The first settlers from Virginia arrived on the east side of Sodus Bay in 1796 in the area now known as Resort. For  Captain William Helm and his seventy slaves, the first task was to clear the land of timber so crops could be planted on this 600 acre "plantation.” Finding this labor to be extremely difficult and not having the skills for such work, within two years, Helm moved his family and slaves to Bath, NY.  Austin Steward, a slave of Helm’s, wrote his autobiography Twenty-two Years a Slave, Forty Years a Freeman ( published in 1857),  the story of his early days as a slave, his escape to freedom, and his life in Rochester and Canandaigua as an abolitionist, businessman, and teacher.  

     A stagecoach road from Rochester to Oswego crossed Sodus Bay at Resort around 1818. Resort was then called "Floating Bridge.” The floating bridge, constructed of planks set upon logs, enabled the stagecoaches to cross the bay.  Sometimes the floating bridge would wash out. A ferry of floating logs was available for a fee to aid in the crossing of these headwaters.  The users would have a long rope stretched from one shore to the other and would have to pull the ferry across to reach the other shore. An inn and a tavern were established here to accommodate travelers.  

     In 1822, surveyors for the Pulteney Estate, Andrew McNab and Joseph Fellows, renamed this tiny community after the city in their home country of Scotland - Port Glasgow.  McNab and Fellows attempted to develop Port Glasgow into a significant shipping port, however, the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 ended the bright commercial future of Port Glasgow.

     All was not lost.  Port Glasgow soon became a popular destination for fishermen, hunters, and others who enoy nature.  Around 1900, due to this newly found popularity Port Glasgow’s name was changed to Resort.  Resort now is home to several businesses. It was once home to the beautiful lotus lily, which was sadly destroyed.