Bennington, New York
| Bennington, New York | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Location in Wyoming County and the state of New York. |
|
| Coordinates: 42°49′45″N 78°24′49″W / 42.82917°N 78.41361°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| County | Wyoming |
| Area | |
| • Total | 55.3 sq mi (143.1 km2) |
| • Land | 55.0 sq mi (142.6 km2) |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,220 ft (372 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 3,349 |
| • Density | 60.8/sq mi (23.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| FIPS code | 36-05936 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0978722 |
| Website | www.benningtonny.com |
Bennington is a town in Wyoming County, New York. The population was 3,349 during the 2000 census. The town was named after Bennington, Vermont.
Geographically, the town of Bennington is the largest in Wyoming County, occupying a significant portion of the county's northwest corner.
The Town of Bennington was formed in 1818 from part of the Town of Sheldon. The Town of Bennington officially came into existence on March 6, 1818. The name came from Bennington Vermont.
This narrative was written by Alma Janish, a former Town Historian:
"In 1802, the land of Bennington was part of the Town of Batavia, Genesee County. Then in 1808, the land was taken from the Town of Batavia, to form the Town of Sheldon. Finally, on March 6, 1818, the land of Bennington was taken from Sheldon to form the Town of Bennington.
In the summer of 1802, John Tolles settled in Bennington. He settled in the area known over the years as Hubbard's Corners, Danley's Corners and the "Beehive".
The first frame barn was erected in the township by Jacob Wright in 1805.
By 1806, over twenty families were located in the town. A tannery, shoe shop and blacksmith shop were erected. By 1807, the first school house was built. A sawmill was also built in the south part of the town near the Sheldon Town line. In 1806, Chauncey Loomis purchased large tracts of land in the third and fourth ranges of the township at the price of one dollar per acre, including all the land now known as Bennington Center. During 1807, a sawmill was built in Bennington Center and the first barn raised was built from lumber produced from the mill. Also in 1807, the road from Bennington to Sheldon was cut out.
Approximately nine years after the Loomis family settled in Bennington, Quartus Clapp set out to purchase his own land further west in the town. He selected a site four miles down Cayuga Creek near a waterfall and built a sawmill in 1816 or 1818. He purchased about a hundred acres, which covered more than half of the valley of the hamlet of Cowlesville. At that time it was known as Clapp's Mills.
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