Town of Nichols History

By

Bill Caloroso, Town/Village Historian

Nichols is a rural town bordered on the north and west by the Susquehanna River, to the east by the Town of Owego and the south by Pennsylvania. The town has about 31 square miles in area and combines a fertile river valley with less fertile rolling hills. The highest point in the town is near Briggs Hollow at 1628 feet. The lowest point is 770 feet. With the exception of the Susquehanna River, the largest stream is the Wappasening Creek that empties into the Susquehanna at the Village of Nichols.

The first settlers came here in 1787. They did not own any land, however. The first permanent settlers settled here in 1791. Their first homesteads were near the site of the Asbury Church, on west River Road. Many of the early settlers came to this region from the Minisink area of the upper Delaware River basin, the Wyoming Valley area or western New England.

Nichols was named after a Colonel Nichols, a civic-minded landowner, and formally established as a town in 1824. During these years there was much commerce whereby goods were floated down the river, especially during periods of high water. Once the lower Susquehanna was reached the goods were sold and the rafts were torn down and the timber sold. The rafters then walked back home to New York.

The first bridge was built across the Susquehanna River from Nichols to Smithboro in 1831. In the fall of 1849 the Erie Railroad was built west along the north shore of the Susquehanna. Because of its location, the bridge across the river and a ferry that crossed the river, Nichols became a gathering place and shipping point for agricultural goods and timber products. Much of this was transported from nearby Pennsylvania. Typically these goods were moved across the river and loaded on the railroad. The settlement of Nichols experienced significant growth during this time. During 1881 the Delaware Lackawanna & Western Railroad was built along the south shore of the Susquehanna linking the Scranton area with the port at Buffalo. Now Nichols had its own rail connection. By this time area roads were improving enough to allow the movement of goods longer distances to reach shipping points like Nichols. During times when crops such as potatoes were ready to be shipped, communities like Nichols became very busy places. Businesses like livery stables, hotels, saloons and other establishments experienced a brief tremendous upsurge in business. By the end of the 19th century the area that was to become the Village of Nichols had become a well-established retail center.

1912 was the year of the first “Old Home Day” celebration, a tradition that continues today. One problem that portions of Nichols always had was high water. During the March of 1936, water was almost four feet deep at the corner of Main and River St. This problem continued until the dikes were built surrounding the village in 1971. In the middle 1950s the last class graduated from the Nichols High School. A new elementary school opened in Nichols during 1958. During these years a part of Nichols joined what now is the Tioga Central School District and the eastern portion of the community joined the Owego-Apalachin School District.

By the late 1950s the community started to change with the opening of the IBM facility in Owego. Some local businesses closed and fewer people found employment within the town or village. This trend was to continue for many years. Route 17 was opened in the early 1970s both east and west of Nichols. Working in Binghamton or Elmira was now an easy trip for a resident. Nichols was becoming more of a “bedroom” community for the nearby, more populated areas.

The village population from the year 2000 census is 574 residents and for the town is 2584 residents. One can still purchase groceries, hardware goods, limited clothing, gasoline and dine out in the community. If one needs much more the clock would have to be turned back 50 years or we will have to hop in our cars.