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Location

The Town of Croghan in Upstate New York sits just northeast of the Lewis County Seat, Lowville and was settled in the 1830s. The town was formed in 1841 and is boarded by both Jefferson and Herkimer counties  

 

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    On April 5, 1841 the town of Croghan was formed from Watson and Diana. A part of Croghan and Watson was taken to form the town of New Bremen on March 31, 1848, which caused a reduction in the size of the town of Croghan.

    Croghan was named after Colonel George Croghan (seen to the left) who was a soldier during the War of 1812. He served with distinction at the battle of Tippecanoe and the sieges at Fort Meigs and Stephenson, which are located now in the state of Ohio. Why the name Croghan was used is not known other than his military accomplishments were recognized during William Henry Harrison’s presidential campaign in 1840.

    The rich, fertile soil, water and forests lured people mainly from France, Germany, and Switzerland to settle the area. The religion of settlers was predominantly Catholic and Protestant.

The first settlements were Belfort, the oldest settlement in the town; French Settlement, which later became known as the Village of Croghan, incorporated in the spring of 1906; Rohr’s Mills, which later became known as the hamlet of Beaver Falls; Bent’s Settlement, which is now known as the hamlet of Indian River; Naumburg, which also was known as Prussian Settlement and Jordon or Jerden Falls, which is a ghost town.

   As times change, so does the type of business. Tanneries, blacksmith shops, cheese factories, gristmills, hotels and saloons, sawmills, paper mills were in abundance. Today there are several small businesses, education, local government, power houses along the Beaver River and mom and pop operations. The Croghan Meat Market, which was formed in 1888, is still going strong. Croghan bologna is known throughout the United States, if not the world. Three other businesses seen throughout the town are logging, farming and producing maple syrup.

    The agrarian backbone of the town has made for hearty, self-sufficient residents. It’s the people that made the town. Some of the names associated with town of Croghan are Jean Baptiste Bruet, Marie Anne Liendecker (Lyndaker) Bruet, Basselin, Lewis, Rice, English, Lehman, Zehr, Strife, Nortz, Tanzer, Spencer, Farney, Steiner, Marilley, Henry, Nuspliger, Virkler, Marilley, Haller, McElhearn, Schorge, Monnat, Chartrand, Schantz, Bachman, Turck, VerSchneider, Bush, Grunert, Tiss, Putnam, Lallier, LeFevere, Jones, Hoppel, ...the history continues.

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