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 30
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SURFACE. The southern section of the county has an irregular surface, rising into ridges on the shores of Cayuga and Owasco lakes. Poplar ridge, the watershed of- the county, is between these two lakes, and has an elevation of 600 feet. The north- ern part is comparatively level, yet has a rolling appearance, in consequence of numerous gravelly hills, which seem like mounds formed by art.
RIVERS. The principal streams are the Seneca river, Salmon and Little Sodus creeks. The Seneca has a very sluggish course through a marshy country.
LAKES. Cayuga lake on the western border, Skeneateles on the eastern, and Owasco in the centre, are the largest lakes. Besides these it has Cress, Duck and Otter lakes, and Lock pond.
BAYS. Little Sodus bay is an inlet of Lake Ontario.
CANALS. The Erie canal crosses the county a few miles dis- tant from the Seneca river, and parallel with it.
RAILROADS. The great line of Railroad between Albany and Buffalo also passes through this county.
CLIMATE. Mild and temperate, much moderated by the nu- merous bodies of water around and within it. It is regarded as : alubrious.
GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. This county embraces quite a variety of formations. On the borders of Lake Ontario is found the Medina sandstone; immediately south of this the Clinton,
4. Sempronius, 1789.
5. Brutus, 1802.
G. Cato, 1S02.
7. Locke, 1802.
S. Owasco, 1S02.
9. Sennet, 1807.
10. Mentz, 1SOS.
12. Conquest, 1821.
13. Summer Hill, 1821.
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Niagara and Onondaga limestone groups ; next the Helderberg series, and in the extreme southern part of the county, the Lud- lowville slaty rocks.
Gypsum, water limestone, sulphate of Barytes, Epsom salts, fluor spar, sulphate of iron, and pure sulphur are the principal minerals.
Petroleum or mineral oil is found on Cayuga lake. Valuable brine springs occur in Montgomery. Here are also sulphur springs, and a chalybeate spring has been discovered in the town of Sennet.
SOIL AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. The soil of this county, in consequence of its peculiar geological structure, is rich, and its lands are among the most fertile and highly cultivated in the state. Wheat yields the most abundant crops; and fruits thrive in great perfection. The timber consists of oak, beech, butternut, elm, poplar, basswood, pine and hemlock.
PURSUITS. The attention of the inhabitants is chiefly turned to agriculture. Large quantities of the various kinds of grain and wool are annually produced, and considerable numbers of cattle reared.
Manufactures. The principal articles of manufacture are flour, woollen and cotton goods, leather and lumber. Salt is manufactured in considerable quantities.
Commerce. It has a considerable amount of commerce-be- ing connected by the Cayuga lake with the southern counties- by the Erie canal and Auburn and Syracuse railroad with the Hudson and Lake Erie, and by the Cayuga and Seneca canal with the Seneca lake, and the country bordering on it.
THE STAPLES of the county are wheat and other grains, pota- toes, butter and wool.
SCHOOLS. The common schools, in 1846, numbered 256. They were taught an average period of eight months, attended by 16,781 scholars, at an expense for tuition of nearly $21,312. The number of volumes in the school libraries was 29,718.
The number of private schools was thirty-five, having in attendance 658 pu- pils. It has also four academies and one female seminary, with 388 scholars, and one theological seminary with seventy-one students.
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. Baptists, Presbyterians, Meth- odists, Friends, Universalists, Congregationalists, Episcopali- ans, Dutch Reformed, Unitarians, and Roman Catholics. There are in all seventy-seven churches and eighty clergymen.
HISTORY. The first settlements in this county were made in Aurelius, Genoa and Scipio, about the time the Indian title was extinguished, in 1789. The first settlement at Auburn was made in 1793, by Col. John L. Hardenburg, from whom it was named Hardenburg's corners. It received its present name in 1805.
In Moravia, settlements were commenced in 1794. At that
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time there were still some Indians residing on the flats. The county has had a rapid and prosperous growth, and in its zeal for public improvements ranks among the first counties in the state.
VILLAGES. AUBORN, the shire town of the county, and one of' the most flourishing villages in the state, is situated on the out- let of Owasco lake. Though irregularly laid out, its streets are spacious, and many of its buildings elegant. Besides the county buildings, it contains seven churches, a male and a female sem- inary, and the Auburn Theological seminary, under the control of the Presbyterians, which has four professors, seventy-one students, and a library of 5000 volumes.
The Auburn State Prison, located here, is a massive granite building, erected at an expense of over half a million of dol- lars. The main building has a front of 276 feet, and is three stories high besides the basement. The two wings. one on either end, are each 242 feet long, and forty-five wide. The whole is enclosed by a solid stone wall, from sixteen to forty feet high, and three feet thick. The number of prisoners is about 700, who labor in work shops during the day, and are confined in separate cells at night. Population 6171.
Moravia is a thriving incorporated village, in the town of the same name. The Moravian Institute is a chartered institution of some note. Population 600.
Aurora, in the town of Ledyard, lies upon the Cayuga lake, and is hardly surpassed in the beauty of its location, by any vil- lage in western New York. The Cayuga academy is a flourishing institution. Steamboats stop here several times a day on their route between Ithaca and Cayuga bridge. Popu- ulation 500.
Cayuga is a pleasant village on the eastern bank of the Cayuga lake. A daily line of steamboats plies between this place and Ithaca, connecting the Ithaca and Owego and the Auburn and Rochester railroads. A toll bridge, and a railroad bridge, each of them upwards of a mile in length, here cross the Cayuga lake.
Montezuma. A number of saline springs are here found, from which salt of the best and purest quality has been manu- factured ever since the earliest settlement of the country. The Montezuma marshes commence about a mile west of the village, and are known as the Paradise of musquitoes. Population 700.
Weedsport is a thriving village on the canal in the town of Benton. It has a large amount of business. Population S00.
Port Byron, in the town of Mentz, is a large village, on the Erie canal. It has one of the largest flouring establistments in the state, beside several other manufactories. Population 1000.
XXIX. ESSEX COUNTY.
Square Miles, 1162. Organized, 1799.
Population, 25,102. Valuation, 1845, $1,483,136.
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1. Crown Point, 1788.
2. Willsborough, 1788.
3. Jay, 1790.
4. Elizabethtown, 1798.
5. Chesterfield, 1802.
6. Schroon, 1804.
7. Ticonderoga, 1804.
8. Minerva, 1804.
9. Essex, 1805.
10. Lewis, 1805.
11. Moriah, 1808.
12. Keene, 1808.
13. Westport, 1815.
14. Wilmington, 1821.
15. Newcomb, 1828.
16. St. Armand, 1844.
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Mountains. EE. Kayaderosseras. GG. Chatcaugay. HH. Clinton. JJ. Au Sable.
Peaks. g. White Face. k Mount McMartin. m. Mount McIn- tyre. n. Mount Marcy. o. Mount Defiance, (in Ticonderoga).
Rivers. C. Hudson. a. Bouquet. c. Boreas. d. Indian. e. Adiron- dack. f. Schroon, i. Au Sable. j. Saranac. q. West Branch.
Lakes. W. Champlain. 1. Schroon. r. Paradox. s. Pharaoh. t. Crane Pond. u. Harries Lake. v. Rich. w. Delia. h. Teralt. y. Sanford. z. Placid. a. Auger Pond. b. Warm. c. Rattlesnake. d. Black. e. Long.
Forts. Ticonderoga. Crown Point.
Villages. ELIZABETHTOWN. Westport. Keeseville. Ticonde- roga. Essex.
BOUNDARIES. North by Franklin and Clinton counties ; East by Lake Champlain ; South by Warren county ; and West by Hamilton and Franklin counties.
SURFACE. The surface of this county is mountainous. Three distinct ranges cross it, and a fourth touches its western bound- ary. The Kayaderosseras range, beginning at Crown Point, passes over the southeastern towns. The Clinton range ex- tends through the central portion, the Au Sable passes through the northwest section, and the Chateaugay forms a portion of the northwestern boundary.
In the towns of Keene, Newcomb, and Moriah, a group of lofty peaks, known as the Adirondack group, extends from the Au Sable to the Clinton range. Mounts Marcy, McIntire, Mc- Martin, Dial mountain and White face, are the principal of these peaks, Mount Marcy is 5467 feet, or more than a mile, above tide water, Mount McIntire 5183, White face 4855, and Dial mountain 4900 feet high.
It is a characteristic of the mountains of this county, that their sides are precipitous and broken. Between the ranges of the mountains are extensive valleys, through which flow large streams.
The Adirondack pass, about five miles from the Adirondack iron works, de- mands a cursory notice. At an elevation of some 2500 feet above tide water, a narrow gorge extends quite through the mountain, whose massive perpendicular walls a thousand feet in height, rear themselves on either hand in gloomy sub- limity, as if proudly defying the puny art of man. The pass is nearly a mile in length, and rises in height from 500 to 1000 feet.
RIVERS. The principal rivers of the county are the Au Sable, the Saranac, the Bouquet, the Hudson and the Schroon, with their tributaries, and Putnam creek.
LAKES. No county in the state probably possesses so great a number of lakes and ponds as Essex. The character of its sur-
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face is such as to produce this result; in its deep chasms and mountain gorges, its ravines and dells, bounded by walls of ever during granite, the waters which fall upon the hills, or the product of the melting snows upon its lofty peaks, gather and remain, till they have attained sufficient height to overflow the barriers which restrain them.
It is said that there are in the county nearly one hundred lakes and ponds of considerable size. Of these the most important are Schroon, Paradox, Teralt, Rich, Harries, Delia, Sanford, Pharaoh and Placid lakes, and Augur pond.
CLIMATE. The temperature is low, particularly on the moun- tains. In the valleys it is more mild, but the frosts are early and severe. It is not well adapted to the raising of fruit, or those grains and crops which require a long summer.
GEOLOGY AND MINERALS. The rocks in this county are pri- mary, with the exception of a narrow belt of transition on Lake Champlain. They are principally hypersthene, granite, pri- mary limestone, gneiss, hornblende, and magnetic iron ore.
Iron is found in immense quantities in almost every part of the county. The principal veins are the Penfield, the Adirondack ores, and the Sanford vein. The latter is estimated to contain at least 3,000,000 tons of pure iron. It is in fact a mass of pure iron ore, unmixed with rock or earth. The iron of this county, in all the qualities which render that metal valuable, is unsurpassed by any in the United States, and being situated in a densely wooded country, and with a con- venient access to the lake, can be smelted and conveyed to market as advantage- ously as any in the country.
There are in the county, and particularly on the shores of the lakes, fossil veg- etables and shells. The other principal minerals are Plumbago, marble of the Verd Antique variety, Labradorite, calcareous spar, pyroxene, hornblende, serpen- tine, scapolite, tabular spar, Brucite, apatite, tourmaline, sphene, colophonite, graphite, zircon, garnet, epsom salts, porcelain clay, and pearl spar.
VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS, SOIL, &c. The soil, though broken, is rich and fertile. The timber is very abundant, and of large size, sonsisting of white and black oak, white and yellow pine, maple, beech, hemlock, poplar, walnut, butternut, birch, ash, elm, basswood, cherry, fir, spruce, &c.
Upon Mount Marcy, the gigantic beech and hemlock gradually diminish in size to mere shrubs, and the former, unable to sustain the weight of its stem, creeps on the rocky surface of its elevated summit. The forests abound with game, and the waters with fish.
PURSUITS. A majority of the inhabitants are devoted to agri- cultural pursuits. The greater part of the county is adapted to grazing, and in some of the valleys grain succeeds well. Po- tatoes, oats, together with some wheat, corn and rye are grown. Butter and wool are produced in considerable quan- tities.
The preparation of lumber for market is a prominent pursuit
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with the inhabitants. The amount of lumber and timber ex- ported is very large.
Among the manufactures, that of iron is the most impor- tant; it is smelted from the ore in large quantities.
The commerce of the county upon the lakes is very consider- able, and every year increasing.
STAPLES. Iron, lumber, butter, wool, and potatoes.
SCHOOLS. There were in the county, in 1846, 167 school- houses, in which 7925 children were taught an average period of six months, at an expense for tuition of $8758. The district libraries contained 13,774 volumes.
There were also in the county twenty private schools, with 270 pupils, and two academics, with ninety students.
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. Methodists, Congregationalists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, and Universalists. The number of churches of all denominations in the county is forty-two, and of clergymen, twenty-ninc.
HISTORY. In 1731 a fort, called Fort St. Frederick, was erected by the French, at Crown Point, on the bank of Lake Champlain; it was afterward blown up, but the place was again fortified, and retained as a military post.
In 1756, the French erected Fort Ticonderoga, named by them Carillon. In 1758, General Abercrombie, with a large force, composed of British and provincial troops, attacked the fortress, but was repulsed, with the loss of nearly 2000 killed and wounded. Among the former was Lord Howe, who was universally beloved by the troops.
In 1759, both Ticonderoga and Crown Point were abandoned by the French, on the approach of the English forces. The British general garrisoned Ticonderoga, and caused a fort to be erected at Crown Point, which was likewise garrisoned by English troops.
In 1775, both fortresses were captured by a corps of Connec- ticut and Vermont volunteers, under the command of Colonels Ethan Allen,* Seth Warner and Benedict Arnold. Crown Point was evacuated the next year.
On the eleventh of October, 1776, the disastrous expedition against Canada was terminated, by the capture of the lake fleet, under the command of General Arnold, near Crown Point.
In July, 1777, Ticonderoga was besieged by General Bur- goyne; with great labor and difficulty that officer succeeded in
* It is related that when Colonel Allen, who had rushed into Fort Ticonderoga, sword in hand, ordered the commander of the fort to surrender, he enquired " by what authority !" Colonel Allen iunnediately replied, " I demand it in the name of the great Jehovah and the continental congress."
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STATE OF NEW YORK.
erecting a battery upon Mount Defiance, which overlooked and enfiladed the fort. General St. Clair, its commander, was thus compelled either to surrender, or evacuate the fort immediately. He chose the latter alternative, and made his escape, though with some loss. It was then garrisoned by the British.
In October, 1777, the garrison, hearing of General Bur- goyne's surrender, returned precipitately to Canada. Neither of the fortresses have since been occupied.
This county was chiefly settled by emigrants from Vermont, and other New England states. Considerable portions of it are yet covered with the primeval forests.
VILLAGES. ELIZABETHTOWN is a small village, situated in the midst of beautiful and picturesque mountain scenery. It is the county seat. Population 350.
Keeseville, lying upon both sides of the Au Sable river, and being partly in this county and partly in Clinton, is a large and flourishing manufacturing village. Iron, and woollen and cotton goods, are largely manufactured here. It has also flouring mills, saw mills, a brewery, machine shop, tannery, &c. The falls of the Au Sable give it a fine water power. Here is an incorpo- rated academy. Population 2200.
Westport is a thriving village on the lake. It has a flourish- ing incorporated academy. Population 700.
Ticonderoga, about two miles from the old fort of that name, is well situated for manufactures, having a valuable and exten- sive water power, very uniform in its supply, and being advan- tageously situated for commerce. Population 700.
Essex is a thriving village and has some commerce. Popu- lation 700.
Willsborough, in the town of the same name, Au Sable Forks and Jayville, in the town of Jay, are growing and impor- tant villages.
XXX. GREENE COUNTY.
Square Miles, 583.
Organized, 1800.
Population, 31,957. Valuation, 1845, $2,969,673.
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1. Catskill, 1788.
2. Coxsackie, 1788.
3. Durham, 1790.
4. Windham, 1798.
5. Cairo, 1803.
6. Greenville, 1803.
7. Athens, 1805.
8. New Baltimore, 1811.
9. Hunter, 1813.
10. Lexington, 1813.
11. Prattsville, 1833.
Mountains. i. Catskill. u. Pine.
Rivers. AA. Schoharie kill. C. Hudson. a. Catskill Creek. d. Kaaters kill. g. Batavia kill.
Falls. On the Kaaters kill east branch, three falls.
Villages. CATSKILL. Coxsackie. Athens. New Baltimore.
BOUNDARIES. North by Schoharie and Albany ; East by Hud- son river ; South by Ulster ; West by Delaware and Schoharie counties.
SURFACE. The county of Greene has a very hilly and moun- tainous surface. The Catskill mountains running centrally through the county, divide it into two sections, of which the eastern and northern is the most arable.
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The eastern fronts of the mountains are precipitous, while upon the west their declivities are more gentle. The Pine mountain, or Kaatsbergs, form the southwestern boundary. The principal peaks of the Catskill mountains are Round Top and High Peak, which have elevations from 3000 to 3800 feet above tide water.
RIVERS. The principal streams are Catskill creek, Kaaters- kill, Schoharie kill, and Batavia kill. The Hudson forms its eastern boundary.
CLIMATE. This county has much diversity of climate. The peaks of the mountains are covered with snow nearly a month later than the valleys, and the summer is shorter, but when vegetation commences, it is more rapid than near the Hudson.
GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. The transition and red sand- stone formations prevail in this county. The predominant rocks of the Catskill division are conglomerates, red and gray shales, slates, slaty and coarse grits ; greenish gray and chocolate col- ored gray sandstone, known as the Catskill or North river flag stone, is abundant. The Helderberg range, consisting of water and common limestone and pyritous slate, predominates in the north portion of the county. The Hudson river group, compo- sed of slate, shales, shaly and thick bedded grits occupies the eastern and southeastern part.
Copper, lead, zinc, iron and coal, have been found in small quantities. Calca- reous spar and quartz crystals also occur.
VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. The mountains are sterile-the uplands produce excellent grass, while the valleys are rich, yielding good crops of grain. The timber consists of oak, hick- ory, cherry, soft and sugar maple, and on the hills beech, birch, and in some places, spruce and hemlock. In the mountainous districts the trees are of great size.
PURSUITS. Agriculture is the principal pursuit of the inhab- itants. Comparatively little grain is raised. The products of the dairy are large. Many of the farmers are turning their at- tention to wool growing, for which the county is well adapted.
Manufactures. Leather is manufactured to a greater amount than in any other county in the state. The other manufactures are flour, lumber, paper, fulled cloths, &c.
Commerce. Catskill, Athens, Coxsackie and New Baltimore, are largely engaged in the coasting trade.
The STAPLE PRODUCTIONS of the county are butter, oats, corn and buckwheat.
SCHOOLS .. There were in this county, in 1846, 170 ccmmon schools, giving instruction to 9071 children, an average period of eight months each, at an expense for tuition of $13,147. The district libraries contained 19,713 volumes.
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There were also thirty-three select schools, with 601 scholars; four academies and one female seminary, with seventy-seven students.
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. Methodists, Presbyterians, Bap- tists, Dutch Reformed, Episcopalians, Friends, Roman Catho- lics, Lutherans, and Unitarians. There are in the county, sixty- four churches. and sixty-four clergymen.
HISTORY. Greene county was settled in the latter part of the seventeenth century, by the Dutch. Cairo and Coxsackie were the principal settlements. Shortly before and after the revolu- tion, many families removed from New England into the county, and a majority of the present inhabitants claim a puritan de- scent.
It is a matter of regret that so little effort has been made to investigate the early history ofa county, undoubtedly possessing so much historic interest.
The Hardenburgh patent comprises most of the towns of Windham and Lexington.
Athens was laid out in part, in 1790, by Edward Brockholst Livingston, and E. C. Goodrich.
VILLAGES. CATSKILL VILLAGE, in the town of the same name, was incorporated in 1806. It is the seat of justice of the county, situated on the left bank of the Catskill creek, nearly one mile from the Hudson, and is principally built upon a single street, about half a mile in extent.
It is a port for steamboats and sloops, the creek being naviga- ble from a short distance above the village, to the Hudson, opening a direct communication with the city of New York.
This village is sustained by a wealthy farming community in its own, and adjoining counties ; also by a considerable manu- facturing interest.
In the business season of the year, Main street, and the wharves indicate great activity in trade and commerce.
The prospect of the Hudson from this village is obscured by a high bluff running parallel with the river, yet this bluff affords desirable sites for residences, some of which are occupied and highly improved.
The location of this village is important, being the terminus of a number of' stage routes, some of which communicate with the valley of the Susquehanna. Its public buildings are neat, and its general appearance that of industry. It has an academy, and a select school for young ladies. Population 3000.
Athens, in the town of the same name, pleasantly situated opposite the city of Hudson, was incorporated in 1805,-it is ex- tensively engaged in manufactures, especially of brick and lime.
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A considerable number of sloops are owned here, which ply to and from New York. A steam ferry connects it with the city of Hudson. Population 1500.
Coxsackie Landing, in the town of Coxsackie, is a thriving village, engaged in the coasting trade, and in the manufacture of brick. It has an academy of some note. Population 1500.
Prattsville, lying on the Schoharie kill, manufactures more leather than any town in the United States. It received its name from Hon. Zadoc Pratt, who established extensive tan- neries here. The village is also engaged in other manufactures. Population 1200.
The "Mountain House," so widely celebrated as a summer resort for travellers, is within the limits of the town of Hunter. It is situated on the Pine Orchard, a peak of the Catskill mountains, twelve miles from the village of Catskill, and at an elevation of 2212 feet above the Hudson.
The prospect from this point is one of the most extensive and beautiful in the world. The majestic Hudson, with its green islets, its numerous sails. its cities, villages, and highly culti- vated farms, is visible, on a clear day, for sixty miles in extent, while in the distance, the dim outlines of the Taghkanic moun- tains bound the horizon.
About two miles west of the "Mountain House" are the Kaaters kill Falls, upon a stream issuing from two lakes in the rear of the hotel. The waters leap over a perpendicular bar- rier, 175 feet, and pausing momentarily upon a rocky ledge, plunge down eighty-five feet more, and are hid from the view, in the dark ravine through which they seek the valley of the Catskill.
The scenery around, the deep green forests, the rugged cliffs, covered with ivy and summer foliage, and the extended pros- pect, add to the sublimity of the waterfall, and render this one of the most picturesque and magnificent scenes in nature.
New Baltimore, Cairo and Coxsackie are villages of some importance, in the towns of the same names.
XXXI. GENESEE COUNTY.
Square miles, 473.
Population. 28,845.
Organized, 1802.
Valuation, 1845, $5,873,385.
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1. Batavia, 1802.
2. Alexander, 1812.
3. Bethany, 1812.
4. Le Roy, 1812.
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