USA > New York > A geographical history of the state of New York: embracing its history, government, physical features, climate, geology, mineralogy, botany, zoology, education, internal improvements, &c., with a separate map of each county > Part 27
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Leo X De - tn L. S.
This inscription has heer interpreted-Leo X. by the grace (or will) of God, sixth year of his pontificate, 1520. L. S. the initials of the perso i buried, (as it was undoubtedly a sepulchral monument,)-the cross, an indication that he was a Catholic, and the character n perhaps a rude intimation that he belonged to the masonic fraternity. The date is correct, Leo X. having been elected Pope in 1513-14. It seems probable that some Spanish adventurers, in quest of gold or silver, lured by the report of the salt springs, and hoping to find there the object of their search, had wandered hither from Florida, which had been discovered and explored in 1502. One of the number dying here, his companions erected this simple memorial to mark the place of his burial.
In 1655, Father Dablon, a French Jesuit, established hims If at one of the Onondaga villages, in the present town of Salina, as a missionary. The succeeding year, the governor of the French possessions in Canada, at mis request, sent a colony of fifty men, under the command of the Sieur Dupuys, to settle on the banks of the Onondaga Lake.
For a time the Indians were friendly, but at length they be- came hostile, and the colonists were compelled to escape by stealth. Having secretly prepared boats sufficient to transport themselves and their effects, one of their number succeeded in inducing the Indians to make a feast, and when, after a hearty repast, all had sunk into a profound slumber, he and his comrades availed themselves of the opportunity to escape, and ere the Indians had awaked, they were beyond their reach.
In 1666, a French settlement was formed, in the northwestern part of the town of Pompey, and flourished for three years, when a party of Spaniards arrived in the village, and quarrel- ing with the French, instigated the natives to destroy them. The Indians, looking with no favorable eye on either, destroyed both, leaving not a survivor to tell the manner of their death.
In the Onondaga Hollow, in the town of Onondaga, formerly stood the town, castle, and council house, of the Onondaga
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, Indians, the most formidable and highly civilized tribe of the Iroquois confederacy. Here the great council fire was always kept burning, and all matters of importance to the interests of the confederacy were decided. All the leagues and treaties with the whites were made here, and from this tribe was select- ed the grand Sachem, or principal civil chief, while the Mo- hawks furnished the principal war chiefs.
Garangula, Thurensera, Decanesora, and Sadekanaghtie, were the most celebrated among their orators, in their early in- tercourse with the whites.
Black Kettle was the most renowned of their warriors, and more than once he carried war and devastation among the French settlements, even to the gates of their citadels. He was treacherously murdered in 1697, by a party of Algonquins, at the instigation of the French.
In 1696, Count Frontenac, with his usual subtlety, attempted to seduce the Five Nations from their good faith toward the Eng- lish, and induce them to form a separate treaty of peace with the French. Failing in this, he determined to avenge himself on the Onondagas, whom he regarded as the principal instigators of the opposition to his wishes. Accordingly on the ninth of July, 1696, he set out on an expedition against them, with a large force.
The . Onondagas, not receiving seasonable succors from the other members of the confederacy, and finding themselves, (though numbering about 1500 warriors,) unable to cope single handed with so formidable a force, abandoned and set fire to their dwellings, and left to the French commander a barren victory.
The Onondagas, after the return of the French, repossessed themselves of their beautiful valley and reared again their coun- cil house and castle. They were the fast friends of the English, and under the direction of Sir John Johnson, took part with them in the revolution. In consequence of their predatory incursions, Colonel Van Schaick was despatched by General James Clin- ton, to lay waste their towns. As before, they retired at the ap- proach of the invading force, and destroyed their town and cas- tle; only one of their number was slain.
In a few weeks after, they revenged this attack, by an invasion of the settlement of Cobelskill, Schoharie county, in which they butchered several of the unarmed inhabitants. During the late war with Great Britain, they took up arms on the side of the Americans.
The first permanent white settler in the county was a Mr. Webster, who came here in 1786, and settled in Onondaga Hollow, intermarrying with the Indians. In 1788, he obtained permission from the Indians for Messrs. Danforth and Tyler to
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establish themselves in the same valley. This county was originally part of the Military Tract. In the spring of 1788, set- tlements were made in several towns of the county. In 1790, Manlius was settled. Since the commencement of the present century, the growth of the county has been very rapid.
VILLAGES. SYRACUSE, the county seat, is situated in the town of Salina, on the Erie canal, at its junction with the Oswego canal. It was incorporated in 1825, and owes its rapid growth to the facilities for trade afforded by the canals, and to the ex- tensive salt springs in its neighborhood.
From half a million to a million of bushels of salt are annually produced here ; beside iron ware, leather, machinery, flour, &c. . Population, nearly 10,000.
It has several extensive and well conducted hotels; its public schools are of a high order ; and its substantial buildings and numerous manufactories indicate the enterprise of its inhab- itants.
Salina, in the same town, possesses the most productive salt springs in the state, yielding from one to two millions of bushels annually. Its population is about 3000.
Geddes and Liverpool, in the same township, the former on the Erie, and the latter on the Oswego canal, are thriving vil- lages, containing productive salt springs.
Skeneuteles, in the town of the same name, is pleasantly situated at the foot of Skeneateles lake. Its site commands a fine view of the lake, for a distance of seven or eight miles. Its growth has not been rapid, but healthy, and it is one of the most flourishing villages of the county. Population, about 1500.
Manlius, in the town of the same name, is situated on the Cherry Valley turnpike. It has a flourishing incorporated acad- emy, several manufactories, and about 1200 inhabitants.
Jordan, in the town of Elbridge, is situated on the Erie canal, and is engaged to some extent in manufactures. Population, about 1200.
Onondaga Hollow, in the town of Onondaga, is pleasantly situated on the great western turnpike, four miles south of Syra- cuse. The Onondaga academy located here, is an old and flourishing institution. Population, about 800.
About three miles south of the village is the Onondaga Indian reservation, where reside the remnant of that once powerful tribe. The legislature, in April, 1846, granted the sum of $300 for the erection of a school-house for the children belonging to this reservation, and a well conducted school is now maintained there.
Fayetteville, in the town of Manlius, has an incorporated academy, and is a thriving village. Population, 900.
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XXI. TIOGA COUNTY.
Square miles, 500. Organized, 1794.
Population, 22,456. Valuation, 1845, $1,804,211.
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1. Owego, 1791.
2. Tioga, 1800.
3. Spencer, 1806.
4. Berkshire, 1808.
5. Candor, 1811.
6. Newark, 1823.
7. Barton, 1824.
8. Nichols, 1824.
9. Richford, 1833.
Rivers, &c. G. Susquehanna. a. West Owego Creek. b. East Owego. c. Cattotong. d. Cayuta.
Villages. OWEGO. Rushville.
BOUNDARIES. North by Tompkins and Cortland; East by Broome; South by the State of Pennsylvania; and West by Chemung and Tompkins counties.
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TIOGA COUNTY.
SURFACE. This, like the other counties bordering on the Pennsylvania line, is elevated. Apparently it was once level, but it is now cut into hills and valleys by the eastern branch of the Susquehanna, and its tributaries, which affords abundance of water for the convenience of the farmer, and in many in- stances, it may be used for manufacturing purposes. On either side of the Susquehanna, are lofty swells of heavy rolling land, yet the creeks are frequently skirted with broad valleys.
RIVERS. The Susquehanna, having a south-west course through the southern part, and its branches the East and West Owego, Cattotong and Cayuta creeks, flowing southerly, are the principal streams of the county.
RAILROADS. The New York and Erie railroad will probably pass through the valley of the Susquehanna. The Ithaca and Owego railroad is already in operation, connecting the two villages whose name it bears.
CLIMATE. The county has a low temperature, owing to the elevation of its surface. It is regarded as healthy.
GEOLOGY AND MINERALS. This county lies wholly within the Chemung sandstone formation, except a small tract of the old red sandstone upon its southern border.
Its minerals are few. Marl is found in the town of Spencer, which is burned for lime. There are several sulphur springs in the county.
SOIL AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. The soil is mostly fertile, consisting of a light gravelly loam, with occasional patches of marl and clay. Grass succeeds better than grain in the high- lands, but the valleys yield large crops of wheat and corn. while the other crops thrive almost every where. White pine, hem- lock, spruce, oak, maple, and beech are the principal timber, and have a dense growth. Maple sugar is produced in considerable quantities.
PURSUITS. Agriculture. The people are for the most part engaged in agricultural pursuits. Some grain is raised, and considerable attention paid to the products of the dairy.
Manufactures. The only manufactures of importance are those of lumber and flour.
Commerce. The products of the county find their way to market, by the Susquehanna river, and the Ithaca and Owego railroad.
STAPLE PRODUCTIONS. Oats, corn, potatoes, wheat and butter.
SCHOOLS. This county has 139 district schools, taught in 1846, an average period of eight months each, having 8291 scholars, and paying their teachers over $9,329. The school libraries contained, the same year, 12,744 volumes.
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It has nine private schools, with 294 pupils, and one academy, with 125 stu- dents.
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. Methodists, Baptists, Congre- gationalists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians. The entire number of churches is thirty-two, of clergyman, forty-two.
HISTORY. Tioga county was taken from Montgomery county in 1694. Its name signifies a point or promontory in the river, a junction of waters. It was the Seneca name for the Chemung river.
The towns of Richford, Berkshire and Newark were part of the tract known as the "Massachusetts ten townships," which were ceded to that state by New York.
Barton, Tioga, Owego, and Nichols, were granted by the state to military claimants. Considerable portions of these townships were sold at eighteen cents per acre.
The county was settled by emigrants from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The first settlement was made in 1785, at Owego, by James McMaster and William Taylor, who cleared, the first season, ten or fifteen acres, and raised a crop of corn from the same land.
A few years after its first settlement, there was a great fam- ine in this section of country. It occurred just before harvest- ing, and for six weeks the inhabitants were without bread of any kind. Meanwhile they subsisted principally upon roots, and though they became very much emaciated and feeble, none died of hunger. It was occasioned by the arrival of a greater number of settlers than usual, and a scarcity in Wyoming that season. Famine is at present little dreaded in this region.
VILLAGES. OWEGO VILLAGE, in the town of Owego, is pleas- antly situated on the north side of the Susquehanna, and is the county town. It was commenced in 1785, and laid out into lots in 1794 or 1795. It is advantageously situated for trade, has a large water power, and by means of the Ithaca and Owe -- go railroad, and the Susquehanna river, a ready access to market.
Besides the court house, jail, and county clerk's office, it has four churches, an incorporated academy, and a number of stores and manufactories. A bridge a fourth of a mile in length crosses the Susquehanna at this place.
This village takes its name from the Owego creek, which empties into the Susquehanna near it. Population 2500.
Rushville or Nichols Village, in the town of Nichols, Can- dor, Newark, Richfield, and Spencer, in the towns of the same names are all thriving villages.
XXII. SCHOHARIE COUNTY.
Square miles, 621. Organized, 1795.
Population, 32,488. Valuation in 1845, $1,804,165.
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1. Schoharie, 17SS.
S. Carlisle. 1807.
2. Blenheim, 1797.
9. Summit, 1S19.
3. Broome, 1797.
10. Fulton, 1828.
4. Cobleskill, 1797.
11. Conesville, 1836.
5. Middleburgh, 1797.
12. Seward, 1840.
6. Sharon, 1797.
13. Wright, 1846.
7. Jefferson, 1803.
14. Esperance, 1846.
Mountains. m. Kaatsbergs.
Rivers, &c. AA. Schoharie Creek. c. Cobleskill. f. Foxes Creek,
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Lakes, &c. e. The Vly.
Battle Fields. Cobleskill. Middleburgh.
Villages. SCHOHARIE. Esperance.
BOUNDARIES. North by Montgomery and Schenectady ; East by Schenectady and Albany ; South by Delaware and Greene, and West by Delaware and Otsego counties.
SURFACE. Mountainous. The county is divided into two un- equal sections by the Schoharie kill or creek. The main branch of the Kaatsbergs or Catskill mountains cross the south part of the county, through Broome, Blenheim, Jefferson, and Summit, to the line of Otsego county, broken through, however, by the Schoharie creek.
A spur from the same range passes northward, through Broome, Middleburgh, and Schoharie, into Schenectady and Montgomery counties. This spur is called the Middleberg, from its position between the Helderbergs and the main range of the Kaatsbergs.
The mountains west of Schoharie creek maintain an eleva- tion of from 2000 to 2600 feet. The Middleberg is 1700 feet high, at its most elevated portion, in the south part of the county, but declines gradually towards the east, till it mingles with the Helderbergs.
RIVERS AND CREEKS. The Schoharie creek with its tribu- taries, the Cobleskill, Foxes and Breakabeen creeks, are the principal streams in the county.
Bowman's creek, and the Catskill and Charlotte rivers, also take their rise in this county.
In the town of Middleburgh is a large marsh, called the Vlaie or Vly, which is the source of the Catskill.
CLIMATE. From the elevation of its surface, the climate of Schoharie county is cold, but healthful.
GEOLOGY AND MINERALS. The rocks of this county are tran- sition, consisting of slate, graywacke, and limestone. The lat- ter, however, predominates, and is generally the surface rock of the county. Portions of the Helderberg series, and the Erie and Catskill groups occupy the county. The last two are con- fined to the southern part.
Water limestone is found in great abundance in the northern and central por- tions of the county.
On the west side of Schoharie creek, in the town of Schoharie, are found beds of massive strontianite, of extraordinary beauty. It was regarded by the inhabi- tants as marble for many years. Arragonite, heavy spar, and calcareous spar, are also found in the water lime formation. Portions of the water limestone have been excavated for lithographic stones, and are said to be equal in quality to the German.
Fine specimens of fibrous sulphate of barytes and carbonate of lime are found in Carlisle, and fibrous celestine, and crystallized iron pyrites, in Schoharie. Bog
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SCHOHARIE COUNTY.
iron ore occurs in the same vicinity. Calcareous tufa abounds on the side of the mountains. Anhydrous sulphate of lime has been discovered in Sharon.
Gebhard's cavern, or Ball's cave, in the town of Schoharie, contains numerous apartments abounding in stalactites and stalagmites of great beauty ; some of the apartments are large and magnificent.
Otsgaragee cavern, in the same town, has numerous large apartments, highly decorated with spars and stalactites. There are other caves in the vicinity, of less extent.
There are several sulphur springs ; those at Sharon have attained considerable notoriety.
SOIL AND VEGETABLE PRODU TIONS. The flats in the valley of Schoharie cree arc among the most fertile lands in the state. The county generally is fertile, and some sections are adapted to wheat ; some portion of the southern towns is ster- ile and sandy.
The timber consists of oak, maple, elm, linden, ash, poplar, hickory, walnut, white pine, and hemlock. The two latter prevail i he southern part of the county.
PURSUITS. Agriculture is the employment of a majority of the inhabitants. Oats, rye, barley, wheat, corn, buckwheat, peas, potatoes, and flax, are raised in large quantities, and butter and wool produced to a very considerable extent.
Manufactures generally have not attained any great impor- tance. The facilities afforded by the hemlock forests, have led to the extensive tanning of leather. The quantity prepared in the county, in 1845, exceeded in value $400,000. Flour and lumber are also manufactured to some extent.
The county has no commerce and no mines.
The STAPLE PRODUCTIONS are oats, rye, barley, wheat, corn, peas, butter, and wool.
SCHOOLS. There are in the county, 184 school-houses. In 1846, schools were taught, on an average, nine months; 11,043 children received instruction, at an expense for tuition of $13,726. The district. libraries contained 17,985 volumes.
There were also in the county, twenty-five private schools, with 334 scholars, and two academies with ninety-four pupils.
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans, Dutch Reformed, Presbyterians, Unitarians, and Universalists. Number of churches fifty-eight, of clergymen fifty-six.
HISTORY. The first white settlements in this county werc made in the spring of 1711.
The benevolent Queen Anne formed the design of establish- ing a colony of Germans, the families of German soldiers who had served in the English wars, in her transatlantic posses- sions. She accordingly sent them over to New York, and thence to Albany, and permitted them to select for themselves, from the unoccupied lands of New York, a tract suited to their
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tastes. They selected the valley of the Schoharie, and the Queen's agent accordingly purchased for them, about 20,000 acres of fertile land, along that creek.
Industrious and frugal, these hardy settlers soon acquired a competence, and perhaps in no part of the state, at the com- mencement of the troubles which preceded the Revolution, could there have been found a more peaceful and ha py settle- ment. Highly cultivated farms, and substantial dwellings greet- ed the eye of the traveller in every direction.
But in those exciting times, differences of opinion prevailed, and when the conflict ca e on, the citizens of Schohaire county were found arrayed in hostility against eac other, and, oft times, members of the same family met in deadly strife.
The patriots of Schoharie county seemed, in an especial man- ner, to have excited the hostility of the enemy. Again and again did the marauding hordes of tories and Indians, under the command of Sir John Johnson, Brant, and the infamous Walter Butler, descend upon the farms of the hapless citizens, murdering and scalping all whom they met, without regard to age or sex, plundering and burning their dwellings, and making that fertile and beautiful valley a desolate and gloomy waste.
On the 1st of June, 1778, a bloody conflict took place at Cob- leskill, in which about fifty whites, regular troops and militia, contended with a force of 350 Indians, under the command of Brant, until twenty-two of their number were killed, and eight or ten more severely wounded.
A short distance from Middleburgh village are still visible the remains of the old Middle Fort, which was quite noted in the annals of the border wars in this county. On the 17th of Octo- ber, 1780, it was attacked by Sir John Johnson with a force of 800 tories and Indians.
The garrison of the fort consisted of about two hundred con- tinental troops, and between one and two hundred militia. Their supply of ammunition was scanty, and the commander of the fort, Major Woolsey, entirely unfitted for his station.
The garrison, however, determined to defend the fort to the last, and when Major Woolsey proposed to surrender, they op- posed it, and as he was so much overcome with fear as to be a subject of derision to the garrison, Colonel Vrooman, a militia officer in the fort, took the command.
After continuing the attack through the greater part of the day, without effect, Sir John withdrew down the valley of the Schoharie, burning all the houses and other buildings in his route. In this action the loss of the British was heavy, while
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SCHOHARIE COUNTY.
that of the garrison was but four wounded, two of whom after- ward died.
There were two other forts in Schoharie county, the Upper, five miles southeast from the middle, on the Schoharie creek, in the town of Fulton; and the Lower, near the village of Scho- harie.
Many other incidents connected with these incursions are deeply interesting, but pertaining only to individual conflicts, must necessarily be omitted.
Justice, however, requires that we should notice, in passing, the brave and fearless Schoharie rifleman, Timothy Murphy, whose services to the cause of freedom were numerous, and rendered with a cheerfulness and devotion worthy of all praise. Such was his skill in the use of his rifle, that the foeman who came within its range, was always sure to "bite the dust."
After the Revolution, quiet was restored, and the beautiful valley of the Schoharie was soon again lined with farms and dwellings, which indicated the thrift and competency of their owners.
The German language is still spoken by many of the older in- habitants, but their children receive an English education.
VILLAGES, &c. SCHOHARIE, in the town of the same name, is a small village situated in the midst of a region rich in mine- rals. Its public buildings are neat and substantial. Population about 500.
Esperance, the only incorporated village in the county, is in the town of the same name. It has some manufactures. Pop- ulation about 500.
Sharon Springs, in the town of Sharon, and near the boun- dary line of Schoharie, Otsego. and Montgomery counties, has recently become a place of fashionable resort. The sulphur wa- ters are said strongly to resemble those of the White Sul- phur springs of Virginia. There is also a chalybeate spring here. The Pavilion, a fine hotel, was erected in 1836, and during the season is usually thronged with visitors .*
* The following is Dr. Chilton's analysis of the waters of these springs.
Grains.
Sulphate of magnesia, (Epsom salts,)
12.40
lime
111.62
Chloride of sodium
2.24
magnesia
2.40
Hydrosulphuret of sodium
calcium §
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2.28
Total 160.91
Sulphuretted hydrogen gas, 16 cubic inches.
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XXIII. STEUBEN COUNTY.
Square Miles, 1400. Organized, 1796.
Population, 51,679. Valuation, 1845, $6,172,414.
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1. Addison, 1796.
2. Bath, 1796.
3. Canisteo, 1796.
4. Dansville, 1796.
5. Painted Post, 1796.
6. Wayne, 1796.
7. Reading, 1806.
8. Pulteney, 1808.
9. Troupsburg, 1808. 25. Bradford, 1837.
10. Conhocton, 1812. 26. Lindley, 1837.
11. Howard, 1812.
12. Orange, 1813.
13. Prattsburgh, 1813.
14. Hornellsville, 1820.
15. Wheeler, 1820.
16. Cameron, 1822.
17. Tyrone, 1822.
18. Urbana, 1822.
19. Erwin, 1826.
20. Hornby, 1826.
21. Jasper, 1827.
22. Greenwood, 1827.
23 Woodhull, 1828.
24. Campbell, 1831.
27. Caton, 1837.
28. Avoca, 1843.
29. Hartsville, 1843.
30. Thurston, 1843.
31. West Union, 1843.
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STEUBEN COUNTY.
Rivers, O. Chemung river. a. Canisteo. b. Conhocton. c. Ben- nett's creek. d. Tuscarora. j. Mud. k. Five Mile. 1. Twelve Mile. q. Cowanesqua. r. Canascraga. s. Tioga river.
Lakes. BB. Seneca. m. Crooked. n. Little. o. Mud. p. Loon. Villages. BATH. Corning. Painted Post. Hammondsport. Hor- nellsville.
BOUNDARIES. North by Livingston, Ontario and Yates coun- ties ; East by Seneca lake and Chemung county ; South by the State of Pennsylvania; and West by Livingston and Allegany counties.
SURFACE. This county belongs to the great table land, which extends through the southern tier of counties ; owing, however, to the perishable character of the rocks on which it is based, the rivers have worn deep valleys, whose precipitous banks, frequently 400 or 500 feet in height, give it a greatly diversified surface. The general elevation of the table land is about 1500 feet above tide water. An irregular ridge on the west sepa- rates the waters of the Susquehanna from those of Genesee river.
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