Port Byron 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 ...

in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,290 at the 2010 census. It is in the town of Mentz and is north of Auburn.

History

Settlers began arriving around 1797. Originally known as "King's Settlement", then Bucksville, finally, the name was changed to Port Byron in 1825 as it became a port on 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, ...

. It has been suggested that the new name may have been chosen in reference to

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

, the English romantic poet who had died the previous year, however there is no definitive proof of this. Later, when the canal route was changed in 1856, the village was a railroad town. The village was incorporated in 1837. The Erie Canal Lock 52 Complex 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 1998. The New York Central Railroad named a Sleeper car after the town.

Notable people

There are a number of people who can trace their roots back to Port Byron or who settled here for a while. Before he was a leader of the

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

faith,

Brigham Young Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...

lived here in the early 1830s. He was a painter and builder. One of the early buildings he lived in still exists on Pine Street.

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 ...

of " Wells and Fargo" fame also lived here in the early 1830s. We can trace

Isaac Singer Isaac Merritt Singer (October 27, 1811 – July 23, 1875) was an American inventor, actor, and businessman. He made important improvements in the design of the sewing machine and was the founder of what became one of the first American multi-na ...

of sewing machine fame here in 1837, when he was better known for his acting than his machinery skills. Sculptor Byron Pickett lived here in the 1840s, and his family is buried in the local cemetery. Clara Barrus trained in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

to become a doctor. She is better known as the aid and biographer of naturalist John Burroughs. She also wrote a book about her childhood, titled ''A Life Unveiled'', written under the name "A Child of the Drumlins". Actress Kittie Rhoades was raised here, and she kept a summer house nearby. She is buried in the local cemetery. Opera singer Richard Bonelli was born here as Jacob Bunn. Physicist Dr. Francis Eugene Nipher, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, is well known for his early work on the effect of electrical charges on attractive and repulsive forces. Mel Hall played baseball at Port Byron prior to his MLB career; he was drafted in the 1978 draft by the Cubs. Edward G. Delaney, an aerospace scientist and mechanical engineer who worked on the iconic Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs is a Port Byron High School Hall of Fame member and 1948 graduate. Mark Jindrak also graduated from the high school. Thomas Rooker lived here as well he help design the Brookland Bridge 1869 then opened 1883.

Geography

Port Byron is located at (43.0368, -76.6254). 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 , of which is land and , or 2.91%, is water. The village is at the junction of Routes 31 and 38. The New York State Thruway passes through the northwest corner of the village but with no direct access. The Owasco Outlet flows northward from Owasco Lake to the Seneca River through the village. It provided substantial water power to the early village.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,297 people, 501 households, and 350 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 527 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.22%

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 ...

, 1.54%

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 ...

, 0.39% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 1.23% from other races, and 1.46% 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 2.16% of the population. There were 501 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.98. In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males. The median income for a household in the village was $35,625, and the median income for a family was $37,054. Males had a median income of $30,875 versus $20,404 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 village was $15,741. About 11.0% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Village of Port Byron official website
{{authority control Villages in New York (state) Populated places established in 1797 Villages in Cayuga County, New York 1797 establishments in New York (state)