this viewMr. Ralph Secor, moved by the New York defense relocation corporation from the Pine camp expansion area to a farm near …, 1941

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

Retake this view · +15

People over time

Ellisburg, census by census

Peaked at 5,614 in 1860; 3,352 people lived here in 2020.

21 censuses, 1820–2020.

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

Famous people

7 famous people were born in Ellisburg

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

See all →

Marietta HolleyAmerican author · b. 1836

A. Page BrownAmerican architect · b. 1859

Amos E. WoodAmerican politician · b. 1810

Francis Bates PondAmerican politician · b. 1825

Estelle Mendell AmoryAmerican educator, author · b. 1845

Frank SmithBaseball pitcher in the 1950s from the United S… · b. 1928

Questions about Ellisburg’s history

What year was Ellisburg founded?

The Ellisburg post office opened in 1827, 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 the Library of Congress (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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