Mayfield 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 ...

in Fulton 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, northeast of Gloversville and Johnstown. 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 Mayfield. The population of the town was 6,495 at the 2010 census.

History

The land that is now the town was formed by portions of several colonial land grants, including: The Mayfield Patent (1770); Col. Daniel Claus' Patent (1770); Cpt. Norman McLeod's Patent (1770); Lt Benjamin Roberts' Patent (1770); The Kingsborough Patent (1753); The Kayaderosseras Patent (1701); Sacondaga Patent (1741); Glen's Purchase (1770); the Glen, Bleecker, and Lansing Patent (1793); and Chase's Patent (1792). The first European settlements began under the authority of

Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet Major-General Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet ( – 11 July 1774), was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Ireland known for his military and governance work in British colonial America. As a young man, Johnson moved to t ...

. His exploits as the British Superintendent of Indian Affairs acquainted him with the lands which were the territory of the Mohawk nation of the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

Confederacy. A settlement known as Philadelphia Bush formed in the southern part of the present town in the early 1760s, and in the eastern part of the present town, settlement was simultaneously started in the basin of the Sacandaga Valley. A settlement on the Mayfield Patent began in 1772, and Johnson erected a grist mill on the Mayfield creek the following year or year after. The settlements were situated on the war path taken by

Sir John Johnson Brigadier-general (United Kingdom), Brigadier-General Sir John Johnson, 2nd Baronet (5 November 1741 – 4 January 1830) was an American-born military officer, politician and landowner who fought as a Loyalist (American Revolution), Loyalist dur ...

and his Loyalist and Mohawk raiding forces during the Revolutionary War, which devastated the early pioneers. A fort, known as the Sacandaga Blockhouse, was erected in May 1779 to protect the remaining settlers from further raids. However, due to several attacks, the Mayfield area was mostly abandoned by the end of the war. The town was established in 1793 from the town of Caughnawaga in Montgomery County before the formation of Fulton County in 1838. It was one of the first three such towns formed, and was fully organized on April 1, 1794. Part of Mayfield was taken in 1805 to form the town of Wells (now in Hamilton County). An additional part of Mayfield was added to Wells in 1812. Mayfield was reduced once again in 1842 to form the town of

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. Mayfield reached its present size in 1860, when a northern section was annexed by Hamilton County to create the town of Benson. The early economy was based on agriculture as well as

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

and

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...

production. Limestone was a bountiful resource with several quarries and kilns in operation in the 19th century. The Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville Railroad operated within the town from 1875 to 1984. Passenger service ended in the 1930s, and the railroad was operated solely for industrial purposes until it ceased operations. Roughly six square miles (~4000 acres) of private land in Mayfield was acquired by the state through eminent domain for the creation of the

Great Sacandaga Lake The Great Sacandaga Lake (formerly the Sacandaga Reservoir) is a large lake in the Adirondack Park in northern New York in the United States. The lake has a surface area of about at capacity, and the length is about . The word ''Sacandaga'' me ...

in 1930. In 1931, the

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a park in northeastern New York (state), New York protecting the Adirondack Mountains. The park was established in 1892 for "the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure", and for watershed protection. At , ...

was expanded by the state to include the majority of the town. Since that time, the local economy has depended on tourism. The Oliver Rice House located on Old NY 30 was 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 ...

in 1995.

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 9.74%, is water. Mayfield is mostly within the

and is on the southwestern shore of

. New York State Route 30 is an important north–south highway in Mayfield. NY-30 intersects New York State Route 30A at Riceville. New York State Route 349 is an east–west highway in the southern part of the town. East–west highways New York State Route 29 and New York State Route 29A converge in the southern part of Mayfield, west of Vail Mills.

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 6,432 people, 2,535 households, and 1,804 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 3,211 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.99%

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 ...

, 0.39%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.22% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.47% from other races, and 0.51% 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 0.87% of the population. There were 2,535 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% 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, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.95. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $37,982, and the median income for a family was $42,289. Males had a median income of $30,326 versus $22,105 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 $17,972. About 5.9% of families and 8.6% 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 11.9% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the town

Inhabited locations

* Broadalbin – A small western part of the village of Broadalbin, located on NY-29, is inside the town of Mayfield. * Broadalbin Junction – A hamlet by the western town line on NY-30A southwest of Riceville. * Cranberry Creek – A hamlet in the northeastern corner of the town on NY-30. A stream called Cranberry Creek flows into Great Sacandaga Lake at the village. Had a post office from 1819 to 1930. Discontinued due to the Sacandaga Reservoir. * Dennies Hollow – A hamlet north of Mayfield village on NY-30. * Jackson Summit – A location west of Mayfield village at the southern end of the Jackson Summit Reservoir. Had a post office from 1858 to 1863. * Mayfield – The village of Mayfield is in the southeastern part of the town. Post office established 1819. * Munsonville – A hamlet at the western end of Great Sacandaga Lake, south of Mayfield village. Had a post office from 1874 to 1903. Now underneath the Sacandaga Reservoir. * Progress – A hamlet in the southwestern part of town on NY-29A. * Red Bunch Corners – A hamlet in the southern part of the town on NY-30. * Riceville – A hamlet by the junction of Routes NY-30 and NY-30A. Had a post office from 1833 to 1848. * Tomantown – A former settlement in the northwestern quarter of Mayfield. * Vail Mills – A hamlet in the southeastern part of Mayfield on NY-30. Had a post office from 1835 to 1933. * Wilkins' Corners – A former community near Mayfield village. * Wood's Hollow – A former community in the southeastern section of town. Also known as Closeville. Now underneath the Sacandaga Reservoir.

Geographic locations

* Beacon Island – A small island in

, north of Kunkel Point. * Bernhardt Mountain – The highest peak in Mayfield, 2293 ft above sea level. * Cameron Reservoir – A small reservoir near the northern town line. * Jackson Summit Reservoir – A

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

located in the northwestern part of the town. * Kenyetto Creek – A stream in the southeastern section of the town flowing westward, then north into Great Sacandaga Lake. * Kunkel Point – A projection into Great Sacandaga Lake, north of Vandenburgh Point. The point, and road leading to it, are named for the late Robert S. Kunkel a prominent Gloversville doctor and one of the first people to buy property there. The Point remains in the Kunkel family. * Mayfield Creek – A stream flowing eastward into Mayfield Lake. * Mayfield Lake – A small lake south of Mayfield village, connecting to Great Sacandaga Lake. * Paradise Point – A short projection into Great Sacandaga Lake northeast of Dennies Hollow. * Scout Island – An island in the southwestern part of Great Sacandaga Lake. * Vandenburgh Point – A short peninsula into Great Sacandaga Lake, northeast of Munsonville.

Landmark

* Oliver Rice House – A 1790 historical colonial home, now a museum.

References

External links

Town of Mayfield official website
{{authority control Towns in Fulton County, New York Towns in New York (state)