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History · Tannersville

Tannersville’s post office opened in 1833, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1900.

1833first post office
0on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Tannersville’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Tannersville began

When was Tannersville founded?

1833

The Tannersville post office opened in 1833, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 593 in 19002020 census: 568193 years
Founding year: the first Tannersville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Tannersville’s past

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

On the map since 18925 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1997. Watch Tannersville change.Deep rootsA post office since 1833: 193 years of Tannersville.Old housesHalf of Tannersville’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · On the map

Tannersville on the map, 1892 to 1997

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Tannersville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Tannersville on the 1892 USGS mapTannersville on the 1903 USGS mapTannersville on the 1945 USGS mapTannersville on the 1980 USGS mapTannersville on the 1997 USGS map1892Kaaterskill sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Tannersville.

Timeline

Tannersville, 1892 to 1976

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1898In the archiveView from Onteora Bear and Fox Inn
  4. 20th century
  5. 1905In the archiveMary Mapes Dodge cottage Yarrow
  6. 1976In the archiveAlice Motel, 22-A
The story

How Tannersville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Tannersville.

Read it all →

The village was founded around lumber mills and tanneries. It was incorporated in 1895.

Tannersville's tanning business collapsed in the mid-19th century. It was gradually replaced by the summer resort trade, which reached its peak in 1882 when the railroad came to Tannersville. However, the rise of the automobile in the early 20th century led to a steady economic decline, as travelers were no longer rooted to one spot for an entire summer.

Due to its close proximity to Hunter Mountain ski area, it serves as the local commercial district, with inns, restaurants, and shopping.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Tannersville, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s–1900s4 items
View from Onteora Bear and Fox Inn1898View from Onteora Bear and Fox InnOnteora Livery Stable, Tannersville, N.Y1899Onteora Livery Stable, Tannersville, N.YOnteora Livery Stable, Tannersville, N.Y1899Onteora Livery Stable, Tannersville, N.YMary Mapes Dodge cottage Yarrow1905Mary Mapes Dodge cottage Yarrow
1910s–1960snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
1970s2 items
Alice Motel, 22-A1976Alice Motel, 22-ANew Belmont1976New Belmont
1980s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
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.

View from Onteora Bear and Fox Inn
Retake this viewView from Onteora Bear and Fox Inn, 1898

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Tannersville, census by census

01002003004005006007001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 685

Between 448 and 685 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Tannersville’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Tannersville

Nobody well known was born in Tannersville itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
J
Jennifer ConnellyAmerican actress · b. 1970
Irving FisherAmerican economist and statistician · b. 1867
Scott AdamsAmerican cartoonist and author · b. 1957
Fiona DourifAmerican actress and producer · b. 1981
Max MartiniAmerican film, theater and television actor, wr… · b. 1969
Nadia CassiniAmerican actress · b. 1949
Help out

Finish Tannersville’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewView from Onteora Bear and Fox Inn: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Tannersville’s history

What year was Tannersville founded?

The Tannersville post office opened in 1833, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.