Auburn, New York (1909), by William Bruce (1861–1911)The Auburn Works in 1907State Street in 1910
The region around Auburn had been Haudenosaunee territory for centuries before European contact and historical records.
Auburn was founded in 1793, during the post-Revolutionary period of settlement of western New York. The founder, John L. Hardenbergh, was a veteran of the Sullivan-Clinton campaign against the Iroquois during the American Revolution. Members of the Haudenosaunee allied with the British during the American Revolution, and the Sullivan Campaign, ordered by the American military general George Washington, aimed to crush Haudenosaunee forces in the area.[5] According to historian Robin Bernstein, the Sullivan Campaign and its soldiers destroyed "at least forty Native communities."[6] After the war, Hardenbergh was granted a tract of land, Military Tract 47, from the very territory he fought to remove the Haudenosaunee from.[7] Hardenbergh settled in the vicinity of the Owasco River on Military Tract 47 with his infant daughter and two enslaved African-Americans, Harry and Kate Freeman. After his death in 1806, Hardenbergh was buried in Auburn's North Street Cemetery, and was re-interred in 1852 in Fort Hill Cemetery– the first burial in the city's newly opened burial ground. The community grew up around Hardenbergh's gristmill and sawmill.[8] Harry and Kate Freeman were eventually released by the Hardenbergh family, with Kate freed in 1805 before John Hardenbergh's death, and Harry seven months later by Hardenbergh's heirs.[9]
Originally known as Hardenbergh's Corners in the town of Aurelius, the settlement was renamed Auburn in 1805 when it became the county seat.[10] It became an incorporated village in 1815, and was chartered as a city in 1848. It was only a few miles from the Erie Canal, which opened in 1825 and allowed local factories to inexpensively ship goods north or south. In 1871, the Southern Central Railroad, financed by the Lehigh Valley Railroad, completed a line primarily to carry anthracite coal from Athens, Pennsylvania through Auburn to wharves on Lake Ontario at Fair Haven.[11]
In 1816, Auburn Prison (now the Auburn Correctional Facility) was founded as a model for the contemporary ideas about treating prisoners, known now as the Auburn system. Visitors were charged a fee for viewing the facility and its inmates. On August 6, 1890, the first execution by the electric chair was carried out at Auburn Prison. In 1901 Leon Czolgosz, assassin of President William McKinley, was executed there. Although the ideas of the Auburn System have been abandoned, the prison continues to serve as a maximum security facility, and is one of the most secure prisons in the continental United States.
Geography
Auburn is located at 42.9317° N, 76.5661° W at the north end of Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes, which is drained by the Owasco Outlet– also known as the Owasco River– which runs north through the city on its way to the Seneca River. A dam, owned and operated by the city, controls the outflow of the lake, which is used for drinking water and recreation. The city is required to keep a sufficient amount of water in the river to deal with the effluent from its waste disposal treatment facility.[12]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.4 square miles (21.8km2), of which 8.3 square miles (21.6km2) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.2km2), or 0.89%, is water.[13]
This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Auburn has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.[14]
Climate data for Auburn, New York (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1897–present)
As of the census[18] of 2000, there were 28,574 people, 11,411 households, and 6,538 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,405.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,314.8/km2). There were 12,637 housing units at an average density of 1,506.0 per square mile (581.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.57% White, 7.59% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.41% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.82% of the population.
There were 11,411 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.3% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no partner present, and 42.7% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,281, and the median income for a family was $41,169. Males had a median income of $32,349 versus $23,330 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,083. About 12.5% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The Auburn Enlarged City School District is the public school system serving Auburn. It currently operates seven schools covering grades K–12. West Middle School was closed over the summer of 2011 to save funds, with the student population merged into East Middle School.
The only college in Auburn is Cayuga Community College, a two-year school. C.C.C., as it is known locally, is located on Franklin Street. The city had been the home of Auburn Theological Seminary, a Presbyterian institution established in 1818, which relocated to New York City in 1939.[19]
Since 1978, on the second Sunday of every August, Auburn has hosted "The Great Race", a three- or four-person relay race involving running, cycling, and canoeing (or kayaking). The race begins and ends in the area of Owasco Lake on the southern outskirts of Auburn. With between 2,000 and 2,500 people participating in an average year, it is one of the largest relay races in the United States.[21]
The daily newspaper published in Auburn is The Citizen, which dates back to 1816, and had previously been published as The Daily Advertiser and The Citizen-Advertiser. It serves Auburn and Cayuga County, as well as other parts of Central New York. A morning paper, published seven days a week, it has a circulation of 10,000 for the daily and Saturday editions, and 12,000 on Sunday. It is owned by Lee Enterprises.
Lisa Colella, Founder, Healing Household 6, the first family violence organization for military families, 2019 Medal of Honor Community Service Hero Honoree, Family Advisor for Department of Veterans Affairs Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program
In 2018, the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center opened to the public, serving as a visitors' center and permanent exhibition promoting the region's history and culture. The center guides visitors to the variety of historical sites in the region connected to the struggle for equal rights.[26]
Cayuga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 76,248. Its county seat and largest city is Auburn. The county was named for the Cayuga people, one of the Native American tribes in the Iroquois Confederation. The county is part of the Central New York region of the state.
Aurelius is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 2,610 at the 2020 census. The town was named after the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. It is at the western edge of the county and borders the city of Auburn.
Fleming is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 2,475 at the 2020 census. The name is that of General George Fleming, an early settler. Fleming is at the northern end of Owasco Lake, south of Auburn.
Niles is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,194 at the 2010 census. Niles lies in the eastern part of the county, southeast of Auburn.
Owasco is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. It is part of the traditional territory of the Cayuga nation. The population was 3,793 at the 2010 census. Owasco is in the eastern part of Cayuga County and is at the southeast city line of Auburn. The town borders Owasco Lake, from where it gets its name.
Scipio is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,713 at the 2010 census. Scipio is centrally located in the southern half of the county, south of Auburn.
Throop is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The town is at the northern city line of Auburn and is in the Finger Lakes region of New York. The population was 1,990 at the 2010 census. The town is named after former New York Governor Enos T. Throop, a resident of Cayuga County.
Moravia is a town in Cayuga County, New York. The population was 3,626 at the time of the 2010 census.
Owasco Lake is the sixth largest and third easternmost of the Finger Lakes of New York in the United States.
Theodore Medad Pomeroy was an American businessman and politician from New York who served as the 26th speaker of the United States House of Representatives for one day, from March 3, 1869, to March 4, 1869, the shortest American speakership term. He represented New York's 24th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1861 to 1869. He also served as the mayor of Auburn, New York, from 1875 to 1876, and in the New York State Senate from 1878 to 1879.
New York State Route 437 (NY 437) is a state highway located south of Auburn in Cayuga County, New York, in the United States. At 0.30 miles (0.48 km) in length, it is the shortest signed state route in New York. It is a brief connector route between NY 38 and NY 38A known locally as White Bridge Road. The highway allows motorists, especially those wanting quick access to the opposite side of nearby Owasco Lake, to avoid having to cross the Owasco Outlet further downstream, in the city. NY 437 was assigned in 1970; however, the designation had appeared on maps of the area as early as two decades before.
New York State Route 38 (NY 38) is a north–south state highway in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with NY 96 in the town of Owego in Tioga County. The northern terminus is at a junction with NY 104A in the town of Sterling in Cayuga County. NY 38 is a two-lane local road for most of its length. The route is the main access road to parts of Auburn, Dryden, Newark Valley and Port Byron. It passes through mountainous terrain in Tioga and Cortland counties, but the terrain levels out as it heads through the Finger Lakes area and Cayuga County.
New York State Route 38A (NY 38A) is a north–south state highway located within Onondaga and Cayuga counties in central New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 38 in the village of Moravia. Its northern terminus is at a junction with U.S. Route 20 (US 20) and NY 5 in downtown Auburn. Much of NY 38A runs through rural, undeveloped areas situated between Owasco Lake and Skaneateles Lake.
Frances Adeline Seward was the First Lady of New York and the wife of William Henry Seward, a senator in the New York legislature, Governor of New York, a senator from New York and United States Secretary of State under President Abraham Lincoln.
Fort Hill Cemetery is a cemetery located in Auburn, New York, United States. It was incorporated on May 15, 1851 under its official name: "Trustees of the Fort Hill Cemetery Association of Auburn". It is known for its headstones of notable people such as former Secretary of State William H. Seward, his son, William H. Seward Jr. and abolitionist and freedom fighter Harriet Tubman. It is built on what was once a fortified village of the Cayuga Nation. The cemetery features a 56 ft (17 m). high limestone obelisk monument to Chief Logan, famed chief of the Haudenosaunee.
Earl Conrad, birth name Cohen, was an American author who penned at least twenty works of biography, history, and criticism, including books in collaboration. At least one that he 'ghost' wrote was the autobiography of actor Errol Flynn, titled My Wicked, Wicked Ways.
Harriet Tubman National Historical Park is a US historical park in Auburn and Fleming, New York. Associated with the life of Harriet Tubman, it has three properties: the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged, in Auburn; the nearby Harriet Tubman Residence, just across the city/town line in Fleming; and the Thompson A.M.E. Zion Church and parsonage in Auburn. They are located at 180 and 182 South Street and 47–49 Parker Street, respectively. The A.M.E. Zion Church unit is administered by the National Park Service (NPS), and the South Street properties, including a historic barn and a visitor center, are jointly managed and operated by both the NPS and the Harriet Tubman Home, Inc. The church also works with the NPS in park operations. The Harriet Tubman Grave, in nearby Fort Hill Cemetery, is not part of the park.
United States Secretary of State William H. Seward has a number of memorials to him, and several locations are preserved that are associated with him. He also wrote a number of works.
The Auburn Cayugas was a primary moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Auburn, New York and their namesake Cayuga County, New York between 1877 and 1951. Auburn teams played as members of the 1877 League Alliance, 1888 Central New York League, New York State League, Empire State League (1906–1907), Canadian–American League and Border League (1946–1951), winning two league championships.
Cornelia Williams Martin was an American philanthropist, social activist, and writer.
↑ Bernstein, Robin (2024). Freeman's Challenge: The Murder That Shook America's Original Prison for Profit. The University of Chicago Press. p.5.
↑ The name Auburn resonated with the opening lines of Oliver Goldsmith's then-familiar poem "The Deserted Village" (1770): "Sweet Auburn, loveliest village of the plain, Where health and plenty cheered the labouring swain."
↑ Larson, Kate Clifford (2004). Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN0-345-45627-0, p. 16.
1 2 3 4 Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
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