Village History:

Watkins Glen: Watkins Glen is the largest village in Schuyler County. The lands that make up the Village of Watkins Glen became the property of Dr. Samuel Watkins in 1828. Dr. Watkins, already the owner of many acres of successful farm land in Manhattan, was the dreamer, the planner and the real force behind establishing Watkins Glen.

Montour Falls: Montour Falls, Schuyler County's second largest village, has undergone several name changes. It has been called Catharinestown in honor of Catharine Montour, the last ruler of the Seneca Indian tribe which once lived there, Mills Landing for the area's first businessman whose inn and warehouse were on the shore of the original bed of Catharine Creek and then Havana, incorporated in 1836. The present name was adopted about 1900 because of the Spanish-American War, when any name connected with Cuba was considered deleterious.

Burdett: Burdett, on a hill east of Seneca Lake, about two miles northeast of Watkins Glen was incorporated in 1898.

Odessa: Odessa, located on a hill about two miles east of Montour Falls, was incorporated in 1903.

Catharine, 1798 - Catharine was named for Catharine Montour, a French woman who married an Indian, and exerted great influence among them.  The town was formed from "Newtown," which is now Elmira, NY.

Hector,1802 - Hector was formed in 1802.

Reading, 1806 - Reading was formed from "Frederickstown" in 1790 or 1806. Former businesses in Reading include coal companies, a malthouse, brewery, hotel, and foundry.

Orange, 1813 - Formerly called Jersey, the Town of Orange was formed in 1813.

Tyrone, 1822 - The Town of Tyrone was formed in 1822. Tyrone’s former businesses included gristmills, sawmills, tanneries, a cider mill, and several manufactories.

Cayuta, 1824 - John White erected the first sawmill on the east branch of the Cayuta in 1816, and John Eunis the first grist mill, 2 miles below West Cayuta in 1817.

Dix, 1835 - Named from the Honorable John A. Dix, the Town of Dix was formed in 1835. 

Montour, 1860- The town of Montour is named after Catharine Montour, a French woman who married an Indian, and exerted great influence among them. The first settlement in the town of Catharine was made in 1788 at Havana.

Click here for more history on the towns and villages of Schuyler County.