USA > New York > Warren County > Queensbury > Gazetteer and business directory of Saratoga County, N.Y., and Queensbury, Warren County, for 1871 > Part 13
USA > New York > Saratoga County > Gazetteer and business directory of Saratoga County, N.Y., and Queensbury, Warren County, for 1871 > Part 13
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39
There are several very aged people in this town, anto :: whom is Martha Church, aged 96. She is still able to wa's about the house by means of a chair. Mr. Smith Woolsey w .. born in this town and still resides there. He is over sevents years of age.
The area of the town is 26,800 acres.
SARATOGA' was formed as a district March 24, 1 ::.. and as a town March 7, 1788. Easton (Washington Co.) w ... taken off in 1789, a part of Greenfield in 1793, Northumb ...- land in 1798, a part of Malta in 1802, and Saratoga Springs in 1819. It lies upon the Hudson, near the center of the east ber- der of the County. A range of high hills, rounded and som .. times terraced, extends through the central and west parts from: north to south. These hills rise 450 feet above the Hudson am1 slope in every direction. Along the Hudson are narrow allu. vial flats, bordered by high clay bluffs. Saratoga Lake forms a portion of the west boundary. Fish Creek, the outlet of the luk . flowing through the north part of the town. is the princip ... stream. It affords several valuable mill sites. The other stream !. are small brooks. The soil north of Fish Creek is light as sandy, and in the remaining parts of the town it is a graveur and clavey loam. Several mineral springs, known as the "Quake : Springs," issue from the Hudson River slate, in a ravine a lit ! south-east of the center of- the town. The water of the - springs contains lime, magnesia and iron, held in solution ? : carbonic acid, and a large proportion of common salt and sod _
The Schuylerville and Upper Hudson Railroad, to conne Mechanicville and Fort Edward, is now being located and wit probably be built next year. The Saratoga, Greenwich an. Hoosick Tunnel Railroad is to connect Saratoga with the Hoosick Tunnel and form a link in the contemplated roux from Boston to Oswego.
Schuylerville, (p. v.) named in honor of General Philip Schus- ler, who resided at this place previous to the Revolution. :- situated in the north-east part of the town, on the Hud .. .. River, at the mouth of Fish Creek. It was incorporated Apr ::
The acknowledged unequaled Steck Plano Fortes, to be found at 11. Hidley's, 12 Mansion House Block, Broadway, Troy, A. ..
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16, 1831, and contains five churches, viz., Methodist, Baptist, Reformed, Episcopal and Roman Catholic; a bank, five hotels, a cotton factory, a large paper mill, a foundry, a sash and blind factory, a saw mill, several other mills and manufactories and about 2,000 inhabitants. The Goldsmith House is a fine hotel, erected during the last season for the accommodation of visitors who resort to this place to enjoy the health-giving qualities of the Battle Ground White Sulphur Springs, which was discovered a few years ago.
Prospect Hill Cemetery is owned by a corporation formed under the laws of the State, three years ago. It is a very beautiful rural cemetery and forms one of the attractive features of this place.
Victory Mills (p. v.) is on Fish Creek, a short distance above Schuylerville, and contains a Methodist church, a large cotton factory and about 500 inhabitants.
Quaker Spring?, (p. v.) near the center of the town,contains a Methodist church, a store, two wagon shops and about - in- habitants .*
Grangerville, in the north part, is a hamlet containing a hotel, a grist and a saw mill.
Deans Corners (p. v.) contains a store and a cheese factory.
Coveville (p. v.) contains a store and a hotel.
The settlement of this town was commenced in the early part of the last century, on the Hudson River. At an attack made upon Old Fort Saratoga, upon the opposite side of the river, in the fall of 1745, several saw mills and other buildings upon Fish Creek and the river, were burned, and about thirty famil- ies were killed or taken prisoners. In 1755 a fort was erected at the mouth of Fish Creek, by the French under Baron Dies- kan: It was one of the defenses against the English under Sir William Johnson. It was built of earth and logs, and the lines of the intrenchments inclosed about fifteen acres, bounded south by Fish Creek and east by the Hudson. It was aban- doned by the French, and named by the English Fort Hardy, in honor of Sir Charles Hardy, who was that year appointed Governor of New York.
General Philip Schuyler had a residence and mills near this creek during the Revolution. They were burned by General Burgoyne in his retreat from Stillwater. The surrender of the whole British army occurred a few days after, upon the level plain north of old Fort Hardy. The different companies were
*See Errata.
Before purchasing a Piano, Organ or other Musical Instrument, call on B. H. Hidley, 12 Mansion House Block, Broadway, Troy, N. Y.
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drawn up in parallel lines, and by order of their own command1- ers, grounded their arms and emptied their cartridge boxes. They were not even subject to the gaze of an exultant foe, for General Gates had ordered all his army within their camp, oat of sight of the British troops, Col. Wilkinson being the only American officer present to witness the scene. Soon after the troops had laid down their arms, General Burgoyne propose! an introduction to General Gates. Accompanied by his staff. he crossed Fish Creek and was met by General Gates at the head of his camp, about a mile south of the creek. When within about a sword's length they halted. Colonel Wilkinson introduced the Generals, when Burgoyne gracefully raised his hat, saying: "The fortune of war, General Gates, has made me your prisoner." General Gates replied, "I shall always be ready to bear testimony that it has not been through any fault of your excellency." The other officers were then introduced and the whole party repaired to General Gates's headquarters, where & sumptuous dinner was served. After dinner the American army was drawn up in parallel lines on each side of the road, extending nearly a mile. Between these troops, the British army, escorted by a company of light dragoons, preceded by two mounted officers bearing the American flag, marched to the tune of Yankee Doodle. Just as they passed, the two com- manding generals, who were in Gates's tent, came out together, and fronting the procession gazed upon it for a few minutes in silence. Burgoyne was dressed in a rich scarlet uniform, trim- ned with gold, while Gates wore a plain blue frock coat. Without exchanging a word, Burgoyne stepped back, drew his sword and presented it to General Gates. The latter received it with a courteous inclination of the head and immediately returned it to Burgoyne. They then retired to the tent and the British army took up their line of march for Boston, where they were to embark for the mother country.
Everything was agreed upon and adjusted upon the 16th. The signatures of the contracting parties were to be affixed on the next day and the formal surrender to take place. During the night, Captain Campbell succeeded in eluding the American sentinels, and reached the British camp with dispatches from sir Henry Clinton, announcing his capture of the forts at the Hudson Highlands, and the expedition as far up the river as Esopus. Here was a ray of hope, and General Burgoyne felt disposed to withhold his signature from the agreement already entered into. General Gates was apprised of this and of the tutte that had excited new hopes in the British commander. Ile was better acquainted with the threatening aspect below than Burgoyne, and knew that "delays are dangerous." He
'urlent Goody of all kinds, Wholesale and Retail, at B. M. HI LED'S, I2 Mansion House Dloch, Broadway, Troy, N. Y.
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drew up his army on the morning of the 17th in order of battle,,and then sent a peremptory message to Burgoyne that if the articles were not signed immediately he should open fire upon him. With reluctance Burgoyne subscribed his name and preparations were immediately made for the ceremonies of the surrender, which took place as already stated.
A short distance south of Fish Creek, near the Schuyler Mansion, a notorious Tory, named Lovelace, was executed. He was one of those whose chief desire was plunder. At the com- mencement of the war he went to Canada and formed a union with five other persons of the County, to return, plunder, rob and destroy his old neighbors. His quarters were in a large swamp about five miles from the residence of Colonel Van- Vechten, at Coveville. Robberies were frequent and several in- habitants were carried off. General Schuyler's house was rob- bed and an attempt was made by Lovelace and his companions to carry off Colonel Van Vechten, but his scheme failed. Capt. Dunham, who commanded a company of militia in the neigh- borhood, received intimations as to the place of concealment of Lovelace and his companions, and he at once summoned to his house four members of the company, named Davis, Green, Guiles and Burden. They proceeded after dark to the "Big Swamp," three miles distant, where two Tory families resided. Here they separated to reconnoiter, but Green and Guiles were lost. The other three kept together, and at dawn discovered Lovelace and his party in a hut covered with boughs, and just putting on their clothes. The three. Americans crawled cau- tiously forward until near the hut, when they sprang upon a log with a shout, leveled their muskets, and Captain Dunham exclaimed, "Surrender or you are all dead men!" Believing that the Americans were upon them in force they came out one by one without arms and were marched to General Stark's quarters. They were tried by court martial and Lovelace was sentenced to be hanged. He complained of injustice and claimed the rights of a prisoner of war, but he was considered too dangerous to be allowed any leniency and was executed three days afterwards in the midst of a violent storm of wind, rain and lightning.
Col. Van Vechten, of the Saratoga militia, and a member of General Gates' staff, resided near Coveville. He was a zealous advocate of the rights of the people and was an object of dis- like to the Tories. His family fled to Albany on the approach of Burgoyne from Fort Edward, and when they returned in the fall, they found that the buildings had all been burned by order of General Burgoyne, and the whole estate was a total wreck. In 1848 Mr. Lossing called on a son of Col. Van Vech- G
Old Instruments of all kinds taken in exchange for New, at B. M. Hd- ley's Music Store, 12 Mansion House Block, Broadway, Troy, N. ..
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ten and received much valuable imformation from him. He was at that time three score years and ten, yet his memory was unclouded. "His father had stored that memory with the verbal history of his times, and every noteworthy locality of Saratoga was as familiar to him as the flower beds of his beauti- ful garden."
While the British army was encamped at Schuylerville, some of the officers were accustomed to turn their horses out to graze upon the meadows by the river. An American soldier, encamp- ed on the opposite side, asked and obtained permission to cross the river and capture one of these horses for his own use. Ac- cordingly he swam across the river, caught a fine gray gelding, which he mounted, and plunged into the stream amid the shots of a squad of British soldiers, arrived save at his camp, where he received the cheers and congratulations of his companions. After resting awhile he told his Captain that it was not fair that an officer should go on foot while a private had a horse, and asked permission to try his luck again. The request was grant- ed and again he crossed the river and in a short time returned unharmed with a horse for his Captain.
The Reformed Church of Saratoga was organized in 1789 by Rev. E. Westerlo, of Albany, and consisted of twenty-two mem- bers. A church edifice was erected previous to the Revolution and was supplied by Dutch ministers from Albany, Lansing- burgh, &c., as missionaries. Rev. Samuel Smith was installed pastor in 1789. The present house was erected in 1857 at a cost of 85,000, and will seat 500 persons. The present membership is 160 and the present pastor Rev. J. H. Collier.
The first church edifice was used by Burgoyne as a hospital, while he was retreating from Stillwater. An American soldier, seeing a person seated in the window and mistaking her for a soldier, shot an English lady. She was buried under the floor of the church, and when it was removed in 1802, her remains were found in a remarkable state of preservation, the skin being dry and the hair apparently as natural as when first buried. Her remains were removed to the village cemetery.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Schuylerville was organized in 1827 by Rev. R. Washburn, the first pastor, and consisted of about a dozen members. A house of worship was erected the same year. The present house of worship will seat 400 and is valued at 88,000. The present membership is 240 and the pas- tor is J. B. Sylvester.
The Church of the Visitation was organized in 1847 by Rev. Thomas Daly, the first pastor. The first house of worship was erected the same year and enlarged in 1855. It will seat about
he acknowledged unequaled Steck Plano Fortes, to be found at B. HI. Hidley's, 12 Mansion Mouse Block, Broadway, Troy, N. ..
T
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500 and is valued at $3,500. The number of members at the organization was 100; the present number is 1,500. Rev. H. B. Finigan is the present pastor.
The area of the town is 24,600 acres.
SARATOGA SPRINGS was formed from Saratoga, April 9, 1819. It lies near the center of the County, and has a rolling or moderately hilly surface. Kayaderosseras Creek and Saratoga Lake, forming the south boundary, are skirted by a line of low bluffs. The principal streams are Ellis and Owl Pond Creeks. An extensive tract lying north of Saratoga Lake and along the course of Owl Pond Creek, is low and swampy. The soil is a yellowish sandy loam, not remarkable for its fer- tility. The mineral springs so widely known, and which give the town its name, are situated about three miles from Saratoga Lake. They are near the center of the mineral spring region, which has a radius of nearly ten miles.
Saratoga Springs (p. v.) was incorporated April 12, 1826. It is situated in the north part of the town and contains ten churches, one daily and two weekly newspapers, two banks, about thirty hotels, several sanitary institutions and 7,518 in- habitants. The mineral springs and other attractions call thousands from all parts of the country to this place during the summer months. The hotels and boarding houses are among the finest and most commodious in the country, the streets are finely shaded, and the parks and pleasure grounds in and around the village, and the beautiful drives in the sur- rounding country, afford attractions to the pleasure seekers un- surpassed in this country. The medicinal springs, which form the first attractive feature of the place, are numerous, and though no two are precisely alike, they all possess valuable qualities and have restored to health thousands of invalids who drank their waters. The water of several of the springs is bottled and shipped extensively to all parts of the country. The principal ingredients of the springs are chloride of so- dium, carbonate of soda, magnesia and iron, and a large amount of carbonic acid gas. By referring to the analysis of several springs by different parties, we find the results differ so much that we have not thought it worth while to give any.
Among the hotels, the Union, Congress Hall and the Claren- don are the largest. Among the sanitary institutions are Dr. Hamilton's Medical and Surgical Institute; Dr. Strong's Remedial Institute, and Dr. Bedortha's Water Cure, each having its advantages and its favorite patrons. The sanitary institutions are open during the whole year, but many of the large hotels are closed except during the summer months.
Before purchasing a Piano, Organ or other Musical Instrument, call on B. H. Hidley, 12 Mansion House Block, Broadway, Troy, N. Y.
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GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
Congress Park is a fine inclosure with nicely shaded walka for those seeking health or pleasure. The proprietors take great pains to keep the walks clean and to preserve the most perfect order, so that no one shall be annoyed while walking there.
A Race Course has been fitted up about a mile east of Con- gress Spring, and thither the sporting fraternity and those who own fast nags resort to test their speed. The main avenue of approach to the Course is on Congress Street, which has re- cently been graded and is now one of the finest drives in the town.
This village has long been noted as a place of resort for the gay and fashionable during the summer months, as well as for invalids.
The Union Hotel, the largest and finest in the village, was extensively repaired and a portion of it rebuilt during the last year. It has a front on Broadway of 450 feet and covers nearly an entire village block of seven acres. It is elegantly furnished and will accommodate sixteen hundred guests. The office, 50 by 70 feet, is finely fitted up with white and colored marbles, and a series of colonnades rises from the center of the office rotunda to the dome. The main parlor is 50 by 100 feet, fitted up with mirrors, paintings &c., and lighted at night by mag- nificent chandeliers. The dining room is 60 by 240 feet, and 25 feet high. A fine court yard, laid out with walks and grass plots, and finely shaded, occupies the space in the rear between two wings. The piazzas in front and rear afford nearly half a mile of promenade. A spacious elevator, seating thirty people, conveys the guests to the rooms in the upper stories.
Congress Hall, the next hotel in size and splendor of arrange- ment, has a front on Broadway of 375 feet, and two wings of 250 feet each, one of which fronts on Spring Street. It stands upon Broadway and extends from Congress to Spring Streets, with two wings extending to Putnam. A fine court-yard, nicely shaded, with gravel walks and grass plots, is between the wings. A beautiful and substantial iron bridge extends across Spring Street, connecting Congress Hall with the Dancing Hall be- longing to the hotel.
The First Congregational Church was organized March 1865 with 45 members. Rev. E. N. Sawtell, D. D., was the first pas- tor. Their house of worship was erected in 1868 ; it is valued at 825,000 and will seat 800. The present number of members is 100. The present pastor is Rev. P. R. Day.
The Presbyterian Church of Saratoga Springs was organized in 1817, with nine members, by the Presbytery of Albany. Rev.
Musical Gooda of all kinds, Wholesale and Retail, at B. H. HID- LEY'S, 12 Mansion House Block, Broadway, Troy, N. Y.
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GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
Daniel C. Griswold was the first pastor. The first house of worship was erected in 1817. The present one was erected in 1856; it is valued at $60,000 and will seat 1,100. The present membership is 356. The present pastor is Rev. John Wood- bridge, D. D., who began his labor here in 1850.
The First Baptist Church of Saratoga Springs was organized Oct. 11, 1793, with 20 members. Rev. E. P. Langworthy was the first pastor. The first house of worship was erected in 1796. The present one was erected in 1821; it is valued at $30,000 and will seat 500. The present number of members is 488. The pastorate at present is vacant.
The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1829, with two members, by Rev. Mr. Stebbins, Rev. I. D. Moriarty was the first pastor. The first house of worship was erected in 1830. The present number of members is 420. The present pastor is Rev. H. C. Sexton. The Church edifice will seat 1,000 and is valued at $65,000.
The business of the village is chiefly connected with the en- tertainment of visitors during the fashionable watering season. The Kayaderosseras Patent. was divided, and the portions as- signed by lot to the proprietors. The springs are on the part that fell to the lot of Rip Van Dam. There is reason to believe that the High Rock Spring, the first of the medicinal springs dis- covered, had long been known to the Indians when the whites first came to this part of the country, and the healing virtues of its waters were frequently tested. Sir William Johnson is supposed to be the first white man who visited the spring. His visit occurred in August 1767, when he was borne upon a stretcher by the Indians who had induced him to try the effect of the water. After remaining for a few days he was able to return home part of the way on foot. His example was follow- ed by others, and from that time to the present this has been a place of resort, and the health-giving qualities of the water have been tested by thousands. For several years after the discovery of this spring, there were no public accommodations, and in- valids and their friends were obliged to provide for themselves. In 1773 Derick Scowton was induced to move to these springs, clear a small tract of land on the top of the hill, in the rear of the High Rock Spring, and erect a log cabin. Before he had completed his tenement he had a misunderstanding with the Indians and sought safety by flight. In 1674, John Arnold, from Rhode Island, with his family, arrived on the eastern shore of Saratoga Lake. Here he heard such accounts of the mineral springs and of the land in that vicinity that he was induced to continue his journey. After supplying himself with articles
Id Instruments of all kinds taken in exchange for New, at B. H. Hid - ley's Music Store, 12 Mansion House Block, Broadway, Troy, N. Y.
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suitable for trading with the Indians, he procured a canoe, put his family on board, and with his little stock in trade, paddled across the lake to the mouth of Kayaderosseras Creek, followed up the creek about two miles, where he landed, he and his family taking their goods upon their backs and following the trail to the mineral springs. They took possession of the cabin previously built by Scowton, and opened a tavern, occupying it two sum- mers, when they left. Samuel Norton was Arnold's successor. The next year he cleared and cultivated the land about his house, but the war coming on, he abandoned his improve- ments, joined the British army and shortly after died. The land in the vicinity had been purchased by Isaac Law, Anthony Van Dam and Jacob Walton. Law left the country and his proper- ty was confiscated. In 1783 a son of Norton's removed to the spring, took possession of the property previously accupied by his father, and continued the improvements until 1787, when he sold to Gideon Morgan, who conveyed it to Alexander Bryan, who erected a blacksmith shop and an additional log house, which he opened as a tavern. Bryan was a native of Connecti- cut and lived in the town of Half Moon, previous to his removal to Saratoga Springs. During the Revolution he was a favor- ite of both parties and was employed asa spy by Gates and Burgoyne both. He was the first permanent settler at the Springs after the close of the war.
Gideon Putnam came into this town in the spring of 1789 and located in the west part of the village. Here he leased three hundred acres of land, girdled the trees on a portion of it, put in his crops, and when he had nothing else to do, en- gaged in making staves and shingles, which he carried to the Hudson River at the mouth of Fish Creek. The next spring he floated them down the river to New York where they com- manded a ready sale, and he returned with means to build a saw mill. William Patching, a wheelwright by trade, became a neighbor of Putnam's about this time, and through his assistance the saw mill was soon in operation and kept running night and day. The next spring Putnam had a large raft of sawed lumber in addition to his staves and shingles, which he floated to New York. This enterprise was successful and he returned with the means of clothing himself and family and had besides a "peck measure full of silver coin," with which he paid for the 300 acres of land which he had previously held on lease. Dr. Clement Blakesley, a brother-in-law of Putnam's, bad Tren with him most of the time. In 1802 Mr. Putnam purchased an acre of land of Henry Walton, where the Union ihr'el now stands, removed a few of the trees and erected a building seventy feet in length, which was for many years part
Phe acknowledged unequaled Steek PInno Fortes, to be found at B. If. Hidley's, 12 Mansion House Block, Broadway, Troy, N. I.
.
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of the Union Hotel. Nearly the whole region was covered by forests at that time, and so large a house attracted attention. His sign was a rudely painted representation of "Putnam and the Wolf." In 1805 he purchased 130 acres of land of Henry Wal- ton and laid out a village plat. In 1806 he tubed the Washing- ton Spring, and soon after the Columbian Spring. The num- ber of visitors to the Springs was increasing annually, to ac- commodate whom he built a bath house near the present Con- gres Spring. He next tubed the Hamilton Spring. In 1811 he began the erection of Congress Hall, and while the masons were plastering the north end of the piazza, the scaffolding upon which he was walking gave way and all were precipitated to the ground. Mr. Putnam never fully recovered from the in- juries he there received. He died Dec. 1, 1812. He was the first to be laid in the burying ground which he had presented to the village.
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