A Brief History of Perinton & Fairport

by Jean Keplinger

The Town of Perinton was officially established by the New York State Legislature on May 26, 1812. It was named for Glover Perrin who had helped to survey the land.

The earliest settlers, including many members of the Perrin family, were farmers, and they settled in the flat and well watered areas, specifically in Egypt and Perinton Center (the intersection of Turk Hill and Ayrault Roads). Early commercial ventures included mills, blacksmith shops, taverns, and inns.

By the late 1820's, the Erie Canal had opened up western New York. The Village of Fairport became a booming canal town, which eventually eclipsed other surrounding canal settlements

From the 1850's to the 1950's, Perinton's history was primarily Fairport's history. The village was an active canal port, and also a booming industrial town, echoing a trend that was occurring nationwide. As a result of the availability of cheap and easy transportation, which by the 1850's included the railroad as well as the canal, companies like the DeLand Chemical Company, the Cobb Preserving Company, Taylor's Oil of Life, and eventually the American Can Company, grew and thrived. Services, including a fire department, a public library, street lighting, and parks, enhanced the life of the town and village. Residential areas, with homes built In a variety of architectural styles, were built around the thriving village center.

The town, outside the Village of Fairport, remained essentially rural until the 1950's. Today, farms still exist in Perinton, but are surrounded by suburban subdivisions, office and industrial parks, and an impressive number of parks and open spaces.

Although the old buildings along South Main Street in Fairport were torn down and replaced, the village still maintains the ambiance of a canal town and capitalizes on the recreational aspects of that canal.

The community looks to the future with the goals of maintaining reasonable growth and preserving both its rural and canal town heritage.