Colden was founded by a man named Richard
Buffum. He left Rhode Island with his children and some others
to move west in order to find a new home. They carried everything
in an ox cart, and a some of the possessions they took with
them are still in existence today. They settled in what is present
day Colden. Buffum purchased 2,000 acres of land from the Holland
Purchase Company.
First Birth and First Death
The first birth in Colden was the daughter of
Thomas Pope in 1811, and the first death was Nathaniel Bowen,
a hired hand, in 1812. The first marriage was when James Sweet
married Charlotte Buffum, Richard's eldest daughter.
Buffum Mills
Buffum and James Bloomfield, a hired hand, built
a grist mill, and the settlement there was then known as Buffum's
Mills. The mill was rebuilt twice and moved once. The first
school was taught by Mary Eddy. Buffum and others then built
houses farther away and built a road leading to them.
Town Organization
On April 2, 1828, the town was organized. It
contained 22,704 acres and Silas Lewis was the first supervisor.
The first post office was established in 1830 in Leander J.
Robert's house and was called Colden After Cadwalder D. Colden,
who was a State Senator. Three years later, it was moved to
Buffum's Mills, and Buffum became postmaster. The post office
kept the name Colden, and gradually, the settlement accepted
the name.
Timeline of Colden Events:
1831
E. P. Hatch opened the first store.
1833
First tannery built; it was rebuilt twice
.
1850
John Hedges built the present hotel.
1852 Livingstone Lodge No. 255, F. & A.
M. organized.
1857
Joslyn M. Carbin built a shingle mill, changed into a cheese
factory. It burned down in 1867 and was rebuilt in 1869.
1858
Richard Shelley built the brick store. The Bricks were burned
on a farm on the Hayes Hollow Road and hauled over the hill
by ox teams.
1859
Methodist Church built.
1838-1858
Dr. Philo Baker was first physician here.
1868
Dr. Strong came. He truly was, "The Grand Old Man of Colden."
1881-1884
B., R. & P. R. R. built. Now B. & O.
1885 Present school built.
If you have any questions or want to find out more, contact
the town historian, Dave Freeman, 592-3582.
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