The Village of Deposit straddles two towns: the Town of Sanford in Broome County, and the Town of Deposit in Delaware County. In 1811, the Village of Deposit was incorporated, at which time it had only twelve houses. In 1851, the village charter was revised, increasing the village’s acreage and making the provision that the village belonged to both counties. The name Deposit references the early period when harvested lumber was deposited at the site, awaiting springtime high waters when the logs were floated downstream to market. Lumbering and manufacture of wood byproducts, bluestone quarrying, and farming have remained the primary economic focus.
Deposit is located in a remote location at the far eastern edge of the Heritage Area and is laid out in a grid plan with a well-developed historic downtown core of commercial buildings along Front Street. Churches, a school, a library, an historic theatre, and numerous historic homes border the commercial zone.