ONONDAGA BRICK
THOMAS MARVIN, SOLDIER IN
WARS OF 1776 AND 1812,
SETTLED HERE 1811 (CAZENOVIA
1800). MADE FIRST BRICK HERE FROM
NATIVE CLAY TROD BY OXEN.
Location: AT THE INTERSECTION OF NYS 48 AND HIAWATHA BLVD. AT
SYRACUSE
Onondaga County Historical Area Markers
THE SYRACUSE AREA
Onondaga Indians, the
keepers of the council fires for the Iroquois League, lived here.
French soldiers and Jesuit missionaries came from Canada in 1654 to
seek their friendship. In that year, Father Simon Le Moyne discovered
salt springs in the area. Salt works were set up in 1788, soon after
the first permanent settlement. Salt manufacturing flourished until the
1860's. For many years the tax on salt supplied the State's chief
revenue. This industry gave the name Salina to the original site of
Syracuse. The Erie Canal and the Oswego Canal, connecting the Erie at
Syracuse with Lake Ontarlo, ushered in an era of prosperity and
expansion after 1825. Railroads and highways followed the east-west
water level route and stimulated industrial growth.
Situated on the edge of the
fruitful lake plain beside Onondaga Lake, Syracuse is near the
geographical center of New York State. Serving a wide area, her
industries, which began with the salt works, have been many and varied:
chinaware, alloy steel, automobiles and automotive gears,
air-conditioning and typewriters, chemicals and electronics - these
reflected the industrial growth of America. The first New York State
Fair was held in 1841 in Syracuse, where it has been an annual event
since 1890.
#17 - Route 81,
southhound, near Central Square
SYRACUSE AREA
Salt springs were discovered
in this area in 1654 by Father Simon Le Moyne, a French Jesuit
missionary from Canada, who had come to convert the Onondaga Indians.
Salt extraction began in 1788, shortly after the arrival of the first
settlers, and the settlement was named Salina. It proved so profitable
that the State derived a large revenue from the salt tax. Salt
manufacture flourished until the 1860's.
When the Erie Canal was
completed in 1825, Syracuse was established and later included Salina.
The Oswego Canal connected the Erie at Syracuse with Lake Ontario.
Railroads later were constructed radiating from Syracuse, which became
a commercial and manufacturing center.
Situated on the edge of the
fruitful lake plain, beside Onondaga Lake, Syracuse is near the
geographical center of New York State. Serving a wide area, her
industries, which began with the salt works, have been many and varied:
chinaware, alloy steel, automobiles and automotive gears, air-
conditioning and typewriters, chemicals and electronics. These
reflected the industrial growth of America. The first New York State
Fair was held in 1841 in Syracuse, where it has been an annual event
since 1890.
#18 - Route 81,
northbound, Central Square
THE MILITARY TRACT
The Military Tract was set
aside by the State in 1782 to provide bounties for service during the
American Revolution. New York servicemen, depending on rank, were
entitled to grants of 500 to 5500 acres. Containing more than 1,500,000
acres, it included all of the present Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca
Counties plus portions of Tompkins, Schuyler, Wayne and Oswego.
Excluded were reservations for Onondaga and Cayuga Indians.
The Military Tract was
surveyed into townships containing 100 lots, each with 600 acres. In
the townships, two lots were reserved for "promoting the gospel" and
for schools and literature. Robert Harpur, Secretary of the Land Board,
rejected associations with English and Indian titles and gave the 28
townships classical names from anclent Greece and Rome.
When drawing for lots
started on January 1, 1791, many veterans had sold their claims to
speculators. Squatters and fraudulent claimants hindered acquiring land
in the tract. Eventually, farmers from the east occupied it. Small
milling and trading centers, stimulated by turnpikes, developed in the
1790's. The northern portion progressed rapidly in the 1820's following
completion of the Erie Canal. Railroads and later highways made the
region notable for commerce, agriculture, industry and higher
education.
#16 - Route 20, west
of Pompey
THE ONONDAGA COUNTRY
In central New York lies the
Onondaga Country, where the legendary Indian statesmen Hiawatha and
Deganawidah planted the Tree of Peace, and thus founded the Iroquois
Confederacy of the Five Nations. Here burned the council fire of the
League in the Longhouse of the Onondagas, the Hill People, the center
of this powerful confederacy. These tribes guarded the natural water
route via the Mohawk River, Oneida Lake and Oswego River to Lake
Ontario over which furs, trade goods and supplies were transported.
This was the military route used during campaigns of the French and
Indian War and the Revolution. Onondaga Indians still occupy a
reservation in this area.
Turnpikes in the early
nineteenth century crossed these hills and valleys, opening the land to
settlers. Revolutionary soldiers were offered grants in the Military
Tract, including Onondaga County, which was set off in 1794. Other
settlers migrated from New England. Further growth was stimulated by
the Erie Canal, completed in 1825, and by the railroads.
Agriculture, dairying and
fruit growing, with some diversified industry, provided the economic
base for this area. Rolling hills, picturesque waterfalls and small
lakes make the region famous for scenic beauty.
#17 - Route 81,
northbound, 2.5 miles south of Lafayette
#18 - Route 81, 4 miles north of Tully
New York
State Museum State Historic Markers website
New 1 June 2005
Updated 2 February 2006
