GENERAL HISTORY
Homer, NY is presently located in Cortland County near the center of the state, part of the beautiful Finger Lakes Region. Homer was located in Indian territory until the Revolutionary War. What is now known as Central New York was divided up into a Military Tract in 1781 by New York State. The military tracts were to be given as incentives to induce men to enlist to fight the English and their allies during the Revolutionary War. Each tract was made up of 600 acres. Homer was tract #19.
1683 – The area of present day Homer was included in Albany County1
1772 – Albany County was split up, and this area became part of Tryon County1
1776 – Tryon County’s name is changed to Montgomery County1
1791 – Herkimer County was formed from Montgomery County1
First settlers of European descent arrive in Homer
1794 – Onondaga County was formed from Herkimer County
March 5, 1794 – Homer is formed
1798 – Solon is removed from Homer; the first grist mill and the first school was built in Homer
1804 – Virgil is removed from Homer
1808 – Cortland County was formed from Onondaga County
1819 – Cortland Academy is formed
1829 – Cortlandville is removed from Homer
1835 – May 11th, Homer is incorporated
1973 – Village of Homer’s “historic district” is accepted as a member of the National Register of Historic Places
The historic district includes: Main Street from 73 North Main Street to 105 South Main Street on the east and from 52 North Main to 102 South Main on the west side; both sides of Cayuga Street, James Street, and Clinton Street from Main Street to the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad Tracks; the Village Green and the structures within which are bounded by Cayuga, James and the tracks; and numbers 2 and 5 Albany Street.
Online Transcriptions of historical books:
Link to H. P. Smith’s 1885 description of Homer:
Smith, H.P., editor. History of Cortland County with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Syracuse, New York: D. Mason & Company, 1885.