 
Senate Resolution No. 851
 
BY: Senator RYAN
 
        COMMEMORATING the 200th Anniversary of the Town of
        Evans
 
  WHEREAS,  It  is  the  intent  of this Legislative Body to honor and
commemorate  the  distinguished  histories  of  the  communities   which
comprise the noble body of this great Empire State; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Attendant  to  such  concern,  and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this  Legislative  Body  is  justly  proud  to
commemorate  the 200th Anniversary of the Town of Evans, in Erie County,
New York; and
 
  WHEREAS, The  Town  of  Evans  is  located  approximately  20  miles
southwest  of  the  Buffalo metropolitan area, and is considered a rural
community with the benefit of 12 miles of waterfront; it is  located  in
geographic  proximity  to the major trading centers of the Northeast and
is a bi-national  gateway  for  commerce  due  to  the  region's  border
location with Canada; and
 
  WHEREAS, As of the 2010 census, 16,356 citizens lived in the Town of
Evans; and
 
  WHEREAS,  The  very first settler in the territory later to be known
as the Town of Evans was Joel Harvey, who arrived in 1804,  and  made  a
home  for  himself on the west side of 1 8-Mile Creek near its mouth; to
accommodate the emigrants who came from the East, he renovated his  home
into a hotel and tavern, named The Frontier House; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Although  many  migrants  stopped at The Frontier House on
their way to their lands newly purchased from the Holland Land  Company,
no  permanent  settlement  came  until  early  in 1809, when young Aaron
Salisbury located about three miles southwest of  the  hotel  and  Aaron
Cash settled near the North Evans locale; and
 
  WHEREAS,  In  1810,  Anderson  Taylor  settled  at the site of Evans
Center while Elijah Gates, Nathaniel Lay, John Barker,  and  Martin  and
Seth  Sprague  built their log houses in the general vicinity but nearer
the lake shore; the following year, other newcomers in  that  area  were
Gideon  Dudley,  David Corbin, Timothy Dustin, and a Mr. Pike; about the
same time, Job Palmer replaced Joel Harvey at The Frontier House; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Settlers  arriving  in  1811  included  James  Ayer,  from
Haverhill,  Massachusetts,  with his children: Gorham, Low Bradley, Mrs.
Martha Dart,  Mrs.  Mary  Low  Beal,  Mrs.  Sarah  Bradley  Black,  Mrs.
Henrietta  Atwood,  and  Ira  James, the youngest of the family, was not
born  until  later,  when  the  Ayers  were  ensconced  in   their   new
"wilderness" log home; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Later,  Hezekiah Dibble arrived, and in 1812, William Cash
from Dutchess County came and located in  the  southwestern  section  of
Evans  along  the lake shore; with his family of 12 children, he cleared
his large acreage and developed it into one of the fine farms of  Evans;
and
 
 
  WHEREAS,   Practically   all   of   the  families  mentioned  became
prominently involved in the civic affairs of their  community  in  those
early pioneering days; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Year by year following the War of 1812, immigration to the
lakeside area increased at such a brisk rate that it was not long before
the authorities began considering "town-hood" for the general  area;  in
March of 1821, the New York State Legislature proposed and passed an Act
for  the purpose of "erecting" the Town of Evans, to become effective on
March 31, 1821; and
 
  WHEREAS, In 1852,  the  first  railroad  in  Evans  was  built,  and
business  rapidly  moved  to  a new location, Evans Station, later to be
known as Angola; shortly thereafter, other buildings were moved into the
village where only three farms and farmhouses had been before; and
 
  WHEREAS, The Town of Evans was named after David E.  Evans  who  was
the  nephew  of  Joseph Ellicott, a prominent agent for the Holland Land
Company who had served as its clerk  for  that  organization;  in  1827,
Jacob Otto, the resident agent, died, and David E. Evans was selected to
succeed him; and
 
  WHEREAS,  David E. Evans was well-known for his efficient and humane
management of the Holland Agency's affairs in relation to  their  nearly
impoverished  settler-clients,  and  became  very  popular with both the
pioneers and the Company; under his administration,  about  one-half  of
all  the lands ever owned by the Holland people in Western New York were
sold, and the receipts of the Company were said to be  larger  than  all
such  receipts  under  the  administrations  of both Joseph Ellicott and
Jacob Otto; and
 
  WHEREAS, With the continuous coming of settlers, a  housing  problem
developed;  log  cabins  and, with the assistance of the first sawmills,
board-and-batten houses, and hotels were hastily constructed to meet the
ever-increasing demands for dwellings; and
 
  WHEREAS, Today, under the luminous  leadership  of  Supervisor  Mary
Hosler,  the Town of Evans stays true to its mission of being a home for
work, community and play; and
 
  WHEREAS, Remaining fruitful over the ebb  and  flow  of  decades  of
growth  and  change,  the  Town  of  Evans  continues  its commitment to
enhancing the quality of life  of  its  citizens,  ensuring  a  positive
business,  institutional  and  educational  climate,  and  providing all
essential services; now, therefore, be it
 
  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
commemorate  the 200th Anniversary of the Town of Evans, recognizing the
significance of the role it  continues  to  play  in  the  life  of  the
community of the State of New York; and be it further
 
  RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Mary Hosler, Supervisor, Town of Evans.
Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Town of Evans

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