Town of Tompkins, NY Website
Town of Tompkins, NY Website
Once part of the Town of Walton, the Town of Pinefield was split off from Walton in 1806. In 1808 it was renamed Tompkins, after New York state governor Daniel D. Tompkins. In the late 1800s Tompkins was the most populous town in Delaware County with over 4,000 inhabitants and had more schools than any other town to serve that population. In 1880 forty-four square miles were taken from the Town of Tompkins to form the Town of Deposit.
Cannonsville was the Town center, and most populous village, until the construction of the Cannonsville Reservoir in the early 1960s. This New York City Board of Water Supply project forced the evacuation of the populations of Cannonsville, Granton, Rock Rift and Rockroyal and the forfeiture of a vast amount of low-lying, prime farmland. In addition, the flooding disrupted the network of roads that tied the community together, and, in effect, divided the Town into two districts, north and south of the reservoir.
In 1962 the Town offices were relocated to the hamlet of Trout Creek, which has since served as the Town center. For many years the Town operated out of the highway building, but, due to a shortage of space, several Town officers used their own homes to conduct town business.
In 2004 construction began on a Town hall. A year later, as that building was nearing completion, a fire occurred in the Highway building, completely destroying it and a fleet of trucks and other machinery. A new building has been erected to house new trucks and equipment.
Currently the Town’s area is 104 square miles, 66,560 acres, with a population of about 1100 residents. TheTown of Tompkins Highway Dept. maintains 78 miles of their own roads, and in the winter, plows an additional 30 miles of county and city roads. Though in area Tompkins is one of the largest towns in Delaware County, it has the smallest population.
http://townoftompkins.org/
