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Wellsville, New York
Town in New York, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Wellsville is a town and largest community in Allegany County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 7,099.[2]
Wellsville is centrally located in the south half of the county, 8 miles (13 km) north of the Pennsylvania border. Wellsville is also the name of the main village within this town. The village and the town have two separate, paid governments. Alfred State College maintains a branch campus in the town, with the main campus in Alfred 7 miles (11 km) east.
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History
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 | This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (February 2016) |
Originally an encampment for native peoples, Wellsville's settlement was driven, first, by the tanning and lumber industries and, later, the discovery of oil and natural gas.
Wellsville was the location of encampments for thousands of years, including the Lamoka and Brewerton cultures.[3] The latest native people, the Seneca, named Wellsville Gistaguat, according to a map produced in 1771 by Guy Johnson, as the official map of New York state at the time, for then-Governor William Tryon. The Seneca referred to the Wellsville area as "the Pigeon Woods" and held annual festivals and encampments there to take advantage of the passenger pigeon (see memoirs of Captain Horatio Jones).[4] At the time, passenger pigeons filled the skies by the millions, and the tribes and bands came to the Wellsville area from all over western New York and northern Pennsylvania to Gistaquat to harvest the pigeons by the thousands.
European settlers moved into the area before 1800. Nathaniel Dyke, a native of Connecticut, and a captain in the Revolutionary War, serving under both General George Washington and General Warren of Bunker Hill fame, was the first of these in Allegany County. He married a Native American woman (Esther) and moved his family to the Wellsville area by 1795, while it was still owned by the Seneca Nation (two years before the Big Tree Treaty of 1797). He began running a gristmill, a sawmill, and a tannery on a stream now known as Dykes Creek, by 1803. Dyke is buried in Elm Valley, just east of town. His tombstone has the official memorial placed there by the Catherine Schuyler Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Wellsville's first industry was tanning, utilizing the bark of the hemlock tree for its tannins. Three large tanneries operated in Wellsville during the early 19th century. Next came the lumbermen and the railroad. The New York and Erie Railroad came through what would become Wellsville (then the outskirts of Scio) in 1851 as the quickest way west from New York City, crossing New York state. This proved that Nathaniel Dyke's choice of location was the quickest, easiest and most practical way across Allegany County. The trains gave the lumbermen a new and more efficient means to get their product to market. Prior to this, the logs had been floated on the rivers and canals. Logging moved on to more densely forested areas in the latter part of the 19th century but the cleared ground quickly produced excellent grazing for a tremendous dairy industry which followed.
Wellsville was named after a man named Gardiner Wells, who was, according to local history, the one person who didn't show up for the meeting when the residents were naming the town.[citation needed] Wells was the major landowner of the real estate pieces, now the downtown Main Street section of Wellsville. The first oil boom came later in Wellsville's history, several decades after the founding of the town and village when oil was discovered in Wellsville in 1879 by O.P. Taylor in his famous "Triangle No. 1" well in Petrolia, west of Wellsville. A second boom occurred with the discovery of "Secondary Recovery", led by Bradley Producing, based in Wellsville. The method uses water, so abundant in Wellsville, to force the oil from the "oil sands". The Sinclair Refinery was built in Wellsville at the beginning of the 20th century, not closing down until 1957 after two major fires and falling oil prices.
Since World War II, Wellsville's economy has been dominated by skilled engineering and manufacturing with a cluster of multinational companies in the energy sector. It also has a cluster of ceramic artists and artisans fed by its proximity to Alfred University's ceramics school.
The area that is now Wellsville was part of Scio through the first half of the 19th century. It was incorporated as Wellsville and set apart from Scio in 1857. For a brief time during the early 1870s, Wellsville changed its name to "Genesee". On April 4, 1871, the New York State Legislature officially changed Wellsville's name to Genesee. After much political wrangling, by a special act of the legislature, the name Wellsville was again designated as the official name of the town, June 8, 1873. The village of Wellsville was first incorporated in 1857 and then again in 1873.
Wellsville is the junction of many foothill streams including Dyke Creek feeding the Genesee River from the east. The water from Hurricane Agnes in 1972 exceeded the capacity and banks of Dyke Creek, producing a rapid and huge pool of water at the center of the village. The extent of the damaged area continued downstream through Scio and Amity until the valley widened to accept the large flow of water in the lesser populated area. Erosion of topsoil during this flood eliminated many small farms.
The US Post Office-Wellsville, built by the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression in the art deco style, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.[5]
The Wellsville Erie Depot is a historic train station located at Wellsville in Allegany County, New York. It was constructed in 1911, for the Erie Railroad. It is a one-story, 132-foot (40 m) by 33-foot (10 m) structure displaying elements of the Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival styles popular in the late 19th and early 20th century. It is located across the street from the US Post Office-Wellsville. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
In March 2006, a referendum to dissolve the village was defeated by the residents. At present, local officials are attempting to obtain a charter for the community to reorganize both municipalities into one entity, a city.
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Geography
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.7 square miles (95.0 km2), of which 36.6 square miles (94.9 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2), or 0.10%, is water.[5]
The Genesee River flows northward through the town.
New York State Route 417 intersects New York State Route 19 at Wellsville village, and NY 19 intersects New York State Route 248 by the south town line in Stannards.
Climate
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Demographics
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As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 7,678 people, 3,192 households, and 1,924 families residing in the town. The population density was 209.4 inhabitants per square mile (80.8/km2). There were 3,606 housing units at an average density of 98.4 per square mile (38.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.65% White, 0.53% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.24% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. 0.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,192 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,098, and the median income for a family was $39,705. Males had a median income of $36,302 versus $23,387 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,744. 16.0% of the population and 10.6% of families were below the poverty line. 17.9% of those under the age of 18 and 9.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
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Economy
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Wellsville's economy is dominated by skilled engineering and manufacturing with a cluster of companies in the energy sector. Its close proximity to prominent engineering schools at Alfred University, Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester has resulted in a high concentration of highly skilled and specialized engineers.
Ljungstrom, a division of The Arvos Group, (formerly Alstom Power Air Preheater) designs and manufactures in Wellsville products for the thermal power plant market, namely air preheaters and gas-gas heaters for thermal power generation facilities. As such, they are an innovator in the development of "clean coal technology."[9]
Current Controls, founded in 1982, operates as a general contractor that specializes in bridge production. Operates primarily in New York State and Pennsylvania with another division located in Atlanta, GA.
The LC Whitford Company, founded in 1916, designs and manufactures electronic transformers, inductors and serves the automotive, aerospace, medical, data storage, lighting, power supply industries.
Northern Lights Candle Co., a manufacturer, retailer and wholesale distributor of candles and novelties, is headquartered in Wellsville.[10]
Otis Eastern Services, founded in 1936, serves the oil and gas industries, constructing, upgrading and maintaining oil and gas distribution systems such as pipelines in West Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
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Education
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Primary and secondary schools
Wellsville Central School District serves pre-K-12 on two campuses. In 2004, the district completed a multimillion-dollar building project creating a new middle school, additions to the high and elementary schools, and a new swimming pool. In 2010, the district upgraded the elementary school and athletic fields, complete with a multi-purpose, all-weather stadium. The Wellsville High School's newspaper, The Owl, was founded in 1907 and is one of the longest-running student newspapers in New York State.[11]
Wellsville was also home to the Immaculate Conception School (ICS) of Allegany County, a Diocesan regional school, which was ranked No. 5 of 194 middle schools in Western New York by the Buffalo-based Business First.[12] The school has since closed due to low enrollment.[13]
Colleges
Wellsville is home to Alfred State College's School of Applied Technology which includes the Culinary Arts School, automotive department, building trades, and a Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing Center (SAMC) opened in 2016.[14]
Public libraries
The David A. Howe Library, a member of the Southern Tier Library System, is the largest public library in Allegany County and the cultural center of Wellsville. Built in 1910 in the Georgian style, the brick building enjoys much natural light because of the large Palladian windows and still retains much of its original custom furnishings such as cork flooring, original carved oak wood ornamentation, and child-sized furniture in the children's wing. In addition to several large reading rooms, the facility includes a large exhibition room, two terraces, local history room, meeting rooms, kitchen, and the 301-person Nancy Howe Auditorium which is often used for concerts, plays, movies, and meetings. In 2017 the library was awarded the EBSCO Excellence in Rural Library Service Award by the Public Library Association and EBSCO Information Services.[15]
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Local landmarks
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The Pink House
The Pink House is an Italianate-Revival mansion located on the corner of West State Street and South Brooklyn Avenue. Constructed between 1866 and 1869, it was designed by Edwin Bradford Hall, a local pharmacist and businessman who also created its signature pink paint at his Wellsville drugstore, now the site of the Beef Haus restaurant.[16][17][18] According to family legend, the pink color and design of the house were inspired by a villa E.B. Hall and his wife Antoinette saw while honeymooning at Lake Como in Italy.[16]
The house is built on a raised foundation six feet above the surrounding ground to guard against flooding from the nearby Genesee River.[16] It features cherry wood double doors, stained glass windows, and nine bedrooms. The interior features original Victorian furnishings, including a Thomas Edison Home Phonograph and working gas-light chandeliers that have been converted to electricity.[16] Additions such as the music room and tower enhance the historic character of the home.[19]
The estate grounds include three additional historic buildings: a carriage house, fossil house, and ice house. The fossil house once contained over 5,500 catalogued Paleozoic specimens, part of a collection that won first place at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition.[16] The carriage house has served as living quarters for caretakers, who continue to reside on-site.[20]
The home has remained in the hands of Hall's descendants for over 150 years, making it one of the oldest continuously family-owned residences of its kind in the United States.[21][17] The current owners, filmmaker Jay Woelfel and his wife Kristy, are part of the Hall family lineage.[22]
The Hall’s only child, Fannie, was married in the home’s Blue Parlor in 1894. In a tragedy that fueled later local legends, Fannie's daughter, Beatrice Carpenter, drowned in a small fountain on the property in 1907 at the age of two. Her funeral was held in the same parlor where her parents were wed.[23]
Stories of ghost sightings at the Pink House have persisted for decades, frequently centered around Beatrice or her aunt, Frances Farnham, long rumored to have inspired Hanford Lennox Gordon’s poem "Pauline" after taking her own life.[24] However, family records clarify that Farnham died in 1857—twelve years before the Pink House was built—and drowned in a mill race near her actual residence two blocks away.[25] Though Gordon lived in Wellsville at the time, no direct evidence links Farnham to the poem, and there is no documentation of a rumored engagement to Gordon or to her brother-in-law E. B. Hall. Nonetheless, the Hall family retained several of her belongings, including an inscribed Bible with a mysterious poem tucked inside titled "Notes on a Young Woman Who Drowned Herself While Insane."[25] The blending of Farnham’s earlier death with the later drowning of Beatrice is believed to have given rise to the enduring folklore associated with the house.[24]
The Pink House has also played a cultural role in the region, serving as the filming location for several projects by Jay Woelfel. These include the Emmy Award-winning short film The Birthmark (1987) and Come to Me Softly (1988), both based on works by Nathaniel Hawthorne.[26][27][22][28] Come to Me Softly was later integrated into the original VHS release of Woelfel’s first feature film, Beyond Dream's Door (1989), as a dream sequence,[29] and it was included as a bonus feature on the film's DVD and blu-ray releases. Both shorts offer rare on-screen glimpses of the home's historic interior. The property was also featured, to a lesser extent, in Woelfel's later feature Ghost Lake (2004).[30]
While it remains a private residence and is not open for public tours,[18] the house is considered a local landmark and is occasionally included in community events, such as Halloween celebrations.[18] In 2021, the home was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[21]
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Events and entertainment
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The Great Wellsville Balloon Rally
The Great Wellsville Balloon Rally is the largest annual event in the Wellsville area, attracting hot air balloonists and tourists from many parts of the country who participate in the event on the third full weekend of every July.[31] The rally was started by Ray Stevens in 1975.[32] The event has received coverage by the national media, including the Today show and is beloved by balloonists and spectators alike.
Ridgewalk & Run
The Ridgewalk & Run trail race event has been staged every year since 1993. Held in October, the event showcases fall foliage and highlights the area's oil industry. The 2008 event included a 5K and 10K trail run and a more challenging 14-mile trail run. Participants could also choose to enter one of the walking races of 2, 6, 9 or 14 miles.[33]
Wellsville Creative Arts Center
The Wellsville Creative Arts Center opened on September 9, 2006, in the old Carter Hardware building downtown.[34] Entrepreneur Andy Glanzman's addition to the downtown provides classes in ceramics and cooking.[35] The center also includes the Coffee House where live music shows are staged almost every weekend.[36]
Great Wellsville Trout Derby
The Great Wellsville Trout Derby is hosted by the Wellsville Lions Club during the last full weekend in April.[37]
Wellsville Raceway
Wellsville Raceway was a 5⁄8-mile (1.0 km) dirt oval racing facility located on the former Wellsville Driving Park fairgrounds. A group of 10 investors formed the Wellsville Speedway, Inc. in 1950, and took possession of the old fairgrounds.[38] The first auto race was held August 6, reportedly to a crowd of 4,500 spectators and sanctioned by the Atlantic Stock Car Racing Association.[39]
The venue shut down after the 1954 season, and the land was repurposed for what is now the Wellsville School complex.[38]
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Notable people
- Nick Anderson, frontman of the pop rock band the Wrecks. The band's sophomore EP Panic Vertigo was also produced on a ranch in Wellsville.
- Chris Beck, former United States Navy SEAL, who gained public attention in 2013 when she came out as a trans woman. After 10 years, he reverted to living as a man.
- William B. Duke, horse trainer, won the 1925 Kentucky Derby and the 1925 Preakness Stakes. Inducted in U.S Racing Hall of Fame.
- George "Gabby" Hayes, actor in many western movies
- Billy Packer, former sports broadcaster and author, born in Wellsville
- Jack Stevenson, author, film showman, born in Wellsville
- John Rigas, founder of Adelphia Communications Corporation, former owner of Buffalo Sabres
- Ted Taylor, nuclear physicist who became a nuclear disarmament advocate
- Charles Monroe Sheldon (minister), and leader of the Social Gospel movement.
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In popular culture
The Nickelodeon television series The Adventures of Pete & Pete, which ran from 1993 to 1996, is set in a fictionalized version of Wellsville. Though the state is never explicitly mentioned, New York license plates can be seen at various points in the series, and geographic clues indicate the show's setting is in New York or that vicinity. The show was taped at various locations in North Jersey.
Communities and locations in the Town of Wellsville
- Dykes Creek – A stream that joins the Genesee River in Wellsville village, named after Allegany County's and Wellsville's first settler, Nathaniel Dike. (But the spelling on modern maps has been corrupted.)
- Pink House – Large pink mansion located near Main Street and Wellsville Middle High School. Created by E.B. Hall for his wife.
- Elm Valley – A hamlet by the east town line on Route 417.
- Sunnydale/Proctor District – A neighborhood dominated by post-war homes located near Ljungstrom's Andover Road manufacturing facility.
- Norton Summit – A location west of the airport on the town line.
- Stannards – A hamlet on the south town line, south of Wellsville village at the junction of Route 19 and route 248.
- Wellsville – The Village of Wellsville is at the Genesee River and the intersection of Routes 19 and 417.
- Wellsville Municipal Airport, Tarantine Field (ELZ) – A general aviation airport, which also provides charter services, is located on a hill west of Wellsville village.
- Petrolia
- Tullar Field - Former home of minor league baseball from 1914 though 1965.[40]
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References
External links
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