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History · Hortonville

Hortonville’s post office opened in 1897, and 78% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1920 on.

1897first post office
0on the National Register
78%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Hortonville began

When was Hortonville founded?

1897

The Hortonville post office opened in 1897, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 180129 years
Founding year: the first Hortonville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Hortonville’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Hortonville’s homes were built before 1938.On the map since 19205 editions of the USGS map, 1920 to 1992. Watch Hortonville change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hortonville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hortonville’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
The story so far

Hortonville, in brief

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

Hortonville is a census-designated place in the town of Delaware, Sullivan County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, Hortonville had a population of 180. Its ZIP code is 12745. Hortonville is the birthplace of explorer Frederick Cook, famous for his claim of being the first man to reach the North Pole on April 21, 1908.

Its first post office opened in 1897. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 218 to 180 (-17%).

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

On the map

Hortonville on the map, 1920 to 1992

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

Hortonville on the 1920 USGS mapHortonville on the 1944 USGS mapHortonville on the 1965 USGS mapHortonville on the 1973 USGS mapHortonville on the 1992 USGS map1920Long Eddy 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 Hortonville.

Timeline

Hortonville, 1865 to 1920

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1865Born hereFrederick Cook is born here
  3. 1875In the archiveCounty atlas of Sullivan, New York
  4. 20th century
  5. 1920On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Hortonville, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1870s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s1 item
County atlas of Sullivan, New York1875County atlas of Sullivan, New YorkMap
Today1 recent
Hortonville Cemetery2013Hortonville Cemetery

Questions about Hortonville’s history

What year was Hortonville founded?

The Hortonville post office opened in 1897, 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 →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.