The town of Oswego, located on the shores of Lake Ontario, was established in 1818. It has played a vital role in Central New York's economy with its many fruit orchards, strawberries, and muckland crops of onions, lettuce, and potatoes. Oswego has been on the cutting edge of education and various social reforms. It was home to the first free public school in the area—a one-room schoolhouse on Bunker Hill Road—and today hosts most of the State University of New York at Oswego, founded as the first Normal School in the country. Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor, pioneered women's suffrage and dress reform. Another famous resident, David Hall McConnell, founded the California Perfume Company, now known as Avon Products, Inc. The town of Oswego was and remains a vibrant community of families, many of whom have been there for generations.