Seneca Falls (CDP), New York facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Seneca Falls, New York
Hamlet and CDP
Seneca Falls Canal Harbor
Seneca Falls (CDP), New York Location in New York
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Seneca
Town	Seneca Falls
Incorporated	April 22, 1831
Dissolved	December 31, 2011
Area
• Total	4.84 sq mi (12.55 km2)
• Land	4.69 sq mi (12.14 km2)
• Water	0.16 sq mi (0.41 km2)
Elevation	449 ft (137 m)
Population
• Total	6,809
• Density	1,452.43/sq mi (560.83/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	13148
Area code(s)	315 and 680
FIPS code	36-66322
GNIS feature ID	2746310

Seneca Falls is a small community in Seneca County, New York, United States. It is known as a hamlet and a census-designated place. In 2020, about 6,809 people lived there. Seneca Falls is located in the Town of Seneca Falls, just east of Geneva. It used to be an official village from 1831 until 2011.

The Finger Lakes Regional Airport (0G7) is located south of the community.

Seneca Falls is famous for being the location of the Seneca Falls Convention. This important event helped start the Women's Rights Movement. Some people also believe that Seneca Falls was the inspiration for "Bedford Falls, N.Y." in the classic 1940s movie "It's a Wonderful Life" by filmmaker Frank Capra.

Exploring the History of Seneca Falls

Early Days

Long ago, the land where Seneca Falls now stands belonged to the Cayuga tribe. In the 1600s, Jesuit missionaries visited this area.

American Revolution's Impact

During the American Revolution, the Cayuga tribe sided with the British. They attacked American settlements. To stop these attacks, the Sullivan Expedition was sent in 1779. Its goal was to destroy Native American villages.

After the war, the land became part of the Central New York Military Tract. This land was set aside for soldiers who fought in the war. A special area was also kept near Cayuga Lake for returning Cayuga tribal members.

How the Village Began

The first settlers arrived around 1790. They chose this spot because it had easy access to water and was close to the Iroquois trail.

When the village officially started in 1831, it was named after the small waterfalls and rapids on the Seneca River. This river flows from Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. In 1818, parts of the river were turned into a canal for boats. By 1828, it connected to the famous Erie Canal. The village was re-established with new rules in 1837, 1860, and 1896.

In 1915, the New York State Barge Canal project removed the remaining rapids. The entire river became a canal, and two large locks replaced three smaller ones. This made it easier for boats to travel through the village.

Growth Through Innovation and Water Power

The waterfalls were very important for Seneca Falls. They provided water power for many businesses. These included mills, distilleries, tanneries, and other factories. By the mid-1800s, Seneca Falls was one of the biggest flour milling centers in the world. Today, there is still a small hydroelectric power station in the community.

A young man named Birdsall Holly moved to Seneca Falls to work as a mechanic. His son, Birdsall Holly Jr., loved studying water power and machines. He became a famous American inventor. Holly Jr. joined a company called Silsby Company, also known as "The Island Works."

While working there, he received his first patent for a spinning water pump. He later moved away, but his work on pumps continued. Seabury S. Gould Sr. made the first all-metal pump. He started Goulds Pumps, a company that became the world's largest maker of only pumps. It was later bought by ITT Technology in 1997.

Birdsall Holly Jr. also created the rotary steam engine at the Silsby Company. This engine was combined with pump technology to create the first successful steam fire engine. The Silsby Company later moved and became American LaFrance, famous for its fire trucks.

Important Social Movements

Seneca Falls played a huge role in the Women's Rights Movement. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a key organizer of the 1848 Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention, lived here from 1847 to 1863. She was a leading thinker for women's rights. Amelia Bloomer helped make a new style of clothing popular through her newspaper, The Lily. This style, called bloomers, was thought to be inspired by local Native American women. Seneca Falls was also a strong center for abolitionist causes against slavery.

In August 1843, Abby Kelley, a strong abolitionist, spoke in Seneca Falls. She challenged the nation and its groups, including a local church, about slavery. Soon after, a church member was found to have acted "unchristian" for confronting her minister about slavery.

In 1848, early women's rights leaders like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Coffin Mott, Martha Coffin Wright, Mary Ann M'Clintock, and Jane Hunt quickly organized the Seneca Falls Convention. This was the first women's rights convention ever, held at the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel. They created a "Declaration of Sentiments" that called for women's suffrage, meaning women's right to vote. Frederick Douglass, a former slave and newspaper publisher, attended. His strong support helped the resolution for women's suffrage pass. The nearby village of Waterloo was where the convention was planned. The Women's Rights National Historical Park in both villages remembers this important history.

In July 1923, the National Woman's Party celebrated the 75th anniversary of the 1848 convention. They held a parade and visited Susan B. Anthony’s grave in Rochester. Alice Paul introduced the idea for the Equal Rights Amendment at a meeting in Seneca Falls.

The National Women's Hall of Fame was started in Seneca Falls in 1969. It honors American women for their important contributions to society.

Diana M. Smith was the first woman mayor of Seneca Falls. She was elected in 2004 and again in 2008. She was also the last mayor before the village changed its government.

Village Dissolution

On March 16, 2010, the people of Seneca Falls voted to dissolve the village. This meant it would no longer be an official village after December 31, 2011. The idea was that by dissolving, residents could save about $950 a year on property taxes. The vote was close, with 1,198 people in favor and 1,112 against. Seneca Falls is the largest village in New York to ever vote for dissolution.

Geography and Location

Seneca Falls is located at 42°54′31″N 76°47′52″W / 42.90861°N 76.79778°W / 42.90861; -76.79778. It covers about 4.6 square miles (11.9 km²). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.

Major roads like U.S. Route 20 and New York State Route 5 meet in Seneca Falls. NY 414 also crosses these routes.

The Seneca River, which is also part of the Cayuga-Seneca Canal, flows right through the middle of Seneca Falls.

Population Information

In 2010, when it was still a village, Seneca Falls had 6,681 people living there. There were 2,913 households. Most people were White (95.1%), with smaller percentages of Black, Native American, and Asian residents. About 1.7% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The average age of people in Seneca Falls was 41 years old. About 22.8% of the population was under 20 years old.

The average income for a household was about $43,947. About 15.4% of the population lived below the poverty line.

Famous People from Seneca Falls

• Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a leader for women's right to vote.
• Matilda Joslyn Gage, another important leader for women's right to vote.
• George Dashiell Bayard, a general in the Union Army during the Civil War.
• Ira Sprague Bowen, a famous astronomer.
• Frederick S. Armitage, a pioneer in early cinema.
• Jacob P. Chamberlain, a former US Congressman.
• Dave Giusti, a professional baseball pitcher.
• Norman J. Gould, a former US Congressman.
• William A. Sackett, a former US Congressman.
• Michael Nozzolio, a former New York State Senator.
• Judith Pipher, an astrophysicist.
• Bob Valesente, a college and professional football coach.
• Susan B Anthony, a well-known women's rights activist.

Images for kids

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See also

In Spanish: Seneca Falls (villa) para niños