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 Livingston County. For random facts about the other 13 Finger Lakes counties: Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Monroe, Onondaga, Ontario, 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.
Livingston County Basic Facts
Population: 61,834
County seat: Geneseo
Origin of name: Robert R. Livingston, one of the drafters of the Declaration of Independence
Tourism site: visitlivco.com
Dansville
First local chapter of the American Red Cross
The first local chapter of the American Red Cross was organized in Dansville in 1881. Founder of the American Red Cross Clara Barton lived for ten years in the town to recover her health after spending years as a hospital nurse during the Civil War, then running the Office of Missing Soldiers, and touring the country to give lectures about her experiences. The ARC was formally established in Washington, D.C. in 1881. After another five years in Dansville, Barton reluctantly left to be able to more easily fulfill her busy workload.
“Granula” breakfast cereal
James Caleb Jackson invented the first dry breakfast cereal in 1863. Born in 1811 in Manlius, NY (Onondaga County), Jackson was an active abolitionist and, having recovered from longterm ill health, a proponent of hydropathy or water cures. He took over a spa in Dansville and turned it into one of the largest in the world, “Our Home on the Hillside.” Believing that diet played a key role in health, he promoted vegetarianism and a focus on fruits, vegetables, and unprocessed grains. He turned graham flour dough into large sheets that were baked, broken into pieces, and later reconstituted overnight for breakfast. Jackson called this “granula.” He died in 1895 in Dansville and is buried in Green Mount Cemetery.
Nathaniel Rochester
Born in 1752 in Virginia, former American Revolutionary War soldier Nathaniel Rochester began his land speculation on the New York “frontier” by purchasing 520 acres in Dansville, where he established a homestead and founded several businesses. In 1811, he began establishing a new town that was named Rochesterville and later shortened to Rochester, and he played an important role in creating Monroe County. Among many other accomplishments, he served as first president of Rochester Athenaeum (later renamed Rochester Institute of Technology).
Scottsburg
Daniel Ogden Shays
American soldier and revolutionary Capt. Daniel Ogden Shays, born 1747 in Massachusetts, died in Sparta in 1825 and is buried at Union Cemetery in Scottsburg. In 1786, he led 4,000 rebels in Shays’ Rebellion — a protest against economic and civil rights injustices by the state government of Massachusetts. He was later pardoned in 1788 and died poor and in obscurity.
PIN THIS POST FOR LATER:
Cortland County Fun Facts
Leave a Reply