Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Government

Location

3421 U.S. Rte 20, Onondaga, NY 13215, USA

Lat/Long

42.927857491614, -76.274158384434

Grant Recipient

Town Of Onondaga Historical Society

Driving or biking through the scenic farmlands and orchards of Navarino, a small though proud hamlet in Onondaga County, visitors will follow some of the same routes and roads that first brought Shubael Hall to the region after purchasing lot 206 from Comfort Tyler in 1799. After that initial transaction, Navarino established itself as a thriving agrarian community throughout the subsequent decades. The Navarino marker, located at the crossroads of Route 20 and Amber Road, commemorates this Hamlet’s history which stretches back to the tail-end of the 18th century—whether it went by Hall’s Corners or Navarino.

Formerly part of the Onondaga Reservation, which included much of the county prior to 1796, the land that would become Navarino sat between Marcellus and the Town of Onondaga. Comfort Tyler, who was one of the first homesteaders in the region and was responsible for establishing much of the infrastructure which would allow for the growth of the region, was one of the initial speculators who acquired and sold the land. It wasn’t until 1799 when lot 206, which included acreage in the area that would eventually become known as Navarino, was sold to one, Shubael Hall.

The deed, dated November 19th 1799, stated that to Shubael Hall “and to [his] heirs and assigns forever all that contain lot of land known and distinguished by lot number two hundred and six in the late Onondaga Reservation.” Shubeal would not be the last Hall to the region: he was soon followed by Jehiel, Ephraim, Azeriah and a number of other family members from Connecticut, looking to stake their claim in the new area. So many Hall’s joined in fact, that throughout the 19th century the name “Hall’s Corners” was commonly used to refer to the community. In the Saturday 17th, 1867 edition of the Syracuse-based Daily Standard, an A. C., who was likely the Navarino Postmaster, Andrew Cummings, writes:

As I am sometimes asked the question, “Where is Navarino?” permit me to say Navarino is a small unincorporated village in the southwest part of the town of onondaga, where the road leading south from Terry Hollow crosses the State road, and is also known as “Hall’s Corners,” containing nearly one hundred inhabitants.

While the number of Halls in the area explains the name Hall’s Corners, what of Navarino? In 2022 primary sources remain elusive, however the most plausible explanation—and the one believed by most residents and local historians—is that the hamlet acquired its name in solidarity with the Greek people during the Greek War of Independence, taking the name of the famous 1827 naval battle that helped establish eventual Greek independence. It is also believed that the existence of another Hall’s Corners in the state spurred the adoption of the name.

However it became Navarino, throughout the 19th century the two names were largely interchangeable to those who knew the Hamlet as A.C. pointed out in the news article above. The community flourished and those who live there today remain proud of their history. To those visiting the marker, a subsequent visit to one of the surrounding orchards for apple-picking is highly recommended and a fitting reminder of the farming-based history that helped the area prosper.