Windsor 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 Broome 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 5,804 at the 2020 census. The town is on the southern border of the county and is east of

Binghamton Binghamton ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the con ...

. The town includes the village of Windsor, located on 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 ...

History

This area along the Susquehanna had long been settled by varying cultures of

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

, including those of the historic

Iroquois Confederacy 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 ...

, who used the river for transportation, water and fishing. Around 1712 remnants of the Tuscarora tribe settled in the northern part of the town. Also an

Iroquoian The Iroquoian languages () are a language family of indigenous peoples of North America. They are known for their general lack of labial consonants. The Iroquoian languages are polysynthetic and head-marking. As of 2020, almost all surviving I ...

-speaking people, they had migrated from

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, which they left because of warfare with English colonists and other tribes. In 1722, the Tuscarora were accepted by the Iroquois as the Sixth Nation of their political confederacy. Their fortified village, '' Onaquaga'', was an outpost of the British Colonies. A mission had been established there by the Indian Superintendent, Sir William Johnson. Mohawk and other allies of the British also became established there.

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 ...

used it as a base for his

Volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

, which fought with the British during 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 ...

. In retaliation for joint British and Iroquois raids on frontier communities, the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

attacked and destroyed Onaquaga in October 1778. It was 1785 before the region was settled again by new migrants, many of whom were Yankees from

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

and veterans of the war. They formed the town of Windsor in 1807, the year following the formation of Broome County, from the town of Chenango. The town was reduced in size by the creation of two other new towns in 1821: Sanford and Colesville. In 1851, a small part of Windsor was used to help form the town of Conklin. For years the economy was based on agriculture.

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 of Windsor has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.36%, is water. The southern town line is the border of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. The

flows southward through the town.

New York State Route 17 New York State Route 17 (NY 17) is a major state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate New York, Downstate regions of New York (state), New York in the United States. It begins at the New York–Pennsylvani ...

and Interstate 86 is a major highway crossing the town from east to west.

New York State Route 79 New York State Route 79 (NY 79) is a east–west state highway in the Southern Tier of New York, in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at the intersection with NY 414 near the southern end of Seneca Lake ...

, a north-south highway, intersects NY-17 at Windsor village.

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 6,421 people, 2,339 households, and 1,744 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,793 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.93%

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 ...

, 0.59%

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 ...

, 0.28% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.05%

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 ...

, 0.17% from other races, and 0.76% 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 0.78% of the population. There were 2,339 households, out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.8% 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, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.15. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.5% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $46,043, and the median income for a family was $61,028. Males had a median income of $41,224 versus $35,028 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 $28,182. About 4.2% of families and 5.9% 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 9.1% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the town of Windsor

*Blatchley– 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 ...

in the southwestern corner of the town. *Cascade Valley – A hamlet near the southern town line. *Damascus – A hamlet southeast of Windsor village on County Road 28, served by Exit 80 of NY-17. *Dunbar – A hamlet in the northwestern part of the town. *East Windsor – A hamlet northeast of Windsor village on County Road 233. *Edson – A hamlet south of Windsor village. *Flowers – A hamlet southwest of Windsor village. *Hawkins Pond Park – A park at the southern town line. *Lester – A location in the western part of the town. *Occanum – A hamlet west of Windsor village, served by Exit 78 of NY-17. *South Windsor – A hamlet south of Windsor village on NY Route 79. *State Line – A hamlet near the Pennsylvania border on Route 79. *Wake – A location near the eastern town line. *West Windsor – A hamlet near the western town line on NY-17 at the junction of County Road 217; access from NY-17's Exit 77. * Windsor – The village of Windsor is located by the Susquehanna River near the center of the town, with access from Exit 79 of NY-17. The village is the largest community in the town.

Notable people

* Joel Bennett, former Major League Baseball pitcher *

, Mohawk leader during the American Revolutionary War * Joseph H. Brownell, member of the New York State Assembly * Jedediah M. Grant, leader and Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints * James Hard, the last verified living Union combat veteran of the American Civil War * Giles W. Hotchkiss, former US congressman * Ralph Hungerford, 33rd

Governor of American Samoa This is a list of Governor (United States), governors, etc. of the part of the Samoan Islands (now comprising American Samoa) under United States administration since 1900. From 1900 to 1978 governors were appointed by the Federal government o ...

* Brian Weaver, retired professional racing driver * Douglas H. Wheelock, US Army officer, NASA astronaut

References

External links

Town of Windsor official website

in ed. William Foote Seward, ''Binghamton and Broome County, New York: A History'', New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1924, hosted on RaysPlace {{DEFAULTSORT:Windsor, New York Towns in New York (state) Binghamton metropolitan area Towns in Broome County, New York