Fulton, Oswego County, New York facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Fulton, New York
City
Location in Oswego County and the state of New York.
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Oswego
Incorporated (village)	1835
Incorporated (city)	1902
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
Area
• Total	4.96 sq mi (12.86 km²)
• Land	3.92 sq mi (10.16 km²)
• Water	1.04 sq mi (2.69 km²)
Population (2020)
• Total	11,389
• Density	2,903.14/sq mi (1,120.85/km²)
FIPS code	36-27815
Website	http://cityoffulton.com

There is also a Town of Fulton in Schoharie County, and a Fulton County in New York.

Fulton is a city located in the western part of Oswego County, New York, United States. In 2020, about 11,389 people lived there. The city is named after Robert Fulton, who invented the steamboat.

Exploring Fulton's Past: A Look at Its History

Fulton is a city made up of two main parts. The area on the west side of the Oswego River was once called "Oswego Falls." This name came from the fast-moving water (rapids) in the river nearby. The word "Oswego" comes from an Iroquois word meaning "the outpouring."

How Fulton Grew: From Villages to a City

This area was one of the first places settled in the original Town of Granby. People started living in two spots on the west side, known as the "Upper Landing" and the "Lower Landing." The community officially became a village in 1835.

Later, in 1902, the Village of Fulton and the Village of Oswego Falls joined together. This new, larger community was then officially named the City of Fulton. Two bridges have always connected the two sides of the river. These are known as the "upper bridge" (Broadway/NY State Route 3) and the "lower bridge" (Oneida St.).

Famous Moments in Fulton's History

On August 6, 1931, a famous baseball pitcher named Grover Cleveland Alexander played a game in Fulton. He was pitching for a semi-pro team called the House of David. They won 5–3 against the Byrne Sieberlings in front of about 2,000 people.

Fulton was known for its many factories and jobs. This made the city's economy very strong for many years. During the Great Depression in the early 1930s, a New York newspaper even wrote an article about Fulton. It was titled, "Fulton, the City the Great Depression Missed." This showed how well the city was doing compared to other places.

In 1942, an artist named Caroline Speare Rohland painted a special mural for the Fulton post office. The painting, called Father LeMoyne Trying to Convert the Indians on Pathfinder Island, showed local Native Americans with Europeans. The post office building is now listed as a historic place.

Historic Places in Fulton

Many buildings and areas in Fulton are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical sites. Some of these include:

Oak Street School
Mount Adnah Cemetery
Fulton Public Library
Chancellor (tugboat)
John Wells Pratt House
State Street Methodist Episcopal Church
David Van Buren House
John Van Buren Tavern
Volkert Van Buren House
United States Post Office

The Oswego Canal, which runs through Fulton, is also part of a historic district. In 2020, the West Broadway Commercial Historic District was also added to the National Register.

Fulton's Industrial and Commercial Growth

Fulton has a rich history of industries and businesses. Many factories used the power of the Oswego River to run their machines.

Early Industries on the West Side

One large factory was American Woolen Mills. It made uniforms and other cloth for the US Army during both World Wars. Many early immigrants from Italy and Poland worked here. They often lived in company-owned homes and shopped at the company store. The American Woolen Mills closed in the early 1950s.

Another factory on the west side was Foster Brothers' Knife Works. This company made cutlery (knives and other cutting tools). Besides Polish and Italian immigrants, many people from Czechoslovakia, Ukraine, and Syria also settled on the west side of the river.

East Side Development and "The Dizzy Block"

The east side of the Oswego River was originally part of the Township of Volney. Over time, this area grew with more factories, shops, and homes. The main shopping area on the east side was once known as "The Dizzy Block." It had almost a hundred different stores.

Many factories were built along the Oswego River on the east side. They used the river's fast-flowing water for power. Some of these industries included:

Hunter Arms, Hunter Bicycle, and Hunter Fan
Sealright-Oswego Falls Corporation (later Phillips 66 and Huhtamäki), which made paper and plastic packaging
Dilts (later Black-Clawson), a company that made paper and plastic machines

The Sweet History of Chocolate in Fulton

Fulton became famous for chocolate! When Peter Cailer Kohler (whose company later became Nestlé, S.A.) started making chocolate in the United States, Fulton was chosen for the first factory. This factory was known for making milk chocolate, which was invented by Peter. Many skilled chocolate makers from Switzerland moved to Fulton to work there. Their families still live in the area today.

In 1938, the famous Nestle Crunch bar was invented at the Fulton factory. However, after more than 100 years, Nestlé closed the factory in 2003. They said it was too expensive to fix up the old building. This left 400 local workers without jobs.

After Nestlé left, investors from Ivory Coast tried to reopen the factory as "New York Chocolate and Confections Company." But this company went out of business. The factory building was later torn down to make way for new businesses. Today, an Aldi supermarket and a Spectrum Technical Operations facility are on the site.

Brewing and Biofuels in Fulton

The Miller Brewing Company had a large beer factory just outside Fulton from the mid-1970s until 1994. After it closed, parts of the factory were used to make ethanol, a type of fuel.

In 2009, Sunoco bought the facility. They changed it to produce biofuels, which are fuels made from plants. By 2010, the plant was making over 85 million gallons of ethanol each year. It also produced animal feed.

In 2019, Attis Ethanol LLC. bought the facility. However, the ethanol plant closed in March 2019 and was completely shut down by August 2019. In October 2021, smoke from burning corn in one of the silos caused problems for nearby towns. The fire was put out in October 2022.

Fulton's Geography and Weather

Fulton covers about 4.8 square miles (12.86 square kilometers). About 3.8 square miles (10.16 square kilometers) is land, and 0.9 square miles (2.69 square kilometers) is water.

Fulton is located near Lake Ontario. Because of this, it gets a lot of "lake-effect snow." This means that cold air picks up moisture from the warmer lake, creating heavy snowfall. Fulton can get more than 100 inches (254 cm) of snow each year!

Fulton's Population and Community

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	2,344	—
1870	3,507	—
1880	3,941	12.4%
1890	4,214	6.9%
1900	5,281	25.3%
1910	10,480	98.4%
1920	13,043	24.5%
1930	12,462	−4.5%
1940	13,362	7.2%
1950	13,922	4.2%
1960	14,261	2.4%
1970	14,003	−1.8%
1980	13,312	−4.9%
1990	12,929	−2.9%
2000	11,855	−8.3%
2010	11,896	0.3%
2020	11,389	−4.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

In 2000, there were 11,855 people living in Fulton. There were 4,923 households, and 2,973 families. The population density was about 3,102.9 people per square mile.

Most of the people living in Fulton were White (96.80%). Other groups included Black or African American (0.74%), Native American (0.37%), and Asian (0.33%). About 1.92% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

In 2000, about 27.2% of the people in Fulton were under 18 years old. About 16.0% were 65 years or older. The average age in the city was 36 years.

Fun and Recreation in Fulton

Fulton has many parks and interesting places to visit.

Parks and Outdoor Activities

Recreation Park: This city-owned park is on the banks of Lake Neatahwanta. It used to have an amusement park and a skating rink. Today, it has fields for football and softball, a waterfront area, a pier, picnic tables, and grills. It's a great place for outdoor fun.
Fulton War Memorial: This group of buildings has an exhibition hall and a covered arena. The arena is used for ice skating and other sports in the winter. In warmer weather, it hosts different events.
Bullhead Bay Campground: Located on the northwest side of Recreation Park, this city-owned campground offers spots for tents and campers. It's open in the late spring, summer, and early fall. There's also a short hiking trail here.
Foster Park: This park and athletic field complex is on the west side of the river, near the lower bridge.
Voorhees Park: On the east side of the river, this city block park used to have a small bandstand.
The Gazebo: A new bandstand, called "The Gazebo," is in the old downtown area of Fulton. It overlooks the Oswego River and one of the locks in the New York State Barge Canal. Many musical concerts are held here in the summer.
Rowlee Beach: At "Sharp's Pond," this is a small beach and swimming area.

Learning in Fulton: Schools and Colleges

Fulton was once home to the Falley Seminary. This was a special school that prepared students for college. Both local students and those from out of town attended.

Public and Private Schools

Over the years, many public schools have been built in Fulton and nearby towns. These include:

Fulton High School (now G. Ray Bodley High School)
Fulton Junior High School
Fourth Street School
Fairgreve School
James Lanigan Elementary School
Erie Street School
State Street School
Oak Street School
Phillips Street School
Pine Woods School
Walradt Street School
Granby Elementary School

For many years, there were also two Catholic schools: St. Mary's School (on the east side) and Holy Family School (on the west side).

Higher Education Opportunities

A branch of Cayuga Community College (CCC) is also located in Fulton. It's set up in a former grocery store and other retail spaces.

Fulton's Business Scene

In the spring of 2008, a Wal-Mart Supercenter opened just outside Fulton in Granby. Building the store was stopped for a short time in 2007. This was to protect bald eagles that were nesting in the area during their mating season.

Media in Fulton

Fulton is home to the radio station B104.7. This station is very popular in Central New York. A local newspaper called "The Valley News" is published twice a week in Fulton. There is also an online news publication, "Oswego County Today," which has an office in Fulton.

Notable People from Fulton

Carlton W. Barrett, World War II Medal of Honor Recipient
John H. Emerick, chief telegraph operator of the Army of the James
Albert Lindley Lee, Kansas State Supreme Court Judge, and Union general in the American Civil War.
Mark Murphy, professional football player and CEO/President of the Green Bay Packers
John Naioti, professional football player, Pittsburgh Steelers
Walt Patulski, professional football player.
Mark Roth, retired professional bowler
Rob Schremp, professional ice hockey player
Owen Benjamin, actor, comedian, and pianist
Ted Wilks, professional baseball player
Mark Murphy (singer), professional jazz artist
Edna Skinner, actress
Neil R. Jones, author
William Arthur "Candy" Cummings, professional baseball player
Harold S. Diehl, scientist, teacher at Fulton High school, 1913 and 1914
Betty Ford, wife of President Gerald Ford
Bill Fivaz, author and numismatist