A mill was built at the present site of the village around 1800, and the community was known as "Kelsey's Mills". The name was changed to "Port Leyden" around 1838 when the Black River Canal was being developed. The canal was completed to Port Leyden in 1850, but was not usable until 1851. The canal reached its northern terminus at Lyons Falls, a few miles north, in 1855. In 1900, a decision was made to abandon the canal between Lyons Falls and Boonville, effectively ending the status of Port Leyden as a canal port. St. Mark's Church and the Edmund Wilson House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Geography
Port Leyden is located in southern Lewis County at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of, of which are land and, or 6.17%, are water. The Black River divides the community and drops over through the village limits. Port Leyden is located on New York State Route 12, which leads north to Lowville and south to Boonville.
Education
Port Leyden Elementary School, located on Lincoln Street, educates students in grades K-4. Students in grades 5-12 attend South Lewis Central Middle/High School in Turin. The Port Leyden Community Library is located on Canal Street.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 665 people, 257 households, and 169 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,099.5 people per square mile. There were 317 housing units at an average density of 524.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 98.50% White, 0.15% African American, 0.15% Native American, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.15% of the population. There were 257 households out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couplesliving together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.08. In the village, the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males. The median income for a household in the village was $24,559, and the median income for a family was $30,781. Males had a median income of $31,146 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita income for the village was $12,783. About 18.0% of families and 23.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.9% of those under age 18 and 20.9% of those age 65 or over.
