The Town of Hinsdale, was formed from Olean, April 14, 1820.Ischua was taken off in 1846. It lies on the south border of the county, south of the center. The town was named after Hinsdale in New Hampshire. Its surface is hilly and broken upland. The hills are 500-600 feet above the valleys. Reservoir Lake is a small body of water near the southeast corner. Ischua and Oil Creeks form a junction near the center, and the united stream then takes the name of Olean Creek, flowing south through town.
Hinsdale at the junction of Ischua and Oil Creeks, contained in 1860, 2 churches and and several mills and manufacturing establishments. Its population was 255. It is a canal village and a station on the NY and Erie Railroad.
Scotts Corner, in the north part, contained a church and 13 houses.
Haskel Flat is a post office. The first settlers were Horace Noble, Charles Foot, and Thomas Lusk, who located near the present site of the village in 1806. The first religious meeting was held at the log barn of Zachariah Noble, in June, 1807. The first regular preacher was Reverend Reuben Aylesworth, in 1820, who organized the first religious association in 1821.
Early settlers included: Zechariah and Seymour Noble, in 1806. All of the original settlers came from Ontario County and before that Massachusetts.
The first child born was Clarissa, to Horace Noble, in 1808; the first death was Bibbin --------- in 1809.
The first school was taught by Rachel Turner, at Scotts
Corners, in 1818 . Elihu Murray kept the first inn, near Hinsdale
Village, in 1810. Emery Wood set up the first store in 1825 . A sawmill
was built by Lewis Wood in 1815; and the first
gristmill by Henry Conrad in 1825.
