Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1903 on, and old-book passages.
The Redwood post office opened in 1833, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Redwood’s history is told.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Redwood yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Redwood is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, Redwood had a population of 493.
Its first post office opened in 1833. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 605 to 493 (-19%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Redwood. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Redwood.
Passages that mention Redwood, cut from the printed page as they were published.
could be exchanged for money was the product of these potash works. The Dollinger hotel was built about the time (or a little before) Mr. White came to Redwood. The firm of White & Butterficld continued in business until 1853 ; in that time they had built the Redwood grist-mill and upper sawmill, and made many improvements in and
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
On this farm Mrs. White, the mother, died, after which event the father removed from his farm and resided with a son in the town of Redwood, where he lived to an advanced age. During the war with Great Britain in 1812- 15, Mr. White and his family, in common with many of their neighbors, endured untold hardships and privations consequent upon the unsettled condition of the country. Owing to the limited circumstances of his father, the younger
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
One decade in the archive so far: the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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 sheet.
1915Sheet 1 of 2Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Redwood’s page.
Retake this view · +15Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Redwood post office opened in 1833, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
