Lewiston (village), New York
Lewiston
Yehęwakwáʼthaʼ ( FIPS code | 36-42147 | |
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GNIS feature ID | 0979146 | |
Website | villageoflewiston |
Lewiston is a
The Village of Lewiston, NY (also known as Yehęwakwáʼthaʼ
Lewiston is situated on the
Popular summer festivals include the Lewiston Art Festival (the second weekend in August) and the Northwest Jazz Festival (the last weekend in August). The famous Niagara County Peach Festival takes place during the second weekend of September. Several other festivals, such as the Harvest and Hops Festival, take place during the year. Most are held on or near Center Street, the Village's main street (18F North).
Lewiston recently won an online voting contest sponsored by USA Today and Rand McNally for "Best for Food" small town in America, beating 176 other communities. Lewiston has over 30 locally owned and operated restaurant/food establishments within a mile, primarily on Center Street, catering to a variety of tastes. It was also designated in the same contest as one of the "Top Ten Best Small Towns in America."
History
Various cultures of Native American tribes inhabited the Lewiston area for thousands of years, with the earliest known artifacts dating to 5000 B.C. By the 14th century,
During the war, Tuscarora and
The Village of Lewiston (formerly known as The Landing) was the site of the first European settlement in western New York in 1720, where trading started along the river. French explorers arriving from Canada across the river had visited the area as early as 1615. The village, incorporated in 1822, claims to be the "most historic square mile in America". It was named after Morgan Lewis, the 3rd Governor of New York.[5]
In addition to its ancient indigenous settlement, Lewiston became historically significant during European development of North America, and strategic in United States and Canadian history. It was the site from which the US invaded Canada in the Battle of Queenston Heights which took place October 13, 1812. It was the first major battle of the War of 1812. A commemorative sign marks the location where the American force embarked to cross the Niagara River. After the Americans lost the battle, a British retaliatory raid in December 1813 burned Lewiston to the ground and killed several civilians. While most American militia deserted, the local Tuscarora natives stood and fought a delaying action which bought enough time for the surviving citizens to escape.[6] The Historical Association has constructed a large scale bronze monument of thanksgiving to the Tuscaroras entitled Tuscarora Heroes Monument that was unveiled on the 200th anniversary of the attack on December 19, 2013.
The earliest recorded
For many African Americans escaping slavery in the 1840s and 1850s, Lewiston was the final stop on the Underground Railroad before they crossed the Niagara River to freedom in Canada. Lewiston is the setting for the book, Freedom Crossing, by Margaret Goff Clark. Many schools use the book as required reading for thousands of grade school students across the United States as they learn about the Underground Railroad movement. The Historical Association of Lewiston has prepared a "Freedom Crossing Study Guide". They dedicated the Freedom Crossing Monument on October 14, 2009. The large-scale bronze monument stands on the bank of the Niagara River.
Lewiston has completed a multi-million dollar upgrade of its business district, which has been renovated with brick sidewalks and period lanterns. Its waterfront park is also being improved with more green space and additional parking. A new landmark hotel has just been opened near the waterfront. The village has a number of properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[8] These have contributed to the sense of place that anchors the village and formed the base of its main street renovation.
Tourists and visitors flock to Lewiston, primarily in the summertime, to enjoy its many festivals, fine restaurants, Artpark, and to learn about its history. Thousands enjoy taking the Whirlpool Jet Boat ride, which shoots through the Niagara River Class 5 rapids and is considered one of the top five adventure rides in North America.
In proximity
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has an area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2), of which 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (9.32%) is water.
Lewiston is a Niagara River community, north of Niagara Falls. Across the river is the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario, Canada. The formation of Niagara Falls began between what is now Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake and Village of Lewiston, approximately 12,000 years ago. Since then, the falls have moved seven miles (11 km) south along the river due to erosion of land.
New York's historic Ridge Road begins in Lewiston. New York State Route 18F and New York State Route 18 have termini here, both at New York State Route 104. The Niagara Scenic Parkway runs north and south along the village's eastern edge.
Lewiston is also located 6.2 miles of the area's international historic treasure Old Fort Niagara - oldfortniagara.org in Fort Niagara State Park, which is located in the Village of Youngstown, NY.
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1860 | 1,160 | — | |
1870 | 770 | −33.6% | |
1880 | 680 | −11.7% | |
1890 | 633 | −6.9% | |
1900 | 697 | 10.1% | |
1910 | 713 | 2.3% | |
1920 | 723 | 1.4% | |
1930 | 1,013 | 40.1% | |
1940 | 1,280 | 26.4% | |
1950 | 1,626 | 27.0% | |
1960 | 3,320 | 104.2% | |
1970 | 3,292 | −0.8% | |
1980 | 3,326 | 1.0% | |
1990 | 3,048 | −8.4% | |
2000 | 2,781 | −8.8% | |
2010 | 2,701 | −2.9% | |
2020 | 2,531 | −6.3% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[11] |
As of the
There were 1,268 households, out of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 42.0% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.79.
Notable architecture
The residence at 810 Center Street, which became the
The following are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:[12]
Environmental issues
Nearby, within the towns of Lewiston and Porter, are two major landfills for handling hazardous materials:
- The Chemical Waste Management Hazardous Waste Landfill, the only hazardous chemical waste landfill in the northeastern United States.
- The Lake Ontario Ordnance Works, a former Army Ordnance Depot, which contains land contaminated from its operations.
- The Niagara Falls Storage Site which contains radioactive material from part of the Manhattan Project conducted at Tonawanda, New York.
Government
The Town of Lewiston (est. 1818), which includes the Village, has a population of more than 16,000 people. The town supervisor is Steve Broderick. The village mayor is Anne Welch.[1]
Lewiston's public library is part of a regional library system. The Nioga Library System is a three-county non-profit cooperative library system serving the public libraries in three counties (Niagara, Orleans, and Genesee).
References
- ^ a b c "Village Officials". Village of Lewiston. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
- ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ Rudes, B. Tuscarora English Dictionary Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999
- ^ FPC v. Tuscarora Indians, 362 US 99 (1960)(upholding the taking, concluding that land the Tuscarora purchased did not enjoy the same protection as land US originally gave them; Justice Black's ringing dissent upbraided the majority for absurdly parsing the word "reservation" to exclude land bought rather than given, ending with "a great nation should keep its promises.")
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 186.
- ISBN 978-1-932583-23-6p.49 et. seq. (discussing Tuscarora defense of Lewiston).
- ^ Porter, Peter (1914). Landmarks of the Niagara Frontier. The Author.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ New York Times. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
- ^ MODERN CORPORATION - Model City - Directions Archived 2006-11-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
External links
- Village Website
- Historic Lewiston, NY webpage
- Chamber of Commerce
- Artpark
- Calendar of Events
- Freedom Crossing Monument webcams
- Lewiston Public Library website
- New International Encyclopedia. 1905. .