Washingtonville’s post office opened in 1875, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 34% of U.S. towns · #717 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Most of Washingtonville was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: the first Washingtonville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Washingtonville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Washingtonville is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #717 of 758 in New York. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Washingtonville’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 Washingtonville’s 10.5 sits near the middle of its state (46% of New York towns have fewer) while its 6 historic buildings outnumber those of 72% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±1.4 points) is firm at this size. 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 Washingtonville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Washingtonville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Schunemunk 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 Washingtonville.
Washingtonville was first settled in 1731. The village maintained a slow but steady growth during the second half of the 18th century. In 1809, John Jaques, a boot and shoemaker, set up his shop in this tiny settlement of nine houses, then known as "Little York." In 1839 he established Brotherhood Winery, now the oldest continuously operating winery in the United States.
Passages that mention Washingtonville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Orange County, New York1881 · page 635Read the page →
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Washingtonville is delightfully situated on the alluvial lands bordering the winding channel of the Otterkill. In choosing it as a point of settlement the white people imitated the ruder sons of the forest, who had probably dwelt for centuries in this vicinity, the wigwam of the chief Maringamus having been but a short distance east of the village. From Washingtonville the long, rugged Schunemunk range
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Orange County, New York1908 · page 147Read the page →
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niovmg from the neighborhood, the building was removed. Also about 1850 a cliurch was erected at Craigville, for the use of that village and neighborhood, which soon passed into the hands of the Methodist organization, and was on the circuit with Washingtonville for many years, but service has for a long time been discontinued, though the building still stands in fair repair and is beautifully situated. Still another Methodist church was built about one mile south of Oxford Depot and used for the purpose of worship, but now has been turned to secular usealso
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
An outline history of Orange County1846 · page 547Read the page →
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Maringamus. — This is the name of an Indian. The place is near Washingtonville, and at the early settlement of the town, Maringamus had a wigwam on the spot, which has long since been removed, and it is now occupied by a white man's dwelling. The locality is only of interest because a known starting point or station, to determine the lines of several patents which corner there. It is the duty of the town to preserve the knowledge of this spot.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Orange County, New York1908 · page 146Read the page →
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The Catholic Church of St. Mary is near Washingtonville on the State road, the first building erected in 1872, has been of late much enlarged and beautified under the direction and by the efifort of Rev. Father Tetrau, and now has a fine property consisting of the enlarged church and rectory.
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.
Timeline
Washingtonville, 1902 to 1974
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
The Washingtonville post office opened in 1875, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Washingtonville rank for history?
Washingtonville is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #717 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 Washingtonville?
3% of Washingtonville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.4 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1983.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
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