USA > New York > Livingston County > History of Livingston County, New York, from its earliest traditions to the present together with early town sketches > Part 81
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Twice movements have been started to erect a new county from portions of Livingston and adjoining counties, and make Dansville its capital; but there was strong opposition in the northern towns of Liv- ingston and the movements were failures. They took place in 1830 and 1853.
An academy was started in Dansville in 1858, and provided good instruction the most of the time until the establishment of the present Union School caused it to be abandoned, in 1882. For a long period the district schools of the village were poor, but in the present large
DANSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL.
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
and handsome school building, constructed in 1887-8, all grades of in- struction from kindergarten to college preparatory are taught by an able corps of teachers.
Dr. Philip Scholl came in 1808, and his daughter has said that at that time, and for some time afterwards, a log schoolhouse north of the village, was used for religious services, and there was not yet a professing Christian in the place. The irregular preaching was by a missionary or circuit rider who came along. Quoting from Doty's history : "As early as 1807 services were irregularly held in a tumble- down building a mile north of the village by a Presbyterian minister. but it was not until March 25, 1825, that the Presbytery of Bath or-
THE ORIGINAL, WATER CURE AND SURROUNDINGS. .
ganized a church at Dansville. 'The church then organized,' says Calvin E. Clark, 'consisted of a small colony of nine members from the first Presbyterian church of Sparta, and two from the Presbyterian church in Buffalo, making eleven in all, which was placed under the care of the Rev. Robert Hubbard as stated supply. Additions were gradually made to this feeble society until the summer of 1827, when the church united with the Presbytery of Ontario, having at this time forty-six members.' "
A little later Joshua Shepard donated a lot and contributed $1,000
L
Dr. James Caleb Jackson.
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
besides, for a church for the society, and it was built at a cost of $3,500, and dedicated in 1831. In 1840 the society divided, and there were two congregations, and not until 1861 were they re-united.
In 1818 occasional Methodist services were held at Merrit Brown's house by Rev. Thomas Magee and Elder Nash. During the next two years there was a revival through the ministrations of Rev. Micah Seager and Elder Chester B. Adgate. In 1821 several Methodist families had come, and a class was formed. The first quarterly meet- ing was held in 1825, and this was followed by a prolonged revival. The first Methodist church was erected in 1829, and the first pastors were Rev. Robert Parker and Rev. Thomas Carlton, the first trustees, Merritt Brown, William Curtice and Benjamin Pickett.
JACKSON HEALTH RESORT-MAIN BUILDING.
The institution which has been most beneficial to Dansville, next to its schools and churches, and mnost extended its reputation, is The Jackson Health Resort. It was established in 1858 by Dr. James C. Jackson under the name of "Our Home on the Hillside;" became the property of a stock company with the founder as its head in 1872. and the name was changed to"Our Home Hygienic Institute," which it bore until 1882, when-the main building having been destroyed by fire,
DR. JAMES H. JACKSON.
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PRESENT JACKSON HEALTH RESORT.
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
and replaced by the present great brick structure-it was called "The Sanatorium." In 1888 the name was again changed to "The Jackson Sanatorium," and again in 1904 to "The Jackson Health Resort. " Con- nected with the main building as a part of the property are a number of cottages, a hall for public gatherings and various out buildings. The extensive and finely shaded grounds, with their paths, lawns and flowers, have been laid out and adorned with admirable taste, and from both buildings and grounds the views down, up, and across the rare valley are enchanting. To the founder, Dr. James C. Jackson-a philanthropist, reformer, writer and orator of great ability and origi- nality-must be accorded the chief credit for the great success of the institution and its good reputation, extending over half the globe. Its present head is his son, Dr. James H. Jackson, who is a worthy successor of his distinguished father, and has been wise and skillful in adopting and applying new discoveries and improvements, thus keep- ing pace with the progress of the times, and a little ahead of them so far as sanatoriums are concerned. The institution has always been" prosperous, and was never so prosperous as now. The following state- ment of an admiring writer may be readily accepted: "The Jackson Health Resort, beginning with 1858, has been the center of the great health movement involving methods of hygiene, sanitation and pre- vention." A list of the cures effected and physical and mental conditions improved there during the almost half a century of its operation would fill a volume. All this has been chiefly the result of teachings and methods, but largely also, of the pure dry air on that Eastern hillside and the hygienic water of its All Healing spring.
One of Dansville's important institutions is the F. A. Owen Pub- lishing Company, one of the largest printing and publishing plants in the Empire state. The business began in a small way at South Dans- ville, Steuben county, N. Y., in the year 1889 and has steadily grown until now its standing in the educational field is among the foremost, its publications permeating every quarter of the globe. The prin- cipal business of the concern is the publication of Normal Instructor, Primary Plans, and World's Events-the first two professional maga- zines for teachers, and the last a magazine of current events for the general reader. Besides these, the company publishes a vast amount of other educational literature, and conducts a large job printing plant. The business was originated by F. A. Owen whose name the com-
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
pany bears. His office was the attic of a country grocery store and his capital consisted only of an ideal and a liberal amount of energy and pluck. Teaching by mail was his object at first, but this was dropped when he entered upon the larger work of publishing Normal Instructor in 1891. In the spring of 1892 the business was moved to Dansville, in order to obtain better printing and mailing facilities. Various quarters were successively engaged and outgrown until the present new and commodious building was completed in February, 1904. This building (a cut of which appears elsewhere) has a front- age of 150 feet and a depth of 200 feet. The front portion is used for business offices of the company, the book and art departments; the rear portion is devoted to the mechanical departments and stockroom. The mechanical equipment of the plant is complete and modern in every respect, the presses and all other machinery being operated by electric power. More than one hundred and fifty young men and ladies are employed in the various departments, whose weekly pay amounts to about thirteen hundred dollars.
Dansville has one of the best libraries in proportion to its popula- tion of any village in the state. It is the outgrowth of a movement started by a few public spirited citizens in 1872, who formed a library association, and in various energetic and ingenious ways obtained money and books whereby a circulating library was opened in 1874. This was increased annually by means of entertainments, stock sales and donations, until in 1893 the property was transferred to the re- gents, and came under the supervision of the State, thus obtaining annual State appropriations to increase its books and usefulness. It has been admirably managed from the beginning and supplied the people of the village with many of the best books which would not otherwise have been accessible to them.
A supplementary means of information and education to the schools and the library has been the Coterie, a Dansville literary society started by A. O. Bunnell and George C. Bragdon in the fall of 1873, and kept in vigorous condition ever since, so that it has now been in active existence thirty-two years. It has been guided by high ideals, and the limited membership has included persons who were or have been noted in various fields of activity. Its investigations have been in many departments of knowledge, it has given much attention to the great classics of literature, and its studies have been much
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1
Plant of the F. A. Owen Publishing Company, Dansville.
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
broader, while quite as thorough, as those of the Chantanqua circles which it antedated.
The first local branch of the Red Cross Society in the United States was organized in Dansville by Clara Barton, the head of the national society, who was a resident of the village for many years, and a mem- ber of the Coterie.
A superior fire department in Dansville is made more efficient by an admirable system of water works with sufficient head to force water far above the top of any building. The department was started by the organization of the Union Hose company in 1874, and there are now several companies. They have been a great protection to the village which had before suffered from fires that were very disastrous. The water works also supply the houses with pure spring water.
Dansville abounds in prosperous fraternal societies, the oldest and strongest of which is Canaseraga Lodge No. 123 I. O. O. F. This was organized in 1844, and has been one of the most spirited and useful of Odd Fellows lodges. Nearly all of the leading men of the town have belonged to it, and its esprit de corps has never waned.
Among the calamities of the town have been two or three destruct- ive floods; three devastating fires, one in 1854 and two in 1859; two bank failures, one in 1884 and one in 1887, with heavy losses to many depositors. The fire which destroyed the Health Resort's main build- ing in 1882 can hardly be called a calamity, as all the 150 patients were saved, the building was well insured, and the fire resulted in the erection of the present magnificent brick building on the spot of the old frame structure, with much more extensive and convenient accommodations.
In this connection we quote from Mr. Bunnell's history: "In 1796 the settlers heard a sound like a clap of thunder or the discharge of a great cannon, followed by the rushing noise of water. Then they dis- covered that a new stream was pouring from the eastern hillside, and on further inspection that it had burst through the rocks with such force as to throw out stones weighing from 200 to 300 pounds, and cast an oak tree two and one-half feet in diameter down the hill butt foremost, and split the hill from north to south. Thus was born the 'All Heal- ing Spring' of the Sanatorium, and the stream that pours from it, which has diminished with the lapse of time. In 1841 it turned the
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
water wheels of a tannery. But for it Our Home on the Hillside and the Sanatorium would never have been erected."
The Rochester Presbytery News of June, 1903, contains a communi- cation about the Presbyterian church of Dansville. It was organized in 1825 with eleven charter members, and Rev. Robert Hubbard was the stated supply until 1834. A church edifice was built in 1831. In 1840 the church divided and a new church was established, but a reunion took place in 1861, when a new edifice was erected. In 1892 the pres- ent modern and beautiful building was constructed. This was during Rev. George K. Ward's pastorate of twenty-five years, ending in 1898. Hle was succeeded in a few months by Rev. Charles MI. Herrick, the present pastor, under whose preaching and guidance the membership and congregation have largely increased, and the church been more prosperous then ever before.
Most of the available facts connected with the early history of St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Dansville, may be gleaned from the Golden Jubilee History compiled by Rev. Jas. T. Dougherty in 1900. The Rev. P. Prost, Redemptorist priest of Rochester . probably first visited the Catholics of this vicinity, and it is also a matter of tradition, that Rt. Rev. Bernard O'Reilly, at the time of his death Bishop of Hart- ford, Conn., came here from Rochester. As early as 1806 the Cath- olics of Rochester had mass celebrated by Rev. Patrick Kelly. They had a church in 1823. The Rev. Edward O'Connor pastor of Canan- daigua, who formed missions in East Bloomfield and Rushville in 1850 and 1851 was among the early visiting clergymen and is reported as having said mass here in a hall. The time of the appointment of the Saintly Bishop Timon to the new diocese of Buffalo in 1847 marked a new and progressive era for Catholicity in Western New York. Dansville early attracted Bishop Timon's attention and he sent the Rev. Edward O'Flaherty to be the first resident pastor for St. Mary's Church which the Germans and a few Irish had built. They had used the old school house moved from Main Street for a time as a church. The corner stone of St. Mary's was laid in 1845. In 1829 the Germans received a new pastor, Rev. Andrew Sweiger, and it was agreed that Father O'Flaherty should minister to the Irish and both nationalities should use the same church. After a time a disagreement came and the Irish withdrew to the old school house and finally from there to the town hall where Bastian's store now is and which was used for
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
service till the church was built. The corner stone of St. Patrick's church was laid 1849 and the foundation was covered till further funds could be obtained. At this point it will be interesting to mention how the ground for the church was secured. Nathaniel Rochester had do- nated the church square to the people of Dansville and it was in the care of the "United Society," an organization of leading citizens. Finally a public meeting was held with John Sullivan as chairman. At the meeting it was unanimously voted that the portion of ground already staked out, six rods square, should be given to the Irish Cath- olics for church building purposes. Father O'Flaherty left in 1850. Father Charles Tier- ney was his successor and in 1851 attended Bath, Mt. Morris and Portage. He built the side walls and roofed the church at an expense of $1500. He had Rev. M. T. Maguire as an assist- ant in this extensive field. Father Tierney went from here to Portage and after- wards to Buffalo. Father Donnelly was in charge from June 1852 to May 1853. Father Story came ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH. here in those early days - Father Moore
attended from Hornellsville, Father Mclaughlin and Father McKenna's names also appear. the latter remained from May to Sept. 1853. The marriage records also witness to the ministry of Rev. Terence Keenan. The Rev. Aloysius Somoggi was pastor seven or eight months. The Rev. Daniel Dolan and Michael Casey were at the helm of the church for a short time until Rev. Michael Steger was transferred from Perkinsville to the double mission of
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
Dansville and was pastor five years. Father Koenig assisted him for a time. Father Marshall was pastor a few months in 1861. Father Bradley also was pastor in 1861 and Rev. Chrysoston Wagner the lat- ter part of 1861 and until May 1862. Father Sergius de Stchoulepni Koff was pastor from May 1862 to January 1864. The Rev. Joseph Albinger was pastor from 1864 to 1871. Father Albinger kept charge of both parishes until the arrival of Rev. Michael Biggins, July 5, 1871. The addition to the church was commenced in August 1872 and completed in a short time. Father Biggins was pastor six years and was succeeded by Rev. Simon FitzSimons, who is known for his zeal and scholarly attainments. He was likewise pastor six years. The Rev. James Day was pastor from March 7, 1884 until 1893, Father Dougherty was his successor until 1901. The Rev. William T. Dunn, after a short interim in which the parish was ministered to by priests from St. Bernard's Seminary, succeeded.
St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran church of Dansville had its indi- vidual beginning in 1835, when the Lutheran members of the Union church, composed of Lutheran and Reformed members, obtained let- ters of incorporation, adopted a constitution and elected officers. They erected a church building on the square in 1847, at a cost of about $3000. This was occupied in January, 1848, Rev. John Selmser being then the pastor. Mr. Selmiser resigned, and was followed by six other pastors, when after twenty-three years he became pastor for the second time. During the pastorate of Rev. W. M. Benson the church was remodeled at a cost of $3,000. Under his successor, Rev. C. G. Bikle, other changes in the building, at a cost of $1.000, were made. The present pastor is Rev. J. J. Minnemier, who came to the church in May, 1905, following Mr. Bikle. The first local branch of the Red Cross society was organized in this building in 1881 by Clara Barton, then a resident of Dansville. In 1901, by the will of Mrs. Elias Geiger, $3,000 was put into the hands of the trustees as a trust fund, the interest of which was to be for the benefit of the church. With- in three years the membership of the church has increased ninety- five per cent.
The German Evangelical Lutheran Church. from a transcript of the German writing contained on the first and second pages of the docu- mentary record placed in the corner stone of the church in 1826, we find that no pastor of this particular faith visited Dansville until 1809.
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
The church historian states that among the early settlers came many Germans from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland, most of whom were of the Evangelist Lutheran and Reformed congregations.
The first pastor Rev. Mr. Markel, was called here from Pennsyl- vania, preaching every four weeks in both German and English in the school house. Being forced by old age to retire from the ministry in 1815, Mr. Markel was not succeeded by a regular pastor until 1823, when the services of Rev. Mr. Wilbur were secured for about a year and a half.
In September 1825, Rev. Mr. Marten of Sunbury, Conn., took it upon himself, after having at this time become the reg- ular pastor of these people, to combine their interests so that a church edifice might be built to answer for both con- gregations. The en- terprise was finally agreed upon and un- der the name of St. FIRST GERMAN LUTHERAN CHURCH. Jacob the house was to be dedicated. The trustees under which the church was built were, on the Lutheran side: Jacob Opp, John Hartman, and Abraham Zerfass, and on the Reform- ed side: Daniel Hamsher and Philip Kershner.
The building committee was composed of Abraham Zerfass, John Hass, John Hartman, Jacob Welch, Sr., and Adam Hamsher. The church officers on the Lutheran side were: Elder, Jacob Opp; Deacons, Abraham Zerfass and John Hass; and on the Reformed side were: Elders, Daniel Hamsher, Solomon Fenstermacher ; and Deacons,
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George Knaus, and Christian Fritch. Daniel G. Allmendinger was the clerk whose signature was attached to the document from which the above information was compiled.
Just when the church was first organized has never been recorded, but it was among the earliest in the village and the first to erect a house of worship, the corner stone of which was laid on the 4th day of July, 1826, the date made famous in history by the almost simultan- eous deaths of ex-Presidents of the United States, John Quincy Adams and Thomas Jefferson. The ceremonies attending the laying of the corner stone were participated in by the Masonic fraternity of the village and surrounding towns, a military company and a large con- course of people. Abraham Vrooman was the master builder who constructed this substantial edifice.
In November of the same year, the church was dedicated under the pastorate of Joseph Martin, who, after serving this church faithfully for many years, accepted a call from Harrisburg, Pa., where he died.
The Rev. Mr. Wells and Rev. Mr. Barnhardt served the parish for the next two or three years, the church having no settled pastor.
Rev. David Lester was the next minister in charge of the church, of whom any record has been kept, and he was followed by Rev. Messrs. Strover, Selmser, Miller, Sternberg, Lautz, Klein, Strobel, Borchard, Rumpff. Boyer and Young, until 1874, when Rev. Paul L. Menzel commenced his labors as pastor continuing in this capacity until 1887, removing that year to Richmond, Va., where he now resides. Rev. Richard Krause, was the minister from 1887 to 1897. Rev. Theo. Whittlinger, located at present in Tonawanda, N. Y., from 1897 to 1900. Rev. John J. Lehman from 1900 to 1902, and the present pastor, Rev. R. T. Vorberg was appointed to the charge in January 1903.
During the ministration of Rev. Wm. T. Strobel, who was pastor from March 12, 1859, to May 18, 1863, the church edifice passed into the hands of the present congregation, the right to transter same having been given by decree of the County Court, Sept. 16, 1861. Dec. 2, 1861, a deed of the church property was given by John Shutt, George Zerfass, Benjamin Kidd, James Kiehle and R. Steffy, a major- ity of the trustees of the two congregations aforementioned, to William Schwendler, John C. Engert and Jacob Schwingle, trustees of this church, for the almost nominal sum of $800.
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
A few years after the dedication of the church, a fine pipe organ was placed in it. As it was the first of its kind ever brought to Dansville, it was an object of curiosity and admiration. There was then no regular organist in the village, and an accomplished performer named Snyder, residing at Avon, was hired to take charge of it on the Sabbath. He traveled from his place of residence to Dansville every week for a long time. When Mr. Selmser resigned his pastor- ate, he purchased the organ, which had become an object of conten- tion in the troubles which beset the church, and removed it to Lockport. In 1876, the church under- went extensive repairs. It was re-dedicated August 6, 1876, service being conducted in both German and English, the for- mer by the pastor, Rev. Paul L. Menzel, and the latter by the Rev. P. A. Strobel.
The church severed its con- nection with the United Ger- man Evangelical Synod of North America in the year 1900 and now stands independent.
It is probable that the Meth- odists first settled in Dansville, not later than 1811. The first preaching by one of their min- isters was done by Robert Par- ker at intervals during the years 1812-13-14. It is probable that THE METHODIST CHURCH. others continued these occa- sional ministries until 1819 when the Annual Conference formed the Dansville Circuit. This cir- cuit had twenty-four preaching places and extended from East Sparta five miles below Bath. The first preachers appointed were Micah to Seager as Senior Traveling Preacher, with Chester V. Adgate as the Junior. They were required to preach twice each Sunday, and every night in the week. Mr. Adgate continued on the circuit two years and was followed in 1821 by James Gilmore and later by Andrew
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HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY
Prindle. The First Quarterly Meeting is said to have been held in 1825. At the Conference of 1828 Robert Parker was appointed to this circuit and began at once to secure funds with which to erect a church. About $800 was subscribed and the work of building was commenced. The church was erected on the public square a short distance south of the present location of the Presbyterian church. It was dedicated in 1829 by Wilber Hoag, at that time pastor at Perry and LeRoy. The church remained on this site until the present structure was erected on Chestnut street. The society was incorporated about this time.
In 1831 William D. Buck and Thomas Carlton were appointed to the circuit. At this time the circuit embraced the following towns, viz., Dansville, Sparta, Groveland, Springwater, Conesus, some parts of Naples and Livonia. There were fifteen preaching places.
A full list of Preachers since 1849 is as follows :- 1849-50, John T. Raines; '56, David Ferris: '52, James Tuttle; '53, C. S. Baker; '54- 55, K. P. Jervis; '56, John Mandeville; '57-58, J. J. Brown; '59, Wm. Holt; '60, Chas. S. Fox; '61-62, Isaac Gibbard; '63, C. M. Gardner; '64, J. S. Bell; '65. E. Wood; '66-67, R. D. Munger; '68-69-70, H. Van Benschoten; '71-72, D. Leisenring; '73, J. Landreth; '74, T. J. O. Wooden; '75-76-77, Geo. W. Coe; '78-79, J. T. Gracey; '80, James Hill; '81-82, T. H. Youngman; '83-84-85, Wm. C. Wilbor; '86- 87-88-89-90, Geo. WV. Peck; '91, J. T. Canfield; '92-93-94-95-96, A. O. Sykes; '97-98-99-1900, F. J. Chase; '01-02-03, Irving B. Bristol; '04- '05, Benjamin Copeland.
During the pastorate of Geo. W. Coe, the splendid brick church on Chestnut avenue was erected at a cost of $18,000, of which amount $8,000 was unprovided. The debt had been decreased until in 1884 it amounted to $5,500. W. C. Wilbor was pastor at this time and instituted a vigorous canvass for funds to pay off the incum- branches. A debt paying Jubilee was held December 31, 1884 when the mortages were burned in public.
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