On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sangerfield is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs put Sangerfield near the top nationally; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sangerfield’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 Sangerfield’s 276 sits above most of its state (85% of New York towns have fewer) while its 67 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% 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 (±9.1 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 Sangerfield’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1788, the State of New York bought from the Oneida Indians twenty towns that bordered the Unadilla River. This land became known as "Clinton's Purchase". In 1789, the state surveyed "Township No. 20" in this tract for
This region then went through several name changes in its early years:
Sangerfield was formed from the Town of Paris in 1795, prior to the creation of Oneida County.
Passages that mention Sangerfield, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Oneida County, New York1878 · page 160Read the page →
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By an act of the same date the town of Sangerfield, Herkimer County, was divided, and the town of Bridgewater foimed from its territory, and bounded as follows: " All that part of the town of Sangerfield lying easterly of the division line between the third and fourth quarters of the 20th township, so called, be and is hereby created into a separate town by the name of Bridgewater.'' The first town-meeting was held at the house of Thomas Converse,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Oneida County, New York1878 · page 518Read the page →
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The first school in the town of Sangerfield has been mentioned. From the town records it appears that the proportion of school moneys appropriated for the town of Sangerfield in 1795, by the Board of Supervisors of Herkimer County, was £46. The Supervisors at that time were James Dean, Eoswell Fellows, Ludwick Campbell, David Norton, Jo.shua Remington, Joseph Jennings, Isaac Brayton, Stephen Hoxie.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Oneida County, New York, 1667-18781878 · page 468Read the page →
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Stebbins about 1818 and 1820, and destroyed by fire in 1871. Mr. Tower, of the “ Clinton House” of the present, came to Clinton in 1826, from Waterville, in the town of Sangerfield, where his father, John Tower, settled about 1807. The latter was from Worcester, Mass. Mr. Tower states that of those residing in the village of Clinton when he came, none are now left except Hon. O. S. Williams and Gerrit I. Bronson. There are two hotels in 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
Sangerfield, 1800 to 1935
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Sangerfield is among the most historic 1% 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 Sangerfield?
Three places: the Waterville Triangle Historic District (listed 1978), the Tower Homestead and Masonic Temple (1977) and the Pleasant Valley Grange Hall (1999).
How old are the homes in Sangerfield?
51% of Sangerfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.1 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1938.
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 (4), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
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