A Little About Us
The first settlement in what became the Town of New Bremen was the “Castorland Company,” in 1798. That was the vision of a group of French investors seeking a new home for those wishing to escape the unrest in the homeland. The site was near the present hamlet of Beaver Falls but the émigrés were unprepared for the harsh conditions in the northern wilderness and the settlement failed.
About 1830 James D. LeRay acquired a large tract of land and established the Dayanville settlement on the banks of Crystal Creek. The Town of New Bremen was formed in 1848 and Dayanville became New Bremen, named for the great port city of Bremen, Germany. The first Town Board meeting was held at the home of Charles G. Loomis, with Bornt Nellis serving as the first Town Supervisor and Squire H. Snell as the first Town Clerk. Early Town business included voting for a bounty of $5.00 on wolves and panthers. In the general election of 1913, taxpayers elected John Illingworth as the first New Bremen Highway Superintendent. He was paid a wage of $3.50 per day with his term begining on January 1, 1914. Early industries including sawmills, gristmills, blacksmith shops, a door, sash and blind factory, and a brewery were established along the creek. A dam created Crystal Pond that provided waterpower for the mills. Today Crystal Creek is a noted Brown Trout fishing stream and is stocked annually.
The Town of New Bremen, Lewis County, New York, is bounded on the west by the Black River with the Beaver River forming part of its northern boundary. It is further bordered by the Town of Croghan on the north and the Town of Watson on the east and south. The western half of the town lies in the Black River Valley while the eastern half is in the rising foothills of the beautiful Adirondack Mountains. The New Bremen - Croghan town line splits the Village of Croghan with St. Stephens Church being in New Bremen and the Maple Museum in Croghan.
The area of the town is 64.65 square miles with a population of 2,706, as of the 2010 census.
Industries in the Town include the Farney Lumber Corporation and Aries Chemical Co. The town also boasts many farms, and small businesses such as - Duflo Spray Chemical, Croghan Candy Kitchen, New Bremen General Store, Zehr's Flower Shop, Adirondack Steel Works, Sliders Food Mart, Rusty P's, Pond Effects Bar & Grill, Dollar General; as well as many in home businesses.
Town Historian
Mitchell Fidler
(315) 346-1513 or
(315) 222-5526
[email protected]