The Town of Owego Historian
Peter C. Gordon
Appointed February 6, 2018
Location, Town Offices, 2354 SR434
Apalachin, N. Y. 13732
Office Hours: Thursdays 10am to 5pm and by appointment.
Phone: 718-938-7499
Email: OwegoHistorian@gmail.com
The Town of Owego circa 1855, adapted from the Giel Map of Tioga County
The Town of Owego is located in the southeast corner of Tioga County, much like a large, well-designed patch in a handmade quilt. As it compliments her sister towns of Newark Valley to the north and Tioga, Nichols and Candor to the west, it graciously threads its boundary lines to neighboring Broome county on the east and then south into the Pennsylvania border. The Susquehanna River, flowing from east to west, makes a bold and creative design as it curves gently through the center, separating to enfold a one hundred twelve-acre piece of land, known affectionately as Hiawatha Island. The town was formed on March 14, 1800.
Before white settlers came to the Town of Owego it was occupied by the Onondaga and Cayuga Indians. They were part of the league of the Iroquois, which consisted at first of five nations from central and western New York: the Onondagas, Oneidas, Mohawks, Cayugas and Senacas. The six nations were established later by uniting with the Tuscaroras.
Today, its area is 110 square miles, with about 266 miles of roads. The hamlets within the Town of Owego are Apalachin, Campville, Gaskill Corners, South Owego, Gibson Corners, Waits and Flemingville and the Village of Owego. The meaning of their names are as follows:
Apalachin: Derived from the township name of Apalacon, Pa., in Susquehanna County, where the Apalachin Creek originates. The name is Indian in Origin and signifies, "from whence the messenger returned." Although Isaac Harris, the first settler, settled here in 1786 from Rhode Island, Apalachin was established in 1836.
Apalachin people have served selflessly at the highest levels. NASA Shuttle Astronaut, Doug Hurley flew the last Shuttle Mission and will fly the first SpaceX mission to the International Space Station. Medal of Honor recipients Isaac Catlin (left) and Benjamin Franklin Tracy (right), lived on Marshland Road. Tracy, Secretary of the Navy during the Benjamin Harrison presidency, is known as the “Father of the Modern Navy.”
Campville: Across the river, to the north of Apalachin, is another community known as Campville. It was first known as East Owego, but Congressman Stephen B. Leonard was instrumental in changing the name to honor Colonel Asa Camp, the first settler from Columbia County, in 1800. As a sergeant in the Revolutionary War, he was witness to Major John Andre's execution and assisted in digging the grave. Camp owned and operated a tavern in Campville for many years, was active in politics and among several offices held, he was Supervisor of the Town of Owego in 1817 and 1818.
Gaskill Corners: Named for one of its earliest settlers, Joseph Gaskill, from New Hampshire, who came in 1822.
South Owego: Located near the Pennsylvania line, the name Owego is a derivative of "Ahwaga," what the Iroquois called Owego in the beginning. It means, "where the valley widens."
Gibson Corners: Named for Eli Gibson, from Massachusetts, who settled there in 1835.
Waits: Named for Henry Wait, who moved there in 1819 from Saratoga County, N. Y.
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Flemingville: Named for Captain David Fleming, from New Jersey, who moved there in 1808. He served in the war of 1812 as captain, and fought in the battles of Sackett's Harbor, Lake George, Erie, and more. When his son was twelve years old, he accompanied his father with the Federal army, as his waiter, and was a witness of the battles in which his father fought.
Other named areas in the town are South Apalachin, Oakley Corners (at Oakley State Forest,) Foster, Hullsville and Whittamore Hill. Though small, they take their share of credit for giving subsistence to the town. Also scattered throughout the town are about 30 cemeteries, the largest being Apalachin Riverside on Marshland Road.
In addition to several smaller parks, “The Hickories,” on Hickories Rd. off SR17C is by far the largest, with camping and recreational facilities. Every summer a band concert is given on Wednesday evenings for several weeks featuring a variety of music and entertainment.
The Town of Owego has more to offer than can be put onto a couple of pages, but the welcome mat is always out. If you do stop by, you will find that like a beautiful patchwork quilt, your visit will be warm and pleasant.
The early schools were located throughout the town. Up until the centralization of the Owego-Apalachin Central School District in the 1950s, there were 30 one-room schoolhouses in use. Fire departments are located at Apalachin, Campville and South Side (Waits.) The New York State Police are located at the town hall on route 434. Elected officials of the town government today consist of a Supervisor, four Councilmen, Town Clerk-Tax Receiver, two Town Justices and a Superintendent of Highways.
The most dramatic growth in the Town of Owego occurred in the 1950s when IBM built a military facility on route 17C and employed about five thousand people. Everything was needed (in a hurry) to accommodate these families, including new and larger schools, homes, apartments, hotels/motels, banks, shopping facilities, new roads, sewage treatment, emergency services, and more. The population in the town grew from 4,591 in 1950 to 9,293 by 1960. Today, the plant is Lockheed Martin Rotary and Missions Systems.
The text of this history, which I have modified, was originally written by County Historian Emma Sedore for the Tioga County Historical Society web page. Used with permission.