Orwell

The town of Orwell was formed on February 28, 1817. The town was first settled in the “year of the eclipse”, 1806. The naming of the early settlements was taken by a young boy, Elliot Eastman, son of one of the first settlers. Eastman called the center settlement Moscow (now known as Orwell); the next settlement down the road Pekin; the area to the north and east Chateaugay, in honor of a French palace: other settlements that developed were Vorea, Beecherville, Stillwater, Bennett’s Bridge and Pine Meadows. Orwell is a rolling landscape at the foot of the Tug Hill plateau. Many hills in the town afford breathtaking views west of Lake Ontario and Mexico Bay.
The Salmon River passes though the town, dropping 110 feet into a shale gorge.

Many other streams and brooks dot the landscape. Salmon River Reservoir was developed behind a dam in 1913. Another smaller reservoir was built at Bennett’s Bridge in the 1930s. The town of Orwell was formed on February 28, 1817. The town was first settled in the “year of the eclipse”, 1806. The naming of the early settlements was taken by a young boy, Elliot Eastman, son of one of the first settlers.Eastman called the center settlement Moscow (now known as Orwell); the next settlement down the road Pekin;the area to the north and east Chateaugay, in honor of a French palace: other settlements that developed were Vorea, Beecherville, Stillwater, Bennett’s Bridge and Pine Meadows. Orwell is a rolling landscape at the foot of the Tug Hill plateau.Many hills in the town afford breathtaking views west of Lake Ontario and Mexico Bay.