Ij' 
 
 HISTORY 
 
 OF 
 
 PLATTSBURGH, 
 
 N.Y., 
 
 FROM ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT TO JAN. I, 1 876 
 
 •='^^=:^$^:^ 5?r^^^^fc=^»' 
 
 PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. 
 1877. 
 
HISTORY 
 
 OF 
 
 PLATTSBURGH 
 
 FROM ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT TO JAN. I, 1876. 
 
 "^e^L^^ J6^\ ].ii 
 
 ii 
 
 
 PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. 
 
 1877. 
 

INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 \^ , In the year 1871 a series of articles were prepared by 
 ?^' Peter S. Palmer and published in the Plattsburgh Repub- 
 lican under the name of " Northern New York Historical 
 Society Papers." Paper " one," of that series, which re- 
 ferred principally to the village of Plattsburgh, is repro- 
 duced in the following pages. 
 
PLATTSBURGH — (VILLAGE). 
 
 One hundred and seven years ago the English govern- 
 ment issued a mandamus for thirty thousand acres of 
 land, lying on the west side of Lake Champlain, to be 
 surveyed to Count Charles de Fredenburgh. The war- 
 rant bears date January 1 1, 1769. De Fredenburgh had, 
 however, several years prior to this, selected the tract 
 covered by the warrant and commenced improvements 
 upon it, by the erection of a comfortable dwelling-house on 
 the south bank of the river Saranac, at its mouth, and of 
 a saw-mill, at the rapids, three miles above, yet known as 
 " Fredenburgh's Falls." ^ From papers in the land-office, 
 it appears that on the 19th of August, 1767, Fredenburgh 
 and nineteen associates petitioned for a grant of 20,000 
 acres of land, at Cumberland Bay, on the west of Lake 
 Champlain, for which a warrant of survey was issued Jan- 
 uary 27, 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, beginning at a point opposite the 
 island of Valcour, including both 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. 
 
 called Squinanton, or Cumberland Head (Vol. 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 been a captain in the 
 British army, was a person of repute and of some pecuni- 
 ary means. He was one of the gentlemen composing the 
 retinue of Gov. Moore and Gen. Carlton, at the time 
 they visited Lake Champlain in the autumn of 1 766, to 
 establish the boundary line between the Provinces of 
 New York and Canada. His dwelling on the banks of 
 the Saranac is described as having been sumptuously 
 furnished, and the seat of refinement and taste. Here, 
 surrounded by the families of his workmen, who dwelt 
 in 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, in 
 Chazy, 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 
 
PLATTSBURGH — VILLAGE. 5 
 
 Gilllland, on lands claimed by him at the mouth of the 
 Salmon River, for the purpose of preventing an encroach- 
 ment by De Fredenburgh in that direction. It was never 
 permanently occupied.' I have no data from which 
 to ascertain the duration of De Fredenburgh's residence, 
 or the extent of the improvements made by him. He 
 removed his family to Montreal a short time before the 
 commencement of the war of the Revolution, and re- 
 turned alone to protect his property. About this time 
 the house and mill were burnt down, and De Freden- 
 burgh mysteriously disappeared. No subsequent settle- 
 ment was made in this immediate vicinity until the year 
 
 1785. 
 
 In 1 781, the Legislature of the State of New York, 
 
 in order to encourage the raising of troops for the 
 defense of the State, passed certain acts, offering boun- 
 ties of unappropriated lands to such officers and soldiers 
 as should enlist within a time specified. These bounties 
 were divided into rights of 500 acres each, and there was 
 a provision in the act, that whenever any number of 
 persons entitled collectively to sixty-one rights, or 30,500 
 acres, 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 behalf 
 of 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 by De 
 
 » " Watson's Champlain Valley," pp. 40, 133. 
 
6 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 Fredenburgh under his warrant, and, on the 12th of 
 August of that year, procured the requisite certificate 
 from the Surveyor-General, that the lands were vacant 
 and unappropriated. Letters - Patent were issued to 
 Zephaniah Piatt, on the 26th day of October, 1784. 
 About the same time, Mr. Piatt obtained from the State, 
 in behalf of himself, Nathaniel Piatt and Simon R. 
 Reeves, a patent for two thousand acres of land, includ- 
 ing Cumberland Head, and extending north to lands 
 belonging to Beekman and company.' 
 
 These two tracts were incorporated into a town 
 called Plattsburgh, on the 4th day of April, 1785. Three 
 years later the boundaries of the town were extended so 
 as 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, 
 and a small portion of the county of Franklin. 
 
 On the 29th day of October, 1 784, three days after 
 the Patent of Plattsburgh had been issued, the proprie- 
 tors met at the inn of John Simmons, in the city of New 
 York, to devise plans to secure the immediate settlement 
 of the lands — an object of much importance, as the patent 
 contained a condition requiring the patentee to " put one 
 settler upon every six hundred acres of land in the tract, 
 within three years after its date," and declaring that "for 
 
 ' De Fredenburgh's children applied unsuccessfully to the legislature, 
 at a later period, for recognition of their title to the tract claimed by their 
 father. The title to Cumberland Head had been claimed by William Gilli- 
 hnd, under assignment from Lieut. Lowe, an officer who had served under 
 the colony of New York, in the French and Indian war. Lowe's claim was 
 not recognized by the State. " Watson's Champlain Valley," pp. Ii8, 193. 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 7 
 
 non-compliance in making such settlement," the lands 
 granted would revert to the State. At this meeting a 
 proposition was made to give to such of the proprietors 
 as should within two years from that time build a dam 
 and mills upon the Saranac, the exclusive title to the 
 Fredenburgh Falls mill-lot of fifty acres, and to one hun- 
 dred acres lying on the north side of the river at its 
 mouth. This proposition was accepted by Zephaniah 
 Piatt, Peter Tappen, Zaccheus Newcomb, Nathaniel 
 Piatt, Piatt Rogers, Charles Piatt, Thomas Treadwell, 
 Simon R. Reeves, Melancton Smith, Jonathan Lawrence, 
 Israel Smith and John Addams, twelve of the associates 
 who met at the house of Judge Zephaniah Piatt in 
 Poughkeepsie on the 30th December, 1784, and mutually 
 agreed " to be jointly concerned in the building of a saw- 
 mill, grist-mill and a forge on the river Saranac the next 
 summer, each to advance an equal proportion of money. 
 They also agreed to build a " petty augeu" (pirogue) of a 
 moderate size, and to purchase twine for a seine. Judge 
 Piatt was appointed agent for the company. The expense 
 was estimated at $541, as follows: — Millstones, ^100; 
 Irons, ^125; Nails, $37.50; Iron, $16 ; Transportation, 
 $15; Saw, $7.50; Bolting cloth, $15 ; Pork, $So; Bread, 
 $65 ; Rum $So} On the 6th February, 1785, the title 
 to the 100 acres and to the Fredenburgh Falls mill-lot 
 was vested in the twelve by deed. It was the intention of 
 the company to procure the iron ore for the forge from a 
 bed owned by the State, lying on the borders of the lake, 
 about eieht miles north of Crown Point, known as the 
 
 1 Eighty dollars for rum and only sixty-five for bread ! but they were 
 buildinjr a srist-niill. 
 
8 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 " Skeene's ore bed;" [Laws of 1784, chapter 63, § 4,] 
 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.] 
 
 Mr. WilHam GilHland, who visited this section in 1763, 
 says of the Saranac : " Proceeded about two miles up 
 this river, which proved to be much larger than the Bou- 
 quet, and rapid from its mouth up ; at about 400 yards 
 from the lake there is a rift, where the water may be 
 conveniently lifted, and, by carrying it about 200 yards, 
 will produce a fall of about 10 feet, which with two feet that 
 may be raised by a small stony dam, will be enough for 
 a mill." ^ At the head of these rapids the dam was built. 
 It crossed the stream at the bend of the river, forty or 
 fifty rods above the present dam. A forge was erected 
 on the west side of the river, near the dam, and a small 
 saw-mill, and a grist-mill some twenty or thirty rods below. 
 These mills were supplied with water through a flume, 
 passing along the margin of the river. The dam was about 
 eight feet in height. 
 
 The frame of the saw-mill was raised on Monday, the 
 22d of June, 1785, and as the last pin was driven home, 
 Cornelius Haight, one of the workmen, proclaimed the 
 mill " 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 laid 
 out 30 lots of 100 acres each, to be sold at a " low rate." 
 These lots included some of the best lands in the township. 
 The " gift lots" were twelve in number. Number one, which 
 
 * "Watson's Champlain Valley," p. 117. 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 9 
 
 contained 6i acres, lay north and adjoining Cornelia 
 Street, and extended from the Convent D'Youville to the 
 lake shore. This lot was given to Charles Piatt, who 
 also received lot two, containing 67 acres, which adjoined 
 number one on the north. Next north was number three, 
 containing 100 acres, conveyed to Thomas Allen. This 
 lot 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 on 
 the north by the Boynton road. Numbers five, six, seven and 
 eight contained 81 acres each, and were given, in the order 
 named, to Kinner Newcomb, Mr. Sexton, John B. Hart- 
 wick, and Derrick Webb, and included all the territory 
 lying west of Catherine Street, to an extension south of 
 the east bounds of the school lot. Number nine contain- 
 ed 81 acres, and was given to Cyrenus Newcomb. This 
 lot 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 portion 
 of the Boynton farm, lying south of the Boynton road. 
 This was given to Moses Soper. Jacob Ferris received 
 number eleven, containing 120 acres, including all the 
 territory 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 the river, and included one- 
 half its water power. Number twelve, which was also 
 given to Charles 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 30 lots of 100 acres each, set apart to be sold at 
 a " low rate," were also advantageously located, including 
 all the territory on the Boynton road as far west as the 
 " Glebe lot," and that on the Plank Road and Rugar 
 Street, as far west as Thorn's corners. Of these lots 
 there had been sold, as early as August 23, 1785, 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, and lots seven and eight to Wil- 
 liam Mitchell. On the west road, now the plank road, 
 lot ten to Daniel Averill, lot eleven to Joseph Wait, lot 
 seventeen to Simeon Newcomb, lot eighteen to Daniel 
 Newcomb, lot fourteen to Mr. Saxton ; and on the south 
 road or Rugar Street, lots nine, thirteen and fifteen, to 
 Daniel Averill, Nathan Averill, and Daniel Averill, Jr., 
 and lot twenty to Samuel Beeman. 
 
 On the 23d day of August, the proprietors divided 
 24,300 acres among themselves. The division embraced 
 81 lots, one-third containing 200 acres, one-third 300 acres, 
 and the remaining one-third 400 acres each. The appor- 
 tion ment was made by ballot. Simon R. Reeves drew 
 lots 6, 31, 58, 10, 33, ']'], 19,46,72 — 2,700 acres. Simon 
 R. Reeves and John Addams, numbers 15, 40, 74 — 900 
 acres. Zacheus Newcomb, 16, 30,59, — 900 acres. Isreal 
 and Samuel Smith, 21, 51, 73 — 900 acres. Zephaniah 
 Piatt, 20,47, 68, 22, 29, 65, I, 52, 63,3,42,66—3,600 acres. 
 John Addams, 5, 39, 55, — 900 acres. Burnett Miller 
 and Son, 14, 35, 62 — 900 acres. Melancton Smith, 23, 
 38,69 — 900 acres. Charles Piatt and Piatt Rogers, 12, 
 48,60 — 900 acres. Thomas Storm and Lewis Barton, 
 7' 32, 56, — 900 acres. Piatt Rogers, 17, 43, 67 — 900 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 1 1 
 
 acres. Peter Taylor, Benjamin Smith and Albert An- 
 drance, 2, 28, 57 — 900 acres. Benjamin Walker, John 
 Berrien, and Andrew Billings, 25, 37, 78 — 900 acres. 
 Nathaniel Piatt, 11,50,76,79,36,64,8,27,54,4,41,81 — 
 3,600. Nathaniel Tom, Jonathan Lawrence, and Eben- 
 ezer Mott, 13, 44, 75 — 900 acres. Benjamin Calkins, Ben- 
 jamin Titus, and Jacobus and Samuel Swartout, 26, 80, 
 70 — 900 acres. William Floyd, Ezra L'Homedieu, and 
 John Smith, 18, 49, 53 — 900 acres. Thomas Tread well, 
 24, 45, 71 — 900 acres, and Philip Schuyler and Nathan- 
 iel North rup, 9, 34,61 — 900 acres. 
 
 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, on 
 the third Tuesday of June, 1 785. Mr. Piatt was elected Su- 
 pervisor, and Zaccheus Newcomb, Nathaniel Piatt, and 
 Piatt Rogers, Commissioners of Highways. On the ist 
 day of October, the Commissioners made return to the 
 town clerk of the public highways laid out in the town. 
 Many of these roads are still in existence, and form the 
 principal highways of the town. A number, however, 
 which appear to have been laid out at this time, were 
 never opened. 
 
 The earliest complete record of town officers I have 
 found are those for the year 1786. The town meeting 
 was held on Tuesday, the 3d day of April. Charles Piatt 
 was elected Supervisor; Kinner Newcomb, John Ran- 
 som, and Jacob Ferris, Assessors; John Ransom, Town 
 Clerk ; Darick Webb, Jonas Allen, and Jacob Ferris, 
 Overseers of the Poor ; Samuel Beeman, Cyrenus New- 
 
I 2 PLATTSBURGII — VILLAGE. 
 
 comb, and John B. 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 Major 
 Golvin, Commissioners of Roads in the Northern Dis- 
 trict ; 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 end of the 
 dam, and a grist-mill a short distance below it. (See 
 Record of Deeds, Liber K., p. 199.) A fulling-mill, dye- 
 house, and mill-house were subsequently erected, on the 
 same side of the river. In November, 1787, Ferris con- 
 veyed an undivided half of his water privilege and mills 
 to Benjamin Mooers, and the other half to Theodorus 
 Piatt, in October, 1792. On the 8th of November, 
 1 796, Mr. Mooers conveyed his interest in the property 
 to Zephaniah Piatt. The mill property on the opposite 
 side of the river had also changed owners. In Novem- 
 ber, 1797, the title to the one hundred acres, except 
 twelve building lots, laid out by Piatt Rogers, as surveyor, 
 in 1 79 1, and the title of so much of the Ferris lot as had 
 been set apart for mill purposes, had become vested in 
 Zephaniah Piatt, Theodorus Piatt, and Melancton Smith, 
 as tenants in common ; Zephaniah Piatt owning an undi- 
 vided half, and the others each a fourth. 
 
 In this year, 1797, the old dam at the bend of the 
 
PLATTSBURGH — VILLAGE. 1 3 
 
 river was torn down, and a new one, about fourteen feet 
 high, ^\as erected on or near the site of the present dam, 
 and new mills built there. (See 17 Johnson's N. Y. Reports, 
 198.) A race or canal was also dug across to " Clark's 
 Landing," and a forge and fulling-mill were built on the 
 low land near its mouth. The grist-mill, erected about 
 this time, stood near the west end of the dam, about fifty 
 feet back from the street. This mill was destroyed by a 
 freshet a few years afterwards, when the location of the 
 mill was changed to the site of the present stone mill on 
 the east side of the river. At the time of this freshet 
 several persons were engaged in removing the machinery 
 from the mill, when the building fell ; all escaped except 
 Daniel Robinson, who was carried down the stream as far 
 as Mr. Sailly's ashery, one hundred rods below, where he 
 was rescued by persons standing on the shore. When 
 the water subsided, the millstone was found at the place 
 where Robinson had been drawn out of the river. The 
 "Governor" declared that when he found the mill was 
 tumbling to pieces, he clung to the millstone for safety, 
 and floated upon it to that point. The story seems im- 
 probable, still the fact that the stone was found at the 
 place where he landed, is evidence of its truth. This 
 freshet was for many years afterwards referred to as the 
 one " when Gov. Robinson rode down the river on a mill- 
 stone." 
 
 While the mill property was owned by Zephaniah 
 Piatt, Theodorus Piatt and Mclancton Smith, what is 
 now known as the " eight-and-one-half acres mill-lot," 
 was laid out and appropriated to mill purposes. This 
 
1 4 PLATTSBURGH — VILLAGE. 
 
 inclLidcd all the mill privileges upon both sides of the 
 river. In December, 1817, the title to the whole property 
 became vested in Levi Piatt. The following is the man- 
 ner in which Judge Piatt acquired his title : In 1797, as 
 has been stated, Zephaniah Piatt owned one-half, and 
 Theodorus Piatt and Melancton Smith each one-fourth. 
 Zephaniah Piatt, wdio died in 1808, devised one-fourth to 
 his son James, who conveyed to Levi in November, 1809. 
 He devised his remaining one-fourth to his son David, 
 who died before his father. This portion went to Zeph- 
 aniah Piatt's eleven surviving children. James, Charles 
 L., 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 com- 
 missioner's deed on a sale in partition. Theodorus Piatt 
 conveyed his one-fourth, in July, 1803, to Barnadus Swart- 
 out, who conveyed to Melancton Smith, Sidney Smith, 
 and John Bleeker, in June, 1804. Bleeker was a party 
 to the partition suit. Melancton and Sidney Smith con- 
 veyed their interest to Levi Piatt, in December, 181 7. 
 The elder Melancton Smith died in possession of his 
 one-fourth, which was subsequently sold on execution 
 against his heirs and devisees, and conveyed by sheriff's 
 deed to John Suydam and Henry S. \Mckoff, in No- 
 vember, 1 8 10. Suydam and Wickoff were parties to the 
 partition suit. They also joined in the deed of Decem- 
 ber, 181 7. 
 
 In May, 1827, the Bank of Plattsburgh acquired title 
 to all the water-power in the eight-and-one-half acre 
 mill-lot, and also to land lying north of Bridge Street, on 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 1 5 
 
 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 north 
 side 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 these 
 mill-lots, in the proportion of one-third to the west side 
 and two-thirds to the east side of the river. The propor- 
 tion thus allotted to each side was subdivided among the 
 lots lying on the respective sides. On the east side 
 number one, adjoining the dam, and number two, lying 
 between number one and Bridge Street, were each enti- 
 tled to two-elevenths. Numbers three and four, lying on 
 the north side of Bridge Street, to the same quantity, 
 and number five, which lay north and below the two last, 
 to three-elevenths. On the west side, number six, adjoin- 
 ing the dam, was entitled to one-fifth of the water allot- 
 ted 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 the trustees, in July, 1829. The grist-mill, and the 
 mill-lots numbers one, six and seven, were purchased by 
 Richard Yates, as trustee for certain State Banks, and 
 the remaining lots by John Palmer. At the time of this 
 sale, a small portion only of this water-power was in use. 
 On the west side of the dam, on lot six, a brick building 
 stood, used as a wool-carding and cloth-dressing estab- 
 lishment. An old saw-mill stood in the stream, just be- 
 
1 6 PLATTSBURGH — VILLAGE. 
 
 low the dam, on lot seven, and an old building on lot 
 eight, which had been used as an oil-mill.^ Access was 
 had to the saw-mill over a causeway of slabs, leading 
 from Bridge Street between the river and the oil-mill. 
 These three buildings, with an old rickety saw-mill at 
 the east end of the dam, on lot one, and the grist-mill, 
 were 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 small wooden building on the opposite side of the 
 street. A dwelling, which the miller generally occupied, 
 stood on the west side of Green Street in rear of the old 
 Israel Green Hotel, and there were three small dwellings 
 on the south side of a passage-way running along the 
 bank of the river opposite the Upper Island. 
 
 Judge Palmer, immediately after his purchase, con- 
 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 small 
 saw-mill. In 1835, Ashley Clark erected works for saw- 
 ing marble at this dam. In the spring of 1833, Judge 
 Palmer sold lot " four," on the north side of Bridge Street 
 at the lower dam, to- Clark, Reynolds & McGregor, who 
 erected works for sawing marble. A similar building 
 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 of 
 marble from the Isle La Motte quarries were sawed. 
 
 1 The oil-mill was started by John Mallory, in 1821. 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 1 7 
 
 In 1833, Douglass L. Fouquet purchased the east 
 half of lot " three," on which he erected a large wooden 
 building. Here C. S. Bliss & Co. carried on the carding 
 and cloth-dressing business for a short time, when they 
 were succeeded by Hiram J. Bentley, who in 1835 trans- 
 ferred his interest to Mr. Fouquet. At this time (1835) 
 Noyes P. Gregory carried on the carding and cloth-dress- 
 ing business at the west end of the bridge. Horace 
 Boardman had a small foundry in a stone building 
 erected on number "five;" the marble mill of Clark, 
 McGregor & Co. was in full operation, and the small 
 building at the east end of the bridge, near Fouquet's 
 woollen mill, was occupied by E. H. Barnum as a comb 
 factory. William Palmer and Charles S. 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. The marble mills were 
 also closed after a few years. At or about this time, 
 Peleg T. Stafford and James Smith had a small machine 
 shop in rear of the Fouquet building. The old saw-mill 
 continued in a dilapidated condition, and was used for 
 custom work only. It continued so until 1 846, when F. 
 J. & 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 
 
1 8 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 used principally as a wheelwright and cabinetmaker's 
 shop, until about the year 1859, when it was torn down 
 and a saw-mill erected by Mr. Tefft in its })lace. 
 
 Having " glanced " at the early history of that portion 
 of the one hundred acres, which is directly connected 
 with the mill privileges at this place, let us return to the 
 time when the twelve building lots were laid out, in 1791. 
 These lots extended west as far as the west line of the 
 one hundred acres, which was about ten rods east from 
 the present line of Catharine Street, and included all the 
 territory 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 Brink- 
 erhoff Street, and that line continued to the river. They 
 contained in all about forty-three acres of land, and were 
 of uniform depth, east and west, but varied in width from 
 seven to eleven rods. Although these lots were surveyed 
 and apportioned in 1791, I do not find that any portion 
 was occupied until 1797, when Doctor Chauncey Fitch 
 bought number two, north of the present Court House, 
 and the same year erected a dwelling on the east end of 
 the lot. In February of that year, number five was con- 
 veyed to Mrs. Phebe Ketchum, who, as appears from the 
 record of deeds, lived on the lot in the month of Septem- 
 ber following. The next year, William and James Bailey 
 purchased about one-fourth of an acre in the southeast 
 corner of number five, near the present site of Reed's 
 jewelry store, upon which they erected a store, sub- 
 sequently occupied by Bailey & Piatt. Theodorus 
 Piatt had a small efifice, near a deep ravine south o 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 1 9 
 
 this store. 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 were several dwellings 
 erected on one of the gift lots. Prior to 1795, Nathaniel 
 Piatt had become the owner of all the land on the south 
 side of Broad Street, west of the " building lots " of the 
 mill proprietors. These he had laid out into 17 building 
 lots, called the city lots, of which 12 lay to the west of the 
 block-house, and 5 to the east. 
 
 A building stood on the north bank of the river, a 
 few rods west of the present railroad crossing, then or 
 soon afterwards occupied by Piatt & Mooers, as a store.. 
 Next east, was the residence of Peter Sailly, erected in 
 1 795-6, 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 or 
 four 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 by him and subsequently by Israel Green, as a tav- 
 ern. A small store-house stood on the margin of the 
 river, back of this building, at the place then called 
 " Clark's Landinsf." There were also two buildinurs on 
 " the point," which had been built by Jacob Ferris. In 
 September, 1 793, John Lewis Fouquet purchased the lot 
 
 2 
 
20 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 now owned by Mr. Lansing, upon wliicli he erected a 
 dwelling, and soon afterwards Zephaniah Piatt built 
 the "homestead," now known as the "government 
 house." 
 
 These buildings, with the mills and the mill-houses 
 attached, constituted, about 1 798, nearly the entire settle- 
 ment within the present limits of the village. Up to this 
 time, no streets had been projected or opened ; the only 
 thoroughfares being the common highways, leading 
 from the surrounding country to the " proprietors' mills," 
 as they were called. These highways were four in num- 
 ber. One known as the " Cumberland Head roaid," 
 passing along the north bank of the river to the foot of 
 the bay ; another known as " South Street," which lead 
 past Roberts's blacksmith shop, to the settlements in the 
 western and south-western parts of the township ; another 
 known as " the road to Beekman's Patent," which inter- 
 sected South Street near the Roberts shop, and a fourth 
 known as the " Peru Road," which crossed the bridge 
 and ran along the east bank of the river and the shore of 
 the lake, to the mouth of the Salmon River and beyond. 
 There was also a short road from Clark's tavern to the 
 two Ferris buildings on the point. South Street, between 
 Theodorus Piatt's ofifice and Roberts's shop, was a 
 crooked way, passing through the pine bushes along the 
 margin of a ravine. 
 
 Although its population at this time could not have 
 exceeded two hundred and fifty, the village had never- 
 theless become a place of considerable importance. 
 ^ Plattsburgh was the shiretown of a large tract of country, 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 2 1 
 
 extending to Lake George on the south and to the banks 
 of 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 to 
 confer together in relation to the political and local ques- 
 tions 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 rafts 
 of timber to the Quebec market. When the inhabitants 
 of the ten townships upon the river St. Lawrence peti- 
 tioned the legislature of 1802 for the organization of the 
 county of St. Lawrence, they based their application 
 upon the " extreme difficulty, troubles and expenses, 
 jurors and witnesses must be subject to, in attending at 
 such a distance, together with the attendance at Platts- 
 burgh for arranging and returning the town business." 
 A similar complaint, three years before, by the inhabi- 
 tants of Crown Point, had resulted in the organization of 
 Essex County. These changes did not affect the busi- 
 ness or prosperity of the village, while it relieved the 
 inhabitants of 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 the village, and 
 the intelligence of the first settlers, in the following 
 quaint language : " They have artisans of almost every 
 kind among them, and furnish among themselves all the 
 materials for building, glass excepted. Polite circles 
 may here be found, and the genteel traveller be enter- 
 tained with the luxuries of a sea-port, a tune on the 
 
2 2 PLATTSBURGII VILLAGE. 
 
 harpsicord, aiid a philosophical conversation." This was 
 Plattsburgh in 1792. 
 
 It is well known that New York was originally a 
 *' Slave State." The " institution," however, never flour- 
 ished in this or in any of the Northern States — a result, 
 if we may judge from the efforts of Massachusetts to 
 continue the slave-trade, attributable more to the in- 
 fluence 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 attempted 
 to settle the blacks among the hills and snows of his 
 Franklin County lands. The influence of a northern 
 climate led to the enactment of a law, in 1 798, for the 
 gradual emancipation of slaves. This was followed, in 
 18 1 7, by an act declaring that all slaves, born after July 
 4, 1799, should be free ; if male, at the age of 28, or, if 
 female, at the age of 25. 
 
 In 1790, the whole number of slaves in the State was 
 21,324, of which seventeen resided in this county. In 
 1800, the number in this county had increased to fifty- 
 eight. From this time the number gradually decreased. 
 In 1 810, as shown by the census, there were but twenty- 
 nine slaves in the county. 
 
 The town records show that on the i6th day of 
 August, 1794, the " negro man Hick, and Jane, his wife," 
 were manumitted by Judge Treadwell. In September 
 following. Hick bought his 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 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 23 
 
 Will, in November, 1804. On the ist of January, 1806, 
 Benjamin Mooers manumitted his " negro girl, Ann,^' 
 and Robert Piatt gave " Gin " her freedom, in May, 
 1806. On the 6th of January, 1808, the executors of 
 Zephaniah Piatt manumitted Cato, and in May of the 
 same year, Peter Sailly, manumitted Dean and her three 
 children, Francis, Abel and Caty. William Bailey, also, 
 on that day, manumitted his man Pete. 
 
 The town books also contain the records of the birth 
 of sixteen children, born of slave mothers and held to 
 service. Some of these are still living and reside in this 
 county. One, born on the 28th of December, 18 14, was 
 named Sir George Provost — a compliment of which the 
 commander of the British forces at the siege of Plattsburgh 
 was probably never informed, and could not, therefore, 
 fully appreciate. 
 
 I have referred to two block-houses, as standing here 
 in 1798. One stood on the bank of the lake, on the farm 
 of Elric L. Nichols; the other was within the present 
 bounds of Broad Street, near the residence of the late J. 
 D. Woodward. This latter was erected for the protec- 
 tion of the inhabitants at the time when the whole coun- 
 try apprehended a general Indian war. For several years 
 the settlers in that locality were accustomed to pass the 
 night within its walls. This block-house was never used 
 for any other purpose than as a house of refuge from fan- 
 cied danger. The one on the lake shore was built in 
 1789, and was at first intended for a jail. [See act 
 passed March 3, 1789, which recites that the inhabitants 
 of Clinton County are disposed to build a block-house at 
 
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 public worship. The court-room was 
 not completed until 1 796. At the annual town meeting 
 in 1806, it was voted to repair the old block-house, with a 
 brick chimney, and glaze it, and that it be used as a Poor- 
 House. 
 
 On the 9th June, 1788, the leading men of the county 
 met 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. 
 Then the other county officers approached the table, 
 signed the roll 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, 
 Prince, Potentate and State, in all the matters, ecclesias- 
 tical as well as civil," and that they would faithfully per- 
 form the duties of the office to which they had been ap- 
 pointed. Benjamin Mooers took the oath as Sheriff, and 
 Abraham Beman, Stephen Taylor, and Zacheus Peaslee, 
 as deputies ; John Fontfreyde and John Stewart, as 
 coroners ; Theodorus Piatt, as surrogate ; Peter Sailly, 
 William McAuley, Pliny Moore, and Robert Cochran, as 
 Associate Justices; Charles Piatt, Theodorus Piatt, Wil- 
 liam 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. 2$ 
 
 was held in October, 1 788. Judge Chas. Piatt presided, 
 assisted by Theodorus Piatt, Pliny Moore, Peter Sailly, 
 William McAuley, and Robert Cochran, as Associate 
 Justices. 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 refusing 
 to take the oath of allegiance." This jury, the first grand 
 inquest which assembled in Northern New York, closed 
 its labors by indicting two of its members for official mis- 
 conduct. 
 
 They were tried at the next term of the court, when 
 one was acquitted and the other convicted and fined. 
 The courts were very strict to enforce prompt attendance 
 on the part of jurors and officers. The records are filled 
 with orders imposing fines upon dilatory constables and 
 grand and petit jurymen. The Bench was not always 
 overlooked. In 1825, two of the Associate Judges were 
 indicted for " not attending at court the first day," and 
 two others, in 1827, for the same offense. At this day 
 (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 can pul^licly sell pools 
 at horse trots under the auspices of our agricultural 
 societies. 
 
 The minutes of the Oyer and Terminer for 1828 in- 
 form us that one Andrew Clark was indicted " for inveig- 
 ling a misdemeanor." What offense against the peace 
 of the people and their dignity the seductive Andrew at- 
 
26 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 tempted to wheedle with soft words, is not stated. It 
 was evidently of a local character, for the Circuit Judge 
 ordered the case to the General Sessions. 
 
 In August, 1796, Judge Egbert Benson, of the Su- 
 preme Court, presided at the first Oyer and Terminer 
 held in the county. Terms of this Court were subse- 
 quently held here by John Lansing, Jr., James Kent, 
 Morgan Lewis, Smith Thompson, Ambrose Spencer, 
 Wm. N. Van Ness, Joseph C. Yates, Jonas Piatt, and 
 John Woodworth. Reuben H. Walworth held his first 
 Circuit in this county, in June, 1823. These Courts 
 were held at the old Block-House until 1803, when a Court- 
 House and jail were completed on one of the twelve build- 
 ing lots. This new building cost $2,75 1 . It was burnt by 
 order of General Macomb, during the siege of Plattsburgh, 
 in 1 8 14, was rebuilt in 181 5- 16, and again destroyed by 
 fire 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 Termi- 
 ner was in 1797, Judge Lansing presiding, when one 
 David Smith was convicted and sentenced to imprison- 
 ment for ten years at hard labor. He was to be confined 
 in the jail of Albany County until the State Prison was 
 ready for the reception of prisoners. The court showed 
 no mercy to counterfeiters. At the June term, 1808, 
 Judge Smith Thompson presiding, Thomas Munsel, David 
 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. 27 
 
 and each sentenced to be imprisoned for life in the State 
 Prison, in the city of New York, and David Langly was 
 sentenced to fourteen years' imprisonment for " attempt- 
 ing " to pass counterfeit money. Between the years 1825 
 and 1837, fifteen persons were convicted as counterfeiters 
 and seventeen for breaking jail. Of the last, six escaped 
 in the fall of 1828. The last was a "General Jail 
 Delivery," through a hole cut into the court-room above 
 the prison. 
 
 In olden times, the administration of the laws was 
 attended with more ceremony and parade than at the 
 present day. The Presiding Judge was escorted from 
 his rooms to the Court-House, by the sheriff and his 
 officers ; the attending deputies and constables bearing 
 long white w^ands, or white staves tipped with black. As 
 the judge, with measured step, picked his way through 
 the dust or mud of the unpaved streets, the surrounding 
 crowd would wonder, as did the citizens of " Sweet Au- 
 burn," 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 harmony 
 with the republican character of the people, there was 
 much to admire in the refined and educated dignity of 
 the bench, and the courteous tone and manner of the 
 bar. 
 
 I 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 Common Pleas show 
 that immediately upon the completion of the new Court- 
 House, an order was made that " a passage from Caleb 
 
28 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 Nichols's tavern to the new Court-House be added to the 
 jail yard and liberties." The debtors, however, had rea- 
 son to complain of one clause of the order. The passage 
 was confined to a space three feet in width, and was to 
 be in a strait line. This order Pemained in force until 
 May, 1805, when the limits of the jail were extended to a 
 line " one half of a mile from the Court-House, in all 
 directions," and from that time debtors, like their more 
 prosperous neighbors, could use both sides of the streets 
 when returning from the tavern.^ 
 
 Another instance of the sympathy of our local judges 
 for the distressed, occurred in 1805, in the case of 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 instituted 
 against him by the town authorities, on a complaint of his 
 being the putative father of an illegitimate child. On appli- 
 cation made by the bail to be released, the following order 
 was entered in the minutes of the court : 
 
 "May 7,1805. The defendant having been committed (?;/ suxpicion of 
 stealing a horse, was, on appearances of favorable circumstances, admitted 
 
 1 The jail limits, as established in 1804, indicate the buildings in the vicin- 
 ity of the Court-House at that time : " From the Court-House south to the 
 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 
 Beeman, Peter Sailly, James Savage, and Charles Parsons, Jr." On the 
 east they included " 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 of a 
 
 o 
 
 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, who was admit- 
 ted to the bar in 1795, and Caleb Nichols and Eleazer 
 Miller who were admitted in 1796-7. Before this time 
 the principal business of the Courts had been transacted 
 by attorneys residing at a distance, who travelled the cir- 
 cuit with the judges. In May, 1802, Silas Hubbell and 
 Jonathan Griffen were admitted to the Clinton County 
 bar; John Warford in 1805; Julius C. Hubbell and 
 Giliad Sperry in 1808; Reuben H. Walworth, John 
 Palmer, and Asa Hascall in 1810; William Swetland and 
 Miles Purdy in 181 1, and John Lynde in 1812. 
 
 The resident physicians, prior to 181 2, were Doctors 
 John Miller, Chauncey Fitch, Oliver Davidson, and Ben- 
 jamin J. Mooers. The first three named, with the other 
 physicians of the county, organized the Clinton County 
 Medical Society, in this village, on the 6th day of Octo- 
 ber, 1807. Doctor Mooers commenced the study of medi- 
 cine with Doctor Miller, in the summer of 1806, and 
 was examined and licensed to practice medicine in Jan- 
 uary, 1 81 2. He had, however, practised extensively for 
 nearly two years prior to his admission as an assistant 
 to Doctor Miller. 
 
30 TLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 During those early days, the waters of our river and 
 bay abo'jnded with fish of great size and most dehcious 
 flavor. In the months of June, July, August and Septem- 
 ber, salmon were caught in large numbers, with seine and 
 spear. ^ The water at the mouth of the river was then 
 of sufificient depth to float the largest lake craft of the 
 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 afterwards rebuilt. Carlisle 
 D. Tylee built a wharf on the point, at the mouth of the 
 river, near the site of the present railroad machine shop, in 
 1 8 16, and in August of that year commenced charging 
 for goods landed there. In the winter of 1 8 1 7-1 8, Mr. Piatt 
 applied for a grant of land under water, " for the purpose 
 of erecting a permanent wharf for the accommodation 
 of vessels." 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 them 
 ashore. 
 
 Referring to Col. Murray's raid recalls two anecdotes 
 connected with that event. The Colonel was walking up 
 River Street with Col. Durandand Mr. William Gilliland, 
 who were interceding for the protection of the private prop- 
 erty of the citizens. The day was very warm, and when near- 
 ly opposite the present livery stable of Stave & Ransom, 
 
 1 Salmon were caught here in large numbers as late as 1825, but the 
 price had increased to one shilling per pound. 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 3 1 
 
 Murray took off his. hat and, with his handkerchief, wiped 
 the perspiration from his forehead. While thus engaged, 
 a paper dropped from his hat. Gilliland adroitly dropped 
 his own handkerchief over the paper and picked it 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 of the encamp- 
 ment and military works at Burlington. It was in the 
 handwriting of one Joseph Ackley, who, about a year 
 previous, 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 an 
 examination before the Justices of the Peace, having admit- 
 ted that he was the author of the letter, was sent to Albany, 
 but no one appearing against him, he was set at liberty, 
 and, with his family, returned to Canada. He was no 
 doubt a British emissary, more deserving of punishment 
 than William Baker, a sergeant of the 103d regiment 
 British Infantry, who was executed as a spy on the 26th 
 of March, 18 14. 
 
 With the militia called out at the time of this 
 raid, came Capt. Sherry's company of N. Y. State 
 Infantry. When the Captain reached the bank of the 
 Saranac, and saw the British vessels rapidly nearing the 
 shore, 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 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 did run, and if report is true, did not stop until they 
 reached the south bank of the Salmon River, near the 
 present village of Schuyler Falls. Considering that Mur- 
 ray had 1400 men under his command, the "occasion" 
 seemed to require it. An officer during the late rebel- 
 lion improved upon Capt. Sherry's order by adding — 
 " and as I am a little lame, I will start now." 
 
 It is a fact worthy of note, that for many years boats 
 passing through the lake did not enter our bay, but re- 
 ceived and discharged the freight shipped to or from the 
 village at Cumberland Head. The " Head " occupied a 
 prominent place in the early history of the town. Stores 
 were established there in 1786-7 by Peter Sailly, John 
 Fontfreyde, and others. It was for many years the Port 
 of Entry for the District of Champlain, where all entries 
 of merchandise subject to duty were required to be made. 
 It had also a direct communication with Grand Isle by 
 ferry. Many of the most prominent citizens of the town, 
 including Benjamin Mooers,Theodorus Piatt, Peter Sailly, 
 Marinus F. Durand, John Ransom, John Addams, Melanc- 
 ton L. Woolsey, and William Coe, had resided there. In 
 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 a 
 stage between his house and the village, " for the partic- 
 ular accommodation of passengers in the steamboats." 
 Until 18 1 7, Mr. Nichols's wharf was the only landing in 
 this vicinity for the steamboats. 
 
 Notwithstanding the natural advantages of its location, 
 and the intelligence, enterprise and industry of its inhab- 
 
PLATTSBURGH — VILLAGE. 33 
 
 itants, the growth of the village was very gradual for the 
 first twenty-five years. In 181 1, the village contained 78 
 dwelling-houses, 4 hotels, 13 stores and 11 shops and 
 offices. Among the merchants were Fouquet & Green, 
 Samuel Moore & Co., McCreedy & McDowell, Lewis 
 Ransom, Carlyle D. Tylee, Benjamin G. Wood, Elijah 
 White, John I. and Roswell Wait, and Piatt & Smith, 
 Several of the stores were then on Broad Street. Trow- 
 bridge Si Seymour, hatters, occupied a building on 
 Margaret Street, opposite what is now Brinkerhoff Street. 
 The manufacturing establishments, exclusive of carpenter 
 and wheelwright shops, were a small forge, a tannery on 
 Broad Street, two small saw-mills, a grist-mill and a fulling- 
 mill. 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 build- 
 ing lots by Pliny Moore, William Bailey, and William 
 Keese, who had been appointed by the Supreme Court 
 as commissioners in partition. What is now known as 
 the " Park," had been laid out as a public highway, eight 
 rods wide, as early as 1803, but it had remained enclosed 
 with the adjoining lands until their subdivision into vil- 
 la2:e lots bv the commissioners at this time. 
 
 In the Spring of 181 1, a public meeting was held in 
 the village, at which Peter Sailly, William Bailey, 
 Melancton Smith, John Miller, Samuel Moore, Jonathan 
 Griffin, and Levi Piatt, were appointed a committee, with 
 authority to raise money by voluntary contributions, for 
 the purpose of purchasing a suitable lot and erecting an 
 Academy building. The committee selected a lot on Oak 
 
34 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 Street, to be bounded on the south by " a contemplated 
 street to be laid out between the land of Melancton 
 Smith and lot number seven," then owned by Abraham 
 Brinckerhoff, Jr., of the city of New York. The lot was 
 four rods in front on Oak Street, and extended back ten 
 rods. On the 14th of May, Mr. Brinckerhoff, in consid- 
 eration of $100, conveyed the lot to the committee, in 
 trust, " for the purpose of erecting said academy thereon." 
 The building was immediately commenced, and was com- 
 pleted the same year. The building committee were, Sam- 
 uel Moore, Jonathan Griffin, and Louis Ransom. It was 
 sixty feet long, and twenty-seven feet in width, and front- 
 ed on Oak Street. A wide hall ran through the centre, 
 dividing the lower story into two large school-rooms. A 
 large room occupied nearly the whole of the upper story, 
 and was reached from the lower hall by a broad stairway 
 in the 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 leased 
 to the United States government and used for barracks. 
 The Academy was occupied by the artillery, and the old 
 Presbyterian Church by the infantry, the parade-ground 
 being between the two buildings. 
 
 The Academy was refitted in the spring or summer 
 of 1814 and used for school purposes with Spencer Wall 
 as principal teacher. 
 
 The upper room was used for many years as a place 
 of worship and for public meetings. The Clinton County 
 Bible Society was organized in this room, on the 5th of 
 
PLATTSBURGII VILLAGE. 35 
 
 March, 1816, with Pliny Moore, of Champlain, as Presi- 
 dent ; Doct John Miller, of this village, as Vice President ; 
 Azariah C. Flagg, as Treasurer, and William Swetland 
 as Secretary. The Rev. J. Byington and Roswell Ransom, 
 of Chazy, David Savage, of Champlain, the Rev. Nathan- 
 iel Hewitt, William Pitt Piatt, James Trowbridge, and 
 General Melancton L. Woolsey, of Plattsburgh, were ap- 
 pointed directors. 
 
 The first temperance society in the county was also 
 organized in this room. A preliminary meeting was held 
 on the 7th day of October, 181 5, at which General Ben- 
 jamin Mooers presided, and Silas Hubbell, Esq., of Cham- 
 plain, acted as Secretary. A committee was appointed to 
 prepare an address to the people, and the towns were re- 
 quested to send delegates to an adjourned meeting, to be 
 held at the same place, in the month of January. The 
 address was published in the Plattsburgh Republican of 
 December 16. It was a strong appeal for aid to sup- 
 press, not only intemperance, but the other vices of the 
 day — 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 ardent 
 spirits in the county, which they estimated at 30,000 gal- 
 lons annually, or nearly four gallons to each inhabitant, 
 including women and children. The appeal was not 
 made too soon, nor was it made in vain. The convention 
 was held at the appointed day, when a " County Moral 
 Society " was organized, the salutary influence of which 
 was long felt throughout the county. 
 
 The Academy was under the supervision of the com- 
 
36 PLATTSBURGII VILLAGE. ^ 
 
 mittee and their successors until the spring of 1828, when 
 it was incorporated under the name of the " Plattsburgh 
 Academy," and placed under the control of a Board of 
 Trustees, with perpetual succession. The date of the act 
 of Incorporation, is April 21, 1828. The first Board of 
 Trustees was composed of Benjamin Mooers, John Lynde, 
 William Swetland, Jonathan Griflfin, Frederick Halsey, 
 Frederick L. C. Sailly, Heman Cady, Ephraim Buck, 
 William F. Haile, George Marsh, John Palmer, and 
 Henry K. Averill. But two of these gentlemen are now 
 living — Mr. Sailly, who is President of the present Board 
 of Trustees, and Mr. Averill, who resides in one of the 
 Western States. 
 
 The Board of trustees of the Plattsburgh Academy, 
 has from the beginning been a strong one. The leading 
 men have filled this office, and their names are " house- 
 hold words ; " always serving without pay and often con- 
 tributing liberally in aid of the institution. 
 
 Mr. Swetland was for nearly his whole lifetime, asso- 
 ciated with the Board of Trustees, and for many years its 
 presiding officer. 
 
 Judge John Palmer was also, during his life, identi- 
 fied with the institution. 
 
 The present Board are Frederick L. C. Sailly, Doct. 
 Truman DeForris, Cornelius Halsey, Peter S. Palmer, 
 William W. Hartwell, Smith M. Weed, George L. Clark, 
 Samuel F. Vilas, George M. Beckwith, John Henry 
 Myers, and Theodorus Piatt. 
 
 The internal arrangement of the rooms of the Acade- 
 my was changed several times. At first, as we have 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 37 
 
 stated, there were two large school-rooms below and a 
 large hall above. The partitions below were subsequently 
 torn down, and the whole thrown into one room. They 
 were again put up and the north portion partitioned off 
 into small rooms, for those who wished to reside in the 
 building — to be again torn down. In 1839, or about that 
 time, an addition, doubling the capacity of the Academv, 
 was erected by voluntary contributions of the citizens. 
 
 It is said that Bela Edgerton was the first head teach- 
 er, with Benjamin Gilman as assistant. After the war, 
 Spencer Wall was employed as principal of the classical 
 department, and continued to occupy that position until 
 the fall 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, 
 which was held every Sunday, from 8 o'clock in the morn- 
 ing, " until the time of public service." The upper room of 
 the Academy was used for this purpose. This was prob- 
 ably the first Sunday-school in the county. About this 
 time. Miss Clark opened a school in the Academy, " for 
 the instruction of young ladies in the various useful and 
 ornamental branches of education." 
 
 In November, 181 7, Mr, Wall was succeeded by the 
 Rev. Frederick Halsey, with Miss Cook and Mr. Young, 
 as assistants. Mr. Halsey was succeeded, in December, 
 18 18, by A. C. Fowler, who remained in charge for a 
 year or more, when Alexander H. Prescott was appoint- 
 ed principal, with David Brock as assistant. At this 
 
38 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 time, Miss Deming taught the ladies department and 
 continued to do so until the Fall of 1824. 
 
 Mr. Prescott remained in charge of the Academy until 
 about the year 1831, and during his administration, the 
 school deservedly acquired a high reputation. After 
 leaving the Academy, Mr. Prescott kept a private classi- 
 cal school in the village, until August, 1833, when he was 
 appointed principal of the " Clinton County High School," 
 at Schuyler Falls. He subsequently removed to Chazy, 
 and was for some time principal of a school at that 
 place. 
 
 Mr. Prescott was succeeded in the Academy by Jona- 
 than Blanchard, Jr. The number of students for the 
 year 1832, was one hundred. Of these, thirty-five, in- 
 cluding Margaret Davidson, the gifted poetess, her bro- 
 ther, Levi P. Davidson, afterwards an officer in the U. S. 
 Dragoons, and William Sidney Smith, an officer in the 
 ist Reg't U. S. Artillery, are 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, now 
 of Chateaugay ; A. J. C. Blackman, of Mooers ; Joseph K. 
 Edgerton, of Fort Wayne, Ind. ; Hon. John C. Church- 
 ill, of Oswego ; Hon. D. B. McNeil, of Auburn ; Sam- 
 uel Piatt and George Stevenson, of New York City; 
 John White, of Cleveland, Ohio ; Rev. Cyrenus Ran- 
 som, of Peru ; Erastus S. Mead, of Belmont, and Dewitt 
 C. Boynton, Rev. Charles L. Hagar, John W. Lynde, 
 William D. Morgan, Elric L. Nichols, Peter S. Palmer, 
 Levi Piatt, and George M. Sperry, of this town. 
 
 Mr. Blanchard remained in charge of the Academy 
 
PLATTSBURGII — VILLAGE. 39 
 
 for several years, and was succeeded in somewhat rapid 
 succession by Mr. Boynton, Mr. Rich, Mr. Doohttlc, Mr. 
 Scott, Mr. Foster, and Rev Dr. Coit. Robert T. Co- 
 nant was the principal in 1844 and 1845. , On the 5th of 
 January, 1846, John S. D. Taylor, better known as 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 principal in i860, Edward 
 P. Nichols in 1861, F. G. McDonald in 1865, E. A. 
 Adams in 1869, W. L. R. Haven in 1867, W. M. Lille- 
 bridge in 1869, and Oscar Atwood in 1871. 
 
 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 the Academy 
 in a Board of Education, composed of ten members, five 
 to be elected by the qualified voters of the district, and 
 five to be chosen by the trustees of the Academy, from 
 their own number. Since then, the Academy building 
 has been under the control of the Board of Education. 
 The old building was destroyed by fire on Friday even- 
 ing, November 10, 187 1. Two lots were purchased 
 adjoining the old Academy building on the north, and 
 the foundation of a new building commenced in the fall 
 of the year 1873. This building was completed at a cost 
 of $35-ooc)> aii<^l opened for use September i, 1875. 
 
 The year 181 1 was an important one in the history 
 of the village. The subdivision of the mill property and 
 the opening of Brinkcrhoff Street, unbarred the lands in 
 
40 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 the central portion of the village, concentrated the mer- 
 cantile establishments, which were, before this time, 
 widely scattered throughout the place, and generally in- 
 fused a new activity and enterprise among the citizens. 
 The building of the Academy was commenced at this 
 time ; preparations were also now made for the erection 
 of a suitable place for public worship, and for the estab- 
 lishment of a public newspaper. 
 
 In the spring of this year, a number of gentlemen 
 met by appointment at the house of Peter Sailly, to con- 
 sider the subject of establishing a political paper. Be- 
 sides Mr. Sailly, there were present at this meeting Col. 
 Melancton Smith, Judge Kinner Newcomb, Judge 
 Charles Piatt, Isaac C. Piatt, Caleb Nichols, Doct. John 
 Miller, Thomas Treadwell, and General Benjamin 
 Mooers, of Plattsburgh; Judge Carver, of Chazy, and 
 Judge Samuel Hicks, of Champlain. A stock company 
 was organized, and a press and type having been pur- 
 chased, the first number of the Plattsbtirgh Republicmt 
 was issued. The paper was at first under the editorial 
 supervision of Col. Smith. In 1813, Azariah C. Flagg 
 became the editor, and retained that position until about 
 the year 1825.^ 
 
 I have before me broken files of the Republican 
 from 181 5 to 1820. From these I learn that in the win- 
 ter of 1 815-16, a stage line was established between this 
 village and the city of Montreal, making two trips each 
 week. In summer, the communication was by the steam- 
 
 ' A small sheet had been started here in 1807, called the American Monitor^ 
 which was discontinued after a feeble existence of less than two years. 
 
PLATTSBURGII VILLAGE. 4 1 
 
 boat Vermont, a small vessel one hundred and twenty 
 feet in length, with an engine of twenty horse-power, com- 
 manded by Capt. John VVinans. In 1815, this boat ran 
 between Burlington and St. John's, leaving Burlington 
 every Monday and Friday morning, and St. John's 
 Wednesdays and Saturdays, stopping at Cumberland 
 Head to land and take on Plattsburgh passengers and 
 freight. 
 
 In August of this year, a new boat, called the Phoe- 
 nix, Capt. J. Sherman, commenced running between 
 Whitehall and St. John's. This was a larger boat than 
 the Vermont, and was advertised as of " uncommon 
 speed," and as being *' fitted up in a style not inferior to 
 those on the North River." The boat made one round 
 trip each week. What was considered great speed in 
 those days, may be inferred from the fact, that when the 
 Chancellor Livingston was put on the North River, at a 
 cost of $1 10,000, it was the boast of the owners and the 
 wonder of the public, that she could run from New York 
 to Albany in twenty hours ! 
 
 I also find that in January, 1823, Jonathan Thomp- 
 son, " the mail carrier," commenced running a stage once 
 a week between Plattsburgh and Ogdensburgh, leaving 
 this village every Tuesday morning, and arriving at Og- 
 densburgh on Thursday evening. This line connected 
 with the steamboats on Lake Champlain and Lake On- 
 tario, and was advertised as " the best route between the 
 Eastern States and the country bordering on the great 
 lakes and the St. Lawrence." Mr. Thompson announces 
 that he will carry his passengers in " covered spring car- 
 
42 PLATTSBURGH — VILLAGE. 
 
 riages, strong and commodious," and he promises them 
 " excellent public houses on the route," and " very good 
 roads for a new country." In December, 1824, the stages 
 made two trips each week. This winter we had a tri- 
 weekly communication with Albany and Montreal. A 
 daily mail route was first established between Ogdens- 
 burgh and Plattsburgh in July, 1837. 
 
 The road over which Mr. Thompson ran his " cov- 
 ered spring carriages," was now in very good condition, 
 thoush it had once been the terror of all those whose 
 business led them through Chateaugay woods. In 1811, 
 a law had been passed, requiring the managers of the 
 lottery for the purchase of the botanic garden, to raise 
 $5,000, to be expended for the improvement of the road 
 between Plattsburgh and the town of Chateaugay, under 
 the direction of Peter Sailly, Jonathan Griffin, and James 
 Ormsbee, and the year following anothe-i" act had been 
 passed, authorizing the State Treasurer to advance the 
 money, in anticipation of the drawing of the lottery. 
 The small amount thus furnished was found inadequate 
 for the construction of a passable road. Yet nothing 
 further was done until 181 7, when the road was im- 
 proved by the United States troops then stationed at 
 Plattsburgh. This work was commenced in August of 
 that year, at a point three miles west from the village 
 {Thorn's corners), by a detachment of the Sixth Regiment, 
 under command of Lieut-Col. Snelling, and was contin- 
 ued, from year to year, to the great disgust of the officers 
 and men, until twenty-four miles of the distance had 
 been completed. In March, 1822, the sum of $7000 
 
PLATTSBURGH — VILLAGE. 43 
 
 was appropriated by the legislature, to be expended " in 
 extending and completing" the road to Chateaugay, a 
 distance of fourteen miles. One-half of this sum was to 
 be raised by the counties of Clinton and Franklin, and 
 the residue was to be furnished by the State. By an act 
 passed February 14, 1823, the Judges of the Clinton 
 Common Pleas were authorized to erect a toll-o-ate " at 
 or near the dwelling-house of Benjamin H. Mooers, 
 eighteen miles west of Plattsburgh village." From that 
 time, the road was improved and kept in good repair by 
 the tolls. It was an avenue of travel of great importance 
 and benefit to this village, as well as to the inhabitants 
 of Franklin County, and until the completion of the 
 Ogdensburgh railroad, w^as the j^rincipal route of com- 
 munication between Lake Champlain and the towns in 
 Franklin County, and the eastern portion of St. Law- 
 rence County. 
 
 The first execution for murder in this county, was 
 that of James Dougherty, a soldier, who was tried and 
 convicted for the murder of a young man named John 
 Wait, a resident of Salmon River, while the latter was 
 returning from Pike's Cantonment, where he had been 
 to deliver a load of wood. He was tried at the June 
 Oyer and Terminer, 181 3, Judge Jamesv..I,r/?nt presiding, 
 and was sentenced to be hung on Friday, the 6th of 
 August of the same year, and his body delivered to the 
 President of the Clinton County Medical Society, " for 
 the use of said Society." He was hung near the lake 
 shore on the " Boynton road." On the 26th March, 
 1 8 14, William Baker, a sergeant in the British Army 
 
44 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 (103d regiment of Infantry), was executed as a spy. He 
 was hung on the sand ridge between Court and Brink- 
 erhoff Streets in the villaG:e. 
 
 In July, 181 3, one Francis de Alert and his father 
 had been arrested and committed to the county jail, 
 charged with the murder of a man named Peter Miller, 
 at Champlain. They were both released by the British 
 at the time of the raid under Col. Murray, in August of 
 that year, and fled to Canada. Francis married soon 
 after, and remained in Canada until in the winter of 
 1 816, when, for some unexplained purpose, he crossed 
 the lines into Champlain. He was immediately arrested 
 and recommitted to jail, and having been indicted, was 
 tried and convicted, at a Court of Oyer and Terminer, 
 Judge Ambrose Spencer presiding, held in June, and 
 was sentenced to be hanged on the 26th of July. His 
 body was delivered to Doctors Beaumont and Center for 
 dissection. On the morning of that day, the people of 
 the surrounding country, and from Grand Isle, assembled 
 in numbers to witness the execution. Great was the 
 disappointment when, about nine o'clock in the morning, 
 it was announced that Alert had cheated the gallows of 
 its victim, by hanging himself in his cell. 
 
 James Pik'2 was tried for murder on the 30th June, 
 1 81 5, before Judge Jonas Piatt, and acquitted. In June, 
 1 82 1, George Hyde was tried for manslaughter before 
 Judge John Woodworth, convicted and sentenced to 
 State Prison for 14 years. 
 
 On the 1 8th of March, 1825, Peggy Facto was 
 publicly executed. Peggy Facto was convicted for the 
 
PLATTSBURGII VILLAGE. 45 
 
 murder of her infant child. It was an unnatural and 
 aggravated crime. The infant was first strangled by a 
 string tied around its neck, and the body then thrown 
 into the fire, where it was partially consumed. The 
 mutilated remains were afterwards concealed under a 
 pile of rubbish in the woods, where they were found and 
 dragged out by dogs, and the murder thus discovered. 
 She was tried at the January Oyer and Terminer, 1825, 
 and sentenced by Judge Reuben H. Walworth, on Satur- 
 day, the 23d — by the sentence of the Court, her dead 
 body was to be delivered to the President and members 
 of the Medical Society for dissection. She was executed 
 on the arsenal lot on Broad Street. 
 
 Francis Labare was indicted as accessory, and was 
 tried and acquitted at the same term of the Court. On the 
 28th June, 1826, Elvira Steel was indicted for the murder 
 of a Mr. Carter, keeper of the Plattsburgh Poor-House. 
 She was tried at the same term before Judge Enos T. 
 Troop and was acquitted, on the ground of insanity. In 
 June, 1827, William H. Houghton, of Chazy, was indicted 
 for murder, and Harriet Dominy as accessory. On the 
 trial Houghton was acquitted. The trial continued 
 several days. Houghton was defended by Judge Lynde 
 and Mr. Swetland, of this village, Ezra C. Gross, of Essex 
 County, and Samuel Stevens, then of Washington County. 
 After his acquittal Harriet Dominy was discharged 
 from custody. 
 
 Alexander Larabee was hung on the arsenal lot on 
 Broad Street, on the 23d of March, 1834, for the murder 
 of Leander Shaw, his son-in-law. He had been tried 
 
46 PLATTSBURGH — VILLAGE. 
 
 and sentenced at the January Oyer and Terminer. To 
 the last he asserted his innocence and caused a declara- 
 tion to that effect to be read from the scaffold by the 
 Rev. Father Rafferty. 
 
 Joseph Levert was tried and convicted at the Sep- 
 tember Oyer and Terminer, 1847, for the murder of his 
 wife, and was sentenced to be hung on the i6th of No- 
 vember, of the same year. The scaffold was erected in 
 the jail yard. Levert made a written confession, in 
 which he gave a detailed account of the murder, which 
 was published in the village papers. It was a cool, pre- 
 meditated act. 
 
 Joseph Centerville was indicted at the October Oyer 
 and Terminer, 1854, for the murder, at Schuyler Falls, of 
 his sister-in-law, Margaret Rock, a girl about eleven years 
 of age. He was tried before Judge James, at the next 
 February Oyer and Terminer, and having been convicted, 
 was sentenced to be executed on Wednesday, the 28th 
 day of March, 1855. He was hung in the Court-House 
 yard, upon the same gallows used at the execution of 
 Levert. 
 
 There was great distress throughout the county of 
 Clinton during the winter of 18 16-17. Mr. Peter Sailly, 
 in a letter to the Secretary of the Treasury, under date of 
 January 24, 18 1 7, says : " A large portion of the inhabitants 
 are much distressed for want of bread, whilst the poorer 
 and laboring class are absolutely destitute of the means 
 of obtaining it, at the high price it sells for." The col- 
 umns of the " Republican " bear evidence to the severity 
 of the season. The summer was unusually cold and 
 
PLATTSBURGIi VILLAGE. 47 
 
 backward. On Thursday, the 6th day of June, tlie atmos- 
 phere at Plattsbiirgh was filled with particles of snow, 
 and it was uncomfortable out of doors without a sreat- 
 coat. In Vermont the weather was still more severe. 
 On Thursday " the snow fell rapidly, but melted as it fell. 
 Much snow fell on Friday night, and on Saturday in the 
 forenoon in many places. In Williston it was twenty, 
 and in Cabot eighteen inches deep. The ground at Mont- 
 pelier was generally covered during the whole of yester- 
 day (June 8th), and the mountains, as far as can be seen, 
 are yet completely white. [Letter published in Rcptibli- 
 can of July 13, dated Waterbury, Vt, June 9th.] This 
 cold weather was succeeded by an uncommon drought. 
 No rain fell during the months of August and September. 
 The earth became parched, and, in clay soils, opened in 
 large cracks ; swamps were dried up, wells and brooks 
 failed to furnish water, and the rivers became so low that 
 the mills could not orrind sufKicient to answer the wants 
 of the inhabitants. Wheat was brought to the mills of 
 Messrs. Smith and Piatt, in this village, to be ground, by 
 farmers residing as far north as Lacadie, in Canada. 
 Fires also raged throughout the county, burning up large 
 quantities of timber and frequently destroying pastures 
 and meadow lands. No rain of any consequence fell until 
 after the loth of October. " The atmosphere," says the 
 Republican of October 5th, " has been so filled with 
 smoke, arising from the fires in every direction, that even 
 in this village, for three or four days the first of the pres- 
 ent week, it would be difficult in the morning to dis- 
 tinguish a man at the distance of fifty rods." 
 
 On the 3d day of March, 181 5, an act was passed by 
 
48 PLATTSBURGII VILLAGE. 
 
 the Legislature, Incorporating the village of Plattsburgh. 
 The bounds of the village, as prescribed by this act, ex- 
 tended north to the highway, running east and west 
 past the " residence of Samuel Lowell " (now Capt. John 
 Boynton's), and west to the east line of the school lot. The 
 first election of village officers was held on the 2d day of 
 May of that year, at the hotel at the foot of River Street, 
 known as " The Ark," and then kept by David Douglass. 
 At this election, William Bailey, Jonathan Griffin, John 
 Palmer, Reuben H. Walworth, Levi Piatt, Samuel Moore, 
 and Eleazer Miller, were chosen trustees, and Giliad 
 Sperry, clerk. [The bounds of the village were materially 
 reduced by an act passed in April, 1831.] 
 
 One of the first acts of our " village fathers," was to 
 provide for the building of a market-house and public 
 scales. The market-house was erected on the east side 
 of the square or " Park," in front of the Court-House. It 
 was used for several years ; the stalls, four in number, being 
 annually leased at auction. The scales stood about four 
 rods south of the market, and here all hay sold within one 
 half of a mile of the Court-House, was, by ordinance, re- 
 quired to be weighed. These scales were an old-fashioned, 
 clumsy affair, provided with beam and chains, pullies and 
 cog-wheels, used for the purpose of raising the wagons off 
 the ground. Between the market-house and the hay 
 scales, a turnpike road was constructed along the south 
 side of the square, while all north of this road was a quag- 
 mire, in which innumerable bull-frogs, of enormous growth, 
 held nightly concerts for the amusement of our forefathers. 
 Nothinc: unusual occurred to mark the deliberations ui 
 
PLATTSBURGIi VILLAGE. 49 
 
 the Board of Village Trustees, until the summer of 1817, 
 when it was announced that the President of the United 
 States, Mr. Monroe, proposed visiting the village, while 
 on a tour of inspection through the Northern States. 
 This announcement excited the corporation officers in an 
 unusual degree. A meeting of the trustees was called, a 
 committee of reception appointed, an orator chosen, and 
 a sum of money, raised by tax for the purchase of a fire- 
 engine, and then in the hands of the Treasurer, appropri- 
 ated to defray the expenses of the reception. 
 
 On Sunday, the 27th day of July, at noon, the Presi- 
 dent arrived by steamboat, and was escorted to the hotel 
 kept by Israel Green, by a company of U. S. Infantry, un- 
 der command of Captain Newman S. Clark, Captain 
 Sperry's company of horse and the Plattsburgh Rifles. At 
 the hotel he was received by Reuben H. Walworth, who 
 delivered an address in behalf of the corporation, to which 
 the President replied. As he passed into the house the 
 young ladies of Miss Cook's and Miss Forrence's schools 
 strewed his path with flowers. In the evening the Presi- 
 dent attended a party at the house of Captain Sidney 
 Smith, of the Navy ; on Sunday he attended services at 
 the Presbyterian Church, and passed the evening at Judge 
 De Lords. 
 
 All this is related in glowing language in the columns 
 of the Repiiblican. But the crowning act of the reception 
 was reserved for Monday. At ten o'clock in the forenoon, 
 the President started for Sackett's Harbor, under escort of 
 Capt. Sperry's company. At two o'clock he reached a 
 point on the road, thirteen miles distant, where a bower 
 
50 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 had been erected, and a repast provided for his party by 
 the citizens of the village. " The site chosen," says the 
 Republican, " was romantic and well adapted to the oc- 
 casion, on the margin of a brook which crossed the road, 
 gently breaking, by its murmurs, the stillness of the sur- 
 rounding forest," 
 
 " In such a moment," adds the writer, becoming elo- 
 quent over the recollections of the scene, " so congenial 
 to convivial gayety, form and ceremony have no place ; 
 age looses its caution, philosophy itself is taken off its 
 guard, and the flow of soul alone triumphs." Evidently 
 the " Clinton County Moral Society " had taken a recess 
 for the occasion. After partaking of this collation, the 
 President resumed his journey towards the west, the 
 citizens returned to their homes, and the trustees watched 
 over the village for another year without a fire-engine. 
 The President and his escort had eaten it up, in that 
 " shaded bower," by the " murmuring brook." 
 
 Speaking of his reception in this village, Mr. Waldo 
 says : " In no place through his extensive tour was the 
 President received with more undissembled tokens of re- 
 spect than at Plattsburgh." [President's Tour, p. 250.] 
 
 Mr. Waldo refers to the collation in the woods in 
 the following words : " Prosecuting his route towards 
 Ogdensburgh through the majestic forests, the President's 
 attention was suddenly arrested by an elegant collation, 
 fitted up in a superior style by the ofiBcers of the army and 
 the citizens of the County. He partook of it with a 
 heart beating in unison with those of his patriotic coun- 
 trymen by whom he was surrounded ; and acknowledged 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 5 I 
 
 this unexpected and romantic civility with unaffected and 
 dignified complacence [p 251]. 
 
 In 1823, the village contained three hundred houses, 
 a church, a bank, a court-house, an academy, three 
 printing-offices, a flouring-mill, two saw-mills, a fulling- 
 mill and clothing works, an oil-mill, two carding ma- 
 chines, three tanneries, fifteen retail stores, and a distil- 
 lery. 
 
 Of the buildings here referred to, none are now 
 standing except the court-house and the flouring-mill. 
 The distillery belonged to James Kennedy, and stood on 
 the south shore of the river, near the outlet of the o-rist- 
 
 o 
 
 mill race. Kennedy advertises to give " five quarts of 
 whiskey for a bushel of rye or merchantable corn," or, if 
 his customers desired, he " would take wood in payment." 
 Piatt & Belcher had three carding machines in the brick 
 building at the west end of the dam, and Piatt & Hyde 
 conducted the business of cloth dressing in the same 
 building. The tanneries were conducted by Stephen 
 Avcrill, Daniel Noble, and Lansing Parsons. JMr Noble 
 discontinued business in the fall of this year. David 
 Kennon advertises " soal and upper leather" for sale. 
 James Trowbridge and Shelden Lockwood were each 
 engaged in the manufacture and sale of hats. Samuel 
 Emery and Charles Haynes carried on the business of 
 chair making, painting and gilding, and Joseph I. Green 
 had a shop where he manufactured saddles and harnesses. 
 Among the merchants were Bailey & Brinkerhoff, Mat- 
 thew M. Standish, L. & H. Piatt, C D. & J. Backus, 
 Cady & Anderson, James Bailey, Anselm Parsons, Wm. 
 
 4 
 
52 PLATTSBURGII VILLAGE. 
 
 H. Morgan, J. G. Frelcigh, John Walworth, N. C. Piatt, 
 Samuel Hull, Samuel Lowell, and Alexander McCotter. 
 R. C. Hoar sold boots and shoes, and " Dave " Langdon 
 was the village cartman. Judge John Lynde was Post- 
 Master, and had an easy time of it, if we might judge 
 from the following notice in the Plattsburgk Republican 
 of April 26th : " We have received no mail from the 
 south for several days. We understand that for the 
 future it will come but once a week'.' And when it did 
 come the postage was twenty-five cents on a single letter. 
 Reference has already been made to the manufactur- 
 ing establishments in the village in 1835. At that time 
 Ephraim Buck was President of the village, William F. 
 Haile, Heman Cady, Samuel Emery and F. L. C. Sailly 
 were Trustees, and George M. Beckwith was Clerk. 
 The principal merchants were Andrew Moore, Sailly & 
 Hicks, Samuel Hinman and D. L. Fouquet, who occu- 
 pied the stone row at the head of Bridge Street. Heman 
 and Cyrus Cady. who occupied the south store in the 
 brick block between Bridge Street and the public square ; 
 Lawrence Myers, in the old wooden building on the cor- 
 ner of River and Bridge Streets ; James Bailey and Cor- 
 nelius Halsey, on the north side of Bridge Street, between 
 River and Margaret Streets; Moss Kent Piatt, on the corner 
 of Bridge and Margaret Street ; Thomas Goldsmith on 
 the corner of Oak and Broad Street ; William H. Morgan, \X 
 Hugh McMurry, and Samuel Lowell, on the east side of 
 the river ; Ephraim Buck, on Margaret, and Paul Mar- 
 shall on River Street. Smaller establishments were also 
 kept by Joseph Durkee, John Archy, Asa Saunders, and 
 
PLATTSBURGII VILLAGE. 53 
 
 Michael Kearney. Ransom Richardson had a cabinet 
 store, with machinery, in the old brick building at the 
 west end of the dam. William G. Brown, Leonard Crane, 
 and D. L. Fouquet were also cabinetmakers. There 
 were three hotels at this time, the Village Hotel, kept by 
 John Nichols, where the Witherell House now stands ; 
 the Phoenix, kept by John McKee, on the present site of 
 the Cumberland House, and Fouquet's Stage House. 
 Amos A. Prescott was the village jeweller and book- 
 seller, and kept an establishment on the west side of 
 Margaret Street about half way between Bridge and Brin- 
 kerhoff. Daniel Tenney had a hat store on River Street. 
 In addition to these establishments, there were, in the 
 village, six tailor shops, two bake shops, one marble shop, 
 two butcher shops, six milliners and dressmakers, five 
 boot and shoe stores, five blacksmiths, four wheelwrights, 
 three tanners and curriers, four saddle and harness ma- 
 kers, four head carpenters and joiners, six head masons, 
 three painters, two butchers, two landscape and portrait 
 painters, two tin shops, and two barber shops, one by 
 Doct. Thomas, who always gave his customers the " Bos- 
 ton touch. Sir," and the other by George Haynes, whose 
 name, as appears from the town records, to which we 
 have before referred, was " Sir George Provost." 
 
 Of the learned professions there were four clergymen, 
 three physicians, and fourteen lawyers. The population 
 of the village at this time was about 2,500. 
 
 Nearly all the buildings occupied as business estab- 
 lishments in 1835 have since then been burned, or have 
 been removed to make place for larger structures. 
 
54 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 The loss by fire alone, in the village, has exceeded 
 one million of dollars. 
 
 In the summer of 1813, the British force, under com- 
 mand of Col. Murray, held possession of the village for 
 twenty-four hours, during which time they burned a 
 block-house, the arsenal on Broad Street, the hospital 
 buildings on the bank of the lake, two store-houses be- 
 longing to Peter Sailly, and the store-house of Major N. 
 Z. Piatt. 
 
 In the month of September, 1814, while the British 
 under Sir George Provost, occupied the north side of the 
 Saranac, a number of buildings which afforded protection 
 to the British troops were burned by hot shot fired from 
 the American works. The buildings thus destroyed by 
 fire were the Court-House, Mr. Savage's, Mr. Buck's and 
 Mr, Goldsmith's dwelling-houses, the store and dwelling- 
 house of Jonathan Griffin, the store and dwelling-house 
 of Roswell Wait, and those of Mrs. Beaumont, a dwelling- 
 house and store owned by Charles Backus, two stores of 
 Joseph Thomas, and Mr. Power's store — fifteen buildings 
 in all. The dwelling-house of John L. Fouquet, on the 
 east side of the river, was also burned this year. 
 
 The first fire within my recollection occurred on the 
 afternoon of the i6th day of May, 1822, when the home- 
 stead of Judge William Bailey was burned to the ground. 
 One month later, on the night of the i6th of June, the 
 stone grist-mill was destroyed by fire. This was sup- 
 posed to be the work of an incendiary, for whose detec- 
 tion rewards to the amount of ^1,000 were offered by 
 Judge Levi Piatt, the owner of the mill, and by citizens 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 55 
 
 of the villao^c. The mill was imniediatelv rebuilt, and 
 was in operation in the month of November following. 
 
 The next was the burning of the hotel of Joseph I. 
 Green, on the corner of Margaret and Court Streets. 
 The main portion, fronting on Margaret Street, was con- 
 sumed. I am not able to state the precise date of this 
 fire. 
 
 About the year 1832, the hotel of Jeremiah McCree- 
 dy, which stood at the foot of River Street, was destroyed. 
 This was an old-fashioned wooden buildino^, known as 
 the " Ark," which had long been one of the principal 
 hotels of the village. The fire extended to and con- 
 sumed a small dwelling-house on the east, and a large 
 shed and horse barn on the west side of the hotel. Dur- 
 ing the same year, a wooden building on the south side 
 of Bridge Street, about midway between the bridge and 
 Mill Alley, was burned. 
 
 In the spring of 1833, a cotton factory, built by John 
 Palmer and then occupied by Cole & Richardson, and 
 also an old wooden building, formerly used by John Mal- 
 lory as an oil-mill, and the old saw-mill at the west end 
 of the dam, were destroyed. A road or causeway of the 
 old slabs, extending from the saw-mill to the bridge, was 
 also burned at this time. The fire extended to the west- 
 ern abutment of the bridge, which had been filled in 
 with logs and pine stumps. These, having caught fire, 
 continued to burn for several weeks. 
 
 On the 17th of May, 1836, the Court-House was 
 for the second time destroyed. The fire caught in the 
 shed adjoining, about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The 
 
56 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 walls of the building were not injured. The inside was 
 rebuilt, and a stone jail erected at a total cost of about 
 $8,000. 
 
 The store of Hugh McMurry on the corner of 
 Bridge and Charlotte Streets, and the store of G. W. 
 Webster, adjoining on Bridge Street, were totally de- 
 stroyed by fire on the i ith day of July, 1841. 
 
 The grist mill was again destroyed by fire on Friday, 
 September 2d, 1842. 
 
 On Friday evening, January 30, 1846, the Methodist 
 Church on Court Street was burned. This fire caught 
 from a stove pipe in the basement. The church was re- 
 built, and dedicated on Thursday, the 12th day of No- 
 vember, of the same year. 
 
 But these were trifling losses when compared with 
 the destruction made by the memorable fire of August 10, 
 1849, which in four hours reduced to ashes the entire 
 business portion of the village. When the alarm was 
 first sounded the fire had made considerable progress in 
 a small wooden building, on the corner of Bridge Street 
 and Mill Alley (now Water Street), the ground floor of 
 which was occupied by one Thornton, as a low groggery. 
 There was but little wind at the time, and although the 
 destruction of this building seemed inevitable, no one 
 supposed it was the commencement of a conflagration 
 which would consume property to the value of nearly 
 $300,000. From this building the fire extended to one 
 adjoining, on Bridge Street, and also to a small wooden 
 building adjoining on Mill Alley, both of which were soon 
 consumed. A few feet south, on Mill Alley, was a long, 
 
PLATTSBURGH — VILLAGE. 5 7 
 
 low wooden building, owned by N. P. Gregory, and used 
 by him as a storehouse, in which was stored a large quan- 
 tity of wool, llie roof and sides of this building were 
 kept wet with water, brought in pails from the mill ix)nd, 
 and the building saved. At about half-past 12 o'clock, 
 the fire crossed Mill Alley, and caught in an old wooden 
 building on the opposite corner, occupied by Godso and 
 Shinville, as a grocery and harness shop. The whole of 
 the east side of this building was instantly in flames. 
 From this the fire rapidly passed to the rear of R. Cot- 
 trill's store and J. H. Mooers, drug store. No water 
 could be procured, and it now became evident that an ex- 
 tensive and destructive conflagration had commenced. 
 (^ Moss K. Piatt's drug store, on the corner of Bridge and 
 Margaret streets, and an old wooden building adjoining 
 on Margaret street, owned and occupied by Terance Con- 
 way, as a grocery and dwelling-house, were soon in 
 flames. By this time a strong wind from the south was 
 blowing, which drove the heat and flames across Bridge 
 Street, melting the tin on the roof of a block of brick 
 stores, owned by James Bailey, and setting the roof on 
 fire in several places. From this block the fire divided, 
 one line following the buildings on the west side of River 
 Street, and the other those on the east side of Margaret 
 Street, while at the same time the burning sparks and 
 cinders set fire to the buildings on the south side of the 
 Park. At two o'clock the whole square, bounded by 
 Bridge, River and Margaret Streets and the Park, was in 
 flames, burning furiously. 
 
 The loss on this square was as follows : on Bridge 
 
5^ PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 Street, James Bailey, dry goods ; Averill & Sprague, dry 
 goods ; Fitch & Cook, hardware ; WilHam K. Dana, dry 
 goods. On Margaret Street, Amos A. Prescott, book- 
 seller and jeweller ; Guy Dunham, draper and merchant 
 tailor; William H. Morgan & Son, dry goods ; William 
 H. Hedges, dry goods ; William H. Myers, dry goods ; 
 Benedict & Buck, dry goods and boots and shoes ; L. 
 Myers, dry goods. On the Park, Firemen's Hall, with 
 the public library, containing about 2500 volumes ; Mrs. 
 Green s dwelling-house, and Mrs. Winans' dwelling-house, 
 occupied by tenants. On River Street, Mrs. Winans' 
 dwelling ; James Conway's dwelling ; Andrew Bird's 
 grocery and dwelling, and Lemuel F. W^alker's joiner 
 shop. 
 
 While this destruction was progressing, the fire was 
 rapidly making its way against the wind, along the east 
 side of Margaret Street, south of Conway's. The loss 
 here was Alfred Hartwell's clothing store, John J. Drown 's 
 shoe store and dwelling ; H. Hewitt, dry goods ; L. Coo- 
 ley's hat store ; Nichols & Lynde, wholesale grocers ; 
 Benjamin Ketchum, dry goods ; Vilas & Crosby, whole- 
 sale dry goods and tinware ; Francis McCadden, clothing 
 and dwelling, and two buildings intended for stores, only 
 partly completed. Several store-houses and small tene- 
 ment buildings in the rear on Mill Alley were also 
 burned. 
 
 The fire crossed Margaret Street, north of Bridge 
 Street, and caught in an old building, occupied by Ami 
 Beauchamp, as a tailor's shop. At about the same time» 
 it also crossed south of Bridge Street, working both ways 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 59 
 
 from these points, and extending up Cliurch Alley for 
 some distance. The buildings destroyed on the west 
 side of Margaret Street, were Samuel F. Vilas's dwelling 
 and outhouses, on the corner of Brinkerhoff Street ; A. 
 L. &: G. N. Webb's store and dwelling ; William Reed's 
 jewelry shop and dwelling ; Cromwell's barber shop and 
 dwelling ; J. Ricard's store and dwelling ; Goslin's barber 
 shop, bath rooms and dwelling, and Bernard Young's 
 store and dwelling. These were all wooden buildings. 
 William Palmer & Co., mill store in the south end of the 
 " stone row ; " Charles H. Cady, dry goods ; William 
 Douglass, dry goods ; Charles C. Moore, dry goods ; 
 Caleb Nichols, dwelling ; George Moore's justice ofifice ; 
 D. Hoag's grocery ; Beauchamp's tailor shop, and Dill's 
 Phoenix hotel and barns. A dwelling-house on Court 
 Street, west of the hotel, then occupied by George W. 
 Pahner, was burned, as was also a small buildi'ng on the 
 corner of Brinkerhoff and Margaret Street, opposite Vilas's 
 dwelling-house, then occupied as the Post Ofifice. 
 
 On Church Alley, south side, a dwelling-house of B. 
 Young ; Ransom N. Richardson's wagon shop ; Tierney's 
 blacksmith shop ; Roberts' blacksmith shop, and Trom- 
 bly's blacksmith shop, were burned, and a small wooden 
 building, occupied by Felix Tero was torn down. On 
 the north side the loss was Baker's wagon shop, the old 
 Durand house, occupied by tenants, and several other 
 small buildino^s and barns. The ofifices of the Plattsburt;h 
 Republican and of the Clinton County lV/n<^, were de- 
 stroyed, besides several offices and shops in the second 
 story of the buildings consumed. The progress of the 
 
60 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 fire was arrested, on the south, by a row of stone stores, 
 and on Cluirch Alley by pulling down the Tero 
 house. In other directions it seemed to exhaust itself. 
 
 The fine brick residence of M. K. Piatt, on the corner 
 of Macdonough and Macomb Street, was burned on the 
 1 8th of March, 1854. 
 
 In August, 1 856, a fire destroyed a block of four stores, 
 on Margaret street, opposite Brinkerhoff, one owned by 
 D. S. Mc Masters, one by Harvey Hewitt, and two by 
 Francis McCadden. 
 
 On the 1 6th December, 1861, a fire occurred, which 
 consumed all the buildings on Bridge and River Streets, 
 from the Bridge to the John Wells brick building, lately 
 owned by O. A. Keyes, except the old Parsons store, on 
 the corner of those streets, then occupied by G. W. Hor- 
 nick, as a furniture store. The fire was discovered about 
 3 o'clock in the morning, in the basement of the store 
 then occupied by George N. Webb, and burned three 
 buildings owned by J. D. Warren, Mrs. Ricord's block of 
 two stores, Paul Marshall's block of four stores, and build- 
 ings owned by Charles Barnard, John Duval, Andrew 
 Borde, James Griflfin, and Francis Senecal. 
 
 On Friday, the 29th day of May, 1863, there was an- 
 other fire which consumed the old Cady homestead, at 
 the corner of Margaret and Broad Streets, then occupied 
 by Mr. Wolcott ; the old Standish store, on the corner of 
 Oak and Broad Streets, then occupied by George W. Day 
 as a carpenter's shop, and a dwelling house on Broad Street, 
 between these two, owned by Doct. Edward Kane. 
 
PLATTSBURGII VILLAGE. 6 1 
 
 June 6th, 1864, Fouquet's Hotel, on the east side of 
 the river, was entirely destroyed by fire. 
 
 The Gas Works were burned Saturday morning, De- 
 cember 23d, 1865, together with the lumber sheds of 
 Baker Brothers, adjoining. The loss was estimated at 
 ^6000. 
 
 On Wednesda}^ the 21st day of August, 1867, 
 another large and destructive conflagration occurred, 
 which again reduced to ashes the greater portion of the 
 business part of the village. The fire king passed over 
 almost the same territory destroyed in August, 1849. 
 The fire was first discovered in the horse shed of the 
 Presbyterian Church, and spread with great rapidity to the 
 Church and the adjoining buildings. The Presbyterian 
 Church was consumed, with most of its valuable furniture 
 and the communion service. From there, the fire extend- 
 ed west, consuming 3 houses owned by John Wilson ; B. 
 D. Clapp's dwelling on Oak Street, and N. Nusbaum's ; 
 two houses of Wm. H. Morgan, on the corner of Oak 
 Street and Church Alley ; also the following property on 
 that alley ; L. M. Cooley's house ; Henry H. Story's 
 house ; a large tenement house of M. K. Piatt's, occupied 
 by five families ; Peter Malloy, Robert Turner and Wil- 
 liam Dixon's houses ; a house occupied by Felix Tero, and 
 houses occupied by Mr. Marvin, Paul Carroll, and Paul 
 Montville, and two houses belonging to Caleb Nichol's 
 estate ; Joseph Tero's carriage shop ; the blacksmith 
 shops of Cramer, Ryan and Gonya & Roberts ; Major 
 Dolan's saloon and residence, owned by E. M. Crosby, 
 Learment & Stave's livery stables, and Dennis Tormcy's 
 
62 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 shoe shop. On Brinckerhoff Street — two buildings in 
 process of construction, east of the Presbyterian Church, 
 owned by David Hooey and Francis McCadden, and also 
 Wm. Bell's marble shop. On the west side of Margaret 
 Street — Blake's block, near the corner of Brinkerhoff 
 Stieet, occupied by M. Holcomb's hat and cap store, J. E. 
 Morrison, drug store, and Sowles & Edw^ards, hardware 
 store ; William D. Morgan's store, Joseph Shiff's market, 
 C. A. Cook's hardware store, Bernard Young's store and 
 residence, E. Hathaway 's clothing store, Edwards & Co.'s 
 store, Breed's boot and shoe store and W'm. Reed's jewel- 
 ry store in the same room, Balch's drug store. Levy's 
 boot and shoe store, and James Griffin's saloon and resi- 
 dence. Here George Moore's office was partly torn down 
 and the further progress of the fire in this direction ar- 
 rested. 
 
 The fire crossed Margaret Street, south of Bridge Street, 
 and burned on the east side of Margaret Street, R. O. Bar- 
 ber's grocery store, John Percy's grocery store, S. F. Vilas's 
 wholesale dry goods store, F. Palmer & Co., grocery and 
 feed store, Nichols, Lynde & Co., wholesale grocery store, 
 Weaver & Hall's grocery store, J. H. Cottrill's clothing 
 store, J. J. Drown's boot and shoe store, Tilley's bookstore, 
 Rothschild & Co., dry goods store, and H. W. Cady & Co., 
 drug store. On south side Bridge Street — Noel Bessett's 
 harness shop, H. W. Guibord's grocery store, Mrs. Mc- 
 Cann's hotel, John P. Smith's and Archers' market and 
 residence, S. W. Gregory & Co., office — also their store- 
 house on Water Street. Noel's tavern on Water Street 
 was also consumed. 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 63 
 
 The names above, are of those who occupied the 
 ground floor of the buildings destroyed on Margaret and 
 Bridge Streets. In the upper stories there were many 
 offices, among which I will name the law offices of Beck- 
 with & Dobie, Geo. L. Clark, Wm. R. Jones, M. Desmond, 
 and Weed & Dickinson. The offices of Doct. E. M. 
 Lyon, Doct. Wolff, and Doct. Nichols, and of C. Halsey: 
 Howard's and Averill's photographic galleries, — Doctor 
 Bixby s and Doctor Howard's dental rooms, — the Masonic 
 Hall, with all its furniture, — the Library of the Young 
 Men's Association, — J. W. Tuttle's job printing office and 
 A, G. Carver's printing office. 
 
 The editor of the " Plattsburgh Sentinel'^ prepared 
 and published an estimate of the loss of each individual, 
 of which the following is the aggregate : Jylarkets, ^1,550 ; 
 hardware, $59,000 ; printing offices, $7,300 ; dentists, $954 ; 
 law offices, libraries, &c., $5,200 ; physicians, $5,639 ; boots 
 and shoes, $16,500 ; saloons, $7,600 ; druggists, $10,000; 
 photograph galleries, $10,000 ; clothing, $10,250 ; harness 
 makers, $800; dry goods, groceries, &c., $102,750: mis- 
 cellaneous, $28,912: real estate, $192,893; loss by re- 
 moval, exposure, and theft, $1 1,01 3 ; grand total, $469,861. 
 The amount of insurance is stated at $241,625, divided 
 among 24 companies, in very unequal proportions, how- 
 ever. 
 
 The next fire occurred on Sunday evening, the 27th 
 day of December, 1868, when the United States Hotel 
 was totally consumed. This was followed, one month 
 later, January 26, 1869, by the burning of Scheier's and 
 Meron's brick stores, on Margaret Street. Three weeks 
 
64 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 after this fire, on the i6th day of February, two stores in 
 Bailey's brick block, on Bridge Street, were burned, with 
 nearly all their contents. This fire was discovered about 
 half past three o'clock in the morning, in Monash's cloth- 
 ing store. The adjoining store in the block, occupied by 
 L. Cooley & Son, as a hat and cap store, and by Wm. 
 Reed, temporarily, as a jeweller's store, was flooded with 
 water and the building considerably damaged. On the 
 2 2d day of May, following, another fire destroyed the 
 store owned by Nichols & Lynde, on Margaret St., direct- 
 ly opposite the buildings of Scheier and Meron, destroyed 
 the December previous. This store was occupied by 
 Hymen Brothers. 
 
 At II o'clock of the night of March 2, 1870, a fire 
 was discovered in the basement of a building on the north 
 side of Bridge Street, near the west end of the Bridge, 
 owned by D. S. Holcomb and occupied by Burdo & Lan- 
 more, as a saloon, which, with a store adjoining in the 
 same block, owned by Bernard Young, and occupied by 
 J. J. Drown, as a boot and shoe store, were burned. 
 
 On Monday night, March, 28, 1870, a fire was dis- 
 covered in the rear of Shiff's meat market, in the stone 
 row on Margaret Street, opposite the post office, which 
 caused considerable damage to the building and its con- 
 tents. 
 
 A fire, on Thursday night, March 23, 1871, caught 
 in the garret of the Park House, corner of Park and River 
 Streets, occupied by Joseph W. Daller, as a saloon and 
 dwelling, consuming a portion of the roof and upper rooms. 
 On Wednesday morning, March 29, about 5 o'clock, an- 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 65 
 
 other fire broke out in the same building, burning out the 
 entire inside of the buildins:. 
 
 On Thursday afternoon, August 22, 1 871, at half-past 
 one o'clock, a fire caught in Baker Brothers' lumber yard, 
 on Jay Street, destroying the entire stock of lumber and 
 the lumber sheds. The Gas Works, Frank Palmer's barn, 
 and also five small dwelling-houses, between old and new 
 Bridge Streets, east of Fouquet's barn. Loss about 
 ^20,000, principally in lumber. Insurance $15,450. 
 
 About I o'clock Friday morning, Aug. 25, 187 1, an 
 attempt was made to fire Morrill's Billiard Room, on 
 Bridge Street, next east of Hornick's furniture store. It 
 was fortunately discovered before any damage had been 
 done. If successful, probably a number of buildings 
 would have been consumed. 
 
 On the evening of Friday, Nov. 10, 1 871, the Academy 
 was destroyed by fire. The fire is supposed to have been 
 the work of an incendiary. 
 
 On the 15th October, 1872, the saw mill on the north 
 side of the river, at the upper dam was burned. The cov- 
 ered bridge was also burned at this time, and was replaced 
 the next year by an iron bridge. 
 
 On the 15th of April, 1818, an act was passed, grant- 
 ing to John Mallory and his assignees, "the sole and ex- 
 clusive right" to furnish the inhabitants of the village of 
 Plattsburgh with water, " by means of conduits or aque- 
 ducts." The legislature were careful that IMr. Mallory 
 should never, under this grant to furnish water, go into 
 liquidation as a banker, for the last section of the act ex- 
 pressly provided, " that nothing in this act contained, 
 
66 PLATTSBURGH — VILLAGE. 
 
 shall be so construed as to grant any banking powers or 
 privileges whatsoever." Under this act, water was fur- 
 nished to the inhabitants residing on the west side of the 
 river, in limited and uncertain quantities until the fall of 
 the year 1871. 
 
 On the 31st of January, 1868, a public meeting of the 
 citizens of the village was held at the Court House, to 
 take into consideration the subject of supplying the 
 village with pure and wholesome water. At this meeting, 
 a committee was appointed to draft a law, to be submitted 
 to an adjourned meeting of the citizens. This committee 
 reported at the appointed time, and the terms of an act 
 to be submitted to the Legislature was adopted. The 
 act was passed by the Legislature on the 17th of April, 
 1868. [Laws 1868, p. 502.] 
 
 By this act, the trustees of the village were author- 
 ized to appoint a Board of Commissioners, consisting of 
 three persons, whose duty it was made to prepare a plan, 
 to be submitted to the taxable electors of the village, who 
 were to express, by vote, their assent or refusal to the 
 prosecution of the work. If a majority of the electors, 
 voting, should be in favor of the plan submitted, the trus- 
 tees were authorized to ratify such conditional contracts 
 as the commissioners may have made for the purchase 
 of land and the purchase of the old water works, and to 
 raise upon the bonds of the village, a sum necessary to 
 complete the works according to the plan adopted, but 
 not to exceed five thousand dollars over the estimated 
 cost as reported by the commissioners. The act vested 
 in the commissioners the sole and exclusive control of 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 67 
 
 the construction of the works, and they were to hold office 
 until the works were so far completed as to be in opera- 
 tion, when the control and management were to be trans- 
 ferred to a superintendent, to be appointed by the Board 
 of Trustees. 
 
 On the 15th of June, 1868, James H. Totman, Silas 
 W. Gregory, and Benjamin M. Beckwith, were appointed 
 Water Commissioners. They reported a plan, on the 
 I ith day of August, which was adopted by a vote of the 
 electors of the village, and the commissioners were di- 
 rected to enter into contracts for the construction of the 
 works. 
 
 The commissioners estimated the probable cost of 
 the work at $94,965.56, as follows: 
 
 Scribner pond and water right, $2,500 00 
 
 Bulkhead at dam, with stop gate, 200 00 
 
 Pipe from pond to reservoir, 16,000 00 
 
 Reservoir and site, 6,500 00 
 
 44,732 feet cement pipe, 40.633 31 
 
 64,529 feet trenching and backfilling, 16,132 25 
 
 40 hydrants, freight and setting, 2,200 00 
 
 Stop gates, 1 ,400 00 
 
 Freight on "pipe, 2,000 00 
 
 Purchase of old water works, 6,400 00 
 
 Engineering, 1,00000 
 
 ^.965 56 
 
 As the work progressed, it was found that many items 
 of expense had been omitted in the estimate, and that 
 some of the estimates were below the necessary cost of 
 
 5 
 
68 PLATTSBURGH VILI.AGE. 
 
 the work required. It was also deemed advisable to 
 change the details of the plan in several particulars. A 
 double reservoir was built on the Hammond hill, instead 
 of a single one, as at first contemplated. The size of 
 some of the mains were increased, and mains laid in 
 streets, not at first intended to be supplied. Distributing 
 pipe had also to be laid from the mains to the line of 
 lots, and a well house and waste drain constructed at the 
 reservoir, for which no estimate had been made. The 
 number of hydrants was increased from 40 to 60, in order 
 to afford more complete fire protection throughout the 
 village. 
 
 These changes and additions were made by the Com- 
 missioners, after consulting with the Board of Trustees, 
 and were considered necessary in order to carrying out 
 the original intention of the citizens to provide for the 
 whole village an abundant and unfailing supply of water 
 for domestic use and for protection from fires. To meet 
 the increased expense, the Trustees were authorized to is- 
 sue additional bonds to the amount of $80,000. [Chap- 
 ter 326, laws of 1870, and chapter 60, laws of 1871.] 
 
 The mains having been completed, the office of Water 
 Commissioner was abolished, on the 27th day of Decem- 
 ber, 1870, and Silas W. Gregory was appointed Superin- 
 tendent of Water Works. 
 
 In the construction of the works there was laid 
 62,404 lineal feet of cement pipe, and 1 1,702 lineal feet of 
 tile pipe — in all fourteen miles and one hundred and 
 eighty-six feet. Of the cement pipe, 
 

 
 PLATTSBURGH- 
 
 — VILLAGE, 
 
 5'344 
 
 feet 
 
 is 2 
 
 inches 
 
 in 
 
 di 
 
 iameter. 
 
 23,096 
 
 (( 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 5453 
 
 i( 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 
 
 12,822 
 
 (< 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 
 5>574 
 
 it 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 10,115 
 
 (t 
 
 12 
 
 
 
 
 
 69 
 
 Forty-nine stop gates of different sizes, and 60 fire 
 hydrants have been set. The cost of the iron pipe, socket 
 joint, used for conducting the water across the river was 
 $1,440.07 and there has been expended in conducting 
 the water from the mains to the lots of consumers, the 
 sum of $11,1 18.70. 
 
 The bonds issued to defray the expense of construction, 
 are payable as follows : 
 
 July I, 1878, $7,850 
 
 1879, 18,550 
 
 1881, 22,950 
 
 1883, 13,000 
 
 " 1884, 15,000 
 
 1885, 4,000 
 
 1888, 30,000 
 
 Jan'y 1,1889, 37>i50 
 
 July I, 1890, 4,000 
 
 1 89 1, 27,500 
 
 The number of consumers in 1872 was about 675. 
 200 buildings pay a fire protection. The revenue for the 
 year 1871, was $11,290.95, as follows: First quarter, 
 $2,632.38; second quarter, $2,843.89; third quarter, 
 $2,938.09; fourth quarter, $2,876.64. 
 
 Although the cost of the water works has been heavy, 
 our citizens will never have any real cause to complain 
 
^0 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 of the outlay. It will be returned by a decreased expense 
 of insurance, the additional protection from fires, and the 
 great convenience and comfort to be derived from an 
 abundant supply of water at all times for domestic use. 
 
 The two distributing Reservoirs are located at Ham- 
 mond's, about two and one-half miles west from the Court 
 House, and 214 feet above the surface of Margaret Street. 
 The north Reservoir is 156 feet by 160 feet at the top, 
 and 104 feet by 108 feet at the bottom, and is 13 feet 
 deep. Its capacity, when filled to a point two feet from 
 the top, is 1,391,130 standard gallons. The south Reser- 
 voir is 160 feet by 162 feet at the top, and 108 feet by 
 no feet at the bottom, and is also 13 feet deep. With 
 II feet of water it holds 1,487,906 gallons. When filled 
 to the top the united capacity of both is 3.596,000 gal- 
 lons. The outside embankments have a slope of 2 to i 
 both inside and outside, and are 13 feet wide at the top. 
 
 The supply of water must for years be equal to all the 
 wants of the inhabitants of the village. With three mil- 
 lions of gallons of water held in deposit at Hammond's, 
 and ready to be poured out at any part of the village 
 under a pressure of ninety-five pounds to the square inch, 
 the Fire King will not again hold a saturnalia in our 
 streets, as he did in 1849 and 1867. 
 
 CHURCHES. 
 
 Presbyterian. — On the loth day of November, 1792, 
 a public meeting was held at the Block House, for the 
 purpose of "choosing trustees to take in charge the tem- 
 poralities of the congregation of the town, and to form a 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 7 1 
 
 corporation by the name and style of the Trustees of the 
 Presbyterian Church or Congregation, of the town of 
 Plattsburgh, and to call a minister." At this meeting, 
 John Addams, Charles Piatt, Nathaniel Piatt, Melancton 
 L. Woolsey, John Ransom, and Nathan Averill, were 
 chosen trustees. [Record of Deeds, Liber A., p. 285.] 
 Nothing further was done at this time, but two years 
 afterwards, the Rev. Frederick Halsey, then a licenciate 
 of the Presbytery of Long Island, visited this place, and 
 for a short time preached from house to house. He set- 
 tled here permanently in the fall of that year (1794), was 
 installed as pastor in February, 1796, and in the month 
 of October, following, organized the first church in this 
 section of the country. The church then consisted of 
 eighteen persons, to whom the Lord's Supper was for 
 the first time administered on the ist dav of October, 
 1797. The names of these eighteen, who formed tlie 
 pioneer church of Northern New York, were, Ezekiel 
 Hubbard, John Stratton, Abner Pomroy, William and 
 Mrs. Badlam, Moses Corbin, Elizabeth Addams, Catherine 
 Hageman, Catherine Marsh, Lucretia Miller, Phebe Piatt, 
 Esther Stratton, Mary Addams, Stephen and Mrs. Mix, 
 Martha Coe, William Pitt Piatt, and John Culver. [Do- 
 bie's Discourses.] 
 
 A public meeting was again held in October, 1803, 
 at the Court House, "where the Rev. Mr. Halsey s 
 congregation statedly met for public worship," and the 
 society was there reorganized under the statute. At this 
 meeting, Deacons Ezekiel Hubbard and William Pitt 
 Piatt, presided. The trustees elected were John Addams, 
 
72 PLATTSBUKGII VILLAGE. 
 
 Melancton L. Woolsey, Benjamin Mooers, John Howe, 
 Thomas Miller, and Benjamin Barber. [Record of Deeds, 
 Liber B., 518.] Owing to some informality in the pro- 
 ceedings, a third organization of the society was effected 
 on the 19th day of March, 1810, when Melancton Smith, 
 John G. Freleigh, Elias Woodruff, Sebe Thompson, Jon- 
 athan Grifhn, William Pitt Piatt, and Benjamin Mooers, 
 were elected trustees. [Record of Deeds, D., 99.] In 
 this year the Rev. Mr. Halsey resigned his charge over 
 the church, which had now increased to eighty-five mem- 
 bers. The church remained without a pastor until P"eb- 
 ruary 6th, 181 2, when the Rev. William R. Weeks was 
 installed. [Dobie, 200.] It was about this time that ef- 
 forts were first made for the erection of a church building. 
 In June, 181 2, Abraham Brinkerhoff, Jr., conveyed 
 to the society a lot of land fronting on Brinkerhoff street 
 [Record of Deeds, D., 386], and the work upon the foun- 
 dation of the building was immediately commenced. 
 Owing, however, to the interruptions occasioned by the 
 military operations on this frontier during that and the 
 two succeeding years, the building was not completed un- 
 til the fall of 1 81 6. Its total cost was about $10,000. 
 [Plattsburgh Republicait, Dec, 181 6.] It is said that the 
 success of the undertaking w-as owing to the unwearied 
 labors and self-denial of Elder William Pitt Piatt. [Dobie, 
 206.] The pews were sold on the 19th of December, 
 1 81 6, under the supervision of Benjamin Mooers, 
 Melancton L. Woolsey, and Levi Piatt, a committee ap- 
 pointed for that purpose, and brought at auction about 
 $12,000. On the 25th of the same month, the church 
 
PLATTSBURGII — VILLAGE, 73 
 
 was dedicated; the Rev. Nathaniel Hewitt, who, in July, 
 1815, had succeeded Mr. Weeks, preaching the sermon, 
 and the Rev. Dr. Austin, President of the University of 
 Vermont, offering the dedicatory prayer. [Dobie, 206. 
 Plattsburgh Republican, Dec. 14 and 28, 18 16.] 
 
 At the time of the completion of this building, there 
 was no other church edifice in this county, and none in 
 
 n 
 
 the counties of Essex, Franklin\ or St. Lawrence. It 
 was the mother of churches in Northern New York, and 
 stood a witness to the liberality and christian faith of our 
 forefathers, until destroyed by fire, on the morning of the 
 2ist of August, 1867.' 
 
 Mr. Hewitt was dismissed in October, 181 7, and the 
 Rev. S. W. Whelpley installed in his place, on the i ith 
 day of March, 18 18, dismissed in July, 1822, and re-in- 
 stalled in February, 1823. Mr. Whelpley was succeeded 
 by the Rev. Moses Chase, who was ordained and in- 
 stalled on the 2 2d day of February, 1826. He continued 
 as pastor over this church until May, 1835, his place being 
 supplied during an absence of about one year, in 1833-34, 
 by the Rev. Abraham D. Brinkerhoff. The Rev. H. B. 
 Newton was installed in July, 1836, and remained three 
 years. He was succeeded by the Rev. L. Reed, who was 
 installed in February, 1840, 2Ci\d.deposed\\\ November, 1843. 
 
 On the 28th day of February, 1844, the Rev. David 
 Dobie became pastor of this church, and remained m 
 
 1 Other religious societies had however, been organized within this terri- 
 tory. The First Presbyterian Church of Champlain was organized on the 
 8th of September. 1804 (Record of Deeds, Liber C, p. 27); t'l-i' of Cliazy, 
 on the 22d March, 1805 (Liber C. 81); and that of Mooers on the ist of 
 August, 1807 (Liber C. 257). The first Baptist Society of I'lattsburgh, was 
 organized on the 23d day of October, 181 1. 
 
74 PLATTSBURGH — VILLAGE. 
 
 charge until compelled, by reason of ill health, to ask for 
 his dismissal, in October, 1855. Mr. Dobie was succeeded 
 by the Rev. Edward B. Chamberlin, who remained until 
 June 16, 1858. On the 23d day of February, 1859, the 
 Rev. John B. Young was installed and was dismissed, in 
 January, 1863. He was succeeded by the Rev. Dr. Edwin 
 A. Bulkley, who was installed November 15, 1864. Dur- 
 ing a portion of the year 1863 and 1864, the pulpit was 
 temporarily supplied by the Rev. Francis B. Hall. In 
 the autumn of 1864, a new society, composed of a portion 
 of the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church, 
 was organized, under the name of the Peristrome Church 
 of Plattsburgh, over which the Rev. Mr. Hall was in- 
 stalled as pastor. 
 
 In the summer of 1 865 the interior of the church 
 building was remoddled throughout at a cost of nearly 
 $10,000. The building was totally destroyed by fire in 
 August, 1867. Preparations were immediately made to 
 rebuild, and on the 17th June, 1868, the corner stone was 
 laid with appropriate ceremonies and the building was 
 completed and dedicated on the 8th of July, 1873. The 
 entire cost of the building and its furniture, including 
 bell and organ, was about $56,000. The chapel rooms 
 in the basement had been completed in October, 1869, 
 and were immediately used for public worship, the con- 
 gregation having until that time worshipped in the old 
 Academy. The building is constructed of blue and grey 
 limestone, extreme length i2ofeet, extreme width 66 feet, 
 height of tower and spire 200 feet above street grade. 
 
 Methodist. — The first Methodist preacher known to 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 75 
 
 have visited the country 'bordering on the west side of 
 Lake Champlain, was the Rev. Richard Jacobs, who was 
 in Clinton County in 1796, where he remained several 
 weeks, preaching to the few inhabitants scattered along 
 the borders of the lake. I cannot ascertain whether he 
 came as far north as Plattsburgh. He was drowned 
 while attempting to ford the Schroon river, on his return 
 to his home at Clifton Park. [Park's Troy Conference 
 miscellany, 35.] 
 
 In 1779, a circuit was formed, called the " Plattsburgh 
 Circuit," which was placed under the sole charge of the 
 Rev. Alexander McLane as "itinerant." It included the 
 whole territory west of the lake. The next year the Rev. 
 Elijah Hedding was licensed to preach, and was sent to 
 this circuit. He remained on the circuit, at this time, 
 about six weeks, and is said to have preached his first 
 sermon in a cabin on the west side of Cumberland Head. 
 
 [lb., 43-] 
 
 Mr. Hedding returned in 1801, and with the Rev. 
 Elijah Chichester, remained one year, " travelling 300 
 miles every month, from Ticonderoga into Canada, and 
 preaching every day." They were succeeded the next 
 year by the Rev. Daniel Brumley and the Rev. Laben 
 Clark, and the circuit was afterwards supplied, from year 
 to year, by others. In 181 1, this district was under the 
 charge of the Rev. Jacob Beeman and the Rev. Heman 
 Garlick. It was in this year that Bishop Ashbury 
 preached in this village, while on his tour through \'cr- 
 mont and Northern New York. [Park's miscellany, 59.] 
 
 In the spring of the year 18 13, a Methodist Episcopal 
 
76 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 Church was organized in the town of Peru, of which Ed- 
 mund Clark, John Morehouse, Nathan Ferris, Solomon 
 Clark, Joel Clark and John Sheppard, were the trustees. 
 [Record of Deed, Liber D., 490.] A Methodist society 
 was organized in Chaz3% in Oct., 18 18, with Alexander 
 Scott, Thomas Cooper, William Churchill, Solomon Fisk, 
 David Hatch, Willard Hyde, Stillman Buckman, Thomas 
 Dickinson and James Boudett, as trustees. [lb., Liber. 
 F., 165.] But it was not until about the year 1 8 16 or 181 7, 
 that any efforts were made to form a society in this 
 village. About this time, Shelden Durkee, Ann Durkee^ 
 Mary Bacon, Maria Haynes, Polly Averill, Patience Mil- 
 ler, John Wells and Michael McDermott, joined the 
 church, but no class was organized until November 19, 
 1 819, when David Brock was appointed leader. At this 
 time the society had been increased, by the addition to 
 its members of John Addams and his wife, David Brock, 
 Philena Brock, Phebe Edgerton, Ann Smith, and Mr. 
 and Mrs. Joseph I. Green. [Manuscript notes of Rev. 
 Stephen D. Brown.] Still no regular station was organ- 
 ized in the village until the year 1826, when the Rev. 
 James Quinlan was located here. He remained two 
 years and was succeeded by the Rev. Orrin Pier, who 
 was followed, in 1829, by the Rev. Bartholomew Creagh, 
 and by the Rev. Truman Seymour in 1831. Until 1831, 
 the public services of the church had been held in the 
 Court House, but during the charge of Mr. Seymour, the 
 society removed to the church building, on Court street. 
 [This building was destroyed by fire in January, 1846, 
 and was rebuilt the next season.] Mr. Seymour remained 
 here until 1833. 
 
PLATTSBURGII VILLAGE. 77 
 
 Since that time the following clergymen have been 
 stationed in this village: Ephraim Goss, 1833-4; ben- 
 jamin Marvin, 1834-6 ; James Caughey, 1836-7 ; Spen- 
 cer Mattison, 1837-8; Lyman Prindle, 1838-40; Hiram 
 Meeker, 1840-42; Andrew Witherspoon, 1842-4 and 
 1858-60; Stephen Parks, 1844-6; Stephen D. Brown, 
 1846-8; Ensign Stover, 1848-50; S. P. Williams, 1850- 
 52; John E. Bowen, 1852-4 and 1S64-5 i R- H. Robin- 
 son, 1854-6; Halsey W. Ransom, 1856-8; Joseph K. 
 Cheeseman, 1860-62 and 1868-9; Elisha Watson, 
 1862-4; Frederick Widmer, 1865-7; E)avid P. Hurl- 
 burd, 1867 ; S. R. Bailey, 1870 and '71. S. W. Merrill suc- 
 ceeded Mr. Widmer, but was suspended after being here 
 a few weeks. C. R. Hawley, 1872 and '73, M. B. Mead, 
 1874 and '75 ; and A. J. Ingalls, the present incumbent, in 
 1876. 
 
 Episcopal. — An Episcopal Society was informally or- 
 ganized in this village on the 30th September, 1821, but 
 there were no regular continued services of the Church 
 until March, 1822, when the Rev. Joel Clapp was called 
 to the rectorship of the parish. Mr. Clapp was succeeded 
 by the Rev. William Shelton, in August, 1823, who was 
 succeeded by the Rev. Mr. Davis, in December, 1826, 
 who remained a short time. The Church was without a 
 Rector for several years after Mr. Davis left, and during 
 this time the members usually attended the services of 
 the Methodist Church. A church building was erected 
 in the year, 1830 and on the 6th day of September, of 
 of the same year, Trinity church was incorporated, with 
 James Bailey and Frederick L. C. Sailly as wardens, and 
 
78 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 St. John B. L. Skinner, Samuel Beaumont, William F. 
 Haile, William F. Halsey, Samuel Emery, George Marsh, 
 John Palmer and John Lyndeas vestrymen. [Record of 
 Deeds, Liber 2, 227.] 
 
 In May, 1 831, the Rev. Anson Hard was called to the 
 rectorship. The church was consecrated on the 27th day 
 of July of that year. Prior to their removal to this build- 
 ing the Society had met for worship at the Academy or 
 at the Court House. Mr. Hard was succeeded in the 
 spring of 1832 by the Rev. J. Howland Coit, who re- 
 mained in charge of the parish until August, 1844, when 
 he removed to Harrisburg, Penn. After the departure 
 of Dr. Coit the pulpit was not permanently supplied until 
 November, 1845, when the Rev. Thomas Mallaby accept- 
 ed the rectorship. He remained here until December, 
 1849, and in March following was succeeded by the Rev. 
 Joseph Ransom, who continued in charge of the parish 
 until the first day of January, 1852. In April, of that 
 year. Dr. Coit returned from Pennsylvania and renewed 
 his connection with the parish, over which he remained 
 until his death, on the ist day of October, 1866. For 
 more than twent3'-six years he watched faithfully over his 
 people in this vicinage. The Rev. William M. Ogden, 
 who had officiated as assistant minister since the spring of 
 that year, was called to the rectorate on the 27th of Octo- 
 ber, 1866. He resigned his charge over the parish in 
 May, 1869, and was succeeded by the Rev. Henry Mc- 
 Clory, who resigned in December, 1870. The pulpit was 
 temporarily supplied by the Rev. Charles Fay, of Grand 
 Isle, Vermont, until the Rev. John H. Hopkins, S.T.D., 
 the present incumbent, was called to the rectorate. 
 
PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 79 
 
 Roman Catholic CJmrch. — This Churcli was first 
 organized in this village about the year 1827, when the 
 Rev. Patrick McGilligan was placed in charge ; but prior 
 to that time occasional services had been held here by 
 Rev. Father Mignault, of Chambly, and by Fathers Don- 
 gan and O'Callaghan. The first Mass is said to have been 
 celebrated at the private residence of Hugh McGuire, who 
 then resided on Broad street. 
 
 Father McGilligan died in November, 1828. During 
 his residence here, and until St. John's church was com- 
 pleted, the congregation met for public worship in the 
 " red store," on Cumberland avenue, which had been fit- 
 ted up as a chapel. Father McGilligan was succeeded 
 by the Rev. Father Mannigan, who remained a few 
 months only, and was succeeded by the Rev. Father 
 Rogers, who was here in the winter of 1834-5. After him 
 came Father Raf terry, who was here a short time, when 
 the Rev. Father Rafferty was placed in charge of the 
 parish. He was succeeded by the Rev. Father Burns, 
 who died in April, 1836. 
 
 In April, 1834, the congregation purchased of Judge 
 John Palmer a lot on the corner of Cornelia and River 
 streets, on which to erect a church building. The convey- 
 ance was made to Hugh Mc Murray and Edward Kelley. 
 On the I st of May, 1 836, a meeting of the congregation was 
 held at the regular place of public worship, at which time 
 the church was incorporated under the name of the 
 " First Roman Catholic Church of the town of Plattsburgh," 
 and Patrick Foy, William Eagan, Richard Cullen, Michael 
 Kearney, James Trowlan, John Hogan, Barney McWil- 
 
8o PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 liams, Michael Ryan and Christopher Sherlock elected 
 as trustees. On the next day Mc Murray and Kelley con- 
 veyed to the trustees the lot purchased of Judge Palmer, 
 and the erection of St. John's church was soon after com- 
 menced. 
 
 The Rev. George Drummond was in charge of the 
 parish at this time. He died in Canada in the fall of the 
 year 1839, while on a tour among the parishes collecting 
 funds for the building. Father Drummond was succeed- 
 ed by the Rev. Father Rooney, who remained here until 
 the fall of 1854. The church building was completed 
 under his administration, and was dedicated by the Right 
 Rev. Bishop Hughes, on Sunday, September 25th, 1842. 
 Father Rooney was much beloved, not only by his own 
 parishioners, but by the citizens of the village of the other 
 religious denominations. Under his care the Church in- 
 creased rapidly. The records show the number of bap- 
 tisms between October, 1839, and June, 1847, to have 
 been 1,013. 
 
 Father Rooney was succeeded by the Rev. Father 
 Kinney, who remained here until the fall of 1856, when 
 the Rev. Father Cahill was placed in charge. He was 
 succeeded on the 25th of May, i860, by the Rev. Richard 
 J. Maloney, the present incumbent. 
 
 On the 27th day of May, 1869, the Church was re-in- 
 corporated under the act of 1863 [Chapter 45], by the 
 name of " St. John the Baptist's Church of Plattsburgh," 
 with the Right Rev. John J. Conroy, Bishop of the Dio- 
 cese of Albany, the Very Reverend Edgar P. Wad- 
 hams, Vicar General of the Diocese, and Richard J. 
 
PLATTSBURGII VILLAGE. 8 1 
 
 Maloney, Pastor of the Church, and two laymen, as trus- 
 tees. The laymen first appointed as trustees were Ber- 
 nard McKeever and Patrick K. Delaney. 
 
 In the spring of 1867, several village lots, fronting on 
 Margaret, Broad and Oak streets, were conveyed to 
 Bishop Conroy, and by him conveyed to the new cor- 
 poration in May, 1870. Upon these lots the corporation 
 commenced the erection of a new church building, the 
 corner stone of which was laid with appropriate ceremo- 
 nies by the Bishop of Albany, on the first day of July, 
 1868. This building was occupied by the Congregation 
 during the winter of 1874-5, and was dedicated August 
 17th, 1875, by Bishop Wadhams of the Diocese of 
 Ogdensburgh, assisted by Bishop Grosbriand of the Dio- 
 cese of Vermont, Bishop Wadhams preaching in the 
 morning and Bishop Grosbriand in the evening. 
 
 The slating of the roof was put on in the fall of 1871. 
 The building is cruciform ; length, 201 feet ; the transept, 
 84 feet ; height inside, 90 feet. The tower and spire will 
 be 250 feet in height, built of masonry and surmounted by 
 a stone cross. The work has been prosecuted from the 
 beginning under the watchful eye of Father Maloney, to 
 whose untiring energy and devotion we shall, in a great 
 measure, be indebted for the largest and most imposing 
 church edifice in Northern New York. 
 
 In 1853 the French Canadians, who until this time 
 had attended the services at the St. John's Church, were 
 formed into a separate congregation, under the immedi- 
 ate charge of the Oblate Fathers, the Rev. John P. Ber- 
 nard and Claude F. M. Sallaz, and soon after commenced 
 
82 PLATTSBURGH VILLAGE. 
 
 the erection of a church building on CorneHa street. 
 This Church was incorporated under the name of " St. 
 Peter's Church, of Plattsburgh," on the i6th day of De- 
 cember, 1855, with Joseph Fountain, Isaac Jourdarmais, 
 Damien LaForcc, Lewis Chaurain and Lewis St. Michell 
 as trustees. On Sunday, November 19th, 1865, the church 
 was dedicated by Bishop Conroy, assisted by seventeen 
 priests. Father G. Thibault of Longaeil, C. E., having 
 preached the dedicatory sermon. Father Bernard was 
 succeeded by the Rev. Father Garin, and soon afterwards 
 Father Sallaz was appointed the sole presiding priest of 
 the church and parish, and retained that position until 
 the summer of 1870, when he was transferred to Buffalo, 
 He was succeeded by the Rev. Father Charles Bourni- 
 galle, who, in October, 1873, was succeeded by Father 
 Trudeau, the present incumbent. On the 17th of October, 
 1869, the Church was re-organized, under the act of 1863, 
 with Peter St. Louis and Damien LaForce as the lay 
 trustees. In November, 1869, the trustees of the old 
 corporation conveyed the church property held by them 
 to the trustees of the new corporation. St Peter's church 
 is a large and imposing edifice. To the west and ad- 
 joining it is the Mission House belonging to the " Oblate 
 Missionaries of the Immacculate Conception," a corpora- 
 tion created in April, 1871 [Laws, Chap. 418], having 
 for its object the religious instruction of the people, 
 the formation and direction of parishes, the education 
 of clergyman, the work of missions in this State, and the 
 moral and religious education of poor and orphan chil- 
 dren. In this mission house the Presiding Priest of the 
 
PLATTSBURGII VILLAGE. 83 
 
 parish and his assistants reside. Upon the opposite side 
 of St. Peter's church, is the Convent D'Youville beloncr. 
 ing to the sisterhood of the Grey Nuns. " Tlie Sister- 
 hood of Grey Nuns" was incorporated April 6, 1871. The 
 members of the Society devote themselves to the educa- 
 tion of the young, visiting and alleviating the wants of 
 the poor and sick, and general missionary and benevolent 
 work. One of the expressed objects of their charter is 
 the foundation of an industrial school for girls out of em- 
 ployment. 
 
 Jewish Sy7iagogtic. — On the first day of September, 
 1 86 1, a society was incorporated under the name of the 
 "Jewish Congregation of Plattsburgh," with William 
 Cane as President ; Levi Gold, Vice President ; A. Pey- 
 ser, Secretary ; Solomon Monash, Treasurer, and Hyman 
 Monash, Cssar Peck and Seleg Levi, trustees. Regular 
 services were first held by Rabbi Jacob Ehrich, who came 
 here in September, 1862, and who was succeeded by 
 Rabbi Julius Weil in September, 1864. Mr. Weil was 
 succeeded by Rabbi S. Bernheim, in May, 1867, who re- 
 mained here one year, when Rabbi Jacob L. Myer, the 
 present incumbent, was placed in charge of the congrega- 
 tion. 
 
 On the 4th April, 1866, the Society purchased of the 
 trustees of the First Universalist Church, their lot and 
 church building on Oak street, and fitted it up as a place 
 for public worship. 
 
^ 
 
 'JO