TROUPSBURG
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 628.

TROUPSBURGH 3 -- was formed from Middletown (now Addison) and Canisteo, Feb. 12, 1808. Parts of Greenwood and Jasper were taken off in 1827, and a part of Woodhull in 1828. A part of Canisteo was annexed April 4, 1818. It lies on the S. border of the co., W. of the center. Its surface is principally a hilly upland, broken by the deep valleys of small streams. The highest summits are 2,500 feet above tide and are the highest points in the co. Troups Creek, flowing S., is the principal stream. The soil is a slaty and clayey loam. Troupsburgh Center, (Troupssburgh p. o.,) on Troups Creek, near the center of the town, contains an academy 4 20 dwellings; South Troupsburgh (p. v.) contains 16 dwellings. East Troupsburgh, (p. o.,) West Troupsburgh, (p. o.,) and Young Hickory (p. o.) are hamlets. The pioneer settler was Samuel B. Rice, from Conn., who located E. of the center of the town in 1805. 5 The first religious association (M. E.) was formed at the house of Samuel Cady, by Rev. Parker Buell, first preacher. The census reports 5 churches. 6

     3 Named from Robert Troup, of N. Y., general agent of the Pulteney estate. - Turner's Phelps and Gorham Purchase, p. 279.
     4 This institution has an average attendance of about 60 pupils.
     5 Peter Young and Peter Dalson, from Addison, settled near Mr. Rice, in 1806; Lieut. Reynolds and Jonathan Rogers settled at the same place in 1809, Geo. Martin in 1810, and James Works in 1811. The first child born was Polly Young; the first marriage, that of Zebulon Tubbs and Sarah Rice; and the first death, that of Jeremiah Martin. Abner Thomas taught the first school, a little E. of Troupsburgh Village; Lieut Reynolds kept the first inn, 4 mil. from the Center, and Ichabod C. Leach the first store, 2 mi. from the Center. Geo. Martin erected the first gristmill, at Troupsburgh Village.
     6 2 Bap., 2 M. E. and F. W. Bap.

History of Troupsburg School
     Special - Old records have revealed that the Town of Troupsburg was settled in the year 1805, and that the first school was opened in 1809 with a man named Abner Thomas as the first teacher. The population of the entire township at that time was 292 persons.
     As the population grew, and the people pushed away from the center of the village, many small schools were built in 1896. There were 17 small district schools with a large school in the center, called the Troupsburg Academy. The overall school system employed 20 teachers and all the school property had a valuation of $6,910. In 1896 the district received $2,276.78 in state aid and raised $1,595.24 in school taxes.
     Fire destroyed the academy in the center of the village and with it, many important papers were lost. However, a new building was soon erected which many of the present residents can remember.
     We do know that a class of two or three people graduated in 1891 and another class in 1892. Nothing more is known until, 1909, when Mrs. Cecile Olmstead Hunt is the only known member of the graduating class. Others graduated in 1910.
     For many years there was no commencement exercises. The pupils were given their diplomas and certificates on the last day of school by their teachers or the school principal, but in 1914 a class of eight girls decided to hold commencement exercises. Members of this class were Lottie Mosher Cook, Mae Rude Bollen, Cleora Grenolds Grist, Anna Bell Gleason Potter, Blanche Cady, Florence White Reynolds, Hannah Knapp Dawson and Lucy O'Hargan. There was no school auditorium or room large enough to hold many people, so they used the hall upstairs over what is now Eddie Elwell's store for the first commencement exercises. With the help of the principal, Mr. Goldsmith, they held commencement exercises with a valedictorian, salutatorian, class will, class prophecy and, as they thought, a wonderful commencement program. For several years after this exercises were held in the hall and then in the Methodist Church.
     The first alumni banquet was held in the basement of the Baptist Church in June 1920 under the supervision of Mrs. Josephine Willis, school principal.
     In 1935, the taxpayers of the town voted to change the school system from a Union Free School to a Centralized system. After much hard work on the part of many local people, the State Department at Albany approved the new building and in the fall of 1937 it was ready for use.
     The first music class was organized in 1935 under the direction of Miss Christine Orr. The first Homemaking course was started in the fall of 1937 with Miss Nichols as Supervisor.
     As time goes by we see Troupsburg Central School advancing in all departments. We feel now that we have one of the best schools according to its size in New York State.
     In 1954 an addition was erected so that we might have a kindergarten for our growing population. Also a bus garage was constructed to house the busses.
     We would like to mention some of the pricipals through the years who have been instrumental in helping our school to grow. In early years there was Abner Thomas, Prof. Gifford, Darips Hober (Dee Hober's father), William Rude, Prof. Butts, Prof. Goldsmith, Mrs. Sabin, Mrs. Josehine Willis, Prof. Wedge, Wood Howell (who helped so much during the centralization), Joseph Horton, Charles Pocock, Harry Rude, Kenneth Clicquennoi, Richard Willover and Edward Tompkins.
     It has been 155 years since the first school was started in Troupsburg. During these years we have seen many men and women of our community work hard that our town and community might have the best education for our children and for the children of future generations.

Hornell Evening Tribune (Hornell, NY) July 1964.