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History · Nelsonville

Nelsonville dates to 1855, and 58% of its homes were built before 1940

9 places in town are on the National Register. Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1880.

1855founded
9on the National Register
58%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Nelsonville began

When was Nelsonville founded?

1855

Nelsonville dates its founding to 1855 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 541 in 18802020 census: 624171 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1888.The full story ↓

What stands out about Nelsonville’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 Nelsonville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18926 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1981. Watch Nelsonville change.Old housesHalf of Nelsonville’s homes were built before 1938.Landmarks on the Register9 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Nelsonville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Nelsonville’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Nelsonville on the map, 1892 to 1981

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

Nelsonville on the 1892 USGS mapNelsonville on the 1901 USGS mapNelsonville on the 1936 USGS mapNelsonville on the 1941 USGS mapNelsonville on the 1957 USGS mapNelsonville on the 1981 USGS map1892West Point 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 Nelsonville.

The story

How Nelsonville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Nelsonville.

Read it all →

Nelsonville is named after the Nelson family, early residents in the area. The West Point Foundry Association's operations supported many of the residents of the settlement, directly or indirectly. It was incorporated as a village in 1855. The post office opened in 1888.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Nelsonville in 1886

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

or four small houses in the vicinity, and boatmen on the river stopped here occasionally. In 1805, Elijah Davenport built a store on the south side ut the road, and in 1815, Chauncey Weeks moved a frame building down from Nelsonville and stationed it just east of the store. The old house of Elijah.…
History of Putnam County, New York1886 · page 558Read the page →
Read the text

or four small houses in the vicinity, and boatmen on the river stopped here occasionally. In 1805, Elijah Davenport built a store on the south side ut the road, and in 1815, Chauncey Weeks moved a frame building down from Nelsonville and stationed it just east of the store. The old house of Elijah. Davenport was still farther east. Two men named Haldane and Howel afterward built a store at "Sandy Landing."

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.

By decade

Nelsonville, decade by decade

Today10 recent
House at 249 Main Street, Nelsonville, NY, 20132013House at 249 Main Street, Nelsonville, NY, 2013Montrest2008MontrestHouse at 249 Main Street2008House at 249 Main StreetJY Dykman Store2007JY Dykman StoreJY Dykman Flour and Feed Store2007JY Dykman Flour and Feed StoreHustis House2007Hustis HouseHouse at 3 Crown Street2007House at 3 Crown StreetHD Champlin store2007HD Champlin storeFish and Fur Club2007Fish and Fur ClubCold Spring Cemetery Gatehouse2007Cold Spring Cemetery Gatehouse
On the National Register

9 historic places in Nelsonville

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

places listed
9
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
10
each building in a district counts

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

People over time

Nelsonville, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 765

Between 412 and 765 people in every census since 1880.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Cold Spring3 historic placesA+

Questions about Nelsonville’s history

What year was Nelsonville founded?

In 1855, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Nelsonville’s post office opened in 1888, and the census of 1880 counted 541 people here.

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 (10), Wikidata (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.