Welcome to Parishville. It was once inhabited by the Mohawk Indian Tribe. New York State made a treaty with the Mohawk Indians on March 29, 1791, in which they surrendered title to their lands. As soon as possible, these lands were to be put up for sale according to an act of the legislature. The principle purchaser was Alexander Macomb.
    After selling several of the ten towns, Macomb dropped out of sight, but he turned over or sold the property still in his possession to William Constable who sold it to de Chaumont on July 24, 1804. He in turn sold it to David Parish on December 2, 1810, and the town was named after Mr. Parish. Before a single settler had begun to build a house, careful plans for the Town and industries had been made. A Mr. Crary had surveyed the region in 1809 which met with Mr. Parish’s approval.
    There is a possibility that the Russell Turnpike had already been cut and that Hoard’s Road or path was connected with it. In 1810, Mr. Hoard, with workers recruited from Vermont, enlarged this path into a road wide enough to permit horses and wagons for hauling building materials. In the meantime, the Town of Parishville had been surveyed and cut into lots.
    The first settler was Luke Brown. He and several others came from Springfield, Vermont to work on the above mentioned road. Mr. Parish let him choose land for a farm. In March, 1811, he brought his family to the farm (which is now owned by Gary and Jane Snell) located now on Route 72. They immediately tapped the nearest maple trees to begin sugaring since white sugar was very expensive.
The following March 30, 1812, the first white child was born and christened Luke Parish Brown. Mr. Parish gave the child 50 acres of land for his name. The Township of Parishville was formed March 18, 1814.
    Parishville once had 14 mills located by the Gorge in the hamlet of Parishville and several others outside but still in the township. The Industrial era lasted only about 35 years.
We are very proud of our Parishville Hopkinton Central School and the Town Hall which is in very good condition and houses the Town offices. We also have a newly constructed Parishville Highway Department building on Rutman Road and the Kunoco Food Mart with gas pumps is located in the Hamlet of Parishville. There are two fine restaurants in Parishville; The Silver Café and The Timber Tavern. There are sand and gravel businesses and logging is still going on in the South Woods, Town of Parishville.
    There are two churches; the United Methodist and The Baptist. Parishville has an outstanding park on the edge of the Hamlet of Parishville, on the St. Regis River.
    The only organizations left are the Amber Masonic Lodge, The Parishville Historical Association and the AMVETS Post 265 of Parishville. The town has a very active fire department, Ladies Auxiliary, Emergency Squad and Dive Team. The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are still active too.
    The library is still open to the public on Monday evenings and let’s not forget the Parishville Museum, where visitors are always welcome.

The Parishville Historical Association
Invites you to visit the
Parishville Museum
at 1785 East Main Street
Hours: July and August- Tuesday and Thursdays 1 pm – 3 pm
Other hours by appointment
Call 315-265-7619