Orange County Directory 1878-9
Port Jervis
THE village of Port Jervis was incorporated in 1853, under the general act of the state. The first election was held the 9th of August. 1853, which resulted in the election of the following named gentlemen as trustees: Chas. St. John Sr., Sam’l. Fowler, W. H. Powers, 0. J. Brown and D. Romain. The charter was revised in 1866, reissued under Special Act in 1873. Port Jervis is the second place in the county in population, being the largest village in the county; it is situated at the junction of the Delaware and Neversink Rivers, eighty-eight miles by rail from Jersey City. Port Jervis was named in honor of John B. Jervis, chief engineer of the Delaware and Hudson Canal, and was one of the many small shipping ports which the canal called into existence. The name as first applied, belonged only to that portion of the village now known as up town,” all of lower town being an uninhabited marsh, until the building of the Erie R. R. A station was then established to communicate with Port Jervis, known as Delaware station which was some half a mile distant from the Port. This station formed the terminus of the Delaware Division of the R.R., and here the company soon located their construction and repair shops, giving employment to many hundreds of men, and behold! over acres of broad marsh and barren hillside, rise the stately edifices of commerce, the temples of religion and learning, and beautiful homes of the people, gilded and adorned by art, and made sacred as shrines of household gods; called into existence in a moment, by one motion of the magic wand of progress and development. Port Jervis is beautifully situated and the variety of its surrounding scenery renders it a favorite resort of tourists in summer. Much of historic interest attaches to the town. As late as the Revolution, Port Jervis was on the frontier and its inhabitants heard the war cry, and often felt the terrible vengeance of the red man. This portion of the county was settled early; the precise date is not known, tradition tells that the first passable road of any length in the colonies was constructed here, connecting the Delaware Water Gap with Esopus (Kingston,) on the Hudson. It has ever been known as the “ Mine Road,” and it is said was constructed by the people from Holland at a very early date, who sought for gold and silver along these mountains. This road is mentioned among the oldest records of this portion of the county. Port Jervis is on the borders of three states and of three counties, New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and Orange, Pike and Sussex counties, and the Tri-States Rock in the Delaware River which marks these boundaries is only a mile below Port Jervis. The Delaware and Hudson Canal, following the valley of the Delaware River to this place, turns abruptly to the northward to reach the Hudson at Rondout. This canal formerly furnished an outlet for the trade of all this portion of the country before the railroad was constructed, but to the railroad Port Jervis owes all of its prosperity and importance there are extensive manufactures, chief of which are the glass furnaces, there being two of these, the Orange County Glass Works, Brox and Buckley, proprs. employing about one hundred and twenty hands; and the Port Jervis Flint glass Works, Wm. Pountney propr., employing about the same number of hands; the extensive foundries of Swinton, Shiner & Co., and of St. John & Malven; and the furniture factory of A. B. Goodale. The Delaware River is spanned by a Roebling suspension bridge, for carriage and foot passengers; it is noted at the foot of Pike st. and connects Port Jervis with the village of Matamoras, Penn. There are two spans of three hundred twenty-five feet each; the piers are built upon timber foundations solid masonry twenty-six feet above low water. There are several cables one and a half inches on each side, to support the arch securely anchored in solid stone masonry; the bridge is slightly arched, the center pier being four feet higher than the ends. The bridge was erected in 1870—71, but was lost in the great ice gorge in 1874, which event marks on era in the history of Port Jervis, and will serve for years to come as a mile post in her history. The bridge was rebuilt the same year and today is shown as one of the chief points of interest to the visitor. The erection of the bridge is due mainly to the efforts of Charles St. John and H. H. Farnum the former of which is President and the latter Vice President, of the Barrett Bridge Company of Port Jervis. There are many fine drives around Port Jervis, that down the Delaware Valley being the chief. The village is supplied with water from a reservoir, built one mile back among the mountains; the reservoir occupies a surface of twenty two acres with a depth of twenty feet of water at the gates; the reservoir is one hundred and thirty feet above the railroad at the depot thus distributing the water to all parts of the village by direct pressure. The works were erected and pipes laid in 1870, previous in this the village was supplied for fire purposes from cisterns; there are some eight miles of main pipe laid from four to twelve inches in diameter there are one hundred and ten fire hydrants. H. H. Farnum, president, Geo. Malven, vice president, J. L. Bonnell, sec., F. Marvin, treas. The village is lighted be gas, furnished by the Port Jervis Gas Light Company, which was organized, and the works erected in 1860, the works are located on Pike st. nr the river. The company have some six miles of pipes laid, seventy-four street lamps erected and lighted by gas, and eighty-five lighted with oil. H. H. Farnum was elected president of the board of directors the first year and has retained the office ever since.
The Fire Department consists of one Hook & Ladder Company, and five Hose Companies, consisting of one hundred and seventeen men. The elevation of the water reservoir enables the department to dispense with the use of Engines, there are one hundred and ten fire hydrants in the city, which affords ample protection.
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