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Seneca County, New York

126 topographic sheets cover 56 settlements here, and 40 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

40 National Register listings published here, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

New York within the United States
Seneca County within New York
Explore by year 1850 1859

What the record shows

  • 1,316 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 40 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 36 buildings and 4 districts.
  • 3 of the 40 listings were added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 56 populated places in this county; 56 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

40

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Amelia Bloomer Housebuilding198080000359
Julius and Harriet Bull Housebuilding200707000869
William H. Burton Housebuilding199696000675
Christ Evangelical and Reformed Churchbuilding198989002092
Cobblestone Farmhouse at 1027 Stone Church Rd.building200707001017
Cobblestone Farmhouse at 1111 Stone Church Roachbuilding200707001018
Cobblestone Farmhouse at 1229 Birdsey Roadbuilding200808000772
Covert Historic Districtdistrict198080002766
First Baptist Church of Interlakenbuilding200202001655
First Presbyterian Churchbuilding199696001386
Edith B. Ford Memorial Librarybuilding2018100002514
Fourth Ward Schoolbuilding198686000474
John Graves Cobblestone Farmhousebuilding200808000107
William Hoster Housebuilding200202001662
Hunt Housebuilding198080000358
Huntington Building, Thebuilding2022100008335
Jones, Hannah and George W. Housebuilding2020100005847
David and Mary Kinne Farmsteadbuilding200707000865
Hiram Lay Cobblestone Farmhousebuilding200909000724
Lodi Methodist Churchbuilding198282003405
M'Clintock Housebuilding198080000360
Queen's Castlebuilding199999000564
Simon Ritter Cobblestone Farmhousebuilding200808001081
Rose Hillbuilding197373001269
Saint Paul's Churchbuilding199797000115
Seneca County Courthouse Complex at Ovidbuilding197676001277
Seneca Knitting Millbuilding199191000342
Elizabeth Cady Stanton Housebuilding196666000572
US Post Office-Seneca Fallsbuilding198988002431
US Post Office-Waterloobuilding198988002442
United Methodist Churchbuilding200404001057
Waterloo Downtown Historic Districtdistrict2017100000895
Waterloo High Schoolbuilding2019100003933
Waterloo Librarybuilding199696000676
James Russell Webster Housebuilding200707001255
Wesleyan Methodist Churchbuilding198080000361
Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insanebuilding197575001229
Aaron Wilson Housebuilding200101000577
Women's Rights National Historic Park (Boundary Increase)district201212000134
Women's Rights National Historical Parkdistrict198080004397

Bird's-eye views and land ownership maps

5

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.

Land ownership map, 1859 - Map of Cayuga and Seneca counties, New York
Land ownership map (1859) - Map of Cayuga and Seneca counties, New York. Library of Congress.
Land ownership map, 1850 - Topographical map of Seneca County, N.Y.
Land ownership map (1850) - Topographical map of Seneca County, N.Y.. Library of Congress.
Land ownership map, 1852 - Topographical map of Seneca County, New York
Land ownership map (1852) - Topographical map of Seneca County, New York. Library of Congress.
Land ownership map, 1858 - Map of Seneca County, New York : from original surveys
Land ownership map (1858) - Map of Seneca County, New York : from original surveys. Library of Congress.
Land ownership map, 1858 - Town & village of Ovid, Seneca Co., N.Y.
Land ownership map (1858) - Town & village of Ovid, Seneca Co., N.Y.. Library of Congress.

Photographs from libraries nationwide

12 of 22 shown

Selected from the Digital Public Library of America's 22 image records catalogued for this county. Every one shown here carries a public-domain status or a licence that permits reuse on a site that carries advertising; non-commercial, share-alike and restricted images are excluded. The selection is spread across the county's towns (at most eight per town), so no single institution's bulk upload crowds out the rest. Each opens the holding library's record, and the complete set at the Digital Public Library of America is one click away.

Willard Asylum. Ovid, N.Y. Main building - from the south, Boston Public Library - undated
Willard Asylum. Ovid, N.Y. Main building - from the south. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Episcopal church and Van Cliff Lake, Seneca Falls, N. Y., Boston Public Library - undated
Episcopal church and Van Cliff Lake, Seneca Falls, N. Y.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
St. Patrick's Church, Seneca Falls, N. Y., Boston Public Library - undated
St. Patrick's Church, Seneca Falls, N. Y.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Locks, from top of guard gate, Seneca Falls, N. Y., Boston Public Library - undated
Locks, from top of guard gate, Seneca Falls, N. Y.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Lane's Cabins, Seneca Falls, N. Y., Boston Public Library - undated
Lane's Cabins, Seneca Falls, N. Y.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Swiss Chalet Motel, Route 5 and 20, Seneca Falls, N. Y., Boston Public Library - undated
Swiss Chalet Motel, Route 5 and 20, Seneca Falls, N. Y.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Waterloo Throughway Exit 41, U.S. Highways 5 & 20, entrance, Waterloo, N. Y., Boston Public Library - undated
Waterloo Throughway Exit 41, U.S. Highways 5 & 20, entrance, Waterloo, N. Y.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Mynderse Academy and War Memorial, Seneca Falls, N. Y., Boston Public Library - undated
Mynderse Academy and War Memorial, Seneca Falls, N. Y.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Post office, Seneca Falls, N. Y., Boston Public Library - undated
Post office, Seneca Falls, N. Y.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
U. S. Highways 5 & 20, 1 mile west of Waterloo, New York, Boston Public Library - undated
U. S. Highways 5 & 20, 1 mile west of Waterloo, New York. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Bird's eye view of Waterloo Seneca County, N.Y., 1873, Boston Public Library - undated
Bird's eye view of Waterloo Seneca County, N.Y., 1873. Koch, A. (Augustus), 1834 or 5-1901, Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Map of Cayuga and Seneca counties, New York, Boston Public Library - undated
Map of Cayuga and Seneca counties, New York. Gray, O. W. (Ormando Wyllis), 1829-1912, Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.

The county from the air

31 shown

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 923 frames inside the rectangle that bounds this county; the 31 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.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1957-04-30, scale 1:60000
1957-04-30, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1959-10-21, scale 1:60000
1959-10-21, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1960-05-03, scale 1:60000
1960-05-03, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1971-05-13, scale 1:68500
1971-05-13, scale 1:68500. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1971-05-13, scale 1:68500
1971-05-13, scale 1:68500. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1973-06-25, scale 1:10010
1973-06-25, scale 1:10010. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1973-06-25, scale 1:10010
1973-06-25, scale 1:10010. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1973-06-25, scale 1:10010
1973-06-25, scale 1:10010. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1973-06-25, scale 1:10010
1973-06-25, scale 1:10010. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1981-05-01, scale 1:80000
1981-05-01, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 2002-04-12, scale 1:14400
2002-04-12, scale 1:14400. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1959-10-21, scale 1:60000
1959-10-21, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1959-10-21, scale 1:60000
1959-10-21, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1959-10-21, scale 1:60000
1959-10-21, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1960-05-03, scale 1:60000
1960-05-03, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1960-05-03, scale 1:60000
1960-05-03, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1960-05-03, scale 1:60000
1960-05-03, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-04-20, scale 1:18000
1969-04-20, scale 1:18000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-04-20, scale 1:18000
1969-04-20, scale 1:18000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-04-20, scale 1:18000
1969-04-20, scale 1:18000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-04-20, scale 1:18000
1969-04-20, scale 1:18000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1971-05-13, scale 1:68500
1971-05-13, scale 1:68500. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1971-05-13, scale 1:68500
1971-05-13, scale 1:68500. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1981-05-01, scale 1:80000
1981-05-01, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 2002-04-12, scale 1:14400
2002-04-12, scale 1:14400. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 2002-04-12, scale 1:14400
2002-04-12, scale 1:14400. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 2002-04-12, scale 1:14400
2002-04-12, scale 1:14400. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 2003-04-24, scale 1:28800
2003-04-24, scale 1:28800. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 2003-04-24, scale 1:28800
2003-04-24, scale 1:28800. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 2003-04-24, scale 1:28800
2003-04-24, scale 1:28800. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 2003-04-24, scale 1:28800
2003-04-24, scale 1:28800. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

Weather records

15 stations, 6 gages

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.

The 1950 census, district by district

37 districts

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.

  • 50-1Covert town: Interlaken village
  • 50-2Covert town - That part outside Interlaken village
  • 50-3Waterloo village comprising parts of Fayette and Waterloo towns: Waterloo village - That part comprising Ward 1 in Fayette town Bounded by Town line; Village limits; Village limits; Village limits
  • 50-4Waterloo village - That part of Ward 2 in Waterloo town Bounded by Village limits; Church, Wright, Church; New York Central & Hudson River Railroad; Center
  • 50-5Waterloo village - That part of Ward 2 in Waterloo town Bounded by Village limits; Center; New York Central & Hudson River Railroad; Village limits
  • 50-6Waterloo village - That part of Ward 2 in Waterloo town Bounded by New York Central & Hudson River Railroad; Church, Elisha, Church, Williams, Church, Ward line; Town line; Village limits
  • 50-7Waterloo village - That part of Ward 3 in Waterloo town Bounded by Village limits; Swift, East Main, Gorham; Town line; Ward line, Church, Williams, Church, Elisha, Church, Wright, Church
  • 50-8Waterloo village - That part of Ward 3 in Waterloo town Bounded by Village limits; Village limits; Town line; Gorham, East Main, Swift
  • 50-9Fayette town, outside Waterloo village: Fayette town - That part east of State Highway 96, outside Waterloo village
  • 50-10Fayette town - That part west of State Highway 96, outside Waterloo village (Remainder of Fayette town is in Waterloo village)
  • 50-11Junius town
  • 50-12Lodi town: Lodi village
  • 50-13Lodi town - That part outside Lodi village
  • 50-14Ovid town: Ovid village
  • 50-15Ovid town - That part outside Ovid village, excluding Willard State Hospital
  • 50-16Willard State Hospital - That part in Ovid town (Remainder of Willard State Hospital is in Romulus town)
  • 50-17Romulus town: Romulus town - That part east of Lehigh Valley Railroad (Ithaca Branch)
  • 50-18Romulus town - That part west of Lehigh Valley Railroad (Ithaca Branch), excluding Seneca Ordinance Depot (Part), U.S. Naval Training Center, and Willard State Hospital (Part)
  • 50-19Seneca Ordnance Depot - That part in Romulus town (Remainder of Seneca Ordnance Depot is in Varick town)
  • 50-20U.S. Naval Training Center (In Romulus town)
  • 50-21Willard State Hospital - That part in Romulus town (Remainder of Willard State Hospital is in Ovid town)
  • 50-22Seneca Falls town: Seneca Falls village: Seneca Falls village - That part of Ward 1 Bounded by Village limits; Seneca River, Van Cleef Lake, Seneca River; Ward line, State, Tyre Ave., Cayuga
  • 50-23Seneca Falls village - That part of Ward 1 Bounded by Village limits; Cayuga, Tyre Ave., State; Chapel; Mynderse, Ward line
  • 50-24Seneca Falls village - That part of Ward 2 Bounded by Village limits; Ward line, Mynderse; Chapel, Walnut, Chestnut, Rumsey, New York Central Railroad; Village limits, Black Brook Rd.
  • 50-25Seneca Falls village - That part of Ward 2 Bounded by New York Central Railroad, Rumsey, Chestnut, Walnut, Fall; Ward line; Seneca River; Village limits
  • 50-26Seneca Falls village - That part of Ward 2 Bounded by Chapel; State; Fall; Walnut
  • 50-27Seneca Falls village - That part of Ward 3 Bounded by Seneca River; Ward line, Ovid; Bridge
  • 50-28Seneca Falls village - That part of Ward 3 Bounded by Seneca River; Bridge; Village limits; Village limits
  • 50-29Seneca Falls village - That part of Ward 4 Bounded by Seneca River, Van Cleef Lake, Seneca River; Village limits; E. Bayard, White, Garden; Ward line
  • 50-30Seneca Falls village - That part of Ward 4 Bounded by E. Bayard; Village limits; Garden, Stephenson, Green, Montgomery, Garden; White
  • 50-31Seneca Falls village - That part of Ward 4 Bounded by Garden, Montgomery, Green, Stephenson, Garden; Village limits; Village limits; Ovid
  • 50-32Cayuga Lake Park, unincorporated Bounded by Due east line from junction of State Highway 89 and Unnamed rd.; Seneca - Cayuga County line; Seneca Falls - Fayette town line; State Highway 89
  • 50-33Seneca Falls town - That part outside Seneca Falls village and the unincorporated place of Cayuga Lake Park (See separate map for boundaries of Cayuga Lake Park)
  • 50-34Tyre town
  • 50-35Varick town: Varick town, excluding Seneca Ordnance Depot (Part)
  • 50-36Seneca Ordnance Depot - That part in Varick town (Remainder of Seneca Ordnance Depot is in Romulus town)
  • 50-37Waterloo town - That part outside Waterloo village (Remainder of Waterloo town is in Waterloo village)

Wildfire, 1994 to 2020

321 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 321 of them, burning about 1,005 acres. 25 started naturally and 73 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined136
Arson/incendiarism73
Debris and open burning54
Natural25
Equipment and vehicle use16
Smoking10
Recreation and ceremony4
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. Five of them were set deliberately.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
4 April 2010Missing data/not specified/undetermined694 acresMontezuma National Wildlife RefugeNY MZR WF 10 DRY MARSH
19 April 2001Arson/incendiarism10 acresNew York Forest Rangersnot named
28 April 2001Debris and open burning8.0 acresNew York Forest Rangersnot named
14 April 2016Arson/incendiarism6.3 acresFire Department of New YorkN/A
26 June 2016Arson/incendiarism6.3 acresFire Department of New YorkN/A
4 July 2016Arson/incendiarism6.3 acresFire Department of New YorkN/A
26 September 2016Natural6.3 acresFire Department of New YorkN/A
8 May 2016Arson/incendiarism6.3 acresFire Department of New YorkN/A

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1971 to 2026

60 of 209 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 209 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 2 injuries and about $3,877,600 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind138
Hail41
Flash Flood23
Flood4
Funnel Cloud1
Tornado1
Lightning1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
May 2012Thunderstorm WindRose Hill1 hurt, $30,000The path of the storm started along route 96A in the town of Fayette, just east of Seneca Lake. Here a barn was destroyed with estimated wind speeds of 80 to 90 mph. Scattered damage continued to the northeast through the town of Fayette across route 96 near Christler Road. Here a tractor trailer was blown off the road as|it was traveling along route 96. This is where the 1 injury occurred. Partial roof damage was noted to a barn, with significant hail damage to the west side of a house due to the high wind speeds. Estimated wind speeds in this area were between 70 and 80 mph.||A scattered path of damage continued northeast through Seneca Falls and across Cayuga Lake into the town of Aurelius. Numerous tree branches were down throughout these areas with winds generally around 60 mph. Just east of Cayuga Lake in the town of Aurelius, along route 90, some isolated areas had uprooted trees. In these areas, wind speeds were estimated to be between 70 and 80 mph.||The pattern of damage was consistent with a microburst in that the damage of the trees was layed out in a divergent or a fan shaped pattern.
September 1984Thunderstorm Windnot stated1 hurtno account filed
August 2018Flash FloodLodi Station$1,200,000Severe flash flooding occurred in this area. The entire cliff side was washed away into Seneca Lake. Multiple water rescues and evacuations were in progress. A woman was trapped in the wreckage of her home, and was rescued from the lake by small boat.
January 1996Flash FloodCountywide$500,000no account filed
September 1998Thunderstorm WindWaterloo$250,000A long lived severe convective wind system or derecho moved into northern portions of the county just before 100 am EDT. These same storms had caused considerable damage upstream in the Rochester area. Widespread wind damage occurred in the town of Waterloo and also across Seneca Falls. Most of the damage was in the form of downed trees and power lines. From approximately 1255 am to 110 am EDT, the town of Waterloo experienced strong damaging winds and large hail. Many roads in the center of town had to be closed through the morning hours on Labor Day as crews worked to clear fallen trees, live wires, and damaged traffic signals. Downstream in Seneca Falls, similar damage was reported. Just before 120 am EDT, a swath of trees was blown down on the western shores of Cayuga Lake and inflicted minor damage on several small boats anchored in the vicinity. Several vacation homes in this area incurred minor roof and siding damage from large tree limbs which succumbed to the wind.
April 2004Thunderstorm WindCountywide$200,000Thunderstorm winds blew down trees and wires especially on the east side of Seneca Lake. In Romulus a radio tower was bent over onto a building. Minor property damage occurred. Some utility poles were blown over or damaged.
October 2021Flash FloodSeneca Falls$150,000Widespread flash flooding occurred throughout the city.
August 2021Flash FloodOvid$140,000Severe flash flooding caused a structure to collapse.
August 2018Flash FloodLodi Station$125,000Many vehicles and seasonal campers washed down Mill Creek.
August 2014Flash FloodFayette$125,000Water was flowing over numerous roads and into several basements throughout the central part of the county, including the hardest hit area of Fayette.
October 2021Flash FloodWaterloo$100,000Numerous roads, and a few homes, were flooded throughout the village. Many roads were closed and a State of Emergency was in effect for the area.
August 2003Flash FloodOvid$100,000Slow-moving thunderstorms produced flash flooding of numerous roads, culverts, and low lying underpasses in southern Seneca County. A state of emergency was declared in Seneca County due to the flash flooding as many roads were either flooded or impassable. The flooding included the towns of Covert and Ovid, and the village of Interlaken. There were several flooded basements in the town of Ovid. An estimated 3 to 4 inches of rain fell.
November 1996Flash FloodCountywide$100,000no account filed
August 2018Flash FloodLodi Station$50,000Numerous roads were flooded across southern Seneca county.
April 2005Flash FloodCountywide$50,000no account filed
July 1997Thunderstorm WindFayette$40,000An isolated thunderstorm reached severe levels briefly along Cayuga Lake in eastern portions of the county. Strong winds downed many trees and power lines. Falling tree limbs caused minor damage to some boats anchored near the docks.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindSheldrake$35,000The severe thunderstorm that produced damage a bit earlier in the evening across Yates county continued eastward into Seneca county and remained severe. Trees were uprooted and several homes sustained roof damage in Sheldrake.
August 2021Flash FloodOvid$30,000Widespread flooding occurred throughout the streets of Ovid.
July 2008LightningSeneca Falls$25,000Two house fires were caused by lightning.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindSheldrake Spgs$20,000A core of a supercell thunderstorm moved over this location creating strong, damaging microburst winds. The strongest rotational core moved south of this location with eye witnesses reporting a funnel cloud moving over nearby Cayuga Lake. The most intense damaged observed was to a cattle barn, where the roof and wall structure was lofted approximately 250 feet eastward; maximum wind speeds were estimated here at 80 mph. Surrounding damage included numerous large tree branches snapped and few uprooted trees.
April 2023FloodSeneca Falls$20,000Numerous basements were flooded in the immediate Seneca Falls area.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindSeneca Falls$20,000Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down a tree through a house.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindRomulus$20,000A severe thunderstorm moved across the area which resulted in several trees falling down across the area. Two homes were damaged due to falling trees.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindEast Varick$20,000A severe thunderstorm moved over the area and produced severe winds which resulted in multiple trees, wires and limbs down over the area.
September 2012Thunderstorm WindLodi$20,000A barn was damaged in Lodi on Keady Road. A 40 x 200 foot tin roof was blown off the barn and landed in the road. A house was damaged due to numerous trees that fell on it.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindCovert$20,000A severe thunderstorm moved across the southern part of the county during the mid afternoon. Large trees and power poles were blown down in Covert at 3:00 pm EDT.
April 2025Thunderstorm WindHayts Corners$16,500Strong thunderstorm winds snapped a power pole on Route 96 near the shared border of the towns of Romulus and Ovid. This is from the second severe storm that passed through the area.
April 2023FloodBorder City$15,000Basements in the area were reported to be flooded.
May 2014Flash FloodOvid$15,000A road was washed out on County Route 131.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindBorder City$13,500Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down trees and wires and snapped a power pole.
May 1996Thunderstorm WindWaterloo$12,000no account filed
July 2020Thunderstorm WindWaterloo Povero Arpt$10,000Strong thunderstorm winds brought down trees and wires along Miller Road.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindSeneca Falls$10,000Strong thunderstorm winds brought down trees and wires on Boston Avenue.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindSeneca Falls$10,000Strong thunderstorm winds brought down trees and wires on Lake Road.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindWaterloo$10,000Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down trees and wires on Inslee Street.
August 2018Flash FloodLodi$10,000Swift water rescues were in progress for people trapped in houses near Lodi.
August 2014Flash FloodSeneca Falls Arpt$10,000State route 89 was flooded.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindFayette$10,000Numerous trees, power poles and electrical lines were blown down in and around Fayette by thunderstorm winds.
June 2007Tornado (EF1)Sheldrake$10,000A National Weather Service storm survey team found a swath of wind damage in southeastern Seneca County, within the Sheldrake area of the town of Ovid. The pattern of damage was consistent with that of an EF-1 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The degree of damage, which consisted mainly of snapped off and uprooted trees, indicated that maximum wind speeds were around 90 mph. ||The tornado touched down in Sheldrake, near the northern end of Wyers Point Road, just east of State Route 89 and near the western shore of Cayuga Lake at about 3:46 pm EDT. The tornado then tracked southeast for about 1.5 miles, nearly parallel to both Wyers Point Road and the Cayuga Lake shoreline. The observed damage had a width of up to about 100 yards. Numerous trees sustained damage along this path length. Several very large trees were uprooted, and many more were snapped off. Utility poles in this same vicinity were either knocked down or sheared off. The orientation of the tree damage suggested a pattern of cyclonic rotation. Eyewitness accounts also detail both violently rotating debris just above ground level, and visual sighting of a funnel down to the surface near the shoreline. Any observed structural damage was relatively minor. A metal road sign was uprooted and blown across County Route 139, and a garage just off Wyers Point Road sustained roof damage from fallen trees. The tornado eventually crossed County Route 139 before emerging over the waters of Cayuga Lake between 3:50 and 3:55 pm EDT. ||At that point, evidence suggests that the tornado lifted back toward the cloud base over the open waters of Cayuga Lake. One eyewitness account from the King's Ferry Fire Station, which was about 2 miles east of the storm at this time, sighted a funnel cloud over Cayuga Lake, with the funnel observed to be well above the surface of the water.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindWaterloo$10,000Thunderstorm winds downed trees and wires.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindSeneca Falls$10,000Thunderstorm winds downed trees and wires.
August 2004Thunderstorm WindInterlaken$10,000Thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees.
July 1999Thunderstorm WindOvid$10,000Several trees and powerlines blown down across the southern part of the county.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindWaterloo$10,000A cluster of developing severe thunderstorms moved through central and southern portions of the county. Numerous trees and wires were downed in Waterloo at approximately 6:07 pm EDT.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindOvid$10,000A thunderstorm quickly became severe over southern portions of Seneca county. Downed trees and wires were reported in the town of Ovid. The cell weakened below severe limits a short time later.
May 2013HailWaterloo Povero Arpt$10,000no account filed
August 2007HailRomulus$10,000no account filed
July 1995Thunderstorm WindOvid$7,000no account filed
May 1996Thunderstorm WindSheldrake$6,000no account filed
April 2025Thunderstorm WindTyre$5,000Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down numerous trees and wires across several roads in the town of Tyre, including Gravel Road, Pucker Road, Black Brook Road and others.
June 2025Flash FloodCovert$5,000Water and debris were reported over roadways in the area.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindRomulus$5,000Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down several trees and wires in Romulus.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindWaterloo$5,000Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down trees. One large tree fell onto a home. Unknown if there were any injuries.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindOvid Arpt$5,000Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down multiple trees on the road.
April 2023FloodBorder City$5,000Street and road flooding was occurring. Vehicles were stuck in water.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindBorder City$5,000Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down a tree onto a mobile home.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindMac Dougall$5,000Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down a tree and wires down onto a vehicle along East Lake Rd. There was at least one person trapped in the vehicle. It was unknown if there were any injuries.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindMac Dougall$5,000Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down several trees and wires along and near Route 96A.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindInterlaken$5,000Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down a tree and lines on Holten Beach Road.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindBridgeport$5,000Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down multiple trees blocking a road.

Mines and quarries

5 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 5 workings inside this county. 2 still produce and 3 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Salt2
Limestone, General1
Sand and Gravel, Construction1
Stone, Crushed/Broken1

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Devils Gulch PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Seneca QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Seneca Quarry and PlantLimestone, GeneralPast ProducerSedimentary
Carrie Chapman No.1 WellSaltPast Producer
Seneca Falls Well No.12SaltPast Producer

Every populated place in the county

56

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.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.