Herkimer (village), New York

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Herkimer, New York
settlement_type = Village
nickname =
motto =

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pushpin_label_position =
pushpin_map_caption =Location within the state of New York
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = New York
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Herkimer
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title =
established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 6.6
area_land_km2 = 6.3
area_water_km2 = 0.3
area_total_sq_mi = 2.5
area_land_sq_mi = 2.4
area_water_sq_mi = 0.1

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 7498
population_density_km2 = 1199.7
population_density_sq_mi = 3107.1

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 117
elevation_ft = 384
latd = 43 |latm = 1 |lats = 34 |latNS = N
longd = 74 |longm = 59 |longs = 25 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 13350
area_code = 315
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 36-34121
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0952621
website =
footnotes =

Herkimer is a village in Herkimer County, New York, about convert|13|mi|km southeast of Utica. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 7,498 people.cite web
url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=16000US3634121&_county=herkimer&_cityTown=herkimer&_state=04000US36&_lang=en&_sse=on&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF
title=Herkimer village, New York - Fact Sheet
accessdate=2008-08-14
work=American FactFinder
publisher=U.S. Census Bureau] The village is named after the Herkimers who settled in this area, the most notable one being Nicholas Herkimer, a general of the Tryon County militia, who died from wounds received at the Battle of Oriskany in the American Revolutionary War.

The Town of Herkimer surrounds the village, and together they are referred to as "The Herkimers." In fact, the citizens of the village are served by "three" political entities of the same name: the village of Herkimer, the town of Herkimer and the county of Herkimer. (Citizens of New York County share a similar distinction.)

The village is the county seat for the county of Herkimer.

Herkimer County Community College, located in the northwest part of the village, was founded in 1966 by the Herkimer County Board of Supervisors.

History

German Flatts

In 1700, the region was part of the territory of the Iroquois Mohawk Native American tribe. Only winding paths through the wilderness and the Mohawk River linked one Mohawk village to another at that time. Palatine Germans first arrived in New York State in August 1708, and in the Mohawk Valley as early as 1712.

In 1722, in response to the request by the German Palatine leaders Joseph Petrie and Conrad Rickert, the Palatines were granted a lease to purchase land from the Indians in the vicinity of where the West Canada Creek flows into the Mohawk. After the land was surveyed in 1723, most of the original settlers arrived between 1723 and 1725. The Burnestfield patent, granted April 13, 1725, assigned one hundred acre lots to about ninety individuals. This area was originally known as Burnetsfield, named in honor of the Governor. It was also referred to as Stone Ridge, The Flats, The Falls, and most commonly, because of the mostly German population and the flat topography, as German Flatts.

Shortly after 1722, a blockhouse and a church were erected in the village at the present site of the Reformed Church. The first known minister was the Reverend George Michael Weiss who served from 1735 to 1742. He was followed in 1751 by the Elder Rosencrantz, who was succeeded by his son the Reverend Abraham Rosencrantz, the latter serving until his death in 1796.

A schoolhouse was erected in 1745.

During the French and Indian War the town was twice attacked, by the French and their native allies on November, 1757 (Attack on German Flatts (1757)) and April, 1758 (Attack on German Flatts (1758). In 1758, the settlement on the south side of the river and Fort Herkimer was attacked, and about 30 settlers were killed. Captain Nicholas Herkimer held the command of the fort, and he assembled all the settlers he could within the fort.

During the Revolutionary War, the town was attacked multiple times by loyalists. One of these raids was by the Butler's Rangers in September, 1778. (see Attack on German Flatts (1778)) The village was defended by Fort Dayton.

The town was attacked by the last time on July 15, 1782 by about five hundred Tories and Iroquois. Two residents were killed, the rest managed to reach the safety of the fort. Fifty horses were taken and fifteen killed, 180 cattle were taken and thirteen killed, thirteen houses and two barns were burnt.

Herkimer

The name of the village was changed to Herkimer when the New York Surveyor-General Simeon DeWitt accidentally reversed the town name with Herkimer when he made his survey in 1788. It was decided it was easier to change the town names than to change his survey.Fact|date=August 2008

By 1797, the village had a courthouse, jail, and the Reformed Dutch Church, and about 40 houses and a population of about 250.

The village was incorporated in 1807. Its charter was amended in 1832 to enlarge the village. In 1875, the village dispensed with its special charter and organized the village under the state law of the time.

In the mid-20th century, the disparaging epithet "Herkimer Jerkimer," referring to the name of the village, developed currency in larger cities, particularly in New York City. Its meaning is essentially the same as "yokel." [cite book
last=Allen
first=Irving Lewis
title=The City in Slang: New York Life and Popular Speech
origyear=1994
origmonth=12
publisher=Oxford University Press
isbn=978-0-19509-265-3
page=pp. 3, 245] [cite web
last=Burkardt
first=John
title=Itty Bitty: Rhyming Nonsense
date=2008-06-27
url=http://people.scs.fsu.edu/~burkardt/fun/wordplay/itty_bitty.html
accessdate=2008-08-12
quote=a humorous name, a rustic, a stupid man] [Citation
last=McKinley
first=Jesse
author-link=Jesse McKinley
publication-date=1995-11-19
title=F.Y.I.
newspaper=New York Times
url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9904E1D71239F93AA25752C1A963958260
issn=0362-4331
accessdate=2008-08-12
quote=A 'Herkimer Jerkimer?' Why, that's a local yokel, you rube.]

Geography

The Village of Herkimer is located at coordinates coor dms|43|1|34|N|74|59|25|W|city (43.026207, -74.990304)GR|1, in Central New York State, approximately halfway between Syracuse and Albany and convert|13|mi|km southeast of Utica. It is at Exit 30 on the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90). New York State Route 5 and New York State Route 28 intersect and combine for a short distance within the village.

The village has a total area of convert|2.54|sqmi|km2, of which convert|0.12|sqmi|km2 is water.cite web
url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US36&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-format=ST-7
title=New York by County - GCT-PH1. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2000
accessdate=2008-08-14
work=American FactFinder
publisher=U.S. Census Bureau]

Herkimer is at the confluence of the Mohawk River and its tributary, West Canada Creek. The Plantation Island Wildlife Management Area is on the opposite shore of West Canada Creek.

Geological information

The Herkimer/Middleville area is a favorite collecting area for rockhounds because of its vast deposits of large quartz crystals known as "Herkimer diamonds." Although the minerals are not true diamonds and not generally used as gemstones, they have become popular as small trinkets. The minerals formed in Cambrian age limestone and dolostone, probably from ground water action after the original formation of the rock in an ancient sea. There are several commercial mines that cater to tourists. Customers can break up rock, or screen the soil, which has weathered from this rock. The crystals are resistant to weathering themselves.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, there were 7,498 people, 3,184 households, and 1,687 families residing in the village. The population density was convert|3107.1|PD/sqmi|PD/sqkm. There were 3,528 housing units at an average density of convert|1462.0|/sqmi|/sqkm. The racial makeup of the village was 96.1% White, 1.2% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.

Of the households, 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 36.6% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.0% were non-family households. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.87.cite web
url=http://factfinder.dads.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?-geo_id=04000US36&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTP7_ST7&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U
title=New York by Place and County Subdivision - GCT-P7. Households and Families: 2000
accessdate=2008-08-14
work=American FactFinder
publisher=U.S. Census Bureau]

19.2% of the residents were under the age of 18, 15.3% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.4 years. For every 100 females there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.cite web
url=http://censtats.census.gov/data/NY/1603634121.pdf
title=Table DP-1. Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000, Geographic area: Herkimer village, New York
format=PDF
accessdate=2008-08-14
work=Census 2000 Profiles
publisher=U.S. Census Bureau]

The median income for a household in the village was $24,762, and the median income for a family was $38,892. Males had a median income of $30,266 versus $19,438 for females. The per capita income for the village was $16,498. About 8.1% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.5% of children under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

* [http://village.herkimer.ny.us/ Village of Herkimer municipal Web site]
* [http://www.mfdesignworks.com/hhs Herkimer High School Yearbook Online]
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyherkim/herkimer.html US GenWeb Project - Town of Herkimer]
* [http://www.herkimertelegram.com/ The Evening Telegram] - village newspaper