Grafton, NY - City and Town Halls on Waymarking.com

From the town website:

The area known as the Town of Grafton was settled in the 1780's and 1790's by pioneers moving westward from New England and by Dutch settlers moving up the Hudson River. The land at this time was a part of the Northeast Manor of Rensselaerwyck owned by the VanRensselaers. This area was known as Roxborough. Farmers whose lands were devastated by the Revolutionary War were attracted to the leases of large tracts of land offered by the Patroon.

As the land clearing took place and housing materials were needed, sawmills became big business with as many as 50 mills over the years; the earliest being set up in 1800, before the town was officially erected. As by-products of the logging industry, charcoal and potash were manufactured in great quantity. By 1813, when the town was six years old, it had progressed enough to have 10 school districts set up. The districts numbered as high as 14 over the years, but possibly not all districts built schools.Also in 1813 the assessment rolls showed the following businesses in our town: Sawmills (6); Cider Mills (4); Lime House (1); Blacksmith Shop (1); Shoemaker-Tan Shop (1); Grist Mill (1). In 1814, a cheese house was added to the list, indicating an abundance of cows at that time.

The town reached a peak around 1840 and was a flourishing community with churches, stores, lovely homes and many businesses. By 1850 the population was 2033, more than the present day census.

During the boom of the 1850's, many new industries were set up. Among them were: Grafton Mineral Paint Company - Shipped to Boston, then to England, 600-700 tons per year. Blue Factory - established for the manufacture of blue dye. This was used over a wide local area and exported to Europe. Scriven's Shirt Shop - started as a home sewing business and eventually grew to a large well-known factory In Grafton. Tilley's Barrel Company - manufactured wooden barrels and later became Tilley Ladder Company. The 1855 census lists these other businesses and occupations: blacksmiths, hotel keepers, mercantile, clerk, physician, teacher, shoemaker, artist, copper, miller, tinker, toll collector, teamsters, mechanics, sawyers, painters and servants.

After this period of movement and progress for the town, came the Civil War. Nearly all eligible men from 14-40 went off to the war. The businesses and farms suffered badly during this period and never recovered to the level it had prior to the war.

In the late 1800's and early 1900's, Grafton had another boom in the form of the tourist industry. Because of the abundance of the picturesque lakes in the town, it became a popular summer resort. Several large and luxurious hotels were built and the former Tilley farm became the Troy Times Fresh Air Home for children from the cities.

Today, Grafton has regained some of its popularity as a summer area. Many tourists enjoy the Grafton Lakes State Park and the surrounding lakes. Summer homes are still popular and several day camps for children exist in the town. At this time, there is very little industry in Grafton. It is mainly residential and has maintained its small town image throughout it 192 years of growth and change.

Name: Town Hall Address: Route 2 Grafton, NY United States 12082 Web Site for City/Town/Municipality: [Web Link] Date of Construction: Not listed Architect: Not listed Memorials/Commemorations/Dedications: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/30/2010 run26.2 visited it