Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 64% of U.S. towns · #572 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1954 on, and the census since 1830.
The Sheridan post office opened in 1827, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 64% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sheridan is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #572 of 758 in New York. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 Sheridan’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (10% of New York towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
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 →
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 Sheridan’s history is told.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
From Wikipedia’s history of Sheridan.
The area was first settled c. 1804 and town of Sheridan was founded in 1827 from parts of the towns of Hanover and Pomfret.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Sheridan, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Sheridan and others of " Rosey's " division commamlers awaited without enthusiasm Grant's arrival. Finding a second pontoon britlge in process of construction, the boats being hidden from Bragg's outlooks up the North Chickamauga, the new commander determined to load lliem with picked men, move Hooker from Bridgeport up the Tennessee on the south side, developing also a force on the north side under General Palmer, and thus run the river by night, seizing the enemy's pickets, make a new crossing, and open the railroad from Bridgeport to Kclley's
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Hanover post-office was established in the town of Hanover, at a place afterwards called Kensington, in the present town of Sheridan, on the Buffalo and Erie mail route, about 5 miles from Silver Creek, and 3 miles firom Forestville, Dec. 7, 1816, and Wm. Holbrook, an early merchant, appointed postmaster. Having resigned and removed to Walnut Creek, now Forestville, Asa Pierce, an early settler, was appointed in 1822. He, with the aid of his neighbors, procured a change of the name of the office to Kensington, the name of the intended village at that place. Mr. P. was for many years
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
crossing the river, made the Caperton's ferry-boat fast to the left bank, while the cavalry, fording a little lower, met the Confederate vedettes in front of the landing place and drove them away. Five hours later the infantry began to cross. Sheridan found nothing confronting him, but an accident caused the breaking of the trestle bridge at Bridgeport, and his troops were not able to cross before the 2d of September.
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.
One decade in the archive so far: the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sheridan. 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 Sheridan.
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 Sheridan’s page.
Retake this view · +15Between 1,511 and 2,838 people in every census since 1830.
20 censuses, 1830–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Sheridan’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Sheridan’s post office has been open since 1827.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Sheridan post office opened in 1827, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Sheridan is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #572 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.
27% of Sheridan’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1959.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (3), 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.
1867
2020