USA > New York > Jefferson County > A history of Jefferson County in the state of New York, from the earliest period to the present time > Part 35
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* David Seymour, of Springfield, Vt., the father of George N. Seymour, Esq., of Ogdensburgh.
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The Oswegatchie Road.
the advice and consent of the council of appointment, to appoint three or more commissioners, to open and improve the road as laid out by Peter Colt and Nathan Sage, from Rome to Brown- ville, on the Black River; and that the said commissioners so appointed, shall extend the said road, from Brownville to the St. Lawrence River, so as to have the best ground for a road, and the most convenient ferry across the said water to Kingstown, in the province of Upper Canada.
And be it further enacted: That it shall be lawful for the per- son administering the government of this state, by and with the consent of the council of appointment, to appoint three or more commissioners, to lay out and improve a road from within two miles from Preston's tavern, in the town of Steuben; thence to within three miles of the High Falls of Black River; thence through the towns of Turin, Lowville, Champion, Rutland, Wa- tertown, and Brownville, so as to intersect the aforesaid road, between the Black River and the south bounds of great No. IV, of Macomb's Purchase.
And be it further enacted: That it shall be lawful for the per- son administering the government of this state, by and with the advice and consent of the council of appointment, to appoint one or more, not exceeding three commissioners, to lay out a road from within two miles of Preston's Tavern, in the town of Steuben, as aforesaid, to Johnstown, or as near Johnstown as the nature of the ground and the general interests of the Black River country require; and, that when this part of the road shall have been so laid out, the commissioners, for laying out, opening, and improving the road through the Black River country, generally, shall open and improve it."
Of the avails of this lottery, $10,000 were applied for opening a road through Washington, Essex, and Clinton counties to the province line, and $1,500 for a bridge over the west branch of the Hudson.
Nathan Sage, Henry Huntington, and Jacob Brown, were ap- pointed commissioners for opening the road above mentioned, passing through Redfield, and these were, by an act passed April 9, 1804, authorized and empowered to make such deviations on said route as they deemed proper, notwithstanding the provision in the original act.
On the 25th of February, 1805, Henry McNeil, George Doo- little, and Bill Smith, were appointed to lay out a road in as direct a route as practicable, from Whitesboro through Deerfield and Floyd, to Turin to intersect the state road that runs along the Black River.
Jacob Brown, Walter Martin, and Peter Schuyler, were appoin- ted under the act of March 26th 1803, to locate the road
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State Roads.
through the Black River valley, which has since, until recently, been known as the State Road, and $30,000 were expended un- der that act. Silas Stow acted a short time as one of the com- missioners, both on the Black River and the Johnstown section, with Brown, Martin, and Schuyler.
An act of April 8, 1808, Augustus Sacket, David I. Andrus, and John Meacham were empowered to lay out a public road four rods wide, commencing at such place in Brownville or Houndsfield as shall, in the opinion of the commissioners, best unite with the great road leading from Rome to the river St. Lawrence at Putman's Ferry, and pursuing such route as in their opinion shall best accommodate the public in general, to the vil- lage of Salina.
By an act of April 2, 1813, the surveyor-general was "au- thorized and required to sell and dispose of so much of the unap- propriated lands of this state, on a credit of twelve months, lying in the county of Oneida, called the Fish Creek Land, as shall raise the sum of $4.000, and the same is hereby appropriated for im- proving the road from Sackets Harbor, on Lake Ontario, to the village of Rome, in the county of Oneida, being the road hereto- fore laid out by commissioners appointed by the state, and pay the same over to Henry Huntington, Clark Allen and Dan Taft, who are hereby appointed superintendents to take charge of the expenditures of the said sum, for the objects aforesaid." These men were required to give security to double the amount of the trust, and were to be paid two dollars per day.
The road thus opened, subsequently became a stage route, and one of the principal avenues into the county, and it repeatedly became an object of state legislation and patronage. In 1807, active efforts were made in Oneida and Lewis counties, to obtain a lottery for improving the road from Whitesboro to Utica, but failed in consequence of the number of similar applications from other localities.
An act was passed April 1, 1814, appointing William Smith, George Brayton and Benjamin Wright to lay out a road from Salina to Smith's Mills ( Adams), to intersect at that place, the State Road from Rome, through Redfield and Lorraine, to Brown- ville. The sum of $5,000, derived from duties on salt and a tax on the adjacent lands that were to receive direct and immediate benefit from the road, were applied for its construction. The road was completed to Adams, and was long known as the Salt Point Road, or State Road.
On the 17th of April, 1816, a State Road was directed to be laid out by Robert Mc Dowell, Eben Lucas, and Abel Cole, from Lowville to Henderson Harbor, which was surveyed, but the whole of it was not opened. It was principally designed to be-
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State Roads.
nefit lands in Pinckney and the other thinly settled townships, but never became of public importance. It was to be opened with moneys derives from taxes on adjacent lands.
A road from French Creek to Watertown was, by an act of April 1, 1824, directed to be made under the direction of Anos Stebbins, Azariah Doane and Henry H. Coffeen. It was to be opened and worked as a public road in the towns through which it passed, it being expected that the commissioners would secure its location in such a manner as to secure the public interests only.
An act of April 18, 1828, provided for improving the public road between Canton and Antwerp by a tax on lands to be bene- fited.
By an act of April 19, 1834, Loren Bailey, Azariah Walton, and Eldridge G. Merrick were appointed to lay out a road along the St. Lawrence, from near the line of Lyme and Clayton to Chippewa Bay, in Hammond. The cost, not exceeding $100 per mile, was to be taxed to adjacent lands; and in 1836, 1838, and 1839 the act was amended and extended.
A State Road from Carthage to Lake Champlain was, by an act of April 4, 1841, authorized to be laid out by Nelson J. Beach of Lewis County, David Judd of Essex, and Nathan In- gerson of Jefferson Counties. The act was amended April 18, 1843, April 30, 1844, and April 15, 1847, and the road has been surveyed and opened the whole distance. Much of it lays through an uninhabited forest.
The enterprise of individual proprietors led, at an early day, · to the opening of extended lines of roads, among which was the Morris and Hammond Road, the Alexandria Road, &c. The tour of President Monroe in 1817 probably led to the project of uniting the two prominent -military stations of Plattsburgh and Sackets Harbor by a military road, which was soon after be- gun. A report of John C. Calhoun, then Secretary of War, dated January 7, 1819, mentions this among other national works then in progress. The labor was done by relief parties of soldiers from these garrisons, who received an extra allowance of fifteen cents, and a gill of whiskey daily. The western extremity ty, from Sackets Harbor, through Brownville, Pamelia Four Corners, and Redwood to Hammond, and from Plattsburgh to the east line of Franklin County, only were completed. The care of the general government ended with the opening of these roads, and the portion in this county has been maintained as a town road.
TURNPIKES .- The Oneida and Jefferson Turnpike Company was incorporated April 8, 1808, for the purpose of making a road, by the most eligible route, from the house of James Tryon, in
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Turnpikes.
Rome, by way of David Butler's, in Redfield, and the south branch - of Sandy Creek, in Malta (Lorraine) and thence to Putnam's Ferry, (two miles below Cape Vincent), on the St. Lawrence. The persons named in the act were Nathan Sage, Peter Colt, Augus- tus Sacket, Jacob Brown, David Smith, and Eliphalet Edmonds. Capital, 4700 shares of $25 each. A company with the same name, and a capital of $20,000, was chartered May 3, 1834, and amended April 13, 1835, but never got into efficient operation. The commissioners named were Elisha Camp, Thomas C. Chitten- den, Clark Allen, Ira Seymour, Nelson Darley, and Alanson Bennet.
The St. Lawrence Turnpike Company, formed April 5, 1810, of twenty-nine leading land holders of northern New York, headed by J. Le Ray, built, in 1812-13, a turnpike from a point 5} miles north of Carthage to Bangor, Franklin County. They were in 1813 released from completing the termination which had origi- nally been intended to be the Long Falls and Malone. The road was opened under the supervision of Russell Attwater, and built from the proceeds of lands subscribed for its construction along the route. During the war it was a source of great profit, but afterwards fell into disuse, and the company were, by an act of April 17, 1827, allowed to abandon it to the public.
The Ogdensburgh Turnpike Company, formed June 8, 1812, capital, $50,000, and mainly sustained by David Parish, soon after built a turnpike from Carthage to Ogdensburgh by way of An- twerp, Rossie and Morristown. This was also, by an act of April 1826, surrendered to the public. Few persons better deserve honorable mention for their liberality in contributing to public improvement, than David Parish, whose share of expense in opening the Ogdensburgh turnpike was $40,000, and in the St. Lawrence, upwards of $10,000. Mr. Le Ray is also equally de- serving of remembrance as the early and constant benefactor of these improvements, and his expenditures on these were doubt- less greater than those of any other person.
By an act passed March 30, 1811, the governor was to ap- point commissioners to lay out two turnpikes. One of these was to pass from Lwville, by way of Munger's Mills (Copenha- gen), and Watertown, to Brownville; the other from Munger's Mills to Sacketts Harbor. The former of these was to be called the Black River and Sackets Harbor Turnpike, with a capital of $37,500, in shares of twenty-five dollars each. Daniel Kelley, John Paddock, and John Brown, with their associates, were to constitute the company. Elisha Camp, Corlis Hinds, and Thomas M. Converse, were to constitute a company under the name of the Sacketts Harbor Turnpike Company, for building the latter, with a capital of $20,000, in shares of twenty dollars each. Neither of these roads were built.
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Turnpikes.
On the 13th of February, 1812, Mr. Le Ray addressed the following memorial to the Legislature:
" To the Honorable, the Legislature of the State of New York:
The petition of James Le Ray, de Chaumont, respectfully sheweth: That the St. Lawrence Turnpike Road, leading from the Black River to the town of Malone, in Franklin County, is now opened the whole of the distance, and it is expected will be completed in the course of this year. That a direct road, lead- ing from the Black River, opposite the village of Watertown, and intersecting the river St. Lawrence, in the town of Le Ray, would, in the opinion of your petitioners, greatly promote the public convenience; that the country through which such road would have to pass, is in a great measure unsettled, and the set- , tlement and improvement of which would be much promoted by a good road. Your petitioners would also beg leave further to represent, that the road leading from the village of Chaumont to the village of Cape Vincent, on the river St. Lawrence, oppo- site Kingston, in Upper Canada, a distance of about eleven miles, passes through a very level and an unsettled tract of coun- try, and is at present much out of repair, and during the greater part of the year so miry as to be almost impassable; that by reason of this road being in such situation, persons traveling through the Black River country, to Upper Canada, are obliged, during the summer season, to submit to the inconvenience and risk of crossing Lake Ontario-a navigation by no means safe, especially in open boats; that in case the said road was so im- proved that it could be safely and conveniently passed by horses and carriages at all seasons of the year, the public convenience, as well as the settlement and cultivation of that part of the country, would, in the opinion of your petitioner, be greatly promoted.
Your petitioner therefore humbly requests your honorable body to authorize him, by law, to make a turnpike road, from the village of Chaumont, in the town of Brownville, to the village of Cape Vincent, on the river St. Lawrence, and from the Black River, opposite the village of Watertown, to intersect the St. Lawrence Turnpike Road, at or near where the same crosses the Indian River, in the town of Le Ray; upon such conditions, and under such limitations and restrictions, as you, in your wisdom, shall think fit to impose. And he, as in duty bound, will ever JAMES LE RAY DE CHAMOUNT,
pray, &c
By his Attorney, V. Le Ray de Chamount."
The war which soon ensued diverted attention for a time from this improvement; but, on the 31st of March, 1815, an act was
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322
Plank Roads.
passed, empowering Le Ray to build the Cape Vincent Turnpike from that place to Perch River. Elisha Camp, Musgrove Evans, and Robert Mc Dowel were named commissioners for locating it in such a manner as to best promote the public interests; the usual provisions were made, as with companies, to obtain the right of way, and Mr. LeRay was not compelled to build a bridge over Chaumont River. On the 12th of April, 1816, he was allow- ed to extend the road to Brownville village. By an act of April 21, 1831, this road was surrendered to the public, and with it ended the era of turnpikes in Jefferson County.
PLANK ROADS .- Measures were taken for building plank roads soon after the passage of the general law. The first one built was from Watertown to Sackets Harbor, ten miles of which (the half toward Watertown) was inspected June 13, 1848, and the remainder 10th of August. The company had been formed Au- gust 7, 1847. The first plank road inspectors were appointed November 17, 1847, and were William Wood, Samuel Boyden and Walter Collins.
During 1849-50-1, numerous roads were constructed, which will be named in the order of their connection and locality. The Lowville and Carthage Plank Road, one mile ten rods, in this county, inspected August 4, 1849; the Carthuge and An- twerp Plank Road, first four miles finished September 21, 1849; the whole, sixteen and one-fourth miles, inspected November 13, 1849; survey recorded May 11, 1849. The Sterlingbush and North Wilna Plank Road, just built, and connecting the last road with the village of Louisburgh, or Sterlingbush, in Lewis County; the articles of association dated May 10th 1853. The Gouverneur, Somerville and Antwerp Plank Road, survey re- corded August 27, 1849; five miles, seventy-two chains and sev- enty links of this road in this county inspected November 14, 1849. A continuous line of plank roads connect this with Og- densburgh, Canton, and the depot of Canton and Madrid, on the Northern Rail Road. One mile from Antwerp Village, this road connects with the Hammond, Rossie and Antwerp Plank Road, which was formed January 23, 1850; seven miles in this county inspected October 24, 1850; length twenty miles, pass- ing through Rossie Village, mostly on the line of the Ogdensburgh Turnpike, and connecting by plank road with the village and port of Morristown. Several very expensive grading and rock cut- ting occurs on this road. At the Village of Ox Bow, in An- twerp, it connects with the Evans' Mills and Ox Bow Plank Road, 17 miles long; recorded February 27, 1852; completed in June, 1852. The Pamelia and Evan's Mills Plank Road con- tinues this route to Watertown, nine and three-fourths miles long; completed June 15, 1850. Antwerp is connected with Water-
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Plank Roads.
town by the following roads: The Antwerp, Sterlingville and Great Bend Plank Road, formed December 5, 1848, twelve and three-eighths miles long, completed August 27, 1849; the Wa- tertown and Great Bend Plank Road, ten miles completed late in 1849.
This passes through the villages of Black River and Felts' Mills. At the village of Great Bend, this and the former road connect with the Great Bend and Copenhagen Plank Road, of which nine miles are in the county ; completed November 31, 1849. This road passes through Champion Village, and has an expensive grade near Pleasant Lake, in that town. It connects with the Rutland and Champion Plank Road, 7miles 71 chains long which is laid on the former main road between Copenhagen to Watertown, to the line of the latter near the " Big Hill," three and one-half miles from Watertown Village, completed August 30, 1849. By the Water- town Plank and Turnpike Road, this line is continued to Water- town Village. This road, three and one-half miles long, was completed September 11, 1849. The Watertown Central Rail Road, two miles long, completed August 11, 1849, was at first designed to connect with other roads, forming a line of plank roads to Syracuse, but the completion of the railroad has inde- finitely postponed this plan. The Adams and Ellisburgh Plank Road, through these towns, was recorded February 14, 1849, and 10 miles 239 rods, inspected June 17, 1849. It is continuous of roads to Syracuse, Oswego, &c.
The Dexter, Brownville, and Pamelia Plank Road, 5 miles 12 chains long, connects Pamelia Village, opposite Watertown Village, with Dexter. It was recorded May 5, 1849, and finished October 5, 1850. It is continued by the Dexter and Limerick Plank Road, to the town line of Lyme, towards Cape Vincent. Surveyed May 2, 1849, and completed thus far in May, 1850. It also connects with the Dexter and Houndsfield Plank Road, 3 miles, 26 chains, 94 links long, which runs from Dexter to the Watertown and Sackets Harbor Road, near the latter place. It was inspected through, August 13, 1849.
A line of roads from Alexandria Bay to Watertown, was pro- jected and mostly finished, consisting of the Theresa and Alex- andria Bay Plank Road, 12 miles long; completed December 5, 1849, and the Theresa Plank Road, towards Evans' Mills, of which about 4 miles were completed July 6, 1852. The Theresa and Clayton Plank Road ( 16 miles 56 chains 60 links) between these places, was recorded May 21, 1849, and completed June 25, 1850. This road passes through La Fargeville.
The completion of these roads has contributed much to the prosperity of the country, although some of thein have not met the expectations of those who invested money in them. The
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Watertown and Rome Rail Road.
rail roads finished and in progress will so entirely supersede the use of several that they will never be rebuilt. As a general ave- rage they have cost about $1,000 per mile, and the companies have been formed in the localities directly interested in their construction. The material has generally been hemlock plank, 8 feet long, and 3 inches thick, usually made along the lines of former roads, with improved routes in certain points, and often with costly and permanent grades and excavations. The enter- prise of our citizens appears to have been diverted from this branch of improvement to other more direct and easy means of access to the markets. Within three years, about 170 miles of plank roads were built in the county.
RAIL ROADS .- The people of Jefferson County early caught the spirit of improvement, of late years so strikingly evinced in the construction of railroads; and that from Albany to Schenec- tady, the first one in the country, had hardly got into successful operation, when the project of gaining an access to market by this means was brought up for discussion; and on the 17th of April, 1832, an act was passed incorporating the Watertown and Rome Rail Road, which act was never allowed to expire, but was revived repeatedly by the legislature, and after years of pa- tient and persevering effort, this truly beneficial road was opened. The company was clothed with powers to build a road from Rome to Watertown, and thence to the St. Lawrence, or Lake Ontario, or both, with a capital of $1,000,000, in shares of $ 100. Work was to commence within three, and end within five years. The commissioners named in the act were Henry H. Coffeen, Edmund Kirby, Orville Hungerford and William Smith, of Jef- ferson County; Jesse Armstrong, Alvah Sheldon, Artemas Trow- bridge and Seth D. Roberts, of Oneida; and Hiram Hubbell, Benjamin H. Wright, Caleb Carr and Elisha Hart, of Oswego, who were to receive stock and appoint a meeting for the choice of thirteen directors. On the 10th of May, 1836, this act was revived, and its duration extended the original term; a new com- mission named, which, with the addition of George C. Sherman, was, for Jefferson County, the same as before, and a clause in- serted, requiring $25,000 to be expended within two years, and the work to be finished in four years. The provisions of the Attica and Buffalo Rail Road charter were made applicable to this. On the 6th of May, 1837, the charter was revived and amended, by dividing into sections, of which the first extended from the lake or river to Watertown; the second, from Water- town to Adams, and thence to Salmon river, and the third, to Rome. The company might organize and commence operations when able to build one of these sections, as follows: No. 1, on $75,000; No. 2, on $250,000; No. 3, on 375,000. The sum of
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Watertown and Rome Rail Road.
$10,000 was required to be expended within two years; within four years, one section; within six years, the whole road was to be done. Clarke Rice, Hermon Cutler, and Alvah Hazen were added to the commissioners. On the 17th of May, 1845, the last two acts were extended and the charter continued for the original term; $25,000 were required to be spent within two years, and the whole to be finished within four years. On the 28th of April, 1847, the former time was extended one year and the latter two years. The capital was extended $500,000, for the purpose of laying a heavy iron rail of at least fifty-six pounds to the yard. Hav- ing given a brief synopsis of the legislation concerning this road, we will now relate the progress of organization, surveys and construction.
Nothing was attempted towards effecting the objects for which the company was chartered, till near the time when it would have expired by the limitation of the act.
A numerous and respectable meeting of citizens, from Jeffer- son and Oswego counties, was held at Pulaski, June 27, 1836, and a committee appointed to address the public on the subject of the Watertown and Rome Rail Road. The principal object of this address, was to impress upon the public mind the import- ance of immediate action and efficient exertion, with a view of securing these permanent advantages, both individually and col- Jectively, to the country. A belief of the impracticability of the work had become prevalent, to refute which, the following facts were adduced, which are instructive, as showing the progress that had then been made in this line of engineering: 1st. Upon the Paterson and Jersey City Rail Road, sixteen miles long, a train, with one engine, had drawn forty passengers around curves of 400 feet radius, and up grades of forty-five feet to the mile, at the rate of twelve miles an hour. 2d. On the Camden and Amboy Rail Road, the daily cars carried from fifty to one hundred and fifty passengers from twelve to fifteen miles an hour, up grades of forty to fifty feet. 3rd. On the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road, an engine, weighing seven and a half tons, had drawn two cars, each thirty feet in length, and containing fifty passengers each, up grades of forty-five feet. 4th. It had been ascertained, from experiment, that a Baltimore engine, weighing eight tons, would draw fifty tons, on a grade of fifty feet, at the rate of ten miles an hour. 5th. An elevation of two hundred and fifty-three feet per mile had been overcome by a locomotive drawing a car of thirty-three passengers.
A subscription was in circulation at this time, to secure a pre- liminary survey; a concession of the right of way was solicited, and the public generally was invoked to lend aid to this measure, so indispensable to the prosperity of the country. The committee
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Watertown and Rome Rail Road.
were: William Smith, G. C. Sherman and I. H. Bronson, of Watertown, J. H. Wells, of Pulaski, and Lemuel Freeman, of Williamstown, who employed Mr. William Dewey to make a survey from Watertown to Rome, which was done, with the aid of Robert F. Livingston and James Roberts, and the results reported in September, 1836. The distance of the line surveyed, which passed through Pulaski, was seventy-six miles, forty-five chains; the cost, with the strap rail then used, was estimated at $6,460.29 per mile, and the whole cost, with nine turnouts, $512,615.95. There was no estimate made of station houses, and other appendages. On the 22d of August, an informal meeting was held at Watertown, to report the progress of the survey, and raise means to complete it. The press, in reporting these proceedings, awarded especial and merited praise to Mr. William Smith, for the energetic and dis- interested manner in which he was engaged in this measure. The report of the engineer was received at Pulaski, September 22, and a committee of three, in each town, appointed to solicit subscriptions. The zeal and ability with which Mr. Dewey performed this survey, deserve especial commendation; but the project was destined this time to fail in achievement, and the crisis in the money market, which followed in the wake of spec- ulation that ensued, precluding all idea of progress, the rail road project was allowed to slumber for nearly ten years.
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