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BHistory
History · West Seneca

West Seneca dates to 1842, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 58% of U.S. towns · #617 of 758 in New York. What drives it

Its Register listing is the Community of True Inspiration Residence. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1850.

1842founded
1on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
6famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How West Seneca began

When was West Seneca founded?

1842

West Seneca dates its founding to 1842 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 2,523 in 18502020 census: 45,500184 years

How historic is West Seneca?

B

More historic than 58% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1852.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives West Seneca’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, West Seneca is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #617 of 758 in New York. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of West Seneca’s overall grade.
Founding era1842, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194012.0% of homes (±1.6) · typical NY town 26.6% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register1 listing, 0.2 per 10,000 residents · typical NY town 12.3 · U.S. 2.4C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 58%
NewerOlder
New York towns of 2,500+ (758)Ahead of 19%

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 West Seneca’s 0.2 sits below most of its state (20% of New York towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1842.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 West Seneca’s past

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

Lost villages4 post offices opened and closed inside today’s West Seneca, and 5 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18945 editions of the USGS map, 1894 to 1965. Watch West Seneca change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1842: 184 years of West Seneca.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

West Seneca had its own post office from 1852 to 1906. Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

West Seneca
1852–1906
Ebenezer
1863–1950
Gardenville
1865–1950
East Seneca
1876–1898
Winchester
1890–1893
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
East SenecaEbenezerGardenvilleNew EbenezerWinchester
Gone or out of use
Park Drive-Inlocale
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside West Seneca
Angle Road Community ChurchMount HopeSaint JohnsSaint Matthew's

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start West Seneca’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

West Seneca on the map, 1894 to 1965

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

West Seneca on the 1894 USGS mapWest Seneca on the 1901 USGS mapWest Seneca on the 1948 USGS mapWest Seneca on the 1950 USGS mapWest Seneca on the 1965 USGS map1894Buffalo 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 Seneca.

The story

How West Seneca came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of West Seneca.

Read it all →

Because the town is on land of the former Buffalo Creek Reservation, it was not open to European settlement until the mid-19th century.

In 1851, the town of Seneca was formed from parts of the towns of Cheektowaga and Hamburg. The town changed the name to "West" Seneca in 1852 to avoid confusion with the town of Seneca in Ontario County, New York. In 1909 the area immediately south of Buffalo split from West Seneca, becoming the city of Lackawanna.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

West Seneca, 1800 to 1988

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1800In the archiveMap of Morris. Purchase or West Senesco in the State of New-York exhibiting part of the l…
  3. 1842
    FoundingWest Seneca is established
  4. 1852Post officeThe West Seneca post office opens
  5. 1863Post officeThe Ebenezer post office opens
  6. 1865Post officeThe Gardenville post office opens
  7. 1894On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 20th century
  9. 1906Post officeThe West Seneca post office closes
  10. 1915In the archiveBuffalo, V. 3, Double Page Plate No. 16 (Map bounded by Azenovia Creek, City of Buffalo)
  11. 1950Post officeThe Ebenezer post office closes
  12. 1950Post officeThe Gardenville post office closes
  13. 1983Born hereLee Stempniak is born here
  14. 1986Born hereChris Mueller is born here
  15. 1986Born hereBrian Roloff is born here
  16. 1988Born hereJeremy Kelley is born here
By decade

West Seneca, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1800s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1800s1 item
Map of Morris. Purchase or West Senesco in the State of New-York exhibiting part of the lakes Erié and Ontario, the str…1800Map of Morris. Purchase or West Senesco in the State …Map
1910s3 items
Buffalo, V. 3, Double Page Plate No. 16 (Map bounded by Azenovia Creek, City of Buffalo)1915Buffalo, V. 3, Double Page Plate No. 16 (Map bounded …MapBuffalo, V. 3, Double Page Plate No. 17 (Map bounded by Big Buffalo Creek, Edson Ave., City of Buffalo)1915Buffalo, V. 3, Double Page Plate No. 17 (Map bounded …MapBuffalo, V. 3, Double Page Plate No. 18 (Map bounded by North Ave., Whitewood St., Berner St., Seneca St., Midvale St.,…1915Buffalo, V. 3, Double Page Plate No. 18 (Map bounded …Map
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
Today19 recent
Union Road business district2022Union Road business districtNicolasPicholas2022NicolasPicholasNFTA Metro Bus 2 @ Mineral Springs & Indian Church Rds2022NFTA Metro Bus 2 @ Mineral Springs & Indian Church RdsCazenovia Creek as seen from Union Road bridge2022Cazenovia Creek as seen from Union Road bridgeOnondaga Village historic marker, Seneca Street at Ridge Road2021Onondaga Village historic marker, Seneca Street at Ri…NY 240 (Orchard Park Road) bridge over Cazenovia Creek2021NY 240 (Orchard Park Road) bridge over Cazenovia CreekNFTA Southgate Plaza Transit Center2021NFTA Southgate Plaza Transit CenterBuffalo Creek Bridge2018Buffalo Creek BridgeStreet nov2014 blizzard22014Street nov2014 blizzard2Street nov2014 blizzard2014Street nov2014 blizzardBuffalo athlete to play in All-American Semper Fi Bowl 141101-M-OH054-0132014Buffalo athlete to play in All-American Semper Fi Bow…EbenezerNY2013EbenezerNYBuffalo Fleet Week 120910-N-SH953-2372012Buffalo Fleet Week 120910-N-SH953-237Untitled photo2011Untitled photoUntitled photo2010Untitled photoI-90 west in2010I-90 west inThruway, Eastbound2009Thruway, EastboundErie-West Seneca2006Erie-West SenecaUntitled photo2004Untitled photo
Every building

West Seneca, building by building, 1920

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 sheet.

West Seneca fire insurance map, 1920, sheet 11920Sheet 1 of 5
BrickWoodStone

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

On the National Register

1 historic place in West Seneca

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2013
Community of True Inspiration Residence
Community of True Inspiration Residence
Buildings
Community of True Inspiration ResidenceBuilding

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

People over time

West Seneca, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00055,0001850190019502000Peak: 51,210

Between 2,523 and 51,210 people in every census since 1850.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

Famous people

6 famous people were born in West Seneca

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

See all →
Lee StempniakAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1983
Chris MuellerAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1986
B
Brian RoloffAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1986
Jeremy KelleyPlayer of American football · b. 1988
J
Justin StrzelczykPlayer of American football · b. 1968
S
Shaun DolacAmerican football player · b. 2001
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Cheektowaga4 historic placesBBuffalo205 historic placesA+Lackawanna1 historic placeA−Orchard Park2 historic placesC+Elma1 historic placeC

Questions about West Seneca’s history

What year was West Seneca founded?

In 1842, according to Wikidata. West Seneca’s post office opened in 1852, and the census of 1850 counted 2,523 people here.

How does West Seneca rank for history?

West Seneca is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #617 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 West Seneca?

One place: the Community of True Inspiration Residence (listed 2013).

How old are the homes in West Seneca?

12% of West Seneca’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1967.

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 (23), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.