How Powderhouse Road in Vestal, New York Got Its Name

As my son and I traveled along Powderhouse Road in Vestal recently, he curiously asked how the road got its intriguing name. Having never thought about the question before, I promised him I would see what I could find out, and what I learned was quite interesting and shed light on the road's rich past.

In the late 1800s, brick powder houses, designed to store black powder used for gunpowder and construction blasting, were constructed in Broome County. These powder houses were built into the hillside on the old Stone Family Farm, located in the area of Clifton Boulevard and Fuller Hollow Road in the Town of Binghamton.

Beyond their primary purposes, these powder houses also played a vital role in local agriculture. The powder was sold to farmers, enabling them to blast old tree stumps off their properties, thus increasing their land's value. This dual functionality shows the important role these brick powder houses played in both industrial and agricultural activities of the time.

However, by the mid-20th century, the demand for black powder had diminished, rendering the powder houses all but obsolete. People transitioned to utilizing gunpowder magazines and ammunition depots, marking the end of an era for the once indispensable powder houses. Today, as motorists travel Powderhouse Road, little do they realize the historical significance that lies hidden beneath the asphalt and greenery.

Get our free mobile app

It's interesting to note that Powderhouse Road changed its name over time. Originally, it was called the Vestal Center-Binghamton Road and Sugar Creek Road. Eventually, in the 1940s, the Sugar Creek Road portion got its new name, Powderhouse Road, which is a nod to its rich history.