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History · Hammond

Hammond’s post office opened in 1822, and 46% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1912 on and the census since 1830.

1822first post office
0on the National Register
46%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Hammond began

When was Hammond founded?

1822

The Hammond post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1827.

First census: 767 in 18302020 census: 273204 years
Founding year: the first Hammond post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1827.The full story ↓

What stands out about Hammond’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 Hammond are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,968 in 1860; 1,258 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Hammond’s homes were built before 1945.On the map since 19124 editions of the USGS map, 1912 to 1961. Watch Hammond change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hammond’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hammond’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Hammond, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0001850190019502000Peak: 1,968

Peaked at 1,968 in 1860; 1,258 people lived here in 2020.

20 censuses, 1830–2020.

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

The story

How Hammond came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hammond.

Read it all →

The Town of Hammond was formed in 1827 when portions of the Town of Morristown and the Town of Rossie were combined. Subsequent small alterations in the town lines affected the neighboring towns of Rossie, Macomb, and Morristown.

Alexander Macomb bought land in this area, and this was known as the Macomb purchase. Later this land was bought by Abijah Hammond, a New York businessman. He in turn sold 28,871 acres (116.84 km2) of land to David Parish. A land office was opened in 1814 in Chippewa Bay, a sub-community of the Town of Hammond today.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hammond, 1852 to 1912

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1852Born hereClarence A. Waldo is born here
  3. 1860CensusPopulation peaks at 1,968
  4. 20th century
  5. 1912On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Hammond, decade by decade

Today1 recent
NY 185 old alignment in2019NY 185 old alignment in
On the map

Hammond on the map, 1912 to 1961

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

Hammond on the 1912 USGS mapHammond on the 1944 USGS mapHammond on the 1951 USGS mapHammond on the 1961 USGS map1912Hammond 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 Hammond.

Questions about Hammond’s history

What year was Hammond founded?

The Hammond post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1827.

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 →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.