History...
The town of Augusta is located in
the Southwest corner of Oneida County and covers about 27
square miles. It consists of Oriskany Falls, Augusta, and
Knoxboro. Augusta and Knoxboro center around the Sconondoa
creek, which in turns flows northward into the Oneida river
drainage basin. Augusta and Knoxboro flourished until the
First World War. Knoxboro was the site of a brewery, lock
company, creamery and a pea canning company. Hops used in
the brewing of beer was the major cash crop until 1911 when
a mold developed in the hops crop, necessitating sulfur
treatment for the soil and making hop growing quite
expensive. Hops were soon phased out as a local agricultural
crop. While local industries have long since disappeared in
the hamlets, the town economy is presently based on
relatively specialized prosperous dairy farms and cash
crops, such as corn.
The village of Oriskany Falls, which was
formerly named Cassety Hollow in 1794 by the colonel Cassety,
is located in a steep, narrow valley defined by three hills.
The village developed in the valley and on the adjoining
hillsides near the site of the waterfalls of the Oriskany
Creek; (semicolon) hence the name Oriskany Falls. The swift
running water over the falls was the source of power in
those early days. The Chenango canal ran through the village
from 1837 to 1878 and played an important role in the
development of the village. At one time Oriskany Falls was
the busiest village between Utica and Binghamton. They had
textile mills, flour and grist mills, foundries, machine,
blacksmith, wagon and cooper shops, a stone quarry,
distillery, brewery, livery stables, a railroad and station,
saloons, printing establishments, cabin and furniture
makers, undertakers, cigar manufactures, carpenters,
doctors, dentists, druggists, teachers, barber and tailor
shops, shoemakers, hotels and inns , coal dealers, newspaper
publishers, and many stores to buy food and dry goods, along
with churches and a school. The woolen mill is now owned by
Tyco and the quarry is owned by the Hanson Company.
Thanks to the Limestone Ridge
historical society for the above information. |
