The Middlefield post office opened in 1815, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Middlefield Centre (1826), Phoenix Mills (1870) and Lentsville (1890), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 2,579 in 18202020 census: 1,882211 years
How historic is Middlefield?
A
More historic than 92% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Middlefield post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Middlefield’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Middlefield is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Middlefield’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 Middlefield’s 206 sits above most of its state (82% of New York towns have fewer) while its 37 historic buildings outnumber those of 83% 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 (±7.5 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 Middlefield’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Iroquois FarmlocaleSchool Number 10schoolSchool Number 2schoolSchool Number 3schoolSchool Number 5schoolSchool Number 6schoolSchool Number 7schoolSchool Number 8schoolSchool Number 9schoolWatercolor Airportairport
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Middlefield
Settlers from Scotland and Ireland moved into this area around 1755. The first settlements were made near Middlefield village, which was formed from the Town of Cherry Valley in 1797.
The Phoenix cotton mill was started in 1815, but became a wool mill in 1866.
The Middlefield Hamlet Historic District and Benjamin D. North House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Passages that mention Middlefield, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A history of the town of Murrayfield1892 · page 23Read the page →
Read the text
and the Ingersoll grants. When the town of Montgomery was incorporated, about half the Ingersoll grant was included. In the year 1783 the northwest corner of this township was severed from Chester and became part of Middlefield. The Original Proprietors of No. 9. This township, as we have seen, was sold by auction at Boston, June 2d, 1702, to William Williams of Hatfield, for £1,500. For some reason, which does not appear, Williams did not take it, and it passed at
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A history of the town of Murrayfield1892 · page 101Read the page →
Read the text
The inhabitants of the northwest part of the town thought they would be better off if annexed to the town of Middlefield, and signified their wish by a petition as follows: "Murrayfield, February 18th, 1779. Whereas we, the inhabitants of the north west part of the town of Murrayfield being convened together with the inhabitants of the north east part of Becket & south west part of Worthington unanimously think it best to be set off as a town ; wherefore we request & desire to be set off from this town & adjoin those forementioned inhabitants;
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Otsego County, New York. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1878 · page 268Read the page →
Read the text
able place for the interment of the dead than the limited accommodations of the crowded church-yards, A site for the cemetery was selected on the hillside overlooking the lake, in the town of Middlefield, a short distance' from the corporate limits of the village of Cooperatown ; and on Sept. 3, 1857, it was appropriately consecrated to the repose of the dead. A deep interest was manifested in the cemetery, and the consecration services were of a very,,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Otsego County, New York. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1878 · page 261Read the page →
Read the text
A prominent early settler just outside of the village, in the town of Middlefield, was John M. Bowers, one of the largest land-holders in the county, who came from New York city in 1803. In 1804 he erected the residence known as "Lakelands," and in the following year took possession of it. Here he remained until his death, which occurred in 1846. He was seventy-three years of age.
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
Middlefield, 1802 to 1967
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Middlefield post office opened in 1815, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Middlefield rank for history?
Middlefield is more historic than 92% 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 Middlefield?
Three places: the Middlefield Hamlet Historic District (listed 1985), the Benjamin D. North House (1985) and the Middlefield District No. 1 School (1987).
How old are the homes in Middlefield?
25% of Middlefield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.5 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 (5), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
2010
2010
2010
2010
2010
