Horseheads, NY

Historic Hanover Square, with its stunning architecture, brick-paved sidewalks, period lighting, and wide variety of locally-owned shops and restaurants, is the picture-perfect heart of the Village of Horseheads. But there's more to this village -- and the town that surrounds it -- than its quaint downtown shopping district -- Horseheads has a long history, dating back to an event that took place during the American Revolution.

In 1779, Major-General John Sullivan marched through the area on a 450-mile journey known as the Sullivan Expedition -- a Revolutionary War campaign against the Tories and the Iroquois Confederacy who supported them. Unfortunately, the long journey took a heavy toll on the horses, and many were put down. So many, in fact, that the Iroquois later collected the skulls and lined them up along the trail as a defiant warning. That stretch became known as the "Valley of Horses Heads," later shortened to Horseheads.

Today, Horseheads is the only town in the country dedicated to the American Military Horse. Situated in the Finger Lakes region near the Pennsylvania border, Horseheads residents enjoy some fantastic outdoor activities at the nearby state forests and at Seneca Lake, about 14 miles directly north of Horseheads. Nearby parks include Catlin State Forest, Connecticut Hills Wildlife Management Area, Coon Hollow State Forest, and Cinnamon Lake State Forest.