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History · West Sand Lake

West Sand Lake’s post office opened in 1834, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1893 on.

1834first post office
0on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From West Sand Lake’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How West Sand Lake began, and where its name came from

When was West Sand Lake founded?

1834

The West Sand Lake post office opened in 1834, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 2,616192 years

How did West Sand Lake get its name?

The hamlet was originally named Ulinesville or Uline's Corners, after Bernhard Uhlein, who leased The hamlet was renamed West Sand Lake in 1838.

Founding year: the first West Sand Lake post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about West Sand Lake’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 18934 editions of the USGS map, 1893 to 1980. Watch West Sand Lake change.Deep rootsA post office since 1834: 192 years of West Sand Lake.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start West Sand Lake’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how West Sand Lake’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewCruser Post Card Co. - Mayfield Glove C…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

West Sand Lake on the map, 1893 to 1980

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

West Sand Lake on the 1893 USGS mapWest Sand Lake on the 1928 USGS mapWest Sand Lake on the 1953 USGS mapWest Sand Lake on the 1980 USGS map1893Troy 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 West Sand Lake.

The story

How West Sand Lake came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of West Sand Lake.

Read it all →

The hamlet was originally named Ulinesville or Uline's Corners, after Bernhard Uhlein, who leased

The hamlet was renamed West Sand Lake in 1838. Uline also operated the first tavern in the

The Troy and New England Railway had trolly stops in West Sand Lake.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

West Sand Lake, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s1 item
Cruser Post Card Co. - Mayfield Glove Co., Mayfield, New York backc. 1907Cruser Post Card Co. - Mayfield Glove Co., Mayfield, …
1910s–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
Today10 recent
2024-06-20 14 53 17 Sign for the hamlet of West Sand Lake along eastbound New York State Route 43 (West Sand Lake Road)…20242024-06-20 14 53 17 Sign for the hamlet of West Sand …2024-06-20 14 48 46 Sign for the hamlet of West Sand Lake at the intersection of New York State Route 43 and New York S…20242024-06-20 14 48 46 Sign for the hamlet of West Sand …2024-06-20 14 48 40 Sign for the hamlet of West Sand Lake at the intersection of New York State Route 43 and New York S…20242024-06-20 14 48 40 Sign for the hamlet of West Sand …2024-06-20 14 48 33 Sign for the hamlet of West Sand Lake at the intersection of New York State Route 43 and New York S…20242024-06-20 14 48 33 Sign for the hamlet of West Sand …2024-06-20 14 45 43 View east along New York State Route 43 (West Sand Lake Road) at New York State Route 150 in the We…20242024-06-20 14 45 43 View east along New York State Ro…2020-10-17 10 19 21 View north along New York State Route 150 at New York State Route 43 (West Sand Lake Road) in Sand …20202020-10-17 10 19 21 View north along New York State R…2017-09-10 12 08 47 View east along New York State Route 43 (West Sand Lake Road) at New York State Route 150 in the We…20172017-09-10 12 08 47 View east along New York State Ro…2014-08-28 13 46 06 View east along New York State Route 43 at New York State Route 150 in the West Sand Lake section o…20142014-08-28 13 46 06 View east along New York State Ro…2014-08-28 13 36 57 View west along New York State Route 43 at New York State Route 150 in the West Sand Lake section o…20142014-08-28 13 36 57 View west along New York State Ro…2013-08-25 10 55 39 View east along New York State Route 43 in20132013-08-25 10 55 39 View east along New York State Ro…
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.

Cruser Post Card Co. - Mayfield Glove Co., Mayfield, New York back
Retake this viewCruser Post Card Co. - Mayfield Glove Co., Mayfield, New York back, c. 1907

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

Retake this view · +15
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Averill Park2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSand Lake2 historic placesA−PoestenkillIts storyB+North Greenbush3 historic placesC+

Questions about West Sand Lake’s history

What year was West Sand Lake founded?

The West Sand Lake post office opened in 1834, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (11), Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.