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–Not graded
History · Firthcliffe

Firthcliffe’s post office opened in 1898, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

11 places in town are on the National Register.

1898first post office
11on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Firthcliffe began

When was Firthcliffe founded?

1898

The Firthcliffe post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 5,022128 years
Founding year: the first Firthcliffe post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Firthcliffe’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 Firthcliffe are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Landmarks on the Register11 places on the National Register.Old housesHalf of Firthcliffe’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Firthcliffe’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Firthcliffe’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
On the National Register

11 historic places in Firthcliffe

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

places listed
11
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
17
each building in a district counts

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

The story so far

Firthcliffe, in brief

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

Firthcliffe is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Orange County, New York United States. The population was 5,022 at the 2020 Census. It is part of the Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area. Firthcliffe is in the Town of Cornwall.

Its first post office opened in 1898. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 4,949 in 2010, 5,022 in 2020.

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

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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Famous people

Famous people close to Firthcliffe

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

See all →
Gore VidalAmerican writer · b. 1925
David PetraeusU.S. Army general and public official · b. 1952
James PattersonAmerican author · b. 1947
Charles DurningAmerican actor · b. 1923
Alfred Thayer MaanUnited States Navy admiral and historian · b. 1840
Geraldine FerraroAmerican politician · b. 1935
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Cornwall-on-Hudson10 historic placesA+Vails Gate2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCornwall36 historic placesA+New Windsor8 historic placesB+

Questions about Firthcliffe’s history

What year was Firthcliffe founded?

The Firthcliffe post office opened in 1898, 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 →
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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 →