USA > New York > Sullivan County > Gazetteer and business directory of Sullivan county, N. Y., for 1872-3 > Part 22
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46
tMr. Bennett, Town Clerk, cut ont such a piece, about eight inches in diameter, which, upon being exposed. soon shrunk to about one-half that size. At the digging of a race way, by Jacob Hele, at Warteboro, some fifteen or twenty years since, a white pine stump. about three feet in diameter, was removed from the surface, and. After digging about four feet, another etump of slutar size was discovered directly under it. This xicoip was quite sotud, but the action of the soil and of the air, after elevation, made it impossible to decide certainly the nature of the wood, though it was supposed to be spruce.
#See extract from J. V. Morrison's writings on page 63-4.
172
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
in this and Orange counties, is overflowed during the spring and fall freshets, and rendered worthless thereby during a large portion of the year. The inundation is due principally to the deposits of the Pine Kill at its confluence with the former stream, which annually form a bar across it and obstruct the flow of the water. . During the freshets, this overflow, extend- ing, as it often does, for miles above the junction of these streams, presents the appearance of a vast inland lake. Large quantities of tan-bark, &c., are deposited in various places, and large sand banks obstruct the stream. The land, properly drained, would equal in fertility the prairies of the west.
On the old Devens farm, the one on which Manuel GunSallus lived, and where the old Mamakating fort* was built, is a swamp, from which, previous to the construction of the canal through the town, flowed Bashas Kill to the south and Homowack Creek to the north; but since the advent of the canal the Waters of the swamp have been diverted to it.
The N. Y. & O. Midland R. R. enters the town near the south-east corner, and leaves it near the north-west corner. The Ellenville Branch of that road connects with it at Sum- mitville. The trunk line pierces the Shawangunk Mountain nearly half way between the villages of Bloomingburgh and Wurtsboro, through the famous Shawangunk tunnel, which took a little over three years to construct. The tunnel is 3,857 feet in length. Two working parties were engaged in its con- struction, one on each side of the mountain. The distance from the east portal to the point where the working parties met is 2,398 feet ; and from the west portal to the same point. 1,459 feet. The height of the mountain above the tunnel is line tangent. On the west side 850 feet of Shawan-
340 feet. The curve at the east end is 665. feet of a four degree circle; the remainder of the tunnel is a straight gunk grit was pierced ; the remainder was Hudson shale. Small quantities of iron and copper pyrites were found in the sandstone : and slight traces of coal in the slate. The curve is sufficient to prevent one's seeing through the tunnel ; and vet when the Leading was pierced it is said that the two approaches did not vary an inch from the calculations. When the two working parties met and pierced the heading, a man was placed at the opening and instructed to permit no one to pass. Soon after, the party who were first to pass through arrived ; and he, who of all others, was most entitled to the
e Poter ileit, por of Mirbary from Lister county, married the daughter of Mangel Guusallus, and settle: on the farm now owned by Maj. Lawrence Masten, at an early day, and helped to helld te bonde around which this fort was constructed. After GunSaline' death the farm was sold to Jacobus Devance.
----
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
173
honor of effecting the first passage through this gigantic mon- nment of enterprise and engineering skill,-the man who has spent his whole energies for the past five years for the con- summation of a Midland railroad and this tunnel-to whom, more than any other, it is due that the Shawangunk Mountain is pierced by a railroad tunnel-Henry R. Low -- passed through. After him followed in succession; E. P. Wheeler, Samuel Gumaer, C. S. Masten, Benedict of the Ellenville Press, and others of the party .* The first regular passenger train was run through this tunnel, Thursday, Feb. 1, 1872. Mr. J. V. Morrison has the drill that first pierced the heading of the Shawangunk tunnel. It is about eleven feet long and weighs thirty-two pounds.t
The town has an area of 41,314} acres, of which, according to the census of 1865, 17,4742 were improved and 23,8393, unim- proved.
The population of this town in 1870 was 4,886. During the year ending Sept. 30, 1871, the town contained twenty-two school districts, and employed twenty teachers. The number of children of school age was 1,584; the number attending school, 1,252; the average attendance, 401; and the value of school houses and sites, 88,877.
BLOOMINGBURGH, { (p.v.) located on the Shawangunk Kill, was incorporated April 26, 1833. It contains three churches, (M. E., Reformed and Presbyterian,) four hotels, (one at the depot,) three wagon shops, three blacksmith shops, three stores, a tin-
*The first lady who rode through the tunnel, on the cars, was the wife of James V. Morrison of Wurtsboro,
tWe are indebted to Mr. J. V. Morrison for many of the above facts in regard to this thunel, and for the substance of the following story in connection with the drill in his possession. For some days before the heading was pierced, the noise of drilling could be heard from the opposite sides, and considerable strife was manifested for the pos- session of the drill which should fret pass through. Among those who entered into this strife was Mr. Morrison, who formed a plan, the details of which were quietly carried out by the operatives on the western end of the tunnel, something as follows : Late at night, about the middle of sept. 1871, the operatives in the west end, knowing by the sound produced by the drill on the other side that the perforation must soon be made, ceased operations, or made httle headway with their own drill. In a little while the rock was started by the cartera drill, and one or two more blows sent it through five or six inches. It was instantly seized by the men on the west side, who pulled it throngh & few more inches, and, by putting a pickax beneath it, held it so firmly that the men on the east side could not withdraw it, although they tried for a long time to do so. After they had ceased their efforts and left the work, the men on the west side pulled the drill through and buried it beneath three or four tons of rock; they then placed another drill on the floor of the tunnel, in front of the hole. The next morning when the eastern men came over the mountain for their drill, they were shown the drill lying on the floor, ss the one which had been pulled through. It was taken to a black- smith shop, where it was cut in many pieces to be sent to Albany and other places as relica. In the meantime the drill wal h really pierced the heading was removed to Mr. Morrison's residence, ami the next day was formally presented to bim. He intenda to place it in the Geological rooms at Albany. It soon lenked out that a joke had been perpetrated upon the the cartern men, and those having the matter in charge concluded to delay indefinitely the sending away of the pieces of drill.
#This village was settled by J. Newkirk, previous to 1776. Wm. Ellis settled there in that year, and the old Newkirk tavern was there at that time.
-
174
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
roofing establishment and about three hundred inhabitants. At the eastern extremity of the village is a small tannery, which annually consumes about 100 cords of bark, and manufactures 600 hides. The farms on the east side of the mountain, along the mountain road, are of a superior description, presenting au appearance of prosperity among their tillers. The land here is well watered, and when, as in the past winter, hay and fodder of other kinds were scarce throughout most parts of the County, here there was a good sufficiency.
WURTSBORO* (p. v.) was incorporated Jan. 22, 1866. It is centrally located in the town, on the D. & H. Canal, and about one mile west of the station of the same name, on the N. Y. &: 0. Midland R. R. It contains three churches, (M. E., Reformed and Roman Catholic,) a district school, employing two teachers, three hotels, eight stores, an upper-leather tannery, & grist mill, a saw mill, two wagon shops, three blacksmith shops and about 650 inhabitants. It is a delightful little village; and to one looking for a summer residence, it offers inducements of no small value, since it is within easy distance of the finest hunting districts in the country, the mountains of which are full of game of all kinds, from bears down to squirrels, while the trout streams are alinost innumerable. In the immediate vicinity there are eight private trout ponds. The scenery is very fine; from the cupola of the Olcott House, the eye can range for ten or fifteen miles up and down the valley, until a turn in it seems to enclose him in a perfect basin. Up the valley can be seen the smelting works of Cotheals & Co., (not in operation now) with the entrance to the old mine just above in the mountain side, while nearly opposite is the western end of the Shawangunk tunnel, and the railroad stretching away on the mountain ridge, with its diminutive trains passing back and forth. At our feet Bashas Kill winds through green fields, glistening in the sun, and empties ten miles south into the Neversink at Cuddebackville.
*Before the D. & H. Capai was built it was called " Rome," but after the completion of that work through the peace. it was named after Maurice Wurtz, the president of the Canal company, sud grattre of a canal privilege in Penn., afterwards merged in the D. & H. Chraite. The following extract from the act of incorporation describes the boundary of the shape: " The territory within the following limits shall constitute le village of Worthbare: Bostaning in the center of the Middletown and Werteboro plank- road on the hands ver the spring brook westerly from the west foot of Shawanyunx Er house of James Crance, and runs thence aouth B.fr .. s (: 1 2- ; thence north fifty-one degrees west, one hundred Sexyves erst eighty chains ; thance south fifty-Qued arre 1 ...! ('e month thirty-nine degrees west thirty nine chons to h & place of bradley, conla way the and one-fourth square miles. " The annual elections of village officers is held on the last Tuesday of April. There is no fire department. nor sur Ere cugine No .retoca fre has ever occurred hore. Mails are received from and delivered to the mailrund twice a day, each way. There is no stage connection with other offers in the Cannyy.
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
175
The Wurtsboro Tannery, Charles Korn, prop., for tanning upper leather and French calfskin, was established in 1865. It was a sole leather tannery until purchased by Mr. Korn, who changed it to its present character. He manufactures about :).000 skins annually, though he has facilities for tanning 100,000. He tans on the European plan, making stock equal to the best French or German leather. He took the first premium at the American Institute in 1865, and the Diploma at the Paris Exposition in 1867. He has several patents of his own inventions, which he uses in his tannery; consisting of a bark mill, which grinds the bark equally as fine as it is ground in European countries, where the leather made is noted for its excellence ; and a leach, which extracts all the strength from the bark, thus giving the leather superior qualities without coloring it. He employs from forty to fifty men, and uses from 1,200 to 1,500 cords of bark annually. The tannery is heated by steam ; and the motive power is furnished by an eighteen fret overshot wheel, and & sixty horse power engine. The main building is one hundred and thirty feet long, fifty feet wide and two and one-half stories high, and is supplemented by additional necessary buildings. Ten leaches and fifty tan vats, and three boilers -- one a cylinder, thirty-six feet long, and two flue, one twenty-two and the other twenty-three feet long -- are employed.
The Wurtsboro Feed and Flouring Mill, of James Graham, located in the west part of the village, on the Townly Brook, bas two runs of stones, and has a capacity for grinding about 100 bushels per day .*
The Wurtsboro Division, No. 324, Sons of Temperance, was organized in April, 1868. Meetings are held Saturday nights.
Sylvan Lodge, No. 178, I. O. G. T., organized in December, 1870, holds meetings Saturday nights, and has a membership of about 35.
SUMMITVILLE (Mamakating p. o.) is situated four miles north of Wurtsboro, on the D. & H. Canal, and at the junction of the Ellenville Branch of the N. Y. & O. Midland R. R. with the main line. It contains a school house, no churches, a sole- leather tannery, a store and 120 inhabitants. A post office is soon to be established here. The railroad bridge over the canal at this place is 110 feet long, and is a fine work of art.
*Quite an extensive nitro-glycerine manufactory was In operation at Wurtsboro during the building of the Shawaugnak tunnel, by Prof. Otto Burstenbinder, who was the first to introduce it Into this country, and was the patentee of several improved processes of manufacturing it.
-
.. . .
176 GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
The Summitville Tannery,* Kuykendall & Knapp, props .. annually consumes 400 cords of oak and hemlock bark an- tans about 8,000 sides. The motive power is supplied by water. It was built in 1854, by Wm. Jordan, on the site of one of the oldest tanneries in the County.
PHILLIPSPORT, (p. v.) located in the north part, on the D. & H. Canal, about five and one-half miles north of Wurtsboro .and six and one-half miles south of Ellenville, is a station on the N. Y. & O. Midland R. R., also on the Ellenville Branch of that line. It contains one church, (M. E.) one school, one hotel, two stores. three groceries, three boat yards, one wagon and two blacksmith shops, three shoe shops, one millinery and. two dressmaking establishments, a saw mill and about 400 inhabitants. It is noted for the locks located at this point ; they are ten in number, and, as they have an average height of twelve feet each, they raise the level of the canal some one hundred and twenty feet. It is distant from Rondout, the northern terminus of the canal, thirty-four miles. Boat building is extensively carried on here, for the canal trade.
BURLINGHAM (p. v.) is situated near the Shawangunk Kill, in the north-east part, and contains one church, (M. E.) two stores, two wagon and two blacksmith shops, one hotel, a distillery, a shoe shop, a tannery, (containing fifty-two vats. using annually four hundred cords of bark, and tanning from two thousand to three thousand sides,) and from seventy-five to one hundred inhabitants. There is also here, on the Sbawan- gunk Kill, a saw and grist mill.
WESTBROOKVILLE, (p. v.) named after the Westbrook family, who have passed their lives here, is situated near the south line. on the D. & H. Canal, and contains one school, one hotel, one store, two stone yards, two blacksmith shops and about seventy five inhabitants.
The Westbrookville Upper Leather Tannery, located about one mile west of Westbrookville, on the Pine Kill, employs about fifteen men and tans about 25,000 skins annually. The works are owned by Gideon Wales of Pike Pond.
The Westbrookville Lodge No. 67, I. O. G. T., instituted Nov. 16, 18Tl, has over one hundred members. Meetings are hent every Saturday night.
* Since the above was written we learn from the Republican Watchman of March 5, 1812, that this taunery was burned about one o'clock Saturday morning, March 2, 1579
.
177
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
BROWNVILLE is a hamlet on the D. & H. Canal, about three. miles south of Wurtsboro. A little north of Brownville, on the line of the canal, is Graham's barren, where there is a dry dock.
WINTERTON, (p. o.) near the south-east corner, is a station on the N. Y. & O. Midland R. R.
HOMOWACK (p. v.) (in Ulster Co.,) is situated near the north line of the town, on the D. & H. Canal, and is a station on the Ellenville Branch of the N. Y. & O. Midland R. R. It contains one church, (Union) one school, three stores, one hardware store, two groceries, two wagon shops, three blacksmith shops, a har- ness shop, a law office, two hotels, a grist mill and 320 inhab- itants.
The Homowack Lodge I. O. G. T. was instituted Feb. 16, 1872, with eighty charter members.
Two or three miles west of Westbrookville are some very valuable blue flagstone and building stone quarries, from which large quantities of stone are shipped via the D. & H. Canal from this village. The excellence of the blue stone quar- ried here is attracting to it considerable attention. Large quantities are being used for ballast on vessels going to Europe, where it commands a ready sale. Some of the flagging stone from Westbrookville has found its way to Italy, and a number of stones from the quarries in this town now grace the city of Rome in that Kingdom. About a mile west of this village is a sole Jeather .tannery and a saw mill. James Gumær's merchant custom mill located on Gumaer Brook,* about one and one-half miles north of Wurtsboro, has three runs of stones, and a capacity for grinding 150 bushels of grain daily. About three miles south of Bloomingburgh, on the Shawangunk Kill, is a grist mill, with an excellent and never- failing water power, doing quite an extensive business. For the year ending Feb., 18:2, something over 820,000 was paid out for grain from the west, the freight on which exceeded $6,000.t
The early settlement of this town has already been noticed on page 75, but most of the details have been lost with the
*Thefirst grist mill in this town was built by Mannel GunSallos Jr. Itstood near where James Gumaer's Now stands, DA aftenFloor were about sixteen by eighteen fret. The bolt was turned by hand. There was an inferior road leading to it from Bloomingburgh. which crossed the mountain rear the present rate bonne, running through the woode Dortherly to the smelting works, thence to the mill. It was known by the Dutch set- Hers as the Yaukee road.
+The only car-load of Timothy seed ever sent to Middletown station was consigned to the proprietor of this mill, James Norbury.
178
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
early town records .* But prior to this we find that this locality was made the vantage ground in the war-like exploits between the early Dutch settlers nearer the Hudson and the hostiir Indians. Near the village of Bloomingburgh occurred a batt' between the forces under Capt. Martin Kregier, stationed a! Fort Wydwyck (now Kingston) for the protection of the i : tlers in the vicinity against the incursions of the Indians, an : the Esopus Indians, which is thus described in the " Journal of
*The earliest book of town records we could find, begins as follows :
" MEMORANDUM of the Town Meeting held the Gret Tuesday in April at the H. ... of Jacob Rutson Dewitt for the electing of Town Officers by the Majority of Vox : with their Respective names, Being the 5th of Said Instant Anno Domini 1;74.
·· Clark Thomas Kyle.
Constable & Jacob Stanton.
Collector
Haromanus Vanin Wagon
Abraham Cuddeback Jun.
Beni'm Cuddeback Jun. for the 1st Dist.
Overseers of the
- Jacobus Doving 64
Robert Cook
4th
Highways
Ezekiel Travis
5th
Abraham Smodis .6 6th .6
Overseers of the Poor
Philip Swartwood
Robert Cook
Fence ¿ Benj. Depuy
Viewers Jacob Stanton
Stallion Coll. Wheeiler
Viewers ( Abraham Cuddebabck
Pound ¿ Coll. Wheeler
Keepers Benj. Depuy
At a town meeting held April 7, 1778, it was " agreed upon by the Majority of Volr+f that Hous have liberty to Ren in the Commons at all seasone with a Lawful yoktur cept from the 15th of June to the 4th August -- in which time Special Care ist. : taken by every owner of Mors or elve they shall be liable to pay all damages-with y: - excepted." The following is recorded relative to stray cattle : " One heifer nye me .: . white the mark is a slit in car. One Brindled steer the marks happanys the ander . . of both car. One Brown Steer marke a bafe Crown the Left Ear. One Rine Es. $ steer marke the Left Ear stit & the unnor side of Ear & Happy in And the " Advertise the 23 Day of November 1779." Following this, in a different hand-wrt .. is written : "The above designed to informe of a Stray. Said Stray is now found : . acknowledged hy a Owner April 4th 1780." A little. further on is the following : True copy of the Letter sent by B. Cuddeback to Squire Depuy. 'Sir As C'- some of money has been expended and is already expending on a certain notare: " and der:iped child, Troublesome to and Charge on this Precinct-to the amount Thirty Poucas current Lawful money of this State. These are to will and desite ts to Iny the fette before ine bonrd of supervisors, desiring them to grant & Infante; the raising said pomi for defrying the expenses already Incurred and for the Dishy:" ments and contingent to said charge.
*. B. D. Ergr. Sup. Jan 1sth 17:2.
I am Worship'l Sir- Yours & Hon'l Board -- most humble servt. B. C."
Some of the car marks used by the early settlers are very amusing. The frit ner recorded reads s follows : " John Seybold Jun. a slit in each year." Again ; " Fur :: Boughton and his Mother Eunice Osborne ear marks is s crop off Right ear at. Berorled April 16th IS 9." On page IS is entered --*. 1 1: of the bir Marka of the Inhabitants of this Precinct. Valentine Wheelers Ear M !! square crop of Um Left Karand a half Penny underneath came and a slit in den Exe. 1119." The last want bears the earliest date of any entry we found in !! Several hundred var marks are recorded during the following years.
A record shows that in the year 1799, $200.65 was allotted to the town for the Day of school for that year. At that time, It will be remembered, the town embraced 6 : portion of what is now Sullivan County.
Assessors
Torck V. K. Westbrook "
2d ..
3d
179
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
the Second Esopus war," in 1663, kept by Capt. Kregier, in Doc. Hist., Vol. 4, p. 70-3:
"3d September. About one o'clock in the afternoon we started from Fort Willwyek, having of my company two and twenty men ; of Lieu- tenant Stilwil's company, four and twenty men, and seven freemen, with two of the Hon'ble Company's Negroes. We took as guide the young Wappinger Indian, and Christoffel Davids as Indian interpreter, and prom- ised the Indian his freedom with a cloth coat, on condition that he brought us truly to the Esopus Indians. We got eight horses with very great difficulty from the farmers, as they were so very unwilling and could not be brought to give us any horses, except Thomas Chambers, who, without any solicitation, presented me with two for the expedition. Several of the others, who could not give any, used much offensive language to the the Sheriff and the Company's officers, saying-'They will have horses ; they may see if they can get them.' Marched that afternoon about three miles from our fort to the creek which runs past the Redout; lay there that night, during which we had great rain.
"4th ditto. Found such high water and swift current in the Kill, that it was impossible to ford it ; sent six men immediately on horseback to our Fort Wildwyck to fetch rope and axes to make a raft or some other convenience to cross the creek : they returned to us about ten o'clock ; brought three axes and rope. Passed the rope over the stream in order to bold fast to it so that the people may not be swept far down the creek. Crossed over with all the men about two o'clock in the afternoon and marched about four miles further on, where we bivouacked during the night.
"5th ditto. Set out again at day break, and about noon came to their first maize field where we discovered two Squaws and a Dutch woman ; who had come that morning from their new fort to get corn. But as the creek lav between us and the cornfield, though we would fain have the women, it was impossible to ford the stream without being seen and then discovered. We therefore, adopted the resolution to avoid the cornfield and the road, and turned in through the woods so as not to be seen. Arrived about two o'clock in the afternoon within sight of their fort, which we discovered situate on a lofty plain. Divided our force in two -- Lieutenant Couwenhoven and I led the right wing, and Lieutenant Stilwil and Ensign Niessen the left wing. Proceeded in this disposition along the hill so as not to be seen and in order to come right under the fort ; but as it was somewhat level on the left side of the fort and the soldiers were seen by a squaw, who was piling wood there and who sent forth a terrible scream which was heard by the Indians who were standing and working near the fort, we instantly fell upon them. The Indians rushed forthwith through the fort toward their houses, which stood about a stone's throw from the fort, in order to secure their arms, and thus hastily picked up a few guns and bows and arrows, but we were so hot at their heels that they were forced to leave many of them behind. We kept up a sharp fire on them and pursued them so closely that they leaped into the creek which ran in front of the lower part of their maize land. On reaching the opposite side of the Kill, they courageously returned our fire, which we sent back, so that we were obliged to send a party across to dislodge them. In this attack the Indians lost their Chief, named Papequangehen, fourteen other warriors, four women and three children, whom we saw lying both on this and on the other side of the creek, but probably many more were wounded, when rushing from the fort to the houses, when we did give them a brave charge. On our side
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.