named after George Scriba, was formed April 6, 1811, from Fredericksburg (now Volney), which was then a part of Oneida county, and lies upon Lake Ontario and the east bank of the Oswego River. It is crossed in the north by the Rome, Ogdensburgh and Watertown railroad station of North Scriba, while its western part, parallel to the river, runs the Oswego canal.

The early settlers were mostly from Herkimer county in this state, with a sprinkling of the Puritan element of New England, representing that restless, industrious class which can best draw out the hidden resources of a virgin country. A people prosperous and intelligent, they are justly noted for hospitality and the social virtues, while their broad charity and public spirit find them foremost in every enterprise conducive to the general welfare.

The first pioneers who penetrated the wilds of Scriba, found an interminable forest of hemlock, beech, and maple, interspersed with cedar, beneath which was a dense undergrowth, the home of the deer, the wolf, and the deadly rattlesnake. To add to the unpleasantness of pioneer life in this section, the settlers were subject to the intrusions of the Indians, who often frequented the area, while on their hunting and fishing excursions.

Small cabins were made up of logs and covered with bark; the floors from basswood, hewed on one side. The windows and doors were small openings, generally covered with blankets, skins, or boards, though it is said of the more aristocratic that instead of glass “they sometimes used greased paper.” The only substitute for a stove was the old-fashioned stone fireplace, taking in logs of wood eight feet long, with an opening in the roof for the passage of the smoke. Imagine furniture in accordance with such a house, and we have a fair picture of the forest homes of 1800.

The soil is a gravelly and sandy loam, moderately fertile, well supplied with stone, and best adapted to the raising of fruit, apples being the staple product. Grain and potatoes are raised also, and there is a growing interest in the dairying business, both butter and cheese being produced, with three cheese factories in operation. The land is well adapted to agriculture, and is sufficiently well watered for all farming purposes, as springs are abundant, and there are numerous streams with their small tributaries flowing both north and south. Some of these, Black Creek in particular, afford valuable mill privileges.

To encourage immigration and development of the country, land was sold to the settlers for two dollars per acre, and on indefinite time, by paying the cost of executing the contract, keeping up improvements, and paying for the annual interest. Lots were also given for church buildings to religious societies that wished to build, and in some instances, mill-sites were given for private mills.