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History · Thiells

Thiells dates to 1784

Most of Thiells was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Below: maps from 1910 on and the census since 2000.

1784founded
0on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Thiells began

When was Thiells founded?

1784

Thiells dates its founding to 1784 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 2000.

First census: 4,758 in 20002020 census: 5,240242 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1879.The full story ↓

What stands out about Thiells’ past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Thiells are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19103 editions of the USGS map, 1910 to 1955. Watch Thiells change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1784: 242 years of Thiells.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Thiells’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Thiells on the map, 1910 to 1955

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

Thiells on the 1910 USGS mapThiells on the 1931 USGS mapThiells on the 1955 USGS map1910Ramapo 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 Thiells.

The story

How Thiells came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Thiells.

Read it all →

In 2009, Thiells United Methodist Church, located on Rosman Road, marked its 225th anniversary. The church originated as a mission to American Indians. It was chartered by the City Road Chapel in London in 1784. A small building was built on a piece of land which was set aside by John Thiell, although he did not attend. The building, which had been expanded, was destroyed in a fire in 1973. The congregation, soon after rebuilt, on the same spot on Rosman Road.

In 2010, the David B. Roche Volunteer Fire Company celebrated its 50th anniversary. On September 11, 2001, the company experienced tragedy when New York police officer and Thiells volunteer John Coughlin, whose name remains on the roster, died in the World Trade Center.

ChaptersLandmarks and places of interest

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

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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People over time

Thiells, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,50020002020Peak: 5,240

Between 4,758 and 5,240 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Thiells

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

See all →
M
Mel GibsonAmerican actor, director, producer and screenwr… · b. 1956
Stanley TucciAmerican actor and author · b. 1960
Paul ReubensAmerican actor and comedian · b. 1952
J
Julianna MarguliesAmerican actress · b. 1966
George PatakiGovernor of New York from 1995 to 2006 · b. 1945
T. C. BoyleAmerican novelist and short story writer · b. 1948
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

West Haverstraw5 historic placesB−Mount IvyIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHaverstraw9 historic placesA−Stony Point8 historic placesB−

Questions about Thiells’ history

What year was Thiells founded?

In 1784, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Thiells’ post office opened in 1879, and the census of 2000 counted 4,758 people here.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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 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.