Lewis County History
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Part of the great Macomb Purchase of 1792
By an act of the New York State Legislature on March 28, 1805, Lewis and Jefferson Counties were created, being sectioned off from Oneida County of which they had both been a part. The name Lewis was chosen in honor of Morgan Lewis, a son of Francis Lewis (who was among the New York signers of the Declaration of Independence). Morgan Lewis had actively served in Washington’s army throughout the war, assigned at different times to General Gates and Clinton. At the time Lewis County was formed, Morgan Lewis was then serving as Governor of New York State.
Lewis County lands had been part of the great Macomb Purchase of 1792, one of the largest land transactions in the history of New York State. Spanning from the Tug Hill Plateau on the West to the foothills of the majestic Adirondack Mountains on the East the county had at one time been hunting grounds of the Oneida Nation.
Following the tumultuous upheaval of the French Revolution, a group of French aristocrats, under Pierre Chassanis, attempted relocation to northern New York, and purchased a portion of land now within Lewis County. This group, the “Castorland Company,” never full realized its goals and subsequently individuals involved in the project disbursed throughout Lewis County and beyond.
A notable French émigré, one Compte LeRay de Chaumont who owned large tracts in both Jefferson and Lewis Counties, was in France at the time of Napoleon Bonaparte’s fall in 1815. Having known Napoleon’s brother, Joseph (the ex-King of Spain), the two concluded a transaction for a sizeable portion of land now constituting the township of Diana in Lewis County and several townships in Jefferson County. Joseph Bonaparte assumed the name of Count de Survilliers during his time in America for reasons that are not clear. He visited his holdings four times over the years, exploring his lands and building several homes. The land still bears witness to his passing with the name of Lake Bonaparte in northern Lewis County.
As early as 1797 roads and turnpikes cut through Lewis County, but the first state subsidy for public roads did not come until 1803. Connecting Rome (Oneida) with Carthage (Jefferson) construction of the Black River Canal was undertaken in 1836, but not completed until 1855. Railroad service did not begin until late 1855.
Lewis County grew extensively as an agricultural area during the nineteenth century, and continues to be a primary milkshed today. The forestry industry and its products, production of milk products (the county is home to the largest exporter of cream cheese in the world) and maple syrup processing were, and continue to be, important economic factors. For many years, in fact, Lewis County cheese awed visitors to the State Fair, one cheese weighing in excess of 5, 000 pounds.
By the conclusion of World War II, Lewis County would continue to grow. Identified as having one of the heaviest snowfalls in the East, Lewis County attracts winter sports enthusiasts providing opportunities to x-country and downhill ski, along with 475 miles of groomed snow mobile trails crisscrossing areas on both sides of Black River.
A quote from a Lewis County woman’s diary, from the collection of Lewis County Historical Society, may be appropriate to describe the county’s immediate past and future. Mary ends her diary on the last day of the Nineteenth Century by commenting: “How many changes there has been in the past century. Steam engines were unknown. There were no electric lights. The telegraph and telephone were unknown. The mowing machine and horse rake and the sewing machine had not been heard of. If there should be as many inventions in a hundred years to come as in the past hundred years we know not what they would be for it seems as if they were about to the end of the rope now.” History has proven that change is inevitable, and change will continue to develop Lewis County in the new millennium.