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Augusta is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 2,020 at the 2010 census. The Town of Augusta is in the southwestern part of Oneida County.
[edit] History
Augusta was settled in 1793 by a man named Gunn, whose son, Peter Smith Gunn, was the first child born in the town. [edit] Other early settlersGunn was followed by Benjamin Warren, David Morton, and John Alden. On August 17, 1793, Ichabod Stafford, and Joseph and Abraham Forbes arrived bringing the population to 23. Other settlers arriving in 1794 and 1795 were Isaac and Benjamin Allen, Amos Parker, a Revolutionary War veteran, James Cassety, Frances O'Toole, Ozias Hart, Abel Prior, Thomas Spafford, Ezra Saxton, Abiel Lindsley, and J. Reynolds. 1796 brought Abraham and Alexander Holmes, Oliver Bartholomew, Deacon Philip Pond, William Martin, Stephen Crosby, Archibald and John Manchester, Robert Worden, and John Goodhue. Several families arrived in 1797, all from Washington, Connecticut. These were Robert Durkee, Newton Smith, Joseph Hurd, Sheldon Parmalee, Benhamin and Joseph Durkee, and David Curtis. Andrew McMillan arrived from North Conway, New Hampshire in 1798. McMillan's son, also named Andrew McMillan, became superintendent of the Utica Schools. The first merchant, named Adams, opened in 1798. Josiah Cook came from Otis, Massachusetts in 1799. The area in which he settled was called "Cook's Corners". Several other settlers arrived from an adjacent town, Blandford including Abner Ranney, Elisha Shepard, and many belonging to the Knox family. Cook's Corners was later renamed Knox's Corners then Knoxboro. Another early settler was Charles Putnam, from Stonington, Connecticut, having first lived in Clinton for two years. He is also a Revolutionary War veteran and is credited with building the first timber frame barn in the town, built of black ash.[1] [edit] LandThe town is made up of land of:[2]
[edit] Civic formationThe first attempt to organize the town was in 1797. A bill was considered in the New York State Legislature and passed the Assembly, but failed in the Senate because Senator Samuel Jones noted that town officers must be freeholders and many of the prospective town officials were lessees of Peter Smith's land.[1] Organization was successful the next year and Augusta was created as a town simultaneously with the creation of Oneida County on March 15, 1798. It was created from part of the town of Whitestown.[2] The first town meeting was held on April 3, 1798. The following positions were filled: Town supervisor, Town Clerk, Assessors (4), Commissioner of Highways (3), Overseers of the Poor (2), Constable and Collector, Inspectors of Schools (3), Fence viewers (3).[1][2] Part of the town was taken to form part of the new town of Vernon on February 17, 1802.[2] [edit] NameThe act that created the town specified it would be called Augusta to honor General Augustus Van Horn. This was arranged by Thomas Cassety, son of James Cassety and a Colonel in the militia, in exchange for a new military hat from Van Horn.[1] [edit] CommerceJames Cassety built a saw mill in 1794 and the first grist-mill in 1796, which was destroyed by flooding around 1807. A second mill was built by David Currie and had an adjacent saw-mill, both powered by the water of Oriskany Creek. A tannery and currier was built by Aaron Burley in 1816. The building was subsequently used as a grist-mill, distillery, and later a wool factory. A hotel was built around 1836 by John Stebbins. A foundry and machine-shop was built in 1853 that manufactured various machines and implements. A later grist-mill was built by Martin Miller in 1861–62. A yarn factory was built in 1865. A plank road was constructed through Oriskany Falls connecting Deansville (now Deansboro) and Hamilton in June 1848 by the Hamilton and Deansville Plank Road Company. It was abandoned in 1874.[2] A plank road was constructed through Augusta connecting Rome and Madison by the Rome and Madison Plank Road Company in April 1850.[1][2] The Chenango Canal, connecting the Erie Canal in Utica with the Susquehanna River at Binghamton was constructed from July 1834 to October 1836 and passed through a corner of Augusta. It was an important means of transporting coal from Pennsylvania but ceased operation in 1878 and was abandoned after rail transport became dominate.[2] The railroad reached Augusta in the late 1860s with the construction of the Utica, Clinton and Binghamton Railroad with a station in the Oriskany Falls, a village in southeast Augusta, on the line from Utica to the New York, Ontario and Western Railway.[2] The economy of the town was largely based upon agriculture, the small industry centered around the village of Oriskany Falls, and the quarrying of lime and limestone which was in abundant supply and exported around the country.[3] [edit] Assemblymen from AugustaThe following people from Augusta represented Oneida County in the New York State Assembly.[2]
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