USA > New York > Erie County > Elma > History of the town of Elma, Erie County, N.Y. : 1620 to 1901 > Part 21
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Within the last few years there had been many alterations in the roads in the town of Elma, and many of these alterations had not been properly recorded in the "Records of Roads" in the Town Clerk's office, so that the records were in such shape that a description of many of the roads could not be ascertained.
The Board of Supervisors, on the petition of Eli B. Northrup, Supervisor of the Town of Elma, in October, 1889, ordered a re- survey of the roads in the town, and a revision of the "Record of Roads" for the Town of Elma.
The survey of the roads of the town was made under the supervision and direction of Mr. Jacob Heim, Commissioner of Highways of the town, the surveys were recorded and a revision
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of the Records completed and signed by the Commissioners, February 15th, 1890.
The "Jamison Road" postoffice was established this year at the crossing of the railroad and Jamison Road, with Ernst Bleeck as postmaster.
1890.
On January 13th, 1890, a great and sudden change of weather occured. It had been warm for the season, with rain on three days, when on the morning of the thirteenth, the mercury commenced going down and fell eighteen degrees in one hour, between nine and ten o'clock a. m. and from 65° at 7 a. m. to 30° at 9 p. m., with high wind.
In the months of May and June of this year we had seventeen and three-quarter inches of rain, and fifty-seven inches in one hundred and twenty-eight days.
Albert Price bought the central part of Lot 71 on the north side of the Clinton Street Road and moved into the house in April of this year.
The Farmers' Alliance of Spring Brook erected a building for a hall, etc., on Esquire Ward's lot on the south side of the Plank Road where they held their meetings and by and through their agent ordered and received such articles as the individual members required.
George D. Briggs this year built two new houses on the west side of the Bowen Road near the south line of Lot 58; also a plank sidewalk on the west side of the road from the south line of Lot 58 to the south end of the bridge across the creek. He built a silo at the west end of his stables near the creek, and moved the building near the bridge, which was formerly used as a store, about fifty feet west to be used as a milkhouse and moved the tenant house from south of the brick house on top of the hill, to the bank of the creek, where the old store formerly stood.
Deed from J. B. Briggs to Elma Cemetery Association June 16th, 1890.
James T. Hurd moved into his new house on Lot 58, June 1st.
An Epworth League Society was organized in the M. E. Church of Elma village on July 6th.
The Erie County Farmers' Institute held a meeting in the park in Elma Village, July 26th.
For population of Elma by United States Census for 1890, see Chapter XXI.
The Winspear bridge across the Big Buffalo Creek being unsafe and partly fallen, the Town Board on July 28th, directed the Commissioner of Highways to take down the old bridge and then
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to build a new iron bridge in the same place. The new bridge was finished in the fall.
On August 5th, the Town Board divided the Town of Elma into two election districts; the dividing line to begin on the Marilla town line, at the corner of Lots 1 and 2, of the Aurora part of the town, thence west on lot lines to the centre of the Bowen Road, thence north in the centre of the road to the old town line at the corner of lots 48, 52, 55 and 60; thence west on lot lines to the Transit; the south part to be District No. 1, and the north part to be District No. 2.
The east abutment of the Bullis bridge was rebuilt this summer, all of solid limestone. Contract price, $475.
A plank sidewalk was built this summer from the Spring Brook railroad station, south to the north side of the plank road in Spring Brook Village, then along the northeast side of the road to the east line of the Thayer Place ; total distance about one and three-quarter miles.
Charles H. Sweet and John Conners each built a nice dwelling house in Spring Brook at the west end of the village in the summer of 1890.
348 votes were polled in the town at the election of November 4th.
Harvey J. Hurd bought of C. W. Hurd, November 26th, 1890, the south part of Lot 60 and the northeast part of Lot 52.
In August, 1891, Mr. Charles W. Harrah of Detroit, Michigan, came to Buffalo to look over the country near by and surrounding Buffalo for the purpose of starting a suburban village on or near some railroad, and so near to the city as to be convenient for labor- ers and persons doing business in the city.
After a careful examination of the territory, he decided that Spring Brook station, on the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad in the town of Elma was the right place for his village.
On August 28th, 1891, Harrah bought of Catharine Hager twenty- five acres, being the northeast part of Lot 95, lying on both sides of the railroad and on the west side of the Pound Road.
On August 29th, he secured forty-nine acres of Mrs. Hannah Winspear, being the south part of Lot 94, on the north side of the Bullis Road, and on the west side of the Winspear Road.
On September 4th, he bought of Thomas Summerfield, land lying west of the Hager land on Lot 95 between the Bullis Road and the railroad, making in all about eighty acres of land.
This land was surveyed in August and September by Mr. Mason L. Brown, Civil Engineer, into blocks, and numbered from one to sixteen, each block being surrounded by a street or avenue; and the blocks were sub-divided into lots, generally of 25x100 feet,
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except that the lots on both sides of the Bullis Road were 26 or 27x 100 feet in size. A public alley, ten feet wide was in the rear of every lot.
The total number of the lots thus surveyed and numbered with marked stakes was 923.
Harrah had the streets and avenues nicely graded and a three foot sidewalk on one or both sides of several of these streets and avenues.
A map of the village was made and filed in the County Clerk's office in Buffalo, under cover numbered 430.
This new village was called Spring Brook on the map, but later, in some way, it got the name of Crystal City.
Harrah was now ready to sell the lots and after making the nec- essary arrangements with the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad Company, he advertised in the Buffalo papers, and by circulars, and hand-bills, "that on Thursday, September 17th, Saturday, September 19th and Tuesday, September 22d, special free trains would leave Buffalo for Spring Brook each day at 9.00 a. m., 10.30 a. m. and 2.30 p. m., absolutely free going and coming, no tickets required."
One hundred lots were offered at $17.00 each ; other lots at $20.00, $25.00, $30.00, $35.00 each, that being the highest price.
Warranty Deeds were to be given when payment was made and to the first fifty persons purchasing one or more lots who would build, finish and occupy a house as a residence within one year from the date of the purchase, the price paid for the lot would be re- funded by Harrah.
The free ride on the cars and the low price of the lots caused a great rush of people from Buffalo to visit, if not to purchase lots in the new Spring Brook on the three days above named.
As the lots were not all sold on these three days, free trains were advertised to run on the afternoons of September 28th, October 1st, 17th and 23d, when 808 of the 923 lots had been sold to 286 differ- ent persons. Harrah then made a lump sale of the balance of the lots to Cole & Sweet, and Eli B. Northrup of Spring Brook.
The streets and avenues as laid out and named on the map, were as follows:
Streets: Seneca, Vine, North, and South Railroad.
Avenues: Beach, Elm, Laurel, Linden, Magnolia, Oak, Spring Brook and Winspear.
A public alley ten feet wide was at the rear of all the lots.
Cole, Sweet & Northrup sold several lots to different individuals after they bought of Harrah.
Later, Northrop acquired the interest held by Cole & Sweet and also the title from several of the first purchasers of lots.
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At the time of the sale of lots, it was thought by many that the low price of the lots and Harrah's offer to return the purchase price of the lots, where houses were built and occupied within the year, together with the cheap fare offered by the railroad company, would induce many persons, especially city laborers, to build houses and change their residences from Buffalo to Spring Brook; but only two families took advantage of Harrah's offer, and the New Spring Brook as a village seems to be a failure.
Some of the owners of lots pay the taxes and thus hold possession ; some are offering to convey their lots to any one who will pay the back taxes and pay for the transfer papers, and a few allow their lots to be sold for taxes, thus giving up all hope of realizing any- thing in the future.
Harrah, in selling the lots, did not sell or convey any title to the streets and avenues, and on April 16th, 1892, Charles W. Harrah petitioned the commissioner of Highways of the Town of Elma to have the said streets and avenues taken as public highways of the town and to have them so described and recorded in the town Clerk's office, and at the same date, he released to the town of Elma the streets and avenues as surveyed and laid out on the afore men- tioned map.
On July 1st, 1892, William J. Cole, E. Lawton, Eli B. Northrup, Charles H. Sweet, George Leger, William Bridgman, A. W. Smedes and Mary E. Hurd, petitioned the Commissioner of Highways of the Town of Elma, to have the streets and avenues as surveyed and laid out, and as described in the petition of Charles W. Harrah, dated April 16th, 1892, duly laid out as public highways of the Town of Elma, and to be duly described and recorded in the office of the Town Clerk of the Town of Elma.
On February 1st, 1895, Henry E. Bancroft, as Commissioner of Highways, ordered that the prayers of the above petitioners be and the same are hereby accepted, and he ordered and declared, that the said streets and avenues be a part of the highways of the said Town of Elma, and that the said streets and avenues on Lot 95, south of the railroad, be joined to and form part of Road Dis- trict No. 21; and that the streets and avenues on Lots 94 and 95, north of the railroad be joined to and form a part of Road District No. 41 of the Town of Elma.
1891.
For the names of officers elected at the town meeting held on March 3d and November 3, see Chapter XXI.
At the March meeting, 264 votes were polled and at the Novem- ber town meeting 310 votes were polled; at the general election, November 3d, 482 votes were polled.
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The Elma Cemetery Road was laid out in July, 1891.
Jacob Jerge, after his return from Europe, remodeled and made extensive alterations in the Dutton house, (so called) on the west side of Main Street in Elma Village.
Dr. Albert H. Briggs, an Elma boy, but now a resident of Buffalo, celebrated his forty-ninth birthday by giving a "Clam Bake" in the Elma Village Park on September 9th, 1891, where more than 100 of his Elma and Buffalo friends met by invitation to partake of a bountiful feast of good things provided for the inner man; and while seated at the tables, which had been arranged in a hollow square, to enjoy the after dinner speeches and songs were given which reminded one of days that had passed, and which were good and refreshing to the head and heart.
On September 17th, the many friends of Mr. Clark W. Hurd met at his house in Elma Village to extend happy greetings and good wishes to Mr. Hurd, it being his eighty-fifth birthday. A bountiful repast was furnished by the family, and was greatly enjoyed by all present.
The golden wedding of Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Briggs, celebrated at their home October 28th, was the occasion of another gathering in Elma Village, being the third gathering of Elma people within six weeks, to celebrate important events in the individual lives of those whom the people respect, honor and love.
Farm crops in the town were generally good this year; apples especially, a bountiful crop of fine quality.
The trustees of the M. E. Church of Elma Village decided to have a vestibule 10x14 feet built at the front of the church building. Christian Stolle had the contract and the work was commenced December 21st, and was finished in the early part of 1892.
The Young People's Association furnished the money to pay all bills.
We had ten inches of rain on twenty-two days in June and July, and fifty inches on 101 days during the year, and forty-seven inches of snow on fifty days.
1892.
Erastus J. Markham on January 1st, gave to his daughter, Mrs. Louis P. Reuther, (nee Nellie Markham) the store and the goods in the store over the millrace in Elma Village as a New Year's pres- ent.
Eron Woodard's house and the 30x40 foot barn, north of the house at Elma Center, burned at one o'clock p. m., Sunday, January 31st. As only part of the family were at home when the fire started, and there being nothing at hand with which to fight the fire, in a very
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short time the whole interior of the house was in a blaze. The winter's supply of coal which had just been put into the wood-house and several hundred bushels of potatoes which were in the cellar went with the house.
Only a few things were saved from the house, and with these and a few things brought by the neighbors, the family moved into the " Armstrong house," so called, about forty rods south of the fire.
The building and contents were well insured.
At the town meeting held March 8th, 1892, the only officer to be elected was a Justice of the Peace. Mr. Harrison Tillou was elected, only 264 votes polled.
Philip Jerge and Herman Jerge, as the firm of Jerge Brothers, on April 2d, 1892, bought of their father, Jacob Jerge, the two village lots formerly known as the William H. Bancroft, and the Charles A. Dutton lots, on the west side of Main Street in Elma Village with the blacksmith shop, tools and stock then on hand; also other lands on the Chair Factory Road, and Jacob Jerge moved to Lancaster Village; he had been a resident of Elma Village more than forty years, and had built up and carried on the blacksmith and wagon making business more than thirty years.
Mr. R. P. Lee bought the Price place being part of Lots 54 and 59, on the east side of the Bowen Road, and moved into the house May 13th.
Thomas Edwards opened a blacksmith shop in East Elma in July. Frank Metcalf's barn was struck by lightning, and with con- tents burned June 21st, 1892.
Mrs. William Kleinfelder was appointed postmaster of Blossom postoffice in the summer of 1892.
Rev. Louis A. Wright was sent to Elma by the M. E. Conference, commencing his work October 10th.
At the general election held on November 8th, 1892, 529 votes were polled in both districts of the town. Grover Cleveland was elected President.
1893.
The Blossom Fire Company put up a building south of the grist- mill in which to store its implements and for a meeting place of members of the company.
Charles S. Briggs, on April 1st, 1893, bought of Wilbor B. Briggs, a building lot at the northwest corner of the Bowen and Cemetery Roads in Elma Village, and that summer he built a house and moved in, in the fall.
John Edenhoffer, on March 17th, bought of Jerge Brothers, a building lot on the east side of Main Street and the second lot
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south of East Street in Elma Village, and that year built a house, moving in the fall.
George W. Hurd rented his farm Lot 85, on the south side of the Bullis Road, for five years and on April 1st, Hurd moved to Buffalo.
Richard Barnett, in April, rented Kihm's store in Spring Brook for four years, buying the goods and opened the store on his own account. Barnett was appointed postmaster at Spring Brook in October; Edwin H. Dingman was appointed postmaster at Jamison Road this summer; Conrad P. Hensel was appointed postmaster at Blossom postoffice in Herline's store; Henry A. Wright was appointed postmaster at Elma Center in July, 1893.
Frank Slade (Schefferstein) on April 11th bought of Eron Wood- ard a one-sixth acre building lot at Elma Center, adjoining the one- half acre lot of Peter Grader on the south.
The World's Fair was held in Chicago this year, and Elma sent many delegates who brought back astonishing reports as to the wonderful " White City," and of the endless variety, perfectness and beauty of the exhibits.
An Odd Fellows Society was organized in Spring Brook this year. During the summer a company was organized in Spring Brook to put down a gas well. The place selected was on the southwest side of the Plank Road, nearly opposite the Kyser house, on what has for many years been known as the steam mill lot; then owned by Eli B. Northrup. The drill was put down 1240 feet, and it was thought a good supply of gas was in sight; but after shooting the well and not very much increase of gas resulting, the well was plugged and remained so for some years, when, as per contract, the whole reverted to Mr. Northrup.
A new bridge over the Millrace on the Cemetery Road in Elma Village was raised July 28th, and finished in a few days. Then followed a "bee," to haul and place stone and gravel for the ap- proaches to both ends of the bridge.
The west abutment to the Bullis bridge as originally built with a timber foundation, for that part which would be under water so long as the dam across the creek caused a pond; now as the dam had gone left the timber foundation exposed and it had become so decayed that a new stone abutment was a necessity; the contract was let to Monen & Koch for $583.72 with some repairs to the bridge to be completed before fall.
Andrew Slade built a coal and grain house on east side of Bowen Road on Lot 48, northeast of the railroad. The M. E. Society of Spring Brook bought the German Evangelical building lot in the fall of 1893.
Mrs. Pauline Gloss, on October 24th, bought of Mrs. George Kelgus, the house and lot south of the hotel on west side of the
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Bowen Road on Lot 60. 408 votes were polled at the election November 7th, 1893.
1894.
The store which was built by George W. Hatch at East Elma on Lot 10, on the northeast corner of the Jamison and Thompson Roads in 1868, and had been since that time successively occupied by several persons as merchants, viz: George W. Hatch, George and Niles Hatch, Isaac Smith, Harvey C. Palmer, Edwin H. Ding- man, George and James Hatch, George and Leonard Hatch and George W. Hatch to January 13th, 1894, was then sold by George W. Hatch to Charles Burman, both store and goods, and Burman has since that time and in 1900 is the merchant of the place. Geo. W. Hatch was appointed postmaster at East Elma in 1870, and had been postmaster with the different resident merchants as assistants or deputies, until March 2d, 1894, when Charles Burman was ap- pointed postmaster.
On February 9th, 1894, three men commenced to erect a derrick for the purpose of drilling for gas on James T. Hurd's land, on the south side of the Big Buffalo Creek just east of the mouth of Pond Brook. The drill was started at 9 o'clock p. m. February 22d, and was put down 1400 feet and the well was shot on March 27th. The result was too small a supply of gas to be of any use.
The Elma villagers had for some time talked about a plank side- walk to the railroad crossing and station. Several meetings had been held, and a sufficient fund having been raised, the lumber was ordered and was delivered about the middle of March.
Chalres S. Briggs and Cortland C. Briggs had the contract to lay the plank on the west side of the Bowen Road.from the south line of Lot 58, to the railroad crossing.
The residents on the Clinton Street Road furnished the lumber and built the walk from the Clinton Street Road to J. B. Briggs' house, and the villagers completed the walk to the bridge across the Creek.
This made a plank walk from Clinton Street to the railroad, a distance of about two miles, all finished April 1st.
The gas well near the Buffalo Creek in Elma Village proving a failure, "The Municipal Gas Co., " was organized, with Harvey J. Hurd, James T. Hurd, Geo. D. Briggs, R. P. Lee, J. Eddie Briggs, and Myron H. Clark, of Elma Village, and Eli B. Northrup and Charles H. Sweet of Spring Brook, as directors. The company commenced drilling for gas on the east side of the Bowen Road and near the south line of Lot 55, on land owned by Harvey J. Hurd.
The drill was put down about 1800 feet, with some show of gas and the well was shot, which seemed to increase the supply. The
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company applied to the Town Board for the right and privilege to lay pipe along the streets, highways and alleys of the town of Elma, for the purpose of conducting natural gas through the same. The petition was acted upon by the Town Board April 16th, 1894, and the privileges were granted; R. T. Barnet, supervisor; Henry A. Wright, Town Clerk; James A. Woodard, Harrison Tillou and W. B. Briggs, Justices of the Peace, signing the grant. The company ordered and received 3-inch pipe, which was laid from the well to the west side of the Bowen Road, and along the west side of the road and across the creek and to the house of J. B. Briggs, and connections were made from the main pipe to gas meters placed in the houses of James T. Hurd, Geo. D. Briggs, Myron H. Clark, Erastus J. Markham, J. B. Briggs and Harvey J. Hurd. The supply of gas did not increase, and gradually the pressure went down, and finally became so small that the pipe was taken up, and no use of natural gas has since been made in Elma Village, except what flows from the mouths of some of the resi- dents; that supply is not limited.
Mr. F. L. A. Cady, of Buffalo, on May 10th, bought of Mrs. J. C. Standart, one and one-half acres, adjoining Mrs. Price, on the east side of the Bowen Road and on Lot 59.
Henry A. Wright, Town Clerk, on August 31st, resigned his office, and the same day the Town Board appointed Warren Jackman to fill the vacancy.
On September 1st, Wright sold the goods in the store at Elma Centre to Mrs. Wilkes and her sister, Miss Smith. Mr. Wilkes was acting as agent for the W. N. Y. & P. R. R. Co., at the Elma station.
Wright moved to Buffalo, where he opened a store on Seneca Street at the city line.
The Leger saloon and barn in Spring Brook having burned, a new barn was immediately built, and used as a saloon, while the new hotel was being built, in the summer of 1894.
The Odd Fellows' Society of Springbrook bought a piece of land west of the Union church lot, and erected and finished a nice, large building for a hall and other purposes, all completed in the summer of 1894.
441 votes were polled at the election, November 6th.
All through the months of January, February and into March we had a continuous succession of snow storms, with very high wind and temperature in February from 2º to 14° below zero. All the roads were badly drifted and were nearly impassable for several days; making the worst continuous storm for many years.
At the town meeting held March 12th, 515 votes were polled; for officers elected see Chapter XXI.
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The ice went out of the large streams in the Town of Elma March 25th; no flood to cause damage, only at East Elma, where part of the milldam went out, and Anthony Allen, then owner of the old Hatch-Hemstreet sawmill, decided not to repair the dam, and he soon took down the sawmill. So the "Indian Mill", another old land mark, is gone.
Alexander Sutton, on April 1st, bought of Mrs. Wilkes, the goods in the store at the railroad station at Elma Centre, and on April 5th, 1895, Frank Sutton was appointed postmaster of the Elma Centre postoffice.
The railroad station was on the west side of the tracks, and a driveway separated the station and store, the postoffice being in the store.
Before eleven oclock of the evening of June 18th, fire was dis- covered in the shed, at the west side of the store, among some empty boxes which had been piled in the end of the shed next to the store. When the alarm was given, the fire had worked into the store and in a very few minutes the whole inside of the store was a roaring furnace. Only a few letters and the mail bag were saved; nothing saved from the store.
The fire quickly worked its way to Andrew Slades' coal and lumber office on the north end of the store, and to Slades' shingle shed at the north of the office. There was but little, if any, in- surance.
The fire soon reached the depot building which was quickly consumed.
The body of an empty freight car was utilized as a station until a board shanty was erected, and this served until the rail- road company built the present station on the east side of the tracks, and 200 feet south from the crossing of the Woodward Road.
A carriage road was soon made from the station along the east side of the railroad tracks and east side of Slades' coal and grain building to the Bowen Road, which enabled the Elma Villagers to drive to the station without crossing the tracks.
Alexander Sutton, on June 27th, bought of Eron Woodard a lot on the west side of the Bowen Road, next south of Frank Slades' lot, and put up a building for store and postoffice.
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