Our county and its people : a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York, Part 44

Author: Curtis, Gates
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1328

USA > New York > St Lawrence County > Our county and its people : a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York > Part 44
USA > New York > St Lawrence County > Our county and its people: a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York > Part 44

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).

Plank Roads is under the head of Internal Improvements, see page 167.

Agricultural Societies .- See page 216.

Bay Side Cemetery .- For many years before the establishment of the present burial ground in Potsdam it was felt that a more desirable place should be selected for the remains of those called away by death than the former one. A meeting was held on the 14th of October, 1865, over which Rev. H. C. Riggs presided, H. N. Redway acting as secretary, at which the Bay Side Cemetery Association was organized. The present name was adopted and twelve trustees were appointed as follows : Bloomfield Usher, William W. Morgan, John H. Seeley, T. Streatfield Clarkson, Edward Crary, E. D. Brooks, George Richards, Edward Hitchings, Aaron M. Deming, Harvey M. Story, H. C. Riggs, and Hiram H. Peck. The association being organized, a second meet- ing was called October 23. Bloomfield Usher was chosen president of the Board of Trustees; H. C. Riggs, vice-president ; T. S. Clarkson, treasurer; Edward Crary, secretary. A constitution and by-laws were provided and an executive committee appointed. Twenty one acres of land, situated on the west side of the river, were purchased of Mr. Usher, and arrangements made for surveying and laying out the ground. The consecration ceremonies took place October 6, 1866, when ad- dresses were made by William A. Dart, Rev. H. C. Riggs and others. In 1867 fifteen acres of land were added to the ground, and with im - provements since made, the many well kept lots and handsome monu- ments, the cemetery is now a spot to which the mourner may turn with sadness tempered by the beautiful surroundings.

Potsdam Red Sandstone Company.1-This is the name of a company of quite recent organization, but the inception of the business carried on

1 Furnished by the proprietors.

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THE TOWN OF POTSDAM.

by them dates far back in the past. The value of what has long been known to geologists as Potsdam red sandstone for building purposes has been locally known to some extent for many years ; but it was left for enterprising men of more recent times to fully demonstrate this value and bring the stone into extensive use. During the early years of this town the sandstone was quarried in a primitive manner by al- most anybody to use in buildings, walls, etc. Among the earliest to work in the quarries now controlled by the company, of which we are writing, were members of the Parmeter family, who continued it many years. The present company is composed of Edwin A. Merritt, jr., and Ogden H. Tappan. They succeeded a company of the same name composed of E A. Merritt, jr., James W. Barker, George Z, Erwin and W. R. Weed. The quarry in which that company operated is not now used, better and more convenient workings having been opened. The present company took the business in 1889, and since that time have probably done more to extend a knowledge of the stone and prove its great value, as well as its sale, than all the others who proceeded them in the business. The owners of the quarries have secured the skill of the most eminent scientists in the country, among them Professor J. S. Newberry, of the School of Mines, Columbia College, in analyzing and testing the stone, from which has been built up a wealth of evidence that is absolutely incontestable as to its great value in every respect. Professor Newberry has written of the stone as follows: " It is stronger than any granite and much more durable, since granites are composed of quartz, feldspar, mica and hornblende, all of which, except quartz, are liable to decomposition on exposure. From this danger this stone is free ; composed as it is of pure silica, it will bid defiance to the tooth of time, and had the obelisk now standing in Central Park been com. posed of as dense and homogeneous stone as Potsdam sandstone, it would to-day be as perfect as when erected at Tanis, 1500 years B. C."

This is strong testimony and need not be amplified here, for all who are interested will receive from the company, upon application, a great amount of detail regarding the qualities of the stone, which would be out of place in these pages. It may, however, be added that there are buildings of this material now standing in the village of Potsdam which are from fifty to seventy-five years old, and which bear to the ordinary

476

HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.

observer every appearance of having been erected within a decade. Among these is a dwelling erected by Gardiner Cox in 1838; the resi- dence of Judge C. O. Tappan, which is sixty years old, built by the late Judge Allen ; the Usher residence, General E. A. Merritt's residence and others. In a concise description of this sandstone we find the fol- lowing: " It is a fine-grained sandstone cemented with silica and weigh - ing more than any other sandstone, over 160 pounds to the square foot. The cementing material is so unaffected by acids that the stone can be boiled in pure nitric acid for hours without injury. It is capable of withstanding crushing strains of 42,000 pounds per inch. It is so nearly fire-proof that it has been used in the vicinity to line cupola fur- naces. For lining bank vaults it is superior to any other material ex- cept steel. In color the stone is an ideal red, being deep, rich and brilliant, and retaining its freshness unimpaired by any condition of climate or situation."

Very many important and costly buildings have been erected of this stone, and stand to-day as monuments of its beauty and durability. Among these may be mentioned the Houses of Parliament at Ottawa, which cost over $4,000,000 ; All Saints Cathedral, Albany, now in process of construction, costing about $2,000,000, and many others. The stone is now shipped to all parts of the country, a recent order going to Washington, D. C.

The quarries now in process of working expose seventy feet in thick- ness, and the output is very extensive, while something like 100,000 cubic feet is carried in stock. The quarries are known by numbers, reaching from one to four, the color varying more or less in all. Water power is used for the propulsion of the machinery used in pumping, etc. Two hundred acres of land on both sides of the Raquette River are owned and controlled by the company, where extensive buildings have been erected.

The Clarkson Sandstone Quarries are situated about three miles south of the village of Potsdam, and are owned by Thomas S. Clarkson. The quality and color is the same as the old quarry and used for the same purpose in building. This quarry was opened and worked in 1877, and now about fifty men on the average are employed.

Grow Sisson

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THE TOWN OF POTSDAM.

The Clarkson Manufacturing Plant was founded by Clarkson & Brown in 1886, for the manufacture of butter firkins and tubs, which is now carried on alone by Mr. Clarkson, who also turns out a large quantity of shingles on Fall Island.

The Watkins and Turner Lumber Company .- Henry A. Watkins came to the village about the year 1842, and died on March 29, 1891. He was also for many years one of the principal operators of the large mills on the west side of the river, which are now owned by the Wat- kins & Turner Lumber Company. The mill is one of those that were originally built soon after 1850, in the period when advancement in this direction was rapid, by Elderkin, Clark & Co. There were several early changes in its ownership, and in 1863 it was owned by Watkins & Burnham. and later by Watkins, Lester & Co. Eventually the Raquette River Lumber Company was formed, of which Mr. Watkins was a member ; that was in 1884, and it was succeeded by the Watkins Lumber Company, and that by the Watkins, Turner & Co., which was formed in February, 1891, and the following are the officers: C. H. Turner, president ; H. A. Watkins, vice president; B. Turner, secre- tary ; H. E. Barnard, treasurer. The last two are residents of Platts- burg. The capital of the company is $100,000. The mill now contains · two circular saws, two gangs, a planing. mill, and has a capacity of 100,000 feet per day. The company owns about 35,000 acres of timber lands in the forests south of Potsdam. This mill occupies substantially the site of the old mill of 1803, mentioned in earlier pages.

The same company carries on a kindling wood factory, which was started in the spring of 1893, with a capacity of 10,000 bundles daily. The factory is near the depot, and is equipped with machinery for its purpose.

The A. Sherman Lumber Company .- The little hamlet called Sisson- ville, a few miles below Potsdam village, owes its existence to a mill put in operation there between 1840 and 1850 by persons from the east. It was burned in 1852. Pomeroy & Pearson built a mill on the site, which they operated a few years only. In 1866 George W. Sisson settled there, and in partnership with Alfred H. Griswold erected a new mill with six gangs of saws, which produced about 65,000 feet of lumber a day. In 1875 Augustus Sherman, of Glens Falls, became a partner

478

HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.

in the mill, when the firm name of the A. Sherman Lumber Company was adopted. This arrangement continued until 1885. In 1886, after the death of Mr. Sherman, William R. and Frederick A. Weed, grand- sons of Mr. Sherman, came into the business as partners, and the mill has been operated by them and Mr. Sisson since. The capacity of the mill is upwards of 100,000 feet per day, and it has also machinery for cutting slabs into lath; a shingle mill with a capacity of 25,000 per day ; a planing mill with capacity of 60,000 feet per day, and a box factory from which a carload can be turned out daily. Logs for the mill come from the south woods down the river, as far as fifty miles away. The firm owns 40,000 acres of timber land tributary to the Raquette River. About 150 hands are employed by them. In 1881 the saw mill was burned, with 2,000,000 feet of lumber and twenty dwellings. The mill was rebuilt, and other property restored as far as possible.

Sash, Door and Blind Factory .- In 1853 Seth C. Ellis & Co. built a sash factory on the island. In 1855 George B. Swan acquired an in- terest in the business, and soon afterward became the sole proprietor, and for many years before he died carried on a large business. In 1885 Thos. S. Clarkson purchased the property and continued the business until April 4, 1888, when the property was destroyed by fire.

D. A. & W. A. Moore purchased the premises formerly occupied by . George B. Swan, who used it until 1884 as a door, sash and blind fac- tory. In the last named year the Moores purchased the business, and have since conducted it on a large scale in the manufacture of doors, sash, blind, screens, finished lumber, interior finish, lath, shingles, etc.

Foundry and Machine Shop .- The foundry was built by Judge Jabez Willes not long after 1820. He was succeeded by Knowles & Watkins. C. W. Leete in 1851 acquired an interest in the foundry, when a ma- chine shop was added. The former went out of the business in a few years, and Mr. Watkins in 1872. Since that time it has been carried on by Mr. Leete, chiefly in the manufacture and repairs of mill ma- chinery.

A second machine shop was started August 1, 1884, by M. Hughes and Son, where they do a general line of machine work and repairing.

Flouring Mill .- The old mill, previously mentioned, in which was combined not only a grist mill, but a saw mill and cloth factory, stood

As tham R. TEEd

479

THE TOWN OF POTSDAM.

about 150 feet east of the present building. This site carries with it the monopoly of grist grain grinding in the town. The present stone structure was erected in 1830 by members of the Clarkson family, and two years later passed to Rodee and McCarthy. About the year 1856 it was sold to Brockins and Hitchings, and they were soon afterward joined by D. K. Brown. After Mr. Brockins's withdrawal from the firm Brown & Hitchings operated the mill until about 1872, when they were forced to assign. S C. Crane, as assignee, conducted the mill a short time, when it was sold to Watkins, Foster & Rodee, who conducted it to about 1876. It was then sold to Hitchings & Conlon, who operated it only about ten months, when in the fall of 1877 it was purchased by Robert Wood, the present proprietor. It was changed by him in 1885 to a roller mill of seventy five barrels capacity.

The Raquette River Paper Company .- The organization of this com- pany was effected in February, 1891, with a paid up capital of $50,000, and the following officers: George W. Sisson, president; Carlton E. Sanford, vice president ; F. T. Flint, secretary and treasurer ; James A. Outterson, superintendent. Other stockholders are Fred. L. Dewey and Flora E Snell The mill stands on the east side of the Raquette River, on an old saw mill site below Potsdam village. The old build- ings on this property were removed to make way for the paper mill plant, for which two large structures were erected. The power is fur- nished by five large water wheels, and the product is now about eight tons per day. A sulphite department was added to the plant in the fall of 1893.

Tanneries .- At an early day tanning was carried on in a small way by L. W. Fuller, but was soon given up. Another early tannery, situated at the foot of Raymond street, was built by Davis & Sayles, who oper- ated the tannery a few years, when Davis purchased his partner's in- terest. In 1858 the property was sold to Duff & Barnes, who operated it five years. After several changes were made, the property, in 1880, was sold to A. Sherman, who remodeled the old tannery into a planing mill and furniture factory.

Cabinet Shop -Previous to 1841 almost all the furniture used in this section of the country was made by hand. In that year Benjamin T. Batchelder established a factory for making furniture by machinery.

480

HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.

It was situated on Fall Island, but in different localities in the village at several different periods. Three times the factory has been totally de- stroyed by fire, once by a freshet, and once partly burned. It is worthy of mention that on all of these occasions the fire started elsewhere and communicated to Mr. Batchelder's building. In 1869 he was joined by his son, Henry C. Batchelder, and in 1874 a younger son, Charles E., came into the firm. In 1874 they opened a wareroom in the village in connection with their manufactory. The elder Mr. Batchelder died in 1882, but the firm name has been retained and the business is carried on by the brothers.

Wait & Sons, manufacturers of fine cabinet ware, stair builders and general jobbers in wood work, established their business in 1878. They have all the necessary machinery for carrying on a successful business.

Picture Studio .- N. L. Stone & Son carry on a business in a three story building fronting ninety four feet on Market street, which consists in part of the copying and enlarging of photographs. In this business Mr. N. L. Stone was one of the first to commence, and the first one in Potsdam, where he settled in 1870 and began business in 1872. The firm now makes seven grades of crayon pictures, six of ink work, two of pastel, and three of water-colors and one in oil This firm has in- troduced every facility that skill can devise, aside from the employment of artists or specialists, in their particular line. Competent men are employed to solicit orders throughout the United States and Canada. About 15,000 portraits are now made annually.

The Thatcher Manufacturing Company .- This company was organ- ized in 1879, consisting of H. D. Thatcher and H. P. Barnhart, for the manufacture of "Orange Butter Color." Mr. Thatcher began in 1862 experimenting, and continued his researches until the object was ob- tained and the company formed. Other inventions in the line of dairy implements have since been perfected, such as a cream and milk protec- tor, a milk can measurer, bottle, etc. In 1887 Dr. Thatcher sold his interest in the manufacturing company to H. P. and S. L. Barnhart.

In December, 1889, a stock company was formed with a capital stock of $60,000. The officers were as follows : Thomas S. Clarkson, president ; George Z. Erwin, vice-president; Carleton E. Sanford, W.

481

THE TOWN OF POTSDAM.

R. Weed, Louis E. Ransom (of New York), H. J. Sanford (of Parish- ville), with H. P. Barnhart, and S. L. Barnhart, the first being treas- urer and the latter secretary. The active management of the company rests with the two Barnhart brothers. After the formation of the stock company they erected a plant on Depot street, in Potsdam village, with a brick building thirty by one hundred feet. The basement is occupied by the machinery and the compounding of the butter color. The packing is done on the third floor, while the main floor is used for the offices and the labeling of goods.

A new invention of the managers is attracting attention, consisting of a machine for printing and cutting the milk jar caps simultaneously. Attached to this machine is a device for paraffining the caps as they come from the press. They have also perfected a cheese color for which there is a large demand.

The Potsdam Milk-Sugar Company .- This company was organized January 1, 1893. for the manufacture of milk products, including but- ter, fancy French cheese and milk sugar. Thomas S. Clarkson is pres- ident ; Henry S. Wilson, vice-president ; D. F. Ellis, secretary and treasurer. The capital is $25,000. The buildings are on the site of the door, sash and blind factory formerly operated by Mr. Clarkson, and which burned down in 1887. The stone building formerly occu - pied by the D. F. Ellis Butter Company, which began business April I, 1890, is also used by The Milk-Sugar Company. The business of this company is rapidly assuming large proportions, employing as they do men who have given years to the business and who can make as fine goods as the markets afford. Their products are sold largely in this State, although quite an amount of their butter and fancy cheese find sale in New Jersey and Connecticut. The milk-sugar finds ready sale among manufacturing chemists and for baby foods, and is pro- nounced by experts to be the finest product of this nature manufactured in this country.

A very destructive flood occurred in the village in May, 1871. Heavy rains swelled the volume of water and the reservoir dam gave way, bringing down toward the village a terrible flood, carrying along the wreck of the Ellsworth mill, a quantity oflogs, etc. This was on a Saturday, and all night long the inhabitants remained up to watch the

482

HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.

expected catastrophe. At noon on the following Sunday a bulkhead above the island was crushed, and the torrent poured through, carrying away part of the Batchelder furniture factory and taking the east part of the building of Watkins & Leete's shop. The upper part of Spar- row & Swan's shop was carried off and the floor on which was the heavy machinery was left. The booms at Sissonville, with their logs, were carried down, and at Hewittville parts of the dam and the bridge and the booms filled with logs went down with the flood. Most of the property was recovered at Norwood, where the booms withstood the torrent.

A destructive fire occurred on the 17th of January, 1890, which burned all of the property between the old American House and Ray- mond street, causing a loss of $20,000 on buildings and about $50,000 on goods, etc. But the burned district has been rebuilt and with a far better class of buildings.

The Potsdam Savings and Loan and Building Association was organ- ized in May, 1890, with Hosea Bicknell, president; Hollis Snell, vice- president ; B. T. Scott, secretary ; F. M. Peck, treasurer. It is a prosperous institution.

The following persons have served as supervisors of the town :

Benjamin Raymond, 1807; Charles Cox, 1808; Benjamin Raymond, 1809; Charles Cox, 1810-11 ; Benjamin Raymond, 1812 to 1817, inclusive; Gurdon Smith, 1818 to 1821, inclusive ; Samuel Partridge, 1822 ; Gurdon Smith, 1823-1824 ; Samuel Partridge, 1825; Horace Allen, 1826-27 ; Samuel Partridge, 1828-29 ; Zenas Clark, 1830 to 1834, inclusive ; Ansel Bailey, 1835 to 1837, inclusive ; Amos W. Brown, 1838; Ansel Bailey, 1839; Aaron T. Hopkins, 1840 to 1843, inclusive; Thomas Swift, 1844-45; Isaac Parker, 1846-47; Charles Dart, 1848-49; Amos Blood, 1850-51 ; Isaac Parker, 1852 to 1854, inclusive; Benjamin G. Baldwin, 1855; Aaron T. Hopkins, 1856 to 1860, in- clusive; Edward W. Foster, 1861 to 1876, inclusive; Erasmus D. Brooks, 1877-81; John A. Vance, 1882-92; M. V. B. Ives, elected Februarv, 1894.

National Bank of Potsdam .- This institution is the successor of the Frontier Bank, which began business in Potsdam, May 1, 1851. Previous to that time the village had been without a bank. There were originally three stockholders-H. P. Alexander, of Herkimer; J. C. Dann, of Sackett's Harbor; and Bloomfield Usher, of Potsdam. The capital was $50,000. On the Ist day of May, 1854, it was reorganized under the State laws and its capital increased to $100,000. The bank

Bloomfield Usher

483

THE TOWN OF POTSDAM.

continued a successful career until October 28, 1866, when the Frontier Bank ceased to exist under that name and the National Bank of Potsdam succeeded, with its capital increased to $162,000. The next increase of capital was made March 1, 1871, when it was raised to $200,000. The stock of the institution has always been largely held by the original proprietors of the Usher family, and the monopoly of banking business of this section held by the bank for many years gave it great prosperity. It has now a surplus and profits of about $60,000. Bloomfield Usher held the office of president from the beginning until January, 1890, when Luke Usher was elected president and William Usher was made cashier. The present board of directors are as follows: Bloomfield Usher, Luke Usher, George A. Hardin, William Usher, P. F. Bellinger. W. Y. Henry is teller and book keeper. The bank building was erected in 1853.

The People's Bank of Potsdam .- This financial institution was organ- ized on the Ist of May, 1889, with a capital of $50,000. Its president and one of the principal promoters was, and still is, Carleton E. Sanford (see biography in later pages). Its vice-president was William A. Herrick, who was succeeded by W. W. Weed, and he by C. M. Peck, who is the present incumbent. The first cashier was William L. Pert, who was succeeded by Frank D. Barry, the present cashier. F. M. Peck was the first teller. In the board of directors were C. E. Sanford, W. A. Herrick, Theodore H. Swift, W. W. Weed, Hosea Bicknell, Hollis Snell, John S. Thompson, George S. Wright and Royal Newton. C. M. Peck succeeded to a directorship when Mr. Herrick died, and A. D. Heath, Frank F. Flint and Rufus L. Sisson have succeeded Messrs. Weed, Snell and Wright. Under the progressive and liberal management of these men the People's Bank has been especially pros- perous and has already accumulated over $10,000 surplus. Its bank offices are convenient and commodious, and contain a large and secure vault, with Yale time locks, built especially for it. It has the entire confidence and liberal support of the community.

The Press .- The first paper in the town was The Potsdam Gazette, started January 13, 1816, by Frederick Powell. It was a small sheet, eighteen by twenty-two inches, and neutral in politics. It was a weekly, had four columns to the page, and survived to April, 1823. In January,

484

HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.

1824, Mr. Powell began the issue of another paper similar in character, a little larger, and called The Potsdam American. It was later pub- lished by the firm of Powell & Redington, and lived until April, 1829. In May, 1829, Elias Williams issued from the same press an anti- Masonic weekly called The Herald ; it was discontinued in August the same year. In April, 1830, William Hughes published on the same press The Patriot, another anti-Masonic sheet ; it was continued to early in 1831, when the press was removed to Ogdensburg by W. B. Rogers, and used in the publication of The Northern Light

On the IIth of April, 1844, Mr. Charles Boynton began the publica- tion at Canton of the Enquirer and Tariff Advocate, a campaign paper, devoted to Whig politics; it was stopped in November following: From the same office was issued the Democratic sheet called The Northern Cabinet and Literary Repository, started by Mr. Boynton January 2, 1843. The latter became unpopular with the Democratic party, and was removed at the close of the second year to Potsdam, where it con- tinued on its former plan one year, when the literary department of the paper was issued semi- monthly, in octavo form and in covers, given up almost wholly to literary matter, and its name changed to The Reposi- tory ; the first number of this was dated July 20, 1846. At the end of the fourth volume The Cabinet was sold to William L. Knowles, and thenceforth issued under the name The St. Lawrence Mercury. Mr. Knowles continued it two years, when he sold out to Wm. H. Wallace, who continued it about two years longer under the same name. In June, 1851, he sold to H. C. Fay, who changed the name to The St. Lawrence Journal. In July, 1852, he consolidated the paper with The Potsdam Courier, under the name of The Courier and Journal. The latter journal was started by Vernon Harrington in the fall of 1851, and was neutral in politics. The union of these two papers under the very able and intelligent management and editorship of Mr. Fay at once made an impression upon the reading public of Northern New York. About the year 1858 The Northern Freeman was started by Doty and Greenleaf in Canton. O. D. Baker succeeded Greenleaf, and the paper was removed to Potsdam, where in 1861 it was united with The Courier and Journal, and the name made The Courier and Freeman, by the firm of Fay, Baker & Co. In 1862 Baker & Fay succeeded, and after one

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Our county and its people : a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York, Part 44

Author: Curtis, Gates Publication date: 1894 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason Number of Pages: 1328

Author: Curtis, Gates
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1328