Minden’s post office opened in 1802, and 53% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 93% of U.S. towns · #194 of 758 in New York. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 8 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1898 on, and the census since 1820.
The Minden post office opened in 1802, the earliest record of the town by name. Four smaller post offices, Freys Bush (1824), Hallsville (1824) and Mindenville (1849), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,954 in 18202020 census: 4,166224 years
How historic is Minden?
A
More historic than 93% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Minden post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Minden’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Minden is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #194 of 758 in New York. 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 Minden’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 Minden’s 26.3 sits near the middle of its state (60% of New York towns have fewer) while its 11 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% 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 (±5.1 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 Minden’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
Minden had its own post office from 1802 to 1903. Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Minden
1802–1903
Fort Plain
1821–today
Freys Bush
1824–1905
Hallsville
1824–1902
Mindenville
1849–1870
Hessville
1851–1853
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Brookman CornersCharlesworth CornersFordsbushFort PlainFreysbushHallsvilleHessvilleHighland Mobile Home EstatesKeesler CornersMindenvilleSalt SpringvilleSand HillValley Brook
Gone or out of use
Di Stefano AirparkairportO'Riley AirportairportSchool Number 10schoolSchool Number 13schoolSchool Number 15schoolSchool Number 17schoolSchool Number 3schoolSchool Number 6schoolSchool Number 7school
The area was first settled by Europeans around 1748. It was probably named after Minden in Germany. Among the early European settlers in the 18th century were Palatine Germans; these Protestants had come to New York as refugees from religious warfare. Their passage was paid by Queen Anne's government in exchange for their work at camps along the Hudson River, producing naval stores for England.
During the American Revolution, rebel colonists constructed a small fort in 1778 at Fort Plain village. In 1780, the village was attacked by Tories and allied natives. They burned and sacked the community, but were not able to overcome the defenders at the fort.
The Minden post office opened in 1802, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Minden rank for history?
Minden is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #194 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 Minden?
4 listings: 2 buildings, among them the US Post Office-Fort Plain (listed 1989, the first), 1 historic district, the John Smith Farm, with 8 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 11 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Minden?
53% of Minden’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.1 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1938.
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 (4), 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.
Date?
Date?
2025
2025
2025
2025
