USA > New York > Saratoga County > Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Saratoga County, New York > Part 22
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The Worden, which has been conducted for several years by William W. Worden, is the leading hotel which remains open all the year round. It stands at the northwest corner of Broadway and Division street.
The Windsor, on the corner of Broadway and William street, was built in 1876, and ranks among the finest hotels of its size in the State. Like most of the others, it is closed during the winter season.
The Adelphi hotel was built in 1877, on Broadway at the head of Phila street. It remains open all the year.
The Commercial is another hotel which remains open for guests twelve months in the year. Great improvements were made in this hotel in 1898-1899 by the proprietor, John Wandell.
Among the other hotels in the village may be mentioned the Colum- bian, an attractive resort; the Holden house, the Waverly, the Albe- marle, the Bates, the Empire, the Continental, the Everett, the Heustis and the Mansion house.
The rapid growth of the village after the building of the first three great summer hotels in the first quarter of the century necessitated a number of public improvements. The most important of these was inaugurated in 1832, when Dr. John Clark, son of Saratoga's most pub-
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, 1831-1861.
lic spirited man, began the construction of an elaborate water supply system-elaborate for those days, at least. On the hill in the southern part of the village, on the present site of Congress Spring park, he erected, in that year, a tower about fifty feet high. He also laid wooden conduits through the streets of the village, from which connec- tions were made by individuals and for fire purposes. By means of pumps water was raised through pipes to the top of the wooden tower, in which was a reservoir, and passed thence, by gravity, into the con- duits.
In 1847, this reservoir and the pressure being unequal to the de- mands made upon it, a large reservoir was built about two miles from the village, in the town of Greenfield. The water was carried to the village through iron pipes. But this supply, too, soon proved insuffi- cent, especially during the summer, and another reservoir, for fire pur- poses only, was placed between the first one and the village. This proved almost useless, however, by reason of the small supply of water and the low pressure. No change in the system was made, however, until the amendment of the village charter in 1866. Before this date, a fire department, consisting of hand engines, with other essential appa- ratus, was organized. This, too, had undergone material changes.
In 1840 an association was formed having for its object the establish- ment of a new cemetery, which was laid out in that year and named Green Ridge cemetery. The remains of many persons who had been buried in the old Sadler burial ground, the Putnam burial ground, and elsewhere, were transferred to the new site, and a number of hand- some monuments were placed there to mark their resting place. In August, 1844, the body of William L. Stone, the author, was interred in Green Ridge-the first regular burial in that cemetery. Many of the most noted personages of the earlier days of the county also are buried there.
The business men of Saratoga, realizing how great would be the benefits accruing therefrom, joyfully hailed the organization of the first banking institution in that village in 1848. This bank, a private insti- tution, was established in accordance with the general banking law of the State by Thomas J. Marvin and James M. Marvin of Saratoga Springs and Rufus H. King and J. B. Plumb of Albany. It had a nominal capital of $60,000, and started in business with Judge Thomas J. Marvin as president and James M. Marvin as cashier. The office of the bank was at first in the old insurance building on the southeast
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corner of the United States hotel property. Soon after beginning busi- ness John S. Leake of the New York State bank of Albany was engaged as cashier. By 1852 the increasing business necessitated a change in the bank, which then increased its capital stock to $100,000 and reor- ganized as an "associate bank," with John Beekman Finlay as presi- dent and John S. Leake as cashier. Four years later Dr. Samuel Free- man became president, remaining in that office until his death in 1870. He was succeeded by James M. Marvin.
In 1878 Augustus Bockes was made president and his son, William Hay Bockes, became cashier. In 1894 James M. Marvin again became president and fills the position at the present day. Henry B. Hanson is vice-president and William Hay Bockes cashier. The capital stock of the bank was increased in 1885 from $100,000 to $125,000. The bank owns its banking house on the southeast corner of Broadway and Phila street.
Another important step in the direction of public improvement was the organization, in 1854, of the Saratoga Gaslight company. This concern was incorporated with a capital stock of $75,000 and these directors: L. H. Tupper, J. M. Corliss, T. M. Lockwood, S. S. Dauchy, John S. Manning, S. G. Clements and R. D. Bardwell. In the year of its organization the company began the work of erecting a large gas manufacturing plant and laying pipes through the streets of Saratoga Springs for the purpose of distributing the commodity to the patrons of the company.1
A circuit called Saratoga was organized by the M. E. church in 1791, taking its name from the county. Methodist services were not intro- duced into the town until 1829, when Rev. Mr. Stebbins occasionally preached in the place, there being but two resident Methodists there at the time. In 1830, under the ministry of Rev. Dr. Samuel Luckey,?
1 This company was reorganized in 1876 with a capital stock of $40,000 and these officers: Will- iam Bennett, James R. Chapman and Charles H. Holden. March 1, 1887, the name was changed to the Saratoga Gas and Electric Light company, the addition to the name showing the expansion of the business. The company failed November 29, 1893, and went into the hands of Lafayette B. Gleason of New York city as receiver. April 7 on default of $11,000 interest and maturing bonds the concern was sold to the bondholders' committee. In March, 1897, the company was reorgan- ized under the name of the Saratoga Gas, Electric Light and Power company on a financial basis of $200,000 first mortgage bonds, $200,000 preferred stock and $100,000 common stock. The present officers are: President, Edgar T. Brackett of Saratoga; vice-president, Alexander W. Smith of New York; secretary and treasurer, Osborn W. Bright; superintendent, Patrick F. Roohan of Saratoga.
2 Samuel Luckey, D.D., was born at Rensselaerville, N. Y., April 4, 1791, and entered the traveling ministry of the M. E. church in 1811. In 1832, two years after the organization of the church at Saratoga, he was elected principal of the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, and in 1836 he
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, 1831-1861.
the first M. E. church edifice was erected. Up to the inauguration of the annual conferences of the M. E. church in 1835, Saratoga Springs was one of the appointments of what was then called Stillwater circuit, comprising Greenfield, Wilton, Schuylerville, Malta Ridge, Clifton Park, Stillwater and Saratoga Springs. For three or four years before this Rev. J. D. Moriarty preached here. On the former date the con- gregation worshiped in the old church on North Broadway. In June, 1840, the conference made Saratoga Springs a regular station, with Ephraim Goss as missionary in charge. The church edifice, built in that year, was dedicated in 1841.1
In 1834 the first mass ever celebrated in Saratoga Springs was con- ducted by Rev. John Kelly, pastor of the Roman Catholic church at Sandy Hill. For seven years after that date there was no resident priest here and no stated time for the services, which were held from time to time. Rev. Father McCloskey, who became pastor of the Schenectady church in 1838, celebrated mass occasionally, as did Rev. Peter Havermans of Troy, and others. The former took the first steps toward organizing the congregation. September 13, 1839, John Costi- gan purchased of Thomas J. Marvin the lot on which St. Peter's church now stands, with the building on it, known as the Lyceum. This was at once converted into a Catholic house of worship; but it was not until September, 1843, that the young church had its first regular pastor. In that year Rev. Anthony Farley became the first priest in charge, but in May of the following year was succeeded by Rev, Father Dono- hue. He was succeeded in November, 1844, by Rev. Bernard Van Reeth, who in turn was succeeded in the summer of 1847 by Rev. Thomas Daly. In July, 1850, Father Cull assumed charge, and at once set himself to the task of building a new church for his flock. This was dedicated August 15, 1853, by Monseigneur Bedini, then apostolic delegate to the United States, and Archbishop Hughes. Father Cull
was elected editor of the Christian Advocate and Journal, in New York. Shortly retiring from the editorship he returned to the Genesee conference, where he remained until his death October 11, 1869. He also served as a Regent of the University of the State of New York.
1 The first house of worship, erected in 1830, stood near the corner of Broadway and Green- field avenue. It was used as an academy by E. K. Bangs, and later as a boarding house, after the society abandoned it in 1839. The church built in 1840 and 1841 was dedicated July 23 of the latter year by Dr. John Kennedy of Philadelphia and Dr. Noah Levings of New York, Rev. Ste- phen Remington of Schenectady preaching the sermon. The church struggled under a heavy debt for many years after this, and it was not wiped out until 1865, during the pastorate of Rev. C. F. Burdick. In 1855, while Rev. Dr. Bostwick Hawley was pastor, the house of worship was considerably enlarged and otherwise improved. The church was rebuilt on Washington street in 1870 and dedicated by Bishop James, March 20, 1871.
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did not stop when he had built the church. He also procured a pastoral residence and cemetery, purchased the Hugh Dennin property, spent a considerable sum on improvements thereto, and introduced a branch of the Sisters of St. Joseph, to take charge of the parochial schools. He was one of the most valued members of the community for many years.1
Saratoga Springs has ever been celebrated for its excellent schools public and private. One of the best known and most widely patron- ized private schools in the State of New York for many years was the boarding and day school for young ladies opened by the Misses Way- land in Saratoga in 1831. It stood on the corner of Broadway and Washington street, the site now covered by a portion of the Grand Union hotel. The number of pupils was always limited, and every lady placed in charge of the Misses Wayland was educated as in a home." The second noted private school at the Springs was that opened in 1854 by Mr. Carter, also for the education of young ladies. Rev. Luther F. Beecher became Mr. Carter's partner in the enterprise the year following, and in 1856 they built the institution at Temple Grove. The school did not pay, and nine years afterward the building was sold for hotel and school purposes combined. This undertaking, too, was not successful and the school was suspended.3
Other schools existed in this village during the period under discus- sion, but the school of the Misses Wayland and Temple Grove Semi- nary were the most important in the village. Miss Martha Thompson, daughter of Dr. Thompson, had a young ladies' school in the northern
1 Rev. Father Cull died January 2, 1873. Five years before that date he retired from the active work of the priesthood, and in January, 1868, Rev. Father Sheehan succeeded him. In 1870, dur- ing the pastorate of the latter, the church was incorporated under the title of St. Peter's church, by Bishop John J. Conroy of Albany, Edgar E. Wadhams, V. G., M. Sheehan, the pastor; John Foley and B. McGovern.
3 This school was removed in 1875 to Putnam street, in the rear of Congress Hall. Three years later its doors were closed by reason of changes in the family circle which rendered this act necessary.
3 Rev. Charles F. Dowd saw a future for a ladies' seminary here, however, and in 1868 hc pur- chased the Grove property, made extensive alterations and additions to the building, and equipped it thoroughly for the purposes for which it was originally intended. In 1869 the school was incorporated under the supervision of the Regents of the University of the State of New York. The officers of the school named in the charter were: President, Rev. Charles F. Dowd, A. M .; vice-president, Rev. John Woodbridge; Benjamin F. Bancroft, treasurer; Henry M. Dowd, secretary; Hon. Frederick A. Conkling, Rev. P. R. Day, Rev. L. M. Woodruff, Rev. John P. Gib- son, Hon. Charles S. Lester, Alexander Cherry, Prof. Hiram A. Wilson, Charles N. Lockwood and Paoli Durkee, trustces. The grounds of the seminary occupy the entire square on Spring street, between Circular and Regent streets. Prof. Dowd retired from active control of the semi- nary in 1898, leaving it in charge of his son, Frank D. Dowd.
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, 1831 -- 1861.
part of the village for several years. Elijah K. Bangs, who bought the old Methodist meeting-house for a school building in 1839, had already been maintaining, for three years, an excellent school for boys. From 1838 to 1839 he had a school at Hempstead, Long Island, but in the latter year returned and reopened his Saratoga school, teaching here until 1845. Paoli Durkee opened a classical school for boys in 1849, maintaining it for nine years.1
Rising Sun lodge, F. & A. M., which was removed from the town of Wilton to the village of Saratoga Springs in 1824, had a precarious ex- istence for many years. During the period of the great anti-Masonic agitation it ceased to exist, from 1830 to 1835. In the latter year an attempt to revive it failed, and this experience was repeated several times until December 16, 1844, when the Grand lodge granted a dis- pensation for the organization of a lodge to be known as Union lodge, which was to cease May 15, 1845. On the day preceding that date a petition requesting the revival of Rising Sun lodge was sent to the Grand lodge. This prayer was granted and the next month the lodge was revived and renumbered as Rising Sun lodge No. 103, F. & A. M. Since that date it has continued in successful operation, and to-day is one of the strongest Masonic lodges in the State. The charter mem- bers of the revived lodge were G. M. Davison, Robert McDonnell, Alvah Marvin, Gardner Bullard, D. D. Benedict, Joseph White and Joseph M. Wheeler. D. D. Benedict was the first worshipful master.
Rising Sun Chapter No. 131, R. A. M., was instituted February 2, 1847. The charter officers were: H. P., Joseph M. Wheeler; K., D. D. Benedict; S., Richard L. Allen.
Cryptic Council No. 37, R. & S. M., was instituted February 1, 1870. The charter officers were: T. I. M., C. H. Holden; R. I. D. M., L. B. Putnam; I. P. C. W., G. H. Gillis,
Washington Commandery, No. 33, K. T., was organized September 14, 1864. The charter members were Hon. Reuben Hyde Walworth, H. V. Sayles, C. H. Holden, George B. Fish, H. A. Van Dorn, L. B. Putnam, W. R. Winchell, T. G. Young, C. E. Durkee, C. H. Brown, Charles Carpenter, R. C. Blackall and F. T. Parkman. The command- ery has since become one of the strongest in this section of the State. The following have been the commanders: 1864-1865, George B. Fish ;
1 After the latter year this school was successively taught by Rev. Mr. Proudfit and Mr. Robb. The late Rev. Dr. J. N. Crocker, a Presbyterian clergyman, had a good school here for several years. There were many other small private schools in the village.
13
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
1866-1872, Charles H. Holden; 1873, F. D. Wheeler, jr .; 1874, George H. Gillis; 1875, Charles H. Sturges; 1876, John L. Perry ; 1877, Charles H. Holden; 1878-1885, Robert C. McEwen; 1886-1887, Charles H. Holden; 1888-1889, J. M. Colcord; 1890-1891, H. L. Waterbury; 1892- 1893, A. P. Knapp; 1894, John Bennett.
Saratoga lodge No. 15, I. O. O. F., was instituted November 17, 1843. The present charter was granted December 1, 1850. The first officers elected were: N. G., C. W. Burlingame; V. G., A. S. Piper; R. S., C.N. Maynard; P. S., O. T. Sparks: treasurer, A. R. Barrett; trustees, F.T. Hill, A. S. Hays, A. J. Holmes.
Saratoga Division, Sons of Temperance, was instituted in 1842 or 1843, but ceased to exist after a few years. Another division was or- ganized in 1858 and still another in 1868. The latter died out about 1873.
While Saratoga was prospering as a summer resort, Ballston Spa was enjoying great industrial advancement. When Hezekiah Middlebrook constructed a dam across the Kayaderosseras in the northern part of the village and erected the old "Blue Mills," as they are known to this day, he assisted materially in giving added momentum to the wave of prosperity which had begun to be felt in the growing village. These mills were extensive grist mills, and for years were the most important in the county. The original grist mill erected by Daniel Thomas was located about a third of a mile further up the stream.
In 1836 Jonathan S. Beach and Harvey Chapman bought seventy-two acres of land, east of Milton avenue, between Malta avenue and the railroad, near North High street, including all the water power of the lower dam now occupied by Mr. West. Soon after this purchase they built the west mill of the three on the island; this was opened and operated as a woolen mill for a few years, but finally discon- tinued. About the year 1840 Beach & Chapman erected the second or middle build- ing upon the island; they sold it in a short time to P. H. McOmber, and he trans- ferred it finally to Samuel H. Cook. This was a cotton mill and it was in operation down to the year of 1861. In the year 1844 Beach & Chapman erected the third mill, the one now run by Mr. West as a paper mill; they soon sold this, with the water power and land still remaining to them, to James M. Cook. This was also a cotton mill, and was operated until 1861. All of this island property was then bought by Jonas Hovey.
The Ballston Spa Mill Company was formed in 1838 to 1840, consisting of Jon- athan S. Beach, Harvey Chapman, James Thompson, John W. Thompson, George Thompson, Lebbeus Booth and others; they bought the land and water-power west of Milton street, north of Gordon creek, and south of the Blood and Thomas prop- erty. This was purchased of the Middlebrook family. In early times Daniel Thomas and Hezekiah Middlebrook had owned together a very large tract in and
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BALLSTON SPA, 1831-1861.
around the northern portion of the present village. They divided the property, Middlebrook retaining the water-power and Thomas taking the lands, covered then with valuable pine timber. In after years the water privileges became far more val- uable than the other. The Ballston Spa Mill company did not continue as a cor- poration, but the parties named above as joint proprietors erected the Union cotton mill, sometimes known as No. 1. The mill was operated by Ziba H. Cook and others for manufacturing print cloths until about the year 1855. The same proprie- tors built the brick mill on the hill, the one now occupied by Mr. West in the man- ufacture of paper bags. This was opened for a knitting mill, operated by H. Chap- man & Son, also by Bassett and Hiro Jones; the latter owning the real estate. It was sold, as was the other factory, to Jonas Hovey in 1864-65. Mr. Hovey, having thus become the owner of all these mills, operated them, to a greater or less extent, until the time of his death in 1873. In connection with his extensive operations here, he built the residence now owned by George West. On this house is said to have been expended $50,000.
Beach & Chapman also built about the year 1850 a woolen mill, known as the Glen woolen mill property, now owned by Edwin H. Chapman. It has been occupied by Chapman and others as a blanket and cloth mill to the present time.1
About 1850 Messrs. Booth, Wait, Moore, Wakeman and Thomas opened an extensive oil-cloth manufactory, which was operated for a quarter of a century, turning out large quantities of a high grade of oil- cloth.2 Several other manufacturing concerns were doing business in town before the war, but those referred to were considered the most important.
The hamlet of Bloodville, now a part of Ballston Spa, has been an important manufacturing point since 1824. In that year Isaiah Blood began the erection of a scythe factory, in partnership with his father, Sylvester Blood. The latter in that year purchased the splendid water power on the Kayaderosseras creek at that point, manufacturing scythes at that place in connection with his old factory below Ballston Spa. About 1837, having purchased the interest of his father, he greatly increased the facilities of the plant, and added a department for the manufacture of axes. He erected a large factory just below the scythe
1 Sylvester's History of Saratoga County .- 1878.
2 This factory was burned in 1875 and never rebuilt.
3Isaiah Blood, born at Ballston, February 13, 1810, was a son of Sylvester Blood, who began the manufacture of scythes about 1805 two miles south of Ballston Spa. In 1831 he married Jane E. Gates of Ballston, and soon formed a partnership with his father. In 1837 he bought out the latter's interest and at once began enlarging the business, adding a department for the manufac- ture of axes. He was a lifelong Democrat. In 1847 he was elected supervisor of the town of Milton, which generally gave a Whig majority ; in 1851 was elected to the Assembly from the first Saratoga district ; in 1859 was again chosen supervisor ; in the same year was elected to the State Senate from the fifteenth district ; in 1869 was again elected senator, and died November 29, 1870, before the expiration of his term. Albert P. Blood of Ballston Spa, who died in April, 1898, was a son.
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shop for this department, and immediately gave employment to a greatly increased force of men. He continued to increase the output of his great plant until his death in 1870, when the concern passed into the hands of his son-in-law, Henry Knickerbocker of New York.1
Ballston Spa enjoyed home banking facilities at an early day. The Ballston Spa Bank, the first in town, was organized in 1838 by the elec- tion of these directors: James M. Cook, Isaac Frink, Anson Brown, Lebbeus Booth, Jonathan S. Beach, Samuel Freeman, Eli Barnum, John W. Thompson, Stephen Smith, John Kelley, Harvey Chapman, Philip H. McOmber and Samuel Hides. They elected James M. Cook president, Isaac Fowler cashier, and John J. Lee teller. May 15, 1839, the bank opened its doors for business. 2
Three churches were erected in Ballston Spa during the period to which this chapter is devoted. These were the Presbyterian church which is still standing, the Methodist church and the Catholic church, which have since been superseded by handsome new edifices. The First Presbyterian church was organized in June, 1834, by families who had been attending services at Ballston Centre and Milton Centre. At the preliminary meeting held May 10, 1834, sixty six members pre- sented letters from the two churches named and signed the member- ship roll. July 8 following Philip H. McOmber, Jonathan S. Beach, Edward W. Lee, Moses Williams, James Comstock and Christopher Earle were elected trustees. The following year the house of worship was erected at the northeast corner of High and Bath streets, at a cost of $10,000, and was dedicated in November of that year. In 1856 a parsonage was purchased at an expense of nearly $3,000, and in 1860 Samuel H. Cook erected a chapel on Milton avenue, on the site of the present chapel.3 The Methodist Episcopal church was not formally
1 The plant is now owned by the American Axe and Tool company. The real estate of the corporation is valued at $79,450.
2 In 1865 the institution was reorganized as a national bank, taking the name of Ballston Spa National Bank. Its capital stock is $100,000. The presidents have been : James M. Cook, 1839- 1856; John W. Thompson, 1856-1892 ; George L. Thompson, 1892-1896 (the year of his death) ; An- drew S. Booth, 1896 to the present time. James L. Scott, vice-president, acted as president for a short time in 1896 during the last illness of President George L. Thompson, who died December 29, 1895. The cashiers have been : Isaac Fowler, 1839-1856 ; John J. Lee, 1856-1887 ; George L. Thomp- son, 1887-1892 ; Thomas Kerley, 1892 to the present time. William Ingham and William H. Ball are the present vice-presidents, Egbert Clute is teller, and C. O. McCreedy, jr., clerk.
3 This chapel was torn down several years ago and a new one erected in its place. The pastors have been: Revs. James Wood, Samuel J. Prime, A. T. Chester, Daniel Stewart, George T. Todd, Nathaniel S. Prime, Richard H. Steele, Nathaniel B. Klink, David Tully, S. Mattoon, S. A. Hoyt, jr., David Murdock, A. R. Olney, D. D., and Henry L. Teller, the present occupant of the pulpit.
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