Skaneateles ( , ) 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
Onondaga County
Onondaga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse. The county is part of the Central New York region of the state.
Onondaga County is the core of the ...
,
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. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 7,112.
The name is from 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 ...
term for the adjacent
''Skaneateles'' Lake, which means "long lake." The town is on the western border of the county and includes 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
Skaneateles. Both the town and village are southwest of
Syracuse
Syracuse most commonly refers to:
* Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse
* Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area
Syracuse may also refer to:
Places
* Syracuse railway station (disambiguation)
Italy
* Provi ...
.
History
The area was part of the former
Central New York Military Tract
The Military Tract of Central New York, also called the New Military Tract, consisted of nearly of bounty land set aside in Central New York to compensate New York's soldiers after their participation in the Revolutionary War.
Establishment
...
. On February 26, 1830, the town of Skaneateles was formed from the town of
Marcellus, and the town later annexed areas of the Town of Spafford in 1840. Early turnpikes facilitated development. The town was noted for participation in reform movements before the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
.
In 1843, the
Skaneateles Community acquired and successfully operated a large farm and developed small industries. It ultimately failed because of internal difficulties, as well as external concern about its unorthodox social practices. Locals sometimes referred to it as "No God," because of the atheistic views of members. The Skaneateles Community published a newspaper, the "Comunitist" between 1844 and 1846 when the community dissolved. Buildings are extant, known as "Community Place," now serving as a bed-and-breakfast.
Some Skaneateles men volunteered for the ill-fated
Upper Canada Rebellion
The Upper Canada Rebellion was an insurrection against the Oligarchy, oligarchic government of the British colony of Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) in December 1837. While public grievances had existed for years, it was the Lower Canada Rebe ...
(1837) to liberate
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 ...
and were imprisoned by the British in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
.
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
congregations were involved in
abolitionist
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world.
The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...
activity.
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...
sites have been documented in Skaneateles. Although the larger
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
of Syracuse nearby was known nationally as a center of abolition and Underground Railroad activity, Skaneateles was said (by Beauchamp, an early historian) to have "eclipsed Syracuse as an anti-slavery town."
On July 4, 1876, resident
John Dodgson Barrow
John Dodgson Barrow (November 24, 1824 – December 7, 1906), primarily known for his landscape paintings and portraits, has been regarded as belonging to the second generation of the Hudson River School. His subjects were frequently Central New ...
delivered the
centennial
A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century.
Notable events
Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include:
* Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...
address in Skaneateles recounting the history of the village up to that time. In 1891, he had it printed in Syracuse as a 20-page book.
The
Brook Farm
Brook Farm, also called the Brook Farm Institute of Agriculture and EducationFelton, 124 or the Brook Farm Association for Industry and Education,Rose, 140 was a utopian experiment in communal living in the United States in the 1840s. It was ...
,
Community Place
Community Place, in Skaneateles, New York, was built in 1830. It was photographed by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1963 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is ...
, and
Kelsey-Davey Farm are 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 ...
.
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 42.7 square miles (87.49%) is land and 6.1 square miles (12.51%) is water.
Demographics
As of the
2020 United States census, there are 7,112 people and 1,998 families residing in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
is . There are 3,233 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town is 93.56%
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 ...
, 0.15%
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 American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
, 0.25%
Native American and
Alaska Native
Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...
, 0.96%
Asian, 0.62% from
other races, and 4.46% 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 people of any race also make up 2.31% of the population.
It was estimated in 2021 that there are 3,047 households in Skaneateles, with which 20.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% are
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, 30.8% are non-families, and 25.9% are made up of individuals. The average household size is 2.33 and the average family size is 2.87.
In 2021, it was also estimated that 21.1% of people in Skaneateles are under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 29.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 51.1 years old.
As of 2021, the median household income is estimated to be $90,762, and the median family income is estimated to be $120,667. It is also estimated that 5.1% of the population and 1.9% of families are 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 ...
.
Communities and locations in the Town of Skaneateles
*Highland Way – A neighborhood just east of Skaneateles village on Onondaga Rd.
*Jones Beach – A
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
on the east shore of Skaneateles Lake on NY-41.
*Long Bridge – A hamlet at the north town line, north of Mottville.
*Mandana – A hamlet down the west side of the lake.
*
Mottville – A hamlet two miles north of Skaneateles village on Jordan Street and north of Willow Glen.
*
Shepard Settlement – A farming hamlet.
*
Skaneateles – A village at the north end of Skaneateles Lake.
* Skaneateles Falls – A hamlet northwest of Skaneateles village on Skaneateles Creek.
*Thornton Grove – A lakeshore neighborhood on the west shore of the lake south of Winding Way.
*Thornton Heights – A lakeshore neighborhood on the west shore of the lake home of the Veggie Stand.
*Wicks Corners – A neighborhood on the west town line, northwest of Skaneateles village.
*Willow Glen – A neighborhood on Old Seneca Turnpike, north of Skaneateles village.
*Winding Way – A neighborhood on the west shore of Skaneateles Lake.
Notable people
*
John Dodgson Barrow
John Dodgson Barrow (November 24, 1824 – December 7, 1906), primarily known for his landscape paintings and portraits, has been regarded as belonging to the second generation of the Hudson River School. His subjects were frequently Central New ...
(1824–1906),
Hudson River School
The Hudson River School was a mid-19th-century American art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by Romanticism. Early on, the paintings typically depicted the Hudson River Valley and the sur ...
artist
*
Mary Elizabeth Beauchamp (1825–1903), educator and author
*
Neilia Hunter Biden
Neilia Hunter Biden (née Hunter; July 28, 1942 – December 18, 1972) was an American teacher and the first wife of Joe Biden, who later became the 46th president of the United States. She died in a car crash with their one-year-old daughter, ...
(1942–1972), first wife of
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
; mother of
Beau
Beau may refer to:
*Beau (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name, nickname or surname
*Beau (guitarist) (born 1946), songwriter and 12-string guitar specialist
*Beau (grape), another name for the Italian wine grape Tr ...
and
Hunter Biden
Robert Hunter Biden (born February4, 1970) is an American attorney and businessman. He is the second son of former president Joe Biden and his first wife, Neilia Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden was a founding board member of BHR Partners, a Chine ...
*
Barry Crimmins
Barry Francis Crimmins (July 3, 1953 – February 28, 2018) was an American stand-up comedian, political satirist, activist, author, Air America (radio network), Air America Radio writer and correspondent, and comedy club owner.
Early life
Crimm ...
(1953–2018), comedian and activist
*
Clara Cannucciari
Cologira "Clara" Cannucciari (née Bonfanti; August 18, 1915 – November 29, 2013) was the host of the web series ''Great Depression Cooking with Clara'' and author of the book ''Clara's Kitchen''.
Biography
Born in Melrose Park, Illinois, on A ...
(1915–2013), web vlogger and author
*
Sheldon Dibble
Sheldon Dibble (January 26, 1809 – January 22, 1845) was a missionary to Hawaii who organized one of the first books on Hawaiian history, and inspired students to write more.
Early life
Dibble was born in Skaneateles, New York on January 26, 1 ...
(1809–1845), missionary
*
Michelle Feldman (born 1976), former
ten-pin bowler
Tenpin bowling is a type of bowling in which a bowler rolls a bowling ball down a wood or synthetic lane toward ten pins positioned evenly in four rows in an equilateral triangle. The goal is to knock down all ten pins on the first roll of the ...
*
Searles G. Shultz
Searles Gregory Shultz (April 29, 1897 – January 23, 1976) was an American lawyer and politician from New York.
Life
He was born on April 29, 1897, in Skaneateles, Onondaga County, New York. He graduated from Skaneateles High School in 1916. ...
(1897–1976), lawyer and politician
*
Marshall I. Ludington
Marshall Independence Ludington (July 4, 1839 – July 26, 1919) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the American Civil War, he attained the rank of brigadier general as Quartermaster General of the United States Army ...
(1839–1919),
quartermaster
Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...
general of the U.S. Army
*
James Reuel Smith
James Reuel Smith (1852–1935) was an American photographer and amateur historian who worked in the late 19th century to early 20th century. He was known for his documentary photographs of historical springs and wells in New York City before ...
(1852–1935), photographer known for his documentary photographs of springs and wells in New York City
*
Tom Scherrer
Thomas Cregg Scherrer (born July 20, 1970) is an American professional golfer.
Early life and amateur career
Scherrer was born in Syracuse, New York and grew up in Skaneateles, New York. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hi ...
(born 1970), professional golfer, won PGA’s
Kemper Open
The Kemper Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 1968 to 2006.
Perhaps more so than any other "regular" PGA Tour stop, the event wandered about, not just from course to course within a given metropolitan area, but along the East Coas ...
in 2000 and won 3 times on the
Nationwide tour
The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at that level. ...
References
Bibliography
* Beauchamp, William
"Notes of other days in Skaneateles" Skaneateles Democrat, 1876. Cornell Library New York State Literature
* Hamm, Thomas D., ''God's Government Begun: The Society of Universal Inquiry and Reform, 1842-1846''. Indian University Press, 1995.
* Hamm, Thomas D. "Skaneateles Community." ''Encyclopedia of New York State'', Syracuse University Press, 2005.
* Fogarty, Robert. "Utopian and Intentional Communities," ''The Encyclopedia of New York State''. Syracuse University Press, 2005.
* Jay, Gregory S., "America the scrivener: Deconstruction and the subject of literary history." Cornell University Press, 1990.
* Smithana, Don. "America—Land of the Rising Sun, 1989 Tokuma Shoten, Tokyo
External links
Town of Skaneateles official websiteHistory, Town of SkaneatelesSkaneateles area Chamber of CommerceSkaneateles Town CourtSkaneateles Underground Railroad Sites
{{authority control
Syracuse metropolitan area
Towns in Onondaga County, New York
Towns in New York (state)