Alexander Findley acquired the land around a small pond nestled in the green hills of Southwestern New York in 1811. He built a dam and by 1816 he had built a small sawmill,  
The settlement that grew up around the mills prospered and by the 1890's you could just about buy anything you needed in "Findley's Lake". 
 
The Lakeside Assembly on the southwest shore entertained and inspired during the summers between 1895 and 1915 with programs that rivalled Chautauqua Assembly.
The Assembly was reached by one of two steamboats, the grand Silver Spray or the
modest Daisy. 
 
Traveling to Erie or Jamestown by residents was quite a journey and not done on a whim. But, alas with the invention of the automobile, citizens became mobile and were lured to other marketplaces to obtain goods and services. The once bustling Main Street shopping area drifted into slumber. 
 
In the 1990's, the national trend of returning to American's small towns to discover a sense of place occurred in Findley Lake and a renaissance began. With the formation of the Findley Lake Area Chamber of Commerce in 1993, the renaissance took direction and the community is now thriving. 
 
For more of the story go to the Findley Lake Area Chamber Of Commerce Home Page .