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

This Marks The Spot Where

Photographed by Susan A. Dalaba, March 18, 2025

1. This Marks The Spot Where Marker

Inscription. This marks the spot where in the year 1794 Samuel Payne felled the first tree in a virgin wilderness and kneeling dedicated to God these acres which in later yrs. he gave as a site for Colgate University.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1794.

Location. 42° 49.048′ N, 75° 32.16′ W. Marker is in Hamilton, New York, in Madison County. It can be reached from Alumni Road. Marker is located on the Colgate University grounds in the courtyard in front of Colgate Memorial Chapel. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 32 Alumni Road, Hamilton NY 13346, 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

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one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: “Far From Thy Valley…” (within shouting distance of this marker); Thus The Legend of the Great Chocolate Wreck… (approx. 0.8 miles away); NY O & W Railway (approx. 0.8 miles away); Chenango Canal (approx. 0.9 miles away); Madison Street Cemetery (approx. 1.3 miles away); Smiths Valley (approx. 2.4 miles away); The Bark Hut (approx. 2.8 miles away); Toll Gate No. 1 (approx. 4.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hamilton.

Also see . . . History (Town of Hamilton). Excerpt:

1794 – Samuel Payne founds “Payne’s Corner” in what is now the village of Hamilton. His farm was on the campus of current day Colgate University. A memorial can be found on the spot which Payne’s house rested. His brother Elisha and friends Theophilis and Benjamin Pierce would follow him to the area.

(Submitted on April 1, 2025.)

Marker in the courtyard in front of Colgate Memorial Chapel. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Susan A. Dalaba, March 18, 2025

2. Marker in the courtyard in front of Colgate Memorial Chapel.

Colgate Memorial Chapel image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Susan A. Dalaba, March 18, 2025

3. Colgate Memorial Chapel

In courtyard looking at West Hall image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Susan A. Dalaba, March 18, 2025

4. In courtyard looking at West Hall

Path from parking lot, Longyear Museum of Anthropology on the right. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Susan A. Dalaba, March 18, 2025

5. Path from parking lot, Longyear Museum of Anthropology on the right.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 19, 2025, by Susan A. Dalaba of Cortland, New York. This page has been viewed 151 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 19, 2025, by Susan A. Dalaba of Cortland, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.