Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1818.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives St. Johnsville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, St. Johnsville is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs put St. Johnsville near the top nationally; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of St. Johnsville’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 St. Johnsville’s 3,715 sits above most of its state (100% of New York towns have fewer) while its 665 historic buildings outnumber those of 98% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1725.
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 (±7.2 points).
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 St. Johnsville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town was first settled around 1725. The territory was part of the Palatine District. In 1769, Sir William Johnson built a church in the town for the benefit of his Indian allies.
Accounts vary as to the source of the name "St. Johnsville", but most of them state that the town and its village are named after an early surveyor and commissioner, Alexander St. John. Still others credit the naming of St. Johnsville to a former name for the area, St. John's Church.
A brief skirmish was fought in the town in 1780 near Fort Klock, a fortified house.
The town of St. Johnsville was formed in 1838 from the town of Oppenheim, which then became part of the newly created Fulton County.
of the 115th regiment, in June, 1865. he was transferred to the 47th New York Veteran regiment, and was among the last of the volunteer troops to be mustered out of service, receiving his final discharge at Hart's Island. Returning home he resumed farming for a couple of years and then engaged in the drug business in St. Johnsville, which he conducted until 1880, whenhe sold out and accepted a position as cashier in the freight department of the N. Y. C. & H. R. R. R. at Schenectady, resigning this position in the winter of 1883 to accept one as assistant paymaster with the North River Construction Company, engaged in building the West Shore railroad. On completion of the
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.
By decade
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Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
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In 1725, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. St. Johnsville’s post office opened in 1818, and the census of 1840 counted 1,923 people here.
How does St. Johnsville rank for history?
St. Johnsville is among the most historic 1% 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.
How old are the homes in St. Johnsville?
74% of St. Johnsville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.2 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1938.
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 Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
