3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 118 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1811.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives New Berlin’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New Berlin is more historic than 97% 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 New Berlin’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 New Berlin’s 455 sits above most of its state (91% of New York towns have fewer) while its 120 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% 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 (±6.1 points). Two sources give 1807.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 New Berlin’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
New Berlin’s post office has been open since 1811. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
New Berlin
1811–today
South New Berlin
1822–today
New Berlin Centre
1830–1903
Holmesville
1872–today
Chenango Lake
1887–1913
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AmblervilleChenango LakeDavis CrossingFive CornersHolmesvilleSages CrossingSouth New Berlin
Gone or out of use
Dakin Opera HousebuildingNew Berlin Central SchoolschoolNew Eagle HotelbuildingSchool Number 11schoolSchool Number 3schoolSchool Number 4schoolSchool Number 6schoolSchool Number 7schoolSchool Number 8school
10cemeteries and burying grounds inside New Berlin
The first European-American settlers arrived c. 1790, after the American Revolutionary War.
The Town of New Berlin was founded by a partition of the Town of Norwich in 1807; it was named after Berlin, Germany. In 1821 the town changed its name to "Lancaster", but returned to "New Berlin" the next year. In 1853, part of the town was used to form the Town of Sherburne.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of New Berlin.
Every building
New Berlin, building by building, 1887–1929
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1807, according to Wikidata. New Berlin’s post office opened in 1811, and the census of 1820 counted 2,366 people here.
How does New Berlin rank for history?
New Berlin is more historic than 97% 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 New Berlin?
Three places: the Horace O. Moss House (listed 1974), the New Berlin Historic District (1982) and the Eaton Family Residence-Jewish Center of Norwich (2009).
How old are the homes in New Berlin?
40% of New Berlin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.1 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1953.
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 (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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1875
2012
2009
2007
