The opening in 1817 of the state prison, built on land donated by citizens, and the establishment in 1829 of a theological seminary, which is affiliated with Union Theological Seminary, stimulated additional growth. Prison labor was cheap and, until 1882, legal. By the early 1920s the town was firmly entrenched as an industrial center and market for the region's agricultural products.
Fort Hill Cemetery, 19 Fort St., contains part of a hill thought to have been erected by Moundbuilders as well as the graves of William Seward, secretary of state under Presidents Lincoln and Andrew Johnson; former slave and Underground Railroad champion Harriet Tubman; and Logan, a Mingo Indian orator who led a war party in 1774 in retaliation for the murder of his family.
Visitor Centers
Cayuga County Office of Tourism 131 Genesee St. Auburn, NY 13021. Phone:(315)255-1658 or (800)499-9615
Things to Do
Cayuga Museum & Case Research LabHarriet Tubman National Historical Park