Oswegatchie is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in St. Lawrence County,

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

, United States. The population was 4,397 at the 2010 census. The name reportedly means "Black Water". It is on the northern border of the county and is adjacent to the city of Ogdensburg.

History

The area was first explored by French missionaries during the 17th century. The town was founded in 1802 from the town of

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

upon the formation of the county. After the end of the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

, the British renamed the former French community of La Gallette as Oswegatchie, the name of the local native tribe. After the end of the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, the community became Ogdensburg, named for Samuel Ogden, who was a member of a group of land speculators and developers who purchased a large tract of land in the region. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

Ogdensburg and much of the town was captured by British forces. In 1817, the community of Ogdensburg set itself apart from the town by incorporating as a village, and became the City of Ogdensburg in 1868. The Town of Morristown was formed from the western part of Oswegatchie in 1821. Another part was used to make part of the Town of De Peyster in 1825. Mater Dei College was opened in 1960 and closed in 2001.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which, is land and (7.76%) is water. The

Oswegatchie River The Oswegatchie River is a river in northern New York (state), New York that flows from the Adirondack Mountains north to the Saint Lawrence River. The Oswegatchie River begins at Partlow Lake in Hamilton County, New York. The river continues t ...

flows through the town, defining part of the southern town line. The northwestern town line is defined by the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

, and is an international border with Canada.

New York State Route 812 New York State Route 812 (NY 812) is a state highway in the North Country, New York, North Country of New York (state), New York in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with New York State Route 1 ...

is a north–south highway.

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&nb ...

is a highway on the south bank of the St. Lawrence River.

New York State Route 68 New York State Route 68 (NY 68) is an east–west state highway located entirely within St. Lawrence County, New York, St. Lawrence County in the North Country, New York, North Country of New York (state), New York in the United St ...

is by the northeastern town line.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 4,370 people, 1,508 households, and 1,091 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,896 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.49%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.30%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.34% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 0.02% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.30% of the population. There were 1,508 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.09. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $36,700, and the median income for a family was $39,459. Males had a median income of $31,096 versus $23,365 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $16,236. About 8.5% of families and 11.6% 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 ...

, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Oswegatchie

* Black Lake – A long, narrow

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

partly in the western part of the town, which defines the southern town line. * Eel Weir State Park – A

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

southwest of Ogdensburg. *Galilee – A hamlet southwest of Ogdensburg on County Road 6. * Heuvelton – The Village of Heuvelton is in the southern part of the town by the Oswegatchie River and NY-812. *Ivy Ridge – A school for "troubled" teenagers located on the former campus of Mater Dei College, located near the St. Lawrence River, west of Ogdensburg. *Lost Village – Last known location: by Eel Weir State Park on County Road 4. *Northrup Corners – A location by the northern town line on NY-68 and County Road 4. * Ogdensburg – The City of Ogdensburg is at the northern border of the town on the St. Lawrence River. *

Ogdensburg International Airport Ogdensburg International Airport is a public airport located in the town of Oswegatchie, southeast of Ogdensburg, in St. Lawrence County, New York. It is owned by the Ogdensburg Bridge & Port Authority, which also owns and operates the Ogd ...

(OGS) – An

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

south of Ogdensburg. *Wadhams Hall – Formerly "Wadhams Hall Seminary," it is now a retreat and conference center located by the St. Lawrence River, west of Ogdensburg.

References

{{authority control Towns in St. Lawrence County, New York Towns in New York (state)