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History · Leicester

Leicester’s post office opened in 1813, and 37% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1820.

1813first post office
1on the National Register
37%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Leicester began

When was Leicester founded?

1813

The Leicester post office opened in 1813, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 1,331 in 18202020 census: 440213 years
Founding year: the first Leicester post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Leicester’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 Leicester are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19043 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1951. Watch Leicester change.Deep rootsA post office since 1813: 213 years of Leicester.Old housesHalf of Leicester’s homes were built before 1957.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Leicester’s collection

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

Leicester on the map, 1904 to 1951

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

Leicester on the 1904 USGS mapLeicester on the 1944 USGS mapLeicester on the 1951 USGS map1904Caledonia 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 Leicester.

The story

How Leicester came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Leicester.

Read it all →

The area was a major stronghold of the Seneca people until the American Revolution, with three major villages: Little Beard's Town, Big Tree, and Squakie Hill. These three settlements were a target of the Sullivan Expedition in 1779, to end raids on American communities.

The town was first settled around 1789. The town was formed in 1802, but the name, originally spelled "Lester" or "Leister", was changed in 1805 to the current form. The town was later reduced in size by the creation of newer towns: Mount Morris (1813) and York (1819).

The Coverdale Cobblestone House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Leicester, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Leicester, New York2007Leicester, New YorkLeicester, New York2007Leicester, New YorkLeicester, New York2007Leicester, New YorkLeicester, New York2007Leicester, New YorkLeicester, New York2007Leicester, New YorkLeicester, New York2007Leicester, New York
On the National Register

1 historic place in Leicester

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Leicester, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5001850190019502000Peak: 2,415

Between 1,331 and 2,415 people in every census since 1820.

20 censuses, 1820–2010.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Leicester’s Wikipedia page.

Questions about Leicester’s history

What year was Leicester founded?

The Leicester post office opened in 1813, 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 (6), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.