History of Vestal

Broome County was formed from Tioga County on March 28, 1806.  Originally part of the Town of Union, the Town of Vestal was established on January 22, 1823.

First known as Crane's Ferry and then Vestal Mills, documentation of the origin of the name Vestal has not been found.  Most historical articles attribute Robert Harpur with naming the town after Vesta the Roman goddess of the fire and it's hearth and the Vestal Virgins who kept the sacred fires.

Located in the southwest corner of Broome County, Vestal is bordered on the north by the Susquehanna River,  on the south by the state of Pennsylvania, on the east by the town and city of Binghamton, and on the west by Tioga County.

The town is 52.5 square miles or 31,892 acres in size.  There are approximately 135 miles of roads within the township.  Vestal's lowest elevation of 828 ft. is found at the Susquehanna.  Rolling hills rise to 958 ft. at Vestal Center, 1187 ft. at Tracy Creek, 1687 ft. at Ridge Road, 1849 ft. at West Hill, and 1860 ft. at the French Tract in the southeast corner of the township.

In addition to the Susquehanna River, there are three major creeks in the township; Choconut, Tracy, and Sugar Creeks.

Archaeological excavations along the river have established Vestal's earliest inhabitants as Native Americans from the late Archaic period (2500-2000 BC).  The small chert projectile points with side notches excavated along the Susquehanna in Vestal from this period are documented as Vestal Points.  Native Americans living in the Chugnut village at the mouth of the Choconut Creek around 1755 were from the Oneida and Tuscarora tribes, two of the Iroquois Federation's Six Nations.  Evidence of their long houses, burned by General Poor's army in 1779, has been found at the location.  Native American graves have also been found along the Susquehanna at Willow Point.

Hamlets within the Town of Vestal:

• Ross Corners is named for a prominent lumberman, David Ross, who was a storekeeper from 1838 to 1890 and operated rafts on the Susquehanna.
• Tracy Creek, named for Benjamin Tracy, is located on Tracy Creek in the southwestern corner of the town.  The most prominent hamlet in the mid-1850's, it was known for its lumbering operations and large farms.
• Twin Orchards, located in the northern portion of the town along the river, was named for its large apple orchards.
• Vestal Center, previously Vestal Centre, is located four miles south of Vestal's main district.  The Big Choconut Creek flows through the hamlet where grist, saw, and planing mills, along with a wagon shop and hotel, once operated.
• Willow Point, located along a bend in the Susquehanna was named for the many willow trees growing there.