Palmyra was a large part of the underground railroad during times of slavery; it is reported to have helped over 2,000 fugitive slaves escape into Canada.

[citation needed] Palmyra claims to be the only city or village in the U.S. to have four churches at a four corner intersection facing each other.

Before the Erie Canal was re-routed, it crossed the top of aqueduct over Ganargua Creek.

The bridge was sold to a local farm in 1915, but later salvaged after flooding in 1996 and reconstructed eight years later at the park.

[9] In 1830 the village was the site of the first publication of the Book of Mormon at the printing press of local publisher E. B. Grandin.

Many other events in the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement took place in the village and town.

[10] The Book of Mormon Historic Publication Site has been maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1978 as a tourist destination and was restored and rededicated in 1998.

[11] On May 3, 2013, a fire started by alleged arson destroyed three historic Main Street buildings dating to the village's Erie Canal era, and water from the firefighting response damaged a fourth.

[12] According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has an area of 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2), all land.

[citation needed] As of the census[14] of 2010, there were 3,536 people, 1,508 households, and 882 families residing in the village.