History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins and Schuyler counties, New York, Part 48

Author: Peirce, H. B. (Henry B.) cn; Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Ensign
Number of Pages: 1112

USA > New York > Chemung County > History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins and Schuyler counties, New York > Part 48
USA > New York > Schuyler County > History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins and Schuyler counties, New York > Part 48
USA > New York > Tioga County > History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins and Schuyler counties, New York > Part 48
USA > New York > Tompkins County > History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins and Schuyler counties, New York > Part 48

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The next tannery was started by A. P. Dean, about 1825. This passed into the hands of Parmenter & Mun- sell, and then to Jeremiah Dunn.

In 1838, Samuel Archibald erected a tannery on the present site of the Owego tannery ; it stood until Jan. 31, 1860, when it was destroyed by fire, and was soon after rebuilt with increased capacity, and for all grades of work. Its new location is on the south side of the river, near the bridge.

In 1871, Mr. A. Campbell built his tannery, and began operations under the firm-name of A. Campbell & Co .. Jan. 1, 1872. This is a sheep-skin tannery, of the capacity of 200,000 skins per year, the average of skins pulled per

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year being 100,000. The amount of wool pulled during last year was 250,999 pounds. The number of men em- ployed, 20. The amount of bark (hemloek) used, 1000 tons, worth $16,000.

This has been a good region for tanning, on aceount of the abundanee of hemloek-bark so easily had. The three tanneries now in operation are doing well.

PIANO MANUFACTORY.

This was started in May, 1857, by E. Hosford, dealer in pianos. In the fall of 1861 a firm was organized, consisting of H. Norton, F. Sporer, and O. M. Carlson. They subsequently associated with them Mr. J. Berry. In 1867 they were burned out, but started again in 1868. They have manufactured nearly 900 pianos sinee the open- ing of the factory, and ean turn out one every week. Their pianos combine the improvements now in use, and are praised by musicians generally.

ORGANS.

Mr. Daniel Tripp, of Owego, has secured letters patent for an improvement in the adjustment of the reed or valve, by which a single one may be removed without disturbing the others, thus greatly simplifying repairs to that part ; this does not change the quality or volume of sound. He is engaged in the manufacture of organs.

THE OWEGO FREE LIBRARY

is composed of books of the old academy and the several distriet libraries which were merged into the Union District Library of Owego village, together with such books as have been purchased specially for reference in the academy since it came into possession of the board of education of the village.

All these libraries have been kept with little referenee to system, rule, or the publie good. Many valuable books have been lost or badly damaged, and sets have been broken. Fines have not been imposed as the law direets, and matters have gone at loose ends. Sueeessful efforts have been made to recover lost books, complete sets, and make additions by purchase and donation. These efforts will be continued, with a desire to make the library as ex- tended as our means permit, and valuable as a library of useful reading and reference to all our people, and especially to those who attend schools.

The attention and interest of the intelligent and the wealthy is especially solieited with reference not only to using what valuable books we have, but to seeing and sup- plying what we need. Ithaea has its Cornell. What man or woman, what men and women together, in our village will imitate his worthy example ?

Our library is to be strictly subject to rule in obedienee to the instructions of the Regents of the University and of the State Superintendent, who by law make general regu- lations for all libraries in sehools subjeet to them, or sup- ported in whole or in part by funds derived from the publie moneys.

The Regents have at their disposal, for distribution among academies subjeet to their visitation, $3000 annually, which sum is distributed as equitably as possible to those which,

eonforming to the regulations, raise an equal amount of library or apparatus. The old academy has at some time received $500.

In 1838 the State appropriated $55,000 from the in- come of the United States deposit fund, to be set apart and distributed annually, upon eertain conditions, for estab- lishing and sustaining sehool district libraries. This money is distributed by the State Superintendent to the several eounties and cities having special charters aceording to population at last eensus, and the money received into each eounty treasury is subdivided to the distriets by the school commissioners aceording to average daily attendanee upon publie schools for the preceding sehool year of at least twenty-eight weeks. Our union district now receives an- nually between $60 and $70. If our youth attended more regularly, we should, of course, receive a much larger amount. We have a right to inerease the amount by public tax.

The foregoing is from the prefatory chapter of the cata- logue of the Owego Free Academy Library, with by-laws, for June, 1871. This library has floated into more public usc, and now has 2240 volumes; the seleetions and con- tributions have been made with reference to the higher attainments of its readers, and it is germain to the question of the proper use and influence of a library to say that its influenee is most felt when it reaches the greatest number. This is too plain to need demonstration, the only barrier to its ready admission and complete establishment being the bigotry and selfishness of a few persons, who in small com- munities are apt to get the lead, and so eontrol whatever publie spirit may show itself as to serve their own narrow- minded purposes, not realizing that intelligence begets liberality, and liberality intelligenee, and that the true and enduring basis of the social fabrie is intelligenee,-the power that civilizes and refines, elevates and ennobles, begets and perpetuates our institutions of which we are so proud, and without which we could not claim a place worthy of the respect of mankind. It is when we realize this grand power and breathe its intellectual inspiration that our being expands into its philanthropie eapabilities and throbs with the pulsations of duty, conserving the good of community, banishing from it ignoranee and vice, and drawing towards us the benedictions of our raee. Our publie libraries in our larger eities have done more to edu- cate the masses than all other agencies, not exeepting eom- mon sehools ; for here independenee of thought is born or nurtured and cultivated,-and to think independently is to become self-reliant. And, happily for our age, there is no subjeet too sacred for investigation, and few that have yet need of elueidation ; so that a well-selected library is not only the most potent engine in breaking down the ignorance and prejudiee that linger as the relies of the barbaric past, but the bulwark of freedom, for truth alone is freedom.

There is in Owego a book elub and a magazine club. The former was organized by Mrs. Charles Frederick Johnson twenty years ago; she was librarian, seeretary, treasurer, and committee on seleetions and purehase, and passed the books from house to house of the members. The elub was started by twenty members, and a subserip-

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AND SCHUYLER COUNTIES, NEW YORK.

tion of $2 per annum, with which books were purchased. The present membership is about thirty ; the books having been read by all are auctioned off annually to the members. The largest number of books on hand at one time was 120 volumes. The membership is limited.

The Magazine Club of Owego was organized Jan. 1, 1877, on eall of Dr. Jas. H. Tinkham and Raphael Pum- pelly, with the usual officers and code. The terms of men- bership inelude a subscription of $5 per annum, which is expended for magazines by subseription. The most of the members being subscribers for the American magazines the subscriptions are chiefly for foreign publications, and all are put in eireulation. The membership consists of C. F. Johnson, Jr., Mrs. F. L. Jones, Mrs. A. H. Miller, Dr. J. H. Tinkham, Mrs. Hamlin Jones, Miss Franees Platt, Mrs. C. E. Parker, Mrs. T. D. Gere, Mrs. A. B. Storrs, Rev. O. L. Ostrander, F. C. Hewitt, Mrs. C. Campbell, Mrs. Raphael Pumpelly, Mrs. E. W. Stone, Mrs. F. M. Maybee, Mrs. Battersby, and Mrs. Dr. Ayer.

Two members are appointed at the annual meeting to eireulate the magazines from house to house of the mem- bers. Among the subseriptions we found Westminster Review, Nineteenth Century, Fortnightly Review, Black- wood, Gazette des Beaux Artes, Orton's Portfolio, Corn- hill Magazine, International Review, Popular Science Monthly, Punch, and Atlantic.

FIRE DEPARTMENT .*

In our researches we have had abundant evidence of the minuteness of Mr. Kingman's details in almost every de- partment of local history in Tioga County, and the village of Owego particularly, and have no hesitation in eiting his authority, and do so in this instance with entire confidence in the correctness of his statements. The general reader will, however, exeuse us for not rehearsing the history of the fire department in detail, as only the prominent points are needed for our purpose. The author fittingly shows the necessity of a fire department by traeing the ravages of the fire king. He says, "The first really destructive fire that visited Owego was carly in the morning of Aug. 5, 1841, which destroyed General Isaae B. Ogden's cabinet- shop, which was located on the north side of Main Street, opposite where the Central House now stands. The fire burned all the property to the corner of Ithaea Street (now North Avenue). General Ogden's dwelling, James Conk- lin's wagon- and carriage-shop, and Gad Worthington's resi- denee were also burned. The ' Tioga County House' and barn were on fire, but saved by the exertions of the firemen."

There was a destruetive fire " on the 27th of April, 1846." " In acknowledgment of the vigilance and exertions of the firemen at this fire, a dinner was given by the citizens of Owego to ' Neptune,' ' Reseue,' ' Croton,' and ' Deluge' fire companies, at the old Owego Hotel, on the 6th of the fol- lowing May."

" The most destructive conflagration occurred at about three o'clock in the morning, Sept. 27, 1849. The fire broke out in the hall of the Sons of Temperanee, over the

store of James and William A. Ely, on the south side of Front Street, and destroyed the entire business portion of the village. Only three stores were left, and one hundred and four buildings, exclusive of barns, were burned,-loss about $300,000. All of the buildings on both sides of Front Street, from Church Street to the Park, were burned, and all on Lake Street to the Central House on one side. and Jared Huntington's residence on the other. The bridge across the river was partly destroyed." There were numerous fires besides those spoken of, before and after- wards, but these were most destructive, and demonstrated the need of a fire department. Here, however, as ever in the beginning, the appliances were but poorly adapted, and a generation passed away while they were going through the various developments of the fire-engine, but now the village is equipped with efficient steam-engines and hook- and-ladder and bueket companies.

WATER SUPPLY.

This all-important question had but little attention given to it until 1841, when the first publie eistern was constructed. " At the time of the annual election for village offieers (in June, 1841) a tax of $300 was voted for building two reservoirs to hold water for fire purposes. The trustees decided to build one cistern on the north side of Main Street, opposite Lake Street, and the other on the north side of the same street, just east of Paige Street. The former held 175 hogsheads, and the latter 75 hogsheads ; the walls were 18 inches thick ; they were built by contraet by John Cross for $300, and finished in October. The eistern near Paige Street was filled up, and a new one con- strueted, in 1871 ; it holds 250 hogsheads. Other cisterns have been built.

WATER-WORKS.

Several attempts have been made to secure some system of water-works, but nothing further than taking prelimi- nary steps towards their introduction has yet been done.

THIE FIRST FIREMEN'S PARADE.

The first parade of the Owego Fire Department took place on the 10th of October, 1842. Engine companies Nos. 1, 3, and 4, Hook-and-Ladder Company No. 3, and Bucket Company No. 5 came with brass bands from Ithaca, over the old horse-railroad. They were commanded by Robert Halsey, chief engineer, and arrived in the afternoon. Two fire companies also came from Binghamton ; the latter came in wagons. They brought an engine with them drawn by horses. The Owego Fire Department, undor command of Prentice Ransom, foreman of No. 1, and Lucius Truman, of No. 2, went with two four-horse teams and met the Bingham- ton firemen at Dougherty's, now the residenec of Stephen W. Sinith, about two miles cast of Owego, and escorted them to the village. Ezra S. Sweet, Esq., of Owego, from the balcony of the Owego Hotel, delivered an address of welcome, and General Bartlett, of Binghamton, responded in behalf of his city ; cannon were fired, and there was great enthusiasm. A dinner was served at the Owego Hotel and at the Tioga House. In the evening there was a grand torch-light parade, musie, toasting, and a good time generally. The fire department has passed through its infaney and youth,

# The Owego Fire Department,-Fifty Years of its History, 1828 to 1878,-by Le Roy W. Kingman.

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HISTORY OF TIOGA, CHEMUNG, TOMPKINS,

and is now " an institution," and ean afford to smile on the foibles of early days, and joke over " the breezes," for the " boys" were sometimes disappointed in their aspirations. There were frequent changes in company organization, and "the musie in the air" rivaled, if it did not surpass, some ehoirs. Sometimes their jealousies wore a serious aspect,- instanee, when " the old members of Croton Engine Com- pany kept their word in refusing to assist in extinguishing fires." When F. H. Pumpelly's barns were burning, some of them sat on the fenec amusing themselves in watehing the awkward method of their successors in managing the engine. The new company worked hard at the brakes, but their machine would not draw water. They jecred at them for a time, but finally Abram De Witt jumped down and turned a valve under the engine, which allowed the water to flow into the pumps, and she worked as well as ever.

INCORPORATION OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

This was by aet of the Legislature, April 17, 1862, by which it was constituted a body corporate, and authorized to hold and convey real estate and personal property for the use and benefit of such corporation to the extent of $10,000. The management of the department is vested in a board of trustees ; the election of trustees oeeurs on the last Wed- nesday of each year, and two are chosen from each fire company.

The first steamer was brought to Owego in 1866; others followed in rapid sueeession. The first alarm-bell, and the one now hanging in the northeast tower of the court-house, was purchased by the village in the winter of 1867. This bell eost $1395.18, and weighs 3033 pounds ; was brought to Owego by the Erie Railroad Company free of trans- portation eharges.

The Fire Police of the village of Owego was organized Feb. 20, 1869, at a meeting of which Henry N. Hubbard was Chairman and Charles H. Sweet Secretary. It was eom- posed of leading business men, and was organized as follows : Captain, Henry N. Hubbard ; First Lieutenant, Brinton W. Speneer ; Seeond Lieutenant, Charles H. Sweet; Third Lieutenant, Watson L. Hoskins; Seeretary, Henry R. Wells ; Treasurer, Frank A. Bliss.

The organization was an independent one, not authorized by the charter of the village; its purpose the removal of property from buildings in time of fire, and the protection thereof until placed in the possession of the owners. It was the duty of the members to arrest any person detected in stealing goods in time of fire; they had the same au- thority to make arrests that any eitizen has under the general law of the State.

THE PHILOSOPHIAN LITERARY SOCIETY

was formed November, 1876, for " the Moral and Intellee- tual Improvement of the Colored Citizens of Owego."

The present offieers are W. R. Seott, President ; Mrs. D. S. Eddie, Vice-President ; Mrs. F. Carter, Seeretary : Miss B. Whittam, Assistant Secretary ; C. H. Moore, As- sistant Secretary ; A. T. Hollensworth, Treasurer.

The number of members is 50, and the attendance is good ; the society meets every Tuesday evening.

THE RESTING-PLACES OF OWEGO'S DEAD.

The first grave-yard in the village of Owego was located on the lot where the academy now stands, and where the dead who oceupied that ground are, or when they were re- moved, is not on record ; but " the oldest inhabitant" is of the opinion that they were nearly all removed to the yard of the now Presbyterian church ; and we note some of the oceupants found there, as they are among the earliest in- habitants of the village: " In memory of Mrs. Abigail, wife of General Oliver Huntington, and daughter of Gad and Abigail Taleott, of Hebron, Connecticut, who died June 18, 1815, aged forty-three years ;" " In memory of General Oliver Huntington, who died Nov. 13, 1823, aged fifty-one years ;" " Elgin, son of Elgin and Elizabeth Tal- eott, died Nov. 2, 1842, aged thirty years ;" " Elizabeth, wife of Elgin Taleott, died Jan. 15, 1848, aged sixty years ;" " Elgin Taleott, died Jan. 27, aged eighty-seven years ;" "Dorothy Taleott, died April 14, 1838, aged eighty-five years and seven months ;" " Elgin Taleott, died Nov. 28, aged eighty-one years ;" "Stephen B. Leonard (the editor), born April 15, 1793, and died May 8, 1876 ;" " Abel Curtis, died 1849, aged forty-four years ;" " Olive Curtis, born 1770, died 1859, 'Dear Mother';" "Samuel Curtis, died 1833, aged sixty-six years ;" "Sarah, wife of Geo. Curtis, born 1798, died 1859;" " Oliver D. Curtis, died 1854, aged thirty years ;" " Dr. Jedediah Fay, died on Easter Sunday, April 22, 1848, aged sixty-two years, two months, twenty-four days ;" John H. Avery, Jos. Avery, Humphrey, Jesse, and Fanny, in the vault.

Here in this old grave-yard repose two generations of the earlier eitizens of Owego,-the pioneers who helped to mould the eharaeter of the village, and whose names are associated with every event of her early history. Some who slept here have been removed to " Evergreen Ceme- tery," but quite a village still remains, and those owning lots here are wont to continue burying here, that the dead may not be separated; and for their sakes we hope that this saered place may remain for all time protected from invasion by the demands of eommeree.

The Old Catholic Grave-yard .- Just over the railway, at the foot of the mountain, is the old grave-yard. Some of the inscriptions date back to 1847, and a few as late as 1868. The grounds are generally negleetcd. The only lot in good condition is that of David Donnelly, who died August 7, 1855, in the forty-sixth year of his age; in the same inelosure are three graves, one with a plain slab, on which is inseribed " Charles MeNama."

Evergreen Cemetery .- Away back among the ages it was a hallowed thought to aseend a mountain when near- ing dissolution, and when we try to discover why, the answer eomes through the custom of burial there ; and in this eus- tom we see pre-eminent fitness in a mountain for a last resting-plaee ; for then surely we ought to be at peace with God; and a mountain is an anthem of praise to the mighty God: it imparts an inspiration that attunes the soul in harmony with its author. Away, far away in the distant past, mountains were the ehosen place of communion be- tween God and man. "The Lord, our God, made a eov- enant with us in Horeb." And that covenant has not only deseended to us, but will be handed down to the gen-

H. A. BROOKS.

James Brooks, the grandfather of our subject, fell in the war of 1812. He was a native of New Jersey, being born near Easton, Pa., and was a tailor by trade. He was a man of brilliant intellect, and a proverbial wit and humorist. He married Amy, daughter of Esquire Ludowiek Light, who resided near Smithborough, N. Y. He enlisted as an artificer in a regiment commanded by Colonel (afterwards General) Pike, and was killed in action, at La Coles Mills, Canada His wife was quite a remarkable and lovable woman. She supported herself and three children by following the trade of her husband, built herself a house quite respectable for those days, and which is still standing on what was for many years known as " Meeting-House Hill," one mile east of Smith- borough. She also succeeded in having a large Methodist Episcopal church building erected near her dwelling,-the first one built between Owego and Athens, or Elmira,-but it was demolished years ago. She was a fervent, devoted, and active Christian woman. She died of paralysis, June 28, 1856, aged seventy-nine years. James and Amy Brooks had three children,-Patty, Benjamin Van Campen, and Chloe. Patty was born in Tioga, N. Y., March 13, 1795, and died Jan. 9, 1822 .*

Benjamin, father of Horace A., was born at Tioga Centre, Jan. 22, 1797, and died in Owego, Dec. 27, 1873. He married Lucy Green, daughter of Amos and Polly Miller, May 31, 1824, who was born Sept. 14, 1803, and still survives. They had eleven children, all of whom are living except Eliza, who died in infancy, viz .: Horace Agard, Martha, George Henry, Eliza, Eliza Amelia,; Charles Benjamin, Chloe Minerva, Mary Mandane, Chester Prentiss, Lucy Adele, and Alice Cornelia.

Benjamin Brooks was for fifteen years postmaster at Smith- borough; was a candidate for member of Assemby in 1844; was under-sheriff one term. Originally a Whig, he was later a Republican. He was a tanner and currier by trade, but in later years operated largely in the lumber business, in con- nection with Thaddeus Boardman, of Smithborough, George Wilson, of Nichols, and Colonel William Ransom, of Tioga Centre.

He purchased a farm in Smithborough, in 1828, upon part of which the mill now stands. He subsequently pur- chased another and larger farm near Smithborough; but he sustained many reverses, and finally, in 1859, removed to ()wego with all his family, except his sons George and Charles, and daughter Eliza A. (Mrs. Mitchell, who had

removed to Montrose, Pa.), where he quietly and peacefully passed the remainder of his days.

Horace A. Brooks, the subject of this notice, was born on Meeting-House Hill, Tioga County, March 24, 1825. In his youth lie had the ambition to be a merchant, and he entered Light & Yontz's store. He remained there but a short time, and then resumed his studies, attending the Nichols Academy, and subsequently the Gilbertsville Collegiate Institute (Otsego County ), and the Owego Academy, anticipating to pursue the study of the law. He afterwards performed clerical service in the stores of D. W. Fairchild, and Fordham & Perkins, in Factoryville, and C. & P. Ransom, in Owego; was two years and a half with the Morgans, at Aurora, N Y .; and for the same length of time was head clerk and book-keeper for the mercantile firm of Fiero & Carter, of Auburn ; but a serious and protracted illness compelled him to relinquish the latter situation just at the juncture of his entering the firm as a partner. From the prostrating effects of this illness he did not reeover for several years, so as to engage in active labor of any kind.

In 1858 he was a candidate for the Republican nomination to the office of county clerk ; but his name was withdrawn by his friends before going into the convention, with the under- standing that Mr. Brooks should go into the clerk's office as Mr. Thos. C. Platt's deputy, in which capacity he officiated three years. In 1861, Mr. Brooks was nominated by the Republican party as its candidate for county clerk, and elected by the large majority of thirteen hundred and thirty-seven, the largest majority ever given in the county. For twelve consecutive years he held the office, and was exceedingly popular as an efficient and accommodating county clerk. Dur- ing all the later years of his life, Mr. Brooks has taken an active part in politics, and as a party organizer has few, if any, equals in this part of the State. In connection with others, he founded the Southern Tier Leader and the Husband- man, both of Elmira, and was the sole founder, editor, and proprietor of the Ahwaga Chief, of Owego. Although not trained to the literary profession, his writings evince genius far above mediocrity. With the exception of the Greeley cam- paign, he has acted with the Republican party ; but is, never- theless, quite independent in thought and action, particularly as regards local matters. He has ever maintained the strictest integrity in politics, as in business. He is generous almost to a fault. He never married. All his carlier life plans were thwarted by sicknesses, and these and the trials through which lic has passed would have broken down many a physically stronger but less resolute man. Without aid from family or relations, he has passed through a trying ordeal, and come out successful. He is all activity and ambition, and we may expect from him in the future years a yet more advanced and honorable career.

* IIer memoir was published in the Methodist Magazine, vol. v. (1822), p. 415, written by Elder Horace Agard.

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History of Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins and Schuyler counties, New York, Part 48

Author: Peirce, H. B. (Henry B.) cn; Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Ensign Number of Pages: 1112

Author: Peirce, H. B. (Henry B.) cn; Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Ensign
Number of Pages: 1112