The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894, Part 103

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823-
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company
Number of Pages: 1098

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The store kept by John B. & Richard M. Esselstyn, stood on the site of Mr. John Buckley's shingle mill, now used as a coal house. Between the Horr house and the stone blacksmith shop, was a store, first oc- cupied by Dr. Avery Ainsworth, and later by Henry Ainsworth. This was the first store opened in the village. The principal wharf was at the foot of James street. On the beach of the river at the foot of Point. street, there stood, in 1815, a beautiful grove of elm trees, and on the lot now owned by Mr. John B. Grapotte, Esq., was an exten- sive "deer liek," where, 85 years ago, the crafty hunter lay in wait for his game, and the crack of his rifle was often heard.

John and Samuel Forsyth built the first blacksmith shop across the street from where the stone shop now stands, and there they made the iron work for the first large schooner -the Merchant-built at Cape Vincent. Sub- sequently they built the stone shop, and afterward added a foundry, a machine and boiler shop, and an axe factory. They carried on a large business in all the branches. They also manufactured here the first cook- ing stove ever invented-the "Rotary."

About 1818, Joseph Cross erected a tannery on Market street above the old cemetery, which he carried on for several years, and finally sold it to a man by the name of Powell, who, in addition to the tannery, car- ried on a boot and shoe factory, in which a number of men were constantly employed. In the days when the rafting trade was at its hest, there was a great demand for able- bodied and skillful raftsmen, and many young men from other places were attracted to this point, as the demand was great and the

wages good. In those days, to be a skillful raftsman on the St. Lawrence river was as great a distinction as it was to be a successful harpooner on board a whale ship. Among the skillful pilots of those days, the ones who gained the greatest distinction were Elisha P. Dodge and Christie Irving; and many are the tales of venturesome runs and narrow es- capes encountered in the rapids between Cape Vincent and Montreal. Gradually the lumber traffic was transferred to Millen's Bay and thence down to Clayton, where it finally ended.

The first mill in the town of Cape Vincent was built on Kent's creek. Before this it was no uncommon feat for a settler to shoul- der a bushel of corn, carry it to Chaumont and have it ground and return with the meal in the same manner. This first mill was built by a man named Perkins, just below where the present saw-mill stands. It was a primi- tive affair, with scarcely a piece of iron in the whole structure, its gears and shafting being made of wood. One of the mill-stones may yet be seen. It was made of a granite boulder, the like of which may be found in many places in the town, having been brought from the far north and deposited here during the ice period. A Mr. Powers erected the first saw-mill on the site of the present one, and sold it to Henry Shaw, father of Hon. A. D. Shaw, of Watertown ; Roswell T. Lee purchased the grist-mill of Per- kins, but finally built a new one on the oppo- site side of the creek from the saw-mill and fitted it up with all the then "modern im- provements," and for years it was the grist- mill of the country. Justus Esselstyn was the miller. Later it was sold to Henry. Shaw, and finally to Mr. Remy Dezengremel, and his son Louis became the manager. It was, un- fortunately, burned in 1876.

A steam saw-mill and grist-mill were built by a Mr. Noble, where the Sacket boat-house now stands. It finally became the property of Mr. Peugnet, and later on was burned. The "Old Stone Mill," recently purchased by the United States government for a fish hatchery, was built by George Bartlett and Antoine du Villard, some time in the fifties. It was the best equipped mill that had been built up to that time; but unfortunately it did not succeed-probably for want of capital to carry it on. Lastly, a steam grist- mill was erected on the site of the old ship- yard, by the late Alfred Burnham. That, too, was burned some years since, but was rebuilt and fitted with modern roller ma- chinery and is now running, with Mr. Will. Burnham as its manager.

In the days of which we are writing, there were no hotels. Places kept as houses of public entertainment were known as "inns," or "taverns," and of these Cape Vincent has had its share. It has already been noticed that the first tavern in the town was built by Eber Kelsey, where the Rathbun House now stands. General John Tabor built a small hostelry where the Horr House stands ;

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indeed the present dwelling is the old Tabor tavern, enlarged by a Mr. Ferrin. Still later Mr. Joseph Cross built a tavern on the corner of James street, where the house of Mrs. Fuller now stands, which soon became, be- cause of its locality, the principal tavern of the place. At that time a great traffic was carried on with Kingston, and as many as 20, and sometimes 30, teams might be seen at at one time in the tavern yard ; some of them were from Little Falls, some from Utica and some from Rome. Among these there were sure to be three or four loaded with oys- ters. Cross' tavern was also the stopping place for the Watertown stage, the Kingston ferry being close at hand. Later a hotel was built on the west corner of Broadway and Market streets, where the undertaking rooms and insurance office of Mr. L. C. Kelsey are. This was built by Fred Folger, although there was one on the opposite corner, where the old Crevolin building is. Still later, the St. Lawrence was built on the southeast cor- ner of Market and Broadway, by Buell Fuller ; this was burned in 1882, and in its place was erected one of the finest hotels on the St. Lawrence river, by H. J. Crevolin, now deceased. This passed into other hands, and its name was changed to the Al- gonquin. It, too, was burned lately, and only a heap of ruins shows where an elegant hotel once stood. On the remaining corner of the square stood Jerome's Hotel, a large building not yet finished. It was here that the late disastrous fire originated, but how, is a mystery ; at all events no blame attaches to any one, and Mr. Jerome has, at this writing, a fine brick structure well under way. At present, however, there are but two hotels in the village.

In the early days, however, there was no lack of taverns. In the "French Settle- ment," just beyond the old cemetery, Betise Robeair kept a very popular tavern, which was sure to be well patronized, especially on Sundays, owing to its close proximity to the church. Peter King kept a tavern and store combined, near the mills, and, on the same street, Antoine Seymard had a drinking place and a small gin distillery.

FORT HALDIMAND.

THE earliest settlement was made within the present limits of the town of Cape Vin- cent, and indeed, so far as is known, within' the limits of Jefferson county, with a single exception (the old French redoubt on Six Town Point), was on Carleton Island, then known to the English as Buck, or Deer Island. The island lies in the centre of the American channel of the St. Lawrence river, about three miles east of north from Cape Vineent village. Some time during the year 1774, the island became a depot of supplies for several Quebec merchants, who were en- gaged in the rapidly growing and very profitable trade with the Six Nations, and. also with the Indian tribes of the Northwest;

several stores were opened, and in connection with similar houses in Niagara, and other points on the lakes as-far north as Macki- naw, a hrisk trade was carried on. By 1775 the British government had located a govern- ment supply-store on the island, to which quartermaster stores were shipped from Quebec and Montreal, and thence up the lake wherever needed. In 1776, when the war broke out between the colonies and Great Britain, the island became at once a rendezvous for the Tories of the Mohawk Valley, and especially for the tenants and retainers of their leader, Sir William John- son, and also of those Indians friendly to the King. Among these Sir John Johnson re- cruited a regiment, known as the Royal Greens, a detachment of which was for some time stationed on the island. In 1777, Bur- goyne's great campaign, which was to end the Rebellion, was organized. The plan, in brief, was to make a descent on Albany, by the way of Lake Champlain, with a strong force under Burgoyne's immediate command, while Col. Barry St. Leger was to ascend the St. Lawrence river, rest and recruit at Deer Island, and then proceed by way of Oswego to the capture ot Fort Stanwix (now Rome), thence down the Mohawk to a junction with Burgoyne at Albany. At the same time Sir Henry Clinton was to co-oper- ate from New York, by sending a strong force up the Hudson.

The intelligent reader is already aware that tbis grand scheme miscarried, and how ; hence a recital of the particulars is unneces- sary, only so far as they relate to the matter in hand. Suffice it to say, that Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga, St. Leger was de- feated at Fort Stanwix, Sir Henry Clinton failed to connect, and the campaign was a failure. St. Leger, however, landed on Deer Island, and encamped there for 10 days on his way to attack Fort Stanwix, but history is silent as to whether he halted there on his retreat. Sir Guy Carleton, who was Gover- nor General of the Canadas, and commander- in-chief of the forces, was relieved at his own request, and superseded by Sir Freder- ick Haldimand, who deemed it advisable to take some steps toward the better protection of His Majesty's interests in this part of the country. Kingston was too far out of the way to be of any service in checking a force which might attempt the passage of the river, and in any case additional fortifications were necessary. Acting upon this idea, General Haldimand sent Lieutenant Twiss, who was Burgoyne's chief engineer, Lieut. Schank, of the navy, and Capt. Aubrey, of the 47th Regiment, with his own company and a detachment of the Royal Greens, and a body of artificers, to select such a place as was in their judgment the best for the pur- poses required, which were to build a fort, establish a ship yard, build gun-boats and vessels, and, in short, to do everything necessary for the good of His Majesty's cause in this part of the country. After a

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THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

careful examination of the different locali- ties in this vicinity, these officers pitched upon Decr Island, and begun operations. This was in August, 1777, and at that time they changed the name of the island to Carleton, in honor of Sir Guy Carleton, and when the engineer had completed his plans, he gave them the name of Fort Haldimand. The work was not fully completed in 1783; but was discontinued hy order of General Haldimand, on the cessation of hostilities, pending a treaty of peace, and was never re- sumed. The work occupied three-eighths of an octagon, extending from the edge of the cliff on which it was built, which faces to the southwest. The rear was protected by a strong earthwork, a ditch, and an outer para- pet of stone, evidently quarried from the ditch, a glacis of the same material, and a strong abatis. In the centre of each face of the ramparts, midway between the salients, was a strong bastion constructed for four guns ; two of which in each bastion could en- filade corresponding angles of the ditch, which was cut to a depth of nearly five feet in the limestone rock, with an average width of 24 feet. The scarp was vertical, and was protected by a cheveaux-de-frise of cedar logs sharpened at the outer ends, extending beyond the berme, and held in place by the earth of the parapet. The counter-scarp, was also vertical, and beyond it was a couvert way of about the same width as the ditch. The outer parapet and glacis were of stone, the parapet being about four feet in height, and the glacis from six to eight rods in width. Bomb-proof barracks and magazines were constructed, and a well was dug, reaching below the level of the water in the bay at the foot of the cliff. It is not at this time easy to determine the character of the fortiffcation along the face of the cliff, although it is presumable that it was pro- tected by a strong wall, probably of stone, backed with earth. At all events there was at least two heavy batteries on that side, while there were also strong water batteries on the point under the cliff. This peninsula is flanked by a hay on each side, and is con- nected with the main island by a compara- tively narrow neck of land, which, with the peninsula itself, was devoted entirely to the use of the engineer and naval departments, and was designated as Government Point. The following extract of a letter from Gen. Haldimand, dated Quebec, April 17, 1780, to Capt. Fraser, then in command on the island, explains matters clearly :

* * * * "No part of the head or neck of land which lies under the fort, and is called Government Point, shall be deemed in any way private property, nor shall any hut, house or stable built thereon be sold; because I propose that the whole of this ground shall be appropriated for lodging the arti- ficers belonging to the naval and engineers depart- ments; and the commanding engineer shall have orders to lay it out during the spring so as to form commodious workshops, saw-pits, timber yards, rope walks, etc., after which provision stores are to be built. * * * * Every other part of Government Point, after these services are provided for, must be given up entirely to the officers and seamen of the naval

department, and all officers, commissaries, etc., belonging to the garrison, must have their gardens and other conveniences you may think proper to allow them, on some other part of the island. I am yours, etc.,

FRED HALDIMAND.

Much more might be written of the pas- sive part played by Carleton Island during the war of the Revolution, but space forbids. We may say, however, that it was a most important point in many respects. It was here that the bloody raids upon Wyoming and Cherry Valley were planned and organ- ized. It was the home of Joseph Brant, the noted Chief Thayendanegea. Here the sav- ages assembled to receive their ammunition, don their war paint, dance their scalp-dances, and then set forth, bent upon massacre and bloodshed ; but space forbids further enlarge- ment on this head. On the breaking out of the War of 1812, Abner Hubbard, of Hub- bard's Bay, collected a few of his neighbors and captured the fort, sending its garrison, two old and decrepit ordnance sergeants and three old women, prisoners to Sackets Har- bor, and then setting the old barracks on fire. There was at that time no armament in the fort, the guns having been sent years before to York, now Toronto.

By 1820, Carleton Island, which was re- served in the sale to Macomb, had become a busy place, with a population of 150 souls, which, in another year, increased to 200, all of whom were squatters, attracted by the lumber trade, in which a large business was done. On the head of the island there was a school-house, a postoffice, a shoe shop, a blacksmith shop, three stores and a tavern. Professor Shumway was the school teacher ; James Estes kept the tavern ; Abijah Lewis, James Wood and a Mr. Shaw, were the store- keepers, and a Canadian, whose name is now forgotten, did the blacksmithing. So great was the business carried on at that point that it was no unusual thing to see from 10 to 15 lumber vessels anchored in the bays at the head of the island at the same time.

Five hundred acres of the head of the island was a military class-right or grant, be- longing to a Revolutionary soldier, William Richardson. Matthew Watson and William Guilland purchased the right, and Guilland sold to Watson, who died, leaving it to his three children, John, Margaret and Jane ; John and Jane died, leaving Margaret sole heir; she married Jacob Ten Broeck, and they sold to Charles Smyth, who purchased the remainder of the island from the State. In 1823, Mr. Fred Hassler, who for many years had charge of the United States coast survey, was appointed to survey the island, and he reported the total area to be 1,274 acres, mostly appraised at $4 per acre. To- day there are several fine farms on the island. Captain Wyckoff, of the well known firm of Wyckoff, Seamans & Benedict, which handles the Remington typewriter, himself a gallant soldier of the late rebellion, now owns the military grant of 500 acres earned by the sol- dier Richardson in the War of the Revolution.

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That it should have been owned by a soldier who fought in the rebellion of the colonies, and is now owned by one who fought in the rebellion of States, is eminently proper. On the head of the island (the Government Point of 1778,) Mr. Wyckoff has at this writing, well toward completion one of the finest cottages on the St. Lawrence river. Other elegant cottages and the Utica Club grounds and houses make up the present occupation of the Point.

During the war of 1812-15, residents along the St. Lawrence river, near the eastern boundary of the town, were not wholly free from British visitation. At this time the great Black River State road, which touched the St. Lawrence at Port Putnam, extended down the river to Ogdensburg ; and, instead of taking a comparatively direct course, it followed more or less closely along the shore, touching the river at a point opposite Linda's Island, and also at a point below, on which a fortified block-house was erected and a small garrison stationed. This point is one of the most picturesque spots on the river, and is now the property of Mr. Alfred D. Percy, whose father, David F. Percy, purchased and settled on the same farm more than 60 years ago. Near the Point stands a thin marble slab, bearing the inscription : "Ebenezer Sexton. Died Oct. 1, 1828, aged 51 years, 7 months and 23 days." Deceased was a sut- ler for the garrison, as well as a general store- keeper. On the Point above, and opposite Linda's Island, Samuel Britton built a dwel- ling house, which finally became a tavern, and a very convenient stopping place for people passing to and fro between Cape Vin- cent and Gananoque, between which places there was considerable trade at that time. He also planted an orchard and had begun to make extensive improvements before the breaking out of the war. His tract embraced all of that lot of land now owned by Alfred D. Percy, and up the river, including the James Linda farm. Mr. Britton had been a Revolutionary soldier, entering the service at the age of 14, with the Vermont troops, and serving throughout the war. He was at the battle of Bennington, and participated in the engagements which finally resulted in the de- feat and surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga in 1777. Like thousands of others, at the close of the war he found himself homeless. paid off in Continental scrip, a thousand dol- lars of which would not purchase a meal of victuals nor a night's lodging; and like thousands of others, he became somewhat embittered toward the government which he had served for seven long years. True, it had promised him a " class-right" or grant of 500 acres of land, but even that was not forthcoming, and the young soldier was left entirely to his own resources. On his first arrival in this vicinity, his home for a time was with Major John B. Esselstyn, who was ever ready to extend a helping hand to new comers, until he finally made his home as already stated. He was a man who looked

carefully to his own interests, and in conse- quence tried to maintain a strict neutrality during the War of 1812, treating both sides with the utmost impartiality. But the plan worked disastrously. As is always the case, a neutral is looked upon with sus- picion by both sides, and Mr. Britton was no exception to the rule. The Americans were inclined to regard him as a Tory, although they had no positive proof of the fact, while the British, at first regarding him as a friend, finally came to doubt his loyalty to their cause, and treated him accordingly. For this belief they appear to have had some grounds. The arrival at his house of deserters from Canada was of frequent occurrence, and they were sheltered, fed and sent safely on their way. Often they reached Britton's in the night, with feet badly frozen from travelling on the ice, and many times has Mrs. Britton acted in the capacity of a surgeon, and ampu- tated a frozen toe with a skill that some young surgeons might envy, and finally send- ing her patients on their way rejoicing. De- serters from the American army were cared for in like manner. But there was to be an

end to all this. One night at midnight, a British gun-boat landed, robbed Sexton's store, burned Britton's tavern and dwelling, cut down and burned his orchard, getting away unharmed. The little garrison, half a mile away, dare not leave their fortifications lest the enemy should take possession ; and so the work of destruction went on un- checked.

Linda's Island took its name from a daugh- ter of Britton's, who, in a log hut on the island, nursed and cared for a sick officer who had deserted, either from Sackets Har- bor or from the troops stationed at Cape Vin- cent, it is not positively known which. At all events, the episode, with all its conse- quences, gave the young lady's name to the island, which it still retains. At first it was thought best to fortify the island, and with that end in view a block-house was begun, but wiser counsels prevailed and the work on Cedar Point was erected.

Another island possessing much historical interest, is Grenadier Island, lying at the foot of Lake Ontario, to the left of the course from the head of the St. Lawrence river to the mouth of the Welland canal. This island was visited by Charlevoix in 1621, and prob- ably by Champlain in 1615, although this is not certain. In 1760 the great expedition under General Jeffrey Lord Amherst, which set out from Oswego with 10,000 soldiers and a large Indian contingent, for the capture of Fort Levi, a French fort below Ogdensburg, made this island its general rendezvous pre- vious to the final start. The next important expedition, which included Grenadier Island as its rendezvous, was that ill-managed affair, the result of folly, incapacity and drunkenness on the part of its commander, General Wilkinson, late in the fall of 1813 ; so that Grenadier Island has an actual history, fully supported by documentary evidence,

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reaching back 273 years, with a fair presump- tion of 30 years more, which connects Jeffer- son county with the earliest history of America. The island is about the same in ex - tent as Carleton Island, and is occupied by ex- cellent farms. The first settler was John Mitchell, and at the time of the War of 1812 the island had several inhabitants. Fox Island lies near Grenadier, and consists of a single farm, which is owned by Wm. Grant, Esq., of Cape Vincent.

The conscientious historian is often re- quired to give reasons for certain results, or, in other words, having described certain con- ditions, it devolves upon him to explain the causes which led to them. Thus far it has been shown that the village of Cape Vincent was not only prosperous, even in early times, when the whole country had been impover- ished by a war; but was a village which bid fair to become a place of no little importance in the near future. So certain did this seem to be, and so large and increasing was the trade from the central portions of the State, that as early as 1832 the building of a rail- road from Rome to Cape Vincent was agi- tated, and, in fact, a company was formed to construct the road. Again, in 1846, another trial was made, but it also failed. Finally, in 1848, work was actually begun, and early in the spring of 1852 the last rail was laid to the St. Lawrence river, and in April the first train appearcd, amid the most enthusiastic rejoicings. Would Cape Vincent have fared better without the road ? Let us see. As a matter of fact, up to and some time after the opening of the Rome & Cape Vincent Rail- road, the village promised to become, next to Watertown, the most important place in the county. This was the general opinion of the people, irrespective of locality. The railroad company constructed 3,000 feet of wharfage, a freight house 600 feet long and a passenger station, including a fine hotel 200 feet long hy 50 feet wide. A fleet of fine propellers connected the road with the Michigan Central at Detroit ; the magnificent line of steamers, Bay State, Northerner, Cataract, Niagara, Ontario and New York, touched at Cape Vin- cent every day, the Bay State and New York running between Lewiston and Ogdensburg, while a ferry line between here and Kings- ton brought us into direct communication with other steamboat lines on the Canadian side, and a large fleet of sailing vessels found ample employment in conveying freights. As a furthur stimulus to the trade with Kingston, a canal was cut across Wolfe Island, and so lively was trade and so great the amount of business done, that there is no wonder that the general opinion of the people took the direction it did.

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The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894, Part 103

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823- Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company Number of Pages: 1098

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823-
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company
Number of Pages: 1098