Welcome to Nelliston, NY
The Village of Nelliston occupies 1.2 square miles within the Town of Palatine at the western end of Montgomery County in the State of New York. As of the 2020 census it has a population of 568 people. It is a part of the Fort Plain and Canajoharie Central School Districts.
Nelliston was named for the Nellis family, who still reside in the village today. The family was part of the Palatine settlement (after which the Town of Palatine is named) which was made up of immigrants from the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area was home to the Mohawk Tribe, part of the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois Confederacy. For a time it served as the capital, or center-most village of the Mohawk Tribe.
The Village of Nelliston
The village of Nelliston is a small incorporated village located close to the center of New York State. It lies on a bow-shaped bend of the Mohawk River which at this point, flows almost directly south, placing Nelliston on the east side. Directly across the river is Fort Plain with Palatine Bridge to the south and St. Johnsville to the north.
Historic Nelliston
Nelliston’s Historic District is located within the village of Nelliston and includes five historic buildings along with three farmhouses. In the late 1970s into 1980, village historian, Mrs. Lupo, conducted an extensive historical survey in cooperation with the Montgomery County Department of History and Archives documenting the historic resources of Nelliston.
The Nelliston Historic District occupies approximately 39 acres encompassing three of Nelliston’s residential streets developed between 1860 and 1890 in addition to an area along the railroad tracks.