January 29th marks the 200th anniversary of the founding of Macedon, and the town is celebrating with a birthday celebration at the Macedon Public Library on January 28th. The celebration, which runs from 10am to 2pm, will feature displays such as the Wayne County Bicentennial quilt, speakers, and a birthday cake celebration at noon.
The founding of Macedon took place during a time of significant change in the late 1700s. The Phelps & Gorham Purchase, a land deal that took place in July 1789, resulted in the first settlement of the area. The land was surveyed into six-mile square townships that were laid out in a grid of ranges and tracts. Macedon would eventually be designated Tract 12, Range 3.
It wasn’t until 1823 that legislation was passed creating the Town of Macedon from what was then Palmyra, Ontario County. And on April 11th of the same year, Wayne County was officially acknowledged by the New York State Legislature, formed from both Ontario and Seneca Counties.
Many families in the town can trace their roots back to the founding of Macedon. These families still exist in the area, with some streets even being named after them. Local names include Airy, Aldrich, Allen, Allyn, Baker, Bastian, Beal, Bills, Billing, Durfee, Hance, Herendeen. Hoag, Jennings, Lapham, Mann, Norton, Osband, Packard, Porter, Ramsdell, Reed, Smith, Taber, Willits, to name just a few.
Agriculture played a vital role in the community, with the Packard family being one of Macedon’s original settlers. The family will be celebrating their bicentennial in 2025.
Macedon will be joining Wayne County in a series of events planned throughout the year, including the April 11, 2023 Founding Day Celebration at the Ballroom at Carey Lake, Walworth, and the August 14-19, 2023 Wayne County Fair, which will feature a Torch Relay through each town in Wayne County.
For more information, visit facebook.com/macedonbicentennial or web.co.wayne.ny.us/541/Bicentennial-Events.
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