There are two theories on how Chili was named. One is that Chili was named after Chile. South American proponents of this scenario claim that local  people were sympathetic to Chile's struggle for independence and wished to adopt its name, but inexplicably misspelled and mispronounced it. A second theory of name origin relates to religion. Advocates of this theory claim that the name of Chili was derived from the Chiliast or Chilean Religion, which was practiced by early settlers who came from Pennsylvania.

Before there were any white settlers in what is now Chili, it was wilderness and the home to the Seneca Indians. In 1792 Captain Joseph Morgan became the first permanent resident in the Chili area. Many like himself were veterans of the Revolutionary War.The first Chili business was a distillery. Another early business was Jacob Widener-Joseph Carey gristmill. The first church was the Chili Presbyterian Church on chili Avenue and Stottle Road, formed in 1816 as a Congregational Church. The pesent building was erected in 1832. In 1860 the chesbrough Seminary, operated by B.T. Roberts, was founded. Located in a former tavern and stage stop on the northwest corner of Buffalo road and Union Street, it was later to become Roberts Wesleyan College. 

The first road in Chili was Scottsville Road, which ran from Oatka Creek to the falls in Rochester. the present day Union St.

( Rt.259 ) was the first road to the interior of Chili.

On February 22, 1822 by an act of the New York state Legislature, the town of Chili was formed from the Town of Riga. Joseph sibley who operated a mill on Black Creek cira 1812 was the first Town supervisor.

    Written By Jay C. Widener - Town Historian ( Passed)

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