Geddes’ post office opened in 1819, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 78% of U.S. towns · #456 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Solvay Public Library and the Pozzi Building. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1895 on, and the census since 1850.
The Geddes post office opened in 1819, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Lakeland (1887) and Solvay (1889), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 2,011 in 18502020 census: 17,088207 years
How historic is Geddes?
A−
More historic than 78% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Geddes post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Geddes’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Geddes is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #456 of 758 in New York. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Geddes’ 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 Geddes’ 1.8 sits below most of its state (24% of New York towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±3.1 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 Geddes’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town was formed from the Town of Salina in 1848. It is named after James Geddes, a prominent early settler who settled at the head of Onondaga Lake in 1794 and developed the salt industry.
There also was an Old Geddes Village which included part of the west side of Syracuse and Tipperary Hill, the village square being located near St. Mark's Circle. The village of Geddes (incorporated in 1832 and 1837) was annexed to the City of Syracuse on May 20, 1886, with a population of nearly 7,000. Today the town of Geddes still includes the Village of Solvay, which operates independently, and the hamlets of Westvale and Lakeland.
Passages that mention Geddes, cut from the printed page as they were published.
... History of Onondaga County, New York1878 · page 45Read the page →
Read the text
It takes in the city of Syracuse, the town of Geddes and the town of Salina, with the exception of nine and a half lots added to the town of Salina from the town of Manlius.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The founders of the village of Geddes showed their appreciation of education by reserving a lot for a public school house east of the park or public square, on which a log school house was first built among the cabins of the primitive settlers. This was superceded by a brick school house at an early day, but only of sufficient dimensions to answer a temporary purpose. The narrow street or lane
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
Geddes, 1819 to 1970
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Geddes post office opened in 1819, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Geddes rank for history?
Geddes is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #456 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 Geddes?
Two places: the Solvay Public Library (listed 2007) and the Pozzi Building (2025).
How old are the homes in Geddes?
26% of Geddes’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.1 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1955.
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 Wikimedia Commons (7), the Library of Congress (5), 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), 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.
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