Forestville 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 ...

(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 ...

) in Chautauqua 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 697 at the 2010 census. The hamlet is within the town of

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

and in the northeast part of the county. It was an incorporated

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 ...

from 1848 to 2016.

History

The first settlers were the Tupper brothers in 1805. The community began in 1808 as "Walnut Falls". Also known as "Moore's Hills," the name was changed to "Forestville" in 1820. The village was incorporated in 1848. The "Bell Tower" at the high school is the oldest standing brick structure in the north county. The Bell Tower landmark was re-constructed in the early 2000s by Forestville Central School. A

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G ...

carriage house A ''carriage house'', also called a ''remise'' or ''coach house'', is a term used in North America to describe an outbuilding that was originally built to house horse-drawn carriages and their related tack. Carriage houses were often two ...

located at 29 Lodi Street is the oldest standing wooden structure in northern Chautauqua County. In 2015, following emergency loans from the county, the inhabitants were called to vote on the dissolution of the village. Dissolution was approved by a 137–97 vote. The Village of Forestville was officially dissolved on December 31, 2016.Time Warner Cable News, ''Village of Forestville Set to Dissolve and Transition Into Town of Hanover'' by Mark Goshgarian, November 17, 2016
Retrieved January 21, 2017. On July 10, 2024, during an outbreak caused by the remnants of

Hurricane Beryl Hurricane Beryl (, ) was a deadly and destructive tropical cyclone that impacted parts of the Caribbean, the Yucatán Peninsula, and the Gulf Coast of the United States in late June and early July 2024. The second named storm, first hurricane ...

, a tornado touched down and caused EF1 damage mostly along Henry and Putnam roads.

Notable people

George Abbott George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. He received numerous honors including six Tony Awards, the ...

, Broadway producer and playwright, was born in Forestville on June 25, 1887. A New York State historical marker honoring Abbott was placed on Main Street and unveiled by the Hanover Historian Vincent P. Martonis on June 25, 2008. * Edgar Anderson, botanist * Cyrus D. Angell, major landowner in Forestville and surrounding area in the 19th century; noted for developing the Belt Theory of oil discovery, that oil existed in "belts" akin to underground rivers, giving rise to the practice of "Yardstick Geology". A number of local landmarks along Angell Road are named after Cyrus D. Angell. * Emily Montague Mulkin Bishop (1858-1916), Delsartean lecturer, instructor, author * William J. Colvill, Union colonel in the

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 ...

who led the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry in the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

, former Minnesota Attorney General and US congressman from Minnesota * Les Dye, former NFL player * Carol J. Adams, writer, feminist, and animal rights activist

Geography

Forestville is in the southwest part of the town of Hanover at (42.471658, -79.174028). 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 hamlet has a total area of , all land. Walnut Creek is joined by Tupper Brook north of the hamlet and flows northward to

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

.1942 business map of Forestville; Water Supply 1964 US Gov't Printing Office; Floods 1965 U. S. Gov't Printing Office CR 85 at Forestville-Hanover line

New York State Route 39 New York State Route 39 (NY 39) is an east–west state highway in the western New York, western portion of New York (state), New York in the United States. It begins and ends at intersections with U.S. Route 20 in New York, U.S ...

passes east–west through the hamlet as its main street and intersects county routes 85, 87, and 89. Route 39 leads east to Gowanda. Fredonia is to the west via Route 39 and U.S. Route 20.

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 770 people, 304 households, and 209 families residing in what was then a village. The population density was . There were 324 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.45%

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 ...

, 0.26%

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 ...

, 1.04% Native American, 1.43% from other races, and 1.82% 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 2.47% of the population. Of note, there is an estimated 91% of the population that is classified as "white". There were 304 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.99. In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males. The median income for a household in the village was $32,778, and the median income for a family was $41,042. Males had a median income of $32,159 versus $25,139 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,993. About 4.8% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.

Events

The Forestville Fall Festival, formerly known as the Forestville Apple Festival, is held yearly, the first weekend in October. It features products from the apple harvest, a craft fair, parade, special events, and a harvest dinner.

References

External links

Village of Forestville government
{{authority control Villages in New York (state) Villages in Chautauqua County, New York Former villages in New York (state) Populated places disestablished in 2016