Farmersville was formed from Ischua in 1821 and has an area of 30,906
acres. With little land too steep for cultivation, there is no town in the
County with less waste of tillable land than Farmersville. The main occupation
was agricultural - grazing cattle and production of cheese, hay, grains and
potatoes. The main waterway is Ischua Creek. The first highway was a State road
(appears to be the current Route 98) which was laid in 1816 and ran from
Franklinville to Fairview.
Contracts for land in Farmersville were entered into with the Holland Land Company
in 1805. The first permanent settlement was made where Farmersville Station
is now located, in 1817.
Excellent shipping facilities were available by way of the Western New York &
Pennsylvania (1872), which crossed the southwest corner of the Town. Buffalo,
Rochester & Pittsburgh railroad (1878) entered the Town along the north border
and had a station at Farmersville.
The Village of Farmersville, known as Farmersville Center, in the 1890's contained
2 churches, a school house, a hotel, a general store, 2 blacksmith, 2 shoe
shops, a wagon shop, a harness shop, a grist mill, and a cheese factory (1880 -
Howden Brothers).
Farmersville Station, in the northern part of the Town, was located on the
Buffalo, Rochester & pittsburg railroad and in the 1890's contained a church, a
hotel, a hardware store, 3 general stores, a blacksmith shop, a saw and grist
mill, a cheese factory, a telegraph/express office, and a post office.
The hamlet of Fairview, a post office station, located in the northeast corner of
the Town and partly in Allegany County, also contained a church, a cheese fac~
tory, a grocery store, a blacksmith shop, a wagon shop, and a cooper's shop (Barrel maker).
The hamlet of Laidlaw, northwest of the center of Town, contained a post office
(1891), a cheese factory (1890 ).
Source: Cattaraugus County Book 1808-1995/96