Chondote

Chondote was a Native American village of the Cayuga tribe which was located at the Northern end of present day Aurora. Chondote was established sometime before the 1600s as accounts spoke of Chondote but under its earlier name of Deawendote, or Village of the Constant Dawn.

Chondote is best known by the nickname Peachtown which it was given in September of 1779, when Colonel Butler and his men arrived to destroy the village during the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign. The nickname came from the orchards of peach trees, which have been estimated to be upwards of 1500, that surrounded it.

On September 26, 1779 Colonel Butler and his 600 men arrived at Chondote and destroyed the village and its orchards of peach trees. One account states:
"As remorseless as a cannon shot, the axe levelled every tree though burdened with its loads of luscious fruit, and the freshly ripened corn was gathered only to be destroyed. At 10 o'clock A. M., the torch was applied to the dwellings, and as the crackling flames lifted their fiery heads over this scene of havoc and destruction."

From the ashes of Chondote arose the village of Aurora which is the site of the renowned Aurora Inn and Wells College. A stone marker at the Northern end of the village on Route 90 and a historical marker in front of Aurora Inn, all of which are shown photographed above, are the only reminders about Chondote.

If you would like to visit these markers the stone marker is located on Route 90 less than a mile North of the business district of Aurora and its coordinates are Latitude 42°45'46.00"N Longitude 76°42'18.98"W. The historical marker is located next to the Aurora Inn in downtown Aurora.

Now the site of Chondote is the site of several houses and Route 90.