In 1787, the first settlers arrived to form a new Tompkins County community named for English poet John Dryden. Dryden, New York was established on land set aside as the Central New York Military Tract, and the land was to be used in place of pay for Revolutionary War veterans.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkyCX4osQbIFunding provided by a grant from Empire State Development.