Town of Onondaga Historical Society

In 1995, the Town of Onondaga Historical Society was recognized as a chartered museum in New York State.  The TOHS and its' museum have been located in the Town of Onondaga Town Hall since 2005.  Our mission is to facilitate a better knowledge and awareness of the history of the Town of Onondaga which includes collecting, preserving, and making available for study our collection of artifacts, documents, photographs, and other historical records.  The TOHS Museum is the repository of the Onondaga County Poorhouse Recording Books dating back to the 1830s.

New Englander Ephraim Webster, a former Revolutionary War soldier, came to this area in 1786 to trade with the Onondaga native people and to make his residence here.  Other settlers soon followed, most notably fellow Revolutionary War veterans Comfort Tyler and Asa Danforth, attracted by the abundance of natural resources and opportunity for growth in this area.

Unlike most towns in Onondaga County, the Town of Onondaga was not a part of the great Military Tract but a portion of the original Onondaga Reservation.  It was an area that was crisscrossed by numerous Indian trails.  The Town of Onondaga was incorporated on April 2, 1798.  It became the first County Seat in 1805, with the courthouse erected on Onondaga Hill.  This area was chosen as being more suitable over the area known as Onondaga Hollow because of the greater "healthfulness" of the hill.