Caneadea is a town in Allegany 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. It includes the hamlets Caneadea, Houghton, and Oramel.

History

The name Caneadea reportedly originates from a Seneca phrase meaning "where the heavens rest upon the earth". Following the

American war for independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

in which the Seneca aligned with the British, the majority of Seneca territory in western New York was ceded to the new American government with the exception of some small areas of land. One such area was a strip eight miles long and two miles wide in the

Genesee River The Genesee River ( ) is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. The river contains several waterfalls in New York at Letchworth State Park and Roch ...

Valley that became known as the Caneadea Reservation. The land of the reservation included much of the modern day township. Within the reservation was a small native village located on a bluff above the river. The village contained what is known as the Council House, which many years later was transported to what is now

Letchworth State Park Letchworth State Park is a New York State Park located in Livingston and Wyoming Counties in western Upstate New York. The park is roughly long, following the course of the Genesee River as it flows north through a deep gorge and over several ...

and renovated.

Moses van Campen Major Moses Van Campen (1757–1849) was a soldier during the American Revolutionary War. He was a prominent figure in Pennsylvania and parts of New York (state), New York. His primary involvement in the Revolutionary War was in fighting against ...

reportedly ran the "gauntlet" outside the Council House in 1782 while a captive of the Senecas during the American war for independence. The Caneadea Reservation's existence ended in 1826 after the Seneca sold the land to speculators. The Caneadea township was officially formed in 1806, but included large portions of land that are no longer part of it. During the 1800s, much of the forested land was converted to farmland, including highly fertile land near the river. Caneadea contained a route of the

underground railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

, helping individuals escape slavery from the south. The

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

's need for soldiers took a heavy human toll on the town. Starting in 1851, the

Genesee Valley Canal The Genesee Valley Canal is a former canal that operated in western New York between 1840 and 1878. It ran for a length of 124 miles, passing through 106 locks. Its course was later used by the Genesee Valley Canal Railroad and today comprises po ...

passed through Caneadea. While overall the canal was massively unprofitable for the state of New York, it did contribute significantly to the culture and economy of Caneadea and its hamlets Houghton and Oramel. Many businesses sprung up catering to canal traffic. Oramel became especially prosperous. Houghton was popular for horse racing and reportedly quite rowdy. New York finally decommissioned the boondoggle canal in 1878. In 1882 railroad tracks replaced much of the canal's old towpath. Trains stopped traveling through Caneadea in 1969, and the tracks removed in 1977. Today, much of the old railroad bed pathway is part of a recreational pathway. In 1883, a seminary that was to eventually become today's

Houghton University Houghton University is a private Christian liberal arts college in Houghton, New York, United States. Houghton was founded in 1883 by Willard J. Houghton and is affiliated with the Wesleyan Church.

was founded by a farmer. The seminary eventually formed into a college that became accredited in 1923. Houghton changed dramatically from a wild canal port commonly known as Jockey Street (due to popular horse racing) into a more tranquil community strongly associated with the college and its sponsoring Wesleyan denomination. In the late 1980s, a New York State committee was formed to find potential nuclear waste disposal sites. Caneadea, along with some other towns in Allegany County, was proposed as a potential site.There was significant disapproval by many area residents over this, and organizers committed to fight the state legally, politically and with civil disobedience. In 1990, protestors prevented the proposed site in Caneadea from being accessed by individuals from the siting commission. On January 16, protestors used their bodies and farm equipment to block roads. State police made eight arrests, but the site was still not accessed. On April 5, a larger effort was made to access the site and was met by a larger resistance. Six elderly individuals chained themselves to a bridge, resulting in their arrests and the chain being cut by state police. Farm equipment was again used for road blocking. Large amounts of protestors blocked the road and wore paper masks to hide help their identities. Horse riders blocking the road frustrated state police and played a major role in finally thwarting the unsuccessful attempt to access the site. Shortly after the second failed attempt in Caneadea, the governor of New York ordered the siting commission to discontinue its attempts to assess sites in Allegany County. A significant event occurred in 1995 when a massive cannabis raid at a farm along Caneadea's main road discovered an estimated $100,000 (not adjusted for inflation) worth of the substance hidden in various areas including cornfields, hay bales, and a pigpen. Over 100 plants and about 50 pounds of harvested cannabis were reportedly seized.

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 , or 1.91%, is water. The town developed along the

, an important and historic Western New York river, which had also been valued by the Seneca.

Rushford Lake Rushford Lake is a small reservoir in the western part of New York, United States. The lake is in the northwest part of Allegany County, mostly in the Town of Rushford, but the eastern part of the lake is in the Town of Caneadea. Description ...

is partly at the town's west line, and Caneadea Creek is an important stream in the town.

New York State Route 19 New York State Route 19 (NY 19) is a north–south state highway in Western New York in the United States. It is the longest state highway in that region, and the only other one besides NY 14 to completely transect the sta ...

passes through the town (north-south) and intersects

New York State Route 243 New York State Route 243 (NY 243) is a east–west state highway in the Southern Tier of New York (state), New York in the United States. It begins at an intersection with New York State Route 98, NY 98 in the town of Freedom ...

north of Canaeadea village.

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 2,694 people, 650 households, and 436 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,098 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.33%

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 ...

, 1.00%

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 ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.97% Asian, 0.56% from other races, and 1.00% 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 2.26% of the population. There were 650 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% 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, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.20. In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.4% under the age of 18, 40.9% from 18 to 24, 16.1% from 25 to 44, 13.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,065, and the median income for a family was $39,667. Males had a median income of $29,643 versus $21,563 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 $10,010. About 12.7% of families and 21.3% 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 19.8% of those under age 18 and 1.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Lady Baldwin, 19th-century baseball pitcher *

William Muldoon William Muldoon (May 25, 1852 – June 3, 1933) was an American Greco-Roman Wrestling champion, a physical culturist, and the first chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission. He once wrestled a match that lasted over seven hours. Nick ...

, wrestler and first New York State Athletic Commissioner

Communities and locations in Caneadea

*Caneadea – The

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 ...

of Caneadea is located on Route 19 by the Genesee River in the western part of the town. *

– A river that flows northward through the town. * Houghton – The hamlet of Houghton is the site of

. Route 19 passes the hamlet, located near the northern town line, adjacent to the Genesee River. * Oramel – A hamlet on Route 19, south of the hamlet of Canadea and near the Genesee River in the south part of the town. Oramel was incorporated as a village in 1856, but later abandoned this status; its post office (ZIP Code 14765) operated from 1850 to 1968. *

– A small lake partly inside the western part of the town. * Moss Lake - A unique body of water with moss covering much of its surface

References

External links

Town of Caneadea official website

{{authority control New York (state) populated places on the Genesee River Towns in Allegany County, New York Towns in New York (state) 1808 establishments in New York (state)