Macedon, New York

Macedon is a town in Wayne County, New York, United States. The population was 9,148 at the 2010 census.

The Town of Macedon is named after the birthplace of Alexander the Great, in Greek province of Macedonia, Greece. It is located in the southwest corner of Wayne County and contains a village also named Macedon. The town is east of Rochester and west of Syracuse.

History

Prior to early settlement, the area in and around Macedon was home to the Seneca Nation, a tribe member in the Iroquois League.

The town land was acquired for settlement in 1788 from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as part of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. The first settlers, Webb and Hannah Harwood, arrived in 1789.

The construction and completion of the Erie Canal from 1817-1825 brought many new settlers to the area. The town of Macedon was incorporated during the canal construction in 1823, from what had been the western half of the Town of Palmyra. The opening of the Erie Canal led to the forming of new port communities like Wayneport and the Village of Macedon, with the latter centered on Lock 30.