Lodi

History

The area was occupied by members of the Seneca tribe until 1779 when the Sullivan Expedition destroyed their villages, including a Seneca orchard at Lodi Point. The town became part of the Central New York Military Tract. The first settler arrived around 1789. Silas Halsey arrived at Cooley’s Point in 1792 with an enslaved person. He constructed a cabin. In 1794, Halsey built Seneca County’s first sawmill. In 1799, in the area of Brokaw Road, a group of New Jersey Dutch farmers settled to form a Dutch Reformed community, eventually having two churches. Remnants of one of these churches is the McNeil Cemetery located in the area of Brokaw Road. The New Jersey Dutch settled into the area for several generations and eventually their churches combined with several other churches to form the United Presbyterian Church of Lodi. Descendants of these original Dutchmen reside in the town today. In 1826, Lodi was set apart from the Town of Covert. The town's post office was established in 1820 and originally used the town name "De Mott's Corners" (after the town's postmaster and shopkeeper) before officially changing to "Lodi" in 1829. It initially shared the "Lodi" name with a community in what is now Collins, New York (which was known as "West Lodi" to differentiate the two) before that community changed its name to Gowanda. The steamboat Seneca Chief is believed to have stopped at Lodi Point in 1828 during its inaugural voyage. After 1828, Lodi Point became a frequent stop for both passenger and freight steamboats traveling across Seneca Lake. Several warehouses were constructed at Lodi Point to handle items such as coal, lime, salt, lumber, groceries, and grain. By 1905, the commercial businesses at Lodi Point had disappeared, but steamboat service continued into the…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.8 square miles (103.1 km2), of which 34.2 square miles (88.6 km2) is land and 5.6 square miles (14.5 km2) (13.76%) is water. The west town line, delineated by Seneca Lake is the border of Yates County, and the south town line is the border of Schuyler County. The town is in the Finger Lakes District of New York. Located on the Eastern shore of Seneca Lake, Lodi is home to award-winning vineyards and accompanying wineries. New York State Route 96A intersects New York State Route 414 at the Village of Lodi.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  6,431
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  6,315
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,698
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,499
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,123
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,741
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  4,645
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,606

Most recent

• M 2.59 — 2007-04-11
  6 km NNE of Sodus Point, New York
• M 2.59 — 2005-10-31
  7 km NNW of Ontario, New York