Marcellus

History

The territory was part of the lands of the Onondaga tribe. Marcellus was a named township in the former Central New York Military Tract. It was first settled by outsiders circa 1794. The town was formed in 1794; the Town of Geddes was removed in 1798. The township of Camillus was taken off in 1799. Otisco was removed in 1806. In 1830, the western part of the town was used for the new Town of Skaneateles. Marcellus regained territory in 1840 from Spafford and Otisco. The Tefft-Steadman House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 32.7 square miles (84.6 km2), of which 32.5 square miles (84.3 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.3 km2) (0.40%) is water. US 20 is an east–west highway through the southern part of the town. NY 175 is an east–west highway and intersects with NY 174 at Marcellus village. Marcellus is at the eastern end of the Finger Lakes District and is at the northern end of Otisco Lake. High hills, deep valleys, lake and streams, make the town remarkably scenic. Nine Mile Creek is a noted trout stream where New York State provides several access areas. [http://www.marcellusny.com/parks/marcellus-park/ Marcellus Park], which was once an Onondaga County Park, was taken over by the Town of Marcellus in 1993. The village of [http://www.marcellusny.com/village/ Marcellus] is one of 15 villages in Onondaga County. Baltimore Woods Nature Center [http://www.takeahike.org] is nearby.

Race & ethnicity