A Brief History of Susquehanna, New York

Susquehanna (pop 3450) is the 3rd largest town in Chenango County after Norwich and Sherburne. It is located at the southern end of the Susquehanna Hills, where its namesake river divides the Hills from the Appalachians. It is just like any other small Applachian town. The people are friendly, hard working, down to earth. The town is not much different than any other small Appalachian coal mining town between Harding County, Kentucky and Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, except that 10,000 years ago the glaciers stripmined all the coal and shoved it down into Pennsylvania.

In 1878 the Swedish historian Lars Skyldar wrote “The first settlement of Susquehanna was as a trading post in the late 17th or early 18th century. The post was situated on top on the drumlin just to the west of the present day village. Archaelogical excavations suggest the post occupied one hectare (2.5 acres), and consisted of six or seven log cabins surrounded by a stockade fence. There is also substantial archaelogical evidence of a tannery operating on the banks of the Susquehanna roughly 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) away from the fortified area. The trading post was overrun by marauding Algonguins during the French and Indian War, with only one known survivor – Everett Howell.”1

Ephraim Squier took issue with Skyldar’s conclusion, insisting that the Algonquins were repulsed by the Oneidas some 50 miles north of Susquehanna. Writing in the Volume 15 of the “Smithsonian Institution Contributions to Knowledge”2, Squier agreed that the settlement was abandoned and that there was a survivor named Everett Howell, who turned up at the Hudson Bay’s office in Baltimore in 1762. Squier references Hudson Bay company documents, since lost, which refer to the “Upper Susquehanna Post.”

Professor Donald Loomis of the SUNY Chenango campus disagrees with both. According to Loomis, archeological analysis of artifacts recently excavated from the site indicates continuous occupation up until the establishment of the town of Susquehanna in 1806. The settlement was already known by that name. Loomis cites several documents concerning the creation of the “Susquehanna Tract” by Governor George Clinton in 1785, especially a Clinton affadavit: “Messrs. G. Clinton and G. Washington conferr a Tract of Land, in and about the Village of Susquahanna…”4

The village of Susquehanna claims to 1788 as an origin since that was the year that the first village council was formed and a mayor elected. Loomis estimates the village population of 80 in 1806, and the town’s about 200. By 1850 the village population was 300 and the town’s over 800. Until the 1930’s the economy was primarily based on agriculture and millworks, and even today agriculture remains the largest industry in the area. The 2000 census lists a village population of 631 and a town population of 3450, including 315 in the hamlet of North Susquehanna.






1 “Explorations and Settlements of the New World” by Lars Skyldar, 1878, Kungliga Biblioteket, Stochholm, Sweden
2 “Pre-Revolutionary Settlements of the Susquehanna Valley”, Smithsonian Institution Contributions to Knowledge, vol 15, pp 187-109, 1881, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.
3 “On The Settlement Of Southern Chenango County”,New York History, vol 72, pp 183-208, 1991, New York State Historical Society, Albany, NY
4 ibid p189

In 1829 the Methodist Church founded the Susquehanna Seminary across the river from the village, rather unwisely situated in the flood plain of the river. After 2 years the seminary relocated to higher ground a half mile to the north. The seminary closed in 1864 and resumed operation as the Chenango County Academy of Machinery and Agriculture in 1871, the first technical school in New York State. It was renamed the Chenango College of Agriculture (CCA) in 1894. In 1952 it became part of the State University of New York (SUNY), and has since been known as SUNY Chenango. Its enrollment of 500 made it the smallest of the SUNY’s. Construction of the “New Campus” during the 1960’s tripled the enrollment, and the emphasis of the school shifted towards liberal arts.

With the decline of family farms in the region came a dropoff in the enrollment in agriculture programs from 450 in 1956 to 130 by 1971. In 1972 the agriculture program was consolidated into the program at SUNY Cobleskill and the Chenango College of Agriculture was formally closed in 1974. In 1978 the former agriculture campus was reopened as the College of Visual Arts (COVA). David Prendergast, the noted pop and conceptual artist, was the driving force behind COVA’s creation, and is in his 23rd year as Dean.

Although the enrollment in COVA is only 225 students it is internationally recognized as an art school. Roughly one third of its students are international, representing 40 countries. Only 70 students are admitted each year, from an applicant pool of over 3000. The school’s annual “Chenango Arts Festival” is a showcase for works by students, alumni, and faculty. The week-long festival also has a full schedule of talks, panel discussions, informal meetings, etc. The festival has become for art what Cannes is for film, an imperative for dealers, critics, journalists, and curators. Held during Spring Break, attendance is capped at 2000 due to facility and housing limitations. Like the student body, attendees are roughly one third international.

The success of SUNY Chenango and COVA in particular has revitalized the southeastern quadrant of Chenango County. The school is now the major employer in the area. SUNY Chenango had an enrollment of 1700 in 1999, with some 400 faculty and staff. There are plans to expand SUNY Chenango over the next 10 years, adding another college, the Susquehanna College of Criminal Justice. The expansion plans also include graduate studies at COVA and additional facilities for liberal arts. By 2010 enrollment is projected to be 3000 at SUNY Chenango, with 700 faculty and staff.

Given the proximity of the College of Criminal Justice, New York State Department of Corrections hopes to locate a minimum security correctional facility in the nearby town of Coventry. There are also several proposed real estate developments under review by the town council. Giardino Development has plans to build an outlet mall by the Susquehanna exit of Interstate 88. Paul Giardino, the owner of Giardino Development, also has plans for a baseball theme park on the other side of I-88. A development of quite a different character is being championed by Cornelia Cabot Holmes, a Texan heiress with a passionate interest in the arts and Tibetan Buddhism. Ms. Cabot Holmes envisions a hilltop sanctuary called “New Lhasa” in the same vicinity as Mr Giardino’s developments. The two have been at loggerheads concerning the matter.

Whichever one prevails, the future appears bright for Susquehanna, New York. New York State economists conservatively estimate 1000 new jobs for the area by 2010.
Back to table of contents