Brasher, New York

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Brasher is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, USA. The population was 2,337 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Philip Brasher, an original landowner.

The Town of Brasher is in the northeast corner of the county and is southeast of the Village of Massena.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Communities and locations in Brasher
- 4.1 See also
5 External links

[edit] History

Settlement began after 1815. The town was organized in 1825 from the Town of Massena. In 1827, a small part of the Town of Stockholm was added to Brasher.

The iron industry was important in the early history of the town, first mining and smelting, but later the production of stoves and other goods.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 238.5 km² (92.1 mi²). 236.2 km² (91.2 mi²) of it is land and 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²) of it (0.97%) is water.

The St. Regis River, a tributary of the St. Lawrence River flows in the western part of the town.

New York State Route 37C is an east-west highway in the northern part of Brasher. New York State Route 11C passes through the southwest corner of the town.

The east town line is the border of Franklin County.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 2,337 people, 940 households, and 642 families residing in the town. The population density was 9.9/km² (25.6/mi²). There were 1,077 housing units at an average density of 4.6/km² (11.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.66% White, 0.21% African American, 2.01% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.86% of the population.

There were 940 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,909, and the median income for a family was $36,389. Males had a median income of $36,422 versus $20,101 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,808. About 14.0% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.1% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.

The Town of Brasher's once booming agricultural industry has since fallen on hard times recently. The rising costs of farming production with the relatively low price of milk has forced many of the farmers in the area, as well as in the nearby Franklin County and Malone area, to go out of business. The fire of the Joanette Farm in the summer of 2006 completely destroyed the last major, large scale farm in the town. While a few smaller farms remain, it is not close the what it used to be.

Brasher also has a very small, close knit population. The Summer Festival is one of the highlights. Riverside Campground and Erin's Isle are two major attractions of BRasher Falls, with both establishments owned by John Ward. Keenan Bros. Corn is a small business ran by John Keenan, his wife Mary, and the four Keenan boys that enjoys a wide acceptance in the town and most of Northern St. Lawrence County. The farm is located at the old Ward farm on County Route 53. Recent redevelopments of the downtown strip, led by Kevin and Nancy Weller and John Ward have included a small bakery/cafe ran by Anne Tyo and a gift shop ran my Chrissy Moody. A liquor store is slated to open and be operated by Al Pike, along with mainstay Bill Demers and his Barber Shop in the Boothe Builiding.

St. Lawrence Central incorporates all towns in the Tri Town district and is one of the largest districts in the East Coast, area wise. The average graduating class is around 50 students. St. Lawrence is a focal point of the town as well. It is made of two buildings, the elementary and the High School.

[edit] Communities and locations in Brasher

Brasher Center -- A hamlet on County Road 53 on the west bank of the St. Regis River, in the western part of the town. Development of the community began in 1826 with the construction of a dam and a mill.
Brasher Falls -- A hamlet in the southeast corner of the town on NY-11C that straddles the St. Regis River.
Brasher Iron Works -- A location on County Road 55 in the northern part of the town. It was the site of iron works first opened in 1836.
Deer River -- A stream in the south part of the town.
Helena -- A community at the junction of NY-37C and County Road 37 on the south bank of the St. Regis River. The name is from Helen Pitcairn, the daughter of a landowner, and the community was founded in 1819.
Ironton -- A location east of Brasher Iron Works in the northeast part of Brasher.