German Flatts, New York
Encyclopedia
German Flatts is a town
in Herkimer County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 13,629 at the 2000 census.
The Town of German Flatts is in the south part of Herkimer County, across from the of Village of Herkimer
on the south side of the Mohawk River
, and southeast of Utica
.
immigrants leases to purchase land from the Mohawk
, one of the powerful nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. It was the first land sold to Europeans west of Schenectady. During the 18th-century warfare in the valley, the village was attacked by French and Iroquois forces during the French and Indian War
(Seven Years War), and many women and children were taken to Canada as captives.
In addition to intermittent raids, during the American Revolutionary War
, the village was attacked in September 1778 by British forces, as well as Iroquois led by the Mohawk chief
Joseph Brant
. Residents retreated to Fort Herkimer, which they built on the south bank of the Mohawk River.
The town was set apart in the now defunct Tryon County
, which was broken up into Montgomery and other counties after the Revolutionary War. It was established as a town in 1788 before the formation of Herkimer County. Previous to the establishment, the area that was to become the town had also been called German Flatts.
, Litchfield
, and Warren
. Another part of German Flatts was used in 1829 to form part of the Town of Little Falls
.
, the town has a total area of 34.3 square miles (88.8 km²), of which, 33.7 square miles (87.3 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (1.52%) is water.
The north town line is marked by the Mohawk River
and the Erie Canal
.
The New York State Thruway
(Interstate 90
) crosses the northeast part of the town. New York State Route 5S
passes through the northern part of German Flatts and intersects New York State Route 28
in Mohawk village. New York State Route 168
runs southeasterly through the town from Mohawk village.
of 2000, there were 13,629 people, 5,483 households, and 3,591 families residing in the town. The population density
was 403.9 people per square mile (156.0/km²). There were 5,832 housing units at an average density of 172.8 per square mile (66.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.87% White, 0.59% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races
, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population.
There were 5,483 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples
living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,772, and the median income for a family was $39,380. Males had a median income of $29,973 versus $21,425 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $14,870. About 11.1% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.8% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.
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 Herkimer County
Herkimer County, New York
Herkimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 64,519. It is named after General Nicholas Herkimer, who died from battle wounds in 1777 after taking part...
, 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 13,629 at the 2000 census.
The Town of German Flatts is in the south part of Herkimer County, across from the of Village of Herkimer
Herkimer (village), New York
Herkimer is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States, about southeast of Utica. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 7,498 people. The village is named after the Herkimers, Palatine German immigrants who settled in this area in 1723...
on the south side of the Mohawk River
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
, and southeast of Utica
Utica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
.
Herkimer
This was one of the original areas of the Burnetsfield Patent in the province of New York, where in 1722-1723, Governor Burnet granted Palatine GermanGerman Palatines
The German Palatines were natives of the Electoral Palatinate region of Germany, although a few had come to Germany from Switzerland, the Alsace, and probably other parts of Europe. Towards the end of the 17th century and into the 18th, the wealthy region was repeatedly invaded by French troops,...
immigrants leases to purchase land from the Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
, one of the powerful nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. It was the first land sold to Europeans west of Schenectady. During the 18th-century warfare in the valley, the village was attacked by French and Iroquois forces during the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
(Seven Years War), and many women and children were taken to Canada as captives.
In addition to intermittent raids, during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the village was attacked in September 1778 by British forces, as well as Iroquois led by the Mohawk chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
Joseph Brant
Joseph Brant
Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. He was perhaps the most well-known American Indian of his generation...
. Residents retreated to Fort Herkimer, which they built on the south bank of the Mohawk River.
The town was set apart in the now defunct Tryon County
Tryon County, New York
Tryon County, New York was a county in the colonial Province of New York in the British American colonies. It was created from Albany County on March 24, 1772. It was named for William Tryon, the last provincial governor of New York. Its boundaries extended far further than any current county...
, which was broken up into Montgomery and other counties after the Revolutionary War. It was established as a town in 1788 before the formation of Herkimer County. Previous to the establishment, the area that was to become the town had also been called German Flatts.
Towns
In 1791, when Herkimer County was established, German Flatts was one of the three original towns. Three new towns were created from German Flatts in 1792: FrankfortFrankfort (town), New York
Frankfort is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 7,478 at the 2000 census. The town is named after one of its earliest settlers, Lawrence Frank. The town of Frankfort includes a village also called Frankfort. The town is east of Utica...
, Litchfield
Litchfield, New York
Litchfield is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,453 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Litchfield, Connecticut, the source of some early settlers....
, and Warren
Warren, New York
----Warren is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,136 at the 2000 census. The town is named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill....
. Another part of German Flatts was used in 1829 to form part of the Town of Little Falls
Little Falls (town), New York
Little Falls is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,544 at the 2000 census. The town is named after a waterfall located nearby.The Town of Little Falls has on its eastern end a small city called Little Falls...
.
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 34.3 square miles (88.8 km²), of which, 33.7 square miles (87.3 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (1.52%) is water.
The north town line is marked by the Mohawk River
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
and the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
.
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...
(Interstate 90
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...
) crosses the northeast part of the town. New York State Route 5S
New York State Route 5S
New York State Route 5S is an east–west state highway located in the Mohawk Valley of New York in the United States. It extends for from an interchange with NY 5, NY 5A, NY 8, and NY 12 in Utica to a smaller interchange with NY 890 in Rotterdam...
passes through the northern part of German Flatts and intersects New York State Route 28
New York State Route 28
New York State Route 28 is a state highway extending for in the shape of a "C" between the Hudson Valley city of Kingston and southern Warren County in the U.S. state of New York. Along the way, it intersects several major routes, including Interstate 88 , U.S. Route 20 , and the...
in Mohawk village. New York State Route 168
New York State Route 168
New York State Route 168 is an east–west state highway in southern Herkimer County, New York, in the United States. The highway runs for through a largely rural area of Upstate New York, from an intersection with NY 28 in the village of Mohawk to a junction with NY 80 in Stark....
runs southeasterly through the town from Mohawk village.
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 13,629 people, 5,483 households, and 3,591 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 403.9 people per square mile (156.0/km²). There were 5,832 housing units at an average density of 172.8 per square mile (66.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.87% White, 0.59% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.20% 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 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population.
There were 5,483 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% 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, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $32,772, and the median income for a family was $39,380. Males had a median income of $29,973 versus $21,425 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 $14,870. About 11.1% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.8% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations in German Flatts
- Days Rock – 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...
near the center of the town on NY-168. - East Frankfort – A hamlet partly in the northeast corner of German Flatts.
- Edicks – A hamlet in the southeast part of the town on County Road 68.
- Fort Herkimer – A hamlet near the north town line and the Mohawk River.
- IlionIlion, New YorkIlion is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 8,610 at the 2000 census. Ilion is a name for the ancient city of Troy.The Village of Ilion is at the north town line of the Town of German Flatts...
– The Village of Ilion is at the northwest border of German Flatts near the Mohawk River on NY-5S. - Kinne Corners – A location on the west town line.
- MohawkMohawk, Herkimer County, New York----Mohawk is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 2,660 at the 2000 census. The village was named after the adjacent river....
– The Village of Mohawk is at the north border of the town on NY-5S. - North Ilion – A community located north of Ilion village, next to the Mohawk River.
- Rock Hill – An elevation in the southeast part of German Flatts.
- Russell Park – A location southwest of Mohawk village.
- Shoemaker Hill – An elevation in the eastern part of the town.
- South Ilion – A hamlet in the southeast part of the town on NY-5S.
In popular culture
- Walter D. EdmondsWalter D. EdmondsWalter "Walt" Dumaux Edmonds was an American author noted for his historical novels, including the popular Drums Along the Mohawk , which was successfully made into a Technicolor feature film in 1939 directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert.-Life:In 1919 he entered The...
' novel, Drums Along the MohawkDrums Along the MohawkDrums Along the Mohawk is a 1939 historical Technicolor film based upon a 1936 novel of the same name by American author, Walter D. Edmonds. The film was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and directed by John Ford. Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert portray settlers on the New York frontier during the...
(1936), recounts the story of Adam HelmerAdam HelmerAdam F. Helmer , also known as John Adam Helmer and Hans Adam Helmer, was an American Revolutionary War hero among those of the Mohawk Valley and surrounding regions of New York State. He was made nationally famous by Walter D...
's run to save the village during the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, together with an overview of the Germans' colonial settlement along the river. - It was adapted as a film by the same name, released in 1936 and directed by John FordJohn FordJohn Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
.
External links
- Hamilton Child, "History of German Flatts, New York", Gazetteer and Business Directory Of Herkimer County, N. Y. For 1869-70, Syracuse, NY: 1869, hosted at Rays-Place