USA > New York > Geography of the state of New York. Embracing its physical features, climate, geology, mineralogy, botany, zoology, history, pursuits of the people, government, education, internal improvements &c. With statistical tables, and a separate description and map of each county > Part 24
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
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XIII. 'COLUMBIA COUNTY.
Square miles, 624. Organized, 1786,
Population, 41,416. Valuation, 1845, $8,925,423.
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STATE OF NEW YORK.
TOWNS.
1. Hudson, 1785.
2. Canaan, 1788.
3. Claverack, 1788.
13. Ghent, 1818.
4. Clermont, 1788.
14. New Lebanon, 1818.
5. Germantown, 1.788.
15. Stuyvesant, 1823.
6. Hillsdale, 1788.
16. Copake, 1824.
7. Kinderkook, 1788.
17. Gallatin, 1830.
S. Livingston, 1788.
18. Stockport, 1833.
9. Chatham, 1795.
19. Greenport, 1839.
10. Ancram, 1803.
Mountains. U. Taghkanic range.
Rivers and Creeks. C. Hudson river. b. Claverack creek. c. Co- pake. d. Ancram. g. Roeliff Jansen's. h. Vallitje. i. Kinder- hook.
Falls. Kinderhook falls.
Lakes and Ponds. k. Copake lake. 1. Charlotte. m. Fish. j. Whiting's pond.
Villages. HUDSON. Kinderhook. New Lebanon. Valatie, or Vallitje. Columbiaville.
BOUNDARIES. North by Rensselaer county ; East by the state of Massachusetts and Dutchess county ; South by Dutchess county ; and West by the Hudson river.
SURFACE. The surface of Columbia county is greatly varied, but may be regarded as composed of two long and broken val- leys, on the east of which the Taghkanic range forms a natural boundary between the county and the state of Massachusetts ; the high banks of the Hudson form the western boundary, and the Peterborough mountains constitute the dividing ridge through the centre of the county.
The western valley rises on the north and south, causing its waters to flow towards the centre; while the eastern, being highest in the centre, sends its streams north and south. The western valley being much the broadest, gives the county the form of a basin, retaining all the waters that rise in it, and dis- charging them into the Hudson, through the Kinderhook and Roeliff Jansen's creeks.
RIVERS. The Hudson is the principal river; the other streams of the county are Kinderhook, Claverack, Copake, Roeliff Jansen's and Vallitje creeks.
LAKES. Fish, Whiting's pond, Copake and Charlotte, are the only lakes worthy of notice.
RAILROADS. The Hudson and Berkshire, and the Great Western railroad pass through the county; and the route of the Harlaem railroad is laid out through it.
CLIMATE .. The climate varies with the surface. In the val- leys it is mild and pleasant, with early seasons; on the moun-
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11. Taghkanic, 1803.
12. Austerlitz, 1818.
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tains, it is colder and more backward. The county is regarded as very healthy.
GEOLOGY AND MINERALS. The Taghkanic mountains, in the eastern part of the county, are primitive, and composed mainly of granite, and granular limestone. The remainder of the county is transition, and its principal rocks are graywacke and blue limestone, below which, for the most part, lies a bed of slate.
The minerals are, iron ore of superior quality, lead ore, sulphuret of copper, oxide of manganese, sulphuret of zinc, heavy spar, peat, marl and marble. There are several mineral springs, both sulphurous and chalybeate, in the county. Those at Lebanon are much frequented, and considered as possessing valuable medicinal properties .* The sulphur springs in the town of Stockport are attract- ing considerable attention.
SOIL AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. Portions of the county are highly fertile, while others are less productive. The marl and lime which abound in the county, furnish ample means for enriching it, to the highest degree of productiveness. The timber of the county is principally pitch pine, hickory, oak, ma- ple, elm and chestnut.
PURSUITS. Agriculture is the leading pursuit. Much atten- tion is given to the culture of grain and the rearing of cattle. The growth of wool is very large.
Manufactures are also an important pursuit in the county. The principal articles are cotton and woollen fabrics, including prints, flour, iron and brass ware.
Commerce. An active trade is carried on from Hudson and the other river towns of the county, with New York and other home ports, employing a number of steamers, sloops and barges. The produce of the inland towns finds its way to a market by the railroads.
Mines. There are some iron mines in the county.
STAPLE PRODUCTIONS. Oats, potatoes, corn, rye, butter, cheese and wool.
SCHOOLS. In 1846, there were in the county, 184 district school-houses, in which schools were taught, an average period of nine months. 11,275 scholars received instruction, at an ex- pense for tuition, of about $22,038. The district libraries num- bered 22,540 volumes.
There were, the same year, in the county, twenty-six select schools, with 435 pupils, and four academies with 238 students.
* The following is the late Dr. Meade's analysis of the waters of the New Lebanon spring.
Two quarts of water contain grs.
Muriate of lime, 1
Of gases. Nitrogen gas, 13 cubic inches. - Muriate of soda, (common salt,) 1 3-4
Atmospheric air, 8 - 21
Sulphate of lime, 1 1-2
Carbonate of lime, 3-4
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RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. Methodists, Dutch Reformed, Baptists, Presbyterians, Friends, Episcopalians, Jews, Luther- ans, Shakers, Universalists, Congregationalists, Unitarians, and Roman Catholics. The whole number of churches is sev- enty-four ; of clergymen, sixty.
HISTORY. This county was originally a portion of two man- ors. The manor of Rensselaerwyck included all except the seven southernmost towns, which constituted the manor of Liv- ingston, granted in 1684, 1685, and 1686, and confirmed to the proprietor in 1714.
In 1710, a company of seventy German families, part of those Bent over by Queen Anne, settled in the present town of Ger- mantown, which they called East Camp. In 1725, an arrange- ment having been made between George I. and the proprietor of the Livingston manor, a tract of 6000 acres was secured to them, of which forty acres were to be reserved for the use of a church and school, and the remainder divided equally among the inhabitants.
The other six towns, Clermont, Livingston, Taghkanic, Gal- latin, Copake, and Ancram, still constitute the Livingston manor. The leases are generally long, and the rents payable in produce. The northern towns, mostly belong to the manor of Rensselaerwyck.
Difficulties have frequently occurred between the proprietors of these manors and their tenants. In 1766, the military forces were called out to quell the disturbances in the town of Clav- erack, in the Rensselaer manor, and a conflict ensued in which several lives were lost. Similar occurrences have taken place within a year or two past.
The county was mostly settled by Swedish and Dutch emi- grants, with the exception of Germantown, already mentioned, and Hudson, which was founded in 1783, by enterprising citizens of Rhode Island and Nantucket.
The manorial system has perhaps prevented, in some degree, the full development of the capabilities of the county ; yet it has, with slight exceptions, uniformly enjoyed a high degree of pros- perity.
VILLAGES. HUDSON city, the capital of the county, is pleas- antly situated on the banks of the Hudson, here about fifty feet above the level of the river. It was formerly largely en- gaged in commerce, but the interests of this, as well as all our other commercial porte, were greatly injured by the action of the French and English, relative to neutral vessels, and the course necessarily adopted by our government in return, prior to the late war with Great Britain.
After recovering from the severe losses occasioned by these events, the citizens of Hudson engaged in the whale fishery,
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but with indifferent success. The coasting trade is prosecuted to some extent.
There are some manufactories here, principally of sperm oil and candles, malt liquors, iron, and carriages. The Hudson Academy is an old chartered institution, and the Hudson Female Seminary, is a new and flourishing school. The Hudson Luna- tic Asylum is a private institution, but well conducted, and en- joying a large amount of patronage.
The city is supplied with excellent water, by means of an aqueduct. The Hudson and Berkshire railroad adds materially to the business facilities of the city. Population, 5,657.
Valatie is an important manufacturing village, in the town of Kinderhook, situated at the junction of the Valatie (a corruption of Vallitje) and Kinderhook creeks; here are four large cotton mills, two iron foundries, and several other manufactories. Population, 1600.
Kinderhook village, in the town of the same name, is delight- fully situated on a plain, five miles east of the Hudson. It has several manufactories, and a flourishing incorporated academy. It is the birth place of ex-President Van Buren, and his beauti- ful country seat, Lindenwald, is about two miles south of the village. Population, 1500 ..
Columbiaville, in the town of Stockport, is a manufacturing village of some importance. Its manufactures consist mainly of cotton sheetings. The Hudson River Seminary, a manual labor institution, is located here. There are in the town of Stockport, several other manufacturing villages. The principal are Glencadia, Springville, Hudson Print Works, and Chitten- den's Falls.
New Lebanon Shaker Village, in the town of New Lebanon, called by the inhabitants the " Village of the Millennial Church," is situated on the west side of the Taghkanic mountains. This is one of the largest settlements of this singular people. They have here a very large church, arched over throughout its en- tire extent; ten dwelling houses for their families, or commu- nities, which consist of from 60 to 150 persons each, and nu- merous workshops and manufactories. Their grounds are highly cultivated, and their society prosperous and, wealthy. This settlement was founded a few years after that at Neskayu- na, noticed under Albany county. Population about 600.
Two and a half miles from this village, are the New Lebanon springs, which are a fashionable resort for invalids and pleasure seekers, during the summer ; the scenery here is very delightful.
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XIV. CLINTON COUNTY.
Square miles, 933. Organized, 1788.
Population, 31,278. Valuation, 1845, 01,666,140.
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TOWNS.
1. Plattsburgh, 1785.
2. Champlain, 1.788.
3. Peru, 1792.
4. Chazy, 1804.
5. Mooers, 1804.
6. Beekmantown, 1820.
7. Ellenburgh, 1830.
8. Saranac, 1834.
9. Au Gable, 1837.
10. Blackbrook, 1837.
11. Clinton, 1842.
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CLINTON COUNTY.
Mountains. JJ. Au Sable range. GG. Chateaugay. 1. Lyon. m. Rand Hill.
Rivers. a. Great Chazy. b. Little Chazy. c. English. d. Sal- mon. e. Little Au Sable. i. Au Sable. j. Saranac.
Falls. Sheffield.
Lakes. W. Lake Champlain. g. Chateaugay. h. Chazy.
Battle Fields. Plattsburgh. Lake Champlain.
Villages. PLATTSBURGH. Chazy. Redford. Clinton. Peru.
-BOUNDARIES. North by Canada East ; East by Lake Cham- plain ; South by Essex county ; and West by Franklin county.
SURFACE. A plain, about eight miles in width, extends along the eastern border of this county, inclining gently to Lake Champlain. West of this, the surface becomes hilly and broken, giving rise to the Au Sable range of mountains ; still farther west, the Chateaugay, which have their origin in Can- ada, rear their lofty and wooded ridges. Their course is from north-east to south-west.
RIVERS. The principal rivers in the county are the Au Sa- ble, Saranac, Great Chazy, Little Chazy, English, Salmon, and Little Au Sable.
FALLS. The Au Sable has a number of falls within a few miles of its mouth. At Birmingham, the water plunges over a precipice eighty feet in height, and then flows through a ravine of two miles in length, and an average width of fifty feet, with perpendicular walls of granite from seventy-five to 150 feet high. The Saranac has also a number of falls, three of them exceeding in perpendicular descent, forty feet each.
LAKES. Lake Champlain washes the eastern border of the county. The other principal lakes are Chateaugay and Chazy.
CLIMATE. In common with the northern counties generally, it has a rigorous climate. The winters are long, and snow falls to a great depth.
GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. The county is wholly of primi- tive formation, except a narrow strip of limestone, along the shore of the lake. Hypersthene, granite and gneiss, are the prevailing rocks.
Iron is the most abundant and valuable mineral. Both bog and magnetic ores occur in large quantities. Black marble is found near Plattsburgh, of excellent quality. Peat is very plentiful. In Beekmantown, is a sulphur spring, and also one of carbonated water.
SOIL AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. In the level section upon the lake, the soil is principally a clayey loam, and is very pro- ductive. As the country rises, it becomes less fertile.
The summer crops are best adapted to the soil.
The forests are covered with a dense growth of timber, of oak, pine, maple, hemlock, &c. Large quantities of sugar are produced from the maple.
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PURSUITS. The inhabitants are for the most part engaged in agricultural pursuits. Some grain is raised, but the rearing of cattle and sheep is a more favorite and profitable business. The preparation of lumber for market also furnishes employ- ment to many of the citizens.
Manufactures are increasing in importance, but are, at pres- ent, chiefly limited to the manufacture of pig and bar iron, nails, glass, flour, lumber, and woollen goods.
Commerce. The shipping of the Champlain district amount- ed, in 1845, to 3192 tons, the greater part of which is owned in this county. Several steamers ply on the lake, as well as sloops, schooners, &c.
Mines. There are extensive iron mines in the county. The marble quarries, near Plattsburgh, are in high repute. .
STAPLES. Butter, cheese, beef, pork, corn and potatoes.
SCHOOLS. 138 district schools were maintained in the county an average period of six months, in 1846. $8958 was expend- ed for the instruction of 8056 children. The school libraries numbered 14,460 volumes.
There were also in the county, nineteen private schools, with 527 pupils, and three incorporated academies with 191 students.
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. Methodists, Presbyterians, Con- gregationalists, Baptists, Roman Catholics, Friends, and Epis- copalians. There are thirty-three churches and forty-five cler- gymen of all denominations.
HISTORY. At the close of the French war, this county was visited by numerous speculators, in quest of pine and oak tim- ber ; but no permanent settlements were established till 1765, or 1766, when a grant having been made to two officers of the British Navy, Messrs. Stewart and Freswell, of 2000 acres of land, in two tracts, one situated in Plattsburgh, and the other in Peru, a few families removed here, but were soon driven off by the revolutionary war. The descendants of one of them, however, (Mr. Hay,) still occupy his property.
Grants were also made previous to the revolution, to two gentlemen named Beekman and Deane, with each of whom several partners were associated. A settlement was made in Deane's patent, in 1768, (though not by purchase from him, ) by Mr. James Framboise. Being driven out by the enemy in 1776, he served in the American army through the war, and, in 1784, returned to his farm, which is still held by his family.
A German nobleman, Count Vredenburg, who had married a lady of the Queen's household, in England, obtained a grant of 30,000 acres of land, which he located on Cumberland bay, in the present town of Plattsburgh. He resided here, in great
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splendor, for several years, previous to the revolution, at the commencement of which he sent his family to Montreal, but re- mained himself, for some time, on his estate, and at length > ys- teriously disappeared. It was supposed, that he was robbed and murdered. His house, and a saw mill which he had erected, some three miles from his residence, were burned, at the time of his disappearance.
In July, 1783, Lieutenant (afterwards Major General) Ben- jamin Mooers, with two other officers, and eight men, ascended the Hudson in a boat, from Fishkill landing, and, taking the route by way of Lake George, and Lake Champlain, reached Point au Roche, nine miles above Plattsburgh, on the 10th of 'August, and commenced a settlement.
In 1784, Judge Zephaniah Platt, and several others, who had formed a company, for the purchase of military warrants, loca- ted their lands on Cumberland bay, and laid out the town of Plattsburgh, reserving ten lots, of 100 acres each, as gifts to the first ten settlers, who should remove thither, with their families, and another hundred acre lot for the first male child, born in the settlement.
These gifts were soon claimed, and the settlement prospered steadily from this period. During the late war with Great Britain, one of its severest battles occurred within the limits of this county-we allude to the battle of Plattsburgh, and the simultaneous naval conflict, between the squadrons of Commo- dore Downie and Commodore McDonough, on the 11th of Sep- tember, 1814.
In this battle, a force of 1500 regulars, and about 2500 militia, under General Macomb, defeated and routed a force of 14,000 well appointed, and veteran troops, the victors of a hundred battle fields ; and the squadron, under the command of Commo- dore McDonough, destroyed a force. considerably its superior, on the lake. The loss of the British land forces, was more than 2000, in killed, wounded, prisoners, and deserters; that of the Americans, not more than 150.
On the lake, the English loss was about 1000, in killed, wound- ed, and prisoners ; that of the Americans, 110. The British commander, Commodore Downie, was killed, in the naval action.
The mineral wealth of this county, and its vast forests of val- uable timber, will undoubtedly continue to attract emigrants hither, and no where will industry receive a more ample reward.
VILLAGES. PLATTSBURGH, in the town of the same name, is the county seat, and is situated at the head of Cumberland bay. It has numerous manufactories, and is the proposed terminus of
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the Ogdensburgh and Lake Champlain railroad; several rail- roads are now in the course of construction, which will probably connect this road with Boston, and other ports on the Atlantic.
Plattsburgh is a United States military post, and the govern- ment have erected extensive stone barracks here, and a perma- nent breakwater for the protection of the harbor.
The Saranac here furnishes a fine water power, descending by a succession of falls, about forty feet. The manufactures of the village are principally cotton and woollen goods. Popula- tion, 2500.
Near the village are the ruins of the temporary barracks and breast works, occupied by the troops of General Macomb, during the late war with Great Brit- ain. One mile north of these is the house occupied by the British commander, . General Prevost, as his head quarters, during the siege. Between this and the village, the marks of cannon shot can still be seen on the trees and other objects. At a distance of about five miles from the village, on a hill overlooking the village of Beekmantown, is the spot where the British troops met the first repulse in their approach to Plattsburgh, on the 6th of September. In this skir- mish, several of the British officers and about 100 men were killed. The British camp was north of the Saranac river.
Clintonville, on the Au Sable river, situated partly in this and partly in Essex county, is a thriving village, largely enga- ged in the various manufactures of bar and rolled iron, nails, chain cables, &c. which are produced here, in large quantities. The Arnold Hill mine, near the village, furnishes magnetic iron ore of very superior quality. Population, 1000.
Peru is a flourishing village, in the town of the same name. Population, 900.
Redford, in the town of Saranac, is famous for its manufac- ture of crown glass, which is of superior quality. Population, 700.
Chazy is a small, but thriving village, in the town of the same name. It has some manufactures. The Chazy black marble, quarried near this village, bears a high reputation.
Champlain, in the town of the same name, is a village of some importance. The village of Keeseville, on both sides of the Au Sable, is partly located in this town, and, in point of importance, is only second to Plattsburgh. It is more particularly described in Essex county.
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XV. ONTARIO COUNTY.
Square Miles, 617. Organized, 1789.
Population, 42,592. Valuation, 1845, 012,624,438.
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1. Bristol, 1789
2. Canandaigua, 1789.
3. East Bloomfield, 1789. .
4. Farmington, 1789.
5. Gorham, 1789.
13. · anadice, 1829.
14. West Bloomfield, 1833.
15. South Bloomfield, 1836.
Rivers. a. Mud Creek. b. Canandaigua Outlet. c. Flint Creek. d. Honeoye.
Lakes. BB. Seneca. h. Canandaigua. e. Honeoye. f. Caneadea or Canadice. g. Hemlock.
Colleges. Geneva.
Villages. CANANDAIGUA. Geneva. Vienna. Port Gibson.
BOUNDARIES. North by Monroe and Wayne counties; East by Seneca county and Seneca lake ; South by Yates and Steu- ben counties; and West by Livingston and Monroe counties.
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9. Seneca, 1789.
10. Victor, 1812.
11. Manchester, 1821.
12. Hopewell, 1822.
6. Naples, 1789.
7. Phelps, 1789. 8. Richmond, 1789.
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SURFACE. The surface of Ontario county is diversified, being naturally divided by a north and south line, taking the Canan- daigua lake in its course. The whole eastern portion is spread out in beautiful plains and gentle undulations. The western portion comprises numerous swells of rich rolling land, inter- spersed with fertile vales. In the southwestern portion of the county, these swells form some bold elevations, towering into highlands, having an altitude of twelve or fourteen hundred feet.
RIVERS. Mud creek, Canandaigua outlet, Flint creek and Honeoye, are the principal streams.
LAKES. Canandaigua lake is fourteen miles long, from one to two broad, and surrounded by diversified and beautiful scenery. The other lakes are Seneca, Honeoye, Caneadea and Hemlock.
CANALS. The Erie canal just touches the county at Port Gibson, and the Seneca and Cayuga canal commences at Geneva.
RAILROADS. The Auburn and Rochester railroad has a cir- cuitous course, from east to west, through the county.
CLIMATE. The climate is mild and equable.
In some sections remittent and intermittent fevers prevail in autumn, but the county, as a whole, is decidedly healthy .. It is well adapted to the growth and perfection of the peach, apple and other fruits.
GEOLOGY AND MINERALS. Slate is the underlying rock of the county, but it is generally covered with limestone, and, on the higher hills, with graywacke. In the southern part, the clay slate sometimes appears on the surface. In the west it alter- nates with the limestone, forming an excellent soil. The county lies mostly within the limits of the Ontario group.
Water lime, gypsum and marl are abundant. Iron ore is also found in large quantities. Sulphur springs exist in Manchester. One of the most interesting features in the mineralogical history of this county, is the carburetted hydrogen or inflammable gas, in Bristol and Canandaigua.
The gas forces its way through fissures in the rocks, and in Bristol through the waters of a stream, where it is most abundant; when lighted it burns with a steady, brilliant flame, till extinguished by storms, or by design. The gas has the odor of pit coal, and burns without smoke, but deposits a small quantity of bitu- minous lampblack. The hillocks where it appears are destitute of verdure, and no plant will live within its influence. There are similar springs in East Bloom- fleid and Richmond.
SOIL AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. The constituents of the soil render it quite fertile, and the northern and central towns are peculiarly adapted to the raising of wheat and other grains. It also yields grass and fruits abundantly.
The timber is principally oak, chestnut, hickory, with beech, maple, and some- pine in the southern part.
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PURSUITS. The people generally are engaged in tilling the earth, and find a rich return for their toil, in the abundance it produces. More wheat is raised in this county, than in any other in the state. It also produces more wool. All kinds of fruit congenial to the climate, are produced in large quantities.
The manufactures of the county are limited, as it has com- paratively little water power. They are chiefly flour, the va- rious woollen fabrics, leather, malt and distilled liquors.
Its commerce is confined to the transportation of its produce, and that principally on the Seneca lake.
STAPLES. These are, wheat, wool, oats, barley and butter.
SCHOOLS. In 1846, there were 220 district schools, which were taught an average period of eight months, and contained 14,617 pupils. The amount paid for tuition was 821,519. There were 27,106 volumes in the school libraries.
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