Macedon dates to 1789, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 72% of U.S. towns · #513 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Charles Bullis House and the Baker, J. and E., Cobblestone Farmstead. Below: maps from 1900 on and the census since 1830.
Macedon dates its founding to 1789 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1830.
First census: 1,990 in 18302020 census: 9,270237 years
How did Macedon get its name?
Macedon took its name from the ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedon.
More on the name
The toponym Macedon is derived itself from the ancient Greek adjective μακεδνός (makednós), meaning "tall", possibly descriptive of the inhabitants of Macedon. It has the same root as the adjective μακρός (makros), meaning "long" or "tall" in Ancient Greek.
How historic is Macedon?
B+
More historic than 72% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Macedon is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns, #513 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Macedon’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 Macedon’s 6.5 sits near the middle of its state (39% of New York towns have fewer) while its 6 historic buildings outnumber those of 72% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1789.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.3 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Macedon’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Macedon’s post office has been open since 1825. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Macedon
1825–today
Macedon Centre
1833–1964
Wayneport
1896–1903
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Arrowhead Mobile Home ParkCator CornersHillcrest Trailer CourtHuddleMacedon CenterNorth MacedonWayneportYellow Mills
Gone or out of use
School Number 1schoolSchool Number 2schoolSchool Number 3schoolSchool Number 4schoolSchool Number 5schoolSchool Number 6schoolSchool Number 7schoolSchool Number 9school
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Macedon
Macedon CenterMacedon VillageSaint PatricksUnion
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Macedon on the map, 1900 to 1969
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Macedon. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1900Macedon 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 Macedon.
Prior to early settlement, the area in and around Macedon was home to the Seneca Nation, a tribe member in the Iroquois League.
The town land was acquired for settlement in 1788 from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as part of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. The first settlers, Webb and Hannah Harwood, arrived in 1789.
The construction and completion of the Erie Canal from 1817 to 1825 brought many new settlers to the area. The town of Macedon was incorporated during the canal construction in 1823, from what had been the western half of the Town of Palmyra. The opening of the Erie Canal led to the forming of new port communities like Wayneport and the Village of Macedon, with the latter centered on Lock 30.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1789, according to Wikidata. Macedon’s post office opened in 1825, and the census of 1830 counted 1,990 people here.
How does Macedon rank for history?
Macedon is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns, #513 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 Macedon?
Two places: the Charles Bullis House (listed 1986) and the Baker, J. and E., Cobblestone Farmstead (1995).
How old are the homes in Macedon?
14% of Macedon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.3 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1982.
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 (6), 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 and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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