Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1802.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Schroon’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Schroon is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns. 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 Schroon’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 Schroon’s 47.4 sits above most of its state (68% of New York towns have fewer) while its 9 historic buildings outnumber those of 75% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1804.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.3 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Schroon’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Town of Schroon was first settled by Europeans in 1804 from part of the Town of Crown Point, north of the current Schroon Lake hamlet, as part of France's colonial holdings south of Quebec. The town was partitioned to form the newer Town of Minerva in 1817. In 1840, part of Schroon was returned to Crown Point. As with other towns of Essex County, the early economy was heavily involved in lumber production. The origination of the name "Schroon" is not precisely known. Some believe it to be derived from a Native American word for "large lake". Others believe it devolved from French soldiers who inhabited the region during the French & Indian Wars. The soldiers were enamored with Madame Scarron (a popular paramour of French King Louis XIV and prior to that the wife of noted French poet/playwright Paul Scarron). In the late 1800s the Village of Schroon became a destination for wealthy f…
The town called Schroon was formed from a part - of Crown Point in 1804. The town of Minerva was taken from Schroon in 1817; and in 1840, the township still being considered too large, a part of it was re-annexed to Crown Point.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
the State of New York, Beginning on the south line of said County west of the Schroon Lake in the town of Schroon from thence, North 10 deg E 30 ch 50 N26E9 N 10 deg 15 min E 23 N 22 E 6 Mile No. 41 Same course 8
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In order to reach the Wilderness region, it is necessary to retrace our steps to Pottersville, or else, when we reach this point in approaching Schroon, to diverge at once towards Minerva, leaving the jaunt to Schroon to be performed at another time.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The towns of Schroon and Ticouderoga were organized or formed the same day — March 20, 1804. Schroon was named from the Dutchess of Scharon. Ticonderoga is from an Indian name meaning "Brawhng Water."
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
Schroon, 1802 to 1991
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
In 1804, according to Wikidata. Schroon’s post office opened in 1802, and the census of 1820 counted 888 people here.
How does Schroon rank for history?
Schroon is more historic than 88% 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 Schroon?
Two places: the Samson Fried Estate (listed 1987) and the Talichito (2012).
How old are the homes in Schroon?
25% of Schroon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.3 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 (8), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, 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 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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