Antwerp 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 ...

Jefferson County, New York Jefferson County is a county on the northern border of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,721. Its county seat is Watertown. The county is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United S ...

, United States. The population was 1,683 at the 2020 census. The town is named after

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

, Belgium, the home of the early investors in the town, who had organized under the name of the Antwerp Company. The town of Antwerp contains a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

also called

. The town is at the eastern corner of the county and is northeast of Watertown.

History

Settlement began ''circa'' 1803 near what is now

Oxbow __NOTOC__ An oxbow is a U-shaped metal pole (or larger wooden frame) that fits the underside and the sides of the neck of an ox or wikt:bullock, bullock. A bow pin holds it in place. The term "oxbow" is widely used to refer to a U-shaped meand ...

. The town was created from part of the town of Le Ray in 1810. In 1855, the town had the second largest number of cows in New York.

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 are land and , or 2.19%, are water. The northeastern town line is the border of St. Lawrence County. The southeastern town line is the border of Lewis County. 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 northern part of the town and loops back at Oxbow.

U.S. Route 11 U.S. Route 11 or U.S. Highway 11 (US 11) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway extending across the eastern U.S. The southern terminus of the route is at US 90 in Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refu ...

, a northeast to southwest highway, passes through the town. The southeastern portion of Antwerp contains part of the Fort Drum Military Reservation.

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 1,793 people, 621 households, and 453 families in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was 16.88/sqmi (6.52/km²). There were 717 housing units at an average density of 6.75/sqmi (2.61/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.99%

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 ...

, 0.39%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.06% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.39% from other races, and 0.84% 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 1.56% of the population. There were 621 households, out of which 35.9% 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, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% 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 2.89 and the average family size was 3.32. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.8% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $34,250, and the median income for a family was $40,192. Males had a median income of $28,824 versus $21,250 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 $13,097. About 12.3% of families and 17.6% 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 22.5% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the town

– A village centrally located in the town by the Indian River and US-11. * Bentleys Corners – A location in the western part of the town on County Road 23. * Bishops Corners – A location in the western corner of the town on County Road 194. *

Fort Drum Fort Drum is a U.S. Army military reservation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, near the western border of northern New York, United States. The population of the CDP portion of the base was 12,955 at the 2010 census. ...

– A military reservation partly located in the southeastern part of the town. * Halls Corners – A location in the western part of the town on County Road 28. * Indian River – A stream and canoe trail that flows past Antwerp village. * Keenes – A hamlet on the northeastern town line, partly in St. Lawrence County. *

– A

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

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

by the northeast border on County Road 25, located on the Oswegatchie River. It is the site of the first settlement, a tavern. * Payne Lake – A small lake in the northern part of the town near Oxbow. * Rices Corner – A hamlet in the eastern corner of the town and inside Fort Drum on County Road 24. * Spragueville – A hamlet on the northeastern town line on County Road 26, partly in St. Lawrence County. It was formerly called "Spragues Corners".

Notable people

Albert Woolson Albert Henry Woolson (February 11, 1850 – August 2, 1956) was the last known surviving member of the Union Army who served in the American Civil War; he was also the last surviving Civil War veteran on either side whose status is undisputed. ...

, an

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

veteran and the last surviving member of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...

, was born in Antwerp. A Friend in Need 1903 C

Artist Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, noted mainly for his paintings depicting dogs playing cards, was born and raised in Antwerp, started its first bank, and is buried there. He is also credited with inventing carnival cut-outs, the painted backdrops with faces missing, enabling individuals to pose for novelty photos. Charles B. Hoard, businessman and member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, lived in Antwerp and served as postmaster before relocating to Watertown in the 1840s. John Harris, Wisconsin state senator and businessman, was born in Antwerp.'Wisconsin Blue Book 1899,' Biographical Sketch of John H. Harris, p. 736 Writer Helen Hinsdale Rich, known as "The Poet of the Adirondacks", was born in Antwerp.

References

External links

{{authority control Towns in Jefferson County, New York Towns in New York (state) Belgian-American history