Canajoharie, New York
Canajoharie, New York | |||
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Town Supervisor Benny Goldstein
( | Town Council Members | ||
Area UTC-4 (EDT) | |||
FIPS code | 36-057-12122 |
Canajoharie (
These were settled as European-American jurisdictions, named for the historic Mohawk village of the same name, which was also known as the Mohawk Upper Castle.
History
The town is near the former site of
Anglo-Europeans began settling in the area c.1737, and the Mohawk gradually adopted certain English customs in their village. Because the Mohawk and three other Iroquois nations were allied with the British during the Revolutionary War, they were forced to cede most of their lands in New York after the United States' victory. The state sold millions of acres of land to speculators and private owners.
The town of Canajoharie was consumed by fire twice, causing an ordinance to be passed prohibiting homes to be constructed of wood. Therefore, many of the older homes in the town are made of brick or locally quarried stone.
After the Revolutionary War, George Washington visited Canajoharie after surveying the damage to nearby Cherry Valley. He stayed the night at the Van Alstyne home, a common meeting place. The Van Alstyne house has long been referred to by some as Ft. Rensselaer; the actual Ft. Rensselaer (destroyed sometime before the French-Indian War) was in nearby Fort Plain.
The modern town was formed in 1788, but was reduced in size to create the towns of Minden (1797) and Root (in part, 1822). While the Mohawk Valley developed with the completion of the Erie Canal, the project also enabled considerable migration from New York to the Midwest. The population of the town in 1865 was 4,248.
Beech-Nut, the baby food producer, was founded in Canajoharie in 1890 during the period of early industrialization in the river valley. It served as the largest employer in the town for more than a century. In March 2011, the Beech-Nut factory moved out of Canajoharie, relocating to a new factory in the nearby town of Florida, near Amsterdam on the south side of the river, still in Montgomery County.[6]
Notable people
- Susan B. Anthony, women's rights pioneer, taught school here
- Frank Barbour, football player, coach, and businessman
- Mohawkchief
- Mohawkleader
- Thomas Burdick, leader in early Latter Day Saint movement, Mormon pioneer, politician in California
- Chad Michael Collins (b. 1979), actor
- Alfred Conkling, lawyer, statesman, and jurist
- for state of New York
- Josiah Failing, 4th Mayor of Portland, Oregon; gained wealth as entrepreneur through general merchandise
- typhoidin Canajoharie
- Myron Grimshaw, Major League Baseball player; right fielder for Boston Red Sox 1905-1907
- Dan Hunt, football head coach, Colgate University
- slave of Asa Kimball who became minister in upstate New York
- John Keyes, first Adjutant General of Connecticut
- Jacob Klock, colonel of 2nd regiment of Tryon County militia during Revolutionary War
- James Knox, U.S. Representative from Illinois
- Mary Anne Krupsak, lawyer and politician, Lieutenant Governor of New York 1975-78
- Fort Bliss, Texas, later Commanding General of III Corps and Fort Hood, Texas
- Charles McVean, Congressman for New York; while in Canajoharie, was editor of town's newspaper
- George A. Mitchell, founder of Cadillac, Michigan
- Mohawk woman from Canajoharie who married Dutch trader Cornelius Anthonisse Van Slyck, founding Van Slyck family in New Netherland
- Mohawkleader
- Benjamin Van Alstyne, head coach of Michigan State University basketball team 1927–1949
- Amy Vedder, ecologist and primatologist involved in conservation work with mountain gorillas
- Mormonpioneer
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 43.1 square miles (111.7 km2), of which 42.6 square miles (110.4 km2) is land and 0.50 square miles (1.3 km2), or 1.16%, is water.[2]
The southern town line is the border of Schoharie County, while the northern town boundary is defined by the Mohawk River.
The New York State Thruway crosses the northern part of the town, following the river. New York State Route 5S parallels the Thruway. New York State Route 10 is a north-south highway, intersecting the Thruway and NY-5S at Canajoharie village.
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1820 | 4,677 | — | |
1830 | 4,348 | −7.0% | |
1840 | 5,146 | 18.4% | |
1850 | 4,097 | −20.4% | |
1860 | 4,134 | 0.9% | |
1870 | 4,256 | 3.0% | |
1880 | 4,294 | 0.9% | |
1890 | 4,267 | −0.6% | |
1900 | 3,838 | −10.1% | |
1910 | 3,889 | 1.3% | |
1920 | 3,784 | −2.7% | |
1930 | 4,023 | 6.3% | |
1940 | 4,062 | 1.0% | |
1950 | 4,294 | 5.7% | |
1960 | 4,233 | −1.4% | |
1970 | 4,319 | 2.0% | |
1980 | 4,140 | −4.1% | |
1990 | 3,909 | −5.6% | |
2000 | 3,797 | −2.9% | |
2010 | 3,730 | −1.8% | |
2016 (est.) | 3,613 | [3] | −3.1% |
U.S. Decennial Census[7] |
As of the
There were 1,492 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $31,701, and the median income for a family was $39,646. Males had a median income of $29,107 versus $22,617 for females. The
Communities and locations in the town
- Ames – A village in the southern section of the town on NY-10.
- Bowmans Creek – A stream in the southern part of the town.
- Budd Hill – A location at the southern town line, south of Ames.
- hamletin the southwestern section of the town, on Bowmans Creek. The community and much of the southern part of Canajoharie were once called Bowmans Creek, after early settler Jacob Bowman.
- Canajoharie – A village in the northern part of the town, on the Mohawk River and NY-10.
- Canajoharie Creek – A stream in the south central part of the town.
- Canajoharie Falls – A waterfall located south of the Village of Canajoharie.
- Fort Plain – A village that is partly in the town at the western town line.
- Maple Hill – A location east of Marshville.
- Mapletown – A location near the eastern town line, named after local trees.
- Marshville – A hamlet south of Canajoharie village on NY-10.
- Sprout Brook – A hamlet in the southwestern part of the town, on Bowmans Creek.
- Van Deusenville – A hamlet near the town line in the southwestern section of the town.
- Waterville – A hamlet northeast of Ames.
References in popular culture
- They Might Be Giants featured a song titled "Canajoharie" on their 2011 album Join Us (2011).
- Canajoharie is the title of a melancholic, Pop inspired piano piece at the album Mia Brentano’s Hidden Sea: 20 Songs for 2 Pianos by Benyamin Nuss & Max Nyberg (2018).[9]
References
- ^ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Canajoharie town, Montgomery County, New York". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
- ^ a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
- ^ Burke Jr, T. E., & Starna, W. A. (1991). Mohawk Frontier: The Dutch Community of Schenectady, New York, 1661-1710. SUNY Press. p. 26
- ^ Burke (1991), Mohawk Frontier, p. 93
- ^ "Beech-Nut ends production in Canajoharie," The Leader-Herald, 27 March 2011
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ Mia Brentano, Canajoharie on YouTube
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2009) |