The Fine post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Aldrich (1903) and Briggs (1904), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,304172 years
How historic is Fine?
B+
More historic than 72% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Fine post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Fine’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fine is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fine’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 Fine’s 31.2 sits near the middle of its state (62% of New York towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Fine’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first settlement was begun by Elias Teall, who made a contract on October 24, 1823, with the proprietors of the east half of Scriba, and undertook to secure settlers on the tract. He built a mill on the east branch of the Oswegatchie and made some small improvements; but his undertaking failed. September 6, 1828, James C. Haile made a contract with the proprietors, and built a sawmill and a small grist mill on the Oswegatchie; he induced other settlers to come. In May 1833, he also left the town, his settlers having abandoned him. In February 1834, Arnasa I. Brown contracted with the owners for the Haile improvements and an additional tract of land, and in March of that year moved his family in; his nearest neighbors were ten miles away. A few others joined him, and by 1843 there were 43 or 44 voters.
The Fine post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Fine rank for history?
Fine is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns. 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 Fine?
Three places: the Wanakena Presbyterian Church (listed 2007), the Fine Town Hall (1996) and the Knollwood (2012).
How old are the homes in Fine?
31% of Fine’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.4 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1959.
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 National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
