Westernville,

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 * '' ...

is 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 ...

(and census-designated place) in Oneida County, located west of

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a part of New York's Forest Preserve in northeastern New York, United States. The park was established in 1892 for “the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure”, and for watershed protection. The park ...

and north of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, and Utica. Westernville is in the Town of Western, adjacent to

Delta Reservoir Delta Reservoir, also known as Delta Lake, is a reservoir located in Oneida County, New York, United States. It was formed by the impoundment of the Mohawk River. Most of the lake is within the southwest part of the Town of Western, north of Rom ...

and Delta Lake State Park.

History

The Town of Western was formed from the Town of Steuben on March 10, 1797. Its contain fertile soil and an abundant supply of water, including the

Mohawk River The Mohawk River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk f ...

, Lansing Kill, Big Brook, Stringer Brook, and other small streams. Westernville is the birthplace of Gen. Henry Halleck, one time Commander-in-Chief of the Union Armies. Westernville is also the birthplace of none-time National NASCAR Modified Champion and 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee

Richie Evans Richard Ernest Evans (July 23, 1941Bourcier, Bones, "61 at 61", ''Speedway Illustrated'' (ISSN 1528-4182), Volume 3, Number 8, August 2002. – October 24, 1985), was an American racing driver who won nine NASCAR National Modified Championships, ...

. Gustavus Swan, a supporter of

Samuel F. B. Morse Samuel Finley Breese Morse (April 27, 1791 – April 2, 1872) was an American inventor and painter. After having established his reputation as a portrait painter, in his middle age Morse contributed to the invention of a single-wire telegraph ...

, the inventor of the first Telegraph System, worked closely with Morse to build and extend the telegraph lines across New York State. Swan constructed and resided in the Swan Homestead still located on Main Street in the upper village. The Swan home is on the walking tour of roughly 18 historic homes along Main Street in the village. A handout of the Tour is available from the Westerville Historical Society, from the Swan Home B&B or the Town Hall. The list is also available during the Annual "Heritage Days", a special three-day celebration on Main Street to honor past residents of historical note. The weekend consists of historical re-enactments and encampments. Also included are period craftsmen, cooking, military, costuming, a quilt show, musical events, fireworks, and refreshments. The weekend kicks off with fireworks on Friday evening and the event closes on Sunday afternoon. Buried here are Gen. William Floyd, a famous Revolutionary War soldier and a signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

, Admiral Montgomery Sicard of Civil War fame, and Gustavus Swan. Also buried here is Richie Evans, who died following a crash at Martinsville (Virginia) Speedway.

2021 Tornado

The

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...

Binghamton Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...

confirmed an EF-1 tornado in Westernville on 8 July 2021. It touched down at 7:30 PM local time in the Woods Valley Ski Area, moving northeast towards downtown Westernville. There it caused considerable damage along Main Street, with several roofs blown off houses and numerous trees uprooted or snapped. Continuing its northeasterly track, it then crossed the Mohawk River and paralled east of River Road, leading to crop damage and a roof torn off of a barn before lifting.

Westernville today

There is an active senior citizens group that meets monthly for activities. The Western Town Library offers programs for children and adults, and the historical society provides lectures and events for the entire community. There are currently two churches in Westernville, the United Methodist Church on Main Street and the First Presbyterian Church on Stokes-Westernville Road. North Western has one church, the United Methodist Church, located on Route 46. The town has various local businesses including The Swan Home Bed and Breakfast and Woods Valley Ski Area. This is the location of Gen. William Floyd's second home, and is also where he is buried. Every year, Dr. Russell Marriot, in current residence of this home, helps hold a town ceremony in Gen. William Floyd's honor. The Gen. William Floyd House 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 1971. The

Western Town Hall Western Town Hall, also known as Liberty Hall, is a historic town hall building located at Westernville in Oneida County, New York. It was built in 1911 and is a two-story, gable roofed timber frame structure. It was constructed from dismantled c ...

was listed in 1995.

References

{{authority control Hamlets in New York (state) Hamlets in Oneida County, New York Populated places on the Mohawk River 1797 establishments in New York (state) Populated places established in 1797