Another letter written at this time giving further items of interest regarding early history of the
village.
Dear Editor – [Note: Esek? Hoff who lived in a house on the north side of Basin Street near the
South Mill Pond]
I can make some suggestions as to the history.
Wm. Burling evidently encumbered the mill and finally it was his creditor, Wm.Rotch of New
Bedford, who sold the property to George Howland of the same town, who lived and died there.
His son August Howland had several years before married in Ledyard and settled there. He
superintended the building of the mill in “the hard times” of 1836-7. A brother of James Fitch
was the millwright. The winter of 1835-6 was employed in drawing stone from Ham’s burg. The
excavation was in the side hill close to the lake road. The lot next the lake and south of the mill
was covered thick with stone over to the grand and majestic elm and to the corner where stands
Courtney’s shop [Note: at north-west corner of Chapel and Salem Streets] The felling of that tree
was a clear piece of vandalism).
To the surprise of all, these stone were all gone when the basement was finished with its wall
four feet thick. The mill property cost Mr. Howland nearly $100,000, extracted from the Pacific
by his whaling fleet of nine ships. Some of the Burling mill wall can be discovered in the west
bank of the pond.
Hiraim McDonald built the best boats ever floated in the Erie canal in a yard west of the mill,
and here was a marine railway for hauling out boats. See the cooper shop close by. Robert
Greble, a New Bedford cooper, made sixty gallon oak cask that were filled with flour for the
long voyages, and when emptied were filled with oil. Greble’s family moved to Battle Creek,
Michigan. Humphry Howland, an old state land surveyor, told of an Indian burying ground at the
head of the pond where the Indian chief steel Trap, and we think Copperhead were buried. Isaac
Richardson said the bead boards recorded their number of scalps and white men would destroy
them. He also told of a great colony of rattle snakes in the rocks not far from the Lowry farms.
Burling lived in the house south of the Episcopal church [a house directly south of the Episcopal
church and razed approximately 1928] and Earl who was associated with him lived in the Capt.
Fowler house [Note: It is thought that this was on the main street, next south of the Brick
Methodist Church at the corner of South Cayuga and Chapel Streets].
For a time Presbyterian services were held in the stone store house on south side of canal. Dr.
Mosher built the brick house on the site remodeled by the late C.T. Backus [Note: at north east
corner of South Cayuga and Center Streets]. Dr. Hawley of Auburn translated the old French
missionary records. These show that where the Backus plaster mills are the Cayuga Indians had a
settlement of a thousand people. A French Catholic priest name Carhart lived here amid
persecutions and perils.
An Indian trail came down Fancy or Burritt (now Park) street, and was trodden out by their
ponies so as to be some three feet below the general level.
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James Everitt was a stone mason on the large mill [at North Pond on Salem Street]. He had much
to do with building in the block from Mersereau’s store [Note: at northwest corner South Cayuga
and Factory Streets] to Hoskins [Note: the building with a pointed store front bearing the
Masonic emblem] and owned the middle one.
First post office established 1800 – kept by John Mosher where Town Hall now stands. First
mails carried by horseback – the post master had to sort out his own local mail from the bag.
Later the mail was brought in by four horse coach then transferred to boat. It was customary for
several families to club together for one “high price” paper. Each keeping it one day.
The village shade trees were planted along the streets 1857.
The first sidewalk laid from the Fowler house (now occupied by J. B. Hamilton) [Note: It is
thought that this was on the main street, next south of the Brick Methodist Church at the corner
of South Cayuga and Chapel Streets]. to what was then the Mersereau store, [[Note: On North
Cayuga Street north of the Millpond. -] now residence of Wm M. Coller [Cotter].
The “Bertram House” [Note: at south corner of South Cayuga and Basin Street] now Odd
Fellow’s Hall was built by Silas Ludlow.
Park street was the first side street of the village – Homer – Center and Seminary last.
The Orthodox Friends held meetings in a barn which they repaired, on site of home of Wm.
McGrath. Afterwards they built a meeting house which was later remodeled and now occupied
by the Springport Free Library Assoc.
The Catholic church [Note: present building on south side of Schoby Street – site of the
American Legion Post] was built in 1851. Before the church was built, services were held in
James Courtney’s house [Note: not the house on Chapel Street which bears the sign as a
Courtney house; but possibly on North Cayuga Street, the second lot south of Green Street],
different priests came from Auburn. Father Quigley was first resident priest.
The Baptist church was originally at Power’s Corners [Note: more than a mile south of the
junction of Power’s Road and Route 326, on the south side of the road on a farm owned at that
time by Coe ?, a member of the church].
In 1846 Christians Church was built on land given by Col. Smith on the north side of Homer
Street. ______the Christian Society held meetings in the ___ ___ ___ [Illegible so cannot
complete final paragraph.]
In 1846 Christians Church was built on land given by Col. Smith on the north side of Homer
Street. ______the Christian Society held meetings in the ___ ___ ___ [Illegible so cannot
complete final paragraph.]
[Note: It is believed that this article, signed by “H”, found in the Springport Free Library ca.
1975, was copied in longhand ca. 1948 (Possible Margaret Pimm Getman, who should be
credited with preserving much local history during her lifetime residence in Union Springs. It is
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believed that the communication was originally published ca. 1876 in the Union Springs
Newspaper of which Esek(?) Hoff was the editor.
Note: The bracketed [ ] notations have been inserted in Year 2000 by LPH
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