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SCOTT was formed from Preble, April 14, 1815, and named in honor of General Winfield.
Scott. it lies in the north-west corner of the County. Its surface is chiefly an upland, broken by two deep and
narrow valleys which extend north and south through the town. The declivities of the hills are very steep and in
some places precipitous. Cold Brook flows through the eastern valley and Factory Brook and Skaneateles Inlet through
the western. Skaneateles Lake touches the north-west corner. The soil is chiefly a sandy and gravelly loam, better
adapted to grazing than to tillage.
Scott Center, (Scott p. o.) situated near the center of the town, contains three churches, viz., Presbyterian,
Methodist and Seventh Day Baptist, and about 300 inhabitants.
East Scott, (p. o.) in the north-east part, on Cold Brook, is a hamlet.
The mills of J. L. & L. H. Comstock are situated on Skaneateles Inlet, about a mile from Scott. The gristmill
is three stories high and contains three runs of stones. The gristmill and shingle mill of George Southwick is
situated on skaneateles Inlet. There are several other mills in various parts of the town.
The first permanent settlement was made in 1799 on lot 82, by Peleg and Solomon Babcock and Asa Howard, from Leyden,
Mass., and George Dennison, from Vermont. Cornish Messenger and Daniel Jakeway, from De Ruyter, settled on lot
92 in 1800, and M.axon Babcock upon lot 82 in 1801. Gershom Richardson and his two sons-in-law, by the name of
Clark, came from Pompey and settled on lot 71, and Henry Burdick, from Coiraine, Mass., on lot 72. John Gillet,
from Connecticut, came here in 1805, and subsequently located on lot 84. Mr. Gillett was a justice of the peace
for twenty years, associate judge for fifteen years, a member of the Legislature and Presidential Elector, all
of which offices he filled to the general satisfaction of the public and with credit to himself. Jacob Smith, from
Delphi, located on lot 84, and Daniel Doubleday on lot 85, wherehe spent a long and prosperous life. In 1805 Elisha
Sabins and John Babcock cleared a road from Scott’s corners to Babcock’s corners. They transported their goods
to their new homes on sleds. The next year Isaac Hall passed over the road with a wagon and a load of lumber. Game
was very abundant, bears were very troublesome to the farmers, destroying their corn and in other respects proving
themselves very troublesome neighbors. Deer were also very numerous, and one of the early settlers relates that
he went to the woods to cut a broom-stick, accompanied by a large dog. The snow was deep and the crust sufficiently
hard to bear a man. Before he had secured his broom-stick he had killed seven deer.
The first merchant in the town was Nathan Babcock; the first inn keeper, James Babcock, and the first postmaster,
John Gillett. The first birth was that of Harriet Babcock.; the first marriage that of Solomon Babcock and Amy
Morgan, in 1802. There being no person near who was authorized to marry, the parties went to Homer on horseback,
attended church aiid then called on Esquire Bishop, who performed the ceremony for them. The first death was that
of an infant daughter of Peleg Babcock. The first school was taught by Amy Morgan. The first post-master at East
Scott was Alvin Kellogg, of whom Ex-President Fillmore learned his trade, that of a, clothier. The first ordained
preacher was Elder Town.
The town of Scott was greatly harrassed by the depredations of bears, and in March, 1799, three persons started
in pursuit. One of the hunters soon gave out and the other two continued the trail leading towards Skaneateles
Lake. The snow was deep and these two soon gave up the chase and returned by a circuitous route, hoping to meet
with an old bear that had wintered in the neighborhood of the hunters’ home. As they approached the den oft he
old depredator he was discovered and both hunters discharged their guns, but only wounded the bear. He hastily
left for other quarters and was pursued all day, and, after camping out near Skaneateles Lake, they drove the,
bear into a clearing some eight miles from home, where they killed him and took off his hide, out of which they
made each of them a cap, which served to commemOrate the event.
The population in 1865 was 1,149 and its area 12,928 acres.
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