Growth of a Century : as illustrated in the history of Jefferson County, New York, from 1793 to 1894, Part 99

Author: Haddock, John A. 1823-
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Sherman
Number of Pages: 1094

USA > New York > Jefferson County > Growth of a Century : as illustrated in the history of Jefferson County, New York, from 1793 to 1894 > Part 99

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The surface of Brownville is level or gently undulating. The soil is sandy or clayey loam. Sulphate of barytes is found on Pillar Point, and the vein has been worked to some extent for lithic paint. Upon the west bank of Perch river, a few rods below Limerick, is a cave extending 150 yards into the bank, and 30 feet below the surface. Perch river enters the town in the northeast corner, and taking a southwesterly direction, empties into Black River bay. It is a dull, sluggish stream, and the lay of the land along its course is flat, and in many places marshy. A dam was built at Limer- ick at an early day, but it was found to over- flow the flats above and render them un- healthy, when it was removed by order of the court, and afterwards built below.

In 1820 the village contained but 60 dwell- ings, a stone church, school house, two grist- mills, three saw-mills, one fulling-mill, one carding machine, a woolen factory, a cotton factory with 1,000 spindles, a rolling and slitting mill, a trip hammer and nail factory and a number of stores; and there were be- sides these in the town five grist-mills, seven saw-mills, one fulling mill, two distilleries and 33 asheries.

In 1880 Brownville had a population of 2,624. The town is located in the first school district of Jefferson county, and in 1888 had 20 school districts, in which 24 teachers were employed 28 weeks or more. There were 632 scholars attending school, and the aggregate attendance during the

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BROWNVILLE.

year was 57,589. The total value of school buildings and sites was $16,500, while the assessed valuation of all the districts was $1,654,733. The whole amount raised for school purposes was $5,913.19, $3,194.39 of which was received by local tax.

BROWNVILLE VILLAGE, a station on the R. W. &. O. Railroad, is located on Black river, fonr miles from Watertown, has telephone, telegraph and American Express offices, one hotel, several churches, three or four paper and pulp-mills, a foundry and machine shop, two blacksmith shops, shoe shops, harness- maker, livery stable, a general store, two groceries, a dry goods store, and a popula- tion of about 600. Many of the residences and other buildings are constructed of stone, which gives the village an ancient appear- ance.

LIMERICK is a postoffice and station on the R., W. & O. Railroad, eight miles from Watertown. It is located on Perch river, has telephone, telegraph and American Ex- press offices, a hotel, store, a few shops and about 75 inhabitants.

PERCH RIVER (p. o.) is a small hamlet on the river of the same name, and is located in the northern part of the town. At an early day it was known as Moffattville. It has telephone and express offices, a church, a few shops and about a dozen dwellings.

PILLAR POINT (p. o.) is located in the southern part of the town on Black River bay, opposite Sackets Harbor. It owes its name to the appearance of certain rocks along the shore in this part of the town, . which the action of the water has left stand- ing, partly supported. A church, a few shops and about two dozen dwellings are located here.

[For full particulars of the various pulp- mills at Brownville and Dexter, see page 193-4, and for full particulars of that great industry on Black river, see pages preceding 193.]

On the announcement of the declaration of war, Brownville became the seat of much activity and excitement, from its being the headquarters of General Brown, who had the personal direction of military operations on this frontier during most of the first season. A hospital was established here, and troops were stationed in the village and vicinity at various times during that period. The greatest alarm prevailed throughout the country upon the arrival of the first tidings of war, but this soon wore away.

The inhabitants living on Perch River, on receiving the news of the war, were greatly alarmed, from their supposed exposure on the frontier, and some of the timid ones re- solved to leave the country. To dissuade them from this, it was proposed to build a block-house, which was forthwith done by voluntary labor, but when completed, only served as a storehouse for the wheat of a neighbor. Some ridiculing the idea of danger, humorously proposed to post them- selves on the brow of some of the limestone

ledges towards Catfish creek, in the direc- tion of Canada, which would give them the double advantages of a commanding posi- tion, and an abundance of material for mis- siles, in case of attack. This had its effect, and after a few weeks' reflection the idea of Indian massacre was forgotten. It will be remembered that many of the older inhabit- ants had realized in their youth the horrors of Indian warfare, and the tales of midnight massacre which they related as they assem- bled on evenings for mutual safety, enhanc- ed, in no small degree, this timidity. Still, the alarms which prevailed in this county were far less than those that spread through the St. Lawrence settlements, and, as after- wards appeared, in Canada itself, where nearly every family along the river had been fugitives from the desolating hand of war, from their adherence to the Royal cause in the Revolution. The apprehensions of both parties soon subsided, and men resumed their customary pursuits, except when occasional drafts or general alarms called out the militia, or the exigencies of the service required the assembling of teams for the transportation of munitions of war. Prices of produce were, of course, extremely high, and from the large amount of government money expended here, the basis of many fortunes in the county were laid at that period.

The first bridge at Brownville was built by Oliver Bartholomew, at the mouth of Philomel Creek, in the summer of 1802, and the price, $1,000, was raised by subscription. This bridge was carried off by the great flood in the spring of 1806, and was rebuilt by Mr. Bartholomew and his sons in 1807, on the site of the present bridge.

The first public house in Brownville was built by Jeremiah Phelps, in 1805, on the site of the present stone hotel. The latter was built about 1820, by Henry Caswell and a Mr. Emerson, who soon afterwards sold it to a company made up of William Lord, H. Lawrence, W. S. Ely, E. Kirby, I. Shields and John E. Brown. In 1805 John Brown (afterwards Judge Brown) bought the lands on the south side of the river, and built the mills there, and in 1806 the first dam was thrown across the river at that place. In 1805 Samuel Starr built a log distillery down by the brook near his house, where was made the first whisky in town. Nathaniel Peck married a daughter of Mr. Starr, and was in company with him in the manufacture of whisky. He afterwards removed the dis- tillery to what was known as the Nathaniel Peck farm.

Alexander Moffat was the first settler in the vicinity of Limerick, about 1805. A Mr. Smith, Samuel Shelley and Isaac Day were also early settlers here. Mr. Shelley once owned a mill at Limerick.

Among the early settlers in the neighbor- hood of Pillar Point, were Horatio Sprague, Eleazar Ball, Peter and Solomon Ingalls, Mr. Sherwin, Eliphalet Peck, Isaac Luther, Mr.

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THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

Burlingame, Daniel Ackerman, Jere Carpen- ter, Jesse Stone, George Rounds, James Douglass, Henry Adams, Samuel Reed, Mr. Fulsom, Luther Reed and Henry Ward. Samuel Knapp bought and cleared up 150 acres of land on the road to Limerick. Jere. Phelps, David Lyttle and Solomon' Stone located at Dexter, and later Mr. Willis and Jere. Winegar, and still later . Kendall Hursley, Joshua Eaton, Jesse Bab- cock, Sylvanus Pool, John T. Wood, James A. Bell, Solomon Moyer, John P. Shelley, and others.

After the erection of Jefferson county, a , to lake navigation, was early considered an strenuous effort was made by Mr. Brown and others to have the county buildings located here, but a greater influence was brought to bear in favor of Watertown, and that village was selected as the county seat, greatly to the disappointment of the settlers in Brownville.

The navigation of the mouth of Black river up as far as Brownville, was a subject of much importance in the early days. It was thought that by making the river navigable to Brownville it would be made a port of entry for the commerce of the lakes, and a shipping port for the produce of the country. In 1810 the Legislature passed an act to improve the navigation of the mouth of the river up to Brownville. With so good a harbor and port as was afforded by the bay at Sackets Harbor, the project failed. June 5, 1810, the Black River Navi- gation Company was formed. The object of the company was the construction of locks at the rapids in the river at Fish Island (now Dexter), In 1815 wooden locks were built of capacity sufficient to allow the pass- age of Durham boats. About 1828, these wooden locks having decayed, they were re- placed by stone ones.

April 10, 1810, a post route was established from Utica by Whitestown, Rome, Camden, Adams and Sackets Harbor to Brownville; and another from Harrisburg, by Champion, Watertown, and Brownville, to Port Put- nam; April 30, 1816, from Brownville to Cape Vincent; June 15, 1832, from Water- town, by Brownville and LaFargeville, to Cornelia, at the mouth of the French Creek, thence by Depauville to Brownville. April 12, 1816, an act was passed allowing Mr. Le- Ray to extend the Cape Vincent turnpike road to Brownville village. By an act of April 21, 1831, this road was surrendered to the public. In 1817 a military road was pro- jected to unite the two prominent stations of Plattsburg and Sackets Harbor, which was commenced, but only a portion completed. The western extremity from Sackets Har- bor passes through this town to Pamelia Four Corners. After being opened by the govern- ment the road passed into the hands of the town.

VILLAGE INCORPORATION.

THE village of Brownville was incorpor- ated April 5, 1828. The act provided for the election of five trustees, three assessors, one

treasurer, one collector and one constable an- nually, on the first Monday in May The trustees were vested with the usual powers in relation to a fire department, assessments for internal improvements, etc. The follow- ing officers were chosen at the first election: Thomas Loomis, Jr., Hoel Lawrence, George Brown, Peleg Burchard and Tracy S. Knapp, trustees ; William S. Ely, Asa Whitney, William Lord, assessors ; John A. Cathcart, treasurer; James Shields, collector; Levi . Torrey, constable.

The village of Brownville, from its vicinity

eligible point for the establishment of factor- ies, and the enormous prices to which cotton goods had risen, in consequence of the war, led to the plan of forming a cotton factory at this place. In 1811, a general act had been passed for the encouragement of manufactur- ers, and availing themselves of this, a com- pany was formed, February 9, 1814, of which the following was the instrument of associa- tion:

"This may certify that we, the subscrib- ers, have formed ourselves into a company, for the purpose of manufacturing cotton and wool, with a capital of $100,000, consisting of 1,000 shares, under the direction of five truestees, viz : John Paddock, John Brown, Thomas Loomis, Jr., Thomas J. Whiteside and Hoel Lawrence, who shall manage the concerns of said company, for one year, from the date hereof, in the town of Brownville, in the county of Jefferson."

Signed by J. PADDOCK, J. BROWN, T. LOOMIS, JR., T. J. WHITESIDE, H. LAW *RENCE, HENRY WILLIAM CHANNING, WIL- LIAM S. ELY, SILAS JAY, F. N. SMITH.

They soon began the erection of a factory, which commenced operations the next year ; but after a few months, finding they were losing money, they stopped, and the factory lay idle several years. It was subsequently bought by parties from Cooperstown, who procured an act incorporating the Brownville Cotton Factory, April 6, 1831. Elizur Fair- man, John A. Cathcart, Charles Smith, and such as might associate with them, were by this constituted a body corporate for the manufacture of cotton and woolen goods, with a capital of $100,000, in shares of $50. The affairs were to be managed by three trustees, elected annually, on the second Monday of April, the first being those named in the act, which was to continue 20 years. In 1842, this company was succeeded by a partnership, consisting of Charles Smith and William H. Averil, of Cooperstown, and F. W. Andrews, styled the Ontario Cotton Factory. It had 3,200 spindles and 80 looms, and gave employment to about 90 hands.

Two other attempts were made to keep the cotton mill from going under, but its re- moteness from market was against it, and at last the old mill was changed to a pulp-mill, and is now operated as such.

A company, styled the Jefferson Lead Manufacturing Company, with a capital of

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BROWNVILLE.

$15,000, was formed June 30, 1038, chiefly under the direction of Thomas L. Knapp, and the business of manufacturing white lead and lithic paints continued with varied suc- cess about 12 years. After the death of Mr. Knapp, which occurred from cholera, at Pittsburg, in 1851, the business has been abandoned. It was found to be extremely injurious to the health of the laborers, both the carbonate of lead and the carbonic acid generated from charcoal for its manufacture, being directly poisonous to the system.

A woolen factory, owned by Bradley & Brown, was burned in January, 1846, with a machine shop, flax-mill and other property. The village of Brownville affords a great amount of water power, which is at present not fully improved.

In many respects this village presents su- perior advantages for manufacturing estab- lishments, as it has a direct communication by railroad with the markets. Real estate is cheap, and the surrounding country affords in abundance the means for supporting a large population. At several points between this village and Watertown, fine opportuni- ties for water power exist, which have been partially improved. At one of these, one and a half miles above this village, Mr. James Wood, originally from New Hampshire, about 1830 began the erection of a dam and woolen factory, which had been nearly com- pleted, when it was swept off by the spring flood of 1833, proving a total loss to the owner.

THE BROWNVILLE FEMALE SEMINARY

Was established in 1849. It was chartered by the regents November 28, 1849, and opened May 1, 1850, as a boarding and day- school, under charge of Miss Mary F. Bloom- field, who was succeeded by Miss H. M. Foster, followed by Rev. G. B. Eastman. The building occupied for this purpose was the large brick mansion on one of the main streets, built by Major Samuel Brown in 1816. The school was not a financial success. It was closed after a short career, and the building sold to and since occupied by Alfred Kilborn.

In 1861-62 a building 40 by 50 feet was erected by subscription in Brownville, at a cost of nearly $2,000, the lower story of which was to be used for the purposes of a high school, and the upper for a town-hall. In 1875 this building was purchased by the school district of the village of Brownville for school purposes, and, so far as con- sistent, for the purposes of a hall.

MANUFACTORIES.

The pulp-mills of Brownville and Dexter, except the mill noted below, are fully noticed on p. 193 to 194 in this History.

The Globe Paper and Fibre Company was organized June 11, 1894, and consists of about 20 stockholders. It has a capital of $300,000. The officers are : J. D. Spencer, President ; E. A. Flanagan, Vice-President and General Manager; T. T. Waller, Treas-

urer ;' C. N. Sherman, Secretary. They manufacture sectional and plastic boiler and pipe coverings, which are considered as nearly heat-proof as anything yet discovered. A preparation of asbestos and talc is put through a process similar to manufacturing wood-pulp, being changed from a soft mass to a hard casing for steam pipes or boilers. The tubing is in lengths of about three feet. and joined by iron bands when used. The talc used is obtained from Gouverneur, and the asbestos (which is an entirely mineral substance, wholly impervious to heat), from near Ottawa. In every 100 tons there is a waste of about one ton, which is worthless rock.

THE BUSINESS OF BROWNVILLE.

The following list embraces nearly all the business men and enterprises of Brownville village :

The Outterson Paper Company.

Brownville Iron Works, D. B. Gotham, proprietor.

Brownville Paper Company.

Ontario Paper Company, just outside village limits.

George F. Lutz, flour, feed and coal.

A. R. Wilcox & Son, drugs and groceries, boots, shoes, etc.

J. P. Knowlton, stoves and ranges.

H. I. Harris, groceries and provisions. flour, crockery, etc.

Frazier & Schermerhorn, groceries, pro- visions, teas.

William Hart & Son, meats, fish and poultry.

A. E. Lord, general merchandise.

H. W. Edgett, agent R., W. & O. R. R.

LeRoy Buchanan, proprietor Brownville Hotel. Has a livery attached.

Robert J. Begg, book-cases, office desks and furniture.

C. E. Codman, manufacturer of hay presses and mill work.

Miss Lettie Reeves is the post-mistress of the village of Brownville and is supposed to be the youngest lady in that position, being but 23 years of age.

DEXTER.

The village of Dexter is situated at the mouth of Black River, from which it derives a valuable water power, and one and a half miles from the station on the R., W. & O. Railroad at Limerick. A switch of that rail- road extends to Dexter, but for the accommo- dation of freight only. The postoffice was established at the village of Dexter in 1836, and the village was incorporated May 8, 1855, under the general law, and amended by special acts April 15, 1857, and January 28, 1865. It is one of the most enterprising villages in the county, and will doubtless grow in importance. Like Brownville, a portion of the business is on the Houndsfield side.

This village was named in compliment to S. Newton Dexter, of Whitesboro, who had been extensively interested in the business of

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THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

the place, which formerly bore the name of Fish Island. The lands in this vicinity were early purchased by John and Jacob Brown, who, in 1811, commenced a dam that was swept off, but rebuilt, and a saw-mill was got in operation in February, 1813. A large amount of lumber was made here during the war, for use at Sackets Harbor, and in 1815- 16, wooden locks were built of sufficient size to admit boats 60 feet long and 13 feet wide to pass. About 1825 a grist-mill was built by John E. Brown, and in 1837 the place contained a dozen houses.

A joint-stock company, styled the Dexter Village Company, was formed March 1, 1837, for the purpose of laying out the vil- lage on a tract of 249 acres south, and 800 acres north of the river. The original mem- bers of the company were Edmund Kirby, S. N. Dexter, John Williams, John Bradley and J. Brown. In 1840 the company com- menced making dividends of the property, and January 6, 1846, it was finally dissolved.

On the 7th of November, 1836, the Jeffer- son Woolen Company was formed, with $100,000 capital, in shares of $100. It origin- ally consisted of S. N Dexter, of Whites- boro; John Williams, of Utica; Edmund Kirby and John Bradley, of Brownville; Rodney Burt and O. V. Brainard, of Water- town. The number of stockholders was 59. In 1837 this company built the exten- sive woolen factory, at a cost, including appendages and machinery, of $140,000; capital paid in $96,000. This enormous ex- penditure, with the low prices which fol- lowed, could not be sustained, and in Janu- ary, 1842, the company failed, with liabili- ties exceeding assets of $33,000. The property was sold, and bid off by a new com- pany, styled the Jefferson Manufacturing Company, formed in February, 1842, with a capital of $50,000. The main building was of stone, 50x170 feet, and four stories high, attic and basement, and is now utilized by the Dexter sulphite pulp-mill.

The joint benefits of navigation and hydraulic privileges have made Dexter a place of some importance. Besides the pulp- mills there are three saw-mills, a grist-mill, several establishments for turning, and manufactures of wood, and about 150 in- habitants. It has churches of the Episcopal, Universalist and Presbyterian orders. It has been a place of ship-building to some extent; about a dozen schooners, the propellers James Wood and Clifton, and the steamer Telegraph having been built here. Exten- sive appropriations made by the general government, at about the time of the erec- tion of the factory, were expended in the construction of piers at the mouth of the river, for the improvement of the harbor. A cemetery association was formed under the general law, September 21, 1848, with James A. Bagley, Philander J. Welch, Sylvester Reed, Joseph D. Beals, Francis W. Winne, James A. Bell, Henry Bailey and Francis Broadbent, trustees.

BUSINESS PEOPLE OF DEXTER.

W. H. Winn, photographer.

M. Dunlap, blacksmith.

Mrs. E. S. Lawton, milliner.

L. D. Babcock, barber.

W. A. Houghton, general store, and good livery in connection.

Charles Gleason, harness store.

George W. Wood, postmaster, and one of the firm of

O. M. & G. W. Wood, general store.

Miss Bertha Wood, assistant postmaster. E. VanAllen, milliner.

Great Northwestern Telegraph Company ; G. S. Casler, operator.

L. E. Foster, dealer in oysters, fruit, canned goods, etc.

Dexter Sulphite Pulp and Paper Com- pany.

J. J. Nutting, wool-carding and weaving. A. Osborn & Co., proprietors of the Dexter Mills.

W. H. Underwood, insurance.

William Ross, manufacturer of carriages and sleighs.

Binninger & Strainge, manufacturers of doors and blinds, contractors and builders.

St. Lawrence Mills, manufacturers of news, manilla and colored papers.

W. M. Trousdale, baker and confectioner. Underwood House, H. D. Reed, proprietor.

Dr. Gilbert A. Foote, physician and sur- geon.

Fred Baldwin, blacksmith.

C. A. Bloom, dealer in general merchandise. R. Syse, jeweler, watchmaker and practi- cal engraver.

Clark Brothers, general store.

Frontenac Paper Company. [See p. 194.] Leonard, Gilmour & Co., contractors and builders; manufacturers of doors, sash, biinds and wood pulp.

Albert L. Morgan, physician and surgeon. G. S. Casler, dealer in stoves and tinware. Marrigold House, Julius Marrigold, pro- prietor.

W. H. Younge, proprietor Globe Mills.

The official board of the village of Dexter, is composed of: Willis Reed, president ; Charles Moyer, collector; Edwin S. Clark, treasurer; W. H. Winn, clerk; James Gil- more, Fremont W. Spicer, George Savage, G. S. Casler, Frank Pierce, trustees.

SCHOOLS.

The people of District No. 1, of Brown- ville, have recently erected, on a new site at the northern end of the village, a fine new school building, which is an unique and sub- stantial structure, a credit to the town. It is built of brick, and worth $10,000. About 140 pupils are registered, and the school is divided into nine grades. W. F. Phillips is principal, and is assisted by four teachers. The school board consists of the following : J. N. Holliday, president; F. E. Ingalls, secretary ; Mark Wilson, clerk; Dr. R. F. Gates, trustee.

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BROWNVILLE.

The school at Glen Park is in the same dis- trict, and under the direction of the same board of trustees. The attractive building, at that place, is valued at $2,000.

The church at Glen Park is understood to have been largely constructed from funds supplied by some one or more of the numer- ous Remington family, though it is not supposed that the elder member of that family contributed very largely for this ob- ject.

THE CHURCHES.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, at Brown- ville, was organized October 13, 1826. The church ediffice is said to be the oldest in the county. The first rector was William Linn Reese. The first wardens were Thomas Y. Howe and Thomas Loomis; and Asa Whit- ney, Tracy S. Knapp, Sylvester Reed, S. Brown, William S. Ely, Peleg Burchard, Edmund Kirby and Hoel Lawrence, were the first vestrymen.

The present rector is Rev. George Max- well, of No. 9 Hancock street, Watertown, who supplies the pulpit at Brownville on Sunday mornings, at Glen Park in the after- noon, and at North Watertown in the even- ing.

The First Presbyterian Church, at Brown- ville, was organized March 18, 1818, with eight members. Rev. Noah M. Wells was the first pastor. They have no regular pas- tor at present, being supplied from time to time.

The Universalist Church, at Brownville, was organized in 1847 by Luther Rice, its first pastor. The church building was erected in 1847, costing about $2,000. They have had no services for nearly two years.

The Methodist Episcopal Church, at Brownville, was organized August 3, 1829. Joshua Heminway, Henry W. Chapman, Samuel Knapp, Daniel Case and William Lord were the first trustees. The building committee consisted of J. Heminway, M. Fowler and E. C. Church. In 1829 was erccted a church edifice on the site of the present one, which has been remodeled. The Rev. B. Phillips was the first pastor. The first Sunday school superintendent was Samuel Knapp. The present pastor is the Rev. George Ernst. The society is in a prosperous condition, having a membership of 72, and out of debt. A parsonage was purchased near the church in 1866.

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Growth of a Century : as illustrated in the history of Jefferson County, New York, from 1793 to 1894, Part 99

Author: Haddock, John A. 1823- Publication date: 1894 Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Sherman Number of Pages: 1094

Author: Haddock, John A. 1823-
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Sherman
Number of Pages: 1094