About Solon

Solon is named after the Greek lawmaker, Solon, who was an important statesman and poet in Ancient Athens.

The Town was originally part of the Central New York Military Tract created by the State to pay soldiers for their service in the American Revolution.

Solon was first settled in 1794 and organized as a town on March 9, 1798.

Most of the early settlers of Solon came from New England, with the first permanent settlements attributed to Roderick Beebe (from Massachusetts) and Johnson Bingham (from Connecticut).  Johnson Bingham was Solon’s first Supervisor.

Solon was home to the notable Major-General Samuel G. Hathaway who in 1810 was appointed Justice of the Peace and held the office for 48 successive years. He represented Cortland County in the Legislature in 1814 and 1818.  He was elected to State Senate in 1822, elected to Congress in 1832 and was chosen presidential elector in 1852.  His home in Solon, known as the Hathaway Homestead, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.  The mansion looks much as it did back then and is now the Hathaway House, a reception and banquet hall under the management of the Tinelli Family for some 30 years.  

Since 1952, Solon has been home to 4-H Camp Owahta, a resident environmental and outdoor education center owned and operated by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cortland County.

Residents in the Town of Solon number 1,079 as of the 2010 census.

Please use the links to the right to learn more about the Town of Solon.