NY 393 was assigned in the early 1930s as a signed designation for a highway that the state of New York had assumed maintenance of in the 1910s.

In the town of Ithaca, NY 393 intersected Pine Tree Road (County Route 174 or CR 174) and passed through areas with varying levels of development before ending at Game Farm Road, here marking the boundary between the towns of Ithaca and Dryden.

[1] The portion of Mitchell Street and Ellis Hollow Road from the city of Ithaca to the Ithaca–Dryden town line had existed as early as 1900.

[6] In the early 1910s, the state of New York helped finance improvements to the portion of the highway within the town of Ithaca.

The route began at NY 79 (State Street) in Ithaca and ended at the Dryden town line, where the road continued east as a local highway.