Sardinia’s post office opened in 1821, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 92% of U.S. towns · #221 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Rider-Hopkins Farm and Olmsted Camp and the Sardinia Old Town Hall. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1925 on, and the census since 1830.
Founding year: the first Sardinia post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Sardinia’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sardinia is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #221 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sardinia’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 Sardinia’s 44.4 sits above most of its state (67% of New York towns have fewer) while its 12 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% 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 (±6.2 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 Sardinia’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area known today as the town of Sardinia was first settled circa 1809. George Richmond, from Vermont, and Ezra Nott are considered the first settlers. By 1810, there were approximately fifteen other families in the area, most of whom lived along Cattaraugus Creek, near Genesee and Savage roads. The town of Sardinia was founded in 1821 from the eastern part of the town of Concord. By 1823, there were farms, churches, a post office, taverns, a carding mill, a woolen factory, a gristmill and a tannery. The hamlet of Chaffee developed by the mid-19th century after the construction of the Springville and Sardinia Railroad. The hamlet of Protection also developed around this time and eventually served as a depot of the Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia Railroad.
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.
The Sardinia post office opened in 1821, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Sardinia rank for history?
Sardinia is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #221 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 Sardinia?
Two places: the Rider-Hopkins Farm and Olmsted Camp (listed 1999) and the Sardinia Old Town Hall (2008).
How old are the homes in Sardinia?
36% of Sardinia’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.2 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1961.
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 (11), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) 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.
1866
1880
1880
1880
1880
2021
2009
2009
2006
