By Erica Barnes
For the Cazenovia Public Library
This year marks the 225th anniversary of Cazenovia’s founding in 1793. As part of the celebration, the Cazenovia Public Library is publishing a series of articles highlighting key factors in the village’s founding and development.
When John Lincklaen arrived at the foot of Cazenovia Lake in October of 1792, he described the area as: “situation superb, fine land” and took his information back to the Holland Land Company in Philadelphia. When he returned in the spring of 1793, he was accompanied by 10 families and a plan to make Cazenovia a prosperous settlement.
It was well-placed on Chittenango Creek for the development of mills, and the abundance of timber and farmland, he believed, would attract developers. Lincklaen supposedly advertised that the first 10 families to purchase land in the area would pay only one dollar per acre ($23.56 in 2017 dollars). Those first families took advantage of his offer, building Cazenovia into a thriving settlement on the western frontier.
Lincklaen’s original land purchase was approximately 120,000 acres, bounded on the north at Seminary Street, and to the east and west by Chittenango Creek and Cazenovia Lake, respectively. The purchase also included Township No.1, which would later be named Nelson. It didn’t take Lincklaen long to see the need for expansion and, in 1795, he purchased an additional 2,684 acres, giving him control of the entire village area we know today, including the lake shore.
As our young nation emerged from revolution, peace brought stability and development and many settlers turned their eyes to the western frontier of New York. Lincklaen foresaw this westward expansion and he ensured Cazenovia would be ready by rapidly building stores, dams, a church and school, many only months after arriving in 1793.
With new settlers, land values began to increase, reaching as high as $12 an acre in the early 1800s. During this time of early prosperity, some of Cazenovia’s most notable houses were built, such as “Rose Hill” on Chenango Street in 1796, the Presbyterian Church in 1806 and Lorenzo in 1807.
Many of the earliest settlers found lifestyles in Cazenovia so rewarding that they chose to make their homes here for many generations. The Freeborns, Days and Formans are among the handful of families who arrived with John Lincklaen and contribute to the success and vibrancy of our community to this day.
