The Oppenheim post office opened in 1813, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Crum Creek (1854) and Lotville (1856), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,751213 years
How historic is Oppenheim?
A
More historic than 93% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Oppenheim post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Oppenheim’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Oppenheim is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Oppenheim’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 Oppenheim’s 1,865 sits above most of its state (99% of New York towns have fewer) while its 335 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% 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 (±5.2 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 Oppenheim’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town was first settled by Palatine Germans from Oppenheim, Germany. The town of Oppenheim was established in 1808 from the town of Palatine in Montgomery County, before the formation of Fulton County. In the 1810 U.S. Federal Census, the name of the town was spelled, "Upenheim." When Fulton County was formed in 1838, the south part of Oppenheim was used to form the town of St. Johnsville, which remained in Montgomery County.
The early occupations of townspeople were associated with dairy and cheese-making activities.
Beaversprite, a nature refuge, was founded in Oppenheim in the 1930s.
The Oppenheim post office opened in 1813, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Oppenheim rank for history?
Oppenheim is more historic than 93% 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 Oppenheim?
Three places: the Dolge Company Factory Complex (listed 1974), the Fort Plain Historic District (2022) and the Oppenheim and St. Johnsville Union Society Church (2010).
How old are the homes in Oppenheim?
20% of Oppenheim’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
