Early landmarks of Syracuse

Front matter

CORNELL

UNIVERSITY

LIBRARY

Preface

In order that valuable material, almost lost byneglect, might be rescued from obscurity; and that those who once played a prominent part in the early history of Syracuse, even though their descendants might not have been publicly distinguished, should have the story of their services to the city recorded and preserved for the city's future historian; and lastly, that a work might be presented within the reach of the most modest purse, the author has undertaken the compilation of the following historical sketches. No attempt has been made to unduly praise the men prominent in the early history of this city, nor to detract from any one the credit that is rightly due.

In compiling this material — valuable to the student, to the historian, and to every one who is interested in the city's continued prosperity, whether descendants of the early settlers or coming hither in later years — the author has availed himself of the books already written.

It is a singular fact that "Clark's Onondaga," (iii)

iv PREFACE

written by Joshua V. H. Clark in 1849, and the " Memorial History of Syracuse," edited by Dwight H. Bruce and published in 1891, are very rare and expensive books, exceedingly difficult to obtain. Aside from recourse to those books, assistance has been obtained from M. C. Hand's "From a Forest to a City."

The author would extend his special acknowledgments to George J. Gardner, whose mind is a storehouse of historical information and whose library contains many pamphlets and papers very rare and priceless ; to ex-Lieut-Gov. Thomas G. Alvord, whose retentive memory has supplied many names and dates and events; to Gen. Dwight H. Bruce, whose encouragement and advice have been of great assistance; and he is none the less under obligations to the many others who have kindly aided in this undertaking by furnishing facts and suggestions.

The records in the County Clerk's office have been critically examined ; and for aid in the prosecution of this part of the work acknowledgments are due to County Clerk De Forest Settle and the search clerks, Jonathan B. White, James Butler and James B. Hitchcock. The old newspaper files have also been consulted, valuable aid having been rendered in this labor by the Rev. Ezekiel W Mundy, Librarian of the Central Library.

In writing the chapter on the Onondaga Academy, the author has been greatly aided by the historical

PREFACE V

address of John T. Roberts, prepared for the reunion of the graduates of the academy, June 19, 1885. And the chapter on the "Jerry Eescue" was compiled from a paper written by Charles Russell Bardeen as a special report in United States history in Harvard University, April 13, 1893.

For reasons well understood in this community, it is deemed proper to state that not one of the illustrations has been or will be paid for by anyone excepting the author, who alone bears the entire expense of this publication.

The county is about to celebrate the centennial of

its existence; and the matter has been brought to the

attention of the public and county authorities by the

well directed endeavors of the Onondaga Historical

Association. If the present volume shall prove of any

advantage or contribute in any degree to the proper

and worthy observance of the occasion, this publication

will perhaps not be deemed inopportune at the present

time. ♦

The Author.

Syracuse, N. Y., January, 1894.

Introduction

" Breathes there the man. with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said,

This is my own, my native land !

"Whose heart hath ne'er within him- burned, As home his footsteps he hath turned

From wandering on a foreign strand? If such there breathe, go, mark him well ; For him no minstrel raptures swell ; High though his titles, proud his name, Boundless his wealth as wish can claim, — Despite those titles, power, and pelf, The wretch, concentred all in self, Living, shall forfeit fair renown, And, doubly dying, shall go down To the vile dust, from whence he sprung, Unwept, unhonored and unsung. "

Thus sang the great Scottish Bard — a sentiment which should find an echo in every patriotic breast.

A writer has' said that three most tender and touching words in the English language are Mother — Home — Heaven. A man who does not love his country — who will not labor for its interests — who smothers the fire of patriotism which naturally

(vii).

viii EARLY LANDMARKS OF SYRACUSE

smoulders in every heart, is fit only "for treason, stratagem and spoils." No man can truly be called a good citizen, who will not cheerfully do what lies in his power and use his best endeavors to rescue from oblivion the fast decaying evidences of a past age. It thrills the heart of every true lover of his country to call to mind the efforts used and the results attained during the last decade, in the many centennial celebrations which have been held all over our land — patriotic, civic and personal in character, yet all of a somewhat, though varied, historical nature.

We, of this county, stand on the threshold of the second century of our civil existence as an integral portion of the great Empire State. The residents of and actors in the earlier period of our history have all passed away. Here and there may occasionally be seen a patriarch nonagenarian or octogenarian, but "like angels' visits, they are few and far between." •If found, their memories are so clouded — their descriptive powers so weakened, or their backward vision so hazy, that but little reliable information can be gleaned from them. Well may we ask in the language of Scripture,— " The fathers— where are they? and the prophets — do they live forever? "

This geographical section is rich in archaeological treasures, and the explorer will be amply rewarded for his labors if he will work diligently in the rubbish of the past. Many of our Indian historical traditions

INTRODUCTION IX

ante-date the birth of our county, and have been preserved and handed down to posterity through the indefatigable efforts and perseverance of our well known and justly styled authentic writer and historiographer, Joshua V. H. Clark.

Imbued with the same spirit, the writer and compiler of this volume has endeavored to place before the reader the results of his investigation, so far as our own immediate municipal locality is concerned, covering the period of our babyhood as a village and our more mature years as a populous city, embracing a period of over half a century of our rural and city life. Existing landmarks have been visited — individuals have been consulted — records have been searched — musty and time-worn documents have been examined, and every authority, written or verbal, has been sought whereby information could be obtained, or any data or incident, connected with the object sought, procured, regardless of expenditure of time or means in the pursuit of the knowledge necessary to make the work a faithful record of the object described.

Many local landmarks, whether now existing or those passed away, have been minutely and accurately described, and many relics historical or otherwise which have been preserved or destroyed by the tooth of time, have been resurrected from the past and placed in the historic archives, where the historian of the future can have ready access to them.

X EARLY LANDMARKS OF SYRACUSE

The enterprise has been a laudable one — we trust that aside from the pleasure experienced in compilation, the pecuniary recompense will be adequate for

the undertaking.

George J. Gardner.

Syracuse, N. Y., January, 18514.

Contents

CHAPTER I First Mayor op Syracuse. — Harvey Baldwin — His home was the centre of fashionable society — His family was one of the most noted socially between New York and Chicago — One of the early settlers in Syracuse — His celebrated "hanging garden speech," in which he prophesie'd the future greatness of the city of Syracuse — His public services — His ideas upon the use of tobacco as expressed in his will 19-29

CHAPTER II A Famous Coffee House.— The Welch Coffee House, afterwards known as Cook's Coffee House, acquired an excellent reputation, and it was as well known throughout the country as an eating house, as was the Syracuse House, which had a national reputation — Excellent twenty-five cent dinners — A meeting place for every professional and business man in the city — "Counselor" Orcutt — Commodore Vanderbilt's visit — Charles Dickens the first guest — The Denin sisters, two reigning actresses in those days r _ 30-41

CHAPTER III An Early House of God. — The most historic ecclesiastical landmark now remaining in Syracuse — It was built by the St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church in

Chapter I

The large old-fashioned wooden dwelling, on the northwesterly corner of West Onondaga and West streets, now occupied by the widow of George Everson, was once the centre of the most fashionable society in this city, being occupied by one of the most noted families between New York and Chicago. Whenever a distinguished man visited this city in the early days, and many men of national reputation visited Syracuse, the hospitable owner of that mansion, Harvey Baldwin, was chosen as by natural right to be the host and entertainer. , Mr. Baldwin was a gentleman of rare intelligence, courtesy and refinement; and he was distinguished for his enterprise, public spirit, zeal and benevolence in good works. His family was a large one, consisting of his accomplished and beautiful wife, the daughter of Col. William I. Dodge, and several children, the daughters being remarkably beautiful and the belles of the city. The children were highly educated;

and as the daughters were able to play on different musical instruments and all the children could sing admirably, the many guests were accorded a delightful entertainment. The grounds which surrounded that old homestead, consisting of several acres, were beautified by fine gardens and driveways, with several high mounds nicely turfed, and containing many natural forest trees. They were so large as to afford abundant room for picnics and other festival gatherings, besides containing a park where several deer roamed at their pleasure.

The property was sold March 9, 1839, by David S. Colvin to Horace White, a prominent banker, for $800, and it is described as "commencing where the road leading towards the Stone Mill (now known as West street) joins the Cinder road" (now known as West Onondaga street). Mr. White built his residence on the property ; but as he considered that it was too far into the country and away from his office he sold it in 1841 to James L. Voorhees, formerly the owner of the Empire House block, for $4,000, the deed being acknowledged January 12, 1842. Mr. Voorhees sold the property to Harvey Baldwin for $5,000, May 18, 1844. Mr. Baldwin enlarged the house and greatly improved the grounds. And he continued to live there till his death, August 22, 1863, at the age of 67 years. He was buried in his family vault in Rose Hill cemetery, the first cemetery vault

EARLY LIFE OP HARVE"X BALDWIN 21

built in this city, -which was erected in 1844. His second wife, Ann Sarah Dodge, who was born September 28, 1816, and died December 20, 1886, is also buried there. His first wife was the daughter of James Geddes, the founder of the village of Geddes. Harvey Baldwin was the second son of Dr. Jonas C. Baldwin, a wealthy gentleman who founded the village of Baldwinsville and who was the second son of Captain Samuel Baldwin, a soldier in the revolutionary war. • According to the inscription on the family vault, Harvey was born in 1796. He enlisted in the war of 1812. During the winter of 1816, which is memorable throughout the country as "the cold year," he was adopted by the Oneida Indians, many of whom were provided for that winter by his father, and given the name of "Cohongorohto," signifying a boat having a sharp prow constructed for the navigation of rapid waters, and intended as emblematical of the profession of law, in the study of which he was then engaged. The old homestead on the old Cinder road has been the scene of many entertainments given to the Indians by Cohongoronto. Mr. Baldwin studied law in the office of Elisha Williams and Judge Miller of Oneida county and of Thaddeus M. Wood of Onondaga Valley. He was admitted to the bar February 28, 1820. He practiced law at Onondaga Valley till 1826, when, in company with his law partner, Schuyler Strong, hs removed to

Syracuse, opening an office in the east wing of the Syracuse House. The remarkable foresight which distinguished Mr. Baldwin is shown in this removal from Onondaga Valley, at that time considered of far more importance than the village of Syracuse. But the grand canal celebration, given in honor of Governor Clinton and suite on their first passage down the canal, Nov. 1, 1825, convinced the young man that Syracuse was destined to become the principal city. And he was soon followed by Elias W. Leavenworth, B. Davis Noxon, James R. Lawrence and other men prominent among the early settlers, some of whom came with the removal of the Court House in 1829.

The event in Harvey Baldwin's life which will always keep his memory green was his celebrated "hanging-garden speech," which made him the first mayor of Syracuse. This speech— the most sanguine, hopeful, confident, regarding the future of Syracuse that was ever delivered — subjected its author to unbounded ridicule and caused him to be looked upon as a fool. But subsequent events have proven that the man, who had traveled extensively through Europe and this country, was wiser than his day and generation. The speech was delivered in 1846, when Syracuse had so wonderfully increased in size and population that the subject of securing for it a city charter began seriously to be discussed. There was

HAEVET BALDWIN.— From a recent photo, of an old-fashioned ambro-type.

THE "HANGING-GARDEN SPEECH" 23

considerable difference of opinion among the inhabitants as to the extent of territory that should be embraced. Some were for including the whole original Salt Springs Reservation, while others advocated only the village of Syracuse. The matter finally resulted in the grant of a charter in 1848 including the villages of Syracuse and Salina, with the name of Syracuse. In the following year the census showed that the city's population was 16,000.

An attempt was made when Mr. Baldwin was the Democratic -candidate for Congress to stem this tide of ridicule by saying: "The description of the destiny of Syracuse, whether reality or vision, is a proud dream. To some extent it may be visionary ; but it is no more visionary than would have been twenty years ago a description of Syracuse as she now really is. He came here when there were but five or six hundred inhabitants settled down in the midst of a swamp." The speech is in part as follows :

" Were we permitted to indulge in visions of the future, I would present a view of our village or city, as it is to appear hereafter, when all of us who are now on the busy stage of life shall be slumbering with our fathers. It is a remarkable fact that everybody away from our village, foreign travelers and all, predict for us a higher destiny than we claim for ourselves. It is universally conceded that we are to become the great inland town of the State, and next in size and importance to New York and Buffalo— that we are to go on by rapid strides, increasing in population, until we shall number from 100,000 to 200, 000. If past experience will throw any light upon the subject, then may we fairly claim that the short space of fifty years will give us a population of more than 100,000 souls. Let us, sir, for a moment contemplate the city of Syracuse as she will then appear. Immense structures of compact buildings will in every direction cover this delightful plain, and every hill, knoll and swell of ground be occupied by some stately mansion or neat cottage.

"All bordering territory will have been brought into a high and perfect state of cultivation, and our beautiful lake, on all its beautiful shores and borders, will present a view of one continuous villa, ornamented with its shady groves and hanging gardens, and connected by a wide and splendid avenue that shall encircle its entire waters, and furnish a delightful drive to the gay and prosperous citizens of the town, who will, toward the close of each summer's day, throng it for pleasure, relaxation or the improvement of health. In every salt manufactory that studs its shores will be seen the ponderous steam engine, breathing forth its heated vapor, and by the same power drawing rich treasure from the bowels of the earth, and converting it into an article indispensable to the human family ; while it drives a thousand

THE "HANGING-GARDEN SPEECH" 25

"wheels and propels cotton, woolen and flouring mills, and all the varied machinery known to man or that may be by man's ingenuity designed and adopted to his necessities and wants.

" Then, too, will be seen the magnificent steamers of the ocean and of our inland seas arriving and departing or lying at our extended wharves, receiving and discharging their heavy and well assorted cargoes ; and everywhere will be heard the hum of its busy, thrifty and happy people. On yonder hill will be seen the gilded dome of the stately and massive capitol ; and pinnacles and spires towering from the plain in every direction, pointing their tall shafts towards heaven, as emblems of those who worship beneath. What a beautiful view will here burst upon the delighted traveler as he treads the lofty deck of the ocean or lake steamer just emerging from the slackened water and deepened channel of the Oswego into our beautiful lake, or as he is whirled with locomotive power and speed along the numerous railways that on the east and west, the north and south, approach the town. The extended city, with its hundred spires, pinnacles and domes, its ascending smoke, vapor and dust, lies before him. On the east and west, the sloping hills, which, by an easy and gentle gradation from the south, drop here to the level of the valley, are studded with splendid mansions and neat cottages ; and southward

26 THE FIRST MA TOR OF SYRACUSE

still, rising in magnificent gradation, are seen in the dim distance the blue and folding hills of Onondaga, Lafayette and Pompey, whose sides and summits are chequered by neat farms, carved out from the forest, and these again chequered and colored by all the various crops of the husbandman, with innumerable flocks and herds feeding upon their green and rich pastures, or basking in the genial rays of the sun that warms its fertile soil — while at the north our beautiful lake lies like a gem in the lap of the extended valley, which, unbroken, sweeps away towards the mighty Ontario, whose waters wash the northern shores of our Republic, and whose centre channel defines our northern boundary.

"In short, sir, everything is clustered here calculated to invite and gladden the heart of man — everything which the lover of the world, the man of pleasure or business, the Christian, the philanthropist or the admirer of nature can desire, and which, collectively, make up the beautiful landscape. Deem me not extravagant, sir. I speak of things that are and are to be. This is not a fancy sketch, but a slight pencilling, an imperfect and dim shadowing forth of the future."

It is needless to say that Mr. Baldwin advocated the measure — indeed, he made the motion — to include not only Geddes and Liverpool, but the entire reservation. And his unbounded faith in the future

HIS PUBLIC SERVICES 27

prosperity of the town took a substantial form. He purchased property in every part of the city ; so that a railroad could not pass through the city nor a manufacturing concern locate here without coming to him for the purchase of land. And he was a strong public spirited citizen. He took a prominent and active part in the construction of plank roads and bridges and in the organization of every railroad constructed in the early days. The very first winter that he came to Syracuse he organized a Mechanics' Library ; he started a Lyceum ; he was one of the originators of an Association Library ; he contributed aid liberally to the building of every church in the city ; he was one of the fathers of the State Agricultural Society, the sole founder of the Onondaga County Agricultural Society and one of the originators of the present common school system; a fast friend of the free school system, and active in the internal improvement of both the city and the county ; and acting in all merely as a private citizen. He brought into the county and distributed a great variety of foreign and other valuable seed, and was the first to introduce the Durham and Berkshire stock and good breeds of sheep. He was at one time Chief of the old Volunteer Fire Department. He was the counsel and legal adviser in the organization of the old Onondaga County Bank, the first institution of the kind in the county, and continued its attorney for many years. He was appointed not only the agent, but the legal adviser of the Syracuse Company, which formerly owned almost all of Syracuse. He was the principal originator and the first President of the Syracuse Savings Institution, which was the first of the kind in this section of the State.

The bar of Onondaga County paid a fitting tribute to his memory at the time of his death, saying that "the high and extensive culture, polished manners, great integrity and persuasive eloquence which he brought to the performance of his professional duties, rendered him justly eminent among the lawyers of this county." The Common Council also passed resolutions, saying : "Mr. Baldwin has been foremost in promoting all measures of public utility, and in advancing by his personal efforts and by pecuniary sacrifices the interests of the community in which he lived."

The last will of Harvey Baldwin, dated May 27, 1863, contains this eccentric clause : "And regarding the use of tobacco in any form whatever as an ungentlemanly, filthy and pernicious practice, and wishing to express my dislike and abhorrence of it, I hereby declare that any of my children who shall offend in the premises after the publication of this, my last will and testament, and before the distribution and final settlement of my estate, shall have his or her share as the case may be, charged with the sum

HIS DESCENDANTS 29

of $1,000, to be deducted from such share or shares, and the amount thereof shall be distributed equally among the surviving children who shall not so offend." When Mr. Baldwin died his estate possessed considerable property in Syracuse and Onondaga county, besides very large tracts of land in Louisiana and Texas.

An account of the life of Harvey Baldwin would be incomplete without some mention being made of his accomplished children. At the time of his death his minor children were Cora, Grace, Sarah, Burnet T., and Irving D. His other children who were living at that time were Laura, who married Washington Morton, of New York, and whose wedding was the first one in this city to which tickets of admission were issued — this being made necessary on account of the numerous friends of the family ; Harvey ; Julia ; and Mary, who married Edward Benshaw Jones, a wealthy gentleman of New York city, now deceased. The daughters were considered the most beautiful and accomplished young ladies in the city, and they were the recipients of much favorable attention in the best social circles of Europe, to which their father's social standing admitted them. The surviving children are living in or near New York city.

CHAPTER 11

The coffee house which formerly stood on the corner of Washington and Warren streets, where the Vanderbilt House now stands, was a very famous eating house in its day, heing favorably known throughout the entire State and exceedingly popular with the people who then resided in Syracuse. The erection of the building, as a two-story wooden dwelling house, was begun in 1824 by Gen. Jonas Mann, who moved in his family the next season and during the summer finished the work. After a couple of years the house was occupied by Col. Elijah Phillips, who was for many years agent of the great line of stages of Thorpe & Sprague from Albany to Buffalo. The wife of Col. Phillips was the daughter of Asa Danforth, jr., the first white child born in Onondaga county and the mother of Mrs. Peter Outwater, who was the mother-in-law of Andrew D. White, Ex-President of Cornell University.

In later years the place was rented by Andrew (30)

COOK'S COFFEE HOUSE.— From an old stereoscopic view.

A GREAT RIOT 31

Leinhart as a German tavern and boarding house. The place was afterwards run as a saloon by a German named Seigle. The bar was made very attractive by means of mirrors and bird cages. And among the many birds there was an old and wicked parrot, well informed in bar-room etiquette, who would call in the most deliberate manner for the different kinds of drinks. The place was fitted up in a better style than was usual for those days, and it was a popular place of resort, especially among the Germans. But that which distinguished it most was in being the scene of one of the greatest riots that ever occurred in the village of Syracuse.

On the night of the first of January, 1844, while a New Year's ball was in progress in that house, several roughs from Salt Point, as Salina was then called, entered the bar room. William Blake, who had been celebrating the day beyond his powers of endurance, smashed his glass on the bar. This was in accordance with a prearranged plan, for the Salt Pointers were on mischief bent. A war of words ensued with the woman who was dispensing the drinks. The woman, against whom some insulting remark had been made, called for assistance. Her husband, Mr. Seigle, thereupon promptly shot, but did not kill Blake. Then the fight became terrific, for in those days the boys, especially the Salt Pointers, were fighters. Several of the participants were shot. It was fortunate that

Captain Timothy H.Teall's cadets, whose quarters were in the Granger Block, directly opposite, had just returned from their drill. Lieutenant William B. Olmsted called together the departing members of the Syracuse Cadets, and, surrounding the house, captured Seigle and several others and marched their prisoners to the old jail. When the cadets had departed the mob ransacked the house and made a bonfire of all the furniture. The cadets returned in time to save the building from being burned. The prisoners were tried the next day before Major William A. Cook, Justice of the Peace, and they were acquitted. Several of those who attacked the house were put under bonds to keep the peace. The G-erman landlord, besides having his furniture totally demolished, mourned the loss of $300, which had been stolen from him. And after that he had no peace. He retired early every night, locked himself securely in, and stationed a guard at his door. He was glad to sell out his business the following April to Eliphalet Welch; and then he departed for Milwaukee.

Mr. Welch had formerly been associated with George Babcock, his nephew, in conducting a temperance restaurant, called the Syracuse Lunch, in the basement of the wooden building which was located where the Onondaga County Savings Bank building is now. Mr. Babcock had purchased that lunching place from Elisha Ford, June 20, 1839; and

THE WELCH COFFEE HOUSE 33

considerable money had been made there, the trade coming mostly from the Erie canal packet boats which landed near by. It was thought at that time that Mr. Welch had made a great mistake in moving to the corner of Warren and Railroad streets, as that location was considered too far removed from the centre of trade. But Mr. Welch enlarged and improved the building and made it a very desirable resort for ladies and gentlemen. Welch's Coffee House, as the place was called, soon acquired an excellent reputation, and it was as well known throughout the country as an eating house as was the old Syracuse House, which had a national reputation. In those days the depot stood in the centre of the street between Salina and Warren streets.

Mr. Welch was given a key to a door on the eastern side of the depot, in consideration of his allowing an extra track, which passed from a switch at Salina street around the south side of the depot, to be placed in front -of his coffee house, there joining the main track. In this way he was enabled to secure some of the passengers for his eating house.

Much of ' the success of Welch's coffee hoiise was due to Mrs. Welch, who was an excellent pastry cook, and to George Babcock, who was an excellent manager. But, on account of his wife's failing health, Mr. Welch sold out his business, April 1, 1851, to John L. Cook and Emilus Gay, and retired to his farm of thirteen acres, located about where Cortland avenue enters South Salina street. He died September 10, 1874, at the age of 78, and is remembered for his gentlemanly manners and his kindhearted, generous disposition. His surviving children are Mrs. Laurence W. Myers and Mrs. George H. Hosmer. Elisha Ford, aged 85 years, and George Babcock, aged 80 years, are still living. Cook & Gay continued the place for one year, and then Mr. Babcock bought out Mr. Gay's interest, the firm continuing as Cook & Babcock for three years. During that time the business was so prosperous that the firm made a yearly net profit of $7,000 above living expenses. Mr. Babcock then sold out his interest to Mr. Cook, who. took into partnership his sons, John-L., jr., and Austin D. , the place being then known as Cook & Sons' Coffee House.