Jamesville, New York

History

The hamlet was named for early European-American settler James DeWitt. It was settled in the early Federal period after the American Revolutionary War, when the Iroquois tribes had been forced to cede their lands in New York to the United States.

The Dr. John Ives House, Saint Mark's Church, and Southwood Two-Teacher School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

2007 plant proposal

On January 16, 2007, a New York City company, Empire Synfuel LLC, submitted an application for site plan approval for a proposed coal gasification plant in Jamesville. It was to take over the site where the now abandoned Alpha Portland Cement factory once operated. The plant, projected to cost $1.3 billion and create up to 150 jobs, would have converted coal into synthetic natural gas.

The proposal faced opposition from area residents and town board members, who were concerned about such environmental issues as the proximity of the village's elementary school.

In addition, environmentalists opposed the plant because its releases of carbon dioxide would contribute to global warming.

The project was proposed at another site 40 mi (64 km) north, in the Town of Scriba. According to the Sierra Club, the second proposal was also defeated.