The Town of Stockbridge, Madison County, New York, was formed in 1836 from a portion of four towns and two counties. The Town could be thought of as having one set of parents on the west side of Oneida Creek, Smithfield and Lenox in Madison County and on the east side of Oneida Creek, Augusta and Vernon in Oneida County.
The area was originally known as the New Stockbridge Territory, because of the Stockbridge Indians who migrated from Stockbridge, Massachusetts. While the Stockbridge Indians were in this area a group of Quakers from Pennsylvania, reportedly, were living with them and teaching them farming and domestic skills.
There were white settlers in the Stockbridge area as early as 1791. Before the Revolutionary War the nearest settlement was the German and Dutch, who settled near the Mohawk River.
The Town of Stockbridge has always been an agricultural area. Hops, for many years, were the main crop grown in the Valley. At the turn of the century hop yards were plowed under and dairy farming became the main agricultural industry. Today dairy farming remains the predominant occupation for area land owners.
Oneida Creek provided power for many early mills which sprang up in the Stockbridge Valley along this water way. The Munnsville Plow Company was the largest and best known industry to flourish on Oneida Creek. Local Limestone quarrying was also an important industry to early settlers. Today the Munnsville Limestone Quarry remains in business and is owned by the Clark family.
A new $9.68 million school opened in 1998. The "old" Stockbridge Valley Central School is being converted by Ferris Industries, a commercial lawn mower manufacturing company, to house their factory. Town residents welcome the new industry to the Stockbridge Valley. Donna Brummer is the Town Supervisor. Population for the Town is 1,968 in the 1990 census.
The Village of Munnsville was incorporated in 1915. Their only assest is the Munnsville Volunteer Fire Dept. The Village Mayor is Richard Snider. The 1990 census credits the Village of Munnsville with 438 residents.
Today there is only one post office in the Town of Stockbridge. The post office address is Munnsville, NY 13409. Diane Landers is postmaster.
Fryer Memorial Museum is housed in a former Munnsville post office. This circa 1886 building was used as a post office for 74 years. When the post office moved into a new building, the old building was unoccupied until the National Bicentennial Year, 1976, when the Fryer family donated it to the Town of Stockbridge. Visitors ask why the building is named "Fryer". Both George and his son, Arthur, were postmasters in this building. Fryer Memorial Museum opened its doors in May 1977.