Schoharie County ( ) is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,714, making it the state's fifth-least populous county. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Schoharie. "Schoharie" comes from a Mohawk word meaning "floating driftwood." Schoharie County is part of the Albany- Schenectady-

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and thus the Capital District of New York. The county is part of the Mohawk Valley region of the state.

History

The large territory of the county was long occupied by the

Mohawk Nation The Mohawk, also known by their own name, (), are an Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people of North America and the easternmost nation of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Confederacy (also known as the Five Nations or later the ...

and, to the west, the other four tribes of the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy (increased to six with the migration of the Tuscarora). After European colonization of the Northeast started, the Mohawk had a lucrative

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 ...

with the French coming down from Canada, as well as the early Dutch colonists, and later British and German colonists. Some Palatine Germans, who worked in camps on the Hudson to pay off their passage in 1710, later settled in this county in the 1720s and 30s. In addition, Scots-Irish immigrants settled in the present Schoharie County area before the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, especially near Cherry Creek.

Political organization

After Great Britain defeated the Dutch in the

Second Anglo-Dutch War The Second Anglo-Dutch War, began on 4 March 1665, and concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Breda (1667), Treaty of Breda on 31 July 1667. It was one in a series of Anglo-Dutch Wars, naval wars between Kingdom of England, England and the D ...

and received New Netherland via the Treaty of Breda, they began to establish counties in the New York territory in 1683. The present Schoharie County was first part of Albany County. In theory, it extended westward to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

, as the colonists wanted to keep their options open. This county was reduced in size on July 3, 1766, by the creation of Cumberland County, and further on March 16, 1770, by the creation of Gloucester County, both containing territory now part of Vermont. On March 12, 1772, what was left of Albany County was split into three parts, one retaining the name Albany County. Tryon County was formed from the western portion of the territory (and thus, since no western boundary was specified, theoretically still extended west to the Pacific). The eastern boundary of Tryon County was approximately five miles west of the present city of Schenectady, and the county included the western part of the

Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains ( ) are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York which form a circular dome approximately wide and covering about . The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the highest point in Ne ...

and the area west of the West Branch of the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

. The area then designated Tryon County was eventually organized into what are now 37 counties of New York State. The county was named for

William Tryon Lieutenant-General William Tryon (8 June 172927 January 1788) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as governor of North Carolina from 1764 to 1771 and the governor of New York from 1771 to 1777. He also served durin ...

, colonial governor of New York. In the years preceding 1776, as social and political tensions rose in the colony, most of the Loyalists in Tryon County, then on the frontier, fled to

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 ...

. In 1784, after the peace treaty that ended the Revolutionary War and the establishment of states, the new government changed Tryon County's name to Montgomery County to honor United States General Richard Montgomery, who had captured several places in Canada and died trying to capture the city 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, ...

. The state continued to organize new counties. In 1789, Montgomery County was reduced in size by the splitting off of Ontario County. It was originally much larger than the present county, including present-day Allegany, Cattaraugus,

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...

, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Steuben,

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

, Yates, and part of Schuyler and Wayne counties. In 1791, Otsego County was one of three counties split off from Montgomery (the other two being Herkimer and Tioga County). In 1795, Schoharie County was created by joining portions of Otsego and Albany counties.

Revolutionary War

This was an area of fighting during the American Revolutionary War. On the frontier, colonists were subject to raids by British and their Iroquois allies. Four of the six tribes allied with the British, hoping to repel the colonists from their territory.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water. Schoharie County is in central New York State, west of Albany and southeast of Utica. Much of the southern portion of the county lies within the

Catskill Mountains The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province and subrange of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined a ...

. Land rises in both directions quite rapidly from Schoharie Creek in the middle of the county. In contrast, the northern part of the county is predominately small hills and valleys. More than 75% of the county's population lives in the north, closer to the Mohawk River, the historic transportation route east and west through the state. Schoharie Creek is a northward-flowing tributary of the

Mohawk River The Mohawk River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 river in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson R ...

. The Schoharie Creek watershed spans an area of approximately . The course of Schoharie Creek includes two reservoir-dam systems. The Gilboa Dam and the Schoharie Reservoir are part of the New York City Water Supply System. The New York Power Authority operates the Blenheim-Gilboa Dam and its reservoir to produce hydroelectric power. The headwaters of the

are located in the town of Jefferson. Tributaries of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

are located in the towns of Jefferson and Summit. The highest point is at the summit of Huntersfield Mountain on the southern boundary with Greene County, at above sea level. The lowest point is where the Montgomery County line meets Schoharie Creek, above sea level. The most prominent geological feature is Vroman's Nose, near the village of Middleburgh in the town of Fulton.

Adjacent counties

* Albany County - east * Delaware County - southwest * Greene County - southeast * Montgomery County - north * Otsego County - west * Schenectady County - northeast

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 31,582 people, 11,991 households and 8,177 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 15,915 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.06%

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 ...

, 2.14%

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 ...

, 0.30% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.02%

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 ...

, 0.36% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 1.86% of the population were

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. 20.9% were of German, 15.6% Irish, 11.5% American, 10.8% Italian and 9.7% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.5% spoke English, 1.7% Spanish and 1.0% German as their first language. There were 11,991 households, out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.20% 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, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.80% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.98. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.00% under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,585, and the median income for a family was $43,118. Males had a median income of $31,725 versus $24,475 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 county was $17,778. About 7.90% of families and 11.40% 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 13.70% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Economy

Schoharie County's primary industry is agriculture. Farms are situated all over the county and farm stands and other agriculture-related businesses are operated throughout the county. Many residents work in the Capital District, New York.

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

has a distribution center in the Village of Sharon Springs. The I-88 corridor is growing due to the short commute to Schenectady and Albany. The Catskills-area villages have a number of historic hotels, as it was a vacation destination in the early 20th century. Second homes are common in the county. A growing tourist industry attracts visitors for recreation, the landscape and historic destinations. Visitors come to Howe Caverns, Vroman's Nose, the Old Stone Fort, and the Iroquois Indian Museum among other locales. The Old Blenheim Bridge was among the attractions until it was destroyed by

Hurricane Irene Hurricane Irene was a large and destructive tropical cyclone which affected much of the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States during late August 2011. The ninth tropical cyclone naming, named storm, first hurricane, and first major ...

in August 2011. Work to rebuild the covered bridge began in 2017.

Government

, Schoharie County is part of

New York's 21st congressional district New York's 21st congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives that is represented by United States Republican Party, Republican Elise Stefanik. On November 11, 2024, President of the United St ...

, represented by Republican

Elise Stefanik Elise Marie Stefanik ( ; born July 2, 1984) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for . As chair of the House Republican Conference from 2021 to 2025, she was the fourth-ranking House Republican. Stefanik's district covers ...

; part of New York's 51st State Senate district, represented by Republican Peter Oberacker; and part of New York's 102nd Assembly district, represented by Republican Christopher Tague. The sheriff of Schoharie County, Tony Desmond, received national attention for publicly stating during the 2013 election that he would not enforce the NY SAFE Act. The current sheriff, Ronald R. Stevens, succeeded Desmond in 2018. From 1884 to 1916, Schoharie County consistently backed Democratic Party candidates in presidential elections; it was the only county in the state to support

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...

over

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

in 1896. After 1916, the county has backed the Democratic candidate only twice, in 1964 and 1996.

Communities

Towns

* Blenheim * Broome *

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

* Cobleskill * Conesville * Esperance * Fulton * Gilboa * Jefferson * Middleburgh * Richmondville * Schoharie * Seward *

Sharon Sharon ( 'plain'), also spelled Saron, is a given name as well as a Hebrew name. In Anglosphere, English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name, but historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In Israel, ...

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England and Scotland. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a ...

Villages

* Cobleskill * Esperance * Middleburgh * Richmondville * Schoharie (county seat) * Sharon Springs

Census-designated places

* Central Bridge * Jefferson * North Blenheim

Other hamlets

* Breakabeen * Charlotteville * Esperance * Fultonham * Gallupville * Grovenors Corners * Livingstonville * Sloansville * Warnerville * West Middleburgh

Transportation

Interstate and other major highways

Schoharie County is served by Interstate 88, which is paralleled by Route 7 as well as U.S. Route 20 in the north of the county running in the east–west direction. Route 10, Route 30 (which splits into Route 30A north of Schoharie) and Route 145 run in the north–south direction in the county. * * * * * * *

Bus

Bus service is provided by Schoharie County Public Transportation, with commuter routes to Albany as well as local and demand-responsive services.

Rail (Former)

Passenger rail service in Schoharie County was formerly provided by the Delaware and Hudson Railway on their Susquehanna Division until passenger service was discontinued in the 1960s. Today, freight service continues along the Susquehanna Division provided by

Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

Airports

The nearest commercial airport to Schoharie County is Albany International Airport.

Notable sites

A prominent site in the county is the Old Stone Fort, used for defense against British and allied Indian attacks during the Revolution. It was later used as an armory during the Civil War."History of Schoharie"
Jumping in Pools blog (February 17, 2009). Retrieved on August 16, 2013 During the 19th century, the Middleburgh-Schoharie Railroad was constructed through the county. In 1981 the Iroquois Indian Museum opened in a new building near Howe Caverns in Cobleskill. It has the largest collection of Iroquois art in the United States and includes a performance center where Iroquois present traditional and contemporary music and dance. The Gilboa Fossil Forest is home to one of the earth's oldest forests, with petrified tree trunks dating back over 380 million years to the

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a period (geology), geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era during the Phanerozoic eon (geology), eon, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the preceding Silurian per ...

period. Numerous fossils are on display at the Gilboa Museum near the Schoharie Reservoir.

Notable people

Notable people who were born or lived in Schoharie County include: * Peter I. Borst, 1797–1848, U.S. representative from New York * William C. Bouck, 1796–1859, former governor of New York 1843–1845 * John McGiver, 1913–1975, actor * Timothy Murphy, 1751–1818, Revolutionary War sniper * J. O'B. Scobey (1854-1910), politician * Nicole Sullivan, 1970–present, actress *

George Westinghouse George Westinghouse Jr. (October 6, 1846 – March 12, 1914) was a prolific American inventor, engineer, and entrepreneurial industrialist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his creation of the railway air brake and for bei ...

, 1846–1914, engineer, inventor and entrepreneur * Uriah Wood, 1830–1913, Wisconsin politician

In popular culture

* The novel '' Midnight's Lair'' (1983) by Richard Laymon was about explorers trapped in Howe Caverns. *

David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer, and auto racing team owner. He hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of ''Late N ...

, a late-night TV host, did a parody about the town of Schoharie. * The two season reality series, '' The Fabulous Beekman Boys'' was set in Sharon Springs. * In August 2010, the series '' Ghost Hunters'' filmed an episode about the Old Stone Fort; it aired December 8, 2010. * A finalist on '' A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila'' took the show to the bowling alley in Cobleskill. * The Boulder, Colorado Jam band String Cheese Incident mentions Schoharie County in the song 100 Year Flood. * The 2020 film '' The World to Come'' is set in Schoharie County in 1856.

References

External links

Schoharie County Chamber of Commerce Official Site

Schoharie County, New York official site

Schoharie County official tourism site

Haunted History Trail Through Schoharie County

Jumping in Pools blog {{Coord, 42.59, -74.44, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-NY_source:UScensus1990 Schoharie County, New York Populated places established in 1795 1795 establishments in New York (state) New York (state) placenames of Native American origin