Town Of Florida
History
The first inhabitants of the Town of Florida were the Mohawk Indians, the strongest and most powerful of the Iroquois Confederacy. Their villages were scattered throughout the entire Mohawk Valley. At the point where the Schoharie Creek flows into the Mohawk River, the area now called Fort Hunter, the Mohawks had their "Lower Castle". They called this village TI-ON-ON-TO-GEN. It was in important center for tribal gatherings and decision making.
The French Jesuits Missionaries attempted to Christianize the Mohawks as early as 1642, but their efforts were largely unsuccessful. The French crown twice tried to destroy this Mohawk stronghold, once in 1667 and again in 1693. Both times the Indians escaped and returned to reconstruct their village.
In 1709, Peter Schuyler, a civil and military leader of Albany, took five Mohawk Indian chiefs to England to be presented at the court of Queen Anne. Schuyler hoped to gain the Indians allegiance to the British crown by impressing them with the power of England and the grandeur of the court. Schuyler also hoped to draw British attention to the plight of the colonies now embroiled in Queen Anne's War with the French and Indians.
One result of Peter Schuyler's visit was an increased concern in England for the saving of the Indian's souls. As a result, "The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts" ordered the construction of a fort containing a chapel and mission house in the Mohawk Valley. Queen Anne herself donated a set of communion silver to the Mission.
On October 11, 1711, Governor Hunter of New York contracted with four men from Schenectady to build a fort on the east side of the Schoharie Creek where it enters the Mohawk River. This was the beginning of the settlement known as Fort Hunter, the first white settlement in what is now the Town of Florida.
From the time of the fort's construction until 1722, when Fort Oswego was built, Fort Hunter was the western frontier outpost of the New York colony. Enclosed within its walls was a stone chapel that was named for Queen Anne, who furnished the communion set and other items. During the Revolution, the chapel served as a fort. It was torn down when the Erie Canal was constructed and the stones were used in building the canal locks. The manse, built for the chaplain of Queen Anne's Chapel, is a two-story stone structure. It was "modernized" in 1888 and continues in use as a private residence.
The earliest land patent in the Town of Florida was granted to John Peterson Maibee in 1703. It comprised the area in and around Fort Hunter and also on the opposite side of the Schoharie Creek. During the 1730's Walter Butler purchased a tract of land from the Indians located on the south side of the Mohawk River. He then divided it into six tracts. The largest portion was transferred to Charles Williams and others on August 29, 1735. The tenants on this tract were to pay a yearly rent of two shillings and six pence for each 100 acres, and agreed to clear at least three acres out of every 50 within three years. It was also agreed that all trees measuring 24 inches in diameter, 12 inches up from the ground, were to be reserved for masts for the Royal Navy.
This same tract was later purchased by Sir Peter Warren in approximately 1737. He named his large estate Warrensbush. The other five tracts were much smaller than Warrensbush, and lay on its eastern boundary, These tracts were either purchased of given to Edward and Phillas Harrison, Anne Willmot, Maynard and Elizabeth Guerin, Henry Cosby and William Cosby Jr, in the year 1735, There was also a Fishers Patent, which was along the Schoharie Creek, but not much is known of this land grant. It is all of these patents of land that make up the present day Town of Florida. Most of these early owners of the soil never saw their property. They were wealthy citizens of Great Britain, who simply counted these vast land patents as a portion of their numerous assets.
In 1738, Sir Peter Warren summoned William Johnson, his nephew from Ireland, to serve as an overseer of his property. His responsibilities were to settle farmers onto Warrensbush and trade with the Indians. The location of this trading post is not known but it is believed to be near the intersection of the present day Route 5S and Cleveland Avenue. William Johnson worked at this capacity for several years and then decided to start a business of his own by purchasing property on the North side of the Mohawk River. His house became known as Mount Johnson and was about one mile east of Fort Johnson.
In addition to his contribution of maintaining peaceful relations with the Indians of the Iroquois Nation and stimulation the settlement of the Mohawk Valley region (especially near The Town of Florida), Johnson was responsible for the construction of schools, roads, mills and churches, some of which still stand in the area. Notable among these buildings are Fort Johnson, where he lived from 1749 to 1762, and Johnson Hall, built in 1762 in Johnstown, where Johnson lived until his death in 1774.
During the French and Indian Wars, and later during the Revolutionary War, the Mohawk Valley region was the scene of repeated invasions, attacks and battles. During the Revolution, the Iroquois Indians maintained their alliance with the Torries, led by Sir John Johnson and the Indian chieftain, Joseph Brandt. Raids on the Mohawk Valley settlements were renewed with devastating effect during this period of time.
The Town of Florida was officially formed on March 12, 1793, from the Mohawk District. This district at one time embraced all that part of the county that is covered by the Towns of Glen, Charleston and part of Root. It is generally believed that the Town of Florida derived its name from the fact that its date of formation was the anniversary of Ponce de Leon's discovery of the State of Florida on March 12, 1512. The first Town of Florida meeting was held at the home of Ezra Murray on the first Tuesday in April 1794. The purpose of this meeting was to elect officers to govern the new town.
The Mohawk River and the water level route through the Mohawk Valley facilitated the path of settlement westward. Later, it afforded traders, farmers and manufacturers in the mid-Mohawk region easy access to markets and populated centers in the East. Before Dutch settlers arrived in the area in the early 17th century, Indians had used the Mohawk corridor as a principal route for centuries. Subsequently, fur traders followed the Mohawk River from Albany into the interior, ultimately arriving at Oswego, the center of the fur trade after 1720. Prior to the Revolution, the Mohawk River was traversed by pioneers who settled in the Mohawk Valley. During the Revolution, troop movements through the valley introduced many soldiers to the fertile lands of central New York and many returned after the war to settle in the Valley.
With the increase in settlement after the Revolution came the need for improved roads. The stagecoach periods began in 1790 with trips from Albany to Johnstown and Canajoharie. This line was extended in 1792 to Utica. In 1800, the Mohawk Turnpike Company was incorporated and a road was built from Schenectady to Utica. In the same year, the Great Western Turnpike was improved from Albany to Syracuse when stagecoach service through the area ended. Meanwhile, the Erie Canal was completed in 1825. The Utica and Schenectady Railroad connected Amsterdam with distant points in 1836. Improvements have been made steadily in road, rail and canal transportation in the Mid-Mohawk area. The Erie Canal system was expanded and improved upon in 1841 and the Barge Canal system authorized by the legislature in 1903 further improved the canal.
Examples of major periods of canal construction in New York State are depicted in the vicinity of Fort Hunter. These include: the original Erie Canal and Empire Lock 20, both built in 1820; remains of the guard lock and dam at the Schoharie Creek Crossing; the enlarged 1841 Erie Canal and the enlarged Empire Lock 29; remains of the 1841 Schoharie Creek aqueduct; and the Barge Canal and Lock built in 1917 in the canalized section of the Mohawk River. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the Town of Florida developed as a farming community. In recent years, however, the town has experienced an increase in single family houses built on land once used for farming. In addition, there has been an increase in the amount of former farmland that now lies fallow. In general, the Town of Florida still remains primarily an agricultural community.
