Weedsport is a village in Cayuga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, Weedsport had a population of 1,788. The name is from Elihu and Edward Weed, merchants who helped found the village. Weedsport is in the town of Brutus, west of Syracuse. It was a port on the Erie Canal. Whitford's Airport is north of the village in the town of Cato.

History

Weedsport was within the Central New York Military Tract. The village was originally named "Weed's Basin" because the town had a basin (boat turnaround) during the Erie Canal era. The name was then changed to Weedsport.

thumb|[[Perspective map of Weedsport and list of landmarks from 1885 by L.R. Burleigh]]

During the Erie Canal era, Weedsport competed with the neighboring village, Port Byron, to be an entry port for the city of Auburn. The two villages competed economically until both fell under financial troubles during the closing of their respective ports (a friendly rivalry remains to this day, mostly in local sports).

The village was incorporated in 1831.

Weedsport Elementary School was built in 1908. Renovations to the elementary school in 1986 added more classrooms, a gymnasium, and a homemaking facility. Weedsport Junior/Senior High School was built in 1957 and later expanded in 1967 and 2005.

The Centreport Aqueduct was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. The First Baptist Church of Weedsport was listed in 2002, the Orrin W. Burritt House in 2007, and the Frank and Eliza Tryon House in 2014.

Geography

Weedsport is located at (43.0488, -76.5628).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.

New York State Route 31 and New York State Route 34 intersect in Weedsport. The New York State Thruway passes just north of the village, with access from Exit 40. The Erie Canal once passed through Weedsport but now follows the Seneca River one mile north of the village.

Demographics

thumb|left|Weedsport Free Library

As of the census

Weedsport was mentioned in Episode 379 of the comedy advice podcast My Brother, My Brother and Me, "6969 Cool Street", where a lengthy discussion was had with regard to the town's name and the titular address being located therein. As a result, the address itself became an internet meme.

Notable people

  • Justus D. Barnes, silent film actor who played a major role in The Great Train Robbery
  • Paul Parkman, American physician-scientist and virologist, one of the developers of the rubella vaccine.
  • Stacey Castor, murderer
  • William J. Cornwell, New York lawyer and legislator
  • Jay Faatz, Major League Baseball first baseman
  • James S. Havens, lawyer, Congressman and Eastman Kodak executive
  • George R. Hudson, Illinois businessman and politician
  • Ed Murphy, Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Chauncey Purple, Wisconsin businessman and legislator

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References

  • Village of Weedsport official website
  • Railroad Stations in Weedsport
  • Weedsport Presbyterian Church