Schoharie County ( ) is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,714, making it the state's fifth-least populous county. 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 ...

is Schoharie. "Schoharie" comes from a Mohawk word meaning "floating driftwood." Schoharie County is part of the Albany-

Schenectady Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

, NY

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 as a city or tow ...

History

The large territory of the county (much of upstate and western New York) was long occupied by the

Mohawk Nation The Mohawk people ( moh, Kanienʼkehá꞉ka) are the most easterly section of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Confederacy. They are an Iroquoian-speaking Indigenous people of North America, with communities in southeastern Canada and northern N ...

and, to the west, the other four tribes of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (increased to six with the migration of the

Tuscarora Tuscarora may refer to the following: First nations and Native American people and culture * Tuscarora people **'' Federal Power Commission v. Tuscarora Indian Nation'' (1960) * Tuscarora language, an Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people * ...

from the South to New York in 1722). After European colonization of the Northeast started, the Mohawk had a lucrative fur trade with the French coming down from Canada, as well as the early Dutch colonists, and later British and German colonists. Some Palatine Germans, who worked in camps on the Hudson to pay off their passage in 1710, later settled in this county in the 1720s and 30s. In addition, Scots-Irish immigrants settled in the present Schoharie County area before the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, especially near Cherry Creek.

Political organization

After Great Britain defeated the Dutch and took over their colony in 1664, they began to establish counties in the New York territory in 1683. The present Schoharie County was first part of Albany County. This was an enormous county, including the northern part of New York State as well as all of the present State of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

. In theory, it extended westward to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

, as the colonists wanted to keep their options open. This county was reduced in size on July 3, 1766, by the creation of

Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Cumberland, historic county *Cumberla ...

, and further on March 16, 1770, by the creation of Gloucester County, both containing territory now part of Vermont. On March 12, 1772, what was left of Albany County was split into three parts, one retaining the name Albany County. Tryon County was formed from the western portion of the territory (and thus, since no western boundary was specified, theoretically still extended west to the Pacific). The eastern boundary of Tryon County was approximately five miles west of the present city of

, and the county included the western part of the

Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular ...

and the area west of the West Branch of the Delaware River. The area then designated Tryon County was eventually organized into what are now 37 counties of New York State. The county was named for William Tryon, colonial governor of New York. In the years preceding 1776, as social and political tensions rose in the colony, most of the Loyalists in Tryon County, then on the frontier, fled to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. In 1784, after the peace treaty that ended the Revolutionary War and the establishment of states, the new government changed Tryon County's name to Montgomery County to honor United States General

Richard Montgomery Richard Montgomery (2 December 1738 – 31 December 1775) was an Irish soldier who first served in the British Army. He later became a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and he is most famous for l ...

, who had captured several places in Canada and died trying to capture the city of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

. The state continued to organize new counties. In 1789, Montgomery County was reduced in size by the splitting off of Ontario County. It was originally much larger than the present county, including present-day Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee,

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American customs ...

, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Steuben,

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to t ...

Yates Yates may refer to: Places United States * Fort Yates, North Dakota *Yates Spring, a spring in Georgia, United States *Yates City, Illinois * Yates Township, Illinois *Yates Center, Kansas * Yates, Michigan * Yates Township, Michigan *Yates, Misso ...

, and part of Schuyler and Wayne counties. In 1791, Otsego County was one of three counties split off from Montgomery (the other two being Herkimer and Tioga County). In 1795, Schoharie County was created by joining portions of Otsego and Albany counties.

Revolutionary War

This was an area of fighting during the American Revolutionary War. On the frontier, colonists were subject to raids by British and their Iroquois allies. Four of the six tribes allied with the British, hoping to repel the colonists from their territory.

Geography

According to the

U.S. 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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water. Schoharie County is in central New York State, west of Albany and southeast of Utica. Much of the southern portion of the county lies within the

Catskill Mountains The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas cl ...

. Land rises in both directions quite rapidly from Schoharie Creek in the middle of the county. In contrast, the northern part of the county is predominately small hills and valleys. More than 75% of the county's population lives in the north, closer to the Mohawk River, the historic transportation route east and west through the state. Schoharie Creek is a northward-flowing tributary of 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 ...

. The Schoharie Creek watershed spans an area of approximately . The course of Schoharie Creek includes two reservoir-dam systems. The Gilboa Dam and the Schoharie Reservoir are part of the New York City Water Supply System. 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 ...

operates the Blenheim-Gilboa Dam and its reservoir to produce hydroelectric power. The headwaters of the Delaware River are located in the Town of Jefferson. Tributaries of 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 ...

are located in the Towns of Jefferson and Summit. The highest point is at the summit of Huntersfield Mountain on the southern boundary with Greene County, at 3,423 feet (1,043 m) above sea level. The lowest point is where the Montgomery County line meets Schoharie Creek, 520 feet (158 m) above sea level. The most prominent geological feature is

Vroman's Nose Vroman's Nose is a prominent geological feature in the town of Fulton (near Middleburgh), in Schoharie County, New York, United States. It is among the more popular hiking sites in upstate New York and is of significant historical note. Disco ...

, near the village of Middleburgh in the Town of Fulton.

Adjacent counties

* Albany County - east * Delaware County - southwest * Greene County - southeast * Montgomery County - north * Otsego County - west *

Schenectady County Schenectady County () is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,061. The county seat is Schenectady. The name is from a Mohawk language word meaning "on the other side of the pine lands," a ter ...

- northeast

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 inc ...

of 2000, there were 31,582 people, 11,991 households and 8,177 families residing in the county. 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 RosenberPopu ...

was 51 people per square mile (20/km²). There were 15,915 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.06%

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 ...

, 2.14%

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 ha ...

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 ...

, 0.30% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.36% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 1.86% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. 20.9% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 15.6% Irish, 11.5%

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, 10.8% Italian and 9.7%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.5% spoke

, 1.7% Spanish and 1.0%

as their first language. There were 11,991 households, out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.20% were married couples living together, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.80% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.98. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.00% under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,585, and the median income for a family was $43,118. Males had a median income of $31,725 versus $24,475 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 county was $17,778. About 7.90% of families and 11.40% 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 13.70% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Economy

Schoharie County's primary industry is agriculture. Farms are situated all over the county and farm stands and other agriculture-related businesses are operated throughout the county. Many residents work in the Capital District, New York.

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

has a distribution center in the Village of Sharon Springs. The I-88 corridor is growing due to the short commute to Schenectady and Albany. The Catskills-area villages have a number of historic hotels, as it was a vacation destination in the early 20th century. Second homes are common in the county. A growing tourist industry attracts visitors for recreation, the landscape and historic destinations. Visitors come to

Howe Caverns Howe Caverns is a cave in Howes Cave, Schoharie County, New York. Howe Caverns is a popular tourist attraction, providing visitors with a sense of caving or spelunking, without needing the advanced equipment and training usually associated with s ...

, Secret Caverns, the Bull's Head Inn restaurant and cellar tavern, the Carrot Barn, the Apple Barrel Country Store and Cafe,

, the Old Stone Fort, and the Iroquois Indian Museum. The

Old Blenheim Bridge Old Blenheim Bridge was a wooden covered bridge that spanned Schoharie Creek in North Blenheim, New York, United States. With an open span of , it had the second longest span of any surviving single-span covered bridge in the world. The 1862 B ...

was among the attractions until it was destroyed by Hurricane Irene in August 2011. Work to rebuild the covered bridge began in 2017.

Government

, Schoharie County is part of New York's 19th congressional district, represented by Democrat Pat Ryan; part of New York's 51st State Senate district, represented by Republican Peter Oberacker; and part of New York's 102nd Assembly district, represented by Republican Christopher Tague. The sheriff of Schoharie County, Tony Desmond, received national attention for publicly stating during the 2013 election that he would not enforce the

NY SAFE Act The New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013, commonly known as the NY SAFE Act, is a gun regulation statute, law in the state of New York (state), New York. The law was passed by the New York State Legislature and was sig ...

gun-control legislation. The current sheriff, Ronald R. Stevens, succeeded Desmond in 2018. From 1884 to 1916, Schoharie County consistently backed Democratic Party candidates in presidential elections. Since 1916, the county has backed Democratic candidates only twice, in 1964 and 1996, when Lyndon B. Johnson and

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

dominated upstate New York.

Communities

Towns

Blenheim Blenheim ( ) is the English name of Blindheim, a village in Bavaria, Germany, which was the site of the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. Almost all places and other things called Blenheim are named directly or indirectly in honour of the battle. Places ...

* Broome *

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...

* Cobleskill * Conesville * Esperance * Fulton * Gilboa * Jefferson * Middleburgh * Richmondville * Schoharie * Seward * Sharon * Summit *

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright i ...

Villages

* Cobleskill * Esperance * Middleburgh * Richmondville * Schoharie (county seat) * Sharon Springs

Census-designated places

* Central Bridge * Jefferson * North Blenheim

Other hamlets

Breakabeen Breakabeen is a hamlet in the town of Fulton in Schoharie County, New York, United States. This hamlet played a role during the American Revolution and is home to a historic cemetery. Breakabeen is one of the hamlets that are situated in the Sch ...

* Charlotteville * Esperance * Fultonham * Gallupville * Grovenors Corners * Livingstonville * Sloansville * Warnerville * West Middleburgh

Transportation

Interstate and other major highways

Schoharie County is served by Interstate 88 paralleled by Route 7 as well as U.S. Route 20 in the north of the county running in the east-west direction. Route 30 and Route 10 run in the north-south direction in the county.

Mass Transit and Rail

Bus service is provided by Schoharie Public Transportation with commuter routes to Albany as well as local and demand-responsive services. Passenger rail service was formerly provided by the Delaware and Hudson Railway on their Susquehanna Division until passenger service was discontinued in the 1960s. Today freight service continues along the Susquehanna Division provided by Norfolk Southern.

Notable sites

A prominent site in the county is the Old Stone Fort, used for defense against British and allied Indian attacks during the Revolution. It was later used as an armory during the Civil War."History of Schoharie"
Jumping in Pools blog (2009-02-17). Retrieved on 2013-08-16 During the 19th century, the Middleburgh-Schoharie Railroad was constructed through the county. In 1981 the Iroquois Indian Museum opened in a new building near

in Cobleskill. It has the largest collection of Iroquois art in the United States and includes a performance center where Iroquois present traditional and contemporary music and dance. The Gilboa Fossil Forest is home to one of the earth's oldest forests, with petrified tree trunks dating back over 380 million years to the

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, wh ...

period. Numerous fossils are on display at the Gilboa Museum near the Schoharie Reservoir.

Notable people

Notable people who were born or lived in Schoharie County include: * Peter I. Borst, 1797–1848, U.S. representative from New York *

William C. Bouck William Christian Bouck (January 7, 1786 – April 19, 1859) was an American politician from New York. He was the 13th Governor of New York from 1843 to 1844. A native of Fultonham, New York, Bouck was educated in the local schools while w ...

, 1796–1859, former governor of New York 1843–1845 * John McGiver, 1913–1975, actor * Timothy Murphy, 1751–1818, Revolutionary War sniper * Nicole Sullivan, 1970–present, actress *

George Westinghouse George Westinghouse Jr. (October 6, 1846 – March 12, 1914) was an American entrepreneur and engineer based in Pennsylvania who created the railway air brake and was a pioneer of the electrical industry, receiving his first patent at the age ...

, 1846–1914, engineer, inventor and entrepreneur * Uriah Wood, 1830–1913, Wisconsin politician

In popular culture

* The novel ''

Midnight's Lair ''Midnight's Lair'' is a 1988 horror novel by American writer Richard Laymon, originally written under the pseudonym Richard Kelly. It was first published in Great Britain and was not released in the United States until 1993, where it was distribu ...

'' (1983) by

Richard Laymon Richard Carl Laymon (January 14, 1947 – February 14, 2001) was an American author of suspense and horror fiction, particularly within the splatterpunk subgenre. Life and career Laymon was born and raised outside of Chicago, Illinois, then li ...

was about explorers trapped in

. *

David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...

, a late-night TV host, did a parody about the town of Schoharie. * The two season reality series, '' The Fabulous Beekman Boys'' was set in Sharon Springs. * In August 2010, the series '' Ghost Hunters'' filmed an episode about the Old Stone Fort; it aired December 8, 2010. * A finalist on ''

A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila ''A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila'' is an American reality television dating game show similar to the TV show '' The Bachelor''. It premiered on October 9, 2007 on MTV starring Tila Tequila. The series consists of a bisexual-themed reality dat ...

'' took the show to the bowling alley in Cobleskill. * The Boulder, Colorado Jam band String Cheese Incident mentions Schoharie County in the song 100 Year Flood.

References

External links

Schoharie County Chamber of Commerce Official Site

Schoharie County, New York official site

Schoharie County official tourism site

Haunted History Trail Through Schoharie County
*

Jumping in Pools blog {{Coord, 42.59, -74.44, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NY_source:UScensus1990 Schoharie County, New York Populated places established in 1795 Counties of Appalachia 1795 establishments in New York (state)