Tryon County was a
county in the colonial
Province of New York in the
British American colonies. It was created from
Albany County on March 24, 1772. It was named for
William Tryon, the last
provincial governor of New York. Its boundaries extended far further than any current county. Its eastern boundary ran "from the
Mohawk River to the
Canada line, at a point near the old village of
St. Regis and passing south to the Mohawk between
Schenectady and
Albany." It extended north to the
St. Lawrence River and west to
Lake Ontario and
Lake Erie, though practically, its western boundary was quite vague, with no explorers venturing very far west at that time and several other colonies (
Pennsylvania,
Massachusetts and
Connecticut) also laying claim to what today is known as
western New York. Its county seat was
Johnstown, which is today the county seat of
Fulton County. The
Tryon County Courthouse, built in 1772–1773, was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The
Tryon County Jail, also built in 1772–1773, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.