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BHistory
History · Massena

Massena dates to 1792, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 61% of U.S. towns · #593 of 758 in New York. What drives it

Below: maps from 1895 on and the census since 1820.

1792founded
0on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
13famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Gary Stevens · CC BY 2.0
Quick answers

How Massena began

When was Massena founded?

1792

Massena dates its founding to 1792 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1820.

First census: 944 in 18202020 census: 10,151234 years

How historic is Massena?

B

More historic than 61% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1811.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Massena’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Massena is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #593 of 758 in New York. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Massena’s overall grade.
Founding era1792, from Wikipedia: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194024.3% of homes (±4.7) · typical NY town 26.6% · U.S. 8.4%A−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical NY town 12.3 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 61%
NewerOlder
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 22%

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 Massena’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (10% of New York towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.7 points). Two sources give 1792.

Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Massena’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 Massena are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 21,346 in 1960; 12,433 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1895 to 1918, drew every building in Massena.On the map since 19063 editions of the USGS map, 1906 to 1964. Watch Massena change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Massena’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Massena’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
People over time

Massena, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,0001850190019502000Peak: 21,346

Peaked at 21,346 in 1960; 12,433 people lived here in 2020.

21 censuses, 1820–2020.

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

Every building

Massena, building by building, 1895–1918

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.

Massena fire insurance map, 1895, sheet 11895Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Massena came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Massena.

Read it all →

Massena was established in 1792 by Anable Faucher. The settlement was initially called Nikentsiake by the Mohawk Indians, translating to "where the fish live." Massena was one of the first towns settled in St. Lawrence county, but was not incorporated until 1802 when it was formed from the town of Lisbon. The town and its village are named after André Masséna, a general and Marshal to Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Massena, 1792 to 1960

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1792
    FoundingMassena is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1846Born hereCharles E. Belknap is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1901Born hereFrank Leander Sundstrom is born here
  7. 1906On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1933Born hereJoel Rosenbaum is born here
  9. 1960Born hereJim Deshaies is born here
  10. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 21,346
By decade

Massena, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Massena, New York2011Massena, New YorkMassena, New York2011Massena, New YorkSeaway Anniversary DVIDS10921572009Seaway Anniversary DVIDS1092157Massena Terminal Railroad Bridges2009Massena Terminal Railroad BridgesCity Hall and Farmers' Market2007City Hall and Farmers' MarketMassena, NY Water tower 20052005Massena, NY Water tower 2005
On the map

Massena on the map, 1906 to 1964

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

Massena on the 1906 USGS mapMassena on the 1942 USGS mapMassena on the 1964 USGS map1906Massena 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 Massena.

Famous people

13 famous people were born in Massena

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Jim DeshaiesAmerican baseball player and analyst · b. 1960
Charles E. BelknapAmerican politician · b. 1846
J
Joel RosenbaumProfessor of cell biology at Yale University · b. 1933
Frank Leander SundstromAmerican politician · b. 1901
M
Mark GreenAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1967
Mark MorrisAmerican ice hockey defenceman and coach · b. 1958

Questions about Massena’s history

What year was Massena founded?

In 1792, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Massena’s post office opened in 1811, and the census of 1820 counted 944 people here.

How does Massena rank for history?

Massena is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #593 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.

How old are the homes in Massena?

24% of Massena’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1954.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.