Erie County’s Bicentennial Coming Up Next Week

Next Friday will mark a historical day for Erie County. The county will be turning 200 and will be celebrating its bicentennial.

It was back on April 2nd, 1821 that Erie County was officially recognized by the state of New York. According to Wikipedia, Erie County was formed out of a section of Niagara County.

In 1821, Erie County was created out of Niagara County, encompassing all the land between Tonawanda Creek and Cattaraugus Creek. The first towns formed in the county consisted of Amherst, Aurora, Boston, Clarence, Collins, Concord, Eden, Evans, Hamburg, Holland, Sardinia and Wales

According to the latest census info, the county has a total area of 1,227 square miles with 85% of it being land and the other 15% made up of water. 

Get our free mobile app

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted out that the county will be celebrating and plans for that celebration will be announced on Monday.

The county has formed EC200 to help celebrate the milestone. On the county's website, Poloncarz said now is the time to look to help the county grow in the future

At times in our history, it is important to pause and reflect on where we’ve been, the challenges and successes we’ve had, and the path that has brought us to this point in time. Erie County’s rich, vibrant and bustling history will be spotlighted and celebrated throughout our bicentennial year as EC200 gives us all the opportunity to become better acquainted with the men and women who shaped our county into what it is today. Having this historical perspective makes us better-prepared to understand our role and responsibility in continuing Erie County’s growth for the next 200 years

There are 75 places on the National Register of Historic Places in Erie County. Some of those places include The Depew High School, Millard Fillmore House, Graycliff, US Post Office-Springville, and more.