Elbridge Village Hall is located at 210 West Main Street, Elbridge NY 13060.
Beginnings [1]
The area that evolved as the village of Elbridge was appealing to settlers due to its proximity to Skaneateles Creek, which provided a valuable source of hydraulic power and water for irrigation, and abundant deposits of clay and plaster. Early mill enterprises were situated along the banks of the Skaneateles Creek west of the village and supported the hamlet's growth. Prior to their establishment, settlers had to go to Jamesville to mill flour and meal. The first of Elbridge's milling enterprises were established during the 1790s by Isaac Strong, a saw mill in 1795, followed by a grist mill in 1798. The water of the creek, which flows northward out of Skaneateles Lake, drops four hundred feet in altitude before reaching Elbridge, eight miles distant. Early wood dams were erected to insure a steady supply of water even during the dryer months of the year.
Likewise significant in the village's physical development was the location of the settlement along the great central trail of the Iroquois, improved somewhat in 1791 and 1792 under the direction of General Wadsworth as a military road, and later as the Genesee Road, or Turnpike. The eleven-mile stretch of the turnpike that spanned the Camillus and Elbridge areas was tolled plank road, completed between 1807-08 under the direction of Squire Munro and his sons Nathan, John, David, and Philip. The Munro's had taken certificates of stock as compensation for their work. The Munro's settled in Elbridge on lot eighty-one in 1799, and were recognized as "one of the most prominent and enterprising families in the town." The Genesee route emerged as a major thoroughfare for westward emigration into the unsettled interior, and exerted a significant influence on the growth and development of the village.
Nearby Towns: Elbridge Town • Jordan Vlg • Skaneateles Town • Skaneateles Vlg •