•* 4
THE
HISTORY OF AUBURN
HEIsPt^' HALL
A U BURN, X. Y.
L
b
Hoc illud est pnecipue in cognitione rerum gahibre ac ft-ugiferum, omuis et. ^xempli document! in illustri posita momimcnto intueri : inde tihi tnivqiie rei- iblicse, quod iniitero, capiae*."
AUBURN : £ ^.^0
PUBLISHED BY DE.SNIS BRO'3 d CO.
1869.
.kim
0 r/
Entered, according to Act of Congrei^H, in the month of March, 1869, by
HENRY HALL,
In the Clerk's Otlice, of the District Court of the United States, for the
Northern District of New York.
TO
WILLIAM II. SEWARD,
THE ENTERPRISINp CITIZEN AND DISTINGUISHED STATESMAN ;
THE FOREMOST FOR MANY YEARS IN
PROMOTING THE INTERESTS OF AUBURN ;
EMINENTLY IDENTIFIED WITH
EDUCATION, INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT, NATIONAL EXTENSION,
AND
THE RIGHTS OF MAN ;
THIS HISTORY OF THE CITY OF HIS RESIDENCE IS
RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED
BY
THE AUTHOR.
o o isr T E N T s .
CHAPTER I.
The Cayugas. 1
Preliminary Remarks— Origin of the word Iroquois— Native Names— Tiie Iroquois become Independent— Settle in New York— Their Wars— Origin of the Cayugas— The League— Its Ascendancy— Territory of the Cayugas— Excellence of their Crops— Assistance to other Nations— Customs, etc.— Dissolution of the League— Purchase of the Cayuga Territory— Logan— Fort Hill- Fort on the Olmstead Farm.
CHAPTER n.
The Settlement of Au3URN 32
Location of Auburn— Causes of Settlement— Award of the Military Lots— Col. Hardenburgh— The Indian Village— Arrivals— The Gig-Mill— Roads- Cemeteries— Hardenburgh's Comers— Jehiel Clark— New Settlers— The Militia —Town Government— Comers in 1800— Slaves— School-IIouses-Seneca Turn- pike—Genesee Street Bridge— Foot Races— Frame Buildings— The Gami — Farmer's Inn— First National Anniversary— Court House— Auburn Named— Tavem-Keeping Age— Continual Arrivals— County Clerk's Office— Western Federalist— Dams— Clinton's Description— First Congregational Society- Episcopal Society— Auburn Academy— List of Subscribers— Auburn Library Association— War of 1812— The Auburn Companies— The Fright— Cayuga Patriot.
VI CONTENTS.
CHAPTER III.
Annals op the Village prom 1815 to 1837 119
Roads— The Village in 1815— Incorporation— The Fire Engine— Sidewalks— The Prison— Its Eftects— Auburn Bank— Cayuga County Bank— The Churches —Bible Societies— Medical Society— First Sunday School— Agricultural Asso- ciation—Columbian Garden— Free Press— Cotton Mill— Paper Mill— Others- Auburn Market— La Fayette's Reception— 4th of July, 1823— Medical College —Gospel Messenger— General Union for Promoting Observance of the Sab- bath—Bank Coffee House— American Hotel— The 33d Artillery— The Fusiliers — Improvements— The Erie Canal Celebration— Auburn and Owasco Canal- Watson's Letter— Big Dam Celebration— Railroad Convention at Syracuse- Auburn and Syracuse Railroad — Snow-Storm of 1836 — Auburn College- Town Hall and Market— The Great Excited Year.
CHAPTER IV.
The Panic, the Revival op Enterprise, etc 208
Streets First Lit— The Fire— The Panic— Suspension of Specie Payments— Shinplasters— Enterprise Dead-»-Drowning of the Students— Water Cures — Presbyterian Convention— Auburn and Syracuse Railroad — Excitement about the Prison— Patriot War— Henry Clay— Martin Van Buren— Taverns- Politics in 1840— The A. L. A.— Second Agricultural Society— The Silk Mono- mania—Auburn and Rochester Railroad— Temperance Celebration— Martha Washington Society— John Quincy Adams— Dirge of the Elms— Auburn Woolen Company— The Telegraph— Dailies— State Fair— Incorporation of the City— Schools— High School— Female College— Young Ladies' Institute— Fort Hill— Improvement of the Outlet— Auburn Water Works— Gas Company- Railroad History— Oswego Starch Factory— Merchants' Union Express Co.
CHAPTER V.
The Auburn Prison 341
The Old Criminal Code— Newgate— Defects of the New York System— Auburn Prison — Injurious Effects — Solitary Confinement — Classification— Captain Lynds— Severity of Discipline— Contract System— Rachel Welch— Govern- ment—Von Eck— Mechanics' Interest— Description of the Pi-i son— System- Insane Asylum.
(.'ONTENTS. VI 1
CHAPTER YI.
The Theological Seminary.
Description— Dr. Mason's School— Action of the Synod of Geneva— Meetini,'^ at Auburn— The Subscription— Incorporation— Comer-stone Laid— Induction of the Professors— The Course— Gloomy Prospects— Ta])pan's 2:il"t— Suspen- sion—Reopening— Progress to 1868.
CHAPTER Vn.
The Wak Recoi-.d 395
Notes of Preparation— Kennedy's Action— The First Vohinteer Company— The President's Call— The 49th— The Furore- Public Meeting— Excited Sun- day-Mass Meeting— Recruiting— Presentations— Departure of the Five Com- panies-Organization of the 19th— Shoddy— Meeting at the American— New Regiment— Recruiting for which Begins— The Barracks— The Pumpkin Pies- Colors of the 75th— Organization of the Regiment— 75th Marches— Kennedy 't> Battery— Segoine's Cane — Military Committee— The 3d Regiment — Mass Meeting— The 111th Full— Its Officers— Snyder's Company— Welling's Regi- ment—111th goes to the Front — Officers of 138th — Bounties — Beardsley Resigns— His Resignation not Accepted— Last Call of the War Committee- Organization of Dwight'a Regiment— Union League— Board of Enrolment- Return of the 19th— The Draft— The Procession— First Call of 18(>4— Ward Committees— Second Call— 193d New York Volunteers— Bounty Jumpers- Snow Provost Marshal— Officers of the 193d— Close of the War— Sununing Up —The Ladies' Union Aid Society.
CHAPTI^R VHT.
TnE City op AruunN. ISGS 170
Location— Altitude — Appearance — Public Buildings — Prison — Seminary- Orphan Asylum— The Churches— Schools— Points of View— Newspapers— Manufactures— The Dams and Mills- The Population - Pursuits- I'roductions —Climate— Health.
Vlll CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IX.
\
Civil List op Auburn and Cayuga County 507
CHAPTER X.
Biographies of Citizen* op Auburn 529
I X I ) E X
Aureliue, erection of :5-2
government of 58
Aubnm, naming of 5^8
Clinton's sketch 94
in 1809 470
CoUege 203
Academy 101
Agricultural Society 155, 245
Auburn Gazette 15T
Journal 158
Hydraulic Association.. 217
Advertiser 270
Literary A esociation 241
House 176,2;^
Adams, J. Q., visit of 259
Auburn Tool Company 485
Agricultural Works 488
Aldei-men 409
Agents of the prison 514
Amerman, Deacon, Biography of 576
Big Elm 49,70
Bounty Lands 33
Bridges (Hi, 70, 173
Bank of Auburn 139
Cayuga County 142
Baptists 14G
Bible Societies 147
Bank Collee House 170
Barber's Woolen Mill 494
Barber, Sheldon & Co 499
Burt, Dr. H., Biography of 5;i7
Beardsley, John, Biography of. . . 5<iG
Counties, divi>ion of. 3->
Cayuga County formed 59
County Seat, location of. 84
Court House 86, 175
Churches, let Presbyterian 68, 97, 14:3, 476.
2d Presbj-terian 148
Central 477
St. Peter's.. 69, 98, 149, 467
,St. John's 478
Methodist 144, 477
Holy Family 145
St. Mary's 477
Baptist IU\
riiiversalist 14<;
Cayuga Patriot 116
Tocsin 118
Democrat 158, 4*3
Columbian Garden 156
Cotton Mill 159, 495
Canal, Erie 178
Auburn and Owasco 189
Chronicles 225
Corrector 225
Clay Henry, visit of 230
Caj-uga Chief Manufacturing Co. 491
Climate of Auburn 503
Clerks of Cayuga County 517
Clary, Joseph, Biography of 551
Casey, George, " '• 560
Chase, Captain, " " 585
Drowning of students 218
Dirge of the Elms 261
Dams 93, 194, 484
Dodge & Stevenson M'f 'g Co. . .. 492
District Attorneys ... 518
Dennis, C. C, Biography of 547
Fusiliers 172
Forts, Indian 25, 30
Fort Hill Cemetery 290
Fire Department 126, 134
Free Press 157
Female Seminary 177, 287
Fire of '37 209
Fanners' Manufacturing Co 499
Game 73
Genesee Road, Old 43, 4S
New 57
Gospel Messenger 168
Gas Company 30!>
Garrow, N., Biography of 540
Haydeu, Wm. & Co 497
Hussey Manufacturing Works... 45)9
Hills, Horace, Biography of 55.3
Geo. M. '• " &44
Hagaman, JohuL" '' 568
Hulbert, John W.'- '• 572
Inspectors of the prison 513
Indian village of Wasco 44
Judges, County, etc 520
Kennedy's Battery 424
Logan 23
INDEX.
Levanna Gazette |
92 |
|
La Fayette, visit of |
|
164 |
Lunatic Asylum |
366 |
|
Mills 46, 55, 67, 03, 159, |
264, |
483 |
Mails, first |
64 |
|
Militia |
108, |
170 |
Medical Society |
1.51 |
|
College |
166 |
|
163, |
^17 |
|
Martha Washington Society |
255 |
|
Merchants' Union Express. .' |
334 |
|
Morning News |
483 |
|
Mayors of Auburn |
409 |
|
Members of Assembly |
52:3 |
|
Congress |
528 |
|
Muir, Robert, Biography of.. |
5.55 |
|
Nineteenth Regiment |
403 |
|
Northern Christian Advocate |
483 |
|
Independent |
483 |
|
oqb |
||
death of fish in |
154 |
|
Oswego Starch Factory |
337 |
|
111th Regiment |
428 |
|
imth •' |
436 |
|
160th '' |
441 |
|
193d '• |
460 |
|
Officers of the late war |
411, |
42:3, |
425, 434, 440, 445, 460, |
462. |
|
Orphan Asylum |
475 |
|
Orphans' Friend |
483 |
|
Osborne, D. M, «fe Co |
488 |
|
Prison 130, 222, |
341 |
, 474 |
Paper Mill |
160 |
|
Park |
177 |
'>,07 |
Presbyterian Convention — |
220 |
|
Patriot War |
9->,5 |
|
498 |
||
Population of Auburn. . . 60, |
121, |
172, |
272, 502, 506. |
||
Postmasters |
5i-:>, |
|
Presidential Electors |
. 526 |
|
Roads 4S, |
119 |
472 |
Railroads, Aub. & Syr.. 196 |
220 |
, 318 |
Port Byron «fc Aub... |
316 |
|
Auburn & Canal . |
316 |
|
Aub. &Roch |
201 |
, 318 |
Ithaca & Aub .... |
217 |
, 319 |
L. 0., A. & N. Y... |
322 |
|
Southern Central |
. ;3:30 |
Richardson, J. L., Biography of.. John, " "..
Settlement, First
Slaves 43,
Settlers. Arrival of 50, 55, 66,
78. 83.
Seneca Turnpike
Stages
Schools.... 64, 101, 272, 284,
Schools, Sunday
Snow storm of '36
Shinplasters
Sherwood, Isaac, Biography of. . .
Silk, culture, etc
Seventy-fifth Regiment
State Armory
Steel Tempering Works
Seward, Wm. H. Biography of. . . Seymour, James S., '■ ''...
Scythe Works
Supervisors 59,
Sheriff
Surrogate
Senators, State
Society for promoting observance
of Sabbath
Taverns 54, 56, 79, 81, 89,
Town Hall 175,
Temperance
Theological Seminary 370,
Tuttle Manufacturing Company. .
Throop, E. T., Biography of
Trustees of Auburn 126,
Telegraph.
Union League ,
Union Aid Society
Underwood, Geo., Biography of..
Van Buren, Martin, Visit of
Volunteer Relief Fund 402,
War of 1812
War, Patriot
War for the Union
Western Federalist
Western Luminary
Water Cures
Whig Carnivals
Woolen Mill
Water Works Company
Young Ladies' Institute
564 570 42 62
70 C4 480 1.50 202 215 549 245 414 476 486 529 556 498 512 516 518 521
169 132 217 252 515 496 .574 507 270 447 4(54 542 233 452 112 225 395 92
219 236 264 304 289
PEEFACE.
It is with unfeigned diffidence that I submit this- vohune to the public of Auburn. Gentlemen thoroughly conversant with the history of our city from the beginning ^ have, at different times, contem- plated its publication. The compilation of local reminiscences belongs properly to them. But it has been left to me to break ground in this work. I have undertaken it with no confidence that I should make the history perfect, but rather trusting in the indul- gence of the public for one who has made an honest attempt to serve them.
It gives me pleasure to anticipate tlie reader's first (juery — as to the authenticit}' of this Avork — by show- ing him my sources of infornuition. It is presumed he will be satisfied that they are sufficiently numerous and reliable.
The veteran editor, Thomas M. Skinner, Ks(|., fur- nislied me, in tiie s})riiig of 1808, with fiUis of tlie Au- hurn Gazette and RepuWicm)., for seventeen years, fi'om 1816, from which, witli files of the Free PresSy lent me by Miss Sarah ()lii>hant, files of the Cayugo. Patriot^ by Isaac S. Allen, Esq., and several volumes
» General John S. Clark, James H. Boetwick, and John B. Dill.
Xll PREFACE.
of the Aioburn Advertiser^ I gained a first and gen- eral view of the progress of Aiihiirn from 1816 to the present, and the precise dates of all conspicuous -events.
I have had the pleasure of conversing often with the venerable Deacon Henry Amerman, now residing about six miles north of Auburn, near Centreport^ whose acquaintance with the operations and incidents of the village, from 1804, for nearly twenty years, was perfect and intimate. His clear, retentive memory enabled him to review and correct the part of my work embracing that ]:)eriod.
James H. Bostwick, Esq.. now of New York, learn- ing of my undertaking, generously placed at my com- mand a mass of statistics and legends, which he had himself obtained, during a long and active life, from the pioneers of Auburn. Tliese items of early history wei'e of tlie greatest value and service, the well-known reliability of Mr. Bostwick, and his great personal fa- miliarity with the matters in question, insuring their entire correctness.
For early town history, I am indebted to none, per- haps, so much as to James Tibbies, Esq., who came to Aurelius the year following Colonel Hardenburgh's arrival. Mr. Tibbies took the greatest interest in my work, introduced me to other old settlers, and aided me materially in forming correct impressions of olden times.
PRKFACK. XIH
Hon.- Eiiu> T. Thr(»«>i), wliose excellent memory, and ac(|uaintance with the scenes, and government, and great enterprises of Auburn, in the lirst part of the present century, rendered him one of the most val- uable sources of information, furnished me with much curi(>us and useful material.
Many other old settlers have allowed me to avail myself of their recollections of early days here, among whom are the venerable David Parsell, and his wife^ the sister-in-law of Colonel Ilardenburgh, Jose]>h Beach, Eleazer Hunter, Jesse Ix)unsbury, Dr. Ilichard Steel, Thomas N. Skinner, James S. Seymour, Michael S. Myers, John McXeal, Peter Sittser, and Judah Eggleston.
The records of Aurelius, beginning in 1795, the books of the supervisors of the county, going back to> 1799, and various old and curious books and papers in the possession of Miss Eliza IIoi*ner, and in the county clerk's office, atforded accurate data and interesting statistics.
For the truth »)f the story of the times of, and since, the speculation fever of '36, and of the great and often colossal enterprises of later days, I liave appealed in every possible instance to those having original knowledge of the circumstances. As usual with historians, I have met the embarrassments of conflicting reports. My most respected and reliable informants have, in some instances, the most singularly
XIV PREFACE.
-different impressions of the same event. Their re- ports of simple things frequently differ in an extraor- dinary manner. I am in the position of the hood- winked man, who is led through scenes of unusual interest, without the privilege of looking at them himself, but is constrained to depicture them in his mind from what those that attend him, who entertain different opinions on all subjects, say of them. In this p(»sition, I have been liable to form incorrect ideas and impressions. I have therefore striven ear- nestly for original testimony in every case, though I have sometimes been obliged, in order to reconcile difficulties, to depart from the opinions of esteemed friends on certain points, and take my own view of the case. I trust, however, that in essentials, the sketches of the three hundred or more different sub- jects embraced in this history are sound and truthful.
I have received assistance in collecting materials for this work from many eminent citizens of Au- burn, among whom are Colonel Charles W. Pomeroy, Edward E. Marvine, Hon. Benjamin F. Hall, Gene- ral John S. Clark, Isaac S. Allen, William C. Beardsley, Colonel Terence J. Kennedy, General Jesse Segoine, Dr. S. Willard, Nelson Beardsley, General C. D. McDougall, Colonel John A. Dodge, Colonel Charles H. Stewart, E. P. Senter, C. P. Williams, John Patty, Lewis Paddock, Michael Kavanagh, John M. Hurd, William Lamey, Morti-
PREFACE. XV
mer L. r>i'o\vn, Eicliard C. Steel, J. K. Sttiriii, Wil- liam Gray AVise, A. II. Goss, Josiali Barber, Loren- zo W. ISTye, William Ilayden, Dr. 13. Fosgate, Ste- phen G. Hopkins, James Seymour, Jr., John E. Pat- ten, Miss Eliza Horner, Miss Sarah Oliphant, and Miss Amanda Irish.
[N'otes on the Merchants' Union Ex]n-ess Company were furnished by Charles X. Eoss, Esq., the accom- jdished cashier of the First National Bank ; notes on the Southern Central Kailroad, by J. Milton Brown, Esq., one of the most efficient engineers in the em- ploy of that road ; the Civil List and Biographies, by my brother, James Hall ; notes on the Oswego Starch Factory, by Dr. S. Willard ; and notes on the silk mania and the Patriot War, by my father, Benjamin F. Hall.
In conclusion I may remark that the defects of the present work are apparent to no one more than to myself. Indeed, I am only too sensible that I have scarcely more than laid the foundation, upon which, at some future day, some one will rear the more perfect structure of a sound and complete history of Auburn. But if I shall have preserved from that oblivion into which many of them must in a few years have sunk, the events of ancient times in Au- burn, and the generous, public-spirited acts of citizens of times both early and late, I shall feci that my purpose is accomplished.
XVI PREFACE.
I ask only that this History may be regarded by tlie public with that generous spirit with which we all look upon well-intended and patient toil.
HENRY HALL. Auburn, May, 1869.
HISTORY OF AUBURN,
CHAPTER I.
THE CAY U GAS.
The relation of the several consecutive steps and events that mark the development, under the hand of industry, of the beautiful intervale containing the city of Auburn, from the condition of an original wilder- ness, to that of a thickly-settled, well-ordered, and prosperous to\vn, does not alone constitute its local history. The history of this locality also embraces facts concerning the aboriginal races of the region, and some delineation of their life and pursuits. The Indians stand in the foreground of all American his- tories, in those of towns as well as those of States ; not 80 much indeed because they affected in any great de- gree the founding or progress of the particular com- munities— for the different periods of savage and Eng- lish occupation bear a relation to each other scarcely closer than that between two dramas produced in suc- cession upon the same stage — but they are always in- troduced in this manner because they add such rich 1
a HISTORY OF AUBURN.
contributions to the historical associations of the dis- trict which happens to be under consideration. Were this not particularly true in the present instance, it is presumed that an apology for the prominence given to the events of aboriginal history in these notes, would not be entirely unnecessary. The uncouth manners of the ancient inhabitants of this valley, however, the valor of their warriors, their strange and interesting notions, their eager search for fame, their fortitude, eloquence, and diplomacy, and the romantic circum- stances of their wild sylvan life, still excite undimin- ished interest ; and the conspicuous position attained T)y the Cayuga nation, the eminence of its chiefs and orators, and the importance of this part of its territory in relation to the old fort on the hill, the great central Indian trail, and the ancient village, camping grounds, and trails, along the Owasco Creek, are matters so cleai-ly the property of local history as to invite the first attention.
In the days when the red man had undisputed pos- session of the region, his wigwams dotted tlie sides of our hills, the smoke of his camp-fires floated over our valley. His light canoe sped over the bosom of the lake, his hunting parties ranged the forest in every di- rection, and his savage superstitions peopled our woods and skies with his own pagan spirits and deities. To him, then, justly belongs the foreground of this sketch.
The Cayuga, or, as they have it in their own tongue,
THE CAYUGAS. 6
the Gweugweh nation, was one of the six composing the celebrated confederacy of the Iroquois, tliat at the time of the Dutch settlement was seated in the inte- rior of New York, and about the St. Lawrence. The confederacy was iirst known in Europe by tlie appella- tion of the Iroquois, a name bestowed upon it by the early French explorers.
Cartier, in 1534, appears to have heard of this fa- mous people ; and disregarding the long and barbar- ous title by which they were known among the natives, gave them a shorter one of French invention. Charle- voix, a French traveler and writer, who visited Canada in 1720 and 1721, refers the origin of the term to the frequent use by these Indians of a word or ejaculation, represented by the syllables "e-oh," or " e-ah." In the councils of the warriors, this word was uttered in response to the speeches of the orators by way of ap- proval or applause. It was also used upon such im- portant occasions as the convention of delegates from the various tribes, and from the English settlements, for the purpose of making a treaty. The sentiments of the Indian spokesman were indorsed by the attend- ant sachems by an unanimous "e-ah ! " or, as laid down in many of the records of these conventions, by " hee- aaw !'' The sound is preserved in the term Iroquois, a Hyllable being added to make it available as a name.
The Cayugas, and the Indians generally, used for a term expressive of their race at large the phrase Ongwe
4 HISTORY OF AUBLTIN.
Howe, which signifies " a people surpassing all others." The word Howe means simply " a man." Golden says, " By the prefixed term Ongwe, it is qualified, according to various interpretations, to mean real, as distin- guished from sham men, or cowards ; it may also mean strong, wise, or expert men, and, by ellipsis, men ex- celling all others in manliness."
The native national name of the Iroquois, who were a confederacy of at first five, and afterwards six na- tions, all descendants of a common stock, and united as brothers and allies, was expressive of their relation- ship and intimacy. They called themselves the Kono- shioni, or the Ilo-de-no-sau-nee, according to difi'erent dialects ; that is, " the People of the Long House." In their imaginary Long House, extending from the Hudson to the Falls of IN^iagara, lived the kindred na- tions side by side. The eastern door was guarded by the intrepid Mohawk, the western by the warlike Sen- eca. The council fire burned brightly in the center, under the care of the Onondaga; the Cayuga was charged with the safety of the wampum ; while the Oneida and Tuscarora dwelt in security in their allotted territories near by. The parts of this royal house were strongly united. The perfect equality of the na- tions, and their unbounded hospitality and open confi- dence prove the great reality, to them, of the edifice of theii- government, and illustrate the soundness of their conception of the nature of a political compact.
THE CAYUGAi
The origin of the Iroquois is preserved in their tradi- tions with considerable distinctness ; although the ir- resistible tendency of the red man's mind to embellish all accounts of his past with fables, and to ascribe all events that he cannot explain to supernatural agencies, renders it difficult to entirely divest his history of the fruits of his imagination. This, however, is not more true of the Iroquois than of many of the ancient na- tions of the Old World. The early history of the Per- sians, the Grecians, the Eomans, sn\d the Eg>q)tians, and their colonies, is enveloped in a similar mass of marvelous tales.
Several hundred years before the discovery of the St. Lawrence by the French, the Iroquois lived upon the northern bank of that river, near Montreal, as a tribe of the Adirondacks, who were part of the great Algonquin group of indigenous nations, that at the time were polssessors of nearly the whole of the regions now known as Kew England, IS'ew York, and Lower Canada. Thirsting for fame and independence, the Iroquois made an effort to throw off the yoke of the Adirondacks, Beaten in the war that followed, they were forced to fly from the country to avoid the fate of all the vanquished in Indian wars, total extermina- tion. Ascending the St. Lawrence, they bravely put out into Lake Ontario, and after a long and ]>erilous journey arrived at the mouth of the Swa-geh (Oswego) River. This stream they entered, landed near the falls,
6 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
and encamped on some high ground near by. Here they resided for a h)ng time, and eventually became the Onun-da-ga-o-no, or Onondaga nation. Their new name, signifying the " People on the Hill," arose from a tradition that they were actually called forth from the bowels of the earth at the hill where they first lodged after their flight, lla-wen-ne-yu, the liolder of the lieavens, himself, is said to have released them from their subterranean prison, and conducted them to the upper air. As time elapsed, the people became quite numerous, and large bands separated at different times from the parent colony, and wandered off into the for- est in pursuit of favorite hunting-grounds where thej might find themselves a home. One party locating on a beautiful stream became in time a nation called the Mohawks. Another became the Oneidas. The Cayu- gas and Senecas also were formed in this manner from the Onondagas, who always recognized the youthful nations as their children. The Cayugas, according to their own traditions, were led in their excursions into the wilderness by Ta-oun-ya-wat-ha, by some known as Hi-a-wat-ha, a being partly human and partly divine. They reached the lake which now bears their name through the Seneca River. The native narrative of this voyage abounds with the most marvelous adventures, which not only exliibit the difficulties thrown in the path of the fathers of the Cayuga nation, but illustrate their energy and prowess.
THE CAYUGAS. 7
One of tliese obstructions was met at tlie marshes at the foot of Cajuga Lake. Then, as now, tliat spot was the haunt of the wild fowl, and countless num- bers of geese, duck, plover, and other aquatic birds, swarmed over the marsh. They were not, however, allowed to pass beyond its limits. Two monstrous eagles, of horrid appearance and awful power, repelled ■every effort of the birds to escape, and feasted upon them at will. The monsters also barred the progress of the little band of Cayugas. They were accordingly attacked with great valor, and after a terrific combat were slain, and the way cleared. The honor acquired by this success Avas considerably increased by the benefit which it conferred upon all red mankind. It appears that the birds in the swamp, released from durance by the death of the eagles, rose into the air with a great clamor, and, spreading themselves abroad, ever thereafter roved at pleasure upon all the lakes and rivers of the country, and afforded great suste- nance to the inhabitants.
Another pestiferous and terrible creature, that re- sided at or near the Cayuga marshes, was the huge mosquito. lie was repeatedly attacked by the most valiant warriors of the country, but overcame all wlio came against him with his enormous sting, until it became necessary to appeal to the Holder of the Heav- ens for assistance. In response to this a])peal, II a- wen-ne-yu one day met the horrid insect, and under-
HISTOKY OF AUBUEN.
took to slay liiiii. The mosquito fled, and was chased by the divinity all around the i^reat lakes and sur- rounding country, until in the neighborhood of the Seneca River he was overtaken and put to death. The blood flowing from his lifeless body gave birth to in- numerable swarms of the small mosquitoes that still linger about the place of his death.
The little band of red men, overcoming: all obsta- cles, pursued its way into Cayuga Lake. It encamped upon the eastern shore. Soon after, a part of the band went west and settled on the Seneca Lake, where it founded the Seneca nation. Those that remained multiplied in numbers, and soon became distinguished as the G we-u-gweh-o-no, or Cayugas, " the people at the Mucky Land."
The Iroquois had now expanded from a single fugi- tive tribe into live independent nations ; but it is not to be supposed that this had been effected with ease, or in a day. On the contrary, many years had elapsed since they first entered the region which subsequently became the seat of their confederacy ; and many long and bloody wars witli resident nations had attended their growth. To make room for themselves, they were forced to expel the Alleghans and Andastes, then living in the interior of the State. And, as they spread over the country, they encountered the resent- ment of their hereditary foes, the Adirondacks, as well as of tlie Minsi, who were settled about the Hudson,
THE CAYUGAS. 9
and the warlike Indians of Kew England. Thej also found enemies in the Eries, or Cats, and the ]S"euter nation, living about Lake Erie and the Niagara Hiver. Thej, however, pushed back these nations, and gained a strong foothold on the soil. At this point, the Iro- quois nations, for some unaccountable reason, fell to fighting among themselves. They were one people, in fact, and brothers ; but for several years they waged war upon one another with the greatest bitterness. Their hunting parties were continually ambushed and broken up. The old people lived in perpetual terror. The tribes were compelled to change their villages often. The numbers of the people wasted away ; and, taking advantage of their weakened condition, the border nations again took up the hatchet against them, and began to press upon them in the most alarming manner.
It having become evident to the Irocpiois that they were in danger of being overwhelmed by their hostile neighbors, the proposal was made by an Onondaga sage that the nations should calm the s])irit of war, re-o})cn tlie paths between the villages, resume the voice of cheerfulness, and unite in a league for the preservation of peace between themselves, and for defense against common enemies. The project so commended itself to tlie good sense of the kindred tribes that it was adopted. Upon the northern shore of tlie Onondan^a Lake the chiefs met in council, and
1(1 FIISTOKY OB^ AUBURN.
agreed ii])un the terms and principles of tlie confede- racy. The date of this event is placed, by reliable testimony, about an Imndred years before the Dutch discovery. Many traditions give the league a remoter origin ; but they are not supported by competent authorities. The principal sachem from the Cayugas attending tliis famous council was distinguished for the unusual size and beauty of his calumet. This circumstance led to the adoption, by the Cayugas, of a very large calumet, as the totem, or heraldic device, of tlieir nation.
No sooner bad the five Iroquois nations buried tbeir quarrels, and assumed the title of " the People of the Long House," than they took the war-patli together in search of renown, and revenge upon tlieir ancient ene- mies. A furious war was first made upon the Adiron- dacks. This haughty race was completely humbled, and when Jacques Cartier, in 1535, became acquainted with its condition, he found that it had been broken up, and the remnants forced to seek safety among the Algonquins. The Algonquins and Ilurons were next attacked, but were too powerful to be easily shaken. They had been fnrnislied with rifles by tlie French, for the very purpose of resisting unfriendly neighbors. This superiority over the Iroquois, however, lasted only till 1615, wlien a Dutch trading-post being established at Albany, tlie Iroquois themselves obtained a large number of guns. With this destructive weapon they
THE CAYUGAS. 11
renewed tlie war in Canada, and overthrew their ene- mies. The Ilurons were scattered in every direction, a large number taking refuge with the Eries. The war then opened in that quarter. A fierce struggle followed. Tlie victorious party was the Iroquois, who fairly exterminated both the Eries and the Xeuter JS^ation, adopting the remnant of the conquered tribes to supply their losses during the war. Tlie Alleghans incurred the resentment of the Iroquois by an act of treachery, which they expiated by suffering a sudden and bloody extinction.
It is imp(^ssible here to follow the haughty and vic- torious People of the Long House through the partic- ulars of its career of conquest. The task requires a volume. It may be said, however, that its aggressions did not end until an absolute supremacy had been ac- quired over all the Indian nations east of the Missis- sippi, and north of the Alleghany and Tennessee. Several of these were completely blotted out, their camp-fires being extinguished, and their people incor- porated into the families of their conquerors. All felt the power of this people, and acknowledged its authority ; and the early wliite settlers counted its alliance as the most secure barrier against all enemies, domestic or foreign. The Iroquois were the lions of North America.
The traditional origin of the Cayuga nation has been stater]. A c(>ni]>leto history of this famous mem-
12 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
ber of the Ir(X|uois league cannot at this day be given, though possessing great interest to those who now Hve in its ancient territory. The outlines, how- ever, are known, and distinguish it as illustrious both in war and in peace.
Tlie territory of tlie Cayugas extended in a belt thirty or forty miles wide, across the State of New York from Lake Ontario to the Susquehanna, just touching the Seneca Lake on the west, and including within its limits the waters of the Cross, Owasco, and Cayuga Lakes. The principal villages were Ga-ya-ga-an- ha, or *' Inclined Downwards," above Lock Wood's Cove on Cayuga Lake ; Ga-no-geh, or '' Oil on the Water," on the site of the present Canoga ; Ge-wa-ga, or " the Promontory running out," where Union Springs now stands ; and Ne-o-dak-he-at, meaning " at the end of the Lake," on the hills near Ithaca. The village of Was- co was located on the great central trail where Auburn now stands, and De-a-wen-dote, or " Constant Dawn," on the site of Aurora. Numerous other villages were scattered about through the forest, though tliose of in- ferior size were used more as hunting camps, being occupied only at the seasons when the woods were being scoured for game. Between the villages and hunting lodges there ran a number of well-worn trails or foot-patlis by which alone tlie forest was penetrable. One of these trails ran along the south-western bank of the Owasco Creek, and was in very early times used
THE CAYUGAS. 13
by the white settlers of Auburn as the line of a street. The great central trail crossed the outlet a short dis- tance above the prison, almost as far east as North Street. Its course westward was very nearly on the line of the present turnpike for several miles. Half way to Cayuga Lake it turned southward a little and struck the shore half a mile above the bridofe. The ^ villages were composed of substantial one-story frame structures covered with bark, sometimes rectangular and sometimes tent-shaped.
The Cayugas were renowned for their bravery, and being with the Senecas the guards to the western en- trance of the Long House, they had frequent opportu- nities for exercising that virtue. Protected, however, by their central position from sudden inroads, they escaped the necessity of continual vigilance, and were rather inclined to the pursuits of peace. Glory, in- deed, with them, could only be obtained in war ; and their braves were ever on the war path. They roamed over the valleys of the Susquehanna, penetrating Qven to the Chesapeake Bay. They overcame the Andestes, Tuteloes, and mingled the captives with their own na- tion. They also joined the wars upon tlie Hurons. But, after all, they seem to have preferred a different existence. Living in security upon the banks of their beautiful lakes and rivers, they abandoned themselves to the full enjoyment of the hunter's life. The nomadic character of the nation had long been lost, industry
14 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
and agriculture were dawuing on the people, and they seemed almost ready to emerge from barbarism to a tolerable degree of civilization. They had under cul- tivation, in a rude way, corn, squashes, beans, and fruits. The maples furnished them sugar, and the woods, berries and nuts. Upon their crops, and the products of the hunt, was their dependence for food. ^ The excellence and abundance of the Cayuga corn crops were twice of great value to the confederacy. In 16S7, the country of the Senecas was invaded by M. De Nonville, Governor of Canada, with a large army of French and Indians, who in the course of the expedition burnt several native towns, and destroyed an immense quantity of corn, both standing in exten- sive fields and buried in caches, which was estimated to measure twelve hundred thousand bushels. The scarcity of food created by this event threatened the most serious consequences to the Senecas. In their extremity they appealed to the generosity of the Cayu- gas, with whom they were very intimate, and the On- ondagas. The suffering Senecas were relieved by their allies, who shared their stores with them. The same mishap befel the Onondagas in 1696. The French, having failed to detach the Iro(]uois from the standard of the English, invaded the territories of the Onon- dagas and Oneidas with the determination of break- ing their power. They succeeded only in destroying immense stores of grain. Indeed, Count Frontenac,
THE CAYUGAS. 15
disappointed at tinding no enemy to iiglit, although he had marched with great valor into the heart of the In- dian country, seems to have attacked the cornfields with special animosity. After wreaking his vengeance upon them, he returned in great state to the province whence he came. The Cayugas were then agaim called upon for relief, and again as generously re- sponded. Their hounty saved the Onondagas from starvation.
The Cayugas wxre spared the evils of invasion at. the time of Count Frontenac's expedition by the fol- lowing occurrence. While M. De La Barre, Governor of Canada, was organizing his notoriously useless ex- pedition against the Iroquois, he allowed himself to indulge in no small amount of pompous language as to the prodigious things he was about to accomplish, and he gave the King of France to understand by his letters that he was waging most successful war upon liis savage enemies. The King of France with great- innocence wrote M. De La Barre to send him a num- ber of the Indian chiefs, supposed to be captured, to man the royal galleys. The Marquis was of course unable to do this. M. de Nonville, however, upon taking command of Canada in 1685, gratuitously at- tempted to gratify this whim of the monarch. Pro- ceeding to Cataraqui, now Kingston, with two thou- sand men, he assembled there at once, upon various pretext:^, a council of Iroquois chiefs, among whom
16 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
was the eminent Cayuga chief, Oureonhareh. De Non\dlle then with deep treachery put the natives all in irons, and sent them to France. The Iroquois in- stantly retaliated. The warriors of the Five Nations, especially of the Cayugas and Senecas, sprang to anus. They razed Fort Niagara, swept furiously into Canada, filling that province with a dreadful panic, and finally appeared before Montreal, and demanded the return of the chiefs, threatening instant massjicre unless the claim was acceded to. The proud French officer was forced to send to France for the release of the cap- tives. Count Frontenac, who replaced De Nonville in 1689, brought back the Indian chiefs. No oppor- tunity, however, was lost by him to win the affections of the returning Iroquois. They were plied with atten- tions and courtesies, and some, Oureonhareh included, were converted to Christianity. The reason was obvi- ous. The French were striving to gain tlie extensive influence of the chiefs in their favor as against the English. They succeeded with Oureonhareh, and it was on his account that his nation was spared by Frontenac in 1696.
Notwithstanding the tendency of the Cayugas to- ward an agricultural life, they had no animals tamed for service or for food, except the dog. Horses were unknown to them. Wentworth Greenhalgh, a daring English traveler, ventured among this people, in 1677, on horseback and alone. Ilesj^eaksof the great aston-
THE CAYUGAS. IT
islinient created amongst the " Caiongas " by the appear- ance of his steed. He gave a public performance in one oi their villages to show the speed and docility of his norse, in order to satisfy their curiosity. Mr. GreenhVlgh also mentions the abundance of corn with the " Caiougas." In the use of the bow, these Indians were noi excelled by the most famous arcliei*s of the Old Worid, that being their principal weapon both in war and in the hunt.
The Cajugas with their brethren of the League reached the height of their power in the middle of the seventeenth centm-y, at which time the whole peo- ple numbered about twenty-live thousand. The num- ber of the Cayugas was three thousand. Many Indian writers rate the number of their people very much higher, but it was at least as high as stated. The Senecas were the most powerful member of the league ; the Oneidas, the weakest. The Onondagas were next above the Cayugas. The population of the nations varied as they chose war or peace ; for those that were most actively engaged in conquest, adopted the largest number of captives, and so maintained their strength.
The rulers of the Iroquois confederacy were a class of dignitaries, called sachems, fifty of whom were selected from the prominent sages of the tri1)es at the time of the foundation of the league, and invested with su])reme civil power. The government was a pure oligarchy. The sachemshii)s were distributed
18 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
amongst the nations unequally, the Cayugas receiving; ten, while the Senecas, with twice as many wairiorSy received only eight. Ifi the national council, ho^^ever, which assembled annually, or whenever necessar^, upon the shores of Onondaga Lake, the sachems voted by nations, so that the size of the various delegations did not effect the decision of questions. The sacliemships were hereditary, and wlien once conferred, iivariably remained with the tamily or tribe of the original sachem, whose successor, in case of a vacancy, was de- termined by the free choice of the remaining members of the tribe, a^o new sachem was " raised rp " unless he was thus elected. When so elected he was invested with the power of his office by a solenm council of the League. These councils, convened, as the natives have it, for the purpose of '' advising together," settled all qnestions touching the welfare and prosperity of the people at large. Treaties, the declaration of war or peace, the dis])Osal of conquered nations, and the management of home affairs, were the |)rincipal sub- jects of Iroquois legislation. All matters brought be- fore the council w^ere discussed with force and anima- tion. Every subject took the form of a (juestion which was to l)e decided in the affirmative, or the con- trary, and the warriors were to be of " one mind," without exception, before a measure could be adopted. From his place in the circle of sachems al)out the council iire, each rose and spoke. The inflexible rule
THE CAYUGAS.
19
that uiiaiiiiiiity was necessary to action, gave promi- nence to dissenters. There were always some such, to overcome whose objections oratory and public opinion were tke only resorts. In their se^•eral homes, the sachems were the magistrates of their different nations. They seldom had much to do beyond the settlement of disputes, and these were generally decided in public councils of the tribe or village. To this order no power was committed of a military character. Tlieir au- thority was entirely of a civil nature. The military officers were the chiefs, who were raised up and so called simply as a reward of merit, or for remarkable bravery. The sachems could if they chose go to war, but only as ordinary warriors.
The structure of each individual nation was pecu- liar. They were each divided into eight clans, or tribes, having an heraldic device, or totem, by which they were severally known. These tribes were re- spectively the Wolves, I'ears, Beavers, Turtles, Deer, Herons, Snipe, and Hawks, tlie first four of which were considered as brothers to each other. The last fonr were brothers also, but cousins to the first four. The members of each individual trihe were considered not oidy as of one family, and thus brothers and sisters, but they also had the same relation to the members of all the tribes of the same name in the other nations. Thus, the Cayuga Wolves were brothers of the Seneca Wolves, and of the Wolves of tlie whole League, and
20 HISTORY OF AUBUKX.
SO tliroiigli the list. The object of this arrangement was to strengthen each nation by tying together its tribes, and to strengthen the confederacy by linking together the nations. This was partly accomplished by tribal divisions. The laws of marriage and descent completed it. It was the law that brothers and sisters should not marry. Therefore a Cayuga Wolf could not find a bride amongst the Wolf, Bear, Beaver, or Turtle tribes, of his own or any other nation, but he must seek her amongst his cousins the Deer, Heron ^ Snipe, and Hawk tribes. A rigid adherence to this- rule speedily united the tribes and nations with the closest ties of relationship. This system was rather intricate at best, but it was further complicated by the custom of descent by the female line. The Indian child was invariably of the same tribe and nation as his mother. The Deer warrior marries a Bear wife ; his children are Bears. The Cayuga brave may seek a squaw amongst the|Senecas, and, as in the case of the celebrated Red Jacket, who was born at Ga-no-ga, his descendants are Senecas. Thejsystem of cross rela- tionships was elaborate and wonderful. It was more- over effectual,'"and was the secret of the remarkable union of the Iroquois.
The downfall of the people of tlie Long House was swift and pitiable. The troubles of the people began with the growing power of the English colony of J^ew York, and were immeasurably increased by the Revo-
THE CAYUGAS. 21
lutionarv war. At the comniencement of that strug- gle the Iroquois were invited to range themselves with .the royalists and help suppress the rebellion in the col- onies. The Americans invited them to remain neu- tral. The savages themselves hesitated to make a choice, though strongly attached to the British, and willing to unite with them in the war, except for their exposed position in this State. In a solemn council of the nations, the subject was earnestly discussed. The majority were for taking up the hatchet for Eng- land. The Oneidas, whose villages were contiguous- to the American settlements, desired peace. Accord- ing to the usages of the League, the dissent of the Oneidas defeated any positive action. At length, however, it was agreed that each of the six nations might take the part they chose. The Cayugas imme- diately joined the English and fought with great cour- age in the long war that followed. Their ] lart in the horrible massacre at Wyoming, however, led to the devastation of their country in 1778 by General Sullivan^ a circumstance that broke their power. When the war ended, the Cayugas were helpless. Deserted by their allies, they were only saved from immediate de- struction by tlie clemency of General Washington, in gratitude for which, by the way, they assigned that eminent man a place in their heaven.
February 25th, 1789, the Cayugas, at a convention at Albany, ceded their ricli and extensive territory to
22 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
the State of ^N^ew York, for the consideration of five hundred dollars in silver, and an annuity of the same amount, reserving on^y to themselves a tract of one himdred square miles in the basin of Cayuga Lake, and the right to catch eels at a place called Skayes, on the Seneca Eiver, with a spot for a landing, and the right to fish and hunt over the ceded territory. Set- tlers soon after entered the surrounding country, whose presence dro\'e ofi" tiie game. In 1795, the Cayugas 'Sold all but a small tract four miles square on Cayuga Lake, of their large reserve, to I^ew York. The pos- session of this was in turn granted to the State in the year 1800. By 1805, the whole nation had abandoned its ancient hunting grounds, and moved away to the West. Part went to Green Bay, Wisconsin ; part followed Brant and the Mohawks to Canada, settling on Grand River, where it still remains in a village called Cayuga ; whilst a large band removed to San- dusky, where it was afterwards transported by the United States to the Indian Territory, west of the Mississippi. A number of families also found a home with the Senecas, near Buffalo, and these, with their kindred beyond the Mississippi, share yearly the State annuity of twenty-three hundred dollai*s, arising from the sale of their lands.
It is a remarkable fact in connection with the rulei'S of the Iroquois Confederacy, that none of them have become distinguished in history, except the Cayuga
THE CAYUGAS. 2^
sachem, Logan. There were fifty sacheinships, all of which were hehi by eminent men tliroiigh a long series of generations, notwithstanding which the name of but one of the w^iole number of incumbents is il- lustrious. Logan, known among the Cayugas as Tah- gah-jute, the son of the brave chief Skikellimus, was born, according to tradition, at the Lidian village of AVasco, now the site of Auburn, in 1725. While yet a youth, he went southward witli his father to a spot called Shamokin, situated just below the junction of the branches of the Susquehanna Eiver. This had been a favorite tramping-ground of the Cayugas, and here Skikellimus built his cabin. A little creek rippled near by. Tah-gah-jute soon became widely known among the whites for his unusually line person and engaging qualities. As he attained manhood and in- fluence, he Avas regarded with affection and admiration, for he was an unwavering friend of the settlers, and steadily used his authority for peace. He was con- verted to Christianity while still at Shamokin. Upon liis baptism he received the name of Logan, out of re- spect to James Logan, foi-mer Secretary of the Province, for wliom the Indians entertained great regard. In 1770, moving west, the CViyugas settled on tlic baidvs of the Ohio. Four years later, a war broke out along tins border, owing to certain robberies that had taken place in the neighborhood, and which were charged, though falsely, upon the natives. In this, although he
24 IIISTOKY OF AUUUKN.
had ever l^efore been the Iriend of the whites, Tah-gah- jute became involved. It appears that a large part of his family, while quietly crossing the Ohio in a canoe one day, was met by a volley fired from the sliore by a party under a certain Colonel Cresap, and atrociously murdered. The sachem was infuriated by this trans- action. Raising the war-cry along the border, he be- came as renowned in war, as he had been before in peace. His name struck terror whenever mentioned. It is said that he took thirty scalps with his own hand.
The Indians, after a protracted struggle, met the colonists in force, and in a pitched battle were routed in confusion. IS^egotiations were opened for the pur- pose of effecting a treaty. A council was called, but Logan proudly refused to attend with the other chiefs, sending instead a messenger to Lord Dunmore, then governor of the colony, with the speech for the beauty and force of which he is so celebrated. He said :
" I appeal to any white man to say, if lie ever entered Logan's cabin hungry, and he gave him not meat ; if he ever came cold and naked, and he clothed him not. During the course of the last long and bloody war, Logan remained idle in his cabin, an advocate for peace. Snch was my love for the whites, that my countrymen ])ointed as they passed, and said, ' Logan is the friend of the white men.' I had even thought to have lived with you, but for the injuries of one man. Colonel Cresap, the last spring, in cold blood
THE CAYUGAS.
25
and unprovoked, murdered all the relations of Logan, not sparing even my women and children. There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any living creature. This called on me for revenge. I have sought it. I have killed many. I have fully glutted my vengeance. For my country, I rejoice at the beams of peace. But do not harbor a thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to save his life. Who is there to moiimfor Logan f Not oiieP
Logan met with an unhappy fate. The lonely sachem during his last years was overcome with in- temperance. One day, under the fearful influence of strong drink, his savage nature was aroused by some unlucky occurrence, and in a fit of passion he killed his wife. When his senses returned, Logan fled. His relatives sought for him in the forest. They overtook him near Lake Erie, but mistaking their object, Logan attacked them, and was slain by his kinsman, Tah- hah-dohs, in self-defense.
The grass-grown earthwork that crowns the sum- mit of the eminence known as Fort Hill, in the south- western part of Auburn, is the best preserved of the many castles of the ancient Cayugas. The hill upon which it is situated rises boldly to the height of over one hundred feet, and commands so extensive a pros- pect that signal fires at the fort may be seen for from ten to twenty miles in every direction.
tiQ> HISTORV OF AUBUKN.
The liill I'oseesses great natural advantages for de- fense, and the fort i& placed in the best possible man- ner upon its to]\ The ground descends upon every side. The work, to which great attention lias been given by antiquarians, is an embankment in the form of an irregular ellipse, with large openings at five dif- ferent points, evidently intended as gateways. When iirst examined it was surrounded by a moat. The greatest height of the embankment is now no more than four feet ; its thickness at the base, fourteen feet. The diameter of the whole inclosure from east to west between the outside slopes of the wall is four hundred and sixteen feet, and from north to south, three hun- dred and ten feet. The circumference is tweh^e hun- dred feet. The northern and eastern gateways, which are respectively one hundred and sixty-six, and sixty- six feet in width, open upon gently descending ground, although at the distance of seventy feet from the former the brow of the hill is reached, and the surface pitches abruptly. The three openings on the south vary from fifty to seventy-eight feet in width. These are on the brink of ridges and ravines that must have rendered approach, if offered, a daugerous attempt. The inclo- sure is located on the western and most elevated part of the hill, and is pushed back from the northern slope in such a manner that the south wall overlooks the ravines.
Unmistakable traces of aboriginal occupation have been found in and about the fort. Among many relics
THE CAYUOAS. 27
of a curious and interesting nature discovered here, was the thin iron head of a banner staff, fourteen inches long by ten broad, of ancient appearance, and of either French or English origin. It was for many years ex- hibited in a public niuseuui in tliis city. Large holes in the inner area of the fort have been ascertained to be the caches of the ancient inhabitants. Arrow- heads and missiles are also found here.
The heavy growth of trees that covered Fort Hill at the time of the discoveiy of the fortification estab- lishes the great antiquity of the work. Concerning this question, McCauley, in his " History of JSTew York,'^ says : " We examined the stump of a chestnut tree in this moat, which was three feet two inches in diameter, at a point two feet and a half above the surface of the earth. A part of the trunk of the same tree was lying by the stump. As this tree had been cut down, we endeavored to ascertain its age ; and for this pur- pose we counted the rings or concentric circles, and found them to amount to two hundi*ed and thirty-five. The center of the tree was hollow or decayed ; and estimating this part as equal to thirty more layers or growths, we calculated the entire age of the tree to be two hundred and sixty-five years. About five years had elapsed since the tree was cut down. This was in 1825, and would carry back the date of the work to 1555.
" At the distance of tliree paces from this stump was another of chestnut, standing in tlie ditch. It exceeded
28 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
three feet in diameter, and must have died standing, and prolmbly remained in that position man}^ years before it fell from decay. In our opinion, the tree dated back as far as the discovery of the continent. Besides, it may be conjectured, for ought we know to the contrary, that several growths of forest trees in- tervened between the abandonment of this work and the date of the present forest."
The question arises, by whom was this fort built, and what was it for ? The work has been repeatedly ■examined by ethnologists and historians, and all have attempted to trace out the mystery. The learned Henry A. Schoolcraft, a gentleman well versed in American antiquities, who visited Fort Hill in 1845, pursuant to the instructions of the Secretary of State, expressed in a subsequent publication the conviction that the builders of this fort were no other than the ancient Alleghans, the haughty and powerful race that held the country prior to the Iroquois, who were di'iven to the construction of such defensive works to main- tain their ground against invaders. He also asserts that this fort belongs to that class of works with which the Ohio and Mississippi valleys so abound, and is of identical origin. This opinion, advocated and fully set forth in the " Hand-book on Fort HilV by Benj. F. Hall, has been generally received. There are reasons, liowever, and strong ones, for believing that the early Cayugas were the builders of this castle themselves.
THE CAYUGAS. 29
The eminent antiquarian, E. G. Squier, to wliose re- searclies tlie country is indebted for the discovery of many valuable and entertaining facts concerning the aborigines, after a careful studv of the cliaracter of this structure, and those ascribed to the mound build- ers, arrives at the conclusion that they were erected by diii^rent people. He says, speaking of the Iroquois monuments : '' I have already mentioned that within them are found many relics of art, and many traces of occupancy. These, I had ample opportunities of as- <;eii:aining in the course of my investigations, are absolutely identical with those which mark the sites of towns and forts known to have been occupied by the Indians within the historical period. The ])ottery taken from these sites, and from within the supposed ancient inclosm-es, is alike in all respects; the pipes and ornaments are nndistinguishal^le ; and the indications of aboriginal dwellings are precisely similar, and, so far as can be discovered, have equal claim to antiquity. Near many of these w^orks are found cemeteries, in which well-preserved skeletons are contained, and which, except in the absence of remains of European art, differ in no essential respect from the cemeteries fuund in connection with the abandoned modern towns and castles of the Indians. There are other not less important facts and coincidences, all of which go to establisli tluit if the earthworks of AVestern New York are of a remote ancient date, they were not only
30 niSTOKY OF AUBURN.
secondarily but generally occupied by the Iroquois, or neighboring and cotemporary nations ; or else — and this hypothesis is most consistent and reasonable — they were erected hy them.
Mr. Squier is supported in this conclusion by the traditions of the Iroquois themselves. The Cayugas declare that the fort at Wasco, with all others of the same character in their territory, was the result of the old wars between the five nations, previous to the confederacy. That in those times, the chief villages were located in defensible positions, and surrounded with protecting palisades, and gave shelter to the people generally, in periods of danger. The caches were used for stowing grain. The palisades, accord- ing to Cusick,the Indian, in his native " History of the Six Nations," were thus constructed : " The manner of making a fort : First, they set fire against as many trees as it requires to make the inclosure, rubbing off the coals with their stone axes, so as to make them burn faster. When the tree falls, they put fires to it about three paces apart, and burn it into pieces. These pieces are then brought to the spot required, and set up around, according to the bigness of the fort. The earth is then heaped on both sides. The fort has generally two gaps — one for passage, and one for water." The Cayugas further say that the feuds which created the necessity for forts having been pacified, the people issued from their places of defense,
THE CAYUGAS. 31
and, seeking new lionies, left the others to decay as useless. Thus, the Wasco fort was deserted at a very early day ; and, the stockade having perished in tlie iliffht of time, the rude enihankinent now aluiie re- mains to mark its site. The mouldering bones of the dead are the only relics of the original occupants.
Two miles north-east of Fort Ilill, on the hill in rear of the North-Street Cemetery, there existed, in ancient times, a work similar to the above. Its site is a com- manding point. The plow has at length, however, reduced this fort, and effaced all traces of its walls. Arrow-heads and Indian pottery, mingled with the soil, now barely suffice to fix the .site, wliich apjiears to have been chosen with reference to a brook near by. McCauley saw the fort in 1825, and thus de- scribes it : " It inclosed about two acres, and had a rampart, ditch, and gateway. It is now nearly oblit- erated by the plow. In its original state, or the condition it was in thirty-five years ago, about the time the land was cleared, the rampart was seven feet high, and the ditch ten feet wide and three deep. Two persons, the one standing in the ditch, and the other ^vithin the inclosure, were unable to see each other. The gateway was on the north-eastern side, in the direction of a spring which flowed close by. The work was three hundred and fifty paces in cir- cumference.'' All the old settlers remember the In- dian fQrt on the Olmsted farm.
32 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
CHAPTER 11.
THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIUS, AND THE PLANTING THEREIN OF THE VILLAGE OF AUBURN, WITH CIRCUM- STANCES OF THE LATTEr's GROWTH.
1790-1815.
The first general sub-division of the western part ot New York State into townships took place in 1789, at which time the humbled Iroquois nations were begin- ning to sell and retire from their broad territories, and the State Government, through Hon. Simeon De Witt^ the Surveyor-General, was fast surveying and accurately mapping the country. All Western New York was then denominated, in honor of an eminent general of the Revolution, Montgomery County — Tryon, the name it bore in colonial times, having been discarded. In the sub-division of the county, the principal part of what is now Cayuga County was embraced within the limits of the town of Batavia. Aurelius and Mil- ton were erected therefrom, January 2Tth, 1Y89, the former comprising all of the last named county north of an east and west line passing through the south- ern part of the village of Union Springs ; and the latter, the present towns of Genoa, Locke, and Sum-
THE SETTLEMENT OF AURKLIUS.
33
merliill. Herkimer County was erected from Mont- gomery, Februai'v 16tli, 1791 ; Onondaga from Herki- mer, March 5tli, 1794 ; and Caynga from Onondaga, March 8, 1799. On the day following its erection the only townships of the present Caynga County were Aureliu^, so named after Sextus Aurelius Victor, the celebrated Homan historian, whom the Emperor Con- stantius made consul; Milton, Scipio, and Sempro- nius. In a beautiful valley in the original township of Aurelius, Auburn was planted in the year 1793. The title to the whole territory was purchased of the Cayuga Iroquois, February 25th, 1789.
The law of the United States Congress, passed on the 16th day of September, 1776, pursuant to a report of the Board of War, pro\4ding for the enlistment of eighty-eight battalions of men to carry on the then lately declared War for Independence, enacted that all officers and soldiers who should remain in the servic^ till the close of the w^ar or till discharged by Congress^ and the representatives of such as should be slain by the enemy, should be entitled to receive from the Gov- ernment, upon the ratification of a treaty of peace, a grant of the United States lands in Ohio, as a bounty. It was provided tliat privates should receive one hun- dred acres of land, and officei's in proportion to their rank ; the Major- General's bounty being fixed at eleven hundred acres. An act of the -New York Leg- islature, of the 20th of March^ 1781, authoriziug the 2
34 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
formation of two regiments for the defense of the State frontier, promised the members of these regi- ments a bounty of land equal to five times their United States grant, and in addition to the same. At the close of the war an arrangement was perfected by the State, by wliicli the New York soldiers were per- mitted to relinquish their claim upon the Upited States bounty to the State, and to receive do«4>le- grants in one parcel located in tlieir own territory. Peace having been declared, the volunteers of New York demanded their bounties. But, as the Indian title to the unsettled lands was not yet extinguished, a delay ensued. The troops became clamorous, and on the 15th of May, 1786, the Surveyor-General was di- rected to lay out a number of townships in the north- ern part of the State to satisfy their claims. These lands, comprising what is known as the old military tract, were located in Essex, Clinton, and Franklin •Counties. At this time the wonderful reports brought home by the soldiers sent out into the Cayuga and Seneca countries to punish the Indians, of the extra- ^ 'Ordinary loveliness and fertility of the regions about the seven lakes, and the majesty and commercial value of the forests that covered them, began to be generally noised abroad. Hearing these, speculators who were holding large numbers of soldiers' claims induced the State authorities to defer their final settlement until an opportunity could be afforded of buying the Indian
THE SETTLEMENT OF AUIIELIUS. 35
ricrht to tlie more favored districts in the interior. This right was acquired in 1TS9. The Surveyor- General was the!i directed to h^cate the bounty lands in the Indian teri-itories. One million eight hundred thousand acres were ordered to he set aside for the object, and to be surveyed into townships containing one hundred lots of six hundred acres each. Each lot which was the size of tlie share of a private was to be subject to a tax of forty-eight shillings, to discharge the expense of the survey. The Onondaga nn'litary tract, as it was for many years known, embracing the present counties of Cayuga, Seneca, Onondaga, and Cortland, and portions of Wayne, Steuben, and Oswego, ^^*fi:raccordingly laid out and mapped without further delay by General Simeon De Witt and his as- sistants, Abraham Hardenburgh and Moses De Witt.
At a meeting of the commissioners of the land office, held in the city of New York, July 3d, 1790, twenty-five townships were reported as surveyed, and a map was submitted for approval. The Board ac- cepted the map, and. Governor George Clinton being present, named and numbered the townships. Aure- lius was numbered eight. The town lots were then dis- tributed to those claiming them under the law, by ballot ; the balloting being carried on at intervals for about two years, at the end of which time all obliga- tions of the State for the payment of bonnties in land had been discharged.
36 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
In tlie ineaiitiine the whole of the State lying west ■of the military tract had passed into private hands by purchase of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, and was being offered for sale by the proprietors. A farm might then be bought anywhere in the interior of ]Me\v York. The only obstacle to immediate settle- ment was the dense and almost trackless forest that overspread the country. It w^as possible to penetrate this w^ilderness by no other means than by the Indian trails, and the streams and lakes. The trails, however, being widened by hewing out the trees, a torrent of emigration set in to every part of the interior, and the forest w^as rapidly peopled with sturdy Englishmen and Dutchmen. The pioneers were largely composed of veterans of the Revolution, yet thousands came from l^ew England, driven out by the effect of the sup- pression of Shay's rebellion in 1786, and attracted by rumors of the beauty and fertility of this favored region. Many more came from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The town of Aurelius came prominently into notice in this era of general settlement, and at- tracted emigration from places as far distant as Mary- land, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, being with the neighboring town of Scipio well known as abounding in rich soils, magnificent scenery, and unusual facilities for the successful prosecution of farming and manu- facturing. The rebel Shay himself emigrated to Aure- lius, and lived and died a few miles west of Auburn.
THE 8ETTLKMKNT OF AFRELIUS. 37
The circumstances which constitute the first his- torical record of Auburn relate to the six town lots upon which the city stands. Tb.ese lots are desi^jnated by the Surveyor-General, upon his map of the original township of Aurelius, by the numbers thirty-seven, thirty-eight, forty-six, forty-seven, fifty-six and fifty- seven. ~ They are arranged in three tiers : the first two mentioned comprise the northern ; the next two, the middle ; and the last two, the southern tier. They were awarded, and bought and sold by speculators till they fell into the hands of actual settlers — for none of the veterans to whom they were assigned as bounties ever occupied them — in the following manner :
Lot Xo. thirty-seven, forming the north-west corner of Auburn, was granted July 8th, 1790, to a brave private of Colonel Van Schaick's regiment, the 1st New York, by the name of George Weaver, who, not choos- ing to improve the land, sold it to Michael Overacker for a few pounds sterling. Passing through the hands of Albert Paulding, the title to the lot was conferred December 12th, 1791 to, Kobert Dill, of iSTewburg, Orange County, to whom a patent was issued by 'the State. Mr. Weaver's propensity for executing deeds of this form to whoever chose to advance a few pounds sterling, involved his original purchasers in great trou- ble to establish their claim. Among subsequent pur- chasers of parts of lot No. thirty-seven may be men- tioned Amos and Gideon Tvler, each of whom bouixht an
38 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
hundred acres in December, 1796, the former for forty, and the latter for one hundred and eighty-six pounds sterling.
Lot No. thirty-eight, constituting the north-east cor- ner of the city, was drawn by a private in the 1st !N'ew York regiment, named Alexander Mills, or rather by his representatives, for he had previously parted with his interest in the lot to Major Wm. J. Yredenburgh^ December 4th, 1788. Gerrit II. Yan Wagoner bought it of the latter owner, " for value received," February 27th, 1789, and received the state patent for six hun- dred acres. He sold the southern half of the farm, December 1st, 1794, to Major Noah Olmsted, Jr., of Onondaga County, for the consideration of one hun- dred and twenty pounds sterling. After the sale of this lot to Major Yredenburgh, private Mills ventured to make another deed of the same for the sum of fifty pounds to Joseph Prescott of New York, who in turn sold it to John Richardson, in 1795, for four hundred and twenty pounds sterling. A dispute thus arose over the possession of the land, which was carried before Messrs. James Emmott and Yincent Matthews, commissioners for the adjustment of land titles in Onondaga County, in the rejection of Mr. Richardson's claim.
Lot No. 46 includes Fort Hill and the western part of Auburn. It was awarded to Alexander McCoy, a private of the 1st New York, who had served in the
THE SEITLEMENT CF AURELIUS. 39
army for six years, but who, by reason of some infor- mality in liis papers, was able to obtain no more than the State bounty of five hundred acres. He sold the benefits of his discharge from the service once to David Howell, of l^ewburg, in 1789, and afterwards to John Brown for the sum of eleven pounds sterling. This matter also came before the commissioners for the set- tlement of disputes concerning land titles. David Howell was declared to be the legal owner of the five hundred acres. The decision taking ]-)lace after his death, this lot became the property of his heirs, of w4iom at different times it was bought by Robert Dill, at a cost of about twelve hundred dollars. The title to the unappropriated one hundred acres, lying in a square form in the south-east corner of the lot, was acquired by General Philip Van Cortlandt, a lawyer of Xew York city, and transferred by him, September 19th, 1799, to William Bostwick, of Milford, Connecti- cut, for the sum of seven hundred and fifty dollars.
Captain John Doughty drew by ballot the eastern part of this city, and the magnificent mill privileges included within the limits of lot No. forty-seven. He was the only one of the original owners of the six town lots that received the patent for his land person- ally. He sold his patent to Martin and Josiah Ogden Hoffman of Xew York city for" one hundred and fifty pounds sterling. February 16th, 1792, the lot was transferred at an advance of tliirty pounds to Captain
40 HISTOIiY OF AURURN.
John L. Hardenburgh, of Ulster County, the record of whose deed still exists among the books of the old county of Herkimer.
Lot Ko. 56, containing the south-west corner of Auburn, became by grant the property of Nicholas Avery, a private of the 2d regiment of New York volunteers, w^ho sold it to Edward Cumpston for twenty pounds sterling. September 23d, 1790, the title vested by deed in Jeremiah Yan Rensselaer — to whom the patent was issued — and Abraham Ten Eyck.. Stephen N. Bayard bought the lot next. He parted with part of his interest in it in June, 1792, to Eldad Steel, and with the rest of it, in July, 1792, to Bethel G. Steel. On the 3d of October, 1798, the lot was awarded to the Messrs. Steel in the proportion of three hundred and fifty acres to the former, and two hundred and fifty to the latter.
Colonel Peter Gansevoort received lot No. 57. He retained the farm till he knew its value, and parted with it January 9th, 1805, to Samuel Swift, for four thousand dollars.
The patents for these lots are severally recorded in the ofiice of the Secretary of State at Albany; the field notes and maps of the survey, are filed in the office of the State Engineer.
The original townships of the Onondaga military tract were surveyed and mapped under the direction of the Surveyor-General and his assistants, by Benj.
THE SETTLEMENT OF AUKELIUS. 41
Wright, John L. Ilardenbiirgh, ITinnphrev Ilowland, Josiah Buck, Comfort Tjler, and other deputy sur- veyors, in the years 1789 and '90. Among these depu- ties, whose honorable, tliough perilous, profession was rendered attractive to the veterans of the then late TVar for Independence, by having been adopted by the venerated Washington, in his earh^ (^ajs, Captain John L. Ilardenburgh, of Ulster County, a tall, swarthy officer, of Dutch descent, took a high stand, being dis- tinguished no less for gallantry in his regiment, the 2d Xew York, while (>n Sullivan's expedition against the Seneca and Cayuga Indians, than for his ability as a surveyor. He was called, in the discharge of his official duties, to various parts of the military tract, and not only acquired a thorough acquaintance with its resources and character, but a powerful desire to settle at some favored spot in its grand old woods, and spend there his remaining years. Life under the ma- jestic elms and maples of the primeval forest, in the midst of scenery of extraordinary beauty, surrounded by rich soils, and in a position where great wealth was certain to accrue to the large landholder, by the development of the country, was captivating to the imagination. With the wild valley in which Auburn now stands Captain Ilardenburgh was particularly impressed. It was buried in dense woods, and unfa- vorable to immediate occupation from its swamps ; but the immense water power of the Owasco Hiver,
42 HISTOKY OF AUBUKN. |
that ran through the valley, arrested his attention. The stream, draining the Owasco Lake and the sur- rounding country, was a rapid for miles. It abounded in little cascades and falls, and its current was full and strong. The facilities it afforded for manufacturing were incomparable. The deputy surveyor, dreaming already of the future city, considered the opportunity thus presented as that " tide " which was to " lead him on to fortune." He resolved to " take it at the flood," secure the water power by purchase of the adjacent lands, and found, if possible, a settlement at this point. Finding, upon balloting for bounties, in 1790, that the grants to which he was himself entitled were located in Fabius and Cicero, he sought out the assignees of lot No. forty-seven, Aurelius, and made a trade with them, by which he became the proprietor of a tract embracing water privileges which promised to be the most valuable on the stream.
Captain John L. Hardenburgh, the founder of Au- burn, fitted by his vigorous habits and iron frame for a pioneers life, came into the township of Aurelius early in 1793, and took possession of his farm, which was easily accessible by means of a certain rude wagon track or trail, that ran through the woods directly by the spot. This road, then the only one in the county^ was made in 1791 by a party of wood-choppers and emigrants who were en route from Whitestown to Canandaiffua, under the lead of General Wadsworth..
THE se'itlemp:nt of aukelius. 43
They followed the ancient Indian trail, merely en- larging it by hewing away the trees and underbrush, and bridging the most impassable streams. The road entered the township from the north-east, and cross- ing the site of Auburn very nearly upon the line of IS'orth and West Genesee Streets, ran in a crooked manner westerly to Cayuga Lake. By the side oi this path, known for years as the old Genesee road, lived all the inhabitants of Aurelius. Captain Ilar- denburgh brought with him into the wilderness one child, a daughter, and the two negro slaves, Harry and Kate Freeman. Being at first undetermined where to build, he appears to have spent several days examining the valley, and sleeping at night under the trees, before he selected a site. At length, choosing a spot of dry ground near the road, and in rear of the lot now occupied by the Town Hall, he engaged Gil- bert Goodrich, a neighboring settler, to build him a eabin. Harry, meanwhile, began to make a clearing, felling w4th his own hand the first tree on the site of Auburn. Goodrich assisted in clearing the first acre. The cabin, a strong little structure of logs, was made ■secure against the attacks of wild beasts, and was pro- vided, in the absence of both fire-place and chimney, with an old-fashioned Dutch back, against which the fires were built, and the meals cooked. The smoke from the fire found its way into the open air through a smoke-hole in the roof. A wooden crane suspended
4^1: HISTORY OF' AUBDKN.
the kettles over the llaines. The latch-string ot this house was always out. The captain extended its hos- pitalities to every new-comer, and to the aborigines, a large band of whom still lingered in the valley, not- withstanding that the main body of their people were then residing on the reservation near Union Springs, under Karistagea, better known as Steel Trap, and Esther.
The Indians were the only occupants of the site of Auburn when Captain Hardenburgh settled. The Ca- yuga village of Wasco, or the " Crossing Place," was built among the trees on the ground now covered by the State Prison, and the trails of its inhabitants ran along both banks of the outlet to the lake. The great Gen- esee trail intersected the stream a little west of Korth Street, a crossing being effected by means of large step- ping stones placed in the bed of the creek, and united at one time, according to reliable authority, by a bark bridge. The crossing distinguished the locality, which was known among the Onondagas as Osco, and among the Oneidas, as Owasco. The Owasco Lake was recog- nized as " The Lake near the Crossing Place." The out- let itself bore the- native appellation of Deagogaya, or the place where men were killed, a term which dimly hints at some ancient transaction connected witli Fort Ilill. The village of Wasco was very substantially constructed of poles and bark, after the Indian custom^ the fires beinir built on the o:round in the interior of
THE eiriTLEMKNT OF AURELIUS. 45
the houses. The natives were friendly and ^pent their time in peaceful pursuits. They subsisted by fishing, or byhuntino^ in an extensive cranberry swamp twenty or thirty rods north of the village, which was then, and for years afterwards, famous as the resort of game.
About the year 1797, the Indians began to trade with the whites, who had opened stores on Captain Hardenburgh's farm, for various articles they coveted, and very soon obtained large supplies of strong drink. This proved to be their destruction. Their camp was im- mediately the scene of furious brawls, wdiich would in every case have tenninated in the shedding of blood, had not the whites interfered. One night a terrific uproar was heard in the village. The whole neighbor- hood was roused. Hastening to the spot, the settlers found the savages fighting like demons, pelting each other with fire-brands, and throwing burning sticks and embers into each other's lodges, and making the forest ring with fierce yells. An attempt to appease them proved unavailing. Before morning, they had all left the camp, and fled away into the wilderness, from which they never returned. Among the many curiosi- ties left in the cabins of the village was an Indian book, which w^'is long preserved by the old settlers as a great treasure.
It is not certainly known whether Captain Harden- burgh was ever favored like Oloffe the Dreamer, whom he resembled in that he was a i^reat smoker, and in that
46 HISTORY OF Al'BUKX.
alone, with visions (»t' tlie future glories of tlie vallej where he had settled, or of the colossal manufacturinir establishments that were to succeed him on the banks of the outlet, but he appears to have been inspired with a belief from the beginning that a city would spring np around him, and he labored systematically to bring it to pass. AVhen comfortably settled in his secluded home in the woods, he took the first step in this direction, by harnessing the bj'awling stream at his door, and compelling it to work for him. A stout log dam was built with the aid of Thomas Morley, at a point four or five rods above the present stone dam hat is known by his name, and soon after he em- ployed Eldad Steele and Captain Edward Wheeler of Grover's settlement, to build him a mill. This pioneer manufactorv was known as a ^\^ mill, contained one run of stone capable of grinding twelve bushels of grain per day, and was thatched with hemlock brusli. If report be true, an attempt was first made to propel its machinery by means of the wind.
The little mill more than realized the expectations of its builder, exercising from the outset the most im- portant influence on the destinies of the valley. The want of facilities for the manufacture of flour was the greatest })rivatian of our pioneers. Before mills were erected in their vicinity, the early settlers of Aurelius could only obtain flour by reducing their grain in a mortar fashioned out of a stump with a heavy pestle,
THE SFrrLKMENT OF AVRELIUS. 4:7
suspended from a balancing pole, sometliing like a well-sweep, or by carrying the grain to the old red mills at Seneca Falls, or to those at Liidlowville. One method was attended with an enormous waste of time and patience ; the other, with formidable difficulties. The terrible condition of the early roads which ran re- gardlessly over hills and throngh sloughs, turning out for neither, the liability to meet with accidents in lonely and perilous places where relief could not readily be obtained, the slow pace of the oxen, and the trouble experienced in hauling the heavy wagons, loaded with from thirty to forty bushels of grain at a time, through the miry spots, made the necessity of going great dis- tances to mill one of the sorest trials of the pioneer. The erection of the new mill upon the Owasco Creek was therefore hailed with joy by the surrounding set- tlers, who speedily became its customers. The mill performed for Captain Hardenburgh an essential ser- vice, therefore, bringing his property into notice, and making his farm a sort of center, residence at which was soon desirable for business purposes.
Tradition relates in connection with this modest little log mill, that while its proprietor was busy one day with his grain sacks, he was unexpectedly assaulted and overwhelmed with the arrows, not of the savages, but of love, and instantly capitulated. EoelifF Brink- erhoff, the patriarch, living in Owasco, and being in need of flour, liad dispatched one of liis daughters, an
48 HISTORY (*F AUBURN.
active, bright young creature, on horseback to mill with a bag of corn, with instructions to wait till it was ground and return with the grist. The sweet eyes of the maiden, as well as her blooming health, and her courage at venturing alone through the forest, took the miller captive at first sight. During the manufacture of the corn into meal, said to have been done on this occasion slower than ever before known, the brave captain made known his sentiments, pro- posed, and after a proper rehictance on the part of the damsel, was accepted. The romantic marriage took place in 1796.
The orio:in and location of the roads which trav- ersed the township of Aurelias at this early date, are involved in considerable obscurity. It is distinctly known that the old Genesee road, before referred to, was tlie first built. This was passable in the first in- stance only with pack horses, but was improved in 1793 by means of a legislative grant of twenty-seven hundred dollars, expended on the section of the road between Deep Spring and Cayuga ferry, under the direction of Captain Hardenburgh, Moses De Witt, and John Patterson, commissioners, so as to admit travel with sleighs and wagons.
The next in order is a matter of uncertainty. The second leading to Ilardenburgh's mill, however, inde- pendent of the Indian trails, there is reason to believe, was what was ])0}>ularly termed the old Chenango road.
Till-: SETTLEMENT i)F AUKELIlt^. 49
This was a riule avenue tlirougli the forest, extending from the Chenango country up into Owasco, and thence to this point. It entered h)t Xo. 47 frora the east, pass- ing over the roots of tliat immense tree long known as " tlie big ehn,-' and ran down to the mill very nearly Tipon the line of the present Genesee Street. It bent northward, however, at the present corner of Morris Street to avoid a large and deep slough. Frora the mill it ran to jS'orth Street. It was an unfenced, unimpor- tant road, though laid out originally by the State, and settled some. The parts south of Genesee Street were, upon the construction of the latter, discontinued. A road leading from the Cayuga salt springs at Monte- zuma to the Owasco bridge was greatly traveled as early as 1794. The early settlers went down to Cayuga River for fish, and to pasture their cattle. When the salt works were erected, in 1797, the travel was increased. The general direction of the old road, some parts of which were in time shifted, and others taken up, was upon the line now followed by Garden and Wall Streets, and the highway from Clarksville to Throopsville, and from the latter place to Montezuma. There was also a path or lane, of which, however, few vestiges now exist, that ran along the south-western branch of the outlet, on the route of an old trail, quite through the place. The portion south of the later Genesee Street, called " Lumber Lane," was at one time greatly settled. By that section of it situated west of Xorth Street, it was
60 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
possible to reach the lower falls. Owasco Street was surveyed and laid out as a public highway running to the southern towns, in 1795, by Elijah Price and Za- dock Grover, commissioners of highways. The State road to Scipio from the Owasco bridge', now known as South Street, w'as also located by the town officers at the same time. Nevertheless, for eight or ten years this thoroughfare was a desolate-looking road. It was cut through dense woods, the trees, brush, and logs being removed, and an occasional causeway laid.
Settlers were now arriving in the township. Among the first was a large party from Southern Pennsylvania, near Gettysburg. The party had been on the way for two years, having left its home in 1791. Ascending the Susquehanna Iliver in flat-boats, these settlers had reached the neighborhood of Ludlowville, and, unable to secure a land title in Aurelius, had waited there for the establishment of a land office. They now came on in wagons. The party was com- posed of rleven men with their families. These were Roelift' Brinkerhoft", Jacob Brinkerhoft*, Luke Brinker- hoff, Cliarles Van Tuyne, James Van Tuyne, Samuel Dunn, Matthias Van Tuyne, Philip O'Brien, Thomas Johnson, Abrabam Johnson, and Albert Demaree. They all settled in Owasco. The same year, but later, Ave other settlers arrived from the same locality as the above. These w^ere David, Isaac, and John
THE SKITLEMKNT OF AL'KKLllS. 51
Parsell, and two sisters, who entered the eountry hy way of Cayuga Lake. David Parsell afterward mar- ried the sister of Captain llardenburgh's wife.
Solomon Tibbies, one of the soldiers of an expedition sent out during the Revolution to ravage the " Indian fields,'' as they were called, in the Seneca country, came toxVurelius in 179i, with the design of making it his home, putting up at Goodrich's tavern, like most new comers, till he could pre})are his owu resi- dence. The settlers always lent their aid whenever a house was to be built, and Mr. Tibbies soon had a log cabin on a farm on the west side of North Street, that he had previously purchased. His. title to this land, however, proved defective. He therefore removed to a farm north of Clarksville, in which locality he was one of the very first settlers. An unbroken wildernesa then frowned upon him on every side ; but he was coura- geous and persevering, and though he did not reach his property witli liis wagon till he had first hewn a pas- sage through the woods with his own liands, he eventu- ally succeeded in providing for his family comfortable quarters, and w^as long one of tlie honored residents of the towushij). This old veteran had three sons, James and Luther, wlio came with him, and Solomon, who was born on the farm. James Tibbies is still living in Auburn, in the possession of great bodily and mental vigor, and is the oldest living resident of this vicinity. lie is said to have acquii^d the erect form for which
62 illSTORY OF AUBURN.
he is remarkable from the Indians, in whose games and hunts he bore an active part.
Jacob Van Doren, another intrepid soldier, located with his family on a lot at the foot of Owasco Lake, given him by the Government for his military services, having brought his family and furniture in a stout wagon for many long, weary miles through the wilder- ness, and over a road cut and cleared by his owm hands as he passed along. His log house, first built, was afterwards replaced by a frame edifice, now owned and occupied b}^ Peter Sittser, in front of wdiich w^ere planted, in 1800, thirteen poplars, then tender shoots, and recently brought into the country by the wife of the old hero, in her apron. The poplars have since at- tained a lofty stature, and are now conspicuous objects on the lake road to Auburn. Mrs. Van Doren died a few years since, at the remarkable age of one hundred and three.
Elder David Irish, a Baptist minister, who preached the first gospel sermon in Cayuga County, also settled in Aurelius in 1Y94 Adam Fries visited Auburn within three months after the first house was built, but did not settle till 179(3. Major Xoah Olmsted and 2^nas Iluggins settled at this place in 1795. The same year Gideon Tyler settled near Solomon Tibbies, with his sons Elliott, Warren, Salmon, Amos, and Gideon.
The first irround used for the burial of the dead in
THE SKTTLEMENT OF AURELIUS. 55
this quarter of Aurelius was a spot on tlie top of the west hill of this place, now occupied by the residence of Nelson Fitch, on the east corner of Washington and Genesee Streets. The first man who died in the local- ity— named Kittle — was interred in this lot, which was, for several years, the common burying-ground. In 1706, another cemetery was started on the east side of North Street. Solomon Tibbies cleared away the trees from this yard, felling them with the tops out for convenience in cutting up. A heavy log fence was- then laid up,' inclosing a quarter of an acre. This lot was located on the farm of Major Noah Olmsted, and forms the north-west corner of the later North Street cemetery. Gideon Tyler, a little fellow^ who was the playmate of James Tibbies, was the first person buried there.
An accumulation of settlers about the junction of the mill road and North Street, now called " Harden- burgh's Corners," began in 1795, and was the direct result of the operations of the mill. The point had become a profitable center for merchants. James O'Brien came to the farm, erected a little log house upon the site of the present Town Hall, and opened there the first store in the place, which he kept for sev- eial years. Yery soon afterward another store was opened in a log house, standing on the ground covered by the session house of tlie First Presbyterian Churchy 1)3' Dr. Samuel Crossett, a gentleman of fine talents
54 HISTOKY OF AUBURN.
and great public spirit, who was the first physician here. Dr. Ellis, another disciple of Esculapius, settled here about the same time. Samuel Bristol came to the Corners in 1796 as an innkeeper, and o])ened the first public house in a log cabin, on what is now the corner of ]S"orth and Genesee Streets. The inn stood on the ground now occupied by Brown & Lee's store. It was a diminutive establishment, refreshments being obtainable there in moderate quantities only. A little store was kept in the same house. Mr. Bristol kept the tayern for several years, and then sold out to John Treat, of Vermont. Major Walter G. J^ichols also set- tled in 1796. He succeeded O'Brien in the log store at the corner of the roads, and built an addition to the same soon after. In the enlarged house, which was partly a log and partly a frame building, and was painted yellow, Major Nichols opened the fourth store at the Corners, and John Treat kept tavern. Dr. Hackaliah Burt came into the settlement in the month of March, and in the first instance was a clerk for Dr. Crossett, of whom he studied medicine. Soon after, he opened an ashery on the north bank of the creek a few rods below North Street, which he operated for several years. It is said that though he did business at the Corners, he resided till 1800 at a place a mile or two to the north, so that he might escape the evil (ef- fects expected to arise from the swamps here. Dr. Burt was always one of the most popular men of the
THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIUS. 55
locality, being public spirited, enterprising, and courte- ous in all his actions and relations. Nehemiah Smith arrived in the neighborhood the same year. He built a log house on the west side of Xorth Street hill, upon the very spot now occupied by the frame residence of Edward L. Skinner, in front of which he planted a row of poplars. St. Clair Smith also settled in Aure- lius in 1796.
Jehiel Clark of Ballston Springs, Saratoga County, settled on the Owasco Creek, on lot Xo. 45, in 1795. His log dam was built the same year, and his saw and grist mills in 1798. The latter, which contained two- runs of stone, was built with a massive frame, capable of defying the ravages of centuries. It has since been incorporated into the Mayflower grist mill, where its heavy beams still excite the wonder of the stran- ger. Mr. Clark made an eflfort to start a city at thi& point, and at one time seemed in a fair way to suc- ceed, for the nucleus of a community was quickly formed in this vicinity, and several roads which were built to open up easy access to his mills, and tlie mills themselves, made his farm quite an important place. Three roads were made to his settlement. One, since unused, came from the neighborhood of Goodrich's tavern on North Street, crossing the stone quarry by means of a stone bridge, the ruins of which are still in existence. Another was a continuation of this, and seems to have followed tlie ijjeneral direction of Divi-
56 HISTORY OF AUBL'RX.
sion Street to the old Genesee road, whence it passed on to the southern part of the county. It was termed, in the conveyances of the day, '' The road running from Jehiel Clark's mills past the farm of Eldad Steel to Grover's settlement." Later, it was known by the name of '' Steel Street." The third was called " Clarksville Street," and is identical with the present Clark Street. It intersected Genesee Street at the point where Brigg's crockery store now stands. All three were for many years of the same character as the old Genesee road, irregular, crooked, full of stumps, and improved only in the miry places where old-fash- ioned log causeways were generally laid.
William Bostwick came to Hardenburgh's Corners in 1798. lie was a master-builder and tavern-keeper by occupation, and, having formed the determination of settling in this place, with a vigor which was char- acteristic of the man, he immediately built himself a house, prepared it for occupancy and returned to Whitestown, where he had been living since 1793, and made arrangements for moving out his family and fur- niture as soon as the weather would permit. He ar- rived in Aurelius the second time in February, 1799, having made the journey in a sleigh with his family of six. His residence was a double log-house, white- washed iwside and out, and stood on the ground now occupied by the east end of the Beach block of stores. It was soon afterward opened as a tavern. The oven
THE SETTLKMENT OF AURELIUS. 57
of tlie establishment stood in the door-yard, built against a stump. Mr. Bostwick was one of the most stirring, energetic men of the settlement. Always self-reliant and devoted to the cause of the hamlet and its prosperity, he took the lead in all important measures of that early day, and assisted in the achieve- ment of many useful public works, of which we shall again have occasion to speak.
Daniel Hyde arrived in 1798, built a house north of Crossett's store, on the lot where II. L. Knight now lives, and, in 1802, prepared the field just above it for a tannery. Elijah Esty bought this in 1805, and stocked and worked it for several years. After the sale of the tannery lot, Mr. Hyde formed a partnership with Dr. Burt, bought a store lot on the north side of Genesee Street, reaching from within a few rods of North Street nearly to Clark, and opened a store in the old log tavern. He sold his interest to Dr. Burt two years later, and devoted himself to the business of milling. Dr. Burt continued the business on the same site, though he afterwards demolished the tavern, and replaced it with a more comely edifice. He re- sided in another house on the same lot.
The new Genesee road from Utica to the west was constructed to this place in 1797, the section between the Corners and Onondaga Hill being made under contract, by Major Walter G. Nichols. It is now known as Franklin Street.
58 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
At tlie time of the organization of the militia of Herkimer County, in 1793, a battalion of infantry was formed, by the State authorities, in which Captain Hardenburgh was commissioned Major, and Noah Olmsted, Adjutant. Onondaga County was set off from Herkimer in 1794, and a regiment of light in- fantry was ordered to be organized in the new district.
In this Noah Olmsted w^as Lieutenant, and J. L, Hardenburgli and Edward Paine were Majors. In 1799, when Cayuga County was formed. Lieutenant Olmsted became Major of the regiment. Major Harden- burgh, being promoted to the chief command, acquired the title of Colonel, by which he is popularly known. He retained the rank till his death. He was succeeded by Colonel John Harris, of Cayuga.
The town government of Aureliiis was not orga- nized and put into operation, owing to the great size of the township, and the lack of inhabitants, until 1794. On the first Tuesday of April of that year, the first town meeting was held at the house of Colonel Hardenburgh. The settlers, a sturdy, weather-beaten band, gathered in the log-cabin, and selected their supervisor, town clerk, committee on schools, over- seers of the poor, assessors, commissioners of high- ways, constables, path-masters, fence - viewers, col- lector, and pound-keeper. It took nearly the whole population of the town to fill the offices. The yearly town elections w^ere, from this date till 1803, held at
THE SETTLEMENT OB^ AURELIUS. 59
Colonel Hardenburgh's. They were then appointed either at Henry Moore's tavern, out on the openings^ at Edward Brockway's, or in some school-house. The first town clerk was Colonel I lardenburgh. The office was then occupied, till the town of Auburn was- formed, by the following : Dr. Samuel Crossett from 1802 till 1803; John Ilaring, till 1807; Dr. Hackaliah Burt, till 1810; John Haring, till 1811; David Brink- erhoff, till 1813 ; Nathaniel Garrow, till 1814 ; David Brinkerhoff, till 1822 ; and Daniel Calkins, till 1823. The supervisors are given on another page. The first justice of the peace in Am-elius was Colonel Har- denburgh.
The government of Cayuga County was organized, May 28th, 1799, at the Court House, at Aurora, by the assembling of the first Board of Supervisors of the newly-erected district. The Board, in full, consisted, of seven members, namely : Joseph Grover, of Aure- lius ; Thomas He wit, of Milton ; Jacob T. C. DeWitt, of Sempronius ; Silas Halsey, of Ovid ; George Bailey, of Romulus ; Abraham Mariele, of Ulysses ; and Wal- ter Wood, of Scipio. The settlement and division of county charges w^itli the Supervisors of Onondaga County was the principal business of the first Super- visors of Cayuga. The first Board of the county, after the formation of Seneca County from its western part in 1804, met in Scipio, October 2d, and was composed of the representatives of the ten towns. Tliey were
60 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
Joseph Grover, Jr., of Anrelius ; Augustus Chidsev, of Scipio ; Elijah Price, of Ovvasco ; Rufus Sheldon, of Brutus ; Silas Bowker, of Locke ; Charles Kellogg, of ;Semproaius ; Richard Townlej, of Milton ; John Ellis, «of Dryden ; John C. Barnes, of Cato ; and Isaac Smith, ^of Jefferson.
Every road leading to Western New York in 1800 was choked with emigrants, bound to the military lands rand the valley of the Genesee, large numbers of whom settled by the side of the old Genesee trail, as they were able to obtain suitable farms. The oak ■openings in the present town of Aurelius, and the fertile towns to the south, were tlien competing strongly for settlers with the densely- wooded, and therefore less favored valley of the Owasco. These things notwith- standing, the nucleus of a settlement had already been formed at this point. Bristol's tavern on the knoll, and Bostwick's embowered among the trees, Clark's and Hardenburgh's grist mills, Hyde's tannery, Cros- •sett's, O'Brien's, and Bristol's stores, Bart's ashery, Goodrich's tavern on North Street, and about a dozen log farm-houses, formed the germ of the future city. Enrolled as residents were Colonel Hardenburgh, James O'Brien, Samuel Bristol, John Treat, William Bostwick, Daniel Hyde, Eldad Steel, Nehemiah Smith, Dr. Samuel Crossett, Dr. Ellis, Samuel Haring, David Snow, Dr. Burt, Solomon Tibbies, Gideon Tyler, Jehiel Clark, Joseph Parish, Barent G. Staats,
THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIUS. 61
Moses Bodell, and Friend and Benjamin Phelps ; and Harry Freeman and Tom Bramin, the slaves.
The cleared ground at the Corners did not, in 1800, exceed one hundred and lifty acres, and the cultivated ground was embraced by a few small gardens. The place was not a paradise at this time, although the surrounding scenery was wild and imposing. On the contrary, its topograpliy was most ungainly, and for mud it was horrible. A succession of ridges, bogs, and rills crossed Genesee Street west of Bostwick's, and in fact both North and South Streets also ; a dismal and dangerous swamp extended from the crossing of the creek westwards for nearly half a mile, and stagnant pools were scattered everywhere through the woods. Each pond was the source of myi-iads of clamorous frogs, who with the wild beasts made the nights hideous. The roads were always wet. Winter was the best time to travel, and cold weather always stimulated immigration. In the summer, the road through Auburn was the worst between Utica and Canandaigua, a reputation which it fully sustained for over thirty years. It was a source of great discomfort both to travelers and residents, and in conjunction with the wet lands exercised an un- favorable influence on the place. The latter, indeed, came near proving fatal to the embryo city, many settlers being so prejudiced by them against the locality as to refuse to come here at all, and some once estab- lished afterward going awny.
62 11 1 STORY OF AUBURN.
Wood-clio})piiig was the leading occupation of the pioneers of Auburn for many ^^ears. Tlie trees had to be felled and burned before orchards could be planted or grain sown ; and this was the first task, therefore, of every settler. In it the slaves took an active part ; for,, while the original inhabitants of this town were sturdy patriots and sincerely attached to the principles of free government, it must be remembered that such as could afford it were owners of negro slaves, and slave labor was employed here till after the war of 1812. The founders of Auburn, however, were kind masters ;. instances of cruelty to the blacks were unknown. On the other hand, acts of the greatest generosity were abundant, and the negroes were often permitted, if they chose, to earn their liberty by clearing up the new lands. Tom Brainin acquired his liberty in this manner, clear- ing away for Col. Hardenburgh the woods from the eighty acres of his farm lying north and west of Gene- see and Fulton Streets, which were afterwards used for an orchard. Tom's free papers appear on the pages of the old town book of Aurelius. They run thus :
*' To all persons to whom these presents shall come, greeting : Know ye that in consideratien of the sum of three hundred dollars, and for divers other good and sufficient causes and con- siderations, we hereunto moving, paid and given by Thomas Bramin, a black man (my servant), I, John L. Hardenburgh, of the town of Aurelius, in the county of Cayuga, and State of New York, have manumitted and set free, and by these presents do man- umit, discharge, and set free the said Thomas ; and do hereby, for
THE SEITLEMENT OF AUKELIU.S. 6S
myself, my heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, for ever, quit claim to the said Thomas and to his further service, and every part thereof. And for the consideration aforesaid, I do hereby, for myself, my heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, con- fess and acknowledge the said Thomas a free man to all intents and purposes whatsoever, and fully and entirely independent of me, my heirs, executors, administrators and assigns.
Given under my hand and seal this 14th day of April, 1803.
John L. Hardenburgh.
Witnesses: Daniel Cogswell, Nathaniel Garrow, Simon Hall.
Among these old records appear also the free papers of two slaves of Peter Hughes, who, by the waj, gained their freedom in the same manner as Tom Bramin. This is the record :
" Whereas, by a law of the State of New York, passed the 8th day of April, in the year of our Lord, 1801, it is enacted that it shall and may be lawful for the owner of an}- slave to manumit the same by obtaining a certificate from the Overseers of the Poor of the town where such owners reside ; now, therefore, know ye that we, the Overseers of the Poor of the town of Auro- lius, duly appointed for the year 1808, on the application of Peter Hughes, Esq., of said town, to manumit two certain negro slaven, to wit : one by the name of Harry, aged thirty years, the other by the name of Abraham, aged thirty-nine x'-ears, do, in consequence of said law and application, and, on due examination of said slaves, agree and certify, that we deem the said negro men capable of supporting themselves by their labor, and do, by these presents, receive the said negro men as free citizens of the said town of Aurelius, hereby discharging the said Peter Hughes, his heirs, ex- ecutors, and administrators, from all claims which the said town might otherwise have on the said Peter Hughes, or his estate, on account of any future inability of said negro men.
64 HIST(.)RY OF AUBURN.
Givea under our bauds this 5th day of December, 1808, at
Auburn.
Zenas Huggins, ) Overseers of x\lex'r Pinnerk, i" the Poor.
The birth of the first white child at the Corners may be chronicled as among the important occurrences of 1798. The individual who had the honor of being the pioneer child of this place w^as no less than John H.,, son of Colonel Hardenburgh. The first black child was the son of Harry Freeman, and the first white- girls were Harriet and Polly, daughters of William Bostwick.
Stages were, in 1800, running over the old Genesee
oad once a week ; a post-oftice was established at the
3rs that year, with a mail every fortnight. Isaac
wood, of Skaneateles, and Jason Parker, were the
mail carriers. Mr. Parker brought the bags
/Ugh this part of the line on horseback, or, w^hen he
; nnable to come, Mrs. Parker, and left the mail
tter for this neighborhood at the store of Dr. Crossett,
10 was honored with the position of first postmaster.
t 1804 the mails began to run tw^ice a week, and,
• hen light, were occasionally brought by the father of
Ion. Gerrit Smith, on horseback. A daily mail was
iot received till 1808.
The first institution of learning at or near Harden- burgh's Corners was located in 1796, on the west side of North Street, half-way up the hill. It was a log house. Benjamin Phelps was the first schoolmaster ;
THE Sprrri.EMENT OB^ AURELIl'S. 66
Dr. Burt the second. Another school was rnnnini]; at the same time in a l(»ijc cabin on the soutli-east corner of the present Division and Genesee Streets, in which the bare-footed urchins of Clark's Village and vicinity re- ceived tlieir first teachings in the rudiments of knowl- edge. In ISOl, a frame school-house was erected; at the Corners, to the no small lionor of the inhabitants and mental profit of their children. This little build- ing, containing one room, and painted yellow, stood in the first instance on the east side of South Street, but on a spot which is now the center of that street. The road coming up from the creek did not pursue at that time a direct course southward, but ran off toward Bostwick's tavern, to avoid a sharp knoll at the head of North Street, and then turned back to its present course on the other side. When the road w^as straightened in after years, the school-house stood in the way and was moved to the west corner of South Street, where it sub- sequently became a store. Dr. Steadman w^as the first master of this school. David Buck succeeded him, and, in 1806, Benjamin Phelps. Another school was opened in 1801 in a log building on the north side of what is now Franklin Street, between llolley and Ful- ton Streets, by Benjamin Phelps, who was wont to ring a cow-bell to assemble his pupils. Tlie school was prosecuted for a year or two, after which the house was converted into a residence.
Tlie crossing of the outlet on Nortli Street was im- 3
66 HISTORY OF AriJURN.
proved in the year 1800, by the construction of a log bridi^e — the first on the site of Auburn. The stream was forded by teams previous to this date, and crossed by pedestrians by means of the trunk of a tall tree, felled so as to reach from bank to bank. The famed bridge over the Cayuga Lake was built the same year, at an expense of $150,000, by John Harris, Thomas Morris, AYillielmus Mynderse, Cliarles Williamson, and Jose})h Annin, associated as the " Manhattan Company."
This year brought to the hamlet a son of Vulcan, Daniel Grant by name, who set up his anvil in a little shop on the site of the present Columbian block, and who, four years later, opened tlie first trip-hammer forge here, on the east corner of Lumber Lane and "Genesee Street ; Zenas Goodrich, the tavern-keeper ; Francis Hunter, the farmer, who settled just east of '" the big elm ; " and Elijah Esty, the tanner, who pur- chased, in August, 1805, and operated for seven years thereafter, the Hyde tannery on North Street. It was during Mr. Esty^s occupancy of this property, that the magnificent elm standing on the side-walk near Semi- nary Street was planted by his sister Sally. Barney Campbell having also settled here in 1800, erected a little distillery on the north bank of the outlet, on the site of Selover's planing mill ; he operated this still for :a short time, and then transferred it to other parties. A little island, then lying in the middle of tli'3 stream.
THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIL'S. 67
"was used for the purposes of the establisliment. Among others who visited Hardenburgh's Corners in quest of a favorable location, this year, was Aaron Hayden, the fuller, to whom Colonel Ilardenburgh offered a privilege at his dam, and fifty acres of land, if he would settle and build a fulling mill. Mr. Hayden declined the offer, for the land was wet, but settled soon after at Cold Spring, two miles north, where he erected the first fulling mill in Cayuga County. Adam, John, and Peter Miller settled in that part of the town of Aurelius now known as Sen- nett, and Daniel and William Miller in Owasco, in
1800, also.
Abner Beach, with two daughters," and his sons, Joseph and Peter, came into the county in February,
1801, and moved from Owasco into his new house on the top of Franklin Street hill on the Christmas-day following. Daniel Kellogg, a lawyer of vigorous in- tellect, devoted to the practice of his profession — that branch of it particularly relating to land titles — and in after years a prominent and useful citizen of the town, settled, in 1801, with a brother lawyer, Moses Sawyer. Bradley Tuttle came here the same season, and, after clearing away for Mr. Bostwick some of tlie trees on the latter's farm, went north and bought Goodrich's tavern, which he conducted for several years. He returned to tlie village afterward, and became one of the most prominent and enterprising
68 HISTOKY OF AUBUKN.
builders of the place. Eicliard L. Smith, a young law- student, also settled in 1801 ; lie was subsequently District Attorney, and editor of the Auburn Gazette.
Among the settlers of 1802, were Philip and Gideon Jenkins, mill-wrights, Ichabod Marshall, and Captain Edward Stevenson, the latter of whom built his resi- dence on the east side of Nortli Street, near and south of the outlet.
The inhabitants of the settlement were so aug- mented in numbers by 1802, that they extended a call to the Rev. David Higgins of Pladdam, Connecticut, who, as a missionary, had been holding religious serv- ices every four weeks at Aurelius, Cayuga, Grover's settlement, and Hardenburgh's Corners, to officiate here statedly. The call was accepted. Mr. Higgins re- moved to the Corners, and, in 1803, purchased the farm afterward owned by Nathaniel Garrow, and still later by Abijah Fitch. He built there a residence with w^indows, which for a time ^wfts- painted blacky and planted on the lawn in November, 1806, the wil- lows whose graceful and majestic appearance is now the admiration of our citizens. His cono^resration as- sembled for religious worship sometimes in the school- house on the corner of South Street, and, at others, on the threshing-floor of William Bostwick's large barn. When the latter's new tavern w^as opened, the long room was tendered to Mr. Higgins for Sunday services, w^hich he accepted and used for many years.
THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELTUS. 69
Cotemporaneous witli the Presbyterian missionary in religions work in Aurelius was Rev. Davenport Phelps, an Episcopal clergyman, whose occasional ser- vices were instrumental in the organization of the first regularly formed religious society of the hamlet, liev. Philander Chase, afterward Bishop of Ohio, who vis- ited the Corners as a missionary twice, performed the first baptisms in the place, administering the sacred rite to William, Harriet, and Polly Bostwick, in tlieir father's log tavern.
Tlie population of the little settlement on the Owasco Outlet was augmented, in 1803, by the arrival of Nathaniel Garrow, one of the most practical, vig- orous, and popular men that ever resided in this city. He was, indeed, as one of our old citizens says of him, ''^ constitutionally popular." lie came into the county in 1796, with an ax on his shoulder, and one shilling in his pocket, all he owned in the wide world. Wood- chopping, and trading in furs with the settlements on the Mohawk, was his occupation for years. lie was paid, he says, his first earnings in deer-skins. Com- ing to Hardenburgh's Corners, he bought the triangle now enclosed by Genesee and North Streets and the outlet, and went into the business of distilling. He became able, by 1813, to purchase the Higgins farm, where he resided till the day of his death. He was an honored citizen, and held from time to time vari- ^ous important public offices, that of Congressman
70 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
among others. John G arrow came to Aiirelius in 1796,, and settled at the Half Acre, where he opened a store.
The great Genesee road, or Seneca turnpike, which for a quarter of a century was the principal channel of trade and communication across the State of IMew York, was constructed through Cayuga County in 1802 and 1803. The old road west of the outlet was adopted by the new company without alteration. The line east was located tln-ough the woods upon a new route, to accommodate the settlers of both Skaneateles and Hardenburgh's, many of whom were large stock- holders of the turnpike company. It was many years before this road was in a condition fit for rapid travel.- The stumps w^ere not fully removed before the war of 1812, and as the path was but just wide enough to let wagons pass through, traveling after dark was long a, perilous business. The settlers/called this road the " mudpike." A prominent landmark on the road was; a gigantic tree standing on the south side of the way,, at the present east line of the corporation, and at the^ corners of what are now Genesee Street and Seward Avenue, which was for fift}^ years known all over New York as the "big elm." It is said that under the^ spreading branches of this monarch of the woods was- a favorite stopping-place with the Indians.
The broad surface of a strong wooden bridge, built by William Bostwick in 1802, wdiere the Seneca turn- pike crossed the outlet, which was fourteen rods in
THE SETfLEMENT OF AURELIES. 71
lengtli, the eastern end reaching nearly to the corner of the present Market Street, was one of the most favorite resorts of tlie inhabitants at this early day, for amusement, in the town. Quoits, games of ball, and foot-races, were the popular pastimes. The latter sport was entered into with the greatest zest by everybody in the settlement. Trials of speed with the savages were occasions of great excitement. The native run- ners, who were proverbially fleet, were seldom distanced in the race by any of the whites, but Dr. Burt ; he could generally outstrip them. The doctor was the swiftest runner here, though John H. Cumpston, Henry Am- merman, Henry Polhemus, and James Minton, w^ere generally esteemed as having few equals in speed among the settlers. The starting-point in these races was always the top of the hill west of the bridge ; the winning-post, Hardenburgh's mill. Dr. Burt's racing qualities won for him the immeasurable respect of his savage competitors, and a band of Oneidas insisted one day upon conferring on him the honor of adoption into their tribe. He consented after much solicitation, and was duly clothed with the prerogatives of an Iroquois, with considerable ceremony. He was placed in the center of a circle of tlie Indians, who joined hands, said something very edifying in their own dialect, gave him the name of To-kon-a-hos, and then all shook hands with him, pointing up to the sky, and repeating a few words in tlie Oneida tono^ue.
72 HISTOKV ('F Al BUKN.
C(jl<->iiel Uardenbiirgli's gig mill gave way, in 1802, to a frame building a story and a half liigli, which was erected fur the proprietor by Philip and Gideon Jenkins, builders. The new mill contained one run of stone only, but was made to grind thirty bushels of grain daily. In 1803, another run of stone being added, it was made to consume one hundred and thirty bushels daily. At the south-east corner of the building, stood, for many years, a saw mill, which was first operated by Thomas Morley. A fulling mill w^as built between the grist mill and the bridge in 1804, by Colonel Ilarden- burgh. It was leased first to Ashbel Treat, afterward to Levi Gregory, and later to Gideon G. Jenkins.
Colonel Ilardenburgh also erected about this time a large barn, on the ground now occupied by the file factory. The frame of this building, wdiich was no fragile aft'air, was so heavy that the settlers were called in from the whole township to assist in the raising. The occasion was one of great festivity. All such were among our forefathers. The Western Luminary of July 21st, 1807, has a record of the toasts drank at one of these raisings, some of which are unique. The record states that, '' at a meeting of the inhabitants of the town of Aurelius, on the 5th instant, after raising a barn in the neighborhood, the following toasts were drank." Toast sixth was, " The tree of liberty — may it ever remain unbent by the power of aristoc- racy." Toast eighth, " May the Congress of America
THE sprrrLKirKNT of ai'kelius. T3
ever hold out the olive-branch in the riglit liand, while it supports the shield of defense in the left." Toast fourteenth, " May the angel of freedom ever defend the sons of liberty from tyranny and oppression, and bear their souls on the l)almv wings of ])eace to endless joys." Daniel Griffith volunteered the following : " May all the enemies to the sons of liberty in Amer- ica become hewers of wood and drawers of water." This from James Bolton : " The husbandmen of Cay- uga— may their wheat ever have the preference in mar- ket, and be distributed to all nations by the sons of commerce."
Such was the popular passion, in these simple times, for attending house-raisings, that settlers have been known to go from Auburn to places as far distant as Marcellus, for no other purpose.
One of the most interesting features of pioneer life in Western New York was the surprising abundance of game that surrounded settlers in the woods, while the woods remained. Deer, squirrels, bears, and wolves roamed the forest in almost incredible numbers, and wild fowl, foxes, rabbits, and raccoons existed in myriads. In the wilder regions there were plenty of panthers also. So well stocked were the woods in the Owasco valley with all these varieties of game, that the inhabitants were compelled for years to i)ractice con- stant watcli fulness, in order to insure the safety of their families, and of their flocks and crops. The
74 HISTORY OF A.UBURN.
cranberry swamp north of the Indian village, which was the favorite retreat of large animals, furnished the settlers largely with subsistence.
The wilderness contained no animals that were more dreaded, at first, than tlie wolves ; for these were gaunt, powerful, red-haired beasts, hideous in appearance, and dangerous as enemies, and inspired such terror by their numbers, that some of the first residents of the town- ship built their cabins, for the sake of security, without doors, making the windows, with the aid of a ladder, serve all the purposes of entrance and exit. The im- portance of destroying the wolves led to the adoption, at the Aurelius town-meeting in April, 1797, of the following resolution : " Yoted, that any person who shall produce a certificate from any Justice of the Peace in the town of Aurelius, certifying that lie pro- duced the head of a full-growing wolf, and make oath before such Justice that the same was taken in the town of Aurelius, shall be entitled to receive the sum of three pounds." Tliese animals were very soon ex- terminated or driven ofi* by the hunters. It is a curious fact that nearly three-quarters of the taxes paid in Cayuga County for the first few years of its existence were for bounties on wolf and bear scalps.
Panthers were rarely seen hereabouts, yet no man durst venture into the lonely parts of the woods with- out his gun, for fear of meeting them. The appearance of one of these monsters during tlie building of the
THE SETfLEMENT OF AURELIUS. 75
Genesee Street bridge, in 1802, created great excite- ment in the village. A boy by the name of Samuel Warner, a brother-in-law of William Bostwick, had been searching for his cows in the woods on tlie west side of what is now the big dam, and becoming weary and warm, had sat down to rest under a tree on the bank, and fallen into a drowse. The lad, still in a sit- ting posture, was suddenly roused from the comfortable nap he was taking by a loud growl coming from over- head. Looking up, he saw a panther on the lower branches of the tree against which he was leaning,, preparing to spring down upon him. lie was badly frightened. Without casting a look behind, he sprang to his feet and ran with the speed of the wind toward the settlement, stumbling over the logs and through, the brush, and hotly pursued by the panther. The lad outran the beast, which gave up the chase as they neared the clearings. As soon as Warner could relate the circumstances to the settlers, they collected all the dogs and guns in the village, and, led by William Bostwick, chased the panther back into the woods. They tracked him till sunset, but could not come- up with him.
Of bears there was no end. This class of indigenes made sad work with the crops, and often came boldly into the village. The bears were much sought after by the hunters, who prized their meat highly, it being quite palatable, and more substantial than venison.
76 HISTOKY OF AUBURN.
Old Prince, a negro who lived in a hut near the big elm with his wife Dilly, a Narragansett squaw, was once visited by a huge specimen of this genus in the evening. The bear was repulsed and treed by means of firebrands, and sliot. Dr. Burt once encountered a bear in the hemlock swamp, and was forced to climb a tree standing near the Burtis brewery for safety. Another of the race once made a nocturnal descent upon the house of Daniel Cogswell, on the opposite side of the outlet. The house was unfinished, and the door was closed with nothing more than a blanket. Bruin pushed this aside during the night, and, stepping in, proceeded to rummage the cabin for provisions. After licking out the frying-kettle, he crept under the bed, which, containing the family, was suspended in the air by means of poles resting on crotches driven into the ground, and went to sleep. He departed in the morn- ing, without molesting any of the terrified inmates of the bed, all of whom had passed a sleepless night, with their heads under the clothes.
The deer, whose marked partiality for wheat troubled the early agriculturists exceedingly, were countless. They might be seen at all times around the clearings, browsing upon the trees cut down by the wood-chop- pers. Hunters always sought these places for deer, ;and seldom returned from them empty-handed. It was no difficult thing, however, for experienced woodsmen to get venison in any part of the forest.
Tin-: SE'lTLEMENT OF AURKLIl'.-^. 7T
"^^^pTlie S(]uirrels were a great pest. Tlio woods teemed with tlieni, and their ravages were sometimes of the most serious nature. They have been known to enter immense corn-tields during the harvest season and de- stroy the grain so thoroughly as not to leave an ear un- touched. Their extermination was accordingly a mat- ter of the utmost importance. This could be effected^ liowever, only by grand townshij) hunts, in which every man that owned a rilie was expected to engage. These Imnts w^ere common in Cayuga County for over thirty years, and sometimes lasted a week, during which it was the aim of every sportsman to obtain the largest number of scalps. At one such hunt in Sempronius, thirty young fellows killed one thousand and forty- eight squirrels ; at one in Scipio, four thousand and two Imndred were killed ; one in Mentz disposed of live thousand and three hundred, in like manner. The reader will gain a better idea of the multitude of these little animals in the American forests sixty years ago, when we say that during one hunt in Berlin, Yermont, twelve thousand and four hundred squirrels were shot, and in tlie course of another at Chillicothe, Ohio, fully twenty thousand.
So great was originally the al)undance of game in the township of Aurelius, that our early settlers de- pended principally upon the chase foi- aninuil food. They were, however, also very fund of tish, and re- sorted to the Cavuira and Seneca Rivcr> constantlv to
78 HISTOKY OF . AUBUKN.
obtain them. The neighborhood of the salt springs on Oayuga River, and Mosquito Point on the Seneca, was also at an early day a favorite pasture-ground for the settlers' herds. It was a common thing to drive cattle down to these places and leave them there during the summer, each man's cattle being distinguished by a peculiar ear-mark, which he had previously recorded as his own in the town-book of Aurelius.
The new Seneca turnpike wafted many fresh set- tlers to the little hamlet at the Owasco bridge. John II. Cumpston, w^ho bought the old O'Brien store and carried it on till after the war of 1812 ; Silas Hawley, the stove-maker and tanner, who established a tannery where the Baptist church now stands ; and Reuben Burgess, the first hatter, settled in 1803. The second hatter, Seth Burgess, began business in 180i on the present east corner of Seminary Avenue and Genesee Street, jnst east of which, the following year, he built his residence. Lyman Paine settled in 180-1, and opened an ashery three years later on the outlet, near the present Cayuga County Bank. Jacob Doremus €ame the same year with Mr. Paine. lie started a tannery on the bank of the creek, just east of the ashery, and built a store, which was sold in 1811 to Robert Muir,
Henry Ammerman settled in 1801, also. He came to Cayuga County, in 1801, from the southern part of Pennsylvania, and resided for a few years on a farm to
THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIUS. id
the east of Owasco Lake. His health ])euig poor, he was invited to come to this place by Colonel Harden- burgh, and engage in some less laborious occupation than farming. An offer was made him of a building lot, and tlie lumber for a house. Keceiving a deed for an half-acre lot, now the site of the Hudson House, he cleared away the trees, dug up the stumps, and erected there a tavern, into which he moved in Xovember of the forementioned year. The house became known in 1806 as the " Farmers' Inn." It was a favorite stopping-place with those who were attending court, whether jurors or lawyers, and with farmers. It was purchased about the year 1816 by Matthias Hoifman, and afterward by Timothy Strong.
Mr. Ammerman was one of the most honorable and valuable men of the village during his residence here, and ever sustained a reputation for enterprise, good judgment, and integrity, of the highest order.
John Demaree and Ephraim Lockhart built a cabi- net shop opposite the Farmers' Inn, in 180-1, replacing it, in 1806, with a two-story wooden tavern. The brick cabinet-shop east thereof was erected in 1815. Jeremiah O'Callaghan built the first stone house here in 1805, on a lane that has since grown into Seminary Avenue, on the west side, and just north of Franklin Street. This house fell to pieces in a few years, the mortar being of an inferior cpiality, and 1)eing washed out by the rain. A goldsmith's shop was opened in
80 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
1805, by Frederick Young, on the site of tlie present jewelry store of John W. Ilaight ; this was afterward owned by Joseph Davis, and, in 1814, by Jonathan Russell. William Cox, the first tailor ; Anselm S. llowland, who had a hat-store west of Doremus' tan- nery ; Henry Polhemus, the merchant and miller ; Zephaniah Caswell, tlie law^yer; John Walker, who, with Silas Hawley, erected the first carding mill on the Owasco Outlet, in the year of his arrival, at the west end of Hardenburgh's dam; and many others, settled in 1805.
Kobert and John Patty began business at the Cor- ners in 1805, on the west side of Lumber Lane, near the corner of Genesee Street, in a shop which was long remembered as having been built with some unseasoned boards that shrank apart on drying, and permitted petty larcenies through the gaping seams in the sides of the building. The Messrs. Patty had previously been traveling peddlers, and their store was first stocked with the contents of their packs. They built an ashery soutli of their store, soon after their settle- ment. In 1807, they started a tannery in the lot on the corner of the streets adjoining Hawley's, which they enlarged from time to time till it became a large and prosperous establishment. The tan-bark was ground in a little building standing near the dam across the way, by means of a large stone, which was made to roll in a circle upon a bed of stone, and was
THE SmTLEMKXT OF AUKELIUS. 81
maintained in an nprighr position by an axle reaehini^ to a strong post in tlie center of the bed.
Watrons Pomeroy, the carpenter, settled in 1805. His first lodgings liere was a log cabin on the eastern corner of Xortli and Genesee Streets, which then stood tenantless, and was used by all 7iew-conier3 for tempo- rary shelter. He built, in ISOS, for Jonathan Russell, a tavern on a little knoll, now the site of the Exchange block of stores. lie bought the tavern himself in 1809, but sold out in 1810 to Eobert L. Tracy, and after- ward kept the Willard House, an inn which stood just west of the American Hotel.
Micajah Benedict, a veteran of the Revolution, and a personal friend of the gallant LaFayette, who called him Micajah " Pen-and-ink," settled on a larm on the turnpike, east of Hunter's, in May, 1805.
William Bostwick's new framed tavern, then the admiration of the whole township, was erected on high ground on the western corner of Genesee, and what is now Exchange Streets, in 1803-1. It was a two-story building, with four rooms on the first floor, and a piazza in front, and stood on a foundation of lai*ge flat stones, quarried from the bed of the outlet, set up edgewise. The long room of this tavern was for years the only hall flt for exhibitions, balls, public meetings, or religious worship, in the place. Canfleld Coe bought the property May 1st, 1816, and enlarged it by bnild- ing a wing on the east side. Emanuel I). Hudson pur- 4
82 HISTORY C»F AUBURN.
chased- it a tew years later, raised the roof, built the south wing and the two ]>iazzas in front, and styled it " the AVestern Exchange/' Tliis old tavern, after nu- merous improvements, which made it a first-class hotel, was demolished in the spring of 18G8, to be succeeded by a block of three brick stores.
The anniversary of national independence w^is first celebrated at Ilardenburgh's Corners in 1804. Bj in- vitation and previous arrangement, the residents of the township assembled at the village in great numbers early in the day, to take part in the festivities, and Captain James Wilson came down from Brutus at the head of a band of militia for the same purpose. The people at the Corners, having made all possible prepa- ration for the comfort of their guests, opened the day by erecting a liberty-pole, and running np to the top of it a piece of red silk, furnished by Daniel Hyde, in lieu of a banner, there being no national flag in the neigh- borhood. Everything seemed propitious for a gleeful celebration ; but just at the threshold of the exercises trouble occurred. Political feeling ran high at this pe- riod between the two great parties of the country, both being exceedingly jealous lest the other should be swayed in some manner by either British or French influence, and neither of them being slow to seize npon every chance occurrence as evidence of the justice of their fears in this direction. No sooner had the color of the fluttering silk at the head of the liberty-pole
THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIUS. 83
caught tlie attention of the Democrats, than a hul)bub ensued.
Philip Jenkins was dispatched to Colonel Ilarden- burgh with the information that a British flag had been raised in the village. The Colonel was greatly offend- ed, and instantly ordered Captain Wilson to take his men and shoot the flag down. This command would have been executed, had not a parley taken place, which ended in the removal of tlie offendini]!: colors be- fore a shot had been fired. This circumstance engen- dered bitter feelings and broke up the celebration. The next year, a national flag was provided in antici- pation of the anniversary, which was then observed in a highly patriotic manner. An oration was delivered by the llov. David Iliggins in the yellow school-house, and a public dinner was spread for the yeomanr}-, who accordingly returned home after it was finished in ex- cellent humor. A subsequent anniversary was cele- brated in Colonel Ilardenburgirs large barn, David Ilyde delivering the oration.
That amelioration and refinement were making rapid strides in the midst of the pioneers in 1805, is evi- dent from an event of that year which comes down to us in glowing colors through all who took part in it. This was a grand ball, the first in the village, and at- tended by guests from all the openings for miles around. The particulars of this famous ball, which was held on tlu! Fourtli of -^1%, in the long room of Bostwick's
84 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
tavern, ai*e still told with j^reat minuteness, and we learn that Zephaniah Caswell, the lawyer, and Miss Laura Benedict, now Mrs. James Tibbies, opened the dance with " monie musk " in graceful style, at three o'clock in the afternoon. The committee of ai-range- ments vvas"; Dr. Burt, Daniel Hyde, John II. Cump- ston. Dr. Ellis,|and Zephaniah Caswell. In accordance with the simple customs of the times, the approach of night dispersed the dancers to their homes.
For several years after the organization of the origi- nal Cayuga County, the village of Aurora, which was then centra], and nearest to the most ]wpulous towns, was its capital. Though not designated by law as the county seat, it was the place in which the courts were held, and the supervisors convened, and was generally regarded as the leading market town of the county. The jail of the district was located at Canan- daigua, although there was for a time a log building at Cayuga that was used for the imprisonment of debtors. The growth and extent of the county neces- sitating a division of its territory, a law was passed in ISOI:, reducing it to nearly its present size. Through the influence of Amos Rathburn, of Scipio, and John Grover, of Aurelius, both Federalists, and then mem- bers of the Legislature, the law was made to contain provision ibr the erection of the court-housa and jail of the newly-defined county at the village of ISlier wood's Corner?^, under the direction of John
THE SKTrLK>[KXT (»F AriiKLrrs. 85
Tillottson, Augustus (yhidsey, ainl Jolni (iI'ovlm*, Jr., to defray the expenses of wliicli the su])ervisors were to raise, by tax, tlie sum of fifteen hundred dolhirs.
A warm controversy arose in the cuunty over tliis action of the Legislatui-e. Tlie inconvenience of travel to Sherwood's Corners, which was far one side of the territorial center of the county, and of the principal lines of intercommunication, led all the other villages to oppose the location of the county buildings at the forementioned place, and to assert their own claims to the Ibonor of the county seat. Jeliiel Clark, among others, advocated the erection of the court-house at Clarksville ; but Hardenburgh's Corners, Caynga, Le- vanna, and Aurora, each stoutly contested for the prize. The three commissioners above named never acted under the law of 180i, further than to designate a site for the buildings at Sherwood's. The law was revoked, and, on the 16th day of March, 1805, Hon. Edward Savage, of Washington County, Hon. James Burt, of Orange County, both then State Senators, and Hon. James Hildreth, of Montgomery County, were appointed to explore Cayuga County, and decide the location of its capital.
The commissioners discharged this duty the June following. Hardenburgh's Corners was chosen as the county seat for its centrality, its position in the high- ways of travel, and its prospective importance. The commissioners only required that an acre of land
86 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
should be donated for the site of the public buildings. They selected a location on William Bostwick's farm, and Dr. Burt, Henry Ammerman, John H. Cumpston? and Daniel Hyde, agreed that the State should receive a deed of it, which promise was in due time fulfilled. The four citizens named advanced to Mr. Bostwick two hundred dollars for the conveyance.
The southern towns were exceedingly dissatisfied at the location of the county seat on the Owasco Outlet, and their super\nsors, by refusing to appropriate suita- ble funds, delayed the building of the court-house for several years. The citizens of this place, however, began the construction of that building with their own resources ; they then ]u-ocured the passage of a law im- posing a fine of two hundred and fifty dollars upon every supervisor refusing to levy taxes when legally re- quired, and sued six of the obstreperous ofiicials under the law. A compromise was thus eftected. The money was raised to finish the court-house, and the work was completed in 1809, under the superintend- ence of John Glover, Stephen Chase, and Noah Olm- sted, at an expense of ten thousand dollars.
The first court-house was a strong wooden edifice, two stories high, painted white. The jail and jailor's apartments were contained in the lower story, the walls of which were built of huge upright logs, united witli heavy iron spikes. The lawn in front of the !)uilding, which stood a few feet behind the site of the
THE SinTLPLMENT OF ArKELIUS. 87
present court-house, was a convenient and })0])ular ])lace for public meetings.
" Coiirt-IIouse Green," as it was called, was often thus used in pleasant weather. The first term of court ever held in the new building was that of the General Sessions of the Peace, beginning May 17th, 1808, lions. Elijah Price, Barnabas Smith, Charles Kellogg, and William C. Bennet being the presid- ing Justices. The name of Israel Reeve is always as- sociated ^\^th the first court-house, for that gentle- man occupied the post of jailor, then a responsible and much esteemed position, for over eleven years.
Rapid growth at Ilardenburgh's Corners began with the designation of the village as the capital of the county, the erection of the public buildings, and the removal here of the archives. These were impor- tant measures. They overturned a settled but adverse condition of things in the county, and, attracting hither a strong corps of lawyers, who expected to re- side at the county seat, wherever it might be, brought to the village a most valuable class of citizens. The village gained through them wealth and influence. The honor of the ultimate success of these measures must be ascribed, in no small degree, to the Hon. Enos T. Throop, who, a student from the law office of the lion. James Hildreth, at Albany, had settled here in the spring of 1806, after a short residence and ]irac- tice in the town of Scipio. ^Fr. Throop became the
88 HISTURY OF ArP.lRN.
law partner of Hon. Josei)li L. llicliardson, upon his arrival at the Corners. lie took great interest in the decision of the county seat question, and was the prose- cuting attorney in the successful action against the hostile supervisors. lie w^as one of the most affable, energetic, and talented men in tlie community, and in later years won his way, by strict integrity and ster- ling worth, to a seat in Congress, and afterward to the s:ubernatorial chair of this State.
When the State commissioners had signified to the citizens of Ilardenburgh's Corners their intention to constitute this place the county seat, the propriety of a more dignified and manageable name for the village was suggested. The subject was therefore agitated. A variety of views being disclosed, a meeting of the inhabitants was assembled at Bostwick's tavern for a decision of the question, and the matter referred to a committee, consisting of Dr. Ellis, Dr. Samuel Crossett, and Moses Sawyer. Dr. Crossett suggested the adop- tion of the name " Auburn," which the committee was disposed to accept, and accordingly reported to the meeting. But the ])rototype of the poet's Auburn, which w^as situated in the county of Longford, Ireland, in a parish or curacy held by his uncle, twelve miles north of the railroad that traverses the island from Galway to Dublin, and just east of the river Shannon, was not only the loveliest, but the most neglected vil- lage of the beautiful plain upon which it stood, and
THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIUS. bV?
Colonel Ilardenburirh ami several others C)p})ose(l tlie adoption of the couiniittee's report, on the ground that the name "Auburn " was synonynious with " deserted vilkfj^e," and would injure the place. In lieu of Au- Lurn, they suggested the names '' Ilardenburgh " and " Mount Maria." Captain Edward Wheeler liked none of these, but was in favor of calling the place " Centre." A strong debate ensued, but Auburn was finally chosen by a very large majority of the assembled inhabitants. A meeting was subsequently called to induce the people to reverse this decision; but they permitted no departure from their first action.
Like all villages on main routes of travel in the early part of the present century, Auburn was distinguished for the number of her taverns. It was the tavern- keeping age of the country, when the ceaseless current of emigration and transportation wagons across the State created the necessity for the establishment of public houses in great numbers, not only in the villages which were the depots of trade, but along all the roads. Between Auburn and Skaneateles there were at one time nine such houses, and between Auburn and Cay- uga, six. Four had already been erected in Auburn by^ 1805. A fifth was commenced that year. This was the Auburn Center House, which was begun by William Smith, and finished, in 1806, by David Horner.
It stood facing the east on the three-sided lot at the corner of ^[arket and Genesee Streets, and was a con-
90 HISTORY OF AUBUEN,
ppicuous Imildiiig. Here in early days many of the courts were lield. The long room was in constant nse for meetings of every description ; the tirst Pres- byterian Society was organized there, and the first Sunday school for white children. Hon. Joseph L. Kichardson, who removed to Auburn from Scipio in 1805, began the practice of the law in this tavern, in partnership with Enos T. Throop. The open space under the front veranda of the building was used in later years for the storage of fire utensils and hooks and ladders. The Center House passed into the pos- session of Charles Reading about the time of the war. In 1816, Henry Ammerman bought it, but sold it soon after to Andrew Brown, of AVoodstock, Conn., who, in 1829, conveyed the whole property to Ezekiel Williams. Being then removed to make way for a block of store- houses, the old tavern was placed on Fulton Street, where it now forms the residence of William Lamey.
The ])rincipal accession to the population of the vil- lage in 1806, were Dr. Joseph Cole ; John Wagstaff, the coppersmith; Captaia William Clark, the farmer; Benjamin Yard, the carpenter and joiner ; Robert Dill, the greatest land owner, and one of the most public- spirited men of the place ; Samuel D. Lockwood, the law^yer ; Ccoi'ge F. Leitch, the merchant ; Captain Ed- w^ard Allen, the manufacturer; Horace Hills, the mer- chant ; Daniel Lounslniry ; Jonathan Russel, the silver- fimitli ; Clark Cam]), the mill- wriglit ; and Reuben Swift,
THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIUS. 91
the miller. In 1807, the principal new settlers were David Brinkerhoff; Colonel John Richardson, the cabinet-maker ; Eenben Porter ; Hon. Elijah Miller, the lawyer, previously of Cayuga ; Elijah Jarvis ; Elisha T. Swift ; and Peter Hughes, then the County Clerk. David Hyde settled here in 1808 ; Hon. William P>rown, Hon. John II. Peach, and Dr. Joseph T. Pit- ney, in 1809; and, among others, Hon. John Porter,. Samuel C. Dunham, and Elisha Pease, in 1810.
The archives of Cayuga County were removed to Auburn in 1807, by Peter Hughes, then County Clerk^ pursuant to the requirements of the law of April 3d of that year, which, among other things, directed the con- struction of a fire-proof clerk's office here, under the snpervision of three county commissioners. The court-house controversy being then at its height, no clerk's office could be built, and the records were kept for several years in the residence of Mr. Hughes, built in 1807. This house, now the residence of Dr. Edward Hall, was, when erected, surrounded by the original forest. A stone clerk's office was tiually built in 181 1-, under the direction of Henry xVnnnerman,. Dr. Burt, and Henry Moore, at an ex])ense of eight hundred dollars, in which the records were thereafter kept.
The establishment of a newspapei' was the chief event of 1808. Ilcniy and James Pace, two an(;ient- looking, dumpy little Englishmen, had begun, on the-
V^Z HISTORY OF AUBUKX.
SOtli of April, 1806, the publication of a paper called "the Gazette, at Aurora, but, slar\'ed out by the re- imoval of the county seat, had brought tlieir whole office to Auburn as a more profitable Held of operation. "They issued here a new weekly paper, entitled the Weste7'7i Federalist^ the first number of which ap- peared on the 7th day of June, 1808. It was printed 'On coarse, bhie paper, ten inches wide by fifteen long, in a little office standing a few yards west of the pres- ent Cayuga County Bank. Ev^ery thing about this office seemed the dusky relics of a distant age, and the type was really so, having been used so long in the old world before it came to America, that it w'as worn ■down nearly to the "first nick." The ^Yestern Feder- ^alist was generally patronized by the residents of Auburn, as one of the local institutions, though its politics offended some.
The only other newspapers in the county at this time, were the Levanna Gazette^ or Onondaga Ad- -^ertiser^ printed by E. Delano, Esq., the first issue of which bore date of June 8th, 1798, and the West- ern Luminary, by Ebenezer Eaton, established at Watkins Settlement, March 24th, 1801.
Seventeen little manufacturing establishments, scat- 'tered along the banks of the Owasco Outlet in 1810, betokened the progress of local improvements. Of these, there w^ere five saw mills, four grist mills, two tstills, two fulling mills, two carding machines, one
TIIK SETTLEMENT OF AURELIl'S. 93
smithy, and one oil mill. The iiuiuher of dams in; and near Anhnrn, was six.
Tlie upper dam was built in 1807, hy Elijah Swift, with the adjacent saw and grist mills. An attempt liad been made two years before by a settler by the name of John Myers t(^ Iniild a dam some thirty or forty rods above this, but Mr, Myers was a trespasser, and his dam a faihire, so that the latter was never used. The original dam on the site of the big dam was bniltin 1808, by Daniel Hyde, the owner of large tracts of land contiguous to the outlet, on both sides. Mr. Hyde erected, the same year, an extensive grist and saw mill on the east bank of the stream, and, in 1810, a mill standing at the west end of the dam, for the manufacture of linseed oil. The oil mill was destroyed by fire in 1811, but was soon thereafter rebuilt by David Ilyde and John IT. Beach, the purchasers of all of Daniel Hyde''s property. A still was also put into operation by these gentlemen in 1812, near the grist mill. Robert Dill's log dam was erected in 1809, on the site of Barber's, and furnished power to drive the machinery of a saw mill on the ground now occupied ]>y the woolen factory, and that of a forge-shop opposite,. both of which establishments were, when built, situat- ed in the heart of dense woods. A fulling mill was erected in 1810, near the saw mill, by Mr. Dill and John AValker ; it stood five or six years, aiul was then, with the adjoining bnildinsT^s, consumed bv tire. Jehiel
t9-i HISTORY OF AlBUEN.
Clark liad two dams at Clarksville, one furnishing power to a grist mill, and the lower one to a saw mill. The village of Auburn was visited in 1810 by two -celebrated travelers, both of whom have left interesting statements of the result of their observations here. De Witt Clinton remained in the village long enough to gather from its inhabitants the materials for the fol- lowing sketch :
" Auburn derives its name from Goldsmith. It contains three tanneries, three distilleries, one coachmaker, two watchmakers, four taverns, two tailors, six merchants, three shoemakers, two potasheries, two wagonmakers, three blacksmiths, two chairmakers, three saddlers, three physicians, a Presbyterian clergyman, and an incorporated library of two hundred and twenty volumes. It is the county town, and has about ninety houses, three law offices, a post-office, the court-house, and the county clerk's office. It is a fine growing place, and is indebted to its hydraulic works and the court-house for its prosperity. There are sixteen lawyers in Cayuga County. Auburn has no church. The court-house is used for divine worship.
" It is situated on the outlet of Owasco Lake, on numbers forty- six and forty-seven, Aurelius. One hundred acres of forty-six be- long to William Bostwick, inn-keeper, and the remainder to Robert Dill. The former has asked one hundred and fifty dollars for half-acre lots, the court house being on his land'; and the latter has asked three hundred dollars for a water-lot on the outlet, which is not navigable. Number forty-seven belongs to the heirs of John H. Hardenburgh, and covers the best waters of the outlet, and a fine, rapid stream. Auburn is eight miles from Cayuga Lake, three from Owasco Lake, and not seventy-five from Utica, Owasco Lake is twelve miles long and one wide. The outlet is fourteen miles long, and on it are the following hydi-aulic establishments :
THE SE'fTLlMKNT C>F AURKLIUS. 9;)
nine saw mills, two carding machines, two turners' shops, one trip- hammer and blacksmith shop, two oil mills, live grist mills, three fulling mills, one bark mill, and several tanneries. At Ihe lower falls, Mr. Dill has a furnace, in which he uses old iron, there being no iron ore. At this place there is a Federal newspaper, published by Pace, the former partner of James Thompson Cal- lender. Pace settled first at Aurora, being attracted there by- Walter Wood, and, being starved out, he came here, and is princi- pally supported by advertisements of mortgages, which must, if there be a paper in the county where the lands lie, be printed in it, and this is the only one in Cayuga County.
" The machine for picking wool (Jehiel Clark's) is excellent. The carding machine is next used, and turns out the wool in com- plete rolls. It can card one hundred and twelve pounds per day ; and one man attends both. Four shillings per pound is given for wool. Carding, picking, and greasing wool — the grease furnished by the owner of the wool — is eight pence per pound. There are upwards of twenty carding machines in this county, and great numbers of sheep are driven to the New York markets. The lin- seed oil mill (Hyde x& Beach's) can express fifteen gallons of oil in a day, and, with a great effort, a barrel. The flax-seed is broken by two mill-stones placed perpendicularly, like those of ba»-k mills, and following each other in succession. Seed costs from two to seven shillings per bushel, and each bushel produces three or four quarts. The oil sells at the mill for nine shillings a gallon. Oil is also expressed from the seed of the sunflower. One bushel makes two gallons. It is excellent for burning, and makes no smoke. Oil is also made here from palmi chrisli.
"At a mill northwest from Auburn, on thirty-seven, Aurelius, a spring rises perpendicularly out of the level earth. It produces two hogsheads a minute, and immediately forms a mill-stream. A few yards below itjs a fulling mill (Ilayden's). The water is un- commonly good and old. I tound in it a hon'^3'-combed fossil
96 IIISTOKY OF AUBUKN.
like those at tlie sulpliur springs at Cherry Valley, and near Geneva. This spring is called the Cold Spring. There are two or three others near it, and the creek formed by them, called Cold Spring- Creek, contains excellent trout. About a mile from the Cold Spring there is a sulphur spring, (situated on the Sears farm, and afterward used for a water-cure). From the fossil found at the Cold Spring, and the coldness of the water, it must run over sul- phur. There is a sulphur spring on the margin of Cayuga Lake."
The accuracy and fullness of this description stamps its author as an observant and thoughtful traveler. Mr. Clinton made similar notes on every place that he visited, a fact which is the secret of his wonderful familiarity witli the resources and advantages of our State.
The second of the forementioned tourists was an Irish gentleman, by the name of John B. Melish, who, in a volinne of " Travels through the United States- during the years 1806, 1807, 1809, 1810, and 1811,'' pnblished at Belfast, Ireland, on the 1st of May, 1818, made mention of Auburn as the seat of justice of Cayuga Connty, and prophesied its future greatness. His sketcli was substantially the same as Clinton's, and need not be repeated. Mr. Melish visited nearly every ])lace of note in this State and the country, pur- suing his travels for the most part on horseback.
The two travelers drew a pleasant picture of the rising village of Auburn. The houses of the place had increased in number to an Imndred ; land was en- hancinof in value : the inhabitants were moral and in-
THE SETiLEMENT OF AURELIUS. 97
dustrious ; clieerl'alii''ss and plenty reigned; there was not a o^mg-sliop in the viUage ; the pco])Ie were devel- oping their material resources ; and the settlement was gradually acquiring permanence and character.
Thomas AVilber, the cooper ; Tilliman Beach, and John S. Burt, merchants ; Chauncey Dibble, the ma- chinist ; Dr. A. M. Bennett ; and Stephen Yan An- den, the tailor, settled in Auburn, and Dr. Joseph Clary, in Throopsville, in ISll.
The first Congregational Society of Auburn was or- ganized the 17th day of September, IS 10, at a meeting of the citizens of the village and vicinity, held at the tavern of David Horner; at which Major Bartholomew Van Yalkenburg presided, and Moses Gilbert was sec- retary. Trustees of the society were elected, viz : Robert Dill, Henry Ammerman, Silas Ilawley, Moses- Gilbert, and Major Noah Olmsted. The church was organized the next year, on the 14th day of July, in the long room of the same tavern, by the Rev. David Uiggins and his congregation. The record of this event is as follows :
" The propriety and importance of an establishment of tliis na- ture having been a subject of frequent and serious conversation among a number of Individuals, who were solicitous that it might be affected ; and having sought from time to time Divine direc- tion In a measure of so great moment ; having also conversed to- gether on the essential subjects of experimental, practical, and doctrinal religion ; and having agreed on certain articles of ftiith and practice to be adopted by tliem a^ members of a Christian 5
98 HISTORY OF AUBUKN,
church; the following persons did, on the Lord's daj'-, July 14th, 1811, come together in the time of public worship, openly ac- knowledge, and mutually profess the succeeding articles of the Christian faith, renew their covenant with God, and unite in a re- lation together, viz : Daniel Herring, Silas Hawley, Oliver Lynch, Eunice Higglns, Sarah Gilbert, Betsey Tyler, Rachel Parker, Sa- rah Hawley, Anna Cogswell."
Horace Hills was chosen clerk of tlie chiircli, Octo- ber 16th, 1811, and in August, 1813, Rev. Hezekiah IS". "Woodruff was installed its pastor. The Presbyte- rian mode of church government and discipline was unanimously adopted, August 5tli, 1814. On the 4th of the following December, John Oliphant and Silas Hawley were ordained elders. The congregation met for worship, during the first six years of its existence, in the court-house, and the long room of the Center tavern.
The first Protestant Episcopal Church of this village was organized under peculiar circumstances, and was the direct result of an intolerant spirit on the part of the Congregational minister then presiding over the mixed congregation at Hardenburgh's Corners. The minister was for some cause absent on the Lord's day, and William Bostwick, who, notwithstanding his warm and open attachment to the Episcopal Church, had ac- cepted the position of trustee in the only religious or- ganization in the village, in order to promote good order and sound morals here, was invited to read the relii^ious exercises of the day. Mr. Bostwick did so,
THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIL'S. 99
reading, with the aid of another gentleman, tlie Epis- copal service, and a sermon. The people entertained no thought of evil, since this was done by general re- quest. But the following Sunday the minister again took the pulpit, and openly and severely rebuked the gentlemen who had dared to make use of the Episco- Y)al liturgy in his congregation.
The Episcopal members of the church withdrew after this assault upon their cherished principles, and, in July, 1805, assembled at the residence of Dr. Hackaliah Burt, and organized St. Peter's Church, the first regu- larly formed religious society of Auburn. There were present at the meeting the Rev. Davenport Phelps, Thomas Jeftries, Jeduthun Iligley, Timothy Hatch, Ebenezer Phelps, John Pierson, Joel Lake, William Bostwick, and Dr. Burt. After suitable prayers. Ma- jor William J. Yredenburgh and Dr. Hackaliah Burt were elected wardens; and Jonathan Jeffries, Jona- than Booth, Timothy Hatch, AYilliam Bostwick, Jedu- thun Higley, Joel Lake, John Pierson, and Ebenezer Phelps, vestrymen.
The congregation enjoyed the occasional ministra- tions of the Pev. Mr. Phelps for several years, meeting for divine service in the long room of Bostwick's tav- ern. Mr. Bostwick, who was possessor of one of those curious, old-fashioned pitch-pipes, in use at this early day, and then the only instrument of the kind in the village, led, witli his wife and throe
100 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
daughters, tlie singing. It being in every respect de- sirable to give the jonng chnrcli prominence by building a sanctuary, an acre lot was cleared of the trees and conveyed to the society by Mr. Bostwick^ who was enabled, in 1811, with the assistance of a do- nation of one thousand dollars from Trinity Church, in New York, and the warm co-operation of his fellow Episcopalians in the village, to erect a small but strong and graceful wooden church, the first in Auburn. The building was not finished for several years, the columns in the interior long retaining their bark, and the seats originally in use being of no more elaborate make than benches constructed of half-round slabs from the saw mill, supported by six stout wooden legs, and destitute of both backs and arms.
When this church w^as nearly finished, the workmen went home one evening, leaving a lightning-rod, that they had been putting up during the day, disconnected with the ground. In the depth of the night a fearful storm sprang u]), accompanied with heavy thunder and the most vivid flashes of lightning. The church was in a daUgerons situation, but William Bostwick, awak- ened by the storm, hurriedly dressed, and with his faithful negro, Albert Ilagerman, hastened to the building, and by the glare of the flashes of lightning finished the connection of tlie rods with the ground, and effected by his daring act its safety.
The leading enterprise of 1811 in Aul)iirn was one
THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIUS. 101
that arose out of tlie feeble and inefficient condition of the common schools. The education of youth was a matter of deep solicitude with the prominent men of the village, who, remarking the beneficial influence of good schools upon society in the larger towms, were led to suggest the erection of an academy in this, and to support the ])roposition with offers of material aid. The project was first generally agitated in tlie fall of 1810.
A public meeting was called to ascertain tlie popular opinion on the subject. Kobert Dill addressed this meet- ing, and signified his willingness to donate a school site on whichever side of the outlet the people should deem most convenient ; John H. Cumpston offered another site, situated at the head of Cumpston Street ; William Bostwick was disposed to give a lot located on his farm ; and John II. Hardenburgh not only offered the lot now occupied by the First Presbyterian Church, but labored strenuously to induce its acceptance. Leaving the selection of a site, how^ever, to the future, this preliminary meeting resolved, " Tliat an academy would not only be conducive to the happiness and pros- perity of this village, but of great and lasting benefit to its immediate vicinity, and the neighboring and ad- jacent towns and villages ; " and appointed William Bostwick, Dr. Ilackaliah Burt, and David Brinkerhoff, a committee to solicit subscriptions to a building fund. It was considered ]n'udent to make the provision that sub-
102
HISTORY OF AUBURN.
scriptions should not be binding till one hundred and tifty shares, at least, of twenty dollars each, had been subscribed.
A subscription paper was started by this very influ- ential committee, December 7th, 1810. By January 5tli, 1811, two hundred and live shares were reported as taken. The roll of signatures appended to this pa- per, with the amount of the several subscriptions, is here inserted, for the double purpose of perpetuating in full the record of a public-spirited act, and of exhibiting the names of the residents of Auburn in 1811, many of whom we have not yet mentioned. The roll is a& follow^s :
W^iUiam Bor-twick, $200
Robert Dill, 400
Joseph Cole, 100
Lyman Paine, 40
David Buck, 40
Elijah E.<ty, 100
David Horner, 240
John H. Cumpston, 40
John C. Jeffries, 20
Daniel Grant, 20
John Patty, 20
Jacob Doremus, 20
Henry Pace, 20
John H. Beach, 20
David Hyde, 40
Eleazer and Horace Hill?, 40
John S. Burt, 20
Bradley Tuttle, 20
Israel Reeve, 40
Ilackaliah Burt, 60
Robert L. Tracy, 40
H. Hughes, 20!
J. L. Richardson, 40'
Rufus Wells, 20'
Caleb Wood worth, 20'
Edward Stevenson, 20'
Benj. Phelps, 20
David Higgins, 40'
John Sawyer, 40'
Edward Allen, 20
Abm. Carpenter, 10
Isaiah Golding, 20
William Benton, 20
Willis Lathrop, 20
Isaac Patchen, 20
Trowbridge Allen, 20-
Nathl. Garrow, 20
Nathan Fish, 40
Moses Lyon, 20
Reuben Cross, 20
Zenas Huggins, 4Q)
Abm. Drake, 20
THE SETTLEMENT OF AUEELIVS.
103
German name, unintelligible, ... 20
Job Shele. 20
Samuel Bennett, 40
William Gray, 20
Adam Fries and George Peterson, 20
Stephen Close, ■. 20
Jonathan Russel, 40
John Demaree 20
Henry Ammerman, 40
Wm. W. Cock, 20
George Hudson, 20
Ephraim Lockhart, 20
Noah Olmsted, 80
Joseph Grover, 40
Isaac Camp, 20
Clark Camp, 20
Asa Jackson, 20
Jacob Bogart 20
Barth. Van Valkenburg 20
Stephen Moreland, 20
James Simson, 20
Peter Sedam 20
Jacob Van Middlesworth 20
Benjamin K. Yard, 40
Wm. Laton, 20
Philip Gardenier 20
Eldad Steel, 40
Silas Hawley 40
And. Van Middlesworth, 20
Jeremiah OTallaghan, 20
John Peabody, 40
Samuel Crossett .• 40
Reuben Porter CO
Seth Burgess, Jr., 40
Oliver Lynch, 20
Daniel Miller, 20
L. S. Lyon, 20
Elihu Fitch, Jr., 20
Abel Shepherd,. 20
Edward Wheeler, 20
Thomas Wright 30
Luther Tibbies, 20
Amos Brown, 20
David Brinkerhoff, 40
Nathan Tibbies, 80
Thomas Jeffries 20
Christopher Jeffries, 20
Harry ^VTiite 20
Ezekiel Goodrich, 20
D. Low 20
Friend Phelps, 60
Ephraim Hammond, 20
David Eastman, 90
James Wilson, 20
Moses Treat, 20
Eben'r Higgins, Jr., 20
Jehiel Clark, 120
Daniel Eldredge, Jr., 20
Henry Montgomery, 20
John Stamp, 20
Isaiah Davis, 20
Zenas Goodrich, 20
Elijah Miller, 40
E. T. Throop, 40
Moses Gilbert, 20
Henry H. Muste, 20
William Cock, 20
Wm. J. Wilcock, 30
Zachariah Cox 20
Martin Remington, 20
Ebenr. Healy 20
Thomas Morley 20
Rufus Sheldon, 20
Daniel Sennett, 20
Dan*l Sheldon 20
Ebenezer Phelps, 20
Daniel Curtice, 20
Total $4,110
104 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
The " Auburn School Association " was formed by a majority of the gentlemen above named, January 5th, 1811. The object of the association was thus stated in its Constitution : '^ The subscribers, taking into consideration the necessity of literature to the welfare of society, that it affords nourishment to virtue, and the only means of rational and social happiness ; and having also considered that the present state of the population of the village of Auburn, and its vicinity, requires a literary institution, equal in magnitude to an ordinary academy, which, by its respectability, may hereafter induce an incorporation, have associated, and hereby do associate ourselves, for the purpose of forming such an institution, and have contributed, for that purpose, the sums annexed to our respective names."
Land offered by Mr. Dill, to aid the institution, was accepted as a site for the school; and Hon. Elijah Miller, David Buck, Major ISToah Olmsted, Hon. J. L. Richardson, John H. Cumpston, John Sawyer, Jehiel Clark, David Horner, and David Hyde were consti- tuted the first Board of Trustees, and invested with authority to call in the subscriptions and commence building. A deed for five and three-quarters acres of land was executed by Mr. Dill, January 31st, 1811, to a committee of trust, consisting of Rev. David Hig- gins, Elijah Esty, Thomas Wright, William Bostwick, and Dr. Ilackaliali Burt, the land to be held bv them
THE SE'n'LEMENT OF AURELIUS. 105
for the benefit of the School Association until it was in- corporated as an academy ; but it was stipulated that when the incorporation should be effected, the prop- erty was to be conveyed to the trustees of the new organization. The property was so subsequently trans- ferred, September 15th, 1817. The academy building was erected during ISll, by Messrs. Bradley Tuttle & Jehiel Clark, builders, under a contract with the trus- tees. It was finished and accepted, February 3d, 1812, having then cost upwards of four thousand dol- lars. Eobert Dill justly deserves the principal credit for the success of tliis work. He was the great patron of the institution, donating not only its site, and pay- ing a large subscription, but gi^^ng live hundred dol- lars beside. Among other laborers, however, David Horner was remarkable for his enthusiasm and high- minded perseverance in the cause in view, and was then, as in later years, one of its most valued supporters. The Auburn Academy, standing at the west end of the broad, well-shaded field that ran back nearly to the present State Street, was a plain, old-fashioned, three-story brick building, sixty feet long by twenty wide, surmounted by an oj^en belfry. The walls out- side were penciled, the wood-work was white, and the shingled roof colored brown. The first two stories were divided into two rooms each, by a hall tlirough the center ; tlie upper story formed one large room, into tlie sides of which seats wTre fastened, and the
106 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
floor of which was covered with long, double writing- desks, with benches on each side. The primary depart- ment was on the first floor. The various rooms were warmed by roaring wood-fires in the quaint old fire- places, the large room having one of these at each end. The writing-desks were furnished with tops cov- ered with loose sand, in which the youthful searchers after knowledge took their first writing-lessons. Dis- cipline was maintained with the ferule, and disorder punished either by shutting up the disobedient in a closet, in perfect darkness, or by subjecting them to solitary confinement in a deep hole left by the build- ers in the wall, next the fire-place.
This was the first academy, a queer old building, with queer methods of instruction, but an institution of incalculable benefit to the rising generation of the period. The traditions concerning it are innumerable. None, perhaps, are so amusing as those relating to a cer- tain desperately maltreated ram, belonging to Dr. Cole, who lived on the corner, which the boys attending the schooHtook great delight in tormenting. His ramship is said to have not only retaliated upon his tormentors, and caused many exciting scampera among the boys, but, upon one occasion, frightened the scholars in the primary department nearly out of their wits, by bat- tering a hole through the door, bounding into the room, and butting out the occupants right and left. All took to the top of the desks, where they were obliged to re-
THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIUS. lOT
main till some of the larger boys came in and cap- tured the ram, and carried him off. In 1816, the wind, entering a broken window, carried coals from a fire- place out into one of the rooms, and the building was burned tp the ground. It was rebuilt in 1823, on the same^site.
Amono^ those who settled in Auburn in 1812 were Dr. Erastus D. Tuttle ; Abraham Gridley, who was at first a clerk in Dr. Burt's store ; John Oliphant, one of the most benevolent and useful men of the village ; Teri Eogers, and Thadrach and Abel Terry. Thad- racli Terry established a wagon-maker's shop on the lot where Isaac S. Allen now lives. Abel Terry, who was a blacksmith, went into business on the opposite side of Genesee Street, on a large lot about ten rods east of St. Peter's Church, building an house and shop thereon. Major Joseph Colt, Samuel and John Dill, and Daniel Elliott, the latter a carpenter and joiner, settled in 1813. Ezekiel Williams, the tanner, an enterprising citizen, did the same in 1814, as well as Sylvanus Noble, the hatter, and George Casey, gentleman farmer. Mr. Casey proved to be an energetic and useful citi- zen. He located on the Clark farm. North Street..
Attention to the intellectual cravings of the people was manifested in 1812, at Auburn, by a meeting of prominent men, December 8th, at the tavern of Charles Heading, the Center House, for the purpose of forming an Auburn Literary Association, which sht^uld
1.08 HISTORY OF AURUKN.
establish a circulating library in the town. Forty pounds sterling was necessary to the attainment of this object, but this sum ^vas rapidly subscribed. An organization was therefore effected. John Sawyer was chosen President of the association, and Anselm H. Ilowdand, David Brinkerhoff, and Eleazer Hills, Trustees. Mr. Ilowland was also first librarian. lie kept the books in his hat-shop. The last librarian was Stephen Yan Anden. Upon the dissolution of the asso- ciation, the books were mainly scattered around among its members, though some passed into the service of the common schools.
The militia of the township of Aurelius, at the time when the injurious course pursued by England toward American commerce and American seamen had left no way open for the preservation of the national honor but by making war, and when, in consequence. Con- gress had authorized President Madison to raise tw^enty-five thousand men and put the army in readi- ness, was, as ill the neighboring townships, in a state of very indifferent preparation. Pursuant to the laws of the State for the ors-anization and arrang-ement of the militia, the able-bodied men of the township, of whom there w^as enougli to form a regiment, w^ere indeed enrolled, and placed under the command of Colonel John Harris, of Cayuga. They lacked, how^ever, for the most part, not only arms and uniforms, but instruc- tion and discipline. Three times a year only were
THE SKITLKMKNT OF AURELIUS. 101>
they required to assemble for drill, [Uid though over- flowing with patriotism, their inexperience was so great as to sometimes render their general trainings very ridiculons affairs. Three companies, however, tiaving their head-(piartei's at Aubm*n, were in tolera- bly good condition.
One of these, a company of light-horse, independ- ent, appears to liave been the first military organiza- tion that was formed in this village. It was raised in 1804, by Captain Trowbridge Allen. Captain James Simpson was afterward its leader, and was succeeded by Captain Bradley Tuttle, wdio was in command at the time of the w^ar. The company was handsomely uniformed with dark blue coats trimmed with red, buff vests and pants, cavalry boots, and crested head-pieces profusely ornamented with plumes and horse-hair. Being composed of fine men — minute men, by the way — it was deservedly popular.
Captain Henry Ammerman commanded the, in- fantry company, which belonged to the regular militia, and was one of the most efficient corps in the regi- ment. The company w^as set off, in ISOG, from that of Captan James Wilson, of Brutus, w^ith the follow- ing officers : Edward Stevenson, Captain ; Silas Haw- ley, Lieutenant, and John Walker, Ensign. Jacob Doremus succeeded Lieutenant Ilawley, and Henry Ammernuin afterward became Ensign, and was in time |irunujted to tlie Captaincy.
110 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
The third Auburn company was a battery of artil- lery, which had been organized originally under Thomas Mumford, of ,Cayuga, and furnished with two brass six-pounders, to be used as field-pieces, but was now under the command of Captain John II. Cump- ston and Lieutenant Hackaliali Burt.
War having been declared in June, 1812, and the Oovernors of the various States invited to muster their forces for the protection of their respective water- fronts, and for offensive operations, the Aurelius regi- ment was assembled upon tlie training-ground on the farm of Jesse Heed, near the openings, two miles west of Auburn, and volunteers were called for from the ranks and the line. Enough common soldiers re- sponded to form two companies at once, and officers sufficient to command a regiment. The services of all the latter were not accepted. The two companies were placed under Captains Henry Brinkerhoff, of what is now Owasco, and Daniel Eldridge, of Aurelius. After suitable preparation, they were forwarded to the army of the center, under General Stephen Yan Rens- selaer, then stationed near the Niagara, whither also Captain Cumpston w^as sent with his battery. The in- fantry companies were present at the demonstration made by the republican forces on Lewiston, and many of the men and officers, having volunteered to cross with Colonels Scott and Wool, were actively engaged in the fight. Among these were Captain Brinkerhoff
THE SETTLEMENT OF AUKELIUS. Ill
and Major Noah Olmsted, the latter of whom, on one occasion, having ascended a stump to reconnoiter, was unceremoniously dismounted therefrom by its being shot away from under his feet by a British cannon-ball. The American troops met with the stroke of an un- lucky planet. Those remaining on the Xew York side were suddenly taken with '' constitutional scruples about crossing the boundary," and their bretln-en in Canada were accordingly captured.
Captain Cumpston arrived in camp too late to par- ticipate in the battle. He reported to General Yan Rensselaer as it was progressing, but was sent to take up a position in a piece of woods, where he remained till the affair terminated. The battery, however, was en- gaged in several subsequent skirmishes, during one of which it lost one gun. After a short but honorable service of three months, it returned to Auburn, and was discharged.
During 1813 and '14, the citizens of Auburn saw- much of the " pomp and circumstance " of the war. The situation of the village upon the principal through turnpike of the State, leading over Cayuga Bridge, made it necessary for all large bodies of troops passing to and from the western frontier to marcli through its streets. The soldiers of Major-General Brown, of Col- onel Winfield Scott, and Generals Yan Rensselaer and Izard, called to Niai^ara, Sackett's IIar1)()r, or Platts- burg, as invasion seemed imminent in eitlier quarter,
112 HISTORY OF AUCUKN.
repeatedly moved through Auburn. Oftentimes they encamped or Imiched here. Tlie farms of Micajah Ben- edict and Eldad Steel, the latter of which is now owned by Charles P. Wood, were favorite places for this pur- pose. The passage of munition and artillery trains, of wagons carrying marines, and squads and companies of dragoons, was incessant. The constant punching of wheels and feet necessarily rendered the main thorough- fare of this village at times almost impassable for its mire. In a little guUey crossing the road just east of Exchange Street, there was a puddle upon which teamsters be- stowed anathemas without stint ; for the stalling of wagons and cannon here was so common an event that the inhabitants were obliged to keep beams and rails constantly by the side of the road to aid in the extrica- tion of the unlucky carriages. The same was true of other parts of Genesee Street. The continual travel multiplied taverns and lunch-houses indefinitely.
The sudden capture and burning of Buffalo and Black Rock, in the winter of 1813, was the origin of a wide-spread panic in Western New York. Fugitives from the devastated villages brought the rumor down the road, that the British were marching into the inte- rior, to prepare the inhabitants for which couriers were sent off in all directions. The news came to Auburn in the evening, and, being reported on the street, threw the village into the wildest alarm. The nearness of the enemy none exactly knew, but in the confusion he was
THE SETfLtMENT OF AURELICS. 113
believed to be close at hand. Major Olmsted, who was then at home, immediately ordered out the mili- tary companies, nnder Captains Tattle and Ammer- raan, with directions to march at break of day toward Canandaigua.
John H. Beach, Enos T. Throop, and other citizens, meanwhile, hastened through the village, collecting arms and ammunition, and rousing such prominent citi- zens as had retired to rest, to share in the general pre- paration. The cavalry company, when formed, gal- loped westward at once. At sunrise the next morning, the people gathered on the top of the west hill of the vil- lage, to witness the departure of Captain Ammerman's command, the ranks of which were so swollen by new re. cruits, as now to contain about two hundred men. Many of the most prominent citizens of the place were among- the volunteers. The company marched with haste to- Cayuga, where it was detained till the following day, to allow the regiment to be organized. It took the road again next morning, thinking to meet the foe. The foe, however, was not to be found, so the ardent volun- teers were informed, when they had arrived within four miles of Canandaigua, by Colonel Colt, of Geneva, and John II. Beach, of Auburn, who had ridden ahead on horseback, to ascertain the true state of affairs. The excursion of the Auburn troops ended, therefore, harm- lessly.
There were, besides those mentioned, two companies 0
114 HISTORY OF AlIBUKN.
from Auburn that did gallant service in tlie war of 1812. One was a company of regulars raised by volunteering, which was quartered, during its stay in the village, in some wooden barracks erected on the north side of Genesee Street, near the present residence of Josiali P. Bailey. The recruiting officer used a spot of dry ground on the bank of the outlet, the same upon which Hugh Watson's brewery was after- ward built, for a parade ground. This company, being conducted to Sackett's Harbor, had the honor of tak- ing part in General Pike's famous expedition against York, Upper Canada, in April, 1813. During the de- barkation of the forces, several men in this command were shot, among whom was William Carpenter, of Am'elius. He was pierced with five balls.
Captain John — more familiarly known as Jack — Richardson, led a company of rifles from this place to the Niagara frontier, in 1814. At this point, during July and August, there occurred some of the hardest fighting of the war. The rifle company appeared in several actions, in all of which it behaved with notice- able bravery. It was also with General Brown at the time that the Americans were besieged in Fort Erie, ;and it covered itself with glory by its conduct in the sortie of the 17th of September. General Porter having been directed to destroy a certain advanced work of the enemy, consisting of a block-house and a couj)le of bastions, in which several batteries were
THE SEITLEMENT OF AUKELIUS. 115
posted, that were doing considerable damage to the fort, he took a detachment, including Captain Kichard- son's company, surprised the enemy, captured their works, with a thousand prisoners and immense stores, and returned ia triumph. As the Americans were charging toward the breastwork, at the beginning of the affray, Captain Richardson ran in advance of his men, and was fired upon by a whole platoon of the red-coats. The balls whistled all around him, but none touched his person. The principal exploit of the Auburn company was the rescue of General Porter, who was once surrounded by the enemy and captured. Lieutenant Silas Chatfield perceived the capture, and, leading a party of men with drawn daggers, he rushed into the midst of the action, and set the General free. Captain E-ichardson was afterwards promoted to the rank of Colonel.
During the summer of 1814, the people of Auburn were once badly frightened. A large number of the male citizens were out upon the lines, and all, es- pecially the women, whose husbands or protectors were gone, were in painful anxiety respecting them, and resting under more or less of apprehension, that the Jjritish soldiery might yet invade the State from Canada. The twang of a trumpet was one day heard i'rom the west liilL The persons who first heard it fled in consternation from that part of the town eastward, with the crv that the I'ritish were c(.minu:, doul)tiiiij;
116 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
nut that [the enemy was thus suddenly here to sack and burn the town. Without pausing for reflec- tion upon the absurdity of tlie idea, a number of oth- ers caught the alarm, and, rushing for their valuables^ either barred themselves within doors, or ran to the woods for safety. A few moments, however, revealed the fact tliat these twangs i)roceeded from the instru- ment of one Harry Burns, an Irish bugler, who had de- serted from the English army, and was making hi& way on foot to Albany, with a permit from the military authorities at Buffalo. For, after sounding a few war- notes, he struck up a pleasant melody, trudged down the hill to Bostwick's tavern, and called for his dinner. The fright being over, the sell was acknowledged with some chagrin, and plenty of asseverations from by- standers that they hadn't believed the yarn, any of the time. Harry recounted his adventures in the evening to the curious crowd that assembled nightly at the tav- ern, and regaled them with melodies from his favorite bugle. He remained in Auburn for several years.
The Cayuga Patriot Avas established in Auburn in 1814. It was the first competitor of the Western Federalist. Eepresenting the views of the Demo- cratic party, which was fast rising into importance in this State, and contained in its ranks some of the finest men of the county and district, it was well re- ceived and supported. It was a dusky-looking little quarto of eight pages, and was ])rinted in a shop on
THE SETTLEMENT OF AUKELIUS, 117
Lumber Lane — an old street following an Indian trail, situated between what is now Mechanic Street and the creek. In this office the Hon. Tiiurlow Weed set type for several months. These are the circumstan- ces, in his own words :
" Nor shall Ave ever forget the upper story of a wagon-maker's shop, where the Cayuga Patriot was first printed ; for there we worked, and laughed, and played away most of the winter of 1814. Samuel A. Brown, who published the Patriot, was an honest, amiable, easy, slip-shod sort of a man, whose patient, good-natured wife was ' cut from the same piece.' Mr. Brown, the year before, had been established at Al- bany, with a paper called the Pepullican,^\\ndev the auspices of Governor Tompkins, Chief-Justice Spencer, and other distinguished Kepublicans, withVhom Mr. Southwick, of the Begiste)\ and then State'printer, had quarreled. The enterprise, like everything in our old friend Brown's hands, failed, and he next found him- self at Auburn, then a small village, without a side- walk or a pavement, and, save'JSackett's Harbor, the muddiest place we ever saw. ^Ir. and ]\[rs. Brown were originals. Neither of them, so far as we remem her, ever lost temper or even fretted. The work in the office was always behind-hand, and the lioiise always in confusion. The paper was never^out in season, and neither breakfast nor dinner were^ever ready. But it was all the same. Subscribers waited] for the paper
118 HISTOKY OF ACBUKN.
till it was printed, and we waited for our meals till the J were cooked. The office was always full of loun- gers communicating or receiving news ; and but for an amateur type-setter, Richard Oliphant. late editor of the Oswego Co^inty Whig, and brother of the editor of the Auhtirn Journal, to whom we became much attached, and who, though a mere boy, used to do a full share of the work, the business would have fallen still further behind-liand."
The establishment of one Democratic newspaper was followed by that of a second, called the Cayuga Tocsin; but there was no room for the latter, and it shortly afterward disappeared from circulation.
AXNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 119
CHAPTER TIL
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE^.
1815-1837.
Auburn, in 1815, was a plain, rather Dntchy-looking villaore, of two hundred buildin<2:3. Xumerous well- traveled public roads had, by the enterprise of the founders of the village, been built to and through the place, constituting it a market for the surrounding towns. Its streets were full of activity, and emigrants were now flowing in so fast, that land-owning citizens were meditating and opening new streets to provide for the fresh demand for building lots. The roads still suifered from the wear of the war, but by means of the avails of lotteries, and subscriptions of work, they had been greatly improved, and many from mere bridle-paths had become respectable thoroughfares. They were all under the superintendence of the high- way commissioners of the township, who were author- ized to open all necessary lines of travel, and discon- tinue such as were useless.
North Street, now straightened to coincide with the western boundaries of lots No. forty-seven and thirty- eight, whose crossing at the creek was still spanned by the old log bridge, was first laid out in 1791 ; South
120 HISTOKV OF AUBURN.
Street, in 1795. West Genesee Street was laid out in 1791, at wliicli time East Genesee was also in use, though not legally erected till 1802. Owasco Street was sur- veyed in July, 1795 ; Market Street, under the name of Mill road, and Franklin, under the name of the new Genesee road, in 1797 ; and Clark Street about the same time. Division Street, and the highway running from the Goodrich tavern on North Street over the ledge of limestone rocks to Clarksville, were created in 1799. The latter is now broken up. The street since known as Seminary Avenue was opened in 1805. The one now termed Seminary Street, as well as that called Fulton, was made in 1806. In 1794, a road leaving ^N'ortli Street within a few rods of the bridge ran down along the north bank of the outlet to Clarksville. It was the road to the salt springs. It crossed the site of the prison, and at that point ran under '* the arched tree," as it was called, a large forest tree whose top had been bent down and become fixed in the ground, making an arch quite across the road. This highway, straightened, was legally erected September 15th, 1806. Chapel Street, surveyed March 19th, 1811, pursuing a direct course from Korth Street along the edge of the Acad- emy grounds, intersected the last mentioned on the site of the prison. A short road between tliese two, a little east of what is now State Street, was also erected in 1811. The building of the prison altered the streets in this quarter very much. Mechanic Street, which
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGK. 121
finally superseded Lumber Lane, was originally " the road from Swift's mills to the village of Auburn." Its direction was not completely fixed till 1821.
The village was already a promising place, with an in- dustrious population of one thousand souls, who found employment in the mills, in the business of clearing new lands, or in the shops, stores, and taverns that were plentifully sprinkled along the sides of Genesee Street. This was the principal business street, being the most traveled, in spite of its mud, and in the absence of side or cross walks. Thirty odd stores and shops, and no less than six taverns, displayed their various signs. There were but five brick buildings on the street. The huge chimneys of the village indicated the prevalence of fire-places, and the use of wood for fuel. The tav- erns, furnished as a class with, commodious piazzas and large barns, w^ere Demaree's, the Farmers' Inn, the Center House, Tracy's, the Western Exchange, and Pomeroy's.
The position and character of the shops, according to the best authorities, were, beginning at the east hill, somewhat as follows : Chauncey Dibble's blacksmith- shop stood on what is now the west corner of John Street ; Demaree's cabinet-shop adjoined the tavern ; next west was the little post-office ; Seth Burgess' hat-shop occupied the corner of Seminary Avenue, west of which was a row of sheds belonging to the mill ; the store of George Leitcli stood west of the
122 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
sheds ; Iljde tfe Beach had a storj-and-a-half wooden store, just over the bridge, wliere Doremus once had a tannery ; Ansehn T. Rowland's hat-shop stood next ; on the east side of an old lane that ran down from the street toward the creek was posted Philip Garden- ier's ; next beyond which were Swift's two brick stores, built on the former site of an ashery, and succeeded in after times by the Cayuga County Bank ; then came Pace's printing-office, Russell's goldsmith-shop, John Oliphant's tailor-shop, all wooden, and, on the corner, Eleazer Hills' grocery store.
Robert and John Patty's store and tannery occupied the west corner of Mechanic Street ; Jeffries' chair- shop, in w^hich the famous Brigham Young once made chairs, stood where the brick block is now ; on the site of the Baptist Church was Silas Ilawley's tannery ; two brick stores, built by Joseph Colt and Samuel Cumpston, stood about fifty feet east of South Street ; the old school-house stood on the opposite corner, and was used by Edward Stephenson for a hat-shop ; near Exchange Street was Cornelius Irving's saddler-shop, and, on the corner, the drug-store of Abraham Gridley and Dr. Ira II. Smith, which was sold, in 1816, to Archy Kasson.
Horace Hills had a one-and-a-half story brick store on the west corner of N'orth Street ; next w^as Henry Porter's ; Peter Hughes' yellow variety-store, Horace Hall's, Dr. Burt's two-story white residence, standing
AXXALS OF TJIE \^LLAGE. 123
back from the road, and his story-and-a-half green store, where the west end of the Beach block stands, fol- lowed ; the brown office of Ebenezer Iloskins, magis- trate, stood on the site of Groot's store, and the jewelry- shop of Samuel Graves and James Fitch, where C. A, Smith's is now ; from the vacant space between which and Hoskin's appeared above ground tlie sharp roof of an ice-house ; Bostwick's large Dutch barn came next ; on the corner, where Briggs' is situated, was a frame building, furnished with a pair of hay-scales, of that ancient style which grappled the four w^heels of wagons, lifted them bodily into the air, and recorded their weight within the building ; Noble's shop stood on the west corner of Clark Street ; next was Eldad Steel's brick building, afterward a coffee-house ; Joseph Colt's two-story house was built on the site of the First National Bank ; where the double house, Nos. 157 and 159 Genesee Street, stands, was Abel Terry's old wagon-shop, sold in 1815 to Horace Hills, and afterward occupied by Horatio Hanks, the bell-fuunder, whose apprentice was the famous Andrew Meneely, of Troy ; Thomas Finn's tailor-shop was built where Jacob 11. How afterward resided, No. 1S9 ; Miller's blacksmith-shop stood on lot No. 168, and Thadrack Terry's wagon-shop on the site of I. S. Allen's house, next above.
Many of these sho[)s were also used by their owners for dwelliuirs. In soine, tliat were mainly residences.
124 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
a mechanic frequently carried on some part of his trade, headed nails, for instance, or, as in the case of a house, 179 Genesee Street, where Mrs. Ivison now lives, per- formed carpenter work. In the cellar of the last-named was constructed the first large family carriage in Au- burn. It was sold by Abel Terry to Governor Throop. Beyond the roomy, conspicuous house of Eobert Dill, on the hill, there were, in 1815, no residences westward to Division Street, except those of Kathaniel Garrow and Eldad Steel. Between Genesee Street and the creek, the wilderness was unbroken. A thrifty orchard occupied the field between Bost wick's tavern and the court-house.
The improvements upon North Street were Horace Hills' new frame house, now standing behind II. B. Perry's meat-market ; Dr. Joseph Cole's residence, on the north corner of Garden Street ; ISTehemiah Smith's, on the hill, and George Casey's beyond ; and, on the east side, Cumpston's store, the tanning establishment, and three or four small dwellings. In the region of "Water Street was a large pasture, which was a famous ball-ground with the boys.
South Street boasted few attractions. Peter Fields had a silversmith-shop near the corner, on the east side, Dr. A. M. Bennett resided on the south corner of Cumpston Street, and a few rods above was situated Colonel John Richardson's cabinet-shop. Beyond, the road was surrounded with corn-fields and farms. Tlie
ANXALS OF THE VILLAGE. 125
other streets were either very thinly or uot at all set- tled. Clark and Genesee Streets ran intu the forest about on the line of AVashin^ton Street.
The great swamp through which State, Dill, and Water Streets were afterward run, was in the process of drying up. The inhabitants of the town had, not long before, taken a favorable opportunity, entered the Bwamp, and cut down and burned up all the thickets and trees that were growing there. Exposed to the sun and wind, the morass eventually became solid ground.
Auburn was thus in 1815 a thriving settlement, not only located on the grand highways of travel and trade, but well placed in the heart of a fertile and rapidly fill- ing country. Hundreds of acres of forest land were now being cleared up yearly and cultivated. The village itself possessed immense undeveloped resources, and was at this time considerably ahead of all other large settlements in AVestern Xew York. Rochester was a mere handful of log-houses on the banks of the Genesee Kiver. Syracuse was a farm, where Edward Fatten, then residing at Onondaga Hill, went to buy cattle to stock his meat-market. Geneva and Canan- (laigua were small, and, in point of growth, nearly sta- tionary. Auburn, on the contrary, though sorely in need of incorporation, for the sake of improving the streets and preventing tires, was prosperous and grow-
126 HISTORY OF ACBUKN.
The village of Auburn was legally incorporated by the Legislature, April 18th, 1815. John II. Beach, then Member of Assembly of this district, secured the pas- sage of an act, by the terms of which the freeholders and inhabitants of lot No. forty-seven, Aurelius, and the eastern half of forty-six, were constituted a body cor- porate, with perpetual succession, and power to erect public buildings, procure fire-engines and utensils, regulate the streets and sidewalks, and to exercise all needful authority for the preservation of good order and the public health. The officers of the village were tive trustees, three assessors, a clerk, a treasurer, and a <;ollector, who were, wdth the exception of the collector, to be elected on the first Monday in May of each year. • The town of Auburn was erected March 28th, 1823, and on the 9th of March, 1836, additional powers were conferred upon the trustees, and the bounds of the vil- lage extended to those of the town.
The first Board of Trustees of the village of Auburn Avas composed of Joseph Colt, the President, Enos T. Throop, Bradley Tuttle, Lyman Paine, and David Hyde, who met monthly, or as often as circumstances required, at the office ot the President. The duty of putting the government into operation they discharged w4th great discretion. They proceeded first, to the rare satisfaction of the citizens, to provide some means for the adequate protection of property in the village against fire. They ordered tliat every owner of real
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 127
estate should provide each of his hiiildings, whether dwellings, stores, or inechanics' sliops, with a ladder and with substantial leathern lire-buckets, the number of the latter in each building varying from one to five, according to the number of fire-places it contained ; the penalty for non-observance of this order being a fine of four dollars for every bucket that should be lacking. The villagers generally furnished their build- ings with the required implements. But the destruc- tion of the saw and carding mills of Samuel Dill, by fire, on the 21st of December, 1816, admonished the Trustees of the necessity for more positive protective measures. They therefore purchased a fire engine, and sent a teamster, by the name of Gershom Phelps, to the Hudson River to get it. Previous to this, there had been appointed, pursuant to the charter of the village, four fire-wardens, into whose hands had been committed the management of affairs at fires ; but that they, as well as many citizens, were inattentive to duty, seems apparent from the following
NOTICE.
" A fire-engine for the use of this village has been purchased in New York by the trustees. It is now at Newburg. A team has this day beeu sent for it, and it ma^^ be expected here in from eighteen to twenty days. On its arrival, the citizens of this vil- lage will be called upon to assemble with their fire-buckets, when all deficiencies of this article will be noticed. It is to be hoped that the late loss of Judge Dill's property by fire will show to the citizens of this village tlie necessity of being watchful and pre-
128 [IISTORV OF AUBURN^.
pared to arrest the destructive progress of this devouring element, should it break out within our bounds ; and not again, when an alarm of fire is given in our streets, and by the bells, to remain at their ease or their labors, (particularly the fire-wardens), saying, we can do no good. We know not how much good we may do, or evil prevent, until we arrive at the place of danger. — Dec. 23, 1816."
The engine arrived in January, and was placed in a little engine-house on Market Street, where Lamey's tannery now stands, and was intrusted to the care of a company of about twenty of the substantial men of the village, of which Archy Kasson was foreman. Robert Muir was elected foreman in 1820 ; Richard Steel, in 1825 ; and Asa Hunger, in 1828. The ordi- nances in relation to the conduct of affairs at a fire were, that the president of the village, wearing a white belt, a badge on his cap, and bearing a trumpet, should have the general management ; the trustees, with white belts and canes, were to form ranks for carrying water ; the fire-wardens, distinguished by white belts, were to bring fire-hooks, ladders, etc., to aid in con- trolling the fire, and to gather up all buckets and utensils that should be left on hand after the danger was over ; while the firemen, wearing leathern hats, were to w^ork the engine " with all their skill and power."
The trustees turned their attention next to the subject of improving the streets, and in the fall of 1816 issued their first order tor laying sidewalks. They
ANNAf.S OF THE VILLAGE. 129
directed the construction of brick or plank walks, eight feet in width, on both sides of Genesee Street, on the west side of North Street, and on tlie north side of Center Street. Four feet in width was the orii^- inal choice of the Trustees, but Enos T. Throop was in favor of ample walks, and, strenuously opposing that choice, he persuaded the Trustees to adopt the greater breadth. The principal streets were then, from tiine to time, scraped, repaired, and graded, and the walks extended, to the inexpressible satisfaction of every dweller in the village.
After the erection of the town of Anburn, the streets underwent a further change, ^he hill at the corners of North and South Streets was lowered by successive excavations nearly twelve feet, and the road near the adjacent bridges raised about eight feet, by means of earth taken from the cuttintrs. This im- provement laid bare the cellars of the stores of Horace Hills, Colt & Cumpston. Dr. Kichard Steel, and others, at the top of the hill, which w^ere thereafter oc- cupied as first floors ; and, on the other hand, buried the first stories of several buildings near the bridges, which thus became cellars. In grading Genesee and South Streets, several gullies containing little water- courses were filled up, and the streams made to flow through drains. These, with a variety of other im- provements hereinafter mentioned, were effected about the year 1827. 7
130 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
The proposition to erect, in some one of the villages of Western l^ew York, a new prison, had been under the consideration of the Legislature for several years, and the necessity for such an institution being strongly urged by the prison authorities of the State, the resolu- tion had been taken to build it. In the matter of its location, which was for a time an open question, Auburn felt the deepest interest. It was desirable that an institution so well calculated to confer importance and prosperity on any place should be built here. The claims of Cayuga County were presented in the Legis- lature by John H. Beach, then our Member of Assem- bly, who was undoubtedly the leading spirit in the lower house in 1816. The government of the State was then in the hands of the Democratic party, for which Cayuga County, though once strongly Federal, had risen to give one of the largest majorities of any county in the State. Suffolk and Orange, it is be- lieved, alone exceeded it. When the question of locat-- ing the prison was agitated, therefore, Auburn came favorably into view, and on the 12th of April, 1816, three of our citizens, Hon. Elijah Miller, James Glover, and Hon. John II. Beach, were authorized by law to build that institution here. Citizens of Auburn had agreed to donate a site. Two such were proffered : one, by George Casey, situated on the southern bounds of his farm, near the stone quarry, where the founda- tions might have been laid upon the solid rock, and
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 131
another, by Samuel Dill, David Hyde, John II. Beach, and Ebenezer S. Beach, on the bank of the outlet, at a point where, by constructing a dam across the stream, a valuable water-power was obtainable. The latter site was accepted by the commissioners, on account of the water-power, and a deed was received for the same on the 22d of June. Six acres and twenty perches were conveyed to the State, with sufficient land for a six-rods-wide road on three sides of the lot, and the privilege of building a dam, and using half the water- power. The grant of laud for a road enabled the com- missioners to shift Garden Street to the north. Plans for the prison buildings having been prepared by J. O. Daniels, Esq., Architect, and approved by the Justice of the Court of Chancery, William Brittin, a compe- tent master-builder, was employed to carry them out. The contractor for the masonry work was Isaac Lytle, of New York, who brought with him to Auburn as foreman, Ralph Da Camp, now living in Aurelius.
Foundations for the stone inclosure were ])ut under way immediately ; the excavations for the foundation of the south wall of which laid bare, it is said, an In- dian grave-yard, large quantities of human bones be- ing exhumed by tlie workmen, as well as fragments of pottery and Indian utensils. The south-east corner- stone of the wall was laid June 28th, by Mr. De Camp, who inclosed therein a bottle of whiskey. The corner- stone of the main buiklinjrs was laid bv David Mills
132 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
and Henry Roberts. Twenty thousand dollars were expended the first season on the work, which employed not only every builder in Auburn not otherwise en- gaged, but large numbers from abroad. The erection and inclosure of the main building, and the carrying up of the outside wall to the height of four feet, were the results of 1816. Mr. Ly tie then found it necessary to bring on to Auburn a stock of grocery supplies for his men, and to have a business office near the prison. He met this necessity, in 1817, by building the three- story tavern on the north corner of Chapel and State Streets, called the Prison Hotel, which stood there till Sunday, August 20th, 1828, when it was burned down. In this he kept a store-house and office, renting the rest of the building to Captain Allen Worden for a tavern, whose business, with that of the Hixon House, also built in 1817, by Thomas Hixon, on the site of the Auburn Hotel, arose at first in no little degree from the operations of the prison.
By the winter of 1817, the south wing was in readi- ness for the reception of criminals, of whom fifty-three were then received from the jails of adjacent counties, to aid the work of construction. Eighty-seven more were received in 1818, for the same purpose. Author- ity for the employment of convict labor in building the prison was conferred on tlie State commissioners in April, 1817, both to relieve the crowded jails, and to save the wages of free workmen. The practice was,
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 133
however, a source of annoyance from the start. The criminals, having unrestrained intercourse witli the workmen and mechanics, notwithstanding the presence of tlie guards, infected them with sympatliy for the punishment and privations the former were enduring, and led to the most turbulent and riotous actions on the part of both. An incident of the spring of 1821 exhibits the extent of the evil alluded to. It having become necessary to punish three disobedient convicts by whipping, and the kee[)ers refusing to perform the repulsive task, a blacksmith by the name of Thompson was, one Saturday eve, called in to do the work, lie whipped the men, was paid for the job, and then left the prison for his home in the village. As he passed through the prison gate, he was seized by a furious crowd of laborers, tarred from head to foot, and borne through the streets astride a rail. The ring-leader of the mob, with a hen under his arm, walked by the side of the unfortunate Thompson, and plucking handfuls of feathers from the screaming fowl, stuck them to the blacksmith's tarry coat. This shocking afiair was con- dignly punished as a riot. On the other hand, the convicts, stimulated by this outside sympathy, learned to be rebellious, transgressed the rules of the shops at every opportunity, and set fire to the buildings, and destroyed their w^ork, wdienever they dared. Fearful insurrections in other prisons were not then uncommon ; and the citizens of Auburn were, at this stage of the
134 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
case, oppressed with the fear that tliey might be called on to encounter an jrruption of criminals into the town. This sense of insecnrity among the citizens re- sulted in the organization of the prison guard, after- ward known as the Auburn guard, in 1820, under Captain Joseph Colt, which was armed and equipped by the State, and provided with an armory in the upper story of the stone building built upon and within the front wall of the prison, in the northern part, to which entrance was had from the street by means of a staircase. The efficient conduct of this corps in times of danger, and especially during the burning of the north wing of the prison, in November, 1820, w^hen it was called upon to march the convicts to their cells at the point of the bayonet ; and increased discipline in the prison itself, soon removed every apprehension in Auburn pf the convicts' breaking out and making a descent on the village. The malice of the prisoners led to another precautionary measure. This was the formation, the same year as the above, of a fire com- pany among the citizens, attached to the prison. The engine which this company used was purchased by the State, and was kept in the lower story of the prison armory, a door, since walled up, being then opened through the outside wall to enable citizens to use the machine, whenever necessary to suppress fires in the village. Samuel C. Dunham was foreman of this company for a year or twOj, when Truman J. McMas-
ANNALS OF THp: VILLAGE. 135
ter was elected to tlie post, and occupied the same till 1836.
In April, 1818, the State commissioners on construc- tion transferred the government of the prison to a Board of Inspectors, appointed by the Legislature, con- sisting of Hon. Elijah Miller, Hon. John II. Beach, James Glover, Archy Kasson, and George Casey. William Brittin was by this Board appointed the first agent and keeper of the prison.
The prison went rapidly forward till 1823, when the massive main hall and wings, and extensive wooden work-shops for the coopers, blacksmiths, spinners, and shoemakers, severally, and an inclosing stone wall twenty feet high, had been completed at a cost of four hundred thousand dollars. The cooper-shop was then situated near the south wall, and the south gate was extensively used. *' Copper John," made in Auburn by John D. Cray, surmounted the pinnacle of the central building. The north wing, which had been fashioned to effect the solitary and silent confinement of the prisoners, upon the plan devised by that excellent man^ Mr. Brittin, then contained one hundred and eighty- five cells only. These cells were seven feet long, the same high, three and a half feet wide, and were sep- arated by walls of solid masonry one foot thick ; they were each provided with a ventilator, and secured by strong, iron-bound wooden doors, with grated openings. They were arranged in a block five stories high — ac-
136 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
cess to the different stories being had by stairs and galleries running along the face and sides of the block — standing within an inclosing building, which it touched only at the roof. An area ten feet wide lay thus between the cells and outer walls, the patrols posted -e« which were enabled to detect the slightest movements of the prisoners, and foil all their attempts to escape, or to communicate with each other. The south wing was not, in 1823, much used. It contained a large number of rooms, holding from two to twenty men each, but, upon the completion of the north wing, the men were all taken out and subjected to solitary confinement in that wing, and the other fell into dis- use, and was subsequently rebuilt on the new plan.
The first prison dam and raceway were built in 1817, the prison, as authorized by the terms of its deed, using half the power gained by the fall. The Hon. Gershom Powers, agent of the prison, having pur- chased, in 1829, the premises upon the opposite side of the outlet, situated- between Water and Prison Streets, of John W. Hubbard, as empowered by law, erected immediately thei'eafter the second prison dam, which . was durably constructed of stone, by convicts working under the eye of the vigilant prison-guards. The State gained the whole power of the dam by its pur- chase. It leased the surplus po\ver of the dam, how- ever, for many years, and at length parted with its prop- erty south of the stream to purchasers in the village.
ANNAL^s OF THE VILLAGE. 137
An enlargement of the prison grounds was made necessary in 183i, by tlie growth of the institution. In May of that year, the title to twelve acres and a fraction of the land lying between Factory, now Wall Street, and the outlet, west of tlie prison buildings, was acquired by the State by purchase of Jolm B. Dill ; an area of live hundred feet square was soon after inclosed and shops built upon it. The erection of the south wall involved the shifting southward of the bed of the creek and Barber's dam, whicli was sat- isfactorily done at the expense of the State. Further improvements and erections were added to the prison from time to time, but a full description of Uie same is reserved for another title.
The advantages accruing to the village of Auburn, from the location therein of the prison of Western New York, and from the expenditure of the moneys neces- sary in its erection, were neither few nor unimportant. On the contrary, the dignity and importance of Au- burn among the villages of the State were immeasure- ably enhanced ; the place rose into general notice, and by the development of its quarries, water-power, and resources, its citizens acquired wealth and prosperity, and the population steadily advanced in numbers, not- withstanding certain losses hereafter referred to, till in only ten years from the founding of the prison it had fully trebled in amount. Many, indeed, were the travelers from New England, seafaring men retiring
138 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
from a perilous life on the wave, printers, editors, builders, and lawyers, searching Western New York for a place to spend their remaining days and make their fame and fortune ; and many were the emigrants bound for the western wilds, who, struck with the majesty of the great State institution at Auburn, and the imposing array of new blocks, seminaries, and dwellings then being built in this village in conse- quence of the erection of the prison, were led to ex- amine the resources and character of the place and its prospects, and, charmed with what they saw and heard here, to make it their home. Many, too, were they, who, brought to Auburn to aid in the erection of the prison, to improve the town, and build its mills and manufactories, remained in the place, and joined its population, and helped bring it to that state of pros- perity for which it was so remarkable at the time of which we speak. Money was plenty, and the popula- tion generally was pervaded with vigor and cheerful- ness.
Yet, it is true that the presence of the prison in Au- burn was attended at first with disadvantages, and even with damage. The constant apprehension of the citizens, not only of this but of other places, that felons and females discharged from the prison would remain in the village, to the corruption of society, and inse- curity of property, deterred many from selecting Au- burn for a place of residence. But the erection of
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 139
shops in the prison, and the employment therein ot the convicts at custom work, was a still more unfortunate circumstance. A competition between convict labor and that of the resident mechanics and tradesmen in the viHage ensued. The coopers, tailors, shoemakers, and cabinet makers, were all oppressed by the conse- quent decline of prices, and large numbers of them were compelled to withdraw from Auburn, or to go into other avocations. As a class, the tradesmen were injured by the introduction of convict labor to Au- burn ; as a class, they therefore opposed it, and all who favored it. This village lost, by this removal of mechanics to other places, a number of good citizens, and suffered disagreeably from the internal commotion caused by the injurious complaints of those that re- mained, against all attempts of the prison authorities to make convict labor productive. Business and the trades, however, multiplied so fast in the rising vil- lage, that the working classes were, in a very few years, enabled to adjust themselves to the situation, and earn a competent support. The trouble then ceased.
One enterprise in a new place infallibly begets others ; and scarcely was the prison in Auburn under way, when the leading business men of the town began to agitate the question of the establishment of a l>ank here, a measure which had been rendered necessary by the heavy disbursements of monx3y by the State com-
140 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
missioners, and tlie demand by citizens for the use of capital to develop the resources of the town.
The proposition originated with the Hon. John H. Beach, wlio, with Joseph Colt, Eleazer Hills, Daniel Kellogg, Hon. Enos T. Throop, Nathaniel Garrow, and Hon. Glen Cujler, and associates, made applica- tion to the Legislature of 1817 for a charter for the proposed Auburn Bank. No regular Banks of deposit and issue were in operation at this time nearer than those at Canandaigua and Utica ; although prominent merchants, both in Auburn and the surrounding villa- ges, w^ere in many cases depositories of funds, and bank- ers for their customers and friends. The necessity for a Bank in Auburn was apparent. Such an institution, by the style of the Auburn Bank, was therefore char- tered, May 31st, 1817, with a capital of $400,000, the shares being fixed at fifty dollars each; and Squire Minor, Samuel D. Lockwood, N. GaiTow, Glen Cuyler, and James Porter were authorized to receive subscrip- tions to the same at Coe's tavern. The books were closed on the 26th of May. It had been the wish of Mr. Beach to secure the advantages of the Bank to himself and associates, who, being reliable and re- spected business men, were as much entitled to them as any. But no monopoly of the stock of the Bank was permitted ; the business men of the towm sub- scribed liberally, and, when the books were closed, it was discovered that twenty-one thousand eight hun-
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 141
dired and three shares had been taken, the majority of it being subscribed by the competitors of Mr. Beach, who thus controlled the Bank, and, notwithstanding, his activity in securing the cliarter, left him out of the management. The Bank was organized in July, 1817, by the election of directors, viz : Thomas Mumford, President ; Nathaniel Garrow, Archy Kasson, Joseph Colt, Horace Hills, Walter Weed, George F. Leitch, Hon. Enos T. Throop, David Brinkerhoff, James Porter, John Bowman, Hezekiah Goodwin, and Wil- liam McCarthy. James S. Seymour, who was here soon afterward on a visit from the east, was elected Cashier. Mr. Beach was indignant at the unmerited treatment he had received at the hands of the stock- holders, and he soon put the Bank in such awe of him, that the opposition was forced to compromise, admit him to the Board of Directors, and, in 1820, elect Daniel Kellogg to the Presidency.
The patrons of the bank were impatient to have it commence operations. Mr. Seymour, therefore, hav- ing accepted the trust tendered him, procured a safe, opened his office in the Western Exchange, and used all possible activity in signing the Bank's first issue of bills, and in making preparations for business. A room was fitted up in Demaree's tavern for a l)anking office. The shavings and rubbish were scarce swept from the floor, when the door was opened the first time for busi- ness, and customers rushed in to get their first dis-
14'2 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
oount. The corporation erected the brick banking house in which it has ever since transacted business, in what was then WiUiam Bostwick's flower-garden, the following year. The noble elm on the walk in front of the bank was planted by Mr. Seymour. In 1849, Oorydon H. Merriman was elected Cashier, and Mr. Seymour, President, and both still hold the same posi- tions with great ability and honor.
Prominent citizens, deeming that another bank was demanded by the business interest of Auburn, made application, in 1825, to the Legislature for a charter for a corporation, to be known as " The Cayuga County Bank." The request of the petitioners was not granted, liowever, till 1833. At the latter date, the charter was passed by the Legislature, wdio authorized Nathaniel "Garrow, Hon. Rowland Day, Hon. Peter Yawger, Hon. George B. Throop, John Seymour, Hon. William H. Noble, Robert Muir, Charles Pardee, and Sherman Bradley to receive subscriptions to the stock of the Bank. The subscription books were opened at Coe's tavern, in April, 1833. Such was the confidence of the public in the project, that subscriptions were in three days received to the amount of a million and a quarter dollars. The authorized capital, however, was no more than two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The stock was distributed pro rata among the subscrib- ers, who thereupon organized by electing their first Board of Directors, The members of tlie Board were
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 14:3
Isaac S. Miller, E. Hills, LeW Lewis, Stephen Van Anden, N. Garrow, Rowland Day, Peter Yawger, Geo. B. Throop, John Seymour, Wm. II, IS^oble, Robert Muir, Charles Pardee, and Sherman Beardsley. The officers were Mr. Garrow, President; Mr. Throop, Cashier ; and Lewellyn Jones, Teller. Josiah N. Starin, who had been Teller since 1835, was chosen Cashier in 1841. John Beardsley was elected President in 1840. He was succeeded by Nelson Beardsley in 1843. The banking-house of the Company was durably constructed of cut stone, in 1833 and '34, by Colonel Charles W. Pomeroy, builder. Business opened in this place.
Alter the incorporation of the village, the new vigor that pervaded every department of action, led to the organization of religious societies, and enabled them to erect houses of worship.
The Trustees of the Presbyterian Society, who were then John II. Cumpston, William Brown, Silas Ilaw- ley, Reuben Porter, Henry xlmmerman, Moses Gilbert, Bradley Tuttle, David Horner, and Eleazer Hills, re- ceived the donation of a church lot, situated at the corner of Franklin and North Streets, from the heirs of Colonel Hardenburgh, May 31st, 1814. Upon this they laid the foundation of a meeting-house, in 1815. The finished building was consecrated to the service of God, March 12th, 1817. It was a model of taste, and cost nearly seventeen thousand dollars. About sixteen thousand dollars was realized by the first sale of pews. The
144 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
first elders of tlie society were John Oliphant and Silas Ilawley. Its pastors were as follows : Rev. Hezekiah N. Woodruff, from April 16th, 1813, to Au- gust, 1816 ; Rev. Dirck C. Lansing, from E'ovember, 1816, to June, 1829 — was also stated supply in 1842-3 ; Rev. Josiah Hopkins, from September, 1830, to April, 1846 ; Rev. Henry A. Nelson, from July, 1846, to 1856 ; Rev. Charles Hawley, from November 5th, 1857, to the ])resent.
The Theological Seminary was a daring enterprise of 1819. Its necessity and annals are found under another title.
The Methodists of Auburn, having become suffi- ciently numerous to warrant their organization, formed a society, April 28th, 1819, and built a snug wooden chapel on Chapel Street, in 1821. They remained in this building over twelve years. Longing for addi- tional church room, two prominent members of the congregation, John Seymour and Tallmadge Cherry, built a stone church on the south corner of Water and North Streets, at their own expense, in 1832. It was dedicated February 6th, 1833, and sold to the society the following year. The consecration service was conducted by Rev. John Dempster, Rev. Dr. Bart- lett, of Aurora, and Rev. M. M. Willett, of Weedsport.
The stone church was, however, after having been put in thorough repair, and just completely paid for, destroyed by fire, in April, 1867. With wonderful
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 145
vitality, the congregatiuii were raising money and planning the work of re-building before the ruins ceased to smoke. A lot costing ten thousand dollars, at the west corner of South and Exchange Streets, was immediately purchased. A magnificent brick church was erected with unparalleled vigor and enterprise. The dedication took place January 7th, 1869. To the Eev. "William Searles, the pastor, the success of this work is mainly due.
The Eoman Catholics of this place organized their first religious society, August 3d, 1820. It was called the Fourth Roman Catholic Church of the Western District of New York. The original Trustees were Hugh Ward, John Conner, James Hickson, Thomas Hickson, and David Lawler. After holding services for several years in the court-house, or in the little red school, house on the academy green, the congregation, which was not strong, bought the abandoned chapel of the Methodists, and dedicated it to the uses of their religion, in the manner prescribed by their ancient ritual. This took place October 23d, 1834. The ceremony was per- formed by the Rev. Dr. Power, Yicar-General, assist- ed by Rev. F. O'Donoghue, resident pastor. Rev. Thomas O'Flaherty was the first permanent pastor. He remained here from September, 1845, to 185G, and was succeeded by Rev. M. Kavanaugh, Rev. Michael Cree- don, and Rev. James McGlew. Mr. O'Flaherty re- turned in May, 1864. The new and costly church of this 8
146
HISTORY OF AUBURN.
#
flock was huilt in 1860. It is the Clmrcli of the Holy Family.
The Baptists became a distinct congregation, Feb- ruary 17, 1819, at whicli time delegates from the four Baptist clmrches of Aureliiis, Mentz, Brutus, and Owasco, met here in council, and organized the new church. The four country churches alluded to were founded by Elder David Irish, while these towns were yet a wilderness. Elder Irish preached the first Protest- ant sermon in Cayuga County, at Scipio, in 1794. The new congregation began modestly by meeting for wor- ship in public buildings. Their brick church, at the junction of South and Exchange Streets, was built in 1825. It w^as consecrated February 15th, 1826. The stone church on Genesee Street w^as built in 1834. The pastors of this church were : Elder C. P. Wyckoflf, from June, 1820, to 1830; Kev. John Plain, from 1830 to 1833 ; Kev. I. M. Graves, from 1833 to 1835 ; Elder T. S. Parr, from 1835 to 1839; Kev. James Johnson, from 1839 to 1841 ; Elder A. Pinney, from 1841 to 1843, Elder J. S. Backus, from 1843 to 1850 ; Kev. W. P. Pattison, from 1850 to 1855 ; Kev. A. M. Hopper, from March 1st, 1857, to July, 1860. Kev. P. P. Bishop took charge of the church in February, 1861.
The Universalists organized in the school-house on rthe academy green, April 12th, 1821, They held public worship in] the court-house, in |^' the academy,
I •»!
be four 15, and lie new
were Dswere Protest-
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:or wor-
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niltin
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ANNALS OF THE \^LLAGE.
14T
and various otlier public places, till lS3i, when thej succeeded the Baptists in the possession of the brick church on Sonth Street. They had previously re- organized, April 24th, 1833. The present Universal- igIj{^ ist Church was erected in 18-i7. The pastors of tl;o^ ' denomination were as follows : Eev. Orestes. A; Brown- son ; Kev. George W. Montgomjeiy^ frpiix -1834 to 1844 ; Rev. II. L. Ilayw^j^d^-'TS^'-fi^l&ev. J. M. Austin, from 1845 -to-lst^r^TSvTw K. G. Mellen, from 1851 to 1855 ; Eev. D. C. Livermore, 1856-7 ; Kev. Day K. Lee, from 1858 to 1865 ; Rev. R. Fisk, September Ist, 1865.
The Cayuga Bible Society was formed February '23d, 1815, at a large public meeting at the court- house. The Rev. H. N. Woodrufi* was chosen Presi- dent of the Society; William Brown was chosen Vice- President ; Rev. Seth Smith, Secretary ; Horace Hills, Treasurer ; and for Directors, Rev. Royal Phelps, Rev. Levi Parsons, Rev. Henry Ford, Rev. Benjamin Rice, and Captain Joseph Rhodes. The American Bible Society w^as organized in New York, May 11, 1816, by delegates from the societies in the State ; Cayuga being represented by the Rev. Henry Ford.
The Auxiliary Bible Society of Cayuga County was
formed June 12, 1817, at the court-house. Article
ionseoijBecond of its constitution states that " the object of
the Society is the gratuitous distribution of the sacred
Scriptures, without note or comment, in the versions
r)
.froin
1850;
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I
146 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
flock was built in 1860. It is the Clmrcli of the Holj Family.
The Baptists became a distinct congregation, Feb- ruary 17, 1819, at which time delegates from the four Baptist churches of Aurelius, Mentz, Brutus, and Owasco, met here in council, and organized the new church. The foui- country churches alluded to were founded, by Elder David Irish, while these towns were yet a wilderness. Elder Irish preached the first Protest- ant sermon in Cayuga County, at Scipio, in 1794. The new congregation began modestly by meeting for wor- ship in public buildings. Their brick church, at the junction of South and Exchange Streets, w^as built in 1825. It w^as consecrated February 15th, 1826. The stone church on Genesee Street w^as built in 1834. The pastors of this church were : Elder C. P. Wyckoff, from June, 1820, to 1830; Kev. John Blain, from 1830 to 1833 ; Rev. I. M. Graves, from 1833 to 1835 ; Elder T. S. Parr, from 1835 to 1839 ; Rev. James Johnson, from 1839 to 1841 ; Elder A. Pinney, from 1841 to 1843, Elder J. S. Backus, from 1843 to 1850 ; Bev. W. P. Pattison, from 1850 to 1855 ; Rev. A. M. Hopper, from March 1st, 1857, to July, 1860. Rev. P. P. Bishop took charge of the church in February, 1861.
The Universalists organized in the school-house on the academy green, April 12th, 1821. They held public worship in] the court-house, in'fthe academy,
ANNALS OF THE VILLAG-E. 147
and various other public places, till 1834, when thej succeeded the Baptists in the possession of the brick church on South Street. They had previously re- organized, April 24th, 1833. The present Universal- ist Church was erected in 1847. The pastors of tl)i»^ denomination were as follows : Rev. Orestes Ar.'Brown- son ; Rev. George W. Montgomery, from lS34to 1844; Rev. II. L. IIayw3j:df^i4-& ; Rev. J. M. Austin, from 1845-^0-^:85^^^^ W. R. G. Mellen, from 1851 to 1855 ; Rev. D. C. Livermore, 1856-7 ; Rev. Day K. Lee, from 1858 to 1865 ; Rev. R. Fisk, September Ist, 1865.
The Cayuga Bible Society was formed February 23d, 1815, at a large public meeting at the court- house. The Rev. H. N. Woodruff was chosen Presi- dent of the Society ; William Brown was chosen Vice- President ; Rev. Seth Smith, Secretary ; Horace Hills, Treasurer ; and for Directors, Rev. Royal Phelps, Rev. Levi Parsons, Rev. Henry Ford, Rev. Benjamin Rice, and Captain Joseph Rhodes. The American Bible Society was organized in New York, May 11, 1816, by delegates from the societies in the State ; Cayuga being represented by the Rev. Henry Ford.
The Auxiliary Bible Society of Cayuga County was formed June 12, 1817, at the court-house. Article second of its constitution states that " the object of the Society is the gratuitous distribution of the sacred Scriptures, withouk note or comment, in the versions
148 IIISTOKY OF AUBURN.
commonly used by Protestants, among the poor of the county, and elsewhere, as its funds will admit." The officers were Walter Wood, President ; Thomas Mum- ford, Hon. Elijah Miller, Rev. Seth Smith, and James Glover, Vice-Presidents; Rev. D. C. Lansing, Corre- sponding Secretary; George W. Warner, Recording Secretary ; and Horace Hills, Treasurer.
The Second Presbyterian Society of Auburn was organized December 11th, 1828, by members of the parent church. The Trustees were Horace Hills, Abijah Fitch, Ebenezer Hoskins, Henry Tift, Jabez Pease, William Brown, and Bradley Tuttle. The building committee consisted of John Porter, John Patty, Asa Munger, and Walter Weed. Plans for the church were prepared by John I. Hagaman, a leading architect and master-builder of the town. The corner-stone was laid June 17th, 1829, by Drs. Mills and Richards, of the Seminary ; and the church was linished and dedicated August 9th, 1830. The first elders of the society were William Brown, Abijah Fitch, John I. Hagaman, Horace Hills, Truman J. McMaster, George C. Skinner, and Henry Tift. The Rev. Daniel C. Axtell was ordained and in- stalled pastor of the new congregation JSTovember 10th, 1830. The subsequent pastors were: Rev. L. E. Lathrop, D.D., from November, 1836, to 1851 ; Rev. E. D. Morris, from May, 1852, to November, 1855 ; Rev. Ezra A. Huntington, D.D., 1855 to 1858 ; Rev.
ANNAXS OF TffE VILLAGE. 14:9
Henry Fowler, September, 1858, to 1861 ; Rev S. W. Boardraan, in June, 1862.
The Gothic church, built by the Episcopalians in 1811, and subsequently enlarged and furnished with a new organ and bell, was, in 1832, a few weeks after the completion of the improvements, consumed by fire. The church was framed with unusually heavy timbers, which produced an intense heat, and burned for a long time before they fell. By this means, the bell, sus- pended in the midst of the flames, was melted as it liung, and dropped in among the ruins. The cooled metal was found in strange shapes in the ashes of the tower. A fragment of this was secured by Joshua Burt, a member of the con2:re2:ation, who caused it to be made up into three little hand-bells, of beautiful shape and tone, which are yet pres^erved as mementos.
The corner-stone of the stone church was laid Au- gust 10th, 1832. The new edifice was dedicated August 8th, 1833. The rectors of the church from the beginning were as follows: Rev. Davenport Phelps, missionary, 1803 ; Rev. AYilliam A. Clark, 1812 ; Rev. D. McDonald, from December, 1813, to February, 1817 ; Rev. William H. Northrop, 181Y-18 ; Rev. Lucius Smith, from 1819 to 1823 ; Rev. Samuel Sitgreave, from 1824: to 1826 ; Rev. J. C. Rudd, D.D., from December, 1826, to 1833 ; Rev. William Lucas, from]September, 1833, to August, 1839 ; Rev. Charles W. Ilackley, D.D., from ]N"ovember, 1839, to April, 1810 ; Rev. William
150 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
Cresswell, D.D., from 1840 to 1844 ; Eev. Samuel H. Coxe, from 1844 to 1846 ; Eev. Walter Ayrault, from 1847 to 1852 ; Eev. E. H. Cressy, D.D.,from 1853 to 1869 ; Eev. Charles II. Piatt, from 1860 to 1861 ; Eev. J. W. Pierson, from 1861 to Marcli, 1863 ; Eev. John Brainard, November 1st, 1863.
The establishment of the first Sunday-schools in Auburn is a matter of honorable record. The first school was organized for the benefit of negroes, at the suggestion of Dr. Ei chard Steel, an apothecary from Troy, who had settled here in 1817. Dr. Steel had had two years' experience in a school for colored people in Troy, and perceiving the necessity for such an enter- prise here, he communicated his views on the subject to the Eev. Dr. Lansing, and to a deacon of his con- gregation, the ever-ready Henry Ammerman. While both coincided with him as to the desirableness of a Sabbath-school for negro children, and even for aged negroes, they encountered such ridicule and secret op- position in the town by proposing it, that for a long time they found no one who would brave public opinion, and begin the work. Dr. Lansing, not daunted by ridicule,, however, delivered, one day in 1818, an eloquent dis- course at the First Church on the subject of Sabbath- schools, pleading earnestly for volunteers in the sacred cause. Mr. Ammerman, Dr. Steel, and Noble D. Strong arose from their^'places in the meeting and ten- dered their services. They agreed to begin the move-
ANNALS OF TEIE VILLAGE. 151
ment. Notwithstanding the derision and sneers of re- spected friends, they went manfully to work. In the bumble log hut of Albert Ilagerman, the former slave of William Bostwick, on the north bank of the outlet, west of ISTorth Street, Deacon Amraerman and Dr. Steel opened the first Sabbath-school in Auburn, a school for the blacks, which proved successful, and was a blessing to many.
The following year, the popular sentiment in the Tillage changed. The wind blew the other way. All were alive to the importance of Sabbath-schools. One for the children of the whites was started in the long room of the Central tavern. Good judges looked up the families of the poor and supplied them with clothes, that they might attend. Teachers flocked forward, their occupation being now no longer regarded as a violation of the day of rest. The Sunday-school of St. Peter's Church was opened in 1821, by Dr. Burt and WilKam Bostwick.
On the 6th day of February, 1817, the archives of tlie Cayuga County Medical Society w^ere removed from Aurora to Auburn, where they have since re- mained, and where, with very few exceptions, the sub- sequent meetings of the society have been held. Th6 society was then eleven years old, it having been or- ganized in Aurora, on the 7th of August, 1806, by Drs. Joseph Cole, William C. Bennett, Silas IIol- brook, Frederick Delano, Barnabas Smith, Consider
152 HISTORY OF AUBUIiN.
King, and about twentj-five others, and held its pre- vious meetings in Ledyard and Scipio. Drs. Delano, McClung, and Smith had been, and Dr. King was President, when the removal took place. By this date, Drs. Erastus D. Tuttle, Ira H. Smith, and Joseph T. Pitne}^ had joined it. With Dr. Cole, they w^ere in- fluential enough to bring the library, archives, etc., here. At a meeting of the society, held at the inn of Canfield Coe, on that day, Drs. Joseph Clary and Campbell Waldo, of Throopsville, which, np to this time, had been expecting to be the principal village of the county, were admitted as members. The ad- mission fee was fixed at five dollars ; diplomas, the same. Drs. Cole, Pitney, and Smith were appointed a committee to consider and report upon the propriety of establishing a medical school in Auburn. — See Med- ical College^ 1824.
At a meeting of the society at Coe's tavern. May 6th, 1819, a petition to the inspectors of the Auburn prison, asking for the bodies of deceased con\'icts for dissection, was signed. At the same time, the society resolved to have members report at subsequent meet- ings their most important cases in physic and surgery. Dr. Frederick Delano was this year chosen President. On tlie 6th of January, 1820, Dr. Tuttle was made a delegate to attend the next meeting of the State Medi- cal Society, with instructions to ask its co-operation in the efibrt to get a medical college here ; and the sum
ANNALS OF TIIK VILLAGE. 153
of fifty dollars was appropriated to pay his expenses. A new set of by-laws was adopted May 4tli. Dr. Cole became President November 2d. The society at this time was taking various medical publications, and hearing dissertations from one or more of its members at its quarterly meetings, which have continued, with an interval between 18i7 and 1864, up to the present time. It allowed members to draw books from the library, and take them home to read.
Dr. Cole was succeeded as President by Drs. Delano, King, Aspinwall, Ilurd, Waldo, Smith, Pitney, Fitch, Eldredge, Clary, Doty, Dodge, Willard, Palmer, Gill- more, Pearl, and Baker. The act of 1841:, authoriz- ing anybody to collect pay for medical services, so far disgusted most of the members of this society, that on the 3d of June, 1847, they sold their library, and on the 1st of Jupe, 1848, after listening to an address from Dr. Palmer, adjourned sine die.
After an interval of seventeen years, the society waj resuscitated by an infusion of new life into its member- ship. On the 31st of August, 1864, Drs. David L. Dodge, Hoffman, Charles E. Yan An den, James D. Button, Charles A. Hyde, Alex. Thompson, Pichard- son, Clark, Gillmore, Force, Lansing Briggs, David Dimon, Edward Hall, B. Fosgate, and T. S. Brinker- hoff, met at the American Hotel in this city, re-organ- ized, and re-invested the society with all its former vigor and usefulness. On the first of June, 1865, the
154 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
Bociety adopted a new schedule of prices, on the report of their committee, who said, " that inasmuch as there has been no change in the fees for over twenty-five years, and as during that time the value of all that pertains to daily life as well as to the profession has more than doubled, they advise the adoption of the proposed bill, which increases the former rates about fifty per cent." At the meeting held June 6th, 1866, Dr. T. S. BrinkerhofF was chosen Secretary, to succeed Dr. Blanchard Fosgate, who had held the position for twenty-two consecutive years.
The month of July, 1817, is recollected for a singular and unprecedented disturbance in the waters of the Owasco Outlet. Without apparent cause, the stream one day suddenly became turbid, the water turned green, and the fish died in immense numbers, and were carried down its rapid current, floating on the sur- face for a week. The bridges and banks were thronged with people, who came to see this marvelous sight. Various were the conjectures as to the source of the phe- nomenon, but to ths present day it remains a mystery. It was asserted by the wise in such matters that the intense heat and stillness of the atmosphere, for it was the halcyon days, caused a poisonous scum to form on the surface of the lake, which, blown by the south wind, was driven into the outlet, and created the whole disturb- ance. But as this was the only stream thus affected, the explanation was not generally received as satisfactory.
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 155
The enlightened efforts of the ''State Society for the Promotion of the Useful Arts," to encourage scien- tific agriculture in New York, was productive, in and about 1S18, of the organization of numerous county agricultural societies. The " Agricultural Association of Cayuga County " was formed on the 4th day of February of that year, at the house of Amos Adams, in Scipio, by a large meeting of farmers, who elected David Thomas, President ; Silas Ilulbrook, Vice-Presi- dent ; John Tift, Treasurer ; and Joshua Baldwin, Ke- cording Secretary. The society listened to its first an- nual address from President Thomas, September Tth.
The first Cayuga County cattle-show and fair opened in. Auburn on the 20th of October, and lasted two days. It was an occasion of great interest. The bells at sunrise rang for half an hour. The cattle offered for premiums or sale were placed in pens prepared for the purpose, on the farm of William Bostwick, south of the court-liouse. Articles of domestic manufac- ture, and produce, were exhibited in the store of Henry Porter. In the forenoon of the second day, a proces- sion was formed in front of the court-house, under Na- thaniel Garrow, the sheriff, Captain Elam Lynds and Caj3tain Henry Porter, marshals, in the line of which was a plow, drawn by two yoke of oxen, and held by Comfort Tyler, of Seneca Falls, the first person who broke ground with a plow in this State west of the county of Oneida. Marching to the Presbyterian
156 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
Cliurcli, the procession, after prajers and hjmns, was addrecsed by David Thomas. Prizes were then awarded. These were twenty-five in number, and consisted of seventesn silver cups, and eight sets of silver tea-spoons, valued in the aggregate at two hun- dred and thirty-one ck)llars.
Soon after the fair, the society received large acces- sions to its ranks, and became a large and prosperous organization. The second fair, held in the fall of 1819, at Samuel Oampston's store, was attended by an enthusiastic gathering fi'om every quarter of the county. These fairs were held annually for fifteen or twenty yeai-s, at about v/hich time the society dis- solved.
The Columbian Garden, on the site of the present Columbian block, was opened in 1820, with an amphi- theater for circus performances, a ten-pin alley, a stage and galleries for the drama, and arrangements for fire- works and music. It was a place of popular resort at all times. The first that can be learned of it is tliat it was kept by one Eiley, and afterward by William Buttre, the father of the famous engraver. It was finally kept by Harlow C. Witherell, of Anti-Masonic notoriety. It was discontinued in 1836, and deniol- ished by Eobert Cook and Thompson Maxwell, to make way for the Columbian buildings. The upper story of the new block was constructed for the purpose of a theater, and for many years so used.
ANNALS OF THE \TLLAGE. 15T
When this Garden was abandoned, Monsieur Jacob Leonard and Charles Bemie. opened the Auburn Garden, in the rear of a restaurant now occupied by Solomon N. Chappcl.
Journalism in Auburn kept pace with the growing wants of the times. In Juno of 1816, the Western Federalist passed into the hands of Thomas M. Skin- ner, an enterprising young printer from Connecticut, and his partner, William Crosby ; and the paper, then conducted with great ability, was issued under the style of the Auburn Gazette. It was a fine weekly, devoted to the policy of DeWitt Clinton. In 1819, its name was changed to the Rejpvhlican. In 1824, the Eepublican^ as well as the Cayuga Patriot^ the latter edited by the Hon. Ulysses F. Doubleday, the father of General Abner Doubleday, of Fort Sumter fame, re- ceived a competition in the form of the Free Press, a weekly sheet, issued by Richard Oliphant from an office on the west corner of South and Genesee Streets. The new journal was the largest west of Albany at the time of its first issue, having five large columns to the page. May 31st, 1826, it was enlarged one column, and July 22d, 1829, it passed into the hands of a brother of the former editor, Henry Oliphant. It was an organ of Eepublican principles, supported John Quincy Adams, in 1828, and Henry Clay, in 1832, and was the antagonist of the Patriot, on the opposite cor- ner, whicli was thoroughly Democratic, and withal the
158 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
mouth-piece of tlie leading politicians in Auburn. The sanctum of the editor of the latter paper was, in fact, the penetralia of Democracy. In that spot, nightly, did the officers of the village and the prison, and their friends, congregate to discuss politics and arrange the plans of the party in the county. In May, 1833, the Free Press and the BepuUican were united, and published from the east corner of Genesee and Hotel Streets, by Oliphant & Skinner, under the title of the Auburn Journal. It was always a brisk, acceptable paper. The Repullican, while in existence, was also an able journal. Its editor in 1825, G. A. Oamage, Esq., was one of the most brilliant w^ritera €ver connected with the press of Auburn. The Cayuga Patriot was conducted, in 1830, by Mr. Doubleday and Isaac S. Allen ; in September, 1831, it passed into the hands of Mr. Allen, who, in January, 1834, asso- ciated Willet Lounsbury as editor with himself, and carried on the paper till 1843. The proprietors then again became Doubleday <fe Allen.
The Cayuga Democrat was started in 1833, by Fred- erick Prince ; it was withdrawn from circulation in 1835. The earliest of the many ephemeral publica- tions of the village was a sheet styled the Castigator, by Captain Caleb Cudgel & Co., printed in 1820, bj James M. Miller, in an office next east of the store of ijreorge F. Leitch.
Dm*ing the period we have just been considering,
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 159
valuable improvements liad taken place on tlieOwasco Outlet ; several extensive mills and three new dams had been erected, and otliers rebuilt and enlarged.
The foundations of the Auburn cotton-mill were laid at the lower falls in the year 1814, by Hon. Elijah Miller and Hon. John H. Beach, in a lot on the blufi', bought by them of Samuel Dill on the 12th of Sep- tember. A dam was built in the stream, and the estab- lishment was put into operation in 1817. The Auburn Manufacturing Company, of which Alvah AVarden was President, and Eobert Wiltsie was Secretary, pur- chased the mill in 1822, and began the manufacture of a superior cotton ticking, that held for years the first rank in American markets. The Company sold the property, May 1st, 1827, to Nathaniel Garrow, George B. Throop, and Eobert Muir, wdio soon after admitted Eleazer Hills to partnership, and ran the mill with flat- tering success for several years. Becoming involved, however, in the financial troubles of later times, they were obliged to part with the property to George F. Leitch. After various exchanges of title, and occa- sional stoppages of business, the title to the mill ves- ted, in April, 1815, in Benjamin W. Bonney. This gen- tleman sold to Robert Kesbit, of whom, on a master's sale, Corydon H. Merriman subsequently purchased. The latter sold to the Auburn Bank, May 1st, 1853, and that corporation transferred the mill, the same day, to Lorenzo W. Nye, who still retains the ownershij).
160 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
Cotton sheeting and cotton bags liave since been manu- factured here, with great profit and success.
The Auburn Paper Mill was built on tlie south bank of the outlet, below the lower falls, by Thomas M. Skinner, George C. Skinner, and Ebenezer Hos- kins, associated as Skinners & Iloskins, during the working seasons of 1828 and 1829, for the purpose of supplying the extraordinary demand at this time in Western jN^ew York for paper of every description. A perpetual lease of the mill site was purchased of the owners of the cotton-mill property, who agreed to erect and maintain in repair for the new manufactory, a dam of sufficient height to turn a water-wheel eight- een feet in diameter. The manufacture of paper be- gan under the personal supervision of George C. Skin- ner. An excellent article was produced, which sold extensively in all the western counties of the State. The stringent times of 1837, however, embarrassed the paper-makers exceedingly, and they were glad to relin- quish their lease and the mill, in 1839, to other parties. The Cayuga County Bank received the title to the pro- perty of the mill, October 7th, 1840 ; the Bank sub-let the mill, in 1841 and 1842, to Lorenzo W. Nye and Charles Eldred, and, subsequently, to David Foot, David S. West, Henry Ivision, Jr., and Chauncey Markham.
Mr. West purchased, in 1847, the old red machine- shop and property, on the opposite side of the outlet,
ANNAI.S OF THE VILLAGE. 161
and, ill 181:8, the title to the hinds occupied hy the paper mill, subject to the perpetual lease. Consolidat- ing with the lessees of the mill, he then organized, on the 2d day of July, 181:9, the Auburn Paper Company, the first trustees of which were David S. West, Lorenzo W. Xye, David Foote, John C. Ivison, Henry Ivison, Jr., Aurelius Wheeler, Asahel Cooley, and Russel Chap- pel. The capital of the company was $20,000. Mr. Wheeler was elected president. Major Sylvanus II. Henry was, in 1853, elected manager of the works, and William II. Barnes, superintendent of the manufacture. The capital of the company was increased, in 1854, to $50,000, the shareholders then being Josiah X. Starin, Alonzo G. Beardsley, X. C. Miller, Lorenzo W. Xye, S. II. Henry, J. Ives Pai-sons, ISToah P. Clark, N. D. Carhart, and William II. Barnes. Mr. Nye was elected president in 1861; E. H. Avery, in 1862; and J. K Starin, in 1864. The mill was destroyed by fire in January, 1868, and the property was sold the following season to George Casey, who now contemplates the speedy erection of tool-works thereon.
These two mills were for thirty years the most im- portant of the mannfacturing institutions of Auburn, and w^ere, when erected, justly viewed with pride, both by their proprietors and the citizens of the town. The march of improvement, meanwhile, was visible all along the outlet. William Ilayden had ])ut into operation, in 1815, his new clothier works, in the old 9
162 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
fulling mill of Jeliiel Clark. In 1817, a fine new grist mill had been built by Latlian Garlick, on the east side of the outlet, at the foot of a deep gully that crashes the bluff at the then southern bounds of the village, which was driven by power accumulated at the twelve-feet dam built opposite. A commodious stone mill had been erected by John H. Ilardenburgh, on the site of the old frame mill, and the wooden dam replaced by a new one of stone, five rods below. A stone machine-shop had also been erected near the old dam, in which Asaph D. Leonard and Alvah Warden, then the proprietors of the mill, began, in 1829, the manufacture of burr mill-stones. The old red fulling mill, at the south end of the Ilardenburgh dam, had been, about the same time, repaired, re-painted, and moved across the stream to a position in rear of the stone mill, where it still remains. It then contained two fulling mills, four single carding machines, a picker, a napping and a shearing machine, and was owned by Colonel Levi Lewis. A steam grist mill had been built, in 1831, by Walter Weed, in his brick building on the eastern corner of Genesee and Owasco Streets. Four boilers were necessary to drive the mill-stones, of which there were two runs ; the mill produced between seventy-five and an hun- dred barrels of flour daily. A cotton-spinning shop had also been built, near the southern end of the prison dam ; this building, with Abraham Smolk's
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 163
carpenter-shop, near by, was burned to tlie ground in 1829.
The original Auburn market was establislied in 1820, upon the west side of Xorth-Street bridge, over the outlet, the site of which was purchased by the cor- poration, of Samuel Dill, September 7th, 1819. Ed- ward Patten, of Onondaga Hill, opened in this build- ing the first regular meat-market in the village. In 1836, the old structure, then occupied by Edward and John E. Patten and James Lysk, was shattered and partly carried away by a freshet. It was demolished by the authorities.
On the first of June, 1825, the good people of Au- burn were gratified by a visit from General La Fayette, whom they received to the enjoyment of their simple hospitalities, in as pleasant a manner as the short time allowed them for preparation would permit. Informa- tion was conveyed to the committee of arrangements the preceding day, that the venerable soldier was approach- ing the county. Handbills were immediately iesued, and nineteen guns fired to give notice to the people of the distant towns. La Fayette was ]>roudly escorted from Cayuga to Auburn by the committee in car- riages, a corps of cavalry under Captain Cox, and a body of officers on horseback, lie rode with Judge Throoj) in a barouche drawn by six magnificent chestnut horses, that had been furnished unseJicited by Messrs. Sherwood & Son, proprietors of tlie telegraj>li
164 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
line of stages. Evergreen arches were erected to the welcome and lionor of the ilhistrious Frenchman, on the rising ground a few rods west of Washington Street, that point being the western bounds of the village. As the procession arrived and ascended this hill, it was joyfully greeted by the cheers of a large number of military companies, l^ree-masons, and Revolutioners, that had been arranged on either side of the road by General Brinkerhoff, Chief Marshal of the day, and Colonels Lewis and Gridley, his assistants ; and a& the carriages passed the arch, a battery posted on Fort Hill fired a salute of twenty-four guns. The bells of tlie village struck up a merry peal, and the populace, who had assembled to the number of nearly eight thousand, surrounded the escort with the most enthusi- astic hurrahs. " If here, at an immense distance'from the sea-board," says an eye-witness, " and in the center of a country not yet reclaimed from the wilderness when La Fayette's sword flashed before his enemies, as commander of the then northern department, we could not greet him with the splendor and pageantry lavished upon his movements in our populous cities, we could at least present him with the homage of grateful hearts, and the salutations of eager hands, pointing in every direction to fertility and luxuriance, the wonderful effect of his romantic toils in the cause of liberty and human rights."
Keacliing tlie Western Exchange, La Fayette recog-
ANNALS OF THE VILLAG K. 165
Tiized ill the crowd before Iiim the wrinkled face of an old comrade, the aged Major Yan Yal ken burg. Rushing up the tavern steps, the enthusiastic French- man, to the great amusement of tlie people near by, caught the old veteran in his arms, and gave him a hearty kiss. Colonel John W. Hulbert, eminent for his abilities as a lawyer, and as M. A. from this dis- trict, then addressed the General, in belialf of the citi- zens, with words of welcome. The reply was graceful and unaffected. It is to be regretted that it was not preserved. After a multitude of introductions from the eager crowd, the committee retired with the Gen- eral and a number of prominent gentlemen, to a bower in the pleasant field behind the tavern, where they were entertained wdth a sumptuous dinner. Patriotic sentiments were toasted frequently during the repast, each being sainted with a discharge of cannon. La Fayette was pleased to offer : " Cayuga County, and Auburn town — May their Republican industry and prosperity more and more give a splendid lie to the enemies of liberty, equality, and self-government." Tlie General's son, George Washington La Fayette, gave : " A Sovereign whose power is felt only when it is wanted, — the People." Toasts were also offered by General La Fayette's suite, and by Hon. Wm. IL Seward, Colonel Ilulbert, Hon. Gershom Powers, Major R. L. Smith, and others.
After the dinner, all attended a brilliant ]):ill at the
166 UISTORY OF AUBURN.
assembly-room in Brown's tavern, which was filled with the beauty and grace of Auburn. At eleven o'clock, the General entered his carriage, and set out for Syracuse, followed by the acclamations of the citi- zens, and their prayers for his continued happiness.
The tour of the heroic friend of Washington seems to have aroused the patriotism and revolutionary recol- lections of the whole American people. Fourth of July, 1825, memorable for the foundation of the Bun- ker Hill monument, whicli La Fayette attended, was everywhere observed with unusual pride and pomp. In Auburn, three different processions paraded the streets, and the crowd was tremendous. Every can- non, and bell, and band of music in the village was employed to contribute to the general enthusiasm. The aged veteran. Major John Dill, read the Declara- tion ; Hon. Wm. H. Seward, R. H. Ranney, and others, delivered addresses ; and dinner and fireworks w^ere prepared, and bore a prominent part in the day's festivity.
In the winter of 1821:, Dr. Erastus D. Tuttle, for nine years the physician and surgeon of the State prison, a gentleman of considerable eminence in his profession, undertook to establish on private account, in Auburn, a school for the education of young men in medical science, in the hope of obtaining a charter for it from the Legislature. He began by purchasing the lot next west of the Auburn Bank, and erecting
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 167
upon it the two-story buildiiii^ still standing there. He finished off the upper part for a lecture-room, lighted from above, and the lower part for a study and office. His official position gave him facilities for obtaining human subjects for dissection and anatomical prepara- tion. In that building, assisted by Professor Douglass, of Philadelphia, he lectured to a class of about a dozen students, the ensuing fall and winter. On the 21st of January, 1S25, at a public meeting at the Western Ex- change, Dr. Tuttle acquainted the people with his views on the subject of a medical college. These views w^ere cordially approved. Drs. Tuttle and Ira H. Smith, and George B. Throop, William H. Seward, and Horace Hills were accordingly appointed to memo- rialize the Legislature on the subject, and obtain a char- ter. In February, it was announced that a course of lectures on anatomy, chemistry, and materia niedica, would be begun at once by Dr. E. D. Tuttle, Dr. James Douglass, Dr. Jedediah Smith, and Dr. Ira H. Smith. These lectures were delivered to a class of from fifteen to twenty students. Dr. Thomas N. Caulkins acting as demonstrator, and were continued at various dates till 1829, when for a short time attention was withdrawn from the enterprise by the death of Dr. Tuttle.
Dr. John George Morgan, the successor of Dr. Tut- tle as physician of the prison, associated with himself Dr. Thomas Spencer, of Manlius, Onondaga County, and employing Dr. Frank II. Hamilton, of Auburn, as
168 HISTORY OF aubi:kn.
demonstrator, re-coinmenced the lectures and the col- lege in a wooden building on North Street, standing on the site now occupied by Drake's restaurant. The project, however, was dropped soon after and never since revived. The creation of the medical depart- ment of Hobart College defeated the application from Auburn for a charter. While these lectures were re- puted to be able and very instructive, and not sur- passed at that day by any delivered in any medical college in the State, and while the geographical posi- tion of Auburn seemed to indicate it as the most eligible point in Central New York for such an insti- tution, the failure to obtain a charter so abated all in- terest in the matter that it soon died out, and the pro- ject was forgotten.
The first Auburn J3and was organized at Brown's tavern, — known also as Brown's CoiFee-house — in December, 1825, at a meeting of citizens, who con- tributed liberally to the purchase of musical instru- ments.
A religious newspaper, entitled the Gospel 3fes~ senge?', was started in Auburn in 1826, by Rev. John C. Eudd, D.D., the distinguislied rector of St. Peter's Church. The paper was published weekly from an office in the south-west corner of the church-yard, which had previously been used for a Lancastrian school. It was perfectly catholic to all sects, and de- voted to the cause of the gospel and female education.
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGK. 169
Dr. Rudd, who liad luid twenty ycaiV experience as an instructor, was enabled to make many valuable suggestions upon the interesting topic of female schools, which in after years bore rich fruit. The Gospel Mes- senger \Yi\.i^ in time transferred to Geneva, and afterward to Utica. The printing-office was demolished. Its site is now occupied by a stately magnolia.
In the month of February, 1828, a society was formed in Auburn for the purpose of promoting a due obsei'vance of the Sabbath, under the auspices of, and auxiliary to, a general union of clergymen and business men, associated for the same purpose, in the city of New York: Similar societies were formed that year in every part of the State, whose manner of promot- ing a fit observance of the day of rest was, to require their members to witlidraw their support from all lines of conveyance by land or water that ran on that day. They strove further to advance observance of the Sabbath, by lending their aid to a new line of stages, then just started, called the " pioneer," that ran on six days of the w^eek only ; and by raising by subscrip- tion large sums of money, to indemnify the proprietors of the new line against loss by competition. The societies openly avow^ed the design of breaking down all lines of conveyance that ran on Sunday. It was even intimated that a Christian ])arty in politics was to be organized under their auspices. Believing that the real purposes <»f these societies were mercenary,
170 HISTORY OP' AUBURN.
the people of Cayuga County met on the court-house green, in Auburn, August 2Sth, 1828, and passed resohitions expressive of their great indignation at this unwarrantable interference of ministers of the gospel in secular affairs. A thousand people were present. Henry Polhemus was chairman of the meeting; Barnabus Smith, of Scipio, was secretary. Archibald Green, William H. Seward, and Dr. Camp- bell Waldo, were appointed to give publicity to the proceedings, and such a powerful rebuke was adminis- tered to the societies, that tliey soon thereafter relin- quished their efforts.
The Bank Coffee-house was opened when the pio- neer line of stages came through, in Eldad Steel's brick building, opposite the Auburn Bank, by Thomp- son Maxwell. The office of the telegraph line of stages was kept there in 1828, but was removed, in 1830, to a handsome new hotel, known as the Ameri- can, erected by Messrs. Isaac & John M. Sherwood, proprietors of the line, on the site of the old Willard tavern. This house, built originally with two large piazzas on both the southern and eastern fronts, was opened on New Year's day, 1830, with a sumptuous dinner spread by Thomas Noyes, of Rochester, the lessee. The old tavern was moved to the northern side of Clark Street, near Green, w^here it still stands.
The miserable militia system in force in this State at the time of the war of 1812, and long afterward,
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 171
having fallen into popular disesteeni, measures were taken to induce the Legislature to revise all the laws on the subject, and to adopt others more ejffective and equal in their operations. But the Legislature paid no attention to the popular voice on this subject ; and, in Cayuga County, a volunteer militia regiment of artillery was organized, to express the disapproval of the people in a stronger light.
Five companies were raised for the new command : one in Auburn, by Captain William IT. Seward and Lieutenant Lyman Ilinman, and the others in Locke, Genoa, Scipio, and Brutus. The regiment was or- ganized in 1 829, as the 33d artillery, with the follow- ing field and staff: Colonel William H. Seward, Lieutenant-Colonel John Wright, Major Lyman Hin- man. Adjutant Oscar S. Burgess, Quartermaster John H. Chedell, Paymaster Nelson Beardsley, Surgeon F. L. Markham, and Dr. Blanchard Fosgate, Surgeon's- mate. The 33d, thus commanded, became a well dis- ciplined and efficient corps. Lyman Hinman succeed- ed to the Colonelcy in 1833, and Charles W. Pomeroy in 1838.
The Auburn battery was commanded, after the pro- motion of Captains Seward and Ilinman, by Samuel C. Dunham, and afterward by Joshua L. Jones ; Egbert B. Cumpston and Dudley P. G. Everts were Lieuten- ants. The gun-house of the company was situated on the northern side of Water Street, near the railroad.
172 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
The regiment, liaving answered tlie chief end of its existence, was disbanded in 1842.
Parades of large bodies of fantasticals, called fusi- leers, were also instituted in every part of the State, to manifest the popular contempt of tlie old militia system. Two such occurred in Auburn : one on the 11th, and the other on the 18th of September, 1833.
The second parade of the fusileers was made upon the occasion of an encampment of the regular militia, in the southern part of the county. Assembling as cavalry, the fasileers sallied forth from Auburn, in absurd order and costumes, and approaching the camp, distracted the unfortunate objects of their derision by their ridiculous parade and performances, and so en- raged the officers of the militia, that, seizing an oppor- tunity when the fusileers were entangled in a lane, they fired loud volleys of cannon for their benefit, and stampeded the horses of tlie whole crowd. The scam- per of the luckless fusileers out of the lane is said to have been a most ludicrous sight. Their mockery, however, was keenly felt, and resulted in an ultimate revision of the odious laws.
The census of 1820 I'ep resented the population of the village of Auburn as two thousand two hundred and thirty-three — an increase of one hundred per cent, in five years. In 1825, the population was reckoned as being two thousand nine hundred and eighty-two ; in 1830, as four tliousand four hundred and eighty-
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGK. ITS
six; and in 1835, as five thousand three liundred and sixty-eight.
This vigorous growth of the population of the vil- lage was accompanied with a corresponding expansion of the village itself. Indeed, Auburn, in the flight of the fifteen years ending with 1835, was wholly changed in appearance. Temples, store-houses, and mills, ho- tels, public buildings, and dwellings, shot up into the air on every street, mingling with, or supplanting old erections, filling the streets with piles of brick, stone, and lumber, and throngs of w^orkmen and working teams, and developing the villakin into a large, thriv- ing, populous market-town, which those who had vis- ited it at the time of its incorporation, were unable to recognize. The place was prosperous beyond prece- dent. Great attention had been given to the grading and ornamentation of the streets. These were leveled and macadamized ; and shade-trees of choice varieties were set out along their sides by public-spirited citi- zens, who formed an association for the purpose, each agreeing, not only to plant trees in front of his own house, but at least one in front of his neighbor's. The reduction of the hill at the head of North Street, in 1829, was followed, the same season, by the pulling down of the old wooden Genesee-Street bridge. It was replaced by a massive stone bridge, supported by a single arch, wliich, however, sank beneath its own weight, the moment the center was rcinovtMl : a taste-
17-i HISTORY OF AUBURN.
fill wooden structure was then erected in its stead. The I^orth-Street bridge was raised and repaired, and the street and walks raised, in 1833.
The year 1829 was one of the great building years. It gave to Auburn the Second Church, the paper-mill, a large number of fine dwellings on Grover and other streets, the American, several minor shops and mills, and six fine cut-stone stores, four stories in height ; the stores being built on the site of the old Center House, by Ezekiel Williams, who started, in the west •end of the block, the tannery now owned by William Lamey. The new Episcopal and Methodist Churches came in 1832. The new stone county jail was built in rear of the old wooden court-house, by Captain Bradley Tuttle, Truman J. McMaster, and Joshua Hoskins, county commissioners, in 1833 ; after which the old jail, built in the court-house, in imitation of the Enslish, was discontinued. This was another s^reat building year, and added to the village the Demaree block of seven cut-stone store-houses, now known as the Auburn House block, the Cayuga County Bank building, John H. ChedelFs handsome stone block of two stores, the Hyde & Watrous block, and numerous elegant wooden and brick dwellings. The new Bap- tist Church on Genesee Street was erected in 1834. Eighty new residences sprang up during 1835 ; and a spacious four-story cut-stone block of eleven store- houses was built bv the Hon. William H. Seward,
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGK. 175
Nelson Beardsley, Jared L. Ratlibun, of Albany, Cal- vin Burr, Nathan Burr, James S. Seymour, Palmer Holley, and Cornelius I), and Jacob R. DeReimer, between South andExchanrre Streets. This block was a magnificent addition to the business part of Auburn. Building followed building in the happy and growing town. In 1836, the people were in a frenzy of con- struction, and public works received general attention. A town-hall and market had been authorized July 7tli, 1835, by the passage of the following resolution, in the Board of Trustees : " Resolved^ That the Trus- tees proceed to erect a building for a market and public hall, on the site purchased for that purpose (of Allen Warden), said building to be 105 feet by 45 feet, the Urst story to be of cut-stone, the second story to be of natural-faced stone, except the corners and the window-caps and sills, which shall be cut ; said building to be furnished with a cupola suitable to hang a bell in of 500 pounds ; the whole to be finished in the modern style of Grecian architecture." John I. Ilagaman, an excellent architect of the place, hav- ing prepared the plans, tlie foundation of tlie market was laid, in the spring of 1836, and the superstruc- ture carried up during the ensuing season, by Colonel Charles W. Pomeroy, contractor, the lower story being provided with stalls for the butchers, and the upper being finished as an exhibition liall. The new court-house was al.-io erected in 1S36, immediately in
176 HISTORY OF AUBL'RN.
front of the old buildiiuj;, at an expense of nearly thirty thousand dollars, by Bradley Tiittle, Truman J. Mc- Master, and Joshua Iloskins. When projected, it was intended to crown the highest point of the new structure with a statue of Justice, and adorn the front, under the porticos, with statues of Liberty and Tem- j^erance ; but this part of tlie design has never been consummated. The architect of the court-house was John I. Hagaman, who submitted tw^o plans for the same to the Supervisors, both well adapted to the purposes of the building, and creditable to the au- thor. But the Supervisors caused a new design to be made, embodying and uniting parts of the two sub- mitted ; building thereafter, they presented to the county a museum of classic architecture, which, though considered at the time as a prodigy of art, has since endured just censure. The Auburn House and Merchant's Exchange Association was formed on the 21st of March, 183G, with a capital of $25,000, by forty-three citizens of the town, for the purpose of erecting, from the three central stores of the Demaree block, an hotel and public exchange. The leading men in the association were Ezekiel Williams, Asaph D. Leonard, Allen Warden, Walter Weed, Nehemiah D. Carhart, Henry Polhemus, Peter P. R. Hay den, George B. Tliroop, Edward Barber, John B. Dill, Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., and Charles Coventry. The work contemplated by these gentlemen was
ANNALS OF i UK VILLAGE. 177
performed in lSo6 and 1^38; tliey opened, in 1839, one of the finest hotels in Western New Yorlv. The organization of the Female Seminary Association, the improvement of the Nortli-Street cemetery, and the erection of the Aubnrn park, were incidents of 1830. Tlie park was donated to the town, September 12th, 1836, by Hon. Elijah Miller. The triangle inclosed by Genesee, South, and Exchange Streets, was once offered to the people of Auburn for the same purpose, by William Bostwick, but was refused on account of the expense of leveling and fencing it. In 1836, Au- burn was almost ready to graduate from its village- hood and become a city.
The source of all this advancement and prosperity in our beautiful place was exclusively the enterprise of its citizens, who were thoroughly pervaded with a passion for internal improvements, and were, during the fifteen years in view, engaged in the most public- spirited schemes for the development of the resources of the town, and for its adornment, and for the increase of the facilities of speedy transportation and travel to the grand marts of the State and country ; which schemes now demand our t^ttentlon.
The condition of the routes of travel between the villages and settlements of the Mohawk valley, and the Genesee country, then the *' tar west," was brought into public view as early as 1791 . Two routes then ex- isted between these widely separated (listiict>: one bv 10
178 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
land, through the woods, the terrible and perilous Gene- see trail, and another by water, through the Mohawk River, Wood Creek, Oneida Lake and River, and the Seneca River and tributaries, which was tedious and dangerous. The improvement of these and other routes for the benefit of trade was undertaken during the administration of Governor George Clinton. In 1791, an act for establishing and opening '* Lock ISTavi- gation " within New York was passed by the Legisla- ture of the State, which incorporated two *' Inland Lock Navigation Companies : " one called the " West- ern," being authorized to open navigation between the Hudson River and the lakes of Ontario and Seneca ; and the other, known as the " Northern,'- to open navigation to Lake Champlain. The latter of these companies never acted under its charter. The former appointed Elk an ah Watson, Philip Schuyler, and Goldsbrow Banyar, to examine the state of the Mohawk River west from Schenectady ; and, upon their report, made in July, 1792, proceeded to improve that water- course, and connect it with Oneida Lake. A canal waa built around Little Falls by their contractor, AYilliam Bostwick, afterward of Auburn, another around Ger- man Flats, and a third, a mile and three-quarters in length, across to Wood Creek. Several wooden locks were built on the stream last mentioned. Unable to pro- ceed further toward the interior, the Company, in 1808, surrendered that part of their grant west of Oneida
ANNALS OF TlIK VILLAGE. 179
Lake to the State. The colossal scheme of a canal, independent of the rivers and lakes, running from the Hudson to Lake Erie, was projected at this time, as a substitute for lock navigation ; and, receiving the sanc- tion of the public men of the State, was brought before the Legislature, which appointed, on the 15th of March, ISIO, a committee, consisting of Gouverneur Morris, Stephen Yan Eensselaer, De Witt Clinton, Simeon De Witt, William North, Thomas Eddy, and Peter B. Porter, to explore a route for the same, and report upon the practicableness of constructing it. It was upon the business of the commission that De Witt Clinton visited Auburn in 1810. In 1811, Robert R. Livingston and Robert Fulton were added to the com- mittee, which, in 1812, was authorized to purchase for the State all the rights, works, and privileges of the AYestern Inland Lock Navigation Company. In 1818, the Seneca Lock Navigation Company was incorpo- rated, and proceeded to open navigation between the Oswego River and Cayuga and Seneca Lakes, through their respective outlets. The great feasibility and ad- vantage of constructing a canal l)etween Buffalo and the Hudson having been reported by the State Commit- tee, five Canal Commissioners, namely : Stephen Van Rensselaer, De Witt Clinton, Joseph Ellicott, Samuel Young, and M}Ton Ilolley, were appointed A])ril 17th, 1816, to survey, locate, and build it.
The citizens of iVuburn took the liveliest interest in
180 HISTOKY OF AUBURN.
all these measures, particularly in a question which arose the moment that the construction of the canal was definitely organized, the inevitable question of location. To secure the passage of the canal through this village, our citizens put fortli every effort to give prominence to the claims of the place, and to express their approval of the great work. According to the act in regard to the improvement of internal navigation, commissioners were to be appointed in every city or village, near or through which the canal was expected to pass, to receive subscriptions to the same in land or money. Joseph Colt, then president of the village, Hon. Elijah Miller, and John Ilaring, then village clerk, accepted the appointment from Auburn, and used their influence in its favor. The citizens publicly , evinced their approbation of the designs of the Canal Commissioners, at a meeting at Coe's Hotel, January 23d, 1817, of which Nathaniel Garrow was chairman, and Hon. Glen Cuyler, secretary. Hon. Enos T. Throop, in a patriotic speech, stated the object of the meeting. Mr. Warner submitted recitals to the effect that though a few years past, " on our western frontier, murder had ' bar'd his arm,' and across the interior war had chased 'the red dragons of her iron car,'" the regions through which " these Mediterranean seas were to roll their waters to the ocean," were then pervaded with peace and prosperity ; and that patriotism and in- terest both demanded, tliat, ]\y the construction of great
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGK. 181
public works of the character of the one in view, tliat happy epoch should l)e hastened, '* when civilization shall subdue barbarism ; when the scalping-knife of the forest shall be converted into a spade for the cul- tivated field ; when seats of science and temples of re- ligion shall lift their spires together in a land where now the wild man lurks at noon, and In- nii!i;ht the mon- sters prowl ; and when the limits of (.'hristendom to the west shall be co-extensive with the continent." The resolution was then submitted, and unanimouslj adopted by the meeting, " That in onr opinion the MOMENT HAS ARRIVED, for the legislative wisdom of our State and nation to see that this canal be made."
This meeting, wdiose proceedings were given great publicity, failed, however, with all kindred efforts, in its prime object. Various considerations impelled the authorities to locate that section of the canal passing through Cayuga County, on a route seven miles north of Auburn. This town was set upon a hill and in the midst of hills, a route through which was, if not im- practicable, at least circuitous and dltHcnlt. It was a very undesirable port upon a great through line of travel. A circumstance, not without influence, was the fact that Myron Ilolley, one of the original and locat- ing Canal Commissioners, resided at Lyons, and was in favor of the northern route. It has been intimated, further, that the location of the prison of Western New York had much to do with tlie location of the
182 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
canal, tlie former having been granted to Auburn on the condition that tlie village would resign her claims to the latter.
The completion of the Erie Canal was an occasion of public rejoicing. The State hailed this event as the dawn of a new and brighter era in its history ; and demonstrations of joy broke forth spontaneously along the wdiole line of the canal when the first through boat was admitted to its w^aters from Lake Erie. In these demonstrations Auburn engaged. At a meeting of her inhabitants at the ITolt & Curtis tavern, Sep- tember 29th, 1825, of which Dr. Erastus Humphreys was chairman, and Hon. William H. Seward, secre- tary, a committee, consisting of Colonel John W. Hul- bert, Hon. Elijah Miller, Dr. Erastus Ilumphreys, Ste- phen W. Hughes, and G. A. Gamage, was appointed to proceed to Weedsport, and represent her in the cele- bration there. The packet-boat Seneca arrived at Weedsport, bearing Governor Clinton and suite, on the way to New York, on the morning of the 29th of Oc- tober, before daybreak. Auburn, through her com- mittee, tendered her congratulations to his excellency, and the boat, after a short delay, passed on in the midst of salutes, bonfires, and fireworks, toward her destination.
It is an interesting fact relative to the middle divi- sion of the Erie Canal, that the first boat used thereon was built in Auburn, in 1822, on the flat through w^hich
ANNALS OF TIIK VILLAGE. 183
Water Street now runs, near North Street, by a car- penter named Howland, who was the grandfather of the eccentric character known here fiiniiliarlj for so many years as Professor Popple. The boat was launched at Weedsport.
No sooner had it been announced that the Grand Canal was a fixed fact, than the subject of lateral ca- nals, with connecting navigation upon the lakes of Western New York, whose general direction was north and south, presented itself to the public mind. Some- body having dreamed of such a canal to pass through Auburn, presented the idea for the contemplation of the good people of this village. The launching of a steamboat called the Experiment^ at Ithaca, May 11th, 1820 — the same day that the corner-stone of the Theological Seminary was laid in Auburn — to ply be- tween the villages at the extremities of Cayuga Lake, kindled an interest in the matter of navigating Owasco Lake, and of extending navigation thereon to the Grand Canal, through the outlet and a short branch canal. The people of the village met at Coe's tavern, on the 14th of August, 1820, to deliberate on the subject, and resolved to apply to the Canal Commissioners for an engineer to survey a route for the proposed improve- ment, and calculate its cost. But the project was then generally considered visionary, and next month was abandoned.
The necessity of effecting some improvement upon
18-ir HISTORY OF AUBtRN.
the Owasco Outlet, for the purpose of obtaining an un- failing supply of water from the lake for hydraulic pur- poses in tliis place, and the necessity of maintaining the position of Auburn as the market-town of Cayuga County, revived discussion, in 1822, upon tlie topic of the lateral canal. It was proposed to construct such a canal from Port Byron to the Owasco Outlet ; to so im- prove the outlet that easy entrance to the lake might be gained ; and to connect the inlet of the lake with the Susquehanna Eiver by a work similar to the one pro- posed north of Auburn. Action in the matter was first taken on the 17th of jSTovember, 1825, at a public meeting at Hudson's hotel, of which Hon. Elijah Miller was chairman, and Hon. John Porter was secre- tary. A committee, consisting of Hon. Elijah Miller, Hon. Gershom Powers, Lyman Paine, Roderick AYatson, Elihu Weed, George C. E. Thompson, Jona- than Hussey, Ebenezer AYilliams, and Salmon Cove, was appointed to survey the ground north of Auburn, ascertain the summit level, and examine the project, with regard to its feasibility and cost. The eminent engineers, David Thomas and James Geddes, per- formed the necessary surveys, and reported the result of their investigations to a meeting of the citizens in December. Time was allowed for further examina- tions.
The enterprise lay dormant during the exciting campaign and State election of 1826, but was the
ANNALS OF THK VII.LAGK. 185
prominent object of thouiilit mid Mttentiun in 1827. It was put into the bands of another committee, con- sisting of Hon. Wilbam II. Seward, Ezekiel Williams, Hon. Elijah Miller, Hon. John H. Beach, Allen War- den, John Patty, Horace Hills, Obed Folger, and George C. Skinner, appointed at a public meeting at the Western Exchange, June 12t-h, 1827, who received instructions to report as soon as practicable what might be done in the matter, especially in the way of improv- ing and developing the hydraulic power of the Owasco Outlet. On the 13th, Elkanah Watson, one of the pro- jectors of the canal policy of this State, then tempo- rarily in Auburn, was induced by Mr. Seward to visit the outlet, and pronounce an opinion on the contem- plated work. His views, stated at length in writing, were, that the improvement was one of immense im- portance, and, if a canal or railroad should be con- structed in connection with it, either to Port Byron or Weed's Basin, would double the population of Aubuni in ten years.
The committee reported on the 21st of June to a numerously attended meeting at the Western Ex- change, of which Ezekiel Williams was chairman, and William II. Seward, secretary, that George T. Olmsted had been employed to make surveys and take levels ; that the outlet, which had a descent of six inches from the lake to Judge Paine's saw mill, might be made navigable by clearing out the logs and flood-
186 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
wood ; that a canal miglit be constructed along the west bank of the outlet from and upon the level of the dam at Judge Paine's, and terminating at the old Walker lot, the site of the proposed basin, where it would be forty-three feet above the bed of the stream ; that a dam for raising the level of the lake might be safely erected at Paine's ; and that the advantages of the proposed improvement were the supplying of the village with an abundance of pure water for house- hold purposes and the prevention of fires, the facilities for bringing from remote and otherwise inaccessible parts of the country large supplies of lumber for build- ing purposes, and grain and wool for the mills, and the practicability of occupying the whole length of the canal, which was one mile and seventy-two rods, with mills and manufactories, to be propelled by water- power, without injury to navigation.
The report of the committee Avas adopted. The Hon. John Porter having been appointed on the com- mittee, to fill the place of lion. John H. Beach, re- signed, that body was organized to take measures for the organization of a company to effect the proposed improvement. Books for subscriptions to the capital of such a company were opened on the 12th day of July. By the 31st, one hundred thousand dollars was subscribed thereon, and the Auburn and Owasco Canal Company was organized the same day. The following named gentlemen were elected directors:
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 18T
Ezekiel Williams, president ; Hon. William II. Sew- ard, secretary; Horace Hill, treasurer; Archibald Green, Lyman Paine, Samuel Cumpston, John Patty, Hon. Enos T. Throop, Abijah Fitch, and Allen War- den. The canal committee then announced the forma- tion of the company, and that it was ready to go into operation. Proposals for constructing the canal were soon afterward advertised for. The company was in- corporated April 21st, 1828.
The subject of communication with the Erie Canal was then again revived. It was proposed to effect this- by carrying out Mr. Watson's idea of a railway. Hon. Gershom Powers addressed a meeting at the Western Exchange, on the 4th of February, 1828, of which Hon. Elijah Miller was chairman, and Ezekiel Wil- liams, secretary, on the subject of communication with the canal, and presented a resolution in the following words : " Resolved^ that it is expedient to make appli- cation to the Legislature for the State to construct a railroad from this place to the Erie Canal," at the State's expense, which was assented to with perfect unanimity. Hon. Elijah Miller, Eleazer Hills, Hon. J. L. Eichardson, Ambrose Cock, Lyman Paine, Hon. John Porter, Robert Muir, Bradley Tuttle, George C. Skinner, Hon. W. T. Doubleday, Abijah Fitch, Wil- liam H. Seward, Allen Warden, Jabez Pease, William Brown, E. Catlin, Asa Munger, Gershom Powers, Ebenezer and Ira Hopkins, Ezekiel Williams, Walter
188 HISTORY OF ADBUKN.
Weed, Samuel Cumpston, Woodis Rice, Horace Hills, and Archibald Green were constituted a committee to memorialize tlie Legislature on the subject. The com- mittee labored in due time and brought forth a peti- tion of portentous length, which was forwarded to the lower house of the Legislature. Tlie project met with favor. A report was made in the Assembly upon it on the 26th of February, which recommended the con- struction of the proposed railroad by the State, for the following reasons : first, that it was desirable that the State should collect accurate information on the sub- ject of railroads, which were then just beginning to awaken public attention ; secondly, that the road in view would extend great accommodations to a remote and productive part of the interior; and thirdly, the pecuniary benefits to accrue to the State from the busi- ness of the road, and as connected with the prison at Auburn. The Assembly committee was ordered to prepare a bill.
Action in both the canal and the railroad enterprise was, however, deferred for several years, political strife and other business projects engaging the entire atten- tion of their leading men. In 1833 the millers and business men of Auburn became convinced that the interests of the town demanded the immediate con- struction of the Auburn and Owasco Canal, both for navigation and for manufacturing purposes ; and with the aid of public meetings and the warm co-operation
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 189
of the citizens at large, they obtained in January, 1834-^ a new charter, the necessary amount of ca})ital, and an organization composed of new, energetic, and practical men. A review of the merits of the different plan?^ for effecting the purposes of the company resulted in the adoption of tlie method of erecting, in the gorge of the creek, a few feet below the Hyde & Beach dam, a new stone dam, forty feet high, and of constructing thence to the Walker lot, along the western bank, a suitable canaL The new dam was expected to sub- merge both Garlick's and Paine's, and set back water into the lake. •
The Auburn and Owasco Canal Company was re-or- ganized on the 1st day of June, 1835, by sixteen citi- zens of Auburn, whose directors, after completing ne- gotiations with Henry Polhemus, Elijah Miller, John M. Sherwood, Amos Underwood, Nehemiah D. Car- hart, and John C. AVatkins, for the riparian lands af- fected by the work, and for certain mills at the Hyde & Beach and the Garlick dams, which cost in all about seventy thousand dollars, resolved, on the 28th of September, " that tlie foundation-stone of the dam, to be erected for continuing tlie navigation of the Owasco Lake into tlie village of Auburn, be laid by the president on Wednesday, the 1-1-th day of Oc- tober next, at twelve o'clock at noon ; and that If on. William 11. Seward be recpiested, in the name of this company, to deliver an ad dnv^; on that (K'caslon."' Tlu'
190 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
directors also resolved, " that Henry Polhemus, Amoi Underwood, Hugh Watson, Stephen A. Goodwin, and Oeorge H. Wood, be a committee on the part of this Board, to act in concert with any committee which may be appointed by our fellow-citizens, in making the proper arrangements for the occasion." Also, *' that the military and fire companies, the president s,nd trustees of the village of Auburn, the president, directors, and stockholders of the Aub. & Syr. R. R. Co., and their engineers, the mechanics, millers, and manufacturers of the village of Auburn and vicinity, the citizens of the village of Auburn, and of this and the adjoining counties, be respectfully invited to join in the celebration."
In accordance with the wishes of the company, the citizens of the town appointed, at a public meeting held October 1st, a committee, representing every trade and profession, to co-operate with and aid the di- rectors' committee in ordering matters for the celebra- tion. It comprised the following : Colonel Charles W. Pomeroy, chairman ; A. G. Bostwick, Asa C. Munger, James II. Bostwick, Robert Cook, Michael S. Myers, E. II. Johnson, Asaph D. Leonard, Robert Muir, George Casey, Amasa Curtice, B. White, John Rich- ardson, Cyrus C. Dennis, Ezekiel AVilliams, Jolm Sey- mour, A. Munger, Willet Lounsbury, Truman J. McMaster, II. 11. Cooley, Daniel Hewson, Hon. John Porter, W. Holmes, A. L. Cooper, Daniel F. Cock.
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGK. 191
At the break of a beautiful autumnal day, the thun- der of cannon at Auburn heralded the approaching celebration. The villaij^e and adjoining towns were astir early in the morning, and the ])eople came forth in throngs to evince their sympathy with the enterprising men who had projected, and ap})arently were about to consummate, their bold design of a canal to the Owasco Lake. An immense procession was formed at eleven o'clock, in front of the American hotel, by Colonel William Goodwdn, Marshal of the day, and Major Royal P. Stowe, his assistant, which was conducted through Genesee and Mechanic Streets to the site of the contemplated, dam, under escort of the Auburn Guards, the Auburn Artillery, and a body of military officers in uniform. Besides the officers and eniriueers of the Canal Company, and of the A. & S. 11. R. Company, and the Trustees of Auburn, there appeared in the procession the Mechanics' Association of Skan- eateles, with its ensigns and flags, the mechanics, man- ufacturers, and millers of Auburn, with banners and the badges of their respective occupations, the trades, with scarce an exception, being represented and ac- tively carried on upon se])arate cars, handsomely and appropriately decorated, each drawn by four horses. These were followed by the tire companies of Au- burn, the Young Men's Literary and IScientiiic Asso- ciation, the clergy, and large numbers of citizens. The [H'inters sti'uck oil* ancPdi.-tributcd to the jK'opU',
192 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
as they passed along in tlie procession, the tbllowing verses :
Hail, Euterpririe ! whose rising sun,
This day beams forth its light The Union's "•loveliest village" on, Where all her patriot sons, as one,
To greet thy dawn, unite.
Well may thy citizens agree,
With joy, to celebrate the hour, In which is turned the magic key, That opens. Auburn I unto thee,
The secret sources of thy power.
Here join each Trade, Profession, Art,
Beneath the colors of the free. With unity of thought and heart, Renewed impulses to impart.
To Enterprise and Industry.
With happiness, and health, and peace.
By smiling heaven blessed. Auburn ! may thy proud march ne'er cease Till by still prosperous increase, In wealth, in numbers, and in fame. Thou earnest to thyself the name.
Of Fairest City op the West.
Prayer at the scene of the cerenaony was ofiered by the Rev. William Lucas, rector of St. Paul's Church. A noble and prophetic address was then delivered to the dense throng In the ravine, by the Hon. William H. Seward. At the close of the address, the Hon. Row- land Day, of Moravia, deposited in the corner-stone of the dam, a plate inscribed :
" THIS CORNER-STONE
OP the
AUBURN AND O WASCO CANAL,
Was laid Oct. 14th, Anno Domini, 1835,
and of American Independence,
the fiOth.
ANNAL> uF J! IE VILLAGF. 193
DIKECTOKS OK THE AlliLRN AND OWASCO CANAL COMPANY.
John M. Sherwood, Georpe IT. Wood,
Elijah Miller, Nelson Beard.?ley,
Henry Polhemus. Xeheiniuh D. Carharl.
Amos Underwood. Henry Vatex.
William H. Seward, i
TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF ALBURN,
el S. Mv H. Ched( Bradley Tattle
Michael S. Mvers, Charles W. Pomcroy,
John H. Chedell, Jes.se Williird.
Population of Aubuni, 5,368."
And tlie stone wiis laid, wliile cannon tlinnclcred from both banks of the stream.
A h^rge company sat down in tlie afternoon to a snmptuons dinuer at the American, over wliich the Hon. Elijah Miller, assisted bj the Hon. Ulysses F. Doublcday, Hon. John Porter, and Col. John Richard- son presided. According to cnstom, the dinner was conclnded with wine and toasts, the latter being, on this occasion, unnsually profuse and patriotic. The 4th of July nnml)er of thirteen led the way ; volun- teers followed. Amonir them were the followinir:
'•Our fellow-citizen, Wm. H. Seward.— May his eloquent address, pro nonnced to-day, awaken public attention to the capabilities of the loveliest vil- lage of the West."
" Education.— The bulwark of our Republic. He deserve? the best of the State who most contributes to its universal diffusion."
By Hon. Elijah Miller. " Western New York.— By the bounty of the State and the enterprise of her citizens, may her canals and railroads be multiplied in the ratio of her increasing population."
By Hon. George B. Throop. " PtjBLic Spirit.— Promoting improvements in all, and excluding no quarter of our village, comprehending the prosperity of each citizen, trade, class, and profession of our population, as the direct means of increasing the wealth, importance, and enlargement of Auburn."
By Parliament Bronson, Esq. "The pam op the Aubi'rn and Owasco Canal Company. —May it raise a fountain from which will flow iibernl streams of profit to the company, and of pros|»erity to the village." 11
194 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
By Sherman Beardsley, Esq. "The Town op Auburn.— The surrounding country is willing to pay her honors."
By Richard L. Smith, Esq. " The Owasco.— Let us float on her calm bosom and lave in her clear waters."
By Lyman L. Wilkinson, Esq. " Our own Village.— The center of the State of New York ; her local advantages justly claim for her the distinction of Capital."
By George IL Wood, Esq. "The Farmers, Mechanics, and Manufac TURER3.— The bone and sinew of the nation."
By Edward E. Marvine, Esq. " Auburn in 1845.- The key-stone city of the State ; with 20,000 inhabitants ; a manufacturing revenue of $4,000,000 ; a State House ; two colleges, and no poor-house."
By Nelson Beardsley, Esq. " Our guests from neighboring towns and COUNTIES.— Their attendance on this occasion evinces a liberal and magnani- mous'spirit, which we ought not only to acknowledge, but to reciprocate."
The festivities of the day ended with a magnificent ball at the Western Exchange, which was conducted, in all respects, in a more splendid style than any ever before given in any of the villages of Western New York.
The building of the big dam was commenced by Captain Bradley Tuttle, the contractor, without delay. By the middle of the spring of 1836, the stone struc- ture had been raised to the height of fifteen feet, and was carried up, as the state of the outlet permitted, till, in the fall of 1839, it had been erected to the height of twenty-five feet, or twice the height of the old wooden dam near by. Garlick's dam was submerged in the beautiful pond thus formed ; the power of two hundred and fifty horses w^as gained at the new fall. By rais- ing the big dam to the proposed height of thirty-eight feet — which was necessary to eftect navigation to the
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 195
lake — and by lowering the bed of the outlet, near the lake, two feet, it was expected that the power of seven hundred horses would be gained. While the dam was being constructed, an excavation for the intended basin of the canal was })rogressing at the old Walker lot, to wliich, about tlie year 1830, a bridge was built from the opposite side of the outlet, in accordance witli the design of connecting navigation on the canal and lake with railroad communication between Auburn and the Erie Canal ; and a route for a railroad track from the bridge to the A. ^t S. R. R. depot in the town was marked out. The scheme of navigation on tlie outlet was, however, never carried out. It was abandoned about the year 1840. The unwonted stringency of the times had caused public interest in the matter to drooj), while the gentlemen who had embarked their ])rivate fortunes in the erection of the big dam and the im- provement of the water-power of the outlet, having suffered heavy losses in the general decline of prices in 1837, were unable to carry their noble design for- ward to consummation. Certain movements, moreover, in Auburn and the adjoining towns, looking toward the construction of railroads through the productive grain and timber regions, which it had been expected to reach by navigation on the lake, appeared to have removed the necessity for that last named measure. Leaving the big dam, with its magnificent hydraulic power, as it stood in 1831), therefore, tlie Canal Com-
196 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
])any sold its i)roperty along the outlet, namely : two grist mills, having four runs of stone each, two saw mills, 9even dwellings with lots, village lots to the extent of one hundred and eighteen acres, and the unoccupied liydraulic privileges of the upper and lower dams ; and wound up its affairs, having indeed failed to ac- complish the nominal end of its existence, but having, nevertheless, performed a work that has crowned it with honor, and the city of Auburn with prosperity.
The movement in Auburn for building a railroad to tlie Erie Canal received a fresh impulse in 1831, from the proceedings of the State Kailroad Convention at Syracuse, on the 12th of October. This convention was held upon the invitation of the citizens of Buffalo, to discuss the propriety of constructing a railroad from Buffalo to Schenectady, passing through the villages of Utica and Salina, and was attended by delegates from all the principal places on the line of the pro- posed road ; the delegates from Auburn being Parlia- ment Bronson, John M. Sherwood, and Nathaniel Garrow. The organization of a company, with a capital of five millions, to build this road, which, it was the prevalent sentiment in the convention, should follow the route of the Erie Canal, as far westward, at least, as Hochester, was concluded upon. It was re- solved to apply to the Legislature for a charter.
Two bad w^agon-roads were at this time the only means of communication with the Erie Canal from
ANNALS OF THF VILLA(>K. 197
Auburn. Since the Syracuse coiiventum did not ex- tend the assurance tliat the pro])osed through raih-oad should be constructed tlir()Uiz;li this place, the necessity of carryiui^ into eft'ect some one of the many scliemes for enabling the citizens of Auburn to phice their manufactures and the products of the country rapidly and cheaply on the canal, for shi[)ment to the great markets, forced itself u})on the attention of our promi- nent men. A public meeting was called at the West- ern Exchange, January Otli, 1832. It was resoh^ed, ^' That in order to sustain the present jtrosperous and flourishing condition of our village, and to jn-ovide for its continuity and augmentation, an application be made to the Legislature of this State, at its present session, for a charter to construct a railroad from the village of Auburn to the Erie Canal," in accordance with which an application was made for a charter, and lion. AYm. II. Seward, tlien in the State Senate, procured the i)assage of the same.
But the Legislature having refused, for various im- l>ortant considerations, the request of the Syracuse convention to incorporate a Buffalo and Schenectady railroad company, the citizens of Auburn, ready to -j^rofit thereby, changed their plans, and conceived the bold design of constructing a railroad from this point to the Erie Canal at tlie village of Syracuse, which, it was believed, would have all the advantages of the chartered road to Port lUron, and wonld place An-
198 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
burn, beyond a doubt, upon tlie great foreshadowed through line of railroads from the Hudson River to Lake Erie. Enterprises of such magnitude and im- portance could, at that early day, be prosecuted only with the aid of the people. To them, accordingly^ assembled at the Western Exchange, on the 2Tth day of December, 1833, was the matter submitted. Cap- tain Bradley Tuttle took the chair at the meeting, and John II. Chedell was elected secretary. The scheme of the railroad to Syracuse was presented and argued, and was cordially indorsed by the most eminent citi- zens of the town, twenty-five of whom were designated as a managing committee, and were authorized to take efficient measures for obtaining a charter from the Legislature, and for the organization of the rail- road company.
The Auburn & Syracuse Railroad Company was in- coq^orated by an act of the Legislature, passed May 1st, 1834, with an authorized capital of $400,000. It began existence under inauspicious circumstances. The construction of the railroad from Auburn to Syracuse .was, from the broken nature of the ground over which a large part of it must necessarily pass, and from the retired and unfavorable location of Auburn, regarded in many places as an act of unspeakable folly. Hun- dreds prophecied the total failure of the enterprise, predicting that every dollar invested in the road would be a positive loss. One of the leading citizens.
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 199
of this village, Michael S. Myers, Esq., visiting Albany on railroad business, met at that distant place the dis- couraging remark from an eminent friend, that it was foolish to even dream of a railroad poking in among the hills that surrounded Auburn. Notwithstanding the immense and palpable advantages of the road to our citizens, they too were infected with a fear that it would be impossible to construct it, or make it pay in any manner whatever. They feared that the line could not compete with the Grand Canal. Packet boats for the rapid carriage of passengers were then in common use on the canal ; and traveling upon them was so comfortable and safe, and so far superior to the tiresome old-time method of traveling in the stages, that not a few believed that the ultimatum was reached, and that no further facilities for convenient or quick travel were of any possible use. It may also be re- marked that proprietors of parallel lines of stages did not view the railroad with favor.
Subscription books WTre, notwithstanding, opened in Auburn at the Western Exchange, in July, and, nothing having then been done toward taking the stock of the company, again in l^ovember, under the direc- tion of Colonel Levi Lewis, Captain Bradley Tuttle, Amos Underwood, Hon. Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., and Robert Cook, of Auburn, and John Wilkinson, Henry Raynor, George Geddes, and Horace White, of Syra- cuse, commissioners. It is impossible to regard the
200 HISTOEY OF AITBURN.
energy and liig'U-niinded tenacity of purpose displayed by these gentlemen, and the lion. Elijah Miller and other faithful co-operators in the town, in their efforts to awaken public confidence in their valuable enter- prise, and to win the attention and substantial support of the moneyed men of the region travei'sed by the road, without sentiments of admiration. Pushing ahead in the face of all discouragements, they labored incessantly during the period allowed them by law to obtain subscriptions, traveling over the ground be- tween Auburn and Syracuse time and again, stirring up the citizens of the villages and towns to a sense of the importance of the work in hand, and bringing them to further it by taking stock. It was no easy task they had undertaken, but, in spite of all im- pediments, they mastered it, being enabled to re- port, on the 11th of December, that they had re- ceived subscriptions to the full amount of four hun- dred thousand dollars.
Of this sum, three hundred and fifty thousand was raised in xVuburn and the immediate vicinity. Organi- zation of the company was effected on the 20th day of January, 1835. The management was intrusted to Hon. Elijali Miller, president ; Asaph D. Leonard, secretary ; (^eorge 1>. Throop, treasurer ; Nathaniel Garrow, John M. Sherwood, Stephen Yan Anden, Dr. Richard Steel, John Seymour, Abijah Fitch, Ed- ward E. Marvin, and Allen AVarden, of Auburn, and
AN\AI-S OF TIIK VILLAGE. 201
Vivus W. Smith and Henry Itayiior, uf Syracuse, di- rectors.
The surveys and examinations prehminary to the location of the route of the road were made under tlie direction of the accomplished engineer, Edwin F. Johnson, by Levi Williams, Esq., his assistant, during the summer of 1835. When these were done, Huorh Lee, Esq., was also employed, and all ]^roceeded to prepare the work for tlie contractors. A depot, in appearance not unlike a political wigwam of later times, was erected near the south-east corner of Van- Anden and State Streets. Work upon the line of the road was begun and vigorousl}^ prosecuted the ensuing season, under the supervision of Colonel Levi Lewis, the superintendent. The incorporation of the Auburn and Rochester Railroad Compan}^ May 13th, 1836, with a capital of $2,000,000, and of other roads, mak- ing a complete connection between Buffalo and Al- bany, the same year, added wings to the building of the road to Syracuse, which was opened for travel, as will be seen in the next chapter, in the year 1838.
The unusually long and pleasant Indian summer of 1835, so favorably remembered by our citizens, and so propitious for the ])ro3ecution of the numerous public works then under way in the town, was followed by a winter that opened mildly, and was at iirst accom- panied with so little snow, that by New Year's day, of 1836, waiz;ons were in general use in lieu of sleii^^hs.
202 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
But the montli of January, of tlie latter year, was as distinguislied for its storms, as its predecessors for their tranquillity. On Friday, the 8th, a wet snow suddenly began to fall in dense, large flakes, in nearly all the Northern States. The pent-up storms of winter seemed to have been all at once let loose. The fleecy element descended in dense clouds, without cessation, all through Friday night and Saturday, filling up and blockading all the roads, and burdening the roofs of the villages till they groaned. Baron Munchausen relates that he was once abroad in such a storm, and that the snow fell in such vast measure that he passed entirely over the city to which he was bound, in the dark, and hitched his horse, upon losing his w^ay, to the spire of a steeple that protruded from the snow, thinking that it was a horse-post. Auburn seemed about to be buried in like manner. But on Sunday the storm abated, with four feet of wet, heavy snow on the ground. The males of the town spent a large part of the day of rest on the house-tops. The roofs generally " gave signs of woe," and some were crushed by the masses of snow that had accumulated upon them. A perfect embargo upon trade and travel reigned for days, and even weeks. The stages could not run ; the mails could only be sent through by a postman ; and such citizens of the town and the country, as were not 60 fortunate as to have had an ample supply of fuel on hand before the storm, suffered severely. The farm-
ANNALS OF TUE VILLAGE. 20^
ers, shut out from the woods, had to use the fuel near- est to them, and a general destruction of rail and board fences was the consequence. Baron Munchausen further relates, in continuation of his account of the- extraordinary snow-storm mentioned above, having tied his horse as stated, and liimself gone to sleep in his sleigh, he awoke the next morning to find that a thaw had carried off all the snow during the night,, leaving him and his establishment dangling in mid air,, while the populace of the town had gathered in the streets below, and were gazing at his extraordinary position. Such a thaw occurred in Kew York, in the spring of 1836. The vast body of snow that covered its surface suddenly melted, about the N^ones of April, and the State was almost inundated. The peaceful Owasco raged furiously for days. Severe damage was inflicted upon hydraulic w^orks and property. Three dams between Genesee Street and the lake were swept away, the lower story of the mechanic's hall on Mechanic Street was shattered, and the old wooden market on the I^iorth-Street bridge was undermined and nearly demolished. The canal dam, however, re- mained sound.
Among the numerous projects planned in Auburn, in the winter of 1835, was one for the establishment of a college here, under the auspices and control of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The proposition originated at a meeting of the Oneida Conference at
204 HISTORY OF A'JIJUKN.
Oswego, ISeptember 25th, 1835. Assuraiiccvs of wariri support and co-operation in the luovemeiit liaving been received from several eminent declared friends of education in Auburn and other places, seven of them, namely, Hon. Wm. H. Seward, Hon. Nathaniel Garrow, George B. Throop, John Seymour, and Rev. Zachariali Paddock, of Auburn ; and Rev. George Peck and Rev. Josiah Keyes, of Cazenovia, were con- stituted a committee to apply to the Regents of the University for a charter for the college. The Genesee Conference, on the 14th of October, appointed a com- mittee to co-operate, namely : Rev. Samuel Luckey, D.D., and Augustus A. Bennett, of Lima ; Rev. Abner Chase, of Penn Yan ; Rev. John B. Alverson, of Perry ; Jonathan Metcalf, of Seneca Falls ; Dr. Samuel Moore, of Palmyra ; and Dr. O. C. Comstock, of Tru- mansburg. The commissioners met in Auburn, on the 23d of December, for counsel. Messrs. Garrow, Seward, and Throop were authorized by the Board to take such measures as they might deem expedient, toward obtaining a charter from the Regents, and an endowment from the Legislature. It being delinitely proposed to erect a college in Auburn, on the Dill farm, on the north side of Allen Street, a few rods east of Washington Street, which, when finished, would, with the grounds, cost thirty thousand dollars, and to endow the same with fifty thousand dollars, the Regents readily consented to charter the college,
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGK. 2t5
when l)ullt. The coiuniissioiiers, therefore, liaving^ matured their phiii!?, invited the public to meet them at the Methodist church in Auburn, August 25th. 1836, to devise means to carry forward tlie work. Hon. En OS T. Throop took the chair at tlie meeting ; lion. Ehjah Millei", IS^athaniel Garrow, Henry Polhe- mus, Hon. Joseph L. Kichardson, and Isaac L. Miller were elected vlce-])residents ; and John II. Chedell and Edward E. Marvine w^ere elected secretaries. After addresses from Gov. Throop, Mr. Seward, Geo. B. Throop, and otliers, subscriptions Avere asked f<»r. and eigliteen tliousand dollars was raised on the spot. A committee aj^pointed to wait on the citizens of the town, and request their aid in the enterprise, consisted of Hon. Wm. H. Seward, John H. Chedell, John Dill, E. E. Marvine, Hon. John Porter, Dr. Richard Steel, Truman J. McMaster, Clark B. Hotchkiss, Bradley Tuttle, Hiram Bostwick, Michael S. Myers, Asaph D. Leonard, Nathaniel (xarrow, W. S. Palmer, Amos Underwood, and Jolm Seymour. A board of trustees was organized soon afterward, with Mr. (4.arro\v as president, and Mr. Seward, secretary.
The Auburn Ojllege project was not a mere myth, therefore, as some have supposed, but was a genuine undertaking, which was begun in good faith, with every prospect of success, and elicited the favor and notice of some of the most distinguished men of the State. Fortv tliousjind dollars were subscribed to
206 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
tlie college fund, a plan for the college buildings was prepared, a site of ten acres was donated, and all things were, in the winter of 1836, favorable for a com- mencement of the work of building in the spring. The sad embarrassments of 1837, however, caused the abandonment of the enterprise, though it was with re- luctant hearts that its friends finally ceased their <jfforts to prosecute it to success.
1836 was the most memorable year in the annals of the village of Auburn. No year ever began more au- spiciously, or terminated more joyfully, or was regard- ed at its close with more satisfaction by the merchant, mechanic, capitalist, and speculator. It was a period of extraordinary activity in every department of business, and of visionary speculation. It was the great excited year of Auburn history. Real estate rose to five and ten times its former value. The village was enlarged, on paper, to the bounds of the township). Lots and farms were sold at fabulous prices. Costly and spacious edi- fices were erected all over the place, and new and larger ones were planned, broad boulevards were laid out in the suburbs, and the citizens all felt rich, and all made money whether they bought or sold. Under the belief that the village was soon to be a powerful manufacturing town, land companies were formed, and bought up all the outlying lands at enormous rates, and public works were projected of unprecedented magnitude. The trustees of the corporation, at the
ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 207
request of the citizens, caused an imposing map of the town to be engraved and printed, displaying at- tractive representations of the Auburn College, the Prison, the Seminary, and other public buildings, and of numberless broad avenues and spacious blocks that one may now searcli Auburn in vain to find, a delinea- tion of Eagle Park, as it was intended that Fort Hill should in the future be known, and a sketch of the beautiful Owasco Lake, with steamboats floating on its placid bosom, and numerous vessels passing from its surface through a lock into a great canal.
208 HIBTOKY OF AlBUKiN.
CHAPTER 1\\
THK GENERAL PROGRESS OF* AUBURN FROM THE TEVIE OF THE RANIC TO THE PRESENT.
1S37-1869.
We would willingly glance once more at the liappy picture presented by our village in the halcyon days of '36, before shouldering our burden and trudging down the dusty and crooked road of our history to search for new^ scenes and new^ events. We shall not again see our people so joyous and elated, nor find a year wherein so much w^as planned and achieved for the public good. But tlie journey is long, and it is not our purpose to linger in the pleasant places, nor to cull many flowers by the w^ay, but rather to gather np and arrange the facts wdiich so plentifully bestrew our course. So on w^e go in the pursuit of facts.
1836, the brightest year of our history, saw, upon its closing night, the streets of Auburn illuminated for the first time wdtli oil lamps, as if in honor of its de- parture. The village entered peacefully upon anotlier year, l^ever were its people more prosperous and contented, never were tliere so few among them that were idle or needy, never was the future more inviting. Ambitious citizens, looking through the vista of on-
GE2JERAT. PROGRESS. 209
coming years, believed tliat they saw Auburn at no great distance a miglitj and ^yealtlly city, spreading even to the shores of the Owasco, and 2:litterinfr with the spires of magnificent buildings, among which was the lofty dome of the Capitol. But already was that gathering at the horizon, which sliould reyerse this picture. Scarce was 1S37 inaugurated, before a finan- cial storm of unprecedented severity appeared in the sky, and, bursting, swiftly prostrated the prosperity of Auburn, yes, and of the State. AVithout the ability to stay its progress, our citizens saw the storm advance and overtake their bright schemes one by one, and leave them in ruins. In the ardor of enterprise they had laid aside the clc^ak of caution, and were unpre- pared for the 'pw^&ig«.'^ 'This year was, therefore, in Auburn, a period of business reverses and calamities. But misfortunes are gregarious ; they were piloted in the present case by a conflagration.
On the night of Saturday, January 21st, the streets of the village became quiet at an unusually early hour. It was bitterly cold, and a snow-storm from the north- east was raging furiously. A deep snow covered the ground. Half an hour before midnight, a couple of citizens, making their way through the storm to their lodgings, discovered a strong light issuing from a little wooden building, next west of the stone hardware-store of Hyde, AVatrous c^ Co., used by Xorman Bennett for the sale of dry goods. Discovering that tlio 8h()[> was 12
210 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
burning, tlicy gave the alarm. The bells summoned the citizens of the town and the fire and bucket companies to the scene, and a vigorous attempt was made to arrest the progress of the fire. The intense cold prevented this. The water in the hose was quickly frozen, and the engines rendered useless ; and in spite of the best eflbrts of the hook and ladder men, and the use of the buckets, the flames, fanned by the gale, rolled through the wooden row west of the starting-point almost as fast as a man could walk. In three hours, fourteen buildings were in ashes. By good management, the brick stores of Steel & Groot, and Horace Hills, on the corner of l^orth Street, w^ere saved. Those con- sumed, in order, Avere the elegant store of Hyde, Wat- rous & Co., Norman Bennett's dry goods store, Eras- tus Pease's shoe-shop, H. C. Pease's looking-glass shop, .Maltbie & Camp's wooden dry goods store, Daniel F. 'Cock's comb store, Cooley & Kathbun's brick dry goods store, Munger & Perry's dry goods, Benjamin Ashby's grocery, J. S. Bartlett & Co.'s dry goods, T. M. Hunt's drug-store, Upton, Bennett & Co.'s saddler- shop, Bemis & Leonard's restaurant, and D. C. Stew- art's dry goods store, the latter being demolished with gunpowder to check the fire. These stores were foi" the most part low wooden structures, old, and highly inflammable ; a fire among which would have been diffi- cult to control, under the best of circumstances. The glare of this' conflagration was visible nearly twenty
GENERAL PROGRESS. 211
■miles. The heat of tlie biirniiii:^ biiildinirs was intense, and inflicted considerable damage upon tlie Exchange block across the way, which was repeatedly set on fire. The total losses of property by this unfortunate event were estimated at one hundred thousand dollars. The inflammable character of the buildings in this row, however, having long before excited apprehension, tlie merchants occu])ying them had generally provided for this very emergency by securing large amounts of in- surance both on their wares and the shops. It is said that a few of the store-keepers were gainers by the flre. But the majovitysuff*ered severely. The suspen- sion of their business, with their losses, and the ap- l^roach of hard times soon afterwards, was a stunning blow. Few were able to sustain their misfortune, and their dejection added to the general gloom in the busi- ness circles of Auburn during the ensuing summer.
This flre wa=;, notwithstanding, an advantage to Auburn. It was time that the north side of Genesee Street should be embellished with something of a higher order than a row of wooden shops. The ob- ])ortunity was now afl'orded, and was im]n*oved with- out delay. The Arm of Hyde & Co., composed of Joseph B. Hyde, Jolm L. Watrous, Albert AValcott, Cyrus C. Dennis, and Thomas M. Hunt, erected at once a cut-stone store-house upon the old foundations ; and Charles Bemis, "Monsieur Jacob Leonard, and •^ohn H. n>cach Ixv^inn a mairnificent block, four
212 IIISTOKY OF AUBUKN.
stories in heiglit, in tlie western part of the burnt dis- trict, the moment that tlie spring opened. The west end of the block was finished in Jul}-, and occupied by its energetic proprietors as a dining-hall and confec- tionary store. The rest was completed soon after- ward. The whole of the burnt district was built over in a very few years.
The premonitions of tlie financial storm of '37 were iirst heard upon the assembling of the Legislature, on the first Monday of January. Most of the Banks in ^le State then represented to that body that they w^ere !in distress by reason of the inability of their customers to take up their discounted paper ; that tliey had very little specie in their vaults, and were unable to procure more, from the fact that the country had been drained to meet balances due abroad upon an excessive import trade ; and that they could not redeem their bills in specie ; and they requested that they should be protected by the Legislature in suspending specie payments, since they would otherwise be obliged to go into liquidation. The extension of unlimited credit to their customers by the Banks, and by all dealers in merchandise, wholesale and retail, had been a characteristic feature of 183(3. This disclosure to the Legislature informed all debtors that they had nothing more to expect from the Banks ; and the receipt of an avalanche of lettei's call- ing upon them for payment of existing indebtedness, apprised them that the day of reckoning had come.
(GENERAL PROGRESS. !213
On tlie lOtli clay of May, the Banks at Albany and New York suspended specie payments. A terrible panic was the result. Tlie commotion, not confined to the great cities, was immediately felt in Auburn. Specie vanished from circulation in a moment. It was impossible for t!ie Banks here to withstand a pres- sure that h'ld mastered the monetary institutions of the metropolis. They were exceedin2;ly distressed. They accordingly appealed to the people to sustain them in following the example of the Banks in New York. The trustees of the corporation met at their room on the 12th to consider what the times required them to do. Ninety-six merchants and business men of the town having agreed in writing to receive the bills of the Auburn Banks at par at their stores, the trustees recommended the institutions to suspend specie payments, directing that their bills should be taken in payment of all village taxes, and pledging the re- sponsibility of the village for their ultimate redemp- tion. A public meeting of the inhabitants was held at the town hall, the same day. Eobert Muir, Pres- ident of the vQlage, presided ; Stephen A. Goodwin was secretary. The citizens resolved to sustain the Banks of the place. They furthermore appointed a committee, consisting of Nathaniel Garrow, Asaph D. Leonard, Warren T. Worden, Ira Hopkins, and Ste- phen A. Goodwin, to impress upon the Legislature the necessity of restraining the Banks of the State from issu-
214 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
inir one, two, and three dollar notes, and to ask lenien- cy for tlie action of the Banks here in suspending re- demption of their bills in specie. The committee was successful in its eiforts. Suspension was granted for one year.
The banking institutions of Auburn were aided in a measure by this action, but not materially the people. During the month of May, the latter found themselves almost entirely deprived of any circulating medium of a denomination less than live dollars. The dearth of the means of making small change closed the door, for a time, upon all sorts of small dealing in family sup- plies, store trade, and the employment of wood-chop- pers and day-laborers. Wide-spread sufiering in the village, among all classes, was the consequence. Busi- ness w^as almost suspended. The trustees found them- selves, in this emergency, impelled to provide some remedy for the popular distress. They accordingly authorized the immediate issue of eight thousand dol- lars in checks or notes of the size of one, two, and three dollars, and sent them into circulation from the stores of Robert Muir, Henry Ivison, Jr., and Nehemiah D. Oarhart, retaining the funds arising from their sale ex- pressly for their redemption. Following the example of other companies, the Auburn and Syracuse Railroad Company ventured at the same time to issue twenty thousand dollars in checks, on its own treasurer, of de- nominations varying between twenty cents and one dol-
GENERAL PROGRESS. 215
lar, with tlie assurance that the merchants of Aubnrn would receive them at a slight discount for supplies ; and paid off the construction hands with them in lieu ot money. Like the same forms of currency issued in colonial times, these checks Avere called " shinplasters." They passed readily in the town for change. The stringency of the money market induced an issue of shinplasters from many other parties, on their private accounts. During the summer, Emanuel D. Hudson, then a contractor for furnishing rations to convicts in the prison, found it necessary to resort to an issue of checks to carry on his business. To give them credit he put them in the form of promissory notes, payable in specie on demand, when presented in sums of five dollars or over, at his office on Genesee Street ; and he indicated his ability to pay specie for them, by procur- ing five hundred dollars worth of coin, and keeping it well ^displayed in his front window. lie issued ten thousand dollars of this paper, which was always re- deemed in gold and silver, when demanded, and had in consequence most excellent credit, not only here, but in the country far around. The Auburn Paper Mill Company, also, and Asaph D. Leonard & Co., Charles Coventry & Co., and other leading milling and business houses, imitated the example, and issued simi- lar notes. It was estimated that during the summer of 1837, four-fifths of tlie circulating medium in xVuburn, then amounting to two hundred thousand dollars, con-
216 HISTOKY OF AUBUKN.
sisted of sliinplasters, about one-fourtli of wliieli was in time lost or worn out, and the rest faithfully redeemed.
The long continued pressure of the times in Auburn, and the scarcity of money, resulted in a ruinous depre- ciation of property. A part at least of the pros})eritjr of Auburn was fictitious. The gentlemen who had invested their fortunes so largely in real estate, at high prices, were the first to feel the severity of the panic. Their property gradually lost its value, till, in many in- stances, it would bring no more than one-sixth of what it had been bought for twelve months before. The reaction left capitalists helpless to save their invest- ments. All lost large sums of money, and many made deplorable failures. JJusiness was checked in all its departments. A general reduction of expenses by the citizens followed, and threw large numbers of work- men and meclianics out of employment, and suffered the distress of the times to fall heavily upon all the in- dustrial classes.
These occurrences gave the death-blow to enterprise in Auburn. All schemes requii'ing the outlay of large sums of money became, in the summer of 1S3T, business impossibilities. The leaders in the generous move- ments for new avenues, boulevards, and parks, in the Auburn College project, in the matter of canal navi- gation to the Susquehanna, and in a scheme for erect- ing certain woolen and fiouring mills on the outlet, became deeply involved in tlie general embarrassment ;
GENERAL PK0GKE6S. 217
and though they struggled liard to maintain them- selves, tliey were forced to give up all of these enter- prises, except the railroad, and attend to extricating themselves from their business complications. The formation of two ])rojected railroad companies, one to connect Auburn with Sodus Bay, and the other to build a road to Ithaca, was abandoned as hopeless. A company, known as the Auburn Hydraulic Associa- tion, composed of JSTathaniel Garrow, Dr. Ricliard Steel, John Seymour, George B. Throop, and their associates, which had been incorporated for the pur- pose of constructing a canal from Barber's dam west- ward, along the south bank of the outlet, to the cotton mill, for hydraulic purposes and to work a stone quaiTy, unable to proceed, was also abandoned. It is not necessary to enter more minutely into the effects of the panic in xluburn, to show the fearful reaction in every circle, and the sudden stop to which every enterprise was brought in 1837. The town was pros- trated ; and for the next five years received scarce an accession to its population in any other manner than by births. It was quite apparent that the visions of many of our sanguine citizens, expressed on the occa- sion of the big-dam celebration, were not to be real- ized.
The town hall was finished in ISoT, at a cost ot thirty thousand dollars. By ordinances adopted June 15th, all the butchers of the village were required to
218 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
rent stalls in the lower story of this building, and ex- pose their meats for sale tliere. Vegetable wagons were required to rendezvous on the sides of the square in front of the town hall, until nine o'clock A. M. A village officer, styled the clerk of the market, was ap- pointed to enforce the market laws and bring suits for their non-observance. The market system continued in force in Auburn till 1845, when John E. Patten having with great boldness opened a market in another place in the village, a question arose as to the sound- ness of the town ordinances on this subject. In a law- suit bi'ought by the trustees against Mr. Patten, the courts declared these ordinances invalid, and the butchers soon afterward left the market, which was then for several years unused, except occasionally for the packing of pork. The stalls were subsequently re- moved, and the building fitted up for a school.
One pleasant day during the summer of 1837, our community was painfully excited by the rumors of a distressing accident at Owasco Lake. It was Satur- day, the 24tli of June. Four students at the Theologi- cal Seminary, Hannibal Smith, of Johnson, "Wm. P. Tuttle, of Newark, N. J., Wm. Woodbridge, of Stock- bridge, Mass., and Simeon S. Johnson, of Monroe County, N. Y., had gone out with a lad of fifteen, a son of II. C. Witherell, for a sail. They were floating upon the tranquil bosom of the lake, about half a mile from the shore, when they were suddenly capsized by
GENERAL PK0GRES8. 21^
a white squall, and all sank immediately to the bot- tom, except young "Witherell, who, supported by au oar and the rudder, managed to reach the land in safety. Word of the event was conveyed at once ti> Auburn. The students were well known and univer- sally respected. A large number of citizens set out for the lake, therefore, without delay, and began a search for the bodies, which was not remitted till the following Saturday. All were buried at the North Street cemetery, on the 2d of July. The address of Dr. Samuel H. Cox on this occasion is still remem- bered as one of the most solemn and impressive dis- courses ever delivered in Auburn.
June of 1837 witnessed the opening of two water- cure establishments near this village ; one on the farm of oSTelson Yan Xess, on the road to Cayuga, and four miles west of Auburn, and the other on the property of Isaac Selover and David Sears, about a mile north- east of the prison ; as well as the opening of the Au- burn Female Seminary, under the charge of E. ITos- mer, Esq., and Lady, on the corner of Genesee and Washington Streets. The latter institution drew a large attendance from the first, beginning with an hundred and forty students. It was destroyed by fire in 1849.
A Presbyterian convention, called in consequence of certain acts of the previous General Assembly at Phila- delphia, exscinding the Synods of Utica, Geneva, and
^20 illSTOKY OF AUBURN.
Oenesee, in New York, and Western Eeserve, in Ohio, met at the Preshyterian Clmrch in Auburn, Thursday, August 17th, 1837. Present were representatives ii-om the districts named, and others symipathizing, to the number of about two hundred. Dr. Pichards, of the Seminary, was President of the convention. The Vice-Presidents were the Rev. I. II. Hotchkin and Dr. Penny ; and B. C. Johnson and Henry Brown, Esqs., Rev. E, T. Edwards, of Rochester, and E. W. Chester, Esq., of Cincinnati, were secretaries. The convention sat by adjournment till Monday, and adjourned pre- cisely at four o'clock P. M., after singing the 137th Psalm. A Committee of Correspondence was created, with Dr. Richards for chairman, to act till the next ses- sion of the General Assembly. There was little or no superfluous oratory in the convention. Everything spoken was an arrow shot straight to the mark. Sev- eral discourses came from divines of great celebrity, such as Drs. Beecher, McAuley, Hillyer, Patton, and Peters, and were admirable for their moderation, lu- cidness, and eloquence.
Business and travel upon the railroad to Syracuse began on the 8th of January, 1838, the line having then been finished to the Erie Canal, a distance of twenty-three miles from Auburn, and within two miles of the present terminus. The freight depot was, a year or two later, erected upon a lot donated for the purpose by Allen Warden. It is the same building
GENERAL PROGRESS. 221
now used by Ed. R. Richardson for livery purposes. The track between the two depots, wliich was hiid in opposition to the wishes of the officers of the Presby- terian Church, ran through Garden and FrankHn Streets, and was in after years abandoned and taken up, by reason uf the difficulty of rounding its sharp corner with loaded cars. The present passenger and freight depot was erected for the accommodation of the roads to Rochester and to Syracuse, in 1841. It was once proposed to build the depot on the site of the old Cohnubian Garden. The church opposite de- feated this.
The first excursion train to Sja-acuse left Auburn on January the Sth before mentioned. It was drawn by horses nnder a contract with the energetic Colonel John M. Sherwood. The second party of excursion- ists visited Syracuse June Irth, 1839, to celebrate the completion of the road the whole distance. This time the trip was made with an engine. After the exchange of preliminary courtesies, the railroad went into op- eration, and met with a degree of success that put its old adversaries to shame, and changed their opposition to admiration. It was in fact impossible to withhold wonder of the things accomplished by the talent and spirit of the officers of the railroad company. The impediments that tliey had overcome in laying the road, in paying their workmen (hiring the hard times, in removing tlie increduh'tv of tlic public, and in sur-
t322 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
mounting the embarrassments of inexperience, were prodigious. Some of these were unexpected, and found the officers unprepared. But the raih^oad men had faith and resolution. They clearly perceived that the original idea of a direct road from Syracuse to Rochester would be a distressing calamity to this town. Spurred by the consciousness that the sah^ation of Auburn depended in this crisis upon the spirit of her own citizens, they clung to their enterprise, urged it forward, and advocated it wdth a determination that gained the road, forced the people of Rochester to lay another — which was opened November 4th, 1841 — between that place and this to secure a connection, and wrought the happiest results in reviving the busi- ness and activity of the place. The direct road was indeed constructed in 1850, but the main point had been gained, and the new line was then of no small benefit to Auburn, since it relieved tlie village of the roar of heavy trains that were merely passing through without adding a jot to the business or wealth of our citizens. During the summer and winte:* of 1838, the manage- ment of the prison at Auburn arrested public attention. A necessity for increased discipline in this institution had led to the appointment of a veteran of the war of 1812, named Captain Elam Lynds, as agent, who, in accordance with certain notions, peculiar to himself, had changed the table system of feeding the convicts to that of eatino^ stinted rations in their cells, without
I
GENERAL PROGRESS. 223
knife or fork. This practice, it was observed, forced many toothless and feeble old men to eat their food in an unnatural manner, and in a state unfit for digestion. The privations of this system made the convicts dis- orderly, and rendered the free use of the lash necessary to enforce the rules of the shops. The keepers used this merciless correction to an undue extent. The honest sympathy of the citizens was aroused. Ilealtli and humanity declared against the brutal treatment of the convicts. Petitions, signed by eight hundred persons, were laid before the inspectors of the ])rison at their stated meeting in January, 1839, requesting the dismissal of the agent. These petitions were refused. The excitement was heightened thereby. The grand jury took the matter in hand, and indicted the agent of the prison for violently and inhumanly " beating, bruising, wounding, and ill-treating" the prisoners, and for '' causing to be withheld from the convicts a quantity of food necessary to their healtli and comfort." The indictment was quashed, but the public mind was still disturbed. Two public meetings were held in Auburn to devise a remedy for the evils in view. l)Oth passed censorious resolutions, but the in- spectors chose to regard them as political merely, and so disregarded them. At length an affair occurred that roused tlie community to a dangerous state of exasperation. A convict, by the name of Louis Von Eck, a (rernian pliysician, wlio had ])!M'n scnteiiccil W^r
22^: HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
forgeiy, had for some time been afflicted with a disease of the kings, and, on the 8th of April, he suddenly ex- pired upon a bed in the prison hospital, under circum- stances that seemed to require legal investigation. A coroner's jury was summoned to examine the case. It then became known that Yon Eck had been the victim of repeated floggings, administered! on account of his complaints of sickness and inability to work, nnder the pretence that he was shamming ; and that the fatal termination of his malady had been hastened by neglect and general harsh treatment. These facts created a violent commotion in Auburn. The people were indignant, and righteously ; though it is but justice to say, that the intense feeling they manifested against the officers of the prison was unduly heightened by the efforts of politicians, who were w^orking to de- throne those officers for party ends.
Whatever the cause of the feeling, the people were irresistible, and the agent and two inspectors of the prison found it necessary to resign, in order to restore tranquillity. Plon. Joseph L. Richardson, Seneca B. Dennis, Freeborn ur. Jewett, Joshua Iloskins, and Ho- ratio G. Yan Dusen, then composed the board. The first two resigned, and Henry Polhemus and Robert Cook were appointed in their stead. Dr. ]N"oyes Palmer was appointed agent on the 9tli of May, 1839. The table svstem of eating w^as then resumed in the prison, and the community was appeased.
GEN] HAL PROGRESS. 225
This struggle, however, between prison discipline and the public, infused into the political cani[)iiign of the fall of 1S3S, in this country, an unparalleled bit- terness of party feeling, and created the necessity of a temporary weekly newspaper, entitled The Corrector^ to defend the prison authorities. The Chronicles^ of the prison, '' by Ezra the Scrilje,'' an anonymous periodical, was published about the same time by op- ponents of a severe prison system. The disturbance seems to have been comparatively local, but it lost the election for the Democratic party of Cayuga County.
The part borne by the people of Auburn in the Patriot War cannot be passed by in silence. The Par- liaments of both the Canadas having for several years disagreed with their respective Lieutenant-Governors on vital questions of reform, which there at last seemed to be no peaceable way to settle, a revolutionary pro- vincial convention had assembled in Toronto, under the lead of W. L. Mackenzie, an editor of that city, Van Egmont, of Kingston, and others, and had put forth an address, calling upon the people of Canada to rise, and remove those who oppressed the country. The convention proposed to organize a new and more economical government, and generally '' to make crooked paths straight, and rough places plain.'' Mack- enzie proceeded to do this by gathering a large military force in the provinces, with which he made a demonstra- tion on Toronto on the 4th-7t]i of December, 1 s;^,7. He- 13
226 HISTOKY OF AUBURN.
ing unexpectedly discomfited, he came to the United States, to raise, if possible, a force sufiicient to compel a submission to the matters complained of by the provincial convention. In. the event of a contumacious refusal, he proposed to subvert the Canadian government. He traversed the border country, all the way from Detroit to St. Albans, appealing in various ways to the patriotic sympathies of the American people, and pointing to numerous insurrections in the great cities of the Cana- das, as evidence that the people there would spring to arms the moment they descried the approach of auxili- ary aid from the States. Mackenzie, while on this j ourney, stopped at Auburn. Making the acquaintance of Colonel John Richardson, Ebenezer B. Cobb, Major Royal P. Stone, Captain John T. Baker, Colonel Joshua Ward, Captain Lawrence White, E. Price Sen- ter, Thomas F. Monroe, Asa Priest, Oliver Lawton, Bemis Woodbury, Sidney Somerick, Gardener Stone, and H. N. Thompson, he induced them, with about seven hundred others, to organize a lodge here of patri- ots, self-styled " Reubens," pledged to come to the as- sistance of the Canadians, in case they obtained no re- dress from their government for their grievances. The organization was a secret one. Colonel Ward was the first presiding officer. Meetings were held in the upper rooms of the building then kept by Bemis & Leonard as an inn, the same now owned by Elmore P. Ross, and kept by Solomon IST, Chappel. Mackenzie
GENERAL PROGRESS. 227
brought with him, for adoption, a provisional constitu- tion for a republican government, to be set up in Canada in the event of a successful revolution. The lodge at his request adopted this document, and, in March, 1838, elected Thomas F. Monroe Member of Congress, to represent its members in any meeting of the provisional Congress. Mr. Monroe met with that body soon afterward, in a session held in Cleve- land.
The summer of 1838 was improved by the lodges of this State along the border, in effecting a military organization, with General Von Shoultz, a Polish offi- cer, then residing at Salina, Onondaga County, for commander-in-chief; Colonels AYard, Sutherland, Birgs, Pierce, and Bill Johnson, were commandants of regiments. A rising in Canada apprised General Von Shoultz that the favorable moment had arrived. He accordingly issued orders to the forces within his command, to assemble at Cape Vincent and other points on the St. Lawrence River, on the Tth day of November, which was tlie third day of the annual State election. This allowed the men to vote before leav- ing their homes. On the day appointed. Colonel Ward, with between thirty and forty members of the Heuben lodge, joined a large body of Patriots in Os- wego, and took passage with them in two lake schoon- ers, both bearing the name of Charlotte, and distin- guished as the big and little, to Miller's r>ay, where
228 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
•
they were overtaken by Captains Baker, and White,, from Anbnrn, and numerons others.
On Sunday, the 10th of ]S"ovember, this party re- ceived orders from the commander for a stealthy as- sault that night on the Canadian town of Prescott, which Yon Shoultz had been assured he could capture without discovery or resistance. The order was re- sponded to promptly, and the Patriots, in tow of the steamer United 'States, proceeded toward Prescott, and gained the wharf in perfect silence. But as the party was about to land, an alarm gun was fired, from which Yon Shoultz perceived that the movement was discovered. Withdrawing his transports, therefore,' he dropped down to Windmill Point, a few miles be- low, and landed with the forces on the little Charlotte.
The big Charlotte ran aground at this critical pe- riod, and being menaced next day by the British war steamer, Exjperiment, was in a position of imminent danger. The United States tried to tow the schooner off, but the tow-rope broke and the effort failed. The steamer than turned upon the Experiment, wdiich was beginning to make the situation uncomfortable by a vigorous cannonade, and assayed to run that craft down, and would have done so had not a cannon-ball from the latter carried away her pilot's head, and forced her to run ashore at Ogdensburg. Tiie^ Paid Pry Xhen. made an effort to take the men off the stranded schooner, but was obliged to retire, leaving five men
genp:kal pkogkesp. 229
still on tlie l)ig Charlotte^ amonii;; whom were CV>loiiel Ward, E. P. Senter, and Sidney Sonierick. The Ej:- periment then approached the schooner, pouring in as she advanced a hot fire of grape and solid shot, which was returned with musketry, and with one shot from an iron six-pounder, the only piece of ordnance the schooner carried. That shot disabled eleven British soldiers. The Kqyerhnent lied, while the Charlotte^ loosened by the jar, quickly joined the Patriot forces at Ogdensburg.
A body of about two hundred men, among whom were E. Price Senter, Oliver Lawton, Asa Priest, and Bemis Woodbury, now gathered at Windmill Point, in the stone mill, and in another stone building ad- jacent, and waited for the promised uprising of the Canadians. On Tuesday, the position was assaulted by an overwhelming force of Canadian militia and reg- ulars ; and after valiantly defending themselves for several hours, and killing and wounding upwards of one hundred and fifty royalists, the Patriots were compelled to surrender, and one hundred and fifty-six of their number were sent to Kingston, for trial by court martial. The four Auburn men were among the prisoners. Lawton was wounded. The rest of the Aul)urn party received a visit soon afterward from Nathaniel Garrow, V. S. Marshal, who came down from Cape Yincent with Colonel Worth of the IT. S. Army, and Ji (company of regulars. Some of the
230 HISTOKY OF AUBURN.
Patriots were brought, and the rest induced, to return; home.
This ended both the movement against Canada from the northern frontier, and the proceedings of the Au- burn lodge. The prisoners taken at Windmill Point were all subsequently tried by court martial, con- victed, and sentenced to suffer death. But after the lapse of five or six months, and at the request of Hon. William H. Seward, then Governor of the State, who made an appeal to the clemency of the royal govern- ment in their behalf, Senter and Lawton were par- doned, and permitted to return home, while the sen- tences of Woodbury and Priest were commuted to banishment for twenty-five years. The last named died on shipboard on his w^ay to Yan Dieman's Land. Woodbury suffered the full term of his exile, and re- turned to Cayuga County in good health about five years ago.
During the summer following these events, the Whigs of Auburn were thrown one day into an extra- ordinary flutter, by rumors of the approach of the dis- tinguished statesman, Henry Clay. The eloquent Senator was then making a tour through the United States, and his course was leading him toward this village. Preparations for his entertainment w^ere therefore made by his political admirers, a large dele- gation of whom, on horseback and in carriages, was. sent to the county 'line at Cayuga bridge to greet him.
GENERAL PROGRESS. 231
He arrived in Auburn July 20tli, 1839. About two thousand of the lionest yeomanry of the county -svere assembled to welcome the great orator, and their hearty hurrahs must have convinced him of their genuine gratification. Mr. Clay was formally received at the American Hotel, upon a little platform erected for the purpose, by Parliament Bronson, Esq., in behalf of the citizens. Mr. Bronson made the following address :
" Sm : I have accepted from the people of this vilhige the grate- ful office of tendering to you, in their behalf, the hospitalities of the place. The prominence of your public life, for the last thirty years, has rendered your name familiar to all. Your principles of public policy have been drawn from the spirit of the Constitu- tion, and aim at the 'greatest good of the greatest number.' In advocating and defending those principles through all the vicissi- tudes of hope and fear, of light and of gloom, you have exhibited a perseverance which never despaired of the republic, and an ability which has won the admiration of all. Most of all. Sir, have we admired that frank and fearless independence, that un- bending integrity, which have led you, under all circumstances, and above all disguises, boldly to maintain the convictions of your own judgment, regardless, apparently, of all personal conse- quences to yourself, with a single eye to your country's good. This it is that constitutes the patriot. In another aspect. Sir, you have merited, in a pre-eminent degree, the gratitude of your country. More than once, when conflicting interests and con- tendmg passions have threatened the Union with disruption, and brought the nation seemingly to the verge of fatal convulsions, your happy influence has interposed, and calmed the raging ele- ments, and restored the wonted blessings of peace and harmony. It is pleasing to render the homage of grateful hearts to merit so
232 IlISTOKY OF AUBUKX.
illustrious, and to patriotism so pure and exalted. Sir, we bid you a cordial welcome to this village. We welcome you as the distinguished friend and advocate of a liberal policy, and of pro- tection to the cardinal interests of the country. We greet you as the patriot and statesman, wliom mankind have delighted to honor, and may j'ou long continue to enjoy that well-earned fame, alone desirable, which 'follows the pursuit of noble ends by noble means.'
" Allow me, now, Sir, to introduce to this assembled multitude, the man to whose mere baptismal name no title could impart additional honor, however much it might contribute to his coun- try's glory — Henry Clay."
Mr. Clay replied, alluding in his peculiar manner to the questions of the past, particularly those with which his name was connected, and dwelling at some length upon the political topics of the day. His eloquent discourse delighted and held the crowd spell-bound to the close, when he was compelled to suffer the usual and eminently republican infliction of a general hand- shaking. Mr. Clay remained in town till the next morning and then departed for Syracuse wdth a large number of friends, in an extra train of five coaches. The character of his reception here evidentl}^ reflected the motives of the great statesman in making this tour through the States. The motives were. plainly of a more ambitious nature than those of a mere traveler. White this celebration was truly a pleasant episode in our town's history, its splendor was nothing compared with that of a demonstration in the fall of the same year, in honor of the President of the republic.
GENERAL PlKMiKES.S. 233
Martin Van Luren was tlic lirst of the Presidents that ever i)aid Aul)urn the honor of a visit. AVlien it became known, tlierefore.that he was travelintr throuMi the republic, and that lie was to take Auburn in his course, the unusual honor created a corres])onding ex- citement in the town and in the cnimty. Suitable measures were taken to extend a proper reception to the distinguished man. Upon the 9th of September, he arrived at Auburn, escorted by a procession a mile and a half long ; and was greeted with the thunder of cannon, and the deafening cheers of five thousand peo- ple. After a march througli the various streets, Mr. Van Buren was addressed at the American Hotel, by Mr. Eathbun. In terms of sincere pleasure the Presi dent was welcomed to Auburn, and introduced to the people, wdio testified their gratification by long-con- tinued cheers. Mr. Yan Buren's reply has been pre- served. He said :
" You could not, Sir, have added more effectually to the gratifi- cation which I derive from the proceedings of this day, than by the information whicli you have been pleased to impart to nic, that this vast assembly of citizens is, in so great a degree, com- posed of farmers, mechanics, and laboring men, from all parts of this flourishing county. Certainly no liberal-minded or just man will contend that either virtue or patriotism are confined to any particular class or calling. It may, nevertheless, be aflirmcd with entire confidence, and without disparagement to others, that the farmers, mechanics, and laboring men of this favored land consti- tute a body of citizens, on whom any public servant may implic- itly rely for a just and fair appreciation of Ids oflicial conduct, our
234 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
country for an adequate defense in every emergency, and our po- litical institutions for ample security against every combination that can be formed against them. There are influences arising from their condition and pursuits, which beget a peculiarly eager, disinterested love of truth, and which exempt them, in a good de- gree, from those sudden impulses, to which those who move in the more excitable walks of life are more frequently liable, and which, though sometimes leading to great actions, are oftener the prolific source of error ; and they are from these causes so much better enabled to make a deliberate and unprejudiced application of the information they acquire, that their decisions are always upright, and, if erroneous, never long adhered to. These are, with me, not the impressions of the day, but the convictions of my public life — convictions which have been present and consol- ing to my mind in many trials. Entertaining such opinions of those who, with a mass of others enjoying also my entire respect and regard, are here to do me honor as the constituted head of their political system, and the representative of their principles,, it can scarcely be necessary to say how deeply I feel, and how highly I estimate the very favorable opinion which you have ex- pressed, in their behalf, of my public career. Allow me. Sir, to return to them, through you, my sincerest acknowledgements for the assurances of approbation of the past, and of support for the future, w^hich you have made for them. The former is before them ; in regard to the latter, my views have been again and again distinctly and fully stated to my countrymen. They need, I trust, no further evidence to satisfy them, that opinions con- scientiously entertained will be supported by me, with deference certainly to the conflicting views of others, but with that fidelity and steadiness by which good results can alone be accomplished. For the welcome which you have conveyed to me in behalf of my fellow-citizens of Cayuga, here assembled, except my thanks, with the assurance that I reciprocate heartily the feelings of respect and regard which you have expressed, both for them and for yourself.'*
GENERAL PROGRESS. 235
The President, having liroiight liis remarks to a close, saw before him several thousand extended hands demanding the time-honored democratic shake. Giv- ing the hard lists each a grip, he withdrew to the ho- tel, and received calls from Hon. ^Vm. H. Seward and other prominent citizens of Auburn. AVith tlie Presi- dent were tlie Secretary of War, Poinsett, and Smith E. Yan Buren, his son, who were the guests of George B. Throop. The party left for Syracuse the following morning, in an extra train of the best cars upon the road.
It is said that Auburn was more crowded with people upon the occasion of this visit, than upon any since the memorable day when La Fayette came here ; but the Whigs stoutly, though good-humoredly, main- tained that the immense crowd was drawn forth, in part, by the arrival of a certain menagerie that day, and the drill of a regiment of cavalry.
Glancing over the leaves of our town's history for the three vears beojinnino* with the summer of 1839, there will be observed a general monotony and dull- ness pervading all business and financial circles, Avhich furnishes a touching comment upon the evils of specu- lation. Yet enterprise did something toward repair- ing the wasted resources and trade of the place ; and the railroad to Syracuse contributed, in no trilling de- gree, to sustain tlie drooping courage of our mer- chants, and to accelerate the return of better times.
23() HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
The current of travel through the vilhio-e was very large, and the detention of passengers liere, arising from the necessary trouble of shifting from the cars to the coach, or vice versa, was the means of dropping many a dollar into the coffers of our business men. Among otlier enterprises, based upon the business brought in b}^ the railroad, tlie hotel, called the Au- burn House, may be mentioned as liaving reached a successful conclusion. The house was thrown open to the public, by Messrs. A. D. Leonard and Robert Muir, during the month of August, 1839, and was managed under the direction of H. A. Chase, of Onon- daga. It was a graceful, w^ell-furnished building, always popular and deservedly successful. The stone stores, in the same block and iipon each side, were en- titled the Merchants' Exchange.
The Presidential campaign of 1840, one of the most keenly contested in the history of the republic, was remarkable for the frequency and enthusiasm of its po- litical mass-meetings and processions. The Whigs of JS'ew York were supporting the Hon. Wm. II. Seward for a second term of the Governorship of this State ; and the unbounded popularity of their candidate in Cayuga County, and tlieir admiration for the hero of Tippecanoe, combined to render the campaign here most exciting. A Whig carnival, instituted on the 2d of May, for the ])urpose of "warming" a log cabin that had been erected on the open ground at the
GENERAL PROGRESS. 237
corner of Genesee and Market Streets, iiuw the site of John Percivars piano manufactory, exceeded all that had ever before occurred in Auburn for any object. The concourse of AVliigs was immense, and it was with no small amount uf hard riding up and down the streets, that tliey were iinally marshaled into. line, un- der the guidance of Colonel John Richardson, and his assistants, Benjamin Ashby, Stephen O. Day, Philo 13. Barnum, and Colonel G. T. Wilbur. With the inspir- ing strains of three tine bands, the procession made the circuit of the village, displaying a forest of liberty- poles and l)anners, and several very extraordinary ob- jects which merit fuller notice. First, there was a loaf of '* rye and Indian " bread, seven feet long, and two and a half wide, weighing five hundred and fifty- one pounds, from the bakery of T. Newcomb, mounted on a wagon. Then there was a log cabin of sugar in proper colors, the " logs in the rough," the slat chimney, and the inevitable old hat stufied into a broken window, being represented true to life. And after this came, at suitable distances in the endless train of wagons, fi\'e genuine old-fashioned canoes, dubbed severally the Plough Boy^ the Hero of North Bend^ or some similar title ap])ropriate to the campaign, intermingled with barrels of hard cider. The procession halted at the cabin, which was con- structed of rough logs chinked with clay, and had the usual appointments of a slab roof, slat cliininoy, and
238 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
wooden hinges, wooden latcli and tow-string, stone fire-dogs in the fire-place, and trammel and chain hooks. The ceilings and walls were garnished with strings of dried apples and pumpkins, bunches of corn and peppers, coon-skins, saddles, muskets and shot-bags, and with pictures of Harrison, La Fayette, and other patriots, and a copy of the Declaration of Independ- ence. The cabin was then duly " warmed ; " a dinner -and stump speeches followed, and the Whigs of Cay- uga County returned to their homes greatly edified by the exercises of the day.
Skipping for the moment the celebration on the 4th of July, two other immense mass-meetings of the Whigs will be mentioned. One, a ratification meeting, happened to fall on the 22d of August. The heavens were falling at the same time, but failed to quench the ardor of the demonstration. Six thousand people gath- ered upon Fort Hill to listen to a band of fine orators, being led to the spot in procession as fast as they arrived by S. O. Day, Marshal, and his assistants, Jesse Segoine, Stephen Van Anden, P. B. Barnum and others. The meeting organized with Alfred Avery, of Genoa, as president ; Geo. W. Haynes, Wm. I. Cornwell, and Humphrey Howland, vice-presidents ; and Beiij. F. Hall, John Niblo, and Geo. Humphreys, secretaries. The masses were then addressed by their popular M. C. — the Hon. Christopher Morgan — by Alfred Kelley, of Ohio, and the witty E. D. Culver, of Washington
GENERAL PROGKESS. 239
County, and otliers. After the adoption of fifteen in- tensely Whig resolutions, reported by a committee of which Jacob R. Howe was chairman, the meeting dis- solved and went home. Another mass convention of a similar nature assembled in October, in Auburn, and was addressed at the Seminary grounds by the Hon. L. C. Tallmadge, Wm. C. Rives, of Virginia, and Hugh T. Legare, of S. C.
The great national anniversary was, in 1840, ob- served with unusual festivities ; and the celebration, being conducted under the auspices of the Auburn Lit- erary Association — a popular young society organized only two years before, and affording a neutral ground upon which both political parties could meet, was in every respect honorably managed and worthy of the town. A large procession was formed under the com- mand of Colonel Charles "W. Pomeroy, Marshal of the day. This was graced by, among other things, the fire-engines of the village, finely adorned for the occa- sion, and the fire companies, who appeared in handsome new uniforms : the members of Co. Xo. 1 being clothed with green frock coats and white pants ; No. 3, with beautiful suits composed of cadet caps, blue coats, and white pants ; and those of No. 4, a company made up of sturdy mechanics, being dressed in tar- paulin hats, red shirts, and black pants. Revolutionary soldiers^ the professors of the Seminary and of the Academy, and tlie officers of the corporation were as-
240 HISTORY OF AUBUEN.
signed places of distinction. Guns were tired, the bells rung, the letter of Adams and tlie Declaration read by II. Hills, Jr., in the Second Presbyterian Church, and an eloquent address pronounced by Luman Sherwood, Esq. The celebration dinner was spread at the Auburn House, and was presided over by Michael S. Myers. The jubilee closed with salutes and fireworks. The toasts drank at the dinner are still preserved. From about sixty, four are culled as having met with unusual favor : One, — The Fire Departfnent : The only Espian phi- losophers that can make rain when they please, — drew forth six cheers and one gun. Another, by Colonel Pomeroy, — The Fire Companies, Nos.l^^^and 4; while the w^ater-god Neptune contends wdth the force of Niagara's streams, Hope beaming with smiles stimulates both to exertion, — elicited not onlv one jrun, but eighteen cheers. Then this toast was oifered — The Auburn Band : The bond of their union in har- mony, the result genuine notes ; may their harmony get them money and their notes current. Thirty cheers and one gun established the popularity of the Auburn Band. This sentiment succeeded — The American Bachelor : A ship without ballast, a mari- ner without a compass, an untamed goat, an off ox, a magnet without a loadstone, a one-horse team, a bundle of odd ends ; may his pillow be lonely and drear, the ague throw o'er him its chill. Dranh with cold water ^ sitting, and in silence.
GENEK.VL PROGRKSiS. 241
The x\iibiira Literarv Association was organized by the citizens of Anhurn at a public meeting, held at the Western Exchange on the evening of the 12th of Deceinber, 1S38, pnrsnant to iirevions notice. Stephen A. Goodwin was called to the chair, and Seneca B. Dennis was elected secretary of the meetino*. A dis- cussion of the utility and purposes of the proposed or- ganization resulted in a resolution to put it into imme- diate operation, A draft of a constitution was pre- sented by Peter IL Myers, and adopted by the meeting. Under this the association was the same evenino: formed. The gentlemen present appended their sig- natures to the constitution, and new members were re- quired to do the same. This roll soon comprised the names of nearly all the prominent citizens of Auburn. Among the active members of the association, irom time to time, were G. AV. Foster, P. T. Marshall, Michael S. Myers, S. A. Hopkins, Edward Perry, Seneca B. Dennis, Benjamin E. Hall, Dr. Erank II. Hamilton. Dr. Blanchard Eosgate, Jacob A. Howe, Josiah N. Starin, John C. Ivison, Jacobj R. Howe, Joseph C. Hyatt, Luman Sherwood, Dr. Erastus Humphreys, Owen Munson, Peter II. Myers, Wil- liam Hopkins, AVilliam Ilichardson, Edward Ivison, Alonzo G. Beardsley, James C. Derby, Henry Ivison, Jr., George Pathbun, E. L. Skinner, Joseph Osborne, Hon. Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., John S. C^hiry, Eayette G. Day, Dr. Lan.^ing Briggs, L. E. Carpenter, CVrus 14
242 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
C. Dennis, Charles P. AYood, Pliilo II. Perry, John P. Hulbert, Corydoii II. Merriman, F. L. Griswold, Gastroni Biilkley, Charles W. Pomeroy, David Wright, William P. Smith, George Underwood, I. A. Robinson, L. W. Nye, Levi Johnson, William Allen, Theo. M. Pomeroy, and William Hills.
The A. L. A. organized at the meeting named above, electing a full set of officers, namely : Stephen A. Goodwin, president ; Wm. Richardson, vice-presi- dent ; Seneca B. Dennis, secretary ; Benjamin Frank- lin Hall, reader ; and Dr. F. H. Hamilton, Peter 11. Myers, Dr. Erastus Humphreys, Wm. Hopkins, and S. B. Dennis, executive board. The officers were elected once a month till ISil. The presidents to this date, consecutively, were Wm. Richardson, Michael S. Myers, Owen Munson, Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., Wm. Hopkins, Michael S. Myers. The associa- tion having, on the ITth of April, 18-41, become incor- porated by an act of the Legislature, obtained through the exertions of a committee composed of Benjamin F. Hall, Jacob R. Howe, and I. T. Marshall, it was organized on the first Monday of May, at the Second Presbyterian church, with the following officers : Par- liament Bronson, president ; Amos Gould and Willet Lounsbury, vice-presidents ; Edward Ivison, recording secretary ; I. H. Wilson, corresponding secretary ; and John S. Clary, treasurer. Michael S. Myers was the second president under the charter ; Prof. Wm. Hop-
GENEKAL PROGKESS. 243
kins, tlie third ; and Corydon II. Merrinian, the fourth. This brings us down to the summer of 1848, when the regular meetings and operations of the soci- ety were, for a time, suspended. They were, however, afterward resumed at intervals, and the association continued to exist, w^th more or less efficiency and usefulness, until the breaking out of the rebellion. The war deprived it of many of its active members, and its operations then ceased.
The founders of the A. L. A. were "desirous of establishing a society, the object of whicli should be the edification and improvement of its members in literature and science, by means of public lectures, essays, orations, and debates," and of " establishing and maintaining a library, reading-room, and literary and scientific lectures," During the winter succeed- ing their organization, they met weekly, and listened to lectures, essays, and poems, delivered in most cases by their own members, or by distinguished residents of Auburn not attached to their society. Tlie second season, debates were introduced and mingled with the lectures. After the incorporation, the plans of the society were prosecuted with increasing success. De- bates were had upon all popular topics, and law, edu- cation, witchcraft. Great Britain, man's destiny, " Where there's a will, there's a way," anatomy, the arts, religion, ca])ital ])unishment, furnished tliemes for the lectures. For nearly ten years tlio weekly meet-
*244 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
insTS were held in the lecture-room attached to John.' II. Chedell's museum, and were always numerously at- tended by the citizens of the town, who not only en- couraged the society by their attendance upon its pub- lic exercises, but also contributed liberally toward the formation of its library. The Executive Commit- tee of the A. L. A. was accustomed to meet at the office of Dr. Elanchard Fosgate. Among the number that delivered lectures before the society, at diiferent times, were Dr. L. E. Lathrop, Salem Town, Hon. Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., Benjamin F. Hall, Prof. Wm. Hopkins, Dr. Lansing Briggs, Willet Lounsbury,, Francis Adams, Dr. Elanchard Fosgate, Rev. H. A. Nelson, Dr. Charles A. Hyde, William Allen, Eev. G. W. Montgomery, Parliament Bronson, Pev. Josiab Hopkins, Wm. W. Shepard, and I. T. Marshall.
The meetings of the association were generally free to all who chose to attend ; their audiences usually tilled the room. Considerable expense attended these lectures, but the mental profit of the members was very great. Foreign lecturers were sometimes procured for a price, in which case an admission fee of one shilling was charged upon the public ; but this idea forms no part of the original purposes of the A. L. A. It be- came, unfortunately, in time, the ruling idea, and con- tinued, to be so down to the date of dissolution of the society. The practice, however, liad much to do with that dissolution. Tlie discourses of great men, however
GENERAL PROGRESS. 245
great a source of iutellectiial enjoyment and improve- ment to those who are educated, are not well calculated to encourage the dull minds, or develop the native talent of associations like the one in view. AVhile per- sonal mental improvement was steadily pursued by de- bates, readings, and oratorical exercises from its own members, the A. L. A. was prosperous ; but when that object was forgotten, and foreign lecturers and essapsts were employed for a compensation to interest the public, which was then admitted to the meetings of the association upon the payment of a stated fee, and which in the end became the only party whom it was desirable to please, the membership of the A. L. A. fell away, till there were none left to carry it on. The archives and library of the society are now gather- ing mold in the office of one of its former members.
The second Agricultural Society of Cayuga County was organized July 22d, 1841, at a numerous meet- ing of citizens and farmers at the Western Exchange, in Auburn. A constitution was framed and adopted. Executive and administrative officers were elected for the ensuing year, namely : Humphrey llowland, presi- dent ; John M. Sherwood, vice-president ; William Richardson, secretary ; and John B. Dill, treasurer.
One of the most interesting topics of inquiry in the annals of our city is presented by the attempts for the culture of the " nwrus multicaulis^- or midberry tree, in >this vicinity, and the growth and manufacture of silk.
246 HISTORY OF aubukn.
The subject of the cultivation of the mulberry plant, . as food for silk-worms, and the production of cocoons therefrom, had been receiving, since 1830, considerable attention on Long Island, and in the neighborhood of the city of Patterson, New Jersey. The occupation was meeting with flattering success. Some of the silk-makers of Long Island had ventured to export a small quantity of raw silk to Europe, the quality of which was pronounced excellent. Silk manufactories had, in consequence, been started on a small scale in the producing regions, which had established the feasibility of silk-making in America. The novelty of this discovery, and the well-known profit of silk-mak- ing, were, in 1838, exciting general curiosity and inter- est. Several periodicals describing the process of raising cocoons, and reeling the raw silk, were being put into extensive circulation in this State ; and the public had finally become impressed with the belief that the silk manufacture might be carried on in the United States with as strong an assurance of success, as in the most favored climes of the Old World.
The Legislature of 'New York happened at this time to be seeking some branch of industry wherein con- victs might be employed without competing with free American mechanics. The manufacture of silk in the prisons was suggested to the Legislature by Hon. Wm. II. Seward, then Governor of the State, as well calcu- lated to obviate the objection of mechanics to convict-
GENEEAL PKOGKESS. 2i7
labor, and the prison agents were accordingl}^ author- ized to introduce the silk business forthwith to the in- stitutions under their charge.
There was at this time a gentleman connected with the carpet-weaving shop in the Auburn prison, in partnership w^ith Josiah Barber, who was thoroughly conversant with the art of making silk, having been educated therein at the famous manufactories at Pais- ley, and having subsequently conducted similar fac- tories himself in England and in Scotland ; this was John Morrison, Esq., a native of Edinburgh. Mr. Morrison indorsed many of the printed statements of the American silk producers. Upon his suggestion, the culture of the mulberry was immediately commenced in and about Auburn, the production of cocoons being, of course, preliminary to the beginning of the silk busi- ness in the prison. In the spring of 1837, David West, convinced of the feasibility of the project, pur- chased two thousand mulberry buds, at thirty cents apiece, at Price's nursery, on Long Island, and, when the proper time arrived, planted them on a farm below Clarksville. During the summer, Asaph D. Leonard, Dr. Erastus Humphreys, Charles Coventr}^, James II. Bostwick, Sylvester Bradford, xibijah Fitch, Stephen Yan Anden, Erastus Pease, and others, imitated his example by setting out a few shrubs.
AVith every prospect for a fair crop of leaves, these gentlemen then procured a (piantity of the eggs of the
2J:S mSTOKY OF AUBUKN.
silk wurin, a few liuiidred of wliicli were sent toMr. Pease by his son Lorenzo, then a missionary at Cyprus, built cocooneries, and began the experiment. Mr. Morrison aided them with practical advice, and all succeeded admirably, producing healthy worms, and a yield of prime silk. Part of this w^as reeled and spun at home, and the rest was sold at the factories in New Jersey and Long Island. It proved to be a superior article. A quantity of cocoons sufficient to warrant the opening of a silk department in the prison was not, however, yet produced. But the silk raisers of Auburn, elated with their first success, went into the business soon afterward on a larger scale ; and an impulse was given to silk culture all over the State by the awarding of bounties on cocoons by the Legislature, and by several county agricultural societies.
The manufacture of sewini? silk was commenced at the Auburn prison, as an experiment, by Henry Polhe- mus, the agent, on the 20tli of May, 1S41. A single throwing mill was put into operation that day by two convicts, one of whom turned the wheel, and the other served cocoons, a small quantity of which had been purchased in the vicinity of Auburn. The depart- ment having been placed under the supervision of John Morrison, the agent advertised for cocoons, offer- ing to pay for them at the rate of from three to four dollars per bushel, in cash. Publicity was given to an estimate of the profits of cocoon-raising, by which it
GKNKKAL PROGRESS. 249
•
appeared that, at a moderate calculation, one hundred bushels of cocoons might be readily obtained from every acre of mulberry trees. In the course of six months, Mr. Polhemus set uj^ in the ]>ris()n four throwinuj mills more, which had been constructed t]n-()Ui!;h the inventive genius of Aretas A. Sabin, Esq., and he detailed eight convicts to work them. The supply of the raw mate- rial increasing, five ^mills and twelve convicts were added to the silk shop in May, 1812. Tlie nuichinery was then driven by the application of water-power. Steam was introduced in August, and the shop was still further enlarged. About the same time a large num- ber of mulberry trees were set out on the prison lands, now the site of the asylum.
In 1843, the department required the use of twelve throwing mills, furnished with sixty-four spindles, twelve bobbing wheels, twelve stationary wire swifts, eight pairs of horizontal swifts, six pairs of upright swifts, one drying rack, two quilling milb, one set of reeling pins, ten seventy -two inch reels, twelve forty- four inch reels, one band maker, a dye-house with ket- tles, and the labor of forty-one convicts. It was the fourth shop in size in respect to the number of its em- ployes.
The advertisement of Mr. Polhemus, offering to pay a good cash price for all cocoons and raw silk that should be presented at the Auburn prison, made that institution the principal casli market of the United
250 HISTORY OF AUBUliN. '
States, for the articles named. The certainty of a market was a powerful incentive to production, and liundreds of farmers, giving up large fields for the cul- tivation of the mulberry, plunged into the business of silk-raising. Cocooneries were built in and about Auburn by those who were operating on an extensive scale ; those who were not, occupied their barns, wood- houses, garrets, nay, even their parlors, for the breeding and feeding of worms. Like the real-estate furor, the silk enterprise took the form of a spasmodic mania, ungov- erned by any reason whatever. Men counted their eggs as full-grown worms, their buds as full-grown trees, and both, by the thousands, tens of thousands, and millions. Eggs and plants soon sold at fabulous prices. Twigs of the mulberry, containing a single bud, brought a dollar apiece. Everybody must have a few worms and a few bushels of cocoons for sale, Kaw silk, therefore, came to the prison in rapidly in- creasing quantities from every direction. Tennessee. 'New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland sent in large supplies, and there was scarce a county in Western Eew York that did not do the same.
The progress of the experiment of the silk manufac- ture at the Auburn prison was watched with curiosity and interest in all the United States. It was a well- known fact, that this branch of industry had enriched every nation in which it had ever been prosecuted to any great extent. Tlie first success of the experiment
f GENEKAL PROGRESS. 251
was therefore received witli genuine gratification by the people of this country. The |)rison produced a soft, strong, brilliant, and even silk, equal in some re- spects to the foreign-made article, and superior in others, which sold readily at seven dollars [per pound, or at an advance of twenty-tive per cent, on the cost of manufacture. These results were obtained under all the disadvantages of inexperience and imperfect machinery ; and the manufacture of silk then appeared to be no longer an experiment, but a successful and lu- crative occupation.
The continuance of the business on the part of the prison at Auburn without loss, became, however, about the year 1S45, problematical. The merchants of Xew York city, who might have taken just pride, or even consideied it their duty, to encourage the manufacture of silk in this country, took ground instead against the American articles, excited a prejudice against it in the market, and ruined its sale. In a few months, its value fell from seven dollars a pound to five. It was also beginning to be observed that tlie peculiarities of prison labor were unsuited to silk manufacture ; for this branch of industiy requires operatives possessing delicate touch and skillful management. The male convicts who work under compulsion as a punishment, and are continually cominii: and oroinn: as their terms expire, cannot possess these requisites ; and it hud be- come impossible to obtain female opcrativet^, by the
252 llIt^TORY OF AUBURN.
law of 1S42, pntvidin^^ for [the iin])risoiiment of all lemale convicts at Mount Pleasant. And the famous wonts riudticaidls speculation occurred, which in- jured the production of the raw material to a great extent, causing many to leave the business, and dimin- ishing tlie supply of cocoons. This speculation was the ingenious device of some down-east peo})le to make money. The demand for mulberry plants and €Uttings having become enormous, these men procured vast quantities of the slips of forest trees, and sold them tliroughout the country for the genuine article.
These considerations at -length led the officers of the Auburn prison to decline to purchase a farther supply of cocoons or reeled silk, and to close out the silk shop under their charge. The step was taken with reluctance, for it was well known that in an- nihilating the main cash market for silk in the north- ern States, many private fortunes would thereby be ruined, and the death-blow would be given to an en- terprise in which the American people felt the deep- est interest. The effort was relinquished here within ^YQ years of its commencement.
Temperance was, in 1S41, the object of one of the most powerful movements for reform ever organized in Cayuga County. For forty years distilling had been one of the most lucrative branches of business in its principal villages, especially in Auburn. Here, whiskey was extensively consumed, and, having always
GENERAL PROGRESS. 255
a high market value, ^vas in early times used even as a* substitute fur money. Portions of the finest lands in. the heart of our city were sold repeatedly for a barrel or an half-barrel, as the case might be, of this commod- ity. The Samson of the settlement in its early days was wont to exhibit his strength by grasping a barrel full of whiskey, by the chines, lift it to his lips, and drink from the bung-hole. The prevalence of the habit of intemperance was deplorable. To resist its progress, reform its victims, and relieve the suftering families of inebriates, were the purposes of the temper- ance movement of 1S41.
An active, hard-working society was organized for the county, which struck boldly at the use of intoxi- cating beverages, in whatever place or manner. The practice of drinking toasts at the pnblic dinners on the 4th of July gaining the society's attention, a celebra- tion of that anniversary in '41 was organized and con- ducted under its auspices, in order that the example might be set of observing the great jubilee of the civil year without the use of alcohol. The citizens also had a celebration tliat day, l)ut the temperance procession was the largest and most enthusiastic. The letter ot Adams, and the Declaration, were read to at least five thousand people at the Seminary grounds, by I. T. Marshall, and orations were delivered by E. C. Delevan and Francis Adams. At the dinner at the Auburn House, David AVriglit, Esq., ])rcsident of the day, read
254: HISTORY OF auburn.
the toasts, which were for tlie first time in Auburn drank witli pure water.
Popular interest in the mov^ement was kindled du- ring the winter of 1841-2. Not onl)^ was a temper- ance society for male citizens formed in Auburn, but one for the women, and a reform society. The wives of the clergymen of the place were the officers of the female societies. All were efficient, well-organized bodies. By their persistent effijrts, a fervor for reform sprang up all through the county, and was the cause of an immense temperance mass-meeting and celebration in Auburn on the 1st of February, 1842. A proces- sion was formed, which was composed of the Auburn and the Skaneateles brass bands, the Auburn Guards, under Captain Jesse Segoine, the fire companies, the officers of the village, dignitaries, and hundreds of citizens from nearly every town in the county, with wagons, banners, and emblems. There was speak- ing during the day and evening at four different churches.
The law was invoked, meanwhile, to prevent unau- thorized liquor vending, and the efforts of the trustees, the poormaster, the courts, and the temperance socie- ties of Auburn, were united for the furtherance of the purposes of the reformers. These efforts were crowned with success. The societies were enlarged and strengthened, many almost hopeless inebriates were reclaimed, stills were closed, to be replaced with
GENERAL PROGRESS. 255
mills, and the order and morality of the town ^^'as per- ceptibly increased.
Conspicuous at this time for its deeds of mercy was an organization of ladies, known as the Martha Wash- ington Society, of Auburn, which had been formed in 1835, with the design of alleviating the wants of the suffering families of the intemperate, though its oper- ations were being conducted, in 1811, on the more ex- tended scale of general benevolence. It was the pur- pose of the members, who were ladies of the highest standing and refinement, " to seek all persons in dis- tress, and to assist the poor and destitute," with per- fect catholicity toward the needy of all religious de- nominations. This purpose "was effected in a syste- matic manner by intrusting its execution to faithful officers and managers. The town was separated into districts, which it was the duties of the members of a visiting committee to canvass in person, in order to discover and examine all cases of misfortune, and de- termine those to which the society should extend as- sistance. Every case was relieved as far as it was pos- sible.
The society met during the winter season weekly, in a room over Hugh McClallen's gun-shop, on North Street, where the reports of the visiting committee were received, applications for aid from the poor were heard, and garments were prepared for the benefit of, those in need of them. Contributions in monev, cloth-
256 IIISTOKY OF ALBURN.
ing, food, and fuel, from tlie charitable in the town, were either sent or reported to these meetings. The duty of preparing sewing-work for the ladies at the society's rooms was imposed -upon a wardrobe com- mittee, which was also empowered to see that the fin- ished garments were in readiness for distribution. In later times, the society held its meetings in either the session-room of the First Church, the court-house, or Markham Hall.
With the Thanksgiving donations of the Presbyte- rian churches at their disposal, the ladies of the society always began their work of benevolence at the ap- proach of cold, weather ; and, at all times, in the depths of the most bitter winters, they were even found in the hovels of the lower classes, ministering both to the physical and spiritual wants of their in- mates, comforting the neglected, clothing all that were willing to attend church, and many that were not, and supplying Bibles, money, food, or fuel, as the circum- stances seemed to require. They thus distributed thousands of dollars among the sufFering poor..
A period of unusual distress in the winter of 184:2-3, caused by an unusual stringency of the times, that threw large numbers of poor people out of employ- ment, called upon the charitable of all denominations to devise means of relief. The ladies of the Ttlartha Washington Society, accordingly, aided l)y large num- bers of the citizens, decorated the town hall in beaiiti-
GENERAL PROGRESS. 267
fill style with evergreens, and opened a fair and exhi- bition there on the 5th of January, IStto, for the bene- fit of the poor. The xVnburn Band volunteered its services. A large fund was realized, and was applied as intended, by a committee of ladies representing all the churches of the town.
The Martha Washington Society has carried on its purpose of benevolence down to the present day, with ever-increasing efficiency and usefulness. Its mem- bership is large — one hundred and upw^ard — and its officers are influential and untiring. Both officers and members have rendered themselves eminent in Auburn for their unaffected piety and unceasing endeavors in behalf of the unfortunate. They now employ, in the person of Miss Amanda Irish, a most invaluable agent and assistant. This lady, who is also an agent of the Bible Society, devotes her whole time to visiting the poor, reading the Bible to them, and lightening their wants by the application of such funds and articles as the society is able to place at her command. Her labors, like those of the organization of which she is a member, are perfectly unostentatious, but incessant, and are highly esteemed by the lowly in Auburn.
The lady who had the honor to be the first president of the M. ^V. Society was Mrs. L. E. Lathrop. The second was Mrs. Myron C. Eeed. Mrs. Isaac Selover was elected to the position in 1848; Mrs. Daniel Ilew- son, in 1854; Miss Amanda Irish, in 1858 ; and Mrs. 15
258 IIISTOKY OF AUBUKN.
Charles M. Howlet, in 1SG6. The office of treasurer was successively filled by Mrs. I. F. Terrill, Mrs. Hewson, Mrs. D. P. AVallis, Mrs. James Hyde, Mrs. C. P. AYilliams, Mrs. AV. E. Hewson, Mrs. M. M. Otis, Miss Mary Steel, Miss Georgia L. Osborne, and Mrs. E. C. Selover. Tlie secretaries were Mrs. Joseph T. Pitney, Mrs. Terrill, Mrs. A. T. Onti^i, Mrs. Horace T. Cook, Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Hyde, and Miss Fannie P. Olmsted. The organization for 1868-9 is: Mrs. Isaac Selover, president ; Mrs. H. T. Cook, Mrs. J. H. Che- dell, vice-presidents ; Miss Fanny P. Olmsted, secre tary ; Miss Georgia L. Osborne, treasurer ; Mrs. C. M. Howlet, Mrs. T. M. Hunt, Mrs. J. C. Bailey, and Mrs. I. F. Terrill, wardrobe committee.
Among the wardrobe and managing committees were from time to time the following : Mrs. Henry Mills, Mrs. TenEyck, Mrs. L. A. Millard, Mrs. M. L. Perrine, Mrs. Dibble, Mrs. James Camp, Mrs. James P. Cox, Mrs. H. L. Knight, Mrs. Crane, Mrs. Mar- shall, Mrs. T. M. Hunt, Mrs. Congden, Mrs. Alvah Worden, Mrs. Charles P. Wood, Mrs. J. H. Chedell, Mrs. A. H. Goss, Mrs. J. Ives Parsons, Mrs. G. H. Letchworth, Mrs. Thomas Nelson, Mrs. J. T. Bartlett, Mrs. Mellen, Mrs. E. E. Marvin e, Mrs. Ilosmer, Mrs. Stone, Mrs. O. F. Knapp, Mrs. H. Wilson, Mrs. Miles Perry, Mrs. Charles Pomeroy, Mrs. Charles A. Lee, Mrs. S. L. Bradley, Mrs. W. E. Hewson, Mrs. Horace T. Cook, Mrs. Ab*m Groot, Mrs. Day K. Lee, Mrs.
GENEEAL PROGRESS. 259
Theodore Dimon, Mrs. K. Watson, Mrs. Bailey, Mrs. Yan Anden, Mrs. N. P. Clark, Mrs. E. G. Knight, Mrs. T. M. Pomeroy, Mrs. Charles Pomeroy, Mrs. P). A. Tiittle, Mrs. S. M. Hopkins, Mrs. John Brainard, Mrs. Miles Perry, Mrs. Kufus Sargent, Mrs. J. W. Wilkie, Mrs. P. Bronson, Mrs. Gorton Allen, Mrs. Jesse Smith, Mrs. C. II. Merriman, Mrs. J. N. Stariii, Mrs. Jesse Segoine, Mrs. Schoonmaker, Mrs. F. G. Day, Mrs. Wier, Mrs. II. G. Thornton, Mrs. George Morgan, Mrs. II. Lindsley, Mrs. John Choate, Mrs. Steel, Mrs. Moses, Mrs. Jas. Seymour, Mrs. E. L. Ford, Miss Lizzie Hall, Mrs. H. Swift.
A pleasant incident of the summer of 184:3 was an enthusiastic ovation hy the people of Auhurn to the venerable John Quincy Adams, which was of the same spontaneous character as that accorded to the illustrious La Fayette, in 1825. The " old man eloquent," return- ing to his home from a ramble in Canada, had been received in the cities of Buffalo and Rochester witli the most unexpected and splendid demonstrations of public esteem ; and veneration and patriotism roused the people here to pay him similar honors. The news of his approach arrived on the evening of Thursday, July' 26th. Tlie citizens, gathering the next morning, authorized the Hon. AVm. 11. Seward, Hon. Poscoe Conkling, Hon. Elijah Miller, Luman Slierwood, P. H. Perry, Stephen A. Goodwin, James C. Wood, and J. L. Doty, to tender to Mr. Adams tlie hospitalities of the
260 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
place. The coinniittee proceeded immediately to Canan- daigua, to meet Mr. Adams, witli wliom it returned at lialf-past nine in the evening. The party was met at the depot by the lion. Ulysses F. Doubleday, Parlia- ment Bronson, Abijah Fitch, Michael S. Myers, and Geo. H. Wood, the committee of arrangements, who, nnder escort of the military band, the fire companies, bearing torches, and a procession of citizens, conducted it to the residence of Governor Seward. With rous- ing cheers, the crowd here bade the Ex-President good night, and dispersed. At six o'clock in the morn- ing, Mr. Adams visited the State Prison, then in charge of Mr. Doubleday, the agent, Avith whom he had formed an acquaintance, wliile a fellow-member of Congress. A few hours later he went with the com- mittee to the First Church, where he was eloquently welcomed to Auburn by Governor Seward. Mr. Adams' reply was listened to w^ith fixed attention. Keceiving at its close the final salutations of the dense throng of citizens in the church, he went to the Amer- ican Hotel, where for an hour he was accessible to all who chose to visit him. Tlie Auburn Guards and a large body of citizens then accompanied him to Syracuse. The population of Auburn, in 1845, was six thousand one hundred and seventy -one. Our citizens were then entering upon a new career of activity and internal im- provements. Particular attention was being paid to the mending and beautifying of the streets.
GENERAL PROGRESS. 261
One of the measures of the trustees of the corpora- tion in this direction occasioned a sensation. It had been found necessary to reduce the hill on Seminary Street, the highest part of wliich was the section in front of the Seminary, in order to make it convenient for travel. A deep excavation was made in the road- bed at the top of the rising ground, and the trustees found themselves obliged to order the destruction of a row of beautiful elms on the sidewalk, that had been planted in the infancy of the Seminary, with the per- sonal assistance of the lamented Dr. James Ilichards. The act was strongly opposed in many parts of the town, for it was esteemed as almost sacrilege to cut down what many regarded as the monuments of an eminent and respected man.
A young gentleman of a bold and poetic turn of mind " opened the armory of his indignation " at this point, and discharged at the town authorities, through the columns of the Aiihirn Journal — June 25th, 1845 — a well-directed shaft, in the following words :
THE DIRGE OP THE ELMS.
One night in June, in lovely June, Beneath the fair, the bright full moon, I wandered forth in listless mood, Nor turned until I musing stood Where, a thrifty and noble band, The fairest Ehns of Auburn stand. All faintly breathed the evening breeze. Stirring the leaves of those young trees Doomed to wither and to fall Beneath the axeman's weapon, all. Lo ! on my ear there fell a sound Like voices, still and small, around.
262 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
I knew it was the ruHtliiig leaf. And yet it seemed a wail of grief; I lititened, still, until I heard Clearly each mysterious word Of all that wild and plaintive song, Borne by the zephyr's wing along.
Oh, well attuned mu?t be the ear, If daily, nightly, we would hear Mute nature's tongueles^s eloquence. Mayhap, by some such liner sense, Unknown to mortal ear or eye, Those trees had learnt from passers-by Their fate, and conscious of the ban Upon them, thus their song began.
Farewell, thou moon, farewell, ye skies I Farewell, thou moist, green earth !
Farewell, thou light that softly lies Where the dew-drop has its birth.
Farewell, ye long and sunny days, That smiled on us so brightly ;
Farewell, thou breeze, that ever plays With tossing boughs so lightly.
Farewell, ye lovers and ye loved, Whose whisperings oft we hear,
As 'neath our shade ye fondly roved, And, in sooth, thought none were near.
Farewell ! 'Tis bitter thus to die
E'er half our race is run, To fall, our life-blood beating high.
And our leafy plumage on.
Ten fair, young, happy elms are we, Mute, senseless though we seem :
At eve we weep, but laugh in glee. When morning breaks our dreams.
Spare, brother of the dust, oh spare !
If ye love us not, oh save For his sake, who planted us with care,
Long e'er he passed to his grave.
Will ye disturb his ashes cold ?
Are there not still others left V*^ho love his memory, and hold
Us more dear, since they're bereft?
GENERAL PROGRESS. 263
Alas ! that mercy shall we find,
Which mail to man will never deign ! Raise loud thy note, oh gentle wind !
Breathe no more this mournful strain.
Thus rose and fell the fitful song. That gently spoke of cruel wrong. And mildly urged its sorrowing plea ; Vain help were found if sought from me I I looked around ; the moon had passed, Darkly the sky was overcast, Louder sang the rising breeze. And wildly shook the swaying trees. They breathed no gentle, dying moans. But shrieked aloud in fiercer tones. I listened, half in doubt and fear. While words like these fell on my ear:—
" Ho ! heartless contractors for public works !
Ho ! tasteless, soulless corporation I Ye Goths, ye vandals, ye barbarous Turks !
Ye intenially improving nation ! Whether better or worse, come, hear your curse,
And listen to your condemnation. Ho ! leveling tyrants of one brief hour !
Who war with nature, her beauty deface, Go ! do your worst, exert your insect power.
Leave no vestige of nature or grace. Fell the forest, wither the flower,
And make of the world a wearisome waste.
May phrenzy seize your restless brains.
To wander in fancy be ye cursed, For ever to wander o'er scorching plains,
Where no fount shall gush to slake your thirst, Nor shade to ease your burning pains.
Thus, thus, ye vandals, be ye cursed.
Nay more, may hissing dragons 'round you stand. And lash you, aye, with a scorpion scourge,
While you level for ever the hills of sand Which the hot simoon on high shall surge.
Ceaseless be the work that long you've planned. And endless your curse as mournful our dirge."
Hon. John C. Hulbert, then one of the trustees of the village, already harassed by the unjust remarks of the people beyond expression, resented this open
264: HISTORY OF AUBIKN.
attack witliuut cereinonv. He instantly sued the edi- tor of tlie Journal for permitting a libelous publica- tion. The suit was ultimately withdrawn ; but the decision of the act put the fault-tinders to silence, and the work proceeded without further trouble.
The new vigor imparted to wool-growing and the manuftxcture of woolen goods in America by the tar- iff of 1842, and the consequent preparations for the erection of woolen factories in great numbers in the States of New York and Pennsylvania, interested the citizens of Auburn afresh, in 1844, in the long-talked- of, but then unaccomplished scheme, of erecting a woolen factory here, and of putting into use some part of the vast and idle water-power of the Owasco Out- let.
It was also beginning to be observed that the ab- sence of a market for wool in Auburn was highly inju- rious to the interests of the town, and of the wool- growers of the county ; and that though this place was situated in the heart of a fertile and productive agricultural district, and was singled out by its easy access, immense water-power, and facilities for build- ing, as well adapted to become an extensive manufac- turing town, that that end would never be attained without the aid of enterprise, the erection of mills, and the making employment for the population.
The advantages of the proposed factory were laid before a few prominent citizens of Auburn, at a meet-
GENKKAL PROGRESS. 265
ing at the Western Exchange, in the niontli of March, 1844, by the Hon. Wm. II. Seward, and others, whose argnments on the snhject were so convincing, that it was ^resolv^ed to make immediate efforts to erect a woolen mill here, and Mr. Seward, Eleazer Hills, and Amos Underwood were instructed to prepare articles of association for a manufacturing incorporation, with a capital of $100,000. The company known as the Cayuga Factory was formed on the 1st day of April, by Hon. Wm. II. Seward, John M. Sherwood, Amos Underwood, William C. Beardsley, Captain Bradley Tuttle, Sherman Beardsley, Abijah Fitch, and Charles W. Pomeroy. Joseph Wadsworth and George C. E. Thompson were admitted to the company a few days afterward.
The project of these gentlemen was viewed by oiu* citizens generally with great favor, but they w^ere not, in 1844, prepared to support it with their investments. The amount of capital required was large, and it was necessary that the profit of the mill should be clearly apparent. In February, 1845, the Hon. Christopher Morgan, D. C. Stewart, and Horace Hotchkiss, were requested to lend their aid in the matter of obtaining subscriptions toward the factory. They were inter- ested in the enterprise, and on the 26th they complied with the request of the citizens, by publishing an ad- dress on the subject, which was sent all over the coun- ty. This pa})er set forth the abundance of indolent
266 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
water-power in Auburn, the superior quality of Cay- uga County wool, of which there was then annually produced nearly four hundred thousand pounds, the benefits which would accrue to this community from the operation of the factory, the augmentation of the village to be caused thereby, and the large dividends then being paid by well-known woolen factories to their stockholders. The address was well-timed and ser- viceable. A large amount of money was speedily sub- scribed toward the stock of the proposed company, most of which was contributed with the excellent motive of aiding an object that tended to promote the common prosperity. The movement, however, was suffered to come to a stand during the summer, wliere it remained for two years.
In the month of January, 1847, an informal meeting of those interested in the woolen mill project was held in a back room of the Western Exchange, upon the re- quest of Harvey Baldwin, of Syracuse, and Dr. C. D. Mclntyre, of Albany, both of whom were large owners in the power of the big dam, and contiguous property, and who jointly proposed to furnish a mill site at a nominal price, and subscribe twenty thousand dollars toward the stock of a woolen company, provided that the people of Auburn would now put forth their ener- gies, organize a company, and build a mill. The meet- ing was composed of business men, accustomed to act promptly, and sixteen thousand dollars was pledged
GENEKAL PEOGRESS. 26T
by them toward the object on the spot. It was pro- posed, in the first instance, to form a company with a capital of $40,000. But on the 20th of February the shareholders rrfet, and raised the capital of the com- pany to $100,000. They then organized as the Auburn Woolen Company, with the following officers : Hon, John Porter, president ; Henry G. EUsw^orth, manu- facturer ; and Dr. Joseph T. Pitney, John H. Chedell,. Abijah Fitch, E. P. Williams, William C. Beardsley, Captain Bradley Tuttle, and Dr. C. D. McTntyre, di- rectors.
A site for the mill was purchased of the Auburn and Owasco Canal Company, with one-third of the hydrau- lic power of the dam, on the 1st of March. The erec- tion of the main mill, which is elsewhere at length de- scribed, was begun the same year. When completed,, the cost of this building was found too far in excess oi the original estimates. In order to stock the establish- ment with machinery, therefore, and erect other neces- sary works, it became necessary to enlarge the capital of the company. This was done September 8th, 1851, by the stockholders, who met at the call of John Por- ter, John L. Watrous, Parliament Bronson, James Mclntyre, Charles Bemis, and Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., then directors. The stock was increased to $158,400.
The mill went into operation at once. For a while, it seemed to realize the expectations of its founders in every respect. A market was created in Auburn for
268 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
wool, business was stimulated, and tlie importation of a large number of operatives to work tbe factory, con- siderably expanded tbe population of tbe town. But a dull season came on, and tbe company suffered lieavy losses in its business, wbicb obliged it to suspend ope- rations ; and its property passed soon afterward, by sale at a great sacrifice, into the possession of Samuel Harris and bis partner, Mr. Fitten, botb of Pbiladel- pliia. Tbe mill did not prove to be a profitable in- vestment for tbese parties. They sold it to Samuel L. Bush and Mr. Munkitterick, who, in 1859, transferred it to C. N. Fearing. Mr. Bush, however, remained at the mill as manager till the spring of 1863.
On the 7th day of February of that year, the second Auburn Woolen Company was organized, with a capi- tal of $100,000, for the term of twenty years. Mr. Fearing was elected president of the corporation. He was associated with Benjamin L. Swan, Jr., and "Wil- liam Gray Wise, as trustee. The capital of the com- pany was increased May 4th, 1864, to $200,000.
Since 1863 the woolen mill has been conducted un- der the efficient management of Mr. Wise, the secretary and treasurer of the company. S. R . Eathbone was superintendent at the mill from the time of Mr. Wise's appointment till the early part 1868, when he was succeeded by Samuel Laurie. Under the prudent supervision of these gentlemen, the company is now able to manufacture a prime quality of goods, the de-
GENERAL FKOGRESS. 269
mand for which it is impossible tosup})ly, and to make a handsome profit on its investments.
The month of March, 1846, was the dawn of a new era for journalism in Auburn. Hitherto the chief perplexity of the editors of all country newspapers had been, how to obtain the news. In early times, when the stages were the only news-carriers, and events transpiring at the seaboard were two week& old before they were heard of in Auburn, the journals of the great cities and the letters of correspondents were the principal sources of information. The mails were always sufficiently meager. An intelligent trav- eler, therefore, fresh from the city, was regarded by editors, and indeed by people generally, somewhat as a messenger of light. Should he chance to stop at a tavern, where everybody was accustomed to gather to learn what news might be brought by the stage, he would always be surrounded by citizens and plied with questions, till, as was often the case, he would be forced to go to bed to escape their endless queries. (It is easy to see where Yankee inquisitiveness origin- ated.) Country newspapers could scarcely compete with the papers of New York and Albany for the subscriptions of the active business men in the villages in which tliey were printed, on account of the una- voidable tardiness of the editors in laying before their readers the state of tlie markets and the important oc- currences of the day.
270 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
The canals and railroads aided newspapers in the interior by increasing the rapidity with which news might he obtained. Semi-weeklies and extras began to be largely issued, in 1838, by the presses of Auburn, to keep pace with the progress of the times. But the prosperity of these papers really began with the con- struction of the telegraph, in 184:6. Lines of the wires were brought to Auburn from the east in May of this year, and were thrown open for use on the 25th. Our editors were then put in possession of intelligence from the seats of commerce and government as soon as the papers in the city. With commendable public spirit and enterprise, they anticipated the completion of the telegraph by arranging with the Syracuse and Utica papers for receiving the news temporarily, and, in March, issuing, for the first time in Auburn, daily gazettes. These were published respectively from the offices of the Cayuga Patriot and the Auhurn Adver- tiser. Both were modest little five-column sheets, about the size of the original Western Federalist. From that time the local papers of Auburn rapidly gained ground in the esteem of business men and residents of the town. They now occupy a command- ing position, and overshadow the prints of all daily presses outside of the metropolis.
The State Fair of 1846 was, at the urgent request of our citizens and of the County Agricultural Society, held in Auburn. The field prepared for the purpose
GENERAL PROGKESS. 271
was that upon the top of the Capitol hill, forming part of the old Beach form, where ample wooden buildings had been erected on all sides for the use^of exhibitions. The fair opened on the 15th of September, and lasted three days, during wdiich the w^eather was warm and most auspicious. The town was far more crowded than at any other time in its historj^ People poured into its streets by every route and line of conveyance. The railroads were burdened beyond precedent. A train from Cayuga, with fifteen hundred people on board, could not ascend tlie heavy grades, but stuck fast near the Shunpike, and the travelers had to walk in to the town. N'o State Fair had yet drawn so large an at- tendance. It was estimated tliat there were no less than thirty thousand people in Auburn at the time of highest pressure.
Traveling shows, stages, wagons, eating stands, and droves of splendid cattle, thronged every avenue lead- ing to the grounds. The places of amusement, the public halls, and the court-house, were all open at night, and crowds of people w^ere entertained there with speeches and exhibitions. On the last day, tlie annual address was delivered on the hill, by Samuel Stevens, Esq., of Albany.
The disposition of the masses at night was pi'ovided for by lines of wagons and stages to all the surround- ing villages, and by special trains on the railroad to the towns l)etween (xeneva and Svracuse. Everv tav-
272 HISTORV OF AUBURN.
erii in Auburn, and many private dwellings, were crammed to their utmost capacity.
Auburn was chartered as a city on the 21st day of March, ISiS, having then nearly eighty-five hundred inhabitants. A charter election took place on the first Tuesday of April, at which Cyrus C. Dennis, a public- spirited and energetic citizen, was elected the first mayor.
Brighter days dawned on Auburn after the incor- poration. The general despondency that had per- vaded the town since 1837, and stagnated business of every sort, was now succeeded by an equally general reanimation.
Laws to increase the usefulness and infiuence of the common schools of Auburn were passed about the year 1850. They properly introduce the interesting subject of public instruction. The importance given to this subject, by the just celebrity of the institutions built in Auburn to difiuse knowledge amongst the young, will afford all needful apology for beginning an account of them at the beginning, notwithstanding that this embraces many particulars in relation to ob- solete systems and extinct schools in Auburn, which are, in fact, valuable only for the sake of complete- ness, and to inform the curious.
The earliest encouragement given to common schools, in this State, was contained in a provision of the law of 1789, regulating the survey and disposition
GEN] KAL PKOGRESF. 273
of the waste public lands. The State admitted, even at this early day, the iaiperative nature of its duty to aid education, l)y devoting two lots of six hundred acres each, in every township of ten miles square, to the support of literature, and of the gospel and schools. And, further, by the passage of a law, in 1795, upon the advice of the Regents of the University, author- izing the annual appropriation, for live years, of twenty thousand pounds sterling, to maintain, throughout its territory, schools wherein cliildren might be taught such " branches of knowledge as are most useful and necessary to complete a good English education.''
With rare zeal for the mental welfare of their sons and daughters, the few scattered male settlers of Aure- lius assembled from the various openings in the gloomy forests that overspread the township, in April, 1796, at the house of Colonel Hardenburgli, and took their first efficient action in relation to schools, being encouraged to the same by the laws above alluded to. A " town committee on schools " was appointed, consisting of Ezekiel Crane, Joseph Grover, John L. Ilardenburgh, and Elijah Price, 'into whose hands was put the whole management of school lands and moneys, and the over- sight of school-houses. Town committees of this na- ture were annually elected till 1812, when they were succeeded by officers of another title. Upon the Aure- lius committee there were, at different times, such en- terprising men as Dr. Samuel Crossett, Walter D.
le
274 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
Nicoll, William Bostwick, Moses Gilbert, Edward Wheeler, David Back, Win. C. Bennett, Noah Tay- lor, Jabez Gould, and Moses Weed, Jr. The litera- ture, and gospel, and school lots of Aurelius, were not designated till September 28tli, 1796. They were then, however, specified l)y the supervisors of Onondaga County — Aurelius being represented in the Board by Elijah Price — as lots number thirty-six and sixty, re- spectively.
School-houses were, soon after this event, built in or near all the principal clearings in the township. Four stood on the site of Auburn. These were the little buildings mentioned in chapter second as standing on !N"orth Street hill, on the south-east corner of Division and Genesee Streets, on the south-west corner of South and Genesee Streets, and on Franklin Street. The cost of erecting and maintaining these very inexpen- sive structures was borne by the neighborhoods in which they were situated. The teacher was not, in these simple times, usually an overpaid man, nor was he scrupulous as to the manner in which he was paid. He rarely, if ever, saw cash, but was content to receive his wages in boarding around, and in available pro- duce of the farm. He conducted the school on what- ever plan he chose, but was seldom employed except during the winter months.
This method of extending the rudiments of educa- tion to the children of the masses was well-meant, but
GENERAL PROGRESS. 275
inefficient ; in consideration of which, the Legishiture, in 1805, passed an act for the appropriation of the avails of the sale of live hundred thousand acres of the public lands, as a permanent fund for supporting and encouraging the schools. The moneys were to be permitted to accumulate till the annual interest should exceed $50,000. That interest was then to be annu- ally distributed amongst the school districts. The benefit of this act was not immediate, so that the com- mon schools came to be very much neglected. They gradually fell into disrepute among the wealthier classes; and the result of this, in Auburn, was the for- mation of a multitude of private and select schools, an<] the establishment of the first Auburn Academy, in which there was a department for every age and grade of scholars below those of a collecce.
In 1811, the Legislature appointed Jedediah Peck, Samuel Russel, John Murray, Jr., Roger Skinner, and Kobert Macomb, as a committee, to devise a school sys- tem suitable to the wants of the expanding population of the State. An act based upon their re])ort was passed June 19th, 1812 ; but was revised April 15th, 1814, to give it greater efficiency. The general out- lines of the system thus adopted, which was framed with the view of placing within the reach of every youth in New York, between the ages of five and twenty-one, the means of acquiring the first principles of knowledij^e, and whicli reinaiiied in use with no im-
276 HISTORY OF AUBURN. '
portant alteration for nearly forty years, were these : The school moneys wore to be apportioned amongst the counties according to their population, by an officer called the State Superintendent. The treasurers of the counties were to receive the county moneys, and pay them over to the town school-commissioners, three of whom were to be annually elected at every town-meet- ing. The commissioners were authorized to divide the towns into convenient districts and neighborhoods, which they might alter or modify as it was necessary, and distribute to them the public moneys of the town. Teachers were to be examined and licensed by inspec- tors, elected not to exceed six in number in every town. Wlierever districts were formed by the com- missioners, the people residing therein were required to assemble on due notice, for the purpose of choosing three trustees, a clerk, and a collector, of designating a site for a school-house, and of levying a tax to build the same. The trustees employed the teacher, paying their wages from the public moneys, if sufficient, and if not, from moneys raised by a rate-bill or tax upon the families sending children to school. They were also authorized to collect taxesflevied at district meetings, provide fuel and repairs for the school, and to exoner- ;ite, at their discretion, from the payment of all sums due for tuition, repairs to the school, etc,, all families that were in feeble circumstances.
This was a salutary and well-timed law, and was
GENERAL PKOGKESf^ . Zii
generally approved. The first board of commissioners elected in Anreliiis, pursuant to its provision, consisted of John Grover, Zenas Iluggins, and Cromwell Ben- nett ; and the first board of trustees, of Hon. Elijah Miller, Hon. John IT. Beach, David Hyde, Keuben S. Morris, and Stephen Wheaton. In 18 14-, under the revised law, Zenas Huggins, Ephraim Hammond, and Nathaniel Millard, then recently elected commission- ers, laid off the township into twenty-four districts, subsequently increased to thirty-one, recording their boundaries in the old town-book. Auburn, not then incorporated, was at first included in district No. 9, which comprised all of what is now the city, north of Judge Richardson's farm. All west and south of the creek became, in 1816, No. 2G. In 1817, that part of the village east of the outlet and a line drawn there- from through Seminary Avenue to the village line, was set apart as district No. 30. Upon the petition of Wm. Bostwick, Dr. Hackaliah Burt, Asa Munger, and John Patty, district No. 26 was, after certain changes, converted, in July, 1822, into No. 29. Meanwhile, the people were organizing and building school-houses. Several were erected in and around Auburn, though two only attained any prominence. These were the Bell school-house, on East — now Ful- ton— Street, built in 1818, and containing the only school-bell in the village, and the school-house on the south-west corner of the Episcopal church-yard, after-
278 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
ward used as a printing-office. Both these schools were built of brick, contained one room each, and were conducted upon the Lancastrian system of instruction. In 1822, they were jointly under the care of Abijali Keeler, Dr. Burt, Wm. Bostwick, Abner Beach, and James Little, trustees, under whose able administra- tion they became popular, numerously attended, and efficient institutions.
Tlie town of Auburn having been separated from Aurelius in 1823, a new arrangement of districts was soon afterward made for the convenience of the village people. Dr. Richard Steel and James Fitch, com- missioners, in the month of December, designated dis- trict No. 30 as new district No. 1, and 'No. 29 as No. '2. They then created No. 3 in the northern part of the tow^n. Erastus Pease, Theodore Spencer, and Asa Munger, commissioners in 1825, changed that part of the village proper north of the creek, and west of No. 1, to No. 4. No. 6 was set off from No. 2 in 1827, it being all east of State, Exchange, and South Streets. The stone school-house at Clarksville w^as built in No. 9, in 1824, by Edward Allen, Hermon Eldredge, and Kingsley Mason, trustees. A small brick school in No. 4, on North Street, was erected in 1827. Jabez Pease, John Patty, and Eseck C. Bradford erected a similar one in No. 6, in 1828, on School Street.
The act of April 17th, 1838, appropriating the in- come of the United States deposit fund, or at least
GENERAL PROGRESS. 279
$165,000 thereof, for the general good of the common schools, and the purchase of libraries of sound, mis- cellaneous Avorks, in eacli district, was a valuable assis- tance in gaining for these institutions tlie esteem and support of wealthy people.
Real improvement in the cliaracter and condition of the public schools of this city and county was first made under the efficient administration of ElHott G. Storke, of Brutus, county superintendent, and Philo H. Perry, town superintendent of Auburn, both of whom were elected in 1843. The thorough investiga- tions of Mr. Storke disclosed the fact that there were at that time, in this county, two hundred and twenty- two district schools, and in this city four ; that one only of the whole number contained more rooms than one, that the buildings were rudely built and painfully out of repair, that the upper classes refused to allow their children to be taught in such uncomfortable and unhealthy places, and that, in many instances, the chil- dren of the lower classes remained at home because the parents were unable to incur the expense of tuition at the school, and shunned the reproach contained in the idea of being exonerated from that expense by the dis- trict trustees. These evils were traceable to the apathy, or conservatism, of the people of the various districts in relation to the schools ; and being reiterated from every quarter of the State, gained at last the attention of the Legislature, and their definite and positive action.
280 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
District school-house No. 2 was erected in 1843-4, bv Charles W. Pomeroy, Isaac S. Allen, and Benja- min F. Hall, trustees. " There bein2: a lar^-e number of colored children resident in the town, for whom no school had hitherto been provided, wlio were excluded from most if not all the public schools by reason of popular prejudice and violence," a district was created for their especial benefit, in September, 1846, by Charles A. Parsons, the successor of Mr. Perry as town superintendent. The district embraced the whole town. Its trustees, in 1846, were John R. Hop- kins, Daniel Hewson, and Charles Griffin ; subse- quently they were Israel F. Terrill, Joseph W. Quincy, and Jacob Jordan. The school was established in the wooden building on AVashington Street, since used as the African church. It was discontinued in 1851, and the children of negroes have, to the present, at- tended the other public schools of the city uninter- ruptedly. The office of county superintendent being abolished March 13th, 1847, Cayuga was deprived of one of its most efficient school officers in the person of Mr. Storke.
Levi Johnson was elected city superintendent in 1848, and the same year re-arranged the districts of the city, limiting the number to five, and dissolving all joint districts and neighborhoods. Mr. Johnson dis- charged his official duties with great ability and dis- cretion till 1856, wlien, declining a re-appointment, he
GENERAL PROGRESS. 281
devoted himself to the manas^ement of his own affairs, and was then succeeded by Charles P. Williams, who retained the position for ten years. To Mr. Williams the citizens of Auburn are indebted for a zealous ad- ministration, and well-directed efforts in the business of systematizing and elevating their schools toward the eminent position they now occupy.
The act extending free and gratuitous education to the pupils of all the public schools of this State was passed March 26th, 1849. It was ratified at a popu- lar election by a vote of 243,872 against 91,951, or by fifty-five counties against four. Its propriety being afterward challenged by a restless aristocratic element in the State, the act was again submitted to the peo- ple, its faults having first been thoroughly ventilated, and in Xovember, 1850, the people sustained their for- mer decision by a majority of 25,000 votes.
The free-school system of Auburn had its origin in the law of 1849. lion. Christopher Morgan, of Auburn, was at this time Secretary of State, and ex-officio su- perintendent of schools. Section seven of the act pro- vided that, in ^' each city where free and gratuitous edu- cation was not already established, laws and ordinan- ces might, and should without delay be passed, provid- ing fur and securing and sustaining the system in each of their common, public, ward, or district schools." This feature of the law was presented to the Common Council of this city in January, 1850, by Benjamin F. Hall, in
HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
behalf of Lewis Paddoek, Esq., then principal of district school ^^o. 1, who has the honor of beginning the Au- burn free-school movement, and led to the appoint- ment of Hon. Theodore Pomeroy, then city clerk, and the veteran teacher, Levi Johnson, as a committee to draft a special free school law for Auburn. This law was duly drawn, and \vas passed by the Legisla- ture on the 10th of April, 1850. It created a Board of Education, composed of one trustee from each school district, elected annually, one commissioner from each ward of the city, the mayor, who was ex-officio presi- dent of the board, and the city superintendent, who was also ex-officio clerk of the board. The board, thus constituted, was invested with supreme control of the districts, schools, and teachers, and the disbursement of school moneys. The Common Council was empow- ered to raise, by tax, a sum sufficient to discharge the expense of carrying on the schools, and to raise yearly, upon the recommendation of the Board of Education, three thousand dollars for building purposes. The lat- ter amount was extended, in 1864, to eight thousand. To the trustees was committed the care of the school- houses and property of their respective districts.
On the 21st of May, 1850, the inhabitants of the several districts in Auburn met and elected their first trustees under the new act. These gentlemen assem- bled at the town hall on the 28th, together with four commissi (jners, dul}^ appointed by the Common Council,
GENERAL PROGRESS. 285
and the mayor and city superintendent, and organized the first Board of Education. The board consisted of his Honor, Anrelian Conkling, mayor ; Levi Johnson, superintendent and clerk ; S. W. Arnett, Dr. B. Fos- gate, I. S. Marshall, and C. P. Williams, commission- ers ; and E. AV. Ketchell, Isaac S. Allen, Z. M. Mason, J. S. Bartlett, and Isaac Sisson, Jr., trustees. Since this first organization, there have been connected with the board, in the capacity of trustee or commissioner, the following friends of education : Ilarman Woodruff', J. E. Hopkins, C. N. Tuttle, Wm. H. Yan Tuyle, H. N. Thompson, Josiah Letchworth, C. L. Sittser, Henry M. Stone, Benj. F. Hall, Dorr Hamlin, C. L. Wheaton, Miles Perry, E. G. Storke, J. W. Haiglit, Chas. Car- penter, William Laniey, James E. Tyler, T. J. Ken- nedy, S. L. Bradley, Lewis Paddock, Benj. B. Snow, B. A. Tuttle, and Joseph Osborn.
Ordinances for the regulation and management of the schools were adopted August 3d, 1850. These secured a thorough uniformity, throughout the city, of modes of instruction and text-books, directed the sep- aration of the sexes in the schools, limited the school year to forty-five weeks, and prescribed the course of studies. They laid the foundation of that system of free education in Auburn, which, modified and im- proved from time to time, has now attained a perfec- tion and usefulness not excelled in Western KewYork, and of which this city is deservedly proud.
284: HISTORY OP^ AUBURN.
The free-scliool law met at the oiit-et the intense opposition of the conservative element of Auburn fiociety. But its advantages were so apparent, that it soon won its way to the regard of all liberal-minded men, and enlisted their support. New and costly school-houses were then erected successively in each of the five districts, and furnished with modern and ele- gant desks, benches, libraries, and conveniences. The new No. 1 supplanted the old in 1850-1 ; the new No. 4 was built on the east side of North Street in 1851 ; No. 5 was erected on the corner of Seymour and Washington Streets the same year ; the new No. 2 was built in 1852 ; and the new No. 3, on the corner oi Grover and Mechanic Streets, in 1857 ; a more modem and commodious school was built in No. 4, on Seymour Street, in 1866 ; No. 1 was enlarged in 1867-8. The school-houses of Auburn, as a class, are now the finest of its public buildings.
The High School of Auburn was authorized in March, 1866, by the following amendment to the free- school act : " The said Board (of Education) shall have power to establish, organize, and maintain a classical department or school under their charge in the city of Auburn, and purchase a site, and erect a building therefor in their discretion, and said classical department or school shall be known as the Auburn Academic High School ; and the said Board of Edu- cation of the city of Auburn, and their successors in
GENERAL PROGRESS. 285
office, are hereby constituted a body corporate fur tliat purpose, under that name ; which department or school shall be subject to the visitation of the Eegents of the University of this State, and to all laws and regulations applicable to the incorporated academies thereof, and shall be entitled to all the privileges of such academies, and to share in the distribution of the moneys of the literature fund of this State, as the said academies thereof. The said board shall have the power, with the consent of two-thirds of the trustees of the Au- burn Academy, to use and occupy the said Auburn Academy property for the purposes of said Academic High School ; and with the consent of two-thirds ot the trustees of said academy, they may take a trans- fer of said property, known as the Auburn Academy propert}^, to the said Auburn Academic High School ; and thereafter the same shall be nsed and occupied as an Academic High School, pursuant to the provisions- of this act. And tuition in said Academic High School shall be for ever without charge to all children residing in the city of Auburn." This project, which had long been a subject of meditation with some of the school authorities here, was first distinctly presented to the Board of Education by a resolution adopted March 10th, 1856, by the inhabitants of school district No. 1, at an annual meeting, which was laid before the Board by Josiah Letchworth, the trustee. No action was taken at this time in the matter, but in October, 1863,
286 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
the trufctees of the Auburn Academy signified to the Board their interest in the establishment of a High School, and agreed to co-Oi)erate, if the project was undertaken. The matter was then generally agitated. In the winter of 1865-6, enterprising men took the movement in charge, and secured the law that enabled them to carry it into effect. The Principal of the Higli School was by the law made secretary of the Board of Education. To this important and respon- sible position, Warren Iligley, A.M., of Auburn, was elected in the spring of 1866. The herculean task of -classifying and grading the pupils of tlie district schools was instantly undertaken by Mr. Higley, as preliminary to the opening of the Pligh School. The task accomplished, or partially so, the High School went into operation in January, 1867, commencing with seventy-seven scholars. The institution was a success from the beginning, and, without question, ex- ceeded all that had ever been claimed for it by the most sanguine of its friends. This result, however, is justly attributed, not only to the excellence of the plan upon which this school is conducted, but to the signal ability and painstaking efforts of its Principal, Mr. Iligley. To him, more than to any other man, is the successful establishment of the Auburn High School due. To the regret of the people of Auburn, Mr. Iligley relinquished the position of Principal in the spring of 1868. He was succeeded by Prof. E. A.
GENERAL PROGRESS. 28T
Charlton, of Schenectady, a orentleman of great repu- tation and ability.
The Auburn Female Seminary, situated on the north-east corner of Genesee and AYashington Streets, after being prosperously conducted for ten years, was destroyed by fire in 1849. The necessity of seeking educational advantages for their daughters at distant schools, then befell the inhabitants of this place. This being attended with great expense and inconvenience, gave rise to the project of establishing another institu- tion here for female education, to be, liowever, of a higher order than the one destroyed, and on a more extensive scale. The importance of the work secured the co-operation of the prominent citizens of Auburn ; and an act incorporating tlie Auburn Female Uni- versity, was linally secured in the Legislature, in 1852, by the Hon. Geo. Underwood, then M. A. The only Auburn trustees were, however, Harvey A. Sackett, upon whose representations the project was undertaken, E. E. Marvine, Z. M. Mason, James C. Derby, I. F. Terrill, John II. Chedell, and William Hosmer, the remaining seventeen being appointed from the friends of education in other places. A feel- ing of local pride was thus aroused, which led to an amendment of the act of incorporation, and the ap- pointment of the following board of trustees : Nathan S. S. Beman, Isaac N. Wyckoff, Henry Mandeville, Geo. W. Patterson, Ferdinand C. D. IMcKav, IMatthew
niSTOKY OF AUBURN.
L. r. Thompson, j ]Sr. Beardsley, John II. Cliedell, Benjamin F. Hall, Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., I. F. Ter- rill, John W. Haight, Charles P. Wood, E. E. Mar- vine, John Cm-tis, James 0. Derby, Z. M. Mason, Charles F. Coffin, and Henry Underwood. The erec- tion of the University buildings, on the land lying at the north-east corner of North and Lansing Streets, now owned by Judge Humphreys, w^as contemplated. A large subscription was raised in the city, to aid the work. Mr. Sackett even started a school, in anticipa- tion of the speedy accomplishment of the project.. This gentleman, however, subsequently joined with others to have the location of the University changed from this city, and at length succeeded in having it so changed to Elmira, where the institution was soon afterward built.
The movement for the erection of this University in Auburn attracted general attention in the State ; and in the winter of 1853, by invitation of the Rev. Henry A. Nelson, Mortimer L. Browne, Esq., then teaching in Syracuse, accompanied by E. J. Hamilton, from Bath, N. Y., came to this city, with a view of entering into the movement. Several meetings for consultation with prominent citizens were held at the office of Hon.. George Underwood. An unusual stringency in finan- cial affairs occurring soon after, the gentlemen named abandoned the idea of opening a school in Auburn, Mr, Browne receivhig and accepting the appointment
GKNERAL PROGRESS.
of superintendent «»f public schools in SjTacuse, and Mr. Hamilton beinir called to the principalship of the High School at Oswego.
In the winter of 1854, Winthrop Tappan, Esq., a young gentleman of ability, from Augusta, Maine, visited Auburn in pursuance of a design of carrying out the long-talked-of project of a female school. Find- ing the citizens disposed to lend him their aid, he opened a school at once in Corning Hall block. Meeting with great success, Mr. Tappan visited Syra- cuse the following spring, and proposed to Mr. Brown an associate principalship of the school he had founded,, which he called the Auburn Young Ladies' Institute. The school was to be transferred to the city hall, when that building should be remodeled and adapted to edu- cational purposes. Mr. Brown accordingly resigned his position in Syracuse, and in May, 1855, accepted that offered by Mr. Tappan. During the three years of the joint principalship of these gentlemen, the In- stitute was essentially a day-school, few boardei^s being received into their families. In the spring of 1858, Mr. Tappan retired from the Institute, which has since been conducted under the sole management and con- trol of his associate. In 1859, Mr. Brown purchased the property on North Street, known as the Good- win Place, and so enlarged and improved it, as to provide pleasant and convenient accomuKxlations for about twenty-five young ladies, who sliould become 17
290 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
members of his family and attendants at the Institute. The grounds connected with his residence were beau- tifully laid out and adorned with choice shrubbery. A prominent feature of this school is the attention that has ever been given to the physical culture of its pupils, saddle and carriage horses being gratuitously provided for theii use, and regular exercise in the open air being enjoined upon all. The latter is insured by the separation of the home from the day-school. With regard to the studies pursued at the Young Ladies' In- stitute, it will be sufficient to state that Mr. Brown aims in his plan at usefulness rather than display, at thorough mental training, and at " refinement of man- ners, and permanent excellence of character." The Institute has been uniforndy prosperous, and has cer- tainly won for itself a deservedly high reputation, both at home and abroad, for thorough and elegant culture, and for positive and elevating religious influ- ences. It does not share the school appropriations of the State, since it is not under the care of the Regents of the University ; neither has it asked nor received assistance from the citizens of Auburn. Its success is due solely to intrinsic merit.
The great natural capabilities of the bold eminence known as the Fort Hill, in the western part of Auburn, which, by reason of the beauty of its groves, its promi- nence as a point of observation, and the enchanting vicAVs of the villages and lakes of the county, that
GENERAL PROGRESS. 291
might be caiiglit from its top, formerly caused many of our citizens to indulge the hope that the hill might ultimately be converted into a })ark, came, about the years 1845 and '50, to be the subject of more general remark. At the dates mentioned, the hill was visited by the antiquarians, Henry II. Schoolcraft and E. G. Squier, respectively, who caused it to be surv^eyed by James II. Bostwick, mapi)cd and described, and brought before the public as possessing a great histori- cal interest. The hill had, in the flight of time, become the property of Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., of Auburn, and George W. Hatch, of New York, and lay, gathering rust, being used for none other than the common chance occurrences of the village, such as a target shoot, a political convention, or the celebration of the national anniversary. As the thoughts of the inhabi- tants, however, reverted to the mysterious associations connected with the venerable fortification in the grove, and to the memory of the ancient builders, respect for both led them to demand that this earthwork should be saved from the hand of innovation, and itself and recollections perpetuated by a devotion of the grounds to some ])u1)lic purpose. Mingled with this idea, were other considerations. The old cemetery on North Street had, by the vicissitudes of over half a century, become crowded with the graves of the dead, and more room for another cemetery was required. Fort Hill was fitted l)y nature for just this purpose.
292 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
On the 15tli day of May, 1851, Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., Wm. C. Beardsley, Michael S. Myers, Hugo B. Kathbun, John L. "Watrons, Josiah N. Starin, George Underwood, and George W. Hatch, met at the office of Mr. Howe, and organized the Fort Hill Cemetery Association of Auburn, under the State law of April 27th, 1817, providing for the incorporation of such bodies. The number of trustees of the association be- ing fixed at twelve, the following were duly chosen as such : Enos T. Throop Martin, Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., James C. Derby, Benjamin F. Hall, William C. Beardsley, Isaac S. Allen, Cyrus C. Dennis, Zebina M. Mason, Nelson Beardsley, John II. Chedell, M. S. Myers, and John W. Haight. The trustees were then separated by lot into three classes, in order that one- third of the Board might be elected thereafter annual- ly. A conveyance of the hill was received by the association from Messrs. Howe and Hatch, for the nominal sum of one dollar, and certain other considera- tions therein expressed, on the 25th day of August, 1851.
The grounds having been inclosed and partially cleared of rubbish by Messrs. Hall and Derby, com- mitteemen, the receiving vault constructed, and the cemetery received several occupants, the hill was for- mally consecrated to tlie purpose of tlie burial of hu- man remains on the 7th of July, 1852. Michael S. Myers pronounced the introductory address in the pres-
GENERAL PROGRESS.
ence of an interested concourse of the people, which was followed by the singing of an ode composed by Henry Oliphant. The Eev. W. A. (1. Mellen read selections from the Scriptures ; these in turn were fol- lowed by an ode from the pen of the Rev. J. M, Aus- tin. The exercises were closed by an impressive ad- dress from the Rev. Laurens P. Ilickok, president of the Auburn Theological Seminary.
The preliminaries over, the trustees addressed them- selves to the business of improving the hill. Lots were laid out in every direction, convenient drives and walks built, the lawns were cleared of brush, and all withered trees and branches removed. The hill was divided into sections, each of which received an ap- propriate name. The rude old embankment, over- grown with turf, was carefully preserved. Upon a slight mound in the center of the fort, wdiicli had long attracted public attention, and was supposed to be the remains of an ancient earthen altar, there was erected, in 1852, through the efforts of one of the trustees, a monument, fifty-six feet high, of dark limestone,*as a mark of respect to the memory of the celebrated Tah- gah-jute, or Logan. The northern face of this shaft bears a marble slab w^ith the inscription, " Who is there to mourn for Logan?" About the monument there was planted, in the spring of 1853, with the as- sistance of the writer, a quantity of ivy vines, taken from the walls of the old Episcopal Church. The
294 HISTORY OF auburn.
trustees, availing themselves of the experience of the authorities of Greenwood Cemetery, in New York, counseled taste, variety, and durability, in all inclo- sures and monuments. Ordinances were adopted for their protection, and for the perfect seclusion of the grounds. The Legislature provided that no public highway should ever be laid out across the hill.
The council-ground is situated in the foreground of the cemetery, and upon the left of the winding road by which visitors attain the top of the hill. It is a beautiful open lawn, sloping gently eastward from the old fort, and lies upon the northern brow of the height. It is the only spot on the hill which presents a view of Owasco Lake. " It was termed the council-ground by the topographer of the cemetery, on account of the general impression that it was the spot where the an- cient Cayugas assembled for deliberation."
Mount Auburn is the name given to the ^bold bluff or mount on the right of the entrance road, or Cayuga Avenue, as it is called, on the northern front of the cemetery. The city, with its groves and gardens, lies spread out at the feet of the observer from this point, in the midst of charming scenes, which extend in every direction as far as the eye can reach. It was originally the intention of the founders of the cemetery to erect a tower upon the summit of this section for the pur- poses of observation.
That section of the cemetery which is circumscribed
GENERAL PROGRESS. 295
by the old pentagessiraal fortification is termed Fort Alleffban. The arrano;ement of tlie burial lots and walks conform to tlie circular shape of the fort, and to the position of the lofty monument which adorns its center.
Mount Vernon lies west of Fort Alleghan. It is an elevated but secluded point, may be conveniently ap- proached by drives and walks, and appears to have been used in times past by the savages themselves as a burial-ground. The skeletons of numerous aborigi- nes have been exhumed here, all being found in a sit- ting posture. The section is named from some resem- blance that it bears to the grounds about the tomb of Washington.
Laurel Hill is a projecting spur of the hill, lying directly south of the last-named section, and is a spot remarkable for its natural beauty.
Mount Hope is the style of an eminence selected by Geo. W. Hatch, as the site of a monument, which he proposed to erect to Hope. It is situated on the southern declivity of the hill.
The three glens, called respectively Glen Haven, Glen Cove, and Glen Alpine, lie beyond the table of the hill, upon its southern face. They are all seques- tered and romantic spots, surrounded by the most beautiful scenes. They are esteemed choice places for burial purposes. The three glens are termed " the poetry of the cemetery grounds.''
296 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
Tlie nioveineiit of the mill-owners of Auburn, forty years ago, for improving, deepening, and cleaning out the channel of the Owasco Outlet, aimed not only at preparing the stream for navigation, and making its great hydraulic power usable, but at storing up in the lake, b}^ means of gates or dams, the surplus waters of the rainy season, for the use of the mills at the twenty or more dams on the stream, in the autumnal months.
One hundred thousand acres, according to the care- ful estimates of the accomplished engineer, Wm. B. Yedder, Esq., shed their w^aters into the Owasco Lake, including the area of the lake itself, wdiich is seventy- four hundred acres. Upon the surface of this tract there falls annually a quantity of rain and snow (melt- ed), shown by observations taken regularly, for twenty years, at the academy in the city of Auburn, to aver- age thirty-five and six-tenths inches in depth. The greatest rain-fall recorded during this period w^as fifty inches in depth ; the least, twenty-one. The total average available yield of water, per year, is about 4,500,000,000 cubic feet. Kow, could this yearly sup- ply be stored up in the lake, as it falls, and be per- mitted to flow forth at a uniform rate, an average daily yield w^ould be obtained, at the dams on the outlet, of 12,300,000 cubic feet, or 8,540 cubic feet per minute. This is an ample allowance for turning all the water- wheels in Auburn.
But, at the time mentioned, the daily draft upon
GENERAL PROGRESS. 297
the lake was not in any manner controlled. The top of the upper dam was a foot and an half below mean high-water mark. The lake regularly discharged the surplus waters, accumulated in tlie spring, during that season and the summer, at a ra])id rate through an open outlet, and its surface fell, at the approach of autumn, to the level of a sand-bar at its foot, when the flow ceased, or nearly so. A period of live months, varying somewhat in length with the season, was therefore unfailingly brought around, when the current of the outlet became so sluggish and feeble as to be in- sufficient to drive the machinery of the manufactories at the dams fully, thereby causing many injurious in- terruptions and suspensions in manufacturing.
In January, 1830, Henry Polhemus, Asaph D. Leonard, and Allen Warden, three of the principal millers of Auburn, determined to apply to the Legisla- ture for an act which should enable them to remedy the difficulty by giving them power to erect a gate in the outlet near the lake, and to maintain an average depth of water on the shallows at the foot of the lake of twenty inclies during the entire year. They gave public notice of their intention to apply for this law. The movements of the Auburn and Owasco Canal Company promising to effect the desired end, by. deep- ening the outlet at its head, the gentlemen mentioned left it fur the company to accomplish. l>ut it was overlooked in the conuilications of business affairs tliat
HISTORY iW AUBURN.
followed close after the erection of the big dam, and the millers again took it in hand.
In 184-7, the regular recurrence of a season of low water in autumn was perceived to inHict great damage on three important public interests ; that is to say : the mills along the stream ; the Erie Canal, of which the Owasco was a feeder ; and the State prison, which furnished hydraulic power, by agreement, to certain contractors, and which drew water for culinary pur- poses from the State dam. The dry season, by ren- dering the water in this dam impure, unfitted it for use, and, in fact, made it so offensive that the citizens at one time petitioned the Legislature to have the dam removed.
The deed to the Auburn Woolen Company of a site and privilege at the big dam, dated March 1st, 1847, conveyed the right to the company of drawing down the water at the upper dam, whenever the creek was low, provided that it should by its agents so deepen the bed of the stream above the last-named point, that there should be a flow four feet in depth from the lake. An examination of the outlet during the summer of '47, by the agent of tlie woolen company, and by Josiah Barber, and William Beach & Co., parties who were equally interested in the condition of the stream, revealed impediments in several places in its channel and the serious obstruction at its head in the shape of the sand-bar, which was some thirteen hundred feet
GENERAL PROGRESS. 299^
wide. x\n improvement was undertaken by these par- ties at their own expense. The bottom of the creek was lowered four feet below the level of the top of the dam, by blasting out the rock for a tliousand feet up stream from the dam, and by the removal of certain smaller quantities of stone and debris -ai±ti some of tlie bends abovB. At tlie same time, the formation of an artificial channel througli the sand-bar, from the mouth of the outlet to deep water, was attempted under the supervision of E. P. Williams. Hows of piles were driven into the bar each side of tlie channel, which it was proposed to board up, to prevent the return of the sand after the excavation had taken place. The futil- ity of the latter proceeding was, however, so quickly demonstrated, that it was not perfected. The treach- erous nature of the bar precluded the possibility of permanence in fliis part of the work. The improve- ment was therefore left at this point, the gentlemen named above having expended upon it the sum of nine thousand dollars. The State subsequently paid one thousand dollars for the benefit conferred by the im- provement upon the water-power at the prison.
For the grand improvement of 1852-'5, the manu- facturers of Auburn are indebted, in no small degree^ to the gentlemen who, in the year first stated, were roll- ing the ball for a water-works company. The forma- tion of such a company was opposed, as tending to dimin- ish an already scanty supply of water (during autumn)
300 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
in the outlet. The necessities of the Port Byron level of the Erie Canal required that the flow of the Owasco should not fail in the dry season. A fourth interest liad then arisen in the matter of improving the outlet, and its influence aided materially in securing, on the 9th day of April, 1852, the passage of the following law : " The sum of seven thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary for that purpose, is hereby appropriated, and shall be paid by the comptrollers out of any moneys in the treasury, for the removal of the bar at the foot of the Owasco Lake, and the imxprovement of the outlet of said lake ; the sum appropriated for this purpose shall be expended and applied under the supervision and direction of the agent of the State prison at Auburn, and the mayor of said city." On the loth, a law was passed making it the duty of the State engineer and surveyor, then the Hon. William J. McAlpine, to cause to be made the necessary maps and estimates.
William B. Yedder, resident engineer of the middle division of the N. Y. S. Canals, was detailed to per- form preliminary work. Having surveyed the outlet, and the foot of the lake, and made all necessary ex- aminations, he, on the 30th of August, furnished the mayor, the agent, and the commissioners, with a report embodying the results of his surveys, with maps, and suggestions in relation to the manner of the proposed improvement, and estimates of the cost of eight differ-
GENERAL PROGRESS. 301
ent modes of effecting the same, the eight modes, how- ever, being simply variations of three distinct i)hins for producing a more uniform discharge of water from the lake, and of increasing the flowage of the outlet in the fall of the year. These plans were, viz :
Firstly, Such excavations in the bed and banks of the outlet as should make its channel forty feet wide, with a bottom, from the lake to the upper dam, four feet below the level of the top of the dam, and the cutting of a new channel twenty -five feet wide on the bottom, from the head of the outlet through the sand- bar to deep water in the Jake.
Secondly, the removal of obstructions in the creek, as by the first plan, and the excavation of an entirely new channel across Hubbard's Point, and thence on through the sand-bar to deep water as before ; and
Thirdly, the building of banks along the shores of the lake at the foot, and a^Jtt^ in the creek, for the purpose of raising the surface of the lake three feet above low- water mark.
The first two plans were designed to gain command of some portion of the vast stores of water in the lake that remained when its surface had fallen to the level of the sand bar, upon which no draft could otherwise be made ; and which, in case of being drawn down, could be replaced at the next wet season. The third plan proposed to furnish storage for all tlie waters that ran into tlic lake, control them, and ciiablo mill-own-
302 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
ers to use them when needed, by throwing open the gates in the creek.
After a thorough examination of Mr. Yedder^s re- port, the Auburn commissioners decided to open the channel of the creek by clearing away all logs, flood- wood and debris, so as to give a four-feet flow ; to dig a channel through Hubbard's Point to the lake, four feet in depth, and twenty-eight in width on the bot- tom, the sides being faced with stone; to excavate across the bar a similar channel, protected on either side by moles or banks made from the earth and mate- rials taken out of the cuts, covered with stone as rip- rap, and provided at the outward ends with piers foi* ice and water-breakers; to close the old channel with a bank ; and to erect a flood-gate near the junction of the new channel and the outlet.
Colonel Olivar C Hubbard, of Owasco, c(^iiveyed to the commissioners the necessary right of way, and con- tracted to perform the work. It was then the time of low-water. Operations began, therefore, at once. The total length of the new channel from the verge of the sand-bar to the outlet was estimated at about twenty- three hundred and eighty feet. Of this ten hundred and twenty feet were excavated in 1652-3. Seven hundred and sixty-two more were dug, in ISoi, under contract, by the eminent engineer, James H. Ledlie. Oofler dams were erected to protect the cuttings <luring the periods of liigh-water, and the State a])-
GENERAI. PROGRESS. 303
propriated six thousand four hundred and eighty-live dollars further toward the completion of the work.
The improvement, though then unlinislied, was of extraordinary value to the State in the fall of 1S54. The suiVimer had been excessively warm and dry, and many small streams utterly failed in the severity of the drought. To preserve continued navigation upon our State Canals, was a subject of the deepest per- plexity. Boats were frequently detained by low water on some of the levels, and great losses resulted thereby both to traders and the State. The stoppage of a single day was at this busy season disastrous. The Canal Commissioners allude, in their annual report to the Legislature, in January, 1855, to the difficulty they experienced of obtaining water at the Port Byron level They exhausted all the reservoirs at their com- mand, and then they ordered the commissioners at Auburn to throw open the new cut at the Owasco Lake, in order to relieve the canal. This was their last re- source. The channel in the sand-bar was cut down to maintain the supply, and navigation was thus preserv- ed uninterrupted. It is certain that the State wfs saved in tliis manner at least the sum of thirty thou- sand dollars.
The Canal Commissioners finished tho work on the outlet in 1855, with the aid of an additional ai)[)n)pri- ation of ten thousand dolhirs. Two i'uatures of the original design were not carried (»ut. The raising of
304: UISTOKY OF AUBURN.
the surface of the h\ke, by means of a gate, three feet above low-water mark, it was discovered, would over- flow three hundred acres of timber land at the head of the lake ; by raising it five feet, five hundred acres of timber, and eighty acres of meadow land would be overflowed, the level of the swamp being but two and one half feet above low- water mark. The gate, there- fore, was not built, as intended, nor was the old chan- nel, above its junction with the new, closed.
An act of April 15th, 1857, authorized the Canal Commissioners to appropriate, whenever they chose, the upper dam on the outlet to the use of the State, and raise it to a height sufticient to efl^ct all the purposes of a gate in the channel. This was never done bj them in any permanent manner. But they are now causing the new channel to be deepened and enlarged, and cleared of quicksand in a way which will render the raising of the dam entirely unnecessary. The present improvement was begun in November, 1868,. by contractors from the city of Syracuse.
The formation, by wealthy citizens, of a stock com- pany to secure the advantages of a steady and ample supply of pure water to the city of Aul.)nrn, by laying subterranean pipes from some spring or reservoir to and through every street and ward, was attempted in 1851, by the enterprising Hon. Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., who had succeeded in obtaining from the Legislature, on the 19th of April, a charter investing himself, and
GPLNi i:al progress. 1^05
General Joliii II. Clie^lell, Abijah Fitcli, Daniel Ilew- son, Samuel I'latclifor.l, Hon. Anrelian Conkling, Cy- rus C. Dennis, John Tatty, ^Vm. B. Wood, John E. Patten, George Clapp, Hon. John Porter, Isaac S. Allen, Edwin E. Marvine, John Curtis, and Benjamin Ashby, with needful authority in the ])i*ennses.
This was an old but untried scheme. It had at- tracted attention in Auburn twenty years before, aris- ing primarily out of the necessities of the State pris- on. That institution had been, up to 1822, furnished with water, by means of a forcing-pump, from the adjoining pond in the outlet. But the pond became stagnant every warm season, and in winter it froze. Pure water was urgently needed. Search was made for a spring near by. One being found on the lands of Dr. Joseph Cole, (jn Xorth Street, an expensive aqueduct of tamarack logs, bound with iron, was laid therefrom to the prison. This spring was, for many years, the principal resource of the prison for whole- some water. In 1829, the surveys that were being made upon the outlet for tliose having in view the ca- nal project, had reference also to the matter of laying pipes from the proposed canal, if it should be built on the level <jf the lake, down to the prison, and where- ever needed in the t(jwn, to meet the imperative de- mand for g(jo(l water. But it was estinuited that water from tlie level referred t<) would no more than run into the second ^tory of the Western Exchange, 18
306 HISTOriY OF AUBURN.
and, as the custom of the prison alone would not sup- port a company, the enterprise had failed.
Mr. Howe's company encountered the opposition of every interest affected by the state of the Owasco Out- let. It was not till the improvement upon that stream had been fully completed that a second attempt could be made.
On the 19th of April, 1859, the Legislature gave the Auburn Water- Works Compan}^ a new and ^ample charter, designating the following gentlemen as the first Board of Directors : William Beach, Theo. Di- mon, Benj. F. Hall, George W. Peck, Franklin L. Sheldon, Albert H. Goss, William H. Carpenter, John S. Clark, and Paul D. Cornell. The company was not to be dissolved by reason of any failure to hold an annual election on the day appointed ; an election on any subsequent day was to be valid, if held in proper form. The directors were unable to organize for active operations until the spring of 1863. A quorum then met in the ofhce of Mr. Goss, and, as empowered by the charter, filled the places of absent and deceased mem- bers of the board, and paved the w^ay for work. It was resolved, on the 15th of December, to open books for subscriptions to the capital stock of the company. The whole, amounting to $100,000, was taken in twelve liours. An election resulted in the choice of directors, as follows : Edward II. Avery, president ; Albert H. Goss, secretarv and treasurer ; Elmore P. Boss, S.
GENERAL PROGRESS. 307
AYillard, M.D., Tlieo. M. Pomeroy, Cyrus C. Deiinir^, Josiali Barber, Harmon AVoodriiff, and Georo^e W. Peck.
The great obstacle that the project liad thus far en- countered was the difficulty of obtaining a sufficient -elevation for a reservoir. Fort Hill, the east hill, the old camp-ground on Moravia Street, and the first hill in Fleming, on the South Street road, had severally been inspected for a location, and found to possess none suitable for the purpose. A set of works at Lockport, erected by B. Holley & Co., that employed pum})s instead of reserv^oirs, gained the attention of the company at this point. A committee was sent to ex- amine them. They were workin<>; admirably, and the directors were strongly recommended to adopt the new system, for it was well adapted to overcome the only obstacle to the entire consummation of their pur- poses. This was accordingly done. The construction of the pump and superintendent's house, the dam, and raceway of the company was commenced in April, 1864. In August, Messrs. Holley & Co. began put- ting in the machinery and works. A call for the pay- ment in part of subscriptions of stock was made Sep- tember Tth.
The laying of the mains was commenced in Septem- ber, 1865, under contract, by the Xew Jersey Compa- ny, which employed pipes of ])oiler iron, coated within and witliout witli its own patent cement, an ex])eri-
o08 IIISTOKY OF AUBUliN.
ment witli lug pipes having demonstrated tlieir unfit- ness for the purpose. The work was vigorously prose- cuted till the month of December, when the water was turned on at the pump-house, and distributed through the principal streets of the city, through 22,930 feet of mains. Both pipes and works were tested, and proved sound. In 186G, 18,048 feet of mains were laid, in addition to the above ; in 1867, 26,804 feet more ; and in 1868, sufficient to make the total length of main pipe laid about fourteen miles.
The Water- Works Company is now in the full tide of successful operation. Its pipes underlie every ward and district of our city, atlbrd an unfailing and copious supply of spring- water at thousands cf faucets, for do- mestic purposes, keep, during the summer, scores of fountains in ])erpetual play, and, at one hundred and thirty-live street hydrants, furnishes the prompt and certain means of extinguishing the most dangerous iires. The attractions of residence, and the security ot property, in Auburn, have been so happily increased in this manner, that the Water- Works (Company is entitled to, and has indee<l won the golden opinions of all our citizens.
The corporation known as the Auburn Gas-Light Company was formed on the 11th day of January, 1850, Avith a capital of $20,000, by Eowland E. Eus- sell, C^aptain George B. Chase, Benjamin F. Hall, Adam Miller, Philip R Freoff, Wm. IT. Van Tuyl,
OENERAL rKOGKE>s. 309
Thomas Iloadlev, J. 8. IJowen, Albert G. Smitli, Thomas Y. Ilowe, Jr., I. F. Terrill, Andrew Johnson,
E. B. Cobb, H. G. Ellsworth, Z. M. IVfa^oii, Horatio Robinson, and Paul D. Cornell, to eni:;ap;e in the manu- facture of gsi=, for the purposes of illumination for the period of fifty years, by taking tiie legal steps set forth in the general law of February IGth, 1848, as necessary to the formation of such companies. The first Board of Directors, composed of Captain George B. Chase, Z. M. Mason, P. P. Freoff, Benjamin F. Hall, Paul T). Cor- nell, II. G. Ellsworth, AVm. II. Yan Tuyl, Adarn Mil- ler, and P. T. Pussell, met at the office of Benjamin
F. Hall, in Auburn, on the 14:tli of January, and or- ganized, electing Mr. Chase for president; Mr. Hall, secretary ; Mr. Mason, treasurer ; and Thomas Iload- ley, engineer and superintendent.
Illuminating gas w^as first manufactured in Auburn at the mills of the Auburn Woolen Company, where works were erected and the whole process tested, un- der the direction of Thonuis Iloadley and Michael Kavanagh. The advantages of this means of illumi- nation being shown to be great, the proposition was made to introduce it to the city by Mr. Hall. Mr. Iloadley, and Captain Chase, and met with such uni- versal satisfaction, that the company to effect it was formed without the slightest difficulty.
From amongst the large number of hydro-carbons iised at the time in other cities for the generation of
310 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
light gas, all more or less costly, the blubber and sedi- ment of sperm oil, a concrete fat technically called " whale's foots," was selected by the directors as capa- ble of producing the richest, piu-est, and cheapest gas ; to bargain for a supply of which. Captain Chase, fa- miliar with all things pertaining to the sea, was imme- diately dispatched to Nantucket. A contract for a regular supply of the raw material for ten years, at fifty cents a gallon, was easily made. The gas factory was built during the summer on ground lying opposite the prison, purchased from the State. The site was the lowest within convenient distance of the chief business streets of the city. The retort and gas houses were both frame buildings. The machinery and works were put in under the personal supervision of that practical and competent engineer, Mr. Iloadley, whose long experience in gas-making, not only at the woolen mills, but in 'New York and England, rendered his services very valuable to the company. One bench oi three retorts, and a gas-holder with a capacity of six thousand cubic feet, w^as the extent of the factory. Michael Kavanagh, the veteran gas-maker of Auburn, was employed to conduct the manufacture.
At this point, tlie usual strong repugnance to the use of gas, founded upon a mistaken notion that it was dan- gerous and unwholesome, was manifested in Auburn. This repugnance was of course in no respect lessened by the general indifference and disfavor with which;
GENERAL PROGRESS. 311
gas was regarded by a number of wortliy citizens, who perceived that the new innovation upon the customs of their forefathers was about to consign girandoles and snuffers to the company of things gone by, and echpse the candle and oil business. The sentiment, however, gave way as the public became better in- formed as to the properties of gas. During August, 1850, a main conductor pipe was laid in State Street, running from the works north to the prison, and south to the head of the street, and thence do^vn Genesee to the bridge. On the evening of September 1st, the gas was turned on for the first time, and lit in the prison and the stores, at two hundred lamps. The gas was a nearly inodorous, highly carbureted compound, con- taining about twenty-two per cent, of oleliant gas, and emitted at each two-feet burner the light of twenty- tliree mold tallow candles. Seven cubic feet of this gas was produced from every pound of blubber, and though then worth ten dollars per thousand cubic feet, cost only one-tenth the price of candles. The people admired its light, and pronounced it good.
A defect in that machine at the works, called the mixer, led to an unfortunate accident, the very first night of active operations. When the flow from the works into the city was stopped by putting out the lights, the mixer was reversed, and threw the gas back into the retort-house, where it ignited, and destroyed the buildings. This unfortunate affair was a jicavy
312 HISTORY OF AUlilTliN.
blow at the infant enterprise. With remarkable vigor, liowever, the company re-erected the Avorks at once. The machinery was restored, and the wliole factory made stronger and better than before. The gas was asain turned on on the 1st of October.
Notwithstanding tlie conceded superiority of oil gas over any other, the company made no money in its pro- duction. In the course of certain experiments, made by the engineer with the hydro-carbons, with the view of commencing manufacture from a less expensive ma- terial, it was satisfactorily shown that gas might be made from rosin, a material then widely used for the purpose, cheaper than from whale's foots. The rosin was easily obtainable at the cost of thirteen or fourteen shillings per barrel of three hundred and ten pounds, each pound of which was capable of generating six cu- bic feet c>f a gas that was worth eight dollars per thousand. The gas needed little purification, burned with a vivid light, and without smoke, and required little or no change in the works for its manufacture. The way for a change from oil to rosin being prepared, by a report from the Nantucket dealers that they were unable to furnish whale's foots on the original terms, the directors authorized the change in the spring of 1851, and communicated tlie fact to the secretary of the company, then in Washington, who visited the pine country of North Carolina, and made aiTange- ments for supplying the factory with rosin.
GENERAL PROGRESS. 313
The ])opii]ar })rejudice against illuiuination ])y means of gas was sliort-lived. During the summer of 1851, the main pipes were extended from the gas-works in various directions tlirough the ])rincipal sti'cets of the city, and branches were carried into most of the public buildings, stores, and lai'ge residences. The safety of the new light, its brilliance, and the immense amount of labor that it saved, especially in lighting the streets, insured its success. The business of the company grew rapidly, though the large sums of money necessa- rily invested by it, in laying pipes through the city, and enlarging its works, jirevented for several years the payment of dividends to shareholders. From time to time, the capital was increased, and the company's range of operations was at length extended, by begin- ning the manufacture of varnish, lamp-black, and nap- that from the refuse of the retorts.
The new works for making gas from coal were erected a few rods south of the original buildings, in 1860, to gratify the desire of the public for a cheaper gas than that manufactured from rosin. The company urged the numerous objections against the use of coal gas in vain. The people were satisfied that it was cheaper to use a diluted gas, and they threat- ened to form a competing company in case they could be supplied with it in no other way. An entirely new and enlarged set of works were accordingly built, at a cost of about fifty thousand dollars. They now con-
314 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
tain twenty-two clay retorts, each holding a charge of fifteen hundred }3ounds of coal, which are arranged in Bix benches, and are capable of producing fifty thousand cubic feet of gas daily. The gas-holder has a capacity of thirty-five thousand cubic feet. The works are under the experienced direction of Mr. Kavanagh and his assistants, Daniel Tehan and Patrick McCartin, who have been connected with the business nearly from the commencement. The oversight of the business is in- trusted to Henry S. Dunning, superintendent, and David M. Dunning, secretary and treasurer. The daily consinnption of gas in the city varies with the season and the weather. The average consumption in the summer is fifteen thousand cubic feet a night ; in winter it is thirty-five thousand. Leakages amount to ten or fifteen per cent. The gas is burned at about ten thousand lamps.
The history of railroad projects in Auburn comprises sketches of twelve different schemes for ci*eating direct lines of railroad communication betw^een Auburn and other cities or other channels of trade, the building of which, w^itli the cheapness of manufacturing here, it was expected, would make Auburn, in fact, the market town of the whole of Cayuga County, and by means of which her manufactures and the productions of the county might be quickly carried to their appropriate markets.
Part of this history has already been given. Yet, it
GENERAL PROGRESS. 315
is presumed that a connected account of the origin, progress, and issue of each of the different projects will not, in this place, prove unuseful or uninteresting, for the record is full of exhibitions of honorable public spirit on the part of our citizens, and instances of ear- nest, self-sacrificing woi-k, which, though not always successful, are lit to be remembered by the people of this city.
One of the first effects of the completion of the Erie Canal, in 1825, was the giving a powerful impetus to the carrying trade upon the inland lakes in the in- terior of New York. Sloops and sailing vessels had, from the times of the pioneers, filled these lakes, and flatboats and canoes their outlets and tributaries, trad- ing in salt, lumber, furs, and provisions, with the pop- ulous regions on the Susquehanna and the Mohawk. All heavy movements of freight in the interior, were either to, or from the canal, forward from '25, and large accessions to the trade on the lakes followed.
Private enterprise spontaneously undertook to con- nect these natural water-lines with the canal on the north, and the Susquehanna on the south. Railways from Ithaca to Owego, from Canandaigua to the canal, from the same village to Geneva, and from Auburn to the canal, and a canal from Owasco Lake to the Sus- quehanna, were projected as early as 1827 ; and the Legislatures of 1828 and '29 were besieged for char- ters for them, and f(jr innumerable other lines of north
316 HISTORV OF AUHURX.
and Boiitli railways and canals. Many ol' these were granted, and among them, charters for the canal and the railroad conceived in Auburn.
The Port Byron and Auhnrn llailway Comj)any was incorporated, April 17th, 1829, with a capital of $50,000, and was vested with the " sole and exclusive right to construct a^ single or double railroad or way from the Erie Canal," at Port I>yr()n, to the village of Auburn, the terminus at this end to l)e at some point near by the State prison. Tt was empowered to use either steam or horse-power on the road, and collect for every ton of goods transported over the line a toll of six cents per mile, and for passengers, four cents per mile. Hon. John II. Beach and Abijah Fitch, of Auburn, John Ilaring, of Mentz, and Denni- son Robison, Horace Perkins, and John I. Tremper, were designated as subscription commissioners. A line for the road w^as surveyed ; but it was found that the ascent from Port Byron was very heavy — some- thing over three hundred feet. This was a formidable obstacle, and, joined with the great labor of -ordiaaBFy-^ things for the construction of the road, when there were no models in America, except the little Quincy road in Massachusetts, and the unfinished line be- tween Albany and Schenectady, it stopped the enter- prise.
The charter of the Auburn and Canal Pailwaj Company left the location of the northern termiims of
GKNKRAL TKOGKESS. 31T
the line discretionary with tlie director.-. Tlie compa- ny was incorporated on tlie 24th day <>f A])ril, 1832, in connection with a fresh eftbrt, in Auburn, to build the Owasco Canal. It drew to it.s support men of high standing in this connnunity, among whom were Hon. John Porter, Hon. Wm. II. Seward, Caj)tain Bradley Tuttle, Nathaniel Garrow, .Vmbrose Cock, John Patty, Stephen Van x\nden, xVbijah Fitch, Cap- tain George P. Chase, Ira Hopkins, and I. S. Miller. This road would, undoubtedly, have been built at once, to either Port Pyron or Weedsport, had not its friends found that a connection with the canal at the village of Syracuse was nmch more profitable.
That it will eventually be built, down the gorge of the Owasco Outlet to Throopsville and Port Pyron, may be safely inferred from two facts : the mill-owners in both places have found it necessary; and a company of energetic men has been organized, with a capital of $400,000, to carry it through. This company was formed in January, 1SG9, with the following manage- ment : AVilliam Ilayden, of Auburn, president; G. II. Bardwell, of Philadelphia, vice-president ; 11. S. Punting, of New York, secretary and treasurer; II. A. AVainwright, T. !>. Bunting, Charles A. Stetson, Jr., Howard Bunting, Cliarks A. Wilson, Franklin P]llis, L. I). Hutchlus, of New Voik ; J. C. Ivorr, of Philadelphia; Bol>crt A. Packei', of Wilkesbarrc ; and S. I*. l\«'iidi-i('k. of Poi-t I>vi'oTi, directors.
318 HISTORY OF A.UBUEN.
Forty thousand dollars have already been subscribed toward its stock, which is about one-half of what the contractors ask to be raised before they commence work. The contractors guarantee to finish the road in one hundred days after they break ground. A speedy commencement is anticipated, additional sub- scriptions being received daily. The object of the road is the development of large and unoccupied hydraulic privileges on the Owasco Outlet, and good communication with the Erie Canal. Many of its friends anticipate its continuance, at no distant day, through the towns of Conquest, Butler, Wolcott, and Huron, to Big Sodus Bay, and, if sufficient induce- ments are offered, its extension southwards, over the so-called Murdock line, toward the coal-fields of Pennsylvania.
The Auburn and Syracuse E. R. Co., formed in Auburn under a law dated May 1st, 1834, with a capi- tal of $400,000— subsequently increased to $600,000— laid a track composed of wooden ribbons to Syracuse, a distance of twenty-five and three-fourths miles, which was operated from January 8th, 1838, to June, 1839, by means of horse-power. Tlie road was finished at the last-named date, with the aid of a loan of $200,- 000 from the State. Iron rails then replaced the wooden ones, and locomotives the horses.
The Auburn and Rochester B. 11. Co. was chartered on tlie 13th of May, 1836, with a capital of $2,000,
GENERAL TKOGRESS. 319
000. The stock was largely taken by the energetic capitalists of Boston, who, with great foresight, were aiming to connect their city by a direct line of rail- roads with Lake Erie and its vast commerce. The road was built from Eochester eastward, and was com- pleted to Auburn, and thrown open to traders and travelers on the 4tli of November, 184:1. It accommo- dated the residents of an immense district in the inte- rior of the State, by toi^hing, as by law ordered, the northern extremity of tlioae line navigable lakes. It also formed, with others chartered in 1836, a con- nected line of railroads from Buffalo to Albany.
All railroad projects in Auburn, subsequent to the last mentioned, bore reference to the construction of roads from this city to Lake Ontario on the north, and the New York and Erie Eailroad on the south.
The first of these originated in the village of Ithaca, whose people, after trying in vain to raise the funds for the purpose of building a road to Geneva, invited the co-operation of tlie citizens of Auburn in the scheme of a line between Ithaca and this place. A charter for a company, under the style of the Ithaca and Auburn R. R. Co., was obtained on the 21st of May, in 183G, a year prolific beyond parallel in railroad schemes, the capital stock being fixed at $500,000. The company was required to lay its track through the villages of Groton 1 Follow, Milan, and Moravia, and to finish it in four vears. Natiianii'I (Jarrow. (T(.'oi-i;e
320 IIISTOKY OF AUBUKN.
11 Throo]), Dr. llicluird Steel, Chauncey L. Grant, Lewis Moss, Sylvanus J^anied, Hiram Becker, Minos McGorani, David D. Spencer, John Giles, ITislom Bennett, and Franklin AVillonghby, were the incorpo- rators.
Dnring the fall and winter of 1836, prominent citi- zens of Aubnrn planned a road to Little Sodus Bay, to be built and operated in connection with the one to Ithaca, when made. A petition for a charter w^as cir- culated through the town, and arrangements were made for carrying it before the Legislature.
The bankruptcy and ruin of the following year ended both projects suddenly.
About the year 1846, the rapid progress of the Kew York and Erie Railroad toward completion w\as the subject of much comment in all places of size on the chain of roads through Northern and Central New York. The officers of the northern roads were then discussing the propriety of consolidating and straightening their lines, to prepare for competi- tion. The bearing of all these movements on the welfare of Auburn was a matter of the deepest inter- est to her citizens. The office of lion. T. Y. Howe, Jr., then the treasurer of the Auburn and Syracuse R. R. Co., was the place where all these questions were dis- cussed by railroad men. From this point emanated numerous theories as to what was demanded by the times, for the niaintenarice aiul enrichment of our city..
GENERAL PROGRESS. 321
Communication with tlie Erie railway was there re- vived as practicable and profitable. An olFer was made abont this time by the Cayuga and Susquehanna K. R. Co., to relay its track and fit it for an increased amount of business, if the citizens of Cayuga County would construct a new line from Auburn to some point on its road. The laying a road between Auburn and Ithaca by way of the valley of Salmon Creek ceemed in every respect feasible.
A company was formed to efiect the line early in 1848, by Hon. Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., General John II. Che- dell, Rowland T. Russell, Alfred Avery, Samuel Bull, Edwin Avery, \Villiam Beach, John T. Rathbun, Ira Hopkins, Ebenezer Mack, Worthington Smith, Ezra W. Bateman, Slocum IIoAvland, Leonard Searing, Henry W. Sage, Henry S. Walbridge, Nathan T. Wil^ liams, Hiram S. Farrar, John Thompson, Moses F. Fell, Lyman Murdock, George Rathbun, and others, under the general railroad law. An act declaring the public utility of the road was passed on the 11th of April. Several public meetings were held in Au- burn to promote subscriptions to the stock of the com- ])any. But a ])altry sum was obtained. The Cayuga and Susquehanna road failing to construct the new or double track agreed to, the enterprise made no further advance.
It was next alleged that a road to Binghamton was highly desirable, both from the connections that could 19
322 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
be made at that village, and from the fact that the dis- tance to Kew York from Auburn would be twenty miles shorter than by any other route existing or pro- posed. This idea had its sa^ It prevailed to such an extent that a company was formed to eftectuate it. An act of the 6th of March, 1849, declaring the public use of the proposed line, mentions the following incorporators : Samuel Blatchford, Hon. George Underwood, Gen. John II. Chedell, Benjamin F. Hall, Erastus Case, Abijah Fitch, Cliarles F. Coffin, Hon. T. Y. Howe, Jr., Cyrus C. Dennis, Josiah Barber, David "Wright, Daniel Hewson and John L. Watrous. The ecberne was, however, impracticable, and soon took its place among the unfulfilled good intentions of the people of Auburn.
In 1852, a passive belief among our citizens in the usefulness of a railroad which should connect Auburn directly with the iron and coal regions of Pennsyl- vania, with the vast lumber regions of Canada, and the commerce on the great lakes, gave way to a settled conviction that the true interests of this city im- peratively demanded its immediate construction.
The Legislature having empowered the authorities of Auburn to loan $100,000 to any company that should build a railroad from Lake Ontario to any point on the Erie road, and having also empowered the towns along the line severally to loan the company the sum of $25,000, a meeting of the people of Ca-
GENERAL PROGRESS. 323
ynga County was called and held at the court-liouse in Auburn, April 20th, 1S52, to take action in the matter. A committee, composed of John M. Sherwood, Joshua Burt, George B. Chase, Gen. Isaac Bell, David Hume, Robert Cook, Benjamin F. Ilall, Hiram S. Farrar, Moses T. Fell, Lyman Murdock, and Worthington Smitli, was appointed to collect the arguments in favor of the contemplated road for the public information. An able report was soon after made and published. It was distributed widely in pamphlet form.
The articles of association of the Lake Ontario, xVu- burn, and Kew York Eailroad Company were adopted at a numerously attended adjourned meeting at the Auburn court-house, on the 2d day of July, 1852. They were "filed with tlie Secretary of State on the 23d of August. The Company organized, with a capital of §1,500,000, electing the following earnest and enterprising direct- ors : IIoli. Tho's Y. Howe, Jr., president; Benj. F. Hall, secretary ; Joshua Burt, treasurer ; Rowland F. Russell, Worthington Smith, Hiram S. Farrar, Moses T. Fell, Oliver C. Crocker, Lyman Murdock, Gen. Isaac Bell, David Cook, and Robert Hume.
Levi Williams, Esq., a gentleman of great reputation and experience as an engineer, was employed to sur- vey the road, the termini being Fair Haven and Pugs- ley's station. A feasible route was selected early in August, and, on tlie 21:th, contracts were made with Andrew J. Hacklcv, Marcus Ilungerford, Jason Can-
324 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
dee, John A. Dodge, and Henry D. Dennison, for the performance of tlie grading and mason-work. Eights of way were obtained, through tlie agency of commit- tees, for fifty-six out of the seventy-three miles in the length of the road. Construction was pushed energet- ically from the fall of 1852 till the winter of '54. The sum of $375,000 had then been expended upon the line, thirty-four miles of which were fenced, graded, and ready for the rails. The entrance to the harbor at Fail' Haven had at the same time been improved, by means of an U. S. appropriation of ten thousand dol- lars, under the super\dsion of Lieut. Col. Turnbull. of the Topographical Engineers.
The natural obstacles in the w^ay of the construction of the Lake Ontario, Auburn, and New York Railroad were very slight ; the financial obstacles were formida- ble. The finance committee of the Board of Direc- tors, in summing up the resources for continuing the work, found that over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars of original subscriptions to the stock were uncoUectable, save by compulsion. The times were stringent and the money-market close. The contrac- tors were pressing for payment of arrears. Two hun- dred thousand dollars, in addition to a small amount of still unpaid but reliable subscriptions, was impera- tively needed to advance the work to completion.
The crisis called forth the prompt and earnest ef- forts of every friend of the enterprise. A meeting of
GENERAL PROGREv'^S. 325
the stockholders was held in Auburn, on the Otli of I^ovember, to cou^ider the affairs of the company and provide for the prosecution of the work. General Phineas Hurd presided. The situation was thoroughly discussed. It was unanimously resolved that the work must go on. Five stockholders from every town on the line of tlie road were appointed to solicit further subscriptions, and the directors were authorized to sue for all arrears of payments on stock, and declare delin- quent subscriptions forfeited. The directors, however, were loth to resort to these summary measures, and the}^ did so in very few instances. They could not postpone the catastrophe. Ketrenchment was the cry, and then, suspension. The company was obliged to succumb in March, 1855.
The directors at this date were Abijah Fitch, presi- dent ; Benjamin F. Hall, secretary and treasurer ; Rob- ert Hume, General Isaac Bell, Adam Miller, Hon. Christopher Morgan, William Beach, Franklin L. Shel- don, Lyman Murdoch, Moses T. Fell, Joseph Petti tt, Darius Cole, and Eichard G. Brownell. They reluc- tantly prepared for the appointment of a receiver. The report of the chief engineer, Orville C. Hartwell, embodying the details of the existing condition of the road, and its prospects, was published for future use ; and a mortgage u])on the road-bed and riglits of way was executed to General Isaac Bell, to secure him and others for loans made use of in construction. Joshua
326 HISTORY OF auburn.
Burt was soon afterward appointed receiver, and the- company dissolved. Its property passed into the hands of General Bell.
Tlie second Lake Ontario, Auburn, and New York R. R. Co. ^vas organized in 1856, for the object of finishing the urgently needed road. The directors were Nathan C. Piatt, president ; Gen. Isaac Bell, vice-president ; John C. Kayser, secretary ; Adam W. Spies, Alexander Fraser, of New York ; Frederick Klett and James S. Keen, of Philadelphia ; Charles P. Wood, Elmore P. Ross, Dr. Richard Steel, and Adam Miller, of Auburn ; D. E. Havens, of Weeds' port ; Lyman Murdock, of Venice. Stockholders in the old company were allowed to save their subscrip- tions by taking an equal amount of stock in the new. Work w^as re-commenced on the line, and the grading north of the Seneca River was nearly completed. Af- ter the outbreak of the civil war, nothing further could be or was accomplished for a number of years. There had been, in 1862, spent upon the line, in all, the sum of $149,511.
The project of finishing the road as originally de- signed, from the harbor of Fair Haven to Pugsley's station, was at length agitated byllon. George I. Post, of Sterling.* But the people of Moravia, Groton, and Dryden, feeling at this time the need of a rail-
* For the following notes on the Southern Central the author is indebted to- J. Milton Brown, Esq., first assistant engineer of the Auburn division of the road.
GENERAL PROGRESS. 327
road, requested the above named gentlemen, with Cy- rus C. Dennis, a resident of Auburn, of great railroad experience and practical ability, to first explore the valley in which those towns were situated, with an eye to the expediency of building the railroad therein. Accordingly, they started on an exploring expedition, passed through the valley through which now runs the Southern Central, examined the country from an engi- neering point of view, and ascertained the feeling of the inhabitants toward the project of the road. The result was decidedly favorable. They found that the road could be built w^ith a minimum amount of capi- tal, that the grades would be easy, and that the towns would assist heartily in raising stock, and would fur- nish a large local business after the road was built. It remained only to present to the people the advantages of connection with the various coal and commercial regions of the south, and the manufacturing and pro- ducing regions of the north and west, to insure their general interest and co-operation.
On the 9th of August, 1865, a meeting was held in Owego. Hon. Thomas Farrington presided. Ad- dresses were delivered by Messrs. J. W. Dwiglit, J. W. Montgomery, of Dryden ; C. C. Dennis, George I. Post, of Auburn ; John J. Taylor, Lyman Truman, of Owego; and Wm. S. Lincoln, of Newark Valley; and it was decided to hold a railroad convention at Au- burn. The meeting appointed Hon. George I. Post
HISTORY OF AUBURN.
a committee to call the same, whicli he did, on the 6th of the following month. The convention was held on the day appointed, Charles P. Wood, of Auhurn, being chairman, and II. IS". Lockwood, of Victory, and T. C. Piatt, of Owego, secretaries. Ileports were received from Owego, Newark Yalley, Berkshire, Eichford, Har- ford, Dryden, Groton, Moravia, Auburn, Weedsport, Cato, Conquest, and Sterling. J. N. Knapp moved that the meeting proceed to organize a company to build on the proposed route. A committee was accordingly appointed to determine what action should be taken in the matter. Auburn being represented therein by John 'N. Knapp, Josiah Barber, C. C. Dennis, Wm. H. Seward, Jr., and ^Ym, Gray Wise. A report in favor of the immediate organization of a railroad com- pany being received by the meeting, the following gentlemen were elected its directors : John J. Taylor, Thomas C. Piatt, of Owego ; Wm. S. Lincoln, of Newark Yalley ; Hiram W. Sears, of Dryden ; Ililand K. Clark, of Groton ; Wm. Titus, of Moravia ; Charles P. Wood, Wm. H. Seward, Jr., Cyrus C. Dennis, Wm. C. Barber, George J. Letch worth, of Auburn ; John T. Knapp, of Cato ; and George I. Post, of Ster- ling. C. C. Dennis, in response to the call of the meeting, gave the road the name of the Southern Central.
Messrs. M. Goodrich, George I. Post, and H. W. Sears were designated a committee to draw up arti-
GENERAL PROGRESS. 329
cles of association ; and George I. Post, John J. Tay- lor, and C. S. Kich, a committee to prepare a memo- rial, settins^ fortli the feasibility and advantages of the proposed road, which memorial was afterward ably prepared and published.
After the convention had adjourned, the directore met, and elected Cyrus C. Dennis president ; John J. Taylor, vice-president ; Wm. 11. Seward, Jr., treasurer ; and George 1. Post, secretary.
At a meeting of the board, held October 27th, 1865, it was resolved to raise funds for a preliminary survey, and negotiate for the old road-bed. Books of subscrip- tion to the capital stock of the company were opened January 4th, 1866. The subscription, on the 29th of December, 1866, amounted to $106,400, and on the 16th of November, 1867, to §1,868,250.
Fred. E. Knight, Esq., of Cortland, who, as Chief Engineer, had superintended a survey of the route, is- sued an able report to the directors, January 4th, 1866. This report, among various other things, set forth the convenience of the harbor of Fair Haven, enu- merated the sources of business to tlie road, and gave the advantages afforded by and to the towns and villa- ges through which the road would pass. It also sliowed, from actual measurement, that the grades were remark- ably light, and tlie curves easy. Mr. Knight estimated the cost of the road, including equipments, to be $2,992,- 642, or the average cost ])er mile, $30,413,— tlic dis-
330 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
tance from Fair Haven to Owego being ninetj-eiglit and four-tenths miles. This estimate was based upon a survey that contemplated running on the east side of Owasco Lake. The route was afterwards changed to the west side, which w^as found to be still more favor- able.
On the 7th of April, 1866, the Legislature, to facili- tate the construction of the Southern Central Railroad, passed an act to authorize towns to subscribe to its capital stock. The act permitted subscriptions to any amount within fifteen per cent, of the assessed valua- tion of the taxable property of the towns, whenever the consent of tax-payers, representing more than one-half of that taxable property should be obtained. This con- sent was obtained from the tax-payers of Auburn, and certified to on the 9th of August, 1867, the amount ol stock to be taken by the city being $500,000. In ac- cordance with the provisions of the act, Adam Miller, Elmore P. Eoss, and Charles P. Wood, were designat- ed by the Hon. Wm. E. Hughitt, County Judge, as commissioners to issue the bonds. Mr. Eoss having, subsequently, retired from the board, Josiah Barber was appointed in his stead. The first bonds were is- sued in the fall of 1867. The subscriptions of stock then amounted to $2,000,000, It had been deemed prudent by our tax-payers that no bonds should be is- sued until a perfectly reliable basis of that amount had been secured.
GENERAL PROGRESS. 331
The Presidency of the Southern Central was left vacant in the spring of 1866, by the death of C. C. Dennis, an officer universally respected for his integ- rity, and driving, energetic spirit.
J. Lewis Grant, Esq., was unanimously elected to the vacant post, June 19th, 1866. At tlie time of entering on his connection with this company, Mr. Grant had had more than twenty years' experience in railroad matters. A blacksmith and machinist by trade, he had become connected witli the Xew York Central Kailroad in 1841, in the capacity of freight conductor. He was afterward locomotive engineer, and had risen through every grade of office to that of Superintendent. In this capacity, he had managed the Rome and Cape Vincent Eailroad, the Xorthern Rail- way of Canada, and the Lake Shore Railroad, and with marked ability. He had found the Canadian road on the verge of bankruptcy ; but he left it one of the best paying lines in the Province. The accept- ance by Mr. Grant of the presidency of the Southern Central was therefore hailed witli general satisfac- tion.
Having obtained the services of Ed. F. Swort, Esq.y of the Brocton and Corry Railroad, an engineer of the very best reputation and ability, Mr. Grant started south, in company with Geo. L Post, to examine the old Lake Ontario, or Murdock line. At Venice, Lyman Murdock, formerly a director in the L. ()., A., iSc N. Y.
332 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
R. E. Co., joined the party, which proceeded to Ithaca via Lansing. On consulting with influential men along the route, it was discovered that little faith remained in the success of the old road, and that, wdth the ex- ception of the exertions put forth by a few of its hfeaviest stockholders, no effort would be made to com- plete it. it was found, furthermore, that only a por- tion of the lightest work had been done ; that at Fall, Cascadilla, and Six Mile Creeks, bridges w^ould have to be constructed which alone would cost more than many miles of road through tlie more favorable -country on the line of the Southerii Central, Adding to this tlie fact that the people of Itliaca refused all aid whatever to a road north, till the branch south of them to AVaverly via Spencer should be completed, it was readily seen that there was every reason for adhering to the Southern Central, for wdiich so much had already been done, letting further operations develop the Murdock line. The latter was not, however, without earnest supporters, who continued a somewhat heated advocacy of its merits, long after the completion of the road on the other route had become an acknowl- edged fact.
On the 15th of May, 1867, a law was passed by the Legislature, exempting the town bonds, issued in favor of the road, from taxation for ten years from tlie date of issue, provided that the road should be put in run- ning order within three years from the date of the act.
GENERAL PROGRESS. 335
About tlie middle of June, ' 67, an engineering- party was organized, for active operations ; various lines were surveyed through the city of Auburn, and the line located from Seneca Hiver to Dryden. A sec- ond party located the line from Dryden to Owego, the construction of wliicli was commenced in Novem- ber, '67, by Donald Robertson, contractor, under Fred. E. Knight, Chief Engineer. North of Auburn, the road-bed of L. O. A. and N. Y. R. R. was used, the rights and franchises of the old compan}^ having been pur- chased in July, '67.
At a meeting of the stockholders of the Southern Central on the 2d of September, 1S68, directors were elected for the ensuing 'year, namely ; J. Lewis Grant, president ; John J. Taylor, vice-president ; Wm. II. Seward, Jr., treasurer ; Hon. Homer N. Lockwood, secretary ; David M. Osborne, General John II. Chedell, Nelson Eeardsley, Wm. C. Barber, Harmon Woodruff, T. C. Piatt, C. L. Rich, J. W. Dwight, Hiland K. Clark, and John T. Knapp.
A great deal of work lias been done all along the line since the beginning of active operations. It is confidently expected that trains will run from Seneca River to Owego before the close of the working season of 1869.
Soon after the close of the war of 1861-5, which had given a powerful stimulus to many kinds of business, but none perhaps to such a degree as to those of the
334: HISTORY OF AUBURN.
"Carrying trades, enormous profits were made by the various express companies of this country, and compe- tition was tlius awakened. The Bankers' express — a company in which the stock was taken by bankers, ■and the business limited to the carrying of money and vahiables — was organized in the autumn of 1865, but soon became merged into the old companies.
It was then thought by some of the citizens of Au- 'burn, that an opportunity was offered to establish, with success, a new company, based somewhat upon the <jo-operative system of labor : that, as the merchants •of the United States were the principal patrons of the express, a plan, which should unite them as stock- holders in a business in which they themselves were the largest customers, would secure eminent success.
Accordingly, in the spring of 1866, the Merchants' Union Express was organized, with Elmore P. Ross, president; William II. Seward, Jr., vice-president; John N. Knapp, secretary ; William C Beardsley, treasurer ; Hon. Theodore M. Pomeroy, attorney ; an Executive Board, viz : Major-General II. W. Slocum, Elmore P. Ross, Elliott G. Storke, William C. Beards- ley, Clinton T. Backus, AVilliam II. Seward, Jr., and John A. Green, Jr. ; and a Board of sixteen Trustees, or Directors, namely : C. B. Farwell ; Clinton Briggs, of Chicago ; John Xazro, of Milwaukee ; T. D. Mc- Millan, of Cleveland ; W. E. Schwertz, of Pittsbury ; Henry Lewis, T. A. Caldwell, of Philadelphia ; Theo-
GENERAL PROGRESS. 335
dore M. Pomeroy, of Auburn ; John How, Barton Able, of St. Louis ; M. I. Mills, of Detroit ; L. C. Hopkins, G. T. Steadman, of Cincinnati ; and Aaron Brinkerhoff, J. Trumbull Smith, and W. A. Budd, of New York.
The capital was placed nominally at twenty millions of dollars, but the stock was to be assessed only to such an extent as the necessities of the business required. As was anticipated, the stock was speedily taken ; so great was the demand, that the amount to be sub- scribed by a single merchant was limited, and so thor- oughly was the stock distributed, that the company boasted of its ten thousand stockholders.
Though harassed by its rivals on every side, and retarded bv the mai^nitude of the undertakinor, such was the energy displayed, that on the first of October, 1866, the company was running its cars over the prin- cipal railways, and before the commencement of 1867, Auburn became the center of a net-work of express lines, which extended into every city and nearly every town of the northern States. The number of persons in its employ exceeded three thousand. The business done by the company became enormous ; but, owing to the depressed rates of compensation, occasioned by the deadly competition with other lines, the losses were as enormous. Like the venerable lady, who vended her wares at a price below the cost of production, and only made herself good by the amount of sale^ which she
336 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
made, so were the losses of the company proportion- ately greater, as the amount of business transacted was larger.
Such a ruinous competition could not be sustained by either side ; and, after the capital of every company had been greatly impaired, a compromise was effected. Although the losses were greatly diminished, it was found necessary, to ensure a profitable business and even a continuance of existence, for the four com- panies who were at this time dividing losses and pro- fits, to reduce to a still greater degree their expenses. To accomplish this, on the first of December, 1868, a union of the American with the Merchants' Union was made, under the style of the American Merchants' Un- ion Express Company.
The history of the company has thus been briefly outlined down to the present time. It would not be too much to say, that no other project has caused the name of Auburn to be so widely known, or has cen- tered here so much of foreign interest. The number of persons to whom it has given employment, and the large sums of money which it has here received, han- dled, and disbursed, have, without a doubt, materially advanced the interests of our city. And when we con- sider the immense capital of the Merchants' Union Ex- press Company, its ten thousand stockholders, its three thousand employes, and its extensive business, we may safely assert that the company has made good its
<il>.KKAL PROGRKSS. 337
claims to le the grandest enterprii-e ol' which Auburn can boast.
Tlie celebi-ated 0(-\vego starch factory, though locat- ed in a neighboi-ing city, may with great pnjpriety be included with the enterprises of the citizens of Au- burn. Here the company was organized, here the tmstees — with the exception of Thomas Ivingsford, Esq. — reside, and here all the iinancial and official business of the company has always been transacted.
In March, 1848, four citizens of Auburn united with Mr. Kingsford for the purpose of manufacturing starch ; and these, with others, were organized on the first day of April, under an act of the Legislature, passed February 16th, 1848. Their names were, viz : S. Willard, M. D., Erastus Case, Xelson Beardsley, Alonzo G. Beardsley, Ivoswell Curtis, Albert 11. Goss, Theodore P. Case, Thomas Ivingsford, and Augustus Pettibone. Dr. Wilhird was elected president of the company, a position which he still retains. A. G. Beardsley, Esq., w^as secretary from the first organiza- tion, and has been treasurer for the last twelve years, before which that officer's duties were performed by the president.
Mr. Kingsford was, in 1848, a resident of the State of New Jersey, and fiivorably known as a mjinufac- turer of an unequaled quality of starch from corn by a process wdiich his own inventive skill had originated, the secret of \\hi('h he retained. Pi'ior to liis experi- 20
338 PUSTORl' OF xiUBUKN.
meats with cum, lirst begun in 1842, the starch of trade liad been manufactured from wheat or from potatoes. A factory was built at Oswego by the newly organized company, which at the time w^as considered unusually large ; Mr. Kingsford and son were put in charge. At lirst, the stockholders were but few, and the capital only $50,000. Now, there are more than one hundred and fifty stockholders, scattered over several States, the majority, however, being in Au- burn ; the buildings are more than quadrupled, and the capital stock is nine times the amount wath which the company commenced.
The factory is concededly the largest manufacturing establishment of its kind known of in the world. Without personal inspection, it is difficult to obtain a correct idea of its magnitude, its capacity, and the amount of its productions. The original structure of wood has been succeeded by several immense build- ings, composed of brick, stone, and iron. The main building is 515 feet long, by 200 feet wide, varying from two stories high to seven stories. It has 478,000 feet of flooring, being more than sufficient to cover eleven acres. There are 675 cisterns, having an aggre- gate capacity of 3,000,000 gallons, for the purpose of cleansing the starch from every conceivable impurity. The length of gutters for distributing starch, while in a fluid state, to various parts of the works, is more than four miles. There are fifty large force-pumps for the
GENERAL PKOGRESS. 3o9
eiipplj of water, and for conveying the starch while in solution, which are capable of elevating 600,000 gal- lons per hour, and, as a protection against lire, several of these pumps are arranged to force through iire-hose 125,000 gallons per hour, with sufficient power to throw eighteen streams of water over the top of the seven-story building. The pumps, which are worked by w^ater-power, are connected with two and a quarter miles of water pipe, varying in size from sixteen inches to two inches in diameter. One pump alone cost six $1,000, and will throw a barrel of water at a stroke.
For grinding the grain, there are twenty pairs of burr stones, and six pairs of very heavy iron rollers, with tw^o miles of shafting, connected by 1,311 gear-wheels. There are over twenty miles of steam |)ipe for drying starch, and warming the building.
The power of this establishment consists of ten tur- bine wheels of 50 horse-power each, and a steam en- gine of 200 horse-power. Its capacity is equal to the production of twenty tons of starch per day, which, at ten hours for a day, is an average of one ton of starch for each half-hour. The factory furnishes employment for 500 operatives. 250,000 pounds of wrapping pa- per, and 3,500,000 feet of lumber, are required annu- ally for packing and boxing the starch. The box fac- tory, an imposing brick structure, is owned by Messrs. Kingsford & Son, who, by the recent improvements in machinery, are able,'^by one operation, to cut, mi-
340 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
ter, and dove-tail the boards, so that no naihng is re- quired for the boxes, except the top and bottom. A large amount of the best grades of starch is'packed in paper boxes, the material of which is cut and prepared by machinery. About 20,000 of these paper boxes are made daily. The packing of these boxes is per- formed by exceedingly ingenious machinery, of recent invention, which, with simulated intelligence, by one operation, packs with uniform shape, and weighs watli reliable accuracy.
The introduction of this great improvement in the manufacture of starch by Messrs. Kingsford & Son, is an era in American manufacture. Previous to this in- vention, the starch made in the United States was of a very inferior quality. We were dejDendent on for-, eign production for our supply of a good article. E^ow^ not only have all importations ceased, but foreign na- tions purchase largely of the Oswego starch. Orders come from every part of Europe, from South America^ and Africa, and even from China and the Pacdfic isles. At the World's Fair, held in Europe, with the whole world for competitors, the superior quality of the Oswego starch was frankly conceded by an award of a gold medal, in testimony of its highest order of merit. Prize medals were also won from the Ameri- can Institute, in the city of New York, from the New York State Agricultural Society, and from Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Montreal.
THK AUIJUKN PRISON. 341
CHAPTER V.
THE ATBUKN I'KlsoN.
The history of this celebrated institution, and of the finished system of prison discipline "which has made it and this city famous throughout the whole civilized world, is a topic worthy of the most able mind and pen. Embodying, as it necessarily does, some account of the origin, principles, and changes of the whole penitentiary system of this State, and a description of the most perfect plan of punishment ever conceived in this country or any other, the subject is one of consid- erable importance. It is, furthermore, one of nnusual interest to the inhabitants of this city, since their lead- ing men were at diiferent times connected with the prison in an otKcial capacity, and, by their thoughts and experiments, aided materially in maturing and giving the Auburn system efficiency. It is strange that no one of these eminent men should have written the history of the prison. Such, however, is the case. The outlines of the subject are, therefore, here pre- sented.
The criminal code in existence in this State at the time of the bcixinning of its re}»ul)lican government
S42 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
had many inhuniaii and sanguinary features. The most common offenses were punished by lashes at a public whipping-post, by branding, by the stocks, and by many unusual and degrading sentences, w^hile six- teen heinous crimes, at least, w^ere punished by death. Philanthropists throughout the State and country had detected the errors of this rigorous code, and were aiming to elfect a radical change in the whole system, by reducing the number of capital crimes, and abolish- ing cruel and disgraceful punishments. The reformers claimed that cruel punishments were never useful. For, they said, such corrections are practically a retal- iation, upon an offender, of the violence or injury he has committed upon a fellow-man. They have the nature of revenge, and certainly do not dispose their victim to abandon vicious habits, nor can they, in this respect, be sustained by just statesmen, who make laws to remedy evils, and not to gratify personal ani- mosities. The philanthropists represented that society only required that the punishments should be of a character to intimidate rog^iies from the further com- mission of crime, for then the whole object of punish- ment would be accomplished ; and that any correction which publicly disgraced a man, or which, without putting him to open shame, left in his heart a desire for revenge, was a perfect failure, so far as its great end was concerned, since it only stimulated the man to further crimes, instead of animatina: him to retrieve
THE AUBURN PRISON. 34-3
his character, and reform his life. They lu'ged tliat the self-respect of the criminal should, in every in- stance, be preserved. These men were better under- stood when they drew aside the cnrtain that covered the infamous management of many of the prisons and jails of this country and of England. Their revela- tions Jed intelligent men everywhere to think that there was a necessity for reformation in the criminal code, and eventually effected great changes in the penal institutions of America. The horrors of the dismal Jersey prison-house had made the people of this republic sensitive on the subject of prisons. They therefore recoiled from everything in the prevailing sys- tem of punishments that bore the semblance of cruelty. Within a very short time after the close of the Eevolu- tionary War, they had abolished the lash, the brand, and the stocks, and had greatly restricted the use of the scaffold. The history of the prisons of New York commences at this point.
Governor Jay, in his annual message of January, 1796, recommended the immediate erection of estab- lishments for the detention and reformation of crimi- nals, upon the plan already being tried at Philadelphia, of confinement and hard labor. General Schuyler framed a law accordingly, authorizing the construction of prisons at Albany and New York, which was passed. The Albany prisc>n was never built, but the one at New York, kiKnvn as Newgate, was commenced with-
3:14 HISTOKl' OF A.UBITKN.
out delay, and was opened for the reception of crimi- nals in November, 1797.
The system first adopted here was in strict accord with the sentiment of the times, beyond which it was at no date advisable to go. The prison was a guarded stronghold within which the criminals were immured and employed at hard labor in the various branches of industr}^ to wliicli they were accustomed. The disci- pline was mild, and aimed to reform and elevate the criminal. Food was not stinted, nor the work excess- ive ; pay for overwork was generally allowed. The convicts were confined at night in apartments holding from ten to twenty men. The effect of the prison upon the vicious classes of society w^as for many years so salutary as to win high encomiums from public men ; but familiarity invariably breeds contempt, and a bet- ter acquaintance with its operations rubbed off what- ever terror it had excited in the minds of felons. In 1803, the officers of tliat'^ institution reported that ^' no penal system in any State was less expensive, or more fully answered the intentions 'Tof its founders. They say, liowever, in the next breath, " there will soon be a want of room." The |)rison was seven years old, yet crime was increasing. Its halls were speedily filled, and then packed, in which condition they be- came the class-rooms of infamy and vice. The unre- strained intercourse between the hardened and de- praved inmates of tiio cells destroyed every remaining
THE AUBURN I'RISON. 345
vestiire ot virtue in their breasts. Tlie vouiiir, for whom, under more |)roi)itious circumstances, there might have heen hope of reformation, were educated by veteran offenders in all tlie arts and practices of criminality, and returned upon tlieir discharge to society as graduates from a college of crime. Felons multiplied with inconceivable ra])idity. By 1808 the com'ts were sending such large numbers of men to the prison, that the exercise of the pardoning power by the Governor had become necessary to make room for them. In 1809, the number of pardons and commit- ments was ecpial, and the suggestion was first made of a new prison in the interior of the State. The erec- tion of this institution was hastened by the alarm felt in the city concerning the semi-annual visit of the Judges, by which the best of the criminals were sorted out as fit for pardon, and let loose ui)on society all at once.
Notwithstanding the admitted defects of the New- gate system, the Auburn prison was founded in 1816, upon precisely the same plan. Haste in its construc- tion was used in order to relieve the crowded prisons and jails of the State. Its first involuntary occupants were taken from the county jails of the interior to aid the work ot erection. The main building and south wing weie finished in 1818, and contained sixty-one double cells and twenty-eight apartments, holding from ten to tweiitv each, into which the convicts were
346 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
put as fast as they arrived. Workshops were erected in 1819-20, and the men were employed in them at custom work. Women were also received here from the first. They were confined indiscriminately in a Uirge room in tlie south wing.
These were the precise features of the punishment at ]^[ewgate, and met with precisely the same result. The freshly committed convict was only too certain to leave behind him as he stepped into the polluted at- mosphere of his crowded cell all remaining decency and virtue. He was thoroughly^corrupted during Ms stay by contact with other felons, and he left the prison confirmed in viciousness. Insubordination in the work-shops was frequent, and two damaging fires warned the authorities of the evils of looseness in discipline.
The attainment of a successful prison sj-stem seemed at this point problematical. The authorities were al- most in despair. The necessity of making punishment sufficiently terrible to arrest men in a career of vice, and the refusal of the public to assent to any disci- pline that was over-despotic or cruel, were the horns of a strong dilemma. The people were averse to se- verity, for cruelty was only a step beyond, yet if the prison experience of the convict did not restrain him from further crime, the prison would be simply a house of detention, and the end of punishment lost. Refor- mation had been declared to be the object of the abol-
THE AUBURN PRIi=i()N. 34T
ishment of barbarous punish rnents, and the adoption of a mild system. The law had recognized the impor- tance of reformation by allowing every convict a Bible and^every prison a chaplain. But u])on a close search- ing of the operations of the mild system, the Legisla- ture of this State were unable to discover that they were beneficial. An examination of the prisons of New York and the one at Philadelphia in 1817, led Messrs. Burt, Radcliff, and Taylor, who had been con- stituted a committee for the purpose, to express the deliberate conviction that the prison system of New York failed in its. great object. In 1S18, tlie Board of Inspectors at Newgate reported tliat that institution was " far, very far from answering the end intended : '' that a mild system seldom reclaimed the vicious, and that a better one must be devised. '' not a mere plan of good living and light punishment, but of dread and terror ; " and that ' though the prisoners were the " most abandoned and profligate of mankind," and steeled against virtue, two hundred and eighty of them had to be pardoned to make way for three hundred freshly committed. A subsequent legislative commit- tee declared " tliat u[)on the whole view of our State prison system as hitherto conducted, they were com- pelled to adopt the conclusion that so far as reforma- tion was concerned, it had wholly failed ; and not only 60, but that it operated with alarming etKca(;y to in- crease, diffuse, an<l extend the love of vice," and a
348 HISTORY OF AUIJURN.
knowledge of the secret devices of villainy ; that it obviously had no tendency to prevent crime. Further, that the system having after twenty-five years of trial signally failed, and " having for that time spent our sympathies and resources on the comfort of criminals, it was now our duty to look to and protect the inno- cent.'' Tlie committee " asserted the right of society to protect itself by any such means as may be most efficient ; and they deny that the criminal who makes war upon mankind has in this respect any rights which are not subordinate to the rights of the injured com- munity."
Since it was evident that the existing system of mild punishments did not discourage vice or lessen the num- ber of criminals, further demonstration of its liurtful effects seemed scarcely necessary. Nor was it neces- sary. The astonishing multiplication of crimes, and the vastly increased losses of property throughout the State by felonies and malicious mischief, showed clearly enough that the rights of the " injured conmiunity " were now boldly trampled on to an unprecedented ex- tent. The cause of the trouble Avas indiscriminate confinement in the prisons, and general looseness of discipline. Legislators determined to strike at the root of the evil and resort if necessary to the rigorous penalties in force in colonial days. They first made the experiment of solitarj^ confinement.
The change from indiscriminate confinement, though
THK AUBURN PRISON. 34^
not an original suggestion of the stjiresinen ot* Xew York, was autliorizcd by tlieni in iSli), and was made for the first time in America at the Auburn j)risun early in 1821. The north wing was constructed on a plan elsewhere described, that permitted the locking u}> of the convicts at night in se})arate and solitary cells, between which there was no chance of connnunication without the certainty of detection and punishment, and from which it was impossible to escape. Separation at night was attended with hard labor during the day in large shops, in a compulsory silence that was main- tained by the presence of vigilant keepers, who were empowered to inflict lashes for every offense against order or the rules.
William Brittin, the first agent of the Auburn prison and the designer of the arrangement of solitary cells, died in 1821, and was succeeded by Captain Elam Lynds, a veteran of the war of 1812, who lent his aid to the perfection of the new system. Captain Lynds was a soldierly man and a strict disciplinarian. lie intro- duced the plan of marching the convicts to and from the shops, invented by John D. Cray, in single tiles with the lock step, lie encouraged the use of the whip to maintain a perfect submission to tlie rules, and took every step allowed by law to make the institution a terror to evil-doers. Ilis measures were, however, not overcharged with severity, though the bold course he y)ursued was calculatcMl to oj)pres> convict^ th(M*etofore
350 mSTOKY OF AUBURN.
unused to strict obedience. Among other things, Captain Lynds substituted the practice of serving the convicts' meals in their cells for the previous custom of marching them to a commonj mess-room and giving them their rations there. This change created discon- tent among the men. At the common table, they often t^hared their food with each other, thus equalizing the Avants of large and small eaters. They could not do this in the cell system, and many suifered from hunger. All complaints made in consequence were answered with the argument that the crimes of the convicts de- served the severest punishment, which it was not their keepers' business to mitigate.
The classification of criminals was a measure au- thorized in the spring of 1821, in imitation of the plan pursued by the authorities at the Philadelphia prison. The criminals were to be separated into three classes, with different degrees of punishment. The most dangerous and impenitent, those particularly wlio were serving out a second or third sentence, composed the first class, which was doomed to constant confine- ment, in silent and solitary cells, with no companion but their own thoughts and, if the keeper saw fit to allow it, their Bible. The second class was to be se- lected from the less incorrigible ofienders, and alter- nately placed in solitary confinement, and allowed la- bor as a recreation. The third and most hopeful set was to be permitted to work out tlie sentence of hard
THE ACI3URN I'lilSON. 351
labor by day, tmd seclusion by night, a,s bad previ- ously been tlie case with all. Tlie second and third classes, however, were united as a third class. The separation of the lirst chiss from the body of the con- victs took place on Christmas-day of 1821. Eighty- three of tlie most hardened prisoners were committed to silence and solitude, in cells where they might neither see nor hear any but distant and chance occur- rences, and where they were never visited except by the physician or chaplain, or by a convict bearing the stated meal. Tlie punishment of these men was dreadful. In less than a year five of the eighty-three had died, one became an idiot, another, when his door was opened for some chance purpose, dashed himself headlong from the gallery into the fearful area below, and the rest, with haggard looks and despairing voices, begged pitifully to be taken back to the shops and set to work. This was suffering a})plied l)otli to the l)ody and mind.
The Assembly of New York, in 1824, ai)pointed Samuel II. Hopkins, George Tibbits, and Stephen Allen, to consider the whole subject of punishments and prisons in this State, and report suitable amend- ments to the existing system for the consideration of the Legislature. The committee spent the ensuing summer in the task, during which it sent Captain Lynds off to New England to look uj) and study the prison systems prevailing in that region, and ascertain
362 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
their advantages. The coinrnittee's report was laid before the Legislature in January, 1825. It contained several important suggestions. Foremost was a rec- ommendation for the repeal of the solitary confinement law, based upon the injurious effects of such confine- ment on its subject. The committee exhibited the debilitating and lamentable results of the ver}^ first experiment in this direction, and argued tliat though the punishment was indeed terrible it failed to improve the morals of the criminal, and it was one of those un- necessary severities which disturbed the public mind. The expense of maintaining convicts in idleness was another important consideration. The committee therefore urged that every convict should be employed at hard labor, for the sake of both economy and health. A less generous use of the pardoning power, general economy in administration, and the management of, convict labor so as to make it productive were also- suggested as needful and proper, A previous legisla- tive committee had recommended a course directly opposite to the one now proposed, believing that the- entire abandonment of lal)or as an engine of punish- ment was the only means of preventing crime. One of the present committee entertained the same view.. But economy Avas desirable, and the Legislature accord- ingly sent the inmates of tlie solitary cells back to work. The famous Auburn system tlien began to re- ceive a careful triah
'Tin: AUBURN rRi60N. 353
A& the State could not with advantage, or without exciting the dangerous cry of " monopoly," manufac- ture on its own account, it was contrived that the labor of the convicts in the State prisons should be leased to contractors, who should pay therefor a reasonable and stated sum. The convicts at first performed custom work. In 1S21, the first contract in the Auburn prison was let to Samuel 0. Dunham, who took five men and began the manufacture of tools, in which he was associated the following year with Truman J. McMaster. The contract was afterward held by McMaster & Garrow. The cooper-shop and a few men were let, in 1824:. to Allen Warden, the tailor-shop to Stephen Yan'Anden, and the shoe-shop to Erastus and Jabez Pease. The machine-shop was leased by Worden & Wilkie, to supply their cotton-factory in the village with machinery and repairs, and subse- quently by Muir, Throop, & Garrow with the same view. Brown & Guilford rented the hame-shop in 1828, and Talmadge Cherry, the cabinet-shop, in 1826. The introduction and department of the contract sys- tem was attended with considerable embarrassment. The increased discipline of the prison necessary to prevent convicts maliciously spoiling their work was distasteful to the public. But the competition be- tween convict and free labor was still more so, and all who employed it lost popularity. The whole s^-stem of convict labor, therefore, fell into a disrepute, which 21
354 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
lasted nearly twenty years. The agent of the prison was at times taxed to the uttermost to keep the con- victs busy, and some of the contracts were taken by merchants of Anburn, onl}^ upon his personal solicita- tion, and then with great reluctance.
While the mass of the people, who looked upon the workings of the great prisons only from a distance, were, in 1825, as fearful as ever that the convicts would be treated in them in a relentless and despotic manner, an event occurred in Auburn which marks the dif- ferent feelings with which men equally averse to cruelty regard criminals, after having had daily charge of them for a few years. The positive refusal of the keepers of the prison to whip three certain disobedient prisoners, in the spring of 1821, will be remembered as an instance of their horror of severity. Four years' experience taught the keepers, however, a valuable les- son— the necessity of punishment for ever}^ infraction of the rules ; and in December, 1825, so blunted had their sensibilities become by constant contact with the degraded and vicious beings in the shops, that a fe- male prisoner was whipped in a heartless and violent manner, and died from the effect of the blows. This was Rachel Welch, whose body was conveyed to the Auburn Medical College for dissection. The commu- nity was greatly agitated by this affair, and examin- ing committees from the Legislature were appointed to give it a thorough investigation. The excitement
THE AUBURN' PRISON. 355
was, however, soothed soon afterwards by the appoint- ment of Hon. Gershoni Powers, of Anburn, to the agency of the prison, liis severe predecessor being re- !noved to anotlier sphere of dnty.
During Mr. Powers' administration, the balance was nearly obtained between a necessary severity of <liscipline in the prison, and the demands of an nnduly sympathetic public. The practice of admitting visit- -rs to the prison, under a slight tax to pay for the *ime of the keepers who showed them the buildings, was encouraged. Avenues were so arranged that the visitors could pass around the entire establishment without being seen, and look down, through openings in a partition wall, upon the operations of the shops. Mr. Powers, in a letter to the Legislature, Nov. 17th. 1828, claimed that this constant exposure of the prison to the public eye had a salutary influence, by keeping up the vigilance and faithfulness of the officers, and by removing from the public the suspicion of mal- practice or cruelty, which would arise if the workings of the institution were concealed.
The government of the prison was placed, in 1818, in the hands of a local board of five inspectors, ap- pointed by the Governor and Senate for two years, which, in turn, appointed all the other officers of the institution, and maintained a general supervision over its conduct and affairs. The officers, to the lowest, liolding their ])ositions independently of each otlier,
366 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
were responsible directly to the board, and were ex- empt from interference in the fearless performance of their duties. The members of the Board of Inspectors^ taken from the village at large, were selected as men in whom the public had the highest confidence, and on whom they could safely rely for the prevention of abuses. The agent and keeper was the chief executive in the management of the prison. lie was allowed a deputy and clerk. The other officers w^ere the turn- keys, or keepers, and guards. The agent reported an- nually to the Board of Inspectors the general statistics of the institution. The board transmitted a similar report to the Legislature, at every winter session. This form of government was in every respect satis- factory to the public, and worked well. The failure of an attempt to change it, so as to subserve political ends, may be recorded as among the incidents of 1828. Mr. Powers, having been elected to Congress in the fall of 1828, was succeeded b}^ other agents : first, Levi Lewis, and then John G arrow, who conducted the prison as they found it, with increasing satisfaction to the community and State as well as philanthropists, till 1838, when Captain Elam Lynds w^as again placed in charge. With his characteristic vigor, this officer, believing the discipline too lax, reversed parts of the system which was winning the admiration of our statesmen, and sent the convicts, as once before, to their cells to eat their food, instead of at the tables.
TIIK ACBUKN PRIS(tX. 357
He pushed this phin liirther by refusing them either kniv^evS or forks. This was deemed to be cruelty. The indignation of tlie ])eople was kindled. Public meet- ings were held. Tlie Board of Inspectors were be- sieged with i^etitions and remonstrances, and Captain Lynds was even indicted by the grand jury for inhu- manity. The excitement was aggravated by the suffo- cation of a prisoner, who could not. un<.lcr the new order of things, satisfy his hunger, and wlio, in a hasty attenij^t to steal and swallow a piece of meat, was strangled. The public were not to be withstood ; Cap- tain Lynds resigned, as well as some of the inspectors. Dr. Noj'es Pahner took the post of agent on tlie 9th ot May, 1839, and renewed the table system of feed- ing, settling thereby, from that date, a vexatious ques- tion.
Philanthropy now prompted an attempt to abolish the use of the cat-o'-nine-tails. In April, 1838, before Captain Lynds resigned, one Louis Yon Eck, a German, had been severely punished for shamming sick, as it was said, and he died. Perhaps the fault was only an error of the physician's judgment in failing to detect the presence of disease in the convict's system, yet Yon Eck had been kicked and whipped and otherwise abused, till a fever produced liis deatii. The instru- ment used for Hogging was composed of a handle like the butt of a raw-hide whip, two feet and one inch long, to which was attached by one corner a triangular
358 HISTORY OF AUIJUKN.
piece of strong leather. To the side of this triangle, opposite the liandle, were fastened six strands of waxed shoe-thread, eighteen and a half inches long, and one- tenth of an inch in diameter. Six blows with this in- strnment npon the uncovered back had been fixed by law as tlie limit for any one oifense. The limit was never adhered to, and the fact was so apparent in the case of Yon Eck, that the reformers nltimately suc- ceeded, in December, 1847, in securing a law forbid- ding the use of the whip or blows of any kind except in self-defense. The shower-bath plan of punishment was then inventedj.by Dr. ^Joseph T. Pitney, of Auburn. It was believed to be a humane, though severe, inflic- tion, and was tried as an experiment before the whip was laid aside. Its first application in the Auburn prison was made April 15th, 1842. It seemed to work well, being in its application less forbidding to the keeper, saving both his and the convict's self-respect. It is now the only form of corporal punishment per- mitted by law.
The settlement of popidar opposition to convict la- bor at the Auburn prison remains to be noted. This opposition sprang up with the origin of the institution amongst the mechanics of Auburn and other villages, who dreaded, and did actually at the very first suiFer a loss of their basiness. The cooper, shoe, tailor, and cabinet-shops, as early as 1825, injured a large number of industrious mechanics in Auburn, and obliged
THE AUBUKN PRISON. 359
many of tlieui to embark in new modes of earnini>j a support. The whole damage done to business fell, of course, in the outset, upon Auburn. But as the availa- ble labor in the prison gained extent, and tools, ma- chines, carpets, liames, and saddles, began to be pro- duced in quantities, complaints were made in all quar- ters of the State concerning this " monopoly, " as me- chanics were pleased to stigmatize it. In justice to the tradesmen, various attempts were made to protect their interests. The State could not aftbrd to sustain prison- ers in idleness. Xor could mechanics withstand the competition. A resolution, therefore, passed the Legis- lature in 1835, directing the agent here to report on the probability and profit of carrying on in the prison the manufacture of such articles as were then furnished to the United States exclusively by importation. The manufacture of one such article — silk — was authorized definitely. John Garrow, then agent, did not see fit to commence the business, however, and the matter rested till 1841. In May of that year, Henry Polhe- mus, an untiring, devoted gentleman, and the succes- sor of Mr. Garrow, began the silk business as an ex- periment, and resolved to give it a fair and impartial examination. He did so. The test was continued for three or four years. But the pursuit proved to be un- remunerative and was abandoned. The number of men employed in the silk-shop at one time ranged as high as f^rty.
360 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
By 1845, however, the necessity for any legislative protection had passed. The circumstances of the case were then materially changed. When the introduc- tion of coerced labor to Auburn threw into the mai'- ket the available services of several hundred additional hands, the population of the village was little more than a thousand. What would not have been per- ceived in a large city was a crushing blow to the labor- ing classes here. An exodus of mechanics from Au- burn followed, and their grievances kindled the wide- spread aversion to convict labor. But during the lapse of twenty-five years, other tradesmen had entered the field, and the population of the county and State had expanded so largely, that the labor of the five hundred inmates of the penitentiary had lost its injurious influ- ence. The mechanic interest had then adjusted itself to the situation, and was no longer ranged in opposi- tion to the economical and reasonable system of the Auburn prison.
The troubles attending the development of that sys- tem having been at last removed, it went into unmo- lested operation. To the present day agents of all grades of ability, of difterent temperaments, and of all political creeds, have conducted the Auburn prison with unvarying success, and have achieved for its peculiar principles a lasting fame. Twenty States or more of this republic have already adopted the Au- burn system in their prisons, and various foreign na-
THE A.Ur.rKN J'KISON. 361
tions have erected establishments in close imitation of them. Xo system more economical has yet been discovered : nor has any been found which, when well carried out, better answers the great end of pun- ishment. A description of the plan and workings of the prison will not be considered improper.
The Auburn prison occupies an area of 500,000 square feet, on the north branch of the Owasco Outlet, from which it derives a valuable water-power. It faces State Street, and is surrounded by a wall three thou- sand feet long, four feet thick, and varying as it stands near or distant from the inner buildings from twelve to thirty-five feet in height. The walls are manned during the day by guards.
The prison buildings are arranged in the form of a hollow square,'at such distances from the outer walls as to render unobserved communication with them highly improbable. They consist of a central building, with wings which, being L-shaped, run back at right angles to the rear, and unite with rows of shops extending west- ward some twenty-five rods. A long brick shop stands at the west end of the yard, parallel to the main building, and completes the square. In the center is a large, level, commodious yard. The main building is fifty-six feet high ; the wings are forty-five. The first contains the agent's apartments and oftice, the inspectors' room, the clerks' oftice, and the keep- ers' hall. The whole front is throe hundred and eisrhtv-
362 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
seven feet. The north wing, as finished in 1823, is three hundred and fifty feet long by forty-live wide ; it contains five hundred and lifty cells and five dun- geons. An addition now being built upon its rear will enlarge the number of cells by about three hun- dred. The south wing is two hundred and three feet long by fifty-three wide, and contains four hundred and forty-two cells. Forming part of this wing is the building containing the hospital, chapel, and mess- room, built in 1860. From the end of the north wing is built tlie tool -shop. It is two hundred and fourteen feet long by thirty-seven deep, is two stories high and made of brick. It employs about ninety men. Ad- joining is the hame-shop, a structure of the same char- acter. Its dimensions are two hundred and twenty- two feet by forty. It employs about an hundred con- victs. The machine-shop, a brick building, two hun- dred and thirty feet long and sixty deep, and two stories high, is added to the end of tlie south wing. It furnishes work to ninety-seven men. The cabinet- shop stands next to this, and opposite the hame-shop ; is three hundred and thirty feet long by fifty wide ; gives employment to about sixty-eight men, and contains the State tailor-shop, waste-room, etc. The shoe-shop, filling the west end of the square, is two hundred and forty feet long by fifty wide, is three stories high and employs from two to three hundred men. These shops all stand about seventy -five feet distant from the
THE AUBUliX PRISON. 365
outside walls, leaving an open space of tliat width around tlie^ greater part of the bnildings, to which access is had from the inner yard by means of arched carriage-ways. In this open space, on the north and soutli sides of the prison, tliere stand other shops re- moved from the wall between thirty and forty-tive feet, and, with but one exception, all only one story high. The first of the^e is a sash-and-blind shop. It is two hundred and forty feet long and thirty-nine deep. Sixty convicts work there. Joining this and running westward is a long brick building, once used for the tool-shop, now occupied partly as a store-house and partly by the hame contractors. Between the south wing and wall stand the foundry and axle-tree shop. The former is attached to the machine contract ; the latter is two stories high and employs ninety-six men. The control of the prison, vested, in 1818, in a local board of five inspectors, having full power to appoint and remove, was, by the new State Constitution ot 1 846, intrusted to a general board of three inspectors, who were to act for the whole State. The first board under the new law was elected in jN^ovember, 18-17, and qualified the January following. The inspectors were chosen for one, two, and three years respectively. The term of one member of the board, therefore, ex- pires annually, and a successor is annually elected. Every January tlie inspectors meet and organize, by electing one of their number ])resi(l(Mit. Tliey divide
364 HISTORY OF AUIJURX.
the prisons between them every four month-?, in order that each inspector may have tlie special oversight of some one establishment, wln'ch he is required to visit and examine at least seven days in each month. The board, as a whole, visits all the prisons four times a year, and makes appointments of all their executive and administrative offices. The agent, cliaplain, and physician of each prison report to the board annually the condition and health of the estabUshment under their charge. A general report is submitted by the inspectors to the Legislature, at the beginning of every winter session.
The Constitution adopted by the State convention of 1867, contemplates a change in this form ot govern- ment. It proposes to substitute a board of five com- missioners for the prison inspectors, one to be elected annually, wdio shall serve without salary, their actual expenses, however, being paid by the State, and shall have power to appoint the chief officers of the several prisons. The choice of subordinate officers is vested by this instrument in the agents.
The convict's life begins with an entry upon the books of the prison of his name, age, nativity and occupation. The physician examines him and re- cords his full descriptive list. Robed in a striped suit, he is tlien shaven and shorn, and conducted to his cell. His punishment follows. He is assigned a trade, and loses his individuality at once in tlie work-shops.
TIIK AUBURN PRISON. 365^
The daily roiitiiie uf the prison begins at (hiwn, by the gathering of tlie keepers and guards in the keepers' hall, from which at a given signal they proceed to the- galleries and walls, and ])rei)are to open the prison. The guards that have kept watch during the night in the white-washed halls, retire. A bell wakes the men. The keepers pass through the galleries, unlocking the cells of the company which they severally command. As they return down the galleries, they unlatch the doors in order ; the prisoners throw open the doors as the keepers pass, step out, and fall into their place in the long file forming in the area. After breakfast in a common mess-room, at tables so arranged that the men all look in one direction, in order that they may not ex- change either signs or words, they are marched to the shops and employed at hard labor during the day, under the superintendence of the contractors or their em- ployes. The keepers are always present. Half an hour is allowed at noon for dinner. Xo conversation or in- tercommunication is allowed between the ])risonei*s ex- cept by special permission, and then only in the pres- ence of the keeper. The men are thus completely iso- lated. Friends sometimes work for months in the same building without a suspicion of the fact. At the approach of night the convicts are marched directly to their cells, in which they are safely secured before the gathering shades of evening make it possible for any to secrete themselves and escape. On Sunday there is
366 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
religious instruction to such convicts as choose, in the •chapel. Dis^ine service is also held there. Those that desire may draw books from the large prison library.
Offenders against .good order are punished according to their extent, by giving the transgressor the ball and -<3hain or the yoke to wear, by solitary confinement in the dungeon, or by tlie sliower-bath. The shower- batli is applied only in the presence of the deputy- keeper. The subject is confined in a sitting posture in the bath by stocks and straps, and is showered with <3old water from a large sprinkler with a foil of about two feet. It is seldom necessary to resort to this pun- ishment more than once.
The splendid buildings and extensive grounds of the State Asylum for insane criminals are contiguous to the prison upon the west.
The disadvantages attending the treatment of luna- tic convicts at the institution at Utica, or in the ordi- nary prison hospitals, long ago rendered it desu-able that an establishment should be erected for their exclu- sive use. The prison inspectors had been directed, in 1855, to remove all the insane from the Utica Asylum that had been sent there from the prison, their pres- ence at the institution being regarded with great dis- favor by the friends of its other inmates, and there be- ing no sufficient means within command of the officers of the asylum to prevent their escape. The inspectors, in their annual report to the Legislature of 1856, re-
THK AUBCTiN PRISON. oG?
quested tliat suitable buildings miirlit be erected for the insane from all tlie prisons of the State, in tlie lar^e lot belono:in2: to the State, in rear of the Auburn prison.
The request was repeated in 1S5T. The erection was then authorized, and twenty thousand dollars appropriated to begin the work. Tlie inspectors, having obtained valuable suggestions as to the plan of the proposed institution from Dr. John C. Gray,'pu- perintendent at lltica, intrusted the whole supervision of the work of construction to Colonel Lewis, the ef- iicient agent of the Auburn prison. A\"m. II. Van Tuyl w^as employed as architect, and Jolin Vander- heyden took the contract for the masonry.
The foundation of the asylum was laid in June, 1857, and the main building, west wing, and transept erected thereon before the close of the season. The entire superstructure was completed, or nearly so, in the most substantial manner, by the winter of 1858. A large part of the stone and roofing was taken from a large, unfinished stone building, that had been put up in the prison yards some years before, for a mess- room, chapel, hospital, and kitchen, which, being illy adapted to the purpose for which it was designed, liad never been used, and was now demolished for the sake of putting its material into the new building.
The asylum was opened for the reception of patients on the secondTday of February, 1859, under the able
HISTORY OF AUBURK.
medical superintendence of Dr. Edward Hall, of Northern Yermont, who, the absence of precedents- notwithstanding — tliis institution being the first and only one of the kind in the United States — discharged the duty of beginning its system of treatment in so ju- dicious a manner, as to win the favorable notice and congratulations of the State authorities. Dr. Charles A. Van Anden, of Auburn, then lately the efficient physician of the prison, succeeded to the management of the asylum in 1862. He has conducted its opera- tions to the present day with marked ability and suc- cess.
A law having been passed in the Legislature of 1867, directing the removal of insane female convicts from Utica and Sing Sing to Auburn, Dr. Yan Anden has recommended the purchase of lands lying west of the State property, and provision for an enlargement of the asylum, which will probably soon be done.
The institution is located on a handsome lot five hundred feet square, surrounded by a stone wall twelve feet high. It consists of a main building forty-four feet wide and sixty deep, with wings one hundred feet long and twenty-seven deep, and transepts twenty-five feet wide by sixty-six deep. The front of these buildings is stone, while the side and rear walls are durably con- structed of brick. Behind these stand a collection of smaller buildings, occupied severally as a conservatory, a chapel, dining-room, carpenter and blacksmith-shop,
THE AUBURN PRIi^ON. 369
ice-liou:^e, boiler-house, tool-room, barii>, aiid ironing- room. The apartments and office of the medical su- perintendent, the kitchen and patients' dining-rooms, are situated in the main building. The insane are lodged in the wings and transepts. Their rooms, sixty- four in number, open upon the various halls, of which there are fuur one hundred feet in length, and eight twentj-tive feet in length. The inmates of the asy- lum are carefully watched and treated. They are allowed to cultivate the liower and ve^-etable gardens for recreation. From tlie sunnnit of the asylum an excellent view may be had of both the city and the prison. The latter appears in all its magnitude, and the observer is no less impressed with its massiveness and extent by this general view, than when standing in the midst of the lofty buildings looking at them from below.
22
370 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
CHAPTER YI.
THE THEOLOGICAL SEMIN^^Y.
The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church of Central and Western New York is plea- santly located on elevated ground, in the northern part of Auburn, amongst fine residences and well- shaded streets. The grounds are ample and level and ten or twelve feet higher than Seminary Street, opposite whose junction with Seminary Avenue they are situ- ated. Two handsome houses west of and adjacent to tlie Seminary are occupied by Drs. Hall and Hunting- ton, professors. The Seminary buildings are ivy-cov- ered, substantial limestone structures, with a total front of one hundred and sixty-six feet, and consist of a central building with wings and one transept. The wings are three stories high, the other parts of the in- stitution four. The Seminary bell hangs in a belfry on the top of the main buildings. A promenade en- circling this belfry affords an enchanting view of the city. The gorge of the outlet, the valley of the Owasco, and the outlying farms appear to great ad- vantage, and Fort Hill, rising majestically over the town, looks like an oriental hanging garden. The
THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. 371
four Seminary buildings are severally called, in lioiK.i- of distinguished patrons of the institution, Theo, I*. Case, lion. Win. E. Dodge, Dr. S. AYillard, and Peter Douglass Halls. Through each, in every story, a hall runs from front to rear, around which are arranged the reading, lecture, and students' rooms. The base- ment contains the stewards' rooms. The first two stories of central hall are iinished as a chapel, and above this are a class-room and a reading-room, fur- nished with all the leading theological and literary gazettes of the day. The western hall contains two class-rooms and the Seminary library, as well as nu- merous rooms for the young theologians. There are now over ten thousand volumes in the library, which range in size from the tiny octodecimo to the ponder- ous folio. Many printed on vellum are of the greatest antiquity and value.
A specimen of the famous sculptures of Xineveh is exhibited in the library. A large slab of dingy mar- ble bears the image of a Ninevite in low relief, and a profusion of sentences in the mysterious arrow-writing of that race. One of the lecture-rooms in this hall contains the museum, a collection of imi»lements, curi- osities, and geological rarities from pagan lands, where graduates of the seminary have gone to preach the Gospel. The work-sho]) and gymnasium stand in rear of the western part of the seminary. A iine view of the whole of these buildings and the broad grounds
372 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
is presented in one of the landscapes accompanying; this woriv. The seminary is, by its elevated and de- tached position, the most cons})icnons pnhlic building- in Auburn.
Tlie annals of this institution possess general inter- est to the inhabitants of our city. Its influence on the place, the county, even the State itself, in molding the character and religious faith of the people, has been incalculable. Its growth was slow, but from its foundation it has diffused the most substantial bless- ings in this community, by inspiring a love of order, by teaching and assisting the poor, by missionary work in the prison and surrounding towns, and by stimulating the formation of societies in the city, to whose self-sacrificing labors the success of nearly all of our charitable and missionary establishments may be safely ascribed.
Notwithstanding the pressing religious wants of the American people, there was, when the present century opened, but one school in the United States where young men might regularly fit themselves for the Gospel ministry. This school was established by the Rev. John Mason, D.D., of Isew York city, who had then recently returned from Europe with a large col- lection of theological w^prks suited to his purpose, and was modestly making his first experiment in the me- tropolis. Tiie student of theology, previous to this time, had l)een compelled to seek the learnino; and
Tin-: TIIEOLOUICAL SEMINARY. 373
culture needed in his calling eitliei- in private, at the feet of some favorite and eminent divine, or in the schools of the Old World. He Avas now enabled to prepare himself for the ministry in a better manner ; and Dr. Mason was soon surrounded by a goodly number of young men, seeking his masterly instruc- tions.
The Theological Seminary at Anduver, Ma?s. — the first in tlie United States — was founded in 180S. The Princeton Seminary, and Union Theo. Seminary in Virginia, were erected four years later, and the General Tlieo. Seminary of the Prot. Episcopal Church was built at Xew York in 1817. Yet such was the enormous expansion of the population of the country during this period, that it was impossible to provide the new settlements, or even the old, with religious teachers as fast as the times demanded. A vast army of emigrants was daily landing on the shores and pouring across the States toward the far west, where villages and new States were being called into exist- ence as if by magic ; and the cry came out of the Avilderness, '' Send ns the word of God." Few divines, however, came out into the new country except as mis- sionaries, and the labors of these extended over such large districts, and their stay was generally so short, that there was now great danger that the pulpits of many of the new settlements would be filled by an ignorant and uneducated ministi'v, to meet the urowinir demand.
374 HISTORY OF auburn.
Many a pulpit already established was vacant, and there were none to fill them. The graduates of the Seminaries were generally detained in the Eastern States. The Presbyterian Church viewed the state of things in Western New York with some anxiety. Here was a wide field for religious work, but the labor- ers therein were few. Tlie Lord of the harvest, however, provided a way at this critical time to raise lip laborers and gather the harvest.
Colonel Samuel Bellamy, of Skaneateles, and Colonel John Lincklaen, of Cazenovia, both prominent and active members of the Presbyterian Church, and vari- ous others of the same persuasion, were led at different times to converse on the ffreat dearth of ministers in this part of JN'ew York, and finally, in 1817, to suggest the erection at some convenient point of a new semin- ary of sufiicient size to include a suitable academical course for preparation. The measure was first publicly advocated by these gentlemen at an annual meeting of the Synod of Geneva, held at Rochester in February, 1818. Its necessity and propriety were ably sustained. The proposition, however, took the synod by surprisCy and its members were not at first fully prepared to give it their support. Indeed, although it was gener- ally conceded that the times demanded the seminary, considerable opposition was manifested to the project. Many prominent gentlemen were apprehensive that the Presbyterians were not strong enough to endow
THE TlIEOLOGirAL SE^;INAln^ 375
and support the pro})osed institution. (Jtliers feared that tlie General ^Vssenibly would regard it as liostile to the interests of the Princeton Seminary, over which that body maintained supervision. After debating the matter for two days, it was deemed a judicious course to temper the resolution in lavor of the proposed sem- inary witli the provision that it be first referred to the General Assembly for advice. A committee composed of two ministers and one layman from each Presbytery of the synod was appointed to carry the resolution into effect. The committee was also instructed to sound the people on the subject of the seminary, and, if it thought |,best, to acquire funds and receive proposals for the location and erection of the buildings.
The General Assembly convened in May, 1818. Having discussed the resolution of the Geneva Synod, it paid that body a high compliment by referring back the whole proposition for the " establishment of the academical and theological seminary, believing that said synod are the best judges of what may be their duty in this important matter." Thus assured of the favor of the General Assembly, the committees of the synod met at Canandaigua in June, and, viewing the enterprise in the new light thrown upon it by a can- vass of the district, gave it their sober consideration. It was resolved that the seminary should be established without delay. The notion of the academic course wai dropped, as calculated to eml)arrass rather than
376 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
assist, but decisive measures were undertaken to for- ward the main object. The chairman of the commit- tee requested the moderator to convoke a special meet- ing of the synod, which he had been authorized to do, and subscription papers were immediately started.
The synod assembled at Auburn, August 15th, 1818. The attendance of delegates was unusually large, there being present fifty-eight ministers and forty-five elders regularly accredited to the various Presbyteries. Several distinguished divines from other districts met with the convention ; among them were Rev. Henry Davis, D.D., president of Hamilton College; Eev. Thomas McCauley, LL.D., of Albany ; Rev. Oliver Eastman, of the Union Asso., Mass. ; Rev. David D. Field, of the xlsso. of Middlesex, Conn. ; and Rev. Daniel D. Hopkins, of Hudson, ]N. Y. The synod had but one object in view ; no time was lost therefore. After a brief discussion it was resolved al- most unanimously by the synod, *' immediately to es- tablish a theological seminary within its bounds." A committee of ten reported a plan for carrying the reso- lution into effect. Assurances of great assistance from Cayuga County having been received, the seminary was located in the village of Auburn, upon the express stipulation that the subscriptions in the county should be no less than $35,000, and that ten acres should be donated for a site. Before this action should be con- sidered final, the subscri])tions were to be approved by
THE THEOLOGICAL SEMLNAKV
377
the s^'iiod. It war^ considered i)rnde)it to provide that the seminary sliould not begin operations till the sum of 1^50,000 had either been raised or actually promised. Colonel John Lincklaen, of Cazenovia, Horace IIIIIb, of Auburn, and Thomas Mumford, of Cayuga, were constituted trustees, with power to hold the property of the seminary, till provision for the purpose was made by law. Committees were appointed to canvass the Presbyteries of Cayuga, Onondaga, Geneva, On- tario, Bath, and Niagara, as well as tlie State at large and other States.
The sum needed to locate the seminary in tliis city was promptly subscribed. The amount raised here and in the innnediate vicinity toward that sum was over sixteen thousand dollars, as shown by the follow- ing list :
Thomas Mumford, $2,n0O
N. Garrow & R. S. Beach 2,000
David Hyde & John U. Beach, . 2,000
Rev. D. C. Lansing 1,000
Horace Hills, 600
Robert <fc John Patty, (JOO
Henry Ammerman, . , 5 JO
Walter Wood, 500
Eleazer Hills, 500
IHram Lodge, 500
Ezekiel Williamn 500
Jotfcph Colt, 300
William Brown. 225
Erastus Pease, 200
John & Salmon G. G rover, fSOO
Ira Hopkins 300
Stephen Van Anden, SOO
Sam. B. Hickox 150
Ebcnezer Hoskins, 100
G. & P. Holly 100
T. & E. D. Cherry 100
Lawrence White, 100
E. D. Shultis, 100
Micajah Benedict, 100
Joseph Rhodes, 100
O. Reynolds 100
Ebenezer Gould, 100
Smallrr sub^-criptions 3.».'«)
Asa Munger, 800 1
At a convention of the svnod at (icneva in Vuh-
378 HISTORY OF ArnURN.
niary, 1819, it was accordiDgly resolved, upon the rec- ommendation . of a committee appointed to examine the Cayuga County subscriptions, that tlie seminary be definitely located at Anbnrn. A plan for the seminary buildings, and a draught of an act of incor- poration were submitted and approved. lie v. D. C. Lansing, Rev. Levi Parsons, Rev. Benjamin B. Stock- ton, Thomas Mumford, William Brown, David Hyde, and John Lincklaen w^ere then elected a prudential committee, with authority to secure the passages of the act of incorporation, and begin the work of con- struction. They also received power to control all the funds in the treasury, buy necessary lands, appoint and pay subscription agents, and notify the moderator whenever they desired to convoke the synod.
The heirs of Colonel Ilardenburgh having contrib- uted six acres of land, and Glen Cuyler two more ad- joining, for a site, ground was broken thereon on the 30th of November, 1819. The first plow that en- tered the soil on the line traced out for the foundation was guided l)y the hand of Dr. Lansing. A prayer was offered on this occasion by the Rev. William Johnson, now of Owasco, and Dr. Lansing delivered an earnest and impressive address. The citizens meanwhile had gathered with teams and tools to spend a day in gratuitous work. The ceremonies being con- cluded, labor began, and was continued till the rigor- ous weathei' in December caused a tem])orary suspen-
THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. 379^
sion. Work was renewed in the spring by means of subscriptions of money, labor, and materials, prompt payment of wliicli was provided for by the energetic Captain Bradley Tuttle, who had l)ecn appointed agent for collecting them.
The charter of the seminary, ])a.s>ed April l-lth, 1S20, nominated the first Board of Trustees, as follows : Colonel John Lincklaen, Hon. Glen Cuyler, Rev. Henry Davis, D. D., David Hyde, Thaddeus Edwards, Henry McXeil, Rev. Levi Parsons, Rev. Benjamin B. Stockton, Rev. Dirck C. Lansing, D. D., Rev. AVilliam Wisner, D. D., Rev. Henry Axtel, D. D., Rev. Ebenezer Fitch, D. D., Rev. David Higgins, Rev. Seth Smith, and William Brown, Esq. The trustees were directed to assemble at Auburn for organization on the second Wednesday of July, 1S20, and divide themselves into classes, in such manner that the terms of ofiice of five members should expire annually on the first Wednesday of September. The charter pro- vided that vacancies should be filled by election, by a Board of Commissioners to be composed of two cler- gymen and one layman from each of the Presbyteries of Cayuga,TS[iagara, Genesee, Rochester, Bath, Geneva, Onondaga, Oneida, Ontario, and St. Lawrence. The commissioners were invested with the general superin- tendence and control of the seminary, the power t<> appoint professors, tutors and other officers of the in- stitution, to fix their salaries, and to direct the disburse-
380 HISTORY OF AUBIKN.
meiit of all funds. The immediate care of the semi- nary, and the management of its property was com- mitted to the trustees, whose action, however, was to be always subject to the approval of the commis- sioners. In view of the grant of powers by the charter, the State made the usual reservation, that no student of any Christian denomination should be debarred the privileges of the Seminary on account of his religi- ous belief. The control of the Seminary being by the act of incorporation extended to many Presbyteries outside of the Synod of Geneva, its influence was ju- diciously and happily extended.
The corner-stone of the seminary was laid with great formality on the afternoon of Thursday, May 11th, 1820. Immediately after dinner, a large num- ber of the inhabitants of the town proceeded to the grounds to assist in making necessary preparations for the occasion, nothing daunted by the inauspicious weather, or even by a slight rain which was slowly dropping from the clouds. All things w^ere in readi- ness by five o'clock. At that hour, the venerable Samuel Bellamy, who had been tendered the honor of laying the stone, arrived on the ground in his carriage. The citizens respectfully formed ranks to receive him. Being conducted to the spot where the stone was to be laid, by David Hyde and William Brown, he laid his hand on the massive block, and deposited it in its place. He then addressed the citizens ])riefly, in a
TilE TlfKOLOGRAL SEMINARY. 381
v(>icc treiiuiloiis witli a^L^e, and placed in a cavity in the corner-stone a silver ])late inscribed as follows :
This medal deposited by Colonel Samuel Bellamy, of Skaneateles. T!ie n;ime of Colonel John Lincklaen,of Cazenoria, is in- scribed in honor of being one of the first projoctoi-s and advocates of this institution. " Beloved, I lay in Zion a Chief Corner-Stone, elect, precious." " Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and forever."
The long, thick plate of lead laid over tliis to pro- tect it, was inscribed,
•' Hoc aedificium conditum, perdocere adaloscentes in llerum
Divinarum scientiam, Anno Domini
MDCCCXX."
An address by the Kev. B. B. Stockton, and bene- diction by Dr. Lansing conchided the exercises.
The Seminary bnildings were vigorously advanced during 1820 and '21. The grounds were also improved and enlarged by purchase of several acres, parts of which were afterward sold, leaving, as at present, about twelve acres in possession of the trustees.
The board of commissioners, viz : Eev. ]\Iiles P. Squiers and David M. Smith, of the Niagara Pres- bytery ; Rev. Calvin Colton, of Genesee ; Hev. Alan- son Darwin, Eev. Chauncey Cook and Dr. Azel Ens- worth, of Rochester ; Rev. Ezekiel J. Chapman and Rev. Julius Steele, of Ontario ; Rev. Evan Johns, Rev. Stephen Porter and Thomas ^Mnmford, of Ge-
'SS'I HISTOKV OF AUBUKN.
neva; lie v. Caleb Alexander and Daniel C. Hopkins, of Onondaga; Kev. Samuel Parker and Col. Sam. Bellamy, of Cavnga ; lie v. James II. Hotchkin and Kobert Porter, of Bath ; Hav. Israel Brainard and Bev. Jolm Frost, of Oneida ; and the trustees before named, severally convened at Lyncli's tav^ern — after ward the National — in Anburn, July 12th, 1820.
The trustees organized with Bev. Dr. Davis, presi- dent ; Dr. Lansing, vice-president ; William Brown, secretary ; and David Hyde, treasurer. Both bodies transacted a large amount of business. Fifteen thou- sand dollars were placed at the command of the trus- tees, to complete the seminary on the plan proposed by Dr. Lansing, Bev. B. B. Stockton, David Plyde, Wm. Brown, and Thaddeus Edwards, the prudential com- mittee ; and, in the board of commissioners, a choice was made of the Bev. James Bichards, D. D., of Newark, N. J., for the professorship of theology.
Dr. Bichards having declined the trust tendered him by the commissioners, they assembled to consider the propriety of appointing the remaining portion of the faculty. Holding the chair of theology in abey- ance, they elected Bev. Henry Mills, D. D., of Wood- bridge, N. J., professor of Biblical criticism and Orien- tal languages ; Bev. Matthew LaBue Perrine, D. D., of N. Y., professor of ecclesiastical history and church polity ; and Bev. Dirck C. Lansing, D. D., of Auburn, professor of sacred rhetoric. Dr. Perrine, being at the
THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. 383
time ill Auburn, accepted the offer made liim, and, upon the request of the commissioners, agreed to as- sume tlie duties of the professor of didactic theok)gy, until that position was regularly filled. Drs. Mills and Lansing also accepted, the latter with the gener- ous declaration tliat his services should be rendered gratuitously.
Public announcement was therefore made that the seminary was ready for a commencement. The second Wednesday of the following October was designated as the day when its doors would be opened f )r the ad- mission of students.
Meanwhile energy was exerted to finish and furnish at least one building by the date assigned. When the regular subscriptions were nearly called in or exhausted, the working committees were compelled to resort to various expedients to acquire funds for carrying on the work. Churches and congregations were led by them to contribute tlie means to finish particular parts of the seminary buildings. No less than fifteen associ- ations were formed in the State to cultivate lands for the benefit of the institution, and numerous farmers were indiiced to set aside their crops for the same purpose.
The eastern counties of the State sent on large dona- tions also, in money. Books came from all directions, even from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Thus, by noble and incessant endeavor, the object was attained.
384 HISTORY OF A.UBURN.
The iiuiiu building nnd west wing of the seminary were read}^ to be- occupied by the iirst of October.
On Tuesday, the 9th, the Board of Commission- ers met at Auburn for the transaction of current busi- ness. On the following da}^, after interesting, though protracted exercises, Professors Mills, Perrine, and Lan- sing w^ere solemnly inducted into office, in the presence of a large and attentive audience. Pev. Caleb Alexan- der first delivered a pleasant discourse, setting forth the whole history and progress of the seminary, and its prospects. The object of the meeting was then formally stated by Pev. James II. Hotchkin, presi- dent of the Board of Commissioners, who afterward read, in the hearing of all present, the following for- mula :
'' In presence of the omniscient and heart-search- ing God, I do solemnly affirm and declare that I be- lieve the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the word of God, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice ; that I do receive and adopt the Confession of Faith and the Catechisms of the Presby- terian Church in the United States of America, as con- taining the system of doctrines taught in the Holy Scriptures ; that I do approve of the government and discipline of the Presbyterian Church, as prescribed in the Forms of Government and Discipline of the Pres- byterian Church in these United States ; and I do sol- emnly promise to maintain with zeal and fidelity the
THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. 385
trutlis of the Gospel, aiul to be faitliful and diligent in all such duties as may devolve on nie as a [>rofessor in this seminary, according to the best of my knowl- edge and abilities.*'
To this formula the professors severally gave a dis- tinct assent, and their signatures. Having then re- ceived a charge from the Eev, Ebenezer Fitch, D.D., they delivered their inaugural addresses, which con- cluded the ceremony.
The seminary opened in October, 1820, with eleven students. The Presbyterian Church, generally, hailed this event as the kindling of a great beacon-fire in a w^ilderness of spiritual gloom, devoutly believing that the seminary would prove a source of great si^iritual safety and blessing to the vast and neglected frontier population of our country ; and would, moreover, illu- minate with the grand doctrines of Christianity all who dwelt within reach of its beams. Ordinances w^ere adopted, soon after commencement, by the com- missioners, providing, among other things, that every professor in the institution must be " an ordained minister of the Presbyterian or Congregational Church, and must sustain the character of a learned, judicious, and orthodox divine and a devout Chris- tian," and who, l)efore he could be eligible to perform the duties of his office, must agree to and sign the for- mula once l)efore cited. Of students, no more was required than evidence of good morals, gO(-»d natural 23
386 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
talents, and of having passed through a regnUir course of academical study.
The seminary course requires a residence of three years. The studies are now as follows : Junior Year, — Hebrew Language ; Canon of the Scriptures ; Bibli- cal criticism and interpretation ; Lectures on the Physi- cal Geography of Palestine — on Jewish Antiquities — on Llistorical Geography and Sacred Chronology ; Church History begun; Natural Theology; Mental Philosophy. Middle Year. — Evidences of Christian- ity ; Inspiration of the Scriptures ; Christian Theology ; Explanation and proof of the Assembly's shorter Cate- chism and the Westminster Confession ; Hebrew and Greek Exegesis ; Composition of Sermons ; Criticism of plans ; Church History. Senior Year. — Lectures on Preaching ; Criticism of Plans and Sermons ; Pas- toral Theology ; Church Polity and History ; Hebrew and Greek Exegesis; Composition and Declamation through the whole course.
In 1823, an empty treasury nearty brought the affairs of the seminary to a stand. ]^o advance could be made with the work of building, nor could the insti- tution long maintain credit or standing, without addi- tional funds. At this crisis, Dr. Lansing took the stage to !N"ew York, and made an earnest appeal, in person, to several wealthy men there, for help. The response was far more liberal than he had dared to anticipate.
Arthur Tappan promised Dr. Lansing to endow the
THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. 3vST
professorship of theology w'nh the sum of fifteen thousand dollars, upon the understanding that Dr. Eichards would be re-elected to that position. This inunilicent grant, which established the i^ernianence of the Seminary at Auburn, was nuiue in writing, August 15tli 1S23, in the following words:
*' The founder of the Professorship of Christian The- ology in the Theo. Seminary at Auburn, in the State of Xew York, being induced to endow this Professorship from a sense of the importance not only of a pious but of a well-educated ministry, for the edification of the church, the spread of the Gospel, and the conversion and salvation of man; from a conviction of the expe- diency and utility of institutions devoted to the educa- tion of pious young men for the Gospel ministry ; and Irom the belief that this Seminary, in its plan and lo- cation, is well calculated to answer the beneficial |)ur- poses of such an institution, and that its prospects of success depend upon the immediate establishment of this professorship upon the basis of a permanent fund ; and humbly aiming in this transaction to promote in tlie church the irlorv of God ; he does hereby jrive, assio-n, and set over unto the Trustees of the Theological Sem- inary in Auburn, in the State of New York, and to their successors in office, the sum of fifteen thousand dollars in trust, as a capital fund, for the purpose of maintain- ing a Professorship of Christian Theology in said Sem- inary, forever. * * "^' Xo Professor shall ever be j^lnced
388 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
or suffered to continue on this Foundation, who does, not hold the system of Faith which the ordinances ot tlie Seminary at present require every Professor to hold ; and if any time hereafter, any Professor on this Found- ation shall in any im})ortant article differ from the said system of Faith, and especially if such Professor shall not fully believe and teach the true and proper divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the personality ot the Holy Spirit, the total depravity of man in his nat- ural state, and the eternal punishment of the wicked, then the Founder of this Professorship reserves to himself" the right to retain the fund, etc.
The commissioners accepted this grant, with the conditions, on the 10th of September. The same day, they unanimously invited Dr. Richards to accept the newly-endowed chair. The invitation was accepted and the doctor was inducted to office October 29th.
The struggling institution was further relieved by large sums of money raised by the Rev. Samuel H. Cox, D.D., who visited nearly every prominent city and town of the State for the purpose.
The 2:enerous labors of its friends brous^ht the semi- nary to a gratifying state of prosperity. The number of students increased rapidly, and soon every room was filled, and an enlargement was demanded. On the 13th of January, 1824, a convention of thirty delegates from the Presbyterian churches of AYestern New York assembled in the library room of the seminary to pro-
Tlir: THK()L()(rICAL .SKMINAKV. .'^89
vide lor obtainiiii!; the means. It belli:;' euiisidered necessary to raise twenty tliou-'.and dollars fur the enlargement, for buildiiiii: professors' houses, and other kindred objects, agents were ap]X)inted to solicit con- tributions in every county in tliis part of tlie State. Their exertions were bounteously rewarded, and funds were obtained to build the east wing of tlie institution, whicli was finished in 182* ». The western transept was erected in 1S29, by Isaa<i and Isaac A. Seloyer.
Dr. Lansiiig retired from the professorship of sacred rhetoric in August, 1820, his resignation being laid before tlie connnissioners, and reluctantly accepted, on the 10th. The board paid Dr. Lansing the following testimony of their appreciation of the value of his la- bors for the seminary : '^ Eesolved, that this board, in behalf of this Christian community, and in its own behalf, does, in the exercise of Christian aiiection and respectful gratitude, record the name cf D. C. Lansing among the founders of this seminary, and as one ot the prime and most efficient agents in measures which liave led to its establishment, and its present pleas- ing and flourisliing condition ; and they devoutly implore for him, on his retirement, the blessing of Heaven, as well as the sublime satisfaction of witness- ing the rising reputation and the extraordiiuiry influ- ence of an institution, which has hitherto taken so deep hold upon his heart, and which has been so emi- nently blessed by his efforts.'*
390 IIISTOIIY OF AUBUKN.
For nine years, his cliair remained vacant ; but it was endowed in 1829, by Col. Samuel Bellamy, with property amonntiiii^ to seven thousand two hundred dollars ; and, in 1832, by Thaddeus Edwards, with four thousand dollars, the two sums being united for the support of the Bellamy and Edwards Professorship for Sacred Rhetoric and Pastoral Theology. Dr. Samuel II. Cox, Pastor of the Spring Street Presbyterian Church in New York, assumed the duties of this pro- fessorship on the 16th of June, 1835.
The history of the seminary from this date is little more than a record of changes among the eminent di- vines who have at times presided over its various de- partments. These will be briefly noted.
The institution having been deprived, in February, 1836, by death, of the venerable and valued Dr. Perrine, the Pev. Luther Ilalsey, D. D., then pro lessor of eclesiastical history in the Western Theo- logical Seminary at Alleghanytown, was elected to succeed him, and was installed in the fall of 1837.
Dr. Cox soon afterward found himself compelled to> resign by reason of his pecuniary emban-assmentSy though he did so with great reluctance. His loss was keenly felt by the seminary, for he had been one of its most untiring and efficient officers. Pev. Baxter Dickinson, D. D., of Lane Theological Seminary, at Cincinnati, Ohio, supplied his place in August, 1840.
Dr. Pichards departed this life on the 2d of Au-
thp: theological skmlxaky. 391
gust, 18^1:3. Dr. Ilalseysoon after this event tendered his resignation to the commissioners. Tlie board could not, in justice to the seminary, accept it at once, but did so in tlie spring of 1814. Two professors — Drs. Dickinson and Mills — only were left. A division of sentiment in the country on the slavery questi(»n, in which the students and managers of the seminary shared, caused, at this critical period, an alarming falling off in the classes.
Jl The Eev. Laurens P. Ilickok, D. D., was tendered the Richards professorship of Christian theology in 1844. Accepting, he was inducted with tlie usual solemnities, in January, 1845.
Dr. Dickinson retired from the chair of sacred rhe- toric in 1847, having occupied it with marked ability for seven years. He was succeeded by Rev. John Fero Smith, D. D.
In the month of June, 1847, the Rev. Samuel M. Hopkins, D. D., assumed the duties of teacher of ecclesiastical history, with the view of promotion to the professorship of that department, should the way be prepared.
The Rev. W. G. T. Shedd, as professor of sacred rhetoric, and Rev. Clement Long, D. D., as professor of Christian theology, subsequently labored here for a short time.
In 1854, the prospects and condition of the semi- nary appeared so discouraging that every member of
392 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
the faculty except Dr. Hopkins resigned. This dis- astrous circumstance closed the doors of the semi- nary.
In 1855, operations were resumed. A new faculty was elected and installed, and the halls of the institu- tion were again opened for the admission of students.
The new professors were Hev. Edwin Hall, D. D., professor of Christian theology ; Rev. Jonathon B. Condit, D. D., professor of sacred rhetoric and pasto- ral theology ; Rev. Samuel M. Hopkins, D. D., profes- sor of ecclesiastical history and church polity ; and Rev, E. A. Huntington, D. D., professor of Biblical criticism. The same organization exists at the present day, with the single exception that an adjunct profes- sor of Hebrew, Rev. J. E. Pierce, A. M., is now at- tached to the department last named, the chair having been created and endowed through the instrumentality of Professor Huntington.
The career of the seminary since the resumption has been one of steady growth and prosperity. Several energetic and untiring spirits, eminent among whom was the late Frederick Starr, Jr., created a fresh and deep interest in its welfare, and induced wealthy men to place such sums at the disposal of the trustees, as to fully endow every professorship, and make the institution independent and self-sustaining. The per- sonal property of the seminary now amounts to about $200,000, five-eighths of which consists of endow-
THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. 393
ments of professorships ; the revenue of tlic remainder is appropriated to tlie assistance of students and con- tingent expenses.
The nnml^er of students now enjoying the privileges of the institution is between iifty and sixty. This is the average attendance.
The Theological Seminary of Central and Western New York has now been in existence for the period of forty-eight years. It was in the outset the bold conception of a few stirring men, who were alive to the wants of their times, and the needs of the country. How they succeeded in carrying forward their design till crowned with success will, humanly speaking, al- ways be a wonder. Success could never have been possible, considering the condition of Western New York in 1820, had that been other than a happy, busy, money-making period, or had the enterprise been in the hands of any less zealous men, or had its necessity been any less apparent. Nevertheless, its final erection and endowment Nvere by no means the brilliant achievements of a day or the monuments of the lil)erality of a few distinguished patrons. ( )n the contrary, this seminary is the fruit of years of toil, and of the contributions of hundreds of earnest workers and co-o])erators. It is the result of the accumulation of small things, and finds therein its chief strength.
This was the first Synodical Seminary In the United States. Projected for tlie sim])le liurposc of furnish-
394 IIISTOKY OF AUBCEN.
ing the new settlements of our country with educated religious teachers, it has answered the great end of its existence, and the desire of its founders ; exerting a powerful influence in organizing society, and infusing into the rising communities of what was then the frontier a strong religious sentiment. Over nine hun- dred and fifteen young men have received its instruc- tions. Twenty-six of these have already received the degree of D. 1). The Auburn students have always turned tow^ard the new settlements, following them year by year as they have stretched across the conti- nent toward, over, and beyond the country of the buf- falo. In late years large numbers of them have gone into foreign lands as missionaries, to China and India particularly ; so that to-day there is scarce a section of our republic, or a clime inhabited by civilized man, in which a graduate of the Auburn Seminary is not preaching the blessed Gospel of Christ.
THE KECOKD OF THE WAR. 395
CHAPTEll Vn.
TilK RECORD OF THE WAR IN AUIJURN
IStJO-lSCo.
The Soutliern States had for many years threatened secession from tlie Federal Union, if^ at any time, the slave-power should lose its ascendency in tlie national government. The presidential election of 1860 afford- ed these States an opportunity of sliowino; tlieir hon- esty, by placing in power their political opponents. Nothing then apparently prevented the promised out- break, but the want of the assurance that the military power of the nation would not be wielded against it. That assurance was given, when Congress assembled in December, by the President, in his annual message.
The politicians of the South prepared openly to^ carry out their long-cherished scheme of disunion. So often, however, liad the South tlireatened disunion, without ever, in fact, attempting it, tliat, like the sliepherd in the fable, who falsely re])orted the ap- proach of wolves for his own amusement, it had lost much of its former reputation for veracity. Tlie peo- ple of the north, at large, did not believe the South to be in earnest. Some, notwithstandinir, did believe
390 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
that secesBion was at last actually intended, and that a fearful contest was at our very doors. Prominent citi- zens of Auburn, after becoming acquainted with the contents of the President's message, partook of this fear.
Perceiving the unreadiness of the Xorth to furnish the government with proper military aid in the en- forcement of the laws of the country in the South, should it be suddenly needed, and believing that the threats of secession were " an avowal of contemplated treason, which it was the imperative duty of an indig- nant people sternly to rebuke, and for ever silence,'' some Auburnians made the proposition to arm the State, as Massachusetts was doing, and arouse the peo- ple. The matter was regarded with favor by well- known military men here, and by numerous members of the Wide-Awake clubs of the city, the latter of whom volunteered to throw down the torch and take up the musket, if it was necessary to save the Union.
These matters w^ere the subjects of open discussion. They resulted in an address to the supervisors of this county, then in session at the court-house, on the after- noon of Saturday, December 8th, by a patriotic resi- dent of the city, who invited the board to unite in a petition to the Governor to prepare the State forces for an emergency. The supervisors, willing to consider the matter, appointed a committee, consisting of John S. Clark, William Kevill, William G. Wayne, Sanford
THH KKCOltl) OF THE WAK. 39T
Gilibrd, N. C. ISinions, and 8. C. Lyuii, to report meas- ures proper to preserve tlie Union of the States, tor tlie action of the board.
The Auhurn Daily Union of the same day eoutains the followiiii^ item :
"Notes of Preparation. — Jt looks now as if the Union olHce is to become a recruiting station in good earnest. Some fifteen or twenty oflers to enlist were made yesterday by the Wide- Awakes, accompanied by the proposition to raise one or more regiments to |)ut down secession, and that their services ])e tendered to the Governor at once."
The public mind, however, was reposing in wonted security. Neither the people of Auburn nor the lead- ing journals of the State, could discern the necessity for the proposed action. Many became exceedingly alarmed lest the supervisors should immediately de- clare w-ar, and the movement was denounced as pre- mature and insane. The supervisors' committee re- ported that it could not find snflicient cause for action. But the honor remains to Auburn of being the fore- most of the cities of this patriotic State, to announce the impending danger of the country, and call for the raising of troops.
The certainty of war was a fact so well understood by New-Year's-day of 18G1, that several of the North- ern States passed laws to discipline and equip their militia. The citizens of New York anxiouslv urired
398 HISTORY OF AUJJL'KN.
the speedy enlistment of volunteer forces, that this State also might be in readiness for a sudden call. Many of them tendered their services to the Executive of the State. The first of tliese offers from Auburn was made by Terence J. Kennedy, Esq., a captain of artillery in the militia of nearly twenty years experi- ence, whose letter to the Governor bears date the 11th of January. Solomon Giles, of Weedsport, and others, offered their services soon after.
The door was closed against the hope that the evils of the nation might be cured by peaceful remedies, by the secession of seven of the Southern States, and the organization of a provisional rebel government. The iipathy of our Legislatures and public men in the spring of 1861, was, to an active and enthusiastic mind, appalling. There were many in this county who, longed to act as tlie crisis appeared to demand. Fore- most among these was Captain T. J. Kennedy, who, imbued w^ith some of that Jacksonian spirit that dares to take responsibility, determined to break ground in Auburn in the matter of volunteering. After consul- tation wdth friends, this gentleman drew up, in the ab- sence of printed blanks, an enlistment paper, in the fol- lowing words : " We, the undersigned, hereby pledge our words of lionor to associate ourselves together for the purpose of forming a light artillery company, to serve for three months, or as long as the war shall last ; " and having signed it himself, began to recruit
THE RECORD OF THE WAR. 399
on the 2 J dav of April, from bis business office on State Street. John Poison signed the paper next. These^ therefore^ were the first two men who enlisted in Cayuga County to put down the rehelUon.
Captain Kennedy was in advance of tbe ])eople, and found it a slow matter to raise bis company of volun- teer militia. Having, bowever, obtained seven men., be procured tbe keys of tbe State armory bere, and opened a recruiting office in tbat building about tbe Stb of April. Handbills were tben sent to Jordan, Port P>yron, AYeedsport, Seneca Falls, Skaneateles, Springport, and Aurora, calling upon patriots to come forward and enlist, and recruiting sergeants were sta- tioned in eacb place. Tbe movement met with ridi- cule from every quarter, but tbe captain knew wbat be was about. lie persevered. By tbe 12tb of April, be had secured a full company of soldiei's. J>y the 15th, he had one hundred and thirty-six men drilling in detachments on the streets ol Auburn. The gen- eral government had not yet called for troops, nor did tbe mass of the people yet suppose them to be needed.
Tbe firing upon Fort Sumter, and tbe call of tbe President for seventy-live thousand men, roused our citizens to a sense of the peril of the republic. Cap- tain Kennedy's course was trium})bantly vindicated by these events, his views as to tbe necessity for troo])s sustained, and tbe brave and inde]>cndent inainier in
400 mSTOKY OF AUBURN.
which he had acted upon his convictions placed in the most favorable light.
Auburn was, after the President's call, the scene of energetic preparation for the coming conflict. The board of ofticers of the -l-Oth light infantry, militia, assembled at their armory on Tuesday, the 16th, to de- vise a proper plan for action. It was resolved that the four Auburn companies of the command, namely : Co. A, Captain John T. Baker ; Co. C, Captain Peter Swift ; Co. D, Captain Charles II. Stewart ; and Co. E, Captain O'Neill ; should be recruited to the full size of one hundred men each, and six new companies should be raised immediately ; and " That, when or- ganized, this regiment will promptly respond to any call that may be made upon it, l)y the Commander-in- chief, for military aid in support of the Constitution and the laws of the United States." John B. Rich- ardson was then Colonel of the 49th ; John A. Dodge. Lieutenant-Colonel ; Thaddeus B. Barber, Major ; and Henry M. Stone, Adjutant. The armory was thrown open at once to receive enlistments, and officers were detailed to attend there day and evening. The officers of the regiment engaged in an earnest and honorable effort to put the command on a sound war-footing.
A law, passed by the Legislature the same day that the forementioned resolve was taken, authorizing the enlistment of thirty thousand volunteer militia for the term of two years, and appropriating three millions of
V
THK KKcoiJi) <.F riii; WAi:. 401
(iullars l'.>i' their 0(|iii[)nieiit, rendered the attempt to resuscitate tlie 49ih fruitless. Its active members saw the futility of tlieir efforts, and tlirew themselves promptly into the business of forming conq^anies under the new law. Captain John T. Baker, the po])iilar com- mander of the old Auburn (xuard, tirst began the pa- triotic labor of gathering recruits for a rifle cor])s on the ITtli of April.
In response to a letter to Governor Morgan, Captain Kennedy having been informed that it was impossible to obtain guns for his proposed battery, he communi- cated the fact to his men, and invited them to follow him as riliemen. [Many were unwilling to enter any branch of the service i)ut that for which thev had oriiri- nally enlisted. Forty were resolved to serve their country in any capacity. With this number as a basis, the captain began to form a company of rifle- men, and was again enabled to report at Albany the tirst full corps from Auburn,
The populace of the city assembled at the court- house on the evening of Saturday, the 20th, to deter- mine how they could best aid the work of volunteer- ing. The tlirong that had filled the court-room was called to order by lion. George num|)hreys, the mayor, who took the chair. The earnest co-operation of the people in the movements for recruiting in the city was then eloquently invoked by General Jesse Segoine, C. S. Burtis, Cyrus C. Dennis, lion. Theodore 24
402 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
M. Pomeroj, Dr. S. Willard, Dr. Richard Steel, Rev. Day K. Lee, K. B. Lansing, and others, whose patriotic utterances were greeted with cheers both long and hearty. In the midst of the wildest enthusiasm, and the most deafening applause, the meeting then resolved
" That vje^ as citizens of Auhuni^ ivill waintain the Government of the United States, with all the force and means that we j^ossess /" and immediately pro- ceeded to make provision for the support of the fami- lies of such volunteers as sliould suffer want l)y their absence in the army. A volunteer fund was author- ized, and four thousand dollars subscribed thereto on the spot. Hon. George Humphreys, General John H. Chedell, and Chai-les P. Wood, were empowered to disburse it. A mass-meeting having been called for the 24th, the meeting then adjourned.
Upon Sunday, the 21st, Auburn was pervaded with uncontrollable excitement. The sacred day was opened at sunrise by the unwonted sound of the firing of can- non. The streets were filled during the day with de- tachments of troops under arms, drilling under their respective commanders, and the various recruiting officers were surrounded with throngs of excited peo- ple, pressing forward to enroll their names among the volunteers. The Stars and Stripes fluttered from every pinnacle and tower, from windows, and across the streets, and were displayed in many of the churche&. The pulpits of the city, without exception, appealed
THK RECORD OF THE WAR. 4-08
in the most thrillino; terms to the }>eople to sustain tlie governinent in the momentous crisis throngh which it was passing. At tlie Second Presbyterian Church, the reverend orator dechared that no one shouhl enter his door or take him by tlie hand who was not for tlie Union, and the people burst forth into prolonged a])- plause. At the Roman Catholic Church, the Irishmen were entreated to spring to arms, and defend the republic ; and sixty men left the church in a body, marched to the armory, and enlisted under Ca})tain Owen Gavigan. When night fell Ki)on the town, three full companies of volunteers were awaiting orders to march.
Captain Kennedy's comj)any, however, was more than full. Seventy-seven was by the order of the Ad- jutant-General the maximum of a company, and the Captain had one hundred and thirty-three. The ex- cess was transferred to a company then formhig un- der Captain Theodore H. Schenck.
John Amnion began recruiting for a fifth command about the 21st. Captain Charles IT. Stewart, of the Willard Guards, paraded his corps on the 2-l:th. and, in a speech to them from the steps of the Western Ex- change, declared his intention to tender his services to the government at once. He marched his men to the armory, began recruiting, and before night had raised men enough to organize a company.
Simultaneously with the efforts for the formation of
404 1I18T()KY OF AUIJURN.
the six v^olunteer coiu[)Mnies in Auburn, were those for the organization of four more in the county and dis- trict at large, by Solomon Giles, of Weedsport, James E. Ashcroft, of Seneca Palls, Nelson T. Stephens, of Moravia, and James 11. Angel, of Union Springs, re- spectively.
The ])roceedings of tlie mass-meeting at tlie court- house on the 24th of A:)ril were the most unqualified assurance of the thorough union of the citizens of Au- burn, without regard to class, party, or creed, on the question of suppressing the rebellion. If our people had been slow to anticipate the attempted destruction of our national fabric, they were now to a man resolved to defend the union of the States against the assaults of its foes at any cost and all hazards. The logic of se- cession as a remedy for their asserted evils was so sadly against the Southern States, that the Democratic party in Auburn stood shoulder to shoulder with the Republicans in upholding the enforcement of the laws, and the maintenance of the Federal union.
Hon. John Porter presided at the meeting. When the applause that filled the room, as he took the chair, had subsided, lie addressed the dense crowd before him briefij, declaring that the South alone was re- sponsible for the terrible resort to arms, and he thanked God that in this crisis all party ties were ig- nored. The companies of Captains Kennedy, Baker, Stewart, and Amnion, then entered the court-room,
THE RE(^ORI) OF THE WAK. 405
and were assigned a positiun in the center. Michael S. Myers, Theo. M. Pomeroy, John 11. C'hedell, Charles P. Wood, Edwarl 11. ^^vevy, William P'osgate, and George J. Letch w^ortli, were appointed a com- mittee to prepare resohitions. During their absence Clarence A. Seward and Eev. T>. I. Ives were called to the stand, and made rousing speeches. Ilesolutions were reported and adopted, viz :j
" Resolved, That in pressing secession to a violent and bloody is- sue, the South has taught the North an invaluable lesson— that the capacity of the people of the United States is not lost, for rising instantly and en masse above all considerations of party and self, they maintain fully the reputation so well earned, and so freely given to the Fathers of the Revolution, and the franiers of our be- loved Constitution.
" Resolved, That the preservation of the Union and the Consti- tution presents no debatable question to the loyal citizens of the Empire State, and that the ready and earnest enlistment of our volunteers furnishes an appropriate expression of the senti- ments of the county of Cayuga.
" Resolved, That we tender to all traitors to the Union our ex- tremest sympathy, when they meet upon the battle-fields of Mary- land the ' aid and comfort ' expected fi*om the loyal States.
" Resolved, That we can at this time and on this occasion only reiterate the sentiments expressed upon the organization of this meeting, by our Representative in Congress, that upon this issue we are one, and that we are for affirmative and positive action ; and we call upon our Administration to move energetically and de- cidedly, or they will be in danger of being overrun by a determined and patriotic people.
" Resolved, That in lliis hour of our country's peril, we know no flag but the flag of our Fathers, and in one solid phalanx we will
406 IIISTOKY OF AUBURN.
march under the Stars and Stripes — the Banner of our Union — to victory or death."
Speeches were made by Messrs. Myers, Pomeroyy and Fosgate, Captains Kennedy, Baker, Stewart, and Amnion, and by ^Ym. Allen, George Eathbun, and others ; and, after the appointment of one man from every town of Caynga County, to act in concert with the committee of this city in raising and applying the volunteer fund, the mass-meeting adjourned.
After providing liberally for the maintenance of the soldiers' families, our citizens sought ways in which they might further testify their patriotism and sympa- thy with the troops. The presentation of swc^rds,, revolvers, and military trappings, became then the popular passion. The Sons of Temperance placed a splendid brace of pistols, with rosewood cases, in the hands of Captain Baker on the 22d ; and on the same day, that officer was publicly presented with a sword, in behalf of Major Barber, who had received the same from the Auburn Guard, when he was its captain, and Baker his lieutenant. Captain Kennedy was pre- sented with a brace of pistols, at the Armory, on the 23d. E. G. Storke, Esq., made the address, in which, among other things, he said : " You, Sir, was among the first to hear, and the readiest to respond to the patriotic call. Home, family, friends, with all their endearing associations, could not hold you back. A prosperous business, dependent for its success on you
THE UECORD OF THE WAH. 407
alone, could not liold you Itack. Dut, witli jijacrity and enthusiasm, you Avere iirst at the muster, as no doubt you will be in the coming encounter." Mr. Storke's words were emphasized by the spontaneous applause of every citizen present. Captain Gavigan, Captain Sclienck, and their lieutenants and under- officers, all were furnished witli swords and revolvers by their admirers and friends. Xor was the Helmet of Salvation unthought of. Captain Kennedy received a nu\gnilicent Bible from the Board of Education ot Auburn, of which he had been a member, and his men were given one apiece. Captain Stewart was present- ed publicly with a handsome copy of the Book, in front of the Western Exchange, on the 27th, by Dr. Huntington, of the seminary, in behalf of the ladies of the city.
The volunteer companies of this county and district were mustered into the service of the State, upon presen- tation of the proper papers, by Brigadier-General Jesse Segoine. Although Captain Kennedy had been iirst in the field, and had enlisted and reported the first full company of men, singularly enough he was anticipated in the date of muster by a competitor. Captain Baker was mustered first, and thus gained for his company the right of the Cayuga regiment. Captain Kennedy's company, however, gained the left. Baker was mus- tered on the 21st; Kennedy on the 24tli. Captains Gaviiran's and SclienckV commands were mustered the
408 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
day following, and Captain Ashcroft's at Stneca Falls, on tlie 26tli. The Adjutant-General liaving been in- formed of the readiness of these five companies to march, directed them to do so at once, and to report to Brigadier-General Yan Yalkenburg, at the depot at Elmira.
Governor Morgan's call for twenty-one additional regiments of volunteers was issued on the 25th day of A])ri].
Monday, April 20th, 1S61, was a day to be remem- bered in Auburn. Tt had been announced that the battalion w^as about to move, and the people of the city and county were pervaded with intense feeling, as tliey were thus summoned to lay their iirst oblation on the altar of the country. Hearts beat quick that day, and in the city all classes forsook their employ- ments, and thronged the streets. Stores were closed, business was suspended, the schools were dismissed, and few residences were not totally vacated. The country, too, was alive, and at an early hour in tlie morning, ve- hicles of every description might have been seen rap- idly driving toward the city. From every road they came and jammed the main streets of the town, till the press was almost intolerable. Every one was talka- tive and anxious. The wind kissed every inch of bunt-. ing in the city. Patriotic people were decked with badges and cockades. Soldiers and officers dashed about here and there in the hottest liaste ; everything was tur-
THE RECORD OF THE WAR. 409
moil and confusion. The streets in the vicinity of Bak- er's cigar store and the Armory, where the companies were forming, were choked with crowds of people. Cap- tain Schenck's company was first formed ; marching up State Street, it halted in front of the Western Ex- change, where it was soon joined by Captain Kennedy. The latter was here presented with a Yalua])le regula- tion sword in the name of George Clapp and other citi- zens, by General Jesse Segoine ; this oliicer, by the way, was also presented priv^ately before his departure with the sword of the late Major Doty, by that gentleman's widow.
Joining Baker and Gavigan, the companies were then formed in colunm, and marched, under escort of the Auburn Band and the Auburn and Willard Guards, through North and Chapel Streets, to the de- pot. Twenty days before, these brave men had been quietly engaged in the shop or on the farm in the pur- suits of peace. They now were pressing forward, im- pelled by the purest patriotism, to encounter the hor- rors and })rivati<)ns of war. Never had the people been so profoundly stirred as upon this day, never did men before in Auburn receive such an ovation as met the volunteers during their departure. At every turn the most tumultuous cheers and shouts rent the air ; handkerchiefs, hats, canes, and flags, were frantically waved in siilute ; and blessings and cries of God speed came from every lip. As the column a]>])roached the
410 UISTORY OF AUIiUKN.
depot, that edifice was found to be in the possession of an immense crowd of people. State and Chapel Streets were ])acked for rods ; the prison wall on the opposite side of the road was covered ; and the interior of the depot was a dense mass of excited citizens and relatives, gathered to catch a last glimpse of their brave boys in the ranks. A position in the center of the depot was attained with great difficulty. The train appeared a little after two o'clock pushing its way slowly into the building, with four cars attached for the men, which were instantly filled. Hands were shaken and kissed through the windows, and final farewells were hurriedly exchanged. Then, with the booming of cannon, and amidst the enthusiastic cheers of eight thousand people, the train moved off, bearing the Auburn boys westward on their Avay to Elmira, while the vast crowd slowly moved away through the various streets homeward.
Captains Stewart and Amnion remained in Auburn awaiting orders to move. Their companies were at length duly organized, and mustered on the 6th of May, and soon afterward joined the regiment at the general rendezvous. They were followed immediately by the others.
The first Cayuga regiment was organized, and mustered into the United States service for the term of three months, on the 22d of May. It re- ceived the title of the " 19th K. Y. S. Yolunteers."
THE RECORD OF THE WAR. 411
The field, staff, and company officers were tlien a?, follows :
Colonel, John S. Clark.
Lieut-Col, Clarence A. SewarcL
Major, James H. Ledlie.
Adjutant, Henry M. Stone.
Surgeon, Theodore Dimon.
Quartermaster, John Chedell.
Q. M. Sergeant, Dennis Shell.
Serge&nt- Major, Charles Tomliuson.
Company Officers.
Company ^.— Capt. John T. Baker; Lieut. Charles White; Ensign, Martin Laughlin ; Sergeants, Charles Tomlinson ; John T. Potter ; David McCreery ; and Barnett Nagle.
Co. B. — Capt, T. J. Kennedy ; Lieut. John Poison ; Ensign, Henry C. Day ; Sergeants, Andrew Cowan, William H. Gault* David C. Hutchinson, and William H. Barnes.
Co. C. — Capt. James E. Ashcroft ; Lieut. Samuel Clark Day ; Ensign, Charles B. Randolph ; Sergeants, Charles C. Graves, Adol- phus W. Newton, Alonzo Jordan, and Edward Manning.
Co. D. — Capt. Owen Gavigan ; Lieut. William Boyle ; Ensign, Luke Brannack ; Sergeants, f*atrick Dwyer, Daniel Dowling, Patrick Handlen, and Daniel McCartin.
Co. ^.— Capt. Theodore H. Schenck ; Lieut. David A. Taylor ; Ensign, Edward C. Burtis ; Sergeants, Henry F. Rider, Austin Haynes, Charles A. Henry, and James Harris.
Co. F. — Capt. Nelson T. Stephens; Lieut. Watson C. Squire; Ensign, Edward D. Parker; Sergeants, Edgar B. Warren, David F. Bothwell, Barna C. Goodridge, and Robert Haynes.
Co. 6r'.— Capt. Charles H. Stewart; Lieut. John Wall; Ensign, Antonio E. Robinson; Sergeants, Lewis Mowers, John White, Charles B. Quick, and George E. Sherwood.
C<?. 7/.— Capt. Solomon Giles ; Lieut. Augustus Field; Eusign,
4rl2 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
Marquis D. Nichols ; Sergeants, Charles M. Whiteside, William A. Hedges, Willis Watson, and Montraville M, Hedges.
Co. I. — Capt. John H. Amnion ; Lieut. George W. Thomas ; Ensign, Randolph B. Kimberly ; Sergeants, Horace Silsby, William A. Kelsey, Thomas J. Lormore, and James S. Fuller.
Co. K. — Capt. James R, Angel ; Lieut. A. H. Carr ; Ensign, Lester W. Fosting. '
Two days after its muster into the service, the 19th regiment received nniforms from the State, the quality and appearance of which was positive evidence that a monstrous fraud had been- perpetrated by the con- tractors. ]^ot only were our brave boys intensely dis- gusted with their shoddy garments, but the citizens of Auburn also ; and the latter held a public indignation- meeting at the court-house on the evening of May 31st, to devise some practical means of remedy for the shameful treatment of tlie regiment. Dr. Kichard Steel was chairman of the meetinoj • E. B. Lansino: and G. AV. Allen were secretaries. The speakers were Benjamin F. Hall, Wm. Allen, Theodore M. Pome- roy, and Rev. B. I. Ives. A committee, composed of Charles P. Wood, Benjamin F. Hall, and C. P. Wil- liams, reported resolutions, deploring the wrongs of the soldiers, and proposing the appointment of a commit- tee to demand in person, of the State Military Board, that decent clothing should be purchased the 19th regiment without delay. Theodore M. Pomeroy and Wm. C. Beardsley were delegated to perform this duty, which tliey did at once, and laid before an ad-
THE RKCORD OF THE WAK. 413
journed meetini!:, held June 4tli, the ]ti'oiiiise of the military authorities at Albany, to dress the 19th as soon as practicable in pro])er nnitbrnis.
On the afternoon of Afonday, the third nf June, a large number of ladies and gentlemen from Auburn departed upon the cars for Elmira, with a stand of colors prepared by the former for the 19th, to perform the ceremony of presentation. Among the ladies were Mrs, C. II. Merrinian, Mrs. Wm. II. Seward, Jr., Mrs. Benjamin F. Hall, Mrs. George Underwood, Mrs. Theodore Dimon, and Mrs. Henry Morgan. The Hags were delivered to the regiment on the fourth. Hon. Charles C. D wight presented the regimental, and Ben- jamin F . Hall the national colors, which were soon after borne b\^ the command to the theater of active military operations.
The general government, convinced by the disas- trous defeat of the Federal armies at the battle of Bull Run, July 21st, 1861, of the hopelessness of the promised peace in ninety days, and, by the expiration of the terms of service and the preparation to return home of the three months' volunteers, of the necessity for fresh supplies of troops, appealed after the battle to the Governors of the loyal States for additional aid. New York was requested to furnish twenty-five thou- sand three years' men. Governor Morgan's proclama- tion, dated July 25th, stated this fact, and announced that twenty-four regiments of infantry would be im-
414 FIISTOKY OF A.UBUKN.
mediately raised in this State, as well as one of artil- lery, and six independent batteries of four guns each. Cayuga County responded in a noble manner to this call.
Prominent citizens determined to unite their efforts, and send forth at once a second regiment. On the afternoon of Monday, September 2d, 1861, a large number of gentlemen met at the ^-^^^srican Hotel in this city to devise the best means of efi'ecting the de- sired end. Charles P. Wood presided. Dr. Sylvester Willard stated the object of the meeting. Colonel John A. Dodge, upon whose proposition to raise and com- mand the second regiment the whole movement w^as based, being then introduced, unfolded to the meeting his plans. He stated that he had been solicited to take the lead in this enterprise, and had resolved to do so, and to tender his services to the President through the Governor of the State. In view of the frauds and ill usage put upon our first regiment, still keenly felt by our citizens, the colonel proposed to raise, equip, and drill the new command here, marching, when called, directly from Auburn to the front. This plan was feasible, since the Governor had power to commission and detail officers to all such special duties. Many valuable men had agreed to join the colonel in form- ing his regiment. He therefore asked that a com- mittee of citizens might be appointed to act with him and his officers, and another, to go to Albany and
THE RECORD OF THE WAR. 415
make the arranirements necessary for carryinj^ his proposition into effect. He further stated tliat while funds wouhl he wanted for the transportation of re- cruits, it was liis desire that none should be raised to support tlie families of liis men, for he preferred that they should, if possible, be those alone who could leave their families in comfortable circuinstaiu-es. The fol- lowino; resolutions were then adopted :
*' llesolved, That Colonel Jolin A. Dodge has our full and hearty sympathy in his project, and that we will give him our most earnest co-operation in forwarding to a successful result the undertaking he has initiated with such patriotic devotion.
" Eesohed, That an Executive Committee of nine be appointed to act with Colonel Dodge and others who may unite with him, and such committee is authorized to adopt such measures as in their judgment ma}' be best calculated to carry out the determi- nation expressed in the first Resolution.
An executive committee, composed of Dr. 8. Wil- lard, Hon. Theodore M. Pomeroy, Wm. C. Beardsley, Charles P. Wood, Elmore P. Koss, Samuel L. Busli, Wm. Allen, John 11. Chedell, and Micliael S. Myers, was at once elected. The occasion called forth earnest remarks from T. M. Pomeroy, Charles C. Dwight, Wm. Ilart, E. B. Lansing, and Edward A. Thomas. No time was lost. The same afternoon, the executive committee organized, and empowered Messrs. Wil- lard, Pomeroy, Beardsley, and Dodge to proceed at once to Albany, in pursuance of the ])atrioti(* design of the ])rclimin:iry meeting. On the Saturday follow-
416 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
ing, the committee had the satisfaction of announcing publicly that Auburn had been made a depot for troops, and that Colonel I^odge had been commissionect to raise in this county a second regiment of volun- teers, which would be fed, equiped, and drilled at this post, in a camp soon to be provided by the proper authorities. The manifest care and foresight dis- played in these preliminary measures by Colonel Dodge naturally won for him the most nnlimited con- fidence of the people of this county. The array of talent and wealth pledged to his support in the per- sons of the executive committee, was perjiaps the highest possible assurance that could be given of his patriotism, prudence, and courage. These things strengthened him materially in his enterprise, bring- ing around his standard a higher order of men than could have been reached under any other circum- stances.
Recruiting for the new regiment was instantly be- gun. Authority to raise companies was successively conferred upon Hon. Charles C. Dwight, William Hart, John Clioate, William H. Cray, and Clinton D. McDougall, of Auburn, Luther Goodrich, of Meridian, Edward A. Thomas, of Springport, and Charles Hay den, of Port Byron. These gentlemen, who were in the main unfamiliar with the profession of arms, were all eminent and honored citizens of this county. They took the field together as early as September 7th, and
THE KKCORD OF TIIK WAR. 417
appealed in the most tbreible terms tt) the loyal and Union-loving citizens of Cayuga to rally to the defence of their imperiled country.
The most vigorous measures were employed to ai'ouse and warm the counti*y. llecruiting sergeants were sent into every town, glowing handbills decorated every public building and tavern, rousing war-meet- ings were held in every community, and earnest and talented orators took the stump, and traveled night and day from one village to another, calling upon the able-bodied to come forward and take up the sword.
General Jesse Segoine, of this city, was one of the most untiring and successful <>f these stump speakers, and did more than any other one man to stir up the enthusi- asm and loyalty of our county. His sonorous voice, and his martial bearing, and his active mind, fitted him for just this work. Understanding human nature well, he w^ore his Generars uniform at public meetings, and found the flash of his brass buttons no inconsidera- ble help, lie, at one time, made war speeches for sixty-three nights iu succession, in this and five of the adjacent counties, sending home from each meeting the avails of his efforts in volunteers.
The eifect of these measures was magical. The re- cruiting oflicers met in every quarter the warmest en- thusiasm. Men of every profession and employment sprang into the ranks, and built up companies at a word. There was of course a race for the right of the 25
418 HISTOKY OF AUBURN.
resriment. It seemed in the beii-iiiiiiiiix to be within easy reach of either Mr. D wight or Mr. Hart, the ex- tensive' reputation of each promising well for the quick formation of their respective commands. The position, however, was gained by Mr. McDougall, who reported his company to Colonel Dodge on the 10th of Septem- ber, and thus became captain of Company A. On the 12th of September a Port Byron compan^^ under Tru- man K. Fuller, and an Auburn company, under Wil- liam H. Cray, reported, and became respectively Com- panies B and C. Under the excitement of the hour, again did Auburn throw" out her banners ; her streets were again filled with the sounds of preparation. In a few days, further companies were organized and re- ported, and the work w^ent handsomely on till, on the Tth of October, Lansing Porter had presented Colonel Dodge the ninth company of his command. Mr. Hart, who was among the original number of recruiting offi- cers, having been tendered the chaplaincy of the old 19th, had withdrawn from the field, giving the men he had raised to Captain Cray.
The unprecedented rapidity wdth which the com- panies of the second Cayuga regiment w^ere formed made it impossible for their commanding officers to pro- vide barracks at the post as soon as they were needed. It was necessary, however, to keep the volunteers in Auburn for the purposes of instruction and drill. Every available room, therefore, in the hotels and tav-
thp: rkcokt) of the wak. 419
«rns was secured to lod^-e recruits. Hut tlie i>ressui-»' ^continued to increase, <in<l, evei'v l)(>;u-dln<^-]iouse be- ing full, patriotic citizens iinally tlirew open their resi- dences, and extended tlieir hospitality to snch soldiers as could not be accommodated elsewhere. A commodi- ous and convenient lot for a camj* was at lenirtli obtain- ed, situated on the east side of Moravia Street. On tlu' 23d of September, Colonel Dodge went to Albany t<> get, if possible, such tents and camp equipage as wouhl enable him to go into camp without delay. Failing in this, he hastened lionie witli his full couuuissiou as colonel to urge on the erection of the l)arracks, wliicli liad then tinally been commenced by means of moneys advanced by Dr. AVillard, and other prominent gentle- men of the cit}', and by the banks. The guard-house had been put up, and ground broken tor the kitchen. These were finished, and the company quarters i)ut under way by the first of October. The latter were ready for occupancy by the 12th.
The regiment marched into camp tor the first time on Monday, the 14th of Octol)er. Tt then munbered about seven liundred and fifty men. Comparative «]uiet was restored to the city.
The members of this gallant corps were now the recipients of every favor that the ingennity of their friends could suggest. Money, swords, ])istols, horses, books, cakes, pies and camj) equipage, were lavished with an open hand. The gift of a magnificent sword
420 UlSTOKY OF AUBURN.
to Captain McDoiigall, by the xVubuni Literary Asso- (tiatioii, tliroTigh Benjamin B. Snow, Esq. ^ one of its honored members, on tlie 23d of October, was one instance of the many.
Arms and nniforms liaving been issued to tlie Tothy it was daily and constantly drilled in all the evolu- tions of the company and battalion, and made fast advances toward perfect efficiency. Its officers, liav- ins: the advantao;e of the instructions of Lieutenant- Colonel Merritt, a young officer direct from the mili- tary academy at West Point, were enabled to bring the men to a state of high discipline, that won Hatter- ing encomiums from the ])ress of Kew York when the regiment came to march tlirough that city, on its way to the front.
Meanwhile, active efforts for the enlistment of the tenth company of the regiment were being put forth in the city, by E. Kellogg Beach, Esq., who was meet- ing with flattering success, lie was assigned quarters at the barracks, on tlie 2d of ]^ovember, with thirty men, as captain of Company K. lie was, however, unable to bring the command to the required size, and suffered it to be consolidated with Company I, Cap- tain Porter. Lieutenant "Wm. II. Stevenson, of Com- pany B, was then detailed l)y Colonel Dodge to re- cruit for Company K.
The regiment was designated the Toth N. Y. S. Volunteers, on the 14th of November, per special
TiJE kp:(Xh:i) of tiik war. 421
order Xo. 4-85 of the Adjutaiit-Geiieriil of the ^tate. It was directed to report to Brigadier-General Rath- bone, for muster into tlie IJjiited States' service, at New York.
Thouij^h comfortably housed, and blessed witli an abundance of wholesome rations, the 75th, while in camp in Aubuni, began to suffer the little inconven- iences, and cravings, and distresses, which the soldier invariably encounters. The men wanted towels, and clean linen, butter on their bread, and cream in their coffee, and rare bits ad infinitintt. They bravely con- quered these wants day by day, but their hungry souls found relief, more than once, in the kind ministrations of friends. Xever were their teeth gnashed more joy- fully, than upon a certain occasion, when every man in tlie regiment was presented with a wliole pumpkin pie, the gift of the patriotic ladies of Owasco. The T5th ate a thousand pies that day, and l)lessed Owasco.
The colors of the T5th regiment were obtained through the ])atriotic exertions of two young ladies of this city— Miss Sarah Dill, and ^liss Helen ]\r. IJart- lett. The ladies collected in person all the means and materials needed for their object, and sacrificed time and ease, till the silken tokens of their loyalty were ready for i)resentation. One of the flags was wrought by the skillful fingers of Miss Dill herself; the other was made by Tiffany c^ Co., of Xew ^'ork.
422 IIISTOKY OF AUBUKN.
The colors were presented to the 75th on tlie ufter- iiooii of Thursday, Xovember 21st. Tlie regiment having been conducted to Genesee {Street, was formed in double cohnnn, closed in mass, in front of the court- house. The hidies appeared in a carriage, and with the standards in tlieir hands took a position on the stone steps of the buihliiig. Colonel Dodge and staff liaving then advanced to tlie front, were eloquently addressed by Hon. T. M. Pomero}^ in behalf of the donors, and presented w ith the colors. After a brief reply by Colonel Dodge^w^ithftJie'expression of grate- ful thanks, cheers long and hearty were given for the 75th, and for the hidies of Auburn, and Cayuga County, and the 75th returned to the barracks.
Orders to mai'ch were received the same day. On the 30th day of November, 1861, two days after Thanksgiving, the 75th l)roke up tlieir camp at Auburn and pre])ared to move. Tlie lieavy fall rains, and the continual travel on all the avenues leading to the c^amp, had tilled the latter with a deep, sticky mud, through which the regiment was forced to pass, at nine and an half o'clock, A. M., on its way to the depot. To this point it was preceded and followed by im- mense crowds of people, anxious to bid the departing volunteers God speed. Assembled in the depot, the regiment was briefly addressed by the Rev. Dr. Con- dit. A special train of eighteenipassenger and four baggage cars was moved up and an attempt made to
THE KKC<>Kn OF THK WAH. 4:25
board it. Tlie pressure of tlie lar^e ci'uwd and the reluctant farewells of friends made this a dithcult feat. However, after a scene of indescribable confusion, the soldiers were extricated, and secured on board the train, and then with the thunder of cannon and amidst the "sWldest hurrahs, the cars moved away, and the Toth New York had gone forth upon its mission. It took from this and from Seneca County nine hundred men, the very llower of our })opulation, the bravest and best in constitution and character. Its orojaniza- tion was then as follows :
Colonel, John A. Dodge. Lieut-Col., Robert B. Merritt. Adjutant, E. B. Lansing. Surgeon, Michael D. Benedict. Quartermaster, Lewis E. Carpenter. Chaplain, Thomas B. Hudson. Company Officers. Company ^.— Capt. Clinton D. McDougall ; 1st Lieiits. Robert B. Men-itt, James II. Ilinman ; 2nd Lieute. Erastus E. Brown, Benjamin F. Thiirber.
Co. ^.— Capt. Tnmian K. Fuller; 1st Lieut. William Henry- Stevenson ; 2nd Lieut. Anson Tuller.
(Jo. C'.— Capt. William H. Cray ; 1st Lieut. Charles Wilson Draw ; 2ud Lieut. Augustus W. Benedict.
Co. i>.— Capt. Charles C. Dwight ; 1st Lieut. Andrew Y. Com- ing ; 2nd Lieut. George D. Robinson.
Co. X— Capt. Luther Goodrich; 1st Lieut. William Lewis Stanford ; 2nd Lieut. Francis Asbury Hopping.
Co. >'.— Capt. Henry Bates Fitch ; Ist Lieut. William Eliaa Avery ; 2ad Lieut. Horace B. Fitch.
424 HISTORY OF AUBURX.
Co. G^.— Capt. John E. Saveiy; 1st Lieut. Lewis E. Carpenter, 2iid Lieut. William D. Hamilton.
Co. //.— Capt. John Choate ; 1st Lieut. Elbridge G. Miles ; 3ud Lieut. James E. Whiteside.
Co. I. — Capt. Lansing Porter ; 1st Lieut. E. B. Lansing; 2ud Lieut. William H. Hosmer.
Reacliing Albany, tlie regiment bad tbe bonor to be ordered to proceed at once to tbe important post of Fort Pickens. Tbere it remained till tbe rebels bad evacuated Pensacola, wben it was sent to Louisiana, in wbicb State it engaged in several battles witb distin- guisbed braverv. Afterward, in front of Port Hudson, and tben again in tbe Sbenandoab Yalley in Yirginia, it fouo;bt under tbe flas: of tbe Union witb valor and witb success.
Having now followed tlie T5tb from its conception to its departure for active duty, it will be well to re- trace tbe time reviewed, and sketcb briefly tbe eftorts in Auburn for tbe enlistment of troops in otber com- mands.
Tbe July call for twenty-live tbousand men bad pro- vided for tbe equipment of six independent batteries of artillery. Tbe command of sucb a battery was tbe original idea of Captain T. J. Kennedy, of tbe 19tb reg- iment. Obtaining permission to leave bis regiment and raise one of tbe six, be opened a recruiting office in Auburn September Otli. By tbe 2d of November be bad mustered into bis command one bundred and twenty-fi^^e men, raised notwitbstanding tbe unusual
'niK up:(;<)Rd ok the war. 425
popularity of the 75th, recruits for which were every- where being actively sought. Upon the 23d, his com- pany, called Kennedy's 1st Light Battery, X. Y. S. Y., was sworn into the U. S. service by Captain J. C. Peterson, of the 15th U. S. Infantry, for the term of three years. Its officers were as follows : Captain, T. J. Kennedy ; 1st Lieutenants, Andrew Cowan, Wil- liam P. Wright ; 2nd Lieutenant, James A. Wood- ruff. Six towns had each supplied recruits to man one gun, viz : Yenice, under Sergeant II. C. Yaughn ; Boonesville, Lewis County, under Sergeant Nathaniel Thompson ; Niles, under Sergeant Orsamus Yan Etten ; Auburn, Sergeant James R. Wood ; Milan, Sergeant Jonathan E. Johnson ; and Aurora, Sergeant Henry S. Steele. Captain Kennedy was able to clothe his men here. He left Auburn on the evening of Monday, De- cember 2nd, and at the head of his gallant band fought many bloody bf.ttles in the fields of Alrginia and Xorth Carolina.
Captain Solomon Giles made the next etlurt fur men, in favor of the 19th, at a pul)lic meeting at the court- house, Deceml)er 5th, which he addressed. The ohl organization wanted nearly three hundred men to make its maximum, and our citizens were earnestly invoked to step f )rward and till its depleted raid^s. lion. George Humphreys and John Ts". Knap]> made spirited speeches. But the enlistments were few. Ilecruiting lagged. Tlirougli January scarce anytliiiig was done.
4:26 , HISTORY OF AUBURN.
No detachments were forwarded from Auburn till the Ttli of February, when Lieutenants Boyle and Allen went to the front with fifty men for the 3d Ar- tillery, into which the 19th had meanwhile been con- verted. Lieutenant William A. Kirby, of the 3d, left Auburn 'March 11th for his connnand, at tlie head of forty men.
The surrender of Fort Donelson, announced in Au- burn February 17th, was the occasion of a general jubi- lee. Flags were displayed, cannons fii'ed, and bon- fires kindled ; at noon, all the bells in town rang out a merry peal, and the powerful whistle at the car-shop blew for an hour steadily during the discharge of a na- tional salute of one hundred guns. The cheering successes at Shiloh and Island No. 10, and at Newbern, and the repossession of New Orleans by Farragut soon after found a similar joyful echo in Auburn.
In the midst of the pleasant feeling excited by these events, there occurred an incident, which showed very happily the high consideration entertained in this com- munit}^ for one of its loyal members. On the evening of Saturday, May 24:th, a number of prominent gentle- men gathered in the ofiice of the Aichicni Daily Adver- tiser^ among whom was General Jesse Segoine. The meeting was called to order, and General John Chedell invited to take the chair. D. P. AVallace was made sec- retary. Benjamin B. Snow then arose and read a let-
TIJE RECORD OF TliK WAR. 427
ter tliat had beeii lianded to hlin in an open envelop, runninii; tlnis :
Fort Pickens, Florida, April, 1862. Major-General Jesse IScgoine, Auburn, N. Y. —
Dear Sir : I am commissioned by the officers of the fiekL statf, and line of the 75th regiment, N. Y. V., to forward to your ac- ceptance the accompanying cane. They beg you will accept it as a slight testimonial of their personal regard for you as a neigh- bor and friend, and of their appreciation of your zealous and dis- interested labors in behalf of the organization of the regiment to which they belong. The work of raising a second regiment in Cayuga County at the time when this was proposed, and under all the circumstances of discouragement which then existed, was no easy work. By many it was deemed impracticable. Your faith in the accomplishment never faltered, and your zeal failed not. By your eloquent public appeals, and your personal solicitations, by your kind words of encouragement to officers and men, by your valuable instructions in the art of the soldier, at all times freely given, by your constant display of interest in our welfare as a reg- iment, and as individuals, you aided much to fill our ranks, to en- courage our hearts, and to promote our skill and efficiency as sol- diers, and by all these acts, you gained our lasting gratitude and »'.steem.
It is in testimony of these feelings, that we otfer you the little i^ift accompanying this note. We know you will not measure the feelings which prompt it by the value of the gift. We wished it to be something associated with the island where we have been so long stationed, and which has been the theater, if not of our ex- ploits, at least, of the trial of our faith, patience, and endurance; ;ind you will readily understand that the resources of this island atibrd no great variety of appropriate gift**. This cane, if not strictly a " natural product" of Santa Rosa, was at least found here in its rough state, and manufactured on the island.
428 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
Begging you to accept it with the heartfelt wishes of us all for your long-continued health, welfare, and happiness, I have the honor to remain, in behalf of the officers of the 75th,
Very respectfully and sincerely your obedient servant,
Charles C. Dwight, Captain 75th Regiment N. Y. V.
Mr. Snow then presented a rich, dark-colored cane, mounted by Tiffany & Co., of Kew York, bearing this inscription : "Major- General Jesse Segoine, from the officers of the 75th Ivegiment, at Santa Kosa Island, Florida, 1862." The surprise was complete ; but the General rallied and made a neat reply, and pledged a continuance of liis efforts for the honor c>f Cayuga County, and the welfare of the Union.
Early in July, 1862, news came from the armv of the Potomac that stirred the heart of every patriot with such grief and anxiety, that when, on the 1st of July, the President sent out his appeal for three hun- dred thousand additional three years volunteers, and on the 2d, that appeal was re-echoed by Gov. Morgan, few believed, under the universal discouragement, that a soldier could be raised. Put in this city, several military men and citizens, with indomitable energy and hope, instantly revived the idea of a third Cayuga regiment, proposed the November before, and pre- pared themselyes to raise it. It is impossible here to enter minutely into the story of the achievements of the summer and fall of 1S62 in Auburn, notwithstand- ing the numerous instances of lofty ])atriotism and
THE RECORD <)F THE \VAi:. 429
self-sacriticiiii;' devotion to tlie l'ni(jn Aviili wliicli they iiboiind. AVe can at l»est )io more tlian sketcli tlieir leading features.
Hitherto tlie work of enlistment had been done by the patriotic citizens of the State in and for the vari- ous counties. There was now framed a system of do- ing it in and f >r military districts, into which the State was divided, by means of the influence and ef- forts of district military committees. For tlie Dis- trict of Cayuga and Wayne, Gov. Morgan appointed the following connnittee : AVm. V. Beardsley, S. Wil- lard, M. D., Wm. II. Seward, Jr., and X. T. Stephens, of Auburn; Hon. C. M. Abbott, of ]N'ile<; and Hon. E. B, Morgan and Smith Anthony, of Aurora ; in whose hands was lodged the supreme control of all eftbrts to recruit in the district. A majority of the committee met the morning of July Sth, with its chairman, Mr. Beardsley, to agree upon measures nec- essary to raise a new regiment. Having been author- ized to increase their own number, they did so, and sent E. B. Morgan and J. K. Knapp to Wayne County to procure active members to be added to the com- mittee from that region. They were furnished on the 10th with the names of W. H. Adams, Joseph Wel- ling, and S. B. Gavitt, of Lyons ; G. W. Cowles, of Clyde ; and J. E. Walker, Pomeroy, Tucker, and W. C. Nottingham, of Palmyra. A joint meeting was held at Port Hyron. Saturday, July 12th, when the
430 IflSTOKV (IF AUIiUKN.
gcTitlemen above named, as well as S. K. Williams, E. N. Thomas, L. S. Ketchum, Geo. W. Cuyler, Wm. T. Barne}", Willis T. Gaylord, of Wayne, and Tlieo. M. Pomeroy, Henry W. D\vi2;lit, Wm. A. lialsey, Geo. B. Gillespie, Wm. F. Robinson, A. L. Smith, W. IIos- ford, Charles Near, Pliilo Camp, Anizi AVood, Wm. C Cramer, and David J. Yan Auken, of Cayuga County, were added to the committee. A resolution was passed approving the call for 300,000 men. In pursuance of a request from the Governor that the name of some person iit for a regimental commander should be forwarded to him at once, the subject was introduced and discussed. The choice of the commit- tee fell upon General Segoine, then the most popular war man in this county, who was at the time in the town of Summerhill, working hard with Capt. E. A. Thom- as, to fill up the latter officer's company. Sub-commit- tees were appointed to make aiTangements for war meetings in the various towns : for Cayuga, were J. N. Knapp, N. C. Simons, and Wm. A. TIalsey ; for Wayne, J. E. Walker, S. B. Gavitt, and G. W. Cowles. The care of the finance in Cayuga County was intrusted to E. B. Morgan, S. Willard, and Charles P. Wood, and in Wayne, to S. K. Williams, S. B. Gavitt, and E. JST. Thomas, who were empowered to incur a liability in each county of two thousand dol- lars. A mass-meeting was appointed at Auburn for the ITth, and another at Lyons, on the 19th. Each
THE RECORD OF THE WAR. 431
town was assigned a certain specified part of the labor to perform, and a certain number of men to raise for the new regiment. The quotas assigned to the wards of Auburn, in their numerical order, were 28, 24, 'il, and 37— lln in all.
Springport was first in the lield. Dr. Silas A. Tre- mainemakino; a commencement in the work of recruit- ing on Monday, July 14tli. The ball, however, did not fairly begin to roll till an enthusiastic war-meeting at Auburn, on the 17th, had revived once more the droop- ing spirits of onr people. Delegations attended this meeting from the various country towns, especially from those south, which, assembling in procession on the day ap})ointed, were led by Gen. Segoine from the court house to the park. After an eloquent prayer by Dr. Condit, Major l>eardsley introduced Gen. 8e- goine with a few happy remarks. Gen. Segoine on advancing was enthusiastically cheered. With a thrilling speech, lie admonished the people of their duty, and then gave way for the meeting to organize. This was done in due form. Itesolutions submitted by J. N. Knapp, E. B. Morgan, and Wm. Allen, endors ing the Union and the Constitution, and tlie call for 300,000 men, denouncing secession as treason, and dis- loyalty as a crime, offering to snstain the sn]X'rvis(H-s of this county in raising a bounty of fifty dollars for each volunteer to the new regiment, and reconnnend- ing an a])pro])rlation to cover that charge, ms well nt^
432 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
three tliousand dollars more to detVay incidental ex- penses, were adopted.
Theo. M. Pomeroy spoke for half an hour. The Rev. Mr. Warner, of Weedsport, made a spirited ap- peal, under the influence of which several young men sprang forward and enlisted on the spot. The assembly was hereby wrought up to the highest pitch of enthu- siasm. An offer by E. E. Marvine, of this city, often dollars apiece for ten volunteers was greeted with long and loud applause. Among other speakers that suc- ceeded, E. 1). Morgan appeared upon the platform, and said that he was authorized to offer to the first company that should be formed under the present call a bounty of two hundred dollars, one hundred to the second, and fifty to the third. He declined to an- nounce the name of the au|;hor of the ofter, but Gen. Segoine took the responsibility of stating that it was- none other than that of Mr. Morgan himself. The statement met with tremendous cheering. Other w^arm and hopeful speeches followed, after wdiich the crowd dispersed, and the people returned to their homes. The eloquence of the speakers and the gen- erosity of our wealthy men made their impression. The despondent were encouraged, the indifferent were aroused. No longer was the fearful reverse upon the Chickahominy considered the death-blow of the Un- ion, but faith and resolution again took the place of grief and alarm.
THE RECORD OF TIU: WAU. 433
Tlie ]»ress, public lueii, and tlie M-ar coininittee, la- bored assiduously to fail tbc glow of entlnisiasni with which the people were now inspired, into atlame. Mr!' Heardsley, the chairman of the committee, was untiring and self-sacrificins^ in his efforts to carry on the ffood work. Recruiting otticcs wei'e o])ened in Auburn by Captains E. A. Thomas, Lewis W. Husk, and Ezra II. Xorthroj), and the (-(Hinty rang with their a])])eals for troops.
It having been rcj^orted that certain persons in the community were disconraging enlistments, the com- mandant of the post issued on the 18th a peremptory proclamation, declaring that all persons detected in this act should l)e arrested, and visited with the penalty of the law. Its bold Ume electrified the district. Every- where recruiting received the most powerful impnlse. In Wayne Comity, particularly, the most intense ex- citement sprang up. Though second in the field, the captains of that region were first at the muster. By the 26th of July, Seneca B. Smith reported the first full company of men, for which, when the regiment was organized, he was rewarded with the ])ost of ma- jor. John S. Coe reported cpiickly afterwards with a company that Avas lettered B. In Auburn, for some strange reason, enlistments w^ere slow, although in Wayne County the work was going on splendidly. Capt. Thomas indeed reported immediately to Gen. Segoine, and obtained for his command the letter C. 26
4:34 HISTORY OF ACEUKN,
But tlie city did not wake up to a vigorous perform- ance of its duty till spurred to do so by an immense war-meeting in front of the Western Exchange. The people were then tired with proper enthusiasm, and began to take vigorous action. Gov. Morgan had on the ITth offered a bount}^ of fifty dollars to every ac- cepted volunteer. The United States was offering one hundred dollars more. The different wards of Auburn now offered an additional local bounty of twenty-five dollars, a sum which was raised by private subscription, and faithfully paid.
The unwearied exertions, however, of the officers and speakers were the main causes of the rapid enlistments that now began. A stream of volunteers now set in from both counties. Four companies came down from Wayne, and Captains Husk and Northrop report- ed from Cayuga. Capt. Sidney Mead next brought to camp a baud of sturdy farmers from Moravia, and finally, Capt. Tremaine's company from Springport, which, though the first begun, was the last organized, joined the regiment and the command was full. The bulk of this regiment was raised in twelve days, the whole of it in seventeen. Upon the 20th of August, 1862, it was mustered into the service for three years or during the war, as the 111th N. Y. \^. Its organ- ization was then as follows :
Colonel, Jesse Segoine. Major, Seneca B. Smith.
THE RECOKB OF THE WAR. 435
Lieut-Col, Clinton D. :McUougall. Adjutant, Henry 11. Segoine. Surgeon, Wm. Yosburgh. Quartermaster, James Trulan. Line Officers.
Company ^.— Capt. Aaron P. Seely ; 1st Lieut. Samuel B. Me- Intyre ; 2d Lieut. Ezra A. Hibbard.
Co. P.— Capt. John S. Coe ; 1st Lieut. Jacob T. Van Buskirk ; -2d Lieut. John Tremper,
(Jo. C'.—Capt. Ed. A. Thomas ; 1st Lieut. Ira Jones ; 2d Lieut. Theo. Lainpson.
Co. D. — Capt, Sebastian D. Holmes; 1st Lie it. ILisseltine S. Moore ; 2d Lieut. Erastus M. Granger.
Co. E. — Capt. Isaac ]\[. Lusk; 1st Lieut. Andrew 1). Soverill 2d Lieut. Jolin A. Lanig.
Co. F. — Capt. Benj. W. Thompson ; 1st Lieut. Robert C. Perry ; 2d Lieut. John H. Drake.
Co. (r.— Capt. Lewis W. Husk ; 1st Lieut. John I. Brinkerhoff Jr. ; 2d Lieut. Edgar J. Hueston.
Co. //.—Capt. Ezra H. Northop ; 1st Lieut. Frank Rich : 2d Lieut. Reuben J. Myers.
Cb. /—Capt. Sidney Mead ; 1st Lieut. Merrill W. ^lurdock ; 2d Lieut. Arthur W. Marshall.
Co. A".— Capt. S. A. Tremaine ; 1st Lieut. Geo. M. Smith ; 2d Lieut. A, B. Capron.
Upon the 4tli of August, 1862, a further call of 300,000 three years' men was made by the United States Government, with the admonition that a draft would be inforced if the country did not respond by volunteering. Few in this district believed that sneli an alternative would be necessary here. The men who had raised the llltli had morel v broken the
43G HISTORY OF AUBURN.
ground. The tide of volunteering that set in with the lirst of August never ebbed nor abated ; on the contrary, it swelled to an unprecedented extent. The formation of a new regiment appeared to be scarcely the work of a week.
On Thursday, the Sth of August, there occurred in Auburn an incident of intense interest. Capt. James W. Snyder, of Wayne County, had formed a company of infantry. It Avas full, but the men kept on coming. He took them all. In a few days, he had one hun- dred and eighty men under his command. They en- tered Auburn in a train of about twenty wagons by way of State Street, on the afternoon of the day men- tioned. Their arrival created the most unparalleled furor. Saluted with cannon, with flags, and the spontaneous cheers of thousands of people who came out to greet them, they were conducted through the principal streets of the city by Lieut. J. ]N". Ivnapp, ad- jutant of the post, and after the most triumphant ova- tion ever yet bestowed on the same number of men in this place, they were led to tlie barracks, and assigned their quarters. Upon the spur of the moment, a com- mittee, consisting of Wm. II. Seward, Jr., Gen. Se- goine, ]^. T. Stephens, and a gentleman from Wayne County, took the cars to Albany to obtain the authori- ty to raise another regiment. Having transacted the business in just fifteen minutes, they returned Friday evening w^ith this order :
THE KKCOKD ('F Tilt: WAK. 437
GE^•E1{AL IlEAD-QUAinEKS, S. N. Y.
Albany, Aug. o, 18G2. Special Orders, JS'o. 410.
The Regimental camp established in the 2oth Senatorial Dis- trict is hereby continued, and a second Regiment of Infantrj' is hereby authorized in said District. General Jesse Scgoine, Col- onel of the Regiment now quartered there, will act as Comman- dant of the Camp.
By order of tlie Commander-in-Chief
Thomas IIilliiouse, Adj. Gen.
Tlie ii(tl)le band of Capt. Snyder was now divided into two companies, Ca])t. Truman Gregory receiving command of the surplus men. Tlie two companies became respectively A and B of the new regiment.
The military committee met to consider the subject of a ])roper commander for the newly-authorized corps. The claims of Wayne County demanding at- tention, the name of Joseph Welling, a member of the committee from that county, was accepted, and for- warded to the Governor. Col. Wellinoj received his commission in due time. There were in Aul)urn, on the Sth, three hundred men already for his command. Upon the 12th a company of ninety men was tele- graplied from Wayne as being ready to start for Au- burn. V>y the 14th, other comj^anies had reported sufficient to swell the number of recruits to seven hun- dred, which made the regiment an assured success. In this city everything was bustle and activity. The wards were i)Uttiiig forth their best efforts, by means of c(»m-
438 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
inittees, to escape the impending evil. Charles Bur- gess and others were making up companies in town. The citizens turned in and helped. Many that could not give time, gave money liberally. Generous dona- tions from wealthy residents enabled the w^ards to offer local bounties of fifty dollars to married, and thirty-five to single men. The time arrived for the expected con- scription. But the authorities were not ready. It was postponed till September 3d, with the announcement that the government was now desirous of filling up the decimated ranks of the old regiments, and that if a draft was to be made, it would be made first of all for their benefit.
There were now quartered at the barracks a larger number of men than ever before. The immense crowds that daily visited the camp, and swarmed through the city, and the impossibility of exercising the proper control of the undisciplined troops, made it necessary to call on the Auburn militia for assistance in guarding the camp. This duty was performed on the night of the 19th by the Auburn, Willard, and Shell Guards. The contracted accommodations having made a new building necessary, a rough wooden bar- rack, with a capacity of five hundred, was erected to meet the requirements of the case. Boom in abun- dance was, however, soon obtained.
August 21st, the day after muster into the U. S. service, the 111th moved from the camp at Auburn.
THE RECORD OF THE WAli. 439
At three P. M., one tliuusand and twcHty-toiir stroii*:;, they marched to tlie Western E.\c]iani;*e, o-corted by tlie Auburn Band, and tlie tliree Aubui-n companies of the 49th, under Col. llichardson. They were here presented witli tlieir colors, purchased at the expense of Nelson Beardsley and ]Sathan IhuT, thnmuh IJon. C. Morgan, after an appropriate address and response. Then, through clouds of dust and under a blazing sun, they repaired to the depot, where the largest crowd that had gathered in Auburn since the beginning of the war, had collected to witness their departure. At live P. M., the train of twenty-two cars, with two locomotives, moved out of the depot amid the deafen- ing cheers and salutes of the multitude, carrying on its way to the front one of the most splendid regiments of Xew York State.
Colonel Welling continued the Auburn post under the name of Camp Ilalleck, of which J. X. Knapp was ad- jutant. The major part of a regiment, as already stated, was already on hand, and such success crowned the continued eftbrts of his officers, that by the 2r)th of August, eighteen days after the issue of the order au- thorizing the formation of the corps, ten full compan- ies had l)een mustered in, and the regiment was organ- ized. September 19th it was mustered into the P. 8. service, as the 138th N. Y. Y. Half of the organization was from each count}'. The officers were : Colonel, Joseph Wollinu^.
44:0 HISTOUV OF AUBURN.
Lieutenant- Colonel, Wra. H. Seward, Jr. Major, Edward P. Taft. Adjutant, Wra. R. Wassou. Sergeant- Major, Lyman C. Comstock. Quartermaster, Henry P. Knowles.
LINE OFFICERS.
Company yl.— Capt. James W. Snyder ; 1st Lieut. James H. Hyde ; 2d Lieut. Rufus M. Campbell.
Co. i>.— Capt. Truman Gregory; 1st Lieut. Nelson F. Strick- land ; 2d Lieut. Wm. E. Greenwood.
Co. C.—Capt. Loyal W. Aklen ; 1st Lieut. Harvey Follett ; 2d Lieut. Marshal B. Burk.
Co. D. — Capt. Charles L. Lyon ; 1st Lieut. Anson S. Wood : 2d Lieut. Samuel C. Redgrave.
Co. ^.— Capt. Selah Cornwell ; 1st Lieut. Seth F. Swift; 2d Lieut. Geo. C. Stoyell.
Co. F.—Qui])t Charles Burgess ; 1st Lieut. George W. Bacon ; 2d Lieut. Sullivan B. Lamereaux.
Co. 6r.— Capt. Wm. Wood; 1st Lieut. Wm. Haw ley ; 2d Lieut. Seymour Woodward.
Co. /Z— Capt. John L. Crane; 1st Lieut. Tunis Vosburg; 2d Lieut. Daniel B. Harmon.
Co. I. — Capt. Hugh Hughes ; Isl Lieut. Orson Howard ; 2d Lieut. Philip R. Freeoff.
Co. 7i.— Capt. Irwin Squyer ; 1st Lieut. Dennis E. Flynn ; 2d Lieut. George P. Krupp.
The Board of Supervisors of Cayuga County con- vened August 22d, 18()2, to consider the propriety of offering, in order to stimulate recruiting, a bounty to our voltmteers. xV resohition was reported in favor of giving one hundred dollars to every man who should enlist Ijetween August 23d and September 3d,
thp: recoki) of tiik wai:. 441
at which hitter date tlie draft was ex[>ected tu take place. An amendment making it fifty dolhirs pre- vailed. The county treasurer was empowered to issue bonds to raise the bounty. Auburn then girded herself for '' coming in out of the draft." Upon an agreement signed by forty-two of the principal merchants of the city, that their stores should be closed after four o'clock P. M. of each day, until the 3d, in order that tlie undi- vided attention of all might be given to the business of recruiting for the army, Mayor George Humphreys issued a ])roclamation, August 25th, invoking all good citizens to engage in this movement, and urge on the work. The stores were therefore closed on the 26th after four P. M., and for several days thereafter. En- thusiastic war-meetings were held in the street, with music and bonlires. Platforms Avere erected for the speakers, and near tliem the tents of recruiting officers. On the forenoon of the 2Sth a meeting of tlie busi- ness men was held, of which Charles A. Lee was chair- man, and AVilliam II. Arnett, secretary. The object was to ap|K)int ward committees to facilitate recruit- ing, procure music ibr the meetings, and rai?e funds to continue the bounties. For this ])urpose, there were appointed in the First "Ward, I. L. Scovill, E. B. Par- melee, and William II. Arnett; in the Second Ward, William P.. PJioades, II. J. Sartwcll, and D. Wethcrby : in tlie Third, Xelson Fitch, S. Lockwood, and E. P>. Cobb : and in the Foui-th, IF. r>ro(>ks, John Elliot, and
442 HISTORV OF AUBURN.
11 A. Tuttle ; who were solicited to act at once and decisively.
The same day a full company of one hnndred and one men was reported from Wayne County by tele- graph as awaiting transportation.
The war committee, having resolved to raise another regiment that this district might escape the draft, met at Port Byron, and elected Captain Charles C. Dwight of the 75th, then at New Orleans, Colonel of the new command. J. B. Yan Petten, of Wayne County, Chaplain of the 34th, was chosen Lieutenant Colonel, and William 11. Sentell, of the 44th, Ellsworth Pegiment, Major.
The harmony of the action which had characterized the former meetings of the w^ar committee was dis- turbed at this by party rivalry, insomuch that, on the 30th, the chairman, William C. Beardsley, forwarded to Governor Morgan his resignation. Upon the 2d, the reply came : " The Governor regrets that any cir- cumstance should have arisen to mar the harmony existing in an organization which has rendered so im- portant service to the country, and cannot accept your resignation. Y^our services cannot he dispensed loith at present.''^ Through the urgent solici tation of friends, Mr. Beardsley was persuaded to remain in the position of chairman of the war committee.
War meetings were now daily held in this city, with unfailing enthusiasm tor the Union. Enlistments,
THE R?:CORD OF THE AVAK. 443
however, were not excessive. A great meeting wa:> held at the park on Snnday, the 31st, at wliich Rev. Dr. Hawlej, Herrick Jolnison, and Eev. ]>. I. Ives, made macrniiicent addresses. When the dav had arrived for the draft, Cayuga Conn ty had raised, since the July call, over fonrteen hundred men. Three Inmdred more would fill her quota. To obtain these, the supervisoi*s met and increased the county bounty to one hundred dollars. Colonel Dwight had already four companies mustered into his regiment. But these were from Wayne County. Cayuga seemed drained and the draft was impending. The war committee now made a final thrilling appeal.
ONCE MORE TO THE BREACH.
LAST APPEAL OF THE WAR COMMITTEE.
PATRIOTS OF WAYNE AND CAYUGA.
Only a few clnjs remain to complete the work so (jloriovshj com- menced.
i'ou have nobly responded to the call of our bleeding and out. raged country. Already, within a few weeks, more than two thousand of your citizens have left the peaceful pursuits of indus- try, and have volunteered to beat back the traitor hordes that as- sail our national life. More must join tbem. The crisis is UPON us ! The national peril is imminent. If you would save our country from further desolation, and from ultimate ruin — if you would preserve the priceless boon of freedom for yourselves and for your descendants, if you would save the lives of the noble men already in the field, if you would put a speedy close to the inexpressible horrors of civil strife, and again enjoy the pros- perity and all the blessings of peace, order, and good govfrnment.
444 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
rusb, rush to the aid of our imperiled cguutry ! Let not an hour be lost ! FILL YOUR QUOTAS AT ONCE ! And even then do not falter in your patriotic labors. Add to your quotas, and thus in- crease the honor of your community. He who does most in a crisis like the present, best attests his patriotism and love of country. The national necessities admit of no delay. The auda- cious insurgents will acknowledge none other than the stern logic of POWER ; and they must be made to feel its irresistible force.
There is now no middle ground. We must triumph or become the vassals of a most violent and unrelenting despotism. We must subdue the insurgents, and force them to observe the Consti- tution and Laws of the country, or drive them from the soil which has too long been polluted with their traitor feet. The sturdy Northmen are fully aroused. They come forth in their resolute might to assert their love of free government, and to defend it from the assaults of either internal or external foes. Will Cayuga or Wayne falter in the noble work ? Shall a single conscript from these counties stand beside the patriot volunteers already in the field ? We, in their behalf, emphatically answer, never ! Patriots of Wayne and Cayuga, " once more to the breach," and put forth one more vigorous and overwhelming effort to rescue the great cause of all from the dangers impending.
" Wm. C. Beardsley, Chairman. AVjl H. Seward, Jr., Sec."
Hopeful signs of activity beiiui; elicited bv this ap- peal, the draft was again postponed.
The 13Sth broke camp, and quietly departed for the front on the morning of Friday, September 12th, by special train. Having been summoned to march in haste, they passed through the city at an hour when the streets were comparatively empty, and, embark-
THE KKCORl) OF THE WAR. 445
ini;-, were off l)efoie tlie citizoHS were ^eHemlly ap- jn'ised of the inovenient.
Colonel Dwiglit's regiment, now known as the 160th, increased l\y slow degrees. That officer arrived in Aubnrn from tlie Sonth upon the evening of October 20th, and was met at tlie de])ot by the battalion, nnder Lieutenant-Colonel Van Tetten, and by a large crowd of citizens. Introduced for the lirst time to liis com- mand, he was received with rousing cheers, and re- plied to them in a few happy remarks. The following day, he took command of the barracks, noAv bearing the name o{ Cfarap Wayne. By the 2Sth the quota of Auburn was full, and recruiting virtually ceased in this place.
The colors of the ICOth were presented to that regi- ment November 11th, through Adjutant J. K. Knapp, who made the presentation speech. On the ISth, at four P. M., having been enlarged by the accession of two companies from Buffalo, the 160th, eight hun- dred strong, left Auburn upon the cars for New York, amid the salutations of an immense throng of people. It was mustered into the United States service for three years, at New York, November 21st, 1862. The organization w^as as follows :
dolond, Charles C. Dwight.
Lieuterumt- Colonel^ John B. Vau Pcttcn.
Mijor, Wm. 11. Sentell.
Adjutant, Gorton W. Allen.
Surgeon, Cyms Powers.
446 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
1st Assistant Surgeon, David W. Armstroug. Chaplain, Wm. Putman. Quartermaster y Dighton H. Winans.
LINE OFPICEES.
Company J..— Capt. Wm. Potter ; 1st Lieut. Wm. J. Van Deusen ; ■2d Lieut. James B. Vaughn.
Co. 5.— Capt. H. P. Underbill ; 1st Lieut. L. L. Whcelock ; 2d Lieut. James Kelle5^
Co. (7.— Capt. B. R. Rogers ; 1st Lieut. Robert B. Ennis ; 2d Lieut. James V. D. Westfall.
Co. Z).— Capt. J. D. Burrerd ; 1st Lieut. Myron H. Shirts ; 2d Lieut. E. H. Sentell.
Co. E. — Capt. Henry Moore ; 1st Lieut. James Gray ; 2d Lieut. Nicholas McDonough.
Co. F. — Capt. Josiah C. Jewett ; 1st Lieut. Gideon F. Moorey ; 2d Lieut. Edwin Kirby.
Co. G^.— Capt. Malcolm AVright; 1st Lieut. Horace Silsby ; 2d Lieut. A. S. Stillman.
Co. II. — Capt. Daniel S. Vaughan; 1st Lieut. Charles R. Cattord; 2d Lieut. Miles I. Jones.
Co. I. — Capt. Allen L. Burr ; 1st Lieut. Sir Newton Dexter ; 2d Lieut. Robert R. Seelej^
Co. K. — Capt. Lewis B. Hunt ; 1st Lieut. George L. Merrill ; 2d Lieut. John H, Shaver.
Tlie barracks were left in charge of Brig. -Gen. John li. Chedell, who assumed command November 11th. He was relieved on the 1st of December by Major T^orthrop, of the 97th N. Y. S. Yolunteers. Adjutant Knapp retired from the service soon afterward, hav- ing borne an active and prominent part in the forma- tion of the three regiments. Eecruiting ended in the 25th Senatorial district for 1862.
THE RECORD OF THE WAR. -i-l-T
The honorable achievements of this year will ever remain the boast of our citizens and the pride of the members of the war committee. The unexampled fi- delity and unwearied efforts of the latter saved the listrict from conscription, and gave to the country three noble regiments of loyal volunteers. To Mr. Eeardsley, the chairman of the connnittee, the utmost honor is due. With a fearless disregard of all party con- siderations, he threw himself into the front rank of the active war men of the county, and labored assiduously for the preservation of the Union. He assumed the clerical work of the committee, which was immense, and gave his private clerks continual employment for months. Through him officially -were all recommen- dations for commissions made, while to him personally did many a brave officer and soldier incur a lieavy debt of gratitude for substantial aid both before and after departure for the armj-. For his invaluable ser- vices he was once publicl}^ thanked by Secretary Sew- ard.
The w^ar committee was discharged early in 1863 by Gov. Horatio Seymour. A smaller committee was subsequently ap})ointed by him, composed of William C. Beardsley, Elmore P. Ross, and Benjamin J>. Snow.
The Loyal National League or Union League of Au- burn, was formed at a public meeting of the loyal citizens of the city, held at the court-house March l2r)th,
448 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
1863, as one of a system of organizations in all the Northern States, for the purpose of strengthening and encouraging Union men in the work of crushing the rebellion. It was required that every member should sign the following pledge: '* We, the undersigned, citizens of the United States, hereby associate our- selves under the name and title of the Loyal National League. We pledge ourselves to an unconditional loyalty to the government of the United States, to an unwavering support of its efforts to suppress the re- bellion ; and to spare no endeavor to maintain unim- paired the national unity, both in principle and in terri- torial boundary. The primary object of this league is and shall be to bind together all loyal men, of all trades and professions, in a common union to main- tain the power, glory, and integrity of the Union." The first permanent organization of the league was as follows : Cyrus C. Dennis, president ; N. D. Car- hart and George W. Leonard, vice-presidents, 1st Ward ; Jonas White, Jr., and John S. Fowler, vice- presidents, 2d Ward ; C. G. Briggs and William C. Barber, vice-presidents, 3rd Ward ; Eli Gallup and C. Eugene Barber, vice-presidents, 4th Ward ; J. N. Knapp, corresponding secretary; and William H. Meaker, recording secretary.
Laws, providing for the enrolment of all the males of the republic, by Congressional Districts, into a na- tional militia, under the supervision, and by means of
THE EECORD OF THE WAK. 449
boards, cuiiiposed of a provost marshal, a cuinniis- sioner of enrolment, and an examining surgeon, npon which the President might draw from time to time, liaving first given fifty days notice, for material to fill tlie Federal armies, were passed hy Congress in the spring of 1S63. In accordance with which John X. Knaj^p, of Anbnrn, was a])pointed in April, 1SG3, pro- vost marshal of the 24th Congressional District of Xew York, comprising the counties of Cayuga, Seneca, and AYayne; James M. Servis, of Wayne County, commis- sioner ; and Dr. Davis, uf Seneca Falls, surgeon. An en- rolment of Cayuga and Wayne Counties, that had been efiected dui-ing the fall of 1S62, under Colonel John M. Sherwood, commissioner, and Edward Hall, M. D., examining surgeon, was now revised, and carried on through the entire district, by the newly appointed Board.
Returns at the ofiice of the Provost Marshal Gene- ral, in May, indicated that the number of the available aghting men of the nation, between the ages of twenty and forty-five, was 3,500,000. Upon this magnificent body of reserves, a draft was ordered, to take place in July, the call being intended to supply the places of a large number of the two years veterans, whose terms of service were about to expire.
While the enrolment was progressing, the tran(|uil- ity that then pervaded Auburn, as in times of peace,, was one day broken by the sudden ai-rival from the 27
450 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
seat of war of four hundred and tliirtj swarthy, weather-beaten soldiers of the old 19th, under Cap- tains Wall and Gavigan, and Lieutenants Fuller, Sherwood, Tomlinson, Potter, Randolph, Bojle, | Brannick, Dwyer, J. Fred. Dennis, and others, bearing a familiar, but now tattered flag, to be mustered out of the service. The citizens, not being apprised of their approach till too late, w^ere unable to greet them in a manner suited to their wishes. The storm of cheers, and demonstrations of joy, however, that arose from the assemblage of citizens and military and fire com- panies at the depot, and the eloquent and heartfelt address in their behalf, by J. 'N. Knapp, at the AVestern Exchange, must have convinced the returning volun- teers that they were welcome. They arrived May 26th. On the 29th, the regiment paraded and was addressed in front of the court-house, with a glowing speech from Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State. The men were paid off at the court-house, and mustered out June 6th.
Matters at the provost marshal's office being in readiness, on the 23d of July, about three weeks after the splendid victories at Yicksbnrg and Gettysburg, a draft for the quota of the 24th district was com- menced at the court-house. The famous riot was at the time raging in I^ew York city. Forcible resist- ance, and the mobbing of the provost marshal's office having been threatened here, by certain irresponsible
THE RECORD OF THE WAR. 451
parties, in case a draft should be enforced, the citizens were impelled by prudence to i)lace the arniurv under guard, and to organize a special police force of t\V(» hundred men, and the old 19th was invited by the common council to remain in Auburn till the draft was over. These precautions, fortunately, ])r()ved t-. be needless. The draft was carried on for tln-ee davs, without disturbance. So groundless, indeed, were the fears of an insurrection, in this loyal and order-lovinir city, that the conscription was received l)v the elect with the most unsliaken good humor. And, on the evening of Thursday, the 23d, they formed a procession, numbering about two thousand, with banners and transparencies, and paraded the principal streets, with cheers for the government, and " the man that drafted them."
The sutlering condition of numerous families of vol- unteers in this city, and the likelihood that the draft would cause distress to others, were pressed, during the summer of 1863, upon public notice. The Citizen.-' Volunteer Fund being exhausted, the connnon coun- cil was led to create another for the same object. At a meeting of the board, August 3d, 1SG3, Alderman John S. Fowler introduced the following preaml>le and resolutions :
WiiEKEAS, In the operation of the act of Coni,^ress, passed Marcli VA, 1863, commonly known as the Conscript Act, there are fami- lies in this citj' likely to he left witliout the necessary means of
452 HISTORY OF AUBURN .
support, as are also some families of volunteers now in the mili- tary service of the United States ; therefore,
" Benoked, That this Board hereby appropriates the sum of five thousand dollars and such other sums as may from time to time be deemed necessary to aid in the support of families whose mem- bers have volunteered, and are now in military service, or may hereafter be drafted into such service from this city ; the moneys so appropriated to constitute a separate fund to be known as the Soldiers' Relief Fund, in accordance with Chapter 514, laws of 1863, of the State of New York."
Tlie fund created by this resolution was placed in the hands of Thomas Douglass, city treasurer, who disbursed the whole of it to the^^needy, during the en- suing winter and summer. It may be remarked that five thousand dollars was added to this fund by an or- der of the common council, dated August 16th, 1864, and six hundred more on a later occasion.
The examination of conscripts took place at Corning Hall. The men came in from every part of the dis- trict, in companies, with wagons, and often with ban- ners and bands of music.
The avails of this draft was commutation money, however, instead of soldiers. A provision of the law of Congress had secured to drafted men the privilege of exemption, on the payment of three hundred dollars to the government. Four hundred and fifty men only were sent to tlie front by the provost marshal under this draft.
The same failure to obtain the required number of men occurred in the country at large.
THE RECORD OF THE WAR. 4-53
A call was therefore made by the President, October 17th, 1863, for 300,000 men, and the Governor of New York was informed tliat this State was expected to put in the iield, by January 4th, its quota of 108,058 soldiers. The quota of this county was soon after an- nounced to be seven hundred and sixteen men ; that of the city, one hundred and fifty-four.
Our supervisoi's, havino; received assurances from Washington, that if tliis county tilled its quota by vol- unteering, no draft would be made upon its citizens to till the quota of other counties, passed a resolution re- questing the various towns to hold special town meet- ings on the 12th, and vote upon the propriety of pay- ing a bounty of three hundred dollars to volunteers imder the last call, the bounties to be a county charge.
Forty-nine hundred votes were cast on the day ap- pointed, two hundred and forty only of which were oj)- posed to the measure. The supervisors, therefore, on the IGtli of December, 1863, authorized the payment, to recruits enlisting to the credit of this county, of a bounty of three hundred dollars. Horace T. Cook, county treasurer, was empowered to issue bonds, to be paid in one or two years, to the amount of $220,000, in order to raise the required funds.
Recruiting under Governor Seymour's war commit- tee was carried on by agents, who were i)aid the sum of twenty-five dollars for every accepted volunteer.
Four of these agents were appointed b}- this county,
464 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
Tianiely : Ca[)tain John II. Ammon, Captain William B. Klioades, Lieutenant Martin Lauglilin, and Sylves- ter Schenck. These gentlemen labored hard, and, in a week's time, recruits began to be received at the rate of sixty or seventy each day. No new organizations were formed, the men all going into the old regiments of the county and vicinity. All enlistments were made through the office of the provost marshal, and such was the jam at this point through December and January, that a guard of veterans was detailed tS pre- serve order. About the 10th of January, after a month of incessant labor, the 26th district had filled its quota.
On the first of February, 1864, the nation was called upon to furnish 200,000 men, in addition to the last levy of 300,000. The quota of Auburn was one hundred and five ; that of the county, four hundred and ninety-three. The recruiting agents worked vig- orously, and the quotas were all raised by volunteering, in twenty days.
The enlistment of recruits to represent individuals not liable to draft was the popular passion in the early part of 1864. It was one of the many devices used to swell the army with good men.
The c(»mmand of the camp at Auburn was transfer- red in February, 1864, to Major Henry Y. Colt, 104th N. Y. Y.
The powers conferred upon the President of the United States by the conscription law were twice re-
THE KECORD OF THE AVAR. 455
sorted to in ISG-l. In the lirst instance, a call was made July IStli, for 500,000 one year's men, to be im- mediately raised, if possible by volunteering, but by a draft at the expiration of the lifty days allowed by law^ if the soldiers were not otherwise obtained. The quota of the 21th district w^as twenty-six hundred and thirty ; of the county, it was eleven hundred and seventy-four. Recognizing the importance of a prompt response to- the appeals for troops at that eventful period of the war, the w^ards of this city with great decision deter- mined to raise the handful of men assigned to them at once. Each ward took substantially the same course. The Board of Supervisors having, at the motion of William J. Moses, agreed to grant a bounty of three hundred dollars to every able-bodied recruit, the wards held public meetings, and appointed Avar committees, which they authorized to raise money, enlist soldiers, and perform all duties incident to the business of till- ing the quotas. The active men of these committees were, in the First Ward, John M. Ilurd, Emory Os- borne, William Lamey, and Henry Lewis ; in the Sec- ond, Benjamin B. Snow, Hichard C. Steel, William B. Woodin, E. II. Avery, John S. Fowler, and William P. Robinson ; in the Third, Elbridge G. Miles, William E. Ilughitt, William J. Moses, John Clioate, John S. Brown, Orlando Lewis, E. A. Thomas, Rollin Tracy, and Charles F. Durston ; and, in the Fourth, Myron Cowel, Truman Cowel, and Chester Weir.
456 HISTORY OF AUBUKX.
On the IGtli of Augnstj the common coimcil author- ized the general haw of Fel)ruary 9th, 1864, of two hundred dollars to every soldier enlisting to the credit of the city. On the 19th, the supervisors again convened and raised the county bounties to $600 for one year men, $650 for two years men, and $700 for three years men. The action of the city bounty ordinance was then suspended by Mayor C. G. Briggs. That ordi- nance was soon afterward revoked, and in lieu thereof anotlier was passed authorizing the payment to the cit}' volunteers, after the wards should have enlisted fifty per cent, of their quotas, oi* a bounty of one hundred and fifty dollars.
The Ward Committees, upon whose activity de- pended the question of conscription in Auburn, were now at work. Recruiting cabins were built at various places in the streets, committee-men attended with drums and flags, war-meetings w^ere held at the court- house and in the streets, huge placards met the eye at every turn, bon-fires illumined the town at night, and finance committees ransacked the place for subscribers to the bounty funds. The town, also, was full of recruit brokers, wdio furnished volunteers or substitutes at prices ranging from seven to twelve luindred dollars.
The yield of soldiers was large. They came to Au- burn from all the neighboring towns, many of them from the work-shops of Seneca Falls. The First Ward of this city did handsomely, furnishing from its own in-
THE KECORD OF THE WAR. 457
habitants fifty fine fellows for a company then being raised by Captain Kussell. The Second Ward was out of the draft by August 25th, and the Third, in nine days from the time it commenced ^vork. The fitly days allowed for volunteering elapsed September 5th, but there was no conscription in the 25th district. It had then nearly filled its quota. By tlie lOtli it had entirely.
The second call of 1864, made December I'Jtli, was the last of the war. 300,000 men were wanted, but the hearts of our war men sank when they heard the call. Auburn was in feeling and in fact well drained. ^ot only had our citizens expended in cash, for ward bounties under the July call, the sum of twenty thou- sand dollars, but the city had incurred a liability of twenty-five thousand and twenty-five dollars for city bounties, and a debt of about ninety thousand dollars for county bounties. And such was the terrible na- ture of the struggle in the field, that an enthusiastic volunteer was not to be found.
Slowly and wearily did recruiting again begin in Auburn, under the direction of ward committees, cho- sen as follows : First Ward, John M. Ilurd, William Lamey, and E. C. Selover; Second Ward, Eichard C. Steel, E. II. Avery, Albert II. Goss, Benjamin B. Snow, William 11 Woodin, and John S. Fowler ; Third Ward, John Choate, Charles A. Myers, John S. Brown, E. G. Miles, Kollin Traev, Enos r>ostwick, Josiah Fieru,
458 inSTOKY OF aubukn.
Charles Wellner, William J. Moses, and William H, Stevenson ; Fourth Ward, Myron Cowel, and Chester Weir.
Five new infantry regiments were ordered to be raised in this State, and Lieutenant Colonel J. B. Van Petten, of the 160th, was detached to recruit one at the Anburn post.
The supervisors oftered a bounty to three years vol- unteers, on the 18th of January, 1865, of live hundred dollars, and the city authorities, a premium of one hun- dred dollars hand money. The county bounty w^as changed, on the 16th of February, to $300 for one year men, $400 for two, and $600 for three years men ; and $250 were voted for drafted men.
The city committees labored incessantly, and at the greatest sacrifice of time and means, to save Auburn from the draft. Though the men they furnished were in only too many instances mere mercenaries, who were after the bounties and that alone, they did the best they could under the circumstances, and are enti- tled to the lasting esteem and gratitude of the people of Auburn.
The office of the provost marshal of the 24th dis- trict of New York was transferred January 1st, 1865, upon the resignation of Captain John l!^. Knapp, to Captain Benjamin B. Snow. The headquarters then occupied the second, third, and fourth stories of the two buildinojs at the west end of the Exchange block,
THE RECOKD OF THE WAR. 459
Oil Genesee Street. Volunteering continued at this office through the months of January and February, lagging at times, and at others accelerated by dread of the draft, or by reports of the successes of the armies in the field. The 193d regiment, forming at the Au- burn post, received the largest proportion of those en- listing here. Many of the privates of this command were genuine patriots. More were not, and, l)y the 1st of March, were deserting from the camp in the night, in squads of thirty and forty at a time.
The 24th district, this time, did not get out of the draft. In Auburn, three wards were doing splendid- ly, but the fourth, scarce anything. Several country towns were wofully behind. Captain Snow, there- fore, could no longer delay the conscription. The second draft in Cayuga County began at the court- house in Auburn, at two o'clock P. M., of March 15th, 1865. Luckless Owasco, chosen by lot from the deii- cient towns, was drawn from first, and Sodus next. In due time, a draft was also made from the fourth ward of Auburn. This business was carried on with occasional interruptions, for about ten days — two or tliree hours being drawn from each day. Whenever recruiting was sufiiciently brisk to keep the employes of the provost marshal's oftice busy, drafting was dis- continued ; when it lagged, drafting was resumed. Conscripts began to report at headquarters the last of March. Such as were accepted received a sliort fur-
460 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
lough, to enable them to wind np their affairs prepara- tory to a march to the front. The men thus obtained were a splendid material for the armies. Sound, hearty farmers and mechanics, they accepted their fate, when once determined, with pleasant faces and reso- lute hearts, and, donning uniforms, went cheerfully forward to take up arms for the government. Squads of from twenty to forty at a time left Auburn for Elmira, till several hundred had been credited to the 24:th district.
Upon the second of April, volunteering received a powerful impulse, from the news of the fall of Kich- mond. Within a few days thereafter the 193d regiment, still in camp here, had more than a thousand men on the rolls, some being received from Oswego and other places, and was fully organized with the following officers :
Colonel, J. B. Van Petten. Lieut- Col," John C. Gilmore.,' Major, Alford Morton. Adjutant, Thurlow B. Wasson. Quartermaster, Charles H. Bailey. Surgeon, David H. Armstrong. CMplain, W. Dempster Chase.
Captains : — John Jones, Edwin C. Knapp, William H. Porter, Archibald H. Preston, Joel Reed, James H. Hitchcock, Sidney W. Ainsworth, Orin D. Staplin, Wm. Jj. Yeckley, and Wm. H. Harris.]
Under the stimulus imparted to volunteering by
THE KKCORD OF THE WAK. 461
the brilliant successes of the Federal armies in Vir- ginia, two of the wards of tlie city quickly filled their <|Uotas, and the others were doing splendidly, when, on the 14th of April, four years exactly from the day that the tidings of the evacuation of Fort Sumter reached Auburn, the following order was borne over the telegraph wires :
Elmira, April 14, 1865. Capt. Benjamin B. Snow,
Pro. Mar., 24tli Dist., N. Y.
Discontinue drafting and recruiting till farther orders.
S. B. Ha\'3ian, a. a. p. M. Gen., W. D. N. Y.
The fact was announced upon the street, and filled the city with powerful excitement. A few volunteers were in the act of signing enlistment papers, in the mustering room of the provost marshal's olfice. These were instantly shown down into the street, and the office closed against further applications. The bounty brokers and recruiting agents indulged in expressions ot the wildest joy, rushing here and there, and tearing down their signs and placards, amidst the shouts of the populace. The drafted men, honest fellows, many of them already w^earing the army blue, being fully prepared to go to the front, were the only ones who w^ere discontented by the changed as])ect of affairs. They, indeed, could scarcely conceal their disappointment.
This was the close of tlie war in Auburn. An order
462 HISTORY OF aubukn.
arrived on the 25th, directing the discharge of all conscripts not forwarded to general rendezvous.
Thenceforward, nothing remained to be done at the office of the provost marshal, but to prepare for a final winding up. The office was transferred to Syracuse in October, and soon after consolidated with all others in Washington. Captain Snow received an honorable discharge from the laborious and responsible position, the duties of which he had discharged for nine months with signal ability and integrity.
When our city rested from her labors at the close of the rebellion, she had expended directly in the enlist- ment of troops, for city bounties, expenses, hand money, and relief to soldier's families, the sum of one hundred and ten thousand dollars.
The number of soldiers furnished from her actual residents was as foUow^s: Recruits to the 19th regiment, 112; 3d artillery, 117; T5th infantry, 49 ; 111th infantry, 37; 138th infantry, 24; 160th infantry, 15 ; 193d infantry, IS ; 9th artillery, 51 ; scattering, 202 ; total, 625.
Commissions were held by a large proportion of these, viz:
Brigadier-Generals, J. H. Lecllie, Clinton D. McDoiigall, John S. Clark, and William H. Seward, Jr.
Colonels, Charles H. Stewart, Terence J. Kenned}^, John A. Dodge, Jesse Segoine, Clarence A. Seward, Charles C. Dwight, Lewis W. Husk, and Edwin P. Taft.
Lteut-Colonels, Henry M. Stone, and Wni. M. Hosnier.
THE RECORD OF THE WAR. 463
Majors, Theodore H. Sclienck, Win. II. Wassoii, Charles Bur- gess, Sullivan B. Lamoreaux, Lewis E. Carpenter, Benjamin F. Thurber, James H. Hinman, and Sidney Mead.
Surgeons, Theodore Dimon, David II. Armstrong, Charles L. George, and John I. Brinkerhoff.
Chaplains, William Hart, Ilenrv Fowler, Thomas B. Hudson, Simon S. Goss, and John E. Worth.
Captains, John T, Baker, Owen Gavigau, John II. Ammon, John Wall, and Charles White, of the 19th Inf. ; George E. Ashby. William M. Kirby, William A. Kelsey.and Samuel P. Russell, of the 3d Art'y ; William H. Cray, Henry B. Fitch, John Choate, Charles W. Crocker, John E. Savery, Elbridge G. Miles, and William II. Stevenson, of the Toth Inf ; Edward A. Thomas, Ezra H. Northrop, Robert E. Perry, Jerome M. Lattin, John I. Laing, and Edgar J. Hueston, of the 111th Inf.; Edwin Kirby, of the IGOth Inf ; Cap- tain Adams Merrimau, and Andrew Cowan, of the 1st Light Batt'y.
First Lieuts., Martin Laughlin, Charles Tomlinson, Edgar H. Titus, William Boyle, Luke Brannack, John Stevenson, Jr., David W. Stewart, George H. Crocker, Antoine E. Robinson, George W. Leonard, Jay E. Storke, George E. Sherwood, and Frederick W. Prince, of the 3d Art'y ; Seth F. Swift, George P. Knapp, Lyman C. Comstock, and Lendall H . Bigelow, of the 9th Art'y ; John Poison, J. Fred. Dennis, and Randolph R. Kimberly, of the 19th Inf; Edward B. Lansing, James K. Warden, Horace B. Fitch, and Frederick Cossum, of the 7oth Inf.; Henry H. Segoinc and Roland R. Dennis, of the 111th Inf; Gorton W. Allen, and Stephen G. Hopkins of the IGOth Inf; Thurlow B. Wasson, Dexter Smith, and George D. Lanehart, of the 193d Inf; and William P. Wright, of the 1st Light Batt'y.
Second Lieuts., Richard J. Allen, Patrick Dwyer, JMartin Web- .^ter, George II. Wright, John O'Neil, and James O. Woodruff, of the 3d Art'y ; Charles E. Patten, and Charles H. Hitchcock, of the 111th luf
464 HISTORY OF AUEUEN.
The formation of societies of ladies in Anburn, for tlie purpose of alleviating the sufferings of our gallant armies while in the field, is a subject worthy of honorable mention.
When protracted war had become a fixed fact, and camp life had shown that exposure and disease were enemies far. more terrible and destructive to our soldiers than the national foes themselves, and that the preservation of the comfort and health of the northern armies was therefore a matter of the most vital importance to the country, the ladies of the Good Samaritan Society of this city were assembled by their president, Mrs. Alvah Warden, at the residence of the Rev. Day K. Lee, in order to determine how they might aid the humane efforts of the Sanitary Commission for the good of our volunteers. A series of meetings at Corning Hall was resolved upon, in order to prepare flannels, havelocks, medicines, and delicacies for use in the hospital and camp. These meetings were held and were attended by the loyal women of the town generally. Large quantities of sanitary stores were, by this means, collected and forwarded to the army. Among the articles that were most urgently needed for the soldiers during the fall of 1861 w^ere blankets. Mrs. Frances Seward, wife of Secretary Seward, saw upon one occasion large bodies of volunteers sleeping in the open air on the ground near the city of Wash-
THE RECORD OF THE WAK. 465
ino;ton, without the slightest covering or protection. Finding, upon her return to Auburn, directly after- wards, that the Good Samaritan Society could not do all that the times seemed to require of the ladies of this city, she originated, and directed the preliminary steps toward the organization of, another association, known as the Ladies' Union Society, in which, how- ever, her modesty forbade her taking any prominent po- sition. Quarter-master-General M. C. Meigs had been, from the iirst of October, appealing to the loyal families of the country for contributions of blankets from their suq^lus stores. Mrs. Seward desired to press this matter panicularly.
Accordingly, a committee, composed of Mrs. Benja- min F. Ilall, Mrs. Xiles Perry, and Mrs. William H. Seward, Jr., issued a card to the public, and, referring to General Meigs' call, invited all wdio were so dis- posed to bring their surplus blankets, if weighing not less than four pounds, to Corning Hall, whence they should be forw\arded for the nse of the troops. Large numbers of blankets were sent into the hall ; but most of these were diverted from the use of the soldiers in the field, to the 75th, then forming at the camp in Au- burn. A call, signed by Mrs. Harmon Woodruff, Mrs. Miles Perry, and Mrs. Benjamin F. Hall, was then made for the formation of the society. Pursuant thereto a large number of ladies met at the rooms of the Y. M. C. A. October 21st, ISGl, and organized 28
4:66 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
the Ladies' Union Aid Society. Mrs. Worden ' was tendered the presidency. Her duties in a similar posi- tion in the Good Samaritan Society caused her to de- cline it. Mrs. David Hewson was then elected presi- dent ; Mrs. Benjamin F. Hall, vice-president ; Mrs. O. F. Knapp, treasurer ; and Mrs. P. P. Bishop, sec- retary. A large committee was appointed to meet at the rooms every Thursday with the members of the soci- ety, to plan the work, and assist in its execution. The committee consisted of Mrs. E. N. Pomeroy, Mrs. J. 'N. Starin, Mrs. T. Nelson, Mrs. William H. Hosmer, Mrs. James R. Cox, Mrs. C. H. Merriman, Mrs. H. L. Knight, Mrs. M. L. Kerr, Mrs. Maltby, Mrs. S. C. Lester, Mrs. Stahlnecker, Mrs. Day K. Lee, Mrs. C. Mc:N'eil, Mrs. Samuel Titus, and Mrs. C. Miller. The membership of the society was soon over an hun- dred.
Meetings at the beginning were generously permit- ted to be held in the rooms of the Y. M. C. A. After- ward, at different times, they were held in a room, over the Auburn City Bank, on the corner of ]N^orth Street, belono-ino; to Messrs. Brown & Lee, whose
7 O CD ■
constant encouragement of the object of the organiza- tion is a matter of grateful remembrance, and also in one of the rooms in the basement of the 2d Presbyte- rian Church. They were usually held once a week, but in times of pressing want, as at the close of a great battle, the ladies assembled semi-weekly or even daily.
THE RECORD OF THE WAR. 467
and made up and sent on box after box of the sanitary, hospital, and other stores, then so necessary. It will be proper to say that in the faithful promotion of the physi- cal welfare of the national troops, in the incessant devotion of time and means to the work of the Aid Society, and in the amount of work actually accom- plished by them, Mrs. Titus, Mrs. C. II. Merriman, and Mrs. Ilewson were, amongst an hundred noble women, unapproachable.
The labors of the aid societies of Auburn ended only with the disbandment of the Federal armies. The Good Samaritans were indefatigable to the last mo- ment, and the Ladies' Union Aid Society ceased only when they had come to realize the return of peace. A statement of the articles sent to the army is here given. They were 230 second-hand shirts, 1277 sheets, 2100 cotton shirts, 640 flannel shirts, 71 surgi- cal shirts, 92 flannel wrappers, 1324 pairs cotton drawers, 467 pairs flannel drawers, 261 arm slings, 67 eye-shades, 1216 pairs of socks, 223 blankets, spreads, and quilts, 62 bed-sacks, 538 pillows, 862 pillow-cases, 448 pairs of slippers, 2689 towels, 3097 pocket handkerchiefs, 142 dressing-gowns, 7480 com- fort-bags, 2889 rolls of bandages, 58 coats, 58 vests, 47 pairs of pants, 502 pairs of mittens, 1776 bottles and cans of wine, jelly, etc., 1 cask of wine, 2 cases of claret, 31 bottles of blackberry syrup, 1 barrel of elderberry ^•inegar, 100 cans and jars of pickles, to-
468 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
matoes, etc., 9 barrels of pickles, two barrels of eggs, 1,701 pounds, four barrels, and four boxes of dried fruit, 21 bushels of dried apples, 140 papers of corn starch, farina, cocoa, etc., 102 cakes and bars of soap^ 120 tin cups, 50 bottles of cologne, 7 barrels of lint^ boxes of the same without number, a very large quantity of linen and cotton compresses, 776 books, 58 fans, 28 brushes, 3 yards of oiled silk, numerous sponges, 32 pounds of pepper, 1 piece of flannel, have- locks costing $140, 60 yards of new cloths, sundries amounting to $100, freight equal to $124, and fom- flags costing $395. To this list should be added three competent female nurses fitted out and sent to minister to the sufferers at the front. Money was raised to the amount of $5,313. Yet this can not be said to be the whole of the good work done by the Ladies' Union Aid Society of Auburn. Their minis- trations to the sick amongst the soldiers quartered in our city constitute no small portion of their honor- able record. For heroic zeal and earnest attention to both the bodily and spiritual wants of the inmates' of the camp, Mrs. C. H. Merriman, Miss Ella Marvine, and Mrs. S. Titus are entitled to particular mention. N^orwere the indigent families of volunteers neglected by them in the general effort. Their necessities were, as far as possible, cheerfully met and removed. The society met for the last time in the lecture-room of the 2d Presbyterian Church, July 6th, 1865. ,
THE KECOllD OF THE WAK. 469
Those who had for four years toiled so laithfully for the comfort of both their own boys and dear ones in the field and those of others, and who, now that the weary war was over, had laid down the needle and the bandage to welcome back such of the heroes as had been spared in the struggle, met once more, to review the fruits of their labor, to receive the blessings of the community, and then to disband. The Rev. Mr. Boardman, Dr. Willard, Rev. Henry Fowler, Rev. Dr. Ilawley, and Rev. Dr. Condit, each took the floor on this occasion in eulogy of the devotion and cour- age of the association. Reports, giving summaries of the things done by the society, were read, and resolu- tions, expressive of the gratitude of the citizens and soldiers, were adopted. Mrs. Merriman, then presi- dent of the society, and Mrs. Titus, then vice-presi- dent, each received a token of the public appreci- ation of their extraordinary labors. The former was presented with a memorial paintings executed by Mrs. Murdock ; the latter, with a bust of President Lin- coln. With the adjournment of the meeting the Aid Society dissolved.
i:70 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
CHAPTER VIII.
AUBURN IN 1869.
The City of Auburn is planted on the eminences that bound the basin of the Owasco Lake on the north, at the point where the outlet, breaking through the hills, leaps down a succession of natural and artificial falls, and affords a water-power, tha;t, in many respects, is the most magnificent in the State. The latitude of the city is K. 42 deg. 53 min., and the longitude 0 deg. 33 min., E. from Washington. Lake Ontario lies thirty miles to the north. A densely populated farm- ing region, widely known for natural beauty and pro- ductiveness of soil, surrounds the city, and furnishes it with a large trade.
The distance to Albany is 174 miles ; to Boston, 374 to Rochester, 78 ; to Buffalo, 147 ; to Chicago, 685 to St. Louis, 874 ; to Detroit, 735 ; to Toronto, 237 to Montreal, via Lake Champlain, 385 ; and to Quebec, 554. To New York, by way of Albany, the distance is 318 miles ; by Cayuga Lake, and Erie R. R., 317; and by Southern Central and connections, 394. To the city of Philadelphia, via S. C. R. R. it is 374 miles ; to Washington, by the same, the distance i&
AUBUKN IN l.%0, 471
400 miles, but, bj way of Seneca Lake and Xortliern Central R. E., no more than 3S4.
Area of Auburn 3,600 acres. Assessed value of real estate (not including Ttli ward) $3,035,125 ; personal, S2,251,730. Bonded debt, in aid of old L. O., A., & N. Y. E. E., $100,000 ; loan to the S. C. E. E., 8500,- 000. Floating debt none.
The Owasco Outlet, at a distance of two miles from the lake, runs into the city with a northerly course, makes an abrupt turn in the heart of the town, and runs out directly w^estward. Substantial framed bridges are thrown across the stream at six different points. The ground descends toward the outlet in every part of the city proper ; the drainage is therefore excellent. The principal part of the town lies in the valley of this stream. The plain upon the bold hill that bounds the valley on the north and east contains, however, some fine residences and important public institutions ; it is now being generally occupied by the new dwellings of our growing manufacturing population. The region of ele- gant residences immediately surrounds the beautiful eminence known as Fort Hill, whose groves and green sides have aided our landscape gardeners in an extra- ordinary degree.
Beds of blue and gray limestone and Oriskany sand- stone underlie every part of Auburn, and croj) out from the hill-sides, and along the bed and banks of the outlet. The quarries of building, paving, and water-
472 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
limestone are valuable and inexhaustible. The blue limestone has a peculiar tendency to assume a fissured character, the fissures crossing at right angles and cor- responding in direction with the cardinal points of the compass.
The city is laid out with considerable though not en- tire regularity. Ninet}^ or more streets subdivide its area into blocks, wliich, among the residences, are gen- erally rectangular in sliape, but in tlie business parts of the city polygons of every description. The irregu- lar arrangement of the ]:»rincipal thoroughfares may be ascribed to the early importance given to Auburn by the timely enterprise of our first citizens in erecting and maintaining a bridge over the outlet on North Street. It will be observed, by glancing at the map, that all the grand turnpikes laid out across the site of Auburn meet at or near this bridge, which was for many years the only point on the whole stream where a crossing might be aftected with a loaded wagon.
This was a circumstance of great moment, when the chief highways of the country were being located and opened. The Owasco bridge governed the location of North, South, Genesee, Franklin, Clark, and Garden Streets, and, therefore, the plan of Auburn. The cross streets have all been put in at right angles to the main avenues.
The streets are dry, straight, and comparatively level. So many changes have been made in the grade
AUBUKN IX 1S09. 473
and character of the streets since the incorporation of Auburn, that many of tlieni are quite beyond recogni- tion by those who saw them in their virgin state. A most ■ fortunate change, truly ; for, if the testimony of the most ancient inhabitants is worthy of belief, this N-irgin state of the Auburn roads caused our village much disquietude of mind and spirits, as well as the surrounding country ; since, in spring and fall, the peo- ple were summoned daily, nay, almost hourly, not only to extract teams, wagons, and cattle from some one of the numerous frog-ponds and miry places in the streets of the place, but to endure the vituperations of their owners, which were always, by the way, bestowed so heartily, that, on a quiet day, those living in the next towns could plainly hear them ; whereas, the city now reposes amongst her hills undisturbed, in the serene con- sciousness that she has elevated morality in the com- munity, and ameliorated the condition of the traveling world and her citizens, by burying the pools, leveling the hillocks, draining the soil, and providing spacious, straight, well-paved thoroughfares. Eows of hand- some elms, maples, poplars, and sycamores, now adorn every street. Auburn, indeed, is the city of shade- trees.
The residences of the place are, for the most part, solid and elegant structures of brick and wood, and stand in the midst of lawns, conservatories, fountains, choice shrul)l)crv, and other evidences of taste. The
474 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
business blocks are massive cut-stone and brick edi- fices, with handsome fronts and costly interiors, and are generally four stories high. The public buildings and works are of superior finish and architecture. Auburn fully maintains the reputation for beauty accorded to her modest little namesake in Europe, despite the ugliness of ancient rookeries in some of the older streets, and the drawbacks in this direction that attend an extensive manufacturing town.
The number of buildings in the city is 3,154, of which there are 2,226 residences, (174 of the same having been built in 1868), 602 barns, 221 stores and shops, 13 churches, 7 banking-houses, 41 mills and manufactories, 6 school-houses, 6 wagon-shops, 4 carpenter-shops, 1 theological seminary, 2 concert halls, 6 hotels and taverns, 4 fire-engine houses, 1 prison, 1 court-house, 1 jail, 1 town hall, and 11 miscellaneous buildings.
PUBLIC BUILDmOS.
The Prison of Western New York is the first object that greets the eye of the traveler arriving in Auburn. It is visited daily by crowds of people from every part of the United States, who are conducted through the various shops and buildings at stated times by keepers. It now contains and employs at hard labor about nine hundred and
AUBURN IN 1869. 475
fifty convicts, whose services are let to contractors at the average rate of five shillings per capita per day. The shops are six in number, namely : The hame, shoe, tool, machine, cabinet, and sash and blind. An important benefit accrues to the city from the large amount of cheap labor brought in by the prison, and the large sums annually expended by the institution for salaries and supplies, which latter range between two hundred, and two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. — The Theological Seminary^ elsewhere fully described, contains much that is rare, precious, and ancient, and the visitor is fully repaid for inspecting it. — The Orphan Asylum^ standing at the corners of Walnut, Bradford, and Owasco Streets, is a fine^ three-story brick building, surrounded by large, well- kept gardens, and grounds handsomely adorned with slirubbery and shade-trees, enclosed by a high lattice fence. The original asylum was opened in 1852,, in a wooden house on the east side of J ames Street,, by means of the untiring and benevolent exertions of Mrs. Harriet T. Pitney, a lady whose long experience and devotion to the cause of Sunday- schools conv-inced her of the urgent necessity of a home in Auburn for orphan children, and whose con- victions led her to undertake its establishment. She was wannly supported in this work by Mrs. Mary Ann Eobinson, Mrs. Maria Eeed, Mrs. Del)orah A. Bronson, Mrs. Melita Chedell, Mrs. Abl)y Warden,
476 HISTORY OF AUBCKN.
Mrs. Andalusia Starin, Mrs. Harriet S. Conkling, and other benevolent ladies, many of whose names appear npon the first Board of Managers. The present site of the asylmn, with a w^ooden house thereon, was purchased in 1854. The brick building- was erected in 1857 ; its predecessor w^as moved off, and now forms the residence of Lewis Paddock, on Canal Street. The comfortable school-rooms, and well ventilated and orderly dormitories, are creditable both to the competent matron, Mrs. Rogers, and to the city. The asylum now affords a home and gram- mar-school education to eighty children. — The State Armory^ at the corner of Dill and State Streets, is a strong and capacious building of brick, containing a drill-room in the second story, seventy-five feet long by forty wide, and, in the first story, tliree company rooms and the headquarters of the 4:9th regiment, S. N. G. Two brass six pounders are posted here. A bill is now pending in the legislature to authorize the sale of this property, and the erection of a new armory in another quarter of the city.
THE CHURCHES.
The First Presbyterian Churchy at the corner of Franklin and J^orth Streets, is now being demolished, and replaced with an elegant limestone structure, fronting the last-mentioned street. The session - house, now nearly completed, cost $25,000 ; the
AUBUKN IN 1869. 477
entire building will cost $100,000. llev. Charles Hawlej, D.D., Pastor. — T/ie Second Preshyterian Church is a lofty, cut-stone building, of Ionic archi- tecture, seating eight hundred and fifty peo])le. The basement contains a session and a lecture-room. The church cost $17,000. Eev. S. TV. Boardman, Pastor. — The Central Church congregation separated from the last-mentioned in 185G, and with great enter- prise laid the foundation of an imposing church, and built the superstructure the height of the basement story. This, being roofed, has since constituted the house of worsliip for the society. It is proposed and intended to erect a new and entire church on the west side of William Street the coming season. Rev. Henry Fowler, Pastor. — The Church of the Holy Family stands on the west side of North Street^ above Chapel. It is well built of brick in the I^orman style of architecture, with a handsomely painted interior, and seats twelve hundred people. The cost was $30,000. Eev. Thomas OTlaherty, Pastor. — aS'i^. Maryh Churchy (Roman Catholic), was organized in the summer of 1SG8, w^itli Rev. T. A. Maher, Pastor. A temporary wooden chapel has been erected on the corner of Clark and Green Streets. — The Baptist Church is a plain, but sub- stantial stone edifice, standing on Genesee Street, between South and Mechanic. Nine hundred people may worship here at once. Rev. TV. II. Maynard,
478 HISTORY OF A.UBURN.
Pastor. — St. Peter's Chwch, (Protestant Episcopal), is situated on a fine lot on West Genesee Street in the midst of handsome shade trees, and the monuments of the dead. The location has few, if any, superiors in Western New York. The old stone, ivy-covered church has been removed, and a larger structure partly completed in its place. A chapel at the north-west corner of the church has been constructed from the remains of the old building. Kev. John Brainard, Pector. — St. John's CJmrch^ (Protestant Episcopal), was organized April 13tli, 1868, at school-house No. 1, Fulton Street, where weekly religious services have since been held, by the young congregation. The parish contemplate the erection, during the working season of 1869, of a fine lime-stone church, after plans prepared by George Casey, Esq., on a site lying at the corners of Gen- esee, Fulton and Hofiinan Streets, donated for the pur- pose by General John H. Chedell. The design of estab- lishing an Episcopal Church in the eastern part of Au- burn was conceived in 1854, by Kev. E. H. Cressy, then rector of St. Peter's, w^ho laid his project before the Kev. Mr. (now Bishop) A. Cleveland Coxe for advice. Upon the recommendation of the latter, the Kev. John M. Guion came to Auburn with the dis- tinct purpose of forming a new parish here, of which he should be the rector, relying upon the chaplaincy of the Auburn prison, which Dr. Cressy was able to obtain for him, for a portion of his support. Kegular
AUBUEN IN 1S69. 479
religious services had already been commenced in a large room, in the second story of the Williams block, over what is now Kerr & Devitt's, the rent of which was being paid by Dr. Cressy and A. Hamilton Burt. These services were continued by Dr. Guion for the space of five months, when they were relinquished, the Doctor being called away to another and more prom- isino: field of usefulness. The ultimate formation of the new parish was, however, continually clierished by a few of the enterprising spirits of the old congre- gation, and has finally been by them secured. The first wardens and vestrymen of this church w^ere as follows: Harvey Wilson and William Lamey, war- dens ; John M. Ilurd, George F. Brown, I. L. Scovill, Henry Hall, Charles M. Knight, William F. Gibbs, Edward C. Marvine, and Kufus Sargent, vestrymen. — The Universalist Church is a spacious brick edifice, standing at the corner of South and Cumpston Streets ; it accommodates nine hundred and fifty people. Eev. J. G. Bartholomew, Pastor. — The First Methodist Churchy situated on South Street, at the liead of Exchange, is a monument of the most won- derful spirit and enterprise ever exhibited by a religious society in Auburn. The congregation, after worshipping for thirty years in the old stone church on the corner of North and Water Streets, lost tlieir sanctuary by fire. Tlie circumstance was dishearten- ing. Tlie churcli liad just been ymt in tliorongli
480 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
repair, and an old and exhausting burden of debt discharged, to meet wliich the society had been obliged to put forth their most active exertions, and endure many personal sacrifices. This was in the summer of 1867. But by January, 1868, the new church site had been purchased, the foundation of the church laid thereon, and the session-house finished, and made ready for occupancy. A year later, the whole edifice was fully completed and consecrated. Eev. William Searles, Pastor. — The Wall Street Methodist Church stands at the head of Washington Street. Kev. S. M. Fisk, Pastor. — The I>isciples Church, Kev. Aimer M. Collins, is located on Division street, between Seymour and Yan-Anden. St. Al- phonsus Church, (Poman Catholic), is situated on Water . Street. Kev. Charles A. Yogi, Pastor. The Churches of Auburn will seat, when all in process of construction are completed, ten thousand people.
THE SCHOOLS.
There are five handsomely constructed brick public- school buildings in the city, all built, with but one ex- ception, on the highlands towards the suburbs. Six- teen hundred children are taught in them the ele- ments of a good English education, by a corps of thir- ty-two teachers, whose qualifications are the subject of critical examination before appointment. Each school contains a primary, an intermediate, and a
AUBURN IN 18G9. 481
senior department, tlie pupils in each of Avliich are classified and pursue a graduated course of studies. The scholar is admitted at the age of six ; he gradu- ates in seven years to the Free Academy or High School, when a four years' course of advanced studies is begun. Boys are prepared for college here at the end of the third year. The public school libraries of the city have recently been consolidated and placed in the High School, where all who desire books repair on Friday to draw them. The school at the orphan asylum is also a free scliool, and under the care of the Board of Education. Xumerous select and private educational institutions are also in operation in the city, among w^hich may be mentioned the Young La- dies' Institute, in the old town hall building, and the Roman Catholic school, in the chapel of the church of the Holy Family.
POINTS OF VIEWS.
Fort Hill and the cupola of the court-house are the favorite observatories. From both a wide prospect is unfolded to the eye, and the western part of the town and the farms outlying appear to the best possi- ble advantage. The views from the towers of other public buildings have attractive features. But the city, from the majority of these ])oints, appears to the observer little else than a confusion of steeples, house-tops, and trees. The school-house on Fulton 29
482 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
Street coiumaiids the fineBt view of the city in Au- buiii. ]t is the only point, in fact, from which the w^hole of the city can be seen at once. The conrse of the principal streets maj^ be clearly traced, the creek and the mills are all in sight, the public buildings appear in an admirable light, and the gaze wanders away westward from the city over groves and farms, till it rests upon the towering ridges lying back of Seneca Lake. A striking view of the position of the city on the hills is seen from the road that leads north along the top of the west bank of the outlet towards Throopsville, at a point about half a mile north of the Clark Street road. The observer at this point is lower than the city, which appears built upon a mountain. From the high hill on the road to Skaneateles, two miles east of Auburn, the city is seen in quite another, but not less charming aspect, appearing to be buried in a valle^^ These three views should be seen by eveiy resident of Auburn and every traveler.
Altitude of the east hill of Auburn above Lake Ontario, 475 feet ; above tide-water 760 feet ; or 361 feet higher than the level of the Erie Canal at Weedsport. Altitude of the Owasco Lake above tide-water, 758 feet.
NEWSPAPERS.
Two brisk dailies and five weeklies constitute the
AUI5UKX IX 186;». 4S3
newspaper prevss ot Auburn; The Auhiam DaH>/ Advertiser ( Republican ), established in the proprie- torship of O. F. Kna])p and George AY. Peck, in 1850: George AV. Peck, senior, andCharles A. Caulkins, city editors. — Tlie Auhuni Morning News {'R^).), an out- spoken, vigorous sheet, established in July, ISOS, by Dennis Bro's & Co., and conducted by William II. Barnes, senior, Charles A. Warden, city, and The- odore H. Schenck, literary editor. — The Auhurn Week- hj Democrat (Dem.), published and edited by Charles F. Durston & Co., at the printing establishment of Wil- liam J. Moses. Begun in 1857 by Stone tfe Ilawes ; discontinued in 1862 ; revived in September, 186S. The Auhurn Journal and Weekly C^"n?wi, printed by Ivnapp & Peck. The Auhurn Weeldy JV^eivs, by Dennis r>ro's 6z Co. — The Nortliern Christian Advocate, a re- ligious weekly published under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal General Conference by William J. Moses. Pwev. D. D. Lore, D. D., editor. — The Northern Indeijendent^ weekly, also a Methodist sheet, edited and published by the Be v. William IIos- mer. To these may be added the Orchestra Peri- odical^ by Dennis Bro's h Co., and the Orjdunis Friend, edited by ]\rrs. James W. Wilkie.
MANLKACTIKES.
The thrift and past jn'Ogress of Auburn result quite exclusivelv from our natural a(lvantac:es of great water-
484 HISTORY OF ALBLRN.
power, ill tlie Owasco Outlet. The city's future pros- perity must depend largely upon the perfect develop- ment of this power, concerning whose vastness few, even at this day, have any adequate idea.
The outlet is a crooked but rapid stream, with an average How that produces the power of eighteen horses for every foot of fall at the dams, of which there are ten in the city and suburbs. One hundred and sixty-two feet of fall are distributed at these damg^ about as follows : upper dam 10 feet ; big dam 25 feet ; Hall & Lewis dam, 10 feet ; prison, 8 feet ; Bar- ber's, 25 feet ; Nye's, 25 feet : Casey's, 18 feet ; Hay- den's, 11 feet ; Wadsworth's, 12 feet ; and Hall's, 20 feet. The rapids make the total descent, from the up- per dam to Hall's, 180 feet.
The average power of 2,900 horses is available in the city for manufacturing purposes ; less than half of this is now employed. That which is in use performs the la- bor of 6,500 men, though capable of performing twice that amount, by running the mills all day, and gives labor to about 2,000. The manufactures of the city, as a whole, employ 2,500 mechanics and operatives, and 900 convicts.
There are in Auburn 4 mowing-machine works, 5 agricultural tool works, 4 woolen mills, 4 breweries, 3 flouring mills, 2 saw inills, 2 plane and plane iron manufactories ; 2 sash, blind, and door works ; 7 ma- chine-shops, 4 wagon-shops, 5 clothing manufactories.
AUBURN IX 1S69. 485
2 liine-kilns, 1 paper-bag manutactory, 2 carnage hard- ware manufactories, 1 cotton-mill, 2 tanneries, 5 slioe manufactories, 4 confection aries, 2 cabinet- ware facto- ries, 1 leathern glove and mitten factory, 1 laundry- machine works, 4 factories of reaper-grinders, 1 wire card mill, 1 file works, 3 marble-shops, 5 cigar and to- bacco manufactories, 1 candle f^ictory, 1 patent medi- cine factory, 4 printing establishments, 2 planing mills, and 1 patent corn sheller factory.
Many of these establishments, which from their mag- nitude and importance invite especial attention, are of recent origin, and have not been included or mentioned in any of the previous chapters of this work. Historical and descriptive sketches of the principal manufactories are introduced.
The works of the Atchirn Tool ComjpauTj stand on the precipitous east bank of the outlet, below the big dam, at the water's edge. The character of the ground enables the workmen to enter the building through the third story. Sixty men are here employed on wa- ges exceeding $2,500 per month, in the manufticture of planes and plane irons. An additional force of twenty is engaged every fall and winter in making skates. The best raw material in the market is used at these works, and the workmen are fine mechanics ; the pro- ductions rank high, therefore, in the Tnited States, and are in constant demand. A large lot on the higli ojround above the works, frontino^ Owasco Street, con-
486 TIISTOKY OF AUBUKN.
tains the company's otiice and packing I'ouni, the dry ing house, storage slieds, and hiinber yard.
Tlie practical management of the business is en- trusted to George Casey & Sons, whose experience as tool-makers is now of more than twenty years' stand- ing. Mr. Casey began the manufacture of tools in the Auburn prison, in 1847, with Josiah Douglass, Adam Miller, and George W. Leonard, his partners. Through his own mechanical ingenuity the machinery <jf the shop was improved from time to time in many valuable particulars ; and his famous invention for making the throats in plane blocks by machinery was perfected while a member of this iirm. The tool con- tract: was taken, in 1857, by another Iirm, composed of Mr. Casey, Abijali Fitch, Nelson Fitch, Noah P. Clark^ Josiah M. Starin, Alonzo G. Beardsle}^, and F. L. kSheldon, who with others, formed, in 1862 the stock company which has since carried on the business.
The directors of the company are : George Casey, president ; Abijah Fitch, A. G. Eeardsley, J. 'N. Starin, Theodore M. Pomeroy, and N. P. Clark. Kelson Fitch is secretary, and Nicholas Casey, treasurer. Francis Casey, overseer at the works. The business was trans- ferred from the prison to the present buildings in 1866.
The celebrated /Steel Tempering Work^ of Ileynolds, Barber & Co. — N. B. Eeynolds. Samuel F. Keynolds. C. Eugene Barbei', and AVilliam C. Barber — occupy
AUBrKN IN 1S09. 487
two large strong buildings, one uf l)rick, the (jtlier of stone, standing on the west hank of the ontlet, twenty or thirty rods below the big dam. Here are inannfactnred plane irons and steel knife sections for reapers and mowers ; the latter being tempered by a peculiar process, invented by Asa R. Reynolds, Esq. This process, after a trial of ten years, has been per- fected ; with their new machinery, and the labor of forty-live competent mechanics, the proprietors of the works are now able to produce 3,000 linished sections ])er day. Tlie manufacture of plane irons was com- menced as an experiment in 1867, but has since grown up into a regular and successful business.
The Reynolds process of tempering is one of the most wonderful inventions of the nineteenth centui'y. It is both rapid and simple, yet is based upon a scien- tilic principle that defies investigation.
Strong wooden beams sixteen feet in length are sup- ported at the ends by the heavy stone side walls of the factory, and sustain upon their centers ponderous an- vils constructed from the wheel shafts of a large steamer. Above the anvils are suspended, by means of powerful machinery, hammers weighing not less than tw^o tons each, and so shaped on the striking sur- face, that the blow of the hammers falls only on the cutting edges of the sections, in a strip five-eighths of an inch wide; the u])per surface of the anvils being ^ha]'ed to correspond. The sections are laid on the
488 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
anvils red hot ; the hammers fall ; a reactionary blow is given by means of the vibrating beam upon v^^hich the anvils rest ; the edges of the section remain in the pressure of the cold metals for eight seconds ; the cen- tral portion is meanwhile being rapidly cooled bj pow- erful streams of cold air from two metallic nozzles ; the hammer rises, and the section is then removed, perfectly tempered, and the operation is renewed with another. Six sections may be tempered thus per min- ute, and so uniform and reliable is the process, that, ot over one thousand tempered and ground in presence of the committee appointed at the National Implement Trial, held in Auburn in 1866, not one was fjund cracked or imperfect, or showed any trace of fissure whatever.
The Auburn AgTicvltuTal Worlts^ situated near the last-mentioned factory, on the north, produce, under the proprietorship of J. Monroe Alden, Milton Alden, and George J. Letchworth, some of the finest imple- ments in the country. Alden's thill horse-hoe gained the gold medal at Utica, N. Y., in 1866, and the com- pany's horse-rake, Hollingworth's patent, was awarded a similar medal at the national implement trial in Au- burn the same year. The works employ seventy men.
The mowing machine manufactory of D. M. Osborne '<& Co., on Genesee Street, corner of Mechanic, has no rival in its department of industry, for size or complete- ness of appointment, either in Auburn, or in America.
AUBURN IN ISfiO.
48^
^ A vast pile of tall, substaiitial brick buildings, covering an acre and a quarter of ground, constitute the work. These buildings are seven in nuniber. In the first of these, standing on the corner of the street, used as a machine sho]^ prior to occupancy by tlie present proprietors, the business of tlie fimi com- menced. The business expanding enormously during the five years immediately following 1859, the other buildings were erected one after the other, as the necessity for more room arose, on the tongue of land between Mechanic street and the outlet, once the site of certain carding, fulling, and saw mills else- where described. The dimensions of the different shops, which are severally distinguished by their numbers, are as follows: Xo. 1, four stories high, sixty-six feet by forty, used as an office and sample room, and containing in the second, third, and fourth stories the Morning JVews establishment ; Xo. 2, three stories in height, fifty-nine feet by forty-eight, used as a wood-shop ; No. 3, containing the store- house, paint-sho]), and shipping-room, four stories and an half high, one hundred and fourteen feet by seventy-six ; Xo. 4, four stories high, with two base- ments, one hundred and thirty-eight feet by fifty, used as a machine-shop; No. 5, the blacksmith shop, one story high, same ground plan as latter ; No. 6, the malleable iron works, one hundred and thirteen feet by ninety; and No. 7, the foundrv, one hundred and ninetv-two
490 IITSTOKY OF AUEUKN.
feet by sixty-six. The liunber yard and dryiiior hoii^^ stand op})osite the works on the west side of Mechanic Street.
The manufactory of the combined i-eaper and mower, invented by William II. Xirby, at BnfFalo, in 1856, was commenced in Auburn in 1858, by David M. Osborne and O. S. Ilolbrook, under the firm name of Osborne & Holbrook, for wdiom Orrin H. Burdick, Esq., made by contract one hundred and fifty machines, employing only twelve men in the work. Mr. Ilolbrook parted with his interest in tlie busi- ness in August, 1858, which was then carried on by Cyrus C. Dennis, D. M. Osborne, and Charles P. Wood, of Auburn, under the style of D. M. Osborne ik Co. Two hundred mowers were built during 1858, The war then broke out, labor became scarce, and the demand for mowers great ; and the establishment began to be enlarged. Mr. Wood retired from the partnership in 1862, and Mr. Dennis, by death, in 1866. The firm is now composed of D. M. Osborne, John II. Osborne, and Orrin 11. Burdick. The prod- uct of the works during 1868 was fifty-thre^ hundred machines. The business now consumes 3,000,000 pounds of pig iron per annum, 500,000 pounds of bar iron and steel, and 400,000 feet of lumber. From 250 to 325 men are employed, who are paid monthly between eight and twelve thousand dollars.
It is the boast of the proprietors of tliis peerlest^
AUBL'KN IN 1S69. 491
establisliiiient, that every part oi' their iiiachnies^ however small, is made at their own works, aiul made well. Outside manufactories have no share in the construction of the Kirby, and the public is therefore insured against unsound wood work, infe- rior knives, and imperfect castings, in these ma- chines. The works are complete, a remark, it is be- lieved, that can be made of no similar establishment in the country. The proprietors contemplate a further enlargement of their manufactory the coming season by erecting several brick three-story stores over the outlet, fronting the bridge.
The works of the celebrated Cayuga Chief Manu- facturing Company are located by the side of the X. Y. C. Eailroad track, opposite the State prison. The buildings consist of a spacious, three-story brick work-shop, fifty-two feet by two hundred and fifty,, with a basement ; a blacksmith-shop, forty feet by one hundred; a foundry, one hundred and fifty feet by sixty ; and an engine and boiler house ( for the machinery of the works is driven by steam power)^ and the most advantageously situated with re- spect to conveniences for shipping of any in ^the city. They were erected in 1863-4, and employ two hundred hands, whose labor costs the company annually the sum of $90,000.
This business originated in tlie machine shop of the prison in isOl with Franklin L. Sheldon, Alonzo
492 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
G. B^ardsley, and Gary S. Burtis, acting in partner- ship, under the style of Sheldon & Co. ; the firm en- firaofine: in the manufacture of a mower, called the " Cayuga Chief," invented by Cyrenus Wheeler, Jr., now of this city, and making four hundred machines the first year. The firm was changed to Burtis & Beardsley in 1863, and the erection of the works outside of the prison undertaken. The Cayuga Chief was largely manufactured in the new buildings during 1865 and ^QQ, and also by certain parties in Aurora, as well as by F. L. Sheldon, C. Eugene Barber, Henry Morgan, Calvin Young, and Charles L. Sheldon in the prison. The manufacturing com- pany was formed in 1867, with a capital of $400,000, the directors being Cyrenus Wheeler, Jr., president ; Alonzo G. Beardsley, treasurer ; William Hills, Secretary ; Cary S. Burtis, and Henry Morgan.
The annual product of the works is now upwards ot four thousand machines, which are being exten- sively used in every grain-growing region of the United States. The annual consumption of iron and steel is 2,800,000 pounds; of lumber, 500,000 feet.
The establishment of the Dodge <& Stevenson Manufacturing Comjpany consists of seven commo- dious brick buildings, conveniently arranged, be- tween Owasco Outlet and the E". Y. C. Kailroad track, with dimensions as follows : The main build-
AUBURN IX 1869. 493
ing, a stout structure three stories liigli with a base- ment, one hundred and fifty feet by forty, stand- ing with tlie gable to the road ; the foundry adjoin- ing in the rear, forty-five feet by one hundred and seventy ; the blacksmitli shop, one hundred and fifty feet long; and three ample store-houses, two hun- dred feet long. A smaller building is the " extra" department. The process of manufacture at these works does not difter substantially from that at the other factories in the city, save as it is distinguished by remarkable system. The castings called into existence at the foundry, being first well rubbed of the sand, and polished by vigorous attrition in re- volving iron cylinders, travel through tlie main buildings, and pass from room to room, till com- pletely smoothed, drilled, turned, and set up, they arrive wdtli the wood work in the paint shop in the upper story, where they are finished and prepared for market. In busy seasons one hundred machines are made a week. The works employ two hundred and sixty workmen, who receive monthly wages to the amount of $12,000.
The foundation of this business was laid in the Auburn prison in 1858, by Messrs. John A. Dodge, Elmore P. Ross, and Col. Charles W. Pomeroy, who began with twenty-five convicts the manufac- ture of agricultural implements, among which was a mowing machine of C. Wheeler, Jr.'s, invention.
494 HI8T0KY OF AUBUKN.
Thirty inacliiiies were made in 1858. A different machine was made the following year, and that branch of tlie business became so profitable tliat all else was dropped. The mowing machine at once engrossed the whole attention of the firm. The number manufactured annually increased, and in 1864 the business, at that time and since 1861 being prosecuted by Col. Dodge, John Stevenson, and Jacob Polhemus, was transferred to the build- ings then newly erected by Josiah Barber, in which it has since augmented to an extraordinary extent. The same year, the firm began the construction and sale of the Dodge Harvester, a veiy popular machine invented by Col. Dodge, making five hundred the first season. In March, 1866, the business passed into the ownership of a stock company, called the Dodge & Stevenson Manufacturing Company, having a capital of $250,000, which was increased in the fall of 1868 to $500,000. Col. John A. Dodge w^as elected president of the company.
The mills of the veteran w^oolen manufacturer, Josiah Barber and William C. and George E. Bar- ber^ his sons, occupy the property on which was formerly built the saw and carding mills of Samuel Dill. Josiah Barber began the manufacture of carpets in the weave shop of the Auburn pi-ison in 1832, in company witli the experienced mechanic, John London, and with Avhom he remained in part-
AL^BURN IN 1S<}0. 495
nerslii]> i\n' several years. In l^i4U, Mr. Barber Imiiglit the dam wliicli bears his name, witli a large tract of the contiguous lauds, from a land company that had suffered severely by the overspeculation and panic of 1S36-7, and built thereon a woolen mill, which he rented from time to time to different iirms, among which were Xehemiah D. Carliart 6z Co., and Barber, Dennis ct Co., and which he finally entered himself, and operated with his sons. The establishment comprises two extensive four-story brick buildings, termed respectively the north and south mills, and a large dye-house. Upon the rear of the south mill a fine edifice is now being built fur the manufacture of the " clover leaf'' plane-irons of Reynolds, Barber ct Co., and upon the grounds north of the north mill another is being prepared for the use of parties making patent grinders for sharpening reaper knives, and Brinkerhoff 's corn- shellers. The woolen mill requires the work of about 275 hands. The monthly pay-roll amounts to ^5,000. It is a feixteen-sett mill, eight setts making carpets, and eight flannels, tweeds and plain cassimeres ; 23,000 yards of the latter are ]>roduced per month, and al)out 10,000 yards of thi-ee-ply and ingrain carpets. The raw material is lH)Ught in the West and South.
The Aiihinm Cotton 2/J/t, wliich was burnt to tlie iijround on the first dav of April, l>^r)0, was at the time
490 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
of the lire being conducted by C M. liowlett and Jo- siah P. Bailey. The mill stood at the head of a deep and picturesque ravine, through which the Owasco takes its course northward for miles, and on its very verge, and was a massive stone building four stories high. Three sets of hands w^ere required to run the mill, which was in operation day and night. Seventy- iive were employed, and paid monthly about $1,500. The product of the factory was seamless bags exclu- sively ; the average result of a month's work was 20,000 bags, the average consumption of cotton in the same time 25,000 pounds. The goods were the best in the coun- try, and were sold by the J. M. Ilurd Paper Bag Com- pany, of Auburn.
The agricultural tool works of the E. (J. Titttle Manu- facturing Comjpany are located in the future 7th Ward of Auburn, on the west side of Division Street, corner of Clark. The two large brick buildings that compose the works were begun in June, 1867, and finished, at a cost of over $120,000, in January, 1868, at which date business commenced.
The company was organized in the early part of 1867, with a capital of $300,000, and the following officers : Charles P. Wood, president ; Israel F. Terrill, vice- president ; Delos M. Keeler, secretary and treasurer ; James Henderson, agent ; and E. C. Tuttle, superin- tendent. The business expands every year, and now engages sixty workmen, at a monthly salary of $4,000.
AT BURN IN 1869. 497
Hoes, rakes, spadinir-forks, ])itch-torks, potato-liuuks, and scythes, are produced at tlie rate of one liundred dozen i)er day ; the wooden liandles of the tools are made in the company*.- factory at Iloneoye. The goods are durable and liiglily finished. They sell extensively in Europe and Australia, as well as in America.
The present management of the company's affairs is in the hands of directors, elected January 18th, 1869, namely : Charles P. Wood, I. F. Terrill, S. L. Bradley, George ^V. Leonard, Albert II. Goss, II. J. Sartwell, Lorenzo W. Nye, E. C. Tnttle, and Richard C. Steel.
The woolen mill of William Ilayden and Richard T. Morgan, acting under the firm name of William ITayden c6 6b., stands at the east end of a dam that was built in 1862, on the site of the original log-dam of Jehiel Clark. A mill was erected in 1810, for card- ing and custom weaving, which was rented in 1815 to William Ilayden, the first manufacturer of woolen goods by machinery in Cayuga County. The old mill was torn down in 1866, and replaced with a three-story stone and brick building, thirty-five feet by seventy- five. The new mill is rented to William Ilayden, who is the son of ^Ir. Clarke's lessee, and Mr. Morgan. The business gives employment to twenty-five hands, consumes 65,000 pounds of wool anntlally, and pro- duces about the same number of yards of woolen goods. The mill contains the largest two spinning-jacks in the county, having each two hundred and sixty-four spindles. :'.0
498 HISTORY OF A.UBUKN.
The Saythe Works of David AVadsworth and JN^elson Fitcli are situated on the east bank of the outlet, below llayden's, on the site of an old trip-hanimer and forge-sho}), once owned by Eldridge & Murphy.
The l)usiiiess of tliis firm originated in the year 1818, in a little machine-shop that stood on the ground now occupied by the Dodge & Stephenson mowing-machine works. Joseph Wadsworth, father of David Wadsworth, was the manufacturer here of scythes and axes, one thousand dozen of which was the annual production. The business was transferred to Clarksville in 1833. The new works are fine stone buildings arranged on three sides of a hollow square, which have been erected since 1860. They employ forty-five workmen at monthly wages of $3,000 ; the amount of capital required in the busi- ness is $100,000 ; the product of the works, about forty-five dozen of scythes and hay and corn knives per day.
The manufactory of Patent GTinders for sharpen- ing reaper knives is one of recent establishment, but bids fair to soon attain considerable importance. Prior to the fall of 1868, there were three patent grinder companies in Auburn, namely : the Stephen- soii ManufaciMTing Company ^ of which William C. Barber was president ; James D. Button, vice-presi- dent ; E.G. Knight, treasurer ; and William P. Robinson, secretary ; which was making a harvester
AUBURN IN 1860. 499
cutter sharpener, invented by William IT. Stevenson, of this city, the salesrooms of the company being at No. 49, in the Curtis buildings, State Street ; — Richardson d; Co., a firm composed of Henry Kich- ardson and Bradley A. Tuttle, manufacturers of Scott's Patent Grinders, ofHce No. 77 State Street ; — and Hoaijland, Peahody cJ& Co., who were selling Hoagland's improv^ed machine for grinding mower and reaper knives. The three companies consoli- dated in September, 1868, adopting the style of the Faritiers^ Manufacturing Company, and organized with a capital of $100,000, and the following officei^s : William C. Barber, president ; Josiah Y. Hoagland, vice-president; Horace L. Knight, secretary and treasurer; and Charles Hichardson, superintendent. The farmers' grinder will be manufactured the coming season in the new works now being erected adjacent to Barber's woolen mills.
The Ilussey combined patent reaper and mower manufactory, started near the big dam, is another of the peculiar institutions of Auburn. The proprietors are Thomas R. Ilussey and Isaac W. Quick. The works employ some forty or fifty men, and prodiu*e a machine that is undoubtedly the best grass, grain, and clover harvester in use.
Barher, Sheldon d; Co.,{C Eugene Barber, Frank- lin L. Sheldon, Charles L. Sheldon, and Henry Morgan) have in the machine-shop of the Auburn
500 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
prison the largest manufactory of line iron and steel axles in the world. The firm commenced business in the fall of 1865, and now employs one hundred men. The factory is 'extensive and complete, con- taining four trip hammers, fifty lathes, four boring machines, and drills and planes innumerable. There are daily produced one hundred sets of the anchor brand axle for carriages, coaches, stages, and express wagons, which find a ready market in every part of the United States, from Maine to California, and are now beginning to be demanded in foreign lands. The business consumes 650 tons of fine grade iron and steel, 150 tons of fine grade cast iron for boxes, 8 tons of malleable iron, and an immense quantity of leather for washers, annually. The process of manufacture is peculiar and interesting ; it is cheer- fully shown to visitors by the courteous proprietors of the works.
Manufacturing is now employing more men and more capital than all other branches of business in Auburn combined. It scatters among the working classes annually the sum of $1,500,000 for wages alone, while, for stock and machinery, it makes use of $3,000,000 and upwards in the same time. It fur- nishes the means of support to eight thousand souls, or to more than one-half of our population. It con- sumes annually the following vast amount of raw material: 1,565,000 pounds of wool, 300,000 pounds
AUBURN IN 1869, 501
of cotton, 15,000,000 pounds of pig and bar iron and steel, 3,000 tons of coal, 350,000 bnsliels of grain, and several million feet of lumber. A better idea of the vastness of our manufactures will be obtained by the following carefully compiled table of the market values of articles made here during the year 1808 :
Mowing Machines, $2,470,000
Illuminating Gas, 40,000.
Ale and Beer, 00,000
Agricultural Tools and Implements, 310,000
Woolen Goods, 1,418,000
Planes, 175,000
Sash, Blinds, and Doors, 40,000
Iron and Steel Axles, 180,000
Machinery and Castings, G0,000
Carriages and Sleighs, 40,000
Gent's Clothing 170,000
Cabinet Ware, 05,000
Carriage Hardware, 115,000
Cotton Goods, 120,000
Flour, 750,000
Confectionery, Pastry, etc., 110,000
Paper Bags, 100,000
Tobacco and Cigars, 80,000
Lijne, 13,000
Leather, 10,000
Leather Gloves and Mittens, 30,000
Laundry Machines, 20,000
Mowing Machine Knife-Sections, 40,000
Reaper Grinders, 65,000
Files, 40,000
602 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
Machine Cards, 40,000
Harness and Trunks, 13,000
Boots and Shoes, 275,000
Tin Ware, 20,000
Marble Monuments, Grave-Stones, etc.,. . . 18,000
and other articles of lesser value, which will make the aggregate value of all goods manufactured in the city during the year mentioned upwards of six millions nine hundred thousand dollars.
A comparison of the results of last year with the total product of the manufactures of the city in 1835, which was valued at less than a million and a half, and with the total value of the manufactures of Cayuga County ten years ago, which was less than three mil- lions and a half, will show the wonderful recent growth of mechanical pursuits in Auburn.
POPULATION.
The census of 1865 rated the population of our city at twelve thousand live hundred and sixty-seven ; by a careful calculation of the accessions to the population since that time, it appears that Auburn now contains fifteen thousand inhabitants, exclusive of the inmates of the prison. The foreign element is strong here, the manufactures attracting large numbers of Germans and Irishmen, of whom together there are about six thou- sand souls.
What the people do is a question readily answered. Eighteen of our residents are clergymen, 38 la wy el's,
AUBURN IN l.%9. 508
27 physicians, 35 teachers, 65 inanufactnrers, 85 bank- ei*s and capitalists, 200 retail dealers, 203 clerks, 190 cai-j.)enters and cabinet-makers, lOS printei*s, 74 masons, stone-cutters, and quarry-men, 35 produce dealei's, 42 shoemakers, 55 blacksmiths, 2,130 mechanics and workmen, 450 operatives, girls and boys, and 300 sew- ing women,
THE CLIMATE.
The climate of Auburn is in no great respect dissim- ilar to that which is common to all parts of Western New York. The winds prevail from the north and west ; these bring cool, clear weather, but are generally preceded by heavy storms. The soutli winds are wet and chilling. The average yearly rain fall is exactly that of the temperate zone the world round, 35.60 inches. The maximum fall is 50 inches ; the mini- mum, 21. The temperature of the atmosphere varies from 24 deg. below zero, to the extreme of 100 deg. above, passing over an annual range of 124 deg. The average temperature is 46 deg. 99 min., or 30 min. warmer than the average of the State ; sudden and se- vere changes are not uncommon, tlie thermometer indi- cating often a difference of thirty degrees in twelve hours. The average time from the blossoming of the apple-tree to the iirst killing frost is said to be about one hundred and seventy-live days.
The healtli ui' tlie city is remarkable. Notwitlistand-
504 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
iug the origiimi wetness of the territory on wliicli Aii- burn stands, arising from tlie numberless springs to which the hills give birth, and the lowness of lands along the outlet, the city has never been visited by any contagious or epidemic disease whatever, for over fifty years. The cholera has raged I'epeatedly in the State, on all sides of us, but has never once visited the city. Indeed, in 1S32, Auburn was the asylum of terror- stricken people from districts infected by the famous pestilence of that year. The average number of deaths, annually, to the number of the living, is one to ninety- eight. The mortality is the greatest in tlie spring, the least in the winter. Diseases spring in the greatest measure from the changes of the weather, the damp- ness of the atmosphere, and from careless exposure. Out of every hundred deaths, 7 rise from diseases of the heart, 9 from diseases of the brain, 14 from fevers, 15 from atfections of the bowels, and 55 from consum]>- tion and diseases of the throat and lungs.
The morality of Auburn is the subject of universal remark. We are absolutely without a lawless element in our population, and open wickedness is a thing that we are happily free from. The existence of nu- merous and powerful temperance and benevolent socie- ties in the town ])romotes good order in no small degree.
In point of healthy and rational amusements we are not deficient. The neii]:hl)orhood of beautiful lakes,
AUBURN IN If^O. 505
whose waters teem with delicious tish, and which are surrounded by the most inspiring scenery, affords the unfailing means of relaxation and ]»loasure. The M'oods are full of game, the roads are good in sununer and winter, and invite to riding and sleighing j^arties, and the }>onds at the last-named season call the city out a skating. Two fine, large concert-halls are constantly in use, and tlie night without an entertainnu'iit at one or botli is an exception to the rule.
Conclusion. — These hasty sketches of Auhurii in 1869, are given with the hope that they will afford to the reader " a view of tlie thing." The statistics they contain cannot fail to he matters of interest to resi- dents, and of the utmost importance to future settlers. They tell more eloquently than words the present con- dition of our city, the character of our business and ])eople, and the desirableness of a residence in our midst.
The past and the present have thus been laid before the reader in a plain and, it is to be hoped, a satisfac- tory way. The future alone remains to be told. But this is the province, of the prophet, and not of the his- torian. Our duty is already discharged. We cannot, however, resist the desire to answer a secret fear which some of our citizens have entertained, that our city has at last attained its growth. Nothing could be more absurd than this fear.
Auburn, indeed, has no mines, and little connnerce,
606 HISTORY OF ALBUKN.
and tlie local business atforded by the neighboring towns, tlioiigh a powerful auxiliary to growth, will not probably make any larger additions to our fifteen thou- sand inhabitants. The question of future growth and importance hangs, therefore, principally on the develop- ment of onr water-power, and the employment of the people in the mills. But this water-power is now no more than half developed, and that half is in use less than half the time. It is possible to employ in the business of manufacturing four times the number of men that are so employed at present.
The reduction in the cost of living and the stimulus to enterprise which the completion of the Southern Central Railroad will effect, and the strength to be im- parted to the city by the passage of a bill, now pend- ing in the Legislature, to enlarge its territory by annex- ing a tract to the western border half a mile in width, must also be taken into account. An indication of the growth of last year was the erection of over one hun- dred and eighty new buildings ; an indication of our prospects in the future is the fact that the erection of nearly two hundred more the present season is intended. There is no apparent reason why Auburn should halt in her progress till lier jjopulation should exceed fifty thousand, nor why that result should not be attained within twenty years.
CIVIL LIST. 50T
CHAPTER IX.
CIVIL LIST OF AUBURN AND CAYUGA COUNTY. TRUSTEES OF AUBURN.
The Act of the Legislature incorporating the village of Auburn, passed April 18th, 1815, provided for the annual election of five trustees of the village, and a Clerk to record their proceedings; said trustees to elect a president from their own number. Owing to- the fact tliat the Board of Trustees had no regular place of meeting, and tliat no systematic record of tlieir proceedings was kept for many years, it has been nearly or quite impossible to obtain a complete list of tlie village officers previous to 1835.
1835. — Michael S. Myers, President; Jesse Willard, Charles W. Pomero}^ Bradley Tuttle. John H. Chedell, Trustees ; Daniel An- drus, Clerk.
March 9th, 183H, the village charter was so amended as to divide the village into four wards, and to provide for the election of two trustees from each ward, and a president exclusive ; the time of holding the annual election w^as clianged to the lirst Tuesday of April.
1836.— Isaac S. Miller, President ; Isaac Selover, George Casey, Henry Polhemu.s, Warren T. Worden, John II. Chedell, Robert Cook, Bradley Tuttle, John B. Dill, Trustees; Daniel Andrus,
508 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
Clerk. 18o7. — Robert Muir, Presideut ; Henry Polhemus, Warren T, Worden, Thomas F. Muuroe, John Hepburn, John H. Chedell, Stephen A. Goodwin, Ira Hopkins, Henry Ivisou, Jr., Trustees ; Peter H. Myers, Clerk. 1838.— John. H. Beach, President; Ne- hemiah D. Carhart, Ebenezer B. Cobb, Peter G. Fosdick, Thomas F. Munroe, George C. Skinner, Daniel D. Thomas, George H. Wood, Daniel Hewson, Trusteed; William Fosgate, Clerk. 1839.— Allen Warden, President ; Nehemiah D. Carhart, Thomas F. Munroe, Martin Smith, Amos Gould, Daniel Plewson, Edward E. Marvine, William H. Van Tuyl, John Loudon, Trustees; Fred- eric Prince, Clerk. 1840.— Cyrus C. Dennis, President; Emory Osborne, Satterlee Warden, ^Martin Smith, George O. Murfey, Ed- ward E. Marvine, John L. Watrous, George B. Chase, John Hep- burn, Trustees; Frederic Prince, Clerk. 1841.— Cyrus C. Dennis, President; James AVillson, Avery Babbitt, Martin Smith, Joshua Burt, Ira Curtis, William C. Beardsley, George B. Chase, William H. Van Tuyl, Trustees ; Frederic Prince, Clerk. 1842.— Cyrus C. Dennis, President; Emory Osborne, Elisha Miller, William Woods, William P. Smith, Daniel Hewson, John Morrison, Philo Halliday, Daniel Woodworth, Trustees; Jacob R. How, Clerk. 1843.~John L. Watrous, President; Gilbert C. Milligan, Gerrilt N. Orton, John Knapp, John B. Gaylord, Walter G. Simpson, James E. T^der, Chester Fanning, David Foot, Trustees ; Jacob R. How, Clerk. 1844.— George B. Chase, President; George Casey, George B. Markham, Josiah Douglass, Horace L. Knight, Sherman Beardsley, William Osborne, Lawrence White, William H. Van Tuyl, Trustees ; Jacob R. How, Clerk. 1845.— George B. Chase, President; George B. Markham, Edward N. Kitchell, Adam Miller, Alexander Hamilton Burt, John P. Hulbert, John Curtis, Matthew Sittser, Lewis Walker, Trustees: Jacob R. How, Clerk. 1846.— Ethan A. Warden, President ; Nehemiah D. Car- hart, James Congdon, Josiah Sherwood, Zebina M. Mason, Benja- min F. Hall, Harrison S. Dickinson, David Mills, E. P. Williams, Trustees ; Jacob R. How, Clerk. 1847.— Daniel Hewson, Presi-
CIVIL LIST. 50^
dent; Cbauncey \V. Markham, Joseph Morris, Josiah Sherwood, Zebina M. Mason, Rowland F. Russell, Andrew V. M. Suydam, Theron Green, Daniel Woodworth, Trustees ; Theodore M. Pomeroy, Clerk.
Auburn was incorporated as a city March 21st, 1848, upon petition of the village trustees. The administra- tion thenceforward consisted of a mayor and common council, the latter composed of eight aldermen, two from each ward. The election of these officers is held upon the Tuesday next after the first Monday of March.
1848.— Mayor : Cyrus C. Dennis. Clerk : Theodore M. Pome- roy. Aldermen : Shubael Cottle, Joseph Morris, Joshua Burt, Charles F. Coffin, Edward Barber, John B. Gaylord, Stephen S. Austin, Wheaton Sanders.
1849.— Mayor: Daniel Hewson. Clerk: Theodore M. Pome- roy. Aldermen : Stephen S. Austin, Edward Barber, Charles F. Coffin, Shubael Cottle, James Mclntyre, Robert Nisbet, Jesse Se- goine, Lewis E. Carpenter.
1850.— Mayor: Aurelian Conkliu. Clerk: Theodore M. Pome- roy. Aldermen : Lewis E. Carpenter, James Mclntyre, Robert Nisbet, James V. Bowen, Joshua Burt, William H. Foster, Row- land F. Russell, Ebenezer Allen.
1851.— Mayor: Aurelian Conklin. Clerk : William F. Segoine. Aldermen : Joshua Burt, James V. Bowen, Rowland F. Russell, Ethan Allen, J. V. Palmer, Silas L. Bradley, John Maurow, Jesse S. Eggleston.
1852.— Mayor : Benjamin F. Hall. Clerk : Frederic Prince. Al- dermen : Silas L. Bradley, J. V. Palmer, Charles Wheaton, George B. Markham, Aretas A. Sabin, John Curtis, Rowland F. Russell, Daniel C. Goodrich.
1853.— Mayor : Thomas Y. Howe, Jr. Clerk : Frederic Prince. Aldermen : Rowland F. Russell, Daniel C. Goodrich, George B.
.^10 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
Markham, Henry G. Ellsworth, Philip R. Freeoff, Lyman O. Sher- wood, Daniel W. Thorpe, John Curtis.
1854. — Mayors : * George Underwood and Joshua Burt. Clerk : Frederic Prince. Aldermen : John Curtis, Philip R. Freeoff, Dan- iel W. Thorpe, Nehemiah D. Carhart, Lewis Paddock, Isaac Lewis, William Shapcott, David Madden.
1855._Mayor: John L. Watrous. Clerk: Frederic Prince. Al- dermen : David Madden, Walter J. Simpson, John Curtis, Monroe Hamlin, Sylvanus H. Henry, Daniel W. Thorpe, Isaac Lewis, William Shapcott.
1856. — Mayor : Sylvanus H. Henry. Clerk : Frederic Prince. Aldermen: John Curtis, Monroe Hamlin, Daniel W. Thorpe, Adam Miller, Samuel Smith, Eli Gallup, Erastus Case, Charles H. Oarlock.
1857. — Mayor : Lansingh Briggs. Clerk : James Seymour. Alder- men : Eli Gallup, Samuel Smith, Adam Miller, Charles H Garlock, Watson B. Lynch, Jacob S. Gray, David P. Greeno, Erastus Case.
1858, — Mayor : Lansingh Briggs. Clerk : Theodore H. Schenck. Aldermen: Charles H. Garlock, Watson B. Lynch, David P. Greeno, Jacob S. Gray, Henry Lewis, Lovell H. Baldwin, George I. Post, Stephen S. Austin.
1859. — IMayor : Lansingh Briggs. Clerk: Theodore H. Schenck. Aldermen: Henry Lewis, Thomas McCrea, Lovell H. Baldwin, Jacob S. Gray, Charles H. Garlock, George I. Post, Stephen S. Austin, James E. Tyler.
1860. — Mayor : Christopher Morgan. Clerk : Amasa B. Ham- lin. Aldermen : Josiah Y. Hoaglan, Albert H. Goss, Charles G. Briggs, Eli Gallup, Charles H. Garlock, Jacob S. Gray, Thomas McCrea,James E. Tyler.
1861. — Mayor: George Humphreys. Clerk: William H. Mea- ker. Aldermen : David H. Schoonmaker, Charles Bemis, William
* George Underwood having resigned the office of Mayor before the expira- tion of his temi, Joshua Burt was chosen at a special election to fill the va- cancy.
CIVIL LIST. 511
H. Kelsey, Eli Gallup, William Joliuson, Tlionms McCrea, Joha y. Fowler, Charles G. Briggs.
1862. — Mayor : George Humphreys. Clerk : Amasa B. Hamlin. Aldermeu : James Tibbcls, John S. Fowler, Charles G. Briggs, Eli Gallup, Charles Bemis, William H. Kelsey, David 11. Schcx>n- maker, William Johnson.
1863.— Mayor ; Jonas White, Jr. Clerk -. Charles E. Cootes. Aldermen : Henry Lewis, William H. Kelsey, William Johnson, Charles G. Briggs, Edward C. Hall, John S. Fowler, Eli Gallup. James Tibbels.
1864.— Mayor: Charles G. Briggs. Clerk: Charles F. Durston. Aldermen : James Tibbels, John S. Fowler, Charles A. Warden, Eli Gallup, Henry Lewis, Edward C. Hall, William PL Kelsey^ William Johnson.
1865. — Mayor : George Humphreys. Clerk : Daniel O. Sullivan. Aldermen : Edward C. Selover, Morris M. Olmsted, Andrew W. Johnson, Elbridge G. Miles, Eli Gallup, Daniel W. Thorpe, John S. Fowler, Charles A. Warden.
1866. — Mayor : John S. Fowler. Clerk : James Lyon. Alder- men : Edward C. Selover, Emory Osborne, Andrew W. Johnson , Dorr Hamlin, John Cboate, John S. Brown, Eli Gallup, Daniel W. Thorpe.
1867. — Mayor : John S. Fowler. Clerk : James Lyon. Alder- men : John S. Brown, John Choate, Eli Gallup, Dorr Hamlin, John M. Hurd, Andrew W. Johnson, Emory Osborne, Luther S. Goodrich.
1868.— Mayor : James E. Tyler. Clerk : All)ert L. Sisson. Al- dermen : John M. Hurd, Joseph Osborne, Dorr Hamlin, Andrew W. Johnson, John S. Brown, John Choate, Luther S. Goodrich, Eli Gallup.
1869.— Mayor: John M. Hurd. Clerk: Sereno E. Payne. Al- dermen: George Bench, Joseph Osborne, Dorr Hamlin, E. D. Woodruff, John S. Brown, John Choate, Luther Goodrich, Eli P. Babcock.
512 history of aubukx.
postmast;er8.
A Post Office was established at Auburn by the General Government in the year 1800.
Dr. Samuel Crossett, 1800-9 ; Enos B. Throop, 1809-15 ; George B. Throop, 1815-33 ; Hiram Bostwick, 1833-37 ; George Rathbun, 1837^1; William C. Beardsley, 1841-45; Amos S. Ratlibun, 1845-47; Michael S. Myers, 1847-49; Ethan A. Warden, 1849-55; Elmore P. Ross, 1855-57 ; Charles W. Pomeroy, 1857-61 ; Wil- liam Allen, 1861-69 ; Clinton D. McDougall, 1869.
SUPERVISORS.
Inasmuch as the town of Auburn was not set oif imtil March, 1823, the list of the supervisors of Au- relius, in which it was included, is given up to that date. Supervisors are chosen annually at the spring elections.
Elijah Price, 1796-97 ; Joseph Grover, 1797-1801 ; John L. Har- denbiirgh, 1801-02 ; John Grover, 1802- 03 ; John Grover, Jr., 1803-07 ; John Grover, 1807-10 ; William C. Bennett, 1810-14 ; Na- thaniel Garrow, 1814-15 ; William C. Bennett, 1815-18 ; Nathaniel Wisner, 1818-20 ; William C. Bennett, 1820-22 ; David Brinker- hoff, 1822-23; John Grover, 1823-24; Elijah Miller, 1824r-26 ; Lyman Payne, 1826-29 ; Nathaniel Garrow, 1829-32 ; George B. Throop, 1832-34; John Richardson, 1834-35; George Rathbun, 1835-36: Nathaniel Garrow, 1835-37; Isaac S. Miller, 1837-38 , ' Henry Polhemus, 1838-40; John Richardson, 1840-43 ; Stephen S. Robinson, 1843-44; Henry Ivison, Jr., 1844-45; Ira Hopkins, 1845-46 ; Henry Ivison, Jr., 1846-47 ; William Beach, 1847.
The city charter, granted March 21st, 184^, divided Auburn into four wards, and provided for the annual election of a supervisor from each, f 1848.— John Richardson, John Olmsted, Josiah M. Starin, Wil-
CIVIL LIST. 513
liam Beach. 1849. — Emory Osborne, John Olmsted, George Un- derwood, William Beach. 1850. — Emory Osborne, John Olmsted, George Underwood, Elisha K. Fanning. 1851. — Emory Osborne, Daniel Hewson, William How, Lansingh Briggs. 1852.— Adam Miller, Henry Underwood, William How, Terence J. Kennedy. 1853. — Adam Miller, Henry Underwood, Charles T. Ferris, John S. Clary. 1854. — Adam Miller, Henry Underwood, Charles T. Ferris, John S. Claiy. 1855.— Silas W. Arnett, John A. Dodge, Charles N. Tattle, C. S. Trowbridge. 1856.— Harvey Wilson, Charles C. Dwight, David L. Dodge, C. S. Trowbridge. 1857.— Delos M. Keeler, Charles C. Dwight, Charles G. Briggs, Stephen S. Austin. 1858.— Adam Miller, Charles C. Dwight, Charles G. Briggs, Samuel Lock wood. 1859. — Adam Miller, John Olmsted, William Hills, Samuel Lockwood. I860.— Adam Miller, C. W. Boyce, Wm. Miller, C. Eugene Barber. 1861.— Adam Miller, Wm. P. Robinson, William E. Hughitt, C. Eugene Barber. 1862. —Adam Miller, Wm. P. Robinson, Wm. E. Hughitt, C. Eugene Barber. 1863.— Adam Miller, Daniel Hewson, Wm. J. Moses, Myron Cowell. 1864. — Adam Miller, Daniel Hewson, Wm. J. Moses, MjTon Cowell. 1865. — John M. Hurd, Daniel Hewson, E. A. Tliomas, Myron Cowell. 1866.— John M. Hurd, Daniel Hewson, E. A. Thomas, David W. Barnes. 1867.— E. C. Selover, Daniel Hewson, John T. Baker, David W. Barnes. 1868.— Rol- lin Tracey, Richard C. Steel, John T. Baker, Gordon S. Fanning, 1869.— Rollin Tracey, Richard C. Steel, John T. Baker, Gordon S. Fanning.
INSPECTORS OF AUBURN PRISON.
The first Board of Inspectors of tlie Auburn Prison was appointed by law April 20th, 1818. By an act of the Legislature, passed April 2d, 1819, the Governor and the Council of Appointment were authorized to appoint the inspectors. The power of appointment 31
514: HISTORY OF AUBURN. *
was vested in the Governor and Senate A]>ri] lOtli, 1823 Inasmuch as the Inspectors of State prisons have been chosen from the State at large since the revision of tlie State Constitution, in 1845, the list of inspectors since that date loses its local interest, and is here omitted.
BeDJamin Ashby, Feb. 7, 1840; Jolm H. Beach, April 20, 1818 ; Samuel Brown, March 2, 1843 ; Artemas Cady, April IG, 1822 ; George Casey, April 20, 1818 ; Samuel Cumpston, Feb. 13, 1821 ; Robert Cook, April 23, 1839 ; Seneca B. Dennis, April 10, 1838 ; Ulysses F. Doubleday, Feb. 25, 1838 ; Charles D. Fitch, May 3, 1845 ; Peter G. Fosdick, Feb. 7, 1840 ; James Glover, April 20, 1818 ; John Garrow, Feb. 25, 1834 ; Samuel Gilmore, May 3, 1845 ; Stephen A. Goodwin, March 2, 1843 ; John H. Hardenburgh, March 28, 1828 ; Joshua Haskins, Apr. 10, 1838 ; Horace Hills, Feb. 13, 1821 ; March 13, 1824 ; Apr. 3, 1830 ; Apr. 6, 1832 ; Hai-vey Hinman, Apr. 6, 1832 ; Thos. Y. Howe, Jr., Feb. 25, 1834 ; Ellery A. Howland, Feb. 7, 1840 ; Henry Ivison, Jr., April 18, 1840 ; Freeborn G. Jewett, April 10, 1838; Archy Kasson, April 20, 1818 '; Lounsbury Willet, April 10, 1838 ; Harvey Lyon, Feb. 7, 1840 ; Elijah Miller, April 20, 1818 ; Michael S. Myers, March 2, 1843 ; William H. Noble, March 2, 1843 . Eleazer R. Palmer, May 3, 1845 ; Gershom Pow- ers, Feb. IS, 1821 ; April 2, 1830 ; Henry Polhemus, May 8, 1839 ; John Porter, April 6, 1832 ; Joseph L. Richardson, April 10, 1838 ; Woodin Rice, March 13, 1824 ; April 16, 1827 ; Luman Sherwood, May 3, 1845 ; Bradley Tuttle, April 6, 1832 ; Feb. 25, 1834 ; Ho- ratio Van Dusen, April 10, 1838 ; Walter Weed, Feb. 13, 1821 ; March 13,1824; April 16, 1827 ; April 2,1830; Elijah Wheeler, March 2, 1843; Ezekiel Williams, Feb. 13, 1821 ; March 13, 1824 ; April 16, 1827 ; April 24, 1830 ; April 6, 1832 ; Feb. 25, 1834 ; Jared Wilson, May 10, 1845.
\GENTS OF AUBURN PRISON. William Brittin, April, 1818; Capt. Elam Lynds, February,
■ <1VIL LI^T. 515
1822 ; Richtiid Goodell, — , 182.J ; lion. Oershoni Powt-is, — , 18--3G ; Col. Levi Lewis, November, 1829 ; John Garrow, June, lyiJC ; Capt. Elam Lynds, May, 1838 ; Dr. Xoyes Palmer, June, 18:30 ; Henry Polbemus, — , 1841 ; John Beardsle}'', March, 1843 ; Russell Chappell, July, 1845; Abraham Gridley, January, 1848; Henry Underwood, January, 1840 ; Benjamin Ashby, March, 1850; Col. Chas. W. Pomeroy, April, 1851 ; Col. Levi Lewis, May, 1854 ; Thomas Kirkpatrick, January, 1860 ; David B. McNeil, January, 1864; John H. Conklin, February, 1865; Morgan Augsbury, Au- gust, 1866 ; A. G. Salisbury, — , 1868; Allen Ross, January, 18f;!(.
TRUSTEES OF THIO AlBUKN THEOLOGICAL SlOMLXAin.
1820. — John Linklaeu,* Glen Cnyler,* Rev. Hering Davis,* David Hyde,* Thaddeus Edwards,* Henry McNeil, Rev. Levi Parsons,* Rev. Benj.B. Stockton,* Rev. Dirck C. Lansing, D. D . * Rev. William Wisner, D. D., * Rev. Henry Axtell, D. D.,* liev. Ebenezer Fitch, D. D., * Rev. David Higgins,* Rev. Seth Smith,* William Brown.* 1821.— Bradley Tuttle,* Col. Samuel Bellamy,* Hon. Nathaniel W. Howell.* 1822.— Hon. John H. Beach.* 1823:— Eleazer Hills.* 1825.— Henry Dwight.* 1828.— Horace Hills. 1829. — Rev. Henry P. Strong,* James S. Seymour, Hon. Hiram F. Mather. 1830.— T. ]\Iarshall. 1832.— Rev. Josiah IL)p- kins, D. D. 1833.— Rev. John Keep, Hon. S. M. Hopkins, LL. D.* 1834.— Hon. John Porter, Hon. Gerritt Smith, ]k*v. Sereno E. Dwight, D. D.* 1835.— Abi.jah Fitch. 1838.— Rev. Miles P. Squier, D. D., * Jabez Goodell,* Nathan Munro.* 1839.— Rev. L. E. Lathrop, D. D., * Rev. Washington Thatcher.* 1840.— Rev. Simeon North, LL. D., Richard Steel. 1841.— Azariah Smith, Simeon Benjamin. 1842.— Aristarchus Champion. 1843.— Hon. Asher Sampson.* 1845. — Benjamin B. Johnson, John .J. Knox. 1846.— Hon. Abner Ilollister,* Sylvester Willard. 1848.— Hiram H. Seelye,* Hon. Elijah Rhodes.* 1849.— Rev. Willlani H. Spencer * Rev. Samuel Gridley, D. D. 1851.— Rev. Timotliy
*Since deceased.
516 III^TOUY OF AUBUKN.
Stillman, D. D., Rev. P. H. Fowler, D. D. 1852.— Rev. R W. Condit, D. D. 18o4.— Alfred Cobb. 1855.— Rev. Henry Kendall, Albert T. Chester, D. D., Hon. Frederic T. Starr. 1857.— NicoU H. Deering, M. D. 1858.— Rev. J. B. bhaw, D. D., Rev. A. W. Cowles, D. D. I860.— S. W. Fisher, D. D. 1803.— John Fisher, Esq.,of Batavia, Rev. W. C. Wisner.f 1865. — Rev. Levi Parsons,:|: Mount Morris.
THE SHEUIFFS OF CAYUGA COUNTY.
Sheriffs were originally appointed every year by the Council of Appointment. No person could hold the office more than four successive years, nor could he hold any other office at the same time. It must be borne in mind that previous to March 8th, 1799, the present County of Cayuga formed part of the old County of Onondaga.
Onondaga County. — John Harris, appointed March 14, 1794 ; Abiather Hull. February 9, 1796 ; Comfort Tyler, February 17, 1798.
Cayuga County. — Joseph Ammin, appointed March 14, 1799 ; Peter Hughes, August 10, 1801 ; Solomon^Buell,^January 13, 1804; Jacob S. C. DeWitt, March 13, 1806; Jonathan Richmond, Feb- ruary 24, 1808 ; Zenas Goodrich, February 11, 1812 ; Charles H. Morrell, March 3, 1813 ; Nathaniel Garrow, ^February 28, 1815 ; Archibald Green, February 13, 1819 ; Nathaniel Garrow, Feb- ruary 12, 1821.
Since 1821 sheriffs have been elected for a term of three years, and are ineligible to tlie same office for the term next succeeding.
t Vice father, resigned.
t Son of the original Tnietee, Rev. Levi Pardons.
CIVIL LIS']'. 517
Nathaniel Garrow, elected Novemher, 1S33; Archibald Green, November, 1825 ; Peleg Gallup, November, 1828 ; Peter Langer, November, 1831 ; Warren Parsons, November, 1834; George II. (Jarr,* March 30, 1838 ; Hiram Rathbun, November, 1838 ; George H. Carr, November, 1841 ; Augustus Petlibone, November, 1844 ; Joseph P. Swift, November, 1847 ; Stephen Fancher, November, 1850; John S. Knapp,t December, 1853 ; John S. Knapp, Novem- ber, 1853.; Edwin B. Hoskins, November, 1856; Daniel D. Buck, November, 1859 ; James Mead, November, 1802 ; Sydney Mead, November, 1865 ; John E. Saverj'-, November, 1808.
TUK CLEliKS OF CAYUGA COU^'TY.
According to the act of February 12tli, 1796, it wari declared to be the diitv of the County Clerk to keep the County Records, and act as Clerk of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas. In 1821, his term of office was fixed at three years, and his seal declared to be tlie seal of the Court of Common Pleas; and, in 1847, the County Clerks were declared to be Clerks of the Su- preme Court, and their seals the seals of the Supreme Court.
Onondaga County.— Benjamin Ledyard, appointed March 14, 1794.
Cayuga County. — Benjamin Ledyard, appointed ]March 14, 1799 ; Peter Hughes, January 3, 1804 ; Enos T. '1 hroop, February 5, 1811; Elijah Miller, February 26, 1813; Enos T. Throop, February 13, 1815 ; James Glover, March 2, 1819 ; George B. Throop, February 14, 1821 ; George B. Throop, November — , 1822; Abraham Gridley, November —, 1825 ; Michael S. Myers, November — , 1828 ; Wm. Richardson, November — , 1837 ; Philip
• Vice Pardons deceased. t Vice T'ancher deceased.
518 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
Van Arsdale, November — , 184o ; Ebeuezer B. Cobb, November — , 1846 ; Edwin B. Marvin, November — , 1852 ; Benjamin B. Snow, November — , 1858 ; John S. Laneliart, November — , 1854.
DISTRICT A'rrORNEYS.
Tlie office of District Attorney was created April 4tli, 1801, at which tune the State was divided into seven districts. The Seventh District inckided the Counties of Cayuga, Onondaga, Ontario, Steuben, Tio- ga, Alleghany from 1806, Broome from 1806, Seneca from 1804, Genesee from 1802, Chatauqua and Ni- agara from 1808, and Cattaraugus from 1808. A law passed the 21st of April, 1818, made each county a district. From 1821 to 1817, the attorneys were appointed by the Court of General Sessions in each county. Since 1817 tliey have been elected triennially.
William Stuart, appointed March 2, 1802 ; Daniel W. Lewis, March 9, 1810 ; William Stuart, February 12, 1811 ; Vincent Mat- thew, March 12, 1813: Daniel Conger, April 17, 1815; Joseph L. liichardson, June 11, 1818 ; John Porter, February 14, 1821 ; Theo- dore Spencer, — 14, 1828 ; Richard L. Smith, January 21, 1832; Michael S. Myers, January 25, 1838 ; Dennison Robinson, January 27, 1841 ; Luman Sherwood, June 3, 1844 ; Ebenezer W\ Ames, January — , 1847 . Theodore M. Pomerpy, November — , 1850 ; Solomon Giles, November — , 1856 ; George I. Post, November — , 1859 : Richard C. Steel, November --, 1862 ; William B. Mills, November — , 1867.
J U D I C 1 A n Y .
SUKROGATES.
In 1787 tlie appointment of surrogates was author-
CIVIL LIST. 519
ized in every county by the council of appointment. There was an appeal from their decisions to the Judge and Courts of Probates, who also held jurisdiction in cases of decease out of the State, or of non-residents within the State. This court was abolished March 21, 1823. Under the constitution of 1821, the Surrogates were appointed for four years by the Governor and Senate. Appeals from their decisions were then made to tlie Chancellor. The office of surrogate was made elective in 181:0, though it was abolished in counties having a population exceeding 40,000, in which cases the duties were performed by tlie County Judge.
ONONDAGA SUKKOGATES.
Moses DeWitt, appointed March 14, 1794 ; Thomas Mumford, Oct. 1, 1797.
CAYUGA SURROGATES. Glen Cuj^ler, appointed March 14, 1799 ; Eleazer Burnham, Feb- ruary 5, 1811 ; Glen Cuyler, February 26, 1813 ; Eleazer Bui-nham, Feb. 28, 1815 ; Seneca Wood, June 7, 1820 ; Benj. L. Cuyler, Feb- ruary 14, 1821 ; John Porter, March 12, 1828 ; Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., March 18, 1836 ; George H. Wood, April 14, 1840; Charles B. Perry, February 15, 1844 ; Jacob R. How, June, 1847 ; William i>. Woodiu, November, 1859.
SPECIAL SURROGATES.
Tlie constitution of 181:6 authorized the Legislature, u})on the a[)plication of a Board of Supervisors, to pro- vide for the election of not exceeding two olHcers in
520 HISTOKY OF AUBCEN.
any one county, to perforin the duties of Surrogate and County Judge in case of inability to act or vacancy.
Solomon Giles, elected November, 1852 ; Campbell W. Haynes, November, 1855 ; John S. M. Davie, November, 1861 ; John S. M. Davie, November, 18G4.
FIRST JUDGES.
Uuder the tlr^t constitution the number of judges and assistant justices in different counties varied great- ly. March 27th, 1818, the number was limited to five. By the revised constitution of 1S21, the first judges were appointed by the Governor and Senate for a term of five years.
Seth Phelps, appointed March 14, 1794 ; Walter Wood, Febru- ary 26, 1810; Elijah Miller, March 13, 1817; Gershom Powers, January 31, 1823 ; Jos. L. Richardson, January 8, 1827.
COUNTY JUDGES.
The constitution of 1846 made the ofhce of county judge elective, and his term of office four years.
John P. Hulbert, elected June, 1847 ; George Humphreys, No- vember, 1851 ; Charles C. Dvvight, November, 1859 ; William Hughitt, November, 1863.
SPECIAL JUDGES.
The constitution of 1846 authorized the Legislature, mpon the application of a Board of Supervisors, to pro- vide for the election of not exceeding two officers in anyone county, to perform the duties of County Judge and Surrogate in case of inability to act or vacancy.
Charles J. Hulbert, elected November, 1852 ; Fayette G. Day, JSTovember, 1857 ; Amzi Wood, November, 1863.
CIVIL LIST. 521
L E G I S L A T U R E.
SENATORIAL DISTRICTS.
Under the first constitution, the State Senate con- sisted of twentj-fonr members, apportioned among four great districts. Members were chosen for tlie pe- riod of four years cacli. After the fir^t election they were so divided that the term of six members expired every year. An additional Senator was aUowed each district, when its census showed an increase of its elec- tors of one twenty-fourth. The census of 1797 made the number forty-three; but in ISOl, it was fixed at thirty-two. The County of Cayuga was included in what was called the Western District. So extensive was this district, that of all its members, elected pre- vious to 1821, but two or three were from this County. The list up to that date, therefore, possevsses little or no local interest.
The constitution of 1821 divided the State into eight senatorial districts, each having four Senators. One Senator was elected every year, and his term of oflace was four years. The Seventh District comprised the counties of Cayuga, Onondaga, Ontario, and Sen- eca. To these were added, Yates, Feb. 5th, 1823 : Wayne, Aju-il 1 1th, 1823 : and Cortland, May 23, 1836.
SENATORS.
1823.— Silas Bowkcr, Bryan Green, Jesse Clark, Jonas Earll, Jr. 1824.— Silas Bowker, Bryan Green, Jesse Clark, Jedediah
522 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
Morgan. 1825.— Jesse Clark, Jeclediah Morgan, Jonas Earll, Jr., John C. Spencer. 1826.— Jonas Earll, Jr., Jedediah Morgan, John C. Spencer, Truman Hart. 1827.— Victory Birdseye, John C. Spencer, Truman Hart, William M. Oliver. 1828.— John C. Spen- cer, Truman Hart, William M. Oliver, George B. Throop. 1829.— Truman Hart, William M. Oliver, George B. Throop, Hiram F. Mather. 1830.— William M. Oliver, George B. Throop, Hiram F. Mather, Thomas Armstrong. 1831.— George B. Throop, Hiram F. Mather, Thomas Armstrong, William H. Seward. 1832.— Hi- ram F. Mather, Thomas Armstrong, William H. Seward, Jehiel H. Halsey. 1833. — Thomas Armstrong, William H. Seward, Je- hiel H. Halsey, Samuel L. Edwards. 1834.— William H. Seward, Jehiel H. Halsey, Samuel L. Edwards, Thomas Armstrong. 1835. — Jehiel H. Halsey, Samuel L. Edwards, Thomas Armstrong, Chester Loomis. 1836. — Samuel L. Edwards, Thomas Armstrong, Cliester Loomis, John Beardsley. 1837. — Thomas Armstrong, Chester Loomis, John Beardsley, Samuel L. Edwards. 1838. — Chester Loomis, John Beardsley, Samuel L. Edwards, John May- nard. 1839.— John Beardsley, Samuel L. Edwards, John May- nard, Robert C. Nicholas. 1840. — John Maynard, Samuel L. Ed- wards, Robert C. Nicholas, Mark H. Sibley. 1841.— John May- nard, Robert C. Nicholas, Mark H. Sibley, Elijah Rhoades. 1842 — Robert C. Nicholas, Elijah Rhoades, Lyman Sherwood, William Bartlet. 1843.— Lyman Sherwood, Elijah Rhoades, William Bart- let^ John Forter. 1844.— Elijah Rhoades, William Bartlet, John Porter, Albert Lester. 1845.— William Bartlet, John Porter, Al- bert Lester, Henry J. Sedgwick. 1848.— John Porter, Albert Les- ter, Henry J. Sedgwick, Richard H. Williams. 1847.— Albert Lester, Henry J. Sedgwick, Richard H. Williams, Abraham Grid- ley.
The constitution of 184:7 made thirty-two senatorial districts, in which one member was elected every other year for si term of two years. At first Caynga and
civn. LIST. 523
AVayiie Counties constituted the Twenty- Fourth. Dis- trict^ but in 1867 it was changed to Twenty- Fifth.
Wm. J. Corawell, 1847 ; AYilliam Beach, 1849-1851 ; William Clark, 1853; Samuel C. Cuyler, 1855; Alex. B. Williams, 1857- 1859 ; Channcey M. Abbott, 1861 ; Stephen K. Williams, 1863, 1865, 1867.
MEMBERS OF ASSE^IUL^'.
The asseniljly has always been cliosen annually. It consisted at first of seventy members, witli the power t<» increase one with every one-seventieth increase of tlie number of electors, until it should reach three hun- dred. When the constitution was amended in 1801, the number had reached one hundred and eiirht, but was reduced to one hundred, with a provision that it should be increased after each septennial census, at the rate of two annually, until the numl)er reached one hundred and fifty. In 1821 the number of members was fixed at one huufb'ed and twentv-eiii^ht. Owdnoc to the several divisions of the county, and to the occasional re-ap])ortionments, the representation of Cayuga has varied at times from one to four members. At present Cayuga County sends two members to the Assembly.
ONONDAGA. 1797.— Silas Halsey, Comfort Tyler. 1798.— Sihis Halsey, Com- fort Tyler. 1799.— Edwurd Paine, Jolin Richardson.
** CAYUrJA.
1800.— Silas Halsey. 1801.— Silas Halsey. 1802.— Salmon Buell. 1803.— Salmon Buell, Silas Halsey, Tliomas Hewitt. 1804.— Silas Halsey, Thomas Hewitt, Amos llathbiin. 1805.— John Orover.
52i HISTORY OF Aunuux.
Jr., Amos Ratlibun. 180G. — John Grover, Jr., Amos Ratlibun. 1807.— John Grover, Jr., Atnos Ratlibun. 1808.— Elijah Price, Richard Townley. 1809. — Henry Bloom, Ebeiiezer Hewitt, Chas. Kellogg. 1810.— Henry Bloom, Charles Kellogg, Stephen Close. 1811.— Stephen Close, Ebenezer Hewitt, Elisha Durkee, 1812.— Stephen Close, Humphrey Howland, Thos. Ludlow. 18153. — Wm C. Bennett, Thomas Ludlow, Wm. Satlerlee. 1814.— William C. Bennett, William Satterlee, Silas Bowker. 1815. — John H. Beach Silas Bowker, Barnabas Smith. 1816.— John H. Beach, John Brown, Jr., John McFadden, Barnabas Smith. 1817. — John H. Beach, John Brown, Jr., John McFadden, Rowland Day. 1818. —William Clark, 2d, Thatcher L Ferris, Isaac Smith. 1819.— William Allen, Elijah Devoe, Henry Polhemus. 1820. — William Allen, Samuel Dill,. John Haring. 1821. — John Haring, Charles Kellogg, Henry Polhemus. 1822.— Samuel Dill, Charles Kellogg, Ephraim C. Marsh. 1823. — Josiah Bevier, Elijah Drake, John Jackway, John O'Hara. 1824. — Josiah Bevier, Silas Bowker, Asahel Fitch, Augustus F. Ferris. 1825.— Elijah Devoe, Roswell Enos, John W. Hulbert, Ephraim C. Marsh. 1826.— Eleazer Burnham, Aaron Dennis, Thatcher I. Ferris, Campbell Waldo. 1827.— James Kenyon, Gardner Kortright, Andrew Preston, Peter Yawger. 1828. — Henry R. Brinkerhoff, Philo Sperry, Gardner, Kortright, William H. Noble. 1829.— Henry R. Brinkerhoff, William H. Noble, Wing Taber, Ephraim Hammond. 1830.— Ephraim Hammond, Solomon Love, William H. Noble, Richard L. Smith. 1831. — Solomon Love, Elias Manchester, George S. Tilford, Peter Yawger. 1832. -John Beardsley, George H. Brin- kerhoff, John W. Sawder, George S. Tilford. 1833.— John Beards- ley, George H. Brinkerhoff, John W. Sawyer, Simon Lathrop. 1834, — Dennis Arnold, Cornelius Cuykendall, Andrew Groom, Noj'-es Palmer. 1835. — Cornelius Cuykendall|^ Andrew Groom, Noyes Palmer, Andrews Preston. 1836. — Dennis Arnold, Charles E. Shepard, Richard L. Smith, William Wilbur. 1837.— Curtis C. Cady, Charles E. Shepard, William Wilbur. 1838.— Henry R.
CIVIL LIST. 525
Filley, Is-iac S. Miller, Nathan G. Morgan. 1839.— Nathan G. Morgan, Henry R. Filley, John 3IcIntosh. 1840. — Artemus Cady, John W. McFatlden, Andrews Preston. 1841. — Darius Adams, Osman Rhoadcs, John W. ^McFadden. 1842.— Jolin L. Cuyler, Vincent Kenyon, Alvarez Tapper. 184o.— Vincenl Kenyon, Al- fred Lyon, Darius Monroe. 1844. — A.shbel Aveiy, Benj. F. Hall, Robert Uume. 184-5. — David Gould, Leonard Searing, Wni. Titus. 1846.— Samuel Bell, Wm. J. Cornwall, John S. Ratlibun. 1847.— Samuel Bell, Wm. J. Cornwell, John S. Rathbun. 1848.— Ebene- zer Curtis, John I. Brinkerhoff, Hector C. Tuthill. 1849.— Jame& D. Button, John L Brinkerhoff, Hector C. Tuthill. 1850.— Hiram Coon, John Richardson, Ashbel Avery. 1851. — Levi Colvin, Geo. Underwood, Delos Bradley. 1852.— William Hayden, George Underwood, Delos Bradley. 1853. — William Hayden, Terence J. Kenned}', Mathias Hutchinson. 1854. — Justus Townsend, Mosely Hutchinson, Mathias Hutchinson. 1855. — Moore Conger, David L. Dodge, William B. Woodin. 1856. — Sordis Dudley, Leonard Simons, Tolbert Powers. 1857. — James J. Owen, Theodore M. Pomeroy, Hiram Tifft. 1858.— David B. Baldwin, Chauucey M. Abbott. 1859.— William W. Payne, Chauncey M. Abbott. 1860. —William W. Payne, Allen D. Morgan. 1861.— Heman Benton, Smith Anthony. 1862. — William A. Halsey, Smith Anthony. 1868.— George I. Post, Wm. P. Robinson. 1864.— Benjamin M. Close, Wm. P. Robinson. — 1865. — Benjamin M. Close, John L. Parker. 1866.— Homer N. Lockwood, John L. Parker. 1867.— Homer N. Lockwood, John L. Parker. 1868.— Charles H. Weed, Sanford Gifford. 1869.— Charles H. Weed, Sanford Gifford.
DKLKdATKS TO CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS.
Tlie first constitutional convention was held at Al- bany, October 13-2Tth, ISO]. The delcijjate to this convention from Cayuo;a County was the Member of Assembly, Silas Ilalsey.
526 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
The constitutional convention of 1821 assembled at Albany, August 28tli, and adjourned ]N"ovember lOtli. The County of Cayuga sent three delegates to this Convention. The delegate whose name is marked thus (j^) did not sign the constitution.
David Briukerhoff, Rowland Day, * Augustus F. Ferris.
Agreeably to tlie expression of popular will in the election of November 6th, 181:5, an act was passed by the Legislature, April 22d, 1846, calling the third constitutional convention, which met accordingly, June 1st, and adjourned November 9th, 1846. To this con- vention also Cayuga County sent three delegates, viz :
Daniel JoLn Shaw, Elisha W. Sheldon, Peter Yawger.
The question of holding a fourtli constitutional convention having been submitted to the people of the State of New York November 6th, 1866, and de- cided in the affirmative, the said convention was called in the usual manner, viz : by a special act of the Legislature, passed March 29th, 1867 ; and met at Albany, June 3d, 1867, and adjourned sine die, in February, 1868, witliout completing its work. As in former cases, Cayuga County sent one delegate from each of its assembly districts.
Hon. Charles C. Dwight, Hon. George Rathbim. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS.
The Federal Constitution provides that the Presi- dent and Vice-President shall be chosen by elect( r ^
CIVIL LIST. 527
appointed in sncli manner as tlie Legislatures of the respective States shall direct, and the number shall be equal to the number of senators and representatives. In accordance with an act passed April 12th, 1792, the electors from this State were, till 1S25, ap])ointed by the Legislature itself The names only of elector re- siding in and re]n"esenting Cayuga County are given.
1812.— Jotham Jayue. 1816.— Richard Townley. IS'M.— Elea- zer Burnham.
Since March 15th, 1825, electors have been chosen, one from each Congressional District and two at large, by a general ticket, o]\ the Tuesday next after the tirst Monday in Xovember.
1828.— Asaph Strong. 1832.— Seth Thomas. 1832.— Nathaniel GaiTOw.* 1836.— Peleg Slade. 1840.— Albert Crane. 1844.— Daniel Hibbard. 1848.— Stephen Fancher. 1852.— William V. Beardsley. 1856.— Eleazer Burnham. I860.— William Van Mar- ter. 1864.— John E. Seeley. 1868.— Hector C. Tuthill.
REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS.
The Constitution of the United States directs that a census be taken eveiy ten years, and that after each enumeration Congress shall apportion the representa- tion among the several States. As soon as practicable, after each apportionment, the Legislature divide the State into Congressional Districts. The divisions, dates thereof, and numbers of the Districts in which Cayuga County has been involved, are set tbrth in the foUowiiior table.
o
* Elector at large.
628 HJiSTuRT OF AUBUKN.
March 28, 1797. — Cayuga (1799), Onondaga, Ontario, Steuben, and Tioga Counties, district No. 10.
March 30, 1802.— Cayuga, Genesee, Ontario, Steuben, No. 17.
March 20, 1804. — Alleghany (1806), Cayuga, Genesee, Ontario, Steuben, No. 17.
March 8, 1806.— Cayuga, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, No. 14.
June 1, 1812,— (two members), Cayuga, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins (1817), No. 20.
April 17, 1822.— Cayuga, No. 24.
September 6, 1842.— Cayuga, Cortland, No. 25.
July 19, 1851.— Cayuga, Wayne, No. 25.
April 23, 1862.— Cayuga, Seneca, Wayne, No. 24.
Representatives hold their office two years. Each new congress commences on the 4th of March every odd year. The election in this State is held on the general election day preceding.
1797.— Hezekiah L. Hosmer. 1799.— William Cooper. 1801.— Thomas Morris. 1803.— Oliver Phelps. 1805.— Silas Halsey. 1807. -John Harris. 1809.— Vincent Matthew. 1811.— Daniel Avery. 1813. — Daniel Avery, Oliver C. Comstock. 1815. — Enos T. Throop, Oliver C. Comstock. 1817.— Daniel Cruger, Oliver C. Comstock. 1819. — Caleb Baker, Jonathan Richmond. 1821. — David Woodcock. 1823.— Rowland Day. 1825.— Charles Kel- logg. 1827.— Nathaniel Garrow. 1829.— Gershom Powers. 1831. Ulysses F. Doubleday. 1833.— Rowland Day. 1835.— Ulysses F. Doubleday. 1837.— William H. Noble. 1839.— Christopher Mor- gan. 1841. — Christopher Morgan. 1843. — George Rathbun. 1845. — George Rathbun. 1847.— Harmon S. Conger. 1849. — Harmon 8. Conger. 1851.— Thomas Y. Howe, Jr. 1853.— Edwin B. Mor- gan. 1855.— Edwin B. Morgan. 1856.— Edwin B. Morgan. 1859. —Martin Butterfield. 1861.— Theodore M. Pomeroy. 1863.— Theodore M. Pomeroy. 1865.— Theodore M. Pomeroy. 1867. — Theodore M. Pomeroy. 1869, — George W. Cowles.
BIOGRAPHIES. 529
CHAPTER X.
BIOGRAPHIES OF CITIZENS OF ALBURN.
Hon. AVilliajm Henry Seward was born in the town of Florida, Orange County, ]S"ew York, May 16th, ISOl. His fondness for learning and his earnest perseverance while young, obtained for him a superior education. He attended several schools in the vicinity of his father's residence, until he was nine years of age, at which time he was sent to the Farmers' Hall Academy, at Goshen. At this school, which already boasted of having had Daniel Webster and Aaron Burr for pupils, and at an academy afterwards estab- lished in Florida, he pursued his studies till the year 1816. He then applied for admission to Union Col- lege, Schenectady, and, though qualified for the Junior class, was induced to enter as Sophomore. His col- leo;e career was brilliant. His favorite studies were rhetoric, moral philosophy, and the ancient classics ; and as a general rule he rose early in the morning to prepare his lessons for the ensuing day. Six months of his Senior year, 1819, he spent in the Southern States as a teacher; and the scenes of cruelty and wretchedness he beheld while there wrought into his character that strong hostility to every form of op- 32
530 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
pression, that has ever marked his public career. He was graduated from college with great distinction at the age of nineteen. Shortly after taking his degree, he applied himself to the study of law, and was ad- mitted to the bar of the Supreme Court, at TJtica, in 1822.
In January, 1823, he took up his residence at Au- burn, and formed a business connection with Hon. Elijah Miller, a distinguished member of the legal profession, and at that time First Judge of Cayuga County. The following year Mr. Seward married Frances Adeline, daughter of Judge Miller. Mr. Seward met with several formidable competitors at the Auburn bar in the early part of his practice ; but their superiority, instead of discouraging him, only roused him to emulation ; and by his talent, rigid self-discipline, and habits of industry, he soon raised himself to a station held only by the first lawyers of the Union.
Mr. Seward presided over the memorable Young Men's Convention, held at Utica, August 12th, 1828, and performed the duties of his position with remarka- ble dignity, courtesy and decision. The Anti-Masonic party having, in 1830, nominated him Senator for the 7th district, he w^as elected by a handsome majority, notwithstanding that the district had the previous year given a heavy Jackson majority. About the 1st of June, 1833, he set out for a trip through Europe, in
BIOGRAPHIES. 531
company with his father. During tiiis trip he con- tributed letters of foreign travel to the Albany Evening Journal. lie returned in time to take his seat in the Senate for the session of 1834. In the fall of this year he was nominated by the Whigs to the Governor- ship of New York, but failed to be elected.
Mr. Seward has always been liberal in his religious views, cherishing a strong attachment for the Protest- ant Episcopal Church. He united with this church at St. Peter's, Auburn, in the year 1837.
Being once more nominated Governor in 1838, he was, in a closely-contested campaign, triumphantly elected ; and upon the expiration of his term, in 1840, he was returned to the office. When he withdrew from the gubernatorial chair, in 1843, he devoted him- self to the practice of his profession, and continued the same with distinction for the six ensuing years. The legislature chose Governor Seward IT. S. Senator in 1849, in the place of Hon., now General John A. Dix, whose term was about expiring. He remained in the Senate twelve years, being re-elected in 1855. In the spring of 1858 he undertook a journey to and tlirough Palestine, returning early in 1850. When President Lincoln formed his cabinet in 1861, he called Governor Seward to the charge of the State Depart- ment, retaining him in that position upon his re-elec- tion in 1865. On the night of the 14th of April, 1865, when the lamented Lincoln wa,s assassinated, an at-
532 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
tempt Avas also made upon Secretary Seward's life^ which ahnost proved successful. But a gracious Prov- idence spared him to the nation, and for four years more he administered the affairs of the State Depart- ment with that faithfulness and ability which has ever marked his career while in the service of the country. He has, therefore, performed the duties of his office, not only with greater distinction and success, but for a longer period than any former premier of this nation. Secretary Seward's career of nearly fifty years as a citizen, member of the legal profession, and a public man, has been that of a talented, public-spirited Christian. In private life, he has always been known as affectionate, generous, and enterprising. He w^as one of the founders of the Auburn and Owasco Canal project, in 1827, and at the laying of the corner- stone of the canal dam, in 1835, he delivered an ora- tion, which is given in an earlier part of this work. He took a leading part in all the entei-prises of the day for many years, the Auburn Woolen Company in 1845, among the others. In 1857, he donated to the city land for a highway, from Owasco Street to the creek, and from the creek to Mechanic Street, a short dis- tance above^the big dam, on condition of the city build- ing a bridge across the stream at that point. He gave his further support to the measure, and addressed the common council in furtherance of the project. A novel sight, indeed ; Senator of the United^[States of
liKKrKAPHIES. 533
America, })leadiiig before the coiuiuuii cuiiiicil of this little city for public improvement. To his success in the matter the red bridge now testifies. The honor and esteem in wliich he is held by liis fellow-citizens were demonstrated by the reception tliey *i:ave him on his return from the Holy Land in 1859. The popula- tion of the city and country round turned out en masi<e / immense arches, decked with evergreens and flowers, were erected in various ])laces between the \X. Tl. depot and his residence; cannon fired and bells rung ; a dep- utation of citizens waited upon Governor Seward on ids arrival and escorted him to the house ; bands of music attended, the crowds cheered vociferously, and waved their handkerchiefs, and a hundred or more lads thronged round the Governor's carriage with ban- ners inscribed : " God bless Governor Seward," " Wel- come home, Governor Seward," ''Long live Governor Seward." This was the greatest ovation Auburn ever tendered one of her own citizens. They would have again met him with a reception on his late return from Washington, had he not absolutely declined it. His fellow- citizens -showed their high appreciation of his comprehension, judgment and foresight, by besieging him, u])on his every return from Washington during the the war, for a speech — an exposition of the issues c>f the hour.
During the comparatively few years of his pro- fessional practice, Mr. Seward distinguished himself
534 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
as one of the ablest lawyers of the United States. Hostility to oppression and love of liberty and jus- tice were leading traits of his character. As a pro- fessional rule he gave his assistance to the weaker party, and never but once took sides against the accused. His peculiar aptitude for mechanical and scientific subjects obtained him a large and lucra- tive practice in patent cases. But what was alone sufficient to render Mr. Seward's name illustrious was the part he took in the famous trials of Wyatt and Freeman. In 1845, one Wyatt, a convict at the State prison, was indicted for the murder of a fellows-convict. • The day before the trial, Wyatt called upon Mr. Seward for help, and he under- took Wyatt's defense. The case was evidently one of moral insanity, and Mr. Seward at his own expense summoned many capable witnesses, that the case might be fairly presented to the jury. After an exciting trial the jury disagreed. Before a second trial, a released negro convict, William Freeman by name, committed one of the most atrocious murders recorded in the annals of crime — that of a whole family in cold blood. Upon his capture^ which was immediate, he acknowledged his guilt with idiotic indifference and irrepressible shouts of laughter. The public was fearfully excited by this crime. It was with the greatest difficulty that Freeman was protected from their hands. The
BIOGRAPHIES. OdO
Governor uf the State, Hon. Silas Wright, ordered a special term of court for the trials of Wyatt and Freeman. In the case of Wyatt, jurors were chosen who owned to having formed an opinion ; and, as might liave been expected, the prisoner was found guilty and sentenced to death, Mr. Seward spent upon this case four weeks of hard labor without the slightest pecuniary compensation, but rather at considerable private expense. Tlie trial of B'reeman now came on.
Public excitement was raised to the highest degree of intensity. No other cause being apparent for the commission of his crime, the people believed it to be that he had heard Mr. Seward's argument in the lirst trial of Wyatt, and was impressed with some idea of the irresponsibility of one who is insane. When the indictment was read to the pris- oner, and he was asked whether or no he was guilty, he replied with a stupidity that astonished even those who wished his death. After the court had asked if he had counsel, a death-like stillness reigned for a moment, aud then Mv. Seward stepped for- ward and volunteered to defend him. In bar of a trial he oifered the plea of insanity, and the trial was directed to proceed on this question. A jury was drawn under circumstances similar to that by which Wyatt was tried. David Wright, Esq., vol- unteered to assist in the defense. Attorney-General
536 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
Martin Van Bureii conducted the prosecution. For two weeks Mr. Seward contested the sanity of Freeman with such energy and perseverance as to draw plaudits from his most violent opponents. When the case was submitted to the jury, eleven decided he was guilty, but one that he was not. The court, with that irregularity which had already characterized its proceedings, received the verdict and pronounced upon the prisoner, who was utterly unconscious of what was going on, the sentence of death. To this proceeding Mr. Seward entered an earnest protest ; and in a short time he obtained an order for a new trial. But the Judge before whom he was tried and condemned, declared the prisoner incompetent for a second trial ; and after tlie expi- ration of a few weeks, Freeman committed suicide in jail, — another convincing proof of his insanity. A post-morte7n examination revealed the fact that Freeman's brain was badly diseased, thereby most triumphantly substantiating Mr. Seward's plea. The undaunted perseverance w^ith which Mr. Seward defended that poor demented negro, in the face of popular clamor and prejudice, gained for him a reputation, which will last as long as this nation preserves the principles of justice and liberty, upon which it is founded.
It remains to speak briefly of Mr. Sew^ard's political career. Previous to the decline of the National Ee-
BIOGRAPHIES. 537
publican party, in 182S, lie was a iiiember oi' that [»arty ; thenceforward a Whig and Anti-Mason until the revi- val of the Republican party, in 1856. In the various posts of public trust and honor which ho has held — State Senator, Governor, United States Senator, and Cabinet officer — he has ever proved himself the foe of injustice and oppression, at home and abroad, and the friend of liberty, universal sutFrage, the interests of education, internal improvement, and national exten- sion ; and now, in a ripe old age, he is loved and hon- ored as one of the truest citizens and noblest statesmen this country ever produced.
Doctor Ilackaliah Burt was born at iJridgefield, Conn., in the year 1773. In his native place he studied medicine, though physic and surgery, as practiced in those days, does not appear to have been congenial to his taste.
He came tu this place in March, 171U5, three yeai-s subsequently to the first white settlement, made by Colonel John II. Ilardenburgh. At the time Dr. Burt came to this country, there could not have been more than half-a-dozen families in the neighborhood. The forests around were the abode of savages, and there was hardly a sufficient clearing to mark it as the habi- tation of civilized man. The motive which led young Burt to this region is unknown ; but was probably the love of adventure, which so often tempts the mind of youth to seek a fortune in an untried sphere. When
538 HISTORY OF AUBURK.
he cointnenced life in the new settlement of Harden- burgh's Corners, he engaged in the mercantile business, furnishing supplies to the Indians forming a large share of his trade. He joined, at various periods, partner- ship with Dr. Crossett, Dan Hyde, and a younger brother. His place of business was a little west of where the Baptist Church now stands ; but he subse- quently removed to the site now occupied by the store of P. C. Woodruff & Co.
In 1801, he returned to Connecticut, and, at his na- tive place, wooed and won Eunice, daughter of Epene- tus Howe. It was not till the following year, how- ever, that he brought his wife to share with him the trials of a pioneer's life. He then purchased a large farm on the east of South Street, and on the northern boundary laid out Grover Street. Upon the borders of this tract, whose southern limit was Swift Street, and eastern line. Mechanic and Moravia Streets, now stand some of the finest residences of the city. In 1813, Dr. Burt erected and moved into what was then considered a handsome house. No. 51 South Street, which building stands to the present day, and in which he spent the remaining years of his life.
Dr. Burt adapted himself to the wants of the com- munity by serving in various public offices, the duties of which he performed with ability. In the war of 1812-15 he held a commission as Lieutenant, serving thus his country in the double capacity of physician
BIOGRAPHIES. 539
and soldier. l>ut it was in his reli<^"ious life that he displayed his greatest strength of character. lie was a stanch Episcopalian. At the age of sixteen he united with the cluirch, and has been heard to say that, as he left the ])aternal roof, the parting injunction was, '' Hold fast the profession of the faith." How- far this counsel was heeded, the church in Auburn can testify. In 1805, the society of St. Peter-s Church wan organized at Dr. Burt's house, at which time he wa& elected warden, an office he held for thirty-four con- secutive years. Through all trials attendant upon scantiness of the number and resources of St. Peter's, lie remained its steadfast friend ; laboring with untir- ing zeal, until his efforts resulted in the successful com- pletion of a house of worship. Dr. Bm-t several times- represented this church in diocesan convention, previ- ous to the division of this diocese.
Dr. Burt lived to fine old age — long enough to behold his forest home become a large and prosper- ous city. His death occurred February 3d, 1859. The partner of his long life survived him but a few months. Their remains lie interred in St. Peter'$? church-yard.
To Dr. Burt, one of the oldest settlers of Auburn^ we are indebted as one of the founders of this large, beautiful, and rapidly-growing city. He was educated in the stern school of Connecticut morals, with habits of industry, strict integrity, and a high moral sense of
540 IIISTOKY OF AUBURN.
right, which through life funned the basis of every action. Of this latter trait of character the following incident is related. When the speculating mania of '36 was at its height, a company in Boston negotiated with him for land, at what was considered an inflated value. When this mania collapsed and the land re- sumed its former value, the Doctor, unsolicited, and from his own conscious sense of right, released the contracting parties from a large share of the stipu- lated sum.
Nathaniel Garroio was born at Barnstable, Mass., April 26th, 1780. While yet a lad he followed the sea for several years. At the age of sixteen he came to this county, with an ax on his shoulder and a shilling in his pocket, as his sole possessions. He labored in clearing away the forests, w^hich then overspread the now fertile fields of this vicinity, en- dured the trials of pioneer life, and, in company with other settlers, carried on an exchange of com- modities with the far-off settlements of the Mohawk. It is said that his first labor here was paid for bj half the skins of the deer killed by his companions. He received no early education, but had a vigorous understandinp;, and qualities of mind and heart which stamped him one of ISI^ature's noblemen. In public and private life he enjoyed the affection and confi- dence of his fellow-citizens.
From the age of twenty-one to twenty-five he re-
lilOGRAPHIES. 541
ceived several coniiiiissioiis fruin tlie Governoi*s of the State. About 1S09 or '10 he was made, hy the Council of Appointment, a Justice of the Peace. In the same way, in 1815, he became Sheriff of Cayu- ga County, which office he held, with one or two in- terruptions, until the alteration of the Constitution. During his official life, he gave many evidences of humanity and benevolence, even to a fault, in the duties of his office, when imprisonment for del)t — that blot upon our statute books — was allowed, and when the county was comparatively new. J>y his money, counsel, and sympathy, he alleviated the misfor- tunes of those with whom he came in contact. No one in affliction appealed to him in vain. For many years Mr. Garrow was a trustee of the village. lie was at various times director of the Cayuga County Bank and Bank of Auburn. In 1827 he took an interest in the cotton mills at Clarksville, in com- pany with the Hon. George B. Throop and Robert Muir. The following year he was elected Repre- sentative in Congress for this district. In 1832 he was chosen Presidential Elector. lie was appoint- ed marshal of the district in 1837, and received a re-aj)pointment a lew days before his death. About this time he lost his fortune in land speculation. The many other posts of contidence and honor, which he filled with credit to himself and satisfac- tion to his fellow-citizens, showed how well known
54:2 HISTOKY OF AUBURN.
and appreciated he was, and how «:]-eat was the vigor and activity of his mind.
Mr. Garrow was engaged in all benevolent enter prises for the welfare of society. lie was a lite member of the American Bible Society, and con- tributed largely to Hamilton College and the Au- burn Theological Seminary. In 1831 he became a member of the Baptist cliurch of this city, and con- tributed $8,000 to the erection of a church edi- fice. To all objects of charity and benevolence he was, when fortune permitted, a cheerful giver ; when worldly possessions passed away, it ^vas a constant source of grief that he could not relieve the necessi- ties of those in want.
On the evening of March 3d, 1841, having spent the day in his ordinary employment, he suddenly died. The trustees of the village met on the morn- ing of the 5th and passed resolutions expressive of regret at the loss the village had sustained, and of their determination to attend the funeral in a body. The several Fire Companies, likewise, and the Au- burn Guards and Auburn Band, respectively, met, passed resolutions of grief, and agreed to attend the funeral.
Hon. Gecrrge TJnderwood was boi-n at Cooperstown, ]Sr. Y., on the 4th of January, 1816. In the third year of his age he came to Auburn with his father, and, as he grew to manhood, became identified w^ith the pros-
BIOGRAPHIES. • 543
perity of the place. He entered Hamilton College at the age of fifteen ; but ill health repeatedly interrupted his studies, and he spent seven years in the completion of his under-graduate course. His life as a student was a laborious one. Having in view the profession of a lawyer, he made present studies minister to his future career. He was graduated with the second honor in the class of '38 — a class containing names already marked with distinction. Several years later he testi- fied his devotion to Alma Mater by the endowment of a prize competition in chemistry.
Upon his return to Auburn, Mr. Underwood applied himself to the study and practice of law. He soon at- tained high standing, and for the rest of his life ranked among the prominent members of the bar of this Judi- cial District. His peculiar excellence was that of a corporation lawyer ; he was for many years attorney for the Auburn and Syracuse Railroad Company. Tlie confidence and esteem in which he was held by his fellow-citizens was evinced, in a measure, by his first and second election to the Assembly, in 1850 and '51, and to the mayoralty in 1854. Politics as such, how- ever, were not to his taste. As he took his seat in the Assembly, he playfully remarked that he hoped to pass a winter in Albany without detriment to his morals or his patriotism. Mr. Underwood was a friend of public enterprise, particularly of institutions of learning. He took an active part in the attempt to establish the
544 IIISTORV OF A.UBURN.
Auburn Female Colleire, in 1852 and '53, jnost of the meetino^s to discuss the project being held in his office.
The subject of this sketch luiited with the First Presbyterian Church of this city, April 1st, 1855, and being a few months later chosen an elder, became a valued member of the session.
The burden of professional business rendering him more susceptible to the inroads of disease, he was at length compelled to lay aside his duties and seek a cli- mate better suited to his health. He spent the winter of 1848-9 in South Carolina and Havana. Receiving no apparent benefit, he returned to Auburn about the first of May in a rapid decline. The grasp of his mal- ady, pulmonary consumption, could not be loosed, and on the evening of the 25th he departed this life.
On the following day, the Bar of Cayuga held a meeting at the court-house, and, in resolutions passed thereat, paid a fitting tribute to the memory of the de- ceased. Beside his family, Mr. Underwood left behind him a large circle of personal friends ; and at his death Auburn lost one of her most honored citizens ; the legal profession, a valuable member ; and the commu- nity, a firm and steadfast friend of every enterprise calculated to benefit the people or advance the pros- perity of the place.
liev. George Morgan Hills ^ Eector of St. Paul's Church, Syracuse, New York, is the youngest son of
EIOGIIAI'HIES. 545
Horace Hills, an early and prominent citizen of Au- burn, and was born in the then village, October 10th, 1825. He was prepared for college in select schools and under private tutors, and very early evinced great promise in oratory and belles-letters. When he was fom-teen years of age, he removed with his parents from Auburn t<j the city of ]^ew York. At seven- teen, he set to music what is believed to have been the tirst " Christmas Carol " sung in this country.
He was graduated with distinction at Trinity Col- lege, Hartford, Connecticut, in 1847 ; his oration at the commencement being so marked for vigorous and manly thought, as well as beauty of diction, that at the request of several distinguished literary gentlemen it was published. Immediately after his graduation, he was admitted a candidate for holy orders in the Diocese of Western JSTew York. After three years' study in divinity, he received the degree of Master of Arts from his Alma Mater, and was ordained a deacon l)y the Eight Eev. Bishop DeLancy. Mr. Hills took charge at once of Grace Church, Lyons, Wayne County, New York. In one year, he was ordained to the priesthood, by the same Bisho[>.
He remained at Lyons till called to the rectorship of Trinity Church, Watertown, New York. In 1857, he took charge of St. Paul's Church, Syracuse, one of the largest and most influential congregations in the State, which he still continues to hold. He made, in 1861, ?,3
546 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
an extensive tour in Europe, which occupied nearly a year. His contributions every week to the columns of the Gospel 3fe^senger^ of letters of foreign tra^'el, are still remembered by tlie thousands of subscribers to that paper for elegant diction, and evidences of an un- commonly observing mind.
In 1862 he was elected a trustee of the General Theological Seminary of the United States, and was subsequently placed by that corporation on the " com- mittee for the examination of students." In 1863, he was chosen by the convention of the Diocese of West- ern New York as one of the four clergymen to repre- sent the diocese in the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States. Five years later, at the organization of the Diocese of Central New York, he was chosen president of the first standing committee of the diocese ; and, at the special convention of the same, held January 13th, 1869, he was among those prominently balloted for, as Bishop of the Diocese.
Mr. Hills, now in the prime of life, endowed with a vigorous, well-disciplined mind, and a genial disposi- tion, occupies a position in the ministry of the Episco- pal Church in this country, of which his native city may wxll be proud. Widely known for his church- manlike views, and as a sound, talented, and accom- plished divine, always promoting church-extension and missionary work, he is universally respected and ad-
bio(;raphies. 54-Y
mired. In the }nilpit he lias few j)eers ; his style is fa- mous for its force, perspicuity, and grace ; and he is no less convincing in argument than attractive in de- livery.
Among his published addresses and sermons, the most widely known are " The Wise Master-Builder, — a sermon commemorative of Bishop DeLancy ; " "A Step Between us and Death, — at the burial-service of the wife of General John A. Green, Jr.;" 'SV Mother in Israel, — at the funeral of Mrs. Mary II. Pennell ; " and, ^' The Becord of the Past, an Incen- tive for the Future, — the sermon preached at the last convention of the undivided Diocese of AVestern Xew York."
Cyrus Curtis Dennis was ijorn in Scipio, Cayuga County, May 6th, 1S06. At an early age he learned the art of civil engineering, and ]:>racticed under the distinguished surveyor, David Thomas, Esq., along the route of the Erie Canal and its western branches, during the construction of the same. In 182C> he engaged in an iron foundry, at Ithaca, in company with Benjamin Vail.
Coming to Auburn in 1833, he became a member jf the tirni of Hyde, Watrous 6c Co., and went into the hardware business. The following year, in con- nection with his brothers-in-law, Charles V. AVc>od and David II. Thomas, he established the well-known Commercial Iron Works, on State Street. Mr. Dennis
648 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
took an active interest in tlie Auburn and Syracuse^ and Auburn and Rochester Railroads, and was in c>ne or both a director for several years. For these companies and i\)r the Lake Shore Railroad Co. he manufactured large quantities of iron work and machinery.
Mr. Dennis was president of the village of Auburn during the years 1840, '41 and '42 ; and was the first mayor of the city, being elected in 1848.
The next year he associated himself with Josiah Barber in the manufacture of carpets. Receiving, in 1851, the appointment of superintendent of the Lake Shore Railroad, of which road he had pre- viously been a director, he removed with his family to Buffalo. The duties of this position he performed with great ability for a period of five years, within which time occurred the great excitement at Erie. Afterward, for more than a year, he was superin- tendent of the Mad River and Lake Erie R. R. Upon his resignation of this position he removed to Bufialo and engaged in an iron foundry as a member of the firm of Moore & Purdie.
In the spring of 1859, Mr. Dennis returned to Auburn, and associating himself with D. Munson Osborne, Esq., under the title of D. M. Osborne & Co., engaged in the manufacture of the Kirby Mower and Reaper. The business rapidly increasing from the first, the buildings were largely and rapidly
BioaRAriiiE?. 549
extended, and the establishment is now well known as one of the nio-^t extensive and important manu- factories in the whole world.
When the Auburn Water- Works Company was organized under its second charter, in 1803, ^[r. Dennis was chosen one of the directors of the same.
The subject of this sketch died at his residence on West Genesee Street, June 1st, 1866. During the last year of his life he was deeply interested in tlie Southern Central Eailroad, of which he was the first president. The friends of the enterprise expected much from him in this important work, his practical knowledge of civil engineering, and high reinitation as a railroad man, securing to it a greater degree of -confidence than it had ever before possessed.
Mr. Dennis exhibited a high order of intelligence, and sustained an unsullied reputation for integrity and virtue. He was proverbially known as an u])- right, straightforward, out-spoken, clear-headed, en- terprising, generous, and patriotic citizen, and there never was a business man in the whole community whose loss was more deeply felt than his.
Isaac Sherwood was born at Willianistown, Massa- chusetts, October 13th, 1760. Of his early life we have no details. lie was married to Mary, daughter of Captain Amaria Babbitt, of Ashford, in the same State ; and shortly after taking his departure from his native place, he settled at Norway, Herkimer County,
550 HISTiJRY OF AUBURN.
tlien belonging to the tract of land known as the Eoyal Grant.
Determining a few years later to remove thence, he surveyed the Susquehanna and lake countries, and, after some hesitation, decided to find a home in the latter. In 1798, consequently, he came to Cayuga County, and located in Aurelius, on military lot No. 36, at the west end of what was then termed the Long Crossway : better known in later times as Corduroy.
In the year 1804, having formed a co-partnership with Winston Day, of Skaneateles, in the mercantile business, he removed thither. In 1810 he opened a public house in this village, and the following year purchased an interest in the semi-weekly line of stages from Albany to Canandaigua ; in consec\uence of which connection, their trips were increased to thrice- w^eekly. Upon the declaration of war in 1812, the route was extended from Canandaigua to Buffalo, and their trips were then made daily. In 1824, in con- nection with Messrs. Jason Parker, of Utica, and Thomas Powell, of Schenectady, he contracted with the Government to carry the mails daily from Albany to Kochester, Buffalo, and Niagara Falls, via the Ridge Road. These contracts having been previously let in sections of the route, the first contract for carrying through mails from Albany to Buffalo daily, was made and executed by Isaac Sherwood. In the spring of 1829, with his son — well known a&
BIOGRAPHIES. 561
Colonel John M. Sherwood, now residing in Phelps, Ontario County — he laid the foundations of the American Hotel, on the ground previously owned by James Glover, Emory Willard, and A. V. M. Suydani. The hotel, being completed, was formally opened January 1st, 1830, by Thomas Noyes, sub- t«equently leased to Joshua L. Jones, and afterward occupied by William B. Wood.
In the year 1833, Mr. Sherwood removed to Auburn. After the decease of Parker and Powell, his partners, the building and completion of the Erie Canal devel- oped the resources of the State to such an extent, as to render it necessary for him to associate with himself other gentlemen, in order to meet the increased de- mands of transportation ; but the principal manage- ment of the business devolved upon himself till 1840, the time of his death.
Doctor Joseph Clary w^as born at Conway, Massachu- setts, December ISth, 1787; and died at Throopsville, May 25th, 1863, in the seventy-sixth year of his age. While yet quite young, he removed with his father, Abel Claiy, to Adams, Jefferson County, in this State. He studied medicine at New Hartford, and commenced its practice at the age of twenty-live. Not possessing a strong constitution, physicians advised him to seek a change of climate and establish for himself a country practice, where he would have plenty of horseback ex- ercise. They furthermore recommended him to select
552 HISTOtlY OF AUBUEN.
a fever and ague region. Setting out on a tour of in- spection, he came to Auburn, then Ilardenburgh's Cor- ners ; but not being satisfied with the locality, he pro- ceeded as far west as Rochester. The population of this place being small, he returned to Auburn, and finally settled at Throopsville, three miles north of this place, in 1812. Here he resided until the time of his death. The good old age to which he had attained shows liow far a temperate, cheerful, and active life will go to supply the want of a good constitution.
Dr. Clary was for half a century the principal phy- sician of the neighborhood in which he lived. He vis- ited his patients with regularity, and preserved the en- thusiasm of youth to the last fortnight of his life. A man of larger ambition and less merit would have sought a wider sphere ; but his characteristic modesty made him content with the place of his first choice, although the changes of fifty years were constantly opening more inviting fields for the exercise of his tal- ents. It is doubtful, however, whether he could have found a more useful sphere, or associations and social fellowship more congenial to his taste. He attained a high standing in his profession, was distinguished for his careful analysis of symptoms, and was rarely mis- taken in the nature or location of the disease. He pos- sessed in a high degree the moral qualifications of a phy- sician ; and by his virtues and consistent piety won universal confidence.
BIOGRAPHIES. 553
Though Dr. Clary was not a resident of this place, the proximity of his residence, tlie nature of his calling, and his attractive social qualities made him extensively known and highly esteemed, both in Auburn and the rest of the county. His two sons, John S. Clary and James A. Clary, however, are residents of this city, and are respected as able business men, and loyal, gener- ous, and enterprising citizens. Dr. Clary united with the First Presbyterian Church of Auburn at an early period, and was for many years one of its ruling elders. His extensive practice as a physician did not inteifere with the punctual and diligent discharge of his duties as a Christian, or in regular attendance upon public worship.
He took a deep interest in the late struggle in the land, and presented a calm and loyal confidence in the issue.
His sickness was brief Having attended service on the Sabbath, and visited those of his patients with re- gard to whom he was most solicitous, he was taken violently ill of a fever, and died early in the following week. His remains were followed to the grave by a large concourse of people, who sincerely mourned his departure. It was a solemn and impressive scene, and a fitting tribute of respect to the memory of the de- ceased.
Horace Hills was born in East Hartford, Conn.. October 31st, 17ST. His youth was passed in the
554 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
family of his uncle, Dr. William Porter, of Hadiey, Mass.
In May, 1809, he came to Auburn, and began the mercantile business, in which he was successfully en- gaged for thirty years. From earliest manhood he was an earnest supporter of the jniblic services of Christian worship, and always gave liberally of his time and means for religious purposes. In 1810, he encouraged and aided the building of St. Peter's Church, the first house of worship in the village. He was one of the founders of the First Presbyterian Society, in 1815, and one of the Second Presybterian Society, in 1828 ; in both of which churches he held the office of ruling elder for many years. lie was also one of the founders of the Theological Seminary, of which he was trustee. He was at one time president of the village, and was long one of the inspectors of the Auburn State prison, under appointment from the Governors of the State. He was one of the first to introduce the cultivation of choice fruits and flowers, and to give the village its rural adornments of trees and shrubbery. Shortly after his removal to Auburn, he married Miss Almira Wilcox, of East Guilford, Conn., whose domes- tic and social virtues graced his home for nearly half a century. Their united influence was always felt in the cause of refined and Christian education. Their sur- viving children are two sons, the Rev. Horace Hills, Jr., and the Rev. George Morgan Hills, clergyman of the
BIOI^KAPHIES. 555
Protestant Episcopal Church, and three daughters, the founders of the church scliool for young ladies in Buffalo, N. Y. For tlie last twenty-two yeai-s, Mr. Hills has resided in Buffalo, where lie still enjoys a " green old age."
Robert Muir was a native of Scotland, and born at Kilwinning, on the 25th of March, 1790. At the age of sixteen he came to this country with George Leitch, a prominent and early merchant of this place, and became known to the inhabitants of the then village of Auburn, as his clerk. A few years later he established himself in the mercantile business, and soon won the enviable reputation of being one of the most exact and honorable of merchants. In 1822, he married Miss Nancy Bennett^ of this village, who, with her virtues, domestic and so- cial, graced his family circle until her death, in Janu- ary, 1864. Their family of two sons and five daugh- ters still survive. In 1827, he associated with himself the late Hon. Kathaniel Garrow, George B. Throop, and Eleazer Hills, in the manufacture of cotton cloth, in the old factory at Throopsville — an institution of great value to this community — and afterward became sole proprietor of the business. At the same time he continued the sale of dry-goods and produce in a store, which many of our citizens remember as standing on the north side of Genesee Street, just west of the bridge. In the year 18-11, he met with one of those reverses of fortune, which often overtake the ablest
556 HISTORY OF AffBUKX.
and most clear-headed business men, and lost a large fortune. Undaunted by this great calamity, he con- tinued his mercantile business, though upon a reduced scale, until the close of his life. Although a Presby- terian from the associations of youth, he gave his sup- port to St. Peter's Church in this city, and aided in the rebuilding of the church edifice, when destroyed by lire in 1832. He was by habit, education, and sen- timent, a religious man.
Mr. Muir died at his residence in this city, February 17th, 1868, at the advanced age of seventy-eight. By his death Auburn lost one of her worthiest, most vener- able, and highly respected citizens. For more than half a century he was known as one of the most exact, honorable, and intelligent merchants. Five and twenty years ago, his name was associated with every en- terprise calculated to build up the interests of the town. He possessed the confidence of the community and surrounding farmers to a degree unsurpassed by any other individual. He was a man of fine social qualities; and his cheerful temper continued to the <;lose of his life, though for several years the infirmities of age impaired his physical activity.
James S. Seymour^ president of the National Bank of Auburn, and now one of the oldest and most hon- ored citizens of our place, was born at the city of Hartford, Conn., in April, 1791. He received a com- mon school education in the old red school-house, an
BIOciRAPHIES. 55T
institution well remembered by the people of that place. While a youth he was a clerk in a mercantile establishment in his native town for some time, which lie left to enter the Hartford Bank, where he remained six years, discharging the duties of his office with the care and precision which have ever distinguished him as a banker. During 1816, seeking a temporary relief from business, he visited Western New York, where he had two brothers residing, one at Canandaigua, cashier of the bank there, the other in Buffalo. In his travels he met, at Utica, John II. Beach, Esq., of Au- burn, who was away from town on business relating to the bank, then lately established under the auspices of himself and his Auburn friends. On his return from the West, Mr. Seymour stopped, by invitation, at Auburn. A meeting of the directors of the Au- burn Bank was called as soon as it was known that he was in town, and he was appointed cashier. The stockholders had made their first payment on their subscriptions and Avere anxious to have the bank run- ning. Mr. Seymour w^as undecided until after his re- turn home. He ultimatel}^ accepted, returned to Au- burn, and began the operation of the celebrated insti- tution, with which he has now been connected in an official capacity for over fifty years.
Mr. Se3Mnour has never taken part in j^ulitical strife, and therefore can boast of no civic honors. ITe holds, however, the responsible position of president of a
558 HISTuKY OF AUBURN.
bank ; has been a trustee of the Theological Seminary, is now a trustee of the U. S. Life and Trust Co., of New York, and president of trustees of Cayuga County Orphan Asylum, of wliich institution he was one of the originators. His name has been connected with every charitable and philanthropic movement that has engaged the attention of the people of Au- burn during his residence here.
Cwptain George Broimi Chase was born at Nan- tucket, Massachusetts, April 7th, 1785, and like most of his playmates was trained for the sea. At the age of thirteen he sailed as cabin-boy with his uncle, John Brown, upon a three years' voyage to the Pacific Ocean. In 1802 he made another voyage of two years to the South Pacific, in the capacity of second mate, during which he became proficient in harpooning whales, which was considered a great accomplishment. From that time forward, to 1821:, he commanded several fine whaling ships, and in that service was very successful. During that period of his life he married in Nan- tucket. In 1821 a splendid ship was built expressly for him at Middletown, Connecticut, and at its launch- ing his wife named it the Alexander^ with the usual ceremony of cracking a bottle of wine upon its stern. In this vessel he made his last voyage, setting sail the 18th of August, 1821, and arriving in port May 3d, 1824. Tliis cruise was made to the coast of Japan, where he took 2,970 barrels of sperm, (700 of it in 25
BIOGRAJ'HIES. 559
days) and a large quantity of whale-bone. Upon lii^ retui'n to Nantucket, he found that his wife and daugh- ter had died during hi^ al)sence. He then retired from the sea.
In 1S25 he removed, with the surviving members oi^ his family, to the city of Hudson ; but during his first winter's residence at this place he was burnt out by a disastrous fire, and in the following spring he returned to JS^antucket. Early in 1S27 he came to Auburn witli his family, and bought tlie Casey farm, of 150 acres, on North Street, a portion of wliich is now occupied by his son, George H. Chase ; and with a brief interval in 1837 and '38, resided there until his death.
Captain Chase had the sternness of manner and energy of a vigorous sea captain, mingled with a high sense of lionor and generous hospitality. His love of genial company was remarkable. He w^as positive in all his characteristics. Ilis antipathies were strong, but were not stronger than liis attach- ments. He was naturally enterprising. Finding upon his farm an excellent stone-quarry, lie suggested a more general use of stone for buildings, side- walks, and streets, than had ever been made of it before. Macadamized streets here are chiefly owing to Ins timely hints of their value. He served the puljlic in various capacities. He was trustee of his ward under the viHage charter in 181-0 and '1:1, and ]>re.-ident of the village in ISll and
560 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
'45. He was one of the originators of the Auburn 'Gas-light Company, and was president of that or- ganization from its formation, February 16th, 1848, to tlie time of his deatli, January 29th, 1853. His remains now repose in a vault built by himself du- ring his life time in the North Street cemetery.
George Casey was born in Pougbkeepsie, Dutcli- ess County, September 20tli, 1772. Marrying, at the age of eighteen, Jane, daughter of ]\Ir. Christo- pher Dutcher, of that county, he thus early entered the duties and responsibilities of active life, settled upon a farm in Dover ( then Fowling ), in a beau- tiful and fertile region, and devoted himself to ag- ricultural pursuits, the engrossing interest of his life. He took a deep interest in the political issues of the day, and was called to fill several official sta- tions. He served in the capacity of Justice of the Peace for twelve or thirteen years. He was elected supervisor of his town, and at one or more sessions of the board was its presiding officer. He was one of the assistant Justices of the county court. In 1807 he was elected to the State Assembly, for the session of 1808, in a canvass of unusual interest, involving among other questions the local one of the division of the county — Dutchess at that time rank- ing next to New York in point of wealth, popula- tion and resources. This subject became one of the most exciting and engrossing topics of the session.
BIOGRAPHIES. 561
After a long, sharp contest, tlio measure, to wliicli Mr. Casey was opposed, was carried throng! i. In this, and other subjects which came before the house during that session, he took a prominent part, be- ing associated with such prominent and leading men of the State as Elisha Williams, Stephen Van Rens- selaer, Thomas R. Gold, Abraham Van Vechten, Sylvanus Miller, and others. In 1809 he received the appointment of })Ostmaster at Dover from Gideon Granger, the Postmaster General, which position he held until liis removal from the county.
Attracted thither by the glowing accounts of the richness and resources of the western part of the State, its beauty and fertility, its charming lakes and pleas- ant streams, its forest scenery, here and there checkered with cultivation, its landscapes of gentle swells and pleasant valleys, and its genial and invigorating cli- mate, Mr. Casey, in the fall of 1813, removed with his family to Auburn (then Aurelius), settling on a farm in the northern part of the town. In no region more healthy and inviting could he have selected a spot for his future labors and comfort. The sun never shone on a lovelier or more fertile tract — with its stately growth of hickories, its giant maples and spreading beeches, its towering elms and lindens, with springs and streams of the purest water, and the ])lacid OwascOjgem of the western lakes, gleaming in the dis- tance. The county was a wilderness — the quiet little 34
562 IIISTOKY OF AUBURN.
hamlet of Ilardenburgli's Corners, the only feature of bustle and activity, nestling in the forest.
Uopn the passage of the Act of the Legislature, in 1819, for erecting the Auburn prison, Mr. Casey was ap- pointed on the first Board of Inspectors, the other mem- bers being Judge Miller, Judge Glover, John H. Beach, ^nd A. Kasson. To the work of organizing the insti- tution, its discipline, employment of convicts, selection .of officials, its records and statistics, and the adoption of means looking as well to the reformation of the of- fenders as their punishment, he, with his associates in the board, gave much thought, patient study and unwearied attention.
Mr. Casey took a prominent interest in the subject •of education and the establishment' of schools and academies. He became a zealous inquirer on re- ligious subjects, and w^as an incessant Bible reader. Making the study of the Scriptures his delight, he learned whole chapters and pages ot its contents. In religious discussion, in which he frequently mingled, he was ever ready with apt quotation from the sacred writings. At such times, however, he refrained from bitterness and caustic expression. His religious views were broad and independent, believing that the doc- trine of universal salvation was right and Scriptural, and that the Divine Government, in its dealings w4th men, was one of infinite goodness, mercy and com- passion.
DIOGKAPHIES. 563
With courteous, dlgnitied deportuient, refined man- ners, and polished address, he was exceedingly phiin, preferring the garb of homespun to the adornments of fashion, lie detested foppery in all its phases, and on one occasion required his eldest son, then a stripling of ten, to rehearse in the presence of its venerable author, William Ray, the ]^oem on the '" Pluughboy and the Dandy." llis simplicity of dress accorded with the truthfulness and sincerity of his character. lie had a theory that if a man possessed merit, he had but to bide his time, and wait for the appreciation and re- ward which was sure to come. A mistaken theory, perhaps, as he considered not the scorns and buffets,
" Which patient merit of the unworthy takes, — " and that success in life, in the race for honor and dis- tinction, is as much due to pretension^and clap-trap, as to solid worth and unostentatious desert.
While a resident of Auburn, Mr. Casey took no prominent part in politics. He gave his time mainly to the improvement and cultivation of his farm. Hav- ing sold his estate, he removed, in 1829, to Oswego, whither his daughter, Mrs. Jehiel Clark, with her hus- band and family, had gone the previous year, lie then purchased a large farm on the shore of Lake Ontario. Tie was elected and served as one of the magistrates. <.)f the town. Soon after, he sold his" farm and removed to Williamson, Wayne County, where his son-in-law, Charles M. Nichols, was engai^ed in the mercantile
564 inSTORY OF AUBURN,
business. Hence, after an absence of two years, he returned to Auburn.
In 1835, about which time his daughters, Mrs. Hop- kins and Mrs. Nichols, had witli their families re- moved tliither, he made a journey to Michigan. lie there purchased several hundred acres of Government lands in ]\^alamazoo and Calhoun Counties, then re- garded as the best of territory. He traveled much alone on horseback over the prairies and through the wilderness. Exposure to malaria brought on a fever, and on reaching Detroit he 'was prostrated with dis- ease. Although kindly attended and faithfully minis- tered to in the house of a friend, whom, by the way, he had known in Auburn, he died on the 16th of Septem- ber, 1835, after a long life of physical and mental labor. His end was peace — his record in life that of an honest man. His remains were deposited in the cemetery at Detroit, whence, twenty-three years later, they were removed by his son George to Auburn, and there deposited in the North Street cemetery, beside those of his faithful and devoted wife, who survived him until 1843.
Of his eleven children four survive : Mr. George Casey and Mrs. Wm. Yan Tuyl, of Auburn, John M. Casey, of Oswego, and Mrs. Hopkins, of Charleston, Michigan.
Joseph L. Richardson was born in Frederick Co., Maryland, in the year 1776, and came to Cayuga
BIOGRAPHIES. 565
County in 1S02. He studied law at Aurora, settled at Auburn in 1S05, and the following year entered into co-partnership with Enos T. Throop, in the prac- tice of law, Mr. Richardson was instrumental in the removal of the county seat from Aurora to Auburn, and also an effective advocate of the selection of tliis place as the site of the State prison, of which he was for many years inspector. He was District Attorney at a time when this Judicial District comprised a great portion of Western New York. In the war of 1812, he lield the position of paymaster of the army, with the rank of Major. In the year 1827 he was ap- pointed First Judge of Cayuga County, a i)osition he held until the adoption of the new constitution, in 1846, a period of iiearl}^ twenty years.
Judge Hichardson died at his residence in this city, in the month of April, 1853. The preamble and reso- lutions adopted at a meeting of the bar of Cayuga Count}', held therefor, comprise a brief and appropri- ate summary of his character :
" Whereas, The recent dispensation of Providence has removed from among us, in the full maturity of years, our distinguished elder brother, the Hon. Joseph L. Richardson, a pioneer in the early settlement of the county, a prominent citizen, a strong- minded and vigorous Judge, the oldest and one of the most distin- guished members of the bar of Cayuga, the cotempornry, in his prime, and compeer of Spencer and his associates :
Resolved, That in the death of our distinguished fellow-citizen and brother, rdthough not gathered until " fidly ripe for the har-
560 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
vest," yet retiiinini^- in a remarkable degree the vigor of intellect and force of character which marked his prime, the bar of Cayuga County has lost one of its ablest members.
jResolmd, That in temperance of living, in strictest regard of the n\oral and social requirements of the citizen, in the high-toned and fearless discharge of his duties as a Judge, in the vigorous and intelligent discharge of his duties as a member of the bar, in the strength of his personal attachments, in the purity of his domes- tic life, the deceased has set us an example well worthy of imita- tion."
Iloii. John Beardsley was born at Soutlibury, New Haven Co., Conn., on the 9th of November, 1783. From the 1st of October, 1798, the time of his father's death, he was obliged to rely for support and success in the w^orld mainly on his own exertions. He mar- ried, in 1804, the wife who now survives him. In the month of March, 1808, he removed to this county, and purchased and settled upon a farm in Scipio. At this time he opened a store in that town, and, for the period of eighteen years, carried on mercantile and farming business together. During that period he was several times elected to various local offices, such as Supervisor and Justice of the Peace. On the 23d of March, 1820, he was appointed by Governor Clinton and the Council of Appointment, one of the Associate Judges of Cayuga County, and sat as Judge with the Hon. Elijah Miller, First Judge, so called, until the 31st of January, 1823, when both of them gave way to appointees under a new constitution. In years 1832
BIOGRAPHIES. 56T
and '33, he represented tliis county in tlie Assembly ; and in the fall of '35, he was elected to tlie State Sen- ate Irom the Seventh District. The following year he removed his residence to Auburn, where he spent the remainder of his life, in the mansion on Genesee Street, now occupied by his widow. In 1S40, he became the President of the Cayuga County Bank, which position he held until the 29th of March, 1843 ; resigning it to enter upon the duties of agent of the prison. These he discharged with great faithfulness, until his retire- ment in 1835. Tlie agency of the Auburn prison was the last official position which he held.
Judge Beardsley was a self-made, industrious, up- right, substantial, thrifty man, wdio was held in very high estimation by the community, and particularly by his Democratic friends, lie was by nature and habit a good financier ; and by strict attention to bus- iness, while he pretended to be engaged in it, he amassed a handsome property. As a neighbor, he was sociable, genial, accommodating, and kind. As a citi- zen, lie was clear-sighted, sound-minded, well-judging, and just. And as a legislator and public officer, he was faithful to all trusts, careful, considerate, and wise. His management of the State prison elicited very higli commendations in every section of the State.
Upon his retirement from the position of agent of the prison, he devoted his time to the cultivation of
568 HISTOilV OF AUBUKN.
his tann, until phj'sical infirmities obliged liim to give up all business. lie was ever fond of agricultural pur- suits.
He died May 11th, 1857, in the seventy-fourth year of his age. His remains are interred in Fort Hill cemetery.
John I. Ilagaman was l)orn at Nine Partners, Dutchess Co., N. Y., on the 21st of March, 1792. At an early age he came with his parents to Lodi, Seneca County, and was, on attaining a suitable age, appren- ticed to John Goltry, Esq., in the trade of a carpenter and joiner. His early and passionate fondness for architecture, however, led him to buy off his time be- fore the expiration of his apprenticeship and devote himself to the study of his favorite art. He soon es- tablished himself in the business of a master-builder and cabinet-maker. In 1820 he went to Groton, Cortland Co., for the purpose of erecting a church which he had designed for that village. He came to Auburn in October of the following year, and opened a school of architectural design. The principal works that he performed in this place were the enlargement of the First Presbyterian Church, the designing and erection of the Second Church edifice in 1830, the preparation of the plans of the present court-house and town hall, and the building of many of the stores and private residences of the place. The village map of '36 was projected by him, and he furnished the eleva-
BlOGK\l'HIES. 569
tions of the jniblic buildings for the ciigravino\s issued with it. For many years lie was foreman in the stone-cutting shop at the prison, superintending the dressing of plain and ornamental huilding-stone for edifices of this and many other towns in the State.
Almost immediately after his removal to Auburn, Mr. Ilagaman was ordained deacon in the First Church. He took a prominent part in the organization of the Second Presbyterian Society, by which he was chosen elder. For many years he was leader of the choir in that church, and he conducted a singing-school — in those days an institution of much greater im])ortance than in later times.
In 184:3, he returned to Lodi, where he held his nominal residence during the rest of his life. The fol- lowing year he was employed by the Erie Jvailroad Co., and three or four years later by the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad Company, to ])roject bridges and design depots. He remained in their service until his death, in October, 1853.
Deacon Ilagaman was always known as a generous, patriotic, virtuous, and intelligent man, and led a most exemplary Christian life. Being exceedingly tender- hearted, he was greath^ pained by the severe prison discipline of his time ; and he often carried in his pockets, to the convicts under him, medicine and other little article-, for tlie relief of their sufferings, lie en- tertained a deep love for music and tlie fine arts. The
570 • HISTORY OF AUBURN.
high degree of excellence he attained in the profession of an architect showed his great devotion to it. Ex- tremely fond of study and reading, he accnmulated a large and valuable library of architectural works. He was highly esteemed by all who knew him, and his re- moval from Auburn and subsequent death were deeply regretted by the community.
The surviving members of his family are Mrs. J. Kutsen How and Mrs. Benjamin F. Hall, of this city ; Mrs. John Tloss, of Yincennes, Ind. ; Mrs. Stephen T. Owen, of Big Flats, I^. Y. ; and Mrs. E. Stuart Wil- son, of Brockport, N. Y.
Colonel John Ricliardson was born in Tanney town- ship, Frederick County, Maryland, on the 19tli of De- cember, 1780 ; and died in Auburn, April 20th, 1849, in the sixty-ninth year of his age. During his youth he resided at Baltimore, where he learned and became proficient in cabinet-making — a trade he followed through life. Upon his arrival at majority, he removed to Marietta, Ohio, and there established himself in busi- ness. While resident at this place he became ac- quainted with the unfortunate Blennerhassett, and through him, with Aaron Burr. By the latter he was solicited to join a secret expedition being then fitted out — for what purpose, it is not entirely known, even at the present day ; but sus}>ecting treasonable designs, he declined having anything to do with it, thereby in- curring the wrath of Blennerhassett. After remaining
BIOGRAPHIES. 571'
several years in Marietta, lie descended the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans, with a large stock of furniture. Having disposed of the same satisfacto- rily, he took ship for Philadelphia, in search of a loca- tion better suited to his mind. Thence he came to Cayuga County ; and, after a short stay in tlie town of Scipio, came and settled at Auburn in 1809.
When, in 1812, a call was made for troops to defend the frontier, he was among the first to respond. Hav- ing raised a volunteer rifle company, of which he was chosen captain, he soon entered actual service. He was engaged at Fort Erie and Chippewa, where he dis- tinguished himself for his presence of mind and daring. His gallant conduct drew warm encomiums from his superior oflicers ; and he was subsequently promoted to • the rank of Colonel.
Upon his return, lie resumed his trade of cabinet- making, which he pursued, sometimes alone in busi- ness, sometimes in partnership with others, during the remaining years of his life.
Colonel Richardson was possessed of many shin- ing qualities. He was a steadfast friend, an enter- l)rising and patriotic citizen, and a generous, hon- orable, and honest man. The duties of the various ]nilitary and civil positions which he held, he per- formed with credit to himself and to the satisfac- tion of his fellow-citizens. During his residence ol nearly forty years in Auburn, he was universallv
572 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
known and esteemed ; and his death was sincerely regretted by the community.
Col. John W. Ilulhert was born at Alford, Berk- shire Comity, Massachusetts, in the year 1770. He was the son of an eminent physician and accom- plished gentleman, and was one of a large family of children. In 1793 he was admitted to the Jun- ior class in Harvard University, Cambridge, and graduated with honors in 1795. While in college he was presented by the Faculty with a copy of " Blair's Lectures," for his proficiency in rhetoric and belles-lettres.
He commenced the practice of law in 1797, and soon placed himself at the head of his profession. A distinguished member of the Berkshire bar, writing to a friend in this city, spoke of him as " the brightest ornament of the bar for honor, wit, and elocpience." Mr. Hulbert subsequently re- moved to Pittsfield, in the western part of Massa- chusetts, where he pursued his profession with 2:reat distinction and success, until he came to New York. In 1805 he was elected to the Massachu- setts House of Representatives, and during its ses- sion took a prominent part in the debates of that assembly. He was the cotemporary and associate of such distinguished patriots and orators as Harri- son G. Otis and Fisher Ames. In 1814 he was elected to Congress from Massachusetts, and during
BIOGKAl'IllKS. 573
his term of office disj)l;iyed forensic eloquence, for wliicli lie was justly celebrated.
Mr. Ilulbert, or as he was more generally known, Colonel Ilulbert, came to this place in 1817. Here, as at the place of his former residence, he ranked fore- most in his profession. He devoted his time to family, friends, and clients, rescuing the condemned from pun- ishment, and protecting w^idows and orphans — often without hope of reward. Never but once did he fail to arrest the hand of the executioner. In the fall of 1821:, he was elected to the State Assembly from this county. The following year, when La Fayette passed through Auburn, he addressed him on behalf of his fellow-citizens. He died of apoplexy Oc- tober 19th, 1831.
Colonel Ilulbert was the most brilliant and emi- nent member of the Auburn bai*. He was ever dis- tinguished for his benevolence, amiability of manners, inflexible honor, unwavering integrity, and his faithful and punctual discharge of duty. In political senti- ment he was a Federalist of the Washington school. Wliile he was in Congress, a then leading paper of Philadelphia said of him : " There is something in everything uttered by Mr. Ilulbert, that reaches the heart of his auditors or readers. He is an honor to his State, and one of the brightest ornaments of Con- gress. He is a Federalist of the right stamp. Were all Federalists like him, Federalism would never have
.'574 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
incurred the opposition of the people." The grief felt at Colonel Hiilbert's death was testified by the ^community in a larger funeral than was ever be- fore held in Auburn.
Hon. Enos ThoTripson Throojj was bc>rn at Johns- town, Montgomery County, ]^ew York, August 21st, 1784. At the age of fourteen he went to Albany, and ^commenced the study of the classics and law in the ^office of George Metcalfe, an eminent lawyer of Johnstown, who had a few months before removed to the State capital. Completing his studies under other instructors and with other connections, he was admitted to the bar in Albany, January, 1806. Two months later he came to Cayuga County, but did not fix his residence at Auburn until November of tlie same year. The controversy concerning the location of the county seat was then at its height, and Mr. Throop was instrumental in effecting the selection of Auburn for that purpose. The following year he en- tered into partnership with the Hon. Joseph L. Kich- ard^on — afterward, for many years. First Judge of this county. This business connection was dissolved in 1811, upon his appointment to the office of county clerk. About this time he purchased the mill prop- erty at the village now called Tliroopsville ; shortly after which purchase the inhabitants, at a public meet- ing, named the place Throopsville in compliment to him. In the fall of 1814 he was elected to Consfress
BIOGRAPHIKS. 575
from this district. Mr. Tliruc>]> liad been ui)pused to the election of Gov. Clinton in the campaigns of 1S17 and '19. Upon Clinton's re-election, in 1819, it was in- timated to Mr. Tliroop, that, nnless his 0})position ceased, he would be removed from the ofiice of countv clerk ; but the intimation not being heeded, his re- moval followed. In April, IS1J8, lie was appointed Circuit Judge for the Tth District, which position he held until the ftill of 1828, when, receiving the nomi- nation for Lieutenant-Governor, with Mr. Van Buren nt the head of the ticket, he resigned, in order to ren- der himself eligible to the latter office. In the en- suing campaign he was ti-iumphantly elected. Mr. Van Buren resigned the Governorship in March, 1829, in order to accept a position in the cabinet at Washing- ton, and Mr. Throop then became Governor. He was re-elected in 1830. In the winter of 1833 the posi- tion of naval officer of the port of Xew York was tendered him by President Jackson and accepted. This office he retained till 1838, when he was ap- pointed cliarcfe (T affaires to the kingdoms of the two Sicilies, l^pon the election of Harrison he resigned, returned home, and retired from public life. Betak- ing himself to his quiet retreat on Owasco Lake — Willovj Broolc — he sought among agricultural pur- suits the rest and happiness best fitted to grace his de- clining years. A few years later he tran>ferred his property to hi> ne])hc-\v, lb>n. K. T. T. ^Martin, and
576 HISTORY OF AUBUKN.
removed to the vicinity of Kalamazoo, Midi., where he indulged his rural taste by purchasing, clearing, and cultivating a large farm. lie subsequently returned to Willow Brool\ to spend tlie remaining years of his life.
Gov. Throop was one of the earliest settlers of this place, and one of the most active citizens of that early day. He was a member of the iirst Board of Trustees of the village. He was instrumental in changing the politics of the county from Federalism to Democracy. He was the second postmaster of Auburn ; and he took an active part in the establishment of the Bank of Auburn. To Gov. Throop the author of '' The Lives of the Governors of I^ew York " pays this well- deserved tribute :
" Starting in life without adventitious aid, self-reli- ant, enterj^rising, and persevering, he achieved for himself an honorable fortune. Force of character and energy of purpose enabled him to triumph over every obstacle that impeded his way to distinction. Integ- rity, without spot or guile, w^as the polar star that guided his footsteps. He has filled, in every instance with credit, several of the most important offices in the State^and under the General Government, and now, as he approaches the close of his well-spent life, he presents an example to the young men of New York, worthy of imitation and full of encouragement."
Deacon Henry Amerman was born in Adams
BIOGRAPniP:S. O i I
County, Pennsylvania, in the year 1 770. He was of Dutch descent, his mother being great-granddaughter of Simon Van Arsdell, of New Amsterdam — one of those honest Dutchmen mentiuned l)y Irving, ''wll(»^e hand weisrhed one i)0und and i\nA wciijhcd two." In 1801 he came, in company with six other families, from his native place, to Owasco, in this county. Here he secured a little unused log cabin, fifteen feet by twelve, which, witli the assistance of his brothers, who had removed thither three years before, he soon })laced in a habitable condition. I>efore the ensuing wintei- set in, he purchased a piece of land, cleared it, and erected thereon a frame dwelling, twenty-six by eighteen feet, wdiere he resided until 180-1, when he came to Auburn. Having obtained a lot of Colonel Harden- burgli, upon the south side of Genesee Street, and east of the mills, he built a new frame house, and moved into it with his family in November. Hardenburglrs Corners, at this time, gave little promise of becoming a large city. Mr. Amerman's w^as the eighth frame building in tlie })lace. He now^ established himself in the business of a saddle and harness-maker, many of his customers being Indians from the cam}) on the pres- ent site of the })rison. In 18(>6 he converted his resi- dence and shop into a tavern, and commenced keeping boarders. The same ^^ear Colonel Ilardenburgh died, and Mr. Amerman was appointed/jne of the administra- tors of his estate. His duties were \ery arduous, as 35
578 HISTORY OF AUBURN.
the affairs of the deceased were left in an extremely complicated condition.
In 1809, he was chosen captain of the Auburn mili- tia company ; and in the War of 1812-14, he marched out as far as Canandaigua at the head of his company, though he did not see active service.
Mr. Amerman was one of the four who pledged the commissioners that the land for the original court- house should be free of expense to the county. He saw the site of that edifice staked out. He attended the meeting at which the name of Auburn was chosen for this place. Having sold his property in 1816, he purchased and removed to the Center House, where he kept tavern until 1822. While he was landlord of the Center House, the long room of that tavern was used for many public meetings — meetings for the dis- cussion of public enterprises, prayer-meetings, confer- ences. Sabbath schools, and singing schools. It is be- lieved that the first Sunday school organized west of Albany was held at the Center House. In 1817 Mr. Amerman was chosen one of the elders of the First Presbyterian Church of Auburn, in the organization of which he had taken a part. He witnessed the lay- ing of the corner-stone of the edifice of that society, and boarded many of the workmen engaged in its con- struction. For a number of years he was Overseer of the Poor of this place, performing the arduous duties of his ofiice with signal faithfulness and ability. Upon
BIOGRA.PHIES. 579
liis disposal of the Center House, he removed to a house on Garden Street, which stood on a piece of land now occupied bj the soutli-eastern corner of the N. Y. G. K. R. depot. After a residence of five years in this house, he purchased a farm near Centreport, about seven miles north of Auburn, and removed thither with his family. Here he has spent the subsequent years of his life, living to a ripe old age, and enjoying in this, his 93d year, the use of his faculties to a re- markable degree.
Deacon Amerman was one of the earliest settlers of Auburn — the oldest now surviving. During his resi- dence of twenty-three years in this place, he was ever known as an enterprising, energetic, kind-hearted, pa- triotic, honest, and honorable citizen ; and nothing has lie since done, in his quiet rural life, to forfeit that well-deserved reputation.
THE END.
EEEAl^A.
The reader will be pleased to correct the folluwino; mistakes and omissions with his pen.
Page 34, Sth line— For " double," read " both." " 85, 14th " —For " were," read " was." " 38, 24th " — Insert " and resulted," after " County." " 49, 24th " —For " branch," read " bank." " 68, 19th " —For " was," read " were." " 83, 8th " —For " July," read " June."
" 107, 6th " —For " same," read " present."
" 136, 6th " —For " on," read " in."
" 136, 21st " —For " Hubbard," read " Hulbert."
" 163, 11th " —For " Alvah" read " Allen."
" 209, 15th" — For " revelation," read " revulsion."
" 299, 6th " — For " and some," read " in some."
" 301, 18th " —For "gap," read "gate."
" 316, 21st " — For " ordinary," read " ordering."
" 319, 10th " —For " these," read " three."
" 322, 4th " —For " say," read " day."
" 456, 2d " — Insert " the payment of a bounty," after
" 1864."
" 512, 28th " —For " 1846," read " 1848." Whenever the name " Daniel Hyde " occurs, read " Dan Hyde.'
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