USA > New York > Delaware County > Delaware County, New York, history of the century, 1797-1897, centennial celebration, June 9 and 10, 1897 > Part 19
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First. We humbly conceived that the petition of Wattles, Beitt and others in favor of passing said bill is no more than the selfish views of designing men to place themselves in posts of honor and profit and thus builling themselves up on the ruins of their neighbors, profusely and by dereit and fiattery have Impul many people to join them without due consideration.
Secondly, The country is rough and uneven, consisting of large uninhabited mountains and narrow valleys, and those mountains extend ahnost through the country; likewise it abounds with large streams of water and those holch- ing forth in feree inundations in such a manner as to destroy all commuica- dons from one part of the country to another. Those obstructions render it very troublesome and expensive to make and maintain convenient roads and Fridges for the use of the inhabitants and the traveler, and in fine it creates a demand far beyond what we at present are able to supply.
Thirdly, In most parts of our country it is so thinly inhabited that it is out. of our power to maintain common schools of learning for the education of our children, although we have a large sum of money to pay for the benefit of schools, and are not situated so ns to enjoy the privilege of the same and we despair of having our country over settled to advantage for any social enjoy-
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
ment, for the new lands are held up to such a large and extravagant price that the people utterly despair of buying or taking a lease on the hard terms that is offered.
Fourthly, We beg your Honors to take into your serious consideration the propriety of erecting a new county in a place where they are not able to make necessary roads and bridges, nor even to build decent houses for public wor- ship. Moreover the country will not admit of any contral place suitable to accommodate a Court of Common Pleas and its attendance. Furthermore, the lines of said new county run in such a form that it cuts several towns in such a sort that it discommodes them very much in doing ordinary town business.
And we your humble petitioners find no kind of inconvenience in doing our county business, as we are obliged to go to the Hudson river once or twice a year and it ever will be our place of trade at Kingston and other places along said river, so that we can dispatch all necessary county business with little trouble and expense.
And we, your petitioners, sensible of the undistinguished favors you have hitherto shown us in guarding against the views of designing men, we still repose our cenfidence in your deliberation and your petitioners as in duty bound shall over pray. Signed William Keator, Francis Sumrick, John C. Keator, Joseph Keator and 108 others.
PART III.
15
Town Mistories.
T HE most valuable part of the centennial celebration was the Town Histories which had been prepared for the occasion. To the authors of these histories the readers of this volume are under the deepest obligation. They have been prepared with infinite trouble by busy men, and nothing but a sense of the public interest and of the gratitude of their fellow citizens can adequately reward them.
Below these histories are given in the alphabetical order of the towns.
ANDES. By Oscar S. Nichols.
BOVINA. By Hon. D. L. Thomson.
COLCHESTER. By Edward E. Conlon. DAVENPORT. By Walter Scott.
DIIn. By John A. Parshall.
DEPOSIT AND TOMPKINS. By Col. George D. Wheeler.
FRANKLIN. By William B. Hanford.
HAMDEN. By Henry W. Holmes. HANCOCK. By Hon. Wesley Gould.
HARPERSFIELD. By Allen S. Gibbs.
KORTRIGHT. By William B. Peters.
MASONVILLE. By A. F. Getter. MEREDITH. By Josiah D. Smith.
MIDDLETOWN. By Hon. JJohn Grant, and Mrs. J. K. P. Jackson.
ROXBURY. By Dr. J. N. Wright. SIDNEY. By Edwin R. Wattles.
STAMFORD. Written for this work.
WALTON. By Hon. Timothy Sanderson.
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Andes.
By Oscar S. Nichols.
F the earliest settlements made in that portion of Delaware county now comprised in the town of Andes, there exists to- day a record of little more than tradition. The circumstances at- tending the advance of the pioneers before the revolutionary war were not such as favored the accumulation of elaborate material for future history. Coming generations shall never know the true story of that early march of civilization into the heart of the American forests; and it is difficult to realize what must have been the hardships and deprivations and uncertainties which the leaders in that forward movement encountered. There re- mains for us the story of success and progress; the failures and reverses belong to those details that are left to the imagination. The experiences of the early days were doubtless common to all the settlers of the Middle States; and in the following nar- rative an attempt will be made to refer to some of the more familiar traditions clustering about the beginning of this town.
Prior to the Revolution there appear to have been scarcely any permanent settlements in this portion of the county. The peculiar topographical relations-the rocky hills, often thickly wooded and ent by deep valleys, with wild mountain streams,- offered few immediate advantages to the Indians and hence it is principally lower down the streams, after they join the Delaware, that records of Indian tribes (the Delaware Indians) appear. The earliest white inhabitants, coming from the New England districts, and from the lower portions of New York, followed along the streams and sought such places amid their banks as gave prom- ise of reward for labor expended. But these settlers left no
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permanent traces; they may have failed to overcome the difficul- ties which the peculiar character of the country presented, and loubtless some left to join the throng of revolutionary warriors. There are no records which justify any certain conclusions as to the fate of these individuals; but the traditions of their existence lend completeness to the history of the later community, and contributes to the enthusiasm which the tales of colonial strug- gles arouse in American hearts.
It was during the revolutionary period and in the following years that the first permanent settlements began. According to various authorities, the years 1781 to 1784 mark the date of these pioneer movements. At about this time several families, making their way up the East branch of the Delaware river, located at the place now known as Shavertown. These families included John, Jacob and Philip Shaver (hence the name). They had mi- grated from Dutchess county, while Philip Barndardt had come to this district from Schoharie county. These names, like those which follow, serve to indicate the nationality of the early set- tlers. A few years later other individuals began to direct their way along the smaller branches of the river. These branches afforded the natural paths along which the invasion into the un- kuown territory should be conducted. Thus we learn of Robert Nicholson who made his home about 1790 up the Tremperskill, the small stream joining the East Branch at Shavertown. To the same neighborhood came Thomas More, James Phenix, Elijah Olmsted, Joseph Erskine, Silas Parish, E. Washburn and Eli Sears, names, many of which are familiar in the county annals.
Somewhat later than the period just referred to began a movement towards the district under discussion, along the direc- tion of the West Branch of the Delaware. Communication with the outer world was less easy along this path, and consequently the immigration in this direction was less extensive until at a much later period. Toward the close of the eighteenth century, however, settlers had followed the West Branch as far as Delhi,
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
and then pursuing their course up the Little Delaware-the stream joining the West Branch just below the present village of Delhi-had made their way into the present town of Bovina and then gradually into the northern portion of what is now known as Andes. How entirely independent the two lines of pioneer movement were, is well illustrated by the following in- cident which we take from the historical account of the town by H. W. Blake: Aaron Hull, a pioneer, who came by the Teunis Lake route, had taken up his abode about one mile north of the present village of Andes. His nearest neighbor to the south was Jonathan Earl, who in 1795 had located on the farm now occu- pied by Robert McNair on the road from Andes to Shavertown. "These two families lived for a year or more unknown to each other, until one evening Mr. Earl while looking for his cow that had strayed up to what was then the swamp, now the site of the village, found her in company with Mr. Hull's cattle that he was driving home from their browse pasture."
As in the adjacent parts of the county, so here the early settlers devoted much of their time to the lumber industry. Rafting soon became a profitable business on the Delaware where it was extensively undertaken. The numerous streams in the locality under consideration afforded means of transportation for the logs, and in the course of time saw mills were erected. With the changes incidental to the country's growth, however, all this has changed, and today dairying forms the chief industry of the community.
It was not until after the war of 1812-14 that the present town of Andes was formed. At that time the county comprised fifteen towns. By a special act of the State Legislature, passed April 13, 1819, a portion of Middletown was set aside to com- prise the present town of Andes. The name, rather unique in character, is said to have arisen through a suggestion regarding the extremely hilly character of this part of the county, and the word Andes was chosen to be applied to the town including this
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TOWN OF ANDES.
mountain-like district. That the designation was not altogether inappropriate will be evident when it is remembered that the highest point in the county- Mt. Pisgah, with an altitude of 3,400 feet-lies in the northeastern part of the town.
The new town was the fourth in size in the county, but was indeed little more than an unbroken forest with a few settler inhabitants. On the first Tuesday in March, 1820, the first town meeting was held in what was then designated as the village of Trempersville, the name being changed to Andes in the following year. At this meeting the town officers were elected, viz: Super- visor, town clerk, assessors, overseers of the poor, commissioners of highways, etc. In the absence of general legislation, by-laws were adopted, one to the effect that " No cattle shall be allowed to run at large within forty rods of any Publick House, Tavern, Grist mill, Fulling mill and all places of Publiek Business from the first day of November until the first day of April, under the penalty of one dollar."
The first election for State officers was held on the last Tuesday in April, 1820, and continued for three days. The relative import- ance of the new town is indicated by the results of this contest. Seventy-six votes were east for governor, De Witt Clinton receiving twenty and Daniel D. Tompkins fifty-six. At a later date, instead of continuing the election three days at one place, the inspectors went each day to a different part of the town for the convenience of the scattered voters. At this period there was but one hamlet in the town. The church and school were never forgotten in those days, and formed the center about which civilization clustered in its rural abodes. Accordingly the town contained a church,-Presby- terian in denomination,-eight school districts, a tavern, a grist mill, a saw mill and a tannery. If we add to these the log-cabin homes of tillers of the soil, there is presented to the imagination a pieture which seems strange indeed to the child of the closing years of the nineteenth century. Where the forest trail formed the only line of communication with the neighboring districts, to-day the
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
telephone extends from hamlet to hamlet and the earth's forces are subdued to assist the wants of man in a manner and degree that our forefathers could not venture to dream of. In place of the bi- monthly mail of 1820, the great New York dailies to-day bring their treasure of intelligence to the home of the farmer on the very day of their issue. Such have been the changes that time has wrought.
In the period succeeding 1820, the town of Andes experienced a slow and steady growth. Other hamlets beside old Trempersville, began to form. Thus Shavertown which, as we have seen, was early a growing settlement at the junction of the Tremperskill and East branch, was established as a post-office in 1828; Union Grove, fur- ther up on the East branch, was likewise organized in 1857: while the village of Andes was incorporated in 1861. At this period its. population was about 350. The more fertile valleys of the town had become settled by a thrifty class, and it is during these years that various well known localities in the town began their growth. These places have in many instances received characteristic and peculiar designations, among which we may refer to Fall Clove, Wolf Hollow, Bussey Hollow, Shaver Hollow, Canada Hollow, (iladstone Hollow, Dingle Hill, Lake Hill, Palmer Hill, etc. More mills were built in the region, but of the many that existed in the first half of the century few remain at the present day. Among these land marks are still to be seen one at Pleasant Valley (O. E. Miner's ), and another at Union Grove ( Jenkins' mill ). These relics of early Andes industry serve to demonstrate how thoroughly the character of the occupation of the townsmen has changed in late years. Of the causes contributing to this change we shall speak later on.
As regards the religions life of the community, there has been evidence from the earliest days of an enthusiasm and interest that speak praises for the fathers of the early generation. Meetings for devotioual purposes were held in various portions of the town long before church edifices had been erected, and the unusual devotion of the Andes people is shown in the considerable number of
Union Grove.
-
Village of Shavertown
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TOWN OF ANDES.
churches that were erected even before the sixties. Presbyterian- ism predominated, but by no means excluded other sects, among whom the Methodists and Baptists were most active. In the earnest effort to spread the Christian faith a religious society ( Presbyterian) was organized as early as 1801, and in 1818 a church was erected, part of which now forms the Town Hall building in Andes village. In 1833 a United Presbyterian Church was erected at Cabin Hill; in 1838 the Methodist Episcopal edifice at Andes was opened. These were followed by Presbyterian houses of worship erected in 1848 at Andes, in 1851 at Shavertown, and in the following year at Pleasant Valley.
All the churches have labored incessantly and spent money freely in proclaiming the words of truth, and to-day the spires of right churches point heavenward and afford opportunity for the people to meet together in their respective houses and worship according to the dictates of their own conscience. It may not be without interest to note that Rev. Dr. James Bruce of the United Presbyterian congregation of Andes village has spent thirty-three consecutive years in its service.
Up to the year 1890 Andes had at least two publie cemeteries, one being located at Shavertown, the second and larger one a short distance southwest of Andes village on the Tremperskill road. The attempt to incorporate this with a larger area of land failed, owing to the difficulty of making satisfactory arrangements with holders of adjoining property. Accordingly in 1890 an association was formed and the present Rural Cemetery opened. The farm, known as the Smith property, located on an elevation to the north of the village, was purchased and a portion of it, duly incorporated, was set aside for the purpose mentioned.
It was in the year 1845 that the well known Anti-Rent difficulties reached their culmination in this county. In the previous years the settlers who had up to that time paid their annual rents under what was known as the Hardenberg Patent claim refused longer to sub- mit to what they considered unjust and exorbitant demands, while
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
the lessors prosecuted for rent. Associations of the aggrieved were formed with the purpose of seeking redress and preventing the collection of the rents. Men disguised as Indians banded together to carry out the purposes of these individuals. The processes of the law were interfered with; and meanwhile judicial and legislative proceedings were on foot to remedy the difficulties.
The climax was finally reached in a series of events taking place in Andes, and leading to the death of Deputy Sheriff Steele. An Act had already been passed forbidding the proceedings of the armed and disguised bands, and severe penalties were directed. The immediate occasion of the so-called Anti-Rent " Andes tragedy" was the attempt of Sheriff Green Moore to sell the property of Moses Earl upon an execution for rent. Mr. Earl at that time resided about one and a half miles from Andes village, on the mountain road leading to what is now called Dingle Hill. The property is at present in the possession of William Scott.
Of the events that transpired incident to this Andes tragedy there are a number of accounts, varying in the statement of the details, and doubtless colored largely by the sympathies of the narrator in the questions involved. It is difficult, indeed, to find a description of the transactions of that fatal day that is free from evidences of prejudice at the same time that it bears the stamp of authenticity. The writer has carefully reviewed the various pub- lished accounts and has likewise received useful information from inhabitants of the town of Andes who were present at the Anti-Rent affair. The following narrative is, in his judgment, warranted by the results of this study:
On the 7th of August, 1845, the Sheriff of the county, Mr. Green Moore, went to Andes to be present at the sale referred to. When the Sheriff wanted to commence the sale the " Indians," and certain other citizens not in disguise, repaired to the field where the cattle to be sold were grazing, and drove them into a corner near the highway. After surrounding the cattle, the "Indians" advised the Sheriff to proceed with the sale, and promised at the same time to
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TOWN OF ANDES.
protect him. At this juncture two Deputy Sheriff's, Steele and Edgerton, appeared upon the scene, although the best authorities indicate that they had been requested not to be present. When it was suggested that the cattle be driven upon the highway prior to the sale, an objection was immediately raised on the ground that the notice of sale distinctly stated otherwise, and, furthermore, that the highway was publie property. The two Deputy Sheriffs here- upon rode along the highway to the barn where a notice of the sale had been posted, and then returned to a point where there was an opening into the field elosed by bars. Steele and Edgerton, who were joined by P. P. Wright, entered the field with their horses: Edgerton, flourishing a pistol, commanded those present to assist in preserving the peace. The fire-arm was discharged,-accidentally it is stated,-and immediately the leader of the Indians commanded them to shoot the horses. At once there was a report of pistols; amid the confusion two horses were killed and Steele was fatally shot. He died in a short time. The events of the day were reported to the Governor and the county put under martial law. Various legal prosecutions followed, two individuals being con- victed and imprisoned. They were fully pardoned at a later period. The abandonment of the secret Anti-Rent organizations quickly followed.
The opening of the Civil war found Andes ready to send forth her quota of men to defend the Nation's rights and to battle for the cause of the North. A good number of her sous started from their homes and joined the other volunteers from the county. These men were for the most part members of the 144th Regiment Volunteers, and many of them saw considerable of the struggles of the Rebellion. The enthusiastic meetings held in the village of Andes during the war are recalled by many of the older residents: patriotism reached a high pitch and Henry Dowie, a prominent citizen, entertained Horace Greeley ou one occasion. The survivors of the war have organized a prosperous Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, and named
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
it Fletcher Post, to honor the memory of one of the first of Audes' residents to fall in the great struggle.
In the years following the war Andes experienced such trans- formations as were common to many of her sister towns in the county. The chief occupation of the townsmen gradually was. changed more and more into that of a dairying community and agriculture took a leading part in the lives of the people. It gave rise to a quiet, unimpetuous, religious community whose daily life was merely a record of hard work with satisfactory returns. The village of Andes grew steadily from a hamlet of 350 people to one of 500 inhabitants, and it became a commer- cial center for the surrounding district. The farm produce from the neighboring towns was brought to the village to be ex- changed for the necessities which the farm did not produce and " trading day," Saturday, afforded many scenes of earnest activity. For years no town in the county enjoyed the prosperity which came to Andes. The progress which it experienced was largely due to the efforts of one man, Henry Dowie. In addition to his extensive business interests, he was deeply concerned with all enterprises which were undertaken in the direction of im- proving the village. His prosperous butter business brought people from distant parts of the county and gave to the village an impetus that was long felt. It was to the reverses of fortune in the case of this one man that the decline of the once pros- perous village is largely due. The tide of trade has drifted to other channels; the facilities of travel and communication have improved so greatly in later years that the farmer no longer is compelled to go far to find his market. Thus the progress of the age has wrought changes in the fortunes of the town.
Among the incidents which have left their impress upon the village of Andes was the disastrous fire of June 26, 1878. The origin of the conflagration was probably accidental. The flames started in the wagon house belonging to the Union Hotel owned by Peter Crispell and standing on the premises opposite to the
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TOWN OF ANDES.
hotel. The fire extended in both directions from this property, completely destroying all the buildings on the north side of the street as far as Delaware Avenue to the west, and the street leading to High street on the cast. No less than fifteen build- ings were consumed, some of them stores, others private residences. Although a volunteer fire department had already been organized in 1877, and the Andes water works were in operation, the flames minde rapid headway, and the dry weather and wind prevailing caused so rapid a spread of the work of destruction that the efforts of the citizens were of little avail. The loss was estimated at $40,000. This portion of the village was subsequently re- built in large part and the new structures have added materially to the appearance of the place. In Angust, 1896, the Union Hotel, which was built in 1833 and had for many years been a landmark in the town, was burned to the ground. This place has not been rebuilt up to the present date.
In connection with various enterprises which originated in the town of Andes it is necessary to record a series of transac- tions which have been of serious consequence to the development and progress of the town. The incidents referred to are known as the Andes Town Bonds affair. After the construction of the Ulster and Delaware Railroad from Kingston to Stamford a pro- jeet was entertained of connecting the valley traversed by the New York and Oswego Midland Railroad, now known as the New York, Ontario and Western Railroad, with the railway crossing among the Catskills from the Hudson river. This new road, which was to pass through Andes, promised to afford a valuable outlet from this region as well as to give easier means of access to the town. The new railway was surveyed to run from Ark- ville, where it joined the Ulster and Delaware Railroad, through Arena, Union Grove, Shavertown, up the Tremperskill to within two and one-half miles of Andes village to the present farm of David Muir, thence along the valley leading to Lake Delaware. From this spot the road was planned to follow the valley of the
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
Little Delaware to the village of Delhi. A company was incor- porated under the name of the Delhi and Middletown Railroad: a survey of the road was made, right of way obtained and a portion of the road from Arkville to Andes was graded. The interest of the town of Andes in the enterprise was evidenced by the action of the town-the only one along the line of the pro- posed railroad doing so-in bonding itself to the extent of $98,000 for the benefit of the organized company. The sequel is well known. After various vicissitudes and unfortunate incidents the completion of the road was never undertaken, while the ob- ligations assumed by the town could not be released. The burden was a severe one, especially under the circumstances related. For several years interest (at seven per cent.) was faithfully paid. At the end of this period, a sentiment opposed to the continu- ance of this debt having gradually arisen, the bond affair became a matter of litigation and remained in the courts for several years, when a temporary relief was obtained. The old debt was released and the town bonded anew for $120,000, with interest payable at the rate of three per cent. There is a debt balance not yet provided for at this time. The history of the Bond affair is the story of a heavy burden upon the town, without compen- sation in the form of a railroad, or redress of any kind.
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