The land on which the Village of Odessa sits was originally part of the Watkins-Flint land purchase John W. Watkins and Royal Flint and associates of New York City, in 1794, following an application to the New York Commissioners of the Land-Office in 1791. The 200 acres Odessa was laid out on was originally given to Phineas Catlin Sr. for military service.
The following is a timeline of major events in Odessa history:
1801 – R.C Johnson built first building – Grist Mill on Catlin Creek was later bought by Phineas Catlin Jr., but was torn down and rebuilt in 1837.
1836 – John Foster built a building on the site of Odessa House and part of that building is incorporated into the current structure.
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.
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 (1), the Library of Congress (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1940
1940
