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History · Homer

A history of Homer,
since 1794

Postcards, papers and photographs of Homer from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.

1794established
7old images & papers
5recent photos
From Homer’s archive · credits on each photo

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

The region was part of the Central New York Military Tract, from which the cash-poor New York government granted land to soldiers of the American Revolution to pay them for their service. "Homer" was the name of one of the townships in the Military Tract, this name being assigned by the state surveyor's office.

The area was settled in 1791. The Town of Homer was established when Onondaga County was formed in 1794. Cortland County was subsequently formed from Onondaga County in 1808.

In 1835, the village of Homer set itself off from the town by incorporation.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

built from the dates on the items below
1794Established
18801950 Census Enumeration District Maps - New Yor…Commons
1890–1929Nothing in the archives yet
1930s6 items · DETAIL OF SOUTH ENTRANCE PORCH - Augu…Commons
1940–1999Nothing yet. Family albums go here.
Help out

Finish Homer’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view1950 Census Enumeration District …, 1880: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Homer

See all 14 →
Amelia BloomerAmelia BloomerPolitics & LawAndrew Dickson WhiteAndrew Dickson WhitePolitics & LawFrancis Bicknell CarpenterFrancis Bicknell CarpenterWriting & ArtsWilliam Osborn StoddardWilliam Osborn StoddardPolitics & LawHBHoratio BallardPolitics & LawIAIsaac AtwaterPolitics & Law
By decade

Homer, decade by decade

1880s1 item
1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - New York (NY) - Cortland County - Homer - ED 12-29 to 33Commons1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - New York (NY) - Cor…1880
1890s–
1920s
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
1930s6 items
DETAIL OF SOUTH ENTRANCE PORCH - Augustus Donnelly House, 80 South Main StreetCommonsDETAIL OF SOUTH ENTRANCE PORCH - Augustus Donnelly House, 8…1933EAST FRONT - Augustus Donnelly House, 80 South Main StreetCommonsEAST FRONT - Augustus Donnelly House, 80 South Main Street1933EAST FRONT WITH NORTH WING - Augustus Donnelly House, 80 South Main StreetCommonsEAST FRONT WITH NORTH WING - Augustus Donnelly House, 80 So…1933FIRST FLOOR, CENTER HALL, VIEW OF STAIRCASE - Jedediah Barber House, 18 North Main StreetCommonsFIRST FLOOR, CENTER HALL, VIEW OF STAIRCASE - Jedediah Barb…1933FIRST FLOOR, DETAIL OF NEWEL-POST - Augustus Donnelly House, 80 South Main StreetCommonsFIRST FLOOR, DETAIL OF NEWEL-POST - Augustus Donnelly House…1933FIRST FLOOR, GENERAL VIEW OF STAIRCASE - Augustus Donnelly House, 80 South Main StreetCommonsFIRST FLOOR, GENERAL VIEW OF STAIRCASE - Augustus Donnelly …1933
1940s–
1990s
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
Today5 photos
Homer, NY, Post Office IMG 1502CommonsHomer, NY, Post Office IMG 15022009Homer Men and Boys Store IMG 1503CommonsHomer Men and Boys Store IMG 15032009Driving to WorkCommonsDriving to Work2008EastCommonsEast2005EastCommonsEast2005
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Homer is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Homer has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Old Homer Village Historic District in Homer, 0.3 miles away.

Homer and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Homer. Tap a dot.
Old Homer Village Historic DistrictGlenwood CemeteryWater, Wall, and Pine Streets Lenticular Truss BridgesUS Post Office-HomerWilliam J. Greenman HouseUnitarian Universalist Church

Closest to Homer

Old Homer Village Historic DistrictHomer · District0.3miGlenwood CemeteryHomer · Site0.5miWater, Wall, and Pine Streets Lenticular Truss BridgesHomer · District0.5miUS Post Office-HomerHomer · Building0.7miWilliam J. Greenman HouseCortland · Built 18962.2mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Old Homer Village Historic District’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Homer?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Homer’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - New York (NY) - Cortland County - Homer - ED 12-29 to 33 (1880) and it appears here side by side.

🔁 Retake this view · +15

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Homer📜 Cortland📜 Cortlandville📜 McGraw

From Wikimedia Commons (12). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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