History of Oneida County, New York, 1667-1878, Part 100

Author:
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Fariss
Number of Pages: 932

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RESIDENCE OF JONATHAN TALCOTT, ROME, ONEIDA CO, N.Y.

LITH.BY L. H. EVERTS. PHILA.

375

HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

were the only houses and white persons in what now con- stitutes the city of Rome.

THE EXPENSE LOT.

On the 4th of June, 1785, a survey of the Oriskany Patent into allotments began, as described in the history of land titles in another part of this volume. Previous to surveying the allotments a certain parcel was surveyed off to be sold at auction to pay the expense of the survey. This lot has ever since been known as the. " Expense Lot." As originally set off it contained 697 acres ; its boundaries are about as follows, viz. : " Commencing on the south side of the Mohawk, and not far from Mr. Parry's brickyard ; thence running south westerly towards the Poor-House, about 240 rods ; then northwesterly about a mile, towards Canal Village; then northeast about 150 rods, towards St. Joseph's Church, passing south of that building, and crossing the track of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad at Henry Street, and up that street to near the track of the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad, where Expense Street extended would cross it; thence north up that street to a point about half-way between Court and Embargo Streets ; thence easterly, crossing the blocks diagonally, and passing near the house of Mr. Charles Keith, on the corner of Court and Washington Streets, and so on diagonally across West Park to James Street ; and thence nearly down Park Alley, and crossing the Black River Canal near the bathing-house of H. W. Barnes, and so on to the Mohawk; then following that stream down to the starting point."

On the 29th of November, 1785, the agents who sur- veyed the " Expense Lot" and divided the patent into allot- ments, published a notice that on the 9th of January, 1786, they would meet at Butlersburg, at the inn of Myndert W. Quackenbush, " for the purpose of attending to the balloting for, and drawing by lot," the several parcels surveyed. At that meeting there were present the commissioners, the agents, Judge Visscher, and Jelles Fonda. None of the owners of the patent appeared, and the drawings took place then and there. The Jaines De Laneey one-fifth was set off to the State, one of the parcels thus disposed of being a tract of 960 acres in the northwest corner of the patent, including among other lands the Rome cemetery, and most of the farm formerly owned by Asa C. Huntington, and later by Dr. H. H. Pope ; also another parcel (460 acres) cast of Factory Village. No others in this immediate vicinity were set off to the State. The portion of the city cast of Washington Street and next north of the " Expense Lot" was set off to William Livingston and Alida Hoff- man, and contained 460 acres, including the old burying- ground, the blocks where stand the Presbyterian Church, the court-house, St. Peter's Church, the East Park, and on across the river so as to take in Factory Village. The por- tion west of Washington Street and north and west of the "Expense Lot," including West Rome, was set off to those claiming under George Clarke; the portion of the " Rome Swamp," south of the " Expense Lot," and between that line and the county house, was set off to those claiming under Thomas Wenham.

March 17, 1786, the " Expense Lot" was put up at anc- tion, and bid off by Dominick Lynch, then a merchant of

New York City, for £2250. This was his first purchase in this vicinity, and the germ of the Lynch estate in Rome.

" By reason of the inland water communication this route was then the great thorough fare between the East and West; and as here was the point for the transhipment of freights, the 'carrying-place' was well known all through the country, and was probably looked to as destined to become a point of still greater importance. In this region leading and prominent men in the country owned lands ; they seemed to consider it an important place. Besides William Liv- ingston, above named, who was Governor of New Jersey, Baron Steuben owned some 16,000 acres in Steuben town- ship ; Colonel Willett a large tract near the same locality ; General Floyd in Western ; Governor Clinton and President (then General) Washington owned large tracts in what are now the towns of Whitestown, Westmoreland, Paris, and New Hartford ; so that it will be seen that some of the great men of the nation were land-holders in this vicinity."

From the price paid for the "Expense Lot" it seems that Mr. Lynch considered it valuable, although the south- ern portion of it was so swampy as to be entirely ineligible for building lots. In fact it is not now known whether he ever entertained an idea of converting that part of it into building lots. In July, 1786, he purchased of Wil- liam Livingston and Alida Hoffman the 460 acres set off to them, thus arranging his property here in better shape, and in 1787 he purchased of the " Commissioners of For- feitures" the 460 acres cast of Factory Village, which had been set off to the State. Before 1800 he purchased other contigneus parcels, thus becoming the owner of about 2000 acres, nearly or quite in a compact body.

It has been mentioned that when Ebenezer Wright came to Rome, in 1789, there was but one frame house on the site of what is now the city. In 1793, John Barnard kept a tavern on or near the site of the old Baptist Church .* In the spring of the same year there came to the place a young unmarried man, who became the first merchant in Rome, and a prominent man among the settlers. This was George Huntington, the father of Edward IInntington, Esq., now of Rome. He brought a stock of merchandise with him, and set up business in the same house kept by Barnard as a tavern. The next year, 1794, he built a dwelling on the site of the residence in later years of Dr. Cobb.

In 1795 a grist-mill was erected on Wood Creek, not far from the site of the United States Arsenal. This mill was an important institution for that day, and the next year a boat-load of corn to be ground into meal came from Ontario County, via Sencea River, Oneida River, Oneida Lake, and Wood Creek, and when the meal was ready the batean re- turned with its load by the same route. This was at that time the nearest mill of the kind to the inhabitants of Ontario Connty.

It is not positively known at what time Dominick Lynch laid ont the plat of his village, but it was as early as 1796. He gave it the name of Lynchville. The blocks in the village were 600 by 400 feet, with 18 lots in each block.

# The building in which this tavern was kept was the first two-story edifice in Rome, and was erected by Seth Ranney .- Jones' Annala.

376

HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

The numbering of the blocks began on the south side of Dominick Street, at what is now the Black River Canal, and included from one upwards the space between that point and Wood Creek on the west, where they crossed to the opposite side of the street and numbered back (Fort Stanwix block being No. 12), then crossed over Liberty Street and numbered back again to Wood Creek, and so back and forth. On the first map of the place the only streets shown were Dominick and James. About the year 1800 another map was made, showing Dominick, Wash- ington, James, Liberty, Madison, Court, Embargo, Jay, Thomas, and Bloomfield Streets. None of these, except the first four, were opened to any extent until 1850.

It is stated by some that the name Rome was suggested for the place by Mr. Lynch, as he was a Roman Catholic ; but the fact that in his plats of the village he named it after himself, Lynchville, would seem to assert differently. At this day it is impossible to ascertain why or at what time the name Rome was adopted, but tradition furnishes the following plausible solution of the problem : It is stated that prior to 1800 a number of the then leading citizens of the place were together, and the subject of a name for the embryo village was broached. George Huntington, who had become at the time an extentive lot-owner in the vicinity, spoke of the many classical names given to places in the State, but remarked that nonc had been named after the " Eternal City," and he therefore suggested Rome, which was adopted, partly from the suggestion and partly from the fact that the town (formed in 1796) bore the same name.

Of the streets of Rome, Dominick was named for Mr. Lynch, the original proprietor ; James was named after his eldest son ; and Washington took its name from the great chieftain then living, whose deeds were fresh in the minds of the people.

Mr. Lynch adopted the plan of giving durable or per- petual leases of his lots, rather than absolute titles, and for many years the system was a source of trouble to the citizens. An annual rent was reserved, payable in money or grain, and in case of non-payment the property was to revert to the owner.

The first conveyances (durable leascs) given by Mr. Lynch were in 1796; on the 30th of July of that year twenty- cight lots were leased to the following persons, viz., Matthew Brown, Jr., Michael McGrath, Sheldon Logan (what is now the " Empire Block"), Joshua Hatheway (" Elm Row"), and John Barnard, the latter leasing twenty-two lots on Dominick Street. Three years later, in 1799, the site of " Merrill's Block" and other premises were leased to George Huntington perpetually, at an annual rent of twelve bushels of wheat, payable May 1 of each year. It is possible there were also other leases in Lynchville where the rent was to be paid in grain.

In the southern, or swampy portion of Mr. Lynch's purchase, he laid out sixty lots of four and one-half acres each, which became known as " Pepper-corn lots." Parties leasing lots in Lynchville usually had one of these lots thrown in as a " bonus." They were at that time con- sidered as of little or no value, and the rent reserved on each one was a pepper-corn, payable on the first day of

May in each year, if lawfully demanded, for the term of the then next ten thousand years, and after that twenty cents annually for each lot !

John Barnard, already mentioned, was one of the most enterprising of Rome's early citizens, and a favorite with Mr. Lynch. He built many of the first edifices, and entered into the work of founding and building up a city with a zeal deserving of better results. He finally became involved to such an extent that he was forced to make an assign- ment, and accordingly, in 1799, he conveyed seventy-two acres* of " Pepper-corn lots" to one Caleb Putnam, a tanner. This tract included the land on which now stand the Arm- strong and Beecham blocks, south of the Erie Canal and west of James Street, and south from that, taking in the Railroad Hotel and depot buildings. Mr. Putnam's house stood near the canal of the Western Inland Lock Navi -. gation Company, a short distance east of James Street. His tannery was in the rear, and nearer the canal. The barn occupied a portion of the space, and the balance of the triangle formed by James Street, the railroad, and the canal was occupied by vats and a bark-mill, and covered with tan-bark. This tannery was the first one put iu operation in this part of the country, and did quite an extensive business. In 1819, while Mr. Putnam was inspecting some timber in the woods, he fell upon a log, and a projecting knot penetrated his abdomen, inflicting wounds from the effects of which he died. He was buried by the Masonic fraternity. After his death the tannery was carried on for a time by Horace N. Carr, but finally went to decay.

In all the early leascs from Mr. Lynch the land they cover is described as being in " Lynchville," town of Rome, and county of Herkimer, the lots being numbered on a map made by William Weston. In the subsequent con- veyances, for a number of years, they are described in the same way, the name Rome not being used except in spcak- ing of the town. William Weston was the same individual who constructed the canal of the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company, and was an English engineer of con- siderable repute. He made the map of Lynchville for its proprietor, and subsequently returned to England, from whence he had been called to construct the above-mentioned canal.

This canal, which was two miles in length, was opened for use in 1797, and extended from the Mohawk, near " Mccutcheon placc," to Wood Creek, at the United States Arscual, having a capacity for Durham boats of forty tons burden. Bateaux drawing two feet of water, and carrying from three to fifteen tons, could pass, although with considerable difficulty, in dry seasons. It was esti- mated that in 1812 the number of boats passing through this canal was 300, with 1500 tons of merchandisc. General Philip Schuyler was president and a director of the company, and Dominick Lynch and Colouel Marinus Willett were also directors. Peter Colt, who lived at the time near " Mccutcheon place," superintended the con- struction of the work ; he was coutinuous superintendent, and George Huntington collector, from 1797 until the com- pletion of this section of the Eric Canal in 1820.

* Alsó given as twenty lots, which would equal ninety acres.

377

HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

An anecdote of Peter Colt, at the time of the construc- tion of the old canal, was extensively circulated in the papers of that day, and has been preserved by Judge Jones in his " Annals of Oneida County." The laborers on that canal were, as they are usually in such enterprises of the present day, sons of Erin, and not always inclined to be perseveringly industrious. Mr. Colt, while passing among a group of these laborers, noticed one of them who was very probably not attending strictly to his duty, and admin- istered a severe kick upon the fellow's posterior. He in- stantly dropped his barrow, rubbed the part attacked with his left hand. while with his right he respectfully raised his hat, and, rolling his quid to one side, said, " Faith and be Jasus, if yer honor kicks so while ye're a Coult, what'll ye do when ye get to be a horse ?"

After Mr. Weston had completed his engineering work here and returned to England, the question of building locks in Wood Creek came up before the board of direc- tors of the Inland Canal. There were at the time no engineers in America, and the manner of proceeding with the work was the subject of serious discussion. It was not considered necessary to go to the expense of sending again for Mr. Weston, and George Huntington, of Rome, sug- gested to the board that "there ought to be gumption enough in America to engineer the project of locks," and said if the company would let him take a spirit level owned by it, he would agree to find a man capable of doing the engineering. The request was complied with, and the level taken to Benjamin Wright (father of B. H. Wright, of Rome). Mr. Wright was an excellent surveyor, but had no experience in that kind of engineering. He took the instrument to pieces, and examined it to become famil- iar with its construction, put it together again, tried ex- periments and tested them, and found he was correct, and with knowledge thus obtained engineered the work for the construction of the locks, of which four were built. This is said to have been the first engineering done by an American.

As before stated, Oneida County was formed in 179S, and of course it was evident that a jail and court-house must soon be built at some point within the new county. By a deed of conveyance bearing date May 21, 1800, Mr. Dominick Lynch generously donated the supervisors of Oneida County the two parks and the premises now occu- pied by the court-house, jail, and academy building. The deed recites the object of conveyance of the premises to be for the use of the court-house and jail, and " in order to promote the settlement and embellishment of Lynchville ;" all that part, the deed says, east side of James Street " to be laid out and appropriated for the purpose of building and erecting and to the use of the court-house and jail ;" and all that part on the west side of James Street " to be laid out and appropriated for the purpose of building and erecting a church and school-house thereon, which church and school-house shall be established and built according to the direction and appointment of a majority of the free- holders, being inhabitants of the town of Rome for the time being, for the use, benefit, and advantage of all the inhabitants of the town of Rome aforesaid." It was further provided in the deed, that all the premises " were forever to

remain a public square," and that no building should be permitted to be erected within fifty feet of the boundary line. The court-house and jail have been erected on the east side, and a school-house on the west side, of James Street, but no charch has been erected on the premises thus deeded. There was at one time considerable commotion in Rome, by reason of a project to erect a church on the premises on the west side; the scheme was frustrated. In February, 1802, the State Legislature authorized Oneida County to raise by tax $539 to complete the jail just erected in this county ; the law does not say at what point that jail is located, but the court records show that in 1801 the jail at Whitestown was reported ready for occupancy, and that was probably the jail that had the benefit of the $539 appropriated. On the 6th of April, 1803, the Legis- lature passed a law authorizing the supervisors of Oneida County to go on "and complete the doors to the jail lately erected at Rome," and provided for payment of same; so it would seem that this first jail in Rome must have been erected about 1802.

The Legislature by an act passed April 6, 1806, author- ized Oneida County to raise by tax $4000 to build two court-houses, one to be located near the jail at Rome, the other near the jail at Whitestown. In 1808 a further ap- propriation of $3100 to complete said court-houses was authorized. The above dates will show about the time of the erection of those buildings.

In 1804 a dam was constructed across the Mohawk by Mr. Lynch, some distance above the dam of the Inland Canal, and from it he dug a large race-way, extending across the land in a bend of the river, so that the waters taken out at the dam returned through the race to the stream at the other side of the " bow," where the " old Red Mill" was the same year erected. This was below Factory Village. About 1810-12, Mr. Lynch erected a woolen- factory on the site now occupied by the soap-factory of Brodock & Co. This was burned about 1817. Previous to 1820, Mr. Lynch built a cotton-factory farther down the race-way, which was burned in 1849. A saw-mill, built on the same ground in 1863, and a wrench-factory in 1865, were both burned. Early in the present century a distillery stood near the woolen-factory.

Dominick Street in Rome originally extended from the Mohawk on the east to Wood Creek on the west, having a slightly different direction from the one it follows at present, and so continued until 1836, when it was changed. The building occupied by Dominick Lynch when here, and pre- vious to 1810 by his son James, stood on the spot after- wards occupied by the dwelling of Virgil Draper, and at present by that of II. K. White. It was a large, square, frame building, and occupied the space which had been the southeast corner of Fort Stanwix, that corner having been leveled down in order to build the house. The Lynch mansion was burned about 1824-25. The hand fire-engine then owned by the village was brought out and efforts were made to extingnish the fire, but, after much hard work and when the engine had been crowded beyond its capacity, it suddenly burst, and the building was doomed. Mr. Draper afterwards purchased the premises and erected a portion of the dwelling now standing.

378

HISTORY OF ONEIDA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

The next house, the present Presbyterian parsonage, was partly built previous to 1800, and occupied for a tavern. It is the oldest building now standing in Rome. In 1799 it was kept by Cieero Gould. Mr. Olmstead, father-in-law of Wheeler Barnes, afterwards purchased it, and Mr. Barnes, while residing there, had his law-office in a small frame building which stood near the street, in the southeast corner of the yard. There Judge Denio, William Curtis Noyes, N. B. Judd, M.C., of Chicago, and at one time Minister to Prussia under President Lincoln, pursued their law- studies.

Farther west a small frame store was ereeted about 1793 by George Huntington, and was subsequently used as a part of his dwelling. Mr. Huntington built an addition to his residenee in 1812, which has more recently been owned by Mrs. Merrill.

The " Merrill Block," on the corner of James and Dom- inick Streets, was ereeted about 1844, on the site previously occupied by Levi Green's store, a large frame building, which was afterwards removed to the bank of the Black River Canal, and used as a vinegar-factory.

The old " town well" was dug previous to 1800, at the intersection of James and Dominick Streets. It had a eurb around it, a pump in it, and a trough, where cattle and horses were watered.

On the site at present occupied by the " American Block," northwest corner of Dominick and James, a three- story frame hotel was erected previous to 1800, and in the year mentioned a man named Logan kept it. Previous to 1820 this hotel was kept by one Lee, and afterwards by James Thompson, - - Forman, - Coleman, Freedom Tibbitts, Benjamin Starr, - Brainard, - Rowe, and others. Daniel Whedon was its landlord in 1822-23. The hotel extended west to a ten-feet alley, west of which was the Dr. Stephen White lot. The doctor kept tavern in a small one and a half story building in 1810. As early as 1797 he was keeping tavern at the lower landing on the Mohawk, subsequently removing to the village. The hotel on Dominick Street was transformed into stores about 1843. One of the two publie halls possessed by Rome at that time was in the upper story of this hotel. It was the place where were held political and other meetings, revivals, various exhibitions of wax figures, ete., and was one of the important places of the village.

On the site at a later day occupied by Walker & Fox there stood about 1800 a small frame dwelling, onee owned and occupied by Samuel Starr, who died quite early in the present century, his family subsequently nearly all removing to St. Louis, Mo., where a son-in-law, Henry S. Geyer, was elected to the position of United States Senator in 1851.

On the old " Bill Smith lot" was ereeted, about 1793, a small frame dwelling, which was occupied before 1800 as a tavern. It was so low that an ordinary-sized person found it necessary to stoop in order to enter the doorway. About 1810, Smith used it for a store, and various parties occupied it for different purposes afterwards. About 1822, Dr. Brown purchased the lot, raised the store a story higher, and ealled it the " Checkered Building." This was one of the most important establishments in the village at the time. It was

swept away in the "great fire" of 1846, in which it origi- nated.

A few feet east of the old " Rome Bank," on Dominick Street, was the residence of Nathaniel Mudge, one of Rome's earliest settlers, and the father of Alva, Nathaniel, Jr., and S. W. Mudge. Alva Mudge was born in this house, a small frame building, in 1804.

The building known as the old " Bank of Rome" was ereeted for a residence about 1821, by Benjamin Wright ; it was the third brick building erected in the place, and the only one at the time on the north side of Dominick Street. In 1832 the Bank of Rome was incorporated, and the house purchased for the residence of the eashier. A year or two afterwards the wing was built for the banking- house.

West of this building was the structure known as the " Long House," owned by Benjamin Wright and Bela B. Hyde, and previous to 1820 occupied by them as residences. Isaae Draper resided in it about 1812.

Next to this, and near the corner of Washington Street, Mr. Sweatman built, a harness-shop about 1812-14. a Moses G. Watson had a harness-shop in the same building in 1828.

On the corner of Dominiek and Washington Streets there stood at an early day a small frame dwelling, occupied by Caleb Hammill. Previous to 1820 it was used by Reuben Hoag for a blacksmith-shop, and Amos Peekham afterwards carried on a plow-factory in it; he was succeeded in the saine business by his son Seth, and Henry N. Kellogg owned it in the same eapaeity in 1835. The buildings on this corner were a number of times destroyed by fire.

Prior to 1837, Messrs. George and Henry Huntington owned the premises on the south side of Dominiek Street now occupied by the First National Bank and the stores of H. M. Lawton & Co. and W. Willard Swith. The old store of the Huntingtons fronted on James Street, and that of Gurdon Huntington originally oeeupied the site of the above-mentioned bank. It was built about 1808, and oeeu- pied by Mr. Huntington until about 1836. These two buildings were the only ones on these grounds previous to 1838. The space was long used as a "common," and eattle, sheep, and swine roamed over it at pleasure. " Piles of lumber lay scattered here and there upon those grounds, and men yet residing here whose hair is white with the snows of winter, or slightly touched by the autumnal frosts of age, mention as among their boyhood recollections that of playing hide-and-seek in and behind the hundreds of potash-kettles, which thirty-five, forty, fifty, and sixty years ago covered most of the grounds above mentioned."

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History of Oneida County, New York, 1667-1878, Part 100

Author: Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Fariss Number of Pages: 932

Author:
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Fariss
Number of Pages: 932