USA > New York > Dutchess County > Pine Plains > History of Little Nine Partners of North East precinct, and Pine Plains, New York, Duchess county, Vol. I > Part 27
USA > New York > Dutchess County > North East > History of Little Nine Partners of North East precinct, and Pine Plains, New York, Duchess county, Vol. I > Part 27
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KETTERER HOTEL. [D. C. Ketterer to the left on porch below; Mrs. Margaret D. Ket- terer to the left on upper porch.]
295
KETTERER HOTEL.
During the management of this hostelry by Mr. Trowbridge, and even earlier and later, horse racing was a popular amusement fad, and wide- spread by contagion. The whole county was infected and especially the northern portion. Trowbridge had a good share of horsemen patronage, and his stables were celebrated for horsepitality. Horses had significant and far-fetched names in conglomerate. David Winans owned " Black- and-all-Black," "Old Janus" and "Old Drown." Harry Hutchinson owned "Speculator." Harry De La Vergne owned "Wicked Will." William and John McDonald owned "King Herod," each a running racer and in races at divers times at Pine Plains. McDonald was prominent among the "horse set " of that day, and he on one occasion used his wit and influence to good account in this manner: Mr. Trowbridge's hotel rent was coming due, and no means to pay it. "Advertise a horse race," said McDonald. "I will match my horse against any one, and we will keep the horses here two days." The race was advertised, and the horses failed to "get a good start" until sundown of the second day, and the payment of the rent was thus made an easy matter. These were two famous days, so I am told, for Pine Plains. One John Bates, a waggish humorist, amused the crowd by singing some doggerel rhyme of his own make, and in favor of the horse against McDonald's. One verse is a specimen :
"Then up steps Me with a little paper money, A few hard dollars and crowns; I dare you to run him for one hundred pounds; Wicked Will is his name, Wicked Will it shall remain, For beating King Herod all on the Pine Plains."
Abraham Parsons, son in-law of Mr. Trowbridge, was the landlord in 1819, and he was succeeded by Benjamin R. Bostwick who kept this hos- telry in 1820, '21 and '22. At this house December 30, 1820, a meeting for North East (Pine Plains was then part of North East) was held to appoint delegates to the county convention for choosing delegates to revise the state constitution in 1821. Foreclosure sales under mortgages were held there at sundry times in these years. Abraham R. Knapp had a sale of this sort there June 12, 1822. Mr. Bostwick was succeeded by Abraham Parsons, the same Abraham of 1819. He dispensed the drinks and victuals until April 1, 1826, and was followed by the rolicking, jolly, easy going Job Stevenson, who thought tavern keeping was just fitted for him and he for it, and so he ventured. He told stories and made his guests happy in the bar-room while Hannah Gilbert, his wife, cooked the dinners for full two years, which expired April 1, 1828. Then Charles Patterson, from Mount Washington township, Mass., thought to give the business a trial for one year to learn whether or not he was made for such work. It was a great change for this hostelry from the jolly Job to the philosophical, metaphysical Charles, for once on a knotty point he was deaf to the en-
,
296
HISTORY OF PINE PLAINS
treaties for New England rum, and one year was enough. He was suc- ceeded by Tripp Hoag, known better as a carpenter, in 1829, who was there until 1837, his wife principally doing the duties of landlord, and be work- ing at his trade. Nicholas N. Pulver was next and remained two years.
Henry R. (Romer) Hammond was the next man, taking the house April 1, 1839. He was from Ulster County, had married in 1834 Eliza El- more, daughter of James T. Elmore, of Esopus, N. Y. She deceased here December 30, 1840, leaving two daughters, Mary Elizabeth, born in 1835 in Ulster County, and Katharine, born in Pine Plains in 1840. Mr. Ham- mond left the hotel April 1, 1840. He gave life to the hostelry by his re- markable energy and life, and was supervisor of the town in 1841-2. He returned to the hotel in the autumn or early winter of 1842 (he having mar- ried Miss Julia A. Pulver), and was its genial, suave and popular landlord until the spring of 1844. It is doubtful if this hotel had ever been so at- tractive and popular as under his management. -
Henry Hageman next, and he and his family, wife and daughters, all combined to make the inn attractive. Perhaps his good-looking and obliging daughters were aids to its patronage and success. The culinary department had wide celebrity for the good things it turned out. A wood- cock supper at Hageman's was a great event for the chappies, and the Ha- gemans never made a mistake in cooking this most delicious bird. Only two, hereabouts, are left, as I now remember, of this set who then had a sitting at Hageman's. These were halcyon days for this hostelry; and he was its manager until 1851. Albert T. Jones came next, then Mrs. Hoag, widow of Tripp Hoag, then George H. Burhans, who was succeeded by Wil- liam Jones, who, after staying a year, was followed by Cornelius Pitcher. Then William Jones purchased the property and kept the hotel. Next landlord was Albert T. Jones, and then Charles Morgan and then Edward Simmons. Charles Ketterer was next, who purchased the property and commenced keeping the hotel in the spring of 1872. In that year he built the addition used as a dining room now, and in 1882 the Ketterers made extensive repairs by putting on an additional story where formerly had been the masonic lodge room. The repairs then made completed the building as it is now, and so it appears in the cut. Mr. Dewitt C. Ketterer, the present landlord, who has been there nearly twenty years, is a son of Charles.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
PHYSICIANS.
The earliest physician of any record was a German Doctor, Hendrick Haskell, who lived on Winchell Mountain in 1743. The following were not all residents, but practiced in the bounds of old North East: Doctor Lewis Barton 1770-1801. He lived in Stanford. Doctor John Adams, Sen., of Amenia Precinct 1765. Doctor John L. Bull 1770, 1787, 1807. Doctor Matthias B. Miller 1780. He married a Thompson, and lived near "The Square." Doctor Jeremiah Wilcocks 1784. Doctor Manning Bull 1783. Doctor - Masters 1794. Doctor Asahel Haskins 1804. Doctor Cornelius Allerton 1810, 1811, 1812, 1816. Doctor Elijah Adams 1788, 1801, 1818, 1814. Doctor Uriah Judd 1811. Doctor Curtis J. Hurd 1818, '19, '20, '21. Doctor Peter Snyder 1808. Doctor Jno. F. Bartlett 1813, '15, '18, '20. Doc- tor - Stewart 1814. '16. Doctor D. L. Dodge, Dr. Peter Guernsey 1824. Doctor - Reed 1825. Doctor Adna Heaton 1784. Doctor - Delano 1788. Doctor - Denny 1826.
The old Precinct poor book contains some interesting medical dots pertaining to some of these physicians. In 1790 "Allowed to Lewis Barton Doc. for Doctrine the wife of Ephraim -, £2, 6s, 5p." Doctor Matthias B. Miller in 1780 was paid by Isaac Smith, Esq., then a poor master in North East Precinct £154. 10s. "for doctoring Mary Carpenter, one of the Precinct poor." Frederick Ham, overseer in 1784, paid Doctor Jeremiah Wilcocks for "doctring Hobart Cameron." Doctor Elijah Adams was paid one pound in 1788. Doctor Cornelius Allerton first appears on the poor book March 27, 1811 .. By cash allowed Doctor Allerton for attending Jack Hubbard $2.25. and again in 1812 "for medical attendance." Doctor Dorr in 1821 "for medical aid for Betty Campbell."
After Pine Plains town was organized as it is now, Doctor Benjamin S. Wilber, father of Doctor Henry C. Wilber, appears in 1924. Isaac Sher- wood, then an overseer of the poor, writes: "February ?, I went to Doc- tor Wilber to make an agreement for his services for doctoring Cyrus Prindle 4s a visit every other day." Doctor John Perry, then of North East, or Amenia, also attended Prindle during this year (1824). Prindle deceased in the following January, and Doctor Perry's bill was $8.00, and. Doctor Wilber's $2.00 which was collected for him March 29, 1825, by Col. Silas Harris of Samuel Russel, then an overseer of the poor.
Doctor -- Denny in 1826 (Pine Plains), had a bill "for 17 visits and medicine for the Bullock family at 75 cents each."
DR. CORNELIUS ALLERTON. [See Lineage.]
299
PHYSICIANS.
Doctor Cornelius Allerton came to Pine Plains in 1810 and lived and practiced here until his decease in 1855, aged 76. Doctor Benjamin S. Wil- ber practiced here in 1824, moved to the town of Washington soon after and returned to this town in 1835 and practiced until his decease in 1871, aged 76 years. Doctor Jacob I. H. Davis settled first at Mount Ross in 1821, and in 1834 moved to Pine Plains village and practiced until his de- cease in 1851. Doctor Charles H. Skiff succeeded Doctor Perry, came here in 1834. practiced about three years, then moved to Spencertown, Colum- bia County. Doctor - Bartlett and Doctor Walter Herrick about 1850. Doctor Desault Guernsey, a graduate from New York College of Physi- cians and Surgeons in 1850, came to Pine Plains and commenced practice about 1853, and remained until the war of the rebellion, when he was a volunteer surgeon under Gen. McClellan and later surgeon in the 174th N. Y. Regiment. He later settled in Amenia, Duchess County, where he practiced until his decease. Doctor Darwin E. Stillman came here in the year 1861 and practiced until 1876, when he went to Baltimore. Doctor Charles Cole was graduated from Bellevue Medical College in 1872, com- menced practice at Mount Ross and moved to Pine Plains in 1876. He was compelled from ill health to retire from active practice in 1881, and de- ceased in Pine Plains in 1884. He had prospectively a future of success and usefulness. His death so early in life was a great loss to the commu- nity. Doctor Henry Clay Wilber, a son of Doctor Benjamin S. Wilber, was graduated at Bellevue Medical College in 1867, and commenced prac- tice in Pine Plains. He has lived here continuously since and is still in practice (1897). Dr. George S. Beckwith came here from Ballston, Sara- toga County, in 1876, and practiced until prevented by ill health. He de- ceased here. Doctor George Q. Johnson came here in 1885 and practiced until his removal to Ardsley in 1895. Doctor John H. Cotter 2d, a gradu- ate of the Albany Medical College, after a year and a half of practice at. Jackson Corner and vicinity, came to Pine Plains in the latter part of 1895, and is still here.
DR. HENRY C. WILBER. [See Lineage. ]
CHAPTER XXXV POST ROUTES AND MAIL ROUTES.
Doctor Israel Reynolds came to Pine Plains in 1795 or '6, and the next year in company with Alexander Neeley, of North Amenia, now North East Center, started a post route at their own expense from Sharon to Rhinebeck through North Amenia (as it was then) and Pine Plains.
(Note .- Elsewhere in these annals under the head of Farly Settlers, an interview with Mrs. Hiram Wilson, daughter of Israel Reynolds, is report- ed, in which she mentions 1798, the year he came here. A town record speaks of his being here in 1795, but he may not have moved his family here until later. A receipt further on has a bearing on this point.)
They continued this route until 1818, when the general post office de- partment, finding it self-sustaining, established a mail route "from Rhine- beck by North East and Amenia to Sharon." This was the route Israel Reynolds and Alexander Neeley started in 1797 or '8. "North East," in the above route, was the name of the post office at Pine Plains, which name it had borne since Mr. Reynolds first started the route. The post office in now North East was "Spencer's Corners." The post office in now the town of Milan, was "West North East." Milan was taken from North East and organized in the spring of 1818, the year the mail route was es- tablished. In the Dutchess Observer of September 2, 1718, this notice ap- pears: "The name of the post office heretofore called ' West North East' in this county, of which Stephen Thorne, Esq., is Post Master, has been changed to Milan. Persons directing to that office will notice the altera- tion for the future." The next year, 1819, that part of the mail route from Pine Plains to Rhinebeck was taken off, also that part from North East Center to Sharon, and a route established having this heading: "From Pine Plains on the Ulster and Delaware turnpike to North Amenia." This gave "Pine Plains " the first official name as a post office, and North Ame- nia to now North East Center. Amenia, (Paine's Corners, ) as now, was on the mail route "From Poughkeepsie by Sharon to Litchfield " in 1891. It is probable that Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Neely were appointed the official postmasters respectively at Pine Plains and North Amenia at the estab- lishment of the route in 1818. In this way Pine Plains had an official name as a post office four years previous to its organization as a town. Letters, however, addressed "North East" came to Pine Plains several years after 1819.
About three years later than the establishment of these mail routes, Mr. Reynolds in answer to a letter from the post office department writes :
DR. ISRAEL REYNOLDS. [See Lineage.]
303
POST ROUTES AND MAIL ROUTES.
"The sun now due to the general Post office from this office is $72.68, and I will send it to New York by the first safe conveyance, or if you pre- fer that I should answer an order for that amount I should prefer to do so. When this Post office was first established Congress would not pass a law to make it an established Post Route. But the Post Master said he had au- thority to establish it as a Post Route provided any one would carry the mail free of expense, and they had a right to receive all the postage, Mr. Alexander Neely and myself agreed to carry the mail on those conditions provided we were appointed post masters. Accordingly this office went into operation and was established under those conditions, and we contin- ued to carry the mail until Congress established it as a Post Route. There- fore I have not given the General Post Office any credit previous to that time. About two or three years ago one of the clerks in the Post office in - formed me that there stood on the book a balance against me to a consider- able amount including the time before the law established this Post office, requesting me to forward any sett off that I might have to the general Post office. Accordingly I gave them a correct statement of the facts rel- ative to this Post office and requested him, that if it was not satisfactory to inform me. As I have never heard any more about it, I concluded it was satisfactory.
This valuable historical document is unfortunately without date. From other data, in part corroborative, it seems to have been written about 1821. It is a copy, written by himself, of the one he sent to Wash- ington. Mr. Reynolds makes this accounting of his post office for the last five years and a half of his volunteer mail service, previous to his official appointment as post master:
" An account of monies received and paid out at the Post office at Northeast from the 16 of April. 1812, to October 1, 1817. Mails received $335.80}. Mails sent $53.24. On newspapers $67.30. Total $456.343. Paid Mr. Neeley at several times $348.12. Paid for advertising table $6.30. Dead letters sent to the general Post office $27.16. Letters on hand $12.00. Total $393.58."
This may be a duplicate of the statement he sent to Washington in an- swer to the letter of " one of the clerks," in his letter above, but this is only inference. Mr. Neeley seems to have carried the mail during these years, probably from Pine Plains to Sharon-as appears from this receipt:
" Received July 5, 1814, of Israel Reynolds thirty-five dollars, in the account of conveying the mail by me.
ALEXANDER NEELEY."
The following receipt is the earliest to my knowledge of Israel Rey. nolds' mail service: "Received of Israel Reynolds this 10th day of Novem- ber, 1797, the sum of eight shillings for the Poughkeepsie Journal from No. 612 to No. 637, by me Samuel Wightman." [NOTE. - This is a printed form from the office of the Journal. Samuel Wightman, called Whitman, lived in the west part of the town of North East as it then was. ]
A few extracts from an old book of memorandums of Israel Reynolds indicate some of the newspapers of the day, who read them, and the time when :
304
HISTORY OF PINE PLAINS.
" April 16, 1812, Henry I. Traver began to take the Albany Register, April 23 the Columbian, April 23 the Bee. Map 27, 1812, Peter W. Pulver began to take the Poughkeepsie Journal. June 8. 1812, Christian Shultz began to take the Albany Register. July 20, 1813, Samuel Tanner began to take the Albany Argus. July 16, 1812, Isaiah Dibble began to take the Columbian. July 16, 1812, Silas Germond began to take the Columbian. Nov. 10, 1813, Eli Bostwick began to to take the New York Spectator. July 6, 1814, Silas Harris began to take the Columbian. October 1st. 1817, Tripp Hoag began to take the Columbian. May 27. 1812, J. (Jonas or John?) Myers began to take the Herald. August 6, 1812, Captain Fyler Dibblee began to take the Columbian, February 5, 1813, the Albany Argus, January 10, 1814, the Price Current. July 7, 1812, John Couch began to take the Hudson Bee. February 25, 1813. David Winans began to take the Albany Argus, 2 papers a week. February 24, 1813, John W. Righter began to take the Albany Argus, 2 papers a week. February 28, 1813, Isaac B. Smith began to take the Albany Argus. February 25, 1813, Captain Isaac Huntting began to take the Albany Argus, two papers a week Received, February 25, 1814, one dollar and four cents for one year's postage. Re- ceived, May 4th, 1815, one dollar and three cents in full for postage. Feb- ruary 25, 1813, Gurdon Miller began to take the Albany Argus. February 25, 1813, Egbert Thompson began to take the Albany Argus February 25, 1813, John Waters began to take the Albany Argus. April 14, 1814, John Harris began to take the Albany Argus. March 25, 1813. Gilbert Thorne began to take the Albany Argus and the New York Columbian. April 8, 1813, Matthias Hoffman began to take the Albany Argus. April 8, 1813, David Sheldon began to take the Albany Argus. June 16, 1813, Aaron E. Winchell began to take the New York Price Current. Septem- ber 2, 1813, Cornelius Allerton began to take the New York Columbian. March 1, 1817, John L. Knickerbocker began to take the Spectator. Aug- ust 19, 1813, Cornelius Husted began to take the Albany Register. Septem- ber 2, 1813, Seymour Smith began to take the Albany Argus. March 8, 1814, James Husted began to take the Albany Argus. February 1, 1815. William Stevenson began to take the N. Y. Columbian. November 20, 1816, Mr. Vedder and Delamater began to take the N. Y. Columbian."
These selections are interesting as to the men, the newspapers and the number taken. In men it represents prominence and wealth much greater in each respect than exist to day in the same geographical limits. News- papers then and for several years later were generally taken from the post man or mail carrier, who accounted for them to the printer, or publisher, especially the county papers. But if taken through the mail postage was added. The above papers were principally published out of the county, and subscribed for through Israel Reynolds, who accounted to the pub- lishers, and charged the postage to the subscribers, which for one paper a week was about fifty cents a year. The years including these subscrip- tions (1812 to 1815) increased the receipts of the office and probably caused the government to take the route. Pine Plains received its mail by this route until 1822, when the government established the route "From Poughkeepsie by Pleasant Valley, Salt Point, James Thorne's in Clinton, Friends Meeting House in Stanford, the Federal Store, and from thence to the Pine Plains Post office in the town of North East." The next year (1823) Pine Plains and North East towns were respectively organized as
305
POST ROUTES AND MAIL ROUTES.
now Mr. Neeley was then in business in North East Center, was post- master, and the first election in North East as it is now, was held that spring at his store. Mr. Reynolds was postmaster continuously from his official appointment until a short time before his decease in 1824, a term of about twenty-five years, including his voluntary mail service commencing in 1797 or '8.
The mail route of 1822 from Poughkeepsie to Pine Plains, as above, was called the "long route." Matthias Burnett Conklin-better known as "Burn," brother of Herriman, called "Hep.," a resident of Pine Plains- was the first or about the first mail carrier on this route. In the Pough. keepsie Journal appears this notice:
" Post Rider's Notice .- M. B. Conklin, post rider on the northern route from Poughkeepsie to Pine Plains, informs his subscribers that another half year has expired, and respectfully invites them to leave their pay where they receive their Papers. May 10, 1825."
In the fall following in the same paper Mr. Conklin puts in this notice :
"Post rider from Poughkeepsie to Pine Plains. Informs his subscrib- ers that another half year expired on the 9th ult. He requests all those in- debted to him to make payment to enable him to meet the demands of the printers. Those who have been punctual are requested to accept his thanks, and those who have been negligent he hopes will mend their ways by paying the post promptly on this occasion. Pine Plains, November 21, 1825.'
* This route was not continued many years, and was principally a post or mail route without provision for passengers. About 1830 a direct route was established from Poughkeepsie to Pine Plains by Pleasant Valley, Salt Point, Stanfordville and Pine Plains, on which Burnett Conklin was the first mail carrier, putting on the stage coach and four horses twice a week, carrying mail and passengers. This was the principal mail and pas- senger route for Pine Plains, and as a passenger route was popular and profitable. Later it was increased to thrice a week mails and passengers, and continued so until the completion of the Harlem Railroad in 1852, when Millerton became the principal point for the mails and commerce of Pine Plains.
During the early '50's a daily mail was run between Pine Plains and Barrytown. About 1860 this was changed to twice a week, and a few years later discontined.
In 1869 the Newburgh, Duchess & Connecticut Railroad came to the present village, and about two years later the Poughkeepsie & Eastern. By these routes there are now (1896) a total of nine daily mails in and out from Pine Plains.
Reuben W. Bostwick was the successor or near successor of Israel Rey- nolds as postmaster. At that time he was a merchant in the old store building, now Chase, the office being in a small room at the rear of the main room. He was postmaster for many years. Political opinion was not then, as now, " proper cause " for a change of postmasters. Since the resignation of Mr. Bostwick the office has been several times changed in location, and a greater number in its incumbents. The politics of the post- master of to-day must harmonize with the dominant administration. Mr. Frank Eno is now the post master (1897).
CHAPTER XXXVI.
HARRIS SCYTHES.
The scythe works at Hammertown was in its time the most important and extensive industry in this town. John Harris, the founder of the en- terprise in Pine Plains at Hammertown, when about twenty years old com- menced making scythes by hand on an anvil at the Andreas Rowe Corners, a half mile north of Shacameco station. The shop was owned by his uncle Joseph Harris, and was then in Amenia Precinct. Joseph Harris at that time owned a mulatto slave who was said to be a good scythe maker, and with whom John Harris had his first experience at scythe making. John Harris worked here about five years, meantime married Mary Gamble, and both emigrated about 1770 to Fort Ann, then an important military post about sixty-seven miles north east of Albany.
Each succeeding year after his settlement brought increased trial and danger to him, as also to all the settlers in the region of Lake Champlain. In constant danger of harm by the Indians, and the uncertain tenure of life and property incident to the then uncertain colonial struggle for existence, he-having a wife and children-became alarmed, and in the spring of 1777, before the winter snow had wasted, took what household goods he could load on an ox sled and started for the "Little Nine Partners" in Duchess County. Not out of sight of his house he saw it burning-the work of the Indians. His wife had left a day or two previously on horse back with her two daughters-all on one horse-the eldest about three years old. She arrived at her destination safely several days in advance of her husband, and to her last years related the incidents of this journey with vivid interest to her relatives and friends. John Harris also made his return safely to the old shop at the Andreas Rowe Corners, then supposed to be in the "Little Nine Partners," but upon the permanent location of the boundary line between the two patents a few years later it was in the territory of the "Great Nines." The shop was on the north side of the corners a short distance from the combined stable and carriage house now there. Meantime, during the absence of John Harris at Fort Ann, scythe making had been continued at this shop by Joseph Harris and his mulatto slave and the scythes sold in southern Amenia and other adjacent points. A portion of the steel, possibly all, used in their manufacture was pur- chased at the " Steel Works," near now Wassaic, which was then (1776) made by Captain James Reed and a Mr. Ellis from the iron in pigs from Livingston's Ancram Furnace, which was carted to the Steel Works at ten shillings for twelve hundred pounds. Steel sold for a shilling a pound
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