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Cape Vincent
Cape Vincent is beautifully situated on the
shore of the St. Lawrence river, about two miles below Lake Ontario.
The streets are at right angles with each
other, those of the north and south running down to the water's edge.
The line of hills in the rear of the village
commands a fine view of the river and the lake, with the shores of Wolf
island, twenty miles in length, on the Canadian side.
Three miles to the northeast are dimly seen
the weird chimneys of the old fort on Carlton island. The sunsets are
gorgeous beyond description, and well does it deserve the name of being
one of the pleasantest summer resorts on the St. Lawrence river. The
Rathbun House is fitted up expressly for summer visitors, being closed in
the winter. There is no bar at this house. The St. Lawrence Hotel has
likewise been full; both are under the same management. In this connection
should be mentioned two large camping associations that annually spend the
summer on their spacious grounds at the head of Carlton island; both are
organized, and the ladies as well as the gentlemen do some good fishing.
In 1852, and for three or four years after the completion of the railroad,
there was every prospect that a wonderful growth and business for Cape
Vincent, but those great expectations were not fully realized. The village
was incorporated on the 14th of April, 1853, with a population
of 1218.
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Jere. Carier, Judah T. Ainsworth, James L. Folger, Theophilus Peugnet,
and L. H. Ainsworth were the first trustees. The presidents of
the village since that date have been as follows:
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| Jere,
Carrier |
1854 |
| John H.
Roseboom; Otis P. Starkey |
1856 |
| Zebulon
Converse |
1857 |
| Calvin
Fletcher |
1858 |
| Alfred Fox |
1859 |
| Gideon S.
Sacket |
1860 |
| Charles
Smith |
1861-63 |
| A. F.
Smith |
1865 |
| John H.
Roseboom |
1866 |
| Sidney
Ainsworth |
1867 |
| John B.
Grapotte |
1868 |
| Charles
Smith |
1869 |
| Levi
Anthony |
1870 |
| G. W.
Warren |
1871-1872 |
| John H.
Roseboom |
1873 |
| W. M.
Johnson, |
1874 |
| John B.
Grapotte |
1875-76 |
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The
officers of the village at the present time are E. K. Burnham,
president; John F. Brunot, Philip Marks, and J. Albert Scobell,
trustees. Since 1860 M. E. Lee has served the village as clerk
and attorney.
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The
postmasters have been R. M. Esselstyn,
till his death in 1822
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| Henry
Ainsworth |
for a
period not known |
| John
Duvillard |
1841-45 |
| Otis P.
Starkey |
1845-49 |
| Augustus
Ainsworth |
1849-61 |
| Zebulon
Converse |
1861-65 |
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John Moore is the
present postmaster, and began his duties in 1865.
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The lawyers of the village are M. E. Lee and
Ezra D. Hilts. The physicians are Martin Braun, Thomas Masson, O. S.
Smith, H. N. Bushnell, and Philip Cole. (Jefferson
County History, by L. H. Everts, 1878 - Transcribed by Holice B.Young. Original HTML by Debbie
Axtman) top
The
Settlement of the Town Proper
The man who built the first log-house in
Cape Vincent on the mainland was Abijah Putnam; and it stood about two
miles below the railroad depot. This was in 1801. Some traces of the old
site of the village which he founded and named Port Putnam are still
visible. In 1804, Mr. Putnam sold his property to John Macombs and Peter
Sternberg, from NewYork, who made improvements immediately, and drew the
plan for a prosperous town. On of the original maps of Port Putnam, now in
the possession of Mr. William Esseltyn, indicates that it was to be in the
form of a parallelogram, with a public square of five or six acres, and
public buildings sanding on the upper side of it, facing the water. As a
matter of curiosity, the names of the streets may be given. Parallel with
the river were Water street, First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth,
and Seventh streets. Pleasant street was also laid down on two sides of
the square. Intersecting these at right angles were Green, Montgomery,
Herkimer, Washington, Jefferson, Clinton and Hancock.
The chief business of that day is made known
by what Messrss. Macombs and Sternberg said of the advantages of Port
Putnam over other towns in this new region. To vary the language of the
map a little they stated:
"That since it is the outlet of Lake
Ontario it forms a natural place of deposit for the lake trade. Lumber of
all kinds is rafted from the village on a large scale to MontreaL and
Quebec, and it takes only from nine to thirteen days to make a trip.
Besides the Great Black river State road from Johnston, Montgomery county,
receiving in its course the roads from Little Falls, Herkimer, Utica, and
Rome, runs through the middle of this village, and connects with Kingstown
and Upper Canada by ferry."
This site was subsequently abandoned through
the influence of Mr. Le Ray, who caused a piece of ground to be surveyed,
in 1811, on Gravelly Point, where stood five or six houses, and named it
Cape Vincent, after one of his sons. Millen's Bay was then known as
Hubbard's Bay; Clayton was called French Creek; Depauville, Cat Fish
Falls; Dexter, Fish Island; and Carthage, Long Falls. The original survey
of Cape Vincent, however, was not followed when it was incorporated. (Jefferson
County History, by L. H. Everts, 1878 - Transcribed by Holice B.Young. Original HTML by Debbie
Axtman) top
St. Lawrence
Village
St. Lawrence is a village of considerable
local business, a little back from the railroad. The station is Rosiere.
It has a temperance hotel, church, shops, and is in a good farming region.
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The
postmasters of this village have been:
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| Dyer E.
Pierce |
1848-56 |
| G. W.
Fairman |
1857 |
| N. P.
Tuttle; D. E. Pierce |
re-appointed,
1859-65 |
| W. Johnson |
1865 |
| Truman
Rice |
September
1, 1865-67 |
| W. H.
Caige |
1867 |
| Samuel
Dillen |
1869 |
| A. P. Ladd |
August 12,
1868-72 |
| G. A.
Swartwout |
1872-74 |
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The
present postmaster is H. W. Reed,
who was appointed in January,
1874.
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The physicians at St. Lawrence are G. Mason
McCombs, who is a graduate of the Bellevue Hospital medical college, New
York city, D. E. Pierce, and M. B. Ladd. (Jefferson
County History, by L. H. Everts, 1878 - Transcribed by Holice B.Young. Original HTML by Debbie
Axtman) top
Rosiere
Rosiere is the name which was given to the
first station on the railroad out from Cape Vincent. It is now but a
hamlet, with a handful of buildings and a store. The parsonage of the
Roman Catholic priest is here, and the question of building a new church
at this place is being very seriously agitated. It is likely to grow. (Jefferson
County History, by L. H. Everts, 1878 - Transcribed by Holice B.Young. Original HTML by Debbie
Axtman) top
Millen's Bay
Millen's Bay is pleasantly situated on the
river, about six miles below CapeVincent, and was named after one of the
early settlers. It is also attracting attention as a summer resort. There
is a Union church building, a hotel, shops, and a few dwellings. The
post-office was discontinued a few years ago,--a transaction which had not
been any source of gratification to the people of this vicinity. (Jefferson
County History, by L. H. Everts, 1878 - Transcribed by Holice B.Young. Original HTML by Debbie
Axtman) top
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