Kingsbury’s post office opened in 1813, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 94% of U.S. towns · #180 of 758 in New York. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 148 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1895 on, and the census since 1820.
The Kingsbury post office opened in 1813, the earliest record of the town by name. Six smaller post offices, Sandy Hill (1797), Adamsville (1825) and Pattens Mills (1827), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 2,203 in 18202020 census: 12,968213 years
How did Kingsbury get its name?
Kingsbury was named after a small parish on the western outskirts of London.
How historic is Kingsbury?
A
More historic than 94% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kingsbury is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #180 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Kingsbury’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 Kingsbury’s 116 sits above most of its state (78% of New York towns have fewer) while its 149 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.7 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 Kingsbury’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
A charter for a Township of Kingsbury was granted by King George III on May 11, 1762. It was named after a small parish on the western outskirts of London. Its first settler was James Bradshaw. Albert Baker arrived second, constructing a sawmill at what is today known as Baker's Falls. John Jones built a mill in the northwest corner of town. Following his death, Edward Patten purchased Jones' land and renamed the settlement Pattens Mills, a name by which it is still known.
During the American Revolutionary War, General John Burgoyne and his troops passed through the town after the Battle of Fort Anne. In 1780, Major Christopher Carleton led a raid that set fire to everything but the homes of Loyalists.
The Kingsbury post office opened in 1813, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Kingsbury rank for history?
Kingsbury is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #180 of 758 in New York. 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 Kingsbury?
Three places: the Hudson Falls Historic District (listed 1983), the US Post Office-Hudson Falls (1989) and the Moss Street Cemetery (2017).
How old are the homes in Kingsbury?
30% of Kingsbury’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1961.
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 the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
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