Canastota

Canastota (population 4,504 per 2020 Census) is a village located along the Erie Canal. The name is derived from an Oneida term meaning “cluster of pines near still waters.” Once a vibrant canal town, in later years Canastota became known for the growing of onions, which once accounted for a majority of villagers’ income.

Canastota hosted a convention of the abolitionist Liberty Party in 1852 and an important dress reform convention in 1857. In each case the location was chosen in part because Canastota lay just seven miles north of Peterboro, home of millionaire philanthropist Gerrit Smith, who was active in abolitionist politics and supported the dress reform cause.

Since 1990 Canastota, home of two twentieth-century boxing champions, has hosted the International Boxing Hall of Fame.