The village is mostly in the eastern part of the town of Manheim (Herkimer County), but is partly in the western edge of the town of Oppenheim (Fulton County). Dolgeville is east of Utica.
History
The village was founded in 1794 by Samuel Low with the construction of two mills. A grist mill and later a saw mill were built by Captain John Favill on Ransom Creek about 1795. Soon a little settlement sprang up as other settlers moved in; with a blacksmith shop, tannery and school house. Families by the names of Ayers, Spencer, Ransom, Spofford, Lamberson, Brockett and Rundell soon followed and settled the adjoining lands which they cleared for farms.
The area was at first called "Green's Bridge" in 1805, as a settler named Green built a bridge over East Canada Creek. In 1826 the area received its first post office, with Zephi Brockett as postmaster, and the area was renamed "Brockett's Bridge" in his honor. In 1881 the citizens unanimously petitioned the authorities at Washington to change the name of the place from "Brockett's Bridge" to "Dolgeville". The village of Dolgeville was incorporated in 1891.[3]
The Dolge Company Factory Complex in 1883
The village changed its name to Dolgeville because of the economic growth promoted by Alfred Dolge (1848–1922), a pioneering and benevolent industrialist. In addition to factories, Dolge built a railroad, laid out the village, built two schools, installed an electric system, a water system, sewage, a fire department, a free library, a concert hall, a gymnasium, public parks, a newspaper, and pioneered in a pension and profit sharing system for employees.[4]Thomas Edison's first water-powered dynamo was installed in Dolge's factory.[5] Dolge's factory largely produced parts and materials for pianos. The Daniel Green shoe company partnered with Dolge after finding that the factory's piano felt was also well-suited for slippers. Dolge's factory and social endeavors failed financially in 1899, and the Dolge Company Factory Complex became property of the Daniel Green company.[3][6] Daniel Green was the largest employer in the village until 1999, when it shuttered its operations there.[7]
Lyndon Lyon, who lived in Dolgeville until his death in 1999, developed about 800 hybrid varieties of African violet and helped popularize its use as a houseplant.[8] Lyon's greenhouse in Dolgeville still operates and is known for violets and orchids,[9] and Dolgeville's annual Violet Festival commemorates him.[10][11]
In 1965, a caver named James G. Mitchell became trapped under a waterfall while exploring a cave near Dolgeville. Despite a team of cave rescuers arriving on Air Force 2, Mitchell died. Mitchell's entrapment and death became a national news story and raised awareness among cavers of the risk of hypothermia. Part of the cave collapsed during the initial attempt to retrieve Mitchell's body, and the attempt was abandoned. At the time, the cave mouth was dynamited shut to prevent future mishaps. Mitchell's corpse was finally retrieved in 2006 and returned to his family.[12][13]
In late 2014, Alfred Dolge's 1895 mansion, which stood behind the historic factory complex, was destroyed by fire.[14] The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
The main part of the village is in the northeastern corner of the town of Manheim, on the west side of East Canada Creek, a southward-flowing tributary of the Mohawk River. The section of the village on the east side of the creek is in the town of Oppenheim. The northern end of the village near the East Canada suffers from periodic flooding, with major floods in 2006,[17][18] 2019,[19][20] and 2022.[21]
New York State Route 29 (North Helmer Avenue/State Street) and New York State Route 167 (Main Street) intersect in Dolgeville, with NY 167 having its northern terminus at the intersection. Route 29 leads east 24 miles (39km) to Johnstown, the Fulton County seat, and west 12 miles (19km) to Middleville, while Route 167 leads southwest 8 miles (13km) to Little Falls on the Mohawk River.
As of the census[23] of 2000, there were 2,166 people, 915 households, and 592 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,182.4 inhabitants per square mile (456.5/km2). There were 1,018 housing units at an average density of 555.7 per square mile (214.6/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 97.41% White, 0.23% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population.
There were 915 households, out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $30,863, and the median income for a family was $38,646. Males had a median income of $29,667 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita income for the village was $14,787. About 7.4% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
The Dolge factory complex remains vacant, notwithstanding some failed revitalization attempts, but other factories operate in the village. A Rawlings plant in Dolgeville makes a large percentage of the baseball bats used by Major League Baseball under the brand "Adirondack", as well as other wood products.[7][24] North Hudson Woodcraft Corp., which had manufactured piano parts for Steinway since the 1800s until about 2005, now manufactures other wood products such as kitchen cabinets and caskets.[25] Other companies include Gehring-Tricot, which manufactures textile products,[26] and Tumbleforms and Bergeron By Design, which manufacture physical therapy products.[27]
Education
The Dolgeville Central School District covers the village.[28][29] The high school was built in 1954, and an attached elementary school was built in the 1980s after the Stratford school district was annexed.[30] The old elementary school building on Main Street remains vacant.
Fulton County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It forms part of the state's Mohawk Valley region. Its county seat is Johnstown. At the 2020 U.S. census, the county had a population of 53,324. The county is named in honor of Robert Fulton, who is widely credited with developing the first commercially successful steamboat. The county is part of the Mohawk Valley region of the state.
Herkimer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer. The county was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. It is named after General Nicholas Herkimer, who died from battle wounds in 1777 after taking part in the Battle of Oriskany during the Revolutionary War. The county is part of the Mohawk Valley region of the state.
Oppenheim is a town in Fulton County, New York, United States. The town is in the southwestern corner of the county and is east of Utica. The population was 1,924 at the 2010 census.
Stratford is a town in Fulton County, New York, United States. The population was 610 at the 2010 census. The town is in the northwestern corner of the county, northeast of the village of Dolgeville. It was named after Stratford, Connecticut.
Ilion is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States. Located in the Mohawk Valley region, the population was 7,646 at the 2020 census.
Manheim is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 3,334 at the 2010 census. The town name is derived from Mannheim in Baden, Germany.
Middleville is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 512 at the 2010 census.
Mohawk is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 2,731 at the 2010 census. The village was named after the adjacent Mohawk River.
Poland is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 508 at the 2010 census.
Salisbury is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,958 at the 2010 census. The town is on the eastern edge of the county, north of the city of Little Falls. The northern part of the town is in the Adirondack Park.
Herkimer is a village on the north side of the Mohawk River and the county seat of Herkimer County, New York, United States, about 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Utica. As of the 2020 Census, it had a population of 7,234, and a predicted population of 7,283 on July 1, 2022. It was part of the Burnetsfield Patent and the first colonial settlement this far west in the Mohawk Valley.
Newport is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 640 at the 2010 census.
East Canada Creek is a 34.6-mile-long (55.7 km) river in upstate New York, United States. It is a tributary of the Mohawk River and flows southward from New York's Adirondack Park. The name "Canada" may be derived from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian word Kanata, meaning "village"; the name may also refer to the creek's importance as a trail to Canada in colonial times.
The Observer-Dispatch is a newspaper serving the Utica-Rome metropolitan area in Central New York, circulating in Oneida County, Herkimer County, and parts of Madison County. Based in Utica, New York, the publication is owned by Gannett.
Alfred Dolge was a German-born industrialist, inventor, and author.
Dolge Company Factory Complex, also known as Alfred Dolge and Sons Felt and Sounding Board Factories and Daniel Green Factory Complex, is a national historic district located at Dolgeville in Herkimer County, New York. The district contains 10 contributing buildings and one contributing structure. The complex includes a large limestone building built in 1886, a frame factory building, a double span Pratt truss bridge on limestone and concrete supports (1887), another large wood factory building, a complex of lesser buildings, and the Alfred Dolge mansion (1895). The limestone factory structure is a long feet, 3+1⁄2-story structure with a clerestory running the length of the roof ridge. It features a mansard roofed tower with dormers. The complex was built by Alfred Dolge (1848–1922), who desired to establish an ideal society for his factory workers. In the 1890s the complex was acquired by Daniel Green and William R. Green, who manufactured felt shoes and slippers. The mill is currently being used as an antique, second hand, and crafts shop.
Dolgeville Airport is a privately owned, public use airport in Fulton County, New York, United States. It is one nautical mile (2 km) northeast of the central business district of Dolgeville, a village located in Fulton County and Herkimer County.
Dolgeville Central School District is a school district in Herkimer County, New York and Fulton County, New York.
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