The Martinsburg post office opened in 1804, the earliest record of the town by name. Four smaller post offices, West Martinsburg (1824), Glendale (1855) and East Martinsburg (1873), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,497 in 18202020 census: 1,316222 years
How historic is Martinsburg?
A
More historic than 91% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Martinsburg post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Martinsburg’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Martinsburg is more historic than 91% 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 Martinsburg’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 Martinsburg’s 42.1 sits above most of its state (66% of New York towns have fewer) while its 5 listings outnumber those of 70% 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 (±9.5 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 Martinsburg’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
Martinsburg’s post office has been open since 1804. Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Martinsburg
1804–today
West Martinsburg
1824–1914
Glendale
1855–1899
East Martinsburg
1873–1921
Wetmore
1897–1911
Glenfield
1899–today
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
East MartinsburgGlendaleGlenfieldWest MartinsburgWetmore
Gone or out of use
School Number 10schoolSchool Number 11schoolSchool Number 13schoolSchool Number 14schoolSchool Number 16schoolSchool Number 17schoolSchool Number 19schoolSchool Number 3schoolSchool Number 5schoolTug Hill Farm Airportairport
1cemetery inside Martinsburg
Martinsburg
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
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Start Martinsburg’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Martinsburg’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Settlers began arriving around 1801. Martinsburg was established from part of the town of Turin in 1803. When it was formed the town name was spelled "Martinsburgh". In 1819, the town was augmented by more of Turin.
The community of Martinsburg in the town was the county seat for Lewis County until 1864, when it moved to Lowville. The town hall in Martinsburg, built in 1812, is the site of the first county court session, held the same year. In 1839, it was the site of the only execution in the county.
The Gen. Walter Martin House and Martinsburg Town Hall are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Martinsburg post office opened in 1804, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Martinsburg rank for history?
Martinsburg is more historic than 91% 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 Martinsburg?
5 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Methodist Episcopal Church of West Martinsburg (listed 1983, the first).
How old are the homes in Martinsburg?
35% of Martinsburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.5 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 (2), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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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