Dryden

History

The region was part of the Central New York Military Tract, land given as compensation to soldiers of the American Revolution. Robert Harpur, a Clerk in the office of the New York State Surveyor General who named numerous New York townships in 1790 based on his own classical studies, named Dryden for John Dryden (1631–1700), the English poet and a translator of the classics (including the works of Virgil, with the town of Virgil being the next town east of Dryden). Dryden was also the translator of Plutarch's work Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans, which Harpur likely sourced for many of the names in the Military Tract. The first settler arrived around 1797. The town of Dryden was established in 1803 from the town of Ulysses. In 1856, some areas in the far southwest part of Dryden were ceded to the growing village of Caroline, New York, created from the Town of Spencer in 1811. In 2009, Dryden's Southworth Library sold an original manuscript of an Abraham Lincoln speech that had been delivered at the White House after his re-election. The document had been in the library's possession since 1926. It sold for $3.44 million, a record-high selling price for an American historical document at an auction. The Dryden District School No. 5 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, as was the Ellis Methodist Episcopal Church in 1993.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 94.2 square miles (243.9 km2), of which, 93.9 square miles (243.1 km2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km2) of it (0.31%) is water. The east town line is the border of Cortland County, where it borders Virgil, New York and Harford, New York. Continuing clockwise, bordering towns are Caroline, New York, Danby, New York, Ithaca (town), New York, Lansing (town), New York, and Groton (town), New York. New York State Route 13 intersects New York State Route 38 at Dryden village. New York State Route 79 crosses the southwest part of the town, and New York State Route 366 crosses the central part and intersects NY-38 in Freeville. A small part of New York State Route 34B crosses the northwest corner of Dryden. Cascadilla Creek flows out the west side of Dryden, as does Fall Creek and, in the far southwest corner of the town, Six Mile Creek. Virgil Creek is a major tributary of Fall Creek, entering it in Freeville after passing through the village of Dryden.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  68,321
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  66,370
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  63,864
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  61,358
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  60,647
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  57,486
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  49,470
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  46,962