Town of Sodus, Wayne County, NY

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Lake Shore Station

PROFILE OF SODUS, WAYNE COUNTY, NEW YORK From the 1860 Gazetteer of the State of New York, by J. H. French

SODUS (1) - was formed in Jan. 1789. Williamson was taken off in 1802, and Lyons in 1811. It is the central town on the N. border of the co., and is bounded N. by Lake Ontario. A part of Great Sodus Bay lies in the N. E. corner. Its surface in the N. part is mostly level, with a gentle inclination toward the lake. A ridge 140 to 190 ft. higher than the surface of the lake passes through near the center; and S. of this the surface is broken by several ridges extending N. and S. The lake shore varies in height from a low swamp to bluffs 70 ft. high. Second and Salmon Creeks are the principal streams. The soil in the N. part is a clay and sandy loam, and in the S. gravelly loam. The manufacture of lime is extensively carried on in the S. part; and red sandstone is quarried in the S. W. Red oxide of iron (argillaceous ore) is found 2 mi. W. of Sodus Point. Salt was manufactured in 1831 and '32. Sodus (p.v.) contains 3 churches, the Sodus Academy, and about 300 inhabitants. Sodus Point, (p.v.) on the lake, W. of the entrance to the bay, is a U. S. port of entry in the Genesee District. It has a lighthouse, a church, a steam sawmill, and about 200 inhabitants. Sodus Center (p.v.) contains a church, foundery, carding mill, grist and saw mill, and 40 houses; Alton (p.v.) a church and 30 houses; South Sodus (p.v.) a church and 30 houses; and Joy (p.v.) a church, shingle factory, and 30 houses. The first settlement was made in 1794, under the auspices of Charles Williamson, agent of the Pulteney Estate. (2) Mr. Williamson caused a road to be cut through from Palmyra to Sodus Point in the spring of 1794. During the summer the town was surveyed, an extensive city plan laid out between Salmon Creek and the Point, and within two years mills were erected on Salmon Creek. A tavern was built at an expense of $5,000, a pleasure yacht was placed upon the bay; and in roads, surveys, buildings, &c., over $20,000 was expended. Thos. Little and ___ Moffat were the local agents of Mr. Williamson. Of all those connected with these premature improvements, but few remained after they were completed. Elijah Brown was an early settler, 4 mi. W. of the Point, and Amos Richards, 7 mi. W. Ammi Ellsworth came from Conn. in 1801, and settled near the Point. Dr. Wm. Nixon Lummis settled at the Point. He built mills and a forge. A daughter of his is Mrs. Elizabeth Ellet, author of the "Women of the Revolution", and "Domestic History of the Revolution". Col. Peregrine Fitzhugh came from Md. in 1803, with his family and slaves, - over 40 persons in all. Dr. Thos. G. Lawson, an Englishman, settled 1 mi. from the Point, in 1803. After expending considerable money in attempting to form a settlement, he abandoned the enterprise in 1805. In 1799, besides those already mentioned, there were 25 families in town on roads leading to Palmyra and Lyons. The first church (Bap.) was organized in 1805; Elder Seba Norton was the first settled minister. (3)

Footnotes:

Called by the Indians "Assorodus", meaning "silvery water".
Moses and James Sill kept the first inn, at Sodus Point, in the building erected for that purpose by Mr. Williamson. On the evening of June 13, 1813, a party of about 100 English landed at Sodus Point in boats, from the fleet of Sir. Jas. Yeo, for the purpose of seizing or destroying what public stores they could find. They were opposed by about 40 Americans, under Capt. Hull of Lyons. After the first fire the Americans retreated. The enemy burned 5 houses, and the old Williamson Hotel, owned by Capt. Wm. Wickham. The public flour had been secreted in a ravine, and remained undiscovered. The next day a gunboat proceeded up the lake to Nicholas Point and burned a warehouse. The British had 2 killed, and the Americans 1 killed and 1 mortally wounded. The total amount of property destroyed amounted to about $25,000.
The census reports 11 churches in town; 4 M. E., 2 Prot. E., 2 Presb., Bap., Christian, Cong.

PROFILE OF SODUS, WAYNE COUNTY, NEW YORK From the 1824 Gazetteer of the State of New York, by Horatio Gates Spafford

SODUS, a Post-Township in the NE. corner of Ontario County, bounded N. by Lake Ontario, E. by Wolcott, S. by Lyons, W. by Williamson. Sodus includes No. 14, and 4 miles of the N. end of No. 13, in the 1st range of Phelps and Gorham's purchase, and all that part of the gore of land, between the old and new pre-emption lines, that adjoins this tract on the E., with part of Great Sodus bay. The surface is almost wholly undulated with hillocks and vallies, in a N. and S. direction, and the soil is good and well watered. The timber is luxuriant, and consists of the acer saccharinum, or sugar maple, beech, oak, hickory, elm, ash, linden or basswood, cherry, the tulip tree or poplar, butternut, &c. Crops of wheat, rye, maize, hemp, flax, oats, and the common grasses, are little liable to injury by drouth, and succeed well, as do the fruits common to the country. In the NE. corner of Sodus is Great Sodus bay, reckoned the best harbor on the S. shore of Lake Ontario; and on an elevated point of land, projecting into the bay, the Post-Village of Sodus, formerly called Troupville, is handsomely and very eligibly situated, 208 miles from Albany, and 30 N. of Geneva, N. lat. 43 deg. 20' long. 00 from Washington City and Geneva. Salmon creek, running through the N. part of this town, enters the Lake about 2 miles S. from Sodus Point, and affords good mill seats. - There are 2 meeting-houses; one for Presbyterians, and one for Baptists; and 9 school-houses. Iron-ore, of a good quality, has been found here, but no iron works are yet erected. On the Ridge Road, about 4 miles from Sodus Point, is another Post-Office, called Arms' Cross Roads, put down in the official Table of Post-Offices, at 120 miles from Albany. Population, 2013; 557 employed in agriculture, 60 in manufactures, and 2 in commerce; 26 foreigners not naturalized; 55 free blacks; no slaves; taxable property, $173974; school districts, 9; schools kept 5 months; $148.86 public monies in 1821; 455 children; 479 received instruction in the schools that year; electors, 376; 5005 acres of improved land; 1808 cattle, 272 horses, 4052 sheep; 14601 yards of cloth; 3 grist mills, 8 saw mills, 1 fulling mill, 1 carding machine, 3 distilleries, and 1 ashery. Sodus is about 12 miles N. of the Village of Lyons.