 When John Wilkinson applied for a post office in that name in 1820, it was denied because the same name was already in use in Saratoga County, New York.Having read a poetical description of Syracuse, Sicily (Siracusa), Wilkinson saw similarities to the lake and salt springs of this area, which had both "salt and freshwater mingling together".On February 4, 1820, Wilkinson proposed the name "Syracuse" to a group of fellow townsmen; it became the name of the village and the new post office.