Oswego County Mutual Insurance Company

Oswego County Mutual Insurance Company is an insurer based in Parish with roots that reach back to the 1800s. It grew out of a nationwide movement that began during and after the Civil War, when farmers banded together to protect their homes, barns and livestock from fire.

Local Granges, the farmers’ organizations of the era, set up fire associations, and each Grange sent a director, which is how the company came to be called The Fire Relief Association of Oswego County. The directors first formed on March 20, 1878, to reimburse fellow Grange members for losses from fire or lightning.

What to Know

• The directors first came together on March 20, 1878, as an unincorporated association.
• Early policies were written by hand at the Secretary’s home and mailed out.
• When a loss occurred, directors sent members an assessment by postcard to cover it.
• The Secretary’s early pay was just $100, which also had to cover mailing and printing.
• It is a member of the Fort Brewerton/Greater Oneida Lake Chamber of Commerce.