ph. 585.526.6317

fax 585.526.4799

Mailing Address
PO Box 224
Gorham, NY 14461

Physical Address
4736 South St.
Gorham, NY 14461

Office Hours
Tues, Thu., Fri. 9 am to 1 pm
Wed. 9 am to 7 pm

Building/Zoning Hours
Mon - Thu 7 am to 3 pm
Fri 8 am to 1 pm

Contact Form / Directory

History

Contact Information


Dennis Hogan



Town of Gorham

  • Town of East Town was erected November, 1796 meaning Ontario County authorized the town to form its government.
  • Town of Easton was organized April 7, 1797 when a meeting was held to elect officers to administer its government. The following were elected: James Austin, clerk; Samuel Day, Frederick Follett, Silas Reed, and George Brundage, assessors; John Warren, collector; William Engel, Joseph Brundage, overseers of the poor; Elijah Hurd, Robert Whitterie, and William Wicks, commissioners of highways; John Warren, constable; Elijah Ellis, Joseph Hill, James Wood, and Benjamin Canfield, pathmasters.
  • Name changed to Town of Lincoln on April 17, 1806 (Chapter 49, Laws of 1806).
  • Name changed to Town of Gorham on April 6, 1807 (Chapter 166, Laws of 1807).
  • Town of Hopewell was formed from the northern part of the Town of Gorham on March 29, 1822 (Chapter 140, Laws of 1822).
  • Part of the Town of Canandaigua was annexed to the Town of Gorham in 1824.

Gorham Hamlet

  • The first settler was Thomas Halstead who settled about 1800 and became a tavern keeper. He is buried in the Gorham Pioneer Cemetery.
  • The Gorham Post Office was established by December 5, 1809 with Alex McClellan as the postmaster.
  • The hamlet was called Bethel, but the name was changed to Gorham in 1856.
  • It would seem that “Gorham” may have been the more official name of the hamlet because of the naming of the post office in 1809 (no reference to a "Bethel" post office has been found). However, the hamlet was referred to as “Bethel” for many years, possibly that usage died out in the 1850s.

Reed Corners Hamlet

  • James Wood was the first settler, having occupied land in 1789 and Silas Reed followed soon after.
  • Reed’s Corners Post Office was established May 21, 1841 with Mason Reed as its first postmaster.
  • Post Office name was changed to Reed Corners on November 23, 1893 when H. Clark Wood was postmaster.
  • Reed Corners Post Office was discontinued March 31, 1906.

Village of Rushville

  • First settler was Elisha Gilbert, who built a home for his family in 1790.
  • From the earliest days, the village was known as Federal Hollow. That name fell out of favor and in 1819 it was changed to Rushville.
  • The West River Post Office was established on November 19, 1812 with Michael Pearce as the first postmaster.
  • The West River Post Office was discontinued on February 15, 1819 when the Rushville Post Office was established on that same day with Chester Loomis as the first postmaster.
  • The Village of Rushville was incorporated in 1860.

Centre Gorham Hamlet

  • The “Centre Gorham” Post Office was established February 24, 1827 at the northeast corner of present-day Lake-To-Lake Road and Yautzy Road. The first postmaster was Malachi Loveland.
  • "Centre Gorham” Post Office was discontinued October 23rd of either 1836 or 1846.
  • In 1835, John Stowits was an important manufacturer of thrashing machines near Centre Gorham.