Palmyra in Wayne County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Palmyra Area
Historic New York
Photographed by Yugoboy, September 1, 2012
1. Palmyra Area Marker
Inscription.
Palmyra Area. Historic New York. Here before the white man came, lived the Cayuga and Seneca Indians. Their displacement after the Revolution, when many went to Canada, opened the land to settlers. Massachusetts which claimed a large portion of western New York sold its holdings to land speculators, Phelps and Gorham. Settlement was later actively promoted by Charles Williamson, agent for the Pulteney Associates. The rapid growth of villages followed completion of the Erie Canal in 1825. Incidents in this area raised social and religious issues of national importance. In 1826 the disappearance of William Morgan produced the Anti-Masonic movement. The vision of Joseph Smith on the Hill of Cumorah, near Palmyra, resulted in the Book of Mormon and the founding of the Church of Latter-Day Saints. The home of the Fox Sisters, near Hydeville, is regarded as the "birthplace of spiritualism." Small industries grew up along the Erie Canal and the New York Central Railroad, but the region remained rural. It is known for fruit orchards and horticultural nurseries, especially the growing of roses.
Here before the white man came, lived the Cayuga and Seneca Indians. Their displacement after the Revolution, when many went to Canada, opened the land to settlers. Massachusetts which claimed a large portion of western New York sold its holdings to land speculators, Phelps and Gorham. Settlement was later actively promoted by Charles Williamson, agent for the Pulteney Associates. The rapid growth of villages followed completion of the Erie Canal in 1825.
Incidents in this area raised social and religious issues of national importance. In 1826 the disappearance of William Morgan produced the Anti-Masonic movement. The vision of Joseph Smith on the Hill of Cumorah, near Palmyra, resulted in the Book of Mormon and the founding of the Church of Latter-Day Saints. The home of the Fox Sisters, near Hydeville, is regarded as the "birthplace of spiritualism."
Small industries grew up along the Erie Canal and the New York Central Railroad, but the region remained rural. It is known for fruit orchards and horticultural nurseries, especially the growing of roses.
Location. Marker has been reported missing. It was located near 43° 3.933′ N, 77° 10.829′ W. Marker was in Palmyra, New York, in Wayne County. It was at the intersection of Palmyra-Newark Road (New York State Route 31) and Galloway Road, on the right when traveling west on Palmyra-Newark Road. The marker is at an intersection, set back from the road on the far side of the parking area. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Palmyra NY 14522, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker was in Upstate New York, specifically in Western New York, in the Finger Lakes, and in the Rochester Metropolitan Area. It was also in the American Northeast, on the Great Lakes, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it was in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, New Netherland,
Credits. This page was last revised on September 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 23, 2012, by Yugoboy of Rochester, New York. This page has been viewed 812 times since then and 69 times this year. Last updated on September 14, 2025, by Susan A. Dalaba of Cortland, New York. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on December 23, 2012, by Yugoboy of Rochester, New York. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.
