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History · Tuxedo Park

Tuxedo Park dates to 1886, and 82% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1906 on, and the census since 1960.

1886founded
1on the National Register
82%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
6famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Tuxedo Park’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Tuxedo Park began, and where its name came from

When was Tuxedo Park founded?

1886

Tuxedo Park dates its founding to 1886 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1960.

First census: 723 in 19602020 census: 645140 years

How did Tuxedo Park get its name?

Tuxedo Park’s name is derived from an indigenous Lenape word ptukwsiit (Munsee dialect) or tùkwsit (Unami dialect), meaning "round foot" or Wolf Clan.

More on the name

While there exists an alternative theory regarding the Munsee word p'tuxseepu, which is said to mean 'crooked water' or 'crooked river', the Unami name for this location survives: tùkwsitu, "place of the Wolf-Clan People".

Founding year: Wikidata. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Tuxedo Park’s past

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

Old housesHalf of Tuxedo Park’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 861 in 1970; 645 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19103 editions of the USGS map, 1910 to 1955. Watch Tuxedo Park change.
★ What stands out · The story

How Tuxedo Park came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Tuxedo Park.

Read it all →

The park is in the Ramapo Mountains. In the colonial era, it acquired a reputation for undeveloped iron deposits. In consequence, a company formed in England and headed by William Alexander, Lord Stirling, acquired a large tract in the neighborhood. The company built furnaces near Ringwood and opened mines on the Ramapo River near Sterling Lake. Pierre Lorillard II acquired the company and its land holdings in 1790. Once the iron deposits were depleted, the land was used for lumbering.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Tuxedo Park, census by census

02004006008001960198020002020Peak: 861

Peaked at 861 in 1970; 645 people lived here in 2020.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

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

On the map

Tuxedo Park on the map, 1910 to 1955

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

Tuxedo Park on the 1910 USGS mapTuxedo Park on the 1931 USGS mapTuxedo Park 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 Tuxedo Park.

Timeline

Tuxedo Park, 1886 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1886
    FoundingTuxedo Park is established
  3. 1889Born hereDorothy Draper is born here
  4. 1890In the archive"Wee Wah," residence of Mrs. C.J. Coulter
  5. 1896Born herePercy Rivington Pyne Jr. is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1904In the archiveIce-skaters on ice in
  8. 1910In the archiveOn Tuxedo Lake
  9. 1910On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1913Born hereAlfred Loomis is born here
  11. 1936Born hereCarl Jerrold Peterson is born here
  12. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 861
By decade

Tuxedo Park, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s–1910s6 items
"Wee Wah," residence of Mrs. C.J. Coulter1890"Wee Wah," residence of Mrs. C.J. CoulterWee Wah Lake from residence of Mrs. C.J. Coulter1890Wee Wah Lake from residence of Mrs. C.J. CoulterIce-skaters on ice in1904Ice-skaters on ice inOn Tuxedo Lake1910On Tuxedo LakeOn the lake, Tuxedo1910On the lake, TuxedoTuxedo1910Tuxedo
1920s–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
Every building

Tuxedo Park, building by building, 1906–1910

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Tuxedo Park fire insurance map, 1906, sheet 11906Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

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.

"Wee Wah," residence of Mrs. C.J. Coulter
Retake this view"Wee Wah," residence of Mrs. C.J. Coulter, 1890

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 listing protects 204 historic buildings

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
204
each building in a district counts

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

Famous people

6 famous people were born in Tuxedo Park

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
A
Alfred LoomisSailor and investment banker · b. 1913
Dorothy DraperAmerican interior designer · b. 1889
C
Carl Jerrold PetersonPosthumous Bronze Star Recipient, Namesake of a… · b. 1936
Percy Rivington Pyne Jr.(1896-1941) United States Air Foce pilot · b. 1896
Pierpont Morgan HamiltonUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1898
Stanley Grafton Mortimer IIAmerican sportsman and advertising executive · b. 1913
Help out

Finish Tuxedo Park’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 view"Wee Wah," residence of Mrs. C.J. Coult…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Tuxedo Park’s history

What year was Tuxedo Park founded?

In 1886, according to Wikidata. the census of 1960 counted 723 people here.

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 (4), the Library of Congress (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.