McGraw, NY

McGraw sits in eastern Cortlandville, just east of Cortland, with the Tioughnioga River and New York Route 41 providing the basic map. The village took its name from Samuel McGraw and grew into a manufacturing center whose best-known trade was corset making. Empire Corset sold its “Never Rust,” “Sorosis,” and “Reduzyou” styles beyond the region, and Vesta and Miller Corset operated alongside it. That history gives the compact village a clear industrial signature. The 2020 census counted 972 residents.

The older center also carries an unusual educational and architectural history. New-York Central College, McGrawville, operated here from 1849 until 1859 and was founded to admit women and African American students; the Main Street Historic District and Presbyterian Church preserve pieces of the village’s built history. Today, McGraw Central School, the library, and volunteer fire service are among the institutions residents encounter locally. Route 41 reaches Interstate 81 and U.S. 11 about two miles west, with Cortland’s downtown beyond, tying the village’s historic center to the larger county corridor.