Local History
History of Albion
From the Erie Canal's transformative arrival through Albion's years as the "hub of Orleans County," the village's history reflects two centuries of upstate New York life — orchards, sandstone, and small-town governance.
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Articles
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3,676
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Articles
Nehemiah Ingersoll's tavern, the canal, and how a county seat was born from wilderness
935 words
How glacial till, canal workers, and local ambition gave Albion more cobblestone buildings than anywhere on earth
740 words
From store clerk on Main Street to sleeping-car magnate — the Albion years that made George Pullman
892 words
Canal boats, hidden rooms, and the abolitionist network that carried freedom seekers through Orleans County
895 words
How Albion won the county seat and built the courthouse that defined it
902 words
before 1600
Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Presence
The Seneca people, westernmost nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, inhabit the lands that will become Orleans Count...
1788
Phelps and Gorham Purchase
Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham acquire pre-emption rights to western New York from Massachusetts, beginning the proc...
1792-1793
Holland Land Company Acquires Western New York
Dutch investors purchase 3.3 million acres of western New York, including all of what will become Orleans County. The Ho...
1811
First Settler in Albion
William McAllister becomes the first permanent European settler in what is now Albion, purchasing lot 35 from the Hollan...
1817
Erie Canal Construction Authorized
New York State authorizes construction of the Erie Canal, a 363-mile waterway from Albany to Buffalo. The announcement t...
1822
Nehemiah Ingersoll Purchases Albion Land
Entrepreneur Nehemiah Ingersoll purchases 100 acres fronting Main Street from William Bradner for $4,000, lays out villa...
1823
First Newspaper: The Newport Patriot
Franklin Cowdry publishes the Newport Patriot, the first newspaper in the settlement then known as Newport (later rename...
November 12, 1824
Orleans County Established
The New York State Legislature creates Orleans County from the northeast corner of Genesee County. The county is named a...
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