More historic than 97% of U.S. towns · #75 of 758 in New York. What drives it
13 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 345 buildings between them. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1870.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Peekskill is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #75 of 758 in New York. All 2 inputs put Peekskill near the top nationally; its National Register listings ranks highest.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Peekskill’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 Peekskill’s 141 sits above most of its state (79% of New York towns have fewer) while its 361 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.6 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Peekskill’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In September 1609, English explorer Henry Hudson, captain of the Half Moon, anchored along the reach of the Hudson River at Peekskill. His first mate noted in the ship's log that it was a "very pleasant place to build a town". After the establishment of the province of New Netherland, New Amsterdam resident Jan Peeck made the first recorded contact with the Lenape people of this area, then identified as "Sachoes". The date is not certain (possibly early 1640s), but agreements and merchant transactions took place, formalized in the Ryck's Patent Deed of April 21, 1685.
Peekskill derives from a combination of Peeck's surname and the Dutch word for stream, kil or kill.
Passages that mention Peekskill, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Centennial celebration, July 2, 3, 4, 1916, commemorative of the one hundredth anniversary of the granting of the first charter, April 17th, 1816, to the village of Peekskill1916 · page 38Read the page →
Read the text
The original act incorporating the Village of Peekskill is known as Chapter 195 Laws of 1816, passed April 17th of that year. It is entitled: "An Act to vept certain powers in the Freeholders and Inhabitants of the Village of Peekskill in the County of Westchester."
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Centennial celebration, July 2, 3, 4, 1916, commemorative of the one hundredth anniversary of the granting of the first charter, April 17th, 1816, to the village of Peekskill1916 · page 34Read the page →
Read the text
Ladies and Gentlemen: It becomes my duty as President of the Village of Peekskill, to open this feature of the celebration of the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Village.
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
Peekskill, 1779 to 1960
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
Peekskill is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #75 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 Peekskill?
13 listings: 11 buildings, among them the Drum Hill High School (listed 1979, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Peekskill Downtown Historic District and the Nelson Avenue-Fort Hill Historic District, with 345 contributing buildings. 361 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Peekskill?
31% of Peekskill’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.6 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1963.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (13), 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.
c. 1858
1859
