Williamson dates to 1794, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 94% of U.S. towns · #182 of 758 in New York. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 33 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1807.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Williamson’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Williamson is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #182 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Williamson’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 Williamson’s 54.2 sits above most of its state (69% of New York towns have fewer) while its 37 historic buildings outnumber those of 83% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1794.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.3 points).
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 Williamson’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Williamson, building by building, 1894–1914
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.
1894Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
The area around Pultneyville — a hamlet on the town's Lake Ontario shore – was a frequent meeting ground for Iroquois people. In 1788, the area became part of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase, a 6,000,000-acre (24,000 km2) tract of land sold to Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The first white settler, Daniel Russell, built a log cabin in Pultneyville in 1794. This hamlet briefly enjoyed prominence as one of the few ports in the area until the opening of the Erie Canal in the southern part of the county in 1823. It did continue to be an important Great Lakes port, however, well into the 19th century.
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 1794, according to Wikidata. Williamson’s post office opened in 1807, and the census of 1820 counted 2,521 people here.
How does Williamson rank for history?
Williamson is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns, #182 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 Williamson?
Three places: the Pultneyville Historic District (listed 1985), the Gates Hall and Pultneyville Public Square (2000) and the Isaac Shipley House (2022).
How old are the homes in Williamson?
39% of Williamson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.3 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1965.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
1874
1880
2006