Mayville is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

in Chautauqua County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States. The population was 1,477 at the 2020 census, 13.7% less than in the 2010 census. Mayville is in the town of

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua bro ...

and is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Chautauqua County. The village and town offices share a building on Main Street, directly across from the Chautauqua County courthouse. Elizabeth May Busti

History

The

Holland Land Company The Holland Land Company was an unincorporated syndicate of thirteen Dutch investors from Amsterdam who in 1792 and 1793 purchased the western two-thirds of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase, an area that afterward was known as the Holland Purchase ...

anticipated establishing a village located at the eastern end of the Old Portage Road between

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...

and

Chautauqua Lake Chautauqua Lake is located entirely within Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The lake is approximately long and wide at its greatest width. The surface area is approximately . The maximum depth is about . The shoreline is about of wh ...

. In 1804, the area was surveyed by William Peacock. In 1805, the village was named Mayville in honor of Elisabeth Busti (''née'' May), wife of

Paul Busti Paul Busti, or ''Paulus Busti'' or ''Paolo Busti'' (baptised 17 October 1749 – 23 July 1824), was the chief operating officer of the Holland Land Company from 1797 until his death. He was one of the first prominent real estate operators in the ...

, ''Agent General'' of the Holland Land Company.Safran, Franciska K. (1983) ''William Peacock, Holland Land Company Subagent in Chautauqua County, New York. Fredonia, N.Y.: Thesis, pp. 24-25. The 1808 legislation establishing the formation of Chautauqua County required the appointment of a committee to locate the county seat. Gov.

Daniel D. Tompkins Daniel D. Tompkins (June 21, 1774 – June 11, 1825) was an American politician. He was the fifth governor of New York from 1807 to 1817, and the sixth vice president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. Born in Scarsdale, New York, Tompkins ...

selected Jonas Williams (Batavia), Isaac Sutherland (Batavia) and Asa Ransom (Clarence) based on the recommendations of

Joseph Ellicott Joseph Ellicott (November 1, 1760 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania – August 19, 1826 in New York City) was an American surveyor, city planner, land office agent, lawyer and politician of the Quaker faith. Life Ellicott was born in Bucks Cou ...

, Resident Land Agent for the Holland Land Company in Batavia. The committee designated Mayville as the county seat, rubberstamping the Holland Land Company plan. In 1804, Alexander McIntyre of Meadville, Pennsylvania became the first land owner in the future village. The Holland Land Company established a sales office in Mayville in 1810 with William Peacock as sub-agent. William Peacock-Young 1875

The village of Mayville was incorporated in 1830. In 1836, local residents rioted against the

and broke into its office, destroying furniture and papers. The

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

built a train station and pier on the shores of

at Mayville. This station was on a PRR route from Pittsburgh to Dunkirk to Buffalo route. The Mayville station, along with the Jamestown boat landing at the south end of the lake, was the main mode of transportation to the rest of the communities around Chautauqua Lake via the large fleet of steamboats operating before the

interurban The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 a ...

lines were constructed. The Chautauqua Traction Company served the communities on the western side of the lake; and the

Jamestown, Westfield and Northwestern Railroad The Jamestown, Westfield and Northwestern Railroad (JW&NW) was an electric interurban railroad that served the New York (state), New York towns of Jamestown, New York, Jamestown and Westfield (town), New York, Westfield from 1914 to 1950. Histo ...

was the interurban serving the east side of the lake. In modern times the steamboat ''

Chautauqua Belle The steamer ''Chautauqua Belle'' is an authentic Mississippi River-style sternwheel steamboat owned and operated by U.S. Steam Lines Ltd, operating on Chautauqua Lake in Western New York. History Originally financed and built by Captain James W ...

'' still operates out of Mayville, running between Point Chautauqua,

Chautauqua Institution The Chautauqua Institution ( ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education center and summer resort for adults and youth located on in Chautauqua, New York, northwest of Jamestown in the Western Southern Tier of New York State. Established in 1874, the ...

, and the vessel's home port in Mayville. The Pennsylvania Railroad Station was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1993. The Point Chautauqua Historic District was listed in 1996.

Geography

Mayville is located near the geographic center of the town of Chautauqua at (42.251402, -79.500015). It is situated at the northwest end of

. Mayville is at the junction of New York State Routes

394 __NOTOC__ Year 394 (CCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Western Europe as the Year of the Consulship of Flavianus without colleague (or, less ...

and 430, south of the

New York State Thruway {{Infobox road , state = NY , type = NYST , alternate_name = Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway , maint = NYSTA , map = {{maplink, frame=yes, plain=yes, frame-align=center, frame-width=290, type=line, stroke-width=2, type2=line, from2=New Yor ...

(

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...

) at Westfield. Mayville is the nearest village to the

, which draws thousands of visitors during the summer months. Businesses in the village do a brisk tourist business both with Chautauquans and with visitors to cottages and resorts on the east and west sides of the lake. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the village has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Mayville has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Dfb''), typical of southwestern New York state. Winters are cold and snowy, while summers are warm and humid.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 1,756 people, 686 households, and 399 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 875.0 people per square mile (337.3/km²). There were 860 housing units at an average density of 428.5 per square mile (165.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 93.85%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 3.64%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.51% Native American, 0.51%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.17% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.31% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.59% of the population. There were 686 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.92. In the village, the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.3 males. The median income for a household in the village was $32,250, and the median income for a family was $45,595. Males had a median income of $30,574 versus $24,028 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $16,561. About 5.5% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Leslie Carter Leslie Barbara Ashton ( Carter, June 6, 1986 – January 31, 2012) was an American pop singer. In 2001, she debuted through DreamWorks Records with the single " Like Wow!". Originally set to release her debut album through the label, it was lat ...

, singer * Henry Cousins, Wisconsin state assemblyman * Carlton Brandaga Curtis, former US congressman from Pennsylvania * Michael H. Hall, Wisconsin state assemblyman * Donald Mackenzie, explorer, fur trader and former governor of the

Red River Colony The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement), also known as Assiniboia, Assinboia, was a colonization project set up in 1811 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, on of land in British North America. This land was granted to Douglas by the Hud ...

* Thomas Rodman Merritt,

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

political figure *

Vin Moore Vin or VIN may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Vîn TV, a Kurdish language satellite television channel founded in 2007 * ''Vos Iz Neias?'', an American Jewish online news site * Coastal radio station VIN Geraldton (callsign), a statio ...

, film director * Lorenzo Morris, former New York state senator * Victor M. Rice, former New York State Superintendent of Public Instruction and New York state assemblyman * Albion W. Tourgée, lawyer, author, and editor; represented

Homer Plessy Homer Adolph Plessy (born Homère Patris Plessy; 1862 or March 17, 1863 – March 1, 1925) was an American shoemaker and activist, best known as the plaintiff in the United States Supreme Court decision ''Plessy v. Ferguson''. He staged an act of ...

in the infamous

Plessy v. Ferguson ''Plessy v. Ferguson'', 163 U.S. 537 (1896), was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in which the Court ruled that racial segregation laws did not violate the U.S. Constitution as long as the facilities for each race were equal in qualit ...

(1896) case * Samuel S. Whallon, former New York state assemblyman, Canal Commissioner

References

External links

Village of Mayville official website

''Mayville Sentinel-News''
{{authority control Villages in New York (state) County seats in New York (state) Populated places established in 1804 Villages in Chautauqua County, New York 1804 establishments in New York (state)