Oneida Castle () is 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 ...

Oneida County, New York Oneida County ( ) is a county in the state of New York, United States. As of February 26, 2024, the population was 226,654. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois League or '' ...

, United States. The population was 586 at the 2020 census. The village is in the northwestern corner of the town of Vernon. Oneida Castle is east of the city of Oneida (located in Madison County) and west of the city of Sherrill in

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 * ...

State.

History

The village was formerly the site of a major fortified village, Kanonwalohale (written as "tkanaˀalóhaleˀ" modern Oneida orthography), of the

Oneida tribe The Oneida people ( ; autonym: Onʌyoteˀa·ká·, Onyota'a:ka, ''the People of the Upright Stone, or standing stone'', ''Thwahrù·nęʼ'' in Tuscarora) are a Native American tribe and First Nations band. They are one of the five founding n ...

, one of the original Five Nations of the

Iroquois Confederacy 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 ...

. They established it in the beginning of the 18th century, moving from an area where they suffered raids by parties from the French colony of

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, ...

, which was trying to control their

fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...

. The village was surrounded by tall wooden palisades, with a moat bordering this. Dwellings and storage structures were protected inside. Mohawk

Joseph Brant Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant (March 1743 – November 24, 1807) was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York and, later, Brantford, in what is today Ontario, who was closely associated with Great Britain du ...

led a war party which destroyed the village in July 1780. Later European-American settlers named the village of Oneida Castle for this last great village or "castle" of the Oneida people. In the colonial period, Europeans often referred to the major fortified Iroquois villages as "castles" because it was a familiar reference for them for such a settlement; other examples include Seneca Castle and Genesee Castle.

Geography

Oneida Castle is located at (43.078335, -75.633383). Oneida Castle is the approximate geographic center of New York State. There have been past attempts to move the state capitol here. 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 village has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 627 people, 264 households, and 178 families in the village. The population density was . There were 284 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.25% white, .80% Native American, .32% Asian, and .64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were .32%. Of the 264 households 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 26.1% of households were one person and 11.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.87. The age distribution was 21.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males. The median household income was $40,789 and the median family income was $45,875. Males had a median income of $35,568 versus $26,964 for females. The per capita income for the village was $20,056. About 5.5% of families and 6.8% 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 12.5% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

*https://oneidacastleny.com/ {{authority control Villages in New York (state) Utica–Rome metropolitan area Villages in Oneida County, New York