Brasher, New York
Encyclopedia
Brasher is a town
in St. Lawrence County
, New York
, USA
. The population was 2,337 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Philip Brasher, an original landowner.
The Town of Brasher is in the northeast corner of the county and is southeast of the Village of Massena
.
. In 1827, a small part of the Town of Stockholm
was added to Brasher.
The iron
industry played an important part in the early history of the town, initially mining and smelting, but later including the production of stoves and other goods.
, the town has a total area of 92.1 square miles (238.5 km²), of which, 91.2 square miles (236.2 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) of it (0.97%) is water.
The St. Regis River
, a tributary
of the St. Lawrence River flows in the western part of the town.
New York State Route 37C is an east-west highway in the northern part of Brasher. New York State Route 11C
passes through the southwest corner of the town.
The east town line is the border of Franklin County
.
of 2000, there were 2,337 people, 940 households, and 642 families residing in the town. The population density
was 25.6 people per square mile (9.9/km²). There were 1,077 housing units at an average density of 11.8 per square mile (4.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.66% White, 0.21% African American, 2.01% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.09% from other races
, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.86% of the population.
There were 940 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples
living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,909, and the median income for a family was $36,389. Males had a median income of $36,422 versus $20,101 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $16,808. About 14.0% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.1% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.
The Town of Brasher's once booming agricultural industry has since fallen on hard times recently. The rising costs of farming production with the relatively low price of milk has forced many of the farmers in the area, as well as in the nearby Franklin County and Malone area, to go out of business. The fire of the Joanette Farm in the summer of 2006 completely destroyed the last major, large scale farm in the town. While a few smaller farms remain, it is not close the what it used to be.
Brasher also has a very small, close knit population. The Summer Festival is one of the highlights. Riverside Campground and Erin's Isle are two major attractions of Brasher Falls, with both establishments owned by John Ward. Keenan Bros. Corn is a growing international corporation supplying many local stores and correction facilities with corn, it is run by John Keenan, his wife Mary, and the four Keenan boys that enjoys a wide acceptance in the town and most of Northern St. Lawrence County, often called the "pride" of Brasher. The farm is located at the old Ward farm on County Route 53. Recent redevelopments of the downtown strip, led by Kevin and Nancy Weller and John Ward have included a small bakery/cafe run by Anne Tyo and a gift shop run by Chrissy Moody. A liquor store is slated to open and be operated by Al Pike, along with mainstay Bill Demers and his Barber Shop in the Boothe Building.
Brasher Falls is home to the St. Lawrence Central School Larries. The Brasher Falls Central School District incorporates all towns in the Tri Town district and is one of the largest districts in the East Coast, area wise. The average graduating class is around 50 students. St. Lawrence is a focal point of the town as well. It is made of two buildings, the elementary and the High School.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in St. Lawrence County
St. Lawrence County, New York
St. Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 111,944. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for the Saint Lawrence River, which in turn was named for the Catholic saint on whose Feast day the river was discovered by...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,337 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Philip Brasher, an original landowner.
The Town of Brasher is in the northeast corner of the county and is southeast of the Village of Massena
Massena (village), New York
Massena is a village in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 13,589 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Andre Massena, one of Napoleon's generals....
.
History
Settlement began after 1815 as the town was organized in 1825 from the Town of MassenaMassena (town), New York
Massena is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The town is on the northern border of the county and is nicknamed "The Gateway to the Fourth Coast". The population was 13,121 at the 2000 census. The town of Massena contains a village also called Massena...
. In 1827, a small part of the Town of Stockholm
Stockholm, New York
Stockholm is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 3,592 at the 2000 census. The name was assigned by surveyors from Stockholm in Sweden....
was added to Brasher.
The iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
industry played an important part in the early history of the town, initially mining and smelting, but later including the production of stoves and other goods.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 92.1 square miles (238.5 km²), of which, 91.2 square miles (236.2 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) of it (0.97%) is water.
The St. Regis River
St. Regis River
The St. Regis River is an river in northern New York in the USA. It flows into the Saint Lawrence River at the hamlet of St Regis in the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation. The Saint Regis River basin includes Upper and Lower St. Regis Lakes, and Saint Regis Pond in the Saint Regis Canoe Area.-External...
, a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the St. Lawrence River flows in the western part of the town.
New York State Route 37C is an east-west highway in the northern part of Brasher. New York State Route 11C
New York State Route 11C
New York State Route 11C is a short state highway located in St. Lawrence County in the northern part of New York, United States. NY 11C is a northern alternate route of U.S. Route 11 between the towns of Stockholm and Lawrence that serves the hamlets of Winthrop and Brasher Falls....
passes through the southwest corner of the town.
The east town line is the border of Franklin County
Franklin County, New York
Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 51,599. It is named in honor of American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,337 people, 940 households, and 642 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 25.6 people per square mile (9.9/km²). There were 1,077 housing units at an average density of 11.8 per square mile (4.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.66% White, 0.21% African American, 2.01% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.09% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.86% of the population.
There were 940 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,909, and the median income for a family was $36,389. Males had a median income of $36,422 versus $20,101 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $16,808. About 14.0% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.1% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.
The Town of Brasher's once booming agricultural industry has since fallen on hard times recently. The rising costs of farming production with the relatively low price of milk has forced many of the farmers in the area, as well as in the nearby Franklin County and Malone area, to go out of business. The fire of the Joanette Farm in the summer of 2006 completely destroyed the last major, large scale farm in the town. While a few smaller farms remain, it is not close the what it used to be.
Brasher also has a very small, close knit population. The Summer Festival is one of the highlights. Riverside Campground and Erin's Isle are two major attractions of Brasher Falls, with both establishments owned by John Ward. Keenan Bros. Corn is a growing international corporation supplying many local stores and correction facilities with corn, it is run by John Keenan, his wife Mary, and the four Keenan boys that enjoys a wide acceptance in the town and most of Northern St. Lawrence County, often called the "pride" of Brasher. The farm is located at the old Ward farm on County Route 53. Recent redevelopments of the downtown strip, led by Kevin and Nancy Weller and John Ward have included a small bakery/cafe run by Anne Tyo and a gift shop run by Chrissy Moody. A liquor store is slated to open and be operated by Al Pike, along with mainstay Bill Demers and his Barber Shop in the Boothe Building.
Brasher Falls is home to the St. Lawrence Central School Larries. The Brasher Falls Central School District incorporates all towns in the Tri Town district and is one of the largest districts in the East Coast, area wise. The average graduating class is around 50 students. St. Lawrence is a focal point of the town as well. It is made of two buildings, the elementary and the High School.
Communities and locations in Brasher
- Brasher Center – A hamletHamlet (place)A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
on County Road 53 on the west bank of the St. Regis River, in the western part of the town. Development of the community began in 1826 with the construction of a dam and a mill. - Brasher FallsBrasher Falls-Winthrop, New YorkBrasher Falls-Winthrop is a census-designated place and region in St. Lawrence County, New York. The population was 1,140 at the 2000 census.This area is composed of Brasher Falls in the Town of Brasher, New York and Winthrop in the Town of Stockholm....
– A hamlet in the southeast corner of the town on NY-11C that straddles the St. Regis River. - Brasher Iron Works – A location on County Road 55 in the northern part of the town. It was the site of iron works first opened in 1836.
- Deer River – A stream in the south part of the town.
- HelenaHelena, New YorkHelena is a hamlet in the Town of Brasher in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States.It is also known as "Ohi'karónthne", a Mohawk name which translates to: "at the place of the thorn bush"....
– A hamlet at the junction of NY-37C and County Road 37 on the south bank of the St. Regis River. The name is from Helen Pitcairn, the daughter of a landowner, and the community was founded in 1819. Helena has a small outdoor ice hockey rink where the local kids play, also known as the helena arena, and the helena sports complex. It is the home of the Helena Hawks. - Ironton – A location east of Brasher Iron Works in the northeast part of Brasher.