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History · Houghton

Houghton’s post office opened in 1883

Most of Houghton was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1967. Below: maps from 1906 on.

1883first post office
0on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Houghton began

When was Houghton founded?

1883

The Houghton post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 1,488143 years
Founding year: the first Houghton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Houghton’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 Houghton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19064 editions of the USGS map, 1906 to 1978. Watch Houghton change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Houghton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Houghton’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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On the map

Houghton on the map, 1906 to 1978

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

Houghton on the 1906 USGS mapHoughton on the 1941 USGS mapHoughton on the 1964 USGS mapHoughton on the 1978 USGS map1906Angelica 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 Houghton.

The story so far

Houghton, in brief

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

Houghton is a hamlet (and census-designated place) located in the Town of Caneadea in Allegany County, western New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, Houghton had a population of 1,488.

Its first post office opened in 1883. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,693 to 1,488 (-12%).

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

By decade

Houghton, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Houghton Creek, Seymour Street branch2011Houghton Creek, Seymour Street branchBufo Americanus on the prowl2011Bufo Americanus on the prowlHCQuad2005HCQuad
Famous people

Famous people close to Houghton

Nobody well known was born in Houghton itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Charles IngallsFather of author Laura Ingalls Wilder · b. 1836
Henry M. TellerAmerican politician · b. 1830
Gladys HuletteAmerican actress · b. 1896
Donald Van SlykeAmerican chemist · b. 1883
Ellen Palmer AllertonAmerican poet · b. 1835
Frank Wayland HigginsAmerican politician · b. 1856
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Caneadea1 historic placeB+HumeIts storyB+RushfordIts storyB−

Questions about Houghton’s history

What year was Houghton founded?

The Houghton post office opened in 1883, 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 (3) 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.