History of Syracuse NY

The swamp was almost impassable, but gradually it was drained, cleared, and settled. A gristmill, called the old red mill, was erected in 1805 followed by a sawmill and tannery. Soon after, a settler named Bogardus opened a tavern and across Walton's land James Geddes laid a 10-mile (16 km) corduroy road, later part of the Genesee Turnpike.

In 1819 the water had not sufficiently subsided to allow passage until late May or June. Those going from Onondaga to Salina were obliged to pass around the area on the high ground east of the city "over by-ways" cut in every direction through the reservation for collecting wood in the winter for the salt works. Early residents preferred to travel on the road in the winter because it was frozen and covered with hard-packed snow.

The original settlement went through several name changes until 1824, first 'Salt Point' (1780), then 'Webster's Landing' (1786), 'Bogardus Corners' (1796), 'Milan' (1809), 'South Salina' (1812), 'Cossits’ Corners' (1814), and 'Corinth' (1817). The U.S. Postal Service rejected the name Corinth upon its application for a post office, stating there was already a post office by this name in New York.

The village of Syracuse was laid out into streets and lots in 1819, but the first election of village officers did not occur until 1825. At the time of incorporation, the village had 15 merchants, one newspaper, a fire department, and several small industries. The first schoolhouse was erected in 1820, the first church (Baptist) was built in 1821, and the First Presbyterian Church in 1824. The first grist mill occupied the ground where Syracuse High School later stood, also the site of Central High School. The village of Lodi consisted of a cluster of homes, groceries, and small businesses on the Erie Canal, east of Syracuse.