The Lewisboro post office opened in 1842, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Vista (1827), Lake Waccabuc (1879) and Waccabuc (1944), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,453 in 17902020 census: 12,265184 years
How historic is Lewisboro?
A
More historic than 85% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Lewisboro post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Lewisboro’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lewisboro is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #343 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lewisboro’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 Lewisboro’s 62.0 sits above most of its state (70% of New York towns have fewer) while its 75 historic buildings outnumber those of 88% 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 (±4.9 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 Lewisboro’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
After purchasing land from the local natives, the first settlers established themselves around South Salem. The town was formed as "Salem" in 1747. By 1790 the town assumed its current dimensions as lands were removed for other towns. The name changed to South Salem in 1806. John Lewis, a financier, requested that the town be given his name and established a fund for the town, though he did not follow through on his promise of a railroad link. An abundance of natural open space, Dry-stone walls and elegant Colonial mansions are dominant features.
Passages that mention Lewisboro, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Westchester County, New York, from its earliest settlement to the year 19001900 · page 615Read the page →
Read the text
Falls, in the Town of North Salem, will contribute a portion of its territory, a section lying near and just west of the Harlem Railroad station. A tribute has also been laid upon Golden' s Bridge, in the Town of Lewisboro, and it will relinquish a portion of its land, near the railroad station. The Huntersville section of the Town of Cortlandt, well known to sportsmen, as it is famous for its excellent trout brooks; the Quaker Meeting House locality, in the Town of New Castle, the Wiremill Bridge, iu the Town of Cortlandt, and other
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Westchester County, New York, from its earliest settlement to the year 19001900 · page 532Read the page →
Read the text
The township named Salem has long been popularly known as Lower Salem. By an act of April 6, 1806, its name was officially changed to South" Salem, and by a further act, February 13, 1840, to the present style of Lewisboro. The name of Lewisboro was given it in honor of John Lewis,1 a liberal benefactor of the public schools and donor of the glebe lands of Saint John's Protestant Episcopal Church at Salem. A portion of North Salem was annexed to Lewisboro April 2(5, 1844.
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.
Timeline
Lewisboro, 1813 to 2010
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Lewisboro post office opened in 1842, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Lewisboro rank for history?
Lewisboro is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #343 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 Lewisboro?
6 listings: 3 buildings, 1 historic district, the Waccabuc Historic District, with 67 contributing buildings, 1 site, and 1 structure. 75 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Lewisboro?
17% of Lewisboro’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.9 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 Wikimedia Commons (14), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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 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.
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