Valois, NY, formerly North Hector, is part of Hector township which was established March 30, 18021. Prior to that, the land was Con Daw Haw, a Seneca Indian village. On September 4, 1779, the Indian village was destroyed by the troops of General Sullivan because they were allied with the English during the Revolutionary War. The Seneca are one of the six tribes of the Iroquois Nation.
One of the earliest businesses was a tavern in a house where early residents Steve and Nellie Smith lived in 1804. The tavern is currently a private residence in the family on the 100-year farm.
In 1805 a ferry was established between North Hector and Starkey by John Goodwin. It was chartered by the State in 1820. Frank Wood was ferry pilot, 1867-97 . In 1879 the ferry and associated hotel were described as "GROVE HOTEL AND GOODWIN'S FERRY. One of the most picturesque and romantic spots in Central New York. Only 12 miles from Watkins Glen. Four daily boats. Terms reasonable. Special rate to families or parties by the month. It can be reached by steamers from Watkins and Geneva, or N.C.R.R. [North Central Railroad] to Starkey and Goodwin's Ferry at North Hector". By 1910, North Hector was serviced by the Lehigh Valley Railroad.
In 1817 North Hector became part of Tompkins County and was incorporated into Schuyler County in 1854.
On August 14, 1826, a post office was established in North Hector with the first postmaster John Kinnan. After over 170 years of continuous operation, the post office with zip code 14888 was closed October 3,1998 by the United States Postal Service. Service is currently provided by the Hector Post Office.
"The North Hector Baptist Church was constituted Nov. 28, 1821, at the house of John Goltry, with 16 members, as the First Baptist Church in Lodi, and incorporated November,1830. The first church building was built in the present town of Lodi, in 1831. At a meeting of the church in December, 1866, it was decided to erect a church edifice, 44 by 64 feet on the site it now occupies and in April, 1867, the new church was dedicated by Rev. J. N. Folwell. At a meeting of the church, Oct 20, 1877, it was moved and carried the church be called the North Hector Baptist Church." 2 By 1895 it had become the Valois Community Church.
The Methodist Church of North Hector was organized in 1857, and a meeting-house erected in the north part of the village 2 . In 1932, the Baptist and Methodist churches were merged; the Methodist Church was later razed 3
A tornado in 1876 destroyed a number of buildings in Valois but there were no fatalities." 2 By 1879, there were "two hotels, two churches (Baptist and Methodist), school house, post office, five dry-goods and grocery-stores, two warehouses, grist- and saw-mill, tin-shop, three blacksmith shops, two wagon-shops, furniture store, two shoe-shops, harness-shop, cabinet-shop, barber-shop, Jackson's Hall, and two physicians. It is also a landing on Seneca Lake for steamers, and one of the hotels is on the bank of the lake." 2
In 1893, there were 116 town agricultural enterprises and businesses listed at North Hector in the Business Directory of Schuyler County including 34 grape growers, 8 raspberry growers, 3 fruit basket makers, 5 blacksmiths, 11 carpenter/wagon-makers, 10 residents offering womens/mens clothing services, 3 general merchants, and 3 doctors. Tradespeople also included a plumber, railroad agent, barber, shoemaker, undertaker, produce dealer, 2 paint/paper-hangers, 3 sawmill/lumber-dealers, cider mill operator, grist/flour mill operator, 2 clergymen, and a ferryman 4
The 3 dry goods stores included Hager & Howard, Sarah Powell's, and Welding & Marshall; Button & Kneale was the meat market. Lodging businesses included the Exchange Hotel run by Charlie M. Sutphen on Lake Street; Moore House run by C. L. Stevens; and Willow Grove Hotel run by John S. Patterson. 4 A hotel building from the early 1900s which still stands is The San Felice The San Felice on Lake Street.
In 1893 there were 4 schoolteachers staffing the 2-room schoolhouse (districts #19 & #40) 5, the building which was and is located on School Street 4 The school building was used until county school centralization in the mid-1950s.
Civic organizations in 1893 included a Grange which was organized April 8, 1875 and met Saturday evenings There was also a Knights of Pythias Hall 4. An Oddfellows (IOOF) lodge #930 was in existence in 1920 and until 1927 6.
1 Sexton, John L. An Outline History of Tioga and Bradford Counties in Pennsylvania, Chemung, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins and Schuyler in New York. Gazette Company, 1885
2 Everts & Ensign. (1879). History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins, and Schuyler Counties. Lippincott Press.
3 Bell, Barbara. Little Tales from Little Schuyler. Published by the author, 1967, page 49
4 Business Directory - Schuyler County NY. 1893–1894.
5 Schuyler County Historical Society. Schuyler County, New York: History & Families. Turner Publishing Company, 2005, page 95
6 Schmetterling, Max. 1920 Journal of Proceedings of the Grand Lodge International Association of Odd Fellows, State of NY. NYC, 1920, page 448
Photo by James Kemp on Unsplash