Watervliet dates to 1788, and 60% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 94% of U.S. towns · #171 of 758 in New York. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Watervliet Arsenal, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 12 buildings. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1840.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1817.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Watervliet’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Watervliet is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #171 of 758 in New York. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Watervliet’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 Watervliet’s 15.6 sits near the middle of its state (52% of New York towns have fewer) while its 16 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1788.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.0 points).
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Watervliet’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The explorer Henry Hudson arrived in the area of Watervliet around 1609. The area was first settled by Europeans in 1643 as part of the Rensselaerswyck patroonship, under the direction of Kiliaen van Rensselaer. In 1710, Derrick van der Heyden operated a ferry from the Bleeker Farm (near 16th Street) across the Hudson River to Troy. Troops during the Revolutionary War used this ferry in 1777 on their way to Bemis Heights and Stillwater for the Battle of Saratoga. In 1786, a second ferry was started at Ferry Street (today 14th Street) over to Troy. The town of Watervliet was founded in 1788 and included all of present-day Albany County except what was in the city of Albany at the time. Because so many towns had been created from the town of Watervliet, it is regarded as the "mother of towns" in the county. In 1816, as the first post office was erected, corner of River and Ferry streets (…
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.
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.
In 1788, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Watervliet’s post office opened in 1817, and the census of 1840 counted 4,572 people here.
How does Watervliet rank for history?
Watervliet is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #171 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.
What is on the National Register in Watervliet?
5 listings: 3 buildings, 1 historic district, the Watervliet Arsenal, with 12 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 16 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Watervliet?
60% of Watervliet’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.0 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1938.
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 (10), the Library of Congress (2), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
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1968
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