History

A Brief History of Sinclairville

Main Street, Sinclairville, 1899

Main Street, Sinclairville, 2023

The Village was founded in 1809 after the American Revolutionary War by Major Samuel Sinclear as "Sinclearville". The area was previously inhabited for hundreds of years by the Seneca people of the Iroquois Confederacy who, as allies of the British during the war, were forced to cede most of their lands to the United States and New York State. Most of the Iroquois migrated to Upper Canada, where they were given lands by the Crown. During the summer of 1810 Samuel Sinclear erected a mill and in the fall a frame dwelling which for many years was a village tavern, church and schoolhouse. William Gilmour was the first teacher for the 1813-1814 school year. In 1812 Captain Winsor built an ashery at Sinclearville and for roughly the next 20 years crude potash or black salts was the chief staple as it was the only product which commanded cash. These materials were transported down the Cassadaga Creek and Allegheny River to Pittsburgh where they were exchanged for tobacco, nails, and flour. Around 1812 Captain Winsor, Alvin Plumb and Obed Edson, step son of Major Samuel Sinclear, opened the first store in Sinclearville to serve the 15 families that were living there at the time followed by the first tannery in 1819 built by Bela Lord and Abel Potter. By 1830 the population had grown to 886 people including Dr. Orange Campbell and Dr. Henry Sargent, the fist physicians. Dr. Henry Sargent was also the first postmaster. June 2nd 1826 brought the building of the first church, The Baptist Church pastored by Reverend Blake. The personal library of Reverend McElroy of the Presbyterian Church, built in 1831, was eventually given to the Village which contributed greatly to the creation of the “Farmer’s Club of Sinclearville” Library that in 1870 became the Sinclearville Circulating Library with the President being Alonzo Langworthy, a store keeper and citizen instrumental in the building of the D.A.V. & P railroad that ran through Sinclearville. In 1830 a one- room red schoolhouse was built on the site of the present Village school. In 1846 a two- room school house with two additional wings was built in the same site as the red school house. In 1879 a Union Free School was erected that would open January 1, 1881. The Village of Sinclairville was incorporated in 1887 and ten years later in June of 1897 a charter was granted for the school to become a high school therefore creating the Cassadaga Valley Central School District. Sinclairville now calls itself “The Heart of Chautauqua County" due to its geographical location being literally the middle of Chautauqua County.

Brief Life History of Major Samuel Sinclear

Major Samuel Sinclair was born on May 10, 1762 to Col Richard Sinclear Sr, age 30 and Mary Polly Cilley, age 34 in Nottingham, Rockingham, New Hampshire. He married Sarah Sally Perkins on February 18, 1775, in Vassalboro, Kennebec, Maine. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 5 daughters. He registered for military service in 1777. In November of 1809 he made the first settlement of Sinclearville by building a log cabin in the woods, at the intersection of the roads now known as Park and Water Streets. His settlement became known as “Sinclearville”. During the summer of 1810 he erected a mill and in the fall a frame dwelling which for many years was a village tavern, school house and church. He later improved this house by putting in partitions, a stone fireplace, and a ladder for a stairway. During this time frame he also took on the very difficult task of cutting a wagon road threw the wilderness to Fredonia, then called Canadaway, the first road to be opened into the interior of the county. His family including his two step sons, Obed and John M Edson, joined him in 1810 and on July 4, 1811 the first male child George W. Sinclear, was born. Major Samuel Sinclear died on February 8, 1827, in Sinclearville, Chautauqua, New York, United States, at the age of 64, and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Village of Sinclearville & Charlotte, Chautauqua, New York, United States.

Sylvester House

1900 Sylvester House. Owned by Mr. Lee Lloyd and Henry Sloan who turned it into the Sinclairville Hotel in 1910, where overnight guest were charged $1.50 for supper, lodging and breakfast. On March 9th 1991 the building was destroyed by fire.

Livery Barn of Sylvester House/Sinclairville Hotel

The Livery Barn of Sylvester House/ Sinclairville Hotel where Claude T. Harrison and his carriage above would take guest from the hotel to the railroad station meeting both the morning and evening trains.

Sinclairville Band

The Sinclairville Band was a source of entertainment for visitors and residents of the village and continues to do so today.

The Old Stone House

The Old Stone House: Built in 1822 ( Color Picture: October 1997 right before the snow weight demolished the roof that winter leading to its total demolition) was built from stones taken from the Sinclairville Creek behind it by Alphonzo Norton and used as a blacksmith shop. Later it was used as a surveyor’s office, a tinsmith shop, a weigh station and eventually a residence in 1860. The stone house is also the location for local lore of the “Poison Pie Lady”. The “lady” in question was a woman by the name of “Mary” who by family accounts was a tall, angular woman with a pointed noise and sharp features. She was, as lore goes, a “perfect stereotype of a witch” according to Reva Moore, Granddaughter of Mary’s second husband George R. Luce. Allegedly, before coming to Sinclairville, Mary poisoned her first husband by putting “Paris green” in his pumpkin pie and this killed him. She was sentenced to die by hanging, but before the sentence could be carried out hanging was outlawed in the state, therefore since the sentence could not be carried out she was set free. It is said that the spirit of her late husband followed her to Sinclairville and haunted the stone house thereafter.

The Tornado of 1969

May 17 1969 a tornado churned its way through Sinclairville heavily damaging much of the Village. Of its 800 some residence only one was slightly injured.
The David Vern Luce American Legion Building / Present day Village of Sinclairville Offices