Montour Falls has had four names during its lifetime. Initially, it was called Queanettquaga by the Indians, then Catharine’s Town by early visitors to the region, Havana when it was settled in 1788 by non-Native American settlers, and Montour Falls beginning in 1890. One of the main tourist attractions of Montour Falls is the 165-foot Chequagua Falls, which can be viewed from the foot of Main Street.
The Greek Revival Village Hall, with its lighted dome and round brick pillars, is the old Havana Court House from the time when Havana was the county seat of Schuyler County. The New York State Academy of Fire Science, built in 1859 as the "People’s College", trains the firemen of New York State.
Queen Catharine Montour, for whom Catharine’s Town and Montour Falls were named, was a descendant of Madame Montour. She was adopted by Frontenac, the French Governor of Canada and married an Oneida Chief. Her log palace at Catharine’s Town was burned during the Revolutionary War.
Montour Falls was an important hub in its early years. In addition to being the county seat, it was the head of navigation on the Seneca Lake Inlet when the Chemung Canal was built in 1827. The Chemung Canal connected Seneca Lake with the Chemung River and, ultimately, the Susquehanna and Delaware Rivers.
Exerpt from Persons, Places and Things In the Finger Lakes Region
by Emerson Klees
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