Part ofNorth Dansville was annexed fromSteuben County in 1822 and became a separate town when Sparta was divided in 1846. At the same time, the town ofWest Sparta was also formed from Sparta. The towns ofNunda andPortage were annexed in 1846 and the town ofOssian was annexed in 1857 fromAllegany County.
Avon, Williamsburgh, and the hamlet ofLakeville competed for the honor of becoming the Livingston County seat, but the distinction was bestowed upon Geneseo, the principal village and center of commerce. TheWadsworths donated a suitable lot, beautifully situated at the north end of the village. The brickcourthouse faced Main Street, the jail of wood construction was built directly west, and a one-storycobblestone building for the County Clerk's office was built east of the courthouse. Until construction was completed in 1823, court was held in the upper story of the district school on Center Street (east of the present-day Livingston County Museum) and prisoners were housed inCanandaigua. In 1829 the county opened apoor house farm just outside the village.
The County Flag was adopted in 1971 for the county's 150th anniversary. The significance of the colors and design relates to features and history of the county:
TheSeneca Nation of Indians, once the most numerous and powerful of theSix Nations of the Iroquois, were called the "Keepers of the Western Door" because they guarded the western boundaries of theHaudenosaunee territory, which included the lands aroundSeneca Lake west to Lake Erie. Many of the principal towns were in the fertile Genesee Valley, part of what is now Livingston County.Little Beard's Town, or Genesee Castle, located near present-dayCuylerville in the Town ofLeicester, was one of the largest.
In 1779,General George Washington orderedGeneral John Sullivan to organize the largest American offensive movement of theRevolutionary War to displace the Iroquois and gain control of New York's western frontier. Sullivan's army of approximately 5000 men trekked into the heart of theSeneca territory with orders to destroy all settlements.
On September 13, 1779, hundreds of Indians andLoyalists ambushed roughly 25 of Sullivan's scouts on a hill overlookingConesus Lake at a site now known as theAmbuscade in the town of Groveland. At least 16 Americans were massacred including anOneida guide. Scout leader Lt. Thomas Boyd and Sgt. Michael Parker were captured and their mutilated remains were discovered a day later when the army reached Little Beard's Town in Cuylerville, a hamlet in the town of Leicester. This site was the largest Indian settlement in western New York and the western limit of the Sullivan Campaign. Sullivan's army found the village deserted as most of the Indians and Loyalists had retreated west toFort Niagara to avoid confrontation.
The army buried Boyd and Parker then burned the village and thousands of surrounding acres of crops. Upon retreat, the army discovered the bodies of the soldiers of Lt. Boyd's scouting party at the Ambuscade and buried them withmilitary honors.
After fulfilling General Washington's instructions to destroy more than 40 Indian settlements and food supplies throughout theFinger Lakes, Sullivan's army returned toEaston, Pennsylvania. The mission was considered successful and helped to lessen the threat to white settlers across the state.[4][1]Archived June 16, 2017, at theWayback Machine
The enthusiasm generated by soldiers of General Sullivan's army prompted the rapid development of the Genesee Valley and the area that now comprises Livingston County. Within five years following theTreaty of Paris in 1783, ending the Revolutionary War,colonists branched out from well-established settlements inNew England and theMid-Atlantic states, with visions of reaping the benefits this vast wilderness land had to offer. News of the beauty and fertility of the area spread as far as Western Europe.
The destruction of the Iroquois villages during the Sullivan Campaign greatly impoverished the Senecas but did not deprive them of title to the land. This led to the creation of a series of treaties in order to facilitate westward expansion of white settlers. These treaties were not all supported by the Iroquois and consequently forever altered their culture.
After the Treaty of Paris, Messrs.Phelps and Gorham purchased fromMassachusetts the rights to approximately eight million acres west of what is referred to as the oldPre-emption Line. The two men negotiated a treaty with the Seneca which was intended to extinguish Indian claims to this land. Approximately two-thirds of present-day Livingston County was covered by this treaty.
In 1790, Phelps and Gorham sold about 1,200,000 acres toRobert Morris, known as the "financier of theAmerican Revolution." Morris then sold the land to a company of English capitalists, withSir William Pulteney obtaining the majority interest. Charles Williamson, agent for Pulteney, took an absolute conveyance of the "Genesee Tract." The first permanent white settlement he established was the small village Williamburgh in Groveland at the confluence of the Genesee River and theCanaserega Creek. The village prospered until 1806 before it was abandoned.
The remainder of the original purchase was bought bySamuel Ogden in 1791 for Robert Morris, who then sold most of it to theHolland Land Company, reserving 500,000 acres, known as theMorris Reserve. By the terms of the sale, Morris obligated himself to extinguish the Indian title to the land sold. However, his involvement in land speculation left him penniless and imprisoned for debt for several years.
The 1794Treaty of Canandaigua recognized the sovereignty of theSix Nations and restored their title to lands in western New York. But as pressure by western developers increased, theTreaty of Big Tree in 1797 was negotiated in the Wadsworth brothers'log cabin in Geneseo. This treaty included the western one-third of Livingston County and extinguished Indian title to practically all the lands west to theNiagara Frontier, excepting a handful of Indianreservations.[5][6]
Col. Jeremiah Wadsworth ofHartford, Connecticut, one of the wealthiest and most influential men in the post-Revolutionary War era, invested heavily inland speculation in this region. In 1788, he made the arduous trip to the Genesee country to judge its worth and finding it unimaginably rich. After purchasing more than 200,000 acres (50 square miles) along theGenesee River, Col. Wadsworth offered his young cousins, brothersJames andWilliam Wadsworth, 2000 acres of prime farmland in and around what is nowGeneseo. In return, they represented the Colonel's interests by establishing a home farm (known as theHomestead) and promoting settlement and progress.
The Wadsworth brothers acquired thousands more acres, becoming the largest single landowners in western New York. Theyleased the majority of the land totenant farmers with generous lease agreements. James and William were known far and wide for their philanthropy and innovative farming methods. The legacy of James and William Wadsworth and their vast land holdings has been carried forward generation after generation and the prominent family still remains synonymous with the Genesee Valley to present day.
The opening of theErie Canal in 1825 brought prosperity across the state and realization of the benefits of internal navigation. The Genesee Valley lacked access to broader markets other than via theGenesee River, often too dangerous to navigate. Planners envisioned a lateralcanal, cutting through the core of Livingston County, as the means of uniting the Erie Canal with theAllegany River, thereby connecting theOhio andMississippi Rivers, allowing freight and passenger transportation all the way toNew Orleans.
Construction of the Genesee Valley Canal started inRochester in 1837, reachingMount Morris by 1840. A junction toSonyea opened in 1841 and then a branch was built toDansville, completing 52 miles. Extending the canal through to Nunda and Portage was most challenging, as workers battled the area's most rugged terrain along theGenesee River gorge. After years of delays, 17 locks between Nunda andPortageville were completed in 1851.
By the time that the last segment connecting to theAllegany River was finally finished in 1862, however, railroad technology had outpaced canals. This forced the Genesee Valley Canal to close by 1878; thetowpath became the bed of theGenesee Valley Canal Railroad. Railroads rapidly became the primary mode of transportation as they criss-crossed the entire county. Although the Genesee Valley Canal was short-lived, the lasting effect expanded job opportunities for thousands of new immigrants, opened markets for the area's abundant goods, and overall enriched the quality of life for residents.
Today, the old Genesee Valley Canal Railroad bed has become part of the Genesee Valley Greenway Trail.
One of the first coeducational schools in the country, incorporated 1834, founded by the Genesee Conference of theMethodist Episcopal Church and operated until 1941.Genesee College, founded on the same site in the 1840s, eventually relocated and becameSyracuse University. Presently the site is occupied byElim Bible Institute.
Water Therapy: Avon Springs and the Jackson Sanitarium
The area around present-dayAvon and easternCaledonia was known by the Seneca as "Canawaugus", or "the place of stinking waters" due to the prevalence ofsulfur in the springs on the west side of town. The Seneca believed the water's mineral characteristics hadhealth benefits long before the white settlers arrived. In 1821, Richard Wadsworth was the first white man in Avon to build a showering box and promote the curative properties of the sulfur water. The reputation of Avon Springs grew throughout the 19th century, peaking just before theCivil War era. Guests sought health cures as well as relaxation and recreation opportunities in the Genesee Valley. By about 1900, most of the numerous hotels andspas were gone.[5][7]
Nunda and Dansville also boasted mineral springs and attracted travelers from around the world to enjoy the medicinal effects of water therapy. Most well-known was the sprawling resort in Dansville operated by James C. Jackson, a leadingholistic health advocate andabolitionist. Jackson is credited with inventingGranula, America's first coldbreakfast cereal, and along with Harriet Austen, endorsed exercise and less constraining clothes for women. The resort stayed in the Jackson family until the early 1900s. DuringWorld War I, the sanitarium was used by thefederal government as a hospital for wounded soldiers. In 1929, bodybuilderBernarr Macfadden bought the facility and named it the Physical Culture Hotel. His larger-than-life personality and national magazine with the same name boosted the popularity of the place into the 1950s.[8]
The onlyShaker colony in western New York began moving fromSodus, Wayne County, New York to the hamlet ofSonyea in Groveland in 1836. The Shakers practiced celibacy,agrarian communal living, and self-sufficiency.
The Groveland site was convenient as a stopping place for Shakers traveling between their western societies in Ohio and their parent village atNew Lebanon, New York. The 1,700-acre farm, with its fertile flatlands and the access to theGenesee Valley Canal benefited the Shakers’ cottage industries. They made flat brooms, dried apples, dried sweet corn, and fancy goods such as sewing boxes.[9]
Groveland's Shaker population peaked with 148 members in 1836. In 1857, they had 130 members, which shrank to 57 in 1874. Shaker membership everywhere had diminished to the point where the society had to begin consolidating its population at fewer sites. In 1892, the remaining 34 Groveland members moved to the North Family of the Shaker community atWatervliet, New York.
Several diaries and journals from the Shakers' early years at Groveland can be found at the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio.[11] These manuscripts are also available on microfilm at more than 20 locations throughout the U.S.[12]
The Livingston County Hunt was established in 1876 by Maj. William Austin Wadsworth. By the early 1880s, the organization was called the Genesee Valley Hunt and the Valley became known as thefox-hunting center of North America. The Genesee Valley Hunt remains active and is one of the oldest in the U.S.
Salt was discovered more than 1000 feet below the surface in Livingston County in the early 1880s. Salt mines opened in the towns of Leicester (Cuylerville), Livonia, Mount Morris, and York (Retsof). The Retsof mine became the largest salt-producing mine in the United States and the second largest in the world.[13] The industry was a major employer throughout most of the 20th century until the mine collapsed and flooded in 1994.[14] American Rock Salt opened a new mine in 1997 at Hampton Corners in the Town of Groveland and soon afterwards became the largest operating salt mine in the U.S.[15]
Once the terrestrial lands of the Seneca Indians, a wide area in Western New York known as the Mt. Morris Tract was purchased in 1807 by four couples – Mr. and Mrs. John R. Murray Sr., Mr. and Mrs. William Ogden, Mr. and Mrs.John Trumbull, all of New York City, and Mr. and Mrs.James Wadsworth ofGeneseo.
In 1837, the land was subdivided and John R. Murray Jr. established a home on the property that would be known as "Murray Hill." He brought his bride, Anna Vernon Olyphant of New York City, to live in a simple but elegantmansion overlooking the Genesee Valley. The couple improved the grounds withformal gardens andFish Ponds and entertained distinguished guests for the next 25 years.
Over the course of the next seven decades, the estate had a succession of proprietors. In 1882, while under the ownership of Col. Charles Shepard and wife, a fire completely destroyed the Murray mansion. A new, less magnificent home was built together with extensivebarns andstables.
By 1930, New York State was seeking a site in the area for one of three new tuberculosissanatoriums to help control and prevent a disease that was the cause of nearly 4000 deaths in upstate New York that year. Although Livingston County had a low rate oftuberculosis as compared to urban centers, the Murray Hill site was chosen as the ideal spot for this facility to serve the western region due to its central location, favorable weather, easy accessibility torail lines and state roads, and proximity to advanced healthcare centers atCraig Colony in Sonyea andStrong Hospital in Rochester. All of these factors, including the restorative nature of the surroundings and the strong community support, added to the desirability and were pivotal factors inGovernor Franklin D. Roosevelt's final decision to build a hospital on this site in 1932.
Construction of the 200-bed facility was completed and it opened in 1936. In addition, the campus complex included residences for staff and physicians, anauditorium,greenhouse,power plant andlaundry. A separate children's 50-bed ward was constructed and opened the following year. Over the course of the next 35 years, the tuberculosis hospital served patients who often spent several months recuperating. Preventative efforts and advances in the use ofantibiotics impacted the spread of tuberculosis and resulted in the closing of the hospital by the state in 1971.
Livingston County acquired the site and bordering park lands for $1.00 in 1972, using the main hospital building as askilled nursing facility until 2004 when it was determined that a more modern facility was required. The adjacent Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation was built to accommodate the growing needs of the area and the other buildings on the campus now house various county departments and agencies.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 640 square miles (1,700 km2), of which 632 square miles (1,640 km2) is land and 8.5 square miles (22 km2) (1.3%) is water.[16]
Livingston County is heavily Republican. 1964 was the only time in history that Livingston County voted for the Democratic presidential candidate. Aside from 1964, Livingston County has voted Republican in every presidential election since the Republican Party's founding in 1854. Livingston County also votedWhig in every presidential election from 1828 to 1852. Since Johnson's win in 1964, the closest that a Democratic presidential candidate has gotten to winning Livingston County wasBill Clinton in 1996, when he lost toBob Dole by just 113 votes.
United States presidential election results for Livingston County, New York[17]
Livingston 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 the2010 Census,[34] there were 65,393 people, 24,409 households, and 15,943 families residing in the county. The population density was 103.5 people per square mile (40.0 people/km2). There were 27,123 housing units at an average density of 43 units per square mile (17/km2).
As of the2000 Census,[36] there were 64,328 people, 22,150 households, and 15,349 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile (39 people/km2). There were 24,023 housing units at an average density of 38 units per square mile (15/km2).
The county's racial makeup was 94%White, 3%African American, 0.27%Native American, 0.76%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 0.85% fromother races, and 1.04% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino residents of any race were 2.27% of the population. 22.5% were of German, 17.7% Irish, 14.3% Italian, 12.8% English and 7.0%American ancestry according to the2000 Census. 95.8% spoke only English at home, while 2.0% spoke Spanish.
There were 22,150 households, of which 34% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.6 and the average family size was 3.05.
23.40% of the county's population was under the age of 18, 14.20% were from age 18 to 24, 28.90% were from age 25 to 44, 22.10% were from age 45 to 64, and 11.40% were age 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 100.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.00 males.
The county's median household income was $42,066, and the median family income was $50,513. Males had a median income of $36,599 versus $25,228 for females. The county's per capita income was $18,062. About 5.80% of families and 10.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.70% of those under age 18 and 6.50% of those age 65 or over.
Chester A. Arthur, 21st President of the United States, was son of aBaptist minister and moved toYork in 1837, attending the Old Brick School there. His infant brother, George, is buried atPleasant Valley Cemetery in York.
Walter E. Gregory (1857–1918), physician; first chairman of the Southern Livingston County chapter of the American Red Cross
Seth Green, the "Father of Fish Culture", established the first North Americanfish hatchery atCaledonia in 1864; it is now also the oldest in the country.
Handsome Lake, aSeneca religious leader, was born at Canawaugus, now part of Caledonia
James Wadsworth, pioneer, land speculator, and education advocate, settled theGeneseo area and later helped to fund New York Statecommon school libraries. His brotherWilliam also was a pioneer and officer in theWar of 1812.
^"Find a County". National Association of Counties.Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. RetrievedJune 7, 2011.
^Alden, Amie (2006).The Sullivan Campaign of the Revolutionary War: the Impact on Livingston County, New York, 1779–2004. Pioneer Print and Copy.
^abSmith, James M. (1881).History of Livingston County, New York 1687–1881. D. Mason and Co.
^Turner, Orsamus (1851).History of the Pioneer Settlement of Phelps and Gorham's Purchase, and Morris' Reserve. Erastus Darrow.
^Preston, Marie C. (1976).Avon: Heart of the Genesee Country. Avon Herald-News Inc.
^Jackson, Ted (2010).The Castles on the Hill. Dansville Area Historical Society.
^Stephen J. Paterwic,Historical Dictionary of the Shakers (Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2008), 96-97.
^Paterwic,Historical Dictionary of the Shakers, 97
^See, for instance: a daily journal kept by an unidentified Groveland Shaker (1837–1841), ms. V:B-23; two journals by Mary Dryer (1839–1846), mss. V:B-24 and 25; two Groveland Church Family journals (1842–1847), mss. V:B-26 and 27; Polly Lee's journals (1843–1871), mss. V:B-28 and 29, and Chauncey Sears' diary (1861–1865), ms. V:B-32, all in the Cathcart collection at Western Reserve Historical Society.
^The current Shakers, who live at Sabbathday Lake, inNew Gloucester, Maine, have a Shaker Library which owns this microfilm, as do many Shaker historical sites and a number of academic institutions.
^W, Eric (April 2, 2012)."Congressional District 27"(PDF).View 2012 Congressional Maps.Albany, New York: The New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on February 3, 2013. RetrievedJanuary 13, 2013.
^W, Eric (March 2, 2012)."Senate District 57"(PDF).View 2012 Senate District Maps.Albany, New York: The New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on March 4, 2016. RetrievedJanuary 6, 2013.
^W, Eric (January 25, 2012)."Assembly District 133"(PDF).View Proposed 2012 Assembly District Maps.Albany, New York: The New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on November 24, 2012. RetrievedJanuary 6, 2013.
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