Life in the Genesee Country

Framing the Historic Village

The 19th-century saw substantial growth and change in Western New York and across the new nation. These events, themes, and more influenced rural and urban communities in the Genesee Valley and contributed to the place we call home today.

The Hodinöhsö:ni’ peoples have stewarded the land of the Genesee Country for generations. The Treaty of Big Tree was made between the United States and the Hodinöhsö:ni’ Confederacy in 1797. It opened 3.5 million acres west of the Genesee River for colonization and relegated the Hodinöhsö:ni’ to 12 small reservations, some of which still exist today. These reservations are home to vibrant communities, schools, artists, medical centers, recreation, and more.

Early Settlement

As white settlers poured into the Genesee Valley, buying and selling land became a lucrative endeavor for land companies in Western New York. These include the Holland Land Company and Phelps and Gorham, each with tens of thousands of acres, as well as very small subgroups, like Capt.Towar’s land office. Towns and villages were established, which included schools, trade shops, farms, and homes.

Early in the century, Col. Nathaniel Rochester, Col. William Fitzhugh, and Major Charles Carroll purchased land around High Falls that would become the city of Rochester. All three men benefited from buying, selling, and lending enslaved individuals, as did many other landowners in the region.

Impact of the Erie Canal

The Erie Canal’s construction had a profound impact on the Genesee Valley, transforming it from a rural area into a bustling hub of commerce and industry. The canal facilitated the transportation of goods, including lumber and grain, and played a crucial role in the development of the region’s economy. Without the canal, there would be no stoneware pottery or cast iron manufacturing! It also spurred the growth of communities along the canal, leading to the establishment of new towns and the development of infrastructure such as aqueducts and reservoirs.

The canal’s influence extended beyond economic benefits, as it also played a significant role in the cultural, culinary, and social development of the Genesee Valley, contributing to the region’s identity and history. The canal was, according to Carol Sherriff, an ‘artificial river’ of social ideas.

Slavery, Abolition & the Civil War

Before and after slavery was abolished in New York State in 1827, Black and white anti-slavery and abolitionist activists supported the Underground Railroad and worked toward freedom and fairness for their enslaved siblings in the North and beyond.

New York State was the most populous in the Union and provided more troops to the Union Army (400,000 to 460,000 men) during the Civil War (1861 – 1865) than any other state as well as several important military commanders. Many of the Western New Yorkers who fought in the Union Army joined as young volunteers very early in the war.

Civic Engagement

Following the Second Great Awakening in the late 18th- and early 19th-centuries, Western New York became known as the “burned-over district.” The area had been set ablaze with spiritual fervor as a result of a wave of religious revivals and new religious movements which included the Latter-Day Saints, Spiritualism, and the Shakers.

Emboldened with this spiritual fervor, the region gained a reputation for having active, civic-minded, and outspoken residents fighting for change. In the mid-1800s, Rochester was the backdrop to significant sociopolitical events and was the adopted home of both Susan B. Anthony, a leader of the women’s rights and suffrage movements, and Frederick Douglass, a self-emancipated leader in the fight for abolition.

Leisure, Architecture & Industrialization

After the Civil War, many Americans enjoyed a time of greater wealth and leisure: people could focus on entertainment and recreation, reform movements and social causes, socialization, and culture. They took carriage rides and drove for enjoyment, attended plays and concerts, and engaged in sports such as croquet, base ball, and riding bicycles.

Americans also became fascinated with exotic architecture with elaborate towers and cupolas, as well as with octagonal houses. Orson Squire Fowler and other proponents said these six-sided homes were healthier than traditional rectangular houses because they had more sunlight and better ventilation.

Industrialization across Western New York grew in the late-19th and early 20th-centuries, as well. Between 1870 and 1900, immigration and urbanization raised Buffalo’s population from 117,714 to 362,000, making it the country’s 8th largest city, and Rochester’s from 62,386 to 162,000. Buffalo’s growth was built on the back of manufacturing, including steel, iron, and electric. Rochester’s most significant innovator and entrepreneur of the time was George Eastman, who founded the Eastman Kodak Company near the end of the century.