The Middlesex post office opened in 1812, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Vine Valley (1866), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 2,718 in 18202020 census: 1,377214 years
How historic is Middlesex?
A
More historic than 90% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Middlesex post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Middlesex’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Middlesex is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Middlesex’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 Middlesex’s 92.4 sits above most of its state (75% of New York towns have fewer) while its 13 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% 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 (±6.6 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 Middlesex’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
A legend of the Seneca tribe states that they originated in a village called Nundawao, near the south end of Canandaigua Lake, at South Hill. Right next to South Hill stands the 865-foot-high Bare Hill, known to the Senecas as Genundowa. Bare Hill is part of the Bare Hill Unique Area, which began to be acquired by the state in 1989. Bare Hill had been the site of a Seneca or pre-Seneca fort; first written reference to this fort was made in 1825 by David Cusick in his history of the Seneca Indians.
Passages that mention Middlesex, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Middlesex County, New Jersey, 1664-19201921Read the page →
Read the text
As an organizer of forces making for harmony and efficiency in all the related agencies tending to the development of the educational possibilities within his county, Mr. Willis' record is truly an enviable one. The following organizations in Middlesex — all the first of the kind in the State — evidence his remarkable talent in this direction: Middlesex County Pedagogical Library Association, which was organized in 1895 — this organization now has over two thousand five hundred up-to-date books on pedagogy in its library ; Middlesex County School Board Asso-
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
Middlesex, 1812 to 1902
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Middlesex post office opened in 1812, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Middlesex rank for history?
Middlesex is more historic than 90% 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 Middlesex?
6 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Bates Cobblestone Farmhouse (listed 1992, the first). 13 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Middlesex?
25% of Middlesex’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (6), Wikipedia, 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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