Canisteo Village Hall is located at 35 Main Street, Canisteo, NY 14823.
Phone: 607‑698‑4211. The village was incorporated in 1873.
Beginnings [1]
Canisteo is an Iroquois word that literally translates into "board on the water," an appropriate name for a village located along the Canisteo River that had lumbering as its first major industry. There was a previous settlement at the location dating back to the late 17th century that had been a haven for miscreants until the inhabitants were routed by a French Expeditionary force in 1690. The Village of Canisteo was officially resettled after the American Revolution by a small group of land speculators from the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania who bought the rights to the village and surrounding lands in 1789 from the Phelps and Gorham Company in Canandaigua. As settlement and deforestation escalated, small industry and agriculture replaced lumber as Canisteo's economic base by the mid 19th century. Agriculture became the dominant industry in the subsequent decades and by the early 20th century, Canisteo was a major supplier of dairy and farm products for New York City and other markets that were shipped by rail. The Erie Railroad established a major railroad center six miles to the north of Canisteo in the City of Hornell. Conisteo was linked to Hornell by both railroad and trolley lines, allowing for the more convenient moving of people and goods between these two communities and beyond.
Nearby Towns: Hornell City •