History of Wolcott

A Brief History of Wolcott

 
In 1805 Mr. Jonathan Melvin purchased 500 acres of land situated within the present village limits of Wolcott.  Melvin was a revolutionary soldier and came here from Melvin Hill in Phelps, NY.  Evidence suggests that before this time Indians visited this area to hunt, fish and gather food.  Melvin would have had to clear his property, for Wolcott was a wilderness.  From that time on other settlers came in and bought land from Melvin.

About 1809 a sawmill and a gristmill were built by the falls. (Later part of it became known as Harnden's Mill and supplied the area with cattle feed and flour.  It was destroyed by fire in 1969 and little remains to indicate where it once stood).  The falls being one of the reasons that the area was settled.  Other mills were built to make furniture, weave fabrics, tan leather and manufacture shoes.  Unfortunately there is no evidence of the industry that the falls once supported.  Johnathan Melvin also built as ashery on the North side of Main Street and a distillery on the West Side.

Obadiah Adams who was a surveyor came to Wolcott in 1810.  He bought 40 acres of land from Melvin.  This land was on the east side of the present New Hartford Street.  He opened a tavern.  Because of the energies of Melvin, Adams and Osgood Church, Wolcott became a hub of industry in this part of Wayne County.  Adams purchased Melvin's Mill and prospered, doing much business in Canada.  Lake Ontario was a natural highway for trade, and the Erie Canal served the same purpose when it was constructed.

The Baptist Church was the first house of worship to be built, and the first school occupied the corner of Draper and West main Streets.  Eventually, when a larger facility was needed, the Leavenworth family donated land where the current Leavenworth Middle School now stands.

The first train came to Wolcott in 1872.  It was a way for merchandise to be received and shipped.

An iron foundry was built on Wolcott Creek near the present-day corner of Furnace and West Port Bay Roads.  The iron was used to manufacture farm implements, household wares, and building columns that are still visible on some of the shops along Main Street.  The foundry operated for nearly fifty years.

In the 1905 edition of Grip's Historical Souvenir of Wolcott, it states, “The village of Wolcott is one of the smartest, cleanest and most enterprising towns in this part of the state.  This is true both on its residents and business features.  Such are the features that attract the notice of the stranger at first glance.”  In 1905 there were approximately 55 businesses in Wolcott with 18 service businesses.

Wolcott has had since 1913 a worldwide attraction.  That is the fountain of Venus in the center of town. At one time there was a natural spring that come up out of the ground and was used to water horses.  The money to buy this statue was raised a few cents at a time and cost about $850.00.  She has worn several different colors and at one time was painted a bronze color.  Many objections were raised when she  the natural colors that she now sports.

The original town has undergone many transformations.  There have been several devastating fires.  One was where the present Palace Theatre stands.  Another where attorney Christopher Palermo's office is.  In recent memory the building where the small park is on Main Street (next to Ray Rays Pizzeria) and the other the Wolcott Bargain Center next to the Palace Theatre.

We are extremely fortunate to have most of our town intact and the store occupied.  If you look at other towns you will see many empty store fronts and see the depreciation, be thankful that Wolcott is holding its own.