USA > New York > Niagara County > Landmarks of Niagara County, New York > Part 27
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early years, was the well known Military Road, or the Niagara Road, as it is frequently called.
In 1820 Alexander Lafferty was keeping a tavern southeast of Roy- alton Center, on the road just mentioned. About the same time Levi Cole opened a hotel in a log house on the corner of what are now Main and State streets in Middleport. Soon afterwards a frame house was built on an opposite corner and Mr. Cole moved into it and kept a tavern until after the beginning of the canal. In 1804 Marvin Harwood opened a small store at Slaton Settlement. He came from Vermont and found great difficulty in hauling into the wilderness his small store of merchandise. About 1818 stores were opened at McNall's Corners and Freeman's Corners, and formed trade centers around which small settlements gathered. James Northam, the first merchant at Middle- port, began business in 1822.
In early years saw mills were scattered about several localities in the town, where a little water power existed ; most of them were aban- doned long ago. Asher Freeman had an early mill, and there were two on Johnson's Creek at Middleport. At Mabee's, a little east of Gasport, was located what was probably the first grist mill in town, and there was also an early saw mill there. It is claimed by some that the first one was on the site of Middleport, while others claim that the first one was on the farm owned in recent years by J. Richardson. F. B. Lane and James Northam operated early grist mills. Many of these were started about 1820-25. In 1828 a carding mill was estab- lished at Middleport, and another on the Richardson farm just men- tioned. In 1817 Benjamin Barlow built and started a distillery at Bar- low's (Freeman's) Corners ; he had also an ashery with which he did a large business. John Mabee also had a distillery about 1821. Asa Scott was an early settler and a blacksmith with a shop at Freeman's Corners in 1817.
William Smith was the first surveyor in this immediate locality and after settlement became active; he was constantly employed in his pro- fession. The first resident physician was Dr. Packard, who came about 1817 and settled about a mile southwest of Middleport. Dr. Chatter- ton soon followed him. In 1820 Dr. John McLoth settled in the south part of the town on the Niagara road, and in 1835 Dr. Peter P. Murphy
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located at Royalton Center, where he practiced many years. The first couple married in the town was Henry Ellsworth and Polly Cornish in 1810. The first white male child born in town was Daniel Vaughn, in 1806.
Among other early settlers prior to 1830 were Spellman Underwood (in 1819), Erastus L. Williams (born in Royalton in 1814), Joseph H. Otis, Asa Carrington, Alanson Doty, Jeremiah Westgate, John Mc- Nall, Elias Safford, William Depue, Levi Leonard, Simon Bixby, Hiram B. Smith, Timothy Paige, Amos Bronson, James Fisk, Jeremiah Tur- ner, Daniel W. Crapsey, George R. Benedict, Lemuel Foster, Richard J. McLeland, John Timmerman, Noah Wheeler, John Woodworth, George Mitchell, Benjamin Hale, George Bugbee, John W. Stone, Ira Weatherby, Jacob Hutchins, Richard Mackey, Thomas Roberts, Asa Westcott, William Adams.
Other early settlers were Avery S. Delano (miller and lumber manu- facturer in Middleport), Henry Dysinger, John Ernest, William Ewing, John Weyand, Oliver L. Wilcox, Gotlob D. Witterman, and Dr. P. Faling.
At this point mention should be made of present or more recent residents of the town, as follows: Joseph and George Arnold, O. D. Bates, Andrew J. and Edward J. Behe, R. H. Bennington, Fred C. Berner, George W. Bowen, John Bowers, Rufus S. Brackett, Nicholas Bowers, B. F. Brownell, Henry H. Bugbee, Arnold Button, Nathan Campbell, William H. Chase, Chauncey Childs, Martin J. Dale, William Dewey, Thomas Dobbins, George Dunbar, Aaron W. Dysinger, Henry Dysinger, Chauncey A. and William Dysinger, George W. Eggleston, Henry Ernest, Isaac N. Ewing, Charles H. Francis, B. F. Freeman, James and John Freeman, William Fritz, William B. Gardner, George W. Good, Washington Good, George B. Holdridge, Solomon Hollen- beck, Charles and John J. Jackson, Cornelius and James R. Ketcham, Hon. Ruthven Kill, John W. La Bar, jr., George W. Lewis, Daniel and Reuben Long, William Luckman, John Mack, John S. Maynard, Jacob Miller, Uriah H. Mitchell, Robert Pearce, Conrad and Christopher Ramming, William W. Ross, John P. Sawyer, John L. Sheldon, Joseph Sheldon, Alfred J. and Pitt H. Smith, George D. Swift, Leroy Sybrandt. Cortez Taylor, Frank Terry, William and Kelsey Todd, William Tur-
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rell, Theodore Van Wagoner, Frederick Walter, J. M. Williams, James Compton (formerly county clerk).
The villages in this town were mostly brought into existence by the construction of the Erie Canal. Royalton Center is an exception, where Carrington Fisk opened his tavern in 1808. He owned the land on which the hamlet stands east of the corners, and a Mr. Dewey on the west. The first post-office in the town was removed from what is now Reynale's Basin (formerly Royalton) to Royalton Center soon after its establishment, another office being established at Reynale's Basin at a later date. A small mercantile business and a few shops have since ex- isted here.
An academy was established at Reynale's Basin in 1837, and a build- ing erected with funds raised by subscription. The first trustees were' Dr. Peter P. Murphy, Anson Baldwin, and William Sibley, all leading citizens. Donald G. Frazer was principal, and an attendance of about ninety pupils was secured. The institution continued about ten years, when it was given up and the building demolished.
The present business interests of Royalton Center consist of two gen- eral stores kept by Norton E. Davison and Chauncey C. Bixby, the harness shop of William E. Graham, a large frame hotel, and a post- office with George W. Good, postmaster.
Wolcottsville, also, does not owe its existence to canal influence. It is situated in the southeast corner of the town, near the Tonawanda Reservation, which extends over the line into Royalton. The land on which Wolcottsville stands was a part of 2,000 acres bought of the Hol- land Company by Anson Wolcott. He settled there in 1847-48. Ehr- ick Sutherland had "squatted" on a part of this tract at an early date. When Mr. Wolcott was located he built a steam saw mill, where Charles H. Schad's store stood in recent years. The mill employed a large num- ber of hands while timber was left to saw. After a few settlers had come in there, Mr. Wolcott, in 1851, deeded his whole tract to four trustees, viz., Frederick Moll, Christian Moll, Frederick Welland and Carl Martins, who laid it out in small lots and in 1872-73 seventy -five families from Prussia settled here, drawing their locations by lot. This gave rise to the name, Prussian Settlement, which has been applied to the immediate section thus settled. After this transfer was made Mr. Wolcott removed his saw mill across into Erie county.
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Joseph Rhodes opened the first hotel in the place in 1866, and a con- siderable trade and shop interest soon came into existence. In 1875 there were in the place seven hotels of all kinds of pretension, five stores, a cigar factory, five wagon and blacksmith shops, a saw mill, two churches, and about 1,000 inhabitants. The present merchants are Albert Retzloff, William Luckmann, W. H. Rhinehart (also postmas- ter), and Mrs. John Hoepsal. Henry Siegler is a hardware dealer and blacksmith.
Middleport is the largest and only incorporated village in Royalton. It is emphatically a canal village, for previous to the opening of the great waterway there was no settlement here, the business of the north- eastern part of the town being done at Freeman's Corners, half a mile to the southward. When the canal was opened business interests rap- idly gathered where Middleport stands. The village takes its name from its being about midway between the canal villages of Lockport and Albion (formerly Freeport). The land on which the village stands was formerly owned by Arunah Bennett on the west side of Main street, south of the canal; by William Taylor on the east side, south of the canal; by Gad Mather on the east side of Vernon street, north of the canal; and by F. B. Lane on the west side of Vernon street, north of the canal.
The opening of Levi Cole's tavern here in a log house soon after 1820 has been noticed. Mr. Cole was imprisoned for a short time for killing a workman on the canal, who was one of a party in his tavern, and who had insulted Mrs. Cole. The man was knocked down by Cole, when the whole party attacked him and in the ensuing struggle he struck one of his assailants with a club and killed him. This was the first homicide in this locality.
James Northam opened the first store in the village in 1822, in a small frame building erected by him about where Main street crosses the canal and near the canal bank. A. S. Baker was his clerk. At that time the canal was not cut through and the trees along the canal line had been cut only recently and the brush was still piled along Main street at that point. Mr. Northam subsequently sold out his business to John Craig and Thomas Dunlap, and they were succeeded by Lane
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& Baker. Mr. Craig was the father-in-law of Daniel W. Powers, of Rochester.
G. and E. Mather established a small tannery in 1824 and also car- ried on a boot and shoe business. Smith & Calkins were blacksmiths about 1820 and later. John Macker began here as a tailor in 1830, the first in the place. He was followed by Messrs. Bridgeman, Stone, Snell and Charles Wilcox. In 1840 John Van Brocklin established a blast furnace, the first and only one ever in the village ; it was later operated by his son.
Among other old-time merchants of Middleport were Timothy Bray, grocer ; A. G. Taylor, drugs ; James P. Compton, hardware ; Alden S. Baker, who was also a justice of the peace ; Roswell Kelsey, Albert Day, David Gardner (of Gardner & House) L. T. Mather, B. P. Barnes (afterward the owner of the flouring mill now operated by John F. Little & Son), Peirce & McClean, Linus Spalding, Mason & Son, Jonas P. Lane, William S. Fenn, Harvey Francis, Ferdinand Hinchey, S. N. Spalding, Daniel Van Brocklin, and Davis Brothers (lumber). A. D. Rich has been a hotel keeper here for about twenty-three years; he built his present brick hotel in 1884 on the site of a frame house, which burned.
The present (1897) business interests of Middleport are carried on by M. E. Dobmeyer and F. M. Smith, dry goods; E. F. Lahey and Max Harpuder, clothing; W. H. Garland and G. A. Wickham, shoes ; A. K. Laird, L. H. Spalding, C. W. Platts, Joseph Lewis and Carey Brothers ; Edgar B. French and W. I. Van Brocklin, hardware; Compton & Ben- nett, furniture ; C. R. Dunkin, jewelry; Jerry Tracy, bakery ; C B. Taylor, drugs and banking ; L. S. Freeman, banking ; William D. Hoyt and W. J. Hinchey, notions ; Lee Compton, meats ; Robert Pearce, harness.
William J. Sterritt located in Middleport in 1867 and established a cooperage business, which still continues. In 1878 he purchased a heading mill. In 1884, with Messrs. Eddy and Rowley, he bought the Middleport paper mill property and in 1886 became sole owner. In 1891 he organized the Hartland Paper Company for the manufacture of box boards; the capacity is 2,500 tons per annum.
The Royalton Door Company succeeded the Middleport Manufac-
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turing Company in 1896, and does a large business. The Batavia Pre- serving Company, of which Charles H. Francis is manager, is another important concern in Middleport.
The Middleport Union School District No. I was organized August II, 1891, with the following Board of Trustees: H. A. Wilmot, presi- dent; George D. Judson, clerk ; William J. Sterritt, Linus S. Freeman and George A. Wickham. The present (1897) board consists of William J. Sterritt, president ; George F. Thompson, clerk ; Rev. James J. Roche, George G. Judson, Linus S. Freeman and Dr. John B. Hoyer. The principal is Frederick R. Stevens. The old stone school house was enlarged by a brick addition in 1893 at a cost of about $6,500.
The Middleport Library Association was formed in 1873, by Rev. James H. Dennis, with the following officers : President, C. W. Gould ; secretary, E. L. Downey ; librarian and treasurer, E. A. Phillips. The first collection of books was donated by citizens of the village; these were added to by funds obtained from several lecture courses. The institution, after several years of usefulness, finally went down.
The Middleport Mail was issued as a weekly newspaper for several years by S. H. Clark. In September, 1888, J. E. Cooper established the Middleport Herald, which in September, 1885, was sold by him to W. John Hinchey, the present editor and publisher.
W. John Hinchey, editor and publisher of the Middleport Herald, is a son of Ferdinand and Emeline (Horsfall) Hinchey, and was born Feb- ruary 8, 1869, in Middleport, N. Y., where his parents settled at the close of the civil war. His father was a cigar manufacturer, postmaster, and merchant in that village, and died December 23, 1889. Mr. Hinchey was educated in the Middleport Union school and the Clinton Liberal Institute at Fort Plain, N. Y., graduating from the latter in 1889. After teaching school for two years he engaged in mercantile business in his native village, and in September, 1895, became the editor and publisher of the Middleport Herald, which he has made one of the leading papers of the county.
Middleport has always been an excellent market for produce, not only during the period when it all had to be shipped by canal, but also since the completion of the branch of the Central Railroad. This was the chief factor in its rapid growth during the first twenty years of its
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existence. The population had become so numerous and public affairs of so much importance, that village incorporation at length seemed de- sirable. Accordingly a village election to vote upon the proposition was held February 26, 1859, and a vote favorable to the change was polled. The first election of village officers was held March 22, 1859, and the following were elected trustees : A. J. Baker, B. P. Barnes, Horace Pierce, Thomas F. Smith, and F. S. Taylor. The first official meeting was held March 28, and Francis S. Taylor was chosen president of the board. Since that time the successive presidents have been as follows :
1860, Milton Seaman; 1861, Francis S. Taylor; 1862-3, Allen H. Pierce; 1864, A. S. Baker; 1865-67, Milton Seaman; 1868, Avery S. Delano; 1869, John Todd; 1870, John N. Dunn; 1871, A. H. Pierce; 1872, Henry McClean, jr., who was appointed March 26 and served to June 3, 1872, when a new village charter went into force under which the president was elected by the people and Avery S. Delano was chosen. The number of trustees was also reduced to three. 1873, C. R. Blakslee ; 1874, Henry McClean, jr., 1875, Charles H. Francis; 1876, J. H. Dunn; 1877-78, Charles H. Francis; 1879, C. W. Laskey; 1880, Benjamin F. Freeman; 1881-82, Henry McClean; 1883, Charles H. Francis; 1884-85, Henry McClean ; 1886-88, Will- iam J. Sterritt; 1889-90, Charles H. Francis; 1891, Thomas W. Jackson ; 1892, Ezra B. De Lano; 1893, George W. Eddy; 1894, Edward J. Tuttle; 1895, William J. Sterritt; 1896, Edward J. Tuttle; 1897, Michael E. Carey.
The other village officers for 1897 are :
Everett A. Pearce, clerk; Alfred J. Lewis, Romiro E. Hunt, and Michael O'Shaugh- nessey, trustees; Truman Jennings, collector; Lewis H. Spalding, treasurer; N. L. Wallace, street commissioner; William D. Aldrich, light commissioner.
The fire department of Middleport was organized in 1884, and con- sists of the W. J. Sterritt Engine Co., the L. H. Spalding Hose Co., and the A. D. Rich Hook and Ladder Co. Dr. Eli Clark is chief ; James Brath, first assistant ; Clark D. Brewer, second assistant. In 1888 a reservoir was built for fire purposes ; later another was added, and this year (1897) two more are being constructed. In 1895 a new steam engine gave place to an old horse power engine. Prior to the organization of the present fire department the village was protected from fire by a few hydrants supplied with water from private sources.
Gasport is a small village the existence of which is largely due to the canal. It is situated about midway between Lockport and Middleport. It has been stated that Samuel Hitchcock built the first house here
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about 1824, and kept the first tavern. He owned a good deal of the land on which the village stands, other portions being formerly owned by Col. Jonathan Mabee and a Mr. Melick. The village derives its name from the fact that inflammable gas formerly rose from certain springs that were subsequently destroyed in digging the canal. After some experimenting, the gas from these springs was confined and sent into pipes which were laid to a store and warehouse in the village, which were well lighted for a time. The first flouring mill here was built by Col. Jonathan Mabee a little northeast of the village on Eight- een-mile Creek, and about the same time Andrew and Amos Brown had a saw mill south of the village. The first store in the place was opened in 1823 by Sextus Shearer. A Mr. Woolworth was an early wagon maker, and a Mr. Marcy a blacksmith. Dr. Timothy Y. G. Page was the first physician. A. Colwell was the first postmaster. The present merchants are Caleb C. McNair and Blakeman & Pease, general stores, Samuel G. Barton, grocer and postmaster ; and Mesler & Pease, hardware. Charles L. Wilson is proprietor of the hotel here.
To promote education in Gasport an academy was founded in 1850, through the organization of a stock company, and a brick building 25 by 40 feet in size and two stories high was erected. William Crocker was chosen principal and about seventy pupils attended. The institu- tion received a fair patronage during nearly twenty years, when it was closed and the building sold to the Congregational church for a par- sonage.
After the opening of a store and John McNall's tavern at McNall's Corners, in 1818, on the Niagara road, a little hamlet grew up about it and for a time small business interests were maintained there. In recent years a post-office has existed there under the name McNall's. The hamlet is about two miles west of Royalton Center.
The hamlet of Reynale's Basin, is situated on the canal about five miles west of Middleport. It was formerly a point of considerable im- portance for shipping produce and the first post office in the town was established here ; it was subsequently removed to Royalton Center, as before stated. When Middleport and Gasport began their rapid devel- opment, business at this place declined and has almost disappeared. The place derives its name from George Reynale, who located here as
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soon as the canal was completed and built a frame structure on the north side of the canal and west of the road crossing there. He opened a grocery and soon began buying staves and heading and other prod- ucts of the locality. Cornelius Mock has a general store there. John W. Shafer came here about 1857, from Johnson's Creek, and engaged in the mercantile business for nine years, when he built his present cold storage plant.
Dysinger, in the central part of the town, is a post-office estab- lished in recent years. The place derives its name from the Dysinger family, who have lived in the neighborhood for many years. There is a Baptist church there, but no business of account.
Orangeport, a post office and hamlet in the northwest part of the town, on the Erie Canal, was originally settled by Joshua and Thomas Slaton. The former was the real founder of the place, and gave the sites for the first church, blacksmith shop, and burying grounds, the latter of which is the oldest in town, the first burial in it being that of a Mr. Elsworth in 1804. The post-office was established about 1850 with a Mr. Hart as postmaster. There is now a hotel and the store of Mrs. M. E. Atwood.
South Royalton is a locality in the south part of the town, and be sides a few houses contains a frame M. E. church.
The Mountain Ridge Cemetery Association was organized June 16, 1848, with Alanson T. Odell, president; Philip Freeman, M. W. Bal- dwin, Oliver Brown, James Culver E. Odell, Franklin Knapp, and Stephen Green, trustees. The cemetery is located four and one half miles southwest of Middleport.
Of the early schools in this town there is not much record. The first one was probably established in or near the Slaton Settlement, where the first comers located. There was a school house in district No. 23 as early as 1818, which was at that time the only one south of the Military road. The first teacher there was Margaret Pixley, and Dr. John Mc- Loth taught in the following winter. April 20, 1818, the commissioners of common schools, Allen Williams, Robert H. Henderson, and Benjamin H. Packard, met and divided the town into eight school districts; on May 16 of the same year this number was increased to nine. As the population increased the town was divided and subdivided into school
J. W. SHAFER.
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districts and better school buildings superseded the first ones, which were generally of logs. For the past forty years or more there have been twenty- four districts, which is the present number, with a school house in each. With Cambria, Wheatfield, Lockport and Pendleton the town constitutes the first commissioner's district.
The first religious services and the first church organization were in- stituted at or near the site of Orangeport. Prayer meetings were held at first until considerable interest was awakened, when the first preacher, Oliver Castle, came to the neighborhood. In June, 1813, Elders Joel Doubleday and Joel Nathaniel Brown came and baptized a number of persons. In August, 1817, a memorable revival began, and during that year seventy-three persons were baptized. In the sum- mer of 1818 a frame church was built, but it was not wholly finished until six years later; it is believed to have been the first house for public worship on the Holland Purchase. On the 5th of February, 1825, a society was incorporated with the title, The First Christian Society of Royalton, with William Smith, Benjamin Hale, and Nathan Stone, trustees. In that year the church building was painted red and it was always known as the "red meeting house on the hill." In the winter of 1845 it was burned and the new church built on the site. In the spring of 1861 the society purchased the property adjoining on the south for a parsonage.
The Congregational church of Royalton, situated at Gasport, was or- ganized October 5, 1817, by Rev. Eleazar Fairbanks, a missionary, with seventeen members. The present church edifice was built in 1848, from which time the church was without a settled pastor for many years ; but the pulpit was supplied with considerable regularity. In 1877 Rev. Edward Harwood was settled with the church. The society purchased the brick academy building in 1870 for a parsonage.
The Methodist Episcopal church of Royalton was organized through the work of a class formed in April, 1818, by Daniel Shepherdson and Cyrus Story, circuit preachers ; Joel Bixby was the first leader. There were sixteen members and meetings were held every four weeks at the house of the leader. The first trustees were elected in 1836, and the original church edifice was erected in 1838; it was rebuilt in 1862, is of brick and originally cost $3,000. The society has had a flourishing career.
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the night before the capture of Fort Niagara, in December, 1814, as described in earlier chapters. This town possesses scenery of great beauty and grandeur, and its history in early years is replete with tales of stirring events.
Upon the erection of the town the first town meeting was ordered held at the house of Sparrow Sage, and the second was held at the house of John Gould. The date of the first meeting was April 7, 1818, and it was presided over by Rufus Spalding and Gideon Frisbee, justices of the peace. The following officers were then elected :
Supervisor, Rufus Spalding; town clerk, Oliver Grace; assessors, Benjamin Bar- ton, Amos M. Kidder and William Miller; highway commissioners, John Beach, - Aaron Childs, Reuben Reynolds; overseers of the poor, Jacob Townsend and Arthur Gray; school commissioners, Joshua Fairbanks, William Miller and Rufus Spalding; inspectors of schools, Amos M. Kidder, Reuben Reynolds and William Hotchkiss; constable and collector, Eleazer Daggett; sealer of weights and measures, Amos S. Tryon. Eleven overseers of highways were also chosen, one for each of the districts into which the town was divided.
The usual ordinances for governing the town, regulating the restric- tion of domestic animals, placing a bounty on bear scalps, raising $200 for improvement of roads, and $75 for support of the poor, were voted at the first town meeting, and added to at subsequent meetings, as necessity demanded.
The supervisors of Lewistown have been as follows :
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