<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0KPOVy_0vkczMlN00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0KPOVy_0vkczMlN00" width="300" height="450" ></figure>The area in and around the village of Ilion at the northern edge of the town of German Flatts in Herkimer County, NY, has welcomed settlers for three hundred years. Over these centuries of time, the few cabins built on the flat lands adjacent to Steele’s Creek and just south of the Mohawk River grew into a town whose population topped 10,000 in the 1960 census.In its heydays, buttressed over the years by several diverse and prosperous industries, the community became a vibrant, self-sufficient enclave featuring such desirable amenities such as a well-run school system, a competently-staffed hospital, public parks, and rail and bus services.Like so many of the communities in Central and Western New York, the arrival of the Erie Canal kick-started more than a century of growth, development, and prosperity in Ilion.Products from its factories eventually reached a world-wide market. Domestically, Mark Twain used one of its typewriters, and General Custer favored a Remington rifle. The chapters of a new volume of Ilion history —like its two predecessors — is replete with stories about the people, places, and events that collectively tell what life in Ilion was like.Joseph D. Collea, Jr.’s Our Town—Ilion, New York: A Selective Look at 300 Years of History (Vol. III) was published in June. Collea has lived much of his life in Ilion, making him a writer intimately acquainted with the village. A product of its school system, he later became a teacher, vice-principal, and principal at Ilion High.In addition, his eleven years as an elected official on the Ilion village board — the last six as mayor — have all combined to give him a unique perspective and special insights into the town and its history.Book Purchases made through this Amazon link support the New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State. </div></body>

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3rd Volume of History of Herkimer County’s Village of Ilion Published

The area in and around the village of Ilion at the northern edge of the town of German Flatts in Herkimer County, NY, has welcomed settlers for three hundred years. Over these centuries of time, the few cabins built on the flat lands adjacent to Steele’s Creek and just south of the Mohawk River grew into a town whose population topped 10,000 in the 1960 census.