Massena is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in St. Lawrence 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. Massena is along the county's northern border, just south of the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...

and the

Three Nations Crossing __NOTOC__ The Three Nations Crossing is a border crossing on the Canada–US border, connecting the city of Cornwall, Ontario in Canada to Rooseveltown, New York, a neighborhood within the Town of Massena, in the United States. The crossing i ...

of the Canada–United States border. The population was 12,883 at the 2010 census. The town of Massena contains 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 ...

also named Massena.

History

Massena was one of the first towns settled in St. Lawrence county, but was not incorporated until 1802 when it was formed from the town of

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

. The town and its village are named after

André Masséna André Masséna, Prince of Essling, Duke of Rivoli (born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817) was a French military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.Donald D. Horward, ed., trans, annotated, The Fre ...

, a general and

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

to Napoleon during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. The town suffered natural disasters in the 1944 Cornwall-Massena earthquake and in the

January 1998 North American ice storm The North American Ice Storm of 1998 (also known as Great Ice Storm of 1998) was a massive combination of five smaller successive ice storms in January 1998 that struck a relatively narrow swath of land from eastern Ontario to southern Quebec, ...

. In 1928 it was the scene of the antisemitic

Massena blood libel The Massena blood libel was an instance of blood libel against Jews in which the Jews of Massena, New York, were falsely accused of the kidnapping and ritual murder of a Christian girl in September 1928. On September 22, 1928, two days before Yo ...

Economy

Up until the 1880s, the town was predominantly agricultural, mainly home to butter and cheese production. Aside from the dairy farmers (and the blacksmiths, craftsmen, and shopkeepers who served them), the town boasted the Massena Springs, a pair of sulfur springs, one hot and the other cold, reputed to possess healing powers known to the Native Americans before European settlement. In 1820, an Army veteran, Captain John Polley, hoping to capitalize on the properties, opened a hotel and began to advertise them. By 1858, three hotels, numerous rental cottages, a bathing house, and a plant that bottled and sold the spring water, had been built. By about 1900, the Springs' status as a popular resort had faded. The first small mills were built in the 1830s, harnessing the

Grasse River The Grasse River or Grass River (per 1905 decision of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names) is a river in northern New York, in the United States. The river mainly flows northeast from the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains into the St. Lawrenc ...

to turn their wheels. They included a saw mill, stone-cutter, and a tannery. In 1833, New York State Legislature approved a canal that would bypass a troublesome rapids hindering navigation on the St. Lawrence by linking the Grasse and St. Lawrence Rivers. However, the

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English overseas possessions, English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland (island), Newfound ...

n government preempted this project by building the

Cornwall Canal The Cornwall Canal was built by the British government of Canada to bypass a troublesome rapids hindering navigation on the St. Lawrence at Cornwall, Ontario. Construction began in 1834 and was completed in 1843. Ontario Heritage Trust Founding of ...

on the Canadian side of the River, completed in 1843. The

Massena Canal The Massena Power Canal, which connects the Saint Lawrence River to the lower Grass River. In 1833 the New York State Legislature chartered a canal to bypass a troublesome rapids hindering navigation on the St. Lawrence by linking the Grasse and S ...

project was revived at the end of the century and completed in 1898. The modern town's economy is centered on power production, the commerce of the St. Lawrence Seaway, and an

Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for Aluminum Company of America) is a Pittsburgh-based industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary ...

Aluminum plant, the world's longest continually operating aluminum facility. Alcoa employs over 600 people at its facilities in Massena. Massena's economy has suffered for the past few decades due to the decline of American manufacturing and the automotive industry. The

Massena Power Canal The Massena Power Canal, which connects the Saint Lawrence River to the lower Grass River. In 1833 the New York State Legislature chartered a canal to bypass a troublesome rapids hindering navigation on the St. Lawrence by linking the Grasse and S ...

(closed in 1958) connected the lower Grass River to the

. A powerhouse built in the early 1900s provided hydroelectric power to the town. The

New York Power Authority The New York Power Authority (NYPA), officially the Power Authority of the State of New York, is a New York State public-benefit corporation. It is the largest state public power utility in the United States. NYPA provides some of the lowest-co ...

now operates a hydroelectric power generating dam, the

St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project The Moses-Saunders Power Dam, short for Robert Moses- Robert H. Saunders Power Dam, is a dam on the Saint Lawrence River straddling the border between the United States and Canada. It is located between Massena in New York and Cornwall in Ontar ...

, on the St. Lawrence River adjacent to Massena. Curran Renewable Energy manufactures wood pellet fuel and mulch in the town. Massena is also home to the Eisenhower and Snell Locks, part of the St. Lawrence Seaway which allows ships and vessels to pass through the St. Lawrence River and on to the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

. While on November 2, 2015, Alcoa announced the idling of the smelter at its "Alcoa West" plant, the facility remained open through negotiations with New York State, and 400 jobs were saved until 2019. The Forgings and Extrusions facilities at Alcoa West were unaffected. The changes resulted in the loss of 487 jobs. It was estimated in 2013 that nearly 30% of Massena residents live below the poverty line. St. Lawrence County's poverty rate is higher than both the state and federal rates and ranks the 5th highest in New York State.

Demographics

By 2012 industrial employment had declined and there were 10,357 people in the town, down from 16,021 in 1970. 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 13,121 people, 2,510 households, and 3,454 families residing in the town. 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 . There were 5,880 housing units at an average density of . The town's racial makeup was 96.80%

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 ...

, 0.30%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

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 ...

, 1.25% Native American, 0.41%

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 ...

, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.18% 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 .02% 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 0.83% of the population. There were 5,510 households, of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.1% 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, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.67. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males. The town's median household income was $58,391, and the median family income was $62,696. Males had a median income of $48,484 versus $46,819 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 ...

was $25,111. About 6.9% of families and 8.9% 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 15.4% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Massena

* Barnhardt Island – An

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

in the St. Lawrence River northeast of Massena village. The island is at the international border and is the northernmost point of land in New York. * Long Sault Island ("Isle au Long Saut") – An island in the St. Lawrence River north of Massena village. * Massena – A village at the western town line on both banks of the Grasse River. * Massena Center – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

northeast of Massena village. * Massena Power Canal – A waterway connecting the Grasse River to the St. Lawrence River. * Massena Springs – A hamlet south of Massena village by the

Raquette River The Raquette River ( moh, Ahná:wate), sometimes spelled Racquette, originates at Raquette Lake in the Adirondack Mountains in New York. long, it is the third longest river entirely in the state of New York. The river is a popular destination ...

. The community was the site of health resorts and hotels based on sulphurous spring water. * Raquette River – A hamlet east of Massena village by the Raquette River. It was first settled ''circa'' 1804. * Robert Moses State Park – A

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

in the northern part of the town. * Rooseveltown – A hamlet near the eastern town line by the Raquette River. * Wiley Dondero Canal – A waterway constructed as part of the St. Lawrence power project.

Education

Both the village and town of Massena are served by the Massena Central School District, which also serves most of

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

, a portion of

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

and Brasher, and the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation. *Jefferson Elementary School (K-6) *Madison Elementary School (K-6) *Nightengale Elementary School (K-6) *J. William Leary Junior High School (7-8) * Massena Central High School (9-12) *Trinity Catholic School (K-6) *Holy Name of Jesus Academy (K-12)

Transportation

New York State Route 37 New York State Route 37 (NY 37) is a state highway in the North Country of New York in the United States, extending for on a west–east axis. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with U.S. Route 11 (US ...

, a northeast–southwest highway, passes along the outskirts of the town. The town is served by

Massena International Airport Massena International Airport (Richards Field) is in St. Lawrence County, New York. It is east of the village of Massena. The airport sees one airline, subsidized by the Essential Air Service program. Federal Aviation Administration records ...

, east of Massena village, south of NY-37.

Trailways of New York Trailways of New York is one of the largest privately held transportation companies based in New York State. It employs over 450 people and carries passengers more than 80 million miles annually. TrailwaysNY, as it is known, operates over 150 tr ...

provides bus service from Massena to

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

. The town had until 1961 been the terminus for

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...

(NYC) sleeping car passenger service on its St. Lawrence Division; the last sleepers came in from the NYC's ''Iroquois'' and the outgoing sleeper fed into the ''New York Special.'' The final run of regular local trains into the town was in 1964.

Radio

* 1340 WMSA * WVLF-FM Mix 96.1 * WRCD-FM 101.5 The Fox *

WYBG WYBG (1050 AM) was a radio station which broadcast a talk radio format. Licensed to Massena, New York, United States, the station was last owned by Wade Communications, Inc., a company locally owned by Curran and Dottie Wade. During nighttime ho ...

– AM 1050 (defunct as of June 30, 2015)

In popular culture

Massena was a location featured in ''

Me, Myself & Irene ''Me, Myself & Irene'' is a 2000 American slapstick black comedy film directed by the Farrelly brothers, and starring Jim Carrey and Renée Zellweger. Chris Cooper, Robert Forster, Richard Jenkins, Daniel Greene, Anthony Anderson, Jerod Mixon an ...

'', released in 2000, starring

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...

and

Renée Zellweger Renée Kathleen Zellweger (; born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. The recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards, she was one of the world's highest-paid ...

. Massena was a location featured in the film ''

Frozen River ''Frozen River'' is a 2008 American crime drama film written and directed by Courtney Hunt. The screenplay focuses on two working-class women who smuggle illegal immigrants from Canada to the United States. The film received two Oscar nominations: ...

''. ''

For Ellen ''For Ellen'' is a 2012 American drama film written, produced and directed by So Yong Kim. It stars Paul Dano, who also served as an executive producer. It is Kim's first English-language film. Plot Joby Taylor is a struggling rock musician who ...

'', released in 2012, was filmed in Massena and the surrounding area.

Notable people

* Avery D. Andrews,

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

* William G. Bissell, Wisconsin State Senator, merchant, salesman and farmer, was born in Massena. *

Stephanie Bissonnette Stephanie Bissonnette (October 26, 1990 – December 17, 2022) was an American stage choreographer who was best known for her work in the musical ''Mean Girls (musical), Mean Girls'', where she originated the role of Dawn Schweitzer. She was also ...

, dancer and choreographer known for her role in the original Broadway production of the musical “Mean Girls" * Aaron Bogosian, Former

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

player *

Zach Bogosian Zachary M. Bogosian (born July 15, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey defenceman with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres and T ...

, National Hockey League player on the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

* Gary Danko, chef * Timothy Fay, Lieutenant General, United States Air Force *

Jim Deshaies James Joseph Deshaies (born June 23, 1960), also known as "JD", is an American former professional baseball left-handed starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for six teams, over the course of 12 big league seasons. He is c ...

, former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player, television color analyst. * Follett Johnson, Medal of Honor recipient * Mike Hurlbut, retired professional hockey player, collegiate ice hockey coach *

Bid McPhee John Alexander "Bid" McPhee (November 1, 1859 – January 3, 1943) was an American 19th-century Major League Baseball second baseman. He played 18 seasons in the majors, from until , all for the Cincinnati Reds franchise. He was elected to the B ...

, former

player and member of the

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

Horace N. Polley Horace Newton Polley (March 10, 1842 – September 18, 1914) was a farmer, musician, stonemason, and politician. Born in Massena, New York, St. Lawrence County, New York, Polley moved with his parents to West Point, Wisconsin, Columbia Coun ...

, Wisconsin State Assemblyman and farmer, was born in Massena.'Wisconsin Blue Book 1899, Biographical Sketch of Horace N. Polley, pg. 770 * Myron Reed, Wisconsin State Senator and lawyer, was born in Massena. * Hal Smith, actor

References

External links

Early Massena history
��Rays-Place.com
Massena information
��NorthCountryNow.com
mymassena.com
��Massena Local Online Community

Photo of Massena depot of the New York Central
{{DEFAULTSORT:Massena (Town), New York Populated places established in 1802 New York (state) populated places on the Saint Lawrence River Towns in St. Lawrence County, New York 1802 establishments in New York (state)