Village of Walton

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HISTORY

Walton in the 1800s

The Village of Walton is named after William Walton Jr., a King's patentee and a founder of the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York. On the 15th of March 1770, King George of England granted a patent of 20 thousand acres to William Walton and his partners, most of which form present day Walton.

The Battle of Lexington on the 19th of April 1775 ("the shot heard around the world"), started the American Revolutionary War. Many of William Walton's relatives were pro-British, but he sided with those who struggled for independence. The State of New York, which was organized in Kingston on the 20th of April 1777, recognized William Walton's land patent because he was a patriot. With the signing of the Treaty of Paris on the 3rd of September 1783, which ended hostilities, this land patent could now be safely settled and would later become part of Delaware County.

It was two years later on the 16th of May 1785, that Dr. Platt Townsend, a friend of William Walton, arrived with his party, on the West Branch of the Delaware River, in the area which was to become the village of Walton.

Larry Miller
Walton Historical Society


	Walton Historical Society The Walton Historical Society was founded on May 21, 1883, by a group of citizens with prominent family names: Mead, Bassett, St. John, Townsend, Eells, Hanford and Harby among them. Little is known about this group, but clearly they were adept in their efforts to lay the foundation for an active and dedicated community organization. Another group was formed in the early 1920s. This group was led by Arthur W. North who became the Historian. Others included: B. G. North - in the line of Gabriel North H. B. Townsend - in the line of Dr. Platt Townsend Georgianna Pine Knapp - in the line of Joshua Pine. Arthur W. North was to author several books on the history of Walton, all of which are available at Walton Historical Society. In the 1940s and 1950s the society came alive again. Members met in each other's homes. Kate Eells, who lived in the house we now call our historical home, was the Historian for a long time. Then in February 1965 the state of New York granted a charter "incorporating Constance O. Peck, Henrietta Durfee Robinson, Beatrice Elderkin, Kate G. Eells and Raymond Shinn, and their associates and successors as an educational corporation under the corporate name of Walton Historical Society...." Gradually, collections grew and the Society moved into a room at The William B. Ogden Library. In the early 1990s, the Village of Walton made available the area above the Walton Theater to store and exhibit the history of Walton. In 2003, the Society purchased The Eells House at 9 Townsend Street, and moved its vast collections there. This house was built in 1856 and was the lifelong home of Kate G. Eells, our Historian for many years. The mission of the Walton Historical Society is to gather and preserve the history of Walton, including documents and papers, photographs and articles of historical value and of historical interest. The Walton Historical Society displays artifacts pertaining to Walton's history, to illustrate how people lived, the cultural life as well as the economic and civic life of the community. Our artifacts are representative of how local families lived and worked. 9 Townsend Street, Walton (607) 865-5895 (607) 865-3186 whs@waltonhistoricalsociety.org