USA > New York > Clinton County > History of Clinton and Franklin Counties, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 53
USA > New York > Franklin County > History of Clinton and Franklin Counties, New York : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 53
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ception of a few settlements along the line of the railroad. Graves' Brook then swarmed with trout, and deer were so plenty that they came in large numbers to a " deer-lick" near Mr. Pike's log house, where they fell victims to his rifle. Here he lived until 1856, when the first road to his place was laid out from Hammond's Corners, on the turn- pike, two miles north and seven miles south towards Chazy Lake.
A man by the name of Auger was the first settler at Forest, near the close of the last war. James Scott settled there about the same time, and still resides there.
William Graham and Pennfield and Moore built a steam saw-mill and tannery there soon after.
Benjamin Baker was one of the first settlers in the ex- treme northwest corner of the town. The Wyatt and McGregor families came in about the same time. David Daniels settled early in the same locality.
No settlement was made at Altona before the Ogdens- burgh and Champlain Railroad was put through, in 1838.
Northeast of the village an early elearing existed, known as the " Bumfrey clearing." Joseph Brown settled there first. The Smith, Wells, Brockway, and Marsh . families located near by before the railroad was finished. Harvey and James Mead built a saw-mill at Altona about the time the railroad was completed, and were among the first settlers at that point.
A mile east of Altona, Ebenezer Wright settled one-half a century ago. He married Matilda K. Wood, daughter of Simeon Wood.
The Barnes, Holmes, Foster, Howard, and other families settled first at Sciota, in this townl.
Joseph Vassar was the earliest settler on the road running south from Sciota.
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT.
Thus far but a small portion of the town had been settled. Other sections were still a dense wilderness. It was not until the fine water-power of the town began to be utilized, and saw-inills and other branches of industrial enterprise began to multiply, that the rapid settlement and develop- ment of the town took place, and it is even yet in a changing and formative state. It has been deemed best, inasmuch as the industrial development and first settlement of some portions of the town are so nearly identical, to treat them both in this connection.
The first saw-mill in town was built by Benjamin Mooers, on Wood's Brook, near its junction with the Chazy River, before the year 1820. Samuel Couch, Simcon Wood, and others operated it afterwards.
The next mill erected was what afterwards became known as the " Old Button-Mill." It was built by Kinner New- comb, and for a long time operated by him.
Ketcham, Hobart, & Moore next erected a saw-mill on Chazy River, on lot 162, of the Refugee tract, and operated it a great many years. Near Chazy Lake, Meigs & Wead for many years carried on a heavy business cutting the large pines which grew in such numbers in that locality.
Smith Wood ereeted the next saw-mill, located on Wood Brook, about 1838, and ran it a great many years. It was destroyed by fire in 1854. Ormes, Bailey & Ellis erected
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TOWN OF ALTONA.
a mill on Wood's Brook, near the turnpike, next, and oper- ated it a great many years. It was also run for a time by steam. It is now run by William Burnham by water again, with a large twenty-foot overshot-wheel.
John Mooers, a seafaring man, and a relative of Gen. Benjamin Mooers, erected a mill where the McGregor mill now stands, at quite an carly day. Several mills, operated by Shedden & Reynolds, Kingsbury, Beach & Ross, and others, have been burned on this site.
Harvey and James Mead next erected a mill on the Chazy River, and ran it some time. It has been operated for a long time by Henry N. Lasalle.
John H. Phinney, of Mooers, built the next mill, near Palmer's forge, Altona, and did a large business for several years. It is now Palmer's shingle-mill.
John Bentley first erected the " Mead mill," and ran it three years. Lasalle, Davis & Co., and Wood Brothers followed. It is now operated by James Mead.
William Graham next erected a saw-mill and a grist-mill on lot 110, of the Refugee tract, near Altona. A fine mill is now there.
Dake & Crabtree then erected a small mill in the north- west corner of the town.
In the fall of 1868, J. & R. Sherlock-having acquired possession of a tract of about 5000 acres of land, covered with a dense growth of spruce, hemlock, cedar, balsam, and hard timber, lying in the west part of the town of Altona- commenced the erection of a large lumber-mill on Graves Brook just across the town line from Mr. Pike's farm. During that winter a large force of inen and teams was set to work in this primitive wilderness, cutting the first stock of logs, and a dam was built across the stream, and the next spring the first mill was finished and commenced to run. The main saw-inill building was 92 by 98 feet, two stories high, and the shingle-mill 60 by 60 feet, two stories. From that time the mill was run for several years, but was finally destroyed by fire on April 24, 1877.
None of the machinery was got out ; there was not even time to save the belts. There was but little wind, and the burning cinders were sent high into the air by the force of the current of heated air, and then fell again slowly in a rain of fire upon the roofs of the houses, barns, etc., of the hamlet, which had in nine years grown up around the mills. Every building in the place was on fire at different times while the mill was burning, but all, excepting the mill, were saved only by the utmost exertions on the part of the men. The whole winter's cut of lumber was also in the pond and on its banks, and this also was only kept from burning by the hardest of work. The mill had just been thoroughly repaired; it contained a 120-horse-power engine, with a boiler capacity of 160 horse-power ; the machinery consisted of two gates,-a gang and slabber,-a circular saw-mill, lath-mill, planer, four double-header shingle-machines, stavc- cutter, barrel-leading machine, etc., and all was destroyed in an hour. There was a stock of over 5,000,000 feet of logs lying in the yard, besides some 3500 cords of barrel stuff, and 2800 cords of cedar shingle-lumber. Men were immediately dispatched to the woods and sct to getting out timber for a new mill-frame, a small water saw-mill about half a mile below which the Sherlocks had only recently
acquired possession of, was presscd into the service, and about the 20th of August the new mill was running, every machine being new with the exception of the en- gine and boiler, which were not seriously damaged. The dimensions of the new saw-mill are 45 by 100 feet, two stories high, with 20-foot posts, and the shingle- mill 60 feet square, and two stories high. The ma- chinery in the new mills consists of a gang, circular, edger, cylinder, planer, one double-header shingle-maehinc, one Rochester and two Lockport shingle-machines, all of the latest style, the capacity of these four machines being 10,000 shingles in ten hours. This machinery is all in the second story, the logs being drawn up an inclined plane from the pond by steam-power. In the lower story there are two machines for cutting barrel-heads of different diameters from 10 to 22 inches, one small cylinder-planer for planing heading stuff to a uniform thickness, and a heading-jointer. There is also a full set of pail and tub machinery of the most approved pattern, ineluding barrel-saws of four differ- ent sizes for cutting staves, consisting of steel cylinders with teeth cut around the edge of the open end, a machine which joints and matches the staves at one operation, lathes for turning the pails, buckets, etc., inside and out, and a ma- chine for cutting bottoms, equalizing saws for cutting tubs, etc., of uniform lengths,-in short, all the machinery for making the first quality of butter- tubs, sap-buckets, pails, etc. There are also a number of kilns for seasoning the lumber.
The present proprietor of the enterprise is R. Sherlock.
Reynold's Forge, Irona .- This enterprise originated in the purchase, by Asa Reynolds, of East Albany, Vt., in 1866, of several thousand acres of land located on and near a small stream, tributary to the North Branch of the Chazy River, known as " Park's Brook," or " Dry Brook." Upon this stream Mr. Reynolds erected a saw-mill mainly designed for cutting long timber.
After operating the saw-mill for two years, Mr. Reynolds, in the spring of 1868, commenced the erection of an iron- forge, which was completed and set to running in the fall of the same year. In the spring of 1875 the forge was burned, but was rebuilt immediately, and put in operation in September of the same year.
Owing to the deficiency in the water-power furnished by the stream, the machinery of the forge is driven, according to the original design of its owner, by steam generated by the waste heat of the forge-firc. It is believed to be the only steam Catalan forge owned by a private corporation in Northern New York. The ore used by the forge was at first transported from Port Henry and Arnold Hill, but that now employed is brought from the vicinity of Lower Cha- teaugay Lake.
The forge comprises four fires. Ample provision has been made for a good supply of coal, and it is estimated that there is sufficient wood upon the land to run the forge at full blast ten years yet, allowing nothing for the second-growth forests. The track of the railroad runs only half a dozen rods from the forge, and from the main line a branch has been built running close to the forge, on to the saw-mill. The ore, as it is shoveled from
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HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY, NEW YORK.
the cars, falls within 30 feet of the nearest fire. J. F. Reynolds is the manager of the enterprise.
Stepen Stackpole had a small forge near the McGregor place about the time of the erection of the Reynolds forge, but, having been destroyed by fire, it was not afterwards rebuilt.
In the winter of 1868 and spring of 1869, Frank Palmer, formerly of Plattsburgh, and latterly of Wood's Falls, located at Altona and erected a four-fire forge, to which he has since added one, making five in all. The ore was at first obtained from Port Henry and Arnold Hill, but a change to the Chateaugay ore-bed was soon made, and from there the ore is now obtained, being brought to the forge by rail in summer and with teams in the winter. The forge uses about 3000 tons of ore yearly. Coal-kilns, to supply the charcoal to the works, are near at hand. Five are located at the forge, and four about three miles dis- tant; eight others are in course of crection farther up the river.
The blooms made are shipped away for steel. G. W. Palmer, of Plattsburgh, is associated in the enterprise.
Besides the industries that have already been mentioned, there have been others of some importance in the town.
Stephen and Frank Dow erected a tannery at Altona about the commencement of the last war and ran it for a number of years. The new one now standing there was built some time after, and is now operated by Clark & Co., of Chateaugay.
Graham & Moore built the tannery at Forest soon after the erection of the saw-mill at that point, and ran it a good while. The engine-room was burned in the summer of 1879.
STORES.
The first store in the town was kept by Lewis Robinson, in connection with his tavern, which has been already men- tioned. It only continued for a short time.
William Graham had the first store of consequence, near Altona. John Hanley also had one at the depot for a time. G. W. and Frank Palmer established a store in connection with their forge at Altona in 1869, which is still one of the best in the locality.
Most of the manufacturing establishments have had stores in connection with their several enterprises, such as those of H. N. Lasalle, James Mead, J. F. Reynolds, Robert Sherlock, and James Scott (at Forest). A. B. An- gell, of Sciota, has a branch store near Altona. At the latter point Napoleon Trembly is one of the principal traders. Cyrus Myers has a storc at Ellenburgh Depot.
The only existing tavern in the town is kept by Charles Howard, on the turnpike, in the old Eleazer Robinson place.
HIGHWAYS.
The earliest road laid out through the town has already been referred to. It was in use for many years in a rough and unsatisfactory condition.
In the Plattsburgh Republican of Aug. 30, 1817, may be found the following notice :
" ROAD THROUGH CHATEAUGAY.
" The President of the United States has given orders to have a good road completed from Plattsburgh Village to Chateaugay Four
Corners. The troops of the United States are to be employed on this service. A detachment of about 200 of the 6th Regiment marched from this place on Thursday last & have commenced working about 3 miles west of this village."
By these means the road became quite passable, although, owing to the unwillingness of the soldiers to work it prop- erly, the government was obliged to abandon the work before it was completely finished. It became known after 1817 as the "Old Military Road," and later on, when toll- gates were placed aeross it to raise the revenue necessary to keep it in repair, it was known as the " Old Military Turn- pike."
The road leading north to the town of Mooers was in use prior to the war of 1812, and was at first the rude pathway by which the early settlers carried their grist to the pioneer mills of Robert Tripp, at Wood's Falls. In 1814, when the British were expected down the road, the United States government sent Lieut. Peckham and 36 men to watch the road. The headquarters of this harmless military force was at Sim Wood's hotel. During this year the latter removed his wife and children to Shoreham, Vt., but they returned the same day.
The next road laid out in the town was that passing south over Baker Hill. The Sciota road followed next, and then that over " Negro Hill." The others are of more recent ereetion.
RAILROADS.
The Ogdensburgh and Lake Champlain Railroad enters the town from Mooers, north of the village of Altona, and, passing through that village, proceeds due west into Ellen- burgh, having stations at Irona and Forest.
CIVIL ORGANIZATION.
The territory comprised within the limits of the town of Altona embraces parts of the Refugee tract and Duerville patent, and was originally a part of the town of Chazy. It was made a separate town, under its present name, by virtue of an act of the Legislature passed Dec. 2, 1857.
The minutes of the town-meetings from that date to the ycar 1867 cannot be found, and those that are obtainable are in a wretched and confused state. The supervisors and town clerks of the town, so far as they could be ascertained, have been as follows :
SUPERVISORS.
Ezekiel Douglass, 1858; William Graham, 1859; Lewis Robinson, 1860-61 ; William Graham, 1862; Lewis Robinson, 1863; Wil- liam Graham, 1864; James T. Mead, 1865-66; C. F. Larrabee, 1867 ; William Graham, 1868-69 ; Frank Palmer, 1870; John McGregor, 1871; Frank Palmer, 1872-75; William Graham, 1876; Frank Palmer, 1877-79.
TOWN CLERKS.
1866, O. Taylor ; 1867, Royal Mott; 1868, Michael Kennedy ; 1869, Fayette Nichols; 1870, Michael Kennedy; 1871, Erskine H. Brace; 1872-73, Arthur MeKenny; 1874, Michael Kennedy ; 1875, Arthur McKenny ; 1876, Simeon A. Wood, Asa D. Hed- ding; 1877-78, A. D. Hedding ; 1879, C. A. Pickett.
The town officers of 1879 are: Supervisor, Frank Pal- mer ; Town Clerk, C. A. Pickett ; Justices, C. D. Meigs, Ira T. Allen ; Collector, H. D. Phipps; Overseer Poor, H. Welch; Auditors, R. Brown, Cussan Larrabee; In- spectors of Elections, C. Howard, H. Robinson, A. De Long, Sr., R. Baker, W. S. Lancey, E. H. Brau, George Pikc,
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JAS.T.MEAD.
MRS. JAS.T.MEAD.
JAMES T. MEAD,
son of Aaron and Hezadiah (Goodnoe) Mead, was born at Bellows Falls, Vt., Nov. 3, 1829.
His parents were natives of Vermont ; his father was a farmer. Their children were : Harriet A., Harvey R., Henry R. (deceased), James T., Mary (deceased), and Sarah.
His father died at the age of sixty in Altona, and his mother at seventy-four in Gardner, Mass.
James T. Mead had few advantages of an educational kind, and even these few he was not permitted to enjoy beyond his tenth year. At this time he left home to work for the neighbors, doing chores, and for seven years he worked for Russel Hyde in a hotel at Bellows Falls. From there he went to Saratoga Springs, re- maining one year, and then returned to Bellows Falls, bought a piece of land, and built a house. In the fall of 1850 he came to Clinton Co., N. Y., and settled in the present town of Altona, then Chazy, engaging in the lumber business, building a gang saw-mill on the Big Chazy, buying at that time one lot of timber land of four hundred and twenty acres.
This was one of the first mills built in Altona, which Mr. Mead ran for a few years, and sold to one Adams.
About this time he bought and moved on the farm now owned by David Bradford, and devoted the next few years to farming.
Having sold his farm in Altona, he removed to Chazy, where he lived four years. At the end of that time he purchased his property in Altona, and built thereon his present mill. His lumber business has reached two million feet sawed lumber per annum.
James T. Mead was married Oct. 8, 1856, to Sophia, daughter of Alvin and Eleanor (Townsend) Wood, of Chazy ; only one child was born to them : Carrie E., born July 6, 1869. Mrs. Mead died April 17, 1873.
In politics Mr. Mead is a Democrat, and has been elec- ted by his party to various town offices. He was for eight years justice of the peace, and represented his town in the board of supervisors for two years ; he was assessor of the town of Chazy while living there, and was again elected justice in his own town two years since, which office he.still holds.
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TOWN OF ALTONA.
Cyrus Myers, M. Bradley ; Constables, Charles Lueas, Thomas Oldhand, L. Baker, Thomas Weightman, P. Robe- deau ; Excise Commissioner, P. Casey.
STATISTICAL.
The census of 1875 gives the number of dwelling-houses in the town at 650; number of acres of improved land, 11,582; of unimproved land, 31,864; the cash value of farm lands, $590,249 ; and the eash value of farm build- ings, $60,988.
VILLAGE AND HAMLETS.
There are no important villages in the town. The three principal points are Altona, Irona, and Forest.
ALTONA is a small village, situated on the Chazy River, northeast of the centre of the town. Here are a Methodist society and a Roman Catholic church, several stores and mills, and the iron-forge of G. W. & F. Palmer. The set- tlement is yet young, and the dwelling-houses few and un- imposing. The post-office at this point was created soon after the Ogdensburgh and Champlain Railroad was put through. Orrin Hough, the first station agent, was also the first postmaster, and held the office about ten years. Patrick Casey and Obed Taylor were the next incumbents of the office, and the widow of the latter, Olive P. Taylor, is the present postmistress.
IRONA is a small settlement in the north part of the town, situated two miles west of Altona, on a small stream known as Park's Brook. It is the site of the manufactur- ing enterprises of J. F. Reynolds, consisting of a fine iron- forge and saw-mill.
FOREST is a manufacturing village, located on Graves' Brook, in the northwest part of the town, about two miles east of the town of Ellenburgh. Here are several stores, a tannery, saw-mill, and other forms of industrial enter- prise. The settlement is young, and still in a formative state. A post-office was created here soon after William Graham and others began to establish their manufacturing enterprises. Thomas Casey was the first postmaster, fol- lowed by James Scott, the present postmaster.
JERUSALEM and JERICHO are scriptural names bestowed upon small locations in the southwest and south parts of the town.
SCHOOLS.
Sarah Stockwell, who afterwards became the wife of George MeFadden, is said to have taught the first school in the town in 1804. But this is believed to be a mistake, for at that date there were but two or three settlers in the town. Miss Stockwell probably taught over the line, and within the town of Chazy, although that locality too was then sparsely settled.
The first school in town was kept in Jeremiah Walker's log house on the turnpike, early in the century. A small space was partitioned off, and here the "young ideas were taught how to sloot."
The first teacher in this temple of learning was Charles Goodspeed, who taught three months, and was then followed by Sibyl Hicks. The school-house in that neighborhood was erected soon after.
Another early school was established in the Wood tavern about 1817 or 1818, and was first taught by Phobe Wood,
who married Henry McFadden. Maria E. Goodrich, now the wife of Smith Wood, taught there next, soon after the school-house was built. The first teacher in the new school-house was Maria E. Goodrich.
RELIGIOUS.
The earliest religious body that formally existed in the town was the French Baptists, who erected a meeting-house in the northeast part of the town, at Sciota, and flourished for a number of years. The organization is now quite extinct.
The two religious bodies now existing in the town afe the Methodists and Catholics. The latter have a church edifice at Altona, but are connected with the church at Mooers' Forks.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL-ALTONA.
In the year 1868, through the faithful labors of Rev. D. N. Lewis, a small class was formed in the village of Altona. Bro. Lewis was stationed at Mooers; from there he was appointed to Ellenburgh, and still continued to have charge of this little flock. In the spring of 1874, under the superintendence of Rev. T. A. Griffin, presiding elder, Altona was made a eireuit by adding to this town the west end of the town of Mooers to the province line. Rev. E. J. McKernan was the first pastor, who labored very faith- fully for two years. He was followed by Rev. Joseph Westcott, a well-known local preacher from near Schuyler Falls, for one year, followed by Rev. L. O. Hathaway, from the town of Jay, Essex Co., who had labored some in the Wesleyan connection. His term was but one year. The charge was next supplied by Rev. C. A. Beaudry, formerly from Ticonderoga, well known in that town as a strong ad- vocate and defender of Roman Catholicism, but who subse- quently became a Methodist, and is now on the second year of his charge. The church membership is 64, with 13 probationers ; there are 4 Sunday-schools, with 30 teachers and 175 scholars; there are also 4 church classes and 7 preaching appointments.
There is no church property at all in the town save the parsonage furniture. A house for parsonage_purposes is furnished free of cost by Frank Palmer, of this village.
At Cannon's Corners, in the town of Mooers, is a neat little church built last year to replace the one burned on the 19th day of May, 1877. It is all complete except the seating, which is extemporized by the seats saved from the basement of the burnt house. Two and a half miles far- ther north, and one mile from the Province line, is a some- what smaller chapel, which has been two years in process of building, nearly up to the same degree of completion as the one at the Corners, quite comfortable with the exception of rough plank seats, which are to be exchanged for better ones soon.
BURIAL-PLACES.
The oldest burial-places in the town are those in the southeast part. The one nearest the Chazy line has been in use sinee the first settlement of the town. About a mile and a half west on the turnpike is the next oldest in point of age. It has also been in use a long time. No others of consequence exist in the town.
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HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY, NEW YORK.
NOTES AND INCIDENTS.
The first mail carried through the town was by way of the old turnpike, from Plattsburgh to Ogdensburgh. A man by the name of Buckminster was the first carrier. A Mr. Wood, of Malone, then took the route. The journey was at first performed on foot, then on horseback, and finally in a wagon. For Mr. Wood worked one Jonathan Thomp- son, who from small beginnings rose to be the proprietor of the line, which he owned for many years. He drove four horses to his stage finally, was very successful, and es- tablished a hotel at Malone. It is said that when he died $60,000 in gold was found buried in his cellar. In the early days of the service the carriers performed also the duties of purchasing agents for the residents along their route, and it was not an uncommon thing to see them trudging along the road bearing a broom or a cross-cut saw from Plattsburgh to some thrifty householder.
During the war of 1812, Simeon Wood and a companion were made prisoners by the British while returning to their homes in Altona from Plattsburgh, and made to undergo a strict examination. Sim's excuse for being to Plattsburgh was that he had recently purchased a cow, and, having lost her, he supposed she had returned to Plattsburgh and had gone in search of hcr. Sim, it seems, was great on cows. Being released by the British, in retaliation, himself and companion, though unarmed, captured a British sentinel on his beat. The prisoner was so mortified at the capture that he begged to be turned in as a prisoner of war, fearing the punishment of his superiors if released. His wish was complied with.
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