Pompey, Onondaga County, NY

A Gazetteer of the State of New-York, by Horatio Gates Spafford, LL.D., 1824, pp. 421-422

POMPEY, a Post-Township of Onondaga County, 11 miles S.E. of Onondaga, and 146 WNW, from Albany; bounded N. by Manlius, E. by Madison County, S. by Fabius, W. by Otisco and Onondaga, being 10 miles square, - Pompey of the Military tract. Its waters are Butternut creek in the W. part, and the 2 branches of Limestone creek in the E., all of which run N. through Manlius, to Chitteningo creek. They are fine mill-streams, and afford a good supply of sites for mills of every description. The surface, soil, timber, and natural and agricultural products, are so similar to those of the adjacent towns, that separate detail is unnecessary. Some ridges, of arable and elevated hills, give a pleasing and useful diversity to its surface; and like Onondaga, it has its Hollows and Hills. In this town are found many indications of settlements, by civilized people, at some former period, as well as many vestiges of ancient Indigenal works, of considerable magnitude. Pieces of gun-barrels, gun-locks, some leaden balls, axes, knives, brass kettles, iron chains, and a part of a church bell, with the tongue entire, have been dug up, from some feet below the surface of the ground. The present settlements commenced in 1788, and no account, or tradition is preserved, of the time when the above articles could have been deposited here, or of the people by whom they were used. But the decay of iron by rust, clearly indicates a period much less remote than many have fondly imagined. It appears to me that those works of art, in the remains of which are found iron, and othe rmetallic utensils, are of a date subsequent to the discovery of America by Columbus. We no where, on this continent, have any historic evidences of there having been found, at the time of this discovery, metallic coins, or such utensils as those.  I have viewed those antiquities, and they appear to me to be of a mixed character; - some of them, the remains of Indigenal antiquities, purely Indian, of immensely remote, and of different and distant periods; and some, and by far the greater number, of the class above mentioned. The rivalry of the European nations, who had colonies in N. America, and the great importance of Onondaga, the seat of Indian power - of their Confederacy of 'United People,' may have produced warlike enterprizes against them, by both parties, of which no vestige of history is extant. Unsuccessful enterprizes of this sort, may be easily buried in oblivion, under such circumstances, and the 'Aganuschioni,' as they called themselves, or 'United People,' were never subdued by the arms of their aboriginal enemies. The acts of subordinate agents, are often disavowed by the sovereign authority, especially if unsuccessful.  The colonial commanders, may all have aspired to the honor of attaching these people to the interests of their respective crowns, but not succeeding, no nation has preserved, nor the agent of any, the history of abortive attempts. If they were so disposed, there are probably Indians, yet living, who could relate the traditions of their tribes, on these topics, much less like fable, than our speculations, on the antiquities of the Indian region, about Onondaga. But, degraded as they now are, from their ancient power and dignities, a dispersed, half conquered, but yet high-minded and indignant people, their national pride will spurn at every suggestion of such disclosures; they may be as widely dispersed as the Jews, reduced to small fractions, rendered poor and miserable, of all other people the most wretched and unhappy, and put to the torture in every way, hunted by arms and arts, but yet they will be Indians, 'SONS OF THE SOIL,' as they denominate themselves, and live and die as Indians. About 3 quarters of a mile from Delphi, in the SE. part of this town, are the remains of 3 ancient fortifications, and near one of which, of a breast-work, which, at the request of my respectable Correspondents, may be thus described. The largest is of a triangular form, with an area of about 6 acres, having picquets and a gate-way. Without the walls, is an extensive burying ground, from which many skeletons of human bodies have been dug up, almost entire. There are also many graves within the fort, over and around which enormous trees have grown, some of which are at least 200 years old. With the bones of human bodies, found here, there have also been dug up, axes, knives, kettles, gun barrels, Spanish coins, curiously wrought bones, &c. The whole population of Pompey is 6701: of which number, 1320 are farmers, 232 mechanics, 23 traders, and 23 foreigners not naturalized; 7 slaves, and 21 free blacks: taxable property, $473170: electros, 1254; acres of improved land, 27545; 6863 cattle, 1447 horses, 17071 sheep: 65097 yards of cloth made in families in 1821; 6 grist mills, 17 saw mills, 1 oil mill, 6 fulling mills, 10 carding machines, 1 cotton and woollen factory, 4 iron works, 3 trip hammers, 5 distilleries, and 3 asheries. There are 30 school districts, in which schools are kept 9 months in 12; public monies received in 1821, $1321.91; No. of children between 5 adn 15, 2140; No. taught in the schools that year, 2301.  This opulent township has several pleasant little Villages, and 4 Post-Offices. Pompey Village, in the centre, has the Post-Office, about 40 houses, 2 churches, an academy, school-house, and a masonic lodge.- It is finely situated, on a commanding eminence that overlooks the surrounding country, with the Onondaga and Oneida lakes, and is 146 miles from Albany. Pompey W. Hill, in the W. part, has a Post-Office of the same name, a church, and 15 hourses. Oran, a Post-Village in the NE. corner, on the Manlius and Cazenovia turnpike, has 25 houses, a church, and the Oran Post-Office. Delphi, another Post-Village, in the SE. corner, 6 miles from the academy, has 40 houses, a church, and the P.O. of the same name. Near this Village, are 2 Falls, on the main branch of Limestone creek, deserving notice as curiosities, and of eminent service to the country. They are within 20 rods of each other, and each has a perpendicular fall of about 70 feet, on which there are some 10 or dozen mills, of various kinds.

S.V.R., D.I.C., S.B., J.M.A., J.O.W.

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13 June 1997