4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 30 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1899 on, and the census since 1820.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Scipio is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns. All 2 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 Scipio’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 Scipio’s 227 sits above most of its state (84% of New York towns have fewer) while its 34 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% 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 (±6.1 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 Scipio’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Killian AirfieldairportSchool Number 1schoolSchool Number 10schoolSchool Number 14schoolSchool Number 2schoolSchool Number 3schoolSchool Number 4schoolSchool Number 4schoolSchool Number 6schoolSchool Number 7schoolSchool Number 8schoolSchool Number 9school
Scipio was part of the Central New York Military Tract, which was land reserved as payment by the federal government to veterans of the Revolutionary War. The first settler arrived around 1790, and the town was formed in 1798 when Cayuga County was formed. The town was named after the Roman general Scipio Africanus. In 1823, part of Scipio was used to form the towns of Ledyard, Springport, and Venice. In the early years, it was developed for agriculture.
William D. Wooden was born in the town of Pishkill, Dutchess county, N. Y., March 31st, 1802. His father moved to the town of Scipio, Cayuga County, in May, 1814. He commenced teaching in tlie common schools, when just past 10 years of a^e, in the then town of Scipio, which now comprises Scipio, Ledyard, Venice and a part of Springporl. He commenced in 1818, continuing nineteen terms— thirteen winters and six summers— all in the pres-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Cayuga County, New York1879 · page 431Read the page →
Read the text
Scipio Summit is situated in the south part of the town, nearly equi-distant from Scipio Center, Scipioville and Sherwood, and is the northern terminus of the Utica, Ithaca & Elmira Railroad. It contains two stores, one of which is kept in the basement of a dwelling house, and the other at the station, these being about the only buildings in the immediate locality of the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Cayuga County, New York1908 · page 259Read the page →
Read the text
The waters are discharged into Lake Ontario with exception of the streams diverted southward by the table lands in the town of Scipio and the watersheds of part of Sempronius and Summer Hill. The surface of the county generally is either level or rolling and is susceptible of easy cultivation. The only exceptions are the hills that border the valleys of the Salmon creeks in the towns of Venice and Genoa, and those in Niles, Moravia, Locke, Summer Hill and Sempronius.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Cayuga County, New York1908 · page 322Read the page →
Read the text
Beardsley, William C. Born at Stewart's Corners in the old town of Scipio, this county, March 27, 18 16; educated in the common schools and academies at Aurora, Cayuga County, and Homer, Cortland County; read law with his brother Nelson Beardsley and Honorable William H. Seward. After his admission to the bar he was appointed a Master in Chancery the duties of which position he discharged for several years, but preferred an active business life to that of practising law. For many years he
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
Scipio, 1795 to 1920
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.
Scipio is more historic than 97% 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 Scipio?
4 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Howland Cobblestone Store (listed 1994, the first), and 1 historic district, the Sherwood Equal Rights Historic District, with 30 contributing buildings. 34 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Scipio?
35% of Scipio’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.1 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1964.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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 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.
1904
1904
Date?
Date?
2008