Theresa, New York
Theresa is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 2,648 at the 2020 census, down from 2,905 in 2100. The town is named after Theresa La Ray, the daughter of an original landowner. The town of Theresa contains a village also named Theresa. The town and village are in the northern part of the county, north-northeast of Watertown. History The history of Theresa begins with the Native American cultures who lived in the area as early as 841 B.C. The first of the Native tribes to inhabit the town of Theresa was a group called the Meadowood Phase, who were early Woodland Indians according to the categorization of Dr. William A. Ritchie. This tribe is believed to be part of the early Adena culture and subsisted on hunting and gathering. Evidence of the tribe existing in the area was found at Muskellunge and Red lakes with finds of weapon points, nets, sinkers, and other various tools from needles to a beaver tooth wood scraper. Later, the Iroquois used the Theresa area as a hunting and fishing ground. Evidence supports that at one point the Iroquois had villages in the surrounding area and used the waterways of Theresa for trade and travel. The first Europeans to stay in the town were not settlers, but smugglers using the waterways for business. The Indian River was a highway for trade and boat traffic, the obstruction of the high falls notwithstanding. The falls made it necessary for travelers to unload and carry merchandise from the upper to lower level. Smugglers, normally having no time to spare, required the use of two flat-bottom boats. Travelers in less of a hurry also carried their boats to the lower level, but smugglers used a second boat and abandoned the first boat. Many early pioneers found and had free use of the abandoned boats in the early settlement of the town. The settling of Theresa began January 4, 1800, when David Nelson bought of land from the Antwerp Land Company. LeRay then subdivided the land for the purposes of settlement and development. By 1810-11 LeRay had erected mills at the falls and brought cattle to graze, but settlement was stunted by the War of 1812. After the war, development continued, and in 1814 LeRay had a bridge built across the river. A year later a dam and mill were built just under the bridge. In 1817, the Shurtliff and Ball families were the first to purchase lots in the town. A year previous to this President Monroe had the Military Road built for frontier protection that connected Theresa and most of the surrounding towns, which helped lead to more settlers coming to the North Country. Following the building of the road the first taverns were built at West Corners and Chaufty's Corners. LeRay had a gristmill and a tavern built to stimulate the sale of land. The improvements made by LeRay and others did much to stimulate the growth of the town. Over