USA > New York > Herkimer County > History of Herkimer county, New York > Part 24
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252
HISTORY OF HERKIMER COUNTY.
John Vaughn in 1770. The titles to the latter, according to Mr. Benton, were derived through John Porteous, before mentioned. The same authority says : " One of the two lots 12 and 13 Burnetsfield, embrac- ing all of the water power on the north side of the river, was owned, before the Revolution by one of the Petrie family, who erected the first grist-mill on Furnace Creek and was engaged in the carrying business."
Alexander Ellice died about the year 1808 and his property descended to his children Among them was Edward Ellice, who purchased the shares of the other heirs, and continued the owner of the property here until 1831. The policy adopted by the elder Ellice to secure a revenue was peculiarly English, was successful for his interests, and paralyzing to advancement at Little Falls. It consisted in a steadfast refusal to sell either lands or water power, and to insist on leases of the same, gener- ally for long periods. The effect of such a policy upon an American town and American energy may be readily inferred. Men of means and brains in this country are unwilling to make improvements upon lands they do not own-absolutely-however long a lease or how low a rate of rental may be demanded. Hence, while the unrivaled water power could and did prove sufficient attraction to some enterprising men (as amply shown in the account of the early manufacturing opera- tions a few pages further on), there still existed for many years, and until the Ellice title was extinguished, a sense of insecurity that put the place back a quarter of a century. Barent and John R Bleecker, of Albany, were for many years the agents direct of the Ellice estate, and in Little Falls George H. Feeter acted as agent for the Bleeckers for a consider- able period. It was not a very enviable office, all things considered. The agent, in order to do justice by his employers, was often forced in- to antagonism with his fellow-citizens. Up to the year 1825 there were some seventy or eiglity lots let on what were termed " durable leases " to fifteen or twenty individuals. The leases were in perpetuity and for each lot 60 x 100 feet in area, a rental of three Spanish milled dollars a year was charged. In the earliest of these leases was a clause pro- hibiting the establishment of stores for the sale of goods, this business being reserved as a perquisite for the benefit of Ellice's agents. The water power was also held under restriction, and would be neither sold nor let. The Ellices owned the grist-mill and saw-mill, which they
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leased for a large price, and wanted no competitors. This policy could not be otherwise than detrimental to the growth of the village. In later years, however (about 1820), a lease was granted for a site for a fulling- mill, and in 1824, another to Sprague & Dann for a paper mill, both on what is now Mill street ; these manufactures and others are described a little further on. In 1825 a few dwelling sites were sold-one to San- ders Lansing, one to Nathaniel S. Benton, and one to David Petrie ; and occasional lots were sold from that time onward. Most of the early lessees had several lots. The principal proprietors before the year 1825 were Eben Britton, Thomas Gould, Thomas Smith, Robert Hinchman, Samuel Smith, Solomon Lockwood, the heirs of William and John Alexander, and those of John Protheroe and William Morallee. The accompanying map shows the condition of the early village, its streets, and the lessees of many of the lots. This map is also the property of Watts T. Loomis.
The Ellice titles were almost wholly extinguished in 1831, as indi- cated on the accompanying map, showing leased and sold lots and the names of many of the owners. This map was made in 1831 for Peter Gansevoort, James Stevenson, Charles L. Livingston, Mordecai Myers, James Monroe, Aaron Remer, and John H. Webb. The lots printed black in the engraving indicate those that had been leased or sold by the Ellice interest. Those printed white had come into possession of the above named proprietors. Of these white lots, sales had been made at the time the map was drawn (1831) to the following persons who had bought the numbers accompanying their names :
Lots 53-54, to P. Eaton. 55, J. Petrie, 56-81-84-86-87, - Lansing. 57-82-83, B. Cahoon. 58-59, Dr. Green. 60-61-62, D. Burwell. 63-64, - Shepard. 65 to 68 inclusive and 73-76-77, C. Sharer. 74-75, Mordecai Meyers. 72, - Peak. 78- 79, and 155-6-7, Ann street, Parley Eaton. 88-89, and 59 Church street, James Monroe. 90 to 93 inclusive, Solomon Petrie. 98 and 58 on Church street, Peter Gansevoort. 7 Third street, and No. 3, corner Jolm and Fourth street. and C and D John street, C. L. Livingston. 5 Third street, E and F John street, 161 Church street, A. Loomis. 3 Third street, A. Case. 4, corner of Third and John street, - McIn- tosh. 153-2 Ann street, - Beardsley. 154 Ann, James Monroe ; also 168-9 south side of Jolm. 170-71 Jolin, John H. Webb. 172, 178-9, 183-84 John, Aaron Remer. 174-5, John K. Bremner. 176-7 John, C. L. Livingston. 182, John C. Sharer. 13- 17-19, north side of John, Stevens. 21, north side of John, James Monroe. 28-29, John, H. P. Alexander. 45-47 John, and 41-42-44 and 46 Albany, D. Burwell.
254
HISTORY OF HERKIMER COUNTY.
48 Albany, J. H. Webb. 50 Albany, A. Remer. 17-19 Albany, north side and 165. corner of Wiliam and Albany. Peter Gansevoort. 166 7 Albany, 1. Remer. 38 run- ning through from Albany to Catherine (now Main), B. Lewis, 39 Albany. C. B. Griffin. 40 Albany, Robert Stewart. 35 Main. A. Looms. 36 Main, John H. Webb, 9-10-29-19-20-21 and 115. - Bremner. 116 Garden, M. Myers. 122 Garden, J. Il. Webb. 27 Garden, John Dygert. 13-14-15 Garden, Burwell & Alexander.
Mr Benton wrote : " The paralyzing policy of the proprietor, who was an alien, in limiting his alienations to leases in fee, requiring an annual rent, and refusing to make only a few grants of that description, to which he affixed the most stringent conditions and restrictions in the exercise of trade and the improvement of the water power, kept the place nearly stationary until 1831, excepting that part of the present village on the south side of the river, not subject to the dead weight of non-alienation. Upon the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, the only erections in that part of the village were a bridge, and a toll house at the south end of the bridge ; the Bellinger grist- mill and a small dwell- ing, for the miller's residence, and the Vrooman house." As bearing upon the condition of the village just before the completion of the canal, we quote as follows from the People's Friend, one of the early news- papers of the village, under date of June 19, 1822 :
" This [inland navigation| has become a pleasant subject. The general liveliness which has prevailed on our streets since the commencement of the regular trips of the packets between this and I'tica is really cheering. But the interest of the thing is by no means confined to these . an unaccountable number of other boats of various fornis and dimensions continue to crowd both the river and Erie Canal. On the 16th, we are told, thirty boats were together on the river at the landing place half a mile above Little Falls, while a number more lay in the canal close by.
In 1831, as before noted, Edward Ellice sold out his real estate here, and within a few years it came into possession of Richard R. Ward and James Munroe, of New York, but not as joint owners. No sale of the water power in separate lots or privileges was made before Mr. Ward became the sole owner of all that portion of the original purchase of Mr. Ellice. When these were brought into market, General Bellinger, the principal owner of the water power on the south side of the river, also placed his property in market and numerous mills, factories and other industries were soon established, as shown further on. In 1830 the population of the town was 2,539, about 1,700 of which were with - in the village limits.
255
TOWN OF LITTLE FALLS.
Meanwhile, in 1811, a village charter was granted ; but there seem to be no records of public business under that charter, the existing records beginning with the year 1827, when a new, or amended charter was adopted. Under this the corporation was authorized to open streets which had been dedicated to public use, as laid down on a map made by the proprietor in ISII. Mr. Benton says :
The power given was executed in the first instance, by opening Albany, Garden and Second streets, at the expense of the owners of the adjoining lots. This touched the proprietor's purse, and he consented to sell in fee the lots on those streets. This, how- ever, did not reach the water power, which was not improved, neither would the pro- prietors on either side of the river consent to sell lots and water rights, but the alien owner adopted the plan of making short leases, by which he anticipated a rich harvest on the falling in of the reversions. The people of the village were not slow to per- ceive the fatal effects of this policy, and applied to the Legislature for the passage of an act to prohibit the alien proprietor from making any grants or leases, except in fee. These were the conditions on which he was authorized to take, hold and convey lands in this State. The act passed the Senate at the session of 1831, and was sent to the Assembly for concurrence. The agents offered to sell the whole proprietary interest in the village for $50.000, and active negotiations were set on foot by several parties to make the purchase. The bill was finally acted upon in the House, and rejected. Al- most simultaneous with that rejection, the sale was effected to several members of that body and other parties, and the purchasers in a short time realizad a net $50,000 on their purchase, or very nearly that sum. Whether there was any connection between the defeat of the bill, and the sale, I never sought to know. The sale accomplished all that the village desired, because we believed the purchasers had bought with the in- tention of selling out, as fast as they could; but the proprietor, Mr. Ellice, had a large interest at stake ; he was the owner of other considerable tracts of land, not only in this county, but in different parts of the State ; it was important to him, therefore, to get rid of the restrictive provisions of the bill in respect to his other lands. His agents in this country were well satisfied that the applicants for coercive but just measures would not rest quietly under one defeat, and that his interest would be damaged in pro- portion to the duration of the controversy.
The new proprietors made immediate arrangements to bring the property into market, and effected large sales by auction and private sale, in the year 1831, and in the course of a few years, what remained of the original purchase, with other lands of Mr. Ellice on the north side of the river, came into the hands of Richard R. Ward and Col. James Munroe, of New York.
Going back to the little village in 1816, we learn that it then con- sisted of only two streets. These were the turnpike, now known as Main street, and Western avenue, which then extended on the present line no farther than to cross Furnace Creek, where it turned down east
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TOWN OF LITTLE FALLS.
of the yellow house, thence over the old canal, and along between the old lock canal and the river, to the head of the falls. The other road was what is now called German, Bridge, Ann and Church streets, cross- ing the river from the south and leading to Eatonville. ( These roads can be readily followed by reference to the maps.) There were not more than forty dwellings in the village; the octagon church had not been finished; there were the stone school house,1 two taverns, two black- smith shops, five or six stores and groceries and the mills. The open- ing of the canal of the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company in 1795-96 gave something of an impetus to the growth of the village ; but the resulting growth was not very marked, and the village remained in nearly the condition above described until about 1828.
Under the charter of 1827 the amount authorized to be raised by tax for all purposes could not exceed $300 annually. The highway tax was left to the jurisdiction of the town authorities. The first election held under that charter for village officers resulted as follows :
President, Nathaniel S. Benton ; trustees, Christopher P. Bellinger, William Girvan, Sanders Lansing, James Sanders, Gould Wilson, and John McMichael; fire wardens, Robert Stewart, Jacob Osborn, and John Phillips; treasurer, Henry P. Alexander ; collector, Jeremiah Eaton.
Newspaper files, those invaluable records upon which the historian must so largely depend, are very incomplete in this town in early years. The People's Friend, from which we have already quoted, was in ex- istence for a few years after 1820, but there are only a few numbers of it now accessible. In 1824 it was published by Edward M. Griffing, who doubtless found it difficult to sustain his enterprise. There are a few advertisements in the paper. Gould Wilson was a cabinetmaker. William Brooks sold groceries, hardware, paints, crockery, etc., on Catherine street, two doors west of the store of A. Fuller (now Geo, H. Failing's block). He appears to have been getting desperate, for he announced that he was " determined to discontinue this long- winded credit business," and called for 40,000 bushels of ashes. Charles At- kinson had lost his Newfoundland dog. William Talcott was the hat-
1 The old school-house is still standing on the west side of Church street and used as a dwelling. The bell of the old house is now in use on the engine-house on Ann street, at rear of the Milligan & Wheeler block.
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258
HISTORY OF HERKIMER COUNTY.
ter of the place one door west of Hinchman's Inn (W. A. Pepper & Co.), and the "Green Store" (southwest corner Third and Main streets) was kept by Burritt & Tomlinson, on First street. D. Petrie and J. Petrie had a general store (southeast corner Main and Ann streets) and Mather & Waldo were tinners and sold stoves. D. & E. Sprague oper- ated the paper-mill and also carried on a store Chauncey Marshall sold dry goods and J. McComb had a tobacco factory (Amos Keller's block). Wendell & Jenkins were merchants and E. Hathaway & Co. carried on the Little Falls bakery, corner of Second and Garden streets. Smith & Hamilton had a drug store and Martin Bettinger was a saddler. The Union Library had been in existence, but it does not appear to have been very thriving, as the books, etc., were offered for sale at auction by David Benseley and David Petrie, treasurer and librarian. The " Aquatic Bookstore " passed through the place on the canal, a unique evidence of enterprise by some Yankee, and in December there was a call in the paper for a local bank. These notes give a glimpse of the business interests of the village at quite an early day ; and we have no files to which to refer after that year until 1836, when the Mohawk Courier was in existence. From that paper we learn that the Utica and Schenectady Railroad was in process of construction. It will be remembered that this was the beginning of one of the various periods of financial stringency from which the country has suffered. On the 30th of June the editor wrote :
"Notwithstanding the severity of the times our village is enlivened as usual by the traffic and industry of our enterprising citizens. From recent changes in proprietorship of real estate we have reason'to believe that the natural and artificial advantages of this locality will be improved, as our people have long and patiently hoped."
The editorial then alludes to the unexcelled water power, the canal, the railroad, and the market facilities of the village. On the 25th of July the paper records that " a locomotive and two beautiful carriages in train passed over the whole line of the road from Schenectady to Utica and returned the same day." The latter trip, we are informed, was made in four hours and fourteen minutes.
In August of this year (1836) the paper notes that the water lots and real estate on the north side of the Mohawk, bounded north by Canal street and Western avenue, and extending from the head of the falls to
259
TOWN OF LITTLE FALLS.
the foot of the basin, were purchased in the previous week by A. Loomis of Richard R. Ward for $50,000. A flour-mill was then in process of construction by " Mr. Durky " (Rodney Durkee), and a woolen factory was soon to be started by S. P. Fuller. These are evi- dences of the increasing thrift and enterprise which were beginning to develop in the village.
Before his death Hon Arphaxed Loomis wrote the following account of how the aqueduct and basin at Little Falls came to be built :
" In 1821, when the Erie canal was in progress of construction on the south side of the river, no part of the village proper existed on the south side of the river, and no streets were on that side except the road leading from the river bridge to German Flats, but it was a rocky waste covered with shrubbery. The local agent of Mr. Ellice, Mr. George H. Feeter, and the citizens of the village, were alarmed and feared that the business of the village would be seriously impaired for want of im- mediate connection with the canal. A feeder at Little Falls to be taken from the south side was the plan then in contemplation. The canal commissioner was requested by Mr. Feeter and other citizens to take the feeder from the old canal on the north side of the river which the State had purchased from the Inland Lock Navigation Company, and connect it by an aqueduct across the river with the Erie Canal. This project of feeding would be more expensive than that in conten- plation by the canal commissioners. A negotiation was had, and finally an arrangement was made by which it was agreed between Henry Seymour, the commissioner on the part of the State, and the agents of Mr. Ellice and the citizens of the village, that the State would adopt the aqueduct plan, provided the stone requisite for the work should be furnished and delivered free of expense to the State and the work of construction should be done by the State. The Bleeckers, the principal agents of Mr. Ellice at Albany, were seen, and it was agreed that the interests of the proprietor were so seriously involved that by their direction Mr. Feeter entered into a contract with Henry Heath to deliver the stone required for forty- five cents a perch. The contract was performed by Mr. Heath, and a disagreement as to the quantity and payment having arisen, a lawsuit ensued, in which the history of the whole transaction was placed in evidence, and thus the history of
260
HISTORY OF HERKIMER COUNTY.
the building of the aqueduct at the joint expense of the State and of the owners of the land and citizens on the north side, and of the con- struction of the basin on Mr. Ellice's land at his own expense, was pre- served. The basin itself was the private enterprise of Mr. Ellice and the citizens. A subscription of about $2,000 was raised by the citizens, beside a contribution of Mr. Ellice, to effect what was then deemed an improvement of great importance to the interests of the village. Since that time long ago the village has extended across the river and the canal, the aqueduct is now in the midst of it, and the storehouses and business connected with it are now its borders."
As a further indication of the growth of the place between 1824 and 1838, the following facts from advertisements are taken from the Cou- rier :
M. Richardson was a surgeon dentist and jeweler on Catharine street, opposite Hinchman's Hotel. William H. Grant announced that the Railroad Exchange " near the depot of the railroad is now open for company." The Herkimer County Mutual Insurance Company was in existence, with James M. Gray as agent, and William Chase advertised village lots for sale. Franklin Adams was a bookseller and book- binder (and is still vigorously prosecuting his business), and Benjamin A. Feeter had just opened a saddle, trunk and harness shop one door south of William Girvan's grocery ; while Benjamin Snell carried on the same business in the shop formerly occupied by John Beardslee, corner of Catharine and Ann streets. Sylvanus J. Waters had just taken the old stand one door east of the Little Falls Hotel for the sale of groceries and liquors. The " Little Falls Cash Store " was situated at No. I Phoenix Row; this was the building, a part of which is now (1892) occupied by Aldridge & Co., corner of Main and Second streets, the middle part standing as it did at that time, and now occupied by L. R. Klock. James Wilcox carried on the " Cash Store." A " new wholesale stove establishment " was advertised by D. & J. Petrie & Co., the firm being David and Joram Petrie and Horace H. Johnson ; the store had pre- viously been occupied by Brown & Bradley, corner of Catharine and Ann streets. J. H. Prentiss was a jeweler, and Dr. D. Belknap was a dentist, as well as a physician. Ezekiel Morris said : "I have com- menced the axe-making business at the west end of the village near the
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TOWN OF LITTLE FALLS.
Mohawk furnace." T. & H. M. Burch sold stoves, and the Rockton flour-mill was run by Durkee & Eaton. Peter Boyer sold stone lime, and L. R. French had begun making the "patent screw bedstead " on the south side of the river. H. & S. Parmalee had a general store on the south side, and O W. Couch kept the Little Falls Hotel. The Little Falls Temperance Society was in operation, and J. C. Dann, P. Staring, and R. N. Casler, who were the town committee, advertised a Republican meeting at " the house of Ieigh & Dygert " A meeting was called for February 19, 1838, to " re-establish the village library." " Previous to the disastrous fire of January, 1836," said the notice, " a successful effort had been made to organize a Library Association here." The first library was burned. In September, 1839, President Van Buren visited the village and the event was properly celebrated. An address was delivered by Arphaxed Loomis, and Col. A. G. Rosecrantz was chief marshal of the parade. The assemblage gathered at the Little Falls Hotel at 8 A. M, and proceeded thence to Herkimer as an escort for the distinguished guest. The president reached Little Falls on the 12th ; a hundred guns were fired, and in the parade he was es- corted in a barouche and four white horses, in company with N. S. Benton, George H. Feeter, and Solomon Petrie. In the same year a correspondent wrote of the visible improvements in the place ; that the population was exactly 3,000; that there were the academy, a paper- mill, one church, one furnace, one woolen factory and seven stores, which had been added during the year 1839. New streets had been opened, and there were also in operation two saw- mills, two flour-mills, one custom grist- mill, three paper- mills, one plaster-mill, one carding- mill, two furnaces, one sash and blind factory, one machine shop, one distillery, one brewery, two malt houses, two bakeries, one trip ham- mer, two tin shops, one tannery, and another woolen- mill, a paper- mill, and a furnace in process of construction, There were twenty mercantile establishments and one bank. A Mechanics' Association was organ- ized in December, which continued in existence several years.
A glance at the village records for the period of which the foregoing treats, down to the year 1840, shows that public improvements had kept pace with private enterprise. As early as 1829 a committee was appointed from the trustees to locate two fire cisterns; Garden and
262
HISTORY OF HERKIMER COUNTY.
Manheim streets were opened, and the committee on fire department was authorized to " fix on a suitable location as nearly central as may be, pursuant to the permission of the Ellices," for the fire engine house. In 1830 Albany and William streets were improved ; and also, Second, Mary, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Church streets, were further opened and improved, while suitable extensions were made to the village side- walks. In 1831 Barent and John R. Bleecker (agents of the Ellice in- terest) offered to file a bond for $1,000 and to make and complete First street according to the ordinances. The offer was accepted. Fifteen dollars was fixed as the price of licenses, and R. N. Casler, James F. West, J. P. Casler, Margaret McDonald, Thompson Parkhurst, Orin Searl, Jacob Osburn, John Dygert, Elisha Bateman, Richard S. Thomp- son, Andrew A. Oliver, Edward Dann, Nicholas Harder, Mrs. Milligan, Franklin Barnes and James Plack, took out licenses-sixteen in all. As D. Burwell had already offered a resolution that $60 be raised for corporation purposes, it would seem that the license fund of $240 would have left a considerable profit. A special meeting was held in December to consider the extermination of prevailing small pox, and Drs. Lester Green, Hosea Hamilton, and Calvin W. Smith were ap- pointed a board of health.
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