Our previous Town Historian, Phyllis Keeler, writes “Contrary to common belief, Galway, NY has no roots whatsoever in Galway, Ireland. The first known settlers were a group of ten Scotch families from Galloway Shire in Scotland. This group came over on the same ship and arrived in this area in 1774. They settled on land extending along the present Sacandaga Road (Route 147) from the north boundary of the present Village of Galway south into what is now the Town of Charlton. These settlers called their settlement New Galloway after their early home in Scotland. Around 1785 the name was shortened to Galloway. When the name of the town was recorded at the County offices in Ballston, a clerk misspelled the Galloway name and recorded it as Galway.
In 1772, Saratoga district (then spelled Saraghtoga) was sectioned off Albany County. In 1775, the district of Balls-town was sectioned off Saraghtoga district. In 1792, Charlton, Milton and Galway were set off Balls-town. In 1796, the towns of Providence, Edinburg and a part of Day were sectioned off Galway. The Galway Town boundaries were set in 1796. According to W. Bronson Taylor’s ‘Stories and Pictures of Galway’, the Town of Galway contains 27,805 acres of land. Galway Village takes up 160 acres of this land, a perfect square with it’s intersection at State Route 147 (north-south) and County Road 45 (east-west)
The Village has one mayor, 2 trustees, a clerk/treasurer, a court justice and court clerk.
| Historic Pictures of Galway |
Village of Galway – Located on the northwest corner of the village crossroads and facing the Village Park. The fire of 1908 started in this building. For many years the Denison Family operated a general store on this site. Today the Galway Market is located there.
This watering trough was placed at the East End of the Village Park by Horace W. Carpentier. This view shows the Carpentier home and the Humpstone children with their pony. Photo courtesy of Galway Preservation Society.
McChesney’s in the 1930’s, left to right Clarence McChesney, Kenneth Denison, Harold Oakes, Pete Hammond. Photo Courtesy of Galway Preservation Society.
The stage in front of the Galway Hotel, 1907.Possibly Galway’s first stage line was the one to Amsterdam, the next to Schenectady via Crane Street in Charlton. This was soon replaced by the route through Charlton Village. Photo courtesy of Galway Preservation Society.
Old Galway Fire Department, before 1908. The first fire equipment, which was used until 1924, consisted of a soda-acid tank on wheels and a ladder truck of the same type. The Galway Volunteer Fire Company was incorporated in 1922.
Historic Parkis Mills-Galway, NY. Home of the “Parkis Prepared Pancake Flour” developed in 1920, by Edward Parkis. This is the site of the first gristmill in Galway owned by David Campbell.
Home of McChesney family and James Hunter Store and Post Office c. 1950, North St. Galway Village.
Catholic Church and rectory, west side of South Street, Galway Village 1907
East side of South Street, Galway Village 1907
Galway Hotel Chimney after Galway Fire Sept 17, 1908