Fredonia, New York
Encyclopedia
Fredonia is a village
in Chautauqua County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 11,068 as of 2009.
The Village of Fredonia is in the Town of Pomfret
south of Lake Erie
. The village borders the City of Dunkirk
and is the home of the State University of New York Fredonia (in the northwest part of the village).
Fredonia is one of only twelve villages in New York still incorporated under a charter
, the other villages having incorporated or re-incorporated under the provisions of Village Law.
, then the Erie
s (13th to 17th centuries), then the Iroquois
(that is, the Seneca. In 1791, Robert Morris purchased the Fredonia land from Massachusetts and sold it to the Holland Land Company
. Parcels were sold to pioneers around 1800, and the first settlers came around 1803 or 1804.
In 1821, William Hart dug the first well specifically to produce natural gas
in the United States in the Village of Fredonia on the banks of Canadaway Creek in Chautauqua County, New York
. It was 27 feet deep, excavated with shovels by hand, and its gas pipeline was hollowed out logs sealed with tar and rags. It supplied enough natural gas
for lights in two stores, two shops and a grist mill (currently the village's Fire Station) by 1825. Expanding on Hart's work, the Fredonia Gas Light Company
was eventually formed in 1858, becoming the first American natural gas company. The site of the first gas well is marked by a stone monument in downtown Fredonia.
The Village of Fredonia was incorporated in 1829. The original name for the area was Canadaway (from the Indian word Ganadawao, meaning among the hemlock
s). The name "Fredonia" was coined by Samuel Latham Mitchill
, coupling the English word "freedom" with a Latin ending. He proposed it as a replacement name for the United States
. It failed in that regard, but became the name of many towns and cities (Stewart, pg. 173).
Established within 20 years of the founding of the Village of Fredonia, the Fredonia Academy was the first higher educational institution in Chautauqua County
. It was started in 1824, and opened in 1826. The Academy became a State Normal School in 1866. On August 8, 1867, a long-awaited event took place when the cornerstone of the Fredonia Normal School was laid on a site where the Old Main building stands today. The Normal School used the Academy's building, which stood on the site of the present Village Hall
, until the Old Normal was completed in 1868. The Fredonia Normal School is now One Temple Square and Association, a 91-unit, NY hud housing project for the disabled and the elderly that was started by Henry F. Sysol, Jr. in (1978) 1980. Thereafter the Academy building was used for some time as Fire Department Headquarters. Today the building houses the Village offices and includes the 1891 Fredonia Opera House
, a former Vaudeville theater that fell into disrepair in the 1970s while being operated as a movie house. The Theater underwent a complete nine-year restoration in the 1980s by the Fredonia Preservation Society and a cadre of volunteers. It now serves as a year-round performing arts center. In 1930 under the director of the Normal School, Hermann Cooper, 58 acres (234,717.9 m²) of land west of Central Avenue were bought with the dream that one day it would become a campus. The construction of a music building took place in 1939 and in 1942 the Feinberg Law converted the Normal School into a Teachers College. In 1948 the college became a vital part of the new State University of New York SUNY
system.
In the mid-19th century Fredonia became the home of the first dues-paying Grange. The United States
' first Grange Hall was erected in Fredonia during the late 1860s (the Fredonia Grange was established on April 16, 1868), and the original building (Grange Hall #1) still stands on Main Street. Fredonia was also host to the first meeting of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, which was held at the Fredonia Baptist Church in 1873.
During the Olympic Torch's trip in the 1996 Atlanta Summer games, sixth grade teacher, Kate Leary, from Fredonia Middle School carried the torch as it went through the town on US Route 20.
The Fredonia State campus was the location of training camps for two major professional sports teams: The Buffalo Bills
of the NFL, and the Buffalo Braves
of the NBA. The Braves relocated to San Diego (as the re-named San Diego Clippers) in 1978, and the Bills moved their training camp in 2000 to St. John Fisher College near Rochester, New York.
Samuel L. Clemens, better known as Mark Twain
had connections to Fredonia, via relatives.
The Fredonia Commons Historic District
was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1978. The U.S. Post Office
was listed in 1988.
The Flaming Lips recorded their album "In a Priest Driven Ambulence" at SUNY Fredonia for $5 per hour and frequented the local drinking establishments such as B.J.'s.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 5.2 square miles (13.5 km²), all of it land. though it does have a small stream flowing northward through the village toward Lake Erie
called Canadaway Creek.
US 20
passes through the village. Exit 59 on the New York State Thruway
, which passes north of the village, services both Fredonia and Dunkirk by way of New York State Route 60
.
of 2000, there were 10,706 people, 3,641 households, and 1,951 families residing in the village. The population density
was 2,061.8 people per square mile (796.5/km2). There were 3,829 housing units at an average density of 737.4 per square mile (284.9/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 96.36% White, 1.02% African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races
, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.69% of the population.
There were 3,641 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples
living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.4% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the village the population was spread out with 15.7% under the age of 18, 38.0% from 18 to 24, 18.0% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 83.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $34,712, and the median income for a family was $49,549. Males had a median income of $36,322 versus $27,718 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $15,685. About 4.9% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Chautauqua County
Chautauqua County, New York
-Major highways:* Interstate 86/New York State Route 17 * Interstate 90 * U.S. Route 20* U.S. Route 62* New York State Route 5* New York State Route 39* New York State Route 60* New York State Route 394...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 11,068 as of 2009.
The Village of Fredonia is in the Town of Pomfret
Pomfret, New York
Pomfret is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 14,703 at the 2000 census.The Town of Pomfret lies in the north-central part of the county, south of Dunkirk, New York.- History :...
south of Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
. The village borders the City of Dunkirk
Dunkirk (city), New York
Dunkirk is a city in Chautauqua County, New York in the USA. It was officially incorporated in 1880, though it was first settled around 1805. The population was 12,563 at the 2010 census. Dunkirk is bordered on the north by Lake Erie. It shares a border with the Village of Fredonia to the south,...
and is the home of the State University of New York Fredonia (in the northwest part of the village).
Fredonia is one of only twelve villages in New York still incorporated under a charter
Municipal charter
A city charter or town charter is a legal document establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the middle ages....
, the other villages having incorporated or re-incorporated under the provisions of Village Law.
History
The area which is now Fredonia was most likely first occupied by early Mound BuildersMound builders
The group of cultures collectively called Mound Builders were prehistoric inhabitants of North America who constructed various styles of earthen mounds for religious and ceremonial, burial, and elite residential purposes...
, then the Erie
Erie
Erie is a city in Pennsylvania, United States.Erie may also refer to:*Erie , a tribe of Native Americans-Places:*Lake Erie, one of the five Great Lakes of North America*Erie Canal, a canal running from the Hudson River to Lake Erie...
s (13th to 17th centuries), then the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
(that is, the Seneca. In 1791, Robert Morris purchased the Fredonia land from Massachusetts and sold it to the Holland Land Company
Holland Land Company
The Holland Land Company was a purchaser of the western two-thirds of the western New York land tract known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. This tract was known thereafter as The Holland Purchase...
. Parcels were sold to pioneers around 1800, and the first settlers came around 1803 or 1804.
In 1821, William Hart dug the first well specifically to produce natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
in the United States in the Village of Fredonia on the banks of Canadaway Creek in Chautauqua County, New York
Chautauqua County, New York
-Major highways:* Interstate 86/New York State Route 17 * Interstate 90 * U.S. Route 20* U.S. Route 62* New York State Route 5* New York State Route 39* New York State Route 60* New York State Route 394...
. It was 27 feet deep, excavated with shovels by hand, and its gas pipeline was hollowed out logs sealed with tar and rags. It supplied enough natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
for lights in two stores, two shops and a grist mill (currently the village's Fire Station) by 1825. Expanding on Hart's work, the Fredonia Gas Light Company
Fredonia Gas Light Company
The Fredonia Gas Light Company, founded in 1858, was the first natural gas company in the United States. It was founded by a group of entrepreneurs after William Hart, considered the "father of natural gas" in the U.S., drilled in 1825 the first natural gas well in America along a creek in...
was eventually formed in 1858, becoming the first American natural gas company. The site of the first gas well is marked by a stone monument in downtown Fredonia.
The Village of Fredonia was incorporated in 1829. The original name for the area was Canadaway (from the Indian word Ganadawao, meaning among the hemlock
Hemlock
The word hemlock may refer to:*Hemlock, several poisonous plants in the Apiaceae family :**Hemlock , two species, one formerly used as a method of execution**Water Hemlock...
s). The name "Fredonia" was coined by Samuel Latham Mitchill
Samuel Latham Mitchill
Samuel Latham Mitchill was an American physician, naturalist, and politician from New York. He was born in Hempstead, New York...
, coupling the English word "freedom" with a Latin ending. He proposed it as a replacement name for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It failed in that regard, but became the name of many towns and cities (Stewart, pg. 173).
Established within 20 years of the founding of the Village of Fredonia, the Fredonia Academy was the first higher educational institution in Chautauqua County
Chautauqua County, New York
-Major highways:* Interstate 86/New York State Route 17 * Interstate 90 * U.S. Route 20* U.S. Route 62* New York State Route 5* New York State Route 39* New York State Route 60* New York State Route 394...
. It was started in 1824, and opened in 1826. The Academy became a State Normal School in 1866. On August 8, 1867, a long-awaited event took place when the cornerstone of the Fredonia Normal School was laid on a site where the Old Main building stands today. The Normal School used the Academy's building, which stood on the site of the present Village Hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
, until the Old Normal was completed in 1868. The Fredonia Normal School is now One Temple Square and Association, a 91-unit, NY hud housing project for the disabled and the elderly that was started by Henry F. Sysol, Jr. in (1978) 1980. Thereafter the Academy building was used for some time as Fire Department Headquarters. Today the building houses the Village offices and includes the 1891 Fredonia Opera House
Fredonia Opera House
The 1891 Fredonia Opera House is located in the Village Hall in downtown Fredonia, New York at 9-11 Church St. Currently a year-round performing arts center, it offers a variety of live performances, presents a cinema series of first run Independent and foreign films, and serves as a rental venue...
, a former Vaudeville theater that fell into disrepair in the 1970s while being operated as a movie house. The Theater underwent a complete nine-year restoration in the 1980s by the Fredonia Preservation Society and a cadre of volunteers. It now serves as a year-round performing arts center. In 1930 under the director of the Normal School, Hermann Cooper, 58 acres (234,717.9 m²) of land west of Central Avenue were bought with the dream that one day it would become a campus. The construction of a music building took place in 1939 and in 1942 the Feinberg Law converted the Normal School into a Teachers College. In 1948 the college became a vital part of the new State University of New York SUNY
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
system.
In the mid-19th century Fredonia became the home of the first dues-paying Grange. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' first Grange Hall was erected in Fredonia during the late 1860s (the Fredonia Grange was established on April 16, 1868), and the original building (Grange Hall #1) still stands on Main Street. Fredonia was also host to the first meeting of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, which was held at the Fredonia Baptist Church in 1873.
During the Olympic Torch's trip in the 1996 Atlanta Summer games, sixth grade teacher, Kate Leary, from Fredonia Middle School carried the torch as it went through the town on US Route 20.
The Fredonia State campus was the location of training camps for two major professional sports teams: The Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL, and the Buffalo Braves
Buffalo Braves
The Buffalo Braves were a team in the National Basketball Association. They later moved to San Diego, California to become the San Diego Clippers then subsequently the Los Angeles Clippers....
of the NBA. The Braves relocated to San Diego (as the re-named San Diego Clippers) in 1978, and the Bills moved their training camp in 2000 to St. John Fisher College near Rochester, New York.
Samuel L. Clemens, better known as Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
had connections to Fredonia, via relatives.
The Fredonia Commons Historic District
Fredonia Commons Historic District
Fredonia Commons Historic District is a national historic district located at Fredonia in Chautauqua County, New York. The district encompasses the central core of Fredonia; the main civic buildings, churches and commercial structures clustered around the commons. The district includes...
was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1978. The U.S. Post Office
U.S. Post Office (Fredonia, New York)
US Post Office—Fredonia is a historic post office building located at Fredonia in Chautauqua County, New York and within the boundaries of the Fredonia Commons Historic District...
was listed in 1988.
The Flaming Lips recorded their album "In a Priest Driven Ambulence" at SUNY Fredonia for $5 per hour and frequented the local drinking establishments such as B.J.'s.
Geography
Fredonia is located at 42.440845°N 79.333813°W.According to the United States Census Bureau
United 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 village has a total area of 5.2 square miles (13.5 km²), all of it land. though it does have a small stream flowing northward through the village toward Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
called Canadaway Creek.
US 20
U.S. Route 20 in New York
U.S. Route 20 is a part of the U.S. Highway System that runs from Newport, Oregon, to Boston, Massachusetts. In the U.S. state of New York, US 20 extends from the Pennsylvania state line at Ripley to the Massachusetts state line in the Berkshire Mountains. US 20 is the longest...
passes through the village. Exit 59 on the New York State Thruway
New York State Thruway
The New York State Thruway is a system of limited-access highways located within the state of New York in the United States. The system, known officially as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway for former New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, is operated by the New York State Thruway Authority and...
, which passes north of the village, services both Fredonia and Dunkirk by way of New York State Route 60
New York State Route 60
New York State Route 60 is a north–south state highway in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with U.S. Route 62 south of the city of Jamestown in the town of Kiantone. Its northern terminus is at a junction with NY 5...
.
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 10,706 people, 3,641 households, and 1,951 families residing in the village. 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 2,061.8 people per square mile (796.5/km2). There were 3,829 housing units at an average density of 737.4 per square mile (284.9/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 96.36% White, 1.02% African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.50% 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 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.69% of the population.
There were 3,641 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% 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, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.4% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the village the population was spread out with 15.7% under the age of 18, 38.0% from 18 to 24, 18.0% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 83.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $34,712, and the median income for a family was $49,549. Males had a median income of $36,322 versus $27,718 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 village was $15,685. About 4.9% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.
Notable residents
- Alonzo CushingAlonzo Cushing-References:* Brown, Kent Masterson. Cushing of Gettysburg. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1993. ISBN 0-8131-1837-9.-Further reading:* Haight, Theron Wilber. . Madison: Wisconsin History Commission, 1910. .* -External links:**...
, Civil War Union officer. Died on Cemetery Ridge at the Battle of Gettysburg. - William Barker Cushing, U.S. Naval Officer during the Civil War
- Jennifer StuczynskiJennifer StuczynskiJennifer "Jenn" Suhr is the number one ranked American pole vaulter since 2006. She has won a total of 9 US National Championships. She holds the American women's pole vault record both indoors and outdoors. In 2008 she won the U.S. Olympic trials setting an American Record of and won a silver...
, 2008 Beijing Olympic Games pole vaulting silver medal winner - Vice Admiral Russell WillsonRussell WillsonVice Admiral Russell Willson was a flag officer of the United States Navy and inventor of the Navy Cipher Box issued in 1917.The son of Sidney Louis Willson and Lucy Fenton Staats Willson, Russell Willson attended the Massachusetts Institute of...
(1883-1948), U.S. Naval officer during the first and second World Wars. - Jason Farrar (1987-), Comedic Superstar
External links
- Fredonia Village Offices
- Fredonia Chamber of Commerce
- SUNY Fredonia
- Home page of Fredonia High School (New York)
- Railroad Station
- Fredonia Opera House
- Festivals Fredonia