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UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
THE
ANNA ALLEN WRIGHT
LIBRARY ENDOWMENT FUNDmmm a a a aaa
_a b Ki
THIRTY YEARS
OF
EARLY HISTORY
OF
COLD SPRING
AND VICINITY,
■
■
WITH INCIDENTS.
BY ONE WHO HAS BEEN A RESIDENT
SINCE 1819.
■
■
■
■
Cold Spring, January 1st, 1886.
SCHBAM PRINTING HOUSE, NEWBURGH.
la.B B B' ffl B B"
a a m a h e g "wrTHIRTY YEARS
OF
EARLY HISTORY
COLD SPRING
AND VICINITY,
WITH INCIDENTS.
BY ONE WHO HAS BEEN A RESIDENT
SINCE 1819.
Cold Spring, January 1st, 1886.
SCHEAM PRINTING HOUSE, NEWBURGH.COLD SPRING, N. Y.
IN tlie spring of the year, in April, 1819, the writer,
then a boy 15^ years old, came from the town of
South East, in this county, an apprentice in the tanning
and currying business, under Charles Crosby, who
was from the same town. The Village of Cold Spring,
then not much more than a wilderness, contained very
few houses, some of which I will endeavor to mention
as best I can from memory.
William Davenport, then a very prominent citizen,
lived on the place where Charles Warren now resides.
John Davenport occupied the house where James
Mekeel now lives, the terminus of the Cold Spring
and Patterson Turnpike. This road was built by
Frederick Parks, the working of which brought to
this part of the county some very prominent men,
among which was Seymour Birdsall, father of Lewis
Birdsall. I will here say as regards this turnpike, no
better road could be found in three river counties,
and how it could have been built through such a wil-
derness has always been a mystery to me. Two gates
were placed upon it, one of which was across the Pike
near where Caleb Hustis now resides. The other
seven miles east. The collections of these two gates
was the only source of revenue to build and maintain
the turnpike. One or two sloops made regular weekly4
trips from Cold Spring to New York, carrying wood
and some country produce, which came over this
model road from the east. No steamers touched here
regularly. The writer remembers Gouv. Kemble land-
ing from a small boat sent ashore by a steamer. The
fare to Albany was seven dollars. Persons going to
New York had to go on a sloop. The writer has been
twice to New York in this way ; once with his boss
to witness the famous race between the horses Sir
Henry and Eclipse. Those trips by sloop usually took
a week.
While I am near the river, I will mention something
about the ferry to West Point. It was conducted by
Old Arthur. He was what might be called very
eccentric. If you wanted him for anything he would
not answer directly but something after this sort:
Question. uArthur will you carry me to Garrisons ?”
Answer. aI have beeh to Cornwall,” or “I have been
to West Pointbut he would always get his ferriage.
He had a novel way of getting it. Some in spite of
him would play sharp on him. I knew of Mr. Gou-
veneur, (he being a big customer of his,) get in debt to
Arthur. One day Mr. Gouveneur went a fishing on
the sunken rocks. Arthur took him there at low
water and left him to fish until high water; then he
went after him. Arthur would not take him in until
he paid him for all he owed him.
I will now return to mention more of the houses as
there appeared on arriving at the place on that April
day. Starting from South East at 8 A. M. with a5
two-liorse wagon load of household goods, with roads
bad until we reached the turnpike, we did not get
here until 9 o’clock P. M. Here we quartered in a
log house, the only building that my boss Crosby had
on six acres of land at the fork of the roads of the
turnpike before mentioned and the Lobdell road. Near
the centre of this plot the Margaret Brook, as it was
called, went through. On the east side of the brook
and nearly opposite the last house in Mollyville stood
the log house before mentioned, and the only one
until you get to John Foster’s house, opposite the old
Davenport store. At that log house we quartered
that night and for six months after. On the west
side of the brook we built a house and barn, and on
the east side the tan works. Jonathan Hustis and
family occupied the Foster house at that time. The
family consisted of Thomas, Harry and Caleb, and
wife of Oscar Speedlin. I passed by one other house,
Stephen Snook’s, on the Heeley place, now occupied
by James Secor. I now pass the Sutton house, near
the widow James’, and come back to the old Daven-
port house, a frame building, a log house and a cider
mill; all then on the west side of the traveled road,
east three-eighth of a mile from the dock. The log
house and the cider mill were soon after demolished,
and the frame house repaired ; it went in the hands
of Benjamin Briggs, and is now in the possession of
his heirs, and called the Briggs’ house. The old road,
as it was called, verged to the west after leaving the
grounds where the Town Hall stands, crossed the6
brook and passed in front of the Methodist Church,
and then passed on by the old Davenport house and
cider mill on the west through John Butler’s yard,
and to the east of the Reformed Church, then down
the hill at the lower part of the vineyard of George
W. Purdy to the rear line of the brick house of the
widow Wright, and now occupied by Dr* Stanbrough.
On the opposite side of this road, on the west, there
stood a long frame house, built by the Gouveneur or
Phillips family for a half carpenter by the name of
Van Houten. He was formerly called Uncle Houten.
Here he lived and raised up a large family of girls.
The whole family seemed to be subject to the Phillips
family, he as a carpenter and the rest of the family as
domestics, and they were known to ride back and
forth the three miles away.
On the opposite side of the road stood the only school
house in this part of the town and school for the three
school districts: Nelsonville, Foundry and Cold Spring,
and was then kept by Master Bowne, grand-father of
George and Martin Bowne.
Those two buildings were the only ones until you
come to the Episcopal Church lot. Here were two
small buildings, composed of one room to live in.
Then we will pass on down. On the Elwell pro-
perty stood a similar house of one room as above, on
the Church lot before mentioned.
The next house on that side is the frame building
adjoining the printing office. It was built by a man
by the name of Shelton, and used by him as a store.7
On the opposite then stood the brick store, now
occupied by Joseph Terry. It was used as a store
then by Samuel Partridge, and built by him or his
brother Norton, as I believe.
At that time the Longfield Hotel wTas building and
nearly finished. It was built by a Mr. Swift, who
had a son at school at the Minor School in South East,
which I will have occasion to speak about hereafter.
Those were all the buildings from Griffin Corners to
what is now the Village of Cold Spring in the year
1819.
I will now take the reader to the West Point Foun-
dry. A cluster of houses, called. Pascal Hill, was
built, and occupied by the families of the workmen,of
the Foundry. The basement of the building nearest
the foot of the hill was used as the office of the Foun-
dry. At that time the large molding house, the enor-
mous chimney and furnaces, the large water wheel,
(perhaps the largest in America,) was in full operation.
It was called a cannon foundry, and there was no
other like it in America.
Allow me nowT to skip over on the Old Post Road,
as it was called, and mention some of the old mansions
in that vicinity, namely: Richard Arden, Harry Gar-
rison, Maffa Basha Nelson, Capt. John Warren, Croft
Hotel, James McCabe, Samuel Jeffords, Harvey Hill,
John Wallace, Nathaniel Ladue, the Dykman Place,
Penny’s Tan Yard place, Nicholas Hustis, Samuel
Hustis, Joshua Haight, William Brewster, Snook and
Harvey Hustis, Caleb Hustis, William Knapp, Isaac8
Wright, David Knapp, Harvey Weeks, Simeon Boice,
Beverly Haight, and other farms and places in this
vicinity.
There were two farm houses on the Lobdell road;
one of which was occupied by Samuel Bard.
The houses I have mentioned and a few others were
standing in 1819-20. This was the most prominent
part of Phillipstown. Then Putnam Yalley was part
of Phillipstown.
The writer in those days attended town elections at
Croft’s Corners, the Likely House and Cyrus Horton’s.
The latter place several times. All these places are
now in the town of Putnam Yalley or town of Quin-
cy. Before the town was divided he attended at the
Croft House and at Griffin’s Corners.
I have endeavored to give a brief history of most
of the houses and farms about Cold Spring as they
were in 1819-'20.
Next I will describe, as best I can, the denomina-
tions of Christians that were rising up, and touch on
the public schools that were then in existence.
Above the boring mill connected with the foundry
was a large room used as a pattern shop. This room
was cleared out and swept, and boards arranged for
seats. This made a spacious hall for church or other
gatherings. All denominations were invited to hold
their meetings in it. There were but very few of each
denomination then. The Presbyterians, Episcopalians
and Baptists accepted the invitation. The Methodists
chose to use a private house or the school house on theu
hill near Dr. Stanbrough’s. William Young was the
superintendent of the West Point Foundry, and being
a north of Ireland man, was liberal in all his religious
views, although a Presbyterian; so the pattern shop
was made free for all. His desire was that we should
not be heathens. He induced a countryman of his,
Rev. Mr. Owen, who had a charge at Patterson, in
this county, to come here once in three weeks and
preach. He was quite a favorite with the workmen.
Daddy Reynolds, so called, was the Methodist Circuit
Preacher. He decided to use either the Sutton House
or School House in which to worship. Elder Warren
was the favorite with the Baptists. I do not remem-
ber of the Episcopalians having a minister. I think
the Catholics had no Priest to minister to them. Thus
Church matters remained in this way until about 1826.
I have often thought why it was that the ministe-
rial talent should come from the eastern part of the
county, unless it was the good road we had that made
it easy of access to Cold Spring.
About 1826 a few wise heads, after using the pat-
tern loft for Church purposes, conceived the idea of
building a Union Church. Meetings were held, and a
committee was appointed, composed of Gouv. Kemble
on the part of the Episcopalians, William Davenport
on the part of the Baptists, Elisha Nelson on the part
of the Methodists, and William Young on the part
of the Presbyterians. This committee went to work
with a will, and a site was selected, funds raised, the
building commenced, and in eighteen months a famous10
church edifice was built of stone, with a cedar roof.
The building is yet standing and is situated on the
rocks east of the steamboat dock, a monument to the
exertions of the early Christians of Cold Spring and
vicinity before 1830. The whole town contributed
nobly to the Church enterprise. The Church being
built and paid for as a Union Church, the next
consideration was, which denomination of the four
should, hold the title. A committee was appointed on
this subject, consisting of Gouv. Kemble, William
Davenport, William Young and Elisha Nelson, who
was empowered to report at a subsequent meeting, for
its approval or rejection, all matters in relation to the
future management of the Church, as well as to secure
the title to the ground on which it was built. The
meeting to hear the report on the future arrangement
of the Churches, and the report of the building com-
mittee, took place the same evening, and was read by
William Young. This was the work of one evening,
and a busy evening, as I well remember. The reports
were satisfactory and approved.
The committee on future arrangements was, as the
Presbyterians were thought the most numerous, placed
in their hands. The Presbyterians were to occupy
the house the fore part of the Sabbath and other de-
nominations to use the Church in the after part of the
day. The Methodists, under Daddy Reynold’s advice,
chose rather to use the school house or the Sutton
house, so they nearly withdrew from the compact.
They increased, had revivals and soon commenced the11
Church that is now in the hands of David Loyd. Thus
things remained for a short time.
.Now we will return to the Union under the three
heads, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Baptist. The three
denominations still used the pattern loft until the
Union Church was finished. The Baptists and the
Episcopalians used the Church under the above ar-
rangement for a few years satisfactory, I believe.
Bishop Onderdonk would sometimes occupy the
Church in the afternoon, and sometimes Elder War-
ren. Both of these denominations began to grow, and
as they grew became rather dissatisfied with the ar-
rangement of the old report of the committee of four,
viz ; Gouv. Kemble, William Young, William Daven-
port and Elisha Nelson. It so happened at one time
that Elder Warren was here and his people desired to
use the Church in the fore part of the day, that he
could go to now Putnam Valley in the after part, but
under the above arrangement was refused by the Pres-
byterians, they then had their minister stationed here.
This caused the Baptists to wholly withdraw and they
soon built the Church which now stands on the hill.
The Episcopalians soon after followed and built the
Chapel that was demolished a few years back on the
lot yet held by that denomination. Suffice it to say,
all the denominations grew and prospered. The Cath-
olics also grew and prospered and soon built a Church,
and became the most numerous, except perhaps the
Methodists.
I now return to the Schools. The state of educa-12
tion in 1819 was very limited in this part of Phillips*
town and Cold Spring. Master Bowne, as he was
called, grandfather of George and Martin, gave near-
ly all the teaching the young ideas learned how to
shoot, as will appear as I proceed.
Capt. John Davenport, who occupied most of the
land about Cold Spring, together with the Plumbush
land, as a farm, was considered one of the most promi-
nent men, like Capt. John Warren and David Knapp,
that was then in this part of Phillipstown, and as will
appear, John Davenport having had what little facili-
ties for schooling his father could then give him, with
good natural abilities, but nearly destitute of learning.
John had grown up and taken the old place at Griffin’s
Corners and kept a hotel there, and had use for keep-
ing books. He had a customer by the name of David
Henyan. He could not spell, yet had some knowledge
of writing, and could write some of the letters of the
alphabet. His book read after this sort: D. for Da-
vid, H. for Henyan, B. for bushel, C. for corn. This
was a sample of some others willing to educate but
unable to on account of the distance to school and lack
of teachers to teach. The school houses were two or
more miles apart. Indeed I do not recollect of more
than four school districts in the western part of Phil-
lipstown ; one was near Simon Boice’s, one was on
the road from Griffin Corners to Cold Spring, but it
did not remain there long. It was, I believe, taken
apart and rebuilt on the hill by Dr. Stanbrough. As
I have mentioned before, there was a house in the13
neighborhood of the Garrison house or near Capt.
John Warren’s mill. I am not sure but believe it
was at or near the Warren mill. The post office and
smith shop were located here, and the stage house
also, which made it quite a formidable place. It was
the stopping place for stages from New York to this
part of Phillipstown. Fare by stage $3 ; postage on
letters two shillings each. On this road could be seen
stages with four horses, two stages going north and two
south, besides some extras. I am wandering and will
return to the schools. As I have before said, Master
Bowne was nearly all the teachers offered, and he for
a short time was teacher in the school building just
moved to Cold Spring and was thought to be very
competent at that time, but soon new-comers came to
the place, and Thaddeus Baxter, grand-father of Jud-
son and Henry, took the school and taught for a
while. He came from Carmel. Farther on John P.
Andrews came from Connecticut. He had been edu-
cated for the law. He kept the school for some years
in that not very formidable building. Later on a large
and commodious building for the school was built in
the door-yard of the widow of Robert P. Parrott. Up
to this time William Davenport and Gouv. Kemball
were the life of the public school system in this part
of the town. When this building was completed, a
Mr. Burnham was. its principal, and remained until
the house was destroyed by fire.
Still further on, three school districts out of the one
were formed, viz : Cold Spring, Nelsonville and the14
Foundry. Thus they remain to this date. Before I
leave this part of the narrative of the schools I am
carried back to the fall and winter before I came to
Cold Spring. The Swift boy, I remember, gave me
lots of incidents and information about Cold Spring,
and as my boss Crosby had bought the place at the forks
of the roads before mentioned, and I was engaged as
an apprentice to the tanning trade, was all very inter-
esting to me. One was very shocking. The sloop
Neptune, which carried wood and produce and some
passengers, mostly ladies, when on the up trip, near-
ing home and this side of West Point, the ladies were
sitting in chairs on the deck, near sunset, very joyous,
when a sudden flaw of wind without warning struck the
sloop without warning and upset her, throwing them
all into the river, and seven of the number, nearly all,
were drowned ; they were Snooks, Budds and Daven-
ports. He also told me of the flne turnpike that was
building, and the large Cannon Foundry just built,
the large chimney, the large water-wheel, but not
much of any schools, hence his.father sent him a pupil
to the Minor boarding school in the town of South
East. He said his father was building a large hotel
and had got the kitchen built before he left home.
This was the old Longfield house, as is now called, in
this village. He told of what fun we could have on
the water, the wild ducks we could kill, &c. But I
had such a charge from my mother before leaving
home to not go near the water, it put such a check on
me that I never joined my old school-mate in the fun
he had anticipated for me.15
I will now return to the Foundry again, and de-
scribe as best I can, the mechanics and their qualifica-
tions, and what they could manufacture, as I have said
in the beginning of my narrative, 1819. Here I must
be permitted to go back more than thirty years to be-
fore the War of the Revolution, when the United
States was a Colony of Great Britain, and had a seven
years war with the mother country, England, and
which resulted in the separation, though very reluc-
tantly by England. Before this she had imposed upon
her colony in various ways. One case I will mention
as having a bearing on this little work, was the intro-
duction of slavery in the different States of the Colony,
making her like Pharaoh of old, loth to part with her
infant Colony. Hence a constant hindrance was always
manifest, and is so to this day. The war of 1812 to
1815, for a trifling cause was brought on, but termin-
ated in the success of the United States, leaving a still
worse feeling between the two powers than during the
thirty years of peace.
I have described some of the sayings of young Swift.
He did not tell of the difficulties of the great Cannon
Foundry, the anticipated company not having been
formed. Mechanics must be had. How can they get
them? They must come from Europe The war of
1812 had just ended. The right of search of vessels
leaving English ports prevailed and they were watched
very closely, and I suppose one of their unjust laws,
as well as others, was that laboring men, but not me-
chanics could leave Europe. It required sharp prac-16
tice for mechanics to leave. Consequently a company
of laboring men was put on board a ship in the harbor
of Belfast, Ireland, to sail to the United States, but
on the eve of starting mechanics were substituted for
the laborers. The trick was slow to leak out, but it
was said they were pursued by a war vessel to bring
them back, but they landed safely on the shores of
“the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
Mr. Kemble had been to Europe, being a man of
means and enterprise, to learn, as best he could, what
he could enter into, and report, as I believe, to a com-
pany. He found that ordnance for the Government
was the most available of any he could find. The
present site had been selected, and a Scotchman by
the name of Morehead, a thorough mechanic and mill-
wright, together with Erastus Mowett and Basha JSf el-
son, with William Young, superintendent, built the
large moulding house, the boring mill and the large
wheel, as I have said before. Then they commenced
to make the large cannon for the government. They
had as good a set of mechanics as could be found in
Europe. I will mention the most of them as I remem-
ber their names: Loyd, McDowell, Short, Broom,
Doherty and others; the most of which had families,
which they brought with them, or that followed them
soon after. With such a corps of mechanics, who could
doubt the capacity to make a cannon foundry a success.
They went to work with a will, and soon the twenty-
four and thirty-two pounders were turned out. The
capacity for manufacturing all kind of ordnance thus17
far proved a success. They made at least two cannon
of the largest size weekly. This was encouraging to
the company and the community at large. The guns
were turned out rapidly. Now they must be proved
before they are accepted by the Government. A lot
of them was duly arranged for proof with certain
proof charges specified by the Government. An in-
spector was sent here, then unusual explosions were
heard low down near the foundry. These proof
charges proved too severe for the guns, and six of
them were burst on their first trial. This was heralded
about the community and the nation at large. Thus
the attempt to make ordnance in America was appar-
ently a failure as regards large guns. Small guns had
been made in the United. States, it is true, but none
to even compare with those made at the works of the
West Point Foundry, now in operation. This failure,
as it was thought to be, I well remember cast a gloom
on this part of Phillipstown. Some who had cast
their lot in this part of Putnam County were almost
sorry they had come here, depending principally on
the success of the Foundry. But was the iron will of
Mr. Kemble and his associates discouraged ? Not at
all, as the sequel will show, for the inspector sent here
did not understand his business, or was influenced by
some undercurrent, or influence home or abroad, for
it was discovered that he used rifle powder instead of
cannon or rock powder. This being rectified, courage
took the place of despondency, and no more bursting
of cannon took place. I have never heard who the18
loss of the cannon fell on, but presume it was on the
Government; certainly it was its fault. Seeing all
this, and looking back to 1812, the commencement of
the last war between the United States and Great
Britain, though a boy nine or ten years old, and hav-
ing friends in that war stationed at New York, I was
sent two or three times a week to get the war news,
three miles away. It made me a very interested party
in that war. I saw about that time passing on the
road in the town of South' East several twenty-four
pound cannon mounted on heavy four wheel wagons,
each drawn by four horses. They were on the way to the
Canada borders. Oxen were sometimes used for trans-
porting cannon, but mainly they dawn by teams of
four Pennsylvania horses. These horses were never
put in stables. The tongue of the wagon was fixed
with a rest, and a feed trough, like a large pig trough,
was put lengthways on the tongue, and a pair of horses
were fed on each side. They would travel twelve or
fourteen miles a day. The same could be seen on the
old Post Hoad through Phillipstown, as I was told
subsequently. All this was very interesting to a boy
of my age. It was so at least to me. Three years
after the war, coming as I did, and the looking upon
the making of cannon similar to the ones I had seen
being transported toward Canada, I could see that Mr.
Kemble was right in his views in starting this enter-
prise of manufacturing cannon, for I suppose in times
of peace all the guns I had seen were brought from
Europe, and in all probability...cost the government19
two shillings per pound, for it was currently reported
here that Mr. Kemble got that price from government.
I will now come back to the village, as I found it
in the spring of 1819. The cannon having been burst
wrongfully, things looked prosperous at the Foundry.
Besides ordnance, other articles were made. I think
they run on box stoves, with simply an oven easily
fitted up. I remember seeing some of their make.
Some machinery was rough made from 1820 to 1826,
and sent to New York to be finished. Went by sloops
in summer and by teams in winter. This was kept
up until the Hudson Rail Road was finished. About
this time a large number of inhabitants came from all
parts of the country as well as from our own county.
The foundry still prospered, and more additions were
made to the buildings. The New York finishing
shops enlarged their capacity for work, and Mr. Wil-
liam Kemble was superintendent there. He was a
younger brother of Gouverneur. He was styled one
of the smartest and best business young men of the
day. It was said of him that he could converse with
you for any length of time on any topic and at the
same time write letters and make calculations in
figures. Who could doubt the success of the enter-
prise thus started in New York and Cold Spring with
three such heads as Gouv. Kemble, William his brother
and William Young.
A new line of work was inaugurated at the foundry
and machine shops, viz: Sugar machinery for the South-
ern part of the United States and the West India20
Islands. This kind of work had before this been
manufactured in England and Scotland to some extent.
But the enterprise of our wise heads diverted it here.
It was said to be very profitable.
I will now return to the growth of Cold Spring. As
I have said, large accessions were made to its inhabi-
trnts, say from 1826 to 1830, and they scarcely knew
where to lay their heads. Houses must be built, and
carpenters were in great demand. Houses rose up
mushroom-like. Building materials were very cheap
in those days. A good pine board could be had for
one shilling, joist from eight to ten cents, shingles $3
per thousand, and lime in proportion. The price of
nails was the highest.
Wood was then the only fuel used; I do not recol-
lect the price. Coal was unknown in those days, ex-
cept what was brought from the Cumberland Moun-
tains in Maryland, to melt the iron at the foundry. This
coal is what the Smiths now use in their shops. The
houses being put up, a lull in building followed. In
the years before 1830 some began to settle down on
business. Henry Johnson, I believe a ship carpenter
from the East, after working a while at house build-
ing, commenced getting ship timber for the ship
builders in the City of New York. He had only to
go on the mountains adjacent to Cold Spring. Webb,
the father of William H. Webb, and a builder by the
name of Burgh, were rival ship builders in New York,
and this start of Johnson took some of the young
men of Cold .Spring and vicinity to enlist under him
21
in traversing the mountains to get ship timber. This
was seen, further on, to be a formidable business. Af-
ter getting all the ship timber about the mountains
here, they went to the Shawangunk Mountains. Elisha
Baxter, uncle of Judson and Henry, set up the busi-
ness on his own account and continued in it for sev-
eral years. Jesse Nelson father of James, was the
next to embark in this business. The two Baxters
and Nelson, who had been with Johnson, took each
a corps of men, and from them came the knowledge
of getting ship timber, and subquently became a very
large business. They went to Pennsylvania, Dela-
ware, Maryland and Virginia, and at least one hun-
dred men went to those states every winter for several
years. It was very profitable. But some wrould meet
with loss occasionally by putting some of their sales
in bad hands. The writer was a martyr to one of that
class.
Benjamin Dykman was the first butcher. He kept
a stall in Market Street and done his dressing in the
old barn used by Stephen Mekeel in Nelson ville, and
continued until after 1830.
Shoemakers and tailors came in soon after 1826.
A blacksmith was located at Nelson’s Mill. John
Ferris, or “Jack,” as he was called, was located some-
where in the vicinity of the then Davenport Corners,
William Davenport was the milk pedlar in 1820.
and for some time after.
The reader will wonder where the people got their
shoes and their garments. In this way. A shoema-22
ker would go from house to house with his tools, or
“kit,” and make up the family shoes, and the tailor
would do the same. The circuit would be made about
twice a year. This was a joyous time with the boys
and girls, for a pair of new shoes was a god-send to
them. This mode of shoeing and clothing families
was prevalent and universal the country over in 1820.
I will now return to the Foundry. Then no bell
was used to call the men to work, but a horn was used.
The horn would blow for the men to go to work at
six o’clock, and at half-past six for breakfast; then
again at seven to go to work. It would blow at twelve
for dinner and at one to work. At six it would blow
for the men to leave work. A store was built of
wood where Mr. Ground water’s shop is. It was called
a store, and some groceries were kept, but it was not
much more than a drink shop for the men. This was
continued three or four years. The superintendent
seeing his men were not benefited by the drink, the
work was neglected, and families suffered, the drink
was abolished. This was about 1825. The store was
replaced by the present brick building, and a famous
store of all kinds of goods was opened. The Foundry
continued to enlarge its works, and shops were filled
with castings for the Hew York shop. They were
shipped weekly, in summer by boat and in winter by
four to eight teams. This was done until the Hudson
River Railroad was built; then castings went by this
road.
I will now return to the Churches. By 1832 they23
all had places of worship, and nearly all had their choir
of singers. Timothy Candee, a popular singing mas-
ter from Connecticut, a brother-in-law of John P. An-
drews, made the teaching of Church music a business.
He established many schools, and his fame went abroad.
The Churches have had correct singing ever since.
I well remember howT he astonished the old inhabitants
by his mode of teaching and the tunes he introduced.
One was Montgomery and one Ocean. His first school
for singing was in the house near Dr. Stanbrougli’s,
and I think he kept school in some other part of the
district.
All I have written thus far is from memory, no
record or diary having been kept, so I hope I will be
excused if I have erred in some particulars.
I have the Session Book of the Presbyterian Church
in its first days before me, and I will make some quo-
tations from it: The Reverends Blair, Johnson, Os-
trom and Welton were appointed hy the North River
Presbytery a committee to repair to Cold Spring, and
if the way was clear to organize a Church in that
place. They convened at the Rev. Mr. Blair’s on
Tuesday, December 9th, 1828. The following per-
sons appeared before the committe: Nicholas Hustis,
Peter Lewis De St. Croix, Phebe Travis, Lucy Candee,
Eunice Andrews, Catharine Roat and Philema De St.
Croix, and related their experience, which being satis-
factory to the committee, it was Resolved, on the
following day to organize them into a church. Pre-
vious notice having been given, the congregation met24
in the meeting house at 11 o’clock A. M. when Rev.
James Ostrom preached a sermon from Psalms 46 : 4.
The Rev. William Blain read the articles of faith and
the covenant, to which the before named persons gave
their assent, and Nicholas Hustis and Philimia De St.
Croix being baptised, the Rev. John Johnson declared
they were constituted a Church of Jesus Christ, and
after prayer and benediction adjourned. Rev. Alonzo
Welton addressed the new church. Mrs. Deborah
Chapman was received by certificate from the Church
at South East. January 14th, 1829, Peter Lewis De
St. Croix was ordained an elder in this church.
, January 9th, 1829, the Session convened, and Miss
Elizabeth Nelson and Euphimia De St. Croix were
received as members of the church, and Mrs. Sally
Mariah Blain was received by letter from the Church
at Johnstown. Sabbath, January 11th, 1829, the
ordinance of the Lord’s Supper was administered for
the first time in this Church.
The Session met April 25th, 1829, Rev. Mr. Blain,
moderator, and P. L. De St. Croix, elder. The fol-
lowing persons were admitted to the church : John
P. Andrews, Martha Hustis. Susan Davenport, Phebe
Haight, George Armstrong and Mary his wife.
October 31st the Session met, Rev. Mr. Blain, mod-
erator, P. L. De St. Croix, elder. William Young
and Susan McClelland were admitted on confession,
and George Leitch and Sarah his wife, and Jane Jen-
kinson were received by letter from the Spring Street
Chnrch, New York. George Leitch being already an25
elder of the church, was voted as such in this church.
February 5th, 1830, Session met. Present, Rev.
William Blain, moderator, and George Leitch and Pe-
ter L. De St. Croix, elders. Daniel Mulleneux and
Susan his wife, Samuel McLelland, John Short, Jr.
and Margary McDowell. This was a preparatory Lec-
ture. At this meeting it was unanimously resolved
by the Church, (including the Session,) that no person
should be admitted as a member of this Church who
manufactures, deals in, or uses ardent spirits.
At a meeting of the Church on the 1st of May, 1830,
William Young was chosen an Elder, and JohnP. An-
drews a Deacon, and on the following day were ordain-
ed as such.
May 8th, Session convened, Rev. William Blair,
moderator, and P. L. De St. Croix, George Leitch and
William Young, elders. John McDowell, Samuel Me
Dowell and Mrs. Ann Kerr were duly accepted into
the church.
September 6th, 1830, Session convened. Present,
George Leitch, William Young and P. L. De St. Croix.
It was resolved that P. L. De St. Croix be Clerkof
the Sessions, and also that William Young be appoint-
ed to represent the church at the coming meeting of
the North River Presbytery, and as the meeting was
not pro forma, it was not opened and closed with
prayer.
September 21,1830. Mrs. Sally Blain having applied
to the Session of the Church, through the Rev. W.
Blain, for a dismissal from the church, and she being26
a member of the church in good and regular standing,
her request was granted, and a. certificate given to the
Church of Goodwell. By order of Session. G. L. De
St. Croix clerk.
. William Young declined to represent the church to
convene at Cold Spring next day, George Leitch was
appointed in his stead.
The proceedings thus far were duly approved in
Presbytery at Cold Spring Sept. 22ci, 1830. James
Thomas moderator.
The foregoing records were transcribed from an
old book kept by me.	P. T. De St. Ceoix.
September 24tli. Jacob Helfenstein became the
pastor of the church at this time.
I now leave the record of the church, which contin-
ued to prosper, as well as all the churches in the place,
until after 1852.
A rupture took place about this time in the Presby-
terian Church, for causes not easily seen, which result-
ed in the organizing of a Dutch Reformed Church,
now called “Reformed.” A church was built, which
would be a credit to any place, and is in full operation
to this day.
I take leave of church matters, at least for the pres-
ent, and go back to before 1826. The Foundry con-
tinued prosperous, cannon were manufactured in abun-
dance, orders came in fast, and it was no uncommon
thing for them to get from fifty to one hundred for
cannon of the heaviest kind yearly, with orders for
•shell.and shot to correspond. 1 have told the reader27
before that the first guns made were bursted by being
proved. I think on reflection that some few w^ere
burst here or elsewhere, which induced the govern-
ment to be more particular and exacting in their gun-
proving. A stronger iron must be had. The strong
iron from the Greenwrood works would not half sup-
ply them. A blast furnace must be built somewhere
to make pig iron, so the West Point Foundry Associ-
ation conceived the plan of building a furnace. They
erected one between the two dams. The ruins of the
old stack can be seen to this day. This was also the
work of wise heads, and sufficient pig was made for
their future purpose. Iron ore and charcoal were
found within a distance of eight miles. The mines
and the woods were full of workmen. The furnace
once in blast must be kept up. One hundred men
were employed year in and year out; some cutting
wood, which was very heavy, some coaling it, some in
the mines under ground, and many teams hauling the
material, when properly prepared in the woods; oth-
ers, not a few, must roast the ore and stamp it fine for
the furnace ; others stack up the coal in huge rough
buildings; the coal must remain as dumped twenty-
four hours before housing lest fire might be smoulder-
ing in it. This went on for several years, until the
wood for making the charcoal was exhausted. I used
to hear of their making forty tons of the finest char-
coal iron in existence each day in the year. This you
might say was business. Mr. Kemble appeared in his
glory when making ordnance for the government.28
He was elected to Congress two terms, and was a can-
didate for a third term, but was defrauded out of it
by his opponent, who was a lawyer.
I will now take the reader to Cold Spring for a
while. I have already told of the flood of inhabitants
that poured into the place about 1830. Every availa-
ble house in the vicinity was doubly occupied I might
say. The work had increased at the Foundry, and
they had spread oat their works. The demand for
work for Cuba increased. Apprentices to the iron
work and wood work were taken, I might say by the
hundred, and a perfect knowledge was taught them.
A boy learning his trade at the West Point Foundry
was a sufficient recommend to get work any where. I
am wandering. It was now apparent that more dock
room at Cold Spring was needed, so a sluiceway was
made from a small dam below the town hall, the water
turned from its natural course, and the hills west of
the present road cut down and the road straightened
to the dock. By filling in the cove in time of freshet
the land was formed which is now covered by the Me
Coy, the Patterson, the Riley,’the*Trusdell hotel, on
the left from Market Street, the brick store, James
Howell, the saloon next door, the Duffy hotel buildings
and the coal yard of Baxter. Before filling in the
cove vessels were laid up there in winter, and if luckily
they did winter, if not they were wrecked there. I
remember of two that were wrecked, one is under the
house now occupied by widow McCoy, the other fur-
ther down. All the ground on which the buildings I29
have mentioned stand, is made ground, and was the
head work of William Davenport, who was the gen-
eral superintendent of the Gouveneur estate, which
was very large. He was assisted by Robert Williams,
who I shall take the liberty to speak of hereafter.
Whenever a freshet occurred, Davenport and Williams
could be seen, hoe in hand, and a gang of men with
shovels forcing the dirt and gravel into the cove ; then
at other times with carts filling in until the present
dock was built. This gave relief to dock room. Sub-
sequently the Foundry dock was built and is a con-
venient accession to the Foundry. Their wares now
go to their dock by rail, with a dummy, crossing the
Hudson River Railroad.
I have not quite done with the foundry. As I have
already said the most of the castings for machinery
were rough cast, and sent to Hew York by water in
summer and by land in winter. They then conceived
the idea of moving the finishing and smithing works
to Cold Spring. Here they had plenty of room of
their own. But where could they get houses for their
men to live in. Houses must be provided. Mr. Gouv-
eneur was consulted, and was assured that if he would
put up a number of houses they would be rented at a
profit by the foundry. Accordingly about 1837, a
contract was made"to build twenty-four double houses;
some to be built at Nelsonville, but mostly at Cold
Spring, near the houses belonging to James Sterling
and Selah Post in Furnace Street. The houses occu-
pied by Michael Craton and Alexander Spalding are30
among them. Then preparations were completed to
receive the fapnilies of the workingmen of the finish-
ing and smithing departments from New York. This
moving made a large increase in the traffic and general
business of the place. Two hotels were established—
one was kept by George W. Travis, the Cold Spring
House; the other by Walter Simonson, the Pacific
Hotel, and were located on or near the new dock. A
new hotel was opened in Nelsonville, called the Alham-
bra house. Dr. Burke had before started a saloon in
what was called the barracks. He died before or about
1835. Davy Calahan, a, house waiter to Mr. Kemble,
took the Burke house, saloon and stock in trade. He
soon became intemperate and in a few years died. His
brother Tommy, who took his place at .Mr. Kemble’s,
took Davy’s place in the Burke saloon, with his stock
in trade. He, as was said, became intemperate and also
died. Thus in the space of about twelve years three
persons occupying the same place went to their long
home. Mr. Samuel Bryant took the saloon which
Burke and the Callahans had occupied. He manufac-
tured and sold small or spruce beer and cider for a few
years. For several years those four places were near-
ly the only ones where drink was sold.
The population at this time was about as large as at
the present day. The New York shops had all been
removed to Cold Spring. A better set of mechanics
could not be found—they were the pick from all the
shops in New York. If I should attempt to mention
their names I would fail to think of all, so I forbear81
to mention any. They were as a general rule of the
best character and were an honor to the community.
The twenty-four houses built by Mr. Gouveneur were
soon occupied, and others came and built houses for
themselves. The price of building lots at this time
was as low as $4 per foot. In a few years the price
wTent up from $12 to $15 per foot.
The brook that was so beneficial in filling in the
basin before mentioned, by Davenport and Williams,
became an occasional damage to the inhabitants and
still continues so. It has baffled the ingenuity of all
wise heads to devise a plan to remedy it, and hence a
remedy has never been found.
I pass to notice some strange incidents that took
place in Cold Spring and vicinity along up to 1845-50.
Robert Williams, as I have before mentioned being
in the employ of M. Gouveneur, asked the hand in
marriage of Caroline Warren, a graceful and beautiful
woman, a sister of the wife of Elisha C. Baxter, of
Nelsonville, and they having a married sister as I be-
lieve in the State of New Hampshire. Caroline went
there and Robert Williams followed after her, his in-
tended bride. He left the City of New York in the
dead season of winter, leaving his house lie had pro-
vided in Cold Spring for the return of' his supposed
bride, proceeded on his journey on the Steamer Lex-
ington, which was burnt in the middle of Long Island
Sound, leaving none to tell the fate of the passengers
and crew. I well remember the consternation that
prevailed in Cold Spring on receiving this shocking32
news. The journals of the day commented on it, and
all that could he gathered of the fate of the steamer
was that a vessel was seen burning on the Sound that
night. It was the coldest weather of that year. Thus
perished Robert Williams.
Caroline returned to Cold Spring soon after the sad
fate of her intended and went in the millinery busi-
ness and continued in it for a few years. She made
frequent journeys to New York to purchase goods.
It was said that a respectable young man living in
New lTork would see her safe on board the evening
steamer for Cold Spring. The last time he conducted
her to the boat, and an affectionate farewell parting
had, the steamer proceeded on her journey. A heavy
storm of rain and wind sprang up, and it was late in
the evening before the boat reached Cold Spring. The
rain was then coming down in torrents. A large Al-
bany steamer w^as lying at the dock for repairs, occu-
pying the whole front of the new dock, so the incom-
ing steamer had to land its passengers oyer the deck
of the boat at the dock. Caroline was the only pas-
senger landed. She was not seen after that, and no
clue to her fate could be obtained. Mr Baxter’s fam-
ily remained up waiting for her until very late, and
not arriving they retired. Soon after falling to sleep
a knock was- heard at the door. Mr. B. sprang up,
supposing it was Caroline knocking, but to his surprise
no one could be seen. He went to bed again, but soon
a knocking was heard again. He hurried to the door,
but no one could be seen or heard. It was a sleepless33
night after this last knocking for the Baxter family.
Mr. Baxter started out to find Caroline. It could not
be ascertained whether the steamer had landed at Cold
Spring that stormy night, so Mr. B. went to Hew
York to see her friend. He told Mr. Baxter he had
seen her safe on the steamer, as was his custom. He
next repaired to the steamer where he learned that she
had been landed alone on the deck of the steamer at
the dock. The excitement now became intense in the
whole town. Could she have fallen in foul hands?
Could she have, in crossing the deck of the boat at
the dock, walked off its gangway into the river ? or
could she have landed safely on the dock and then
fell in foul hands ? All these theories were fully dis-
cussed. All the hands and waiters on the steamer
were sought out. At length the pastry cook was found,
and some clew was discovered from her. She was iu
the kitchen when the boat landed, felt it strike, and
soon after thought- she heard a splashing in the water
and a scream between the steamer and the dock. From
this some thought she was foully handled and thrown
in the dock. Others that she was foully handled
after she got on the dock. All agreed that the splashing
and the scream was that of Caroline Warren.
At times the knocking at the Baxter house door
and windows continued, the excitement became very
high, and the family would get very uneasy over it.
Others visiting there would hear knocking and get
frightened away. They were finally visited by their
pastor, Rev. Mr. Bancroft, who spent the night there.34
He had been a seaman and had been in much peril at
sea. The knockings were frequent during the night,
and when he heard them would quickly go to the place
from ^whence the sound seemed to come, but nothing
could be discovered. I heard him say all this seemed
very strange to him and he could not account for it.
He alluded to it in church.
Caroline’s body was never found. The river was
raked thoroughly but to no purpose. Something like
wearing apparel in scraps was found in the raking,
but could not be identified as belonging to her. It
was evident that the river was her grave, but the cause
of her getting there is still an unsolved mystery.
The cholera has visited this town at two different
times. Once it was very severe. One day three fun-
erals were seen in one procession. Strong and healthy
men that were in that procession, were on the morrow
cut down, and they too were borne to the grave. I
might mention other incidents that happened about
this time—such as the murder of Abram W^anzer by
George Denny, who paid the penalty by execution the
25th day of July, 1844. I will refer the reader to
Blake’s History of Putnam County for a full account.
About 1848 the Hudson River Railroad worked its
way up to Cold Spring, and at the time set for cars to
reach here a mob had gathered to stop it. The cause,
as was understood at the time, was that a subcontrac-
tor had failed to pay his men, and they had combined
to stop the train. But by an unavoidable delay miles
below, it did not come as was expected on that day.35
This delay put a stop to any resistance by the mob.
About August of this year, a notice appeared in the
local papers of the county calling a public meeting
at Carmel'. Only two persons from Phillipstown at-
tended, the writer being one. The object of the meet-
ing was to form an Agricultural Society for the Coun-
ty of Putnam. I remember meeting Reuben D. Bar-
naul there. He observed to me : Why, they are build-
ing a Railroad along the river. I answered they vrere.
He said we are building the Harlem road up through
South East to Albany. Oh well, if they have a mind
to throw away their money like that, let them do it, I
don’t care. They don’t need a railroad along the river
more than a dog needs two tails. The Hudson River
Railroad was built notwithstanding, and your humble
servant rode to the City of New York for fifty cents,
the regular fare. It remained at that price for a while,
then the regular fare was increased to 62i cents, and
continued at that for a long time, and finally went up
to $1.04 in summer and $1.30 in winter. At this time
by commuting the fare can be had for 85 cents.
There is one other incident I have thus far over-
looked. The Commandant of West Point before 1819
was Capt. S. Partridge. He had three sons, Newton,
Milton and Samuel. The latter I have had occasion
to mention as keeping the brick store of Joseph Perry.
Milton built the store and occupied it as such for a
while, then Samuel took it. Milton was a great
searcher after minerals. This seemed to be his main
study. He was most of the time in the hills and36
mountains. The three boys at that time were bachr
elors. Nothing would be thought if Milton did not re-
turn home at night, as he was often absent. At length
his dead body was found at the base of Butter Hill.
It is supposed that in his searchings for minerals, in at-
tempting to climb the steep part of the mountain lost
his balance and fell where he was found, a mangled
corpse. I do not know where Newton went. Samuel
married and went west to Elmira.
About this time Cold Spring and Nelsonville were
incorporated as villages, and so remain to this day.
The first Masonic Lodge was started in the dwelling
house afterwards owned by William Davenport, in
Nelson ville, and for several years after 1826, and then
finally went down. It was revived again by and under
a new number, in the room over the store of Samuel
Shelton, adjoining the printing office of the Cold
Spring Recorder, and is now going on successfully.
A Know-Nothing Lodge was started in the place,
and went on quite successfully for a few years and
then failed to exist.
About 1830 a Temperance Society was formed in
the village and became very numerous, and a Sons of
Temperance Lodge was organized. The building now
used by Pilson and his bake shop was erected. It also
failed to exist. Several attempts were afterwards
made to revive it, but all failed. No license could
easily be carried in those days in the town elections.
Churches were freely used for the people to meet, and
like St Paul, to reason of righteusness and temperance.37
This continued up to the breaking out of the Southern
rebellion. Since that time the political parties have
had control, and manage affairs as they see fit. License
can be carried at the present day in Phillipstown,
seven to one.
1846. The first Sewing Machine was introduced in
the place by David H. Ketcham, now of Westchester
County.
1840. Lehigh coal was first introduced in Cold
Spring by John Simonson, who kept lumber and other
building materials, in the Baxter yard.
The war of 1815 had ended, and the social and holi-
day sentiment had somewhat changed in the United
States since that time. Christmas being a favorite
holiday by the English, anything English was frowned
upon by the people of the United States, so that New
Years day was the favorite holiday here for several
years after the war. Any eatables that could be had
were reserved for the New Year.
1822. This year, the day after Christmas, as provi-
dence perhaps designed it, a messenger came from the
Lobdell road to Nelson ville and reported that tracks
of some wild animal were seen in a light snow that
had lately fallen. This report spread like wildfire,
and a company of twelve heroic men was formed, with
gun in hand, and with as many dogs, started for the
field of battle under the captaincy of William Henyon,
uncle to James, of Nelson ville. William was famil-
iarly called Bill. On and on they went, sure of the
conflict that was soon to come. The tracks in the38
snow were sure to be reliable. The dogs were put in
front of the van. By noon they had come up with
their enemy. The conflict then commenced. Capt.
Bill issued his orders, and before a gun was fired he
put the battle in array, *with the dogs in the front
ranks. They led the attack, but failed and fell back.
The captain was not to be foiled in his first attack.
The enemy still holding their entrenchment in the
rocks, another attack must be made; this time with
powder arid ball. The captain, taking part in the
ranks, orders Iwere given to fire. This led the enemy
to quail, three^tdHdieir number being mortally wound-
ed. The captain ordered his company to reload. This
done the attack was renewed, and the enemy con-
quered, which proved to be a bear and her two cubs
nearly as large as their mother. Thus the battle
ended, resulting in the triumph of our heroic captain
and his gallant company. The trophies captured that
day were borne in triumph to Nelsonville the same
evening. The .bears were very heavy and as fat as
butter. Then came the question—what shall we do
with them ? The butcher in the place was not slow
in answering, for he wanted something savory for his
customers and bought the lot. His stall was now
complete for the New Year’s holiday. Mr. Gouveneur
secured the skins to make a sleigh robe. The captain
was ever after this called a hero and a brave man.
The question would be asked him, who killed the
bears ? UI hilled the bears” The town7 was well sup-
plied with Bear meat on that New Year’s day, which39
was pronounced excellent. Most of the ladies enjoyed
the unusual meat. Well they might, for the butcher
was an expert at his business, and knew how to cut it
in a very delicate way. The claws and tail I suppose
were made into soup, ox-tail soup. The choice pieces
were probably roasted or fried and served on toast.
What could be better than bear on toast ? I did hear
of some very delicate ladies being determined not to
like it, but after it was given them with other meats,
not knowing what they were eating, pronounced it
good.
Spring, 1822. A very curious bird made its appear-
ance in town and perched on an old chestnut tree on
the gravel bank half way from the Town Hall to the
Methodist Church. Its songs were rare and delightful.
Traps were set to take it alive, but to no purpose. It
was visited by all the people of the town. The visits
ended when cold weather came in the fall. It was
the size of a robin.
Elisha Nelson, or uncle Elisha as he was called, was
impressed with the idea that he could find Capt. Kidd’s
treasure that was so much talked about then and to
this day. He would dream and dream again, and was
so sure of finding the treasure that he made several
attempts secretly to find it. Finally he openly engaged
George Barton, an expert at digging and handling
rocks, to superintend the excavating and removing the
rocks in different places of the town which Nelson
had an idea the treasure was buried, but all to no pur-
pose, for the treasure was not found. The delusion40
continued to be impressed on his mind up to the days
of his old age that he was sure of finding it.
About 1835, the wise heads of the West Point Foun-
dry conceived the idea of vessel building, consequent-
ly dhey took a contract to build a seventy ton vessel.
They engaged the services of a man by the name of
Lockwood to superintend its building. I believe he
was a ship builder from Derby, Conn, and was an ex-
pert at any thing he undertook. Whether he had
witnessed the making of wooden hams, wooden nut-
megs and wooden pumpkin seeds I do not know. But
certain it is, that on one occasion he actually made a
whistle out of a coon’s tail. lie selected the plant for
his building ways about ten rods east of what is called
the boat house at the foundry cove. This was the
only large vessel .built. I do not know why this branch
of their enterprise stopped so suddenly, unless it was
that Johnson, Baxter and Nelson had nearly exhausted
the finding of ship timber in the mountains near by.
About 1844, a Tillage Charter was drawn up by
William I. Blake, for the future government of Cold
Spring Tillage, and submitted to the Legislature of
the State. It passed that body, and was returned to
be submitted to the people for sanction or rejection.
It was passed. It worked quite smoothly for a time,
and then became partizan and still continues so. For
several years past the management has been in the hands
of a very limited number. There is a strong feeling
for the substitution of a new charter, making it less
political. I think this will be done in the near future.41
Nelsonville was chartered as a village a few years
after Cold Spring and still remains so.
At the request and in sympathy with a much re-
spected family, I have seen fit to overreach my thirty
years to make this one insertion in this little work,
and will first pen a few lines of poetry, written by
some kind friend of the family residing here.
THE LOST CHILD.
Come listen to Ms course of danger:
Many hearts besides my own
Can tell about the blue-eyed stranger,
Travelling through the woods alone;
How near the hemlock’s shading branches,
Streaming with celestial glances,
Dreaming of a mother’s love,
His gentle spirit soared above.
Where the mountain breeze is singing,
O’er the lakelet’s silvery breast,
Where the forest pine is swinging,
There his tiny footsteps pressed;
The wildwood rabbit around him playing,
Down his cheeks the teardrops straying,
Still gazing at the starry deep,
The little wanderer sank to sleep.
Where the vine was drooping meekly,
There he viewed his leafy bed ;
Where the stars were smiling sweetly,
There he laid his weary head;
Where the laurel boughs were twining,
Where the silvery moon was shining,
Where the murmuring watery play,
There he breathed his life away.
Though his soul in heaven is breathing,
Though his life on earth was brief,
Who is there among the living
That can tell the mother’s grief;
Dreaming how her darling weary,
Wandering through the wildwood dreary,
Mourning hopes that failed to save
Her helpless darling from the grave.
The 16th of March, 1861, Mrs. James Jamison left
the City of New York to visit her father and other42
friends in Cold Spring, taking her two boys, Thomas
eight years and Joseph six years, enjoying the pleasant
anticipation of meeting father, grandfather and cousins.
Little Joseph regretted that his father should be left
behind. March 17th, St. Patrick’s day, arrived, some
went to church, leaving the two boys wTith a cousin, at
the grandfather’s on Foundry hill, with instructions to
the two oldest boys to go to the foundry and get some
water for dinner, but Joseph followed them. This
was 10 or 11 A. M. The two oldest passed through
the foundry to the water spout. Here they lost sight
of Joseph. They returned with the water. Joseph
was gone, and they knew not where. Search was at
once made at the foundry and at the ponds. Hundreds
of people were aroused and all sorts of conjectures
discussed. Search continued, all near-by houses and
out-buildings were visited, and the ponds were drained
without success. The services in the churches that
afternoon were dismissed. Just before evening a man
was seen who said he saw a boy of that description on
the marsh crying. He appeared to be bending his
course toward the house on the island. Thinking the
boy belonged there took no further notice of him as
he was on the right way home. Here wTas a clew.
The march was searched but Joseph wTas not found.
Night came on. Torches and lights were procured,
the roads above the march and the hills around Mr.
David Moffat’s were searched, and a track in a small
patch of snow was seen. This was another clew. The
track indicated that the boy was going eastward tow-43
ard cat hill pond. The searchers took courage, think-
ing they could soon make the rescue. On they went,
taking a wide extent of country towards the cat pond.
Cat hill was searched, although getting through the
underbrush and briars made it very difficult. The
searchers becoming tired and worn out and their lights
exhausted, were obliged to give up the search at a
very late hour in the evening and return home, not
knowing whether little Joseph had walked into the
pond or had wandered farther on. The gray of Mon-
day morning found a large number of searchers on
the alert. The lost had not been found. The foundry
bell was rang for the morning work hour, but none
had a heart to work, and some of the shops dismissed
their men to enable them to take part in the search.
They repaired to the pond. Would they find him
drowned, or would they find him a frozen corpse, or
perchance had he got farther on and had found the
house of some farmer who had taken him in. In the
patches of snow the footprints were plainly to be seen
by day. In the thickets of Cat hill and nestled in the
thick leaves Joseph was found a frozen corpse. Oh
that some Benjamin could have known and lifted Mm
from his pit of leaves before life was extinct. It was
found that they had passed near the spot several times
where little Joseph was found, the night before,, when
their lights went out. By ten o’clock A. M. the news
came that Joseph was'found frozen to death, and that
they were bearing him home to his mother. The
writer, with Andrew Mcllravy, the boy’s uncler with44
others, went to the house of the mother. I was re-
quested to break the news of the finding to her, but
how could I do it. We found her agonized, but re-
covering somewhat, she says to me, Do you think I
will ever see Joseph alive ? I had to tell her I thought
not. While still in conversation, Epenetus Nichols
was bearing the lifeless corpse home to her. Thus
ended the most thrilling and painful incident I ever
experienced.
In August, 1844, a lady by the name of Fergusom
with a small child, was landed from one of the Albany
and Troy day boats at West Point, and was ferried
from there to Cold Spring. About two o’clock P. M.
she was seen to go through Market Street to about
equal distance between the Presbyterian and Catholic
churches with what was supposed to be a small child.
She soon returned again without it. The next day a
small infant was found in the cove between the two
churches. The child was nearly nude when found in
the water. An inquest was held on the body. I for-
got the verdict. The public was much excited. Sus-
picion soon rested on a Miss Ferguson, the nearly
stranger in the place. She had a distant relative here,
and had not left. The infant was laid to rest in a re-
spectable manner by the authorities. Investigation
wTas demanded to ascertain whether she was the mother
of that child, or was some other one its mother ; was
she guilty of placing it dead or alive where it was
found. She was duly arrested, and through her coun-
sel plead not guilty. Examination was deferred until45
next day, and she was put in the custody of a consta-
ble for safe-keeping. But before the time the defen-
dant had been rescued from the officer, or had rescued
herself, and was at large. Search was made in and
about the place and of the different modes of escape.
A clew was soon had. A buggy with a young man
and young lady had crossed the ferry at Fishkill to
Newburgh, bearing the description of the young lady
and her counsel, and a couple had been seen riding
about Orange County at an unusual hour that night.
Thus the stranger that had appeared so strangely dis-
appeared through the laxity of the officer having her
in charge. She was never found.
I have not spoken of the general healthfulness of
the town and village. They have been very healthy
in the main. There was a time between the years
18— and 18— that chills and fever prevailed to an
alarming extent, so much that nearly every family
within two miles of the village were afflicted with the
scourge. The cause was sought out as best it could
be. Peekskill, Fishkill, Poughkeepsie and other places
on the east side of the river were clear of the chills.
How could it be that Cold Spring, nestled as it is in the
midst of the highlands, should be so afflicted and other
places escape. This could not be easily solved. Peo-
ple would come to the village with the idea of settling,
but would pass on to other locations. Henry W. War-
ner, a prominent lawyer, came to town and bought
the marsh meadows, with some other land adjacent,
with the idea of making the marsh meadows into tilla-46
ble land. His plan was to repair an old dyke that was
there, and to build a new one at the north end, and
to put in gates to let off the surface fresh water from
the marsh and adjacent hills, and at the same time
keep back salt water and high tide entirely. It was
nearly certain that this draining the marsh was the
cause of the prevalence of the chills and fever among
us. Mr. Warner was sought after to induce him to
remedy the evil, but did not believe the complaint
was well founded, and refused to let the salt water
reenter his gates freely. The public suffered this sup-
posed wrong for six or eight years. The courts were
resorted to, and the public sustained in the supposed
wrong. Mr. Warner was still urged to gratify the
public, but still persistently refused. As a last resort
Gouveneur Kemble took a posse of his men from the
foundry, with shovels and picks, and levelled several
rods of the dyke at the north end of the meadows.
This movement on the part of Mr. Kemble ever after
made enmity between him and Mr. Warner. They
had law cases I believe for some trifling offenses after
this. The levelling of the dyke was one of them.
Health was gradually restored to the village, and now
no healthier place can be found in the Highlands than
Cold Spring. The enterprise of Mr. Henry W. Warner
was certainly very commendable in restoring the three
hundred acres of the meadows to tillable land, like
some of the swamps and marsh meadows of Hew Jer-
sey, which have already been reclaimed and the cran-
berry extensively cultivated. Years to come the west47
side of the road from the hammock to the island, fifty
to seventy-five acres, with the help of the sand carted
off from the foundry by rail could be utilized and
made a cranberry bog, as it is called. And in time
the whole three hundred acres could be reclaimed
without sickness, to the town.
I must now return once more to the Foundry, and
as I have said, 1837 to 1839, the New York shops had
all moved up and wTere going on prosperously. An
addition was made to the wise heads of Kemble and
Young, in the person of R. P. Parrott, who a few years
previous married a sister of Mr. Kemble. Mr. Parrott
was a graduate of West Point, and became Vice Pres-
ident of the West Point Foundry in 1842 or ’43. He
was appointed first Judge of Putnam County, and
has been called Judge Parrott since. The two fami-
lies often receive visits from the Presidents of the
United States and from cabinet officers yearly.
In and about the years 1845 to ’50, William J. Blake
issued a work called “The History of Putnam County”
and is in the hands of a large number of the inhabi-
tants of Phillipstown. So I have not been so particu-
lar in giving to the public all I might from 1840 to
’50, but leave the reader to further consult Blake’s
History of Putnam County.
I now take leave of further writing of this little
History of Cold Spring and Vicinity, which will take
in about thirty years of its early history. And I will
here say that I have not consulted any record or his-
tory save one, the Session Book of the Presbyterian4:8
Church. All incidents other than the one are from
memory, and I believe I have not erred much. If
others think I have in some little particulars I beg
their pardon, and leave the further history to those
coming after me, in coming years, from the year 1850.
M. WILSON.
Cold Spring, February 22, 1886.INDEX
Agricultural soc’y 35
Albany 4,32,55,44
Alhambra House 30
Andrews 13, 25-25
Animals 37-40
Arden 7
Armstrong 24
Arthur 4
Bakery 36
Bancroft 33"4
Bard 8
JBarnum 35
Barton 39
Baxter 13*21*28,31-5,37,40
beverages 30
birds 39
birdsall 3
blacksmith 21
Blain 24-5
Blair 25,25
Blake 40,47
Blake?s History 54,47
boats Sees ships
Boice 7 o12
Bowne 6012,13
Brewster 7
Briggs 5
Brook, Margaret 5
Broom 16
Bryant 50
Budds 14
building 20,29,37
Burgh 20
Burke 30
Burnham 13
butcher 21, 38-9
Butler 6
Butter Hill
Galahan 30
Canada 18
Candee 23
cannon Sees
Cap to Kidd 39
Carmel IS, 35
carpenter 6, 20
Cat Hill 43
Chapman 24
charcoal 27
cholera 34
Christmas 37
Church 8-11,25-6,34,36,42;
Baptist 8g9,ll;Catholic 9,11,44;
36
foundry, guns
cider 30
Civil v/ar 37
clothing 21
cranberry 46-7
Craton 29
Croft 7,8
Croft9a Corners 8
Crosby 3,5,14
coal 20,27-8,37
Cold Spring Foundry See:foundry
Cold Spring House 30
Gold Spring Ino0 36
Cold Spring Recorder 36
commuting (R.R.) 35
Connecticut 40
Cuba 28
currying 3
Davenport 5,5,6,9 -14,21,24,29
31,36
Davenport Corners 21
Delaware 21
Denny 34
De Sto Croix 23-6
dock 10,28-30,32-3
doctors 6,9*12,23,30
Doherty 16
drinking 22„30,36-7
ducks 14
Duffy 28
dyke 46
Dykman 7,21
election 8
Elmira 36
Elwell 6
England 15,20
English 37
Ferguson 44,45
Ferris 21
ferry 4,45
fishing 4
Fishkill 45
food 37-9
Foster 5
foundry 6-9,14-20,22,26-SO,40,
42-3,4697
Foundry Hill 42
fuel 20,37
Garrison 4, 7
Garrison house 13
Gouveneur 4,6,29,31,38
Greenwood 27
Griffin Corners 7,8,12
of Jesus Christ 24;of southeast 24; Groundwater 22
Dutch Ref026;Episcopal 6,8,9,11;	^xma 16”18,26-7
Methodist 6,8,9,10,39; Presbyter lan ^a*8ht	7,24
8-11,23-4,26,44;Reformed 6,26;	health	45-7
Union 9-11	Heeley	5
Helfenstein 26Kenyan 12
Kenyon 37“8
Hill 7
"History of Putnam County" 47
horses 4,5*13,18-9,22
Horton 8
hotels 7,12,14,28,30
housing 20,28-9,51
Howell 28
hunting 37
Hustis 3,5,7,23,24
Ireland 9,16
Iron 27
Island 47
James 5
Jamison 41-4
Jeffords 7
Jenkinson 24
Johnson 20-1, 40
Johnson, Rev<> 25-4
Johnstown 24
Judge (Putnam County) 47
Kemble, Gouv. 4,9-11,13,16-9,
27-8,30,46-7
Kemble, Wm<> 19
Kerr 25
Ketcham 37
Kidd, Capto 39
Knapp 7,12
Know-Nothing Lodge 36
laborers 15-6
la due 7
lawyer 45
legislature 40
Lehigh coal 37
Leitch 24-6
"Lexington" 31-2
Likely House 8
Lockwood 40
Lodges 36
Longfield 7, 14
"The Lost Child" 41
Loyd 11, 16
lumber 37
machines 37
Margaret Brook 5
Maryland 21
Masonic Lodge 36
McCabe 7
McClelland 24
McCoy 28
McDowell 16,25
Moliravy 43
McLelland 25
mechanics 15,16,30
Mekeel 3,21
milinery 32
milk 21
mill 13, 21
Mina school 7, 14
minerals 35, 36
mines 27
Moffat 42
Mollyville 5
Morehead 16
Mowett 16
Kulleneux 25
murder 34
Nelson 7,9-11,16,21,24,39,40
Nelson’s Mill 21
Nelsonville 6,13,21,29-31,36-38
41
"Neptune" 14
Newburgh 45
New Hampshire 31
New Jersey 46
newspapers 35, 36
New Years Day 37-39
Nichols 44
North River Presbytery 25
Onderdonk, Bishop 11
Orange County 45
Ostrom, Rev. 23,24
Owen, Rev0 9
oxen 18
Pacific Hotel 30
Parks, Frederick 3
Parrott 13, 47
Partridge 7, 35, 36
Patterson 28
Patterson (town) 9
Peekskill 45
Penny 7
Pennsylvania 21
Perry 35
Phillips 6
Pilson 36
Plumbush 12
poetry 41
politics 36, 37
population 20, 28, 30
Post 29
post office 13
Poughkeepsie 45
President (U.D.) 47
prices 4,13,19,20,31,35
printing 6,36
Purdy 6
Putnam Valley 0, 11
quail 38
Quincy 8
railroad 19,22,29,34,35,47
Rascal Hill 7
Revolution 15
Reynolds 9,10
Riley 28Hoad 28; LoMell 5,8,37;
Old Post 7,18;
turnpike
Roat, Catharine S3
saloon 28»30
salt water 46
school 6"=14,23
Scotland 20
Seoor, James 5
sewing machine 37
Shawangunk Mom tains 21
Shelton 6C36
ship building 20-21
ships 4,14,19,22,28,31-3,40,44
shoemakers 21-22
Short 16S25
Simonson 30,37
slavery 15
Smith £0
smith shop 13
Snook 5,14
Sons of Temperance 36
South East 3,4,7,14,18,35
Southern Rebellion 37
Spalding 29 .
Speedlin 5
spirits 26
stag® 13
Stanbrough 6,9,12,23
Sterling 29
stores 28
stoves 19
Streets? Furnaoe 29;
Market. 21828,44
sugar 19
Sutton 5,9,10
Swift 7,14,15
tailors 81,22
tanning 3,5,7,14
Temperance Society 36
Terry 7
Thomas 26
timber (ship) 20,21,40'
Travis 23,30
treasure 39
Troy 44
Trusdell 28
Town Hall 5,39
turnpike 3B5,9S14
Uo S~o Cabinet 47
Bo So Congress 28
Uo So President 47
Tan Routen 6
Tillages, Inc® 36,40,41
Tirginia 21
Wallace 7
Wanzer 34
War 15,18,37
Warner 45,46
V/arren 3,7,9,11-13,31-3
water wheel 7,14,18
Webb 20
Weeks 7
WeIton, Revo 23-4
Westchester 37
West India Islands 20
West Point 4,35,44,47
West Point Foundry See? foundrv
Williams 29,31,32
Wilson 48
Wright 6,7
Young 9-11,16S19,24-6,47