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 Tioga County. For random facts about the other 13 Finger Lakes counties, check here: Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Livingston, Monroe, Onondaga, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, 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.
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Tioga County Basic Facts
Population: 48,455
County seat: Owego
Origin of name: Iroquois for “at the forks” (meeting place)
Tourism site: experiencetioga.com
Owego
Owego Bridge Company
The Owego Bridge Company, which operated for a decade until 1901, was founded by Ellery Colby, who had previously had a stake in the Groton Bridge Company (responsible for a number of bridges now on the National Register of Historic Places). It built the longest single-span highway truss at Mount Moriss, New York.
Helen Dean King
Dr. Helen Dean King was born in Owego in 1869 and studied at Vassar College and Bryn Mawr to become a biologist. She helped to develop the Wistar Rat breed for research and was awarded the prestigious Ellen Richards Research Prize (the “Women’s Nobel”) in 1932. At the turn of the century she and Marie Curie were the only women in the world to hold professorships in research.
Spencer
Belva Bennett McNall Lockwood
Born in 1830 in Royalton (Niagara County), Belva Bennett McNall Lockwood came to Owego in 1863 and ran the Owego Female Seminary before moving to Washington D.C. and earning a law degree. Among her accomplishments are becoming the first woman admitted to practice in front of the Supreme Court in 1879 and running for president twice, in 1884 and 1888 (when, I should note, she was not yet allowed to vote herself).
Esther McQuigg Morris
Esther McQuigg Morris was born in Spencer, resided in Owego, and later was a powerful force in securing womens’ right to vote in the Wyoming Territory, where she had moved with her husband. A year later, in 1870, she became the first woman to be appointed justice of the peace, a position she held for just under 9 months in South Pass City.
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Steuben County Fun Facts
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