Dolgeville

History

The village was founded in 1794 by Samuel Low with the construction of two mills. A grist mill and later a saw mill were built by Captain John Favill on Ransom Creek about 1795. Soon a little settlement sprang up as other settlers moved in; with a blacksmith shop, tannery and school house. Families by the names of Ayers, Spencer, Ransom, Spofford, Lamberson, Brockett and Rundell soon followed and settled the adjoining lands which they cleared for farms. The area was at first called "Green's Bridge" in 1805, as a settler named Green built a bridge over East Canada Creek. In 1826 the area received its first post office, with Zephi Brockett as postmaster, and the area was renamed "Brockett's Bridge" in his honor. In 1881 the citizens unanimously petitioned the authorities at Washington to change the name of the place from "Brockett's Bridge" to "Dolgeville". The village of Dolgeville was incorporated in 1891. The village changed its name to Dolgeville because of the economic growth promoted by Alfred Dolge (1848–1922), a pioneering and benevolent industrialist. In addition to factories, Dolge built a railroad, laid out the village, built two schools, installed an electric system, a water system, sewage, a fire department, a free library, a concert hall, a gymnasium, public parks, a newspaper, and pioneered in a pension and profit sharing system for employees. Thomas Edison's first water-powered dynamo was installed in Dolge's factory. Dolge's factory largely produced parts and materials for pianos. The Daniel Green shoe company partnered with Dolge after finding that the factory's piano felt was also well-suited for slippers. Dolge's factory and social endeavors failed financially in 1899, and the Dolge Company Factory Complex became property of the Daniel Green…

Geography

Dolgeville is located in east-central Herkimer County and western Fulton County at (43.102233, -74.772294). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.38%, is water. The main part of the village is in the northeastern corner of the town of Manheim, on the west side of East Canada Creek, a southward-flowing tributary of the Mohawk River. The section of the village on the east side of the creek is in the town of Oppenheim. The northern end of the village near the East Canada suffers from periodic flooding, with major floods in 2006, 2019, and 2022. New York State Route 29 (North Helmer Avenue/State Street) and New York State Route 167 (Main Street) intersect in Dolgeville, with NY 167 having its northern terminus at the intersection. Route 29 leads east to Johnstown, the Fulton County seat, and west to Middleville, while Route 167 leads southwest to Little Falls on the Mohawk River.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  5,718
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,818
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,698
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,352
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,315
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  3,986
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,821
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,430

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2026-04-26
  6 km SE of Lowville, New York
• M 3.1 — 2020-03-11
  0 km SSW of South Glens Falls, New York
• M 2.79 — 2015-09-27
  New York
• M 2.76 — 2011-08-27
  5 km WSW of Altamont, New York
• M 2.69 — 2011-08-25
  5 km WSW of Altamont, New York
• M 3.15 — 2009-12-13
  15 km N of Medusa, New York