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History · Sodus Point

Sodus Point’s post office opened in 1826, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

3 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1874 on.

1826first post office
3on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Sodus Point’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Sodus Point began

When was Sodus Point founded?

1826

The Sodus Point post office opened in 1826, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1858.

2020 census: 822200 years
Founding year: the first Sodus Point post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1858.The full story ↓

What stands out about Sodus Point’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Sodus Point’s homes were built before 1951.Deep rootsA post office since 1826: 200 years of Sodus Point.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sodus Point’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sodus Point’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSodus Point (Village); Sodus (Town) Bus…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Sodus Point came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sodus Point.

Read it all →

In 1794, the village was the site of the first European-American settlement in Sodus town. Before the American Revolution, the area for centuries was the territory of the Onondaga Nation.

During the War of 1812, the village was burned by a British raiding party, leaving all but one building demolished. The village was rebuilt.

The area became an important port on Lake Ontario in the 19th Century. As the Erie Canal shifted state transportation patterns, the village's function as a port declined. In the later 19th century, it became a popular vacation resort, especially for people from Chicago and other cities during the summers.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Sodus Point, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1870s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s1 item
Sodus Point (Village); Sodus (Town) Business Notices.; Alton (Village); Sodus (Township)1874Sodus Point (Village); Sodus (Town) Business Notices.…
Today5 recent
From Sodus Bay Lighthouse2010From Sodus Bay LighthouseChurch in2010Church inBell in2010Bell inNew York State Route 14 072907 1502007New York State Route 14 072907 150New York State Route 14 072907 1472007New York State Route 14 072907 147
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Sodus Point (Village); Sodus (Town) Business Notices.; Alton (Village); Sodus (Township)
Retake this viewSodus Point (Village); Sodus (Town) Business Notices.; Alton (Village); Sodus (Township), 1874

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Sodus Point’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 historic places in Sodus Point

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Sodus9 historic placesA

Questions about Sodus Point’s history

What year was Sodus Point founded?

The Sodus Point post office opened in 1826, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1858.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia and Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.