Palmyra () 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 southwestern
Wayne 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 7,975 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the ancient city
Palmyra
Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...
in
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
.
The town contains a village also named
Palmyra
Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...
. The town is about southeast of
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...
.
History
The
prehistoric
Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...
Adena culture
The Adena culture was a pre-Columbian Native American culture that existed from 500 BCE to 100 CE, in a time known as the Early Woodland period. The Adena culture refers to what were probably a number of related Native American societies sharin ...
left mounds in the area.
Palmyra was part of the
Phelps and Gorham Purchase
The Phelps and Gorham Purchase was the sale, in 1788, of a portion of a large tract of land in western New York State owned by the Seneca nation of the Iroquois Confederacy to a syndicate of land developers led by Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gor ...
.
The Town of Palmyra, originally called "Swift's Landing" after its founder
John Swift and "District of Tolland," was created in 1789. The sole local encounter between natives and white settlers that resulted in deaths occurred that same year. The present name was adopted in 1796, reportedly to impress a new school teacher. There were almost one thousand people in the town in 1800.
The
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...
was completed up to Palmyra in 1822, although the canal was not completed to its western terminus until 1825. Palmyra is part of the
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.
In 1823, the
Town of Macedon was formed from part of Palmyra's territory as part of the creation of Wayne County from Ontario County.
Birth of Latter Day Saint movement

Palmyra is the birthplace of the
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by ...
. Founder
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thou ...
, whose family lived on a farm that straddled the line between Palmyra and
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, said he had been visited by God and Jesus Christ in 1820, an event known as the
First Vision
The First Vision (also called the grove experience by members of the Community of Christ) refers to a theophany which Latter Day Saints believe Joseph Smith experienced in the early 1820s, in a wooded area in Manchester (town), New York, Manchest ...
. In 1830 the
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, first published in 1830 by Joseph Smith as ''The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi''.
The book is one of ...
was first published in the
village of Palmyra by
E.B. Grandin, in the present
Book of Mormon Historic Publication Site. Beginning in the early 20th century,
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
began buying and restoring many of the properties in the area associated with early church history. In 1997 the Smiths' log cabin was rebuilt on its original site and in 2000 the church built the
Palmyra New York Temple on a portion of the former Smith farm.
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 33.7 square miles (87.3 km
2), of which 33.5 square miles (86.7 km
2) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.5 km
2) (0.62%) is water.
The Erie Canal passes across the county, through the Village of Palmyra. The multi-use, recreational Erie Canal Heritage Trail continues along the towpath of the Erie Canal as well.
The south town line is the border of
Ontario County.
New York State Route 21 (north-south) intersects
New York State Route 31
New York State Route 31 (NY 31) is a state highway that extends for across western and central New York (state), New York in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with New York State Route 104, NY ...
(east-west) in Palmyra village.
Education
The
Palmyra-Macedon High School, Palmyra-Macedon Middle School and Palmyra-Macedon Primary School are all located within Palmyra.
The
Palmyra Community Library is a Board of Regents chartered library that serves the public with a collection of books, magazines, videos, audiobooks, video games, and local references that may be borrowed or viewed. The library also hosts a variety of community events year round. Free wireless internet and computer access are available on site.
In 2011, the library moved to its current location in the renovated Garlock Packing Company Building. The move was prompted by a need to expand on site resources, increase seating, and add community gathering spaces.
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 2010, there were 7,975 people, 3,255 households, and 2,175 families residing in the town. The population density was . The racial makeup of the town was 96.7%
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 ...
, 0.8%
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 ...
or
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 ...
, 0.4%
Native American, 0.5%
Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.2% from
other races, and 1.3% 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 1.4% of the population.
There were 3,255 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% 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, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 20, 5.6% from 20 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 30.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,102, and the median income for a family was $57,770. Males had a median income of $40,742 versus $36,087 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 $23,569. About 14.5% of families and 16.7% 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 27.5% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
Housing
There were 3,543 housing units at an average density of . 8.1% of housing units were vacant.
There were 3,255 occupied housing units in the town. 2,212 were owner-occupied units (68.0%), while 1,043 were renter-occupied (32.0%). The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% of total units. The rental unit vacancy rate was 10.1%.
Communities and locations in the Town of Palmyra
*Cooney Crossing – A location by the west town line on County Road 210.
*
East Palmyra – A hamlet near the east town line on County Road 225. The
East Palmyra Presbyterian Church 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 2002.
*
Palmyra
Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...
– The Village of Palmyra on the Erie Canal.
*Red Creek – A stream north of Palmyra village.
*Wide Waters – A long narrow pond in the Erie Canal is partly in the southeast corner of the town.
Notable people
*
E. B. Grandin (1806–1845), printer of first edition of the
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, first published in 1830 by Joseph Smith as ''The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi''.
The book is one of ...
*
Increase A. Lapham (1811–1875), "father" of the United States Weather Service
*
William T. Sampson (1840–1902), Admiral in the
Spanish–American War
The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
*
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thou ...
(1805–1844), founder of the
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by ...
, resided in Palmyra from 1816 to 1825 and again in 1830
[
* Martin Harris (1783-1875), ]financier
An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital the investor usually purchases some species of property. Types of in ...
, scribe
A scribe is a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of Printing press, automatic printing.
The work of scribes can involve copying manuscripts and other texts as well as ...
, and one of three witnesses of the Book of Mormon resided in Palmyra from 1791 to 1831
* Margaret Aldrich Smith (1863–1929), American First Lady of Guam, born in Palmyra
*Henry Wells
Henry Wells (December 12, 1805 – December 10, 1878) was an American businessman important in the history of both the American Express Company and Wells Fargo & Company. Wells worked as a freight agent before joining the express business. Hi ...
(1805–1878), founder of American Express
American Express Company or Amex is an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes in payment card industry, payment cards. It is headquartered at 200 Vesey Street, also known as American Expr ...
and co-founder of Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with a significant global presence. The company operates in 35 countries and serves over 70 million customers worldwide. It is a systemically important fi ...
See also
*Palmyra (village), New York
Palmyra () is a Village (New York), village in Wayne County, New York, Wayne County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 3,536 at the 2010 census. The village, along with the town, is named after Palmyra in present-da ...
References
External links
Village and Town of Palmyra
{{authority control
Significant places in Mormonism
Rochester metropolitan area, New York
1789 establishments in New York (state)
Latter Day Saint movement in New York (state)
Towns in Wayne County, New York
Towns in New York (state)