Misplaced Pages

This article is written like a personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay that states a Misplaced Pages editor's personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic. Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style. (July 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Pierstown, New York
Hamlet
Pierstown, New YorkShow map of New YorkPierstown, New YorkShow map of the United States
Coordinates: 42°46′18″N 74°54′46″W / 42.77167°N 74.91278°W / 42.77167; -74.91278
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Otsego
Town	Otsego
Elevation	1,427 ft (435 m)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	13337
Area code	607

Pierstown is a hamlet located on CR-28 north of Cooperstown and west of Five Mile Point in the Town of Otsego, in Otsego County, New York, United States.

Pierstown Grange No. 793 is located here and is one of three remaining in Otsego County. It is a contributing building to the Glimmerglass Historic District.

History

The story of Pierstown unfolds rapidly, its early days marked by the industrious hum of mills harnessing the power of Leatherstocking Creek as it cascaded over Leatherstocking Falls. Imagine a bustling scene: three sawmills slicing through timber, three gristmills grinding grain, and a carding machine processing wool. Add to that a lively social scene with five taverns, three stores, and a multitude of other businesses – tanneries, blacksmith shops, even a brewery.

But time, as it often does, brought change. By 1886, only a solitary blacksmith shop remained as a testament to Pierstown's once-thriving past. Agriculture took center stage, transforming the town into a pastoral landscape. This shift mirrored trends across upstate New York, where farming eventually declined in the latter part of the 20th century.

Pierstown's origins trace back to the Pīer family, pioneers who settled the land as part of the Great Barrington Purchase around 1786. Six brothers established themselves on the Brick House Farm, one even opening a tavern. Notably, brother Abner served in the Revolutionary War, enduring a harrowing ordeal during the Cherry Valley Massacre where he was tomahawked, scalped, and wounded, yet miraculously survived.

References

1. "Pierstown". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
2. New York History: Quarterly Journal of the New York State Historical ... J Alexander Clarence Flick - 2007 -"A tiny farming hamlet that has all but disappeared in the current century, Pierstown is located several miles north of Cooperstown, New York, west of Otsego Lake. The only mention of Pierstown in a 1903 Otsego County map is a road labeled ...
3. Simonson, Mark (November 3, 2007). "From mills to farming, Pierstown once thrived". The Daily Star (Oneonta). Retrieved September 28, 2017.

v t e Municipalities and communities of Otsego County, New York, United States
County seat: Cooperstown
City	Oneonta
Towns	Burlington Butternuts Cherry Valley Decatur Edmeston Exeter Hartwick Laurens Maryland Middlefield Milford Morris New Lisbon Oneonta Otego Otsego Pittsfield Plainfield Richfield Roseboom Springfield Unadilla Westford Worcester
Villages	Cherry Valley Cooperstown Gilbertsville Laurens Milford Morris Otego Richfield Springs Unadilla
CDPs	Burlington Flats East Worcester Edmeston Fly Creek Garrattsville Hartwick Hartwick Seminary Mount Vision Portlandville Schenevus Schuyler Lake South Edmeston Springfield Center Unadilla Forks Wells Bridge West End Westford Worcester
Other hamlets	Cattown East Springfield Federal Corners Index Oaksville Pail Shop Corners Pierstown Pleasant Brook Richfield Salt Springville‡ Silver Lake South Hartwick Taylortown Toddsville Welcome West Burlington West Edmeston‡ West Oneonta
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
New York portal United States portal

• Hamlets in Otsego County, New York
• Hamlets in New York (state)