Lewis County is a county located in the northwestern part of theU.S. state ofNew York, situated between theAdirondack Mountains and theTug Hill Plateau, within the state'sNorth Country region. As of the2020 census, the county had a population of26,582, making it the fourth-least populous county in New York. Itscounty seat isLowville. Named afterMorgan Lewis, Governor of New York at the time of its establishment in1805, Lewis County was formed from part ofOneida County and has undergone multiple jurisdictional changes since the colonial era. The county is part of theNorth Country region of the state.
The area was originally inhabited by theIroquois Confederacy before being incorporated into colonial and later state holdings following theAmerican Revolutionary War. Settlement expanded in the late 18th century afterMacomb's Purchase, and the county has historical significance related to early militia formations and its role in theWar of 1812.
Demographically, the population is predominantlyWhite, with a rural character and low population density. Politically, Lewis County has a long-standing pattern of supportingRepublican candidates, with only a few deviations since theCivil War. The county is home to several small towns and villages, includingCopenhagen,Croghan, andLyons Falls, and hosts one of the oldest agricultural fairs in the state, theLewis County Fair.
The area now occupied by Lewis County was very sparsely occupied until the end of the 18th century. Although the land was already claimed by theProvince of New York in its original grant, the land was clearly part of the territory of theIroquois confederacy until after theAmerican Revolutionary War, when New York seized the lands from tribes that had supported the British. The lands were unsurveyed and remained unattractive to settlement until after the complex process ofMacomb's Purchase of 1791 eventually put much of the land in the hands ofJohn Brown.
The area now falling in the jurisdiction of Lewis County, New York, has changed jurisdiction many times, beginning as part of the originally enormousAlbany County in 1683, then, after one of the many times that Albany County was divided, becoming part ofTryon County in 1772, which was renamed toMontgomery County in 1784; next, present-day Lewis County was part ofHerkimer County in 1791, then part ofOneida County in 1798, and finally assumed its current name and borders in 1805.
When counties were established in New York State in 1683, the present Lewis County was part ofAlbany County. This was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York State as well as all of the present State ofVermont and, in theory, extending westward to the Pacific Ocean. This county was reduced in size on July 3, 1766, by the creation ofCumberland County, and further on March 16, 1770, by the creation ofGloucester County, both containing territory now in Vermont.
On March 12, 1772, what was left of Albany County was split into three parts, one remaining under the name Albany County. One of the other pieces,Tryon County, contained the western portion (and thus, since no western boundary was specified, theoretically still extended west to the Pacific). The eastern boundary of Tryon County was approximately five miles west of the present city ofSchenectady, and the county included the western part of theAdirondack Mountains and the area west of the West Branch of theDelaware River. The area then designated as Tryon County now includes 37 counties of New York State. The county was named forWilliam Tryon, colonial governor of New York.
In the years prior to 1776, most of the Loyalists in Tryon County fled to Canada. In 1784, following the peace treaty that ended theAmerican Revolutionary War, the name of Tryon County was changed toMontgomery County to honor the general,Richard Montgomery, who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city ofQuebec, replacing the name of the despised British governor.
In 1791, Herkimer County was one of three counties split off from Montgomery (the other two beingOtsego, andTioga County). This was much larger than the present county, however, and was reduced by a number of subsequent splits. The first one of these, in 1794, producedOnondaga County. This county was larger than the current Onondaga County, including the presentCayuga,Cortland, and part ofOswego Counties.
On April 11, 1805, the Militia of Lewis, Jefferson and St Lawrence was established by the Council of Appointment underGeneral Walter Martin. This was known as the 26th Brigade, aka Martin's Brigade.
350 men of the 26th Brigade were detached but never deployed in response to an Act of Congress dated March 30, 1808, in response to the English troubles.
On June 15, 1808, the 1st Regiment was established under Lieutenant Luke Winchell, consisting of troops from Lowville, Denmark, Harrisburg and Pinckney. A cavalry troop was formed in 1809 under Captain Levi Collins.
On April 10, 1812, in anticipation of war, the President of the United States was authorized to call up men for military service. To that end, a company was drafted for three months, under Captain Lyman Deming, of Denmark, in the regiment of Colonel Christopher P. Bellinger, of German Flats. They served at Sackett's Harbor from May 12, 1812, to August 21, 1812, when they were discharged.
When the War of 1812 began on June 12, 1812, the above company was in the field, participating in theFirst Battle of Sacket's Harbor. To supply them, a company of 72 men were called up on June 23, 1812, under Captain Nathan Cook and placed under Colonel Thomas B Benedict of DeKalb.
County wide drafts were issued in March 1813, September 1813, July 1814 and October 1814 in support of the war effort.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,290 square miles (3,300 km2), of which 1,275 square miles (3,300 km2) is land and 15 square miles (39 km2) (1.2%) is water.[2]
Lewis County is located in northwestern New York State, slightly east of due north fromSyracuse. The eastern part of the county is in theAdirondack Park. A good portion of theTug Hill Plateau is in the western part of the county, putting Lewis County in the heart of theSnowbelt. The county is home to the Black River Valley.
The Snow Belts of the Great Lakes can get enormous snowfalls.
Lewis County, New York – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of thecensus of 2000,[17] there were 26,944 people, 10,040 households, and 7,309 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 21 inhabitants per square mile (8.1/km2). There were 15,134 housing units at an average density of 12 units per square mile (4.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.17%White, 0.39%African American, 0.28%Native American, 0.23%Asian, 0.05%Pacific Islander, 0.28% fromother races, and 0.59% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.64% of the population. 28.8% were of German, 13.8% French, 13.1% Irish, 9.2% English, 6.5% American and 5.3% Polish ancestry according toCensus 2000. 97.3% spoke English and 1.0% Spanish as their first language.
There were 10,040 households, out of which 35.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.40% weremarried couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.80% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 13.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $34,361, and the median income for a family was $39,287. Males had a median income of $30,479 versus $21,115 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $14,971. About 10.10% of families and 13.20% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 16.40% of those under age 18 and 14.00% of those age 65 or over.
JudgeFred A. Young (August 27, 1904 – October 16, 1973) was a prominent Republican politician, lawyer, state legislator, and state judge, who was born in, and lived most of his life in, Lowville.
Florence Augusta Merriam Bailey (August 8, 1863 – September 22, 1948) was an American ornithologist and nature writer. She was born in Locust Grove, New York.[18]
Franklin B. Hough (July 20, 1822 – June 11, 1885) was a scientist, historian and the first chief of the United States Division of Forestry, the predecessor of the United States Forest Service. He was born in Martinsburg and retired in Lowville.
Clinton Hart Merriam (December 5, 1855 – March 19, 1942) was an American zoologist, ornithologist, entomologist, ethnographer, and naturalist.
Edward McGlachlin (December 19. 1840 - April 22, 1931) was an American newspaper editor and politician. McGlachlin was born in Watson.[19]
Lewis County is strongly Republican having been won by Republican presidential candidates all but three times since the Civil War, with the only exceptions being in 1912, 1964, and 1996, and the only time the Democratic candidate received a majority of the vote was in 1964. PresidentDonald Trump received over two-thirds of the vote in 2020 and 71.8% of the vote in 2024, the largest share of the vote since1956.
Hough, Franklin B. 1822-1885 A history of Lewis County, in the State of New York, from the beginning of its settlement to the present time. Merrick, New York :Richwood Publishing Company.
^Finding Aid to the Florence Merriam Bailey Papers, 1887-1940, The Online Archive of California is an initiative of the California Digital Library, UC Berkeley: Bancroft Library
^'Wisconsin Blue Book 1889,' Biographical Sketch of Edward McGlatchlin, pg. 516
