USA > New York > Washington County > Gazetteer and business directory of Washington County, N.Y. for 1871 > Part 13
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Id Instruments of all kinds taken In exchange for New, ut B. 2. Ilid- ley's Music store, 122 Mansion House Block, Broadway, Troy, N. Y.
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ed until 1760, when it was suffered to go to decay. During the Revolution it was occupied by the Americans and British alter- nately.
The story of Jane McCrea is familiar to every one conversant with the history of Burgoyne's campaign, but it has received so many versions, differing widely and so embellished with fiction, that it may be difficult to find out the exact truth. In 1848, when Mr. Lossing was collecting the materials for the " Field Book of the Revolution," he had an interview with a lady who was a granddaughter of Mrs. McNeil, a lady who was taken prisoner at the same time with Miss McCrea. We give the main facts as related by this lady, who had them from her grandmother : Mrs. McCrea was staying with Mrs. McNeil at a house near the Fort. Miss McCrea had a brother living about five miles down the river ; near him was a family named Jones, consisting of a widow and six sons, to one of whom Miss M. became strongly attached. On the breaking out of the war, the Joneses joined the Royal cause, and two of them in 1:76 raised a company, ostensibly to reinforce Ticonderoga, but kept on to Crown Point and joined the British. The brother of Jane was a Whig and prepared to move to Albany on the approach of Burgoyne. Mrs. McNeil was a cousin of General Fraser and a stanch Rovalist, and intended to remain at Fort Edward. Jane lingered at Mrs. McNeil's after repeated solicitations on the part of her brother to join him, hoping, no doubt, to meet her lover. At last a peremptory order came from her brother to join him the next day, which she promised to do, as a large bateau was going down with several families. The next day she and Mrs. McNeil were taken prisoners by some Indians and hurried off towards Bur- goyne's camp near Sandy Hill. When they arrived at the foot of the hill, near where the Pine Tree formerly stood, they caught two horses and attempted to put their prisoners on them, but Mrs. McNeil being corpulent and intimating that she could not ride, two of them took hold of her and hurried up the hill, while the others, with Jane on the horse, hurried away. The alarm was given at the Fort and a small detach- ment immediately set out for the rescue, and fired several vol- leys upon the retreating party. Very soon after Mrs. McNeil arrived in the British camp, two parties of Indians arrived with scalps, among which she recognized that of Miss McCrea. by the long hair. She immediately charged the Indians with the murder of the young lady, but they stoutly denied the charge, saying that she was mortally wounded by a bullet from one of the American guns, and fell from her horse. To secure the reward they took her scalp and carried it in triumph to
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ke acknowledged unequaled Steck Piano Fortes, to be found at i. H. Hidley's, 12 Mansion House Block, Broadway, Troy, N. k.
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camp. The statement of the Indians was generally believed. The probability that Miss McCrea was killed as the Indians alleged is strengthened by the fact that Mrs. McNeil was carried into camp alive at the great inconvenience of the savages, while Miss McCrea was already on a horse and was giving them no trouble. The reward was also much greater for a prisoner than for a scalp. She was then about twenty years of age and a very lovely young lady. So lovely in dis- position, so graceful in manners and so intelligent in features that she was a favorite of all who knew her. Her hair was of extraordinary length and beauty, measuring a yard and a quar- ter in length. Lieutenant Jones, the betrothed of the unfortu- nate maiden, disclaimed all participation in the affair and de- nied all knowledge of it until after the sad tragedy occurred. He had no motive for sending for her, as the American army was in full retreat, only a small guard remaining at the Fort. Miss McCrea was buried about three miles below the Fort, near the mouth of a small creek. In 1826 her remains were taken up and buried in the village cemetry. For many years an old pine tree stood near the spot where her body was found. It was cut down in 1853 and converted into various little memen- tos of the sad event. A few feet below where the tree for- merly stood is a spring of clear cold water.
The M. E. Church of Fort Edward was organized in 1828 by the Rev. Julius Fields, who was its first pastor. The number of members at its organization was 15; its present membership is 225. The first house of worship was erected in 1829; and the present structure in 1854, at a cost of $10,000. The pre- sent value of the church and parsonage is $14,000. The house will comfortably seat 500 persons. The present pastor is Rev. Jolin J. Noe.
The Cambridge District Parsonage is located in the village of Fort Edward, and is occupied by Rev. Sanford Washburn, Pre- siding Elder of the Cambridge District. Its value is $3,000.
The Reformed Church of Fort Miller was organized with about 20 members in 1813. Its present membership is 45. The first house of worship was erected the same year, and is the one which the society now occupies. Its seating capacity will accommo- date 200 persons; and its original cost was about $2,000. The first pastor was Rev. (Isaiah T .? ) Johnson ; and the present one is Rev. C. D. Kellogg.
The population of the town in 1870 was 5,121 and its area 16,376 acres.
Before purchasing a Plano, Organ or other Musical Instrument, call ou B. H. Hidley, 12 Mansion House Block, Broadway. Troy, N. Y.
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GRANVILLE was formed March 23, 1786. It is situated in the east part of the County, north of the center. The sur- face is undulating and hilly. The ridges slope gradually to their summits, which are elevated from 300 to 500 feet above the valleys. Quarries of excellent roofing slate have been open- ed in this town and are extensively worked. Wide alluvial flats extend along the course of the Mettowe, or Pawlet and Indian Rivers. The soil is a slaty and gravelly loam, particularly adapted to potatoes. Manufacturing is carried on to a limited extent in the town. The Rutland and Washington R. R. ex- tends through the eastern part of the town, taking in its course the village of Granville and Middle Granville.
Granville, (p. v.) formerly called "Bishop's Corners," was in- corporated in 1849. It is a village of considerable enterprise, located on the Rutland & Washington R. R., 14 miles south of Whitehall and 17 miles north of Salem village. It contains a printing office, ( Granville Reporter,) cheese factory, carriage fac- tory, woolen factory, marble works, harness shop, a saw and planing mill, a saw mill and cheese box manufactory, two black- smith shops, one church, (M. E.) two hotels and about 20 stores of various kinds.
North Granville (p. v.) is situated six miles north-west of Granville village, about midway between the Rutland & Wash- ington and the Rensselaer & Saratoga Rail Roads, and contains a carriage factory, several blacksmith shops, a harness shop, saw mill, grist mill, carriage hub factory, about eleven stores and four churches, viz., Baptist, M. E., Presbyterian and Roman Catholic.
'The North Granville Ladies' Seminary, established here in 1855, is pleasantly situated and ably conducted. The course of studies pursued in this school is exhaustive and calculated to make its graduates thoroughly accomplished, and give them a "practical and ornamental education." The faculty aim to en- dow the school with all the social attractions of an exemplary home. Ten teachers are employed. The grounds are amply and tastefully laid out; the buildings spacious and convenient. The center building is thirty-four feet front by one hundred and twenty deep; the wings on the side are forty-four feet front by thirty-four deep. These are surrounded by a veran- da, forming a covered walk for outdoor exercise.
Middle Granville (p. v.) is a station on the Rutland & Washing- ton R. R., two miles north of Granville village, and contains several extensive slate quarries, a carriage factory, harness shop, two blacksmith shops, a custom mill, paint mill and plastic slate roofing manufactory; a cabinet shop, cheese factory, brick
TTusleal Goods of all kinds, Wholesale and Retail, at G. IL. HID- LEY'S 12 Mansion House Block, Broadway, Troy, N. Y.
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manufactory, two cheese box factories, a paper mill, saw mill, one hotel, about seventeen stores and four churches, viz : Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Welsh Church No. 2, Friends and Pres- byterian.
The Middle Granville Union Free School and Corinthian Hall Building was erected in 1868 at an expense of $20,000. The structure is of brick, three stories high, and built in the modern style of architecture. The school department oc- cupies the two lower stories ; the hall the upper. The school was organized in 1869, and is now taught by E. C. Whittemore, principal, with three assistants. The average attendance of pupils is 200.
The quarrying and manufacture of slate forms so important a branch of the industrial pursuits of the inhabitants of this village, that we believe a description of the same will be ac- ceptable.
The Middle Granville Slate Co. have six quarries in operation, which give employment to 75 men and produce annually 20,000 squares, valued at $4.50 per square. The shipment from these quarries show an uniform increase since 1861, with the exception of the years '64 and '65, in both of which they fell below the next preceding year. The number of squares shipped in 1861 was 5,695 ; and in 1869, 26,440.
The Penrhyn Siate Co. employs from 30 to 45 men in quarry- ing, and about 70 men in the manufacture of a great variety of articles used for architectural purposes, domestic and culinary utensils, furniture, for manufacturing or engineering works and for agricultural purposes. The average cost of carrying on these works is from 86,000 to $8,000 per month.
We extract from the printed Catalogue of the last named Company the following interesting description of the geological and mineralogical characteristics of this source of wealth and local prosperity :
"Slate is one of the most common and universally distribut- ed rocks, forming in some cases very extensive beds, and even tracts of country ; in others, alternating in smaller proportions, with one or more of all the primary strata, and frequently lying upon or in the immediate vicinity of granite-in this manner it is found accompanying gneiss, micaceous schist, quartz and red sandstone. In the slate system, the works present a curi- ous aspect, being of the most motley colors, and from their composition and texture are universally regarded as a sedimen- tary formation-a deposition from water. We find this stone sometimes geologically described as a 'kind of rock of com-
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Id Instruments of all kinds taken in exchange for New, a: D. H. Hid- ley's Music store, 12 Mansion House Block, Broadway, Troy, N. Y.
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pact texture, and laminated or plated ;' but in a general sense, all the primary rocks which admit of being split are called slate rocks, although the species termed Argillaceous schist or clay slate is the one to which our remarks will mainly apply, for the reason that it possesses certain qualities which render it very valuable to commerce and the arts. A good slate should not be an absorbent of water, either on its face or endwise, a property evinced by its not increasing perceptibly in weight af- ter immersion in water ; and it should be sound, compact, and not apt to disintegrate in the air. Slate has some peculiarities of internal structure, one of which constitutes its chief value for the purpose of Architecture. This is the quality that ad- mits of its being split or separated into laminae of considerable tenuity, in some instances as thin as the sixteenth of an inch, while in others it rather presents imperfect indications of a fis- sile tendency than the property of dividing into continuous plates. These indications, although appearing at times, both in the finer and coarser varieties, are generally confined to the latter, which are termed by some writers, the Graywacke schists, and are sufficiently divisible for many economical purposes. In most cases the laminae are indefinitely, although imperfectly divisible, so that the entire structure of the stone is schistose, or nearly scaly ; but in others, it appears to be limited to some certain dimensions. From this latter description is obtained the compact and solid slabs now so extensively and variously used. In the quarry the successive strata are separated from each other by mathematical planes termed seams. They are also at times further divided at some angle to their planes, by other lines called joints; in some instances such joints are observed to be parallel to each other. The principal constituents of slate are alumina, silex, talc, mica, oxide of iron, manganese, mag- nesia, potash, carbon and water; hence the different varieties are distinguished by the names of 'mica slate,' 'hornblende slate,' ' chlorite slate,' ' talcose slate,' 'drawing slate,' 'red slate,' and last, but of the greatest value, 'clay slate.'
" 1 .- Mica Slate is a mountain rock of vast extent, composed of quartz and mica. The structure is foliated. The more compact specimens of this variety are used for door and hearth stones, and for flagging and curbing.
"2 .- Hornblende Slate resembles mica slate, but does not break into thin slabs; its toughness, however, makes it very valuable for rough paving purposes.
"3 .- Chlorite Slate is known by its various tints, from pale to
a bright green color, and is generally very hard and strong.
"4 .- Talcose Slate is used for hones and scythe stones.
T he acknowledged unequaled Stock Piano Fortes, to be found at B. II. Midley's, 12 Mansion House Block, Broadway, Troy, N. Y.
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"5 .- Drawing Slate, or black chalk, is used in crayon draw- ings.
" 6 .- Red Slate is used, to some extent, in combination with other colors, in ornamental roofing and tiling. This description is, however, with some exceptions, very hard and brittle, per- haps from the predominance of oxide of iron and silica.
"7 .- Clay Slate differs from mica slate from the particles being so fine as not to be distinguished. The purest and best kind of this species when freshly quarried, are so soft as to be easily worked, yet after a little exposure to either the sun or atmosphere become very hard.
"There are transitions frequently noticeable from a true clay slate, into the other varieties, or sometimes even into different substances; for instance, the finer kinds pass in some cases into 'Chlorite schist,' of which the green slates afford an example, while the coarser often alternate with the primary sandstone, passing into it by a gradual increase of quartz, and loss of the Alumina in their composition. The pure argillaceous sub- stance sometimes becomes partially but gradually converted into Hornblende schist.
" The tenacity with which different kinds of stone resist the effect of a blow is known to be infinitely various, and quite in- dependent of their hardness; and it must be recollected that the power of a hammer in splitting a rock or in detaching a fragment, depends more upon its impulse than its heaviness. In slate the frangibility also varies in proportion to the water it may contain ; thus when freshly quarried it is often exceed- ingly tough, but comparatively soft, being damp and cold to the touch, and in this state is easily divided into plates ; after a few days exposure to the air the rock loses in part its fissile character, and a little of its toughness, although it becomes harder with age. As to the localities of slate, it may be remark- ed that the best kinds of drawing slate still come from Spain, Italy and France. All the other descriptions are abundant in Great Britain, from the highlands of Scotland, where they form some of the most remarkable features of the scenery, to the extensive masses of slate rock which stretch from north to south Wales. But in our own and widely extended country we also find all the varieties of slate rock, and in ranges of almost boundless extent ; and this remark will apply to some of the new states and territories, as well as to the older settled states, such as Virginia, Pennylvania, New York and Vermont, in all of which localities to a greater or less extent, quarries have from time to time been opened, and many of them are now being actively worked.
Before purchasing a Piano, Organ or other Musical Instrument, call ou B. H. Hidley, 12 Mansion House Block, Broadway, Troy, N. ..
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" Colors of Slate .- The dark blue or blackish varieties, which are generally of fine texture, but frequently very soft, are found in large tracts in the State of Pennsylvania ; some of these are peculiarly fitted for school slates, and are still used and pre- ferred by many persons who are not familiar with the more beautiful and varied colors of the varieties now extensively quarried in the States of New York and Vermont. The pre- vailing colors of the New York slate, are bluish-gray, purple, green, and a variety in which two or more of these colors are blended; and when these slates are arranged with taste on the roofs of prominent buildings, either in strips or other distinct forms, they produce a most pleasing effect.
" Slate Paint .- Slate, when finely pulverized and kiln dried, is readily combined with cheap mineral oxides and oil, pro- ducing an excellent and durable stone paint ; which is found to be suitable covering for many kinds of outside work, such as buildings, sheds, fences, fancy iron railings, &c. It is also used by floor cloth manufacturers and others in a variety of ways. All colors of slate can be judiciously used and blended in the preparation of this paint."
South Granville, (p. v.) situated three miles south of Gran- ville village, contains two stores, one blacksmith shop, one har- ness shop and one church-Congregational.
West Granville Corners, (p. o.) situated five and one-fourth miles west of North Granville, and four miles east of Com- stock's Landing on the Hudson, is a hamlet.
The land in this town is embraced in several grants made to about thirty captains and lieutenants who had served in the French War. These grants became known by the names of the patentees as "Grant's North and South Patent," " Lake's Patent," "Hutchinson's Patent," " Kelley's Patent," " Duper- son's Patent, &c.
Barnaby Byrnes' Patent of 2.000 acres, in the south-east corner, was sold to Kennith McKennith, a merchant of New York, who sold it to Donald Fisher, a tailor of that city. Fisher induced several relatives of his to remove from Scotland and settle upon this tract. At the breaking out of the Revo- lution he withdrew to Canada and his lands were confiscated and sold, but owing to some informality the State bought off his claim for $12,000.
The following were among the carly settlers of this town: Captain Daniel Curtis, from New Lebanon, N. Y., came in about 1780; Capt. Ebenezer Gould, from Kenillingly, Conn., Nathaniel Spring, Asaph Cook, Timothy Allen, F. S. Hodge,
usleal Goods of all kinds, Wholesale and Retail, at B. H. HID- LEY'S, 12 Mansion House Block, Broadway, Troy, N. Y.
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Ebenezer Walker and David Doane, settled about the time of the Revolution. An inn was kept at North Granville about 1790 by a man named Baker, and a Mr. Jenks kept a store as early as 1795. Nathaniel Spring erected a grist mill in Gran- ville about 1787. A school was taught at South Granville in 1783 by James Richards. The first carding machine used in the State was erected at Middle Granville in 180S. It is said that this machine was obtained secretly from England and for some time was worked in private.
The First Presbyterian Church was formed April 16, 1782; the first pastor, Rev. Oliver Hitchcock, was settled in 1786. The house of worship was erected in 1795.
The Granville Baptist Church was organized August 18, 1784, by Rev. Hezekiah Eastman and Rev. Joseph Cornell, with twenty members. Rev. Richard Sill was the first pastor. The first house of worship was erected in 1802. The present house was repaired in 1856; it will seat 400 and is valued at $8,000. The present membership is 206, and the present pastor is J. Earl.
The First Congregational Church of South Granville was or- ganized Jan. 12, 1790, by Rev. Increase Graves, the first pastor, with a membership of nine. The first house of worship was erected in 1791, at a cost of $2,000; the present one was erected in 1847 and. will comfortably seat 300 persons. The present membership is 60, and Rev. Reuel Hawks is the pastor.
The Middle Granville Presbyterian Church (originally Congre- gational,) was organized April 5, 1782, by Rev. ---- Hibard, with a membership of 207. Rev. Increase Graves was the first pastor. The first and present house of worship was erected in 1783 and will seat 450 persons. Its present value is $6,000, and its membership 44. Rev. Allen Traver "supplies" the pulpit. A meeting was held at Capt. Gould's, in Granville, April 16, 1782, at which the members of this Church subscribed to articles of faith, calling on Heaven and Earth to witness that " we do hereby engage ourselves to God, through Christ, in an everlast- ing covenant and sign the same with our own hands." None of 207 original members are now living.
The North Granville Presbyterian Church was organized in 1810 by Rev. Nathaniel Hall, with a membership of 22. Rev. Ralph Robinson was the first pastor. The first and present house of worship was erected in 1844 at a cost of 83.000; its present value is $5,000. It will seat 300 persons. The present inembership is 73; the present pastor is Rev. Lewis Kellogg.
The Friends Society of Middle Granville was organized in 1800 by John C. Bishop and others, with a membership of 26. The
ld Instruments ofall 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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first minister was Hannah Bishop. The first and present house of worship was erected in 1806 at a cost of $1,200; it will com- fortably seat 250 ; its present value is $1,800. John Dillingham is the present minister ; the membership is 65.
The North Granville M. E. Church was organized in 1859 with a membership of 50, and Rev. Simon McChesney for its first pastor. The first and present house of worship was erected in 1860 at an expense of $5,000; it will comfortably seat 250 per- sons. Alvin Clark Rose is the present pastor, and its member- ship is 150.
The First M. E. Church erected its first house of worship in 1833, at an expense of $3,000, though its organization dates back several years previous to this date. It was repaired in 1854, and will comfortably seat 450 persons. Wm. Whitney is the present pastor. It has 125 members and 30 probationers.
St. Patrick's Church of North Granville was organized in 1866 at a cost of $4,000, and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, of Middle Granville, in 1867, by Rev. W. B. Hannett, who was the first pastor, at a cost of 86,000. The membership of both Churches when organized was about 400. The present house of worship was erected in 1867. The present membership of both Churches is about 800. Rev. W. B. Hannett is pastor of both Churches. Each will comfortably seat about 300 persons.
The population of the town in 1870 was 3,904, and its area 23,852 acres.
GREENWICH, named after the Earl of Greenwich, was formed from Argyle, March 4, 1803. It lies upon the west border of the County, in the north angle formed by the junc- tion of the Hudson and Batten Kil. Ranges of hills from 200 to 300 feet above the valleys, extend through the central and eastern parts of the town. Bald Mountain, near Batten Kil, is the principal peak. The declivities of the hills are so gradual that the surface appears rolling rather than hilly. Upon the Batten Kil are two considerable falls, one of which is 5 feet in hight. The other principal streams are the Cos- sayuna, Rogers and Stony Creeks, and Livingston Brook. Cos- sayuna Lake extends into the north-east corner of the town. The soil is a slaty and gravelly loam interspersed with patches of clay. Manufacturing is carried on quite extensively in this town, the power being supplied by the water of the Batten Kil, which is dammed at several points and affords an abund- ant supply.
Union Village, (Greenwich p. o.) on the line of Easton, was incorporated March 29, 1809. Previous to its incorporation it
"The acknowledged unequaled Steck Plano Fortes, to be found at B. 11. Hidley's, 12 Mansion House Block, Broadway, Troy, N. Y.
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was known as Whipple City, deriving the name from an early settler, Job Whipple, who obtained a deed of the village site in 1781. It is said that its name was changed from Whipple City to Union Village on account of the harmony and good will that prevailed among the inhabitants. The latter name has al- so been substituted recently by the name of the town and the post office by which it is known. It is the northern terminus of the Greenwich and Johnsonville R. R., and is distant from Fort Edward seventeen miles. This village is among the most beautiful and prosperous in the State. Its streets are beautiful- ly shaded with maple and elm trees, and its residences are fine and in excellent repair. The fine water power afforded by the Batten Kil, the rich farming country by which it is surround- ed and the wealth and enterprise of its inhabitants, all conduce to render it a most desirable locality. In 1869 Wm. Whiteside Hill erected, in place of the one burned the previous year, an imposing brick block, which has few rivals in some of our larg- er villages. The village contains five churches, viz: M. E., Baptist, Reformed Dutch, Congregational and Catholic, the latter of which was recently organized; two hotels, one bank, a printing office, (People's Journal,) two carriage factories, a grist mill, saw mill, paper mill, two flax mills, the American Tea Tray Works, the Dionondehowa Machine and Wood Works, Eddy, Reynolds & Co.'s foundry and machine shop, Tefft & Clark's door, sash and blind factory, and the Pleasant Vale Mills, for the manufacture of knit goods of vari- ous descriptions, and employing a capital of $60,000. The mills are located in the east part of the village. They were established in 1862 as the Batten Kil Knitting Mills, and in- corporated in 1870 as the Pleasant Vale Mills. The building is of brick, 50 by 80, with four stories, each fourteen feet high, and an attic ; Wm. M. Palmer & Co. are the proprietors. The population of the village is about 2,000. The Union Free School, under the superintendence of Wm. H. Sybrandt, has 260 scholars in attendance.
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