Dresden

Dresden is a village in Yates County founded in 1811. From 1833 to 1877, it was the eastern terminus of a canal connecting Seneca and Keuka Lakes. It then became a regionally important rail junction point. Its population has remained around 300 from the 1830s until the present.

Freethought orator Robert Green Ingersoll was born here on August 11, 1833. His father, the Rev. John Ingersoll, was an early abolitionist.

Ingersoll returned to his birthplace only once, on September 24, 1889.

The birthplace has been restored multiple times. Since 1993 it has been open each summer and fall as a museum. (Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Ingersoll Museum will not open during 2020.)

The Robert Green Ingersoll Birthplace Museum is an anchor of the Freethought Trail.