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HISTORYOF
PLATTSBURGH,N.Y.,FROMITS FIRST
SETTLEMENT TO
JAN.
I,
1
876
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PLATTSBURGH,1877.
N.Y.
HISTORYOF
PLATTSBURGHFROMITS FIRST
SETTLEMENT TOJ6^\].ii
JAN.
I,
1876.
"^e^L^^
ii
PLATTSBURGH,1877.
N.Y.
INTRODUCTORY.\^?^',
In the year 1871 a series of articles were prepared by
Peter S. Palmer and published in the Plattsburgh Republican
under the name of
"
Northern
New York
Historical
Society Papers."
Paper
"
one," of that series, which reis
ferred principally to the village of Plattsburgh,
repro-
duced
in the following pages.
PLATTSBURGH (VILLAGE).One hundred andment issuedland, lying
seven years ago the English governfor
a
mandamus
thirty
thousand acresto
of
on the west side
of
Lake Champlain,
be
surveyed to Count Charles de Fredenburgh.rant bears date January1
The
warhad,
1,
1769.
De Fredenburghthis,
however, several years prior to
selected the tract
covered by the warrant and commenced improvements
upon
it,
by the erection
of a comfortable dwelling-houseits
on
the south bank of the river Saranac, at
mouth, and of
a saw-mill, at the rapids, three miles above, yet" Fredenburgh's Falls."it^
known as
From
papers in the land-office,
appears that on the 19th of August, 1767, Fredenburghassociates petitioned for a grant of 20,000
and nineteen
acres of land, at
Cumberland Bay, on the west
of
Lake
Champlain, for which a warrant of survey was issued January27,
1768 {Vol. XXIV.).
On
the
nth
of January,
1769, a
mandamus was
issued, granting de
Fredenburgh
30,000 acres, which was followed on the 24th of
May by
a warrant of survey, to lay out the 30,000 acres on the west side of the lake, beginningisland of Valcour, including bothat a point
opposite the
banks
of the "
Saranak"
River as far as the high
falls,
the sandy beach and creek,
and
also the
whole point
of
Cumberland Bay, commonly
1 See recital in Patent of Plattshurgli. The dwelling-lioiise occupied by de Fredenburgh, stood near the site of the late United States Hotel.
4
PLATTSBURGH
VILLAGE.(Vol.
called Squinanton, or
Cumberland Head
XXXVII.).
The
value of this tract seems to have been well
known
at that time, as the land papers
show
that on the 5th of
April,
1
769, William Kelley, in behalf of
Lord Viscount
Townsend and
twenty-four
associates, petitioned for a
grant of 25,000 acres, bounded east by Cumberland Bay
and extending west on both sides
of the
Saranac River,
including the land covered by the warrant of survey, of
January
27, 1768,
above mentioned (Vol. XXV.).
De
Fredenburg,
who had beenof repute
a
captainof
in
the
British army,
was a person
and
some pecunitime766, to
ary means.
He was
one
of the
gentlemen composing theCarlton, at the1
retinue of Gov.
Moore and Gen.
they visited Lake Champlain in the autumn ofestablish
the boundary line between the Provinces of
New York
and Canada.is
His dwelling on the banks
of
the Saranac
described as having
been sumptuously
furnished, and the seat of refinement
and
taste.
Here,
surrounded by the families of his workmen, who dweltin
rude cabins near the lake or at the
" Falls,"
he lived
with his wife and children in almost unbroken solitude,
looking forward to the day when his broad acres would
be cleared and his possessions on the
Saranac should
produce baronial wealth.
De
Fredenburgh's
nearest
neighbors at
this
time
were John La Frombois, who lived on the shore of the lake, a short distance south from Sax's Landing, inChazy, and William
Hay and Henry
Cross,
who
resided
on
Friswell's Patent, opposite the island of Valcour.
As
early as 1766 a small cabin
had been erected by William
PLATTSBURGHGilllland,
VILLAGE.at the
5
on lands claimed by him
mouth
of the
Salmon
River, for the purpose of preventing an encroachin that direction.I
ment by De Fredenburghpermanently occupied.'
It
was never
have
no data from
which
to ascertain the duration of
De
Fredenburgh's residence,
or the extent of the improvements
made by him.Revolution, and
Here-
removed
his
family to Montreal a short time before theof the
commencement
war
of the
turned alone to protect his property.
About
this
time
the house and mill were burnt down, and
De
Fredensettle-
burgh mysteriously disappeared.
No
subsequent
ment was made1785.
in this
immediate vicinity
until the year
Inin
1
781, the Legislature of the State of
New
York,
order to encourage the
raising
of
troops
for the
defense of the State, passed certainties of
acts, offering
boun-
unappropriated lands to such
officers
and
soldiers
as should enlist within a time specified.
These bounties
were divided into rightsa provision in theact,
of
500 acres each, and there was
that
whenever any number
of
persons entitled collectively to sixty-one rights, or 30,500acres,
should join in a location, the lands so located
should be laid out in a township of seven miles square,
and that the remaining 860 acres
in
such township
should be reserved for gospel and school purposes.In 1784, Zephaniah Piatt, of Poughkcepsie, in behalfof himself and thirty-two associates,
who
collectively
had
acquired the requisite
number
of " rights," located
them
upon the
tract of land
which had been claimed by40, 133.
De
"
Watson's Champlain Valley," pp.
6
PLATTSBURGHhis
VILLAGE.
Fredenburgh under
warrant, and, on the
12th of
Augustand
of that
year, procured
the requisite certificate
from the Surveyor-General, that the lands were vacantunappropriated.Piatt,
Letters
-
Patent were
issued
to
Zephaniah
on the
26th day of October,
1784.
Aboutin
the
same
time, Mr. Piatt obtained
from the State,
behalf of
himself,
Nathaniel Piatt and
Simon R.to
Reeves, a patent for two thousand acres of land, including
Cumberland Head, and extending north
lands
belonging to Beekman and company.'
These two
tracts
were incorporated into a townof April, 1785.
called Plattsburgh,
on the 4th day
Three
years later the boundaries of the town were extended soas to include the territory
embraced within the
limits of
the present towns of Beekmantown, Dannemora, Saranac,
and Schuyler
Falls, with a part of
Peru and Black Brook,of Franklin.1
and a small portion
of the
county
Ontors
the 29th day of October,
784, three days after
the Patent of Plattsburgh had been issued, the proprie-
met
at the inn of
John Simmons,
in the city of
New
York, to devise plans to secure the immediate settlementof the lands
an objectsix
of
much
importance, as the patent"
contained a condition requiring the patentee tosettler
put one
upon every
hundred acresits
of land in the tract,
within three years after'
date,"
and declaring that "forto the legislature,
De
Fredenburgh's children applied unsuccessfully
at a later period, for recognition of their title to the tract claimedfather.
by theirGilli-
The
title
to
Cumberland Head had been claimed by WilliamLieut.
hnd, under assignment fromthe colony of
Lowe, an
officer
who had served underLowe's claim waspp. Ii8, 193.
New
York,
in the
French and Indian war.
not recognized by the State.
"
Watson's Champlain Valley,"
PLATTSBURGHnon-compliancein
VILLAGE.
7
making suchto give to
settlement," the lands
granted would revert to the State.proposition was
At
this
meeting a
made
such of the proprietors
as should within two years from that time build a
dam
and
mills
upon the Saranac, the exclusivemill-lot of fifty acres,
title
to the
Fredenburgh Falls
and
to
one hunits
dred acres lying on the north side of the river at
mouth.Piatt, Piatt,
This proposition was accepted by ZephaniahPeter
Piatt
Newcomb, Nathaniel Rogers, Charles Piatt, Thomas Treadwell,Tappen,Zaccheusof the associates
SimonIsrael
R. Reeves, Melancton Smith, Jonathan Lawrence,
Smith and John Addams, twelveat
who metagreed"
the
house of Judge Zephaniah
Piatt
in
Poughkeepsie on the 30th December, 1784, and mutuallyto be jointly
concerned
in the building of a saw-
mill, grist-mill
and a forge on theto
river
Saranac the next
summer, each
advance an equal proportion of money.augeu" (pirogue)of a
TheyPiatt
also agreed to build a " pettysize,
moderate
and
to
purchase twine for a seine.for the
Judge
was appointed agentat $541,
company.
The expense^100;
was estimatedIrons,
as
follows:
Millstones,;
^125;
Nails,
$37.50; Iron, $16cloth,
Transportation,
$15; Saw, $7.50; Bolting
$15
;
Pork, $So; Bread,title
$65
;
Rum
$So}
Onand
the 6th February, 1785, the
to the 100 acres
to the
FredenburghIt
Falls mill-lotof
was vestedthe
in the twelve
by deed.
was the intention
company
to
procure the iron ore for the forge from aState, lyingof
bed owned by the
on the bordersPoint,
of the lake,
about eieht miles north1
Crown
known!
as the
Eighty dollars for rum and only
sixty-five for
bread
but they were
buildinjr a srist-niill.
8"
PLATTSBURGH
VILLAGE.1784, chapter 63, 4,]
Skeene's ore bed;" [Laws of
and, for this purpose, they obtained permission from the
State to take ore from that bed for the term of ten years.
Laws
of 1785, chapter 57, 3.]this section in 1763,
Mr. WilHam GilHland, who visitedsays of the Saranacthis river,:
"
Proceeded about two miles upto be
which proveditsis
much;
larger than the Bouat
quet,
and rapid from
mouth uparift,
about 400 yards
from the lake thereconvenientlywilllifted,fall
where the water may beit
and, by carrying
about 200 yards,feet that
produce araised^
of about 10 feet,
which with twowill
may beaIt
by a small stony dam,
be enough for
mill."
At
the head of these rapids the
dam was
built.
crossed the stream at the bend of therods above the present dam.side of thegrist-millriver,
river, forty
or
fifty
A forge
was erected
on the westsaw-mill,
near the dam, and a smallthirty rods below.
and a
some twenty or
These
mills
were supplied with water through a flume,river.
passing along the margin of theeight feet in height.
The dam was about
The frame22d
of the saw-mill
was raised on Monday, thelast
of June, 1785,
and as the
pin was driven home,
Cornelius Haight, one of the workmen, proclaimed themill " the glory
of the Saranac."
The proprietors also set apart 997 acres, as gift lots, to the first persons who should settle on the patent, and laidout 30lots of
100 acres each, to be sold at a
"
low
rate."
These
lots
included
some
of the best lands in the township.in
The
" gift lots"*
were twelve
number. Number one, whichp. 117.
"Watson's Champlain Valley,"
PLATTSBURGHcontained 6iStreet,acres, lay north
VILLAGE.
9
and adjoining Corneliato the
and extended from the Convent D'YouvilleThislot
lake shore.
was given
to Charles
Piatt,
who
also received lot two, containing 67 acres,
which adjoinedthree,
number one onlot
the north.
Next north was number
containing 100 acres, conveyed to
Thomas
Allen.
This
extended as far west as the Bailey farm.
Jabez Pettit
received
number
four,
which
also
extended from the lake
shore to the line of the Bailey farm, and was bounded onthe north by the Boynton road.
Numbers five, six, seven andB. Hart-
eight contained 81 acres each, and were given, in the order
named,
to
Kinner Newcomb, Mr. Sexton, John
wick, and Derrick
Webb, and includedlot.
all
the territory
lying west of Catherine Street, to an extension south ofthe east bounds of the school
Number nine
contain-
ed 81 acres, and was given to Cyrenus Newcomb.lot
This
was bounded by the school
lot
on the west and by the
old
Beekmantown road on
the east.
Number
ten,
which
contained 50 acres, lay on the opposite side of this road,
and included the Bailey homestead farm and a portionof the
Boynton farm, lying southto
of the
Boynton
road.
This was given
Moses Soper.
Jacob Ferris receivedall
numberterritory
eleven, containing
120 acres, including
the
on the
east side of the river, extending south as far
as the
bend
of the river, near old Fort
Brown. This
lot ex-
tended twenty-five feet into thehalf its water power.
river,
and included one-
given to Charles
Number twelve, which was also Piatt, who received numbers one and
two, contained 94 acres. This lot lay north of the Boyn-
ton road and included the east portion of the farm lately
owned by Mr. Hewitt.
lO
PLATTSBURGH
VILLAGE.
The 30a"
lots of
100 acres each, set apart to be sold at
low
rate,"
were also advantageously located, including
all
the territory on the Boynton road as far west as thelot,"
"
Glebe
and that on the Plank Road and Rugar
Street, as far west as Thorn's corners.
Of these23, 1785,
lots
there had been sold, as early as
August
on the
Boynton
road,
lot
one
to
Peter
Roberts, lot
two to
Charles McCreedy, lot three to John Kelly, lot five to
Melancton L. Woolsey, andliam Mitchell.lot ten to
lots
seven and eight to Wil-
On
the west road,lot
now
the plank road,
Daniel Averill,
eleven to Joseph Wait, lotlot
seventeen to Simeon Newcomb,
eighteen to Daniel;
Newcomb, lot fourteen to Mr. Saxton and on road or Rugar Street, lots nine, thirteen andandlot
the southfifteen,
toJr.,
Daniel Averill, Nathan Averill, and Daniel Averill,
twenty to Samuel Beeman.the
On81lots,
23d day of August, the proprietors divided
24,300 acres
among
themselves.
The
division
embraced
one-third containing 200 acres, one-third 300 acres,
and the remaining one-third 400 acres each.tion
The
appor-
ment was made by']'],
ballot.
Simon R. Reeves drew
lots 6, 31, 58, 10, 33,
19,46,72
2,700
acres.15, 40,
Simon74
R. Reeves and John Addams, numbersacres.
900Isreal
Zacheus Newcomb,21,
16, 30,59,
900acres.
acres.
and Samuel Smith,
51, 73I,
900
Zephaniahacres.
Piatt, 20,47, 68, 22, 29, 65,
52,
63,3,42,663,600acres.
John Addams,and Son,38,6914, 35,
5,
39,
55,
900acres.
Burnett Miller23,12,
62
900
Melancton Smith,
900 acres. 48,60 900 56, 9007'
Charles Piatt and Piatt Rogers,
acres.
Thomas Storm and LewisPiatt Rogers,17, 43,
Barton,
32,
acres.
67
900
1
PLATTSBURGHacres.
VILLAGE.
1
Peter Taylor, Benjamin Smith and Albert An2,
drance,Berrien,
28,
57
900
acres.
Benjamin Walker, John25,37,
and AndrewPiatt,
Billings,
78
900
acres.
Nathaniel3,600.
11,50,76,79,36,64,8,27,54,4,41,81
Nathaniel Tom, Jonathan Lawrence, and Eben-
ezer Mott, 13, 44, 75
90053
acres.
Benjamin Calkins, Ben26, 80,
jamin Titus, and Jacobus and Samuel Swartout,
70
900
acres.
William Floyd, Ezra L'Homedieu, and
John Smith,24, 45, 71iel
18, 49,
900
acres.
Thomas Tread well,
9009,
acres,
and Philip Schuyler and Nathanacres.
North rup,
34,61
900
Prior to this division, the town had been organized
and town
officers
duly elected.
The
first
town meet-
ing was held at the dwelling-house of Charles Piatt, onthe thirdpervisor,
Tuesday
of June,
1
785.
Mr. Piatt was elected SuPiatt,
and Zaccheus Newcomb, NathanielCommissionersof
and
Piatt Rogers,
Highways.
On
the istto the
day
of October, the
Commissioners made return
town clerk
of the public
highwaysstill
laid out in the town.
Many
of these roads are
in existence,
and form the
principal highways of the town.
A
number, however,
which appearnever opened.
to have
been
laid
out at this time, were
The
earliest
complete record of town
officers
I
have
found are those for the year 1786.
The town meetingCharles Piatt
was held on Tuesday, the 3d day
of April.
was elected Supervisor; Kinner Newcomb, John Ransom, and Jacob Ferris, Assessors; John Ransom,Clerk;
TownFerris,
Darick Webb, Jonas Allen, and Jacob;
Overseers of the Poor
Samuel Beeman, Cyrenus New-
I
2
PLATTSBURGIIB.
VILLAGE.
comb, and John
Hartwick, Commissioners of High-
ways
;
Darick
Webb
and Cyrenus Newcomb, Appraisers;
of Insolvent Estates
Thomas
Allen, Allen Smith, and
Abraham Montee, Constables; Thomas Allen, Collector; Col. Edward Antill, Capt. Benjamin Mooers, and MajorGolvin, Commissioners oftrict;
Roads
in the
Northern Dis-
Kinner Newcomb and Lewis Reynolds, Fence;
Viewers
and Jacob
Ferris,
Kinner Newcomb, Samuel
Beeman, Jonas Allen, Titus Andrus, Joseph Thurber,Capt. Montee, and Mr. Harden, Pathmasters.
Jacob Ferris,
who owned
the water-power on the east-
side of the river, built a saw-mill at the east
endit.
of the
dam, and a
grist-mill a short distance
below
(See
Record
of Deeds, Liber K., p. 199.)
A
fulling-mill, dye-
house, and mill-house were subsequently erected, on the
sameto
side of the river.
In November, 1787, Ferris conof his
veyed an undivided half
water privilege and millshalf to
Benjamin Mooers, and the otherin
Theodorus
Piatt,1
October,
1792.
On
the
8th of
November,
796, Mr.
Mooers conveyedPiatt.
his interest in the property
to
Zephaniah
Thealsoto
mill property
on the oppositeIn
side of the riverber,
had
changed owners.one hundred
Novem-
1797, the
title
the
acres, except
twelve building
lots, laidtitle
out by Piatt Rogers, as surveyor,
in
1
79 1, and the
of so
much
of the Ferris lot as
hadin
been
set apart for mill purposes,Piatt,
had become vested
Zephaniah
Theodorus;
Piatt,
and Melancton Smith,
as tenants in
common
Zephaniah Piatt owning an undifourth.
vided
half,
and the others each a
In this year, 1797, the old
dam
at the
bend
of the
3
PLATTSBURGHriver
VILLAGE.site of
1
was torn down, and a new one, about fourteenon or near the
feet
high, ^\as erected
the present dam,
and new198.)
mills built there. (See 17 Johnson's N. Y. Reports,
A
race or canal
was
also
dug across
to " Clark's
Landing," and a forge and fulling-mill were built on the
low land nearthis time, stood
its
mouth.
The
grist-mill, erected
aboutfifty
near the west end of the dam, aboutstreet.
feet
back from the
This mill was destroyed by a
freshet a few years afterwards,mill
when
the location of the
was changed
to the site of the present stone mill
on
the east side of the river.several persons were
Atin
the time of this freshet
engaged
removing the machinery;
from the
when the building fell all escaped except Daniel Robinson, who was carried down the stream as farmill,
as Mr. Sailly's ashery, one hundred rods below, where he
was rescued by persons standing on thethe water subsided, the
shore.
WhenThe
millstone was found at the placeof the river.
where Robinson had been drawn out
"Governor" declaredand floated uponprobable,still
that
when he foundto
the mill was
tumbling to pieces, he clungit
the millstone for safety,
to that point.
The
story seems im-
the fact that the stone was found at theis
place where he landed,freshet
evidence of
its
truth.
This
was
for
many
years afterwards referred to as thethe river on a mill-
one
"
when Gov. Robinson rode downmill property
stone."
While thePiatt,
was owned by Zephaniahis
Theodorus
Piatt
and Mclancton Smith, whatThis
now knownwaslaid out
as the
" eight-and-one-half
acres mill-lot,"
and appropriated to
mill purposes.
4
1
PLATTSBURGHall
VILLAGE.upon bothtitle to
inclLidcdriver.
the mill privileges
sides of the
In December, 1817, thein
the whole propertyis
became vestednerin
Levi Piatt.
ThePiatt
followinghis title:
the
manand
which Judge Piatt acquired
In 1797, asone-half,
has been stated, Zephaniah
owned
TheodorusZephaniah
Piatt
and Melancton Smith each one-fourth.died in 1808, devised one-fourth toto Levi in
Piatt, wdio
his son James,
who conveyed
November, 1809.
HewhoL.,
devised his remaining one-fourth to his son David,
died before his father.
This portion went to ZephJames, Charles
aniah Piatt's eleven surviving children.
and Jonas, conveyed
their interest to Levi in 1809-10,
and Levi took one forty-fourth
as heir.
The
title to
the
remaining seven parts was acquired by Levi by commissioner's deed on a sale in partition.
Theodorus
Piatt
conveyedout,
his one-fourth, in July, 1803, toto
Barnadus Swart-
who conveyed
Melancton Smith, Sidney Smith,Bleeker was a party
and John Bleeker,to the partition suit.
in June, 1804.
Melancton and Sidney Smith conto
veyed their interest
Levi
Piatt, in
December, 181
7.
The
elder
Melancton Smith died
in
possession of his
one-fourth,
which was subsequently sold on execution\Mckoff, in No-
against his heirs and devisees, and conveyed by sheriff's
deed
to
John Suydam and Henry1
S.
vember,
8 10.
partition suit.ber, 1817.
Suydam and Wickoff were parties to the They also joined in the deed of DecemBankof
In May, 1827, thetoall
Plattsburgh acquired
title
the water-power in
the eight-and-one-half
acre
mill-lot,
and
also to land lying north of Bridge Street,
on
5
PLATTSBURGH
VILLAGE.
1
the east side of the river,"which was not tlien considered
a portion of the mill property.
The Trustees
of the
Bank subdivided
that portion
of the eight-and-one-half
acre lot adjacent to the river, and the lots on the northside of Bridge Street into eight mill-lots,
and
after reserv-
ing for the grist-mill a supply of water
suflficient for
eight
run of stones, allotted the residue of the water to thesemill-lots, in the
proportion of one-third to the west sideto the east side of the river.
and two-thirds
tion thus allotted to each sidelots
The proporwas subdivided among the
lying on the respective sides.one, adjoining the
On
the east side
number
dam, and number two, lyingenti-
between number one and Bridge Street, were eachtled to two-elevenths.
Numbers
three and four, lying on
the north side of Bridge Street, to the
same
quantity,last,
and number
five,
which
lay north
and below the two
to three-elevenths.
On
the west side,
number
six,
adjoinallot-
ing the dam, was entitled to one-fifth of the waterted to that side of the river,
and number seven, adjoining
but below the dam, and number eight, which fronted on
Bridge Street, to two-fifths each.All of this mill property was sold at public auction,
by themill-lots
trustees,
in
July, 1829.
The
grist-mill,
and the
numbers
one, six
and seven, were purchased by
Richard Yates, as trustee for certain State Banks, andthe remaining lots by John Palmer.sale,
At the time
of this
a small portion only of this water-power was in use.six,
On
the west side of the dam, on lot
a brick building
stood, used as a wool-carding
and cloth-dressing estab-
lishment.
An
old saw-mill stood in the stream, just be-
6
1
PLATTSBURGHlot
VILLAGE.oil-mill.^
low the dam, oneight,
seven, and an old building on lot
which had been used as anthe saw-mill over
Access was
had
to
a causeway of slabs, leadingriver
from Bridge Street between the
and the
oil-mill.
These threewere
buildings, with an old rickety saw-mill at
the east end of the dam, on lot one, and the grist-mill,all
the works then connected with the water-power
at this
dam.
An
old red building stood on the south
side of the street near the east
end
of the
bridge,
and
a smallstreet.
wooden building on the opposite
side of the
A
dwelling, which the miller generally occupied,
stood on the west side of Green Street in rear of the oldIsrael
Green Hotel, and there were three small dwellingsof a
on the south side
passage-way running along the
bank
of the river opposite the
Upperafter
Island.his purchase, con-
Judge Palmer, immediately
structed a flume, for the supply of lots two, three, four,
and
five.
He
also, in
1830, built a
dam about
half a
mile further up the river, at the Covered Bridge, on which
Mr. Cyrus Waterhouse, the next year, erected a smallsaw-mill.In 1835,
Ashley Clark erected works
for saw-
ing marble at this dam.
In the spring of 1833, Judgeside of Bridge Street
Palmer soldat the lower
lot " four,"
on the north
dam,
to- Clark,
Reynolds
&
McGregor, whosimilar building
erected works for sawing marble.
A
was subsequently erected by
Hill,
Stephenson
&
Board-
man on
lot
" five."
At
these mills, and at the marble
mills of Mr. Clark, at the
upper dam, large quantities ofquarries were sawed.in 1821.
marble from the1
Isle
La Motte
The
oil-mill
was started by John Mallory,
7
PLATTSBURGH
VILLAGE.
1
In 1833, Douglass L. Fouquet purchased the easthalf of lot"
three,"
on which he erected a large wooden
building.
Here
C. S. Bliss
&J.
Co. carried on the cardingfor a short time,
and cloth-dressing businesswere succeeded by Hiram
when theytrans-
Bentley,
ferred his interest to Mr. Fouquet.
who in 1835 At this time
(1835)
Noyes
P.
Gregory carried on the carding and cloth-dress-
ing business at the west end of the bridge.
HoraceClark,
Boardman haderected on
a
small
foundry in a stone buildingthe marble mill ofoperation,
number "five;"
McGregorwoollenfactory.
&
Co. was in
full
and the small
building at the east end of the bridge, near Fouquet'smill,
was occupied by E. H. BarnumS.
as a
comb
William Palmer and Charles
Mooers occu-
pied the stone building which had been erected in 1833,
on the
site of
the old oil-mill, as a cotton factory.
Cor-
nelius Halsey
&
Co. had another cotton factory in the
brick building at the west end of the dam.
Owing
to
the great difficulty and expense of reaching a southern
market during eight months
of the year,
and the small
capacity of these establishments, the manufacture of cot-
ton cloth was soon abandoned.also closed after a
few years.
The marble At or aboutThe
millsthis
weretime,
Peleg T. Stafford and James Smith had a small machine
shop
in rear of the
Fouquet building.
old saw-mill
continued in a dilapidated condition, and was used for
custom work only.J.
It
continued so until
1
846,
when
F.
&
S.
W.
Barnard, of Albany, erected a large saw-mill
at that place.
After C. Halsey
&
Co. had discontinued
the manufacture of cotton cloth, the brick building was
8
1
PLATTSBURGH
VILLAGE.
used principally as a wheelwright and cabinetmaker'sshop, until about the year 1859,
when
it
was torn down
and a saw-mill erected by Mr. Tefft
in its })lace.
Havingof the
"
glanced
"
at the early history of that portion
one hundred
acres,
which
is
directly connectedlet
with the mill privileges at this place, time
us return to the
whenlots
the twelve building lots were laid out, in 1791.
These
extended west asacres,
far as the
west
line of the
one hundred
which was about ten rods east fromall
the present line of Catharine Street, and includedterritory
the
now bounded
north by Cornelia Street, south by
the
brow
of the hill in rear of
Broad
Street,
and east by
Margaret
Street, as laid out
between Cornelia and Brinkcontinued to theriver.
erhoff Street,
and thatall
line
They
contained inof
about forty-three acres of land, and were
uniform depth, east and west, but varied in width from
seven to eleven rods.
Although these1791,1797,I
lots
were surveyed
and apportioned
in
do not find that any portion
was occupied
until
when Doctor Chauncey Fitchof the present
bought number two, north
Court House,of
and the same year erected a dwelling on the east endthelot.
In February of that year,
numberthe
five
was conSeptem-
veyed
to Mrs.
Phebe Ketchum, who,lot in
as appears from the
record of deeds, lived on the
monthin
of
ber following.
The
next year, William and James Baileythe southeastsite
purchased about one-fourth of an acrecorner of numberjewelrystore,five,
near the present
of
Reed's
upon
which they erected aby Baileyefifice,
store, sub-
sequently occupiedPiatt
&
Piatt.
Theodorus
had a small
near a deep ravine south o
9
PLATTSBURGHthisstore.
VILLAGE.
1
These buildings fronted upon
the unoc-
cupied lands of the mill owners.
At
that time there
were no other buildings
in this section of the settlement
until 3^ou reached the vicinity of the block-house,"
on the
south road."
Near
this block house, Peter
Roberts had
built a blacksmith shop.
Beyond werelots.
several dwellings
erected on one of the giftPiatt
Prior to 1795, Nathaniel
had become the ownerBroad
of all the land"
on the south" of
side of
Street, west of the
building lots
the
mill proprietors.lots,
These he hadwhich
laid
out into 17 building
called the city lots, of
12 lay to the west of the
block-house, and 5 to the east.
A
building stood on the north bank of the river, aof the present railroad crossing, then
few rods west
or
soon afterwards occupied by Piatt
&
Mooers, as a
store..
Next1
east,
was the residence
of
Peter Sailly, erected in
795-6, with a store-house and ashery upon the bank of
the river opposite his dwelling.
Next
east of
Mr
Sailly 's,
stood a dwelling-house, built by Charles Piatt, and then
occupied by Benjamin Graves, and beyond were three orfour dwellings, and on the bank of the lake a block-house,
which was then used
as a
Court-House and
Jail.
On
the
east side of the river,
John Clark had
built a
house upon
the site of the old Fredenburgh house, which was occu-
pied byern.river," "
him and subsequently byof this building, at
Israel
Green, as a tav-
A
small store-house stood on the margin of thethe place then calledalso
back
Clark's Landinsf."
There were
two
buildinurs
onInlot
the point," which had been built by Jacob Ferris.1
September,
793,
John Lewis Fouquet purchased the2
20
PLATTSBURGH
VILLAGE.wliicli
now owned by Mr.dwelling,
Lansing, upon
he erected aPiattbuilt
and soon afterwards
Zephaniahas
the
"homestead,"
now known
the
"government
house."
These
buildings, with the mills1
and the mill-houses
attached, constituted, about
798, nearly the entire settle-
ment within the presenttime,
limits of the village.
Up;
to this
no
streets
had been projected or openedbeing the
the only
thoroughfares
common"
highways, leadingproprietors' mills,"in
from the surrounding country to theas theyber.
were
called.
These highways were fouras
numroaid,"
One knownanother
the
"
Cumberland HeadSouth
passing along the north bank of the river to the foot ofthe bay;
known
as
"
Street,"
which lead
past Roberts's blacksmith shop, to the settlements in the
western and south-western parts of the township
;
anotherinter-
knownknown
as " the road to
Beekman's Patent," which
sected South Street near the Roberts shop, and a fourthas the " Perueast
Road," which crossed the bridge
and ran along thethe lake, to the
bank
of the river
and the shore of
mouth
of the
Salmon River and beyond.South Street, betweenshop,
There wasTheodorusmargin
also a short
road from Clark's tavern to thepoint.
two Ferris buildings on thePiatt'sofifice
and Roberts's
was a
crooked way, passing through the pine bushes along theof a ravine.its
Although
population at this time could not havefifty,
exceeded two hundred andtheless
the village had never-
become a place
of
considerable
importance.
^
Plattsburgh was the shiretown of a large tract of country,
1
PLATTSBURGH
VILLAGE.
2
extending to Lake George on the south and to the banksof
the
St.
Lawrence on the
west.
Courts were held
here, at
which the principal
citizens of the
county
as-
sembled, as ofHcers, jurors, witnesses or suitors, or toconfer together in relation to the political and local questions of the day.Its
merchants controlled the business
of a large section of country, collecting pot and pearl
ashes and furs for export, and sending, yearly, long raftsof timber to the of the ten
Quebec market.
WhenSt.
the inhabitants
townships upon the river
Lawrence
peti-
tioned the legislature of 1802 for the organization of the
county
of
St."
Lawrence, they based their applicationdifficulty,
upon thejurors
extreme
troubles
and expenses,attending atPlatts-
and witnesses must be subject
to, in
such a distance, together with the attendance at
burgh
for arranging
and returning the townhad resulted
business."
A
similar complaint, three years before, by the inhabi-
tants of
Crown
Point,
in the organization of
Essex County.
These changes did not
affect the busiit
ness or prosperity of the village, whileinhabitants of
relieved
the
Crown
Point and of ten townships from a
most serious inconvenience. In Winterbothani's America,
vol.
ii.
p.
324,
the
author refers to the early prosperity of thethe intelligenceof the:
village,
and
first
settlers,
in
the
following
quaint language
"
They haveglass
artisans of almost every
kind
among
them, and furnishbuilding,
among
themselvesPolite
all
the
materials
for
excepted.
circles
may
here be found, and the genteel traveller be enter-
tained with the luxuries of a sea-port, a tune on the
22
PLATTSBURGII
VILLAGE.
harpsicord, aiid a philosophical conversation."
This was
Plattsburgh in 1792.
*'
known that New York was originally a Slave State." The " institution," however, never flourIt is
well
ished in this or in any of the Northern Statesif
a
result,
we may judge from
the efforts of Massachusetts to
continue the slave-trade, attributable more to the influence of climate, than to the principles of the people.
Gerrit Smith encountered and was repulsed by the
same
obstacles of climate, when, a few years ago, he attemptedto settle the blacks
among the hills and snows of his Franklin County lands. The influence of a northern1
climate led to the enactment of a law, in
798, for the
gradual emancipation of slaves.184,1
This was followed, inslaves,
7,
by an act declaring that;
all
born after Julyor, if
1799, should be free
if
male, at the age of 28,
female, at the age of 25.
In 1790, the whole21,324, of
number
of slaves in the Statein
wasInfifty-
which seventeen resided
this county.
1800, theeight.
number
in this
county had increased to
From
this time the
number gradually
decreased.
In
1
810, as
shown by the census, there were but twentyrecords"
nine slaves in the county.
The town
show
that
on the i6th day of
August, 1794, the
negro
manhis
Hick, and Jane, his wife,"In
were manumitted by Judge Treadwell.following.
September
Hick bought
daughter Cynthia of the
Judge
for seventeen
pounds
(^42.50).
Judge Treadwell,
about this time, also manumitted his
man York ;
Brist
was manumitted by John Addams,
in April, 1803,
and
PLATTSBURGHWill, in
VILLAGE.
23
November, 1804."
OnGin
the ist of January, 1806,his"
Benjamin Mooers manumitted
"
negro
girl,
Ann,^'
and Robert1806.
Piatt
gave
her freedom, in
May,
On
the 6th of January,Piatt
1808, the executors of
Zephaniah
manumitted
Cato,
and
in
May
of the
same
year, Peter Sailly,
manumitted Dean and her threeWilliam Bailey,Pete.also,
Abel and Caty. on that day, manumitted his manchildren, Francis,
The town booksservice.
also contain the records of the birth
of sixteen children, born of slave
mothers and held to
Some
of these are
still
livingof
and reside
in this
county.
One, born on the 28th
December, 18 14, was
named Sir George Provost a compliment of which the commander of the British forces at the siege of Plattsburghwas probably never informed, and couldfully appreciate.I
not, therefore,
have referred to two block-houses, as standing here
in 1798.
Oneof
stood on the bank of the lake, on the farm
of Elric L. Nichols; the other
was within the presentJ.
bounds
Broad
Street, near the residence of the late
D. Woodward.
This
latter
was erected
for the protec-
tion of the inhabitants at the timetry
when
the whole coun-
apprehended a general Indian war.
For several years
the settlers in that locality were accustomed to pass the
night withinfor
its
walls.
This block-house was never usedof refuge
any other purpose than as a house
from fan-
cied danger.
The one onfirst
the lake shore was built injail.
1789, and was at
intended for a
[See act
passed Marchof Clinton
3,
1789, which recites that the inhabitantsto build a block-house at
County are disposed
24
PLATTSBURGH
VILLAGE.
Plattsburgh, to be used as a
jail,
&c.]
It
was afterwards
enlarged and used as a court-house and school-house,
and as a place
of public1
worship.
The court-room was
not completed untilin 1806,it
796.
At
the annual town meeting
was voted to repair the old block-house, with ait,
brick chimney, and glaze
and that
it
be used as a Poor-
House.
Onmet
the 9th June, 1788, the leading
men
of the
county
in this village to take their official oaths of office
and
organize our county government.
Melancton L. Wool-
sey administered the oath of office to Judge Charles Piatt,
who,
in turn, "
swore
in "
Mr. Woolsey as County Clerk.table,
Then
the
other county officers approached theroll
signed the
and severally swore that they would support;
the Constitution of the United States
that they
renounced
and abjured allegiance
to "
all
and every foreign King,all
Prince, Potentate and State, intical as well as civil,"
the matters, ecclesiasfaithfully per-
and that they would
form the dutiespointed.
of
the office to which they had been apSheriff,
Benjamin Mooers took the oath as
and
Abraham Beman, Stephenas
Taylor, and Zacheus Peaslee,
deputies;
;
John
FontfreydePiatt,
and John Stewart, as;
coroners
Theodorus
as surrogate
Peter Sailly,
William McAuley, Pliny Moore, and Robert Cochran, asAssociate Justices; Charles Piatt, Theodorus Piatt, William McAuley, Pliny Moore,
Murdoch McPherson, Wil-
liam
Beaumont, George Tremble, Robert Cochran and
Charles Hay, as Justices of the Peace; and Kinner
New-
comb, as deputy
clerk.
The
first
Court
of Sessions
for the
county
of Clinton
PLATTSBURGH
VILLAGE.Judge Chas.
2$Piatt presided,
was held
in
October,
1
788.Piatt,
assisted by
Theodorus
Pliny Moore, Peter Sailly,
William McAuley, and Robert Cochran, as AssociateJustices.
Benjamin Mooers was
Sheriff,
and Melancton
L. Woolsey, Clerk.
The
coroner, four constables and
seventeen grand jurors were in attendance.
Of the
latter
sixteen were sworn in and one was set aside " for refusingto take the oath of allegiance."
This jury, the
first
grand
inquest which assembled in Northernits
New
York, closed
labors by indicting two of
its
membersterm
for official mis-
conduct.
They were
tried at the next
of the court,
whenfined.
one was acquitted and the other convicted and
The
courts were very strict to enforce prompt attendanceof jurors
on the partgrand andoverlooked.
and
officers.
The
records are
filled
with orders imposing fines upon dilatory constables andpetit
jurymen.
The Bench was notfirst
always
In 1825, two of the Associate Judges were
indicted for "
not attending at court the1827, for the
day,"this
andday
two others,
in
same
offense.
At
(1876) a venerable old gentleman resides in the village
who remembers
that,
in
1828, he
was indicted
for the
heinous crime of ''holding stakes at a
/lorse-race,''
and
wonders why, now-a-days, people canat horsesocieties.
pul^licly sell pools
trots
under the auspices
of
our agricultural
The minutes
of the
Oyer and Terminer
for 1828 in" for
form us that one Andrew Clark was indictedling a misdemeanor."of the people
inveig-
What
offense against the peaceat-
and their dignity the seductive Andrew
26
PLATTSBURGHto
VILLAGE.is
tempted
wheedle with
soft words,
not stated.
It
was evidently
of a local character, for the Circuit
JudgeSu-
ordered the case to the General Sessions.In August, 1796,
Judge Egbert Benson,at thefirst
of
the
preme Court, presidedheld in the county.
Oyer and TerminerCourt were subseJr.,
Terms
of this
quently held here by John
Lansing,
James Kent,
Morgan Lewis, Smith Thompson, Ambrose Spencer,
Wm.
N.
Van
Ness, Joseph C. Yates, Jonas Piatt, and
John Woodworth.
Reuben H. Walworth held1823.
his first
Circuit in this county, in June,
These Courts
were held
at the oldjail
Block-House
until 1803,
when a Courtwas burnt by
House andinglots.
were completed on one
of the twelve build.
This new building cost $2,75 1
It
order of Generalinfire1
Macomb, during the
siege of Plattsburgh,
8 14,
was rebuilt in 181 5- 16, and again destroyed by
in 1836.
At
this last fire, the outer walls reniained
uninjured, and
form the walls of the present Court-
House.'
The
first trial for
felony before the
Oyer and Termito imprison-
ner was in 1797, Judge
Lansing presiding, when one
David Smith was convicted and sentenced
ment
for ten years at hard labor.
He was
to be confined
in the jail of
Albany Countycounterfeiters.
until the State Prison
ready for the reception of prisoners.
was showed The court
At the June term, 1808, Smith Thompson presiding, Thomas Munsel, David Judgeto
no mercy
Ransom, and William Barns, were convicted>
of this offense
The June term
in
1797 and in 179S was held "at the Block-House in
Willsborough."
PLATTSBURGII
VILLAGE.life in
27the State
and each sentenced
to be
imprisoned for
Prison, in the city of
New
York, and David Langly was"
sentenced to fourteen years' imprisonment foring" to
attempt-
pass counterfeit money.fifteen
Between the years 1825
and 1837,
persons were convicted as counterfeiters
and seventeenin
for
breaking
jail.
Of the
last, six
escapedJail
the
fall
of
1828.
The
last
was a "General
Delivery," through a hole cut into the court-room above
the prison.In oldentimes, the
administration of the laws was
attended with more ceremony and parade than at thepresent day.his
Thethe
Presiding Judge was escorted from
rooms;
to
Court-House, by the sheriff and his
officers
the attending deputies and constables bearing
long white w^ands, or white staves tipped with black.the judge, with measured step, picked his
As
way throughsurrounding
the dust or
mud
of the
unpaved
streets, the
crowd would wonder, as did theburn,"
citizens of "
Sweet Au-
when they looked upon the well-filled head of the village master. Although many of the forms and ceremonies of those early days were not in harmonywith the republican character of the people, there was
muchbar.I
to
admire
in
the refined and educated dignity of
the bench, and the courteous tone and
manner
of
the
cannot here omit a remarkable instance
of the care
manifested by the local judges for the comfort of impris-
oned debtors.
The
records of the
Commonof the
Pleas
show
that immediately
upon the completion"a
new Court-
House, an order was made that
passage from Caleb
:
28
PLATTSBURGH
VILLAGE.
Nichols's tavern to thejail
yard and
liberties."
new Court-House be added to the The debtors, however, had rea-
son to complain of one clause of the order.
The passageand was toin force until to a
was confinedbe in a
to a
space three feet
in width,
strait line.
This order Pemainedlimits of the jail
May, 1805, when theline"
were extended
one half
of a mile
from the Court-House,like their
in all
directions,"
and from that time debtors,
more
prosperous neighbors, could use both sides of the streets
when
returning from the tavern.^of the
Another instance
sympathy
of
our local judgesof
for the distressed, occurred in 1805, in the case
The
People against Charles Langley.
The defendant had been
indicted for horse-stealing and let to bail. Subsequently he
had removed from the State on proceedings being institutedagainst
him by
the town authorities, on a complaint of his
being the putative father of an illegitimate child.cation
On
appli-
made by
the bail to be released, the following order
was entered"MayThe
in the
minutes
of the court
7,1805. The defendant having been committed (?;/ suxpicion of stealing a horse, was, on appearances of favorable circumstances, admitted1
jail limits,
as established in 1804, indicate the buildings in the vicin:
ity of the
" From the Court-House south to the at that time house of Abram Travis, and from there to the houses occupied by Caleb Nichols, Marinus F. Durand, John Nichols, George Marsh, Theodorus Piatt, Jesse Kilburn, Benjamin Wood, and the new house owned by said Kilburn (corner Broad and Margaret streets), and the brew-house (opposite the present Post Office) also, north from the Court-House, to include the house lately occupied by Chauncey Fitch and now by Kilney Grey, and thence eastwardly, to the houses occupied by David Broadwell, Abraham
Court-House
;
Beeman, Peter
Sailly,
east they included
James Savage, and Charles Parsons, Jr." On the " the forge, mills and buildings belonging to the works
on the north side of the forge ditch, also, the fulling-mill and shop, and Israel Green's house and lot, and the saw-mill on the river, near the bridge, and the grist-mill and dam."
PLATTSBURGH
VILLAGE.;
29
to bail, and found sureties in $50 for his appearance at this Court but being: afterwards threatened, in consequence of an amour, he was forced to fly. The Court thereupon discharge the sureties from their recognizance, but order it continued against the principal. Court then rose till 2 o'clock in the after-
noon."
Could a Court be more tender
of the feeliiiijs o;
of a
prisoner or of the pockets of his sureties
and can we
wonder that
after
such an exhibition of!
its
sympathy, the
Court adjourned for refreshments
Prior to the year 1800, there were but three resident
attorneys in this village: Adrial Peabody,ted to the bar inMiller
who was
admit-
1795, and Caleb Nichols andin 1796-7.
Eleazer
who were admitted
Before this time
the principal business of the Courts
had been transacted
by attorneys residingcuit with the judges.
at a distance,
who
travelled the cir-
In May, 1802, Silas Hubbell andto
Jonathan Griffen were admittedbar;Giliad
the Clinton
Countyand
John WarfordSperryin
in
1805;
Julius C. Hubbell
1808;
Reuben H. Walworth, Johnin 1812.2,
Palmer, and Asa Hascall in 1810; William Swetland andMiles Purdy in 1811,
and John Lynde
TheJohnjamin
resident physicians, prior to 181
were Doctors
Miller,J.
Chauncey
Fitch, Oliver Davidson,first
and Ben-
Mooers.
Thein
three named, with the other
physicians of the county, organized the Clinton
Countyof
Medical Society,ber, 1807.
this village,
on the 6th day
Octo-
Doctor Mooers commenced the studyin
of
medi-
cine with Doctor Miller,
the
summer
of
1806, andin
was examined and licenseduary,1
to practice
medicine
Jan-
81
2.
He
had, however, practised extensively for
nearly two years prior to his admission as an assistantto
Doctor
Miller.
30
TLATTSBURGH
VILLAGE.
During those earlybay abo'jnded withflavor.
days, the waters of our river
and
fish of
great size and most dehcious
In the
months
of June, July,in large
August and Septemwas thenof the
ber,
salmon were caught
numbers, with seine andof the river
spear. ^
The water
at the
mouth
of sufificient
depth to
float the largest lake craft
day.
Vessels loaded and discharged their cargos in front
of Mr. Sailly's ashery,
on the north side
of the river,
and
at Clark's Landing, near the present stone mill,
on the
south side.
About
the year
1810,
Nathaniel Z. Piatt
built a store-house
on
"
the point," east of Fouquet's.
The
building was burned at the time of Col. Murray's
raid, in 181 3,
and was soon afterwardswharf on the point,
rebuilt.
Carlisleof the
D. Tyleeriver,1
built a
at the
mouth
near the
site of
the present railroad machine shop, inof that year
8 16, and in
August
commenced charging1
for
goods landed
there.
In the winter of
8 1 7-1
8, Mr.
Piatt
applied for a grant of land under water,of erecting aof vessels."
" for
the purpose
permanent wharf
for the
accommodation
A
store-house and dock were built the next
summer.
Until this time, pork, beef, &c., were unloaded
by casting the barrels into the lake and towing themashore.
Referring to Col. Murray's raid recalls two anecdotes
connected with that event.River Street with Col.
The Colonel was walking up Durandand Mr. William Gilliland,near-
who were
interceding for the protection of the private prop-
erty of the citizens.
The day was very warm, and whenStave
ly opposite the present livery stable of1
&
Ransom,
price
Salmon were caught here in large numbers had increased to one shilling per pound.
as late as 1825, but the
1
PLATTSBURGH
VILLAGE.
3
Murray took off
his.
hat and, with his handkerchief, wiped
the perspiration from his forehead. a paper dropped from his hat.his
While thus engaged,droppedit
Gilliland adroitly
own handkerchief over
the paper and picked
up
unobserved.
This paper, on a subsequent examination,
was found
to contain information as to the best
mode
of
attack on Plattsburgh, together with a
map ofIt
the
encampin the
ment and
military works at Burlington.
was
handwriting of one Joseph Ackley, who, about a yearprevious, had
moved
into the village
from Canada, and
then resided in the small white house on Oak, near the(now) corner of Couch Street.
His two daughters were
attending school at the Academy.
A
few days after
Murray's departure, Ackley was arrested, and, on anexamination before the Justices of the Peace, having admitted that he was the author of the letter, was sent to Albany,
but no one appearing against him, he was set atand, with his family, returned to Canada.
liberty,
He was no
doubt a British emissary, more deserving of punishmentthan William Baker, a sergeant of the 103d regimentBritish Infantry,of
who was executed
as a spy on the 26th
March, 18 14.
With the militia called out at the time of this raid, came Capt. Sherry's company of N. Y. StateInfantry.
When
the Captain reached the bank of the
Saranac, and saw the British vessels rapidly nearing theshore,
he addressed his
men
with
a
few soul-inspir-
ing words, and, pointing to the approaching boats, ordered
them
to "'fight or
run as occasion might rcguirc"
It
was
an order timely given and promptly obeyed.
The men
32
PLATTSBURGHif
VILLAGE.
did run, and
report
is
true, did
not stop until
they
reached the south bank of the Salmon River, near thepresent village of Schuyler Falls.ray had 1400
Considering that Mur-
men underit.
his
command, the "occasion"during thelate
seemedlion"
to require
AnI
officer
rebel-
improved upon Capt. Sherry's order by addingasI
and
am
a
little
lame,
will start
now."
It is
a fact worthy of note, that for
many
years boatsre-
passing through the lake did not enter our bay, but
ceived and discharged the freight shipped to or from thevillage at
Cumberland Head.
The
"
Head
"
occupied aStores
prominent place
in the early history of the town. inIt
were established thereFontfreyde, and others.ofofIt
1786-7 by Peter
Sailly,
John
was
for
many
years the Portall
Entry for the District
of
Champlain, where
entries
merchandise subject to duty were required to be made.
had also a direct communication with Grand
Isle
by
ferry.
ManyF.
of the
most prominent
citizens of the town,
including Benjamin Mooers,Theodorus Piatt, Peter Sailly,
Marinus
Durand, John Ransom, John Addams, MelancIn
ton L. Woolsey, and William Coe, had resided there.
August,
1
8 15,
John Nichols became the proprietor
of the
tavern at the old
Ransom landing, and gave"
notice through
the columns of the
Republican',' that he
would run athe partic-
stage between his house and the village,ular
" for
accommodation
of passengers in
the steamboats."
Until 18 1 7, Mr. Nichols's wharf was the only landing inthis vicinity for the steamboats.
Notwithstanding the natural advantages of
its
location,
and the
intelligence, enterprise
and industry
of its inhab-
PLATTSBURGHitants, thefirst
VILLAGE.was very gradual1,
33for the
growth
of the village
twenty-five years.
In 181
the village contained 78
dwelling-houses, 4 hotels,offices.
13 stores and 11 shops and
Among
the merchants wereCo.,
Fouquet
&
Green,
Samuel MooreWhite, John
&
McCreedy
&
McDowell, Lewis
Ransom, Carlyle D. Tylee, Benjamin G. Wood, ElijahI.
and Roswell Wait, and
Piatt
&
Smith,
Several of the stores were then on Broad Street.
Trowon
bridge
Si
Seymour,
hatters,
occupiedis
a
building
Margaret Street, opposite what
now
Brinkerhoff Street.
The manufacturingBroadmill.
establishments, exclusive of carpenterforge, a tannery
and wheelwright shops, were a smallStreet,
on
two small saw-mills, a
grist-mill
and a
fulling-
The
only public building was the Court-House.
In October of this year, the mill
company
lands not
appropriated to mill purposes, were subdivided into building lots by Pliny Moore, William Bailey, and William
Keese,
who had been appointed by
theis
Supreme Court
as commissioners in partition.
Whatit
now known
as
the
"
Park," had been laid out as a public highway, eight
rods wide, as early as 1803, but
had remained enclosedvil-
with the adjoining lands until their subdivision intola2:e lots
bv the commissioners1,
at this time.
In the Spring of 181
a public meeting was held inSailly,
the village,
at
which
PeterMiller,
William
Bailey,
Melancton Smith, JohnGriffin,
Samuel Moore, Jonathancontributions, for
and Levi
Piatt,
were appointed a committee, with
authority to raise
money by voluntary
the purpose of purchasing a suitable lot and erecting an
Academy building.
The committee
selected a lot on
Oak
34Street, tostreet
PLATTSBURGH
VILLAGE."
be bounded on the south by
a contemplated
to be laidlot
out between the land ofseven," then
Melancton
Smith and
number
owned by AbrahamYork.
Brinckerhoff,
Jr.,
of the city of
New
The
lot
was
four rods in front onrods.
Oak
Street,
and extended back ten
On
the 14th of May, Mr. Brinckerhoff, in consid-
eration of $100, conveyed the lot to the committee, intrust, " for
the purpose of erecting said
academy thereon."
The
building was immediately commenced, and was com-
pleted the
same
year.
The
building committee were,
Samwasfront-
uel Moore, Jonathan Griffin,sixty feet long,
and Louis Ransom.feet in width,
It
and twenty-seven
and
ed on
Oak
Street.
A
wide
hall ran
through the centre,
dividing the lower story into two large school-rooms.large
A
room occupied nearly the wholehall
of the
upper story,
and was reached from the lowerin the
by a broad stairway
northwest part of the building.
At
the time of
its
erection the
Academy was
the largest
and most imposing
public edifice in Northern
New
York.
In the winter of 181 3 and 14, the premises were leasedto the
United States government and used for barracks.the artillery, and the old
The Academy was occupied by
Presbyterian Church by the infantry, the parade-ground
being between the two buildings.
The Academy wasof
refitted in the spring or
summer
1814 and used for school purposes with Spencer Wall
as principal teacher.
The upper room was usedof
worship and for public
many years as a place meetings. The Clinton Countyfor
Bible Society was organized in this room, on the 5th of
;
PLATTSBURGII
VILLAGE.of
35
March, 1816, with Pliny Moore,dent;
Champlain, as PresiVice President
Doct John
Miller, of this village, as
Azariah C. Flagg, as Treasurer, and William Swetlandas Secretary.of Chazy,iel
The Rev.
J.
Byington and Roswell Ransom,
David Savage,
of
Champlain, the Rev. Nathan-
Hewitt, William Pitt Piatt, James Trowbridge, and
General Melancton L. Woolsey, of Plattsburgh, were appointed directors.
The
first
temperance society
in the
county was also
organized in this room.
A preliminary meeting5,
was held
on the 7th day
of October, 181
at
which General Ben-
jamin Mooers presided, and Silas Hubbell, Esq., of Champlain, acted as Secretary.
A
committee was appointed
tore-
prepare an address to the people, and the towns were
quested to send delegates to an adjourned meeting, to beheld at the same place, in the
month
of January.
The
address was published in the Plattsburgh Republican of
Decemberday
16.
It
was a strong appeal"
for aid to sup-
press, not only intemperance, but the other vices of the
those
"
bummers
following in the track of war
swearing, gambling, and an open violation of the Sabbath.
The committee
refer to the great
consumption of ardentat 30,000 gal-
spirits in the county,
which they estimated
lons annually, or nearly four gallons to each inhabitant,
including
women andat the
children.it
The
appeal was not
made
too soon, nor was
made
in vain.
The convention"
was heldSociety"
appointed day, when a
County Moralof
was organized, the salutary influencefelt
which
was long
throughout the county.the supervision of the com-
The Academy was under
36
PLATTSBURGII
VILLAGE.
^
mittee and their successors until the spring of 1828,it
whenof
was incorporated under the name
of the " Plattsburghof a
Academy," and placed under the controlTrustees, with perpetual succession.of
Board
Incorporation,
is
April 21, 1828.
The date of the act The first Board ofFrederick Halsey,
Trustees was composed of Benjamin Mooers, John Lynde,
William Swetland, JonathanFrederick L. C.Sailly,
Griflfin,
Heman
Cady, Ephraim Buck,
William
F.
Haile,
George Marsh, John Palmer, andBut twoof these
Henry K.living
Averill.Sailly,
gentlemen are now
Mr.
who
is
President of the present Board
of Trustees,
and Mr.
Averill,
who
resides in one of the
Western
States.of trustees of the
The Board
Plattsburgh Academy,
has from the beginning been a strong one.
The
leading
men havehold words
filled this;
office,
and
their
names
are " house-
"
always serving without pay and often con-
tributing liberally in aid of the institution.
Mr. Swetland was for nearly his wholeciated with the Board of Trustees,
lifetime, asso-
and
for
many yearslife,
its
presiding
officer.
Judge John Palmer wasfied
also,
during his
identi-
with the institution.
The present Board are Frederick L. C. Sailly, Doct. Truman DeForris, Cornelius Halsey, Peter S. Palmer,William
W.F.
Hartwell, Smith M.Vilas,
Weed, George
L. Clark,
Samuel
George M. Beckwith, John HenryPiatt.
Myers, and Theodorus
The
internal
arrangement
of the
rooms
of the
Acade-
my was
changed several times.
At
first,
as
we have
PLATTSBURGHstated, there
VILLAGE.
37
were two large school-rooms below and a
large hall above.
The partitions below were subsequentlyTheyoff
torn down, and the whole thrown into one room.
were again put up and the north portion partitionedinto small rooms, for those
who wisheddown.
to
reside in the
building
to be again torn
In 1839, or about that
time, an addition, doubling the capacity of the
Academv,
was erected by voluntary contributionsIt iser,
of the citizens.first
said that Bela
Edgerton was the
head teach-
with Benjamin Gilman as assistant.
After the war,of the classical
Spencer Wall was employed as principal
department, and continued to occupy that position untilthefall
of
1
81
7.
On
the 9th of September, 18 16,
a
school
was
organized on the
Lancasterian plan, and
placed under the charge of William Young, of Albany.In
May, 181 7, a "Sunday free-school
"
was organized,in the
which was held every Sunday, from 8 o'clocking, " until the
mornof
time of public service."
The upper roomAbout"
the
Academy was usedfirst
for this purpose.in
This was probthis
ably the
Sunday-school
the county.in the
time. Miss Clark
opened a school
Academy,
for
the instruction of
young
ladies in the various useful
and
ornamental branchesIn November, 181
of education."7,
Mr, Wall was succeeded by the
Rev. Frederick Halsey, with Missas assistants.18 18,
Cook and Mr. Young,in
Mr. Halsey was succeeded,
December,
by A. C. Fowler,
who remained
in
charge for a
year or more,
when Alexander H.
Prescott was appointassistant.
ed principal, with
David Brock as
At
this
38time, Miss
PLATTSBURGH
VILLAGE.
Deming taughtin
the ladies department and
continued to do so until the Fall of 1824.
Mr. Prescott remained
charge of the
Academy untilAfter
about the year 1831, and during his administration, theschool deservedly acquired a highleaving thereputation.
Academy, Mr. Prescott kept"
a private classi-
cal school in the village, until
August, 1833, when he was
appointed principal of theat Schuyler Falls.
Clinton County
High School,"at
He
subsequently removed to Chazy,principalof a school
and wasplace.
for
some time
that
Mr. Prescott was succeededthan Blanchard,Jr.
in the
Academy by
Jona-
The numberOf
of students for thethese, thirty-five, in-
year 1832, was one hundred.
cluding Margaret Davidson, the gifted poetess, her brother, Levi P. Davidson, afterwards
an
officer in the
U.
S.
Dragoons, and William Sidney Smith, anist
officer in
the
known to have died. Of those of the classes of 1832, now living, we call to mind Samuel B. M. Beckwith and Doct. George Howe, nowReg't U.S. Artillery, are
of
Chateaugay
;
A.
J.
C.
Blackman,;
of
Mooers
;
Joseph K.
Edgerton, of Fort Wayne, Ind.ill,
Hon. John C. Church;
of
Oswego
;
Hon. D.
B.
McNeil, of Auburnof
SamCity;
uel
Piatt
and George Stevenson,of;
New York
John White,som, of Peru
Cleveland, Ohio
;
Rev. Cyrenus
Ran-
Erastus S. Mead, of Belmont, and Dewitt
C. Boynton, Rev. Charles L.
Hagar, John
W. Lynde,S.
William D. Morgan, Elric L. Nichols, PeterLeviPiatt,
Palmer,
and George M. Sperry,in
of this town.
Mr. Blanchard remained
charge of the
Academy
PLATTSBURGIIfor several years,
VILLAGE.in
39
and was succeeded
somewhat rapidRobert T. Co,
succession by Mr. Boynton, Mr. Rich, Mr. Doohttlc, Mr.Scott, Mr.
Foster, andin
Rev
Dr. Coit.
nant was the principal
1844 and 1845.
On
the 5th ofas
January, 1846, John S. D. Taylor, better
known
Dor-
sey Taylor, was appointed principal. His brother, Joseph
W.
Taylor, joined him in September, 1847, and under the
joint
management
of the
two brothers, the Academy
at-
tained a high reputation in this section.
Royal Corbin succeeded as principalP.
in i860,
Edward
McDonald in 1865, E. A. Adams in 1869, W. L. R. Haven in 1867, W. M. Lillebridge in 1869, and Oscar Atwood in 1871.Nicholsin
1861, F.
G.
In May, 1867, an act was passed by the Legislature,
forming a Union School District
in the village,
and
vest-
ing the government of the schools and of thein a
Academyfive
Board
of Education,
composed
of ten
members,district,
to be electedfive to
by the qualified voters
of the
and
be chosen by the trustees of the Academy, from Since then, the
their
own number.
Academy
building
has been under the control of the Board of Education.
Theing,
old building was destroyed by
fire
on Friday evenwere purchased
November
10,
187
1.
Two
lots
adjoining the old
Academy
building on the north, andin thefall
the foundation of aof the year 1873.
new building commencedfor use
This building was completed
at a cost
of $35-ooc)>
aii