The purpose of the New Hartford Historical Society is to bring together people interested in history, especially that of the New Hartford area; to discover and collect material which may help to establish and illustrate the history of the area; to provide for the preservation of such material and for its accessibility to the public, especially students; and to cooperate with other related historical organizations.

Our meetings are held on the first Thursday of every month (except January, July and August) at the Community Building on Kellogg Road in Washington Mills. A program on regional history is presented at each meeting. The Society is the designated Historian for the Village and Town of New Hartford, and we are supported by them and by individual memberships. Current dues are: Individual, $10.00; Family, $15.00; Student, $1.00, Contributing, $25.00; and Corporate, $50.

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HISTORICAL SOCIETY NOW OPEN TO PUBLIC New Hartford Historical Society Village Point Apt, Building 2 Paris Road New Hartford, NY 13413 (315) 724-7258 Hours Open to Public Saturday 10 AM -- 2 PM Mondays   1 PM -- 3 PM ELLIOTT HUGHES COLONIAL COLLECTION

 

Officers and Trustees
President	Barbara Couture 793-3206
Vice President	Burke Muller
Secretary	Nancy Murphy
Treasurer	Raymond Philo
Archivist	Joanne Kujawski
Membership and "Tally Ho" Editor	Barbara Munde 737-8216
Genealogical   Research	Mary Anne Buteux
Assistant Editor	Martha Smith
Book Store	Burke Muller
Vintage Clothing	Linda Brennan
Trustees	Mary Anne Buteux   Lee Gurley   Henry McCann   Barbara Munde   Jim Spellman
Honorary Trustees	Dr. Arthur Baker    Robert Dicker    Robert Jones

New Hartford History

Postcards from New Hartford

The history of New Hartford goes back 211 years, when a courageous pioneer, 37-year-old Jedediah Sanger, traveled from New Hampshire toward the settlement of Whitestown to establish a new home for his family. At that time Sanger was penniless and deeply in debt. All his property had been destroyed by fire, but his determination to build anew never waned. Convinced of Sanger's honesty and ability, his creditors put no obstacles in the way of his adventure.

In March 1788, he was proceeding through the forest south of the Mohawk River and came to the site of the Sauquoit Creek. Sanger realized the advantages of the Sauquoit's water power and the lay of the land, and decided on the site for his new home. He bought much land, and one of his first purchases, from George Washington and George Clinton, was 1000 acres for $.50 an acre. After clearing the land, he built a log cabin and brought his family here in 1789. He then built a sawmill and later a grist mill in 1790, which marked the beginning of the settlement of the village of New Hartford. This name was said to have been given to the town by the Kellogg family that arrived from New Hartford, CT in 1772, becoming the very first settlers in this area.

In 1792 Sanger sold all the land east of the Sauquoit Creek, about 600 acres, for $1.00 an acre to Joseph Higbee. The 400 acres retained by Sanger comprised the entire area of what was to later become the Village of New Hartford.

The population and wealth of the village grew rapidly. When what is now the Seneca Turnpike was constructed in 1800, the business of the village soon outstripped that of other settlements in the area. Sanger saw the great advantage it would be to be on the direct route of the turnpike, with westbound stages and mail passing through the village, and purchased much of the turnpike company stock and influenced the location of the route.

New Hartford did more business than Utica before the building of the Erie Canal. After the canal opened and the railroad was constructed, the carrying business for the west was shifted to Utica, which grew to become a city, while the new village on the turnpike grew more slowly. New Hartford, however, had the water power of the Sauquoit Creek, which Utica lacked, and this advantage kept the village active.

A factory was built for making ingrain carpets, and the first ingrain loom was located there. The first cut nails manufactured in the state were made in New Hartford by Jonathan Richardson, who purchased wine and liquor casks and then cut the hoops to make into nails. Jonathan Edwards, Jr., son of the famous American theologian and writer, founded the Presbyterian Church in 1791 as the First Religious Society of Whitestown. It first met in Sanger's barn, but soon built its own building in the center of the village.

The second cotton mill in the state of New York, the New Hartford Manufacturing Co., was incorporated on March 9, 1810. One of the superintendents of this mill offered the best building in the factory yard to be used as a meeting place for religious services. The Methodist church in New Hartford started services there. As the village grew, it boasted many hotels, a blacksmith and harness shop, bakery, drug store, and a draper, to mention a few.

New Hartford has changed in many ways over the years in size and organization. Throughout its early history it remained a village with no governmental organization and only one of many communities within the Town of Whitestown. On April 12, 1827, New Hartford became a village separate from Whitestown. It was 42 years later before the village organized a governmental system.

 

POSTCARDS FROM NEW HARTFORD

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Baptist Church	Willowvale Bleaching Co.
Butler Memorial Hall	High School
McLean Residence	High School (1907)
Oneida National Bank and Trust	View from Park
Roberts Residence on South Street (1906)	South Street (Oxford) (1908)
D.L. & W. Station	Yahnundasis Country Club