USA > Pennsylvania > Erie County > The history of Erie County, Pennsylvania > Part 25
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"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 7th .- 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
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hours at a time, and expect now to be ordered out again shortly.
"May 18th, 1815. - Went to Martin Strong's,* to the battalion 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 Town- ship are as follow : "In 1810 my father bought a four-hun- dred 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 dead- ened timber yet standing in the fields, and some peach and apple trees. The nearest neighbors were of the names of Vance, Jas. Moorhead, John Long, John Stewart, and Jacob Wise, all within the bounds of three miles, which was then considered near neighbors. 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 assistance of the neighbors. Some would be engaged cutting down trees, while others would be hauling together,
* Captain Martin Strong was one of the earliest inhabitants. In a letter from him, (see page 84,) 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 sensible and excellent man. He died in 1858, in the eighty-eighth year of his age.
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building, splitting 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. R. B. - " August 26th, 1845 .- Op- pressively 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 5th, 1847 .- A terrific storm of wind passed over Fairview, and leveled fences, roofs, sheds, etc., and a great many trees.
" December 16th, 1850 .- Steamboat May Flower beached above the mouth of Elk Creek.
"December 31st, 1852 .- A steamboat passed up the lake. January 10th, 1853, another passes up. March 21st, steam- boats commenced running; navigation open most of the winter."
General La Fayette's Visit to Erie .- On the 3d of June, 1825, General La Fayette, on his way from New Orleans to New York, honored Erie with a stay of a few hours. A committee proceeded to Waterford and there received the committee from Pittsburg, with the illustrious guest, General 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 volunteers in full uni- form, and a procession formed under the direction of Gen- eral 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 27*
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the General and suite alighted, and were received by Cap- tain Budd, 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 procession passed to the house of Mr. Dobbins, where accommodations had been provided and where he was welcomed in the name of the citizens by Dr. J. C. Wallace, Chief Burgess. Gen- eral La Fayette made a very appropriate reply, and was introduced 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 and set by Mr. Dickson. The table extended the length of the bridge, one hundred and seventy feet, in full view of the lake, and was covered by an awning of the sails of the Brit- ish vessels taken by Commodore Perry, and handsomely orna- mented with flowers and evergreens. Among the toasts drank standing, with three cheers, was "General La Fay- ette-In youth a hero, in maturity a sage, in advanced life an example to the present and future generations." After which, General La Fayette arose and gave the following : "Erie-A name which has a great share in American glory : may this town ever enjoy a proportionate share in American prosperity and happiness." The General and 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 was 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 September on board of the Queen Charlotte, in Misery Bay. The revenue cutter Dallas carried the company out with one
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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 thirteen hours after the attack. Her daughter who accom- panied 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 clean- liness, cheerfulness, and temperance in eating and drinking, no cases originated 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 prevailed 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 court-house, to take into consideration the propriety of erecting a monument to the memory of Com- modore 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, procure a site, etc., to fill vacancies in their own body, and to increase the number if necessary, and to attend to all business relating to the accomplishment of the object.
The names of the executive committee were Colonel Thos. Forster, George Moore, R. S. Reed, P. S. V. Hamot, Giles Sanford, Thos. H. Sill, Wm. Kelley, Daniel Dobbins, Robert Brown, John H. Walker, and Samuel Hays.
Buffalo made a move about the same time for the erection
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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 2d, 1846, in congratulation of the public benefit 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 sur- rounds us, an obelisk to perpetuate his fame, and on which shall be inscribed the enduring record of his achievements. The remarks of the venerable 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 Square, by which appellation it shall be known and designated for all time to come.
"Resolved, That a monument to commemorate the brilliant naval victory achieved September 10th, 1813, by Commodore Perry and his associates, on Lake Erie, be erected in this square; and for that purpose P. S. V. Hamot, Esq., Com- modore S. Champlin, U. S. N., and Captain William W. Dobbins are appointed a committee, and are charged with the execution of the work, with power to appoint sub-com- mittees everywhere to collect funds for this patriotic project."
In 1857 a petition was circulated asking Congress to ap- propriate $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.
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We trust the cause is not abandoned in the minds of our people, and that the example of a neighboring city may be an additional incentive.
Speculation .- In the general stagnation of business, and the speculating mania which prevailed throughout our country about 1836, the inhabitants of Erie unfortunately participa- ted. The immediate completion of the canal; the improve- ment 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 brilliant prospects of Erie, and increased the nominal value of real estate mar- velously.
In February, 1836, the sales exceeded $1,000,000, the purchasers 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 12th, 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 of the surrounding country. Its increase has been commensurate only with the increase of business. It has, consequently, never felt those reverses which always attend villages of mushroom growth. Many men with small capital have become independent, and some opulent. Erie possesses advantages which must forever secure to it im- portant 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.
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"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 chimer- ical speculation should be discountenanced, and, above all, let not our village lots fall into the hands of those who cal- culate 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 27th, 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 appropriation in Congress for improvement of harbor. ]
"February 27th, 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 pur- chasers, 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 im- prove what they buy for use. There is no danger of retro- grade. 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.
"March 1st .- Real Estate. Sales increase in briskness, and prices still rising. The amount of sales on Saturday and yesterday (Monday) amounted to over $300,000. Good bargains are yet offered to any who have cash to invest
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for first payments, and at prices which cannot fail of advanc- ing 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 2d, 1836 .- For the sake of our numerous corre- spondents, 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 ordinary 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 everlasting. Look at the position of Erie on the map; read the reports of the United States Engineers as to the harbor; above all, at this crisis, observe the en- lightened legislation of the Commonwealth in anticipating the demand for commercial facilities at this favored spot.
"June 11th .- 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 reliable and permanent valuation.
Fires .- January 22d, 1839, Erie suffered from a destruct- ive fire, in which the "Mansion House" and several frame buildings were consumed. Also the barn of Messrs. Hart
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and Bird, stage proprietors, containing eleven horses and seven coaches. Loss estimated at $50,000.
April 1st, 1851, the Eagle Hotel, and several other build- ings 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 cir- cumstances, of two children of Mr. Josiah King, of Pitts- burg, with their nurse. Mr. K. and his family, which con- sisted of his wife, three children, and mother-in-law, were anticipating a visit to Mr. K.'s parents in Erie. On Satur- day night they arrived at the public works in the steamboat New England, Captain Oliver, from Cleveland. The cap- tain 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 exertions the boat succeeded in reaching the pier, but not without imminent peril to the whole, and the loss of two lovely children 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 calamity on Lake Erie, scarcely equaled in the number of sufferers by any similar event. This was the burning of the steamboat 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 eternity in a few brief moments; twenty-six
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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.
The conduct of the wheelsman, Augustus Fuller, of Har- bor 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; mak- ing a loss of little less than $300,000. The Erie was built by a number of citizens of Erie, and launched in October, 1837. At the time she was lost General C. M. Reed was the largest shareholder. 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 being high, the flames were driven through the entire boat with astonishing velocity.
Ex-President Adams .- In 1843 the town was honored by a call from Ex-President J. Q. Adams. The steamboat General 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.
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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 Captain Homans, U. S. N., then residing in Erie, by a peculiar kind of side-arm used by the company. The steamer Governor Marcy was chartered by the United States Government, and Lientenant Homans placed in command.
The Old Court-house 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 10th, 1813. Commodore Sinclair had it afterward on the Niagara for a ship bell. In 1821 this brig was dismantled, 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 bought by the county commissioners, and placed upon the court-house. After the new court-house bell arrived in 1854, by a singular coincidence this old bell slipped from its hangings, and some mischievous persons purloined it. It was recovered after a few months, and bought for $105 by the city authorities.
Among the Pioneers of Erie County we find the name of Jas. Tallmadge, who came in 1795, and died, in Mckean Township, in 1855, aged eighty-two years.
Mr. Jas. Blair, of Girard, also came to the county in 1795, and died in 1855, at the age of eighty-one. He was an elder in the Presbyterian church, and a man of rare worth, respected and beloved.
Captain Jas. Pollock died at Waterford, in May, 1857, having lived in Erie County sixty years. He was one of the members of the Convention to amend the Constitution of Pennsylvania in 1836.
Mr. Giles Badger died at Lexington, a few miles south of
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Girard, in 1857, aged eighty-nine years, having lived in Erie County sixty years. Upon the surrender of Hull he entered the army, and served under General Harrison. "He enjoyed the confidence and respect of his fellows, both as a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and a citizen ; and in peace and Christian hope passed away."
Mr. Stephen Oliver, a revolutionary soldier, died in McKean, in February, 1857, aged ninety-seven years. He was one of the survivors of the massacre of Wyoming, his name being inscribed upon the monument. He voted for General Washington and Colonel Fremont, and at every intervening Presidential election. He lived and died a Christian.
Mr. Thomas Dunn died in Mckean, in 1854, aged eighty- two years. He came to Erie in 1797, and settled upon the farm where he died.
Mr. Burrell Tracy died in 1853, having removed to Erie County in 1797.
Perry's Squadron was but seventy days in building. The timber was mostly taken from the third section. Captain Daniel Dobbins claims to have cut the first stick of timber with his own hands.
At a dinner given to Commodore Perry, before leaving Erie on his momentous. mission, he expressed his determina- tion to return a conqueror or in his shroud.
Commodore Perry had a propensity for fine horses. The one he rode in Erie was a superior but not showy animal, which he had purchased at Cattaragus. Mr. Judah Colt bought him when Commodore Perry left, and he always went by the name of the "Commodore." He died in 1829 and was buried with due respect, with his shoes on, near the garrison ground.
Peter H., a young gentleman of Meadville, came to Erie to volunteer with Commodore Perry, but when the decisive moment arrived and the squadron was to sail, altered his purpose and returned home. Wade, a law-student of the
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same place, made this conduct the occasion for a practical joke, and in a week's time Peter H. received a communica- tion through the post-office, which he opened with due for- mality. Inclosed was a letter, a bank bill, and a tract or little book about three inches by four, such as the pious mis- sionary, Mr. Osgood, distributed among the people. The letter purported to be from Commodore Perry, stating that they had met the enemy and conquered-had killed Tecum- seh and taken his private library, and the little book was his apportionment, and the note (a counterfeit of the broken Gloucester bank) his share of the prize money.
Extract from a letter dated-
"MARION, O., November 13, 1860.
** " The last few years of his life (Lieutenant Yar- nall's, of Commodore Perry's flag-ship Lawrence,) were spent in Norton, a small town of Delaware County, where he earned a small pittance by prescribing a few botanical medi- cines to the people of that vicinity, and telling fortunes or predicting the future of those who would reward him for the same, and pretending to be gifted with second sight, by which he could tell the person calling upon him where to find property that had strayed away or been stolen from them. By these means he procured a livelihood for a num- ber of years, and won for himself the name of old Pluto.
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