In 1908, the New York State Legislature created Route 32, an unsigned legislative route extending from North Lawrence to Ogdensburg via Winthrop and Massena. When the first set of posted routes in New York were assigned in 1924, all of Route 32 west of Massena became part of NY 3 while the section east of Winthrop was incorporated into NY 2. The Winthrop–Massena segment of Route 32 did not initially receive a designation; however, by 1926, it had become the northwesternmost portion of NY 56, a highway linking Brighton to Massena via Nicholville and Winthrop. In 1927, NY 56 was realigned to proceed west from Nicholville on modern NY 11B to a new terminus in the village of Potsdam. The former routing of NY 56 between Winthrop and Massena was left unnumbered until the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York when it was designated as NY 420.