Erwin
Steuben County
New York

Gazetteer of the State of New York: Embracing a Comprehensive View of the Geography, Geology, And General History of the State, and a Complete History and Description of Every County, City, Town, Village, and Locality. With Full Tables Of Statistics. By J. H. French. Syracuse, N.Y.: Published By R. Pearsall Smith 1860.

Page 625.

ERWIN 5 -- was formed from "Painted Post," Jan. 27, 1826. Lindley was taken off in 1837 and a part of Corning was annexed in 1856. It lies W. of Corning, in the S. E. part of the co. Its surface is about equally divided between high, rolling uplands and the low valleys of streams. The summits of the hills are 400 to 600 feet above the valleys. Tioga and Canisteo Rivers unite in the S. E. part of the town, and Tioga and Conhocton Rivers in the N. E., forming the Chemung River. The valleys of these streams are 1 to 2 mi. wide. The soil upon the hills is a shaly and clayey loam, and in the valleys it is a fine quality of alluvium. Nearly three-fourths of the surface is yet covered with forests. The lumber trade is extensively pursued. Painted Post, (p. v.,) situated at the junction of Conhocton and Tioga Rivers, is a station on the Erie R. R. and the B., N. Y. & E. R. R. It contains 2 churches, a bank, and iron foundery and machine shop, a tannery, and a flouring mill. 6 Pop. 777. Coopers Plains (p. v.) is a station on the B., N. Y. & E. R. R. and contains 1 church. Pop. 293. Wm. Harris, an Indian trader, settled at Painted Post in 1787. 7 The census reports 4 churches. 8

     5 Named from Col. Arthur Erwin, of Bucks co., Penn., an officer in the Revolutionary War, by whom the township was purchased of Phelps and Gorham.
     6 One mi. w. of Painted Post is a saw, shingle, and planing mill, that gives employment to 75 men, and turns out 8,000,000 to 11,000,000 feet of lumber per annum.
     7 David Fuller, Eli Mead, and __ Van Nye settled in the town in 1791-92; and Samuel Frank, and Arthur Erwin, Capt. Howell Bull, and John E. Evans, in 1800-01-02. Samuel Erwin built the first sawmill, in 1820, and the first gristmill, in 1823; and David Fuller kept the first inn. in 1792. The first school was taught by John E. Evans, in 1812.
     8 2 Bap., Presb., and M. E.