History

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HORNELLSVILLE

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Hornellsville is a town located in Steuben County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 4,042. The name comes from early settler George Hornell Jr., who built the first gristmill here.  

The Town of Hornellsville is at the west border of the county. The township is situated near the center of the western boundary of the county and is bounded on the north by Dansville and Fremont, on the east by Howard and Canisteo, on the south by Hartsville, and on the west by Allegany County.

The original purchase of Hornellsville, was, no doubt, made upon the recommendations and report of Richard  Crosby, Solomon Bennett, Capt. John Jamison and Uriah Stephens, who explored this section in 1788.

The town was first settled around 1790 in the vicinity of the modern city of Hornell. The Town of Hornellsville was created in 1820 from part of the Town of Canisteo. Territory from Hornellsville was used to form the Towns of Hartsville (1844) and part of Fremont (1854).

In 1852, the community of Hornellsville became the incorporated Village of Hornellsville and in 1888 became the City of Hornellsville. It changed its name to the City of Hornell in 1906. The City of Hornell is surrounded by what is known today as the Town of Hornellsville.