Valley of the Horses' Heads | towns-and-villages

The Valley of the Horses' Heads

In September 1779, General John Sullivan and his troops passed through what is now Horseheads as they returned from their campaign against the British and the Iroquois nation. While there, he and his men were forced to kill many of their pack horses which were too exhausted to continue the journey. Native Americans lined the horses’ skulls along the trail in the Hanover Square area and called it “the Valley of the Horses’ Heads.” White settlers later called the area Horseheads. The first white settlers in Horseheads were John and Hannah Breese and their eight children, who settled there in June 1789.

Horseheads

Sullivan Campaign Route
Horse Skull Horseheads became the official name of the town in 1886. Before that, it went through a series of other names. It was originally called Valley of the Horses' Heads after the skulls found there. It was Fairport from 1833 to about 1841 when the name changed to Horse Heads. In 1885 it was called North Elmira but that lasted only a year. (from the collection of the Horseheads Historical Society)
Breese Cabin In 1789, John and Hannah Breese built their cabin in Horseheads.
Breesport Water Bottle Breesport is a hamlet within the town of Horseheads. It was named after the area's first settlers, John and Hannah Breese.
Hanover Square, 1860s By the 1860s, Hanover Square, where the horses’ skulls were originally found, had become the center of the bustling community.

The Valley of the Horses' Heads

Sullivan Campaign Route

Horse Skull

Breese Cabin

In 1789, John and Hannah Breese built their cabin in Horseheads.

Breesport Water Bottle

Breesport is a hamlet within the town of Horseheads. It was named after the area's first settlers, John and Hannah Breese.

Hanover Square, 1860s

By the 1860s, Hanover Square, where the horses’ skulls were originally found, had become the center of the bustling community.