This information was contributed by Florence Gardner, a Town of Albion Historian (2000).
HISTORICAL TIMELINE FOR THE TOWN OF ALBION
Prior to 1788 — Indian Territory. It has been said that no Indian tribe actually lived within the area of Albion Township, but they did come to hunt & fish for Salmon during the spawning season. The Indian name for this area was "Alkineaur," which means "sand bank." Later, Sand Bank became the original name for the Village of Altmar.
March 1, 1788 — Indian territory ceded to the State of New York.
1792 — Roosevelts sell land contract to George Scriba, a native of Holland.
December 1794 — George Scriba receives a patent for this land from the State of New York. The area is now called "Scriba's Patent."
January 1795 — Subdivision of land begins.
March 24, 1804 — The Town of Williamstown is formed from Oneida County.
February 20, 1807 — The Town of Richland is formed from Oneida County. Later, the Town of Albion is formed from this.
1812 — The first settler arrives. Cary Burdick, a fur trader, purchases a parcel of land on the Williamstown road, about 2 miles south of the present Village of Altmar.
1813 — The Lilly brothers, David, Luther & Benjamin, settle in the same vicinity as Burdick and erect the first sawmill. The first birth was a son of Luther Lilly's. The first settler within present day Village of Altmar, Peter Henderson, a native of Scotland, purchases 200 acres of land bordering the Salmon River, and begins clearing the land for farming.
1814 — Dr. Brace, a physician, opens a tavern in the Village of Sand Bank.
1816 — The first schoolhouse is erected in the Village of Sand Bank, and Sylvia Breed becomes the first teacher.
1819 — The first marriage took place between H. B. Baker of Albany, and Lucy Burdick, daughter of the first settler.
1822 — Moses Rich arrives in Sand Bank and erects the first grist mill.
March 24, 1825 — The town of Albion is set off from the Town of Richland. On the original survey map of Scriba's Patent, this area was known as Township 22, or Alkmaar, so named by George Scriba for a town in Holland, his homeland.
May 3, 1825 — The first town meeting was held. Local officials were chosen for various offices. These can be found in Crisfield Johnson's, "History of Oswego County", or John Churchill's "Landmarks of OswegoCounty."
1828 — The first store opens. Ammi Hinckley, a native of Oneida County, arrives in Sand Bank and establishes a general store. Another tavern kept by William Abbott is in business at this time, too.
Summer of 1837 — The first Post Office was established. William Abbott was selected as Postmaster, and William Worden became mail carrier. Worden traveled many miles on horseback, between Oswego, Utica, & Albion, collecting and delivering mail.
January 27, 1829 — The First Presbyterian Church is organized. Services were held in the schoolhouse. Later, this church becomes the First Congregational Church.
January 8, 1834 — The Union Church is organized. A building was erected in the Village of Sand Bank, and shared by Presbyterians and Methodists.
December 26, 1837 — The Albion Baptist Church is organized. A building was erected in 1852 at Albion Center (on the corner of Tinker Tavern Road and Route 22). This building later became the Grange Hall.
1840's to 1850's — An influx of settlers begin arriving into the Town of Albion. The "lumbering" trade now becomes a prominent industry due to the extensive building occurring during this period in the area.
1850 — A "plank road" between Albion and Constantia is constructed. Two toll gates at the Sand Bank Village limits (what is now Route 13) were constructed. The Pineville Methodist Episcopal Church is built. The cobblestone foundations of the church were constructed of stones picked from the shores of Lake Ontario, and transported by wagon to Pineville (then called Salmon River).
1851 — Construction of the R. W. & O. Railroad through the Town of Albion. (Rome, Watertown & Oswego).
May 1851 — Completion of the Railroad Station at Sand Bank.
1852 — The first Tannery is established in Sand Bank. The Chapman brothers, James, Irving, & George, of Marcellus, arrive to establish the first of several tanneries located in the township. Many Irishmen, escaping from the "Potato Famine" in Ireland during the 1840's, found work here in the tanneries.
March 21, 1853 — The Sand Bank Cemetery Association is established.
1856 — The Dugway Union Church is organized and a building is erected.
1860's — During the Civil War, nearly 350 men enlisted in the Union Army and Navy, from this town. Fifty six of these men lost their lives and many more were permanently injured.
February 21, 1876 — Incorporation of the Village of Sand Bank.
October 13, 1885 — Sand Bank is almost totally destroyed by fire. All that was left of the business district was the Congregational Church & the Episcopal Church, which were still under construction.
February 17, 1895 — The Methodist Church constructs a new building.
March 18, 1895 — Sand Bank changed its name to Altmar.
June 14, 1911 — Unveiling of Civil War Monument in Riverside Cemetery, Altmar.
1918 — Twenty two men serve in World War I.
July 15, 1918 — Delbert Russell is killed in action.
April 24, 1936 — A brick school is built in Altmar. Elston Ecker becomes first principal.
1940's — Twenty men serve in the Armed Forces during World War II.
October 4, 1944 — Edgar Tryon is killed in action. He is buried in Edinburgh, Netherlands.
April 28, 1959 — Altmar Parish Williamstown (APW) School District builds a new high school in Parish. (Dedication Day).
1979 — The Salmon River Fish Hatchery begins construction in Altmar.
1989 — APW School District builds a new middle school across the road from the high school.
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