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Official Website
When counties were established by the English colonial government in the Province of New York in 1683, present-day Erie County was part of Indian territory occupied by Iroquoian-speaking peoples. It was administered as part of New York colony. Significant European-American settlement did not begin until after the United States had gained independence with the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783. They forced the Iroquois to cede most of their lands, as many had been allies of the British.
About 1800 the Holland Land Company, formed by Americans and Dutch associates, extinguished Indian claims by purchasing the land from New York, acquired the title to the territory of what are today the eight western-most counties of New York, surveyed their holdings, established towns, and began selling lots to individuals. The state was eager to attract settlers and have farms and businesses developed.
The first towns formed in present-day Erie County were the Town of Clarence and the Town of Willink. Clarence comprised the northern portion of Erie county, and Willink the southern part. Clarence is still a distinct town, but Willink was quickly subdivided into other towns.
In 1861, the hamlet of Town Line in the Town of Lancaster voted 85 to 40 to secede from the Union. Town Line never sought admission into the Confederate States of America and there is no evidence that men from the community ever fought for the Confederacy. Some reporting from that time indicates the vote was a joke. On January 24, 1946, as part of a nationally reported event, Town Line voted to officially return to the Union.
Adjacent Counties & Provinces
- Cattaraugus County
- Wyoming County
- Chautauqua County
- Niagara County
- Genesee County
- Province of Ontario
Cities & Towns
- Alden
- Amherst
- Aurora
- Boston
- Brant
- Buffalo (County Seat)
- Cheektowaga
- Clarence
- Colden
- Collins
- Concord
- Eden
- Elma
- Evans
- Grand Island
- Hamburg
- Holland
- Lackawanna
- Lancaster
- Marilla
- Newstead
- North Collins
- Orchard Park
- Sardinia
- Tonawanda
- Wales
- West Seneca
For a complete list of Hamlets & Communities, please see Wikipedia.
Indian Reservations
- Cattaraugus Reservation
- Tonawanda Reservation
Links
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site
National Register of Historic Places
