In this Blog about Namesake cities I have posted about towns named Athens, Florence, London, and Paris. So I thought that this time I would post about a town named Rome. There are eight "Rome's" in my book "For Namesake, aTravel Book - Places in America Inspired by Famous World Cities"._[1] This one is in the state of New York.

Rome, New York (43.212847, -75.45573) http://aMAP.to/romenewyork

Rome, New York is a city of 33,725 located in Oneida County. There are several New York Routes that run through Rome, including Routes 26, 46, 49, 69 and 365. Rome is located 15 miles northwest of Utica, the county seat of Oneida County. The Eric Canal and the Mohawk River run through the city. The closest colleges are in Utica. There you will find a campus of Empire State College, SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica and Utica College of Syracuse University. Rome is the home of the former Griffiss Air Force Base, which is now the Griffiss International Airport.

The area around Rome between the Mohawk River and Indian Creek was originally called the “Carrying Place” The early Dutch inhabitants called it “Trow Plat” and the Indians called it “De-o-wain-sta” meaning the place where canoes were carried from one stream to the other. Tradition has it that two forts were built here in the early 1700’s known as Fort Bull and Fort Williams. By 1756 both had been destroyed. Fort Stanwix was built in 1758 and was an important outpost in the American Revolutionary War. Settlers began arriving in the area after the war as early as 1784. The first Gristmill in the area was erected on Wood Creek in 1795. The community of Rome was formed in March of 1796. In 1797, the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company completed a two-mile canal connecting the Mohawk River with Wood Creek. In 1800 the first church was formed. On July 4, 1817 ground was broken for the Eric Canal. Rome was incorporated in March of 1819 and was named for the classical city in Italy. Some sources indicate that Rome was not incorporated until 1870. Its location on the Erie Canal and the New Central Railroad made Rome the most important stop between Utica and Syracuse. The Watertown and Osgdensburgh Railroad and the Oswego & Rome Railroad also ran through Rome. There were three Iron Companies in Rome during its early years; the Rome Iron Works, the Rome Merchant Iron Mill and the Rome Iron and Steel Bloom Company. In the 1900’s Copper ore became an important product for the city. _{[2] [3]}

Places of interest in Rome are the Capitol Theater, Eric Canal Village, Fort Stanwix National Monument, John B. Jervis House, John F. Kennedy Civic Center (Home of Rome Frenzy Hockey), Rome Art & Community Center, Rome Historical Society Museum, Rome Sand Plains Conservation Area, Rome Sports Hall of Fame, Sears Oil Company Museum, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution and Utica Rome Speedway. The nearby county seat of Utica has the Adirondack Scenic Railroad, Children’s Museum of Utica, Fountain Elms Mansion, F.X. Matt Brewing Company, Hotel Utica (1912), Mohawk Valley Ballet, Munson-Williams Proctor Art Institute, National Distance Running Hall of Fame, Oneida County Courthouse, Oneida County Historical Society, Players of Utica, Sculpture Space, Stanley Center for the Arts, Utica Memorial Auditorium, and the Utica Symphony Orchestra. Turning Stone Resort and Casino is located southwest of Rome on NY Route 365 and I 90.

There are several state forest areas to the north of Rome. Nearby lakes include Delta Lake, Hinckley Reservoir, Kayuta Lake, and Oneida Lake. State parks in the area include Chittenango State Park, Delta Lake State Park, Pixley Falls State Park and Verona Beach State Park. The Adirondack Mountains and Adirondack Park lie to the northeast of Rome.

Notable residents of Rome include Francis Bellamy, author of the United States Pledge of Allegiance; Walter R. Brooks, children’s author; Mark Chadbourne, composer and recording artist; Jerry Cook, former NASCAR driver; Richie Evans, former NASCAR driver; Henry A. Foster, United States Representative & Senator; Alex Haley, author of Roots; John B. Jervis, civil engineer; Tome Myslinski, NFL football player; and Benjamin Wright, Chief Engineer of the Erie Canal.

Notes:

1. http://www.amazon.com/For-Namesake-Travel-Book-ebook/dp/B00CBM6JFK/ or

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/for-namesake-a-travel-book-places-in-america-inspired-by-famous-world-cities-rick-etchells/1115130086?ean=2940016722009

2. http://history.rays-place.com/ny/onei-rome.htm

3. http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=1548

Picture: Fort Stanwix National Monument in Rome , New York (Wikimedia Commons - National Park Service Public Domain)