USA > Pennsylvania > Erie County > The history of Erie County, Pennsylvania, from its first settlement > Part 25
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destruction of the vessels while building, the militia were called out until the square was filled. The Burgess thought advis- able, before proceeding further, to send over and make a strict search, which was accordingly done, and nothing found to justify the story unless it might be that three red oxen were there quietly feeding.
Soon after Buffalo was burned, an express came with the news that the British were eighteen miles west of Buffalo, on their way to destroy Erie and the fleet. Merchants removed their wares, and the greatest consternation prevailed. Fam- ilies were called up at midnight, and, hastily packing their furniture and goods, fled from the lake, and many of them remained absent until spring. The most anxious fears were from the Indians, who had perpetrated such cruelties at Buf- falo. Commodore Elliot was, through the whole, firm in the the opinion that the town and fleet were sufficiently protected. The young people were very much amused, during such ex- citements, by the conduct of the militia, as well as by their uniforms, which were made up of every variety of borrowed and inherited garments and nonfits. Some went so far as to maintain that they protected the town after the manner of scarecrows, and that they were nuisances second only to the British themselves.
In the Journal of Mr. Hamlin Russel, of Mill Creek, is the following :
"June, 1812,-Gen. Kelso ordered Captain Foot to call out his company of infantry for the defense of Erie. (Hamlin Russel volunteered).
"6th .- On duty. This day the general dismissed our com- pany ; so, for the present, myself and a number of my neigh- bors have volunteered to keep sentry at the head of the penin- sula, three by rotation to stand a tour of twenty-four hours ; my tour will commence on the eighth instant.
"August 25 .- Expresses were sent through the county to call out the militia-a number of vessels being seen, apprehen- sions were entertained that a descent would be made at this place. I went to town, as did all the country ; there heard the disagreeable information that General Hull had sur- rendered himself and army prisoners to the British, together
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with the post of Detroit. The general voice pronounces Hull a traitor.
" May 15, 1813 .- Go to town; a great alarm; 600 or 700 British and Indians land on the peninsula under cover of a thick fog, and go off again without being seen by any one.
" July 26, P. M .- . . Our harbor closely blockaded by the British vessels ; the militia of this county are ordered out en masse.
" December 31 .- Thus ends the year 1813, in which the war has been carried on in a manner becoming Democracy ; Wil- kinson's army is defeated and driven out of Canada, and likely to starve this winter ; Fort George is evacuated ; the enemy have burned Lewistown and Schlosser, surprised and taken Fort Niagara without the loss of a man, and still retain pos- session of it. Hurrah for Democracy !
"January 1, 1814 .- Go to town ; there learn that Thursday last the British crossed at Black Rock, drove the militia be- fore them to the village of Buffalo, and then drove them out of the village, which they reduced to ashes. Re- port says that the euemy, 3,000 strong, are eight miles in ad- vance of Buffalo, on the march for this place ; the citizens of Erie are sending off their families and effects as fast as pos- sible. Come home ; make preparations to send off my wife and babes, should worst come to worst.
"Sunday, 2 .-. . . Find that it is not true that the enemy are advancing to this, but in all probability they will be here, or attempt to come, before spring (on the ice) ; ex- presses sent off in every direction to call in the militia.
"3d .- Receive orders from Lieutenant-Colonel J. C. Wallace to appear immediately at Erie to perform the duties of my office in the regiment.
"February 7 .- Receive my discharge from my tour and come home, having been engaged thirty-four days, during which I have been at home but seldom, and never but a few hours at a time, and expect now to be ordered out again shortly.
" May 18, 1815 .- Went to Martin Strong's 1 to the battalion
1 Captain Martin Strong was one of the earliest inhabitants. In a letter we find that he came to this county the last of July, 1795, when there was but one family in the Triangle. Captain Strong was not only one of our most prominent citizens, but a man of excellent sense.
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review ; 200 or 300 bludgeoniers met ; hawed and geed about under as brave officers as ever raised potatoes. Hurrah for the militia of Pennsylvania !" [At this early day militiamen practiced with broomsticks, handspikes, etc., the proper weapons often not being obtainable.]
Reminiscences of an Early Settler in Fairview Township are as follows : "In 1810 my father bought a four-hundred acre tract of land in Fairview, ten miles west of Erie and one mile and a half south of the ridge road, of Jacob Ebersole, for five dollars per acre, on which were two cabins of round logs so near to each other that it was considered but one dwelling, the space between the two being the hall. There was also what was considered a large barn in those days. About fifty acres were partially cleared, much deadened timber yet stand- ing in the fields, and some peach and apple trees. The near- est neighbors were of the names of Vance, James Moorhead, John Long, John Stewart, and Jacob Wise, all within the bounds of three miles, which was then considered near neigh- bors. Many of their descendants reside on the same lands, which have become quite valuable.
" It was seldom in those days that two improved lots joined each other ; generally, they were divided or separated by at least a strip of woodland. The dwellings were rude log cabins which in many instances were taken from the forest and erected into a dwelling in the space of two days, by the assist- ance of the neighbors. Some would be engaged cutting down trees, while others would be hauling together, building, split- ting clapboards for the roof or puncheons for the floor, and thus a tenement would be completed speedily, and with but few nails or boards.
"Our crops were often injured by the depredations of bears, raccoons, deer, and wild turkeys, which were numerous.
"Our house of worship was near the mouth of Walnut Creek-the Rev. Johnson Eaton, pastor."
Memoranda of Mr. Richard Barnett .- " August 26, 1845 .- Oppressively hot and dry ; the Beaverdam Run dry in many places, which was never known before by the oldest inhab- itants. [Beaverdam Run empties into Walnut Creek.]
"January 5, 1847 .- A terrific storm of wind passed over
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Fairview, and leveled fences, roofs, sheds, etc., and a great many trees.
"December 16, 1850 .- Steamboat May Flower beached above the mouth of Elk Creek,
"December 31, 1852 .- A steamboat passed up the lake. Jan- uary 10, 1853, another passes up. March 21, steamboat com- menced running ; navigation open most of the winter."
Gen. La Fayette's Visit to Erie .- On the 3d of June, 1825, Gen. La Fayette, on his way from New Orleans to New York, honored Erie with a stay of a few hours. A committee pro- ceeded to Waterford and there received the committee from Pittsburg, with the illustrious guest, Gen. La Fayette, G. W. La Fayette, and M. La Vasseur. Judah Colt, Esq., of the Erie committee, in behalf of the citizens, gave him a cordial welcome to the county, to which the General made a suitable reply. After an early breakfast, the company, with a number of citizens from Waterford, proceeded to Erie. When within a mile of the borough they were received by a battalion of vol- unteers in full uniform, and a procession formed under the direction of Gen. B. Wallace, Chief Marshal. The procession passed down State Street to the public square ; then down French to Third ; across Third to the foot of State Street, where the General and suite alighted, and were received by Captain Budd, U. S. N., commanding officer of the naval station, Captain Maurice, of the engineers, and a number of other naval and military officers, and proceeded to the bank. The party being in full view of our beautiful harbor, a national salute was fired from the navy yard, after which the proces- sion passed to the house of Mr. Dobbins, where accommoda- tions had been provided and where he was welcomed in the name of the citizens by Dr. J. C. Wallace, Chief Burgess. Gen. La Fayette made a very appropriate reply, and was in- troduced to a great number of persons of every age, and then proceeded to the house of Judah Colt, where a large number of ladies were assembled, to whom he was severally presented. Having returned to his quarters he was escorted at half-past one to the bridge on Second Street, between French and State, where a dinner had been prepared by Mr. Dickson. The table extended the length of the bridge, one hundred and
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seventy feet, in full view of the lake, and was covered by an awning of the sails of the British vessels taken by Commo- dore Perry, and handsomely ornamented with flowers and evergreens. Among the toasts drank standing, with three cheers, were the "President of the United States," "Gen. George Washington," "Ex-Presidents," "The Greeks," " Bol- ivar, the Liberator," "the surviving heroes of the Revo- lution," severally, and lastly, " Gen. La Fayette-In youth a hero, in maturity a sage, in advanced life an example to the present and future generations." After which, Gen. La Fayette arose and gave the following : "Erie-A name which has a great share in American glory : may this town ever en- joy a proportionate share in American prosperity and happi- ness." The General and his suite were then escorted from the table to their quarters, and, after an affectionate farewell of the citizens, at three o'clock stepped into the carriage and were accompanied by a number of citizens to Portland, where the steamboat Superior was in readiness to receive and convey the party to Buffalo.
In 1827 the young men of Erie celebrated the tenth of Sep- tember on board of the Queen Charlotte, in Misery Bay. The revenue cutter Dallas carried the company out with one of the flags that was in the action floating from her mast. Between the hours of three and four o'clock a national salute was fired, being the hour the British surrendered. One of Commodore Perry's officers took dinner with them, and one of his seamen fired the cannon.
Cholera .- During the prevalence of the Asiatic cholera throughout our country in 1832, a Mrs. Hunter was landed on the peninsula, in the last stages of the disease, and died thir- teen hours after the attack. Her daughter who accompanied her died in twenty-four hours. Great anxiety existed among all classes lest the contagion should prevail. A board of health was appointed, which made frequent reports to the public, and through their exhortations to rigid cleanliness, cheerful- ness, and temperance in eating and drinking, no cases origi- nated in the town. This case of Mrs. Hunter, who was an emigrant, was one of the first that originated in the country. It will be remembered as the season when the disease pre-
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vailed so fearfully and fatally in many of the lake towns, and on several of the steamboats.
Perry Monument .- In November, 1835, a public meeting convened at the courthouse, to take into consideration the propriety of erecting a monument to the memory of Commo- dore Perry. Rufus S. Reed was chosen President; George Moore and Giles Sanford, Vice-Presidents; and William Kelley, Secretary. The meeting adopted several appropriate resolutions, and appointed eleven persons to collect funds, pro- cure a site, etc., to fill vacancies in their own body, and to in- crease the number if necessary, and to attend to all business relating to the accomplishment of the object.
The names of the executive committee were Col. Thomas Forster, George Moore, R. S. Reed, P. S. V. Hamot, Giles Sanford, Thomas H. Sill, William Kelley, Daniel Dobbins, Robert Brown, John H. Walker, and Samuel Hays.
Buffalo made a move about the same time for the erection of a Perry monument in that city, but the depression in the money market, probably with both, prevented further action.
At an informal meeting of citizens, in front of the Reed House (probably an imaginary one, as the chairman was the "oldest citizen," and the secretary the man with the " Shaker hat "), held June 2, 1846, in congratulation of the public bene- fit received by the "recent adornment of the Diamond, the chairman christened the Park 'Perry Square,' and ex- pressed the hope that he might see a cenotaph reared on this spot worthy of the fame of Perry. Let us formally consecrate this ground to the memory of the gallant dead ; let it bear the name of Perry, and, by-and-by, a patriotic people shall rear in the midst of the rich foliage that surrounds us, an obelisk to perpetuate his fame, and on which shall be inscribed the en- during record of his achievements. The remarks of the ven- erable chairman were greeted with enthusiastic applause, amid frequent cries of 'We'll build the monument ourselves.' "'
Order having been restored, the following resolutions were introduced and unanimously adopted :
"Resolved, That the public ground in Erie, heretofore known as the Diamond, be and the same is hereby named Perry
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Square, by which appellation it shall be known and designa- ted for all time to come.
" Resolved, That a monument to commemorate the brilliant naval victory achieved September 10, 1813, by Commodore Perry and his associates, on Lake Erie, be erected in this square ; and for that purpose P. S. V. Hamot, Esq., Commo- dore S. Champlin, U. S. N., and Captain William W. Dobbins are appointed a committee, and are charged with the execu- tion of the work, with power to appoint sub-committees everywhere to collect funds for this patriotic project."
In 1857 a petition was circulated asking Congress to appro- priate $20,000 for a monument to Commodore Perry, to be placed in Erie Cemetery. Provided this was successful, a further appropriation was to be solicited from the State. We trust the cause is not abandoned in the minds of our people, and that the example of a neighboring city may be an ad- ditional incentive.
Speculation .- In the general stagnation of business, and the speculating mania which prevailed throughout our country about 1836, the inhabitants of Erie unfortunately participated. The immediate completion of the canal ; the improvement of the harbor, which would make it second to none; a great diagonal railroad from the West Branch Canal to Erie, the route being perfectly practicable, and one hundred miles nearer the seaboard than any other, and without an inclined plane, being the Northumberland or Sunbury and Erie Road ; all contributed to the briliant prospects of Erie, and increased the nominal value of real estate marvelously.
In February 1836, the sales exceeded $1,000,000, the pur- chasers being mostly Eastern capitalists and speculators.
Extracts from Erie newspapers, in 1830 and 1836, exhibit the position of matters in a business point of view.
"January 12, 1830 .- The spirit of speculation which has wrought such wonders upon the line of the Erie Canal has never visited this borough. No extensive business is done on fictitious capital. The soil is owned by its occupants, and no part of it is covered by foreign mortgages. No branch of business is overdone, if we except, perhaps, one or two of the professions. The growth of Erie has at no time exceeded that
-
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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY.
of the surrounding country. Its increase has been commen- surate only with the increase of business. It has, conse- quently, never felt those reverses which always attend villages of mushroom growth. Many men with small capital have be- come independent, and some opulent. Erie possesses advan- tages which must forever secure to it important and lucrative business. Its harbor is decidedly the safest and best on the lake. Our water privileges are equal to our present wants, and an increase may be expected from the construction of the Pennsylvania Canal.
"That Erie will be a successful rival of her sister villages on the borders of the lake, we have not a shadow of doubt ; but let not her growth be forced ; every doubtful or chimerical speculation should be discountenanced, and, above all, let not our village lots fall into the hands of those who calculate great speculations on their rise. This is the bane which is most to be dreaded in all our growing villages. We must construct a wharf out to Mr. C. M. Reed's pier, where there is deep water.
" February 27, 1836 .- Erie bank. We are informed that the entire stock of $200,000 has been subscribed, and, we believe, paid in. [News at the same time of probable passage of ap- propriation in Congress for improvement of harbor. ]
"February 27, 1836 .- The receipt of positive news of the final passage of the canal and (U. S.) bank bill at this place, on Monday evening, gave a new impetus to the rise of real estate. It advanced immediately about one hundred per cent, and has since continued rising at the rate of from ten to twenty per cent a day. Sales have been made this week amounting to near half a million of dollars. The sales, too, are none of your sham sales got up for effect-they are bona fide, and liberal, almost invariably made by the purchasers, who are mostly men of heavy capital from the East-Buffalo, Rochester, and New York-and persons able to sustain prices, so far as they buy for speculation, and to improve what they buy for use. There is no danger of retrograde. The tide of prosperity has set in favor of Erie, and it must go ahead. The Fates cannot make it otherwise. Real estate will continue to rise, and we would sincerely recommend any friend of ours who wishes to purchase, to do so as soon as possible.
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1
" March 1 .- Real estate. Sales increase in briskness, and prices still rising. The amount of sales on Saturday and yes- terday (Monday) amounted to over $300,000. Good bargains are yet offered to any who have cash to invest for first pay- ments, and at prices which cannot fail of advancing in as great a ratio as they have done for several weeks back.
" It is estimated that the sales in our borough, last week, amounted to a million and a half of dollars. They are still going on and daily advancing in prices.
" A company has bought land at the mouth of Twenty Mile Creek, to construct a harbor there.
"A lot of ground sold in Erie, in February, for $10,000-was sold in March, in Buffalo, to a company, for $50,000.
" April 2, 1836 .- For the sake of our numerous correspon- dents, who look with distrust on all excitement in the grave business of laying out bona fide capital, we will briefly and generally reply that there is no sham nor get-up to the land transactions hereaway ; and that neither collapse nor the ordi- nary fever and ague need be apprehended for this place ; it has grown steadily and slowly into public favor, and its present towering prospects have a foundation in the nature of things not only permanent and enduring, but natural and everlast- ing. Look at the position of Erie on the map; read the re- ports of the United States Engineers as to the harbor ; above all, at this crisis, observe the enlightened legislation of the Commonwealth in anticipating the demand for commercial facilities at this favored spot.
"June 11 .- Twelve water lots of thirty-two feet front sold, notwithstanding the severe pressure in the money market, at an aggregate price of over $40,000."
In consequence of the failure of the United States Bank, and delay in prosecuting projected improvements, prices gradually declined, and the depression was so great in a few years that property could scarcely be disposed of at the lowest rates. These fluctuations have been succeeded by times of more re- liable and permanent valuation.
Fires .- January 22, 1839, Erie suffered from a destructive fire, in which the " Mansion House" and several frame build- ings were consumed. Also the barn of Messrs. Hart and
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Bird, stage proprietors, containing eleven horses and seven coaches. Loss estimated at $50,000.
April 1, 1851, the Eagle Hotel and several other buildings and stores were consumed by fire.
In 1857 a whole block was consumed on the west side of State Street and the public square. The buildings were prin- cipally wood, and much of the loss was covered by insurance. The printing offices of the Dispatch and True American, and about twelve shops and stores, were destroyed.
Sad Accidents .- The summer of 1841 was overshadowed by gloom in consequence of two very melancholy accidents. The first was the loss by drowning, under aggravated circum- stances, of two children of Mr. Josiah King, of Pittsburg, with their nurse. Mr. K. and his family, which consisted of his wife, three children, and mother-in-law, were anticipating a visit to Mr. K.'s parents in Erie. On Saturday night they ar- rived at the public works in the steamboat New England, Captain Oliver, from Cleveland. The captain insisted that he could not enter the harbor in safety. Mr. K. requested then to be taken on to Buffalo ; but being assured that the yawl was as safe as the steamboat, Mr. K., after consulting his family, acceded to the captain's wishes. Three other passengers and three deck hands, with Mr. K. and family, were then committed to the small boat, which through unaccountable negligence, had the plug removed. With the utmost exer- tions the boat succeeded in reaching the pier, but not without imminent peril to the whole, and the loss of two lovely chil- dren and their nurse. The dead bodies were not recovered until the third or fourth day.
The 9th of August, 1841, is noted for a most appalling calam- ity on Lake Erie, scarcely equaled in the number of sufferers by any similar event. This was the burning of the steam boat Erie, Captain Titus, being thirty-three miles from Buffalo, on her way up the lake. It was estimated that two hundred and forty-nine persons were, by this accident, launched into eter- nity in a few brief moments ; twenty-six of these were from Erie County, among whom were Lloyd Gilson, clerk, Leander Jolls, steward, six members of the brass band, wheelsman, deck hands, etc.
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The conduct of the wheelsman, Augustus Fuller, of Harbor Creek, is far famed for its heroism. He was at the wheel when the alarm of fire was given ; immediately headed the boat for the shore, and continued at his post until the wheelhouse, wheel, and his own person were completely enveloped in flames. In the vicinity of the wreck, in the course of a week, between one hundred and twenty and one hundred and thirty of the dead bodies arose to the surface, and mourning, burials, and funeral sermons sadly prevailed throughout the land.
The Erie had a cargo worth $20,000 ; the immigrants had with them $180,000 ; the boat was valued at $75,000 ; making a loss of little less than $300,000. The Erie was built by a num- ber of citizens of Erie, and launched in October, 1837. At the time she was lost General C. M. Reed was the largest share- holder. Her tonnage was between six and seven hundred.
The coroner's jury certified that the destruction was acci- dental-that the fire was occasioned by the bursting of one or more demijohns of spirits of turpentine standing on the boiler deck-the boat having been newly painted, and the wind be- ing high, the flames were driven through the entire boat with astonishing velocity. 5
Ex-President Adams .- In 1843 the town was honored by a call from Ex-President J. Q. Adams. The steamboat Gen. Wayne, on which he was a passenger, remained from seven to nine P. M. at the dock. The Wayne Greys and the three fire companies escorted him to the Reed House. Hon. T. H. Sill made him welcome in a short speech. The citizens in large numbers took him by the hand, and he was introduced severally to a number of the ladies, whom he addressed in a brief and appropriate manner. As Mr. Adams held no office, it was an expression of genuine, disinterested respect to a great and good man.
During the Patriot War (as the rebellion in Canada has been called) the arm-house in Erie was entered, and a quan- tity of muskets taken therefrom. They were discovered in Buffalo, and identified by Capt. Homans, U. S. N., then resid- ing in Erie, by a peculiar kind of side-arm used by the com- pany. The steamer Gov. Marcy was chartered by the United States government, and Lieut. Homans placed in command.
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The Old Courthouse Bell, which could be heard at a greater distance than some of the larger bells that our city is favored with at present, belonged to the ship Detroit when taken, September 10, 1813. Commodore Sinclair had it afterward on the Niagara for a ship bell. In 1821 this brig was dis- mantled, and the bell, with other goods, placed in the navy storehouse at Erie. In 1825, when the station was broken up and the property disposed of by auction, the bell was
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