Springfield 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 Otsego 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 1,358 at the 2010 census. It is located at the northern county line of Otsego County and is approximately west of

Schenectady Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

History

Several families settled near Otsego Lake ''circa'' 1762, but little further development occurred until after the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. In 1778,

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 ...

, native leader, led an expedition that burned the town and took captives. Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Ford wrote a letter to General Abraham Ten Broeck informing him of the destruction of Springfield. Springfield was formed from part of the Town of Cherry Valley in 1797. Growing

hops Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant ''Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to whic ...

was a major agricultural pursuit.

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 is land and (5.46%) is water. The town encloses the northern end of Otsego Lake. Hayden Creek flows southward from Summit Lake into the northern end of the Otsego Lake. Because Summit Lake is located on a divide, part of its flow exits from the northern end of the lake through Cedar Swamp into

Otsquago Creek Otsquago Creek is a river that enters the Mohawk River in Fort Plain, New York. is a Mohawk language word meaning , probably referring to an early bridge of felled trees along the creek, a way of making small bridges. It is also referred to as ...

. The "

Chyle Chyle (; ) is a milky bodily fluid consisting of lymph and emulsified fats, or free fatty acids (FFAs). It is formed in the small intestine during digestion of fatty foods, and taken up by lymph vessels specifically known as lacteals. The lip ...

", is the name of a sinkhole located northwest of Summit Lake. Shadow Brook enters Otsego Lake at Hyde Bay. New York State Route 80, a north–south highway, intersects

US Route 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. ...

, an east–west highway, north of Springfield Center. The northern town line is the county line of Herkimer County and a small section of Montgomery County.

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 1,350 people, 521 households, and 375 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 712 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.59%

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%

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 ...

, 0.07% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.81% 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 1.19% of the population. There were 521 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% 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, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.04. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,854, and the median income for a family was $38,490. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $23,611 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 $16,513. About 5.6% of families and 8.5% 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 10.8% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Springfield

* Allen Lake – A small lake near the western town line. *Briar Hill – An elevation near the eastern town line, south of East Springfield. * Clarke Point – A headland of Otsego Lake, north of Hyde Bay. * Clarke Pond – A pond located southwest of Springfield Center. * East Springfield – 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 ...

east of Middle Village on US-20 at the junction of County Route 31. The East Springfield Union School and Hyde Hall Covered Bridge 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 ...

. * Glimmerglass State Park – A

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

partly in the town at the eastern shore of Otsego Lake. *Hyde Bay – A bay of Otsego Lake, partly in the town. *King Hill – An elevation in the far western part of the town. Partly in the Towns of Richfield and Otsego. *Middle Village – A hamlet east of Springfield village on US-20. *

Mohegan Hill Mohegan Hill is a mountain in the Central New York Region of New York. It is located in the Town of Springfield, southeast of the Village of Richfield Springs and west of Allen Lake. Waiontha Mountain Waiontha Mountain is a small mount ...

– An elevation located west of Allen Lake. *Mount Tom – An elevation north of Springfield Four Corners. * Mount Wellington – A notable hill north of Otsego Lake. * Otsego Lake – A lake partly in the Town. *Pine Cobble – An elevation south of Middle Village. * Rum Hill – An elevation south of Allen Lake, on the town of Otsego border. * Shipman Pond – A pond north of Springfield Center. *Springfield – The hamlet of Springfield is located on US Route 20. * Springfield Center – A hamlet on NY-80, at County Route 29A, north of Otsego Lake. *Springfield Four Corners – A location northwest of Springfield village, located on NY-80. * Summit Lake – A small lake north of Otsego Lake. *

Waiontha Mountain Waiontha Mountain is a small mountain chain in the Central New York Region The Central New York Region (formerly the Central-Leatherstocking Region, also known as Leatherstocking Country) is a term used by the New York State Department o ...

– An elevation north of Allen Lake.

Notable people

* Walt Brown, racing driver * Elisha Hall, inventor of a type of threshing machine. * George Hyde Clarke, grandson to the Acting Governor of New York from 1736 to 1743 (under British rule

* Arthur L. Ryerson, steel industrialist who died on the ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

'', maintained a summer home for his family in Springfield Center known as Ringwood * Henry Lansing Wardwell, New York City financier, maintained a summer estate and farm in Springfield Center known as Pinehurst. Still owned by descendants today.

References

External links

Early map and brief history of Springfield
{{authority control Towns in Otsego County, New York Towns in New York (state)