From Past and Present of Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York, by Rev. William M. Beachamp, S.T.D., The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., NY, 1908, pp. 61-62, 372-376

The Town of LaFayette was formed on 15 Apr 1825, taking from Pompey 22 Military Tract lots and from Onondaga the south half of the Onondaga residence reservation and 25 lots purchased from the Onondaga Indians in 1817 and 1822. It was named from the Marquis de La Fayette, who was at that time here, passing through the county early in June.  Part of the town was bought of the Onondagas in 1817, and sold to settlers in 1822. East of the central ridge is Sherman Hollow, called after James Sherman, and west of it Christian Hollow, after Michael Christian, a soldier who drew Lot 18, Tuller, on Onondaga creek in that town.

John Wilcox was the first settler on Haskins' hill, a little east of Indian orchard, Log 13, the site of the village of Tueyahdassoo. The orchard was then about twenty acres, well laid out and productive. The fruit was in demand and the sales profitable. The site commands a fine view. In 1792 Comfort Rounds settled two miles north of the center, and William Haskins came and gave name to Haskins' hill. In 1793 James Sherman came to the east hollow, named from him and Solomon Owen, settled in the same place. Sherman soon after built the first sawmill in town, on Butternut creek. In 1794 Isaac and Elias Conklin came and soon built a sawmill and grist mill on Conklin's creek.  The latter was the first of its kind in Pompey, and was built in 1798. Three beautiful falls are below these, the stream descending five hundred feet with in a mile.

In 1794 came John Houghtaling, Amaziah Branch, Benjamin June, James Pearce, Samuel Hyatt, Amasa Wright and Reuben Bryan.  Two Hessian soldiers settled here, Hendrick Upperhousen and John Hill.

Ozias Northway, an early settler, kept a tavern in the west part of the town. Colonel Jeremiah Gould and Isaac Keeler were near Jamesville. Near LaFayette square were the Bakers, Joseph Smith, Jeremiah Fuller and Dr. Silas Park.  Dr. Park's ride was from Liverpool to Cortland, and from Skaneateles to Cazenovia. Colonel Gould built the first frame house in 1800, and Isaac Hall built the next in 1801. Messrs. Rice and Hill are said to have been the first merchants at La Fayette square, about 1802-03. Mr. Cheney had the first tavern there, a little before that of Orange King. The first town meeting was held in that village March, 1826. Charles Jackson was elected supervisor and Johnson Hall town clerk. In 1801 a state road from Cazenovia to Skaneateles was laid out through the town.

A number of sulphur springs have been described, and also a salt spring, to which deer used to resort. It is said that another Indian orchard was in Sherman Hollow, Lots 76 and 91, when Shermans came there, but there is no record of an Indian settlement, nor does Clark mention it.

The first white child born here was Amy, daughter of John Wilcox, in 1791. In 1793 was the first marriage, that of Solomon Owen to Lois, daughter of Comfort Rounds.  The latter lived to one hundred and five years. Asa Drake was another prominent settler of 1792. Ebenezer Hill came to the north part of the town in 1795, and was a powerful man and a noted hunter. General Isaac Hall settled a mile south of La Fayette village and was a wealthy man and large landholder.

Clark Bailey and his family came in 1802, with some means. He and his son Richard settled on Lot 88, and his other son Lot 8, Tully, adjoining this on the south. The father donated a cemetery, Stephen opened a famous tavern, John conducted an ashery and general store, Richard built the Tully Valley mills, and led parties to kill rattlesnakes on Bear mountain, where they abounded. The last one was killed in 1854 by Solomon White.

With the building of the Skaneateles and Cazenovia road the village of La Fayette was more carefully laid out. A central square was donated, and around this the village grew up. Amaziah Branch, who came in 1794, had studied for the ministry, but had not been licensed to preach. He soon began holding services in private houses, and the Columbian Congregational Society was organized October 14, 1805. In October, 1809, the Congregational church (now Presbyterian) was formd by the Rev. Benjamin Bell, at Stoughton Morse's tavern, where the Temperance House afterward stood. In 1819-20 a church was built, and a session house was added in 1846. The latter was replaced by another in 1861, each becoming a town hall. In August, 1884, the First Presbyterian succeeded to the title of Congregational.

Early in the last century the Methodists had a church a mile east of Onatavia station. In 1853 it was removed near that place. In 1825 they formed the Ebenezer church of Cardiff, building a chapel there, which was burned in 1857 and at once rebuilt.

The Roman Catholics for several years held services in a hall in La Fayette village, but in 1888 St. Joseph's church was built under the pastorate of Rev. Michael O'Reilley.

About 1838 Cardiff had shown some life, having better roads.  In 1839 John F. Card built a large grist mill, which became Edward Voigt's in 1862. He added a sawmill and steam power. In April, 1878, it was burned, but another grist mill has since been built. Mr. Card had a store and a distillery, and was a favorite. So the people wanted to use his name in that of the village. Cardbury and Cardville did not suite, but Cardiff took their fancy. So we have a Welsh name among the Onondaga hills, and no one frets. It might have been worse.

West of Cardiff and the creek is the grave of the Cardiff giant, the great hoax of 1869, of which a brief account will be given.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Some Antiquities of LaFayette:

'LA FAYETTE - The stockade burned at Frontenac's invasion, in 1696, was on lot 3, just in the rear of the large brick house on the east side of the reservoir. It was a triple stockade and built under English oversight according to the French. With European relics there may also be found indian pottery and pipes.  it was one of the three forts mentioned by Clinton, and is not always well described. Schoolcraft's account has no value. When Isaac Keeler first occupied the site there was an opening of about fifty acres, the fort enclosing ten, and the outline could be traced for a long time. Clark made it a long parallelogram, divided at the short axis by two rows of palisades, running east and west about twelve feet apart. Stumps of the cedar posts were plowed up, and inside the fort were refuse heaps and charred corn. The Onondagas came there in 1681, probably moving thence to Onondaga valley about 1720. The burial ground was west of the creek, but it is certain that a large part of the graves have never been found. The deserted town was often mentioned by early travelers, for the trail passed by it.

The Indian village of Tucyahdasso, visited by Weiser in 1737, Bartram in 1743, and by the Moravians afterward, was on lot 13 in this town. It is yet known as Indian Orchard, and some wild apple trees mark the spot. Clark said that when William Haskins plowed the land in 1792, he found "almost every variety of implement used in agriculture and the common arts.  The graves were arranged with great regularity, side by side, in rows of ten or fifteen rods in extend; in the vicinity were groups of graves, but not in regular order." Indian Orchard long supplied the early settlers with fruit.'

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19 December 1996