Mayfield

History

The land that is now the town was formed by portions of several colonial land grants, including: The Mayfield Patent (1770); Col. Daniel Claus' Patent (1770); Cpt. Norman McLeod's Patent (1770); Lt Benjamin Roberts' Patent (1770); The Kingsborough Patent (1753); The Kayaderosseras Patent (1701); Sacondaga Patent (1741); Glen's Purchase (1770); the Glen, Bleecker, and Lansing Patent (1793); and Chase's Patent (1792). The first European settlements began under the authority of Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet. His exploits as the British Superintendent of Indian Affairs acquainted him with the lands which were the territory of the Mohawk nation of the Iroquois Confederacy. A settlement known as Philadelphia Bush formed in the southern part of the present town in the early 1760s, and in the eastern part of the present town, settlement was simultaneously started in the basin of the Sacandaga Valley. A settlement on the Mayfield Patent began in 1772, and Johnson erected a grist mill on the Mayfield creek the following year or year after. The settlements were situated on the war path taken by Sir John Johnson and his Loyalist and Mohawk raiding forces during the Revolutionary War, which devastated the early pioneers. A fort, known as the Sacandaga Blockhouse, was erected in May 1779 to protect the remaining settlers from further raids. However, due to several attacks, the Mayfield area was mostly abandoned by the end of the war. The town was established in 1793 from the town of Caughnawaga in Montgomery County before the formation of Fulton County in 1838. It was one of the first three such towns formed, and was fully organized on April 1, 1794. Part of Mayfield was taken in 1805 to form the town of Wells (now in Hamilton County). An additional part of Mayfield was…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 9.74%, is water. Mayfield is mostly within the Adirondack Park and is on the southwestern shore of Great Sacandaga Lake. New York State Route 30 is an important north–south highway in Mayfield. NY-30 intersects New York State Route 30A at Riceville. New York State Route 349 is an east–west highway in the southern part of the town. East–west highways New York State Route 29 and New York State Route 29A converge in the southern part of Mayfield, west of Vail Mills.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  3,336
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,157
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,834
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,491
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,471
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  2,343
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  2,082
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,970

Most recent

• 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
• M 2.56 — 2009-12-13
  14 km N of Medusa, New York