Perrysburg, New York

Perrysburg is a town and a village in Cattaraugus County, New York. The Town and Village were named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry.

The Town of Perrysburg was formed in 1814 as the "Town of Perry" from the Towns of Ischua and Olean. In 1818 the town changed its name to "Perrysburgh." Eventually, the spelling became "Perrysburg." 

The Village of Perrysburg was incorporated in 1916.  On March 16, 2010, voters approved, by a 60-9 margin, a referendum to dissolve the village into the town of Perrysburg. The dissolution is effective at the end of 2011. Perrysburg joined Randolph, East Randolph and Limestone among Cattaraugus County villages that voted to dissolve within a six-month span, with all but Limestone having approved their dissolutions on March 16.

The folk-protest singer Phil Ochs resided in the town for a brief period in his childhood.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.5 square miles, of which, 28.5 square miles of it is land and 0.04 square miles of it (0.14%) is water.

The northern border is Cattaraugus Creek with Erie County on the opposite bank. The western border is Chautauqua County.

New York State Route 39 is an east-west highway through the town.

Communities and Locations in the Town of Perrysburg

  • Cattaraugus Indian Reservation – A reservation of the Iroquois (more commonly known as the Seneca Nation of Indians), which is partially in the town. As a part of the Seneca Nation, the reservation is a semi-autonomous sovereign territory, and generally not within the jurisdiction of the town or the state of New York.
  • Perrysburg – The Village of Perrysburg in the south-central part of the town, located on NY Route 39.
  • Versailles – This hamlet, a former milling community, using the power of Cattaraugus Creek, is located in the northeast corner of the town. The community is east of the junction of County Roads 42 and 58.
  • West Perrysburg – The hamlet is located by the Cattaraugus Reservation on County Road 78 in the western part of the town.

Places

Photo of Perrysburg Historical Museum

Tucked into the most Northwest corner of Cattaraugus county surrounded by the borders of Erie and chautauqua counties, is the Township of Perrysburg.

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