Finger Lakes Family Fun

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Ganondagan Longhouse

Ontario County Fun Facts

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Did you know Ontario County is where Humphrey Bogart spent summers and the first medical degree was given to a woman in the U.S.? Read on for more fun facts.

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The Finger Lakes region is chock-full of rich history and culture.

In this series I’m sharing with you all the firsts, important historical events, notable individuals, world records, and occasional quirky roadside attractions I come across in my explorations, organized by county.

Here are some fun facts about Ontario County. For random facts about the other 13 Finger Lakes counties, check here:

Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Livingston, Monroe, Onondaga, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne, Yates.

I know I’m only scratching the surface of all the cool things to know, so please tell me interesting facts to add! You can comment below or send me a message.

And make sure you subscribe to the Finger Lakes Family Fun email list or follow on Instagram, where I’ll be sharing my latest discoveries.

Ontario County Basic Facts

Population: 112,458

County seat: Canandaigua

Origin of name: Lake Ontario, with the Iroquois word “Ontario” probably meaning “beautiful lake” or “beautiful water”

Tourism site: visitfingerlakes.com

Canandaigua

Humphrey Bogart

Humphrey Bogart
(Photo: Warner Bros., via Wikimedia Commons)

Actor Humphrey Bogart spent the summer of his youth at “Willow Brook,” a property on Canandaigua Lake until 1914. His parents, Dr. Belmont DeForest Bogart and Maud Humphrey, had regional roots and were from Watkins Glen and Rochester, respectively.

Canandaigua Treaty

map of Canandaigua Treaty
(Photo: Buffalo Historical Society, via Wikimedia Commons)

The Canandaigua Treaty (aka “Pickering Treaty”) was signed in 1794 in Canandaigua between the United States of America and the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. The signing is still commemorated every November 11.

Geneva

Elizabeth Blackwell

Elizabeth Blackwell
(Photo: via Wikimedia Commons)

In 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman in the United States to earn a medical degree. Born in 1821 in Bristol, England, she moved to the United States with her family in 1832. Her acceptance letter to Geneva College (now Norton College of Medicine) was, apparently, intended as a practical joke, but despite discrimination she earned her professors’ and colleagues’ respect and graduated top of her class.

Two counties

Geneva lies in two counties. The land portion is in Ontario county, while the water portion is in Seneca County.

Phelps

Two-story brick outhouse

Phelps town hall
This is the Phelps town hall, not the outhouse building. (Photo: Doug Kerr, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Howe House at 66 Main Street boasts one of few two-story outhouses and the only existing two-story brick attached outhouse in the country. Built in 1869, the structure now houses the Phelps Community Historical Society.  (I plan to visit. Because my first question and that of everyone I’ve spoken to is ‘and how does this work?’)

Victor

Ganondagan

Ganondagan Longhouse
(Photo: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

569-acre Ganondagan State Historic Site is the only New York State Historic Site dedicated to a Native American theme and the only Seneca town developed and interpreted in the country.

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About Olivia

Olivia is a writer, anthropologist, and accidental Ithacan. After years of living in three different countries and visiting more than 30, she came to the Finger Lakes and ended up staying a little longer than planned. Now she’s sharing her family’s adventures and discoveries in this lovely part of New York State on Finger Lakes Family Fun.

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