Landmarks of Tompkins County, New York : including a history of Cornell University, Part 18

Author: Hewett, Waterman Thomas, 1846-1921; Selkreg, John H
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1194

USA > New York > Tompkins County > Landmarks of Tompkins County, New York : including a history of Cornell University > Part 18

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The other mill making book and newspaper papers at Fall Creek passed through various hands to S. H. Laney, of Elmira, and from him to M. H. Arnot. In February, 1892, the Elmira Stamping and Paper Company was incorporated, with A. A. Watters, president; T. H. Far- ley, vice-president; P. B. Smith, secretary. C. A. Brown is superin- tendent. White paper only is made.

The business of tanning leather is almost always a pioneer industry in all new settlements in this country, the cause of which is obvious in the ready supply of bark. Captain Comfort Butler, who came to Ithaca before 1808, built a tannery on the southeast corner of Aurora and Buffalo streets, the latter street not being then open. In later years the building became a residence.

This tannery was conducted prior to 1821 for some time by William Butler and George Carpenter, who dissolved partnership in August of that year, and Captain Butler commanded a boat running between Ithaca and Syracusc. He was drowned in Cayuga Lake, November 21, 1821. One of his daughters was the wife of A. P. Searing. In April, 1822, Rev. William Brown leased the tannery. One of his ad- vertisements reads: "If there should be any gentlemen who wish to

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have their hides or skins tanned on shares, they may rely they shall have justice done them." The italics are his.

Daniel Bates settled in Ithaca about 1812, and purchased of Mr. Gardner a tannery which stood on the east side of Aurora street, nearly opposite where William W. Esty recently lived, on the (then) north branch of the Six Mile Creek. To obtain additional water Mr. Bates built a dam in Cascadilla Creek, directly south of the Cascadilla Mill, diverting the water into a raceway. Cooper, Pelton & Co. succeeded Mr. Bates in the tannery, and it afterwards passed, with other property, to John Tichenor. It long ago disappeared.

In 1816 George Blythe built a wool carding and cloth dressing fac- tory on Aurora street, north of the tannery of Mr. Bates and directly over the creek. In May, 1820, it was removed by its builder to Ben- nett's plaster mill at Fall Creek, and in 1825 he transferred the machin- ery to the mill then owned by A. D. W. Bruyn on Six Mile Creek. It must have been brought back to its original site, for Samuel J. Blythe was operating it there in 1841, and afterwards George J. Blythe carried on the business.

Virgil D. and Ben Morse had an oil mill which they operated many years on the lowest water power from the Willow Pond. The business was finally abandoned.

A Mr. Robinson built a grist mill prior to 1818 on Six Mile Crcek, which in the year named passed to Archer Green, and David Booth Beers put a carding machine in the building. A. D. W. Bruyn next owned the property about 1825, and Otis Eddy carried on a small cot- ton factory there. It was to this building that Mr. Blythe transferred his wool carding business in 1826, as above stated. The structure was changed in 1838, under the ownership of Jacob M. McCormick, into an oil mill. About the year 1851 it was superseded by him with a flouring mill, which was burned in 1853.

General John Smith 1 purchased the Solomon Bryant farm on East Hill some time between 1795 and 1801, and soon afterwards became inter- ested in real estate on the flat, which included the site of the historical

' John Smith and R. W. Pelton laid out in lots that part of Aurora street from the bridge to Seneca street. This was before 1814. Smith's plat of Ithaca village is mentioned many times in the old records of real estate in the section alluded to. Lot No. 1 of Smith's plat was the southeast corner of Seneca and Aurora streets, which is mentioned in old records as "the same premises formerly occupied by Luther Gere."

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Halsey's mill, which stood nearly on the site of the abandoned electric light and power station, which is now used only as a storehouse for idle cars. Smith probably built a grist mill, and perhaps a dis- tillery, and the grist mill he sold to Judge Salmon Buell before 1811. About 1814 Judge Buell conveyed the mill property to David Woodcock and Daniel Shepard, and they, in September, 1818, to Phineas Bennett and Phineas Bennett, jr. The Bennetts purchased also land west of the mill site on the turnpike (now State street). In December, 1820, the Bennetts sold a quarter interest to Edward Davidson, and a little prior to this the three partners (Bennetts and Davidson) joined in an agreement with Daniel Bates to permit on their part the waters of Six Mile Creck to be conveyed by the channel already formed to Mr. Bates's tannery; Mr. Bates agreeing on his part to de- fend any suits for damage that might be brought by reason of such diversion. This agreement caused much subsequent litigation. Mr. Bates and Archer Green were contemporaries in the use of the water, which did not always supply both the mill and the tannery; hence, in the summer of 1822, Green built a dam which kept the water from the north branch. Bates removed the dam, which was replaced by Green. Finally the two met one day and Bates threw Green into the creek. Mr. Bates then sought his supply of water from the Cascadilla, as be- fore stated.

In the year 1820 C. W. E. Prescott opened a store on the west side of Aurora street, near State. In 1821 he removed to his new store, then lately built on the corner of Tioga and State streets, now owned by James T. Morrison. In 1823 he built the "Ithaca Brewery, " on the east side of Six Mile Creek, below Clinton street. The brewery in 1826 passed to O. H. Gregory and Wait T. Huntington, who were then in mercantile business in what became a part of the Treman, King & Company's store. The brewery became the property of Mr. Hunting- ton, and the business was superintended for years by Mr. Gregory. After passing through various ownerships, and continuing in operation to about the time of the breaking out of the war, the building was burned in 1878.

In 1824 Jonathan Bridges built what was called the " Eagle Factory," on the northeast corner of Cayuga and Clinton streets, water power being taken from Six Mile Creek with a dam a little north of Clinton street. Mr. Bridges manufactured woolen goods here for many years. The property passed into the hands of James Raymond, but the

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business was finally abandoned and the building was vacant for many years, except as it was the headquarters of the Millerites during the excitement preceding the date when they believed they were to be transferred to another and a better sphere. The sect was quite numer- ous and very enthusiastic, and there are probably persons living in Ithaca to-day who threw away money publicly, upon the expectation that they would never have an opportunity of spending it. The night of the expected end of all things earthly some rogues set fire to the building and it was burned down.

In the year 1832 Alvah Beebe built a stone grist mill on the Spencer road, a short distance from its intersection with Cayuga street; the power was from Six Mile Creek, by a dam a few rods below the site of the brewery, the water running in a race cut in the shale rock on the southerly bank of the creek. The mill was burned in 1840.

In 1826 a cotton factory was started on the East Hill by Otis Eddy, who had already begun the business in a small way, as before stated. On the 4th of July of that year the foundation of the dam, which still exists, was laid by Mr. Eddy, assisted by Joseph Esty, Joel Palmer, Isaac Kennedy, and the usual contingent of boys. This dam and the Willow Pond at Cascadilla Place were finished and the mill started about the beginning of 1827. The building was of stone quarried near by. It will be remembered that Solomon Southwick described the property in 1834 as "a cotton factory, store, and about twenty dwell- ings." The factory contained 1, 600 spindles and turned out 1,000 yards of cotton cloth daily. The mill property was bounded on the west by Eddy street, as now opened, and extended east along the Cascadilla. The manufacture of cotton goods was abandoned after twelve years as unremunerative, and the old factories, which had long been unoccupied, were removed in 1866 to make room for the large stone structure called Cascadilla Place, now owned by the university.

A machine shop was also established on the East Hill by Otis Eddy, and there Ezra Cornell began work in 1829, under a year's engage- ment. This was removed and Cascadilla Place erected on its site.

The manufacture of hats was carried on in Ithaca at an early day somewhat extensively, as it was then in many small places. Henry and Julius Ackley came from New London, Conn., to Ithaca in 1809, and were long residents of the place. Both built dwellings for them- selves. Henry Hibbard came soon after the Ackleys and joined with them, under the firm name of Ackleys & Hibbard, in the manufacture

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and trade in hats. They were in business on the corner of Buffalo and Aurora streets, and about 1815 removed to a brick structure, the first one built in the place, erected by William Lesley, on the north side of Owego (now State) street, east of Aurora street. Julius Ackley retired from the firm in 1820, and the other partners, under the style of Ackley & Hibbard, removed to another store " a few rods west of the hotel " on Owego street. Julius Ackley then began business again in the former location, and soon after took another brother, Gibbons J. Ack- ley, as partner. A few years later he joined with Ebenezer Jenkins in a general store on the southeast corner of State and Cayuga streets, where he had erected a brick building (now occupied by Treman, King & Co.).

John Whiton had a cabinet shop in 1816-17 on the west side of Au- rora street just south of Seneca. He removed to another location and was succeeded by his son Luther. Jobn Whiton died March 24, 1827. His son who bore his name was long a prominent business man, and sons Luther and George also carried on a cabinet and furniture estab- lishment on Aurora street.

The present Cascadilla grist mill was built in 1846 by T. S. Williams, who died in 1848 and the property passed to Sage & Shaw. The firm afterwards changed to J. E. Shaw & Co., and in 1858 it was purchased by H. C. Williams. It is now owned by the Williams estate, and is under lease to John E. Van Natta.

The account of these old industries may be closed with a little more of Mr. Southwick's writing concerning them. He says:

I descended the creek again, and determined to take a walk along the northern verge. The first object that presents itself here is General Simeon De Witt's grist mill,1 erected twenty years since. It has two runs of stone, is farmed out to Mr. John Brown. and grinds on an average 25 bushels per day; can grind 100.

Next comes William P. Stone's window-sash, picket and lath factory; here about 50,000 lights are turned out annually. A looking-glass factory is the next establish- ment, not, however, in a flourishing condition at present.

Next to this is John J. Hutchings's chair and turning factory. Only from three to four hands are employed steadily in this factory, which turns out about 1,600 Wind- sor chairs annually. Present price from $10 to $12 per dozen.

The grist mill, the sash and the chair factories are carried on by water power. Immediately above the chair factory is a large building erected for an oil mill, and used as such for some time, but is now at a stand.

1 Near the mill was also a distillery, owned by Mr. De Witt. The structure used as a grist mill is now the plaster mill of Mr. H. C. Williams's estate, but the distillery has not survived the " tidal wave " of time.

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THE ITHACA CALENDAR CLOCK COMPANY .- This has long been one of the leading industries of Ithaca, and the village has the honor of being the place of residence of the inventor of the first calendar to be moved by machinery. The inventor was J. H. Hawes, who took out his patent in 1853. It did not register the extra day in February in leap year, and was otherwise imperfect. In 1854 W. H. Akins, 1 of Caro- line, invented an improvement on this calendar, removing most of its defects, and he sold his rights to Huntington & Platts, who brought it to Ithaca to the Mix Brothers to manufacture. These brothers made further improvements for which patents were granted in 1860 and 1862, and after a few years of manufacture of large bank clocks, Hunt- ington & Platts sold out their rights to the Seth Thomas Clock Com- pany. In the years 1864-5 Henry B. Horton, of Ithaca, a very ingen- ious inventor, perfected a new perpetual calendar, the best one yet made, and in 1865 took out his patent. This patent, with subsequent minor improvements, passed to the Ithaca Calendar Clock Company, which was formed in 1868, with John H. Selkreg president; Samuel P. . Sherwood vice-president; Wm. J. Storms secretary and treasurer. The capital was only $8,000, and the manufacture began on a very limited scale; but the clock was a success and found a ready market, and the business developed rapidly. About 1869 the works were removed to a large building on State street, and the business continued to increase until 1874 when Messrs. Selkreg and Sherwood were succeeded as president and vice-president by B. G. Jayne and Hervey Platts, and the capital was increased to $150,000, while a large three story brick building was erected on the old fair grounds. On February 12, 1876, the entire works were burned, and were immediately rebuilt. In the fall of 1877 Charles H. White succeeded Mr. Storms as secretary and treasurer, and H. M. Durphy was given the general superintendence. At the election of officers in 1894 Charles H. Blair, Otis E. Wood and Charles H. White were chosen to respectively fill the offices of presi- dent, vice-president and secretary and treasurer. The clocks produced by this company have a world wide reputation for excellence.

1 Mr. C. F. Mulks, of Caroline, is authority for the statement that Mr. Akins in- vented the first successful sewing machine feed, the news of which reached some one of the manufacturers of the early machines, who came on and offered Mr. Akins $500 for his invention and would give him but an hour to decide. Akins was a poor man and accepted the pittance for what was worth a fortune.

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THE AUTOPHONE COMPANY .- This company was formed to manufac- turc a musical instrument which is largely automatic, and is the result of inventions of Mr. Henry B. Horton, the inventor of the calendar clock. Many attempts were made to produce a musical instrument which could be played by the uninitiated, and still rise above the toy in character. This desired result is produced by the autophone and its much more valuable successor, the roller organ, which the Autophone Company now manufactures almost wholly. The first patents were granted to Mr. Horton in 1877 and 1878, and were followed by his device for cutting the paper music used in the instruments. A com- pany was thereupon incorporated in 1879 by Francis M. Finch, H. F. Hibbard, and H. B. Horton. Accommodations for manufacturing the autophone were secured in the Clock Company's building, and the popularity of the new instrument was such that the capacity of the works had to be increased several times within the first few years of the business. The manufacture of the original instrument has been now almost wholly superseded by the roller organ, which has been de- vised by the company, an instrument that is far superior to its prede- cessor. Several styles, varying in price, are made, and an almost unlimited collection of music, from which selections may be made, is kept on hand. The officers of the company are H. A. St. John, presi- dent ; H. M. Hibbard, treasurer; W. F. Finch, secretary.

The tannery of Comfort Butler has been mentioned. In the year 1822 Joseph Esty came to Ithaca to become one of its leading citizens. He borrowed $1,000 and at first leased the small tannery, and by indus- try and economy he was able in 1823 to purchase of Simeon De Witt the lot at the corner of Tioga and Green streets, where he erected a large tannery, sinking forty pits in the ground. From 1840 to 1845 Alexander Hart was partner in the business, and from that date to 1852 the firm was Joseph Esty & Son. This was succeeded by his son, Ed- ward S. Esty; the latter was for many years prominent in the various affairs of Ithaca. (See biography).

The tannery was burned in 1871, but was rebuilt on a much larger scale in the western part of the village, and the firm was long in the front rank of the business men of the place. The capacity of the tannery was 50,000 sides of sole leather annually. The firm also operated two other tanneries, one at Candor and one at Cattatonk, in Tioga county. The whole tanning interest was sold out to the United States Leather Company of New York, and Clarence H. and Albert H. Esty are managers of the industry for that company.

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On the site of the Phoenix Iron Works was in early years the foundry of Vincent Conrad, which had been operated still earlier by others. It passed to proprietorship of Moore, Hackett & Company, and later to Titus & Bostwick, who established and largely developed the manufac- turc of the Ithaca wheel horse rake. (See biography of Charles M. Titus). In 1870 the business passed to Bostwick & Williams, who were succeeded in 1872 by Williams Brothers (George R., Henry S. and Roger B. Williams). Since 1883 it has been conducted by Roger B. Williams. The works comprise one of the largest and most successful industries in the city, and manufacture rakes, steam engines, grain sowers, straw and feed cutters, and do a general machine business.

As far back as 1830 a foundry and machine business was in operation on the site of the Masonic Temple on Tioga street, by McCormick & Coy. This concern changed hands frequently, and in 1841 J. S. Reynolds began learning his trade there as a moulder. In 1861 Mr. Reynolds leased the property. In 1865 he took as a partner John B. Lang, a skillful machinist, and the business has continued successfully. The works were established on Green street in August, 1870, where they now are. Steam engines, portable saw mills, land rollers, plows, horse hocs and cultivators, etc., constitute the leading articles made by the firm. Mr. Reynolds died on October 31, 1891.

The Hague Horseshoe Company was incorporated in 1889, with a capital of $50,000, by B. F. Slocum, C. H. Wilcox, William Wilcox and Japhet George, and the works occupy a part of the old Ithaca Organ Company's building in the western part of the village. In 1892 it was changed to the Ithaca Drop Forge Company; capital, $25,000; with C. H. Wilcox, president; William Wilcox, secretary, and B. F. Slocum, manager. A general drop forging business is carried on and special- ties made of the champion chain pipe wrench and the Hague expansion horse shoe.

The fame of the late W. H. Baker as an inventor of guns and their fixtures is well known, and fortunes have been made from them. His latest gun was devised to supply the great demand for a fircarm of moderate price and which should at the same time combinc all the best qualities of the higher priced arms. When the new invention was about perfected Mr. D. McIntyre and J. E. Van Natta became inter- ested in it, and in February, 1883, a partnership was formed by the three men named under the title of the Ithaca Gun Works to manufacture the new gun. In the same year the brick building formerly occupied

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by the bending works at Fall Creek was purchased and the manufacture begun. The gun found a ready market and the sales rapidly increased, rising from a very small number daily to about twenty per day. The gun was greatly improved and special tools manufactured for its various parts. The demand was so great for the new arm that in 1889 the company built a new two-story and basement brick structure, 36 by 165 feet, in which is now located a large part of the gunmaking machinery, as well as the company offices. A new hammerless gun has recently been put on the market by the company which excels in many respects. The company now bears the name of the Ithaca Gun Company and is composed of D. McIntyre estate, L. H. Smith and George Livermore.

In another part of this work is given a sketch of another prominent Ithaca inventor, Charles M. Clinton. A few years ago Mr. Clinton became associated with James McNamara in perfecting a new and im- proved typewriter, on which they have both worked ever since. Patents have been secured on several most valuable improvements, and these and the entire control of the machine have passed to the Ithaca Gun Company, who have put in a plant especially for its manufacture. As this work is going through the press, the new typewriter is about to be placed on the market, with every prospect of its taking rank with the best in the country.

The glass industry has long been a prominent one in Ithaca. The Ithaca Glass Works were established in 1874, changed owners in 1876, and were successfully conducted until 1882, when they were destroyed by firc. The establishment was rebuilt in 1883 under direction of Richard Heageny, the superintendent, who had been with the company since 1876. At the time of the rebuilding the officers of the company were C. F. Blood, president; D. F. Williams, vice-president; William N. Noble, treasurer; Bradford Almy, secretary. In 1889 the works passed under control of the United Glass Company, and are now closed.

In 1882 B. F. Slocum, who had recently come to Ithaca, organized the Washington Glass Company, and was made president and manager of the company. A ten-pot factory was erected and the manufacture of window glass begun. The factory was burned and rebuilt under Mr. Slocum's management in the same year. The business was fol- lowed with success until 1889, when it was also merged in the United Glass Company.

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The Empire Glass Company was permanently organized in 1893 with J. George, president; E. S. Slack, vice-president; Stephen Hutch- inson, treasurer; W. F. George, secretary. Besides these there were in the Board of Directors, C. H. White, E. Gillette, W. Carman, James Hutchinson. The capital was $12,000. The company occupied the factory formerly used by the Washington Glass Company, and have since then carried on a prosperous business. The directors of the company are Adam Frederick, William Carman, Stephen Hutchinson, Edward Slack, W. F. George, Charles H. White, Edward Gillette; J. George, president; W. F. George, secretary; Stephen Hutchinson treasurer.

Hermon V. Bostwick has carried on an extensive cooperage business since 1867. In 1873 his factory was destroyed by fire, but he rebuilt on a larger scale, and has since turned out annually a large quantity of barrels, firkins and other cooper's products. The factory is equipped with all modern machinery for the business.

The lumber manufacturing industry has not been large for many years, the business now being mostly of a local character. Howell & Van Houter established a lumber business on the corner of Tioga and Green streets in 1871, which was purchased by George Small in 1876. In 1881 he built a three-story brick structure and put in modern ma- chinery for working lumber in the various forms required by builders and others. He has two large yards and handles a large quantity of rough and finished lumber annually.

W. H. Perry established a planing mill, lumber business, etc., sev- eral years ago and is still conducting a large and successful business.

Dixon & Robinson have a planing mill, lumber and coal yards, and manufacture doors, sash, etc., near the Inlet. They began the business in 1888. The firm is composed of George J. Dixon and Rodney G. Robinson, both natives of Ithaca, and they are doing a successful busi- ness.

It will be inferred that the boat building business has been large in Ithaca, and it is still carried on extensively by the veteran William Jarvis and by B. F. Taber, both of whom have turned out many beauti- ful examples of the boat-builder's art. Mr. Jarvis came to America from England in 1869, and soon afterward to Ithaca. He has a boat yard, a boat livery and a summer hotel at the steamboat landing.

There are many other small industries varied in kind and magnitude, detail of which would be out of place in this work; and when the sub-

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ject is exhausted it can hardly be said that Ithaca is noted as a manu- facturing center. Whether it will ever be depends of course upon its citizens; but the natural tendency would seem to be towards develop- ment of its mercantile interests as against manufacturing. The uni- versity brings to the place a vast amount of mercantile trade and the local merchants show enterprise and activity in seeking it, to the neglect of manufactures. Moreover, Ithaca in the past has been the theater of several large industries which, for one reason or another, were doomed to early and disastrous failure; a fact which may serve to deter others from entering the field. Among these was the Ithaca Organ Com- pany, the Ithaca Manufacturing Works, and some others, the his- tory of which is well known. The place now enjoys excellent shipping facilities, is centrally located, possesses unbounded water power, and there would seem to be no good reason why it should not become a center of extensive manufacturing operations, such as Mr. Southwick saw in his mind's eye sixty years ago.

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Landmarks of Tompkins County, New York : including a history of Cornell University, Part 18

Author: Hewett, Waterman Thomas, 1846-1921; Selkreg, John H Publication date: 1894 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason Number of Pages: 1194

Author: Hewett, Waterman Thomas, 1846-1921; Selkreg, John H
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1194