History & Culture · Central New York
Mentz Was Jefferson Before Port Byron Took the Canal Stage
Mentz's Cayuga County story runs through the old Jefferson name, Port Byron, the Erie Canal, and a handful of famous passersby.
Published July 6, 2026 · Last verified July 6, 2026
Mentz had a name change before Port Byron became the part many drivers recognize. The town was formed in 1802 as the Town of Jefferson from Aurelius, while the area was still part of Onondaga County. In 1808, it took the name Mentz.
Permanent settlement followed in 1810, and Port Byron incorporated as a village in 1837. Then the canal story shifted the local stage. The Erie Canal was moved to include the Seneca River in 1856, and today’s Thruway crosses the town along the original canal path. Route 31 and Route 38 meet at Port Byron, so the road map still hints at the old canal-and-crossroads pattern.
The people list is the fun wrinkle. Brigham Young lived here in the early 1830s before his later religious leadership; Cayuga County describes him then as a painter and builder. Henry Wells of Wells Fargo fame also lived here in the early 1830s. Isaac Singer is traced here in 1837, and opera singer Richard Bonelli was born here as Jacob Bunn.
Mentz is not just a town beside Port Byron. It is an old Jefferson, a canal reroute, a crossroads, and a place where several much larger American stories briefly touched the same Cayuga County ground.