Newfield dates to 1811, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 74% of U.S. towns · #493 of 758 in New York. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 3 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1830.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1822.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Newfield’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Newfield is more historic than 74% of U.S. towns, #493 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Newfield’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 Newfield’s 10.0 sits near the middle of its state (46% of New York towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.2 points). Two sources give 1811.
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 Newfield’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Newfield was formed, before Tompkins County was created, from the Town of Spencer (in Tioga County) in 1811 as the "Town of Cayuta." In 1822, the town assumed its current name.
During the Depression many abandoned farms were turned into conservation lands. Newfield contains one of New York State's few remaining covered bridges. The Newfield Covered Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
Passages that mention Newfield, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Landmarks of Tompkins county, New York1894 · page 309Read the page →
Read the text
Newfield, in 1818, in the Seabring neighborhood, and another in the ■village of Newfield a year later. Of course there had been religious meetings at various points, sometimes conducted by itinerant missionaries and preachers, several years earlier than this date. Jeremiah Green was the first leader at Seabring's, and soon afterward moved to Newfield and occupied the same position there. William Cox was a conspicuous worker in the cause at the village, and first procured the services of Rev. James Kelsey, then holding an appointment at Ithaca.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Landmarks of Tompkins county, New York1894 · page 216Read the page →
Read the text
Pearson, Pierce (deceased), was born in the town of Newfield, February 22, 1840. His father, Robert, came from Borduntown, N. J., to Newfield in 1835, remaining there until his death, in 18G4, The family originally came from Yorkshire, Engknd. Pierce Pearson received his early education in the district schools, and completed it by his own efforts through his life. He was looked upon as a leader in the town in which he
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
Newfield, 1811 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1811, according to Wikidata. Newfield’s post office opened in 1822, and the census of 1830 counted 2,664 people here.
How does Newfield rank for history?
Newfield is more historic than 74% of U.S. towns, #493 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 Newfield?
Three places: the Newfield Covered Bridge (listed 2000), the Lavender Hill Commune (2025) and the 1883 Barn (2025).
How old are the homes in Newfield?
15% of Newfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.2 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1984.
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 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.
1866
1968
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1968
