USA > New York > Oneida County > Rome > Our city and its people : a descriptive work on the city of Rome, New York > Part 9
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In the mean time in 1838 Mr. Hawley had purchased the Mudge premises on the corner and sold them to John A. Ford, and the latter in 1843-4 erected on these premises the brick hotel which brought it close up to where C. E. Saulpaugh formerly kept store, in Saulpaugh-Arm- strong block ; this store is on the south part of the ground occupied by the Walsworth tavern. After the brick block was erected it be-
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came the hotel and was used as such and first kept by E. Jenks, of Troy. The old part was left standing a year or two and was used principally for a stage office by M. L. Kenyon and Giles Hawley. About 1845 Mr. Kenyon purchased the whole property, raised the roof of the brick part of the hotel, tore down the Walsworth tavern and in its place erected the brick block which runs to the store house kept by John Hook, which stands on the ground originally belonging to Bill Smith, Amos Flint, or Putnam Hotel property on the Hill block (now Saulpaugh block) corner. M. D). Hollister kept the Stanwix Hall in 1847-8, E. R. Robinson in 1849, Harger & De Ryther in 1850. They were succeeded by J. L. Watkins, he by N. M. Clark, he by A. W. Churchill, he by George Wood, he in turn by H. Nellis, and the latter by W. B. Sink. A. J. Sink purchased the whole property of M. L. Kenyon about 1861.
The grocery store of N. Mudge, above mentioned, which was occu- pied by the family some twenty years, was moved to the Lampman place near the old burying ground, and about 1831 Nathaniel Mudge erected on the site a two story and larger building, covering the entire width of the lot on James street. L. E. Elmer occupied that building as a grocery for two years after its completion. This lot extended back seventy-five feet on Whitesboro street and on the rear end was Judge Dill's dwelling house, which was owned and occupied by N. Mudge, sr , at the time of his death seventy- five years ago. The dwelling was subsequently removed to the old canal.
Prior to 1835 and probably later, the grounds now occupied by the Bissell block, (formerly Saulpaugh Armstrong block) were vacant. The sheds used by the Putnam Hotel stood about where the buildings oc- cupied by the Fort Stanwix Bank and J. H. Searles now are. Subse- quently a large barn for that hotel was erected, which just filled the vacant space between these sheds and the Walsworth tavern The bank buildings were erected about 1852 and the Bissell block by John Bissell not long afterward.
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, Crossing over to the Merrill block, (now occupied by the express office and by the Rome Citizen), which was occupied about 1820 by Levi Green's store, as before noted, we find that on the site was a store or grocery as early as 1804, kept by a Mr. Devereux, and it was called the Devereux place for some years after. Later Mr. Elliot had a store there and Levi Green succeeded him. Flusky & Scott kept a hat store there about 1830. E Shepard had a jewelry store, or stock, there about 1828 and one night he was robbed. A family then residing in town was suspected and several of the brothers, the father and one or two others, six in all, were indicted and tried for burglary and larceny. All but two were acquitted ; these two, a brother and an Irishman were sent to State prison.
Next beyond the Levi Green store was a small building, which was occupied about 1820 and earlier by Newman Barker for a saddler shop, and later by James Merrill, sr., in the same business. It was re- moved and long stood on the north side of Liberty street just east of James.
Next north of this saddler shop was a small building occupied as early as 1814 by Judge Wardwell as a law office and later by B. P. Johnson and then by Foster & Hayden for the same purpose. In this building the Rome Republic was published from 1828 to about 1830.
Next came the Huntington school house, erected not far from 1800. It was a story and a half frame building, chimney in the center, and the writing desks against the wall. This was used for a private school many years both before and after O. C. Grosvenor had his school there. Mr. Grosvenor was there from about 1818 to about 1832, when he removed to Liberty street. Prof O. P. Hubbard, now residing in New York city, eighty-seven years of age, attended school in the Huntington school house in 1814-1815.
Passing by the school house there came next a high garden fence close to the sidewalk. Against this fence and open and accessible to
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the public and passers-by hung the hooks and ladders which consti- tuted the entire fire apparatus of Rome seventy-five years ago, ex- cepting the leather buckets which each family was required to keep. There was an old-fashioned crank engine of about as much use as a squirt gun. The fact of that being the entire fire apparatus, and the additional fact that it was left exposed in that public place, will pro- voke a smile from those not accustomed to such things. In these times the apparatus would not remain twenty-four hours in such a place be- fore being carried off by some enterprising and ambitious persons and either smashed to pieces or elevated in a tree top, or thrown into the canal. The first fire company in Rome was incorporated by special act of the Legislature, passed in 1818, making Joel Hayes and his asso- ciates, not exceeding twenty in number, such company. The company was a sort of "close corporation," having perpetual succession, electing its own members and officers, subject to no superior authority, and exempt from jury duty. It had other privileges and exemptions, which made it a very desirable organization to belong to, but not very efficient. This was " No. 1." In 1826 another company was organ- ized and called No. 2, and which was joined by Alanson Bennett, Alva Whedon, B. P. Johnson, Joseph B. Read, Aylmer Keith, and a large number of others. An engine costing $1,000 was purchased for this company and used for many years ; it was burned burned about 1850.
On the corner where the livery of Martin Thalman (formerly H. Nellis) now is was the barn of George Huntington prior to 1820 and up to about 1845. M. D. Hollister purchased that corner and con- verted it into a livery establishment, and it was used for that purpose many years.
Here is the proper place to record that the first block north of the Merrill block was erected by Cyrus Hayden, the next one by Henry Veazie, the next by John West, the next by G. W. Delano, and the next by E. W. Curtis, all after 1850.
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In 1804 very near where where the present butcher shop of John Fisher is, on the corner of the alley next north of the livery, there was a meat shop then kept by David I. Andrews, who erected the Madison barracks for the United States government at Sackett's Harbor, which were used for the first time in the war of 1812. Mr. Andrews at the time he kept the meat shop occupied a small house which stood where the Judge Roberts house was located. At a later period there were two dwelling houses between the meat shop and Mr. Andrews's then dwelling, the next one to the house of Mr. Andrews being occupied at one time by Charles Mines, who was subject to fits of insanity. One cold morning in the dead of winter as some one was passing by the grounds of Old Fort Stanwix, on which was a well, they heard a loud cry from the well. On going there Mines was found in the well almost frozen. About 1829 Robert Walker occupied that house. About 1825 Amaziah Manwaring lived in the other of the two dwell- ings and had a shoe shop near the corner a little back on alley. S. B. Stevens afterwards resided there. When Judge Roberts moved to the place where he died he purchased the grounds where these two houses stood and moved them off. About 1833 and later J. B. Bradt had a blacksmith shop where the butcher shop is, in a building which he moved from near the site of Ethridge's store and which was afterwards removed to James street north of Embargo, as heretofore mentioned. About 1812 Oliver Greenwood resided in the house where Mr. An- drews formerly lived and had a blacksmith shop near where Dr. Sut- ton's office was in 1871 (now the residence of M. Thalman). About 1815 Col. John Westcott succeeded Mr. Greenwood in the house, and built the front part of what became the Judge Roberts house. About 1820 Colonel Westcott was quite a prominent man in Rome. He was colonel of the Rome regiment which went to Sackett's Harbor in the war of 1812, was afterwards deputy sheriff of the county and jailer at Rome; and he had the honor of paying the first toll on the Erie
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Canal on a raft of timber in 1820. He died in August, 1832, at the age of seventy-one years. About 1828 Judge Roberts purchased the premises in question and resided there until his death in 1870, a period of forty-two years. About 1813 14 a Mr. Driggs carried on black- smithing where Mr. Greenwood had been. The house on the corner where E H. Walsworth now lives was erected by the late William Wright when he was young. He resided there a number of years and after him it was occupied by Dr. N. H. Deering, Dr. Perkins, J. S. Hovey, and lastly by Mr. Walsworth and his father.
The house on the northeast corner of James and Liberty streets ~ owned by Dr. Scudder, was erected by Amos Flint about 1810-12. About 1820 Bill Smith resided there and died there August 4, 1834, and after him to about 1840 his son John P. After that Flint again lived there and after him John A. Ford, Eli Gage, and O. Wheeler.
The next house was a small yellow building occupied as early as 1810 by Ashbel Anderson, who resided there until after 1820. A school was kept in the rear part by his daughter and others. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson died not many years apart, both being paralyzed. About 1826 Martin Galusha resided there and after him Gen. Jesse Armstrong. About 1835 William Mormon removed the front part to the east side of George street, corner of Stone alley, where it re- mained many years, and erected in its place the present main part. He resided there a while and after him Jackson Tibbits, and then Norman Judd and then Dr. Scudder.
On the site where W. H. Pell is was seventy- five years ago a very small house occupied by Lansing Wall, a tailor. After that Dr. Hub- bard lived there and about 1828 was succeeded by M. G. Watson and still later by E. M. Evans. It was moved back to make the rear part of the later building erected by Albert Soper.
On the southeast corner of James and Park streets Philander Soper resided more than seventy-five years ago; it is not known who built
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this house. Mr. Soper was brother-in-law and partner of Pliny Dar- row, both of whom were carpenters and did a large amount of busi- ness in that line and especially in later years of their lives, in large contract work. Darrow & Soper had their shop in the rear of Mr. Soper's house.
The rear part of the next house, on the alley, was the law office Wheeler Barnes, which was taken from the premises of A. Mudge when Mr. Barnes owned that property. The house on the corner of the alley and East Park, where the late William Townsend resided, was erected about 1810 by Russell Bartlett, a cabinetmaker. At first he had his shop in front and residence in the rear. He afterwards erected and occupied a shop on or near the site of Dr. Sutton's house ; this was burned in 1828 and he then built another shop where Dr. G. W. Pope's brick residence was erected, now the site of the City Hall. The house in which Mr. Bartlett lived was afterwards occupied by Martin Rowley, E. W. Wight, who began housekeeping there in 1834, Jesse Walsworth, Warren Raymond, J. I. Carley, and Solomon Good- win. The house where Mr. Brainerd resided (now Dr. H. C. Sutton's) was occupied as early as 1811 by B. B. Hyde, and after that for many years by Pliny Darrow ; still later by A. B. Blair and C. F. Williams. The fire which burned Mr. Bartlett's shop was the work of an incen- diary and badly scorched the north side of Mr. Darrow's house. The object of the incendiary, it is supposed, was to rob Mr. Darrow, as it was known that he had returned from Utica the previous day with a considerable sum of money with which to pay off the men employed by Darrow & Soper. The money was in a chest under Mr. Darrow's bed and when he was aroused by the fire he found his front door open and a man in the hall. When discovered the man made a hasty retreat and Mr. Darrow at once carried the money to his partner's house. Mr. Darrow was an enterprising and worthy man and died at the residence of his son-in-law, C. H. Norton, deaf and blind ; it is
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a somewhat singular fact that his son also became deaf and blind in the late years of his life.
The Dr. R. E. Sutton house was erected about 1835 by Philander Mudge, and was afterwards owned and occupied by E. B. Armstrong, and later by Merritt Brooks.
The old court house was erected on the site of the present one about 1806, and the bricks in its construction were taken from the locks of the Inland Canal. When the court house and jail were burned, as de- scribed in an early chapter of this work, the bricks were taken to build a house on the northeast corner of George and Court streets, afterwards occupied by F. H. Thomas. Oneida county was organized in March, 1798, and the courts of the county were held at this place until 1802, when they were held alternately here and at Whitestown. The records of the county show that the first term of the Oneida Common Pleas was held in May, 1798, at " the school house near Fort Stanwix." The first court of Oyer and Terminer was held at the same place in June of the same year, James Kent, judge of the Supreme Court, presiding. In September thereafter the first Circuit Court in the county was held by John Lansing, jr., chief justice, "at the school house near Fort Stanwix." That school house was situated on the southwest corner of the West Park, as before stated. Courts were held in this school house until the completion of the first court house. The first jail was erected at the same time as the court house and was made of blocks of wood hewn into shape so as to fit and dove-tailed into each other, making the whole structure firm and substantial. It was considered very secure for the criminals of those days. The debtor's room was made of plank. About 1817, and while Colonel Westcott was jailor, an attempt was made by the prisoners to escape by setting fire to the jail. They did not succeed, although a number of them came near suffocating. When the smoke and flames were well under headway they gave the alarm, but it was so long before the doors were opened
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that they came near dying. They all crowded to the door, where a little fresh air came in, and there they struggled and fought with each other, and one of them was either killed or died from suffocation. When the doors were finally opened the men were so far exhausted that it was difficult to revive them. They were laid out in the open air like so many dead bodies and as they revived their contortions were frightful. Five of the prisoners who set the fire were indicted and tried for arson, and all were convicted and sentenced to be hung. The gal- lows was erected and the coffins made. The day set for the execution was in mid winter and men, women and children came in sleighs from Boonville and other directions, most of the way through the woods, starting the night before and riding all night in order to be present at the spectacle and witness five men being choked to death. There was a great crowd, but a few hours before the execution was to have taken place a reprieve came from the governor commuting the sentence to imprisonment for life. The coffins were afterwards used to bury pau- pers. Being thus deprived of the hanging scene, a number of the spectators clubbed together and erected a gallows in what was woods then, near the Leffingwell place, about where the railroad track is, and there hung the five prisoners in effigy. Isaac Sexton, one of the at- tendants, froze his feet standing in the snow at the gallows. The jail preceding the present one was erected about 1849-50 in place of the one burned. It is narrated that Bill Seeber was in jail when it took fire and that he worked like a beaver to extinguish the flames. When afterwards ridiculed for trying to save what had so many times been his prison, he asked with a good deal of indignation if any man would not work to put out a fire in his own house. Bill understood human nature.
On the west side of James street, as before noted, the only building prior to 1838 from the Erie Canal to Dominick street was the store and counting house of George and Henry Huntington ; it was situated in
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the first store north of the Dyett block. Mudge & Doty purchased that strip from Dominick street to the canal and in 1839 erected the Washington Saloon block, and about 1840 built the next one to the south, which they sold to Hager & Agne. About 1842 they built a block on the site of the Dyett Block (first building north of the canal), and in that building the Rome Sentinel was published from 1842 to 1845, by B. Waldby, when H. T. Utley and S. W. Morton purchased the establishment and in the latter year removed it to the Armstrong block. The Rome Citizen was published there from about 1850 to 1855. In November of that year the building then occupied by Foot & White was burned and the Citizen was consequently homeless. Im- mediately afterwards it was removed to its present location. The block was rebuilt the next year by B. S. Doty, who had become owner of the site. Passing by the Mudge or Kingsley block corner and the Ameri- can, which have been described, we note that from where Miner's bookstore (now Brodock's store) was to the alley going towards Elm Row, the land was occupied by two or three structures. The first one north of the hotel sheds was a small building occupied as a saloon or grocery as early as 1816 by one Burke, after whom a barber named Griswold was there. William Sexton kept some kind of a grocery there and Asa W. Graves kept a saddler shop in that or one of the buildings near there. The Rome Republican was started and pub- lished there about 1825 by Laurien Dewy, and was removed across the street, as before stated. That building was removed to the left hand side of the Floyd road, nearly opposite the Catholic church and was many years occupied as a residence by Peter Shillenberg, a well known butcher. Not far from the corner E. Shepherd erected a two story house about 1828, used the lower part for a jewelry store and the upper part for his residence. It was occupied by different persons after that until burned in the fire of 1846. Charles Brown erected a grocery store on the corner of the alley about 1826-28. D. Siebald occupied
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it after that and at the time of the fire. This part of the American block was erected about 1850.
The next block beyond (Elm Row) was once the property of Joshua Hathaway. His house stood opposite that of Judge Roberts and must have been erected very early in the present century, and probably by him. It was afterwards owned and occupied by Jay Hathaway and about 1850 was removed to the west side of George street near Em- bargo, where it now stands, No. 313. It is occupied by the son-in-law and daughter of Jay Hathaway, James S. Dyett.
A little to the north of the house just described and a few feet there- from towards the street, stood the small building occupied by Judge Hathaway as a law office, surrogate's office and post-office. The post- office was kept there while the judge was postmaster. When Jay Hathaway succeeded his father in the office of postmaster about 1836 the office was soon after removed to the Stephen White hotel; from there it was removed to the southwest corner of James and Dominick streets, thence to the Arcade and in 1852 to the Elm Row. The build- ing used by Joseph Hathaway as his office was afterward removed to the southeast corner of his lot next to the alley, and was occupied by A. W. Cole at the time of the fire in 1846, when it was torn down to prevent the flames from reaching the house of Jay Hathaway.
The Elm Row block was erected by Miss Marsh and Mrs. David Utley about 1850, and was burned on the date above given ; the pres- ent buildings there were erected as follows: Thompson House (now Commercial Hotel) by H. Thompson and M. W. Rowe ; the next block by Henry Hayden ; the next by Dr. Kingsley ; the next by O. Knowl- ton; the next by Charles Tuttle; and the next by Miss Marsh and Mrs. Utley.
The site where the brick residence of the late E. B. Armstrong now stands (St. James Hotel) was occupied seventy-five years ago by Syl- vester Wilcox as a tin shop. All about there and on Liberty street
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fifty years ago, wood in sled length lay beside the road to be chopped up as it was wanted, the same as in the dooryard of a backwoods farmer. Between that and the brick residence of Dr. Pope (now a portion of the site of City Hall) was a ravine or gully through which water flowed, making it marshy thereabouts. About 1840 Simon Matteson erected the brick house on the corner, and where the house of Dr. G. W. Pope stood, was, as early as 1820, a small house occupied by the father of A. W. Graves. Judge Hayden afterwards resided there and about 1829-30 R. Bartlett erected a cabinet shop there which was occupied afterwards by J. M. Orton. When Mr. Pope became the owner about 1832 the shop was removed to the site of the Willett House, as before mentioned, and Dr. Pope then erected the brick building last men- tioned.
The next house north was erected about 1807 by Mr. Filer for Fes- tus Clark, who resided there a while, but removed to Sackett's Harbor during the war of 1812 and died there. Numa Leonard resided there about 1818 and after him the house was occupied by Daniel Bates. Mr. Jackson kept a school there. W. E. Wright resided there and the next occupant of the house was Ralph Hurlburt, who was succeeded by O. B. Pierce.
On the southwest corner of West Park stood the first public school building where the first courts of this county were held. It was used for educational purposes until 1819, when a frame school house was built on the site now occupied by Zion church, and the old building was re- moved to the site now occupied by the residence of Dr. R. E. Sutton and there converted into a storehouse for lumber, and used by Russell Bart- lett. It was not burned at the time Mr. Bartlett's shop was destroyed in 1829, but was later made into a barn. The school house site and the Festus Clark site are now a part of the City Hall property.
Liberty street was laid down on the maps made by the land pro- prietors hereabouts as early as 1800, but it was not opened until some
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years afterwards, and with the exception of that portion between James and Washington streets there was only one dwelling on the whole street prior to 1835. That dwelling was erected by Thomas Veazie, father of the late Henry Veazie, about 1820, and was on the site now occupied by the residence of Mrs. J. J. Armstrong, just west of and next to the engine house. Mr. Veazie had a wagon shop on the west end of his lot. Nathan Lawton succeeded Mr. Veazie in the house and shop and he was succeeded by Isaac Knox. After that for many years, Allen Briggs resided in the house and improved and enlarged it. The house was removed to the rear of the lot to make room for the present resi- dence there, which Mr. Armstrong erected.
In the place of the wagon shop Cyrus Hayden erected the present dwelling occupied at different times by him, then by A. Sandford, N. H. Leffingwell, and Mrs. Humaston. In front of these premises were the old fashioned hay scales and the first and only scales Rome had in those days. Sylvester Wilcox was weight master a number of years and after him Thomas Veazie had the position.
The two next houses west from E A. Barnard's, formerly C. F. Green's, residence, were owned thirty five years ago by F. A. Mallison. The east one was erected by Isaac Knox and the west one by Gordonier Freer about 1840. The next building west was the har . ness shop of Newman Parker and James Merrill, as before mentioned. The next house was erected by Louis Gotier and became the property of Dr. Scudder. Going back on the same side of the street, it should be noted that the engine house was built about 1850.
The double house on the corner of Steuben street was erected by Soper & Simmons, the part next to Steuben street for Robert Walker and the other part for themselves. Horace N. Bill for a number of years owned and occupied the west part, and after him Shepard Lee resided there, and then William Wright, who died there. Subsequently A. Sandford purchased the house and resided there a number of years,
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