Danube 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 ...

Herkimer County, New York Herkimer County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer (village), New York, Herkimer. The co ...

, United States. The population was 801 at the 2020 census, down from 1,039 in 2010. Early Palatine German immigrants in the eighteenth century named the town after the

Danube River The Danube ( ; see also other names) is the second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest south into the Black Sea. A large and historically important riv ...

in Europe. The town is in southeastern Herkimer County, southeast of the city of Little Falls and south 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 (state), New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson R ...

History

The town was first settled by Europeans around 1730 on the territories of Lindsey's (1730) and Van Horne's (1731) patents. The town was within the territory of the

Mohawk people The Mohawk, also known by their own name, (), are an Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people of North America and the easternmost nation of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the Five Nations or later the ...

. In coordination with the colonial government, the Mohawk had allowed a fortified settlement east of here. They had agreed in 1712 to allow some settlement by Palatine Germans in exchange for Queen

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

helping with their defense against the French and Indian allies.

Fort Schuyler Fort Schuyler is a preserved 19th century fortification in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. It houses a museum, the Stephen B. Luce Library, and the Marine Transportation Department and Administrative offices ...

was constructed south of the Mohawk River near one of their major settlements at the time. The town of Danube was formed in 1817 from the town of

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district () of Minden-Lübbecke, situated in the cultural region ...

(in

Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to: Australia * The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania United Kingdom * The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery United States * Montgomery County, Alabama * Montg ...

). Part of Danube was taken off in 1828 to form the town of Stark. The Herkimer Home and

Mohawk Upper Castle Historic District Mohawk Upper Castle Historic District is a Historic districts in the United States, historic district in Herkimer County, New York that was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1993. Located south of the Mohawk River, it includes the India ...

are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Notable people

* King Hendrick, Mohawk leader, lived in

Canajoharie Canajoharie (), also known as the "Upper Castle", was the name of one of two major towns of the Mohawk nation in 1738. The community stretched for a mile and a half along the southern bank of the Mohawk River, from a village known as ''Dekanohag ...

, what was also known to the English as the Upper Indian Castle. The site of the village is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

. *

Nicholas Herkimer Brigadier-General Nicholas Herkimer (also known as Nikolaus Herchheimer; – August 16, 1777) was an American military officer who fought during the French and Indian War and Revolutionary War. He died in 1777 from wounds suffered during the ...

, German descendant, had his house here; he became a New York state

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

general during the Revolutionary War and died due to wounds incurred in the

Battle of Oriskany The Battle of Oriskany ( or ) was a major engagement of the Saratoga campaign during the American Revolutionary War. On August 6, 1777, an American column of Tryon County militia and Oneida people, Oneidas marching to relieve the siege of Fort ...

. *

John Herkimer John Herkimer (1773 Tryon County, New York – June 8, 1848 Danube, Herkimer County, New York) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life Herkimer was the son of George Herkimer (brother of Gen. Nicholas Herkimer and Johan Jost Her ...

, his nephew, judge, soldier and New York congressman * William Sickles,

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

winner,

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 ...

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 0.87%, are water. The eastern town line is the border of

. The northern town boundary is marked by the

and the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

. The

New York State Thruway The New York State Thruway (officially the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway and colloquially "the Thruway") is a system of controlled-access toll roads spanning within the U.S. state of New York. It is operated by the New York State Thruway ...

(

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

) passes across the northern part of the town.

New York State Route 5S New York State Route 5S (NY 5S) is a east–west state highway located in the Mohawk Valley of New York (state), New York in the United States. It extends from a continuation of New York State Route 5A, NY 5A at an interchange w ...

is an east–west highway that parallels the Thruway. New York State Route 169 intersects NY-5S and the Thruway in the northwestern part of Danube.

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 1,098 people, 398 households, and 280 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 442 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.90%

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 ...

, 0.82%

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 ...

, 0.36% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.91% 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 0.91% of the population. There were 398 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% 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, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.22. In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.1% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,815, and the median income for a family was $32,500. Males had a median income of $28,661 versus $20,000 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 $13,572. About 15.5% of families and 18.4% 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 27.8% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

*Danube – A location in the northern part of the town on NY-5S. *Davys Corners – A location in the northeastern corner of the town. *Fink Basin – A hamlet near the Mohawk River by NY-169 *

Herkimer Home State Historic Site Herkimer Home State Historic Site is a historic house museum in Herkimer County, New York, United States. Herkimer Home is in the north part of the Town of Danube, south of the Mohawk River. The home was built in 1764 by Nicholas Herkimer, who ...

– The home of Nicholas Herkimer is near Fink Basin and the Mohawk River. *Indian Castle – A hamlet in the northeastern part of the town, east of Danube village. *Newville-- A hamlet in the southwestern part of the town on County Road 32. The Zoller-Frasier Round Barn was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

References

External links

Town of Danube official website

Herkimer County Historical Society website

Danube Town Court
{{authority control Utica–Rome metropolitan area Towns in Herkimer County, New York Towns in New York (state) Palatine German settlement in New York (state)