Our county and its people : a descriptive work on Erie County, New York, Volume I, Part 37

Author: White, Truman C
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: [Boston] : Boston History Co.
Number of Pages: 1014


USA > New York > Erie County > Our county and its people : a descriptive work on Erie County, New York, Volume I > Part 37


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


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321


FROM 1832 TO 1840.


of creditors, but in the mean time he permitted the sale at Niagara Falls to progress to the last. 1


The issue of President Jackson's specie circular precipitated the financial crash, and the catastrophe in and around Erie county was hastened and magnified by Rathbun's downfall. Work stopped on all of his contracts and the workmen clamored in mobs for their pay. The assignees made the best of the situation and paid off most of the work- men, though it required nearly the whole of the assets of the estate to do it. The forgeries of the speculator reached nearly a millon dollars. The community was paralyzed. Business men began to fear the finan- cial soundness of their neighbors. Dismal forebodings began to be whispered from one to another. Soon panic reigned. The whole stupendous fabric, based upon credit, built up of speculation, and held together only by dazzling expectation, collapsed and came to the ground, burying hundreds in the ruin. Banks withdrew their accommodations, a general suspension of specie payments followed and bankruptcy pre- vailed everywhere. Prices of land and merchandise that had advanced at rapid strides, came down with even greater speed. The reaction in Buffalo was most severe; fortunes disappeared more rapidly than they had been acquired; mortgages were foreclosed on all sides and land that had been sold at $30 or $40 per foot would not bring as much per acre. ' Land is known in the city of Buffalo which sold early in 1835 at $2 per foot, or about $500 an acre. It was sold and resold in parcels during the speculative period until within twelve months it brought at the rate of $10,000 an acre; the same land sold in 1865 at. $18 a foot."


Recovery from this financial crisis was everywhere slow. Although the blow had been a heavy one in Erie county, it cannot be claimed that its effects were not shaken off sooner than in many localities. The comparatively few strong men of the community, whose foresight had enabled them to escape from the general ruin, now put forth their best efforts to restore confidence and start the wheels of progress. What the local newspapers called a " panic meeting" was held on the evening of May 3, 1837, at which John Lay presided. The assemblage was


1 The arrest and trial of Rathbun followed. His brother, Col. Lyman Rathbun, and his nephew, Rathbun Allen, were implicated with him in the crimes; the latter turned State's evidenee. Rathbun's trial began in Batavia March 29, 1837, and he was found guilty and sentenced to State prison for five years. He served his term and subsequently engaged in his old business of hotel keeping in various places, finishing in a boarding house in New York, where he died at the age of about eighty years.


2 In 1862 Guy H. Salisbury compared the prices of fifty unimproved lots on thirty-seven differ- ent streets, as they were sold in 1836, with their estimated value in the year first named, and found that the selling price of 1836 was more than double the value in 1862.


41


322


OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.


addressed by Millard Fillmore and others, and resolutions were adopted to the effect that it was the duty of the citizens to unite with those of other distressed localities to "remove forever the causes and effects so disastrous to the whole community." It does not appear that these wholesome sentiments thus expressed wielded perceptible influence on the existing " hard times"; it is more probable that the meeting had some local political significance. Throughout the whole of the specula- lative period the local Democratic paper had designated the opposing party as " panic Whigs," and denounced all opposition to the adminis- tration then in power.


On the 6th of May, 1837, the banks of Buffalo were served with in- junctions by the chancellor, at the instance of the bank commissioners. While those banks had undoubtedly been, to some extent, embarrassed by the financial disaster, they were well understood to be solvent, and the action of the commissioners was denounced by the citizens of the city as unjust and calculated to still further impair local credit. To dispel this feeling the commissioners announced publicly that the banks were not proceeded against through fears of their insolvency, but that complaints had been made that they had violated their charters in their business methods, and that the notes of the Buffalo banks would be received at par at the offices of all collectors of State revenues.


With the resumption of specie payments in New York city about the middle of May, and similar action by the Buffalo banks soon afterward, with the removal of the injunctions just mentioned in June, confidence was partially restored. A general banking law was passed in 1838 under the influence of which business throughout the State gradually resumed its former activity.


The interest and excitement usually attendant upon a presidential election were almost overshadowed by the universal gloom of the finan- cial and business outlook in 1836. Anti-Masonry had almost ceased to exist as a political factor, and most lodges temporarily disappeared in this region. Van Buren was elected president and Marcy governor of this State, but Erie county, as usual, went strongly for the opposition, which party had now assumed the title of Whig throughout the coun- try. Millard Fillmore, after two years' retirement, was again elected to Congress, and the increase of population gave this county three members of assembly. In the fall of 1837 William A. Mosely, of Buffalo, was elected State senator in place of Albert H. Tracy, who retired from public life at the early age of forty-four years, after a brilliant career of twenty years,


EAGLE TAVERN AND ITS SURROUNDINGS IN 1830. Southwest corner of Main and Court Streets. Original in Buffalo Historical Society.


AMERICAN HOTEL, ON THE SITE OF AMERICAN BLOCK. Built by Col. Alanson Palmer about 1836 ; burned March 10, 1850.


323


FROM 1832 TO 1840.


Although it involves considerable descriptive reference to the city of Buffalo in 1862, we quote the following from the writings of the late Guy H. Salisbury, which draws an interesting comparison between the city on the date mentioned and in 1836:


In 1836 we had less than 16,000 inhabitants. Now we may in round numbers have 100,000. We had then but a single street paved, for one-fifth of a mile in length --- now we have 52 miles of superior pavement in one hundred and thirty-seven streets or two hundred and fifty-nine times as much as in 1836. Then we had but one mile of imperfectly constructed sewers, in three streets-now we have an extensive and connected system of sewerage, of which fifty-two miles have already been built in the most substantial manner, in one hundred and twenty-four streets, the benefits of which to the public health, cleanliness and comfort will be incalculable. We had then but the dim lamps of the oyster sellers to light the steps of the benighted alder- men and drowsy watchmen-now we have one of the best gas works in the Union, whose castellated edifice is a model of graceful architecture, and which has laid down fifty-five miles of street mains, furnishing a beautiful light to over twenty-one hundred street lamps, elevated on a tasteful iron column, whose long lines of flaming cressets are in brilliant contrast with the somber gloom through which we used to grope our way. Then we obtained the indispensable element of water from public and private wells, often at inconvenient distances, while, for the extinguishment of fires, we had to depend mainly upon reservoirs under the streets in only the central parts of the city, that were filled by a "Water Jack" affair, drawn to and from the canal by a pair of horses. Now, we have the current of the Niagara river flowing in large iron pipes through every section of the city, supplying numerous hydrants, whence our principal steam fire engines have always an exhaustless supply for arresting con- flagration ; while in our residences the touch of a child's finger can summon the gush- ing waters as easily as could the nymphs of Undine, midst their native streams. Our harbor was in 1836 of such limited capacity as to present a seeming barrier to the increase of our commercial business. Now by an enlarged and liberal system of improvement we have in all, some thirteen miles of water front, for lake and canal craft-enough to answer all the wants of our commerce for an indefinite period. This, too, is exclusive of Black Rock harbor, and the new commercial emporium of Tonawanda, which, some years since, neglecting her mullet fisheries, had ambitious aspiring's to become an infant rival of Buffalo and a colony of Cleveland. It has been understood that the experiment was not a success. In 1836 we had but a single railroad running into Buffalo-that from Niagara Falls-of not less than twenty miles in length, with no connection whatever with any other road. Now we have the great New York Central, with its vast freight and passenger depots and enor- mous business-the New York and Erie, the terminus of whose line, is practically here -the Buffalo and State line, with its interminable western connections-the Buffalo, New York and Erie, and the Buffalo and Lake Huron, connecting with the Great Western and Grand Trunk railways, and altogether with over two thousand miles of Canadian roads. And in the convenience of local travel within the city limits the change is great indeed. In 1836 we had but four omnibuses, making hourly trips through a part of Main street, and literally a one-horse railroad that made occa- sional trips between the terrace market and Black Rock ferry. Now we have eleven


324


OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.


miles of well-built double track street railways through our most important avenues, running sixty elegant passenger cars, not surpassed in any city, that make regular trips every five and ten minutes, greatly facilitating the travel and intercourse be- tween the distant sections of the city, rendering a suburban residence a cheap, ac- cessible and desirable home, and adding more to the permanent value of the prop- erty thus benefited, than all the cost of the roads and their ample equipment.


Out of the wreckage of the period of disaster, described in foregoing pages, came the first steam railroad in Erie county. Besides the Buf- falo and Black Rock road before mentioned, two railroad companies were incorporated as early as April, 1832, neither of which, however, constructed its proposed line. One of these was the Buffalo and Erie Railroad Company, whose proposed road was to run from Buffalo through Chautauqua county to the State line. The other was the Aurora and Buffalo Railroad Company, which proposed to build a road from Buffalo seventeen miles long to East Aurora. The incorporators were Joseph Howard, jr., Edward Paine, Joseph Riley, Robert Persons, Calvin Fillmore, Deloss Warren and Aaron Riley, all of whom were residents of Aurora. Considerable stock was subscribed and the line was surveyed by William Wallace. In the midst of their hopeful an- ticipations that this road would speedily be built came the crisis of 1836-7 and the project was abandoned.


The Buffalo and Niagara Railroad Company was another product of the inflated period, and when the first ominous signs of the coming crisis were seen in 1836, the road was in process of construction. On the 26th of August of that year the first steam locomotive in the county was placed on this road at Black Rock and ran from there to Tona- wanda at a speed of fifteen to twenty miles an hour. On the 6th of the following month its trips were extended to Buffalo and on the 5th of November trains ran regularly to the Falls.


While the people of Erie county were suffering from the effects of the financial crisis that has been described, an institution was founded in Buffalo which has only recently reached the height of its long career of usefulness. In the year 1834 there was in existence in this city the old Buffalo Library, incorporated in 1816, containing 500 or 600 vol- umes; this institution had long lain almost dormant. There was also the Buffalo Lyceum, organized in 1832, mainly for the maintenance of lecture courses and the gathering of a library. In 1834 a first attempt was made to found a new literary institution, with the name of the Young Men's Association. In furtherance of this undertaking Rev. Dr. William Shelton delivered an address and was made president of


335


FROM 1833 TO 1840.


the incipient organization. For several reasons this project was aban- doned upon the organization of the succeeding association. The Com- mercial Advertiser of February 20, 1836, then edited by Thomas Y. Foote, contained the following :


YOUNG MEN'S ASSOCIATION .- The young men of Buffalo, friendly to the foundation of a Young Men's Association, for mutual improvement in literature and science, are requested to meet at the Court House on Monday, the 22d of February, at the hour of ? p. m.


This announcement bore the signatures of nearly 400 citizens of the city, embracing all classes. At a succeeding meeting, over which Hiram Pratt presided, and R. L. Allen and Isaac W. Skinner were secretaries, a constitution for the proposed association was presented which had been prepared by Seth C. Hawley. After considerable dis- cussion the constitution was adopted and the meeting adjourned to the 29th of the same month. An election was there held, resulting as follows: Seth C. Hawley, president; Dr. Charles Winne, Samuel N. Callender and George Brown, vice-presidents; Frederick P. Stevens, corresponding secretary ; A. G. C. Cochrane, recording secretary ; John R. Lee, treasurer; Oliver G. Steele, Henry K. Smith, William H. Lacy, George W. Allen, Charles H. Raymond, Henry R. Williams, George E. Hayes, Halsey R. Wing, Rushmore Poole, Hunting S. Chamberlain, board of managers. The association was incorporated by the Legislature March 3, 1837. To raise funds for this association a subscription was started in the spring of 1836, before the beginning of the financial panic, which was numerously and liberally signed ; the lowest sum on the list was $25, and the highest $500, the total being $6,700. At about the same time the books of both the old library and the Buffalo Lyceum were acquired and placed in the association rooms. The coming of the financial crisis reduced the collections on the sub- scription list and a debt was created through the too liberal purchase of books and furniture of the reading room, which was not extinguished in many years. A library of 2.700 volumes was rapidly accumulated, from which were drawn the first year 5,500 books, and the reading room was also extensively patronized.1


1 The Young Men's Association thus entered upon its life of beneficence. In the first five years of its existence the library increased 257 volumes; in the second five years, 925 volumes; in the third five years, 1,092 volumes; in the fourth five years, 4,319 volumes. The number of volumes now in the library is nearly 90,000, besides 10,000 pamphlets. The first librarian was B. W. Jenks, who was succeeded by Charles H. Raymond, and he by Phineas Sergeant. Lewis Jenkins was the next incumbent and was succeeded in 1852 by William Ives, who has successfully occupied the


326


OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.


PAST HISTORY OF THE ASSO-


Paid for books and


Paid for papers, peri-


Volumes added.


Periodicals and pap'rs


Members elected and


Honorary members.


Life members elect'd.


Number of paying


Rate of initiation.


Rate of dues.


Debt of the Associa-


1836


$2,102 87


$730 00


2,700


102


400


44


400


$2 00


$2 00


$300 00


1837


653 13


341 00


86


45


82


8


16


304


2 00


5 00


2,484 00


1838


140 51


ยท 378 00


no acc.


45


53


303


2 00


5 00


2,075 00


1839


250 00


none.


27


35


195


2 00


5 00


1,976 00


1840


36 00


323 00


128


28


28


22


124


2 00


5 00


803 00


1841


148 40


284 90


81


33


281


1


7


407


2 00


5 00


408 62


1842


103 56


289 00


122


36


90


401


1 00


3 00


370 04


1843


84 30


158 00


218


42


57


271


1 00


3 00


481 53


1844


73 48


204 33


20


no ac


40


1


278


1 00


3 00


545 78


1845


427 60


140 00


385


21


64


458


1 00


3 00


1846


159 82


208 95


155


no ac


63


400


1 00


3 00


1847


574 99


209 54


420


43


133


3


475


1 00


3 00


1848


231 97


233 96


170


41


134


1


398


1 00


3 00


1849


320 04


190 07


199


31


132


1


445


1 00


3 00


1850


245 00


196 82


228


30


72


3


397


1 00


3 00


1851


382 43


198 76


75


34


276


1


1


797


1 00


3 00


1852


796 67


196 87


918


48


266


2


1


814


1 00


3 00


1853


1,345 14


202 49


576


52


254


1


1


1 00


3 00


1854


1,618 00


245 51


857


55


181


9


1


853


1 00


3 00


1855


730 88


233 21


679


55


344


9


3


1,070


1 00


3 00


1856


2,068 41


238 45


1,289


55


324


9


20


1,046


1 00


3 00


1857


1,666 55


302 94


1,021


57


105


4


1


721


1 00


3 00


1858


435 52


423 30


375


55


65


4


860


1 00


3 00


1859


465 15


349 28


342


52


113


3


1 00


3 00


1860


187 69


186 44


513


50


183


6


784


1 00


3 00


1861


241 80


279 53


277


55


116


14


800


1 00


3 00


1862


756 59


265 20


635


52


490


3


7


1,240


1 00


3 00


1863


697 87


278 26


671


17


117


2


2


1,191


1 00


3 00


1864


1,672 41


254 42


561


47


605


51


1,522


1 00


3 00


50,000 00


1865


2,672 18


633 81


989


63


717


3


11


1,910


1 00


3 00


50,000 00


1866


2,540 25


526 44


1,493


65


11,091


3


19


2,805


1 00


3 00


50,000 00


1867


3,397 43


504 05


2,002


66


299


3


18


2,103


1 00


3 00


45,000 00


1868


2,795 81


586 86


1,509


68


258


3


6


1,755


1 00


3 00


39,000 00


1869


1,337 67


601 31


775


75


298


2


27


1,950


1 00


3 00


28,000 00


1871


3,448 14


748 33


1,771


122


537


4


14


1 00


3 00


34,050 00


1873


1,878 44


768 48


894


123


831


1


21


2,356


1 00


3 00


26,250 00


1874


3,403 05


844 17


1,711


121


212


12


6


2,100


1 00


3 00


18,950 00


1875


2,557 27


728 62


1,196


122


237


6


1,800


1 00


3 00


15,250 00


1876


3,303 20


767 91


1,177


127


228


3


4


1,973


1 00


3 00


12,550 00


1877


2,519 24


815 83


1,160


126


244


5


1


1,841


1 00


3 00


8,350 00


1878


3,355 60


651 96


2,254


84


257


4


2


1,507


1 00


3 00


8,250 00


1879


5,164 78


660 24


3,310


112


211


6


1


1,493


1 00


3 00


8,200 00


1880


5,435 49


744 17.


3,291


116


360


6


1,770


1 00


3 00


7,900 00


1881


5,842 65


726 11


3,167


121


354


10


1,777


3 00


1882


4,519 81


643 00


2,794


111


422


6


6


1,776


3 00


10,500 00


1883


4,260 71


690 12


3,085


108


337


2


371


1.814


1884


4,800 20


682 21


3,114


116


-334


1885


4,657 34


646 71


3,672


133


327


95


1,369


3 00


1886


4,337 97


625 68


3,522


151


337


2


1,509


3 00


225,000 00


1887


3,724 35


800 51


3,191


173


600


2


1,614


3 00


1888


3,365 21


637 17


2,807


191


901


8


2,178


1889


3,115 56


673 68


2,630


182


437


1


6


1,881


3 00


955,000 00


1890


3,425 86


494 28


2,835


183


519


10


1,729


3 00


910,000 00


1892


3,659 15


794 52


2,220 2,776


200


591


22


1,778


3 00


910,000 00


1893


4,164 12


506 41


3,047


208


504


4


1,588


3 00


1894


6,731 64


551 80


3,978


200


588


-2


1,619


3 00


1895


7,048 97


505 90


4,378


240


655


1,672


3 00


901,000 00


1896


6,375 21


595 12


4,554


241


657


1


1,592


3 00


899,500 00


tion.


YEAR.


binding.


odicals, etc.


taken.


paid.


. .


5


17


1,974


1 00


3 00


41,000 00


1820


12,001 64


905 54


6,004


116


457


6


45


1 00


3 00


1872


7,897 94


656 08


3,767


89


487


5


406


3.00.


3 00


1891


3,329 49


731 03


203


586


10


1,774


3 00


906,500 00


902,500 00 902,500 00


...


3 00


5


838


1


members.


327


FROM 1832 TO 1840.


CIATION IN TABULAR FORM.


Volumes drawn from


Initiation and dues.


Cash donations in-


cluding life mem-


Net receipts from lec-


Am't left in treasury.


Am't of library fund.


Presidents.


$5,500


$1,234 00


$3,787 00


Free.


$189 15


Seth C. Hawley


7,500


1,010 74


1,425 00


Free.


198 19


Seth C. Hawley


6,300


1,121 00


484 00


Free.


78 16


George E. Hayes


6,600


1,047 00


297 75


$4 50


69 47


Edward Norton


6,400


675 75


1,253 00


10 00


3 84


Walter Joy


10,400


1,352 00


418 00


35 69


63 64


Warren Bryant


11,100


1,292 00


35 50


2 00


273 23


W. L. G. Smith


9,000


868 75


53 00


7 00


164 74


W. H. Greene


8,000


878 87


52 00


No Lec.


16 75


Jabez B. Bull


8,200


1,444 44


248 28


162 90


367 93


Gibson T. Williams


9,250


1,263 75


51 25


144 47


571 39


Samuel T. Atwater


10,600


1,556 56


378 75


31 20


603 38


Thomas C. Welch


14,200


1,327 62


227 46


20 77


466 12


James Sheldon


12,000


1,467 12


260 42


546 75


Isaac Sherman


9,477


1,262 18


60 00


18 41


349 36


Charles D. Norton


11,600


2,664 60


1,494 00


392 29


1,900 44


J. M. Hutchinson James L. Butler


14,440


2,708 36


85 00


152 34


2,038 98


19,229


2,769 25


160 50


691 93


2,954 77


Bronson C. Rumsey


22,995


2,743 63


50 00


380 37


2,214 11


Wells D. Walbridge


22,793


3,524 74


150 00


271 69


3,040 53


$1,150 00


Alex. W. Harvey


27,830


3,461 15


1,000 00


827 43


3,651 94


John G. Guenther


26,883


3,349 75


50 00


1,120 48


1,603 31


2,500 00


Wm. T. Wardwell


21,495


2,350 50


1,302 00


336 22


1,682 76


2,800 00


Wm. Fleming


20,716


2,153 52


300 00


628 47


1,736 93


2,850 00


David F. Day


18,689


2,304 00


1,492 07


2,564 75


3,200 00


Joseph Warren


18,454


3,212 25


350 00


1,272 75


4,470 17


3,300 00


R. L. Howard


24,706


1,871 75


100 00


928 80


4,326 24


6,122 23


S. V. R. Watson


23,281


5,237 00


84,465 00


1,252 50


6,910 11


6,628 57


S. V. R. Watson


37,130


5,956 55


950 00


285 44


5,650 00


8,500 00


Albert Sherwood


43,385


4,379 00


900 00


1,343 23


5,652 54


8,800 00


George Truscott


38,988


3,900 00


300 00


956 40


4,506 88


10,100 00


Edwin T. Evans


41,746


3,823 00


1,300 00


91 00


9,212 05


11,100 00


Henry A. Richmond


35,767


4,735 00


550 00


2,268 44


6,499 11


- 13,300 00


Chas. F. Wadsworth


60,982


4,826 75


2,250 00


2,571 16


2,820 19


13,950 00


Geo. S. Wardwell


73,138


4,180 72


700 00


1,144 74


3,702 62


19,750 00


75,983


6,081 00


6,050 00


1,176 40


4,493 34


20,050 00


David Bell


84,412


4,228 00


300 00


2,717 23


20,350 00 :


Howard H Baker


72,529


4,009 75


300 00


2,107 42


20,735 04


Franklin D. Locke


74,127


3,959 25


200 00


3,541 23


20,935 04


E. Carlton Sprague


76,591


3,780 25


200 00


1,737 02


21,035 04


Robert P. Wilson


72,832


4,107 25


100 00


1,738 02


21,085 04


William H. Gurney


77,826


3,431 00


50 00


2,086 96


21,385 04


Richard K. Noye


90,222


4,767 75


300 00


3,122 04


21,835 04


Wilson H. Bissell


91,429


4,513 75


250 00


1,098 76


22,085 04


Charles A. Sweet Henry Bull


98,363


4,322 13


2,550 00


231 94


22,033 74


Edward B. Smith


96,113


3,873 00


1,202 86


22,033 74


Edward B. Smith


84,918


3,144 00


1,009 86


22,033 74


59,943


2,917 09


599 38


22,033 74


89,035


3,667 75


124,879 25


22,183 74


100,136


4,406 49


22,183 74


102,600


3,293 25


9,700 00


15,772 00


31,883 74


Daniel H. McMillan


102,749


4,116 08


5,700 00


17,397 05


39,228 99


Philo D. Beard


104,244


4,027 10


1,300 00


10,833 50


62,541 03


Ralph H. Plumb


114,719


4,271 62


5,950 00


10,473 62


67,991 03


Frank M. Hollister


118,931


4,283 40


50 00


11,935 77


67,856 03


George B. Hayes


128,222


3,990 00


10,585 06


72,856 03


Henry C. French


140,651


4,405 75


14,759 27


72,856 03


Joseph P. Dudley


142,659


3,579 25


20 000 00


14,943 30


92,906 03


T. Guilford Smith


..


5,048 00


551 00


278 35


5,206 43


8,288 65


Sherman S. Jewett


21,215


2,647 18


61 23


1,081 61


1,200 00


Everard Palmer


Oscar Folsom


99,108


4,071 60


1,077 63


22,033 74


Jewett M. Richmond


Jewett M. Richmond


Jewett M Richmond George Gorham


Library.


bership.


tures.


1,200 00


328


OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.


During the speculative period before described a project was inaugu- rated by a number of citizens of both Black Rock and Buffalo which they anticipated would result in building up a city at the former place, and in consequent large profits through the sale of land. One feature of this project was the construction of a pier or dam extending from Bird Island to a point near the outer end of the Buffalo breakwater. It was expected that this extension would make it possible for vessels to run down there at all times, would improve the Black Rock water power and prevent the then existing basin from filling up with sand and ice.


position until the present time. In 1857 a library fund was founded, based upon receipts for life membership; the fund now amounts to $92,906.03. In 1864-65 began a movement which inaugurat- ed an era of greater prosperity for the association. Nine leading men of the city headed a sub- scription with $3,000 each to raise funds for the purchase of the property on the corner of Main, Eagle and Washington streets; the names of the nine were Sherman S. Jewett, Dean Richmond, Charles Ensign, S. V. R. Watson, Thomas Clark, Gibson T. Williams, Myron P. Bush, Rufus L. Howard, and James Brayley. By generous gifts from many other persons the fund was raised to something more than $83,000, and the property was bought in 1865, and occupied by the association in 1866; its cost was $112,500. At the datc last named the association was in debt about $50,000; but by prudent and successful management the indebtedness was cleared away in 1876. In April, 1877, J. N. Larned was made superintendent of the library, a responsible position which he filled in the most satisfactory manner until 1897, when he resigned, and Henry L. Elmendorf was ap- pointed to the position. Under his administration the practical working of the library itself reached the highest possible success. In the latter part of 1883 a subscription fund was founded with the ultimate object of purchasing a new site and erecting a building more commodious and better adapted for the purposes of the association. The sum of $117,000 was raised which was used towords erecting the splendid building now in use; it was completed in 1887 and cost about $328,- 000 exclusive of the site. The Association retained its property on Main and Eagle streets and re- stored it to its original hotel purposes, calling it the Richmond. Six months later both it and the adjoining St. James Hall were burned and were replaced by the present Iroquois Hotel. The an- nual receipts of the library are now nearly $60 000. Preliminary steps were taken in 1896 to make this library free, through co-operation by the city authorities, and to transfer it to the city in trust. After thorough discussion and necessary action by various committees, a law was passed on the 4th of February, 1897, under which the transfer was made, the city pledging itself to raise annually by general tax a sum not less than 3-100 of 1 per cent. nor more than 5-100 of 1 per cent. of the tax- able assessed valuation of city property, four-fifths of which sum should be paid to the trustees of the institution, which was given the title, Buffalo Library. The same act made a similar trans- fer of the Grosvenor Library (noticed in another chapter), and the remaining one-fifth of the sum raised by tax was thereby made payable to the trustees of that institution. The library report for 1896 gives details of these proceedings, to which the reader is referred. The Buffalo Library was formally opened to the public as a free institution September 1, 1897. It contains over 90,000 volumes and about 10,000 pamphlets.




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