USA > New York > Chemung County > A brief history of Chemung county, New York > Part 5
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81 A look at the map will demonstrate this clearly. The route between Canada and Fort Niagara or Buffalo leads down the Genessee Valley to the upper waters of a tributary of the Chemung, thence down that river to the Susquehanna, and by that stream to Maryland and Virginia.
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Troops could be forwarded from there very rapidly; with the least delay, and it could be defended with little effort from the approach of any enemy.
Prison Camp .- "The Rebel Prison Camp," as it was called, for the care of prisoners taken in war was established in May, 1864. It forms an inci- dent; the most important happening in the county since the battle of Newtown, with which the history of the valley begins, and it is of more than local interest. Every step was taken to insure the com- fort and the safety of the prisoners. The situa- tion chosen was in one of the loveliest and most fruitful portions of the valley, just to the west of the village of Elmira. It was about thirty acres in extent, and lay adjoining the river with a small lake or pond of living water within its boundaries. It was surrounded by a close board fence twelve feet in height, on the exterior of which, within four or five feet from the top, ran a wooden pathway, along which guards constantly paced night and day.
At first ordinary "A" tents were provided for the prisoners, but before the winter set in barracks were built of boards; in which the men were com- fortably housed. Abundant provision was made for the supply of food.
The first detachment of prisoners arrived in the latter part of June, 1864, and the whole number cared for from this time to August, 1865, when the camp was broken up, was 11,916 men; a large pro- portion of them coming from North Carolina.
The prison guard .- The prison was guarded at first by two infantry regiments of the regular army and a battery of the Fourth United States Artillery;
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afterwards by two regiments of the "Invalid Corps." The name of this organization was subsequently changed to the "Veteran Reserve Corps."
There were few attempts at escape among the prisoners; and only one or two successful ones. 82
An attractive place .- The camp, while in exis- tence; was the most attractive spot in the valley, and was daily visited by hundreds from all over the country. Along the street that formed one of its boundaries was erected a long row of booths, where were displayed a variety of articles of food and drink to attract the attention and desire of the sightseer. It was like a perennial fair.
The prisoners occupied themselves in such ways as suited their tastes or inclinations. Some at- tended to the lawns and gardens, by which the spot was beautified, and for which they received pay; others cut ornaments from wood or constructed them from horsehair, bits of coal or other materials.83
The food provided was plentiful and of the best quality. During the existence of the camp; only
82One of these escaped by passing out of the main gate as a son of one of the officers in charge of the camp, whom he strongly resembled. Another one allowed himself to be nailed up in a coffin and passed out of the camp in the dead wagon.
83Col. Samuel B. Hayman, a grandnephew of "Mad Anthony Wayne" of revolutionary times, was the Comman- dant of the Post during the latter part of the war, and made frequent visits to the camp, He owned, and he was very proud of it, a white horse, remarkable for its beauty and the plentifulness of its mane and tail. He took the animal to the camp once. He hitched it to a post and went into the officer's quarters on business, or for social pleasure, and was gone some time. When he returned his horse was there, but it possessed no mane or tail. Very soon thereafter appeared some very tasteful ornaments for sale, all made of white horsehair!
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a little over a year, there were issued to and con- sumed by the prisoners, 13,000 barrels of flour, and of meat, salt and fresh, nearly 2,000,000 pounds! There were savings from the rations allowed by the Government that were turned into cash and went to the benefit of the prisoners themselves, making what was called a "prison fund." When the camp was broken up there remained in the bank to the credit of this fund, $92,000!
There was much sickness in the camp, many of the prisoners arriving in a desperate physical con- dition, and at one time the smallpox broke out, from which there were many fatalities. There were 2,994 cases of death during the existence of the camp. Of these, 2,988 were buried at Wood- lawn, the city's cemetery; three were buried on the bank of the river, but were washed away by the great flood of 1865, and three were buried down the river in the neighborhood of the pesthouse.
An accurate record was kept of those buried at Woodlawn, and there are many pathetic incidents related of persons from the South seeking sons or brothers or husbands lost in the war, and finding their bodies carefully and tenderly laid away there.
The hospital accommodations were of the first class, with all the appliances of surgery and medi- cine known at the time. They were in charge, in the beginning, of Dr. William C. Wey.84
84 DR. WEY was one of the most distinguished physicians of the State. He came to Elmira in 1849. He was connected by marriage with the Covell family, who helped so much in the earliest times to make the history of Chemung County. In 1871 he was the President of the State Medical Society, and served in that position with great distinction. He was
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The Sanitary Fair Conflagration .- An incident connected with this period, somewhat resulting from the war as one of its disasters, creating great distress all through the county, was the burning; in March, 1864, of the First Presbyterian Church. As was the custom of the time, a fair to raise funds for the Sanitary Commission, an organization formed for the benefit and comfort of the soldiers at the front, had been arranged, and it was held in the church, which was in the course of construction. The bare beams and timbers were profusely decorated with evergreens. In lighting the gas one evening a burning match touched these inflammable orna- ments, and in five minutes the whole interior was in flames. It was at "tea time," and there were few persons in the building. Two were burned to death; Maxey Manning Converse, &s and Frederick Hart, a son of William E. Hart. The loss other- wise was incalculable, as many valuable exhibits; oil-paintings, old furniture; and tableware, tapes- try, and other articles had been loaned for purposes of decoration or sale.
The one riot .- One riot; not very successful or destructive; marked this period in the history of the county; and excited very lively apprehensions in the minds of the citizens. Members of a Michi- gan regiment; on their way home to be mustered out, in the exuberance of their feelings became
prominently connected with the affairs of the Elmira Re- formatory. He died on June 30, 1897.
85 MR. CONVERSE was an accomplished musician, a member of a very ancient family, and came to Elmira from Connecti- cut. His son, Charles Cozart Converse, has achieved great distinction in the musical, literary, and business world.
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very lively, tipped over loads of hay in the streets of Elmira, tore down signs and awnings, and be- haved in a way that could hardly be called playful. They got away beyond the patrol guard, but when a regiment from the prison camp came trotting down to quell the tumult, the disturbance and trouble didn't last very long after its appearance. An entirely innocent man leaning on a big wheel of a wagon; was the only victim. A shot was fired from some unknown quarter; and it took effect upon him. He dropped dead where he stood. No one received any punishment for the occurrence.
PART IV
Chemung County during the latter half of the XIX with glimpses of the XX Century
The Times are the masquerade of the Eternities: trivial to the dull, tokens of noble and majestic agents to the wise; the receptacle in which the past leaves its history; the quarry out of which the genius of to-day is building up the Future. We talk of the world, but we mean a few men and women. If you speak of the age you mean your own platoon of people. -EMERSON.
The Latter Half of the XIXth,
WITH GLIMPSES OF THE OPENING OF THE XXTH CENTURY.
The period comprising the latter half of the 19th century was of great interest to the county and valley. There was a constant increase in every- thing that makes life interesting and valuable.
Perhaps the most important was the means of getting about and the completer connection with the outside world. Facilities for this purpose were added constantly to those already possessed by the county.
New facilities for doing business .- On January 1; 1853; work was begun on a railroad to connect Elmira with Williamsport, Pa .; a distance of about seventy miles south, and on August 1, 1854, it was completed and in operation. In 1863 and 1866 this line with one from Elmira to Canandaigua came, by long leases, under the control of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company; and was oper- ated by the Northern Central Railroad Company.
In 1876 two lines of road were completed, one originally called the Utica, Ithaca, and Elmira Railroad, its aim being to reach the coal fields of Blossburg, Pa. This road was largely due to the business sagacity of Joseph Rodbourn; and Ulysses and William K. Breese, backed by the money and influence of Ezra Cornell. The line
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ran over the hills from Elmira to Ithaca.86 It be- came, in time, the Elmira, Cortland and Northern Railroad, its northern terminus being at Canastota, and afterward was a branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad.
The other road was called the Elmira and State Line Railroad, and ran southwesterly from Elmira to Blossburg; Pa., reaching the Pennsylvania coal fields there. It subsequently, in 1882, came under the control of the Erie road; and is known as the "Tioga branch" thereof.
In 1870 the Lehigh Valley Railroad was extended to Elmira, 87 using a third rail from Waverly, on the Erie road. This led to the change of the Erie broad guage track to the "standard" gauge, the work being completed in 1883.
Another trunk-line; the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western, reached Elmira in 1882, its first pas- senger-train running into the station at that city on April 3 of that year.
Other geographical divisions .- A number of new
86Joseph Rodbourn was a very unique and industrious citizen of Breesport, in the town of Horseheads, through which hamlet the road ran. He came there about 1850. His hands were always full of undertakings that were for the benefit of the village and the neighborhood where he had taken up his residence. For many years he was the County Overseer of the Poor, the county buildings having been located in Breesport in 1836. In Breesport he built a grist- mill and sawmill, both of very large capacity, and made the village hum with the bustle of industry and business. The shops of the new railroad were located in Breesport. A post-office was established there on November 19, 1853. Mr. Rodbourn was the first postmaster.
87 At that time, and for some years afterward, the Lehigh Valley Road ran over the tracks of the Erie from Sayre, Pa., to Buffalo.
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townships were formed in the county during this period. Horseheads was taken from Elmira Town- ship and formed into one by itself on February 7; 1854.88
On April 17; 1854; Chemung County was about cut in two. Its northern portion, being the towns of Catherine; Dix, and a little of Cayuta, were sliced away to help make the new county of Schuyler. There was much feeling aroused by this action of the Legislature. Chemung was a snug; compact little county as it was, reaching from the lake to the Pennsylvania line, and all portions of it were bound together by ties of memory; tradition; and interest that should have kept it together; as it was originally formed in 1788, when Chemung Township was organized.89
On the same date part of the old township of Cayuta was saved to Chemung, and with a portion of Erin Township was made into the township of Van Etten.90
Once more, on April 7, 1856, the northern part
88The first town-meeting was held on February 14, 1854, and Samuel H. Maxwell was elected Supervisor. He served three terms in that capacity, and in his third term he was chosen Chairman of the Board.
89The new county did not fall into ways of pleasantness and peace. For thirteen years there was a quarrel there as to the location of the county seat. On the side of one of these contentions was the Hon. Jeremiah McGuire. He was an Irish lad, born in Dublin. In 1849 he settled in the village of Havana, then in Chemung County. In 1873 he was the Member of Assembly from Schuyler County, and the same year removed to Elmira. In 1874 he was the Member of Assembly from Chemung County, and served as the Speaker of that body. He died in 1889.
90The first town meeting was held on May 9, 1854, and George B. Hall was chosen Supervisor.
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of the township of Chemung was taken and there was formed from it the township of Baldwin.91
But the most important change of the period affected the city of Elmira. On April 7, 1864, it was made into a city of five wards.92 In 1872, the city was again divided into seven wards, and in 1899 it became a city of twelve wards.
There was one more change in the civil divisions and the last one so far. The township of Ashland, named in honor of the home of Henry Clay, was erected on April 21, 1867, to form which portions of the townships of Elmira and Southport were taken.93
Educational Institutions .- Quite in keeping with pretty much all the other portions of this country the matter of the education of the children engaged the attention of the citizens, and the interest therein far from abating, never once ceased to grow and increase.94
91The first town-meeting was held on May 6, 1856, and William H. Little was chosen Supervisor.
92The first Common Council met on April 19, 1864. John I. Nicks was the last President of the Board of Trustees of the village of Elmira. John Arnot, Jr., was the first Mayor of the City of Elmira.
93The first town-meeting in Ashland was held on May 4, 1867. Richard C. Lockwood was chosen Supervisor.
The term of office in the Board of Supervisors of the county show some remarkable records. George W. Buck served fifteen years as member of the Board from Chemung Township, and was Chairman of the Board six years. Jesse L. Cooley served as Clerk of the Board for ten years.
94In SOUTHPORT there are sixteen school districts and fourteen school-houses, most of them organized and built during the period of which we write. In CHEMUNG there are seventeen school districts. In HORSEHEADS the first school-house was built in 1800. In 1850 a school of high grade was opened, Ezra Roberts being the first principal.
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In Elmira there had been two district school- houses, an academy, and a number of private schools. The academy was a large building situated on Bald- win Street. It was first used as the Presbyterian Church, built about 1821, and was removed to the lot it occupied in 1836.95
In 1859 the Legislature of the State provided for a Board of Education to have charge of the
He subsequently removed to Elmira where he established and conducted a private school of considerable reputation. In 1865 a school was organized in Horseheads as a Union Free School, being in advance of the general law for free schools. The first principal under this new system was Sylvester D. Boorom. A Board of Education is in charge of this institution, and the school has grown to large and influential proportions. In BIG FLATS there are eight dis- tricts and the same number of school-houses. In the village of the name, there have been three school-houses, one built in 1815, the red school-house built in 1837, and the one now in use, built in 1853. In ERIN there were, in 1833, three school-houses, and the interest therein has not abated. In VAN ETTEN the first school was taught by Mrs. Jonathan Baker, in 1803. There are now twelve school districts in the township. In Van Ettenville, in this township, there was organized a Union School in 1882, which is in charge of a Board of Education. The institution flourished from the start, and it is one of the most popular and favorite public interests of the town. In BALDWIN a school-house was built at "Hammond's Corners" in 1852. In CATLIN the first school- house was built in 1820. There are now in the township eleven school-houses and parts of three districts.
95These district schools were in charge, at one time or another of men who became distinguished afterwards in the various walks of life. Among them may be named Gen. A. S. Diven, Judge Ariel Thurston and Hugh Riddle, who attained great distinction in the railroad business, being at one time President of the Rock Island Railroad Com- pany; and at the Academy were graduated those who achieved prominent places in the world. Among these are the Hon. Charles B. Farwell, at one time United States Sena- tor from Illinois; Rear-Admiral Francis A. Roe, United States Navy; Major-General William W. Averill, U. S. A., General Hull Fanton, and Francis Collingood, a civil engineer of renown.
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public schools of the town. There were five dis- tricts erected at first, and a primary school con- nected with district No. 1.% There are now twelve districts.
The First Free Academy was completed in 1862. In 1891 preparations were begun for the erection of a new building, and it was completed and occu- pied in 1893.
The Elmira College for women .- This institution the first one in the country chartered to bestow upon women similar degrees to those granted to young men, was authorized on April 13; 1855, its name at that time being changed from the "Elmira Collegiate Seminary" to the "Elmira Female Col- lege." It was opened in October; 1853. In 1890 a music hall was added in connection with the institution; costing $10,000; by the munificence of Solomon L. Gillett, a wealthy merchant of El- mira. 97
Religious Advantages .- There is hardly a spot
96The first meeting of the Board of Education was held on April 19, 1859. The commissioners were: Erastus L. Hart, John Arnot, Orrin Robertson, Elijah N. Barbour, Ariel S. Thurston, Stephen McDonald, Archibald Robertson, Civilian Brown, and Shubael B. Denton. The first President of the Board was Erastus L. Hart, and the first secretary and superintendent, S. R. Scofield.
97The institution was greatly indebted in its inception to Simeon Benjamin, who gave very liberally for its foundation. The Rev. Dr. A. W. Cowles was its first president, and con- tinued to act as such for thirty-six years. Many eminent teachers have been connected with the institution. Its semi-centennial was celebrated in 1905 with great display and much enthusiasm. At Christmas, 1906, Dr. Cowles was made President emeritus of the college, and a pension of $1,200 a year was bestowed upon him from the Carnegie fund, for eminence in the educational annals of the country .
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in the whole county, however remote, that in some direction cannot be seen a steeple, pointing toward Heaven, indicating that there is a building there, where those of some denomination gather weekly and sometimes oftener for public worship.98
During this period Elmira had a great increase in the number of her churches. The First Presby-
98In BREESPORT, in the town of Horseheads, there are four churches, a Presbyterian church, built in 1875, a Meth- odist church, built in 1880, a Methodist Protestant Church, built in 1855, and a Baptist Church, built in 1856.
In BIG FLATS the Methodist Church was built in 1868, a Presbyterian Church, built in 1829, and an Episcopal Church, built in 1867. In ASHLAND, at Wellsburg, there is a Baptist Church, built in 1812. It has a curious memory attached to it. The land on which the church stands and that adjoining, set off as a cemetery, was given to the Society by Henry Wells, for fifty cents! Also in Wellsburg the Methodist Church there was built in 1874. This society was organized in 1847, its first pastor being the Rev. Charles Davis. There is also in Wellsburg an Episcopal Church. In the township of BALDWIN at "Hammond's Corners" there is a building erected in 1852, that is used by seven different denominations. In HORSEHEADS a brick Baptist Church was dedicated on February 20, 1856. A Presbyterian Church, of which the Rev. C. C. Carr was pastor for twenty three years, was originally built in 1832. It was enlarged in 1859 and was still further enlarged and beautified in 1888. There is also in Horseheads an Episcopal Church, built in 1866-67. This society was organized on August 11, 1862. The Roman Catholic Church in Horseheads was built in 1866. An Elmira man, born and bred in that city, has been for some time the pastor of this church, Father William T. Dunn. The Methodist Church in Horseheads had its first class- meeting in 1827 in a new barn erected by Jonas Sayre. On November 25, 1834, the Society was incorporated as "First Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Horseheads." The first church building was erected in 1834. It was en- larged in 1856. In 1868 a parsonage was built. In this township a church or Society of Friends or Quakers was organized in 1860. In SOUTHPORT the First Baptist Church was built in 1853, the Society being regularly organized in May, 1855; a Methodist Church was also built in 1855, and the Presbyterian Church, built in 1839. In "Hendy Hol- low," in this township, a Roman Catholic Church was built
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terian Church provided the largest number of changes. The "Independent Congregational Church," which was the first to break away from the old body, built its first church in 1851. The present house of worship was built and occupied in 1876. In June, 1854, the Rev. Thomas K. Beecher99 became the pastor of the church and the name of the organization was changed to the "Park Church." In 1860, what was at first known as the Second Presbyterian Church of Elmira sepa- rated from the old church. Its name subsequently became the "Lake Street Presbyterian Church." The church building was dedicated on June 13, 1862. In 1905 it was enlarged and improved.
in 1878. In CHEMUNG the Methodist Church was built in 1850, and a Baptist church, built in 1855 and dedicated on February 3 of that year. In VAN ETTENVILLE a Baptist Church was built in 1852 and a Methodist Church in 1883. In SWARTWOOD, in the Township, a Hedding, Methodist Church was built in 1826, and remodeled in 1883. In VETERAN a Baptist Society, first organized and first known as the "Free Religious Society," built a church in 1871. In PINE VALLEY, in this township, a Methodist Church was built and dedicated in November, 1889. Also in MILLPORT a Methodist Church, originally built in 1833, was rebuilt in 1867, and a Baptist Society organized in 1844, purchased their church from the Presbyterians and rededicated it on March 27, 1871, and St. Mark's Episcopal Church was con- secrated here in January, 1888. In ERIN a Baptist Church was built in 1874 and a Methodist Church in 1871. The First Methodist Church is the only church in CATLIN. Its cornerstone was laid on July 16, 1881, and it was dedicated on March 8, 1882. In HORSEHEADS a colored church, called the African Union Methodist Protestant Church was organ- ized in 1860. In 1883 they built a brick church.
99Mr. Beecher was probably the widest known of any citizen of the county. He was a son of the famous Dr. Lyman Beecher. He served as pastor of the church for forty-six years and during his life was one of the most influ- ential citizens of the county, his activity extending into every field of endeavor. He died on March 14, 1900.
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The Franklin Street Church was organized in 1882; the formal organization being perfected on January 17 of that year. The North Church, a further outgrowth from the old body, occupied its new church building in 1890.
Trinity Church rectory was finished and occu- pied in 1852, and the church building was opened for worship in July, 1858.100 The Arnot Memorial Chapel, which is connected with Trinity Church, was consecrated in November, 1882, its corner- stone having been laid in 1880.
Grace Church, which is an offshoot of Trinity; was incorporated in 1864. The chapel it occupied for many years was erected in 1866. A new edifice was erected in 1904. St. Agnes Chapel, an off- spring of Grace Church, was dedicated on April 13, 1893.
The new Baptist Church was begun in the spring of 1889, and dedicated on May 15, 1892.101 On May 6, 1854, some members of the church formed a new organization called at first the "Central Baptist Church," becoming however the "Madison Avenue Baptist Church." It remained in exis- tence only a few years.
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