Hebron, New York
Encyclopedia
Hebron is a town in Washington County
Washington County, New York
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Glens Falls, New York, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,216. It was named for the Revolutionary War general George Washington...

, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 1,773 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the same-named community in Connecticut.

Geography

Hebron's beautiful hills and valleys are part of the slate valley of the Upper Taconic Mountains
Taconic Mountains
The Taconic Mountains or Taconic Range are a physiographic section of the larger New England province and part of the Appalachian Mountains, running along the eastern border of New York State and adjacent New England from northwest Connecticut to western Massachusetts, north to central western...

 (Taghkanic, meaning 'in the trees'), and part of the Great Appalachian Valley
Great Appalachian Valley
The Great Valley, also called the Great Appalachian Valley or Great Valley Region, is one of the major landform features of eastern North America. It is a gigantic trough — a chain of valley lowlands — and the central feature of the Appalachian Mountain system...

 (also known simply as the 'Great Valley'). Thus, many of the main hills, valleys, creeks and roads run diagonal across Hebron in keeping with the general outlay of the Appalachians.

Hebron is notably at once a nexus between valley regions within the 'Great Valley', and also between mountain regions. In Hebron is the nexus of the Champlain and Hudson Valleys (described in greater detail below in the paragraph on watersheds). The taller peaks of the Taconics this far north are on the Vermont side of the border, and begin to dwindle comparatively into foothills in Hebron. Hebron can be described as the foothills between the Adirondack Mountains
Adirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....

 of New York, and the Taconic and Green Mountains
Green Mountains
The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range extends approximately .-Peaks:The most notable mountains in the range include:*Mount Mansfield, , the highest point in Vermont*Killington Peak, *Mount Ellen,...

 of Vermont. Hebron thus is ironically at once at a high point dividing valleys, and a lowlands dividing mountain areas. In an era of much water pollution, it is a good thing to be on the top end of watersheds. Thus, much of Hebron's battles with water quality are internal.

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the town has a total area of 56.4 square miles (146.1 km²), of which, 56.2 square miles (145.6 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (0.32%) is water.

The east town line of Hebron is the Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

 Border, and the beginning of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

 proper. The town of Salem
Salem (town), New York
Salem is a town in eastern Washington County, New York. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 2,702 at the 2000 census. The town of Salem contains a village also named Salem.- History :...

 is adjacent to the south. The towns of Argyle
Argyle (town), New York
Argyle is a town in Washington County, New York, USA. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 3,688 at the 2000 census...

, Hartford
Hartford, New York
Hartford is a town centrally located in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 2,279 at the 2000 census.- History :...

 and Granville (famous for its colored slate) make up the remaining border on western and northern edges.

NY Route 22
New York State Route 22
New York State Route 22 is a north–south state highway in eastern New York in the United States. It runs parallel to the state's eastern edge from the outskirts of New York City to a short distance south of the Canadian border. At , it is the state's longest north–south route and...

 is a north-south highway through the eastern part of the town, running roughly parallel to the Vermont border. Route 30 connects Salem to Hartford through the western part of Hebron. Route 31, the longest road through Hebron, cuts across diagonally from Route 30 connecting West Hebron to West Pawlet, Vermont.

Hebron is at the threshold between two major watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

s whose waters travel great distances in opposite directions, only to rejoin ultimately in the Atlantic Ocean. The formal valleys and watersheds to which Hebron belongs are the following: Champlain Valley
Champlain Valley
The Champlain Valley is a region of the United States around Lake Champlain in Vermont and New York extending slightly into Quebec, Canada as part of the St. Lawrence River drainage basin drained northward by the Richelieu River into the St...

 / Lake George Watershed—02010001 http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/huc.cfm?huc_code=02010001; Hudson River Valley / Hudson-Hoosic Watershed—02020003 http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/huc.cfm?huc_code=02020003. Waters in the northernmost part of Hebron drain via the Mettawee River
Mettawee River
Mettawee River is a river in western Vermont and eastern New York in the United States, passing the town of Granville, New York. The river is particularly good for rapids and kayaking. It ends in Lake Champlain....

 north into Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...

 where they mix with waters from Lake George
Lake George (New York)
Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is a long, narrow oligotrophic lake draining northwards into Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River Drainage basin located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York, U.S.A.. It lies within the upper region of the...

 (Horican) and then flow into the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...

 (Kaniatarowanenneh). These Hebron waters mingle in the Saint Lawrence with waters of all the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...

 as they flow northeast into Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...

, and ultimately join the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

. Meanwhile, the majority of Hebron waters drain south via Black Creek into the Batten Kill
Batten Kill
The Batten Kill, or Battenkill, or the Battenkill River, is a river rising in Vermont that flows into New York and is a tributary of the Hudson River....

 (Dionondehowa) and then the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...

 (Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk or Muhheakantuck), and ultimately flow south into the Atlantic Ocean just below New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

.

The two branches of Black Creek join in West Hebron just west of the village's main street, and just after the waterfall in the West Branch of Black Creek (which is just before Patterson Road). See map http://www.hebronfireco.com/hebron_map.htm. See the approximation of the watershed divide mapped in context of mountains http://www.peaklist.org/USmaps/newenglandsummits.gif and valleys http://www.priweb.org/ed/TFGuide/NE/topo/topo_files2/topo_pdfs/ne_topo2.pdf. See Washington County
Washington County, New York
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Glens Falls, New York, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,216. It was named for the Revolutionary War general George Washington...

 for a set of contextual maps.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 1,773 people, 687 households, and 489 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 31.5 people per square mile (12.2/km²). There were 906 housing units at an average density of 16.1 per square mile (6.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.18% White, 0.45% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.79% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.47% of the population.

There were 687 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $37,639, and the median income for a family was $41,680. Males had a median income of $28,150 versus $22,315 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the town was $18,113. About 7.0% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

History

In terms of European American history, Hebron was first known as the district of Black Creek. Parcels of land, called patents, were given by the King of England to soldiers who served in the French War. Few soldiers actually settled in the area, and most of the land came into possession of land speculators who sold parcels to New England and Scotch-Irish settlers for farming. Some of the patents that form the town are Blundell and Sheriff. Originals of these patents are in the National Archives.

The town of Hebron was formed 23 March 1786 and takes its name from Hebron, Connecticut
Hebron, Connecticut
Hebron is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,610 at the 2000 census. Hebron was incorporated May 26, 1708....

. Its namesake is Hebron
Hebron
Hebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter...

, the largest city in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...

, 30 km south of Jerusalem.

NY Route 22, the main road on the east side of the town, began as The Great Northern Turnpike, chartered in 1799. There are two mileposts markers remaining in the town, one at 7047 State Route 22, the second just north of Chamberlin Mills Road. A third is just south of the town line with Salem, New York
Salem, New York
Salem, New York is the name of two locations in Washington County, New York in the USA:* Salem , New York* Salem , New York...

. A peddlers wagon belonging to L. L. Brown (Lorenzo Levi) is in the wagon collection of the Museum of Long Island at Stony Brook.

Hebron Volunteer Fire Company

The West Hebron Volunteer Fire Company was formed in 1947. Willard Bain, a charter member, died in February 2008. The first fire truck, BRUSH 356 was put into service in 1947 and was retired in 2008 after the purchase of a CAFS truck ATTACK 356 in March 2008. in 1968 the East Hebron Fire Company was formed after the homes of Nelson Greene and Alfred "Pug" Getty burned down. Pug donated the land and Nelson lead the group of volunteers that built Station Two. The two companies later merged to form the Hebron Volunteer Fire Company.

The Hebron Volunteer Fire Company First Response Team provides emergency medical services to the town. These firefighters/ EMT's respond to medical and trauma related calls. All first responders are currently licensed as EMT's by the State of New York.

The fire company holds monthly dinners, provides tent and chair rentals, pool fills and has an annual auction as fund raisers.

George Flint, a lifelong resident of Hebron, is Fire Chief.

Hebron Preservation Society

The Hebron Preservation Society was charted by the State of New York in 1975. The Society maintains a museum that consists of two buildings located on the east side of Route 22 in the hamlet of East Hebron. One, a one room school house built in 1845 was acquired from the Salem School District and the other, a small tenant farm house built in the early 19th century was purchased in 1990. The Society published HEBRON: A Century In Review in 1988 with a second edition in 2006. The museum houses a display of school house memorabilia, varied articles, ledgers, books, and family genealogies pertaining to the residents, businesses and organizations in Hebron.

Beauty of Hebron Potato

The Beauty of Hebron Potato variety was promoted by a local seedsman, Edward L. Coy (E.L. Coy). Both Mr. Coy and Mrs. Rachel Campbell of Old Castle Green Road in Hebron took credit for the discovery. The Beauty of Hebron was as the result a naturally fertilized seedling of Garnet Chili. The earliest published reference to the introduction of the Beauty of Hebron is 1876 at an Annual Agricultural Society Meeting in Marblehead, MA. The Beauty of Hebron Potato was introduced by the USDA (Department of Agriculture) to growers in 26 states for tests in 1877. Various major seed companies of the time claimed credit for its commercial introduction. These were J. M. Thornburn of New York City, JJH Gregory of Marblehead, MA, and Peter Henderson of New Jersey.

In 1879 Mr. Coy shipped "Hebron Beauties" to London. The Beauty of Hebron was one of the varieties that restocked the British Isles after the Irish Potato Famine. It spread throughout the British Empire to localities such as New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 and New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...

. It also was a favorite of market and home gardeners in the United States at the turn of the 20th century. In 1946, the USDA was unaware of any commercial production in the United States, however the 1959 Potato Variety Handbook of the American Potato Association lists and describes the Beauty of Hebron. It is believed that most current tissue culture stocks and tubers came from Elmer Hansen of Alberta whom in 1988 provided seed to Will Bownall and Seedsavers.org.

The Beauty of Hebron is listed on the RAFT
Raft
A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is the most basic of boat design, characterized by the absence of a hull...

 list of Threatened American Foods. The Beauty of Hebron is maintained at the Canadian Potato Research Center in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, The University of North Dakota
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...

 Potato Breeding Program, and with a commercial breeder. At the date of this article, 2008, it is unknown if the Beauty of Hebron is in commercial production. Thanks to the efforts of Sally Brillion of the Hebron Preservation Society, the Beauty of Hebron Potato began to be grown by Amateur gardeners in 2006.

Notable local people

Edward L. Coy was born on April 4, 1831, and was for 18 years a breeder of Ayrshire cattle
Ayrshire cattle
The Ayrshire cattle is a breed of dairy cattle originated from Ayrshire in Scotland. The average mature Ayrshire cow weighs 1,000-1,300 pounds . Ayrshires have red markings. The red can be an orange to a dark brown, with or without coloured legs. They are known for low somatic cell counts,...

 and for 13 years paid attention to the Holstein-Friesian
Holstein (cattle)
Holstein cattle is a breed of cattle known today as the world's highest production dairy animal. Originating in Europe, Holsteins were bred in what is now the Netherlands and more specifically in the two northern provinces of North Holland and Friesland...

 breed; he also originated 18 varieties of the potato, all of which became standard in some section.

He raised more than a half million pounds of cucumber seed, and for two years the Department of Agriculture employed him to establish the type of the 250 varieties of the cucumber that were tested. His farm was on County Road 31 in Hebron.

Mr. Coy initiated the seed industry in Hebron in the 1850s. The 1875 Census notes that he raised 500 pounds of garden seed. He played a major role in the development of the Golden Bantam sweet corn variety. This was the first major yellow sweet corn variety. Prior to the Golden Bantam, yellow corn was felt to be livestock feed. White corn was considered the be the corn for human consumption.

Locations in Hebron

There are six hamlets in the town: Porter, Hebron, East Hebron, West Hebron, North Hebron, and Belcher. The Town Clerk's office is located in West Hebron on County Route 30 as is the Hebron Volunteer Fire Company FireHall and Station One. Station Two is located on NY Route 22 south of the intersection of Sheldon Rd, Chamberlain Mill Road and NY-22. Hebron has no school buildings or town center now, but there were hotels, postal offices, and many schools in the past. Students now go to schools in the surrounding towns, primarily Granville and Salem. The northeastern half of Hebron is in the Granville zipcode 12832, and the bulk of the southwestern half is in the Salem zipcode 12865. In 2008, there was only a country store located at Bedlam Corners in the hamlet of West Hebron.

Communities

  • Belcher – a hamlet near the west town line on County Road 30.
  • Castle Green – A location near the west town line.
  • East Hebron – A hamlet near the east town line on NY-22.
  • Hebron - <>
  • North Hebron – A hamlet near the north town line on County Road 31.
  • Porter – A community north of East Hebron on NY-22.
  • Slateville – A hamlet in the northeast part of Hebron on County Road 31 east of North Hebron.
  • Tiplady – A community south of East Hebron on NY-22.
  • West Hebron (Chamberlain Mills) – A hamlet in the southwest corner of the town on County Road 31.

Geographical features

  • Barkley's Lake – A small lake north of West Hebron.
  • Black Creek – A stream parallel to NY-22
  • Black Creek Falls – in West Hebron on the West Branch of Black Creek, just before Patterson Hill Road
  • Green Pond – A small lake northeast of Slateville.
  • Grimes Hill – An elevation in the north part of the town.
  • Hebron Mountain – A small mountain overlooking West Hebron from the northeast.
  • Irwin Road Pond – A small lake west of East Hebron.
  • Pine Hill – An elevation northeast of West Hebron.
  • Smith Pond – A small lake south of North Hebron.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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