Horseheads 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 ...

Chemung County Chemung County is a county in the southern tier of the U.S. state of New York. The population was 84,148 as of the 2020 census. Its county seat is Elmira. Its name is derived from a Delaware Indian village whose name meant "big horn". Chemung ...

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 6,606 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from the number of bleached skulls of pack horses left behind by the Sullivan Expedition. The village of Horseheads is located within the town of Horseheads. It is north of the city of Elmira and is part of the Elmira

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

History

In September 1779, forces under General John Sullivan marched north from

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river tha ...

, over to

Wyoming, Pennsylvania Wyoming is a borough in the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located north of Wilkes-Barre, along the Susquehanna River. The population was 3,097 as of the 2020 census. Etymology The name "Wyoming" de ...

, and on up the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

to Newtown (Elmira), then continued north through what is now known as Horseheads to the Finger Lakes region and west to Genesee, on a scorched-earth mission against Loyalists and more significantly against their

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

allies. They returned about three weeks later, largely on the same route. The journey had been particularly severe and wearing upon the animals, and their food supply was found insufficient. Arriving about north of Fort Reid on September 24, 1779, they were obliged to dispose of a large number of sick and disabled horses. The number of horses was so great that they were quite noticeable, and the surviving Iroquois collected the skulls and arranged them in a line along the trail. From that time forward, that spot was referred to as the "Valley of the Horses' Heads" and is still known by the name given to it by the Iroquois. Today this area is part of the heartland of

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

, across which thirty-five monoliths mark the path of Sullivan's troops and the locations of the Iroquois villages they razed dotting the region, erected by the New York State Education Department in 1929 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the expedition. The settlement of the village area began around 1830. The village was officially incorporated in 1839 as the "Village of Fairport," due to its location on the

Chemung Canal The Chemung Canal is a former canal in New York, United States. The canal connected Seneca Lake at Watkins Glen to the Chemung River at Elmira, New York. It was planned to connect the Finger Lakes region and Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River wat ...

, but changed its name back to "Horseheads" in 1845. In 1885, it was renamed "North Elmira" but the village resumed the original name, "Horseheads" in 1886. The village was once a port on the

. The

Chemung Railway Depot-Horseheads Horseheads is a historic railway depot located at Horseheads, Chemung County, New York. It was built in 1866 by the Northern Central Railway (NCRY). The train station was operated by the NCRY and its successor, the Pennsylvania Railroad, until ...

, Hanover Square Historic District,

Horseheads 1855 Extension Historic District Horseheads 1855 Extension Historic District is a national historic district located at Horseheads in Chemung County, New York. The residential district includes a rich variety of exceptionally well preserved examples of the vernacular archite ...

Teal Park Teal Park is a public greenspace in Horseheads, New York. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 an''Accompanying 3 photos, from 1980''/ref> and is contained within the Horseheads 1855 Extension Historic District ...

, and Zimmerman House are 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 ...

Geography

Horseheads village is in the

Southern Tier The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York region of New York State, consisting of counties west of the Catskill Mountains in Delaware County and geographically situated along or very near the northern border ...

Region of New York, north of downtown Elmira. It is located at a low point on the St. Lawrence Continental Divide separating the

watershed to the south and the

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...

watershed to the north. Newtown Creek on the east side of the village flows south toward the Chemung River, a tributary of the Susquehanna, while the northernmost part of the village drains north to

Catharine Creek Catharine Creek is a roughly stream that flows through Chemung and Schuyler counties in New York. The creek, named after Catharine Montour, is a major tributary to Seneca Lake. Course While the other waterways of Chemung County are part of ...

, the main tributary of Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. 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 , of which , or 0.38%, is water.

New York State Route 17 New York State Route 17 (NY 17) is a major state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate regions of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in Mina and follows the Souther ...

and Interstate 86 pass through the village, with access from exits 52 and 53. New York State Route 14, a north-south highway, intersects State Route 17 in the village. New York State Route 13 intersects State Route 17 east of the village.

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 6,452 people, 2,862 households, and 1,800 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 1,666.4 people per square mile (643.7/km²). There were 3,007 housing units at an average density of 776.6 per square mile (300.0/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.57%

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 ...

, 1.30%

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 ...

, 0.12% Native American, 1.92%

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 ...

, 0.02%

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 ...

, 0.20% from other races, and 0.87% 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 0.91% of the population. There were 2,862 households, out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% 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, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.82. In the village, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males. The median income for a household in the village was $35,915, and the median income for a family was $44,971. Males had a median income of $36,774 versus $22,776 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 $20,779. About 4.6% of families and 8.8% 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 10.9% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Village of Horseheads official website

* http://www.joycetice.com/articles/horschro.htm - A timeline of Horseheads from 1776-1963 {{authority control Villages in New York (state) Villages in Chemung County, New York Horseheads, New York