History of Cayuga County, New York

The History of Cayuga County is as interesting as that of any other county in the state. It is rich and teeming with events of Indian days and the pioneer period, the records of which should be read with the keenest interest by all who are to-day enjoying the fruits of the sacrifices and achievements of the early settlers. In this volume an effort has been made to give an accurate account of the important events and incidents of the early years, and to perpetuate in print the legacies of lips now silent, in well authenticated traditions and stories of local interest. For the records of the past much valuable information has been gleaned from the papers of careful writers, in the archives of the Cayuga County Historical Society, and this has been fortified and supplemented by the assistance of able contemporary writers. We gratefully acknowledge the valuable aid of many lovers of historical literature; particularly are we indebted to Prof. Willis J. Beecher, D.D., for his admirable history of the Auburn Theological Seminary; to Lavern A. Pierce, Esq., for his exhaustive history of the bench and bar of the county; to Dr. B.I.C. Buckland for the chapter on the medical profession, and to Dr. William S. Cheeseman, editor of the same; also to Hon. B.B. Snow, for his valuable suggestions and painstaking revision of the history of Auburn; to Mr. Charles F. Rattigan, who edited the press chapter; to Gen. John S. Clark for valuable advice, and to the various pastors, for information relating to the history of their several churches. The publishers have given their personal attention to the supervision of the work, yet with a consciousness that the greatest vigilance cannot wholly exclude errors, this volume is respectfully submitted to the public.

 

Table of Contents

CHAPTER I.
THE HISTORY OF AUBURN 1

CHAPTER II.
The Early Settlers on the Site of the City — Fort Hill — The Genesee Road — The First Religious Society — The First County Seat — The New County Seat at Auburn 19

CHAPTER III.
The First Newspaper in Auburn — Street Improvements — Notable Early Settlers — The Auburn Academy — Auburn in the War of 1812 — Incorporation of the Village — The Auburn of 1815 — Building of Auburn Prison — Military Companies 19

CHAPTER IV.
The Cayuga County Agricultural Society — Development of Manufacturing Industries — Visit of Lafayette — Auburn Medical School — The Erie Canal and Its Effect upon the Village — The Auburn and Syracuse Railroad Company — The Panic of 1837 29

CHAPTER V.
Early Inns of Auburn, by B.B. Snow 49

CHAPTER VI.
Village Growth and Improvements — The Silk Industry in Cayuga County — Rise of the Woolen Industry — Early Newspapers — The Patriot War — Auburn Prison Troubles — Auburn Incorporated as a City 57

CHAPTER VII.
Auburn and the Civil War 65

CHAPTER VIII.
Establishment of Free Schools — Fort Hill Cemetery — Improvements on the Outlet — Auburn Gas Light Company — D. M. Osborne & Company — The Financial Reaction of 1873 — Establishment of the Letter Carrier System in Auburn — Notable Modern Events Connected with the City 82

CHAPTER IX.
The Modern Auburn 102

CHAPTER X.
The Press, Edited by Charles F Rattigan — Auburn Manufactories — Banks and Bankers — The Gas Light Company — Wheeler Rifles 107

CHAPTER XI.
The Schools of Auburn — History of the Auburn Academy, by B.B. Snow 144

CHAPTER XII.
The Auburn Theological Seminary, by Professor Willis J. Beecher, D.D. — Protestant Churches of Auburn, by Sylvester J. Matthews, "The Antiquarian" — Catholic Churches 174

CHAPTER XIII.
History of Cayuga County — Sullivan's Raid — Indian Reservations 239

CHAPTER XIV.
Early Settlers in the County — Military Tract — Land Grants 246

CHAPTER XV.
Formation of the County — Its Soil, Minerals and Products — The Salt Industry — Erection of Towns 259

CHAPTER XVI.
Formation of Towns 263

CHAPTER XVII.
Early Modes of Travel and Transportation — Roads, Stages and the Grand Canal — Dawn of the Railroad Era 266

CHAPTER XVIII.
Education in Cayuga County 287

CHAPTER XIX.
History of the Medical Profession of Cayuga County 291

CHAPTER XX.
The Bench and Bar of Cayuga County 308

CHAPTER XXI.
Towns of the County

Biographical 446

 

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When the War of the Revolution began, the site of the City of Auburn was covered by a dense, luxuriant forest. Where the white man now pursues his varied vocations in the busy hive of a city, the red man then hunted game in the primeval wilderness. This spot was a part of the land of the Cayugas. Their wigwams dotted the wooded slopes and their papooses played amid the trees where now the children of the white man throng to school. The smoke of their campfires has faded into the upper blue now darkened by the belching chimneys of busy factories.