Town History

Early Settlement

The Town of Middlefield is located in the heart of the Leatherstocking Region of New York State. It runs along the east side of Otsego Lake, the beautiful Glimmerglass of James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales. It is a gently hilly area divided by the meandering Cherry Valley Creek and Red Creek as they wind their way to the Susquehanna River.

In the mid-eighteenth century Middlefield was divided into several large tracts of lands called land patents. The Godfrey Miller Patent encompassed the northwest portion, the John Bowers Patent was on the southwest, and the Volkert Outhout or Long Patent ran the entire length of the eastern side of the town.

Among the first settlers were Alexander, Benjamin, Daniel and Reuben McCollum, Samuel and Andrew Wilson, William Cook, Andrew Cameron, and Andrew Cochran. They settled in Newtown-Martin, an area which became the hamlet of Middlefield Center.

Revolutionary War Era

During the Revolutionary War the area was under constant threat of Indian attack since the Indians were aligned with the British. In 1779 the settlement at Cherry Valley was nearly wiped out by Indians in what is known as the Cherry Valley Massacre. Although the region was virtually evacuated at this time, after the conclusion of hostilities eager settlers flooded back to the area.

19th Century Growth

The early nineteenth century saw significant business activity. In 1815 the Phoenix cotton mill was established, later becoming a woolen mill around 1866. Middlefield Center became home to a shoe last factory which was one of the largest in New York State.

Despite business growth, agriculture remained the backbone of the economy. Farming steadily converted to dairying and cheese making, before hop growing swept Otsego County. As soil exhaustion took its toll, farmers returned to dairying as the century ran its course.

Civil War and After

With the coming of the Civil War, many men from Middlefield served in the 121st Infantry Division of the Union Army. These men saw action at Antietam, Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Wilderness and Salem Chapel.

After the Civil War a new schoolhouse was built near the mill in the hamlet. It opened in 1875 and ran until 1954 when it consolidated with the Cherry Valley district.

Modern Middlefield

The Old District No. 1 Schoolhouse became headquarters for the Middlefield Historical Association. In the 1980s the hamlet of Middlefield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Throughout its history the town of Middlefield has remained a picturesque and quiet rural town. Referred to as the Land of Steady Habits, its residents have been industrious and content in the place they call home.