On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fowler is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fowler’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 Fowler’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (10% of New York towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.8 points). Two sources give 1816.
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 Fowler’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fowler was established in 1816, when it was formed from parts of the towns of Rossie and Russell. The first settler was Brigadier General James Haile, who purchased a square mile of land in June 1807. Construction of mills on the river began later that year, and a furnace began operating in 1833. Many families fled during the War of 1812, and rapid settlement only began in 1820.
It was named for Theodosius Fowler (1753–1841), a captain in the American Revolution and a local landowner. In 1827, part of Fowler was transferred to the Town of Edwards. Fowler lost more area to Pitcairn, New York in 1836. By 1870, the population of Fowler was 1,785.
Passages that mention Fowler, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Annals of the Fowler family, with branches in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, California, and Texas1901 · page 17Read the page →
Read the text
"Jesse Totley and Xancy Fowler, 1792.'"' Xancy has been a name in the Godfrey Fowler line as far back as I have been able to go. William Fowler and Pleasant Fowler are named below that marriage record, and their names must stand as witnesses, as I am unable to think of any other connection their signatures may mean in the copy I have.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Annals of the Fowler family, with branches in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, California, and Texas1901 · page 137Read the page →
Read the text
moving spirit in the founding of Eutersville College, 1838, in memory of the great and lamented Dr. Enter. He founded Wesley College at San Augustine, 1842, and made his brother Jack Fowler professor of mathematics and ancient languages in that institution. Fowler Institute of Henderson, Eusk County, was so named in memory of Littleton Fowler, and many men of middle life to-day got their education at that East Texas school.
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
Fowler, 1816 to 1915
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1816, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Fowler’s post office opened in 1821, and the census of 1820 counted 605 people here.
How does Fowler rank for history?
Fowler is more historic than 55% 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.
How old are the homes in Fowler?
18% of Fowler’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.
