Watertown, New York: City Profile and History

The city of Watertown is located in Jefferson County in the Empire state of New York. It is located near the Canadian border and 1000 Islands.

The estimated population in 2003 was 26, 782. It is in the Eastern Standard Time Zone and sits at an elevation of 466 feet.

If you were looking for the city using map coordinates, you would find the city at 43.974N. latitude and _75.9111W. longitude.

Watertown likes in the center, more or less, of Jefferson County. It is thirty-one miles south of the Canadian border and seventy-one miles north of Syracuse. The city has one airport, The Watertown International Airport.

Watertown is named after several falls located on the nearby Black River. The city was a manufacturing center in the 19^th century. Several years passed of generating industrial wealth, by the 20^th century, there were more millionaires per capita than any other city in the nation. A rich public and private architectural legacy was built by the residents. It is also the smallest city to have a park designed by Fredrik Law Olmstead. Olmstead is a celebrated and noted landscape architect who came up with Central Park in New York City.

The city is the birth place of both the "five and dime" and of the safety pin. The first portable steam engine was manufactured there. The city has the longest running county fair in the United States. It holds the Red and Black semi-professional football team franchise in the United States.

HISTORY:

Pioneers from New Hampshire settled Watertown in 1800. The most notable of the pioneers are Hart Massey, Henry Coffeen, and Zachariah Butterfield. The migration took place after the Revolutionary War. The Black River was the reason the area was chosen. The pioneers believed they would be able to use the river to create power to run an industrial center. However, all of the land was rough not cleared of trees and brush. Elevation was also to be a problem. The eastern end of the city was twelve to fifteen feet lower than the western end and there was a large depression in the middle of the city. Even a small stream passed through the town.

The Black River dropped at Watertown's location and this provided water power for early industry. By the time the mid 19^th century came around, paper mills and major industries had been built. The first portable steam engine was built in 1847. The city was then joined to the state by railroad in 1851. In 1853, other mills quickly joined the business base and helped generate money to support public works projects like the water system and illuminating gas works. Later, in 1879, a telephone system was installed.

There were manufacturing business in the area including the Davis Sewing Machine Company and George P. Huffman's Huffy Corporation which makes bicycles and other sporting goods.

Watertown became the county seat of Jefferson County in 1805 and it was made an incorporated village in 1816. It was later incorporated into a city in 1869.

Some notable people who were born or who have resided in Watertown:

Albert Bouchard, drummer and co-founded for Blue Oyster Cult

Joe Bouchard, bassist for and co-founder for Blue Oyster Cult

Rocco Canale, NFL player Philadelphia Eagles (1944-1949)

Allen Dulles, director of the CIA

Richard Grieco, actor, model, singer

Mary-Margaret Humes, actress

Dick May, NASCAR Spring Cup driver

Tim McCreadie, NASCAR Nationwide series driver

Viggo Mortensen - actor

Maggie Rizer, supermodel and AIDS activist

Frank W. Woolworth, founder of F.W. Woolworth Company and Five and Dime stores