Timeline
Albion Through Time
Key dates and events in the history of Albion, Orleans County, New York.
before 1600
Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Presence
The Seneca people, westernmost nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, inhabit the lands that will become Orleans County. The Ridge, a prominent glacial formation, serves as a major east-west trail.
Source: Isaac S. Signor, Landmarks of Orleans County (1894), Ch. III
1788
Phelps and Gorham Purchase
Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham acquire pre-emption rights to western New York from Massachusetts, beginning the process of extinguishing Native land title in the region.
Source: Isaac S. Signor, Landmarks of Orleans County (1894), Ch. IV
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 Holland Land Company opens offices in Batavia to manage land sales.
Source: Isaac S. Signor, Landmarks of Orleans County (1894), Ch. IV
1811
William McAllister becomes the first permanent European settler in what is now Albion, purchasing lot 35 from the Holland Land Company and building a log cabin where the county clerk's office now stands.
Source: Isaac S. Signor, Landmarks of Orleans County (1894), pp. 252-253
1817
New York State authorizes construction of the Erie Canal, a 363-mile waterway from Albany to Buffalo. The announcement transforms land values and settlement patterns across western New York.
Source: Isaac S. Signor, Landmarks of Orleans County (1894), Ch. VII
1822
Entrepreneur Nehemiah Ingersoll purchases 100 acres fronting Main Street from William Bradner for $4,000, lays out village lots along the canal, and begins developing Albion's commercial core.
Source: Isaac S. Signor, Landmarks of Orleans County (1894), p. 240
1823
Franklin Cowdry publishes the Newport Patriot, the first newspaper in the settlement then known as Newport (later renamed Albion).
Source: Isaac S. Signor, Landmarks of Orleans County (1894), p. 146
November 12, 1824
The New York State Legislature creates Orleans County from the northeast corner of Genesee County. The county is named at Nehemiah Ingersoll's insistence, possibly honoring the French House of Orleans or the Battle of New Orleans.
Source: Isaac S. Signor, Landmarks of Orleans County (1894), p. 7
October 26, 1825
A flotilla of five boats leaves Buffalo on the completed Erie Canal. Cannon fire along the route and enthusiastic crowds greet the boats at Medina, Albion, and Holley. The canal immediately transforms the county's economy.
Source: Isaac S. Signor, Landmarks of Orleans County (1894), pp. 64-66
1826
Commissioners choose Albion over Gaines as the permanent county seat, influenced by Albion's location on the canal and Sandy Creek water power. Nehemiah Ingersoll donates the grounds for the courthouse.
Source: Isaac S. Signor, Landmarks of Orleans County (1894), pp. 7, 240
1827
The settlement of Newport changes its name to Albion to avoid postal confusion with another Newport in Oneida County. The name derives from the ancient poetic name for England.
Source: Isaac S. Signor, Landmarks of Orleans County (1894), p. 252
1828
Albion is formally incorporated as a village. The first Orleans County courthouse and jail are completed, and courts begin regular sessions on the third Mondays of January, June, and September.
Source: Isaac S. Signor, Landmarks of Orleans County (1894), pp. 66-67
1832
One of the earliest cobblestone structures in Orleans County, the Gaines schoolhouse demonstrates the building technique that will define the region's architecture for the next three decades.
Source: NRHP Listings in Orleans County, Wikipedia
1835-1860
Approximately 900 cobblestone structures are built in New York State during this period, with the highest concentration in Orleans County. Canal masons, glacial cobblestones, and Medina sandstone create a unique architectural tradition.
Source: Wikipedia: Cobblestone Architecture
1842
Mt. Albion Cemetery Established
Mount Albion Cemetery is laid out on sandy drumlin hills east of the village. It will become the first property in Orleans County listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1976).
Source: NRHP Listings in Orleans County, Wikipedia
1845
James Lewis Pullman moves his family to Albion so his sons can work on the Erie Canal widening project. Young George Pullman, age 14, begins learning cabinet-making and building-moving skills.
Source: Joseph Husband, The Story of the Pullman Car (1917), pp. 24-25
1849
Abolitionist Frederick Douglass travels through Orleans County on a three-week speaking tour, delivering lectures in Clarendon, Barre, Albion, Medina, Holley, and other locations, and reporting in The North Star.
Source: Matthew Ballard, 'Orleans County Favored Abolition,' Orleans Hub
1850
At a meeting in the Orleans County Courthouse, local citizens publicly agree to disregard the federal Fugitive Slave Act requiring the return of escaped slaves to their owners.
Source: Matthew Ballard, 'Orleans County Favored Abolition,' Orleans Hub
1858
Architect William V.N. Barlow designs a grand Greek Revival courthouse with a gilded dome 36 feet wide and 50-foot columns, replacing the original 1828 structure.
Source: Orleans County Courthouse Historic District, Wikipedia
1859-1860
Rev. Loren Stiles founds the first Free Methodist congregation in the world in Albion, based on principles of abolition of slavery, free pews, freedom of worship, and opposition to secret societies. The $11,000 church draws 1,300 to its dedication.
Source: Matthew Ballard, 'Free Methodist Denomination Started in Albion,' Orleans Hub
1864
George Pullman, drawing on skills learned in Albion, completes his first railroad sleeping car in Chicago — inspired by the packet boats of the Erie Canal.
Source: Wikipedia: George Pullman; Husband, The Story of the Pullman Car (1917)
1873
Judge Arad Thomas, author of the Pioneer History, helps establish a mission for Albion's Black community that will become the African A.M.E. Church, formally organized in 1888.
Source: Isaac S. Signor, Landmarks of Orleans County (1894), pp. 291-292
1875
Town of Albion Erected from Barre
The town of Albion is separated from the town of Barre after years of political dispute over the location of town elections. The new town takes its name from the village.
Source: Isaac S. Signor, Landmarks of Orleans County (1894), pp. 217-218
1894
George Pullman funds construction of a Richardsonian Romanesque church in Albion, designed by S.S. Beman using local Medina sandstone with 56 Tiffany stained glass windows. Dedicated January 31, 1895.
Source: Pullman Memorial Universalist Church History, pullmanmemorial.org
1937
A Colonial Revival post office is constructed in Albion during the Great Depression, becoming part of the Courthouse Historic District.
Source: Orleans County Courthouse Historic District, Wikipedia
August 31, 1979
The Orleans County Courthouse Historic District, spanning 15 acres and 35 buildings with churches from seven denominations, is added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Source: Orleans County Courthouse Historic District, Wikipedia
1993
The Cobblestone Historic District in Childs, Orleans County, is designated a National Historic Landmark — the only museum in the world dedicated to cobblestone masonry.
Source: NRHP Listings in Orleans County, Wikipedia
2025
The Childs Historic District in Orleans County receives National Register designation, ensuring continued protection of the community's cobblestone heritage.
Source: NRHP Listings in Orleans County, Wikipedia