Editing Hebron, New York (section)

== History ==
Settled in the late 18th century, Hebron was first known as the District of Black Creek. The British Crown granted parcels of land in the area, called "patents," to soldiers who served in the [[French and Indian War]] (1754-1763) (the North American front of the [[Seven Years' War]]).  Most of the grants were to members of the Highland Scottish 77th Regiment.  Many of the parcels were transferred from officers and soldiers to speculators, who sold them to New England and Scotch-Irish settlers. Some of the patents that form the town are Lintot, Blundell and Sheriff.  Originals of these patents are held by the [[National Archives and Records Administration|National Archives]].

The town of Hebron was formed March 23, 1786, and named after [[Hebron, Connecticut]]. Its namesake is the biblical [[Hebron]], the largest city in the present-day [[West Bank]], 30&nbsp;km south of [[Jerusalem]].

The main road running north–south through the Hebron area, now named Route 22, used to be known as the “Great Northern Turnpike” (or “the Turnpike”). Two historic milepost markers remain in the town, one at 7047 State Route 22, the second just north of Chamberlin Mills Road. A third is just south of the town line with [[Salem, New York]].  A peddler's wagon belonging to Lorenzo Levi Brown of Hebron is in the wagon collection of the [[Museum of Long Island]] at [[Stony Brook, New York]].

The town developed as an agricultural community, which it still is today. By 1864, it was the chief potato-producing area of Washington County.  Potatoes have been superseded by dairy farming. In recent decades, farms have been consolidated into larger operations. While the town has numerous residents whose families have been in the area for three generations, it also has new part-time residents who have second homes here. Others have retired here for the beauty of the area.<ref>[http://www.adirondack.net/towns/hebron/ Town of Hebron], Adirondack.net, accessed February 20, 2012</ref>

=== Hebron Volunteer Fire Company ===
The West Hebron Volunteer Fire Company was formed in 1947. Willard Bain, a charter member, died in February 2008. The first fire truck, BRUSH 356, was put into service in 1947 and operated until 2008. It was retired after the purchase that spring of a CAFS truck ATTACK 356. In 1978, the East Hebron Fire Company was formed after the homes of Nelson Greene and Alfred "Pug" Getty burned down. Getty donated the land and Greene led the group of volunteers who built Station Two. The two companies later merged to form the Hebron Volunteer Fire Company. [http://www.hebronvolunteerfirecompany.com/ www.HebronVolunteerFireCompany.com]

The Hebron Volunteer Fire Company First Response Team provides emergency medical services to the town. These firefighters/emergency medical technicians (EMTs) respond to medical and trauma-related calls. All first responders are licensed as EMTs by the State of New York.  David Getty, a lifelong resident of Hebron, is Fire Chief.

=== Hebron Preservation Society ===
The Hebron Preservation Society was chartered by the State of New York in 1975. The Society maintains a museum, with collections held in two historic buildings located on the east side of Route 22 in the hamlet of East Hebron. The former one-room school house built in 1845 was acquired from the Salem School District, and a small tenant farm house,  built in the early 19th century, was purchased in 1990. The society published ''HEBRON: A Century In Review'' in 1988, with a second edition in 2006. The museum houses a display of school house memorabilia, varied articles, ledgers, books, and family genealogies pertaining to the residents, businesses and organizations in Hebron.

=== Beauty of Hebron potato ===
The Beauty of Hebron potato variety was promoted by a local seedsman, Edward L. Coy (E.L. Coy). Both Coy and Rachel Campbell of Hebron took credit for the discovery. The variety was a naturally fertilized seedling of Garnet Chili. The earliest published reference to the Beauty of Hebron variety is from the 1876 Annual Agricultural Society Meeting in [[Marblehead, Massachusetts]].  The next year, in 1877 the [[US Department of Agriculture]] introduced the Beauty of Hebron potato to growers in 26 states for tests. Various major seed companies of the time claimed credit for its commercial introduction, including J. M. Thornburn of New York City, JJH Gregory of Marblehead, and Peter Henderson of New Jersey.{{citation needed|date=February 2012}}

In 1879 Coy shipped "Hebron Beauties" to London. The Beauty of Hebron was one of the varieties used to restock the British Isles after the potato blight and [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine of Ireland]].  Its use spread throughout the British Empire to localities such as [[New Zealand]] and [[New Caledonia]]. By the turn of the 20th century, it was also a favorite of market and home gardeners in the United States. In 1946, the USDA did not list it in commercial production in the United States, but the 1959 ''Potato Variety Handbook'' of the [[American Potato Association]] includes the Beauty of Hebron. Most current tissue culture stocks and tubers came from Elmer Hansen of [[Alberta, Canada]]; in 1988 he provided seed to [[Will Bownall]] and the [[Seedsavers]] organization, devoted to preserving historic varieties.{{citation needed|date=February 2012}}

The Beauty of Hebron is listed on the [[RAFT]] list of Threatened American Foods.<ref>[http://www.environment.nau.edu/raft/ Renewing America's Food Traditions - RAFT, Center for Sustainable Environments<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311022420/http://www.environment.nau.edu/raft/ |date=March 11, 2015 }}</ref> The Beauty of Hebron is maintained at the Canadian Potato Research Centre in [[Fredericton, New Brunswick]], Canada; the [[University of North Dakota]] Potato Breeding Program; and with a commercial breeder. As of 2008, it was not known if the potato variety was in commercial production. Due to Sally Brillion of the Hebron Preservation Society, amateur gardeners began to cultivate the Beauty of Hebron potato in 2006.{{citation needed|date=February 2012}}