The Hopkinton post office opened in 1806, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Fort Jackson (1873) and Harper (1904), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 372 in 18102020 census: 1,105220 years
How historic is Hopkinton?
A
More historic than 88% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Hopkinton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hopkinton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hopkinton is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hopkinton’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 Hopkinton’s 20.0 sits near the middle of its state (56% of New York towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% 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 (±8.8 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 Hopkinton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Peaked at 2,521 in 1900; 1,105 people lived here in 2020.
22 censuses, 1810–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hopkinton’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Hopkinton had its own post office from 1806 to 1966. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hopkinton
1806–1966
Fort Jackson
1873–1964
Harper
1904–1905
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
CatherinevilleFort Jackson
Gone or out of use
Buckley CamplocaleCamp Number 15localeGushee CamplocaleHarper SchoolschoolSchool Number 1schoolSchool Number 11schoolSchool Number 13schoolSchool Number 5schoolSchool Number 6schoolSchool Number 7schoolState Road SchoolschoolSullivan Camplocale
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Hopkinton
Fort Jackson HopkintonHoly Cross
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The first recorded settlers arrived around 1802, becoming the fifth town in Saint Lawrence County. The town was named for founder Roswell Hopkins, and was first organized from part of Massena town March 2, 1805. This town was much larger than the present town, having lost territory on the formation of newer towns of the county, including: Russell (1807), Parishville (1814), Lawrence (1828), and Piercefield (1900) which towns were themselves partitioned as boundary adjustments were made over time. In February 1814, British Troops Raided the village and seized 300 barrels of flour of U.S. Gov.[1]
The Hopkinton post office opened in 1806, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Hopkinton rank for history?
Hopkinton is more historic than 88% 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 Hopkinton?
One place: the Hopkinton Green Historic District (listed 2014).
How old are the homes in Hopkinton?
38% of Hopkinton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.8 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1966.
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 Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via 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.
