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–Not graded
History · Kiamesha Lake

Kiamesha Lake’s post office opened in 1938, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers and maps from 1909 on.

1938first post office
0on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Kiamesha Lake’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Kiamesha Lake began

When was Kiamesha Lake founded?

1938

The Kiamesha Lake post office opened in 1938, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 32088 years
Founding year: the first Kiamesha Lake post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Kiamesha Lake’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 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19095 editions of the USGS map, 1909 to 1982. Watch Kiamesha Lake change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Kiamesha Lake’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewCarnival Lodge, Rt 42, backboard: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Kiamesha Lake on the map, 1909 to 1982

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

Kiamesha Lake on the 1909 USGS mapKiamesha Lake on the 1911 USGS mapKiamesha Lake on the 1943 USGS mapKiamesha Lake on the 1966 USGS mapKiamesha Lake on the 1982 USGS map1909Monticello 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 Kiamesha Lake.

The story so far

Kiamesha Lake, in brief

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

Kiamesha Lake is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in the town of Thompson, in east-central Sullivan County, New York, United States. The zip code for Kiamesha Lake is 12751. As of the 2020 census, Kiamesha Lake had a population of 320. Kiamesha Lake is located on Route 42, between Monticello and Fallsburg, off New York State Route 17 (Future Interstate 86) exit 105B.

Its first post office opened in 1938.

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

By decade

Kiamesha Lake, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1970s2 items
Carnival Lodge, Rt 42, backboard1978Carnival Lodge, Rt 42, backboardCarnival Lodge, Rt 42, backboard1978Carnival Lodge, Rt 42, backboard
1980s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today3 recent
NY 42 sb in Kiamesha Lake, June 20262026NY 42 sb in Kiamesha Lake, June 2026Kiamesha Lake, NY post office, June 20262026Kiamesha Lake, NY post office, June 2026Kiamesha Lake from NY 42, June 20262026Kiamesha Lake from NY 42, June 2026
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Carnival Lodge, Rt 42, backboard
Retake this viewCarnival Lodge, Rt 42, backboard, 1978

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Kiamesha Lake’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Kiamesha Lake

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

See all →
Gavin DeGrawAmerican singer · b. 1977
Queen HarrisonAmerican hurdler and sprinter · b. 1988
Randall BatinkoffAmerican actor · b. 1968
Simeon De WittAmerican geographer and surveyor general · b. 1756
Stanley FinchFirst director of the FBI · b. 1872
Z
Zoe LeonardAmerican photographer · b. 1961
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Thompson6 historic placesA−Fallsburg11 historic placesA−

Questions about Kiamesha Lake’s history

What year was Kiamesha Lake founded?

The Kiamesha Lake post office opened in 1938, 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 →
Start a conversation
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 (5) 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.