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History · Naples

Naples’ post office opened in 1828, and 74% of its homes were built before 1940

7 places in town are on the National Register. Below: old-book passages.

1828first post office
7on the National Register
74%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Naples began

When was Naples founded?

1828

The Naples post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 931198 years
Founding year: the first Naples post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Naples’ 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 Naples are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Naples’ homes were built before 1938.Landmarks on the Register7 places on the National Register.Deep rootsA post office since 1828: 198 years of Naples.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Naples’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Naples’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
The story so far

Naples, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Naples yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Naples is a town in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 2,417 at the 2020 census. The Town of Naples contains a village, also called Naples. The town is located in the southwestern corner of Ontario County. It is located in the Finger Lakes region of New York. The annual Naples Grape Festival is held in September, and the area is known for its wineries and grape pie.

Its first post office opened in 1828. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,041 to 931 (-11%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

On the National Register

7 listings protect 370 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
7
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
370
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Naples, 1861–1907

Passages that mention Naples, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Passage from A sister of Marie Antoinette that mentions Naples
A sister of Marie Antoinette1907 · page 66Read the page →
Naples was again their own, the French troops were swept out of the kingdom, and a few weeks later (September 28th) Rome also fell into the hands of the Neapolitans and Austrians. The standard of Naples floated from the walls of S. Angelo, the
A sister of Marie Antoinette1907 · page 308Read the page →
Read the text

Naples was again their own, the French troops were swept out of the kingdom, and a few weeks later (September 28th) Rome also fell into the hands of the Neapolitans and Austrians. The standard of Naples floated from the walls of S. Angelo, the

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
4. The forces to go with banners, arms and baggage, 2,000 men hourly, laying down their arms outside (officers retaining their swords), and proceeding to Naples on foot, embark for a Sardinian port. The generals to go to Naples by railroad. The families of soldiers not to follow the column. The sic…
The life of General Garibaldi, tr. from his private papers1861 · page 442Read the page →
Read the text

4. The forces to go with banners, arms and baggage, 2,000 men hourly, laying down their arms outside (officers retaining their swords), and proceeding to Naples on foot, embark for a Sardinian port. The generals to go to Naples by railroad. The families of soldiers not to follow the column. The sick and wounded to remain in Capua. 6. A mixed commission to superintend affairs, and an inventory to be made," etc.

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

Naples, 1806 to 1983

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1806Born hereMyron Holley Clark is born here
  3. 1815Born hereEmory B. Pottle is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1931Born hereFrank Reddout is born here
  6. 1983Born hereMeghan Musnicki is born here
By decade

Naples, decade by decade

Today6 recent
South Main Street2021South Main StreetPurple fire hydrant, South Main Street2021Purple fire hydrant, South Main StreetFairview Cemetery aka First Church Cemetery2021Fairview Cemetery aka First Church CemeteryCommunity Bank, N.A. - former Maxfield Bank2021Community Bank, N.A. - former Maxfield Bank1 Wall Street Naples Mill20201 Wall Street Naples MillNaples Memorial Town Hall Jun 092009Naples Memorial Town Hall Jun 09
Famous people

4 famous people were born in Naples

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

See all →
M
Meghan MusnickiAmerican rower · b. 1983
Myron Holley ClarkAmerican politician · b. 1806
F
Frank ReddoutAmerican professional basketball player · b. 1931
Emory B. PottleAmerican politician · b. 1815

Questions about Naples’ history

What year was Naples founded?

The Naples post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people 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.