Mount Morris (village), New York
Encyclopedia
Mount Morris is a village located in the Town of Mount Morris
in Livingston County, New York
, USA. The population was 3,266 at the 2000 census. The village and town are named after Robert Morris.
The Village of Mount Morris is at the northeastern entrance to Letchworth State Park
, which contains a scenic gorge and triple waterfall
on the Genesee River
. The village is in the northern part of the Town of Mt. Morris.
The Village of Mount Morris was incorporated in 1835. It was then named after Robert Morris
, the financier of the American Revolution
, and later owner of The Morris Reserve, from which the lands around Mount Morris were sold to settlers. It was suggested that these lands were sold at unfairly low prices to friends of the Morris estate, in an attempt to create something akin to an oligarchical rule by landowners in the area.
The main trade route in the town's early days was the Genesee Valley Canal
which ran from the Erie Canal
at Rochester to Wellsville
. The Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway
have built hiking trails along some of the canal
route. The canal was abandoned in the 1870s and later used as a railroad right of way for a succession of railroads, which eventually consolidated into the Pennsylvania Railroad
.
Mount Morris Academy was an important early school, but it closed down in 1867.
Just upsteam from the village is the Mount Morris Dam
(550 ft/168 m long, 216 ft/66 m high), which was built between 1948 and 1952 for flood control of the lower Genesee Valley. An earlier and much smaller dam
, still extant in the village, was used for mills; now it is a small hydroelectric generating station.
In the early 21st century, Greg O’Connell, a retired New York City detective and developer of properties in Red Hook, Brooklyn
, bought 19 buildings along the town's main street in an effort to revive the downtown area.
and associate of Susan B. Anthony
. She died in 1913. Other noted natives have been Francis Bellamy
, the author of the "Pledge of Allegiance
to the Flag of the United States of America," John Wesley Powell
, the first white man to navigate and chart the Colorado River
, and Joseph Strauss
, born on November 16, 1861 in Mount Morris, NY, son of a dry goods merchant. Joseph Strauss was the third son and fourth child of Raphael Strauss and Sarah Metger Strauss. Joseph completed his primary school in Mount Morris before his family relocated to Lynchburg, VA where he joined the US Navy and was nominated to a seat in the United States Naval Academy. He graduated from the Academy in 1885 and was commissioned Ensign on July 1, 1887. Joseph began a distinguished career as a specialist in ordinance in the US Navy and in service to our country. Serving in the Spanish-American War and blockading the Cuban coast, he returned to the Bureau of Ordinance where he established the Naval Proving Grounds. In World War I he was designated Commander, Mine Force, Atlantic Fleet and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal both for directing the laying of the North Sea Mine Barrage and for the hazardous task of clearing it after peace came. As Commander of the Asiatic Fleet with the rank of Admiral, he worked with Congress on budgetary appropriations and later served on the Advisory Board of Battleship Plans. Retiring from the Navy in 1930, Admiral Strauss was a founder of the Naval Historical Society and a long time financial adviser of the Navy Relief Society. Among his inventions were the superimposed system of mounting guns; the first spring recoil gun mount, the first disappearing mount for deck guns of submarines, and the 12-inch gun, the fore-runner of the mighty guns for capital ships' main batteries. He received a special letter of appreciation from Secretary of the Navy Charles F. Adams in 1929 for his work on safety devices of submarines and the salvaging of sunken submarines. He died 30 December 1948 and was buried in the Arlington National Cemetery). Another Mount Morris native of note was Roscoe C. Barnes (Ross Barnes
), who hit the first recorded home run in professional baseball and is credited with the title of the first batting champion of the National League
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.3 km2). None of the area is covered with water.
New York State Route 36
and New York State Route 408
intersect in the village.
in order to promote highway transportation. 2) The Dansville & Mount Morris (and predecessor Erie & Genesee Valley RR) linked its namesake communities from c. 1871 to 1940 when the U. S. Interstate Commerce Commission ordered the D&MM abandoned from Mount Morris to Groveland, again to promote highway transportation. 3) The Pennsylvania Railroad
(and predecessors) served Mount Morris from c. 1882 to c. 1963 on its Olean-Hinsdale-Rochester line. The U. S. Interstate Commerce Commission ordered the abandonment of the PRR through Mount Morris in 1963 to promote highway transportation.
Allens Creek and Damonsville Creek flow through the village.
of 2000, there were 3,266 people, 1,307 households, and 794 families residing in the village. The population density
was 1,606.0 people per square mile (621.2/km2). There were 1,412 housing units at an average density of 694.3 per square mile (268.6/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 94.18% White, 1.13% Black or African American
, 0.28% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 2.51% from other races
, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.79% of the population.
There were 1,307 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% were married couples
living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the village the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $31,792, and the median income for a family was $37,143. Males had a median income of $32,464 versus $20,052 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $15,107. About 12.0% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.
Mount Morris (town), New York
Mount Morris is a town in Livingston County, New York, United States. The population was 4,567 at the 2000 census. The town and village were named after Robert Morris, the financier of the American Revolution....
in Livingston County, New York
Livingston County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 64,328 people, 22,150 households, and 15,349 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 24,023 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
, USA. The population was 3,266 at the 2000 census. The village and town are named after Robert Morris.
The Village of Mount Morris is at the northeastern entrance to Letchworth State Park
Letchworth State Park
Letchworth State Park is a New York state park located 35 miles southwest of Rochester and 60 miles southeast of Buffalo in Livingston and Wyoming counties. The park is roughly 17 miles long, covering of land along the Genesee River...
, which contains a scenic gorge and triple waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
on the Genesee River
Genesee River
The Genesee River is a North American river flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides hydroelectric power for downtown Rochester....
. The village is in the northern part of the Town of Mt. Morris.
History
The community was first called "Allen Hill" and "Richmond Hill" by early settler Ebenezer Allen.The Village of Mount Morris was incorporated in 1835. It was then named after Robert Morris
Robert Morris (merchant)
Robert Morris, Jr. was a British-born American merchant, and signer of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution...
, the financier of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, and later owner of The Morris Reserve, from which the lands around Mount Morris were sold to settlers. It was suggested that these lands were sold at unfairly low prices to friends of the Morris estate, in an attempt to create something akin to an oligarchical rule by landowners in the area.
The main trade route in the town's early days was the Genesee Valley Canal
Genesee Valley Canal
- History :On 6 May 1836, an act was passed in the New York Legislature authorizing the construction of the Genesee Valley Canal. It was to run from the Erie Canal on the south side of Rochester south-southwest along the Genesee River valley to Mount Morris, Portageville, and Belfast, and then...
which ran from the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
at Rochester to Wellsville
Wellsville, New York
Wellsville, New York is a village and a town in Allegany County, New York, USA.*Wellsville , New York*Wellsville , New York----For other places with this name, see Wellsville....
. The Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway
Genesee Valley Greenway
The Genesee Valley Greenway is a rail trail in western New York's Genesee River valley.It stretches for along a former Pennsylvania Railroad right-of-way as well as adjacent land from the Genesee Valley Canal...
have built hiking trails along some of the canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
route. The canal was abandoned in the 1870s and later used as a railroad right of way for a succession of railroads, which eventually consolidated into the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
.
Mount Morris Academy was an important early school, but it closed down in 1867.
Just upsteam from the village is the Mount Morris Dam
Mount Morris Dam
The Mount Morris Dam is a concrete dam on the Genesee River. It is located south of Rochester, New York in the towns of Leicester and Mount Morris in Livingston County, New York, next to Letchworth State Park.-History:...
(550 ft/168 m long, 216 ft/66 m high), which was built between 1948 and 1952 for flood control of the lower Genesee Valley. An earlier and much smaller dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
, still extant in the village, was used for mills; now it is a small hydroelectric generating station.
In the early 21st century, Greg O’Connell, a retired New York City detective and developer of properties in Red Hook, Brooklyn
Red Hook, Brooklyn
Red Hook is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 6. It is also the location where the transatlantic liner, the , docks in New York City.- History :...
, bought 19 buildings along the town's main street in an effort to revive the downtown area.
Past residents of note
Mary Seymour Howell, a native daughter was a suffragetteSuffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
and associate of Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony
Susan Brownell Anthony was a prominent American civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the 19th century women's rights movement to introduce women's suffrage into the United States. She was co-founder of the first Women's Temperance Movement with Elizabeth Cady Stanton as President...
. She died in 1913. Other noted natives have been Francis Bellamy
Francis Bellamy
Francis Julius Bellamy was an author, editor, and Baptist minister born in Mount Morris, New York. He attended Rome Free Academy in Rome, New York, the University of Rochester and the Rochester Theological Seminary . He was an American Baptist minister and Christian Socialist who wrote the...
, the author of the "Pledge of Allegiance
Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an expression of loyalty to the federal flag and the republic of the United States of America, originally composed by Christian Socialist Francis Bellamy in 1892 and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942...
to the Flag of the United States of America," John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell was a U.S. soldier, geologist, explorer of the American West, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions...
, the first white man to navigate and chart the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
, and Joseph Strauss
Joseph Strauss (admiral)
Admiral Joseph Strauss was an officer of the United States Navy, who served in World War I, and later commanded the Asiatic Fleet.-Biography:...
, born on November 16, 1861 in Mount Morris, NY, son of a dry goods merchant. Joseph Strauss was the third son and fourth child of Raphael Strauss and Sarah Metger Strauss. Joseph completed his primary school in Mount Morris before his family relocated to Lynchburg, VA where he joined the US Navy and was nominated to a seat in the United States Naval Academy. He graduated from the Academy in 1885 and was commissioned Ensign on July 1, 1887. Joseph began a distinguished career as a specialist in ordinance in the US Navy and in service to our country. Serving in the Spanish-American War and blockading the Cuban coast, he returned to the Bureau of Ordinance where he established the Naval Proving Grounds. In World War I he was designated Commander, Mine Force, Atlantic Fleet and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal both for directing the laying of the North Sea Mine Barrage and for the hazardous task of clearing it after peace came. As Commander of the Asiatic Fleet with the rank of Admiral, he worked with Congress on budgetary appropriations and later served on the Advisory Board of Battleship Plans. Retiring from the Navy in 1930, Admiral Strauss was a founder of the Naval Historical Society and a long time financial adviser of the Navy Relief Society. Among his inventions were the superimposed system of mounting guns; the first spring recoil gun mount, the first disappearing mount for deck guns of submarines, and the 12-inch gun, the fore-runner of the mighty guns for capital ships' main batteries. He received a special letter of appreciation from Secretary of the Navy Charles F. Adams in 1929 for his work on safety devices of submarines and the salvaging of sunken submarines. He died 30 December 1948 and was buried in the Arlington National Cemetery). Another Mount Morris native of note was Roscoe C. Barnes (Ross Barnes
Ross Barnes
Charles Roscoe Barnes was one of the stars of baseball's National Association and the early National League , playing second base and shortstop. He played for the dominant Boston Red Stockings teams of the early 1870s, along with Albert Spalding, Cal McVey, George Wright, Harry Wright, Jim...
), who hit the first recorded home run in professional baseball and is credited with the title of the first batting champion of the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
.
Geography
Mount Morris is located at 42.722996°N 77.877001°W (42.722996, -77.877001).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 village has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.3 km2). None of the area is covered with water.
New York State Route 36
New York State Route 36
New York State Route 36 is a north–south state highway in the western part of New York in the United States. The highway extends for from the Pennsylvania state line at Troupsburg, Steuben County northward to Ogden, Monroe County, where it ends at an intersection with NY 31...
and New York State Route 408
New York State Route 408
New York State Route 408 is a state highway located entirely within Livingston County, New York, in the United States. It runs north–south from an intersection with NY 70 near the hamlet of Dalton in the town of Nunda to a junction with NY 63 in the town of Groveland near...
intersect in the village.
Transport
Mount Morris is on the Rochester-to-Dansville line of the Rochester & Southern Railroad. It is also the junction between this line and the R&S's branch to the Hampton Corners salt mine. The Hampton Corners line was built in the 1990s and is one of the newest railroad lines in New York State. The R&S Rochester-to-Dansville line through Mount Morris was originally the part of the New York (Hoboken) to Buffalo Main Line of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad (DL&W). This through route was broken in 1963 when the U. S. Interstate Commerce Commission ordered the abandonment of the line from nearby Groveland to Wayland, N.Y., in order to promote highway transportation. In addition to the DL&W Mount Morris was served by three other railroads: 1)It was served by the Rochester-Avon-Mount Morris line of the Erie Railroad from c. 1860 to 1940. From 1907 to 1934 this offered frequent electric railway service from Mount Morris to Rochester. The Erie Railroad line to Mount Morris was abandoned in 1940 by order of the Interstate Commerce CommissionInterstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
in order to promote highway transportation. 2) The Dansville & Mount Morris (and predecessor Erie & Genesee Valley RR) linked its namesake communities from c. 1871 to 1940 when the U. S. Interstate Commerce Commission ordered the D&MM abandoned from Mount Morris to Groveland, again to promote highway transportation. 3) The Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
(and predecessors) served Mount Morris from c. 1882 to c. 1963 on its Olean-Hinsdale-Rochester line. The U. S. Interstate Commerce Commission ordered the abandonment of the PRR through Mount Morris in 1963 to promote highway transportation.
Allens Creek and Damonsville Creek flow through the village.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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 3,266 people, 1,307 households, and 794 families residing in the village. 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 1,606.0 people per square mile (621.2/km2). There were 1,412 housing units at an average density of 694.3 per square mile (268.6/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 94.18% White, 1.13% Black or African American
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...
, 0.28% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 2.51% 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 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.79% of the population.
There were 1,307 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% 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, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the village the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $31,792, and the median income for a family was $37,143. Males had a median income of $32,464 versus $20,052 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 village was $15,107. About 12.0% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.