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Towns and Place Names
Place names can be chosen intentionally or evolve over time, based on who lived there, what happened there, or prominent natural features. Many places in Livingston County have an origin story, but some are now a mystery.
Do you have information about a place name we missed? Want to share a story about the Corners or a Hollow near you? We'd love to hear from you!
Avon was formed in 1789 as Hartford in Ontario County. The name Hartford was chosen because two European American settlers and early purchasers of land were from West Hartford, CT. The township also included what is the town of Rush today.
In 1808, to avoid confusion with other towns in the state with the same name, Hartford’s name was changed to Avon, after Avon, CT, a town near West Hartford. In 1818, Rush became a separate town. In 1821, when Livingston County was formed, the southern half of Rush was annexed to Avon again. Finally, by an act of legislature in 1824, the southern half of Rush was returned to the town of Rush in Monroe County.
The Village of Avon was incorporated in 1853.
Ashantee – the southern area of Littleville; sometimes names used interchangeably. Ashantee comes from the name of the Herbert and Martha (Blow) Wadsworth residence, not far from the Five-Arch Bridge. Pronounced “a shanty,” possibly a tongue-in-cheek name for the mansion; also built around the time of publicity about the Ashanti people of modern-day Ghana (Source: Letter from Pomp Wadsworth to Irene Beale, c. 1984). Original home of Troop M, 1st Cavalry, NYNG, whose armory was destroyed by fire in 1918, and Troop M moved to Geneseo.
Avon Springs – A name for the western part of the village of Avon during the sulfur spa era, where the Avon Driving Park is today (source: Avon maps, 1858 and 1872). “In early days, the pond from the flowing springs covered several acres. The shores of the natural basin were of pure white sand which had been forced up by the action of the water – all was secluded by a cedar forest” – From Avon, Heart of the Genesee Country by Marie Preston.
Barber Road – located along northern edge or town, once called North Avon Road. Was renamed in the 1950s by Livingston Mulligan of the Barber-Mulligan Farm to honor the builder of the farm, Aaron Barber Jr. Hartwell Road, just over the town and county line in Rush, Monroe County, was previously called Barber Road but was officially changed around the same time to reflect the pioneer Hartwells of that road and the builders of the cobblestone house on Hartwell Road. (Source: Holly Watson and Mulligan family oral history, 2014)
Beckwith Road – no longer exists except for a driveway and farm lane; connected Jenks Road and Rt. 15 about ½ mile south of and parallel to North Avon Road. Was named for the Beckwith family who constructed several houses along Jenks and Beckwith Roads in the 1840s. (source: Holly Watson and Mulligan family research, 2014)
Bullhead Pond - on Conesus Outlet, on north side of Triphammer Road, halfway between Rt. 39 and Pole Bridge Rd. at the curve in the road. On the Avon-Geneseo border. The LA&L railroad track passes right by it on the south and the railroad embankment, when built in 1853, created the pond. Once a hideaway nude bathing spot (D&C 4/8/1984, p.10B)
Burleigh’s Corners – Intersection of Sutton Road at Rt. 15. Named for John L. Burleigh, a justice of the peace and a canal commissioner who lived there (1852 and 1858 maps).
Canawaugus – See under Caledonia.
Clary Road – once spelled Cleary Road - an east-west road connecting Poplar Hill and Dutch Hollow Roads. Named for John and Mary Cleary, who lived at the west end of the road. The property encompassed the Dutch Hollow Cemetery and early Seneca villages (from Maureen Kingston, and road maps, 2001).
De-o-de-sote - Meaning "the spring." (Listed as Livonia in Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36, but pencil note corrects to Avon). Also known as Gan-noun-a-ta, two miles north of Livonia in Avon.
Dutch Hollow - “Dutch Hollow is a small hamlet east of East Avon on Rts. 5 & 20. In early days there was a Baptist meeting house, school, a pottery shop, distillery, tannery, saw mill, cooper shop, store, Benjamin Pierson’s Tavern, and the watering trough on east hill under the large elm tree.” (From Avon, Heart of the Genesee Country, by Marie Preston, p.30) Likely named thus because of “Deutsch” or German settlers; a dip in the road provides the explanation for the “Hollow”; located near the Avon-Lima town line.
East Avon – 1 ½ miles east of Avon village. Became a center of trade in the early 1800s; consisted of small factories, including the prominent Wiard Plow Works, a general store, a post office (1827-1915), a hotel, and a Presbyterian Church (organized 1795 by Rev. Daniel Thatcher, the first church in Avon).
Elm Place – just over the county line in Rush, northwest of Avon. Homestead built by Wm. Markham in 1802. So-called because of an ancient elm tree supposed to have shaded an entire acre (Source: Maureen Kingston, 2014)
Fort Hill - Near Rt. 15 and Triphammer Road.
Gah-ni-gah-dot - A Seneca village near East Avon meaning "the pestle stands there" (Indian Names in New York, Beauchamp, p. 38).
Ganson’s Brook – A small stream that runs west on the northern edge of the town, parallel to Barber Road, crosses East River Road, and drains into the Genesee River. Named for a very early miller, Mr. Ganson, who established a crude flour mill on the stream in 1789, the first in the area.
Horseshoe Pond - An oxbow pond, a remnant of the Genesee River’s former path. The pond is located near the river, along the stream known as Ganson’s Brook, which crosses East River Road and travels west to the Genesee River
Lamb’s Corners – Where Sutton Road ends at Bronson Hill Road.
Littleville – One and a half miles south of Avon Village, “where the Conesus Outlet cuts through the bluffs in its course to the Genesee.” Named for Norman Little who settled there in 1830. Several mills, including Avon’s first sawmill built 1796 by Timothy Hosmer, were located there. When the decision of where to locate the county seat was pending, Littleville was thought to be a compromise between Avon and Geneseo.
McQueen’s Switch – According to research by John Liccini Jr., located at the railroad crossing on Papermill Road, specifically the northeast corner of the crossing. The name is likely derived from John McQueen, a miller on the Conesus Outlet.
Mt. Ararat – A hill in the Ashantee area, one of the highest points in Avon.
North Avon - A hamlet on North Avon Road around the junctions of Jenks Road and Gilbert Mill Road. Once had a cemetery, store, and the Gilbert Mill, which produced flour.
Oak Openings Road – the term “oak opening” is defined as “an oak-dominated savanna community in which there is less than 50% tree canopy coverage” (Wisconsin DNR website, 2014) and is fire-dependent. These ecosystems are mainly lost to fire suppression and agricultural and residential development, but were once found in Avon and Geneseo particularly.
Oak View – site of a farm across from end of Agar Road at Rt. 15, south of East Avon.
Paper Mill Road – once located at the falls on Papermill Road; built by the Wadsworths as a flouring mill, which burned 1864. It was rebuilt as a paper mill, which manufactured strawboard.
Roger’s Corner – corner of Rt. 39 and Hogmire Rd.
South Avon – 3 miles south of village on Rt. 39. Josiah Chadwick built a hotel on the west side of the highway, which also housed a post office. There was a store and schoolhouse located at S. Avon as well, and now only the South Avon Cemetery remains at the settlement.
South Lima – The hamlet extends into three towns: Lima, Livonia, and Avon. Once known as Goose Island, since early South Lima was an island in a swampy area and breeding spot for geese. When the Conesus junction of the Erie RR and Buffalo, Corning & NY RR lines was at the northwest corner of South Lima, the railroad call letters for South Lima were G.I., or Goose Island. Was Hamilton Station from about 1852-1854 until South Lima Post Office was opened due to confusion with another Hamilton Station elsewhere. The name Hamilton Station stuck for the train stop for a time (French’s Gazetteer, 1860, 1872 map).
Sugarberry – area of Nations Road and Hogmire Road (from Avon map with crossroads); “Sugarbury” mentioned on p.26 of Board of Supervisor’s Proceedings of 1853.
Triphammer Road - Named because of the old forge and triphammer made to fabricate metal; used for farm tools and other important items. A dam was built at the crest of the falls soon after 1800, and the operation was facilitated by a water wheel. The water wheel and bearings were made of wood. The ruins of part of the triphammer forge can be seen and banks of the millpond are partly preserved…apparently several forgers were in this area (from Avon, Heart of the Genesee Country).
Vinegar Hill – At Reed St. and North Ave. intersection, above Rochester St.; also an early name for Reed Street itself
Wedlock Street – in Littleville; people by the name of Wedlock lived there in the 1850s (source: maps)
West Avon – An early alternate name for the village of Avon (see 1858 map)
Caledonia was formed as Northampton, Genesee County, in 1797. In 1802, a portion of Northampton was split off and became Southampton, and the name was changed to Caledonia in 1806. Scottish families were some of the earliest European settlers in the area. The Roman Empire referred to what is now Scotland as Caledonia, and Caledonia is now considered a poetic name for Scotland.
A small spring-fed lake in the village of Caledonia was referred to by the Seneca Nation as “Gan-ea-di-ya,” translated to “small clear lake” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.37) or “handsome lake.” Also De-o-na-ga-no, or “cold water” in reference to the springs there (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36).
The Village of Caledonia was incorporated in 1891.
Allan’s Creek – Ebenezer “Indian” Allan lent his name to several places, including several mills along the Genesee River. Allan’s Creek is north of Caledonia.
Annin’s Grove – James Annin’s trout hatchery along Spring Creek also hosted groups of picnickers and community and organization celebrations, such as religious group’s outings and the 4th of July (“Harry K. Annin.” Caledonia Advertiser 3/28/1968)
Big Springs and Big South Woods – The original European settlement in 1795 was called “Big Springs” because of its location along a path where a dozen springs formed a lake. The lake was located in today's village of Caledonia where Tennent Park now is and extended to the springs and north to Mill St. The lake was mostly drained by 1902, according to the atlas, but a swamp remained. Big Springs Museum is built in the old school adjacent to the old lake bed.
Canawaugus – from Seneca Go-no-wau-ges or Can-a-wau-gus, translated to “fetid water” or “place of stinking water” because of the sulfur springs (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36). A prominent Seneca village where Chief Red Jacket, Cornplanter, Hot Bread, Governor Blacksnake, Henry O’Beal, Handsome Lake, and other leaders were born or lived. In 1797, a reservation called Canawaugus was established at the site for the Seneca, lasting until about the 1820s. After the Erie Railroad line was built, it became a small hamlet encompassing the southeast part of town. The Pennsylvania Railroad Company named its station there “Nova” (“Avon” backwards) but in 1912 the Daughters of the American Revolution petitioned to have it changed back to Canawaugus for the historical significance of the name. (Source: Liv. Rep. 1/18/1912).
Cement Plant Pond – just north of Iroquois Road; likely named for the Iroquois Portland Cement Co. plant along the railroad there (see 1902 map).
Cider St. – Leads from McInytre Rd. to Genesee County line in northwest corner of Caledonia. Named for orchard and cider mill built by Silas Lawrence. (source: D&C 1/17/1983)
De-o-na-ga-no - Seneca name referring to the springs in Caledonia and translating to “cold water” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36).
Dugan Creek – runs east and west through the northeastern part of the town.
Gan-ea-di-ya - A small spring-fed lake formerly in the village of Caledonia and so-called by the Seneca Nation; translates to “small clear lake” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.37) or “handsome lake.” Na-gan-oose is the name for the outlet of the spring.
Grant Pond – located on the eastern edge of the town west of River Road and north of Wadsworth Road.
Handsome Lake – see Big Springs.
Inverness – a name remembering Inverness in Scotland, which the Scottish pioneers left behind. A region of Caledonia located around Quarry Road and Telephone Road and into the town of York.
This monument, at Quarry Road and Rt. 20 on the Caledonia-York border, was dedicated in 1956. It is in honor of the early Scottish settlers in the area.
LeRoy – An area just north of Canawaugus, centered on the home and farm possibly built by Edward LeRoy. Later owned by the Wadsworth family and called LeRoy Farm and then Andayhon Farm (1829 and 1840 Burr map, 1852, 1858, 1872, 1902 maps).
Maxwell Station – in the northeast portion of town, south corner of Maxwell Road at Maxwell Station Road.
McKenzie’s Corners and McVean’s Corners - see Mumford
Mumford – A hamlet in town of Wheatland, Monroe County, that is closely associated with Caledonia. Around 1810-1815, Mumford was known as McVean’s Corners. It consisted of a few log cabins and McKay’s mill near George St. After McKenzie, Remington, and Allen built their mills, the roadway leading to them from the four corners was called Reaction St. and for several years the hamlet was called McKenzie’s Corners. Also called Slab City in lumbering days and called Mumfordville after a leading citizen. (From Bicentennial of Caledonia – Mumford book, 1976)
Mission Corners – in Wheatland. Close to the first log schoolhouse, which was built on the creek road about ¼ mile west of Mission Corners; it was used on Sundays for religious services until 1805. (From The Presbyterian Religious Society of Caledonia)
Quarry Road – there was a large limestone quarry in Caledonia, which went to the construction of the Masonic Temple and other stone buildings in the village. Certain families specialized in construction of stone fences known as “dry walls.” So many were built on Quarry Road that it was known as Wall St.
Taylor – see Teasel Hollow
Teasel Hollow – between Black St. and McGovern Road on Rt. 36; now called Taylor. From “A Tour into York Township, 5th Annual Tour of the Big Spring Hist. Soc., 1963”: there was a log school on Neil McLean’s farm, and another school in the hollow in later years.
Tug Hill rose to the south from Teasel Hollow and was dreaded by teamsters driving the old road.
Wall St. – end of Avrill Road at Quarry Road; see also Quarry Road.
Conesus is said to be derived from Ga-ne-a-sos, a Seneca word for “place of nanny berries” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.35).
The town was formed in 1819 by an act of NYS legislature from parts of Livonia and Groveland as Freeport, Ontario County, but because of an irregularity in calling the first town meeting, it was officially organized in April 1820. The name changed briefly to Bowersville in 1824 before becoming Conesus in 1825.
Adjusta - Also Agusta, Adyutro, etc. The name recorded for Conesus Lake, and/or a Seneca village at the head of the lake, by European Americans in the 1770s. See also Conesus Lake
Alger - A post office located on South Livonia Road, just north of Foote’s Corners, from 1895-1897 and named after Alger residents in the area. The post office was then North Conesus from 1897-1905 (www.esphs.org).
Bowersville – Name for town of Conesus between 1824-1825, after the Bowers family, who owned a large tract of land. Citizens petitioned the NYS legislature and the name was changed to Conesus in 1825 (Smith’s History p. 324).
Calabogue Hollow or Calabogue Valley – a run from Conesus Creek and the south-central part of Conesus between Camel Rd. and Hoes Hill Rd on Rt. 15 to Webster’s Crossing in Springwater. Wm. P. Boyd in History of Conesus says John C. Coe of South Livonia named it, meaning “a heedless place.” Other accounts state that a man named Calvin Bogue came to cut shingles and others inquired after him as Cal Bogue, which contracted to Calabogue (Livonia Gazette, 1/26/1883). The residents of the area were called the “hillbillies of upstate” by Wm. Boyd.
Clark’s Station – at corner of Rowland Rd. and Rt. 15, ½ mile south of north edge of Conesus on the NY, Erie, and Western RR. Known in 1871 as the Conesus Post Office. Named for Adams Clark, who built a grain storage building there (From Boyd, History of Town of Conesus.)
Conesus Centre – in the center of the town on Mill Creek and the Erie RR; the principal village, though never incorporated.
Conesus Lake – Possibly related to “Ga-ne-o-sos” or “Ga-nyuh-sos” meaning “nanny berries” or “sheep berries” (from Indian Names in New York by W. M. Beauchamp) , but early (1779) European references to the lake and the Seneca village at the head of the lake include “Adjutsa,” “Agusta,” “Adyutro,” and other variations, said to translate to “the lake between the hills.”
Crockett’s Corners – see Union Corners.
Excelsior Springs – On East Lake Road, along Conesus Lake, in the northwest part of the town; named for the Excelsior Springs Hotel on that site (see 1902 map)
Ga-ne-o-sos or Ga-nyuh-sos - Seneca name for Conesus Creek, meaning “nanny berries,” “sheep berries,” or "long strings of berries" (from Indian Names in New York by W. M. Beauchamp, p.35).
Foote’s Corners – named about 1834 for Foster Foote, co-owner of a store owned by Joseph Wells and Foster Foot & Son (Franklin Foote); once called May’s Corners after the first settler in 1806, Harvey May. (From History of Conesus by Wm. P. Boyd; History of Livingston County, by Smith). At Rt. 15 and Cole Rd., 1 mile south of north line and 2 miles north of Conesus Center. Sullivan’s Expedition camped on this spot in 1779.
Freeport – name and post office for Conesus from 1821-1824. Smith’s History of Livingston County states that Freeport was the name chosen by early squatters in the area (p. 323).
Glenacker – a name for a post office from 1900-1907 near home of F. M. Acker at southern end of Conesus Lake on West Lake Road, south of Excelsior Springs (See 1902 map)
Head of the Lake Village – now area of Dacola Shores.
Hog Back – along the ridges formed by Purchase and Mill Gulls, it is the “broad strip of flat land, towards Conesus Centre” (from Boyd’s History or Conesus, p. 10)
Kan-agh-sas - A Seneca village at the head of Conesus Lake, destroyed by the Sullivan Campaign in 1779. Also recorded as Yox-saw, York-jough, Adjusta, etc. (from Indian Names in New York by W. M. Beauchamp, p.35).
Marrowback – the Marrowback Hills rise to about 1200’ running mostly north and south in the Towns of Conesus and Springwater, west of Hemlock Lake. The Marrowback Road area spans a region between Marrowback Road and Hemlock Lake. The name, according to Wm. P. Boyd’s History of Conesus, “derived its name in the following singular way: In the early days of the town, the settlers had for amusement, general trainings, lasting several days at a time. One of these gala days was being held near the present village of Livonia Centre, and among the artistic sports, they formed a ring, and in the same, placed two of their most noted wrestlers, in ‘hors-de-combat.’ One of these lived near Lima, the other was from Conesus or Marrowback hills. After a severe struggle, the man from Marrowback threw his opponent, and to the merriment of all, a gentleman in the circle clapped his hands and exclaimed: ‘That man has too much marrow-in-his-back for you.”…these hills were christened ‘Marrowback hills.’ (ref. in 1842 to Marrowback in Springwater Circuit Sunday School Record Book, 1842-1871, p.34)
May’s Corners – see Foote’s Corners
McMillen Swamp – At the Conesus Inlet at the head of the lake; named for the early McMillen settlers.
North Conesus - A post office located on South Livonia Road, just north of Foote’s Corners, from 1897-1905. The post office was formerly Alger from 1895-1897 (www.esphs.org).
Partridge Corners – no information at this time.
Purchase Gull - Named for its original owner, who had a gristmill near its center. Near Mill Gull, named for the same reason. (from Boyd’s History or Conesus). A “gull” is a gully or ravine.
Round Pie Station – Once, a Conesus station agent’s wife made little round pies and sold them to passengers at $0.05 each.
Scott’s Town – At Turkey Hill Road near Clark Rd.; Rebecca (Bowers) Scott tried to lay out a village and sell lots to early settlers, but the “scheme at length fell through.” (Boyd, History of the Town of Conesus, p.80)
Sunny Shores – On East Lake Road near the northern corner of town of Conesus.
Turkey Hill – area near Turkey Hill Road in northwest part of town. The range of hills may have gotten their name from turkeys being stolen there, “by or from the early settlers” (from Boyd’s History of Conesus, p. 9) (ref. in 1842 to Turkey Hill in Springwater Circuit Sunday School Record Book, 1842-1871, p.32)
Union Corners – About one mile north of Conesus Center. Sometimes called Crockett’s Corners after Lewis “Colonel Crockett” Clark, a hotelkeeper at the corners. Clark was sympathizer with the Southern cause during the Civil War (from a 1938 account by S. Edward Hitchcock, published in Discover Conesus summer 1978; Union Corners labeled on all major maps)
Walkley’s Landing – A place name at the southern tip of Conesus Lake, likely comes from Daniel Walkley family who lived near there (see 1902 map).
West Conesus – Post office by this name from 1837-1854 (New York Postal History, Kay and Smith, 1982). According to 1840 Burr map, located at Sliker Hill Road and East Lake Road at head of Conesus Lake. Not found on 1852 map.
Geneseo was formed in 1789 and was originally in Ontario County. The name is derived from Gen-e-se-o or Che-nus-si-o, a Seneca word which translates to “beautiful valley.” O-ha-di also refers to the area and translates to “trees burned.” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36)
In 1821, when Livingston County was formed, Geneseo was chosen as the county seat because it was geographically central and a hub of commerce.
The Village of Geneseo was incorporated in 1832.
Beantown – Refers to the lower end of Court Street; named for the Italian population who lived there, because many residents worked at the nearby canning factory.
Big Tree – An early name for the Geneseo area, which was likely derived from the Seneca chief Big Tree and the village where he lived. The village of Big Tree was situated in the northeast corner of the town of Leicester and called A-On-Do-Wa-Nuh. The famous “Wadsworth Oak,” also called the Big Tree by European Americans, was an ancient tree growing on the east bank of the Genesee River, just across the river from the village of Big Tree and near today’s National Warplane Museum. The Big Tree fell down in a flood in 1857.
In 1797, the Treaty of Big Tree between the Seneca and US government was signed near the Big Tree and the village of Big Tree. The name likely referred to the village of that name rather than the large tree that grew nearby.
Bosley’s Mills - See Clark’s Mills.
Bullhead Pond - on Conesus Outlet, on north side of Triphammer Road, halfway between Rt. 39 and Pole Bridge Rd. at the curve in the road. On the Avon-Geneseo border. The LA&L railroad track passes right by it on the south and the railroad embankment, when built in 1853, created the pond. Once a hideaway nude bathing spot (D&C 4/8/1984, p.10B)
Che-nus-si-o - A spelling of the Seneca name for the area of Geneseo and translating to "beautiful valley." (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36) . See also Oh-ha-di
Clark’s Mills – named for Leman Clark’s sawmill and gristmill at the extreme northeast corner of town on the Conesus Outlet, about a mile below Lakeville (1902 map). Formerly called Bosley’s Mills, and in close proximity to the remains of a fortified Seneca village. (From History of Livingston County, by James Smith)
Cottonwood Cove - on Conesus Lake, just north of Cottonwood Point, which is in Groveland.
Crossett Road - named for the Crossett home farm, settled by William Crossett in 1794, a mile south of Geneseo village. (From Smith’s History of Livingston County, 1881)
Dewey Hill – at intersection of Rts. 39 and 20A, off Rt. 63, where the roads lead down the hill to Cuylerville. Possibly named after a C. Dewey who lived on that road (refs: 1852, 1858, 1872 maps).
Eagle Point - on northern end of Conesus Lake. Named for a purported bald eagle eyrie in the vicinity (Source: LC Leader and Livingston Democrat, 8/26/1938)
Fall Brook – deep gully and falls on west side of Rt. 63, about 2 miles south of village of Geneseo.
Formansville – the top of Center St. in Geneseo village, by Temple Hill Cemetery, named for Rev. Abraham Foreman, the first pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church of Geneseo, who owned considerable property in the area around Temple Hill (sources: Livingston Democrat, 20 April 1921, p.1; “Central Pres. Church 150th Anniversary 1810-1960”).
Hemp Pond – a narrow pond west of the village near the Genesee River. An oxbow lake, formed by the changing course of the river. Noted on 1840 Burr map of Livingston County and alternately called Horseshoe Pond.
Long Point and Long Point Cove - on Conesus Lake; Long Point Park has long been a popular destination.
Nations Road – Likely shortened and derived from Seven Nations. See Seven Nations.
Putty Street – Name for Rt. 39, especially in the area of South Avon and northern Geneseo; Putty Creek was a name given to Geneseo District #1 school, located just south of Roots Tavern Road on the west side of Rt. 39, and the Putty Creek Cemetery was a small private cemetery near 3382 Avon Road.
O-ha-di - Seneca word referring to the area of present-day Geneseo, translating to “trees burned.” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36). Modern scholars believe it is a reference to Seneca land management practices.
Oneida Woods – Also known as Oneida Farms (see 1902 map) or Oneida Lot; the general area north of the village of Geneseo, encompassing Nations Road and west side of Rt. 39 south to Geneseo Central School. The fields dotted with large, spreading oaks, formerly known as the Wadsworth Oaks, mark the area. It was believed that there was an Oneida village was nearby, on either east or west side of the river, called Dyu-hah-gaih, meaning “the stream devours it” [the bank] (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.38).
Sackett’s Harbor - on Conesus Lake.
Seven Nations – An area roughly 2 miles northwest of the village of Geneseo, around Nations Road on the flats. According to Doty’s History of Livingston County (1876), settlers from Lewiston and Buffalo came here in the aftermath of the War of 1812 and it was called Seven Nations because of their “miscellaneous character” (p. 527). Another version regards the area around Seven Nations Farm, a property off the west side of Nations Road near the Genesee Valley Hunt racetrack, which was owned by William W. Wadsworth in the 1840s and likely earlier (Source: Albany Argus, 1849). Wadsworth’s farm workers and tenants had emigrated from several countries, lending the name Seven Nations.
Sleggs Landing – on Conesus Lake, just south of the Livonia town line and Gray Road.
Slieborough – just north of Geneseo village limits, between the Rt. 39 and the Genesee River, and before Country Club Rd. According to Doty’s History of Livingston County, 1876 (p. 527), “a mile north of the village of Geneseo, [in the 1820s], was a road running west to the river from the Avon road. Along this road, on either side, were a dozen or more log houses. This settlement was known as Slieborough.” Due to the heavy clay in the area, the road became almost impassible during rainy seasons.
Sweet Briar – an elegant home built by George Austen, south of the village on Rt. 63. Capt. Horatio Jones’s residence at Jones Bridge Road and the Genesee River was also named Sweet Briar, and he died there in 1836 at 73 years of age. (From History of Livingston County, by Smith)
Temple Hill – The hill to the east of the village of Geneseo. Named for the Presbyterian meeting house that was located here from about 1805-1817. Also the location of the Temple Hill Cemetery and was later the site of the Temple Hill Academy, now the Temple Hill B&B.
Valkenburg Post Office – Was once on Rt. 256/West Lake Rd., just before entering town of Groveland. Operated from 1898-1934 (www.esphs.org).
Wadsworth Cove - on Conesus Lake.
Wadsworth Oaks - See Oneida Woods. So-called because it was believed that pioneer James Wadsworth cleared the land, leaving scattered oak trees for shade. Twenty-first century research by SUNY Geneseo scholars shows that the “oak openings” habitat (meadows with large oak and/or hickory trees in the open) was a result of traditional Seneca land practices, including habitat management with fire. The ensuing early nineteenth century land practices by the Wadsworths preserved the existing oak openings habitat.
Wheeler’s Gully - about ¾ mile from Nations Road off Rt. 39 to the west (Jaycox Creek). Stable and clubhouse erected by Rochester Riders’ Club across from GVHC Kennels at Wheeler’s Gully (from Livingston Dem. 6/16/1926).
Groveland was formed from Sparta, Ontario County, in 1812. According to Smith’s History of Livingston County, the name comes from the groves of trees here in the early days. In 1819, part of Groveland became part of the new town of Freeport, later Conesus.
In 1857, four acres of Groveland land were annexed back to the town of Sparta.
Cottonwood Point – Located in the extreme northeast corner of the town of Groveland on Conesus Lake. Cottonwood Cove, in the town of Geneseo, is just to the north.
David Gray Hill Road – Named after David Gray who lived in the vicinity. The seasonal portion of the road leading down to Conesus Lake was abandoned in the early 2000s.
East Groveland – formerly Hunt’s Corners until the name of the post office became East Groveland by 1868 (1850s Livingston County maps, 1868 Liv. Co. Directory). Letters to the editor of the Livingston County Leader in 1951 discussed East Groveland and Hunt’s Corners, with general consensus that East Groveland covered a larger area and that Hunt’s Corners was just the crossroads at the center of the hamlet. See also Hunt’s Corners.
Gaw-she-gweh-oh - a Seneca village near Williamsburgh, also spelled Casawavalatetah, Gaghchegwalahale, Kasawasahya, etc. by European Americans in 1779. Supposed to mean "a spear" (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.37).
Gray Corners – at David Gray Hill Road, Morris Road and Barber Hill Road intersection.
Groveland Centre – A post office located on Rt. 63 just north of Swan Road, near today’s Hampton Corners; only appears on 1840 Burr map.
Groveland Corners – An area on Aten Road between Bennett Hill Road and Barber Hill Road, where the Groveland Town Hall is located. The area was marked as East Groveland on the 1840 Burr map, then called Groveland Corners through the 1850s. By the late 1860s, it had become simply Groveland, matching the post office (source: 1868 Liv. Co. Directory, 1872 map). In 1973, because Groveland Station had, according to some, also become just Groveland by this time, the US Board on Geographic Names voted to change the name of the northern Groveland back to Groveland Corners. This left Groveland Station as the only Groveland in the town. (Times-Union, 6/27/1974.) Groveland Corners is also called Groveland Hill by many residents.
Groveland Hill – at Aten Road and Groveland Hill Road; some have called it Magee Hill. Though many residents still call the area Groveland Hill, and it is now officially called Groveland Corners as of 1973. (Times-Union, 6/27/1974).
Groveland Station – In the extreme southern part of the town on Rt. 63, just north of the town of Sparta. It had been known as North Sparta from about 1874, when the post office by that name was moved over the town line into Groveland, until 1899, when it was called Groveland Station because of the DL&W and Dansville and Mt. Morris Railroad stations and activity there. The post office became Groveland in 1924, but most residents still call it Groveland Station. (Sources: Smith’s History of Livingston County and Times-Union, 6/27/1974.)
Gypsy Lane – the road leading to the Livingston County Hampton Corners Campus, off of Rt. 63; according to Don Higgins, county highway superintendent, and former County Administrator Nick Mazza in 2019, the road used to be a dirt lane, at the end of which transient groups sometimes stayed.
Hampton Corners - The area on Rt. 63 now occupied by the American Rock Salt mine and the Livingston County complex. Named for Hampton, the estate built in the early 1800s by Daniel H. Fitzhugh.
Hermitage Tract – The west part of Groveland on the flats. Comprising land cleared by Charles Williamson in the 1790s and called “Hermitage Farm.” (Source: “Williamsburg,” Rochester History, 1942). Later owned by the Charles Carroll family, whose home, also called Hermitage, was located nearby.
Hunt’s Corners – The crossroads in the northeastern quarter of the town, named after early resident and tavern keeper Elijah Hunt. Later became the center of East Groveland but has retained its original name among many residents.
Magee Hill – another older name for Groveland Hill.
Mann Street – the name of Church Street in Groveland Station in 1930 (1930 federal census); had probably been New Road when first constructed in c. 1910s (sources: 1920 census for G. H. Parry, 1916 Groveland map)
Maple Beach – Located on the southwest end of Conesus Lake, near Maple Beach Road; there once was a beach on the lake by this name, and a post office from 1892-1895 which was known as Maplebeach from 1895-1905 (New York Postal History, Kay and Smith, 1982).
North Sparta – In 1851, this designated a post office and hamlet on the northern edge of the town of Sparta, which moved over the line into the town of Groveland in 1874. Once the hamlet became a railroad hub, it became known as Groveland Station.
Rosebrugh Road – probably named for Judge James Rosebrugh who came from Mansfield, NJ, and settled in Groveland just before 1800. (From History of Livingston County by Doty)
Ross Corners – on the town line of Groveland and West Sparta, on Rt. 36 at Flats Rd. and Presbyterian Rd.
Seven Gullies – An area between Bennett Hill Road and Logan Road where several streams flow down the hill (1902 atlas).
Shaker Settlement – From about 1836-1894, during the occupation by the Society of Christian Believers, or Shakers, the area known as Sonyea was referred to as Shaker Settlement. It later became the home of Craig Colony for Epileptics and today as the Groveland Correctional Facility.
Sonyea – Located on Rt. 36 in southwestern Groveland. The first post office to operate here in 1872 was called Son Yea, but was changed to Sonyea in 1876 (www.esphs.org). The name could translate to “burning sun” or “hot valley” (Letchworth, Life and Work, by J. N. Larned, p. 334), but more likely comes from “son-he” (a Seneca name meaning Thou Art Living There, signifying a favorite dwelling place) or from Seneca Captain Snow (Soneage or Soyeawa) (Aboriginal Place Names of NY, p.109).
A persistent rumor continues to circulate that the name is an acronym for “State Of New York Epileptic Asylum.” However, the name Sonyea was used for the area in the early 1800s, long before Craig Colony for Epileptics opened in 1896. See also Shaker Settlement.
Williamsburgh – The earliest planned European-American settlement in Livingston County, located in the northwest corner of the town of Groveland, near the confluence of the Genesee River and Canaseraga Creek. It was named for Sir William Pulteney, a member of an English land investment group, by Pulteney’s agent, Charles Williamson. Williamsburgh was established in 1792 and briefly occupied by German settlers, but the village never reached its expected potential. The Williamsburgh Cemetery is all that remains of the settlement.
Leicester was formed as a town in Genesee County in 1802 and originally named Lester, after the son of Oliver Phelps, partner in the Phelps and Gorham purchase in 1789, which encompassed much of what would become Livingston County (From Phelps and Gorham Purchase, by O. Turner, p. 353.). In 1805, the spelling was corrected to Leicester, the spelling of Leicester Phelps’s name.
The Village of Moscow was formed in 1814, and was incorporated in 1907. It was renamed the Village of Leicester in 1917. According to village minutes, the election of Mar. 20, 1917, put the proposition to change the name to the voters. Velma Maloney, former Leicester town historian, wrote in 1976: the purpose was to match the village, post office, and railroad station names. There was a Moscow, PA, just over the border and there was confusion with railroad mail and freight. She added, “There are a few that maintain that the Moscow Revolution entered into the matter.” (Related to international relations with Russia and the rise of the Bolsheviks during World War I.)
Bloody Hollow – Located at Little Beard’s Creek on the western edge of the town of Leicester near Brian Road. According to former Leicester Town Historian Velma Mahoney, it was named because sisters were murdered there. A farm on Alverson Road, just over the line in Perry, operating in the 1970s and 1980s, was called Bloody Hollow Farm (D&C 5/12/1985). See also Crooked S.
Bump’s Island – An island formed by a tight bend in the Genesee River in the 1800s; formerly it belonged to the town of Leicester, but when the river cut a new channel to the north, it eventually became part of the Mt. Morris flats on the north side of Rt. 408. The name comes from the Bump family who owned lots on the island at one time (1902 map). In early days, it was called Sally’s Bend after Sally, a Seneca woman who lived there and who married Ebenezer “Indian” Allan around the 1780s (Mills, Mt. Morris Centennial, p.27).
Clute’s Corners – Located at the gully south of the intersection of Perry Rd. and Upper Mt. Morris Road (From Velma Mahoney). Originally named for Jellis Clute and his brothers, who opened a road there. Now called White’s Hollow.
Crapsey Road - named for the Crapsey family who settled in the area in the 1820s, and mistakenly called Cropsey Road for some time, until reverted to Crapsey (Perry Herald, 1/24/1991)
Crooked S – a county-line road between Livingston and Wyoming counties; it was named because of two curves, making an irregular S shape. The name was changed to Brian Road for purposes of conforming to voting regulations and emergency calls when 911 was established in the 1990s. It extends from Rt. 20A to Dunkley Road in the town of Leicester. See also Bloody Hollow.
Cuylerville – The settlement, in the eastern part of the town, was laid out in 1840 by Col. William T. Cuyler and grew into a center of commerce during the era of the Genesee Valley Canal, 1840-1878. Near Little Beard’s Town.
Downey’s Corners – The intersection of Rt. 36 and Perry Road; a Leo Downey once lived there. See also John Long’s Corners. (Sources: Amie Alden 2017; various newspaper accounts with descriptions)
Dutch Corners – The southeast corner of Leicester on the river flats, marked in the 21st century by a dead-end road, called Dutch Corners Road, south off Jones Bridge Road. The Jones family were longtime residents here and Wadsworth farms on the flats in 1902 were called Dutch Corners East and West. Dutch Corners Road and Perry Road once made an ell on the flats, but by the late 1970s, both became dead ends due to encroachment by the river (Batavia Daily News, 1/18/1978).
Ga-neh-da-ont-weh - Seneca name meaning “where the hemlock was spilled,” located at present-day Leicester village (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.37); see also Moscow.
Gibsonville – A vanished hamlet in the southwestern corner of the town of Leicester, now part of Letchworth State Park. Named after Henry B. Gibson, an early landowner, it had businesses, a post office, school, and homes. One of its last uses was as a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp during the Great Depression.
Goose Hollow – on Rt. 39 near Keeney Rd; named for geese in a small creek a little past Pine Tavern.
Halite – A hamlet near Cuylerville from about 1907-1930, during the operation of the Sterling Salt Company mine at the site. (D&C, 5/17/1934). Located on the east side of River Road about .8 miles north of Cuylerville. Halite is the mineral name for salt.
John Long’s Corners – at the intersection of Perry Road and Upper Mt. Morris Road. See also Downey’s Corners.
Jones Bridge Road – A road that once crossed between Geneseo and Leicester over a bridge at what is now Indian Fort Nature Preserve; I-390 altered the Geneseo side of the road, and the Leicester side is now just a lane as it approaches the Genesee River. Named for Horatio Jones, whose farm, Sweet Briar, was on the east bank of the river at the bridge.
(Little) Beard’s Creek – Flows east across the town of Leicester to the Genesee River (Source: French’s Gazetteer of NY, maps), passing through what was formerly Little Beard’s Town.
Little Beard’s Town – An important Seneca settlement named for the Seneca chief Little Beard located near present-day Cuylerville. Also called Sin-non-do-wae-ne (1720), Che-non-da-nah (1754), Che-nan-do-an-es (1770s), Gen-e-see, and De-o-nun-da-ga-a, said to mean "where the hill is near." Another form is Dyu-non-dah-ga-seh, interpreted as "Steep hill creek." (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36). The large, important village was once home to Mary Jemison. It was destroyed in 1779 during the Sullivan Campaign, but was resettled by returning Senecas. The area was a Seneca reservation from 1797 to about 1803.
Moscow – Formerly called “Ga-neh-da-ont-weh” by the Seneca, meaning “where the hemlock was spilled” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.37). The village in Leicester was formed in 1814 as Moscow and incorporated 1907; the name was changed to Leicester in 1917. According to village minutes, the election of Mar. 20, 1917, put the proposition to change the name to the voters. Velma Maloney says in 1976: the purpose was to match the village, post office, and railroad station names. There was a Moscow, PA, just over the border and there was confusion with railroad mail and freight. She also wrote, “There are a few that maintain that the Moscow Revolution entered into the matter.” (Related to international relations with Russia and the rise of the Bolsheviks during World War I.)
Moscow Landing - A stop along the Genesee Valley Canal near Jones Bridge Road and River Road intersection. Also describes the area around the intersection and up to Rt. 36. The area has long been known to flood seasonally (sources: various newspaper accounts of accidents, residences, etc.).
O-ha-gi – A Tuscarora village on the west side of the Genesee River; name translated to “crowding the banks”; an Oneida village was nearby, possibly on east side of river, called Dyu-hah-gaih, meaning “the stream devours it” [the bank] (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.38).
Old Leicester – the area just west of the Jones Bridge Rd. and River Road intersection (Sources: 1852, 1902 maps). May relate to a settlement marked on 1829 map near the site and labeled Leicester on the 1840 Burr map.
Pennock’s Corners – There was a tavern owned by a Capt. Pennock east of the corners in Leicester.
Pine Tavern and Pine Tavern Corners – located at the intersection of five roads on southwest side of Leicester. Named for the former Pine Tavern establishment at the junction, said to be built around 1800. It was gone by 1872. The name Pine Tavern is labeled as early as 1852, when a Jones owned it (1852 map).
Rice’s Falls – On Beard’s Creek at Dunkley Road, Leicester (From History of Livingston County by Smith)
Sally’s Bend – See Bump’s Island.
Smokey Hollow – A ravine or hollow near Gibsonville (Nunda News 10/4/1884); in 1902, Smoky Hollow Road paralleled the town line between Leicester and Castile and continued into Castile; Smokey Hollow seems to be on both sides of the town lines.
Squawkie Hill - located east of Upper Mt. Morris Rd. between High Banks Rd. and Oaks Rd. Named for the Squawkiha, a people whose name was derived from the Meskwaki, an indigenous nation in Michigan.
In the 1700s, some Meskwaki people were adopted by the Seneca and settled in Newtown, now Elmira, New York. Their name became the Squawkiha. In 1779, during the Sullivan Campaign of the Revolutionary War, the army entered Newtown and the Squawkiha fled to the Genesee Valley. Their settlement became known as Squawkie Hill. In 1797, the Treaty of Big Tree set aside the Squawkie Hill area as a Seneca reservation. The land was sold in 1831.
Other Seneca names for the place include Da-ya-it-ga-o, interpreted as “where the river comes out of the hills” or “where the valley widens” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.38).
Teed’s Corners - at intersection of Peoria Rd. and Rt. 36. Named for tavern-keepers Pell and Achsah Teed who kept an inn near Teed’s Corners; Pell died in 1851 (Velma Mahoney, Liv. Republican 6/10/1971)
White’s Hollow – Formerly Clute’s Corners. Named for John F. White, a partner in the salt well at the hollow. Located at the gully south of the intersection of Perry Rd. and Upper Mt. Morris Road (From Velma Mahoney).
Lima was formed as Charleston, Ontario County, in 1789 and renamed Lima in 1808. The name purportedly comes from Lyme, CT, the origin of many of its early European American settlers. A Seneca settlement at the site of the village of Lima was known as Ska-hase-ga-o, translated to “Once a long creek” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36). In about 1789, Lima was briefly known as Mighell’s Gore after Abner Mighells purchased the western portion of the town, which was a large, triangular tract of land, or “gore” (Source: Lima 1788-1964 by Jenks).
The Village of Lima was incorporated in 1867.
Abraham’s Plains or Abram’s Plains – Probably located in the area of Keyes Road in Honeoye Falls, which was, in 1800, part of the town of Lima. Named after Abraham Wright, a free Black man who migrated from Connecticut to the Lima/Avon/Rush area with relatives as early as the 1790s. (Sources: Avon Town Records, 1800, 1810 census, History of Livingston County, by Smith).
Babylon Hills – Local name for area off Doran Rd. about ½ mile past Chase Rd., to the east.
Brick Schoolhouse Corners – near Elim Bible Institute, now known as Lima Corners. May refer to the former location of the Lima Village School.
Commins Corners - southwest corner of Corby Rd. and York St., where Jedediah Commins, an early settler and Revolutionary War veteran, lived (Lima Recorder, 6/8/1972). Also spelled Cummins Corners.
Factory Hollow – at Routes 5 & 20, four miles east of Lima village where Honeoye Creek crosses and divides Livingston and Ontario Counties. Named for the mill industry that flourished there in the first half of the 1800s. It is said that Factory Hollow Road was once a Haudenosaunee trail (Lima Recorder 8/2/1984)
Hamilton Station – the railroad stop in South Lima, named for William Hamilton, who had a tavern, and A. Hamilton, a proprietor of orchards and a lumber business. May have been post office address from 1852 (when railroad was constructed, name from landowner William Hamilton (source: “South Lima History” from D. Morgan Collection, unknown author and date)) until opening of South Lima Post Office on 1/10/1854 (USPS.com). See also South Lima.
Hegeman’s Corners or Hagaman’s Corners – Between McCoy Rd. and Clay St. on the southern border of Lima.
Honeoye Creek - According to Doty (History of the Genesee Country, Vol. I), comes from the Seneca for “finger lying there” and is based on a legend that when some Seneca people came to Honeoye Lake, they saw a finger upon a log, and the leader exclaimed, ‘Henceforth this place shall be called ‘Honeoye.’” More likely, the lake and area are named from the Seneca “finger lying” and gets its name for the shape of Honeoye Lake (Aboriginal Place Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.107). See also On-agh-e
Goose Island – Early South Lima was an island in a swampy area and a breeding spot for geese. When the Conesus junction of the Erie RR and Buffalo, Corning & NY RR was at the northwest corner of South Lima, the railroad call letters for South Lima were G.I., or Goose Island. The name appeared on Western Union telegrams well after the area became South Lima. (History of South Lima, D. Morgan’s files, unknown author). See also Hamilton’s Station and South Lima.
Idaho – a small settlement in the town of Lima that saw its real development after 1900. Perhaps its name was invented after that date since it does not appear on the early (1852-1902) maps, which only show two houses there. On early maps, a road that went straight west and connected with Doran Rd. On the 1902 map, the road (Covell Rd.) went across Honeoye Creek into Ontario County.
Lime Kiln –west off Dalton Rd. just after Heath Markham Rd., going north.
Michigan – west off Michigan Rd. and north of Jenks Rd.
Mighell’s Gore – In about 1789, the Lima area was briefly known as Mighell’s Gore after Abner Mighells purchased the western portion of the town, which was a large, triangular tract of land, or “gore” (Source: Lima 1788-1964 by Jenks).
North Bloomfield - extreme northeast corner of Lima at Martin Rd. and Ideson Rd. It is bisected by Honeoye Creek, and the east half of the hamlet is in West Bloomfield, Ontario County. The area was once called Smithtown and Puppy Town.
On-agh-e - A Seneca village near Honeoye, Ontario County, which gradually shifted westward. Also spelled An-ya-ye, An-ja-gen, etc. (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.37).
The Patch – on Livonia Center Rd. across from Cavanaugh Rd.; an Irish settlement in the mid to late 1800s. Local lore states that Mr. Peel, an Irish man, offered “patches” of land to other recent Irish immigrants so they could begin small farms (Deb and Tim Smith, Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel, 2/6/2020 p.12). Irish names such as Kelly, Cavanaugh, and Malone appear in 1870s records, but Mr. Peel and his “patches” remain a mystery.
Puppy Town – Former name of North Bloomfield, town of Lima (from Lima Recorder, 10/1/1981); no other information available.
Randolph – May have been a post office in Lima from 1821-1822, with postmaster Joel Garnsey; location unknown (New York Postal History, Kay and Smith, 1982).
Ska-hase-ga-o - A Seneca settlement at today’s village of Lima; name translates to “Once a long creek” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36).
Smithtown – extreme northeast corner of town at Martin Rd. and Ideson Rd.; now called North Bloomfield.
South Lima - Once known as Goose Island, since early South Lima was an island in a swampy area and breeding spot for geese. When the Conesus junction of the Erie RR and Buffalo, Corning & NY RR lines was at the northwest corner of South Lima, the railroad call letters for South Lima were G.I., or Goose Island. Was Hamilton Station from about 1852-1854 until South Lima Post Office was opened due to confusion with another Hamilton Station elsewhere. The name Hamilton Station stuck for the train stop for a time (French’s Gazetteer, 1860, 1872 map). The hamlet of South Lima extends into three towns: Lima, Livonia, and Avon.
Stony Brook – As of the 1990s, labeled as Spring Brook on highway map. A stream that runs north through the center of the town of Lima and is the eastern boundary of the village of Lima. “The only stream of importance” according to History of Livingston County by Smith.
Livonia was formed as Pittstown, Ontario County, in 1796 and named for the early Pitts family settlers. In 1808, the town of Livonia was formed from a portion of Pittstown. Resident Hon. George Smith proposed the name of the town after the historical Baltic region of Livonia, now in Estonia and Latvia. In 1819, a section of Livonia was removed to form part of the town of Conesus.
The Village of Livonia was incorporated in 1882.
Bosley’s Corners – The intersection of 15A and 20A. Possibly named because Bosleys lived in the area in the 1870s (1872 map).
Cadyville – Cadyville Rd. at Federal Rd.
Cedarcrest – Point on the east side of Conesus Lake at Van Zandt Rd.
Cluny Point – Near the northwest corner of Conesus Lake, just south of Pebble Beach.
Diligence Street – A nickname for Coe Road in South Livonia. According to Coe Road resident A. D. Coe, the name comes from “the fact that not one of the farmers living on that particular road was ever known to get his crops all secured before winter came in earnest. Generally the corn and potatoes would be left for moderate days in winter.” (Livonia Gazette, 1/26/1883, 2/16/1883). Another account has the several Coes on the road working diligently on their farms (Livonia Gazette, 5/17/1935 p.1).
Dennison’s Corners – Just over the town and county line in Richmond, Ontario County, at Oneill and Larned Roads. Named for early Dennison settlers, including Asa Dennison. (Source: Livonia Gazette, 8/6/1981)
Dutch Hill - Probably north of Lakeville on Rochester Rd., north of Poverty Row (Source: Livonia Gazette 9/15/1922).
Glenville – located in the southeastern corner of the town of Livonia, just below Hemlock, where Canadice Outlet and Rix Hill Road cross 15A. Called Gullburgh on the 1872 map.
Gullburgh – Located just below Hemlock in the southeastern corner of town, later called Glenville. There were gullies or “gulls” north of Hemlock Lake and south of Hoppough Mill Pond (later Woodruff Mill Pond) which lent Gullburgh its name.
Hamilton Station – Located in the northern part of the town of Livonia and crossing in Avon and Lima, a small station on the Erie RR line. Called Hamilton Station from about 1852-1854 until South Lima Post Office was opened due to confusion with another Hamilton Station elsewhere. The name Hamilton Station stuck for the train stop for a time (French’s Gazetteer, 1860, 1872 map). See also South Lima.
Hartson Point - East side of Conesus Lake south of Decker Road.
Hemlock – Located in the southeastern corner of Livonia. Was also known as Slab City because of its lumber industry. The Hemlock Lake Post Office was probably established in 1829 (USPS.com), later becoming Holden and then Hemlock. See also Hemlock Lake, Holden, and Slab City.
Hemlock Lake – May have been named for the hemlock trees harvested from the lake area in the nineteenth-century lumbering industry. The Seneca name for the lake was “O-Neh-Da” meaning “Hemlocks.” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.35). The Hemlock Lake Post Office was probably established in 1829 (USPS.com), later becoming Holden and then Hemlock.
Holden – Between Sept.-Dec. 1895, a name for the post office formerly called Hemlock Lake and then later Hemlock. According to a letter to the editor from O. A. Archer in 1895, the decision was made without discussion by C. W. Hudson; evidently the local residents did not support the change and Holden was again dropped (Livonia Gazette 11/1/1895). Related to the early Holdens of Holdenville and Jacksonville.
Holdenville – See Jacksonville.
Jacksonville – A settlement just north of Hemlock on the Hemlock Lake Outlet, at Big Tree Road near Clay St. A planned village was laid out by Andrew Holden in 1830 and many businesses relied on the outlet’s waterpower. The hamlet flourished through the 1840s and then eventually vanished due to railroad development in Livonia Station. A historical marker just east of Clay St. marks the site. May have been known as Holdenville as well (Livonia Gazette 10/16/1885).
Lakeville – A sizable hamlet on Rt. 20A at the foot of Conesus Lake, from the intersection with Rt. 15 until halfway up the hill to Livonia. The Lakeville Post Office was established in 1827 (USPS.com).
Livonia Center – Located east of the village of Livonia on Rt. 20A at the intersection of Federal and Livonia Center Roads. The Livonia Center Post Office established in 1811 (USPS.com). This was the principal village in Livonia prior to railroad construction in the early 1850s and the establishment of Livonia Station (present village of Livonia). Due to the railroad, the center of commerce shifted from Livonia Center to Livonia Station.
Livonia Station – Now the village of Livonia. Based initially around the railroad station called Livonia Station and associated commerce and housing, the hamlet grew into the principal village, incorporating in 1882 as the Village of Livonia. The Livonia Post Office was established in 1854.
Konyouyhyough - A Seneca name recorded in a European American journal of 1779 and used for Hemlock Lake; See also O-Neh-Da
McPherson Point – A squat peninsula halfway down the eastern side of Conesus Lake. The Livingston Inn was moved to this place from the village of Avon and was a prominent hotel serving lake visitors.
Millville – North of Lakeville, where there used to be a large pond on the Conesus Lake Outlet, visible on maps as early as 1858. Named for the water-powered mills there.
O-Neh-Da - Seneca name for Hemlock Lake, meaning “Hemlocks.” Also Konyouyhyough (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36).
Old Orchard Point – On the east side of Conesus Lake where Cleary Rd. meets East Lake Rd.
Owl’s Nest – An early settlement about one mile north of Jacksonville on the Hemlock Lake Outlet; gone by 1885 (Livonia Gazette 10/16/1885)
Pebble Beach – On the northwest corner of Conesus Lake, near Lakeville; Pebble Beach Rd. runs south off 20A before the intersection of Rt. 20A and Rt. 15.
Pennemite Road – Named because many of the first settlers in the area came from Pennsylvania. According to Livonia History, 1798-1989, one of the earliest settlers was Noah Price and his family from Shamokin, Pennsylvania. The one-room schoolhouse known as District #3 or the “Pennemite School” sat on the southwest corner of Pennemite and Vanzandt Road until it closed in 1934 and students were sent to school in the village.
Pittstown – The name of the town of Livonia from 1796-1808, named for the early Pitts family settlers. In 1808, a portion of Pittstown was taken to form a separate town and was called Livonia.
Poverty Street, Poverty Street Extension, and Poverty Row – Probably along Rochester Rd. in Lakeville, near the railroad, listed consecutively from 20A north along Rochester Road. (Source: 1789-1989 Livonia History, Livonia Gazette 9/15/1922 and 9/25/1975). Likely named because working-class residents lived there.
Slab City – Paper and pulp mills abounded north of Hemlock, and the area was known for its early lumber industry. Slab City may have been a derogatory name, however, according to one resident (Livonia Gazette 11/1/1895). See also Hemlock.
South Lima – The hamlet extends into three towns: Lima, Livonia, and Avon. Once known as Goose Island, since early South Lima was an island in a swampy area and breeding spot for geese. When the Conesus junction of the Erie RR and Buffalo, Corning & NY RR lines was at the northwest corner of South Lima, the railroad call letters for South Lima were G.I., or Goose Island. Was Hamilton Station from about 1852-1854 until South Lima Post Office was opened due to confusion with another Hamilton Station elsewhere. The name Hamilton Station stuck for the train stop for a time (French’s Gazetteer, 1860, 1872 map).
South Livonia – Commonly called “Vermont Street” because the first settlement here in the early 1800s contained principally pioneers from Vermont (source: Livingston Republican 3/15/1877).
Tuxedo Park – On the east side of Conesus Lake, about 1 mile south of 20A. A cottage development area whose name was in use by the 1890s.
Vermont Street – see South Livonia.
Mt. Morris was formed from Leicester, Genesee County, in 1818 and named in honor of Robert Morris, financer of the American Revolution and early owner of a large tract of land on the west side of the Genesee River, including Mt. Morris.
Early names for the town include Sho-no-jo-waah-geh, a Seneca name meaning “big kettle” and signifying Big Kettle’s Town, which may have come from a large copper distilling kettle brought by European Americans. Big Kettle is a name often attached to Gen. William A. Mills, who was a prominent early white settler. Big Kettle may also refer to a Seneca leader’s name (History of Livingston County by Doty; Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison, Seaver, 1824; Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.36). Additionally, the town was referred to as Allen’s Hill after Ebenezer “Indian” Allen and later called Richmond Hill.
The Village of Mount Morris was incorporated in 1835.
Allen’s Hill – Early name for Mt. Morris. Named by Col. John Trumbull for Ebenezer “Indian” Allen, an early settler and businessman. Also later known as Richmond Hill.
Brooks Grove – Micah Brooks bought land in 1823 from Mary Jemison, who owned acreage on the Gardeau Reservation. Brooks established the community of Brook’s Grove, now on Rt. 408 between Guile and Short Tract Roads. Brooks served as postmaster for many years, and was also a schoolmaster, judge, and congressman. The Brooks Grove Post Office was formerly Leoni (1825-1831).
Brushville – A small settlement that briefly existed at present-day Tuscarora in the 1840s. May have been occupied by workers as they built the Genesee Valley Canal.
Bump’s Island – An island formed by a tight bend in the Genesee River in the 1800s; formerly it belonged to the town of Leicester, but when the river cut a new channel to the north, it eventually became part of the Mt. Morris flats on the north side of Rt. 408. The name comes from the Bump family who owned lots on the island at one time (1902 map). In early days, it was called Sally’s Bend after Sally, a Seneca woman who lived there and who married Ebenezer “Indian” Allan around the 1780s (Mills, Mt. Morris Centennial, p.27).
Damonsville – A settlement at what is now Damonsville Road, off Grove Street in village of Mt. Morris.
Dutch Flats – A strip of highway in the vicinity of North Main Street, village of Mt. Morris, later renamed Mills Ave.
Dutch Street - at corner of Dutch Sreet Road and Rt. 36.
Gardeau Reservation – The largest Seneca reservation in Livingston County, created at the 1797 Treaty of Big Tree, and longtime home of Mary Jemison. Comes from Ga-da’-o, translating to “bank in front” (Aboriginal Place Names of New York, Beauchamp, 1908).
Leoni – A post office in west-central Mt. Morris from 1825-1831, later changed to Brooks Grove.
Miller’s Corners – possibly located at Short Tract Rd. and St. Helena Rd., just south of Brooks Grove.
Molasses Hill – on Rt. 408 south of Brooks Grove, between about Short Tract Rd. and the town line of Nunda. In 1823 a merchant with a wagonload of molasses had the wagon tip over and molasses pour all the way down the hill of Rt. 408 (sources: Nunda News 9/27/1962 p.1, Genesee Country Express, 4/14/1983). In 1912, the new paved road meant grading the hill and reducing its steepness (Nunda News 10/10/1942)
Mullingar – The area of North Marin St. around the early (c. 1840s) glass factory owned by John R. Murray and the schoolhouse on North Main. A series of workers’ houses were built there and known as “the Nine Sisters” and the name likely comes from the Irish workers who lived in the area.
Richmond Hill – An early name for the town of Mt. Morris.
Ridge or The Ridge – Where Ridge Rd. crosses Rt. 408 south of the village of Mt. Morris. The hamlet is on a ridge that overlooks the Keshequa Creek valley to the east and, to a lesser extent, the Genesee River gorge to the west. The post office at this place was called River Road from 1825-1839 and later became Ridge (New York Postal History, Kay and Smith, 1982).
River Road Forks – Where Picket Line Road intersects River Road at a Y. Closely associated with nearby St. Helena to the west. Post office names and locations may have shifted between the two settlements, being called River Road Forks, then St. Helena between 1840-1841, then River Road Forks again. (New York Postal History, Kay and Smith, 1982)
Saint Helena – A hamlet on the western border of Mt. Morris and crossing the Genesee River into the town of Castile at St. Helena Street. The hamlet was settled while the land was still part of the Gardeau Reservation, home of Mary Jemison, but in 1823 the land was sold to white investors. There was a St. Helena post office between 1840-1841, which may have afterward become the post office at nearby River Road Forks (New York Postal History, Kay and Smith, 1982). Changing patterns of the Genesee River and seasonal flooding decreased the number of residents at St. Helena by the early twentieth century. The hamlet was fully abandoned by the construction of the Mt. Morris Dam in 1951 due to the resulting flooding upriver at St. Helena.
Scipio Road – In the southeast part of Mt. Morris; purportedly refers to early residents who came from Scipio in Central New York.
Shaker Crossing – On Rt. 408 on the Mt. Morris flats, there was a farm kept by a Shaker “out family” from the Sonyea community. Although not related, the group lived apart from the Sonyea group and raised crops on the flats. The Rochester Branch of the Erie RR crossed Rt. 408 near the Shaker farm, and the crossing was named after the Shaker group.
Tuscarora – A hamlet in the southeast part of Mt. Morris where Scipio Road, Barron Road, and Presbyterian Road meet. Around 1840, it was called Brushville and had a post office by that name. It is part of the Tuscarora Tract, which was a large area of the Morris Reserve. The name Tuscarora likely refers to the Tuscarora Nation of the Carolinas, known to the Seneca as “shirt-wearers,” who became the sixth nation to join the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. There are no known Tuscarora settlements in Mt. Morris, however.
Union Corners – On the town line of Mt. Morris and West Sparta at Presbyterian Rd.
Wildcat Gully – Wildcat Gully Road runs east-west just south of Tuscarora and connects Scipio Road and Presbyterian Road, crossing a stream. The earliest mention found of the name is in the Nunda News 1/7/1871; lifelong residents of West Sparta say the area used to have bobcats (Dansville Breeze 10/22/1968).
A billhead from a business in Tuscarora. During the 1840s, Tuscarora was known as Brushville.
Dansville was named for Capt. Daniel Faulkner, an early European American settler of the area (from History of Livingston County by Smith). A Seneca village called Kanuskago or Ganuskago once occupied the present village site.
The town of North Dansville was originally the northwest quadrant of the town of Dansville, Steuben County. After residents petitioned to join Livingston County, the quadrant was annexed to Sparta in 1822.
According to the History of Steuben County, today’s village of Dansville was named South Sparta in 1824 to distinguish it from the town and village of Dansville, Steuben County. However, after petitioners from South Sparta complained that their mail was constantly delivered to Steuben County, South Sparta became Dansville again. Subsequently, the village of Dansville in Steuben County was renamed South Dansville.
In 1845, the Village of Dansville in Sparta, Livingston County, was incorporated. The next year, Sparta was split into three towns: Sparta, West Sparta, and North Dansville.
In the 21st century, there are four Dansville entities: the town of North Dansville with the village of Dansville in Livingston County, and the town of Dansville with the village of South Dansville in Steuben County.
Battle Street – In 1842, the Genesee Valley Canal had just been built alongside the village of Dansville, but some village merchants wanted it to come into the downtown area. NY State did not agree, so the merchants had a new ditch dug at a cost of $6000, intending to extend the canal. In 1844, when they almost reached the state-dug portion, they fought a group of men sent by officials to prevent the completion. The merchants won, and in victory, made the final cuts through the bank, allowing water to fill their waterway. The fight took place near Dock Street, and so the street along the new branch of the canal was called Battle Street. In the early 1950s, the street name was temporarily changed to Booth Avenue, but changed back when the historical significance was pointed out. (Wilfred Rauber, 1957)
California House - at junction of Rt. 63 and Stone Falls Road, mentioned in newspapers as early as 1852. Later became John Woods’ hotel, though the name California House stuck, also lending its name to the nearby California House Bridge. By the 1910s, there was suggestion that the hotel had ill repute, and it was ordered to close in 1919 (Livingston County Review 1914 pg. 21; Dansville Express 1/2/1919). It later reopened as the Valley Hotel.
Canaseraga Creek – From Seneca “Ga-nus-ga-go” meaning “among the milkweeds” or Can-a-se-ra-ga, “Among the slippery elms” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.35). Also known as Rushbottom for the abundant rushes that fed cattle during the first winters (source: Miniature of Dansville Village, Clark, p.11).
Comminsville or Cumminsville – a hamlet located on the Canaseraga Creek and Genesee Valley Canal northwest of Dansville village, on the border of West Sparta. Named for Warren and Moses Commins, either brothers or father and son (Wilfred Rauber, 1957). They settled in 1832 and made reapers, cultivators, potato machines, and other farm implements. The population in Comminsville in 1880 was 126 (from History of Livingston County, Smith, p. 187). Name altered to Cumminsville sometime prior to the 1960s.
Fulton Street – In the village of Dansville; named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the steamboat (Rauber, 1957).
Ga-nus-ga-go - Seneca name for Canaseraga Creek, meaning “among the milkweeds” or Can-a-se-ra-ga, “Among the slippery elms” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.35).
Health Street – The portion of Rt. 256 which comes into the village of Dansville. Named because it was the approach to the Jackson Health Resort or Castle on the Hill. Prior to this, it was part of Hamsher Road, leading into Sparta. Then it was extended south and became Seminary Street because of the Dansville Seminary (now Kings Daughters’ Home). Health Street was chosen after the Union School District was formed. (Wilfred Rauber, 1957)
Kanuskago - Early Seneca town at present-day Dansville (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.35). See also Ga-nus-ga-go
Mill Creek – “Mill Creek…on which [is] situated a number of mills…” (from History of Livingston County, by L.L. Doty, p. 633).
Paradise Alley – Named for a popular song of long ago, possibly “The Sunshine of Paradise Alley”; a narrow street in Dansville.
Poag’s Hole Road – Running from southwest corner of North Dansville to the southeast corner of the town of Ossian along the creek and into Dansville, Steuben Co. The earliest mention yet found of Poges Hole [sic] is in 1826 (Source: NYS Militia Roll (203-R16-S1-B2 #5, p. 2). See Poags Hole in Ossian section for more. See also The Rocks.
The Rocks – known as such in 1957, according to Wilfred Rauber; the entrance to Poag’s Hole, where there were once mills.
“Nearby recreational bathing in the ‘good old summertime’ besides a couple obscure ‘skinny-dipping’ swimming holes, was the rocks where the Canaseraga Creek meandered out of Poag’s Hole. Its water temperature was pleasant but its depth limited diving to shallow and its area not much larger than some present day backyard facilities. Privacy for changing to swimwear or street clothes was at the horse stables of a generous neighbor.” (From Genesee Country Express, 4/17/1986 p.1)
Rushbottom – another name for the Canaseraga Creek for the abundant rushes that fed cattle during the first winters (source: Miniature of Dansville Village, Clark, p.11).
Sky Farm – Possibly a name, dating back to the 1870s, for the crown of East Hill, on which the Jackson Sanitorium was built. Some newspaper references suggest that in the early 1900s, F. J. McNeil called his farm on East Hill “Sky Farm.”
Solomon’s Temple – Said to be the first three-story building in Livingston County and built by brothers Solomon and Isaac Fenstermacher after they arrived in Dansville in 1805 (Dansville Breeze 4/7/1925). Location unknown.
South Sparta – The present village of Dansville was named South Sparta in 1824 to distinguish it from the town and village of Dansville, Steuben County. However, after petitioners from South Sparta complained that their mail was constantly delivered to Steuben County, South Sparta became Dansville again. Subsequently, the village of Dansville in Steuben County was renamed South Dansville. (Source: History of Steuben County.)
Stone’s Falls – Stone’s Falls Road near Stone Road on the Canaseraga Creek, in the extreme southeast corner of North Dansville. Named for miller Rufus Stone, who settled in the corner of the township about 1816 (from Wilfred Rauber, 1957).
Nunda was formed from Angelica, Allegany County, in 1808 and annexed to Livingston County in 1846. The name comes from the Seneca Nun-da, meaning “hilly,” or O-non-da-oh, “where many hills come together” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.37). Other sources translate to “People of the Hill” or “Meeting of the Hill.”
The Village of Nunda was incorporated in 1839.
Barkertown – located in the heavily timbered section on East Hill, in south-central Nunda. It was named for Seth S. Barker, a settler in 1821. It was a lumbering center, and several sawmills operated there, including one where one of the first circular saws was used. School Dist. #5 was formerly here. The farms around Barkertown were noted for their crops of hops and ginseng. (Sources: Marjorie Frost, 1955 and “Woman Says” by M.C.F., Nunda News 1/5/1956).
Chautauqua Hollow – Located about 3 miles southeast of Nunda village on Rt. 70. A settlement in a valley confined by the towering French and East Hills; there is a Chautauqua Hollow Cemetery. See also Rosses and Ross’s Crossing.
Coopersville – located in the Keshequa valley in the north-central part of Nunda, just off the Creek road, formerly a Haudenosaunee trail called the Keshequa trail. It was later an important flouring center with many mills. A gristmill once ran night and day, requiring the output of 4 coopers to supply barrels. The gristmill was built by Andrew Gilbert in 1836 and made the famous Genesee flour known as the “Teranan” brand. (Marjorie Frost, 1955 and printed in “Woman Says” by M.C.F., Nunda News 1/5/1956). Coopersville was later known as Nunda Junction (1902 atlas).
Dalton – first known as Nunda Station for the Erie RR stop; was a produce and shipping center. Some say when the name was changed from Nunda Station in 1881, there were nominations for Ayro (for leading produce merchant Lyman Ayrault), Parkertown (for Sanford Parker), and Omaha. Apparently, Mr. or Mrs W. G. Haines suggested Dalton because the people of Dalton, GA, had befriended soldiers in the Civil War; the name was selected (Sources: Nunda News 1/5/1956, Nunda News 3/16/1981). The Nunda Station Post Office was established in 1856 and became Dalton Post Office in 1881 (www.esphs.org).
East Hill – In southeast corner of town, now the Rattlesnake Hill Wildlife Management Area. From 1832-1867, was a post office (www.esphs.org, 1850s maps), Rufus Robinson (or Wm. Robinson) was postmaster, and mail was carried on foot to Nunda and Dansville. A road, which dips away from the site, leads to the tiny settlement of Sweetcake Hollow. In 1950s, was site of an American Airlines beacon (Source: Marjorie Frost, 1955).
French Hill – Probably southeast of Dalton, with Newville Creek on east.
Guy’s Corners – see Wilcox’s Corners
Hubbell’s Corners – also known as Nunda Valley. The early village of Nunda before it was a populated was named for Alanson Hubbell who had an inn there in the 1820s. After the post office was moved here from Wilcox Corners, it was renamed Nunda Valley (Marjorie Frost, 1955).
Keshequa – “’Chish-a-qua’ is the queer name of a little stream in the western and southern part of Livingston County. It should be pronounced the same as if it were spelled ‘kiss a squaw’, which the name is a corruption” (from a western NY newspaper, 1887; republished by M.C.F. in the Nunda News).
Perhaps related to “Kah Kwas” or Neutrals in Niagara region of WNY, or one syllable means “creek,” as suggested in Centennial History of Nunda (page 50). Co-sha-qua or Ke-sha-qua is listed in Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.37, but no translation given. See also Kishawa under Portage.
Nunda Junction – see Coopersville
Nunda Station - see Dalton
Nunda Valley – An early name for what is now the village of Nunda. The post office by the name Nunda Valley operated there from 1830-1846 before becoming Nunda.
O-non-da-oh - Seneca name for Nunda area, meaning “where many hills come together” or Nun-da, meaning “hilly” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.37).
Rosses and Ross’s Crossing – Within the vicinity of Chautauqua Hollow; where John Ross kept a tavern, and where “Swain’s Branch of the Penna RR later connected with the Erie” (Marjorie Frost, 1955). Located at the southern edge of the town of Nunda where two railroad lines once passed in Allegany County (1902 atlas). A post office called Rosses, which later redirected to Dalton, was active from about 1898-1904 (New York Postal History, Kay and Smith, 1982). See also Turnout.
Shirt Tail Bend – A section of a street in Nunda was separated from the main road by the Genesee Valley Canal. The shirt is on one side of the canal bed, the tail is on the other (Source: Arch Merrill, Democrat and Chronicle 4/6/1952).
Sweetcake Hollow – a tiny settlement near East Hill (source: Marjorie Frost, 1955).
Tin Pot Alley – probably present-day Center St. in the village of Nunda.
Turnout – “A little side station [on the Buffalo Division of the Erie] 4 miles from Dalton (Dalton Enterprise. 11/15/1895); possibly a junction on the southern border of Nunda, near Grove, labeled as Rosses on the 1902 Atlas.
Wilcox Corners – also called Guy’s Corners and The Center. About 1½ miles directly south of village, located strategically on the old state road (the leading thoroughfare from Rochester to Angelica and PA). It was named for William Pendleton Wilcox, veteran of the War of 1812, who came from Herkimer Co. in 1820 and was the first merchant in the township. He also kept the first tavern and was the first postmaster. He sold to Jacob Guy in 1831, after which the settlement was known as Guy’s Corners. A graveyard, blacksmith shop, and schoolhouse were also located there. (from Marjorie Frost, 1955, and “Woman Says” by M.C.F., Nunda News 1/5/1956).
Ossian was formed from Angelica, Allegany County, in 1808. The name came from a legendary third-century Irish Gaelic poet that apparently was invented by Scottish writer James Macpherson in the 18th century.
In 1857, the town of Ossian was annexed to Livingston County, making it the last town to join Livingston.
Bisbeetown or Bisbee Settlement – Also called Westview and located on Rt. 436 in the northwest part of town. Named for early white settler and Revolutionary War veteran Luther Bisbee and the Bisbee family.
Canaseraga Creek – From Seneca “Ga-nus-ga-go” meaning “among the milkweeds” or Can-a-se-ra-ga, “Among the slippery elms” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.35). Also known as Rushbottom for the abundant rushes that fed cattle during the first winters (source: Miniature of Dansville Village, Clark, p.11).
Ossian Centre – Located in the center of the town of Ossian, and called Ossian Centre through the 1850s. By the 1870s, the post office and unincorporated village was called simply Ossian.
Poag’s Hole – Poag’s Hole Road runs from southwest corner of North Dansville to the southeast corner of the town of Ossian along the creek and into Dansville, Steuben Co. The earliest mention yet found of Poges Hole [sic] is from an 1826 NYS Militia Roll.
There are various versions of the name’s origin:
- Derives its name from Benjamin Kenyon, who located at Dansville village in 1807, and afterwards about 2 miles south of Dansville village in this narrow valley (Steuben County). “He was a desperate character” and was nicknamed “Capt. Pogue, signifying the devil” (from letter of 1860, reminiscence of James McCurdy, Dansville Advertiser 8/9/1877 p.3, col.4 and later adapted for History of Livingston County, by Smith).
- “The original squatter, Mr. Poag, buried a lot of potatoes in a pit, which later on was looted by an unprincipled neighbor, who was subsequently arrested, and a lawsuit ensued. This being a great event in these early days, it brought into such prominence Mr. Poag and his potato hole, or “Poag’s hole” as it was referred to in the lawsuit, that the name stuck fast and was gradually shortened into a single word, by which it is known to this day and will doubtless continue to be known so long as grass grows and water runs” (from Dansville 1789-1902, by A. O. Bunnell, Part II, pg. 18).
- “Captain Pogue was said to be a renegade who was accused of stealing in the vicinity, usually livestock, after which we would retreat to the quite inaccessible area where though he did not resist efforts to apprehend him he was able however to conceal himself successfully.” (Wilfred J. Rauber, 1957)
- Poag’s Hole is a valley on the Canaseraga, settled/squatted on by Tory outlaw Capt. Benjamin Kenyon (Pogue). (Research paper by Wm. Flint “A Tale of the Canaseraga” p. 15, cites A. O. Bunnell)
Rattlesnake Hill – Currently the site of the Rattlesnake Hill Wildlife Management Area. Eastern timber rattlesnakes, a native species of New York, need steep wooded habitat, like that on Rattlesnake Hill. Rattlesnakes were once prevalent here, but are now rarely seen in Livingston County. They were killed in great numbers in the 19th and early 20th centuries and today live in remote areas.
The Rocks – Known as such in 1957, according to Wilfred Rauber; the entrance to Poag’s Hole, where there were once mills.
“Nearby recreational bathing in the ‘good old summertime’ besides a couple obscure ‘skinny-dipping’ swimming holes, was the rocks where the Canaseraga Creek meandered out of Poag’s Hole. Its water temperature was pleasant but its depth limited diving to shallow and its area not much larger than some present day backyard facilities. Privacy for changing to swimwear or street clothes was at the horse stables of a generous neighbor.” (From Genesee Country Express, 4/17/1986 p.1)
Sugar Creek – Believed to be derived be from the extensive number of sugar maples in the vicinity. Sugar Creek was mentioned in a road survey as early as 1820 (Source: Ossian town records) and passes through Ossian Centre.
Telegraph Road – This road, of which Rt. 436 is now a part, passes across northern Ossian and was the route of the New York and Erie Telegraph line constructed in 1848 by Ezra Cornell.
Westview – see also Bisbeetown. Located on Rt. 436 in northwest part of Ossian and had West View Post Office from 1858-1867, which was later reestablished as Westview and ran 1893-1902.
Portage was formed from Nunda, Allegany County, in 1827. The name comes from “portage” (por-TAJ), the act of carrying boats on land when waterways are unnavigable. The three landmark Genesee River waterfalls on the western border of Portage, now in Letchworth State Park, interrupted the river thoroughfare. The town’s name is pronounced “POR-tedge.”
Portage was annexed to Livingston County in 1846.
Note that the village of Portageville is in Genesee Falls, Wyoming County, just across the Genesee River from the town of Portage. The post office there was known as Portage from 1825-1828 before becoming Portageville.
Big Bend – Once the site of a CCC Camp; on east side of Genesee River near present site of Cabin Area E in Letchworth State Park, end of Parade Ground Road.
De-o-wes-ta - A neck of land below Portageville (Indian Names in New York, Beauchamp, p. 36)
Greigsville – The post office in Hunts Hollow was briefly called Greigsville before about 1822, likely after land agent John Greig (Nunda News, 10/19/1889 and 11/2/1889). See Hunts Hollow
Hog’s Hollow – see Hunt’s Hollow
Hunt and Hunts – On Rt. 7 between Rt. 70 and Short Tract Rd. (Rt. 20). The unincorporated village evolved due to the railroad station at the site, which was just a bit southwest of Hunts Hollow. It was called Hunt’s Station for a time, and eventually most commerce shifted to the railroad-centered hamlet, leaving Hunts Hollow to shrink. Named for the early Hunt family settlers, including Sanford Hunt. The post office, as it moved from Hunts Hollow to the more active Hunt to the southwest, changed names several times: from Hunts Hollow to Hunts in 1873, to Hunt in mid-1893, to Kishawa in late 1893, and back to Hunt in early 1894. The short time as Kishawa was an attempt by some to resurrect return to indigenous names, before a petition was filed and it was returned to Hunt (New York Postal History, Kay and Smith 1982; Nunda News 12/16/1893).
Hunts Hollow – The area around Hunts Hollow was first called Kishawa (many variations on spelling), the Seneca name for the place. It was then referred to as the Nichols Settlement and then the Nichols and Bennett Settlement (notes by Vandalia Slater, c. 1880s). For a short time, probably before 1822, the post office was called Greigsville, but was changed because there was another Greigsville in the state (Nunda News 11/2/1889). Between 1822-1829, it was Kishawa, after the creek running through the area. After that point, it became Hunts Hollow (Nunda News, 10/19/1889 and notes by Vandalia Slater, c. 1880s, Portage Town Historian’s Collection). The name Kishawa continued to be attached to the settlement after the post office became Hunts Hollow, until “the name of the post-office prevailed.” (Nunda News, 10/19/1889). See Hunt for more post office names.
Hunts Hollow was also called Hog’s Hollow because of the nearby hog’s-back ridge. (Nunda News 12/21/1889).
Hunt’s Station – see Hunt
Kishawa – Kishawa was the name of the post office in Hunts Hollow from 1822-1829, after the Kishawa Creek running though town. According to notes by Vandalia Slater c. 1880s, the creek was named by the Seneca and referred to “yellow, muddy or swift waters”; it was spoken “Without moving the lips, grunted or aspirated hardly sounding the H, with a guttural sound accented on the last syllable” (c. 1880s Slater notes in Portage Town Historian’s Collection). There are many variable spellings. See also Hunts Hollow, Hunt, and Keshequa in Nunda section.
Lewis - A railroad stop on the Pennsy just north of Oakland
Messenger’s Hollow – Now Oakland. See Oakland.
Mudville – the extreme southwest corner of the town of Portage; here Charles Burnham built a sawmill in about 1817, and because the “hillside streams mixing with the alluvium of the bottom land made a very muddy mill yard and the place was named Mudville” (article read by Mr. C. D. Bennett, 13 Annual Meeting of Liv. Co. Hist. Soc.; quoted in Sesquicentennial of the Town of Portage, 1827-1977, p 14, by Thompson). Appears on the 1852 map of Portage as Muddville.
Nichols Settlement – Very early name for the Hunts Hollow area, which became Nichols and Bennett Settlement (notes by Vandalia Slater, c. 1880s); see Hunts Hollow
Oakland – Formerly called Messenger’s Hollow for Russell Messenger, who located there in 1817 and built the first gristmill in the town on Rt. 436 at Oakland Rd. and Parker Rd. The post office for the area was originally at Col. Williams’ estate, “Oakland,” and in 1832 it was moved to Messenger’s Hollow; thereafter, the hamlet was known as Oakland (Nunda News, 5/19/1977). There was also an Oakland stop on the Genesee Valley Canal.
Parker’s Corners – at corners of 3 roads: Parker Rd, Stafano Rd. and Thompson Rd.
Portage – A post office by the name of William’s Place was changed Portage for a few months in 1853 (NYS Offices Index, www.esphs.org); a Portage Post Office then existed just east of Upper Falls on the Genesee River from 1893-1920.
Portage Station - a railroad stop on Portageville Rd. near the Genesee River Bridge (Livingston County Gazetteer, 1860, p. 386)
Whiskey Bridge – An alternate name of Prentice Schoolhouse, District #6; refers to joint bridge project undertaken by Portage and Genesee Falls before the County Highway Department. It was said that neither the town highway superintendents, F. G. Lefoy and Charles Saxton, “nor their help were teetotalers.” (Source: Letter, Beardsley to Reynolds, 1959; B63-F1-AF1840).
William’s Place – The name of a post office from 1852-1853, renamed Portage in 1853 for a few months, then again from 1893-1920 (Washington DC Republic, 2/18/1853; NYS Offices Index, www.esphs.org); likely just east of Upper Falls on the Genesee River.
Sparta was formed in Ontario County in 1789. The town was named for an ancient city-state in the country of Greece.
In 1822, a portion of Steuben County, containing the village of Dansville, was annexed to Sparta. The large town of Sparta was divided in 1846 to form the towns of Sparta, West Sparta, and North Dansville.
Clark’s Corners – At the northwest corner of Stagecoach Road and Springwater-Scottsburg Road; named for Willis Clark Sr. (1790-1891) who operated a tavern there as early as 1795 (Source: Scottsburg from the Beginning 1796-1950s p. 10-11)
Claytonville – A small hamlet due east of Reeds Corners at the Springwater town line, about where Stong Hill Road meets Town Line Road. Named for Charles Clayton, who owned a large amount of land and sold it off beginning in the 1850s (“History of the Story Road,” by Lloyd Moose, Genesee County Express, 3/2/1933; 1858 and 1872 maps). The Claytonville Post Office operated 1897-1902 until rural free delivery caused it to close (New York Postal History, Kay and Smith, 1982).
Collartown – A former name for Scottsburg, and named for Jesse Collar, an early settler.
East Sparta – there is no official designation for East Sparta, but early residents referred to the area of Story Road in the vicinity of the Sparta-Springwater town line as such.
Hardscrabble Road – so-called until 1961, it is now Stong Hill Road. Runs east and west into Town Line Road (formerly Story Road).
Haven’s Corners – located at junction of Rt. 63 and Caldwell Road near the Groveland town line. Daniel Haven kept the first tavern in the town here in 1800.
Hilts Corners – On Hilts Road near intersection with Kuhn Road; named for John Hilts and his family, who came from Germany in the mid-1830s; he was an expert forester and tree grafter (“History of the Story Road,” by Lloyd Moose, Genesee County Express, 2/9/1933 p.3)
Hynes Road – Originally called Whiteman Road, it was spelled Hines Road (source: Liv Co. road maps 1954, 1955) then later spelled Hynes (Liv. Co. road maps 1961-2000, Sparta Historian Mary Jo Marks).
Mud Run Creek – So-called on the 1912 Livingston County road map, then after that just Mud Creek. Located in the extreme southwest corner of the town of Sparta. See also Patterson Gully and Stony Brook.
Neblick’s Hill – On the old Story Road (Town Line Road), in central-west Sparta between Hilts Road and Swartz Road.
North Sparta – In 1851, this designated a post office and hamlet at corner of Scottsburg Road and Rt. 63 on the northern edge of the town, near Groveland Station (see Groveland section)( NYS Offices Index, www.esphs.org). The post office moved over the line into the town of Groveland in 1874.
Patterson Gully – West of Rt. 63 in the extreme southwest corner of the town; also known as Mud Run Creek and Stony Brook.
Reed’s Corners – A hamlet at the junction of Reeds Corners Road (Rt. 29) and Stong Hill Road. Named for John Reed family. Has two small burial grounds, Reed Family and Reeds Corners cemeteries, across the road from one another.
Scottsburgh / Scottsburg – Originally called Collartown after the Collar family. Then the Scott family arrived, and it was called Scottsburgh after William Scott, who built the Scottsburgh Hotel in 1819 (from History of Livingston County, by Doty; History of Livingston County, by Smith). The “H” at the end of Scottsburgh was dropped from the post office name in 1967 (NYS Offices Index, www.esphs.org)
Sparta Post Office – At corner of Parker Hill Rd. and Carney Rd.; formerly the Sparta Post Office was located here, c. 1840s-1870s. (1850s maps; NYS Offices Index, www.esphs.org)
Sparta Center – At junction of Church Rd. and Rt. 253, where Sparta Town Hall is located.
Stong Hill Road - see Hardscrabble Road
Stony Brook – See Mud Run Creek
Story Road – Now Town Line Road, running between Springwater and Sparta. Named for a Mr. Story who, in the early 1800s, with the help of neighbors, chopped this 6-mile road through the heavy pine woods (“History of the Story Road,” by Lloyd Moose).
Springwater was formed from Sparta and Naples, Ontario County, in 1816. Some sources credit Seth Knowles with suggesting the name Springwater for the numerous springs found in the hills (History of the Township of Springwater, Robinson). Another account credits John Roberts (c.1766-1850s) with naming the town (History of Peter Roberts Family by Marion E. Scott, 1990).
Prior to 1816, the town of Naples was known as Middletown, as it was about halfway between Canandaigua and Bath.
Bald Hill – Located between Hemlock and Canadice Lakes in the town of Canadice; at the time of white settlers’ arrival, an area on the south end of the hill, near Springwater village, was cleared. In an otherwise densely wooded area, this barren spot looked bald. (Source: History of the Township of Springwater, p.12)
Buffalo Street – This road, in Wayland, meets Becker Road at the Springwater town line in southwestern Springwater. The school district there was known as Pokey Moonshine or Buffalo Street District until it closed in the 1930s. The name may have originated from a comment made about the bearded and rough-looking lumbermen and sawyers who lived in that area and worked at Spaffard’s Mill – that they “looked like a lot of buffalos.” (Source: Wayland Register 10/17/1939 p.1)
Carney Hollow – Originally called Wabash. William Roberts, son of John Roberts of Sparta, scouted and chose land at the Wabash River in Indiana, but his family declined to move on in the end, settling in the southwest corner of Springwater. Their settlement became known as “Wabash.” The descendants of the Robertses were Carneys, and eventually the area became known as Carney Hollow. (Source: History of the Peter Roberts Family by Marion E. Scott, 1990, p.5 and Early History of the Town of Springwater, p. 22)
Claytonville – A small hamlet due east of Reeds Corners at the Springwater town line, about where Stong Hill Road meets Town Line Road. According to Livingston County road map 1961, located at corner of Carney Hollow Road and Meade Hill Road in Springwater. Named for Charles Clayton, who owned a large amount of land and sold it off beginning in the 1850s (“History of the Story Road,” by Lloyd Moose, Genesee County Express, 3/2/1933; 1858 and 1872 maps). The Claytonville Post Office operated 1897-1902 until rural free delivery caused it to close (New York Postal History, Kay and Smith, 1982).
East Springwater – At Wetmore and Wheaton Hill Roads, now known as Tabor Corners; the East Springwater Post office was located here from 1844-1866 (NYS Offices Index, www.esphs.org)
Green Gully – Gully area along Lime Kiln Creek in the vicinity of Canadice Road, just south of Green Gull Cemetery. Gets its name from a flood in 1890 in which John H. Green was drowned (History of the Township of Springwater, Livingston Republican 9/18/1890 p.2)
Harper’s Ferry – the region immediately west of the Springwater Valley, and extends from the Mead Road to the Swartz Road. Name origin unknown, but possibly related to the raid of Harper’s Ferry arsenal in 1859. (Source: History of the Township of Springwater, p.12)
Hunt’s Hollow - located in the northeast corner of town, near Feather Road. Named for early settlers, most like the Aaron Hunt family (from Early History of Springwater by Walbridge, p. 54); mills were erected there by Phillip Hunt (History of Springwater by Robinson).
Lawrence Gull – named for the family of Charles Lawrence, who bought land about a mile south of the village of Springwater just prior to the Civil War. (Source: History of the Township of Springwater, p.13)
Liberty Pole - Area of Liberty Pole Rd., Carney Rd., and Town Line Road in northwestern Springwater. Liberty poles, usually a flagpole and sometimes including a symbolic topper, have a long history entwined in the American Revolutionary era and often represent freedom and protest. The hamlet in Springwater came to be named Liberty Pole as early as the 1810s, following the War of 1812, when a flagpole was installed on a small three-cornered piece of land near the Erwin Perkins farm. A stub of it was said to be visible until about 1880. (Source: History of the Township of Springwater, p.13; ref. in 1842 to Liberty Pole in Springwater Circuit Sunday School Record Book, 1842-1871, p.64). Prior to 1815, Liberty Pole area was called Whitlock’s Tavern after Ira Whitlock, who operated an inn there.
Lime Kiln Creek / Lime Kiln Gully – A creek that runs through the center of the town; perhaps gets its name from a Mr. Tilden who operated lime kilns on the south side of the gully in the early 1800s (Robinson, History of the Township…).
Marrowback – the Marrowback Hills rise to about 1200’ running mostly north and south in the Towns of Conesus and Springwater, west of Hemlock Lake. The Marrowback Road area spans a region between Marrowback Road and Hemlock Lake. The name, according to Wm. P. Boyd’s History of Conesus, “derived its name in the following singular way: In the early days of the town, the settlers had for amusement, general trainings, lasting several days at a time. One of these gala days was being held near the present village of Livonia Centre, and among the artistic sports, they formed a ring, and in the same, placed two of their most noted wrestlers, in ‘hors-de-combat.’ One of these lived near Lima, the other was from Conesus or Marrowback hills. After a severe struggle, the man from Marrowback threw his opponent, and to the merriment of all, a gentleman in the circle clapped his hands and exclaimed: ‘That man has too much marrow-in-his-back for you.”…these hills were christened ‘Marrowback hills.’ (ref. in 1842 to Marrowback in Springwater Circuit Sunday School Record Book, 1842-1871, p.34)
Pleasant Valley – area of Scribner Rd. and Rt. 36, on bend of Town Line Road.
Pokey Moonshine / Pokamoonshine – Pokey Moonshine Road connects Carney Road and Becker Road and has many possibly name origins:
- Pokey Moonshine likely refers to a “poke of moonshine,” a poke meaning a sack.
- According to Beauchamp, who comments on “Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain” in the Adirondacks, it could be derived from Alquonquin words pohqui, meaning “it is broken” and moosi, meaning “smooth.” Pohqui-moosi would translate to “where the rocks are smoothly broken off.” (Aboriginal Place Names of NY, Beauchamp.) Some cliffs around Pokey Moonshine Road are steep.
- The indigenous word pohkunni is variously translated by other scholars as “dark” or “night,” or “between two hills.” (Edward Ruttenber and Indian Geographical Names by Tooker)
- A theory in the 1950s held the name originates with a local Native American leader named Po-Ko Moonshine, though no one by this name has been identified.
Punkey / Punky Hollow – Harvey Robinson, who attended Punky Hollow in 1865, said his father remembered an old settler in the area by the name of Punky (memories of Harvey Robinson, Wayland Register 10/11/1939). Some say “Punkey” was the nickname of a man named Richardson; others say there was a resident with the surname Punky in that locality (Source: History of the Township of Springwater, p.13). There was a district school in Springwater called Punkey Hollow, and a Punky Hollow Farm (Christmas tree farm) owned by Gene Mille in 1990, encompassing land around the Punky Hollow School.
Reynolds Gully / Big Gully – Located at north-central edge of town on Reynolds Road. Named for the Reynolds family of that area. Possibly also called Norton’s Gully.
Springwater / Spring Water – Where Rts. 15 and 15A meet in west-central Springwater town. The post office name was Springwater from 1824-1843, then Spring Water from 1843-1873, then back to Springwater again (NYS Offices Index, www.esphs.org)
Springwater Station – at junction of Depot Rd. and Kellogg Rd.
Story Road – Now Town Line Road, running between Springwater and Sparta. Named for a Mr. Story who, in the early 1800s, with the help of neighbors, chopped this 6-mile road through the heavy pine woods (“History of the Story Road,” by Lloyd Moose).
Tabor Corners – At Wetmore and Wheaton Hill Roads; formerly the East Springwater Post Office was located here from 1844-1866 (NYS Offices Index, www.esphs.org). Was old stagecoach road with inns and stops for travelers, and the name probably refers to an early resident.
Toad Hollow – The area at the head of Hemlock Lake, west of Rt. 15A.
Wabash – see Carney Hollow
Webster Crossing – Located in the extreme northwest corner of Springwater and named for the Webster family member who lived there. Elisha Webster built a sawmill there after he moved from Conesus in 1845 (from History of Livingston County, by Smith, p. 221; History of the Township of Springwater, p.12). The Webster’s Crossing Post Office, opened in 1870, became Webster Crossing in 1894 (New York Postal History, Kay and Smith, 1982; www.esphs.org)
Whitlock’s Tavern – Named after Ira Whitlock who operated an inn in the house formerly owned by Erwin Perkins; later, after about 1812, called Liberty Pole.
Wrights – a little hamlet named after the first white settler of that property in 1825, Samuel Wright. It later went to Riley Scott and in the 1930s was owned by Mrs. Miles Amos. (“History of the Story Road”, Moose, pg. 16).
West Sparta was formed in 1846 when the town of Sparta was divided into the present towns of Sparta, West Sparta, and North Dansville. West Sparta’s eastern border was formed by the Canaseraga Creek.
Block Schoolhouse Corners – Southwest corner of Kysorville-Byersville Rd. and Spring Hill Rd. Also known as Muchler’s Corners. West Sparta District #2 schoolhouse was once on the southwest corner of the intersection and was known as the Chasey Road or Block Schoolhouse District. It was a frame schoolhouse, so the name may refer to the land around the building or the district.
Bradner Falls – An Bradner Creek, near Coffee Hill Road just west of I-390. May also be known as Jamison Falls (from caller to Historian’s Office, 2015). Bradners came to West Sparta as early as 1813 and operated mills on Bradner Creek.
Byersville – Located at Kysorville-Byersville Rd., Stoner Hill Rd., and Kenney Road in south-central West Sparta. Named after Samuel Byers, a resident. The Byersville Post Office operated here from 1833-1902 (www.esphs.org).
Canaseraga Creek – From Seneca “Ga-nus-ga-go” meaning “among the milkweeds” or Can-a-se-ra-ga, “Among the slippery elms” (Indian Names of NY, Beauchamp, p.35). The creek formed the eastern boundary of West Sparta when it was split from the large town of Sparta in 1846.
Goose Corners – Intersection of Nunda-Byersville Rd. and Shaw Rd., at the West Sparta and Nunda town line. The school district for West Sparta District # 5 was called Goose Corners.
Kysorville – on Kysorville-Byersville Rd. in northern West Sparta. Named for Nicholas Kysor, who arrived in West Sparta in 1820 with his wife, Esther Fisk, and became an influential resident. In 1839, due to his position as postmaster, the name of the post office in his section was changed from West Sparta Post Office to Kysorville. In 1844, he rafted up the Genesee Valley Canal to Canawaugus (in Caledonia) where, in the night, he drowned in the lock.
Muchler’s Corners – see Block Schoolhouse Corners
Red School Road – West Sparta District #6 was called the Red School District and the schoolhouse was once located at the southwest corner of Red School Road and Rt. 36.
Ross Corners – On the town line of Groveland and West Sparta, on Rt. 36 at Flats Rd. and Presbyterian Rd.
Union Corners – On Presbyterian Rd. at Union Corners Rd., on the town line of Mt. Morris. The Union Corners Post Office was located there from 1833-1876 (www.esphs.org).
West Sparta Station – A station on the Dansville and Mt. Morris Railroad, on Everman Rd. east of Curry Rd.
Woodville / Woodsville – In the extreme southeast corner of West Sparta. Named for John, Rufus, and Asa Wood who were early residents, and a hub on the Dansville Branch of the Genesee Valley Canal. (History of Livingston County, by Smith).
York was formed from Caledonia and Leicester, Genesee County, in 1819. The origin of the name may have been Hon. Joseph York, assembly member from St. Lawrence County who, as chairman of his committee, favorably reported on and presented the bill for the formation of the town (from Nancy O’Dea). Another theory holds that the town was named after local resident Holloway Long’s dog, York.
Boston Corners – Corner of Federal Rd. and Rt. 20. Town Historian Steve Gates could not determine name origin (2014).
City of Ghent – see Toggletown.
Corbin’s Corners – The main intersection in York Center.
Craig’s Corners – Located at Craig’s Station, the intersection of Craig Road and Federal Road, where there was a railroad station on the northwest corner. Named after William Craig, a farmer on Craig Road.
Devil’s Half-Acre – Generally located at the corners of Rt. 36 and Anderson Rd., where the District #10 schoolhouses once were. According to History of York by Mary Root, the three Kelso brothers and many other very early settlers were from Ireland, and the corners “began to assume village airs and aspire to a name.” “The profane” called it Devil’s Half-Acre, Donald McVean suggested “Dublin,” and Alan McIntyre of a “rival district” called it Louse Holler. Another source places Devil’s Half-Acre at Linwood Road and Rt. 36. See also Dublin Corners and Louse Holler.
Dublin Corners – According to most references, located at Anderson Road and Rt. 36, where District #10 schoolhouses were; known as “Dublin District” in 1892 (source: 1892 school reunion program). In the History of York (p.177), Mary Root writes that the three Kelso brothers and many other very early settlers were from Ireland, and the corners “began to assume village airs and aspire to a name.” “The profane” called it Devil’s Half-Acre, Donald McVean suggested “Dublin,” and Alan McIntyre of a “rival district” called it Louse Holler. When many families in New York rushed west for new opportunities in the 1830s, most of the Irish population in Dublin Corners moved to Michigan. See also Devil’s Half-Acre and Louse Holler.
Emerson – A proposed village at the Genesee Valley Canal and Genesee River in 1839 (StakTubes File 6, F4)
Fowlerville – A hamlet on Fowlerville Road in the northeastern part of the town of York. Named after Wells Fowler, who was an early white settler and a prominent citizen, serving as the first postmaster (from History of Livingston County by Smith, p, 417; French’s Gazetteer, p. 387). Possibly once known as Petersville. The Fowlerville Post Office, established in 1826, became Inverness Post Office between 1853-1862 and then was changed back to Fowlerville (www.esphs.org, 1858 map). See also Inverness.
Fowlerville Station – A stop on the Western NY and Pennsylvania Railroad just south of Fowlerville Road at the Genesee River.
Fraser – Located on Rt. 20, east side of Rt. 36.
Gillis Corners – Probably at the intersection of Rt. 20 and Rt. 36; pioneer Deacon Gillis built his home, later to be used as an inn, on the northeast corner (“A Tour Into York Township” by BSHS, 1963, p.16).
Greigsville – Located at the intersection of Rt. 63 and Genesee St., also known as North Greigsville to differentiate it from South Greigsville, later Wadsworth. Named after John Greig, an agent of land agent Thomas Morris. The Greigsville Post Office operated from about 1825-1922.
Inverness – Located in north-central York and into Caledonia around the Quarry Road area. Named for the area of Scotland from which many early pioneers of York and Caledonia came in the early 1800s. The Fowlerville Post Office was called Inverness between 1853-1862 (www.esphs.org, 1858 map). See also Fowlerville.
Inverness Station – A railroad stop on Fowlerville Rd. at Milroy Rd.
Lewiston – Possibly an early name for Piffard and named after Samuel Lewis, who came from NJ in 1817. His general store was on River Road and is now the first house on right after the Abbey of the Genesee. (Source: old journal in possession of Jan Donnan, 1984)
Limerick – At northwest corner of Limerick Rd. and Cowan Rd.
Linwood – Located around Linwood Rd. at the Genesee County line. Also may have been known as McWilliams and West York. Could be derived from surveying term “line in the woods” (from Dutch VanRy). The Linwood Post Office was discontinued in 1993, but the name and zip code are still used by some residents in the 2020s.
Little Italy – Formerly located on Retsof Road off Rt. 63 in southern York. Initially developed in the mid-1880s as a company town for the International Salt Mine at Retsof. Called Little Italy in the 1880s-1900s because the majority of the residents were Italian workers and families who located there to work in the salt mine and on the railroad. In the 2020s, the Little Italy Preserve has been opened to the public, where foundations of Little Italy can still be seen. See also Retsof.
Louse Holler or Hollow – Located in the vicinity of Anderson Road and Rt. 36. According to History of York by Mary Root, Alan McIntyre of a “rival district” called it Louse Holler in the settler days and the name stuck for many years (Root, p.177). Another version is that the hollow behind the Dist. #10 schoolhouse when it was at the northeast corner of Anderson Road and Rt. 36, was named Louse Hollow because the farm at that spot was considered poor (Caledonia Era, 3/27/1907 p.1) see also Devil’s Half Acre and Dublin Corners.
North Greigsville – See Greigsville
Petersville – Possibly an early name for Fowlerville (from old reference note, no other info)
Piffard / Piffardinia – A hamlet in York on Rt. 63 west of Geneseo, near River Road, with a stop on the Genesee Valley Canal and a post office. Originally named “Piffardinia” after David Piffard, the post office opened in 1840, was briefly called Thompson’s Landing in 1847, became Spotswood from 1847-1849 and changed to Piffard in 1849 (New York Postal History, Kay and Smith, 1982). The estate of David Piffard was known as Oak Forest and it included fine gardens among huge oak trees. See also Lewiston.
Putty Street – Road in Retsof, now called 10th Street.
Retsof – On Retsof Road off Rt. 63 in southern York. Initially developed in the mid-1880s as a company town for the International Salt Mine at Retsof. The name comes from the reverse spelling of Foster, after William Foster Jr., the company’s first president. The Retsof Post Office was established in 1891 (USPS.com). Also called Little Italy in the 1880s-1900s because of all the Italian workers and families who located there to work in the salt mine and on the railroad.
Roots Corners – Northeast corner of intersection of Rt. 36 and Craig Rd. Named for the prominent Root family.
Skunk’s Misery – North of Anderson Rd. between Federal Rd. and Limerick Rd. Other locations in the US with this name base their origins in an uncouth area, manure-processing areas, and swamps, but the reason behind this Skunk’s Misery is not known.
South Greigsville – see Wadsworth.
Spencerport – An early hamlet at the Genesee Valley Canal, located at the Fowlerville Road bridge over the Genesee River, on the east edge of the town of York. Named for the Spencer family of that vicinity.
Spotswood – The name of the post office from 1847-1849 formerly called Piffardinia, briefly as Thompson’s Landing, and then known as Piffard (New York Postal History, Kay and Smith, 1982)
Stocking Hill – On River Road between Mt. Pleasant Road and York Road East. Named for Roswell Stocking, who lived in the area in the early to mid-1800s.
Thompson’s Landing – For two weeks in 1847, the Piffardinia post office was called this before becoming Spotswood
Toggletown – In the northeast corner of York on Rt. 20, once part of the Homer McVean farm (Root, History of York, p. 13); said to be named Toggletown because Elijah Heath made a variety of hand tools nearby and the name may refer to tool handles and fasteners (Root, p.22); also known as City of Ghent in pioneer days, specifically where the stream originating in Caledonia crosses the town line and where Ezekiel Morley established his mill (“Streams of York,” Caledonia Advertiser, 1892). The Toggletown Cemetery is located on Rt. 20.
Wadsworth – A hamlet south of Greigsville about ¾ mile; once known as South Greigsville. The Wadsworth Post Office was established there in 1891, and the name likely comes from the Charles Wadsworth family of southeastern York.
York Landing – A stop at the Genesee River on the Genesee Valley Canal.
York Center – the village of York, at intersection of Rt. 36 and York Road East & West.
York Center Station – A railroad stop at crossing on York Road East.
Piffard, located in the southeast part of York, was originally called Piffardinia, after David Piffard, an early resident. The Post Office here was called Spotswood for a brief time in the 1840s, but we do not know why.
Updated 2023