Smithfield Gazetteer

 The Town of Smithfield was formed from Cazenovia on March 13, 1807. It is an interior town lying norht of the center of the county. Fenner became a separate town in 1823 and a part of Smithfield was used to form Stockbridge in 1836. The surface of the town is hilly and rolling upland. The principal streams are the Cowaselon and Oneida Creeks. The town contains from 15,005 to 15,629 acres.

Bliss Corners: crossroads south of Peterboro at the intersection of Swamp, Gill, and Fearon Roads. The area was named for Lyman Bliss, father of the seven Bliss brothers., one of whom was Govenor Aaron Bliss of Michigan. District Schoolhouse No. 4 was located just east of the corners at the intersection of South Butler and Fearon Roads.

Bump's Pond: defunct reservoir, an artificial body of water on the northeast corner of Peterboro. Created by a dam on the Oneida Creek south of the pond. Heavy rains in the early 1900s took out the dam and pond. This pond (sometimes called Mill Pond or Peterboro Pond) supplied water to the grist and saw mill on Bump Road. Named for Jeremiah Bump, who ran the mill. A cheese factory was located near the dam in the village.

Butler's Corners: crossroads at North Butler and Creek Roads slightly northwest of Siloam. The Cowaselon Creek crossesCreek Road near this intersection, and the schoolhouse for District No. 7 was located on the east side of the road. Named for William Butler and his sons.

Cameron's Hill: land mass south of Peterboro heading into Pleasant Valley, it was named for Daniel Cameron who lived at the crest of the hill.

Campbell District: settled area south of Siloam,named for Henry Campbell, who lived on Lot No. 14 in 1853.

Daddy Miles' Pond: defunct reservoir, an artificial body of water on the east side of Rich Road, which borders on the western edge of Smithfield. "Daddy" Miles dammed up a gully to create the pond in which he planned to raise fish for fertilizer. Still existed in the 1920's.

Eisaman's Corners: crossroads north of Peterboro at the intersection of East Mile Strip and Buyea Roads. District School No. 8 (later No. 6 in the 1920s) was located here.There is a small abandoned cemetery on the west of Buyea Road just south of the corner. Named for Jacob Eisaman who came from Herkimer County in 1852 and located on Lot 72 of the Mile strip.

Ellenwood Hollow: original name for Siloam, q. v., in the northeast section of the town. Samuel Ellenwood (or Ellinwood) was an early settler.

Embury's Corners: crossroads at Fearon, Davis Corners, and Roher Roads southeast of Peterboro. Named for Eliet P. Embury, a Smithfield farmer. He was originally from Grand Blanc, Michigan, and died in 1918, aged 62.

Green's Corners: crossroads at Williams and Stockbridge Falls Roads, on the town line between Smithfield and Stockbridge. A Mrs. C. Green lived at the corner (Lot 21) in 1875.

Green District: settled area definitely east of Peterboro and probably referring to Green's Corners, where there was, at one time, a one-room schoolhouse.

Green, The: the two-acre plot which was cleared by the first settler of Smithfield, Jasper Aylesworth, in 1795, and around which the village of Peterboro was formed. In 1858, Jeremiah Bump built the fence which surrounded the green for many years. Also called Peterboro Park.

Grove, The: Gerrit Smith's residence during the early 1850s when the mansion was being remodeled. Located about a mile southeast of Peterboro on Swamp Road, today it is the Abner farm. A "grove" of trees stands immediately north of the house, which was once a much larger dwelling.

Hecox District: local name for Pleasant Valley, q. v., it is a reference to the Austin, James, and John Hecox families.

Hoffman's Falls: an upper and lower waterfalls on the west town line between Fenner and Smithfield, located in Pleasant Valley, q. v.. The water source for these falls is on Mutton Hill in Fenner. The falls are on private property, accessed from Hoffman Road, which intersects with Pleasant Valley Road. Named for the Hoffman family who still reside in the valley.

Home Hill: land mass at southeast corner of the village of Peterboro, where Glass Factory Road begins. It takes its name from the Home Barn, which stood at this corner and was part of the farm for the Madison County Home for Destitute Children, located in Peterboro from 1871-1926.

Ingalls District: settled area to the east of Peterboro, probably named for Conrad Ingalls, an early farmer. District Schoolhouse No. 10 was located here, at the intersection of Williams and South Butler Roads. Further south on South Butler was a glass factory in the early 1800s. Where the Oneida Creek crosses South Butler, there was later a sawmill.

Ledges, The: steep, rocky land mass to the east of Morrisville Swamp, primarily in the Town of Eaton but extending slightly into the southcentral part of Smithfield. Here, in 1930, were found the skeletons of at least fourteen African Americans thought to have been traveling the Underground Railroad.

Marquisee Corners: crossroads of Fearon and Johnson Roads in the southeastern part of the town. Named for Timothy Marquisee who came from Bouckville. He and his son Lewis operated a blacksmith shop here in 1875. In the same year, there was a cheese factory just west of this location. Schoolhouse No. 6 was located at the corner of Johnson and May Roads, north of the corners. The abandoned Wood Farm Cemetery lies a short distance southeast of the corners.

Mile Strip, The: tract of land, one mile wide, purchased from the State by Enoch Leonard in 1797. It extended from Cowaselon Creek on the east to or beyond Chittenango Creek on the west. The north line of the "Strip" became the north line of Smithfield. Schoolhouse No. 9 was located at the intersection of East Mile Strip and Old County Roads. There was also a blacksmith's shop here in 1875.

Miller's Pond: a natural pond, dammed up by beaver, lying west of Peterboro, on the southern end of Peterboro Swamp, q.v. Named for Charles D. Miller, son-in-law of Gerrit Smith, or for Gerrit Smith Miller, Charles' son. Less often referred to as Miller's Lake.

Moon Hill: land mass which rises on the south side of East Milestrip Road and which is visible from the intersection of Buyea and Goff Roads. (Possibly named for Isaac Moon, although in 1853, he resided on Lot 6 on the north side of Goff Road itself.)

Morrisville Swamp: flooded, swampy area in the southcentral part of the town. The swamp is largely contained within the Town of Eaton. It lies north of the village of Morrisville from which it takes its name.

North Smithfield: settled area, north of Peterboro. In 1875, this neighborhood included the cheese factory of R.J. Hollenbeck on the east side of Buyea Road, north of Goff Road. Schoolhouse No. 3 was located on the corner of Goff and Northrup Roads.

Peterboro: village in the central part of the town, located entirely on Lot 26 of the 2nd allotment of the New Petersburgh tract. Named for Peter Smith, the original proprietor. A post office was established here on November 6, 1807. The post office was called Petersborough until July 5, 1894. School District No. 1's schoolhouse was located on Elizabeth Street, slightly east of the Methodist Church. Aside from the usual businesses, there was a glass factory here in the early 1800s. Later, the manufacture of essential oils was conducted by Neil Eastman.

Peterboro Swamp: large, flooded, swampy area lying west and northwest of Peterboro. One of the largest branches of the Oneida Creek rises here and flows southeasterly through what was once the Smith-Miller estate in the village.

Pleasant Valley: settled area in the southwest part of the town and partly in the town of Nelson. Previously called Tinker Hollow, the name was changed in 1888 by Levi Miller, Jr., when he established a cheese factory here. The area had its own saw mill and a potashery was once located on Brooks Road. School District No. 11 (later No. 5) was in this valley.

Saunders and Gill District: settled area in the extreme southeast corner of the town. On the east side of Davis Corners Road lies the abandoned cemetery sometimes called the Gill Burying Ground. Here rest members of the Saunders and Gill families, including Sophia, wife of John Saunders and daughter of Lambert Gill.

Siloam: a small hamlet in the northeast corner of the town, located in a deep valley through which the Cowaselon Creek flows. It was given the scriptural name of "Siloam" by Elder Beman of Peterboro, because of the medicinal qualities of sulphur springs located here. There were, at various times, a grist mill, saw mill, and cheese factory here. Schoolhouse No. 2 stood at the bottom of the steep hill that enters Siloam from Peterboro. An abandoned cemetery lies behind the former Methodist Church, now a private dwelling. A post office was established here on September 18, 1825, and discontinued on September 30, 1907.

Stockbridge West Hill: land mass rising to the northeast of Siloam. Located primarily in the Town of Stockbridge, it divides the Stockbridge valley from the Cowaselon valley. In the area still within Smithfield, there were at least two blacksmith shops as late as 1875.
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