The Newark Valley post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name. Four smaller post offices, Westville (1806), West Newark (1847) and Ketchumville (1851), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,029 in 18302020 census: 3,642198 years
How historic is Newark Valley?
A
More historic than 92% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Newark Valley post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Newark Valley’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Newark Valley is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #228 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Newark Valley’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 Newark Valley’s 146 sits above most of its state (80% of New York towns have fewer) while its 52 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% 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 (±5.8 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 Newark Valley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first permanent settlers arrived around 1791. This area was called Brown's Settlement and was part of the Town of Berkshire until it was organized as the "Town of Westville" in 1823. In 1824, the town changed its name to "Newark," at the suggestion of a settler from New Jersey, but then changed the name to Newark Valley in 1862, to avoid conflict with the name of a village in Wayne County.
days, reached their destination on April 1, 1791, and on that day founded what was for many years known in local annals as Brown’s Settlement, but in later years as old town of Berkshire, and still later the towns of Berkshire, Newark Valley, and Ricliford. In the course of their journey the party was compelled to leave a part of their goods at Oquaga, and after they had arrived at and established the settlement all the pioneers except young Wilson returned to Oquaga for the needed supplies. In their ab-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In the town of Newark Valley, as erected three years later, he found 655 inhabitants. In 1825, the first regular enumeration of inhabitants after the town was set off, was shown a considerable increase over the number as counted by Mi'. Patterson five years before. However, we may briefly turn to the census reports and notice the several changes in population in the town from 1825 to the last count in 1892.
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
Newark Valley, 1806 to 1905
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Newark Valley. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1901Apalachin 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 Newark Valley.
Every building
Newark Valley, building by building, 1908–1915
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.
The Newark Valley post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Newark Valley rank for history?
Newark Valley is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #228 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 Newark Valley?
19 listings: 17 buildings, among them the Bement-Billings House (listed 1990, the first), 1 site, and 1 structure. 52 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Newark Valley?
26% of Newark Valley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.8 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 (11), the National Register of Historic Places (19), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
2021
2021
2020
2017
2017
2017
2017
2005
2005
2005
2005
