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B−History
History · Thomaston

Thomaston’s post office opened in 1884, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 50% of U.S. towns · #673 of 758 in New York. What drives it

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1897 on, and the census since 1940.

1884first post office
0on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Thomaston’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Thomaston began

When was Thomaston founded?

1884

The Thomaston post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 1,159 in 19402020 census: 2,759142 years

How historic is Thomaston?

B−

More historic than 50% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Thomaston post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Thomaston’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Thomaston is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #673 of 758 in New York. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Thomaston’s overall grade.
Founding era1884, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194042.5% of homes (±9.1) · typical NY town 26.6% · U.S. 8.4%A+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical NY town 12.3 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 50%
NewerOlder
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 11%

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 Thomaston’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.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

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 →

What stands out about Thomaston’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.On the map since 18976 editions of the USGS map, 1897 to 1979. Watch Thomaston change.Old housesHalf of Thomaston’s homes were built before 1951.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Thomaston’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewGreat Neck - Pt. Washington - Kesington…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Thomaston on the map, 1897 to 1979

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

Thomaston on the 1897 USGS mapThomaston on the 1900 USGS mapThomaston on the 1947 USGS mapThomaston on the 1954 USGS mapThomaston on the 1968 USGS mapThomaston on the 1979 USGS map1897Oyster Bay 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 Thomaston.

The story

How Thomaston came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Thomaston.

Read it all →

Thomaston officially became an incorporated village on October 1, 1931, after the majority of residents voted in favor of incorporation to preserve home rule on September 17; 80 voted in favor of the incorporation, while 33 voted against it. Originally, the incorporation proposal included University Gardens and Russell Gardens. However, University Gardens chose not to be included in the proposal and Russell Gardens decided to incorporate itself separately thats same year.

The founders of the Incorporated Village of Thomaston were John W. Weight, Hunter L. DeLatour, Ernest A. Gallagher, and Henry A. Singley.

ChaptersThomaston's name

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Thomaston, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Great Neck - Pt. Washington - Kesington - Sea Cliff - Plandome, EtcDate?Great Neck - Pt. Washington - Kesington - Sea Cliff -…
Today17 recent
Spruce Tower, Thomaston, NY August 23, 2024 B2024Spruce Tower, Thomaston, NY August 23, 2024 BSpruce Tower, Thomaston, NY August 23, 2024 A2024Spruce Tower, Thomaston, NY August 23, 2024 AEast Shore Road, Thomaston, facing north from Manhasset Viaduct, March 6, 20242024East Shore Road, Thomaston, facing north from Manhass…Great Neck water tower, November 17, 20232023Great Neck water tower, November 17, 2023East Shore Road, Thomaston, New York, November 8, 20232023East Shore Road, Thomaston, New York, November 8, 2023Thomaston, New York village hall, Aug 11 20222022Thomaston, New York village hall, Aug 11 2022Manhasset–Lakeville Fire & Water District Headquarters, Thomaston, NY September 9, 20222022Manhasset–Lakeville Fire & Water District Headquarter…Great Neck Senior Center, Thomaston, NY August 14, 20222022Great Neck Senior Center, Thomaston, NY August 14, 20…Colonial Road, Thomaston, NY August 14, 20222022Colonial Road, Thomaston, NY August 14, 2022Colonial Road Bridge, Thomaston, NY August 14, 20222022Colonial Road Bridge, Thomaston, NY August 14, 2022Thomaston Village Hall, Thomaston, Long Island, New York B2021Thomaston Village Hall, Thomaston, Long Island, New Y…Thomaston Village Hall, Thomaston, Long Island, New York A2021Thomaston Village Hall, Thomaston, Long Island, New Y…NICE Northern Bl 072017NICE Northern Bl 07NICE Northern Bl 062017NICE Northern Bl 06NICE Northern Bl 052017NICE Northern Bl 05Grace-ave-e-shore-rd-thomaston2015Grace-ave-e-shore-rd-thomastonThomaston Village Hall 100 East Shore Rd jeh2012Thomaston Village Hall 100 East Shore Rd jeh
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.

Great Neck - Pt. Washington - Kesington - Sea Cliff - Plandome, Etc
Retake this viewGreat Neck - Pt. Washington - Kesington - Sea Cliff - Plandome, Etc

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Thomaston, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,00019401960198020002020Peak: 2,811

Between 1,159 and 2,811 people in every census since 1940.

9 censuses, 1940–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Thomaston

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

See all →
C
Chris JerichoAmerican-Canadian professional wrestler · b. 1970
Billy CrudupAmerican actor · b. 1968
Sean SpicerAmerican political strategist and former White … · b. 1971
Danielle Louise MoinetAmerican model, American football player and pr… · b. 1983
Patrick McEnroeAmerican tennis player · b. 1966
David EigenbergAmerican actor · b. 1964
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Great Neck Plaza2 historic placesCManhasset4 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townKensingtonIts storyBRussell GardensIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Thomaston’s history

What year was Thomaston founded?

The Thomaston post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Thomaston rank for history?

Thomaston is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #673 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.

How old are the homes in Thomaston?

43% of Thomaston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.1 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1951.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (18), 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.