From the record
50 National Register listings published here, 1 of them a National Historic Landmark.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
174 topographic sheets cover 80 settlements here, and 50 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
50 National Register listings published here, 1 of them a National Historic Landmark.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
Drawn when these were printed as single large sheets: the town seen from the air, and the county divided into its farms with every owner named. Each opens the original at the Library of Congress.
Flown by the U.S. Geological Survey between 1937 and 1989, the Aerial Photo Single Frames collection is the definitive mid-century view of the land: fields, roads and rivers as the camera saw them. The Survey holds 2,262 frames inside the rectangle that bounds this county; the 44 frames below were taken over the county itself, chosen across the decades of flights (at most four a year from that rectangle), so one flight cannot crowd out the rest. The full set is free to browse and download at EarthExplorer under the dataset Aerial Photo Single Frames.












































The thermometers that kept this county's weather, and the gages that measured the flow of its streams, as the federal records hold them. The extremes below are measured values from those records, not estimates.
Who lived here in 1950, one enumeration district at a time, as the Census Bureau described each district. Each row opens its official National Archives result, with Population Schedules and ED Maps available there.
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 465 of them, burning about 524 acres. 54 started naturally and 71 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 204 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 71 |
| Debris and open burning | 57 |
| Natural | 54 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 24 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 20 |
| Smoking | 17 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 7 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 6 |
| Other causes | 5 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. Two of them were set deliberately.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 April 2016 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 39 acres | New York Forest Rangers | LYONSDALE POWER LINE FIRE |
| 6 May 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 acres | New York Forest Rangers | not named |
| 14 August 2002 | Equipment and vehicle use | 23 acres | New York Forest Rangers | not named |
| 13 August 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 acres | New York Forest Rangers | DIANA FIRE |
| 25 May 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 4 May 2001 | Recreation and ceremony | 8.0 acres | New York Forest Rangers | not named |
| 17 June 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 8.0 acres | New York Forest Rangers | HIGH FALLS FIRE |
| 4 May 2001 | Smoking | 6.0 acres | New York Forest Rangers | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 374 reports for this county, causing 1 death, no injuries and about $22,181,500 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 279 |
| Flash Flood | 39 |
| Hail | 26 |
| Flood | 19 |
| Tornado | 8 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Croghan | 1 killed, $20,000 | no account filed |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | not stated | $15,000,000 | no account filed |
| August 2023 | Tornado (EF3) | West Leyden | $1,500,000 | The National Weather Service in Buffalo completed a storm survey in Lewis County for damage that is confirmed to be tornadic from Monday evening. Initial damage from the tornado occurred in the Town of Lewis to the west of West Leyden along Mud Lake Road that included uprooted and snapped hardwood trees, significant damage to two homes that included roof uplift and near total removal, a wall blowout of a garage, and the complete destruction and shift from the foundation of a barn. Damage in the initial portion of the track generally peaked at EF-2. The tornado then continued northward and crossed Fish Creek Road with damage to another home that removed the roof and caused significant damage in the walls of the second level of the home. It also did significant damage to a second barn and snapped many hardwood trees.||After moving north of Fish Creek Road, the tornado crossed a large swamp with evidence of full defoliation of a few hardwood trees in the swamp. Tornadic damage become less continuous north of this point without good road access to the track through swampy land. Convergent track damage again resumed well southwest of the Town of Turin, hitting the town water tower. The tornado then continued northward as it paralleled West Road. Continuous uprooting, snapping, and occasional defoliation of hard and softwood trees was evident for a long portion of the track until it reached Snow Ridge Ski Resort. Upon reaching Snow Ridge Ski Resort, tree damage increased to snapping of hardwood trees at the rootline and some defoliation. On the ski resort land, all of the chair lift metal cables failed, some chair lift structures were overturned or damaged, and the track of damage greatly widened as the storm continued north- |northeastward. The greatest damage along the entire track of the tornado was from Snow Ridge Ski Resort to the West Wind Motel in Turin. Several structures saw completed roof failures, interior wall failures, window failures, and a one multi-story building was shifted from its foundation with its entire roof removed. The tornado lifted after affecting the West Wind Motel with damage ceasing from this point as it crossed State Route 26. |
| May 2014 | Flash Flood | Port Leyden | $1,500,000 | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Flood | Naumburg | $1,100,000 | no account filed |
| July 2014 | Tornado (EF1) | West Lowville | $250,000 | A NWS survey team confirmed an EF1 tornado. |
| August 2003 | Flash Flood | New Bremen | $100,000 | no account filed |
| April 2014 | Flood | Tallcottville | $75,000 | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Martinsburg | $75,000 | no account filed |
| September 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watertown | $50,000 | Thunderstorms produced damaging winds which downed trees and power and telephone lines. In Cayuga County, the thunderstorm winds tore off a portion of the roof of a mobile home. |
| May 1993 | Hail | Port Leyden | $50,000 | Thunderstorms that developed in a moist southwest flow produced one inch hail at Redfield and Port Leyden. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alpina | $50,000 | no account filed |
| August 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Port Leyden | $50,000 | no account filed |
| August 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Turin | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lowville | $40,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kirschnerville | $35,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Beaver Falls | $35,000 | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harrisville | $30,000 | Roof blown off building on Hands Flat Road. |
| August 2010 | Flood | Houseville | $30,000 | no account filed |
| January 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Denmark | $30,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Turin | $30,000 | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Tornado (F1) | Barnes Corners | $30,000 | no account filed |
| September 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Port Leyden | $25,000 | Trained spotters reported multiple trees downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| November 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Croghan | $25,000 | Law enforcement reported trees downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Martinsburg | $25,000 | Law enforcement reported damage to a house. |
| August 2010 | Flood | Natural Bridge | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Flash Flood | Turin | $25,000 | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Flash Flood | Turin | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1987 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 1969 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harrisville | $20,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watson | $20,000 | no account filed |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lowville | $20,000 | no account filed |
| March 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Naumburg | $15,000 | Numerous trees were blown down with accompanying damage to a shed and barn on County Road 33 and Naumburg Road. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harrisville | $15,000 | Law enforcement reported trees and wires downed by thunderstorm winds. |
| August 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Osceola | $15,000 | Law enforcement reported trees downed by thunderstorm winds. The trees damaged a house. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harrisville | $15,000 | Law enforcement reported trees and wires down by thunderstorm winds. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harrisville | $15,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed trees and wires on Church Street. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Port Leyden | $15,000 | Officials reported trees and wires downed by thunderstorm winds on South Elm Street. |
| November 1999 | Flash Flood | North Osceola | $15,000 | The Black River basin east of Lake Ontario received over two inches of rain during the evening hours. While the Black River did not reach flood stage, localized flooding in North Osceola resulted in some road closures. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Beaches Bridge | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Indian River | $15,000 | no account filed |
| November 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lowville | $15,000 | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Leyden | $15,000 | no account filed |
| November 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harrisville | $15,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Watson | $15,000 | no account filed |
| October 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Port Leyden | $15,000 | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lowville | $15,000 | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Croghan | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | West Martinsburg | $15,000 | no account filed |
| September 2001 | Flash Flood | Lyons Falls | $15,000 | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Martinsburg | $15,000 | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Flash Flood | Lowville | $15,000 | no account filed |
| August 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lyons Falls | $15,000 | no account filed |
| January 1998 | Flash Flood | Lowville | $15,000 | no account filed |
| September 2001 | Flash Flood | Lowville | $13,000 | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | New Bremen Duflo Arp | $12,000 | Law enforcement reported trees and wires downed by thunderstorm winds in New Bremen. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Copenhagen | $12,000 | A social media post reported multiple trees down by thunderstorm winds. |
| September 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Porters Corners | $12,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed trees and wires. |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Croghan | $12,000 | no account filed |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 42 workings inside this county. 16 still produce and 26 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 18 |
| Talc-Soapstone | 5 |
| Stone, Crushed/Broken | 5 |
| Marble, Dimension | 3 |
| Wollastonite | 3 |
| Molybdenum | 1 |
| Titanium, Metal, Iron | 1 |
| Dolomite | 1 |
| Granite | 1 |
| Mica | 1 |
| Graphite, Wollastonite | 1 |
| Iron | 1 |
| Barium-Barite | 1 |
| Fluorine-Fluorite | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croghan Plant | Granite | Past Producer | Granite | |
| Diana Pit & Mill | Talc-Soapstone, Barium-Barite | Plant | ||
| Erwin Ackerman Property Deposit | Mica | Prospect | ||
| George G. Goodelle Property Deposit | Iron | Prospect | ||
| Hungerford Farm Quarry | Dolomite | Past Producer | Surface | |
| Kirschnerville | Molybdenum | Occurrence | Molybdenite | |
| Martinsburg Deposit | Fluorine-Fluorite, Lead, Sulfur | Occurrence | ||
| Natural Bridge Deposit | Talc-Soapstone, Graphite, Wollastonite | Occurrence | ||
| Port Leyden | Zirconium, Titanium, Iron | Prospect | 1952 | |
| Port Leyden Mine | Titanium, Metal, Iron | Occurrence | ||
| Gouveneur #4 Mine & #3 Mill | Wollastonite | Plant | ||
| Harrisville Deposit | Wollastonite | Occurrence | ||
| Harrisville Quarry | Marble, Dimension | Past Producer | Surface | |
| Unnamed Quarry | Marble, Dimension | Past Producer | ||
| Unnamed Quarry | Marble, Dimension | Past Producer | Marble | |
| Valentine Mine | Wollastonite | Producer | 1978 | |
| Boonville Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Boonville Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Carbola Chemical Co Mine | Talc-Soapstone | Past Producer | 1911, 1949 | |
| Carbola Quarry and Mill | Talc-Soapstone | Past Producer | Talc | |
| Croghan Pit | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Diana Talc Pit | Talc-Soapstone | Past Producer | Stratabound | |
| Gingerich Pit | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Town of Lowville Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Callanan Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Croghan Town Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gyore Road Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Gyore Road Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Harper Ferry Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Hoch Brothers Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Hoch Brothers Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Kerager Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Kiggins Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Lehman Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Lyndaker Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Lyonsdale Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| New Bremen Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Patchin Road Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | Sedimentary | |
| Patchin Road Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Town of Leyden Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Waterworks Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| West Turin Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
Pinckney town · 13626 · On Denning Creek · Barnes Corners quadrangle
25 sheets, 1895 to 1985
West Turin town · 13473 · On Moose River · Constableville quadrangle
20 sheets, 1905 to 1985
West Turin town · 13325 · On West Branch Sugar River · Constableville quadrangle
20 sheets, 1905 to 1985
Diana town · 13665 · On Hogsback Creek · Natural Bridge quadrangle
17 sheets, 1913 to 1985
Martinsburg town · 13367 · On Roaring Brook · Glenfield quadrangle
21 sheets, 1905 to 1985
Lyonsdale town · 13433 · On Pine Creek · Port Leyden quadrangle
20 sheets, 1905 to 1985
Lyonsdale town · 13368 · On Beauty Creek · Port Leyden quadrangle
20 sheets, 1905 to 1985
Croghan town · 13327 · On Compo Creek · Remington Corners quadrangle
17 sheets, 1913 to 1985
Diana town · 13648 · On Kimball Creek · Remington Corners quadrangle
17 sheets, 1913 to 1985
New Bremen town · 13327 · On Sandy Creek · Belfort quadrangle
18 sheets, 1911 to 1985
Lyonsdale town · 13368 · On Beauty Creek · Port Leyden quadrangle
20 sheets, 1905 to 1985
Diana town · 13648 · On Clark Creek · Lake Bonaparte quadrangle
18 sheets, 1913 to 1985
Lewis town · 13471 · On East Fork Salmon River · Florence quadrangle
19 sheets, 1905 to 1985
West Turin town · 13368 · On Moose River · Brantingham quadrangle
21 sheets, 1905 to 1985
Martinsburg town · 13367 · On Atwater Creek · Glenfield quadrangle
21 sheets, 1905 to 1985
West Turin town · 13325 · On Sixmile Creek · High Market quadrangle
19 sheets, 1906 to 1985
Osceola town · 13437 · On Crooked Brook · North Osceola quadrangle
19 sheets, 1906 to 1985
Watson town · 13367 · On Beaver Meadow Brook · Number Four quadrangle
21 sheets, 1912 to 1989
Osceola town · 13316 · On Lilypad Creek · North Osceola quadrangle
19 sheets, 1906 to 1985
Watson town · 13367 · On South Branch Crystal Creek · Crystal Dale quadrangle
19 sheets, 1911 to 1985
Watson town · 13343 · On Independence River · Lowville quadrangle
18 sheets, 1911 to 1985
Diana town · 13648 · On Clark Creek · Remington Corners quadrangle
17 sheets, 1913 to 1985
Croghan town · 13327 · On Sammys Creek · Soft Maple Reservoir quadrangle
20 sheets, 1912 to 1989
Watson town · 13343 · On Beaver Meadow Creek · Crystal Dale quadrangle
19 sheets, 1911 to 1985