Back to Brownville Home Page
In the fall of 1801, a grist-mill was built for Mr. Brown, by Ethni Evans, the founders of Evans’ Mills. The erection of the saw- and grist-mill had a powerful influence on the settlement, and growth of Brownville. It was not an uncommon thing for a settler to come to mill bringing a bag of grain on his shoulder. On one occasion Moses Bacon, living at Watertown, came to this mill with a bag of corn, brought in this way, and having to wait his turn at the mill, he was so late in getting home that he could not see the marked trees that indicated the path between Brownville and Watertown, and laid out in the woods all night, making his bed of hemlock boughs, with his bag of meal for a pillow.
THE FIRST PUBLIC-HOUSE
The first public-house in Brownville was built by Jeremiah Phelps, in 1805, on the site of the present stone hotel. The latter was built, about 1820, by Henry Caswell and a Mr. Emerson. They soon after sold it to a company made up of Wm. Lord, H. Lawrence, W. S. Ely, E. Kirby, I. Shields, and John E. Brown.
In 1805, John Brown (afterwards Judge Brown) bought the land on the south side of the river, and built the mills there; and in 1806 the first dam was thrown across the river at that place.
About 1805, Samuel Starr took up the farm knows as the Starr farm. He built a log distillery down by the brook near his home, where was made the first whiskey in the town.
Captain W, Knox, Robert Smith, Samuel Peck, Eliphalet Peck (father if the present sheriff), and Nathaniel Pack helped to clear the Starr farm. Nathaniel Peck married a daughter of Mr. Starr, and was in company with Starr, in the manufacture of whiskey; he afterwards removed the distillery to the farm known as the Nathaniel Peck farm. About this time the construction of the Erie canal was much talked. So incredulous was Mr. Starr as to the accomplishment of such a great work that he said, “When the Erie canal is built, I will fill it with whiskey.”
Previous to 1805 the county of Oneida embraced all this section, but for convenience of access to county courts, buildings, records, etc., it was thought advisable to divide the county, and an act was passed March 22, 1805, erecting Lewis and Jefferson counties from Oneida. A strenuous effort was now made on the part of Mr. Brown and others north of the river for the location of the public buildings at Brownville; but other influences prevailed and Watertown was selected as the county-seat.
MANUFACTORIES
February 9, 1814, a company was organized for manufacturing purposes, with a nominal capital of $100,000. The first trustees were John Paddock, John Brown, Thomas Loomis, Jr., Thomas J. Whitesides, and Hoel Lawrence, who were to serve for one year. A factory-building of stone was erected, and the manufacture of cotton goods commenced the next year. The business proving unprofitable, it was conducted but a few months, and was not resumed for several years. The property was bought by Charles Smith, Elizur Fairman, and John A. Cathcart in 1826, and an act procured April 6, 1831, incorporating the Brownville Cotton Factory, with a capital of $100,000, in shares of fifty dollars. The business was managed with indifferent success and numerous stoppages, until 1842, when, under the ownership of Charles Smith, Wm. H. Averill, and F. W. Andrews, the mill was greatly enlarged and 3200 spindles and 80 looms put in operation, giving employment to from 80 to 100 hands, with a capacity of 18,000 yards of sheeting a week. It remained under this ownership until 1856, since which time it has been owned and managed successively by Messrs. Carleton & Andrews, L. S. Pratt & Son, Fitzsimmons & Co., Mumford & Co., and others. It is not at present in operation.
A company, styled the Jefferson Lead Company, with a capital of $15,000, was formed June 30, 1838, with Thomas L. Knap, manager. The business of manufacturing white lead and lithic paints was conducted with varied success for about twelve years, when it was abandoned.
A woolen-factory, owned by Bradley & Brown, was destroyed by fire January, 1846; also a machine-shop, flax-mill, and other property, none of which were rebuilt.
A furnace, foundry, and machine-shop was established in 1820 by Wm. Lord and Henry Caswell. The present large stone furnace building, owned by Colonel Lord, was erected by Wm. Lord and Alanson Skinner in 1830. The business was conducted for seven years by Lord & Skinner, then by Wm. Lord & son (the partner being Gilderoy Lord, now of Watertown), for sixteen years, and still later, the firm of N. B. Lord & Brothers (the brothers being Wm., Jr., and Nathan) conducted the business. The furnace has not been in operation for several years.
A large and commodious building was erected, with suitable contiguous buildings for conducting an extensive foundry, furnace, and stove manufacturing business, by Alanson Skinner in 1837, and the present machine-shop in 1846. The business has, with little information, been conducted successively by A. Skinner & Son and H. Skinner & Brothers, and at present by Wm. T. skinner and Horace Rice, under the firm-name of Skinner & Rice.
A flouring-mill was built about this time by Thomas L. Knap, which has since been owned and operated by Charles H. Bartlett, Bartlett & Patrick, Bartlett & Smith, P. T. Welch, and is at present owned by Charles C. Steele, and operated by C. C. Steele, and Ed Giles under a copartnership.
Seth G. Hunter carries on a business for the manufacture of furniture and cabinet-ware in the stone building, originally a woolen-mill, on the Brownville side of the river.
The “Brownville Carriage Works” were established by Henry Lord in 1828, in the stone shop built for a woolen-factory, afterwards the “White Lead Works,” and at present occupied by S. G. Hunter as a cabinet-shop. Some years ago Mr. Lord built the block opposite the Stone hotel, which was sold to Mr. Hunt and occupied as a shoe store by himself, and harness-shop by George Stebbin. Mr. Lord afterwards re-bought it and remodeled it by adding thereto the present building, used for a store-room and for the display of finished work, on the site of the old stone law-office of N. Rathbun, G. M. Bucklin, and W. W. Wagar, successively. Mr. Lord’s business was principally the manufacture of lumber-wagons and heavy work. His name on a wagon was a guarantee that it was of good material and well made. The man who owned a wagon made by Henry Lord, and a harness made by George Stebbins, considered himself well equipped. The business is at present conducted by John W. Wilder, more attention being paid to fine light carriages and cutters.
G. Codmon & Son conduct a general manufacturing business in the line of furniture, cabinet-ware, coffins, and job-work in wood. Across the river, near the site of the mills originally built by John Brown, a flouring-mill is owned and operated by Byron Cole, Myron H. Peck, and J. H. Thompson. They do both custom and merchant milling, aggregating about $100,000 per annum. They keep three teams employed the greater part of the time in drawing grain from the cars to the mill, and delivering flour and feed to the cars for shipment and to neighboring towns.
Adjoining this is a stone building, originally constructed for a woolen-mill, where, in 1835, and for twenty-five years thereafter, Joel G. Stacy, Enoch Drake, H. C. Alexander, W. R. Willis, Jr., and others, have manufactured satinet, fuller’s cloth, and flannels, and done a general wool-carding and cloth-pressing business. It is now run on wool-carding by H. C. Alexander.
A shingle-mill was built by Warren & Hunter, and supplied by material shipped from Canada, but the cost of transportation was too great to successfully compete with mills nearer the timber, and the business was abandoned.
A saw-mill, built many years ago, has given place to more modern machinery; it stands just below the shingle-mill, and is now doing a custom business under the management of Lewis Maynard.
In many respects the village of Brownville presents superior advantages for manufacturing establishments, as it has direct communication by railroad with the markets, real estate is cheap, and surrounding country affords in abundance the means for supporting a large population.
Early in the history of this county, the village, with its mills and stores and shops, was the centre of a large trade from the surrounding country. Its business prospects attracted here men of brains and energy, men well calculated to succeed in business enterprises: Gen. Jacob Brown, judge John Brown, Major Samuel Brown, Gen. Loomis, Asa Whitney, William S. Ely, Hoel Lawrence, William M. Lord, Daniel Lyman, Col. William Lord, E. Kirby, Elizur Fairman, Major Reed, John A. Cathcart, Tracy S. and Thomas L. Knap, John E. Brown, Joel Blood, Henry Lord; and later Joel G. Stacey, William H;. Skinner, James Shields, Col. Bradley, Arba Strong, Dr. Bates, C. K. Loomis, Dr. Ayres, F. W. Andrews, James Hunt, E. S. Sterling, G. Tillinghast and his son, James Tillinghast, who is at present general agent of the N. Y. C. Railroad,; and others,--men of more than average ability.
The struggle for the county buildings, at the time of the organization of the county, resulting in favor of Watertown, gave it special advantages. At an early day, trade and travel were diverted from Brownville to Watertown from points south of Brownville, by the difficulty of crossing the “big swamp” and climbing the ugly hills, to reach Brownville from that direction. These and other causes have resulted in disappointing those who had large expectations for Brownville.
The population in 1877 is about four hundred and fifty.
THE MERCHANTS
The merchants doing business in this village are Alvin A. Gibbs, dry goods, groceries, etc.; Albert E. Lord, dry goods and drugs; Myron H. Peck, groceries and provisions; Robert Younger & Son, groceries and provisions.
Physicians: William P. Massey, M. D.; Ezra B. Pratt, M. D.; William Goodwin, M.D.
THE BROWNVILLE FEMALE SEMINARY
The Brownville Female Seminary was established in1840. It was chartered by the regents November 28, 1840, and opened May 1, 1850, as a boarding- and day-school, under charge of Miss Mary F. Bloomfield, who was succeeded by Miss H. M. Foster, followed by Rev. G. B. Eastman. The building occupied for this purpose was the large brick mansion on one of the main streets; built by Major Samuel Brown, in1816. The school was not a financial success. It was closed after a short career, and the building sold to and since occupied by Alfred Kilborn.
In 1861-62 a building forty by fifty feet was erected by subscription in Brownville, at a cost of nearly $2000, the lower story of which was to be used for the purposes of a high school, and the upper for a town-hall. In 1875 this building was purchased by the school district of the village of Brownville for school purposes, and, so far as consistent, for the purposes of a hall.
Transcribed by Holice B. Young from Jefferson Co. History by L. H. Everts.
Copyright January 2000 by Sherrye Luther Woodworth