Montour Falls, New York

Last updated

Montour Falls, New York
Montour Falls from Mill Street.jpg
Downtown Montour Falls as seen from Mill Street above Shequaga Falls.
USA New York location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Montour Falls, New York
Location within the state of New York
Coordinates: 42°20′57″N76°50′47″W / 42.34917°N 76.84639°W / 42.34917; -76.84639
Country United States
State New York
County Schuyler
Area
[1]
  Total3.03 sq mi (7.85 km2)
  Land3.01 sq mi (7.79 km2)
  Water0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Elevation
449 ft (137 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total1,635
  Density543.55/sq mi (209.84/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
14865
Area code 607
FIPS code 36-48197
GNIS feature ID0974235
Website Village website
Shequaga Falls is in Montour Falls, New York, on Monday, November 1, 2021. (Photo by Ted Shaffrey) Shequaga Falls Drone Photo.jpg
Shequaga Falls is in Montour Falls, New York, on Monday, November 1, 2021. (Photo by Ted Shaffrey)

Montour Falls is a village located in Schuyler County, New York, United States. The population was 2,714 at the time of the 2020 census. A waterfall at the end of West Main Street gives the village its name. The name "Montour" is derived from Queen Catharine Montour, a prominent Native American woman of Seneca Indian heritage who lived at the village site in the 18th century.

Contents

The boundaries defining the Village of Montour Falls occur mostly within the Town of Montour, but a small part lies within the Town of Dix. The village is located approximately twenty miles north of Elmira, New York and three miles south of Watkins Glen, New York. The New York State Academy of Fire Science is located in the village.

History

The modern day Village of Montour Falls is developed on the site of a former Seneca Indian village, Queanettquaga, informally known as Catherine's Town after a prominent Seneca Indian resident and leader, Queen Catharine Montour. Queen Catharine Montour's father (Peter Quebec) was a Mohawk Chief, and her mother (Margaret Montour Hunter) the daughter of an Oneida Chief. She would marry Seneca Indian Chief Thomas Htitson. Queen Catharine Montour's Seneca Tribe was a member of the Iroquois Confederacy. During America's War of Independence reprisals were sanctioned against tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy who had allied themselves with Great Britain. The infamous nearby Battle of Newtown, New York (August 1779) and the march that devastated Queanettquaga (and forty other Amerindian villages of the Finger Lakes) is known as the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition. [2] In addition to burning Queen Catharine Montour's log palace, orchards were cut down, homes destroyed, livestock murdered and cropland salted. Residents of Catharine's Town dispersed to areas as far away as Niagara and Canada. Queen Catharine Montour (b. 1710, died February 20, 1804) is memorialized by a grave mound located on her namesake Catharine Trail within the Montour Falls village limits.

By 1788 the area began to be settled by European Americans. In 1805 the area was known as Mill's Landing after local resident George Mills. (The nearby village of Millport, to current times, is also named for George Mills). 1802 is the earliest date commonly used to mark the beginning of the Montour Falls community it is the year George Mills was appointed postmaster. It is estimated the community of 1802 consisted of twenty residents – and no stores.[ citation needed ]

Beginning in 1827 and completed in 1833, the Chemung Canal was built through Mills Landing to connect the Chemung River and its watershed to Seneca Lake. Mills Landing, later Havana, would become commercially significant given its location at the head of navigation on the Seneca Lake inlet. At the north end of the lake, another canal connected to the Erie Canal, leading both to the Great Lakes and to the Hudson River and port of New York City, to increase trade and commerce in the region. The village remained unincorporated until May 13, 1836, when it officially adopted a new name to become Havana, New York. The village of Havana was designated the first county seat of newly formed Schuyler County in 1854. By 1861 the county seat would be moved to Watkins Glen.

Shequaga Falls borders the west side of the village of Montour Falls Montour Falls.jpg
Shequaga Falls borders the west side of the village of Montour Falls

The current name of Montour Falls was adopted for the village on March 20, 1895. The Town of Montour is also named after the 18th-century Native American Seneca tribe matriarch, Catharine Montour.

From 1850 to 1888 the area's Havana pottery stoneware manufacturing community comprised six firms: Savage, Parsons & Co., Savage & Rogers, Brewer & Halm, S. T. Brewer, H. M. Whitman, J. M. Whitman and A. O. Whittemore.

Charles Cook, businessmen, politician (Canal Commissioner and State Senator), philanthropist and visionary, is credited with the establishment of Schuyler County (1854) and Havana, New York as its first County Seat; the Cook Academy (originally the People's College) began construction in 1858. Today the same facility is home to the New York State Academy of Fire Science. Cook also served as president of the Chemung Canal Trust Bank—the oldest continuously operating bank in the region dating to 1835. On November 20, 1886, a tribute service held at Cook Academy was attended by Governor David Hill and more than 1,000 citizens, associates and admirers of Cook. A bust of Charles Cook was dedicated at the tribute service. Charles Cook never married.

Shequaga Falls in the winter Shequaga Falls during Winter.jpg
Shequaga Falls in the winter

In 1872 two native son engineers of Havana, New York, formed a materials handling company they called Shepard Niles. In 1902 they built their first heavy duty crane and sold it around the world. The company is still in business today. From their web site: "Workhorse cranes and hoists that last virtually forever–this is what industry expects from Shepard Niles. Our custom hand-built, heavy-duty Class D and E cranes and hoists helped America become the world's leading industrial nation, and powered our country through two World Wars." While the company is ongoing, since its acquisition in 1989, its primary operations are no longer domiciled in Montour Falls.

In 1934 the National Bank of Montour Falls is listed in the Federal Reserve Bank roster Second District. The National Bank of Montour Falls (also 1934) is the issuing bank on a US $10.00 (ten-dollar) Federal Reserve note.

Montour Falls is well known[ citation needed ] for the natural attraction of a 165-foot waterfall located on the west side of the village. At the base of the falls is a sign labeled "She-qua-ga", a transliteration of its Seneca name. A bridge above the waterfall spells the name as "Che-qua-ga". Many historic names have been recorded under a wide variety of spellings, especially as various peoples tried to transliterate them from one language to another. This attraction is also known as "Montour Falls".

The Brick Tavern Stand, Montour Falls Historic District, and Montour Falls Union Grammar School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [3] [4]

Geography

Shequaga Falls, which are located in a park in a residential portion of the community, during the dry season. Montour Falls NY.jpg
Shequaga Falls, which are located in a park in a residential portion of the community, during the dry season.

Montour Falls is located at 42°20′57″N76°50′47″W / 42.34917°N 76.84639°W / 42.34917; -76.84639 (42.349209, -76.846450). [5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2), of which 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (0.66%) is water. Catharine Creek flows northward through the Catharine Creek Valley toward Seneca Lake.

New York State Route 14 intersects New York State Route 224 in Montour Falls.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1870 1,273
1880 1,2740.1%
1890 1,75137.4%
1900 1,193−31.9%
1910 1,2081.3%
1920 1,56029.1%
1930 1,489−4.6%
1940 1,345−9.7%
1950 1,4578.3%
1960 1,5335.2%
1970 1,5340.1%
1980 1,79116.8%
1990 1,8453.0%
2000 1,797−2.6%
2010 1,711−4.8%
2020 1,635−4.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [6]

As of the census [7] of 2000, there were 1,797 people, 701 households, and 419 families residing in the village. The population density was 597.7 inhabitants per square mile (230.8/km2). There were 755 housing units at an average density of 251.1 per square mile (97.0/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 97.61% White, 1.00% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.39% of the population.

There were 701 households, out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.79.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 19.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 27.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 70.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $29,018, and the median income for a family was $36,307. Males had a median income of $31,064 versus $21,813 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,671. About 11.5% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.0% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schuyler County, New York</span> County in New York, United States

Schuyler County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,898, making it the second-least populous county in New York. The county seat is the village of Watkins Glen. The name is in honor of General Philip Schuyler, one of the four major generals in the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. The county is part of the Southern Tier region of the state.

Millport is a village in Chemung County, New York, United States. The population was 312 at the 2010 census. The name comes from its former status as a canal port.

Veteran is a town in Chemung County, New York, United States. The population was 3,363 at the 2020 census. The name of the town honors the first settler, a veteran of two wars.

Catharine is a town in Schuyler County, New York, United States. The population was 1,656 at the 2020 census. The town is one of two in the county named after Catherine Montour, a Native American interpreter and leader in the area. The Town of Catharine is in the southeastern part of the county and is north of Elmira.

Dix is a town in Schuyler County, New York, United States. The population was 3,723 at the 2020 census.

Montour is a town in Schuyler County, New York, United States. The population was 2,323 at the 2020 census. The town is one of two towns in the county named after Catherine Montour.

Odessa is a village in Schuyler County, New York, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Painted Post, New York</span> Village in New York, United States

Painted Post is a village in Steuben County, New York. The village is in the town of Erwin, west of the city of Corning. The population was 1,809 at the 2010 census. The name comes from a Seneca carved post found by explorers at the junction of three local rivers. Corning-Painted Post Airport (7N1) is west of the village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horseheads (village), New York</span> Village in New York, United States

Horseheads is a village in Chemung County, New York, United States. The population was 6,606 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from the number of bleached skulls of pack horses left behind by the Sullivan Expedition.

Catharine Montour, also known as Queen Catharine, was a prominent Iroquois leader living in Queanettquaga, a Seneca village of Sheaquaga, informally called Catharine's Town, in western New York. She has often been confused with Elizabeth "Madame" Montour, her aunt or grandmother who was a noted interpreter and adviser to the governor, and with "Queen Esther" Montour, usually described as her sister. Several places in western New York were later named in her honor, after most of the Iroquois had been forced to cede their lands and were driven out of the region.

Catharine Creek is a roughly 15-mile-long (24 km) stream that flows through Chemung and Schuyler counties in New York. The creek, named after Catharine Montour, is a major tributary to Seneca Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preemption Line</span>

The Preemption Line divided the aboriginal lands of western New York State awarded to New York from those awarded to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by the Treaty of Hartford of 1786. It was defined as the meridian (north–south) line from the eighty-second milestone of the Pennsylvania–New York survey line at 76° 57' 58" W northward to Lake Ontario.

Catherine's Town was a Seneca village, named informally for a prominent Seneca woman, Catherine Montour. It was located at the south end of Seneca Lake, near present-day Watkins Glen in what is now Schuyler County, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Route 224</span> State highway in New York, US

New York State Route 224 (NY 224) is a 19.77-mile-long (31.82 km) state highway in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. The route is signed as north–south; however, in actuality the highway follows more of an east–west routing across southeastern Schuyler County and northeastern Chemung County. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 14 in the village of Montour Falls southeast of Seneca Lake and its eastern terminus is at a junction with NY 34 in the village of Van Etten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Terry Jackson</span> American politician

William Terry Jackson was a U.S. Representative from New York.

Charles Cook was an American politician from New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catharine Valley Trail</span> State park in New York, United States

Catharine Valley Trail is a state park and recreation trail located in Schuyler and Chemung counties, New York. The park is located near Watkins Glen State Park and maintained by its staff, as well as by volunteers.

Pine Valley is a hamlet and census-designated place in the towns of Catlin and Veteran in Chemung County, New York, United States. The population was 813 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elmira and Seneca Lake Railway</span>

The line of the Elmira & Seneca Lake Railway Co. from Horseheads, New York to Seneca Lake was opened for operation on June 19, 1900.

Baxter Timothy Smelzer was an American physician and politician from New York.

References

  1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. Tompkins, Andrew E. (n.d.), "Queen Catharine Montour," Schuyler County Historical Society Archived December 22, 2012, at the Wayback Machine . Accessed: October 15, 2012.
  3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  4. "National Register of Historic Places". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 2/09/15 through 2/13/15. National Park Service. December 7, 2012.
  5. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  7. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.