Canastota in Madison County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Oneida Indian Village Wall

Photographed by Mollie, January 11, 2020

1. Oneida Indian Village Wall Marker

Inscription. The area on which you are standing was an Oneida Indian village active as early as the mid to late 1400's. Directly in front of you is an area that was excavated in the 1950's. The excavation revealed evidence of a section of palisade wall constructed of four rows of posts.
Walls of this period are believed to have been built by erecting two double rows of interlacing vertical posts. Many had logs placed horizontally between the rows. The outside may have had large pieces of elm bark sewn on. Some had a parapet at the top that served as an observation platform as well as a defensive vantage point.
The spacing and location of these walls indicate a fortified Indian village. Champlain reported this type of wall in his account of his battle with the Iroquois in 1615.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Architecture • Forts and Castles • Indigenous Peoples and Communities.

Location. 43° 0.193′ N, 75° 44.644′ W. Marker is in Canastota, New York, in Madison County. It can be reached from Nichols Pond Road

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0.4 miles north of W Mile Strip Road, on the left when traveling north. This marker is located within Nichols Pond County Park. Viewing it requires a short walk from the parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5797 Nichols Pond Road, Canastota NY 13032, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York,

specifically in Central New York,

and in the Syracuse Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

New Netherland,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Nichols Pond Park (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of Champlain Battle (about 700 feet away); Oneida Stone of 1615 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Grain Pits (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Abolition Road (approx. 2.7 miles away); Town of Lincoln Veterans Memorial

Photographed by Mollie, January 11, 2020

2. Oneida Indian Village Wall Marker

(approx. 2.7 miles away); Kriemhild Herd (approx. 3.2 miles away); Myths of The Underground Railroad (approx. 3.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Canastota.

Oneida Indian Village Wall image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mollie, January 11, 2020

3. Oneida Indian Village Wall

View of the trenches in the excavated area as seen from the Oneida Indian Village Wall marker.

Oneida Indian village walls outlined image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Scott J. Payne, March 7, 2026

4. Oneida Indian village walls outlined

Credits. This page was last revised on March 18, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 11, 2020, by Mollie of Syracuse, New York. This page has been viewed 812 times since then and 73 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 11, 2020, by Mollie of Syracuse, New York. 4. submitted on March 7, 2026, by Scott J. Payne of Deposit, New York. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.