Wayne County, New York
Encyclopedia
Wayne County is a county located in the US state of New York. It is part of the Rochester, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area
and lies on the south shore of Lake Ontario
, forming part of the northern border of the United States with Canada. The name honors General Anthony Wayne
, an American Revolutionary War
hero and American statesman
. The county seat
is Lyons
. As of the 2010 Census, the estimated population was 93,772.
Its location during the early westward expansion
of the United States, on an international border
and in a fertile farming region, has contributed to a rich cultural and economic history. Two world religions
sprung from within its borders, and its inhabitants played important roles in Abolitionism in the years leading up to the Civil War
. Nineteenth century War of 1812
skirmishes, Great Lakes
sailing ship
commerce and Erie Canal
barge
traffic have since yielded to contemporary recognition as one of the world's most productive fruit growing regions. Wayne County ranks as the top apple producing county in New York.
Confederacy, which had existed from around August 31, 1142. When counties were established in New York State in 1683, it became part of Albany County
. This was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York State and all of the present State of Vermont
, extending (in theory) westward to the Pacific Ocean. In 1804, after numerous acts of subdividing, Seneca County
was formed by the splitting of Cayuga County, which, in turn, was reduced in size by combining portions of Seneca and the remainder of Cayuga County to form Tompkins County
in 1817.
On April 11, 1823, Wayne County was formed by combining portions of Seneca and Ontario Counties.
. In 1788 the area became part of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase
, a 6000000 acres (24,281.2 km²) tract of land sold to Oliver Phelps
and Nathaniel Gorham
by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Sir William Pulteney, a British baronet and English land speculator
, along with his partners in the Pulteney Association
, purchased a 1000000 acres (4,046.9 km²) of the former Phelps and Gorham Purchase in 1790.
The first westward road was one coming from near Utica
to Geneva
, and, with the building of the Cayuga Bridge in 1800, was the road chosen by nearly all of the westward travelers. This highway left the future Wayne County region somewhat isolated and settlers desiring to locate there came by way of streams and lakes lying to the north of the road. It was only a few years after that the "new road" came west, passing through the county, opening up the fertile Ganargua lands to easier settlement.
The first permanent settlement was started by John Swift and Col. John Jenkins in March 1789, about two miles (3 km) from Palmyra. In May of that year a small colony made up of the Stansell and Leatherby families located at the junction of Ganargwa and the Canandaigua Outlet, calling the place Lyons, from a "fancied likeness of that city's location on the Rhone".
While Phelps and Gorham sold some land to settlers, they were unable to make payments on their land and much of the land in the Phelps Gorham purchase either reverted to Massachusetts and was resold or conveyed directly to Robert Morris
, a major financier of the Revolutionary War and signer of The Declaration of Independence. In 1792, he in turn sold approximately 1200000 acres (4,856.2 km²) to The Pulteney Association
owned by Sir William Pulteney and two other minor partners. The Pulteney Purchase, or the Genesee Tract as it was also known, comprised all of the present-day counties of Ontario
, Steuben
and Yates
, as well as portions of Allegheny, Livingston
, Monroe
, Schuyler
and Wayne. After Pulteney's death in 1805 the land was known as the Pulteney Estate.
Sir William Pulteney selected Charles Williamson as land agent to develop the purchased 1200000 acres (4,856.2 km²). In 1792, Williamson, a Scotsman, came to the unsettled wilderness in upstate New York
to develop the land by building roads, selecting sites for towns, dividing land into lots, and building gristmills, taverns, stores and houses. Williamson selected Sodus Bay
on Lake Ontario
as the point for a future commercial center, with the idea that the lake and the Saint Lawrence River
would be the outlet for the products of the region. In 1794 he had roads built from Palmyra to Phelpstown (present-day Phelps
). Sodus
was surveyed by Joseph Colt in lots of a quarter acre (1,000 m²), a hotel was built, and $20,000 was expended in the first two years in improvements. Sodus quickly passed from having an uncertain future to the head of the towns of the region.
: one in Sodus
in June 1813, and the other in Williamson
a year later. In May 1814, British troops under the command of Sir James Yeo landed in the Williamson hamlet of Pultneyville
. Yeo's fleet had already successfully raided Oswego to the east and unsuccessfully attacked Rochester to the west before attempting to obtain stores from Pultneyville. An agreement with the hamlet's residents was made, permitting the invaders to seize supplies without resistance. A dispute broke out, however, and weapons fire began on both sides, including cannon bombardment from Lake Ontario. A few citizens were killed or wounded and two were taken prisoner as the British fled.
in 1823, Pultneyville, New York
, at the mouth of Salmon Creek, was Wayne County's only port. From about 1811 through the 1890s (when the customs office closed), shipping in this small hamlet extended to the Atlantic Ocean and the world via the Saint Lawrence River
. During the early years of the 19th century, activity in Pultneyville focused on agricultural commerce from the surrounding region (as far south as Canandaigua
) and the maritime trade on the Great Lakes
. In 1865, it was home to nearly 30 lake captains, and many sailors from both Pultneyville and Sodus Bay crewed on whalers around the world. In 1874 the first railroad appeared when the Lake Shore Railroad line opened and the center of trade moved three miles (5 km) south to Williamson and Pultneyville's significance as a commerce center sharply declined.
Wayne County played host to key events in the development of significant American religions during the country's Second Great Awakening
period of the early 19th century. The Fox Sisters heard rappings from a dead peddler
in Hydesville and spawned a movement that eventually garnered a million followers at its peak.
Palmyra
became the birthplace of the Latter Day Saint movement
in the 1820s. Also, Sodus Bay
contained a significant, albeit short-lived, community of Shakers
about the same time.
, of Hydesville
, reported that they had made contact with the spirit of a murdered peddler. What made this an extraordinary event was that the spirit communicated through audible rapping noises, rather than simply appearing to a person in a trance. The evidence of the senses appealed to practical Americans, and the Fox sisters became a sensation. Demonstrations of mediumship
(seance
s and automatic writing
, for example) proved to be a profitable business, and soon became popular forms of entertainment and spiritual catharsis. The Foxes earned a living this way, as did many others.
During the American Civil War
Wayne County inhabitants were active in support of the Underground Railroad
due to the area's proximity to slavery-free Canada. Wayne County also raised companies for multiple volunteer Union
regiments, including the 33rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
, the 111th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and the 9th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment
.
During the Civil War, men from Wayne served in the 111th New York Infantry, under Colonel Clinton D. MacDougall.
The 111th New York was present at, among others, the Battle of Gettysburg
, the Battle of the Wilderness
, the Battle of Cold Harbor
and the Appomattox Campaign
. During the Battle of Gettysburg, the 111th took the second highest casualties as a regiment of the entire battle.
Throughout the war, the regiment took a total of 1803 casualties, of which 158 were Killed in action
, 557 were Wounded in action
(490 of whom recovered to some extent), and 1088 Missing in action
.
(http://home.comcast.net/~33dny/111thnew.htm)
transits the southern edge of the county. The villages of Lyons, Newark, and Palmyra all became homes to canal locks
when the Albany
to Rochester
section of the canal opened on September 10, 1823. On that day these communities became part of a direct water-link between the eastern seaboard
metropolises of New York City and Baltimore
and America's expanding western frontier.
started commercial operation on the shores of Lake Ontario
, just over the Monroe County
line in the Town of Ontario
.
The Ginna plant was the site of a minor nuclear accident when, on January 25, 1982, a small amount of radioactive steam leaked into the air after a steam-generator tube ruptured. The leak which lasted 93 minutes led to the declaration of a site emergency. The rupture was caused by a small pie-pan-shaped object left in the steam generator during an outage. This was not the first time a tube rupture had occurred at an American reactor but following on so closely behind the Three Mile Island accident
caused considerable attention to be focused on the incident at the Ginna plant. In total, 485.3 curies of noble gas and 1.15 millicuries of iodine-131 were released to the environment http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Fx18DjwySqIJ:www.physics.isu.edu/radinf/chrono4.htm+Ginna+Nuclear+1982+curies+485.3&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a.
The county seat
is the village of Lyons
and bi-weekly board meetings are held in the Wayne County Court House in the village. In August 2010, the board made history by convening outside of Lyons for the first time—at the Wayne County fairgrounds in Palmyra.
Law enforcement in Wayne County is a shared responsibility of the New York State Police
, Troop E, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office, and various town and village police departments.
The Wayne Supreme & County Court
(7th Judicial District) sits in Lyons and hears felony cases as well as a few civil cases; the Wayne County Drug Treatment Court also provides an opportunity for recovering drug addicts to work with each other and improve their lifestyles. Vehicle and traffic matters, small claims, evictions, civil matters and criminal offenses in Wayne County are heard in locally-funded town and village courts (collectively known as the Justice Courts).
s (13,986 active, 990 inactive); 24,336 as Republican
s (23,197 active, 1,139 inactive); 2,810 as Independents (2,607 active, 203 inactive); 1,408 as Conservative (1,336 active, 72 inactive); and the rest as Greens, Libertarian
s, and other minor parties. In the 2008 presidential election
, Wayne County cast 17,555 Democratic votes for Barack Obama
and Joe Biden
, 19,176 Republican votes for John McCain
and Sarah Palin
, 1,204 Independent votes for McCain/Palin, 1,859 Conservative votes for McCain/Palin, and 629 Working Families Party
votes for Obama/Biden.
, run by a hired superintendent
, and funded largely through property taxes, as well as state and federal aid. These districts include:
As with all educational activities in New York State, Wayne County's school systems are ultimately answerable to the New York State Board of Regents and the New York State Education Department
, as well as their local communities. These districts also participate in the Wayne Finger Lakes Board of Cooperative Educational Services
(BOCES), a state-established organization which shares common educational resources and has its own elected board and superintendent.
Wayne County also has several private, parochial
/religiously-based schools, including:
Wayne County is not home to any regionally-accredited institutions of higher learning, but has a satellite campus of Finger Lakes Community College
in Newark to serve the associate degree-level learner and has access to many excellent public and private colleges and universities in immediately adjacent counties (such as SUNY Brockport, SUNY Oswego, University of Rochester
, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges
, to name just a few).
, on the south shore of Lake Ontario
. Sodus Bay
is located on the north shoreline of the county. Wayne is bounded by five other New York counties: the northern boundary is Lake Ontario
with Canada on the opposite shore; the western boundary is Monroe County
; and the eastern boundary is Cayuga County
; the south boundary is shared with Ontario
and Seneca
Counties.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1384 square miles (3,584.5 km²), of which 604 square miles (1,564.4 km²) is land and 780 square miles (2,020.2 km²) (56.35%) is water.
The Clinton Formation, a band of red hematite
across the county, led to a thriving iron industry during the 19th century. Furnaces were located in the Towns of Ontario and Wolcott.
Rt. 370
Rt. 104a
(incorporated communities) is the town, followed by the village. There are the 15 towns and nine villages.
Also, many of Wayne County's volunteer fire department
s host "firemen's carnivals" throughout the summer, with parades, rides, food, fireworks, and attractions which become a centerpiece of the summer social circuit.
companies located in the county based on market access, a modern transportation network, and favorable industrial conditions. These companies benefit from a skilled workforce including graduates from some of the colleges and universities located within an hour's drive of Wayne County including the University of Rochester
, Cornell University
, Colgate University
and Syracuse University
. From its location midway between Rochester
and Syracuse
, Wayne County is part of the Finger Lakes
region (which includes Genesee
, Livingston
, Monroe
, Ontario
, Orleans
, Seneca
, Wayne, Wyoming
, and Yates
counties) whose businesses annually export an estimated $16 billion in goods.
The Finger Lakes region made $1.2 billion in agricultural sales in 2007, which represented 27.9 percent of the total farm sales in New York. In 2007, there were 6,417 farms and 1500000 acres (6,070.3 km²) of farmland in the Finger Lakes. Wayne County was the State’s top producer of fruits, tree nuts, and berries. Apples are a major crop in Wayne—the county was the State’s top producer of apples and ranked third in the nation in 2007.
The following quick facts apply to Wayne County businesses:
, 2005
As of the census of 2000, there were 93,765 people, 34,908 households, and 25,063 families residing in the county. The population density was 155 people per square mile (60/km²). There were 38,767 housing units and the average population density was 25/km² (64/sq mi).
There were 34,908 households out of which 36.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the county the population was spread out with 6.0% under age 5, 23.9% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 30.10% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.0%% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.50 males.
The median income
for a household in the county was $54,578 in 2008, and the estimated 2009 median income for a household was $49,849. Males had a median income of $36,825 versus $26,470 for females. A of 1999, the per capita income for the county was $19,258. In 2009, an estimated 11% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 5–17 in families.
, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population. 18.0% were of German, 12.8% Italian, 12.6% English, 11.6% Dutch, 11.4% Irish and 8.9% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.7% spoke English and 2.2% Spanish as their first language.
Rochester, New York metropolitan area
The Rochester, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area , as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of five counties in Western New York, anchored by the city of Rochester...
and lies on the south shore of Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
, forming part of the northern border of the United States with Canada. The name honors General Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne was a United States Army general and statesman. Wayne adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him a promotion to the rank of brigadier general and the sobriquet of Mad Anthony.-Early...
, an 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...
hero and American statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
. The county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
is Lyons
Lyons (village), New York
Lyons is a village in Wayne County, New York, USA. The population was 3,695 at the 2000 census. The village, along with the town, is named after Lyon , France....
. As of the 2010 Census, the estimated population was 93,772.
Its location during the early westward expansion
Territorial acquisitions of the United States
This is a simplified list of United States territorial acquisitions, beginning with American independence. Note that this list primarily concerns land acquired from other nation-states; the numerous territorial acquisitions from American Indians are not listed here.-1783-1848:*The 1783 Treaty of...
of the United States, on an international border
Border
Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...
and in a fertile farming region, has contributed to a rich cultural and economic history. Two world religions
Major religious groups
The world's principal religions and spiritual traditions may be classified into a small number of major groups, although this is by no means a uniform practice...
sprung from within its borders, and its inhabitants played important roles in Abolitionism in the years leading up to the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Nineteenth century War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
skirmishes, Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
sailing ship
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
commerce and 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...
barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
traffic have since yielded to contemporary recognition as one of the world's most productive fruit growing regions. Wayne County ranks as the top apple producing county in New York.
History
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the land Wayne County encompasses was originally part of the IroquoisIroquois
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...
Confederacy, which had existed from around August 31, 1142. When counties were established in New York State in 1683, it became part of Albany County
Albany County, New York
Albany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name is from the title of the Duke of York and Albany, who became James II of England . As of the 2010 census, the population was 304,204...
. This was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York State and all of the present State of Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, extending (in theory) westward to the Pacific Ocean. In 1804, after numerous acts of subdividing, Seneca County
Seneca County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,342 people, 12,630 households, and 8,626 families residing in the county. The population density was 103 people per square mile . There were 14,794 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
was formed by the splitting of Cayuga County, which, in turn, was reduced in size by combining portions of Seneca and the remainder of Cayuga County to form Tompkins County
Tompkins County, New York
Tompkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and comprises the whole of the Ithaca metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,564. The county seat is Ithaca, and the county is home to Cornell University, Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community...
in 1817.
On April 11, 1823, Wayne County was formed by combining portions of Seneca and Ontario Counties.
Westward expansion
The first settlers of European extraction came to the region located along the Ganargua River, just west of present-day PalmyraPalmyra (town), New York
Palmyra is a town in Wayne County, New York, USA. The population was 7,672 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the ancient city Palmyra in Syria....
. In 1788 the area became part of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase
Phelps and Gorham Purchase
The Phelps and Gorham Purchase was the purchase in 1788 of the pre-emptive right to some 6,000,000 acres of land in western New York State for $1,000,000 . This was all land in western New York west of Seneca Lake between Lake Ontario and the Pennsylvania border...
, a 6000000 acres (24,281.2 km²) tract of land sold to Oliver Phelps
Oliver Phelps
Oliver Phelps was born in Poquonock, Connecticut and moved to Suffield, Connecticut, where he apprenticed to a local merchant. He shortly thereafter became a tavern keeper in Granville, Massachusetts. During the Revolution he was Deputy Commissary of the Continental Army and served until the end...
and Nathaniel Gorham
Nathaniel Gorham
Nathaniel Gorham was the fourteenth President of the United States in Congress assembled, under the Articles of Confederation...
by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Sir William Pulteney, a British baronet and English land speculator
Speculation
In finance, speculation is a financial action that does not promise safety of the initial investment along with the return on the principal sum...
, along with his partners in the Pulteney Association
The Pulteney Association
The Pulteney Association was a purchaser in 1792 of a large portion of the Western New York land tract known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. The Pulteney Associates were British investors: nine-twelfths was owned by Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet , a Scottish lawyer; two-twelfths by William...
, purchased a 1000000 acres (4,046.9 km²) of the former Phelps and Gorham Purchase in 1790.
The first westward road was one coming from near 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....
to Geneva
Geneva, New York
Geneva is a city in Ontario and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 13,617 at the 2000 census. Some claim it is named after the city and canton of Geneva in Switzerland. Others believe the name came from confusion over the letters in the word "Seneca" written in cursive...
, and, with the building of the Cayuga Bridge in 1800, was the road chosen by nearly all of the westward travelers. This highway left the future Wayne County region somewhat isolated and settlers desiring to locate there came by way of streams and lakes lying to the north of the road. It was only a few years after that the "new road" came west, passing through the county, opening up the fertile Ganargua lands to easier settlement.
The first permanent settlement was started by John Swift and Col. John Jenkins in March 1789, about two miles (3 km) from Palmyra. In May of that year a small colony made up of the Stansell and Leatherby families located at the junction of Ganargwa and the Canandaigua Outlet, calling the place Lyons, from a "fancied likeness of that city's location on the Rhone".
While Phelps and Gorham sold some land to settlers, they were unable to make payments on their land and much of the land in the Phelps Gorham purchase either reverted to Massachusetts and was resold or conveyed directly to Robert Morris
Robert Morris (merchant)
Robert Morris, Jr. was a British-born American merchant, and signer of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution...
, a major financier of the Revolutionary War and signer of The Declaration of Independence. In 1792, he in turn sold approximately 1200000 acres (4,856.2 km²) to The Pulteney Association
The Pulteney Association
The Pulteney Association was a purchaser in 1792 of a large portion of the Western New York land tract known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. The Pulteney Associates were British investors: nine-twelfths was owned by Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet , a Scottish lawyer; two-twelfths by William...
owned by Sir William Pulteney and two other minor partners. The Pulteney Purchase, or the Genesee Tract as it was also known, comprised all of the present-day counties of Ontario
Ontario County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 100,224 people, 38,370 households, and 26,360 families residing in the county. The population density was 156 people per square mile . There were 42,647 housing units at an average density of 66 per square mile...
, Steuben
Steuben County, New York
Steuben County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 98,990. Its name is in honor of Baron von Steuben, a German general who fought on the American side in the American Revolutionary War, though it is not pronounced the same...
and Yates
Yates County, New York
Yates County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 25,348. The county seat is Penn Yan. The name is in honor of Joseph C. Yates, who as Governor of New York signed the act establishing the county....
, as well as portions of Allegheny, Livingston
Livingston County, New York
As of the census of 2000, 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 . There were 24,023 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
, Monroe
Monroe County, New York
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 744,344. It is named after James Monroe, fifth President of the United States of America. Its county seat is the city of Rochester....
, Schuyler
Schuyler County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 19,224 people, 7,374 households, and 5,191 families residing in the county. The population density was 58 people per square mile . There were 9,181 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...
and Wayne. After Pulteney's death in 1805 the land was known as the Pulteney Estate.
Sir William Pulteney selected Charles Williamson as land agent to develop the purchased 1200000 acres (4,856.2 km²). In 1792, Williamson, a Scotsman, came to the unsettled wilderness in upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
to develop the land by building roads, selecting sites for towns, dividing land into lots, and building gristmills, taverns, stores and houses. Williamson selected Sodus Bay
Sodus Bay
Sodus Bay is a bay on the south shore of Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes. Sodus Bay is located in Wayne County, New York, USA. Most of the bay is in the Town of Huron, but the western part is in the Town of Sodus....
on Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
as the point for a future commercial center, with the idea that the lake and the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
would be the outlet for the products of the region. In 1794 he had roads built from Palmyra to Phelpstown (present-day Phelps
Phelps (town), New York
Phelps is a town in Ontario County, New York, USA. The population was 7,017 at the 2000 census. The town is named after one of the original proprietors.The Town of Phelps contains a village called Phelps. Both are north of Geneva, New York....
). Sodus
Sodus (village), New York
Sodus is a village in Wayne County, New York, USA. The population was 1,735 at the 2000 census.The Village of Sodus is near the center of the Town of Sodus and lies between Rochester and Syracuse. The village contains the government center for the Town of Sodus.- History :The village area was part...
was surveyed by Joseph Colt in lots of a quarter acre (1,000 m²), a hotel was built, and $20,000 was expended in the first two years in improvements. Sodus quickly passed from having an uncertain future to the head of the towns of the region.
War of 1812
Two small skirmishes were fought in the county during the War of 1812War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
: one in Sodus
Sodus, New York
Sodus, New York may refer to:*Sodus , New York in Wayne County*Sodus , New York in Wayne County...
in June 1813, and the other in Williamson
Williamson, New York
Williamson is an Upstate New York town in the northwest part of Wayne County, New York, U.S. on the south shore of Lake Ontario. The population was 6,777 at the time of the 2000 census. The town is named after Charles Williamson, a land agent of the Pultney Estate...
a year later. In May 1814, British troops under the command of Sir James Yeo landed in the Williamson hamlet of Pultneyville
Pultneyville, New York
Pultneyville is a hamlet located in the Town of Williamson, Wayne County, New York, USA. Framing the mouth of Salmon Creek, it is on the northern border of the town, the southern shore of Lake Ontario. The hamlet was originally laid out in 1806 and is listed with the National Register of Historic...
. Yeo's fleet had already successfully raided Oswego to the east and unsuccessfully attacked Rochester to the west before attempting to obtain stores from Pultneyville. An agreement with the hamlet's residents was made, permitting the invaders to seize supplies without resistance. A dispute broke out, however, and weapons fire began on both sides, including cannon bombardment from Lake Ontario. A few citizens were killed or wounded and two were taken prisoner as the British fled.
Great Lakes commerce
Until the opening of the Erie CanalErie 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...
in 1823, Pultneyville, New York
Pultneyville, New York
Pultneyville is a hamlet located in the Town of Williamson, Wayne County, New York, USA. Framing the mouth of Salmon Creek, it is on the northern border of the town, the southern shore of Lake Ontario. The hamlet was originally laid out in 1806 and is listed with the National Register of Historic...
, at the mouth of Salmon Creek, was Wayne County's only port. From about 1811 through the 1890s (when the customs office closed), shipping in this small hamlet extended to the Atlantic Ocean and the world via the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
. During the early years of the 19th century, activity in Pultneyville focused on agricultural commerce from the surrounding region (as far south as Canandaigua
Canandaigua (city), New York
Canandaigua is a city in Ontario County, New York, USA, of which it is the county seat. The population was 11,264 at the 2000 census...
) and the maritime trade on the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. In 1865, it was home to nearly 30 lake captains, and many sailors from both Pultneyville and Sodus Bay crewed on whalers around the world. In 1874 the first railroad appeared when the Lake Shore Railroad line opened and the center of trade moved three miles (5 km) south to Williamson and Pultneyville's significance as a commerce center sharply declined.
Religion: Wayne County and the Second Great Awakening
Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a Christian revival movement during the early 19th century in the United States. The movement began around 1800, had begun to gain momentum by 1820, and was in decline by 1870. The Second Great Awakening expressed Arminian theology, by which every person could be...
period of the early 19th century. The Fox Sisters heard rappings from a dead peddler
Peddler
A peddler, in British English pedlar, also known as a canvasser, cheapjack, monger, or solicitor , is a travelling vendor of goods. In England, the term was mostly used for travellers hawking goods in the countryside to small towns and villages; they might also be called tinkers or gypsies...
in Hydesville and spawned a movement that eventually garnered a million followers at its peak.
Palmyra
Palmyra (town), New York
Palmyra is a town in Wayne County, New York, USA. The population was 7,672 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the ancient city Palmyra in Syria....
became the birthplace of the Latter Day Saint movement
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
in the 1820s. Also, Sodus Bay
Sodus Bay
Sodus Bay is a bay on the south shore of Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes. Sodus Bay is located in Wayne County, New York, USA. Most of the bay is in the Town of Huron, but the western part is in the Town of Sodus....
contained a significant, albeit short-lived, community of Shakers
Shakers
The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, known as the Shakers, is a religious sect originally thought to be a development of the Religious Society of Friends...
about the same time.
Spiritualism and the Fox sisters
Spiritualists often set March 31, 1848 as the beginning of their movement. On that date, Kate and Margaret FoxFox sisters
The Fox sisters were three sisters from New York who played an important role in the creation of Spiritualism. The three sisters were Leah Fox , Margaret Fox and Kate Fox . The two younger sisters used "rappings" to convince their much older sister and others that they were communicating with...
, of Hydesville
Arcadia, New York
Arcadia is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 14,889 at the 2000 census.The Town of Arcadia is on the south border of the county and is east of Rochester NY.- History :The town was first settled around 1791....
, reported that they had made contact with the spirit of a murdered peddler. What made this an extraordinary event was that the spirit communicated through audible rapping noises, rather than simply appearing to a person in a trance. The evidence of the senses appealed to practical Americans, and the Fox sisters became a sensation. Demonstrations of mediumship
Mediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
(seance
Séance
A séance is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word "séance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma"...
s and automatic writing
Automatic writing
Automatic writing or psychography is writing which the writer states to be produced from a subconscious and/or spiritual source without conscious awareness of the content.-History:...
, for example) proved to be a profitable business, and soon became popular forms of entertainment and spiritual catharsis. The Foxes earned a living this way, as did many others.
Civil War and Underground Railroad
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Wayne County inhabitants were active in support of the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
due to the area's proximity to slavery-free Canada. Wayne County also raised companies for multiple volunteer Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
regiments, including the 33rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
33rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 33rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, the Ontario Regiment, was an infantry regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:...
, the 111th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and the 9th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment
9th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment
-History:It was formerly the 138th infantry, reassigned to the 9th Heavy Artillery on December 19, 1862. On February 5, 1863, the 22d N.Y. Volunteer Battery was transferred to the regiment as Company M...
.
During the Civil War, men from Wayne served in the 111th New York Infantry, under Colonel Clinton D. MacDougall.
The 111th New York was present at, among others, the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
, the Battle of Cold Harbor
Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...
and the Appomattox Campaign
Appomattox Campaign
The Appomattox Campaign was a series of battles fought March 29 – April 9, 1865, in Virginia that culminated in the surrender of Confederate General Robert E...
. During the Battle of Gettysburg, the 111th took the second highest casualties as a regiment of the entire battle.
Throughout the war, the regiment took a total of 1803 casualties, of which 158 were Killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
, 557 were Wounded in action
Wounded in action
Wounded in action describes soldiers who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during war time, but have not been killed. Typically it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing to fight....
(490 of whom recovered to some extent), and 1088 Missing in action
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
.
(http://home.comcast.net/~33dny/111thnew.htm)
Erie Canal
The Erie CanalErie 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...
transits the southern edge of the county. The villages of Lyons, Newark, and Palmyra all became homes to canal locks
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
when the Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
to Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
section of the canal opened on September 10, 1823. On that day these communities became part of a direct water-link between the eastern seaboard
Eastern seaboard
An Eastern seaboard can mean any easternmost part of a continent, or its countries, states and/or cities.Eastern seaboard may also refer to:* East Coast of Australia* East Coast of the United States* Eastern Seaboard of Thailand-See also:...
metropolises of New York City and Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
and America's expanding western frontier.
Hoffman essays
Wayne County high school seniors are offered the opportunity to win a scholarship by The Augustus L. and Jennie D. Hoffman Foundation Scholarship Essay Program. Established in 1954 to encourage the study of local history, students research and write essays on some aspect of Wayne County history or civic affairs. Between its inception and 2007 over 600 essays have been submitted.Nuclear power
On June 1, 1970, the Robert E. Ginna Nuclear Power PlantGinna Nuclear Generating Station
The Robert Emmett Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, commonly known as Ginna , is a nuclear power plant located on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, in the town of Ontario, Wayne County, New York, approximately east of Rochester, New York. It is a single unit Westinghouse 2-Loop pressurized water...
started commercial operation on the shores of Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
, just over the Monroe County
Monroe County, New York
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 744,344. It is named after James Monroe, fifth President of the United States of America. Its county seat is the city of Rochester....
line in the Town of Ontario
Ontario, New York
Ontario is a town in the northwest corner of Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 9,778 at the 2000 census, and 10,136 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the Great Lake on its northern border.- History :...
.
The Ginna plant was the site of a minor nuclear accident when, on January 25, 1982, a small amount of radioactive steam leaked into the air after a steam-generator tube ruptured. The leak which lasted 93 minutes led to the declaration of a site emergency. The rupture was caused by a small pie-pan-shaped object left in the steam generator during an outage. This was not the first time a tube rupture had occurred at an American reactor but following on so closely behind the Three Mile Island accident
Three Mile Island accident
The Three Mile Island accident was a core meltdown in Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania near Harrisburg, United States in 1979....
caused considerable attention to be focused on the incident at the Ginna plant. In total, 485.3 curies of noble gas and 1.15 millicuries of iodine-131 were released to the environment http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Fx18DjwySqIJ:www.physics.isu.edu/radinf/chrono4.htm+Ginna+Nuclear+1982+curies+485.3&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a.
Historical societies
In addition to the county historical society, there are a number of other historical preservation organizations. Most of these are town or village based.- Newark-Arcadia Historical Society
- Butler Historical Preservation Society
- Galen Historical Society
- Historic Palmyra, Inc.
- Lyons Heritage Society
- Macedon Historical Society
- Marion Historical Society
- Ontario Historical & L.P. Society
- Pultneyville Historical Society
- Red Creek Historical Society
- Rose Historical Society
- Sodus Bay Historical Society
- Walworth Historical Society
- Wayne County Historical Society
- Wolcott Historical Society
Law, government and politics
The county is governed by a Board of Supervisors, composed of the town supervisors from each of the county's fifteen towns. The board's chairman is selected from amongst the supervisors. The 2007 county budget was $154 million.The county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
is the village of Lyons
Lyons (village), New York
Lyons is a village in Wayne County, New York, USA. The population was 3,695 at the 2000 census. The village, along with the town, is named after Lyon , France....
and bi-weekly board meetings are held in the Wayne County Court House in the village. In August 2010, the board made history by convening outside of Lyons for the first time—at the Wayne County fairgrounds in Palmyra.
Law enforcement in Wayne County is a shared responsibility of the New York State Police
New York State Police
The New York State Police is the state police force of over 4,600 sworn Troopers for the state of New York. It was established on April 11, 1917 by the New York Legislature, in response to the 1913 murder of a construction foreman named Sam Howell in Westchester County, which at that time did not...
, Troop E, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office, and various town and village police departments.
The Wayne Supreme & County Court
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
(7th Judicial District) sits in Lyons and hears felony cases as well as a few civil cases; the Wayne County Drug Treatment Court also provides an opportunity for recovering drug addicts to work with each other and improve their lifestyles. Vehicle and traffic matters, small claims, evictions, civil matters and criminal offenses in Wayne County are heard in locally-funded town and village courts (collectively known as the Justice Courts).
Politics
As of November 2010, Wayne County had a total of 58,030 voters registered (54,494 active, 3,536 inactive). Of those totals: 14,796 were registered as DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
s (13,986 active, 990 inactive); 24,336 as Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
s (23,197 active, 1,139 inactive); 2,810 as Independents (2,607 active, 203 inactive); 1,408 as Conservative (1,336 active, 72 inactive); and the rest as Greens, Libertarian
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
s, and other minor parties. In the 2008 presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, Wayne County cast 17,555 Democratic votes for Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
, 19,176 Republican votes for John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
and Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
, 1,204 Independent votes for McCain/Palin, 1,859 Conservative votes for McCain/Palin, and 629 Working Families Party
Working Families Party
The Working Families Party is a minor political party in the United States founded in New York in 1998. There are "sister" parties to the New York WFP in Connecticut, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Oregon, but there is as yet no national WFP...
votes for Obama/Biden.
Education
Wayne County does not have a single unified school district to deliver K-12 education, but multiple central school districts. Each district is governed by a locally-elected board of educationBoard of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
, run by a hired superintendent
Superintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
, and funded largely through property taxes, as well as state and federal aid. These districts include:
- Palmyra-Macedon Central School District
- Wayne Central School DistrictWayne Central School DistrictThe Wayne Central School District is a public school district in New York State that serves approximately 2500 students in portions of the towns of Macedon, Ontario, Walworth and Williamson in Wayne County and portions of the towns of Penfield and Webster in Monroe County, with an operating budget...
- Gananda Central School DistrictGananda Central School DistrictThe Gananda Central School District is a public school district in New York State that serves approximately 1200 students in the development of Gananda, which is in the towns of Macedon and Walworth in Wayne County with a staff of 122 and an annual budget of approximately $13 million.The average...
- Newark Central School DistrictNewark Central School DistrictThe Newark Central School District is a public school district in New York State that serves approximately 2600 students in the village of Newark and the town of Arcadia in Wayne County with a staff of 270.The average class size is 21 students...
- Marion Central School District
- Williamson Central School DistrictWilliamson Central School DistrictWilliamson Central School District is a public education system that serves the residents of the Town of Williamson, New York, USA. It has three campuses: an elementary/primary school serving grades pre-kindergarten–4; a middle school for grades 5–8; and a senior high school comprising grades 9–12...
- Lyons Central School District
- North Rose-Wolcott Central School DistrictNorth Rose-Wolcott Central School DistrictNorth Rose-Wolcott Central School District is a school district in North Rose and Wolcott, New York, United States. The superintendent is Mr. John Walker....
- Red Creek Central School District
- Sodus Central School DistrictSodus Central School DistrictThe Sodus Central School District is a public school district in New York State that serves approximately 1400 students in the town of Sodus in Wayne County with a staff of 200.The average class size is 20 students...
- Clyde-Savannah Central School DistrictClyde-Savannah Central School DistrictThe Clyde-Savannah Central School District is a public school district in New York State, USA that serves approximately 1100 students in the villages of Clyde and Savannah in Wayne County.The average class size is 17 students.Dr...
As with all educational activities in New York State, Wayne County's school systems are ultimately answerable to the New York State Board of Regents and the New York State Education Department
New York State Education Department
The New York State Education Department is the state education department in New York. It is part of the University of the State of New York , one of the most complete, interconnected systems of educational services in the United States...
, as well as their local communities. These districts also participate in the Wayne Finger Lakes Board of Cooperative Educational Services
Board of Cooperative Educational Services
In 1948, the New York State Legislature created the Boards of Cooperative Educational Services to provide school districts with a program of shared educational services.-History:...
(BOCES), a state-established organization which shares common educational resources and has its own elected board and superintendent.
Wayne County also has several private, parochial
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
/religiously-based schools, including:
- St. Michael School, Newark
- East Palmyra Christian School
- Heritage Baptist Christian School, Palmyra
Wayne County is not home to any regionally-accredited institutions of higher learning, but has a satellite campus of Finger Lakes Community College
Finger Lakes Community College
Finger Lakes Community College, often abbreviated FLCC, is a college affiliated with the State University of New York. The college has four locations: Canandaigua , and campus centers in Victor, Geneva, and Newark, all in order to serve the needs of Ontario County, Wayne County, Yates County and...
in Newark to serve the associate degree-level learner and has access to many excellent public and private colleges and universities in immediately adjacent counties (such as SUNY Brockport, SUNY Oswego, University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges, located in Geneva, New York, are together a liberal arts college offering Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees. In athletics, however, the two schools compete with separate teams, known as the Hobart Statesmen and the...
, to name just a few).
Geography
Wayne County is in the western part of New York State, east of Rochester and northwest of SyracuseSyracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, on the south shore of Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
. Sodus Bay
Sodus Bay
Sodus Bay is a bay on the south shore of Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes. Sodus Bay is located in Wayne County, New York, USA. Most of the bay is in the Town of Huron, but the western part is in the Town of Sodus....
is located on the north shoreline of the county. Wayne is bounded by five other New York counties: the northern boundary is Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
with Canada on the opposite shore; the western boundary is Monroe County
Monroe County, New York
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 744,344. It is named after James Monroe, fifth President of the United States of America. Its county seat is the city of Rochester....
; and the eastern boundary is Cayuga County
Cayuga County, New York
Cayuga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was named for one of the tribes of Indians in the Iroquois Confederation. Its county seat is Auburn.- History :...
; the south boundary is shared with Ontario
Ontario County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 100,224 people, 38,370 households, and 26,360 families residing in the county. The population density was 156 people per square mile . There were 42,647 housing units at an average density of 66 per square mile...
and Seneca
Seneca County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,342 people, 12,630 households, and 8,626 families residing in the county. The population density was 103 people per square mile . There were 14,794 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
Counties.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1384 square miles (3,584.5 km²), of which 604 square miles (1,564.4 km²) is land and 780 square miles (2,020.2 km²) (56.35%) is water.
The Clinton Formation, a band of red hematite
Hematite
Hematite, also spelled as haematite, is the mineral form of iron oxide , one of several iron oxides. Hematite crystallizes in the rhombohedral system, and it has the same crystal structure as ilmenite and corundum...
across the county, led to a thriving iron industry during the 19th century. Furnaces were located in the Towns of Ontario and Wolcott.
Adjacent counties
- Cayuga CountyCayuga County, New YorkCayuga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was named for one of the tribes of Indians in the Iroquois Confederation. Its county seat is Auburn.- History :...
– east - Seneca CountySeneca County, New YorkAs of the census of 2000, there were 33,342 people, 12,630 households, and 8,626 families residing in the county. The population density was 103 people per square mile . There were 14,794 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
– southeast - Ontario CountyOntario County, New YorkAs of the census of 2000, there were 100,224 people, 38,370 households, and 26,360 families residing in the county. The population density was 156 people per square mile . There were 42,647 housing units at an average density of 66 per square mile...
– south - Monroe CountyMonroe County, New YorkMonroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 744,344. It is named after James Monroe, fifth President of the United States of America. Its county seat is the city of Rochester....
– west
Major highways
New York State Route 14New York State Route 14New York State Route 14 is a state highway located in western New York in the United States. Along with NY 19, it is one of two routes to transect the state in a north–south fashion between the Pennsylvania border and Lake Ontario...
New York State Route 21New York State Route 21New York State Route 21 is a state highway extending for through the western part of New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at NY 417 in Andover. The northern terminus is at NY 104 in Williamson...
New York State Route 31New York State Route 31New York State Route 31 is a state highway that extends for across western and central New York in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 104 in the city of Niagara Falls. Its eastern terminus is at a traffic circle with NY 26 in Vernon...
New York State Route 88New York State Route 88New York State Route 88 is a north–south state highway in the Finger Lakes region of New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 96 in the Ontario County village of Phelps to a junction with NY 104 in the Wayne County town of Sodus...
New York State Route 89New York State Route 89New York State Route 89 is a north–south state highway in central New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 13, NY 34, and NY 96 in the Tompkins County city of Ithaca to an interchange with NY 104 in the Wayne County town of town of Wolcott...
New York State Route 104New York State Route 104New York State Route 104 is a long east–west state highway in Upstate New York, United States. It spans six counties and enters the vicinity of four cities—Niagara Falls, Lockport, Rochester, and Oswego—as it follows a routing largely parallel to that of the southern shoreline of Lake...
New York State Route 414New York State Route 414New York State Route 414 is a north–south state highway in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions of New York in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with NY 352 in the Steuben County city of Corning to a junction with NY 104 in the Wayne County town of Huron...
Rt. 370
Rt. 104a
Towns and villages (incorporated communities)
The county is completely rural and has no cities. Its largest political subdivisionPolitical division
A political division is a term of art of geography defining the concept of a geographic region accepted to be in the jurisdiction of a particular government entity...
(incorporated communities) is the town, followed by the village. There are the 15 towns and nine villages.
- ArcadiaArcadia, New YorkArcadia is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 14,889 at the 2000 census.The Town of Arcadia is on the south border of the county and is east of Rochester NY.- History :The town was first settled around 1791....
(town) - ButlerButler, New YorkButler is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 2,277 at the 2000 census.The Town of Butler is on the east border of the county and is west of Syracuse, New York.- History :Settlement began in 1803....
(town) - ClydeClyde, New YorkClyde is a village in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 2,269 at the 2000 census.The Village of Clyde is in the Town of Galen and is northeast of Geneva, NY...
(village) - GalenGalen, New YorkGalen is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 4,439 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the classical physician Galen.The Town of Galen is on the south border of the county and west of Syracuse, New York....
(town) - HuronHuron, New YorkHuron is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 2,117 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the Huron Indians.The Town of Huron is in the northeastern part of the county and is east of Rochester, NY.- History :...
(town) - LyonsLyons (village), New YorkLyons is a village in Wayne County, New York, USA. The population was 3,695 at the 2000 census. The village, along with the town, is named after Lyon , France....
(village) - LyonsLyons (town), New YorkLyons is a town in Wayne County, New York, USA. The population was 5,831 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Lyons , France....
(town) - MacedonMacedon (village), New YorkMacedon is a village located in the Town of Macedon in Wayne County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village had a total population of 1,523....
(village)
- MacedonMacedon (town), New YorkMacedon is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 9,148 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the ancient Macedonian Kingdom of Macedon, the birthplace of Alexander the Great....
(town) - MarionMarion, New YorkMarion is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 4,974 as of the 2000 census. It is named after Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion. It is an interior town near the center of the county, about 20 miles east of Rochester, New York and 50 miles west of Syracuse, New...
(town) - NewarkNewark, New YorkNewark is a village in Wayne County, New York, U.S., south east of Rochester. The population was 9,682 at the 2000 census.The Village of Newark is in the south part of the Town of Arcadia and is in the south of Wayne County.- History :...
(village) - OntarioOntario, New YorkOntario is a town in the northwest corner of Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 9,778 at the 2000 census, and 10,136 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the Great Lake on its northern border.- History :...
(town) - PalmyraPalmyra (town), New YorkPalmyra is a town in Wayne County, New York, USA. The population was 7,672 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the ancient city Palmyra in Syria....
(town) - PalmyraPalmyra (village), New YorkPalmyra is a village in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 3,490 at the 2000 census. The village, along with the town, is named after Palmyra in present-day Syria.The Village of Palmyra is in the Town of Palmyra...
(village) - Red CreekRed Creek, New YorkRed Creek is a village in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 521 at the 2000 census.The Village of Red Creek is in the eastern part of the Town of Wolcott. The village is west of Syracuse, New York.- History :...
(village) - RoseRose, New YorkRose is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 2,442 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Robert S. Rose, an early landowner of the town....
(town)
- SavannahSavannah, New YorkSavannah is a town in the southeast portion of Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 1,838 at the 2000 census. Savannah is west of Syracuse, New York...
(town) - SodusSodus (village), New YorkSodus is a village in Wayne County, New York, USA. The population was 1,735 at the 2000 census.The Village of Sodus is near the center of the Town of Sodus and lies between Rochester and Syracuse. The village contains the government center for the Town of Sodus.- History :The village area was part...
(village) - SodusSodus (town), New YorkSodus is a town in Wayne County, New York, USA. The population was 8,949 at the 2000 census. The town takes its name from a native word for the bay in the eastern part of the town: "Assorodus," meaning "silvery water."...
(town) - Sodus PointSodus Point, New YorkSodus Point is a village in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 1,160 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from a nearby body of water, Sodus Bay. It is considered within the larger Rochester metropolitan area....
(village) - WalworthWalworth, New YorkWalworth is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 8,402 at the 2000 census. The name comes from Reuben Walworth, a state official.The Town of Walworth is on the west border of the county and is east of Rochester, NY....
(town) - WilliamsonWilliamson, New YorkWilliamson is an Upstate New York town in the northwest part of Wayne County, New York, U.S. on the south shore of Lake Ontario. The population was 6,777 at the time of the 2000 census. The town is named after Charles Williamson, a land agent of the Pultney Estate...
(town) - WolcottWolcott (town), New YorkWolcott is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 4,692 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Governor Oliver Wolcott of Connecticut....
(town) - WolcottWolcott (village), New YorkWolcott is a village in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 1,712 at the 2000 census. The name is from a former governor of Connecticut....
(village)
Unincorporated communities
Wayne county has a number of unincorporated communities. Most are considered hamlets.- Alloway
- Alton
- Angells Corners
- Bear Creek
- Bonni Castle
- Butler Center
- Desbrough Park
- East Bay Park
- East Palmyra
- East Williamson
- Evans Corner
- Fairville
- Fairville Station
- Fort Hill
- Furnace Village
- Furnaceville
- Gananda
- Glenmark
- Huddle
- Huron
- Hydesville
- Joy
- Lake Bluff
- Lakeside
- LincolnLincoln, Wayne County, New YorkLincoln is a hamlet in the northwest portion of the town of Walworth, New York, located in Wayne County. The hamlet is located in the area of the intersection of Lincoln Road and Plank Road . The area is primarily agricultural, but is becoming more residential. The Lincoln Baptist Church is...
- Lock Berlin
- Lummisville
- Macedon Center
- Marbletown
- Marengo
- Marion
- Mud Mills
- Noble Corner
- North Huron
- North Macedon
- North Rose
- North Wolcott
- Ontario
- Ontario Center
- Ontario-on-the-Lake
- Owls Nest
- Pilgrimport
- PultneyvillePultneyville, New YorkPultneyville is a hamlet located in the Town of Williamson, Wayne County, New York, USA. Framing the mouth of Salmon Creek, it is on the northern border of the town, the southern shore of Lake Ontario. The hamlet was originally laid out in 1806 and is listed with the National Register of Historic...
- Resort
- Rice Mill
- Rose
- Savannah
- Shephards Corner
- Sodus Center
- South Butler
- South Sodus
- Sunset View
- Thorntons Corner
- Union Hill
- Wallington
- Walworth
- Wayne Center
- Wayneport
- West Butler
- West Walworth
- Westbury
- Williamson
- Yellow Mills
- York
- Zurich
Notable festivals and parades
Wayne County is home to several festivals and parades, most from late spring through early fall due to the Upstate New York climate. Some of the more notable include:- Apple Blossom Festival (Williamson, third week in May)
- Peppermint Days (Lyons, second weekend in July)
- Hill Cumorah Pageant (Palmyra and ManchesterManchester, New YorkManchester, New York is both a town and a village located in Ontario County, New York.*Manchester , New York*Manchester , New York...
, Ontario CountyOntario County, New YorkAs of the census of 2000, there were 100,224 people, 38,370 households, and 26,360 families residing in the county. The population density was 156 people per square mile . There were 42,647 housing units at an average density of 66 per square mile...
, third week in July) - Rose Parade (Newark, third weekend in July)
- CNY Wine & Jazz Festival (Wolcott, first Saturday in August)
- Palmyra Pirate Weekend including "Pirates of the Erie Canal", (Palmyra, Second weekend in August)
- Wayne County Fair (Palmyra, second week in August)
- Lumberjack Festival (Macedon Center, second weekend in September)
- Canaltown Days (Palmyra, third weekend in September)
Also, many of Wayne County's volunteer fire department
Volunteer fire department
See also the Firefighter article and its respective sections regarding VFDs in other countries.A volunteer fire department is a fire department composed of volunteers who perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction.The first organized force of...
s host "firemen's carnivals" throughout the summer, with parades, rides, food, fireworks, and attractions which become a centerpiece of the summer social circuit.
Economy
According to the Wayne Couny Industrial Development Agency, there are over 150 manufacturing firms in Wayne County, including several Fortune 500Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
companies located in the county based on market access, a modern transportation network, and favorable industrial conditions. These companies benefit from a skilled workforce including graduates from some of the colleges and universities located within an hour's drive of Wayne County including the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
, Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
and Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. From its location midway between Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
and Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, Wayne County is part of the Finger Lakes
Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes are a pattern of lakes in the west-central section of Upstate New York in the United States. They are a popular tourist destination. The lakes are long and thin , each oriented roughly on a north-south axis. The two longest, Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake, are among the deepest in...
region (which includes Genesee
Genesee County, New York
Genesee County is a county located in Western New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,079. Its name is from the Seneca Indian word Gen-nis'-hee-yo meaning "The Beautiful Valley." Its county seat is Batavia.- History :...
, Livingston
Livingston County, New York
As of the census of 2000, 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 . There were 24,023 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
, Monroe
Monroe County, New York
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 744,344. It is named after James Monroe, fifth President of the United States of America. Its county seat is the city of Rochester....
, Ontario
Ontario County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 100,224 people, 38,370 households, and 26,360 families residing in the county. The population density was 156 people per square mile . There were 42,647 housing units at an average density of 66 per square mile...
, Orleans
Orleans County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 44,171 people, 15,363 households, and 10,846 families residing in the county. The population density was 113 people per square mile . There were 17,347 housing units at an average density of 44 per square mile...
, Seneca
Seneca County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,342 people, 12,630 households, and 8,626 families residing in the county. The population density was 103 people per square mile . There were 14,794 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
, Wayne, Wyoming
Wyoming County, New York
Wyoming County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. At the 2010 census, the population was 42,155. The county seat is Warsaw. The name is from a modified Delaware Indian word meaning "broad bottom lands"...
, and Yates
Yates County, New York
Yates County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 25,348. The county seat is Penn Yan. The name is in honor of Joseph C. Yates, who as Governor of New York signed the act establishing the county....
counties) whose businesses annually export an estimated $16 billion in goods.
The Finger Lakes region made $1.2 billion in agricultural sales in 2007, which represented 27.9 percent of the total farm sales in New York. In 2007, there were 6,417 farms and 1500000 acres (6,070.3 km²) of farmland in the Finger Lakes. Wayne County was the State’s top producer of fruits, tree nuts, and berries. Apples are a major crop in Wayne—the county was the State’s top producer of apples and ranked third in the nation in 2007.
The following quick facts apply to Wayne County businesses:
- Private nonfarm establishments, 2008 1,776
- Private nonfarm employment, 2008 19,867
- Private nonfarm employment, percent change 2000–2008 -5.7%
- Nonemployer establishments, 2008 5,067
- Total number of firms, 2002 6,507
- Black-owned firms, percent, 2002 1.6%
- American Indian and Alaska Native owned firms, percent, 2002 Fewer than 100
- Asian-owned firms, percent, 2002 Fewer than 100
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander owned firms, percent, 2002 Fewer than 100
- Hispanic-owned firms, percent, 2002 Suppressed; does not meet publication standards [sic]
- Women-owned firms, percent, 2002 32.7%
- Manufacturers shipments, 2002 ($1000) 1,650,759
- Wholesale trade sales, 2002 ($1000) 257,686
- Retail sales, 2002 ($1000) 701,448
- Retail sales per capita, 2002 $7,478
- Accommodation and foodservices sales, 2002 ($1000) 50,897
- Building permits, 2009 150
- Federal spending, 2008 $675,565
Demographics
In 2009 the county's estimated population was 91,291, a 2.6% drop from the decennial count in 2000 (93,765), but still a 2.4% percent increase from the official count in 1990. Families made up 70 percent of the households in Wayne County in 2005. This figure includes both married-couple families (59 percent) and other families (12 percent). Non-family households made up 30 percent of all households. Most of these households were people living alone, but some were composed of people living in households in which no one was related to the householder. Source: American Community SurveyAmerican Community Survey
The American Community Survey is an ongoing statistical survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, sent to approximately 250,000 addresses monthly . It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census...
, 2005
As of the census of 2000, there were 93,765 people, 34,908 households, and 25,063 families residing in the county. The population density was 155 people per square mile (60/km²). There were 38,767 housing units and the average population density was 25/km² (64/sq mi).
There were 34,908 households out of which 36.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the county the population was spread out with 6.0% under age 5, 23.9% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 30.10% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.0%% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.50 males.
The median income
Median household income
The median household income is commonly used to generate data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...
for a household in the county was $54,578 in 2008, and the estimated 2009 median income for a household was $49,849. Males had a median income of $36,825 versus $26,470 for females. A of 1999, the per capita income for the county was $19,258. In 2009, an estimated 11% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 5–17 in families.
Racial/ethnic makeup
As of 2009, the racial makeup of the county was 94.20% White, 3.3% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other racesRace (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 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population. 18.0% were of German, 12.8% Italian, 12.6% English, 11.6% Dutch, 11.4% Irish and 8.9% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.7% spoke English and 2.2% Spanish as their first language.
See also
- List of counties in New York
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County, New York
External links
- Wayne County, New York official site
- Wayne County, New York Tourism site
- Early history of Wayne County
- Wayne County Historical Aerial Photographs of New York , Cornell University Library & Cornell Institute for Resource Information Sciences
- Wayne County Fair official website