North Steuben Methodist Church

The Town of Steuben first came into being on June 27, 1786, when the State of New York granted to Frederick William Augustus Henry Ferdinand von Steuben a quarter township of land ( 16,000 acres ) before any public lands were offered for sale. Steuben was permitted to select a quarter township for his own use, without fee or reward, or paying any consideration for the land granted to him. He chose the land located in what is now the Town of Steuben. In 1787, surveyor James Cockburn and five assistants ran north-south and east-west lines through the trace, dividing it into 160 farm lots, averaging 100 acres each.

In 1787, Steuben's agent made a contract with Samuel Sizer, a carpenter from West Springfield, Massachusetts, to build a frame house. Sizer was to receive $175 for building the house. Mr. Sizer was the first permanent settler in the town. By late 1790, there were about 12 farms in Steuben.

In March 1796, the Towns of Rome and Floyd were taken from Steuben. In 1797, the Town of Steuben was again divided and the Towns of Western and Leyden were taken from it. Small parts of Western and Remsen were annexed in 1803, and a small section was set off to Remsen in 1809, leaving the Town of Steuben with an area of 26,126 acres.

Steuben Corners Methodist Church

The first town meeting, held in what is now Steuben, was at the house of Silas Fowler, formerly that of the late Baron von Steuben. Some of the early settlers were Captain Joseph Ingham, David Barnes, Noadiah Fair­child, Joel and Samuel Hubbard ( from Middletown, Connecticut ), Noadiah Hubbard and Elisha Crowel ( from Connecticut ).

The first Welsh immigrants arrived in Steuben in 1795. In the year 1796, the first Welsh child was born in Steuben — first in Oneida County, and first west of the Hudson. Some of the first Welsh settlers were Griffith Rowlands, William Williams, Evan Owens, Hugh Roberts, and Owen Griffiths. After this there was a large Welsh migration and Steuben was mostly occupied by the Welsh.

Steuben, until recently, was mostly an agricultural community where cattle and sheep were raised. In 1927 there were 162 working farms in Steuben. In earlier years there were several sawmills, cheese factories, and blacksmith shops. The state and county have large tree plantations in the town. Almost one fourth of the land is owned by the state or county.

Baron Steuben Cabin Home

Steuben Corners is the only hamlet in the Town of Steuben. The Methodist Episcopal Church is located there and was established in 1855. In earlier days there were seven churches in Steuben. Also located in Steuben Corners are the Grange Hall, the town highway building, and nine homes. East Steuben at one time had a milk station, which was discontinued about 1932, and a railroad stop that included a grocery store in one part of it. All of these things are gone now.

The schools in the Town of Steuben, until 1931, included 13 districts. After 1931, they were centralized into the Remsen, Holland Patent, and Boonville Central School districts.

The first iron bridge was built in 1899 at the place of the late William O. Pierce. It included two abutments and cost $225. In 1911, a special meeting was held at the Bristol house in Remsen, the objective of which was the purchase of five iron bridges. The town board of Steuben met the bridge men there and purchased the bridges to be erected at the following places: Clara Warvers, Fink Hollow, Henry Jones, Jefferson Thomas, Albert Humphry. The price of the bridges was $1,065, including the services of the men to erect them. All of these bridges are gone now. Most were replaced with more modern bridges.

Baron Steuben Monument

Notable residents of the town have included Baron Steuben, Major General and Inspector General of the American Army between 1778—1784. He died on November 28, 1794. On September 12, 1931, Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Steuben Memorial Park. This 55 acre park includes a replica of Baron Steuben's cabin and the sacred grove where the Steuben monument marks the final burial site of the Baron.

William Lewis was born in Utica in 1812. In 1860 he was elected to the State Assembly, where he was able to get the appropriation of $500 made by the state for a mon­ument to perpetuate the memory of Baron Steuben. He was also active in gathering recruits during the Civil War and was commissioned by Governor Seymour to secure black recruits in Virginia in 1861.

The Rev. Robert Everett, D.D. was born in 1791, at Cronant, Flintshire, North Wales. He emigrated to America in 1823, where he was the pastor of Bethesda Welsh Congregational Church of Utica. He settled in Steuben in 1838, where he was the pastor of the Capel Ucha and Pen Y Mynydd chapels for 30 years. In 1840 he published the Cenhadwr a monthly religious magazine that was circulated throughout the United States, Canada and Wales. The Rev. Everett was a reformer and as such was among the first to enter the ranks against slavery.

In June of 1983 planning for a Town Hall and Equipment storage facility was started. Land was purchased and a construction contract awarded. The building was dedicated to the citizens of Steuben on August 24, 1984. L. John Evans, Town Supervisor, led the effort to establish the first town hall in the history of the Town of Steuben.