USA > New York > Albany County > Cohoes > The history of Cohoes, New York, from its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 5
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From various reasons, chiefly lack of capital, the plans of this company never approached completion. The opening of the canal had, however, drawn the attention of other par- ties to the feasibility of a similar enterprise, and in 1826, with the incorporation of the Cohoes Company, the first steps were taken towards the development, on a large scale, of the wonderful natural resources of the place, and the foundation was laid for the establishment of a thriving town.
The honor of originating the first design for the complete and systematic utilization of the water power belongs to Canvass White, of whom an extended notice is given else- where. He first became interested in the project while en- gaged as engineer in the construction of the Erie Canal, and being convinced of its importance, devoted himself earnestly to obtaining means for its execution. Not being a man of large property himself, he sought the cooperation of a num- ber of capitalists with whom he had acquaintance - promi- nent among them being Stephen Van Rensselaer of Albany,
48
HISTORY OF COHOES. 1823.
and the members of the firm of Peter Remsen & Co. of New York, and without difficulty gained their aid in the enterprise. A company was formed, which was incorporated March 28th, the directors named in the charter being as follows: Peter Remsen, Chas. E. Dudley, Stephen Van- Rensselaer Jr., Francis Olmstead, Canvass White, Henry J. Wyckoff and David Wilkinson. Their election held in that year resulted in the choice of Mr. White as president, and Mr. Van Rensselaer as vice president. The first sec- retary, Mr. Wyckoff, was not elected until the following year. The powers of the company in regard to improve- ments were thus stated in the charter:
"It shall and may be lawful for the said corporation to erect and maintain a dam across the Mohawk River, opposite the lands belonging to said corporation above the great Cohoes Falls for supplying water for the purpose of said corporation. . . . The said corporation shall have full right, power and authority to cut, construct and make a canal or canals from said river upon the lands of said cor- poration, to supply water for all the purposes of said cor- poration ; and to cut, construct and make upon the lands of said corporation as many lateral canals connected therewith as may be necessary to supply water for the manufacturing establishments which may be erected, and also to afford such water communication with the Erie and Champlain Canals as shall be approved by the canal commissioners or such other person or persons as may hereafter be appointed by the legislature, having the superintendence and manage- ment of said canals ; and may also at any time hereafter purchase, build, or hire for the use and in the name of the said corporation, houses, factories, warehouses, wharves and other necessary buildings and to sell or lease any part or the whole of the above mentioned property, and also any surplus water of their canals, in such manner as they may think most conducive to the interest of said corporation."
The capital of the company was $250,000.'
1 Increased in 1835, to $500.000 with the proviso that none of the additional capital should be employed in manufacturing operations.
49
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1825.
The incorporation of this company, the most important event thus far in the history of Cohoes, had no immediate effect upon the place. Time was required for the perfection of plans and the completion of necessary arrangements, so no active operations were at once commenced, and for the next few years but little is to be recorded concerning the history of the village.
During the winter of 1825-26, the locks at the junction, which had proved insufficient to accommodate the rapidly increasing number of boats, were doubled. A new bridge (on the site of the present one) across the Mohawk above the dam was constructed by the Cohoes Bridge Company, which was authorized to contract with the canal commissioners for building and sustaining a tow path bridge for the benefit of the Champlain Canal, and was empowered to change the location of the old structure, and take such lands of the adjoining shores as might be necessary. The new bridge, built by- Hayward, was of wood, and had latticed sides, being one of the first so constructed in the neighbor- hood.' The toll collector was Jacob Van Der Werken, who had been the last collector at the upper bridge.
After the completion of this bridge, efforts were made for the establishment of a suitable approach to it, and a survey of the road from the junction north was made by Win. Roberts Jr., March 22, 1828, as follows :
" The road is laid out four rods wide in all places, measured at right angles with the course thereof. Beginning at a point in the centre of the road bearing north seventy-five degrees and fifty minutes west thirty-nine links from the southwest corner of the tavern house owned by A. G. Lansing, and now occupied by Henry En Earl and running thence upon the centre of the road north fourteen degrees and ten minutes east to the centre of the new Cohoes bridge at the south end thereof."
For some reason this survey was never recorded, and in
1 It was partially destroyed by ice, in 1832, but remained in use until March, 1853 when it was burned. The last toll collector was John G. Bonce.
7
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HISTORY OF COHOES. 1828.
later years various parties have been able to encroach upon the street with impunity. When the state buildings were . erected, about eight years later, the fence projected some distance into the street. Remonstrance was made by Hugh White, then president of the Cohoes Bridge Company, and he was assured by Clark Sumner, canal superintendent, that the land should be restored any time it was needed for public purposes. This, however, has never been done.
In 1828, a new school district was formed, all this neigh- borhood having been previously included in one district, having for its only accommodation the Red School House. The new school was located in a building which had been used as a boarding house during the construction of the bridge, and stood near the site of the old freight house of the Rensselaer and Saratoga Rail Road Company, on Oneida street.
In 1829, the cotton factory burned, and the Cohoes Manufacturing Company was broken up. The last agent of the company was Otis Sprague, and its trustees at the time of its dissolution were : B. De Milt, Edward Taylor, John Sayre, Calvin Barker, Joseph Curtis, Wm. M. Morrell and Samuel De Milt. The enterprise had not been particu- larly successful, financially, and the proprietors made no effort to rebuild and continue business, probably seeing that their concern would be completely overshadowed in the progress of the operations then about to be commenced by the Cohoes Company.
51
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1831.
IV. 1831 TO 1836.
W. ITH the completion, in 1831, of the first actual im- provements of the Cohoes Company, commenced a new era in the history of Cohoes.
Though this neighborhood had been settled at an early day, and had been increased in population and activity by the establishment of the factory of 1811, and the opening of the canals, there had never been any movement toward a regular development of the place. The early inhabitants, occupied only with their farms or their traffic with passing boatmen, had no local interests in common which would stimulate them to an effort for the establishment of a village, and previous to this time, the place, hardly entitled to be even called a hamlet, had consisted (aside from the factory) of the half dozen farm houses at intervals along the banks of the river, and a few scattered canal groceries. The ad- vent of new inhabitants, however, all engaged directly or indirectly in putting to practical use the natural advantages of the place, and having a common interest in its growth and improvement, infused a new life into Cohoes, and its active career was then entered upon.
Early in the season a wooden dam was constructed above the Falls, not far from the location of the present one. At the same time the company purchased from I. D. F. Lan- sing a large tract of land in that vicinity, together with a portion of the mill privilege which had been the property of his family since their first settlement in the neighborhood. Mr. Lansing reserved the right of using enough water for four run of stone, and transferred to the company the re- mainder of the water power, together with the privilege of constructing the dam and the necessary canals, for the sum
52
HISTORY OF COHOES. 1831.
of $12,495. Further accessions had been made by the pur- chase of lands on the opposite or Waterford side of the river. A strip one rod in width, extending from the Falls to the dam, was purchased from Garret Van Schoonhoven in 1826, for 85,000, thus enabling the company to control the entire power of the river except that reserved by Mr. Lansing. Other tracts, embracing a large part of what is now known as Northside and extending beyond the Shate- muck Mill property on the Champlain Canal, were purchased from Joshua Blower at different times from 1826 to 1838.1
The officers of the company made an arrangement by which they were permitted to use the Erie Canal for the purpose of supplying water to factories until the company could complete a canal of its own. The water from above the dam was conveyed into the Eric Canal just below the Four Locks, by means of a wooden trunk which passed under the highway near I. D. F. Lansing's grist mill.
Having thus prepared for the utilization of its facilities the company began to invite the attention of capitalists to the locality, and take measures for the establishment of a village. These efforts, though not resulting as favorably as had been hoped, still had the effect of bringing a number of new inhabitants.
One of the first settlers led here in consequence of the organization of the Cohoes Company, was Hugh White, who had arrived with his family in April, 1830. He had made previons arrangements for settling here, and his house on the Waterford road (the lumber for which had been prepared in Chittenango, N. Y., and was shipped on the canal ready to be put up), was nearly completed on his arrival. Mr. White took the place of his brother Canvass, who was often away attending to other business, in super- intending the early improvements of the company. Early in the year David Wilkinson, of Pawtucket, R. I., one of
1 This land was originally in the old Van Schaick Patent.
53
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1831.
the Cohoes Company, after urgent solicitation and liberal offers on the part of his fellow members, decided to take up his residence here, and arrived in April, being followed the next month by his brother-in-law, Hezekiah Howe. These gentlemen, together with the friends who accom- panied them, had a most important part in shaping the history of the town. Mr. Wilkinson was one of the fore- most mechanics and inventors in the country, and was widely known to manufacturers and capitalists. Having suffered heavily in the business depression of 1829, he, with his partner Mr. Howe, determined to avail himself of the opportunity offered for trying his fortunes in a new locality. The result proved how well grounded were the expectations of the company in regard to the effect of his ability and enterprise on the growth of Cohoes.
Among the friends of Messrs. Wilkinson and Howe, who arrived here about the same time, were Joshua R. Clarke, John Baker, Nathaniel Wheeler, Samuel Baldwin, Pardon Whitman, Robert Leckie, Geo. H. Kimball, and John Tillinghast.
The prospects for the new comers were not particularly encouraging. The best accommodations to be had were afforded by Mr. Faulkner, who then kept the Richard Heani- street tavern, and they were of the most limited description. Mr. Howe and his family, after boarding for some little time at this place, took up their residence in the house on the southwest corner of Oneida and Saratoga streets, which had previously been occupied by employés of the Cohoes Manufacturing Company ; Mr. Wilkinson took possession of the Whiting house, near the river ; Mr. Clarke occupied half of another of the factory houses, below Saratoga street near Ontario, and the other families found accommodations, for the most part temporary, in different localities in the neighborhood. At this time there were not over twenty or twenty-five buildings standing on the ground which is now
54
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1831.
the most thickly settled portion of the city, and mention has already been made of the greater part of them. Among the most important were the old farm houses on the Lansing and Heamstreet properties, the dwellings of Crowner, Waterman, Phelps, and En Earl at the junction, and the factory tenements near the state dam. On the west side of Mohawk street, near its junction with Oneida,' was quite a settlement, the principal house being that of Jacob Van Der Werken ; opposite to this, and nearly on the site of the present residence of Geo. Lawrence, lived a man named Rice. Next door to Van Der Werken's was the dwelling of Washington Cavan, which now forms part of the offices of P. D. Niver, and Justice Redmond. South of this was the dwelling of Wm. Link, which has been before referred to as occupied by Israel Anthony. On Mohawk street, opposite the present City Hotel (the site of which was then occupied by a large Dutch barn belonging to the Richard Heamstreet farm), was a small cottage occupied by Mr. Robinson ; on the bank of the river the gate house of the old bridge was still standing, and was occupied by Capt. Andrews. On the hill, besides the Lansing farm houses and the Van Der Mark tavern or Cohoes House, there was . nothing except the canal groceries of Hubbard and Revels.
The first house south of Link's was that of Isaac Fletcher, on the southeast corner of Mohawk and Pine ; adjoining this were two or three small buildings, one of which was occupied by a man named Crabbe. The Methodist church, on the opposite side of the street, was then unoccupied ; Dr. Tracy, the first physician, it is said, who settled in Cohoes, had a house on the north side of Columbia street, between Main and Remsen streets, and near the junction of Mohawk and Saratoga (on the site of the residence of Malachi Weidman), stood a small dwelling occupied by
I In speaking of these localities. I am compelled to use the names of our present streets, though of course they were not in existence at that time.
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HISTORY OF COHOES.
1831.
Isaac Van Der Werken. Along the canal may have been a few small groceries, and here and there an occasional shanty, but so far as I have been able to ascertain, there were no buildings of importance then standing in the main part of the village besides those already mentioned. All the land west of the Erie Canal was yet uncleared ; on the east a great part of it was unfit for farming purposes and had been neglected. Between the canal and Remsen street was a swamp which, for a number of years, was put to no use except as a cow pasture. The character of the land, marshy and full of quicksands, proved a serious obstacle in later years to many who were building in that locality. Between Remsen and Mohawk streets the soil was better adapted for cultivation, and on part of it a crop of corn had been raised in the previous year. The block between Factory and Oneida streets was occupied by an orchard belonging to the Richard Heamstreet farm. A deep ravine, through which had once flowed a brook of considerable size, passed from the canal down Ontario street across Remsen, and then in a northeast direction to Mohawk street.
At this time, and for a number of years later, there was a beautiful pine grove on the land through which the Rensselaer and Saratoga Rail Road now passes, extending from the bridge nearly to Howard street, and smaller groves were scattered at intervals between the Falls and the junction.
For the accommodation of the people at the factory, a narrow road (now Oneida street) had been cut through from the state dam to the main road, with which it con- nected near Jacob Van Der Werken's house. Besides this and the main highway there were no other public roads, except the one which is now Columbia street. This had been in use from a very early day. The farmers from the Boght, instead of turning into the main road near the Falls, often chose the lower road in preference, and came down that way when they drove to Troy and Albany with their produce, or went to Heamstreet's mill.
56
HISTORY OF COHOES. 1831.
Such was Cohoes in 1831. A description of life in the place during that year, from some of those who were pioneers in its settlement and improvement, gives one a striking sense of the inconveniences and annoyances they must have suffered. Until they could become settled in business, and make arrangements for building or hiring suitable houses, their accommodations were restricted ; there were no facili- ties of any account for communication with the outside world, the only public conveyance to neighboring towns being the canal boats, which often consumed two hours in making the trip from here to Troy, though the people were in the habit of saving time by walking to the junction and taking the boat at that point, thus avoiding the delay of the locks ; it was almost impossible to obtain the common- est necessities of life ; groceries, and those of an inferior de- scription, could only be procured at the canal stores, at either extremity of the village, and fresh meat was a luxury only to be found occasionally at the junction ; the nearest post office was at Waterford.
When, in addition to these discomforts, the fact is taken into account that the business prospects of the inhabitants were by no means bright, that the influx of capitalists and new population which had been expected was slow in coming, and the golden dreams which had been cherished in regard to the growth of the place were realized in but a slight degree, we can understand how much credit is due to the energy and perseverance of these early settlers and those who followed them within the next decade. Notwithstanding the obstacles in their way, the new-comers commenced at once their efforts for the improvement of the place. Messrs. Wilkinson and Howe were both active churchmen, and their first step was to procure accommodations for holding public worship. On May 2d, the day after Mr. Howe's arrival, St. John's Episcopal church was organized, and having secured the assistance of Rev. Orange Clark of Waterford,
57
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1831.
services were held the next Sunday in the school house of District No. 5, on Oneida street.
A Sunday school was at the same time organized under direction of Miss Wilkinson and Miss Maria Howe. The church services, which were held in the afternoon, were well attended and continued regularly during the year.
The first church officers were as follows : Wardens : David Wilkinson, Hugh White. Vestrymen : Hezekiah Howe, Otis Sprague, Albert S. Wilkinson, John Van Der Werken, Matthias Williams, Samuel H. Baldwin, Luther M. Tracy.
Mr. Wilkinson commenced business operations at once, and his machine shop, located on Mohawk street on the site of the present Empire Mill, was erected and in full opera- tion within a few months after his arrival. The power was obtained from the Erie Canal by means of a waste gate, located near the north end of the present Harmony Mills carpenter shop, from which the water was conveyed to the machine shop by a small ditch. During the year Mr. Wilkinson was occupied chiefly in constructing machinery for cotton manufacture, some of which was shipped to Seneca Falls. Another establishment, which was com- pleted in the fall, was a saw mill belonging to Hugh White, which stood at the Two Locks where is now the picker room of No. 1 mill. It was built by Sylvester Van Der Mark, who had in his employ, as an apprentice, Dennis Flannigan. Mr. Van Der Mark and Joshua R. Clarke were the principal carpenters here, and most of the buildings erected for a number of years following were under the supervision of one or the other. '
About the same time Mr. Howe established the first store of any importance in the place. It was located in a build-
1 This mill was run by Mr. White alone for a few years, and afterwards with J. R. Clarke as a partoer. In August, 1836, it was sold to the Harmony Manufacturing Company, which was then being organized.
8
58
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1832.
ing erected for the purpose at the middle one of the Three Locks, near the present Jute mill, at the place where Mr. Howe landed from the canal boat which brought him to Cohoes. The business, which was that of a general country store, was conducted by his son.
On the 23d of February 1832, the first postmaster, Frederick Y. Waterman, was appointed. The office was located at the junction, and as it was not much more con- venient of access than the one at Waterford, many people continued to have their mail sent to the latter place until Mr. Howe was appointed in the following year, when the office was transferred to his new store on the canal bank. The mail was carried by Wright Mallery, in later years a well- known resident of this city, who had at that time a bakery in West Troy. He made daily trips in this direction, visit- ing the groceries along the line of the canal, and brought the Cohoes mail in his bread cart - no heavy burden - for it consisted some days of but one or two letters. Mr. Mallery moved here in 1834, but went to Troy on business every day and continued to carry the mail for some time.
During 1832, the Cohoes Company was actively engaged. The first dam was carried away by ice on January 10, and was immediately rebuilt. During the spring, also, the first two canals of the company, which had been commenced in the previous year, were completed ; the contractors for the work being Oliver C. Hubbard and Captain Andrews. The principal one, Basin 1, extended from a point in the rear of the present Harmony Mills carpenter shop, on Mohawk street, to a short distance north of Factory street. The other, Basin B, was of less importance, serving principally to receive the water from Basin A and convey it to the river. It is on Remsen street and forms the fourth level of the Cohoes Company's present system. The first factory to obtain its power from Basin A was one (now occupied by Holsapple's bedstead factory) which was erected in the
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HISTORY OF COHOES.
1832.
early part of the year by E. L. Miller, a wealthy gentleman of Charleston, S. C., who intended to engage in cotton manufacture. At the same time he tore down the old Heamstreet barn, on the corner of Factory and Mohawk streets, and commenced building a commodious residence, while directly opposite, on the east side of Mohawk street, he erected a small wooden building afterward occupied as a store by his nephew, Mr. Whiting, and in later years by the post office. The mill and residence were built by Joshua R. Clarke, and the masons employed were Elihu and John Stevenson, for many years well known citizens, who had come to Cohoes a few months previous.
The buildings were hardly completed, however, when Mr. Miller fell into ill health, and changed all his plans. He became dissatisfied with his investments here, abandoned his idea of engaging in business, and went to New York, leaving his property to be disposed of for what it would bring. His house, directly after its completion, was con- verted into a hotel, which was first conducted by a man named Fuller, who came here from Watertown, and it has ever since been used for that purpose. It has been so al- tered and enlarged from time to time, however, that the present City Hotel bears but little resemblance to the original structure. In the mill, the machinery, which had been made by Mr. Wilkinson, was set up and ready for use, but soon after Mr. Miller's removal, it was sent to New Jersey to be sold. Another factory was erected during this season, by two gentlemen from New York for the purpose of manufacturing carpets. It was situated on Mohawk street, on the site now occupied by Gregory and Hiller's mill, and the power was obtained from Basin B.
Soon after the mill was completed it was sold to Messrs. Roach and Jones, of West Troy.'
! It is said that the cause of this sudden abandonment of their enterprise by the original proprietors was the Asiatic cholera, then alarmingly prevalent. They took
60
HISTORY OF COHOES.
1832.
One of the most memorable buildings of the year was St. John's church, erected by Joshua R. Clarke, which stood on the south side of Oneida street, between Remsen and Mohawk streets ; the structure was of wood, thirty-eight by forty-eight feet in size. The interior was finished in the plainest possible manner, and upon the ladies of the parish devolved the work of adorning it with such decora- tions as their limited resources would allow. The church bell, destined to remain in use nearly forty years, was a gift from David Wilkinson. The entire cost of the edifice did not exceed $1,500, of which $500 were contributed by the Cohoes Company, who also gave the lot upon which it was erected, the latter being a stipulation made by Mr. Wilkin- son before he consented to come here. Notwithstanding this assistance, it was by no means easy to raise the necessary amount, for the members of the parish were few in number and nearly all of limited means. The work was one, how- ever, to which all were earnestly devoted and in its accom- plishment they were assisted by the cordial efforts of almost every one in the place, without regard to theological differences. The zeal of those who had labored so faith- fully in its behalf met with deserved success, and St. John's church, the organization of which had been one of the first steps towards the improvement of the village, became per- manently established. The building was consecrated on May 12th of the following year by Bishop Onderdonk, Rev. Mr. Whipple of Lansingburg assisting.
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