Some time prior to 1798, Thomas Hinckley settled in what would become Lewis, establishing a forge in Stowersville and setting the pattern for development in this community. Other settlers trickled in from New England, primarily from Connecticut. In 1805, the growing community was separated from Willsborough and named Lewis, in honor of then Governor of New York, Morgan Lewis, a soldier, jurist, and a politician. The early signs of an established community, such as schools and churches, appeared in Lewis by the first half of the 19th century. Lewis received national attention through the suffragette activities of Inez Milholland of Meadowmount. Inez was one of the first women lawyers in New York State. She was active in the labor movement as well as the voting rights movement. She died in 1916 at the age of 30, never to see the passage of the 20th amendment in 1920 giving women the right to vote. In 1924, a pageant in her honor _gForward into the Light_h drew thousands to Meadowmount where she is buried. Thousands now are drawn to Meadowmount every summer for concerts by students from the world renowned music school founded by Ivan Galamian. Although the population was booming in 1850 compared to present day, the settlements still exist along the roads in Lewis. Cornwright Lumber continues to supply lumber; minerals in the form of wollastonite still come from the earth and much that is the community remains.
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