Historic Geneva Curator John Marks Profiles Treaty of Hartford and Preemption Line

There is a line that marks the beginning of the Greater Western New York Region. Only the first attempt to draw that line failed. How did it come about and why was it initially misdrawn? Click the link below for this week’s episode of The State of Greater Western New York Report to see what happened and when it happened.

On December 15, 2022, Congressman Joe Simpolinski read into the official Congressional Record denoting the official anniversary of the Treaty of Hartford, signed December 16, 1786, and what many consider to be the birthday of the Greater Western New York Region (see “U.S. Congressional Record Officially Recognizes December 16, 1786, Treaty Of Hartford As The Beginning Of Greater Western New York Region,” Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel, January 5, 2023). John Marks, Curator of Historic Geneva, explains the argument between Massachusetts and New York that led to the Treat of Hartford, what the Treaty did, and who first acted upon it.

In the next segment of the show, Marks relays how the line was surveyed, where it went off course, and one of the reasons why it might have been misdrawn. He also explains what happened to those living in “The Gore,” as the overlooked triangle has come to be known.

Our guest happily answered questions from the live audience. In fact, these are probably some of the same questions you had. Would you like to be a live audience member so you can ask our guests questions? Click here to join the growing number of members who share your feelings on StateOf.GreaterWesternNewYork.com because then we can automatically send you the link to watch our shows live.

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