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Archiver > GEN-NYS > 2000-06 > 0961646216


From: "Colette Grower" <>
Subject: Re: Delta, Village Under the Lake
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2000 20:56:56 -0700


This was an interesting article. My gr uncle Howard Jay Teller MD used to
care for patients living in the town of Delta. I once saw the lake when
they drained it. It was amazing because you could see the cellars and
street paths. Thanks again. Colette Grower
-----Original Message-----
From: SLWillig <>
To: <>
Date: Wednesday, June 21, 2000 4:27 PM
Subject: Delta, Village Under the Lake


>Hi, Everybody,
>
>Thought some of you Oneida County researchers would enjoy hearing about
>Delta, the flooded Oneida County village. It lay in the Town of Lee up
>until 1912. The entire story, which contains many Oneida Co. surnames, can
>be found at the Oneida County GenExchange site, hosted by Kathy Last,
>Oneida County researcher and resident, who also wrote the piece. Below
>please find the URL where you may read the entire article. It is an
>historical account under the heading ( link) Bio's and Historical Accounts
>on the left side of the page:
>
>http://www.genexchange.org/ny/oneida/index.cfm
>
>Here is an excerpt from "Delta, Town of Lee - The Village Under the Lake".
>
>Enjoy! And thanks...
>
>Susan Willig
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>The village of Delta was situated in the eastern part of the Town of Lee, a
>portion of it in the Town of Western. The village was located on the delta
>between the Mohawk River and Potash Brook, the Mohawk River being an ideal
>location for obtaining power to run the mills. It was in the vicinity of
>here that the first known settlement in the Town of Lee commenced. In 1790,
>Esek Sheldon and his three sons, Stephen, Reuben and Amasa, came into this
>area. Stephen Sheldon built the first house, a small log cabin, and
>remained in the village of Delta the rest of his life.
>
>The village itself was built on one street, running north and south, near
>the western bank of the Mohawk River. The main highway into Delta was Long
>Hill Road from Elmer Hill. Just to the west of Long Hill Road was Short
>Hill Road and the two met at the watering trough at the foot of the hill.
>Just below the village ran Beaver Brook which provided trout for many
>fishermen over the years. There were hills on all sides of the village and
>those on the south side rose to a height of 100 feet. In prehistoric times
>this same territory was undoubtedly a large lake. Several lines of
>businesses had their rise and fall in the village of Delta. Grist mills,
>sawmills, a mill for the carding of cotton, a distillery, a canning
>factory, and several brick kilns, as well as a plow factory and woolen
>manufacturing establishment. Bricks from these kilns can still be found
>today in homes in Westernville and Rome.
>
>The first school in the neighborhood of Delta was taught by Lurene Rudd, a
>daughter of Prosper Rudd. She kept the first winter school in that locality
>and in 1804 she had over 80 pupils from Delta and nearby Elmer Hill area.
>The Union Library of Lee and Western was located at Delta prior to 1820.
>The first post office was established here in February 1834, with Franklin
>Peck as postmaster. Franklin Peck was the son of Gates Peck, an early
>settler in this region. The Methodist Episcopal Church in Delta was holding
>meetings as early as 1838, and possibly sooner. On August 7, 1841, Asa
>Hartshorn and his wife Mary, sold a parcel of land to the church. The
>church was built in 1843 with John Slee being the first class leader and
>Adin Sly the second. George Gary was the first presiding elder. Among the
>early pastors of this church were Rev. John Roper and Elisha Wheeler. This
>church was rebuilt and enlarged in 1882. In 1910 the building was
>dismantled and moved to Blossvale where it stands today.
>
>In the early 1840's the Calvinistic Methodists held house services in the
>village. This was discontinued about 1848. In 1852/53 the distillery burned
>and was not rebuilt. Around 1854 Eliakim Elmer built the Empire Hotel here.
>For many years this landmark was owned and operated by Herbert Kane and his
>wife. The Empire Hotel was dismantled piece by piece and moved to
>Westernville before the land was flooded in 1912.
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Susan Laursen Willig
>
>State Coordinator: NYGenExchange: http://www.genexchange.org/ny/index.cfm
>Coordinator for the Washington County, NY, GenExchange
>http://www.genexchange.org/ny/washington/
>NY Counties Open for Adoption:
http://www.genexchange.org/counties.cfm?state=ny
>
>
>
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