Downsville is 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 ...

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 ...

(CDP), and former

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 ...

in the town of

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

, Delaware 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. The population was 617 at the 2010 census.

History

It is the site of the Downsville Bridge, a covered bridge, and the historic Union Free School. Both 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 ...

. Downsville is named for Abel Downs, who had a

tannery Tanning, or hide tanning, is the process of treating skins and hides of animals to produce leather. A tannery is the place where the skins are processed. Historically, vegetable based tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound derived fr ...

there. The hamlet is located on the East Branch of the Delaware River. A dam on this portion of the river, at Downsville, was completed by workers paid for by

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1954, creating the

Pepacton Reservoir The Pepacton Reservoir is a reservoir in Delaware County, New York on the East Branch of the Delaware River in the Catskill Mountains of New York (state), New York. Part of the New York City water supply system, it was formed by the construction ...

, which is part of the New York City water supply system. The Delaware and Northern Railroad ran south of town. There was a station on Depot Street. Downsville Central School, located on Maple Avenue, serves families from the surrounding areas, including municipalities as far away as East Branch. Downsville Central School's colors are purple and white and their mascot is the Eagle.

Geography

Downsville is located in the northern part of the town of Colchester, along Downs Brook just north of its confluence with the

East Branch Delaware River The East Branch Delaware River is one of two branches that form the Delaware River. It is approximately 75 mi (121 km) long, and flows through the U.S. state of New York. It winds through a mountainous area on the southwestern edge of ...

New York State Route 30 New York State Route 30 (NY 30) is a state highway in the central part of New York in the United States. It extends for from an interchange with NY 17 (Future Interstate 86) in the Southern Tier to the US–Canada border in ...

passes through the hamlet, leading southwest to the hamlet of East Branch at NY 17, and east along the

to Margaretville.

New York State Route 206 New York State Route 206 (NY 206) is a state highway in the Southern Tier of New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs through some lightly populated regions along the state's southern border, from Central New York to t ...

leads northwest from Downsville to Walton and southeast to NY 17 at Roscoe. 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 Downsville CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.97%, is water.

Demographics

References

External links

Old photo of Downsville
Former villages in New York (state) Census-designated places in Delaware County, New York Census-designated places in New York (state) Hamlets in Delaware County, New York Hamlets in New York (state) {{DelawareCountyNY-geo-stub