Editing Romulus, New York (section)

== History ==
Before the [[American Revolution]], this area was controlled by both the [[Cayuga people|Cayuga]] and the [[Seneca people|Seneca]] nations of the [[Haudenosaunee]] (Iroquois). French [[Jesuit]] missionaries visited the area in the 17th century.  The [[Sullivan Expedition]] in 1779 destroyed native villages and drove many of the Native Americans away. Romulus contains the area of [[Kendaia]] (Apple Town), a former [[Iroquois]] (Seneca) village destroyed by the residents in anticipation of the arrival of the [[Sullivan Expedition]] on September 5, 1779.

After the war, this town became part of the [[Central New York Military Tract]], land for veterans of the Revolution. Returning natives were provided with land at the north end of Cayuga Lake.  This reservation was partly in the eastern side of modern Romulus. The first non-native settlers arrived around 1789.

The town was formed while still part of [[Onondaga County, New York|Onondaga County]] in 1794. In 1800, part of Romulus was used to make the town of [[Fayette, New York|Fayette]]. The north part of Romulus was used to form the town of [[Varick, New York|Varick]] in 1830.

The town also contains the former [[Seneca Army Depot]] (1941 - 1990s), built during [[World War II]] and finally closed in 2001. It was a major employer for citizens of Romulus and surrounding parts of Seneca County. [[Seneca Army Airfield]], located along N.Y. Route 96A, provided a long [[runway]] for transport aircraft.

[[Willard State Hospital]] was converted to a state prison drug treatment center in 1995.

The town is home to the [[Five Points Correctional Facility]], a New York state maximum security prison for men.

(Portions of a diary written by Henry McLafferty Jr (1819&ndash;1859) are available online from the [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]] [[Public library|Public Library]]: [http://www.rochester.lib.ny.us/~rochhist/v42_1980/v42i2.pdf Romulus Revisited: Extracts from the Diary of Henry McLafferty, Jr.] 1856&ndash;1857).