The Laurens post office opened in 1826, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, West Laurens (1846), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 2,074 in 18202020 census: 2,311200 years
How did Laurens get its name?
Laurens was named for Revolutionary War hero Henry Laurens.
How historic is Laurens?
A
More historic than 89% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Laurens is more historic than 89% 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 Laurens’ 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 Laurens’ 30.8 sits near the middle of its state (62% of New York towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.9 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 Laurens’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town was first settled by Europeans around 1773. Joseph Mayall arrived in 1773 about one mile north of the present Laurens village. The raiding party responsible for the Cherry Valley Massacre also pillaged part of Laurens and burned some property.
The town was formed from the Town of Otsego in 1810. It was named for Revolutionary War hero Henry Laurens.
A resort developed by the Oneonta Mohawk trolley line called Otsego Park was formerly located in the eastern part of Laurens. Cotton mills once were an industry in Laurens, powered by the water of Gilbert Lake.
Passages that mention Laurens, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Otsego County, New York. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1878 · page 209Read the page →
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Here many of the Lulls, Palmei'S, Yates, Aldriches, Gilberts, Alexanders, Lawrences, Todds, Moores, etc , of the district, graduated. Wm. Gilbert first settled at the outlet of a little lake in the town of Laurens ; he afterwards, in 1820, moved on the farm now occupied by his son, Butler Gilbert. It was on this farm that the three towns of Laurens, New Lisbon, and Butternuts joined, and a large butternut-tree was made the corner; hence the name Butternuts. Tho
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Otsego County, New York. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1878 · page 167Read the page →
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into an uninhabited region, flrst erect the standard of civilization in the wilderness. To Joseph Mayall is the honor inscribed of being the first white settler within the boundaries of the present town of Laurens. He located, in 1773, about ono niilo north of tho village of Lnurous, on ono hundred acres of land which had been given him by the proprietors of the patent. He was a man of great courage, and during the Revolutionary struggle became somewhat celebrated as
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
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The Laurens post office opened in 1826, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Laurens rank for history?
Laurens is more historic than 89% 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 Laurens?
Two places: the Kenyon Residences (listed 2004) and the Bassett Family House (2004).
How old are the homes in Laurens?
30% of Laurens’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.9 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1976.
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 National Register of Historic Places (2), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
