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Our County
Text by Carol Kammen, Tompkins County Historian
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Click on each town for more information.
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Tompkins County
Tompkins County was created by New York in 1817, which
designated Ithaca the county seat. The county experienced initial growth until
the years following the Depression of 1837 after which the population throughout,
excepting Ithaca, declined. Cornell University was the product of the Morrill
Land Grant Act designed to create studies in agriculture and engineering,
blended with Ezra Cornell’s desire to found a university for poor, but
deserving students, and the greater vision of Andrew Dickson White, who created
the university’s structure and became its first president. Today, “Education”
is the county’s largest employer. The county’s current population
is 96,501.
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Caroline
Caroline was first settled around 1800 on land in the Watkins and
Flint Purchase. Some settlers brought with them slaves from the South or the
Hudson Valley. In 1811, the town was incorporated and named; it became part
of Tompkins County in 1823. Today, the population of Caroline is 2,910; its
residents scattered throughout the commanding hills or gathered in Brooktondale
and Slaterville Springs–where the water from a sulphur spring colors
glass objects.
Danby
Danby, centered around the Federated Church, Soldiers’ Monument,
and Town Hall, was first part of Watkins & Flint land offered for sale
to settlers. Organized as a town in 1811, Danby was annexed to Tompkins County
in 1823. The Finger Lakes Trail, a route through the hills and declivities,
provides access to the natural wonders of the area. Today, the population
of Danby is 3,007.
Dryden
Dryden began as a town in the New Military Tract, created to provide
land to Revolutionary War veterans, allocated in 1790. The state identified
Dryden as one of the components of Tompkins County, created in 1817. Dryden
contains, in addition to the Village of Dryden, the villages of Freeville,
Etna, McLean, and is home to the George Junior Republic and the Spiritualist
Association. Dryden is also home to the Tompkins Cortland Community College
(TC3). The population today is 13,532.
Enfield
Enfield separated from the Town of Ulysses in 1821 and was recognized
that year as a part of Tompkins County. Today its population of 3,369 is scattered
over six square miles of hilly farmland. A prominent feature of the town is
the Robert H. Treman State Park, which features a restored old mill and a
spectacular gorge trail.
Groton
Groton is the result of a division of a Military Tract town, first
called the Town of Division, then changed in 1818 to Groton. The town contains
a number of hamlets, the Benn Conger Inn in the village, and a rural countryside.
Once it was the site of significant manufacturing, including the Groton Bridge
Factory and several early typewriter factories. Today Groton is home to 5,794
residents.
Town of Ithaca
Town of Ithaca wraps around the City of Ithaca and overlooks it from
its vantage on three hills. It is intersected by Fall Creek, Cascadilla, Buttermilk,
Enfield Glen, and Six Mile Creek and the gorges they create. The Town of Ithaca
was created in 1821 and is divided not only by Cayuga Lake but also the Cayuga
Inlet reaching south. The Town has doubled in population over the past forty
years, growing to 18,198 in 2000. Both the spectacular Museum of the Earth
and Cornell’s Laboratory of Ornithology opened new facilities in the
Town in 2002.
City of Ithaca
City of Ithaca began as a small commercial center at the head of Cayuga
Lake. The state recognized Ithaca as the county seat in 1817 when it formed
Tompkins County and it was incorporated as a Village in 1821. Cornell University
opened in 1868 and in 1888 Ithaca became a city. The architecture in the City
reflects styles of the past; there are interesting churches, A.M.E. Zion the
oldest church building, the Clinton House, a Greek Revival style hotel now
converted into office and theater space; the Ithaca Commons, the first pedestrian
street in the state, and Ithaca College. The City is also home to the Tompkins
County Museum, the Sciencenter, Cornell’s Johnson Museum, and numerous
galleries.
Lansing
Lansing enjoys sweeping lake views and shoreline and is bisected by
Salmon Creek that flows into Cayuga Lake. Lansing began as the southern portion
of a Military Tract town, settled around 1794 and endowed with ample waterpower.
It was an original segment of Tompkins County, created in 1817. The good soil
in Lansing has supported numerous farms, a few still in the families of the
original owners. The population of the town has more than doubled in the past
forty years and is now 10,521. The Village of Lansing became a separate entity
in 1974.
Newfield
Newfield contains one of the few covered bridges remaining in New
York State. It is a symbol of the town and beloved by all. The name was given
in 1822 from the fact that these were the newest fields opened up for settlement
by the Watkins & Flint Tract. Newfield’s hills are steep; Cayuga
Inlet cuts through the long valley. Newfield’s current population is
5,108.
Ulysses
Ulysses began as Township 22 in the New Military Tract. It was settled
in the 1790s, the villages of Trumansburg–one of the most beautiful
in the state-- and Jacksonville growing amid lush farmland. There is an active
library in Trumansburg called the Ulysses Philomathic, a fine historical society,
and interesting architecture throughout. The current population is 4,775.
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