Malone is a town in
Franklin 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 12,433 at the 2020 census. The town 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 named
Malone. The town is an interior town located in the north-central part of the county.
History

The town was formed from part of the town of
Chateaugay in 1805. The town was originally named "Harison", after
Richard Harison, who had purchased the land and founded the town. The name was changed in 1808 to "Ezraville", after
Ezra L'Hommedieu, and in 1812 to "Malone".
During the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
, the village was sacked by British troops making incursions from what would become
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.
Former Governor
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo ( , ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ...
instituted financial measures to increase economic stability to the county by bringing in many prisons (state and federal).
Between 1901 and 1958, a
commuter train service run by the
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...
connected Malone with
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
,
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
.
Notable people
*
Tom Browning (1960-2022), MLB pitcher who won the World Series with the Cincinnati Reds
*
Ovila Cayer (1844–1909), recipient of the
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 ...
for actions during the
Battle of Globe Tavern
*
Alexander Duane (1858–1926), ophthalmologist
*
Orville Gibson
Orville H. Gibson (May 8, 1856 – August 19, 1918) was an American luthier who founded the Gibson (guitar company), Gibson Guitar Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1902, makers of guitars, mandolins and other instruments.
His earliest known ins ...
(1856–1911), founder of
Gibson Guitar Corporation
Gibson, Inc. (formerly Gibson Guitar Corporation and Gibson Brands Inc.) is an American manufacturer of Guitar manufacturing, guitars, other musical instruments, and professional audio equipment from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and now based in Nashvi ...
*
William H. Flack (1861–1907), US congressman
*
Michael Hastings (1980–2013), investigative journalist
*
William H. Huntington (1848–1916), former Wisconsin State Assemblyman
*
Clarence E. Kilburn (1893–1975),
Republican 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 ...
*
Bob Mould
Robert Arthur Mould (born October 16, 1960) is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and Sugar (American band), Sugar in the 1990s.
Early ...
(born 1960), solo musician and former guitarist, singer, and songwriter with
alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
bands
Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü () was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continuous members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notability as a hardc ...
and
Sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose
Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
*
Charles L. Russell (1844–1910), recipient of the
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 ...
for actions during the
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 18 ...
*
Frank Tolan (1854–99), recipient of the
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 ...
for actions at the
Battle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota people, Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Si ...
*
William A. Wheeler (1819–87), the 19th Vice President of the United States. Buried at Morningside Cemetery in Malone, his mansion on Elm Street is now the site of the Elks Lodge
*
Almanzo Wilder (1857–1949), husband of ''
Little House on the Prairie
The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books comprise a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adulthood in the Midwestern United States, Americ ...
'' author
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder (February 7, 1867 – February 10, 1957) was an American writer, teacher, and journalist. She is best known as the author of the children's book series ''Little House on the Prairie'', published between 1932 and 1 ...
*
Philip Woolley (1831–1912), Canadian American businessman
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 1.25%, is water.
U.S. Route 11 and
New York State Route 11B are east-west highways across the town, and
New York State Route 30 and
New York State Route 37 are north-south highways.
The Salmon River flows northward through the center of town, and the Trout River flows across the northeastern corner.
Climate
According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Malone has a
warm-summer humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Malone was on July 10, 2020, while the coldest temperature recorded was on February 7, 1993.
Demographics
At the
2000 census there were 14,981 people, 4,114 households, and 2,620 families in the town. The population density was . There were 4,644 housing units at an average density of . The ethnic makeup of the town was 73.61% White, 18.56% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 6.25% from other races, and 0.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.19%.
Malone, New York has a far more diverse demographic profile compared to the surrounding region, due to hosting multiple state correctional facilities, which house prisoners from the entirety of New York state. Malone also hosts the county correctional facility for Franklin County.
Of the 4,114 households 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 30.7% of households were one person and 14.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.91.
The age distribution was 16.3% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 42.1% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 179.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 201.5 males.
The median household income was $27,716 and the median family income was $37,500. Males had a median income of $25,996 versus $20,506 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,352.
According to the Census 2017 ACS 5Year Estimates, the poverty rate in Malone is 24%. The
child poverty
Child poverty refers to the state of children living in poverty and applies to children from poor families and orphans being raised with limited or no state resources. UNICEF estimates that 356 million children live in extreme poverty. It is esti ...
rate is 31%. (A previous statistic here said the poverty rate was only 8%).
Communities and locations in the Town of Malone
*
Bare Hill Correctional Facility
Bare Hill Correctional Facility is a medium security state prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Impr ...
– a New York state medium security state prison
*Chasm Falls – a hamlet in the southeastern part of the town on County Road 25; originally called ''Titusville''
*Fay – a hamlet by the northern town line
*
Flanagan Hotel – built in 1917
*
Franklin Correctional Facility
Franklin Correctional Facility is a medium security state prison in the Town of Malone, Franklin County, New York, United States, near Bare Hill Correctional Facility
Bare Hill Correctional Facility is a medium security state prison
A ...
– a New York state medium security state prison
*Lake Titus – a lake in the southwestern part of the town
*
Malone – a village located in the center of the town and the county seat of Franklin County
*
Malone-Dufort Airport (MAL) – an airport west of the village of Malone
*Malone Junction – 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 ...
northeast of the village of Malone
*Teboville – a hamlet in the central part of the town, east of Whippleville
*
Titus Mountain – a ski area spread over three mountains, south of the village of Malone
*
Upstate Correctional Facility – a New York state maximum security state prison
*Whippleville – a hamlet in the central part of the town, located south of the village of Malone on County Road 25
Oral history of Whippleville and Teboville in the late 19th early 20th Centuries
/ref>
Sports
The Malone Border Hounds began play at American Legion Field with the Empire Professional Baseball League
The Empire Professional Baseball League (EPBL) is an independent baseball league that began play in 2016. The Empire League plays a 40-game regular season followed by a five-game post season. The four-team league consists exclusively of teams fr ...
in 2023 and they won the league championship in their first season.
References
External links
*
Early Malone history
Read and Listen to the oral history of Malone in the late 19th early 20th Centuries
{{authority control
Populated places established in 1805
Towns in Franklin County, New York
Towns in New York (state)
1805 establishments in New York (state)