USA > New York > Putnam County > Cold Spring > Thirty Years of Early History of Cold Spring and Vicinity, with Incidents, By One Who Has Been a Resident since 1819 > Part 3
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A Know-Nothing Lodge was started in the place, and went on quite successfully for a few years and then failed to exist.
About 1830 a Temperance Society was formed in the village and became very numerous, and a Sons of Temperance Lodge was organized. The building now used by Pilson and his bake shop was erected. It also failed to exist. Several attempts were afterwards made to revive it, but all failed. No license could easily be carried in those days in the town elections. Churches were freely used for the people to meet, and like St Paul, to reason of righteusness and temperance.
This continued up to the breaking out of the Southern rebellion. Since that time the political parties have had control, and manage affairs as they see fit. License can be carried at the present day in Phillipstown, seven to one.
1846. The first Sewing Machine was introduced in the place by David H. Ketcham, now of Westchester County.
1840. Lehigh coal was first introduced in Cold Spring by John Simonson, who kept lumber and other building materials, in the Baxter yard.
The war of 1815 had ended, and the social and holi- day sentiment had somewhat changed in the United States since that time. Christmas being a favorite holiday by the English, anything English was frowned upon by the people of the United States, so that New Years day was the favorite holiday here for several years after the war. Any eatables that could be had were reserved for the New Year.
1822. This year, the day after Christmas, as provi- dence perhaps designed it, a messenger came from the Lobdell road to Nelsonville and reported that tracks of some wild animal were seen in a light snow that had lately fallen. This report spread like wildfire, and a company of twelve heroic men was formed, with gun in hand, and with as many dogs, started for the field of battle under the captaincy of William Henyon, uncle to James, of Nelsonville. William was famil- iarly called Bill. On and on they went, sure of the conflict that was soon to come. The tracks in the
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snow were sure to be reliable. The dogs were put in front of the van. By noon they had come up with their enemy. The conflict then commenced. Capt. Bill issued his orders, and before a gun was fired he put the battle in array, with the dogs in the front ranks. They led the attack, but failed and fell back. The captain was not to be foiled in his first attack. The enemy still holding their entrenchment in the rocks, another attack must be made; this time with powder and ball. The captain, taking part in the ranks, orders were given to fire. This led the enemy to quail, three of their number being mortally wound- ed. The captain ordered his company to reload. This done the attack was renewed, and the enemy con- quered, which proved to be a bear and her two cubs nearly as large as their mother. Thus the battle ended, resulting in the triumph of our heroic captain and his gallant company. The trophies captured that day were borne in triumph to Nelsonville the same evening. The bears were very heavy and as fat as butter. Then came the question-what shall we do with them ? The butcher in the place was not slow in answering, for he wanted something savory for his customers and bought the lot. His stall was now complete for the New Year's holiday. Mr. Gouveneur secured the skins to make a sleigh robe. The captain was ever after this called a hero and a brave man. The question would be asked him, who killed the bears? "I killed the bears." The town was well sup- plied with Bear meat on that New Year's day, which
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was pronounced excellent. Most of the ladies enjoyed the unusual meat. Well they might, for the butcher was an expert at his business, and knew how to cut it in a very delicate way. The claws and tail I suppose were made into soup, ox-tail soup. The choice pieces were probably roasted or fried and served on toast. What could be better than bear on toast ? I did hear of some very delicate ladies being determined not to like it, but after it was given them with other meats, not knowing what they were eating, pronounced it good.
Spring, 1822. A very curious bird made its appear- ance in town and perched on an old chestnut tree on the gravel bank half way from the Town Hall to the Methodist Church. Its songs were rare and delightful. Traps were set to take it alive, but to no purpose. It was visited by all the people of the town. The visits ended when cold weather came in the fall. It was the size of a robin.
Elisha Nelson, or uncle Elisha as he was called, was impressed with the idea that he could find Capt. Kidd's treasure that was so much talked about then and to this day. He would dream and dream again, and was so sure of finding the treasure that he made several attempts secretly to find it. Finally he openly engaged George Barton, an expert at digging and handling rocks, to superintend the excavating and removing the rocks in different places of the town which Nelson had an idea the treasure was buried, but all to no pur- pose, for the treasure was not found. The delusion
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continued to be impressed on his mind up to the days of his old age that he was sure of finding it.
About 1835, the wise heads of the West Point Foun- dry conceived the idea of vessel building, consequent- ly they took a contract to build a seventy ton vessel. They engaged the services of a man by the name of Lockwood to superintend its building. I believe he was a ship builder from. Derby, Conn. and was an ex- pert at any thing he undertook. Whether he had witnessed the making of wooden hams, wooden nut- megs and wooden pumpkin seeds I do not know. But certain it is, that on one occasion he actually made a whistle out of a coon's tail. He selected the plant for his building ways about ten rods east of what is called the boat house at the foundry cove. This was the only large vessel built. I do not know why this branch of their enterprise stopped so suddenly, unless it was that Johnson, Baxter and Nelson had nearly exhausted the finding of ship timber in the mountains near by.
About 1844, a Village Charter was drawn up by William I. Blake, for the future government of Cold Spring Village, and submitted to the Legislature of the State. It passed that body, and was returned to be submitted to the people for sanction or rejection. It was passed. It worked quite smoothly for a time; and then became partizan and still continues so. For several years past the management has been in the hands of a very limited number. There is a strong feeling for the substitution of a new charter, making it less political. I think this will be done in the near future.
Nelsonville was chartered as a village a few years after Cold Spring and still remains so.
At the request and in sympathy with a much re- spected family, I have seen fit to overreach my thirty years to make this one insertion in this little work, and will first pen a few lines of poetry, written by some kind friend of the family residing here.
THE LOST CHILD.
Come listen to his course of danger : Many hearts besides my own Can tell about the bine-eyed stranger, Travelling through the woods alone : How near the hemlock's shading branches, Streaming with celestial glances,
Dreaming of a mother's love, His gentle spirit soared above.
Where the mountain breeze is singing, O'er the lakelet's silvery breast, Where the forest pine is swinging, There his tiny footsteps pressed ; The wildwood rabbit around him playing, Down his cheeks the teardrops straying,
Still gazing at the starry deep. The little wanderer sank to sleep.
Where the vine was drooping meekly, There he viewed his leafy bed ; Where the stars were smiling sweetly, There he laid his weary head ; Where the laurel boughs were twining, Where the silvery moon was shining, Where the murmuring watery play, There he breathed his life away.
Though his soul in heaven is breathing, Though his life on earth was brief, Who is there among the living That can tell the mother's grief ; Dreaming how her darling weary. Wandering through the wildwood dreary, Mourning hopes that failed to save Her helpless darling from the grave.
The 16th of March, 1861, Mrs. James Jamison left the City of New York to visit her father and other
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friends in Cold Spring, taking her two boys, Thomas eight years and Joseph six years, enjoying the pleasant anticipation of meeting father, grandfather and cousins. Little Joseph regretted that his father should be left behind. March 17th, St. Patrick's day, arrived, some went to church, leaving the two boys with a cousin, at the grandfather's on Foundry hill, with instructions to the two oldest boys to go to the foundry and get some water for dinner, but Joseph followed them. This was 10 or 11 A. M. The two oldest passed through the foundry to the water spout. Here they lost sight of Joseph. They returned with the water. Joseph was gone, and they knew not where. Search was at once made at the foundry and at the ponds. Hundreds of people were aroused and all sorts of conjectures discussed. Search continned, all near by houses and out-buildings were visited, and the ponds were drained without success. The services in the churches that afternoon were dismissed. Just before evening a man was seen who said he saw a boy of that description on the marsh crying. He appeared to be bending his course toward the house on the island. Thinking the boy belonged there took no further notice of him as he was on the right way home. Here was a clew. The march was searched but Joseph was not found. Night came on. Torches and lights were procured. the roads above the march and the hills around Mr. David Moffat's were searched, and a track in a small patch of snow was seen. This was another clew. The track indicated that the boy was going eastward tow-
ard cat hill pond. The searchers took courage, think- ing they could soon make the rescue. On they went, taking a wide extent of country towards the cat pond. Cat hill was searched, although getting through the underbrush and briars made it very difficult. The searchers becoming tired and worn out and their lights exhausted, were obliged to give up the search at a very late hour in the evening and return home, not knowing whether little Joseph had walked into the. pond or had wandered farther on. The gray of Mon- day morning found a large number of searchers on the alert. The lost had not been found. The foundry bell was rang for the morning work hour, but none had a heart to work, and some of the shops dismissed their men to enable them to take part in the search. They repaired to the pond. Would they find him drowned, or would they find him a frozen corpse, or perchance had he got farther on and had found the house of some farmer who had taken him in. In the patches of snow the footprints were plainly to be seen by day. In the thickets of Cat hill and nestled in the thick leaves Joseph was found a frozen corpse. Oh that some Benjamin could have known and lifted him from his pit of leaves before life was extinct. It was found that they had passed near the spot several times where little Joseph was found, the night before, when their lights went out. By ten o'clock A. M. the news came that Joseph was found frozen to death, and that they were bearing him home to his mother. The writer, with Andrew Mellravy, the boy's uncle, with
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others, went to the house of the mother. I was re- quested to break the news of the finding to her, but how could I do it. We found her agonized, but re- covering somewhat, she says to me, Do you think I will ever see Joseph alive ? I had to tell her I thought not. While still in conversation, Epenetus Nichols was bearing the lifeless corpse home to her. Thus ended the most thrilling and painful incident I ever experienced.
In August, 1844, a lady by the name of Ferguson, with a small child, was landed from one of the Albany and Troy day boats at West Point, and was ferried from there to Cold Spring. About two o'clock P. M. she was seen to go through Market Street to about equal distance between the Presbyterian and Catholic churches with what was supposed to be a small child. She soon returned again without it. The next day a small infant was found in the cove between the two churches. The child was nearly nude when found in the water. An inquest was held on the body. I for- got the verdict. The public was much excited. Sus- picion soon rested on a Miss Ferguson, the nearly stranger in the place. She had a distant relative here, and had not left. The infant was laid to rest in a re- spectable manner by the authorities. Investigation was demanded to ascertain whether she was the mother of that child, or was some other one its mother ; was she guilty of placing it dead or alive where it was found. She was duly arrested, and through her coun- sel plead not guilty. Examination was deferred until
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next day, and she was put in the custody of a consta- ble for safe-keeping. But before the time the defen- dant had been rescued from the officer, or had rescued herself, and was at large. Search was made in and about the place and of the different modes of escape. A clew was soon had. A buggy with a young man and young lady had crossed the ferry at Fishkill to Newburgh, bearing the description of the young lady and her counsel, and a couple had been seen riding about Orange County at an unusual hour that night. Thus the stranger that had appeared so strangely dis- appeared through the laxity of the officer having her in charge. She was never found.
I have not spoken of the general healthfulness of the town and village. They have been very healthy in the main. There was a time between the years 18- and 18- that chills and fever prevailed to an alarming extent, so much that nearly every family within two miles of the village were afflicted with the scourge. The cause was sought out as best it could be. Peekskill, Fishkill, Poughkeepsie and other places on the east side of the river were clear of the chills. How could it be that Cold Spring, nestled as it is in the midst of the highlands, should be so afflicted and other places escape. This could not be easily solved. Peo- ple would come to the village with the idea of settling, but would pass on to other locations. Henry W. War- ner, a prominent lawyer, came to town and bought the marsh meadows, with some other land adjacent, with the idea of making the marsh meadows into tilla-
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ble land. His plan was to repair an old dyke that was there, and to build a new one at the north end, and to put in gates to let off the surface fresh water from the marsh and adjacent hills, and at the same time keep back salt water and high tide entirely. It was nearly certain that this draining the marsh was the cause of the prevalence of the chills and fever among us. Mr. Warner was sought after to induce him to remedy the evil, but did not believe the complaint was well founded, and refused to let the salt water reenter his gates freely. The public suffered this sup- posed wrong for six or eight years. The courts were resorted to, and the public sustained in the supposed wrong. Mr. Warner was still urged to gratify the public, but still persistently refused. As a last resort Gouveneur Kemble took a posse of his men from the foundry, with shovels and picks, and levelled several rods of the dyke at the north end of the meadows. This movement on the part of Mr. Kemble ever after made enmity between him and Mr. Warner. They had law cases I believe for some trifling offenses after this. The levelling of the dyke was one of them. Health was gradually restored to the village, and now no healthier place can be found in the Highlands than Cold Spring. The enterprise of Mr. Henry W. Warner was certainly very commendable in restoring the three hundred acres of the meadows to tillable land, like some of the swamps and marsh meadows of New Jer- sey, which have already been reclaimed and the cran- berry extensively cultivated. Years to come the west
side of the road from the hammock to the island, fifty to seventy-five acres, with the help of the sand carted off from the foundry by rail could be utilized and made a cranberry bog, as it is called. And in time the whole three hundred acres could be reclaimed without sickness to the town.
I must now return once more to the Foundry, and as I have said, 1837 to 1839, the New York shops had all moved up and were going on prosperously. An addition was made to the wise heads of Kemble and Young, in the person of R. P. Parrott, who a few years previous married a sister of Mr. Kemble. Mr. Parrott was a graduate of West Point, and became Vice Pres- ident of the West Point Foundry in 1842 or '43. He was appointed first Judge of Putnam County, and has been called Judge Parrott since. The two fami- lies often receive visits from the Presidents of the United States and from cabinet officers yearly.
In and about the years 1845 to '50, William J. Blake issued a work called "The History of Putnam County" and is in the hands of a large number of the inhabi- tants of Phillipstown. So I have not been so particu- lar in giving to the public all I might from 1840 to '50, but leave the reader to further consult Blake's History of Putnam County.
I now take leave of further writing of this little History of Cold Spring and Vicinity, which will take in about thirty years of its early history. And I will here say that I have not consulted any record or his- tory save one, the Session Book of the Presbyterian
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Church. All incidents other than the one are from memory, and I believe I have not erred much. If others think I have in some little particulars I beg their pardon, and leave the further history to those coming after me, in coming years, from the year 1850. M. WILSON. Cold Spring, February 22, 1886.
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