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History · Conesus Lake

33% of Conesus Lake’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1901 on and old-book passages.

0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Conesus Lake’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Conesus Lake are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19013 editions of the USGS map, 1901 to 1951. Watch Conesus Lake change.
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Start Conesus Lake’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Conesus Lake’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Conesus Lake on the map, 1901 to 1951

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Conesus Lake. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Conesus Lake on the 1901 USGS mapConesus Lake on the 1942 USGS mapConesus Lake on the 1951 USGS map1901Honeoye sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Conesus Lake.

The story so far

Conesus Lake, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Conesus Lake yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Conesus Lake is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Livingston County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, Conesus Lake had a population of 2,270. The community is located in the towns of Geneseo, Livonia, Groveland, and Conesus and covers Conesus Lake, the westernmost of New York's Finger Lakes, and nearly all of the lake's shoreline communities.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,584 to 2,270 (-12%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Conesus Lake in 1881

Passages that mention Conesus Lake, cut from the printed page as they were published.

authentic record of it, the first permanent settlement must be ascribed to James Henderson who, in the year 1793, came from Pennsylvania, and located at the head of Conesus Lake, where he built a log house on lot 49, on land now owned by B. F. and R. F. McMillen.
1687. History of Livingston County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1881 · page 324Read the page →
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authentic record of it, the first permanent settlement must be ascribed to James Henderson who, in the year 1793, came from Pennsylvania, and located at the head of Conesus Lake, where he built a log house on lot 49, on land now owned by B. F. and R. F. McMillen.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The town derives its name from Conesus Lake, which was named for the celebrated Indian chief, Conesus. f The town was first organized in 1821 as Freeport.
1687. History of Livingston County, New York, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1881 · page 323Read the page →
Read the text

The town derives its name from Conesus Lake, which was named for the celebrated Indian chief, Conesus. f The town was first organized in 1821 as Freeport.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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Famous people

Famous people close to Conesus Lake

Nobody well known was born in Conesus Lake itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

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Kenneth KeatingAmerican politician and diplomat · b. 1900
A
Albert Francis BlakesleeAmerican botanist · b. 1874
W. W. ThayerAmerican judge · b. 1827
Winifred GreenwoodAmerican actress · b. 1885
J
Jonathan Homer LaneAmerican astronomer · b. 1819
Francis BellamyAmerican Christian socialist Baptist minister · b. 1855
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

LakevilleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLivonia2 historic placesAGeneseo4 historic placesA

Questions about Conesus Lake’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.