How Did Binghamton, Endicott and Johnson City Get Their Name?

Are you ready for a bit of local history? No, there will not be a quiz at the end of this article. It's just a nice little bit of knowledge about the history of some of our local towns, villages and cities.

Binghamton was named after William Bingham who hailed from Philadelphia in the 1700s according to Wikipedia. William Binghamton was a Senator for the United States from Pennsylvania. He was also a land surveyor and developer who set his sights on Northeastern Pennsylvania as well as the Southern Tier of New York. Wikipedia notes that Judge Joshua Whitney Jr. named Binghamton in honor of William Bingham.

Johnson City was originally incorporated in 1892 as the village of Lestershire according to the Village of Johnson City website. The first business in the village was a shoe factory, followed by a brush factory, lumber company and washer company. The Village of Johnson City website also notes that when he Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company was formed, the company built a park, library, homes for its workers. In 1916, the Village of Lestershire name was dropped in favor of the Johnson City name in honor of George F. Johnson and family.

Get our free mobile app

The Village of Endicott also prospered through the efforts of Endicott-Johnson Corporation at the beginning of the 1900s. According to the Village of Endicott website, the area was named for the senior partner of Endicott-Johnson, Henry B. Endicott. Endicott-Johnson was the largest shoe company in the world for many decades.

Check out the websites of the City of Binghamton Chronology, Village of Johnson City and Village of Endicott for more history about our hometowns.

[via Wikipedia, Village of Johnson City, Village of Endicott, City of Binghamton Chronology]