Streeter

St Helena, ghost town of the Genesee, 1797-1954

St. Helena Water Gauge

Mr. C. Scott De Golyer has been very helpful in giving us the following information about the recording gauge installed at St. Helena to check the water stage of the river. This station was established by George M. Brett and Charles E. Allen on August 14, 1908. It consisted of a standard Geological Survey chain gauge attached to the lower chord of the first left-hand panel of the middle span of the highway bridge. It was converted to a recording gauge station by W. G. Hoyt and C. S. De Golyer on August 24, 1911. The first recording gauge was […]

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St Helena, ghost town of the Genesee, 1797-1954

St. Helena NY Nearing Desertion

Nearing the turn of the century there were only a few families owning property in St. Helena. They were John Piper, John Streeter, George E. Piper, Lucy Wallace, Thomas E. Marsh, A. Alcott, Herman Piper, John Orsburn, and Fred Marsh. L.aura Piper was there until 1902. The southern end of Water Street was no more. The school was still kept at this time. The river had moved closer and closer to the west side of the valley. The George Teeple family left St. Helena and moved to Nunda in the early 1920’s, when the river destroyed their farm. Soon afterward,

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The St. Helena School in 1893, when Miss Ida Bennett was teacher.

St. Helena’s School Life

When homes began to be established in St. Helena, the need for a school arose, naturally. The exact date of the building of the first schoolhouse cannot be learned. However, it is known that the structure was located in the valley on the west side of the northern highway leading toward Castile. The building was used later for a barn. The school district was Number Four, at first, but later was changed to Number Ten in Castile Township. Since the village’s plans were made about 1820, it would appear that the schoolhouse was included. The first school building was used

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St Helena, ghost town of the Genesee, 1797-1954

St. Helena’s Patriotic Life

St. Helena’s young men responded quickly when their country called for volunteers during the Civil War, 1861-65. Among them were: Charles Buckley, Eugene Buckley, Milton Burnap, Emerson Crowley, George Crowley, Franklin Eddy, George Green, James Green, Fitch Merithew, Hiram Merithew, Philander Merithew, Chauncey Orsburn, Albert Piper, George Piper, Henry Piper, John Piper, Myron Powell, Hugh Skillin, Sherman Streeter, George Westbrook and Emmett Wood. Many of those boys drilled on fields near Portage High Bridge. There were such large numbers of volunteers that the hastily built barracks could not house all of them. It is said that old buildings, used for

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St Helena, ghost town of the Genesee, 1797-1954

Homes and Places of Business in St. Helena

West of the store building in St. Helena was the home of Henry Dixon, head miller for Mr. Parshall for many years. Next, west of Mr. Dixon’s one-half acre lot, was a cross street running south from Main Street past the farm home of Mr. Parshall. This was the street called “Maiden Lane.” On this street at one time were six or seven houses, At the west corner of Maiden Lane and Main Street, J. D. Tallman owned and conducted a hotel business for accommodation of both man and beast. This property was later owned by Mr. Foote. South of

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St Helena, ghost town of the Genesee, 1797-1954

Early Settlers of St. Helena, New York

In 1826, Mr. and Mrs. Parker Nichols emigrated from Vermont and settled in St. Helena, where on September 25, 1827, a daughter, Fanny, was born to them. She could remember seeing Mary Jemison at St. Helena. An abundance of timber and water power for their mills drew the early settlers to the valley. During the early 1800’s, an English surveyor, Stewart by name, laid out the plan for the village. Divided into three sections, residential, business, and manufacturing, the little town began to grow. In 1832, Asa Willey Gifford purchased land there. Asa was born in Vermont in 1798, son

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1864 Map of Ox Bow

History of Ox Bow, New York

This little village is located on the left bank of the Oswegatchie, at the southernmost point of the groat bend in that river. It lies due north of Antwerp village seven and one-half miles, and its communication with the latter place is over an excellent turnpike-road. Ox Bow, at the present time, contains a post-office, one hotel, four stores, one physician, one drugstore, one wagon-shop, three blacksmith-shops, one harness- and saddlery-shop, a good school-house, two churches, and about 300 inhabitants.

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1888 Birds Eye View of Antwerp NY

The First Settlers of Antwerp, New York

It is doubtful whether the honor of having made the first settlement in the territory now forming the town of Antwerp belonged to Captain William Lee or to Peter Vrooman, for it appears evident that both settled during the same year, 1803, though both were then but squatters on land which they afterwards purchased. Lee located on the State road on lot No. 657, and Vrooman built his log house at the great bend of the Oswegatchie, at a point near the lower end of the present village of Ox Bow. Both these settlers opened their log dwellings as public-houses

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Adams Rural Cemetery

Adams Rural Cemetery – S Surnames

Adams Rural Cemetery is located on the west side of of South Main Street 1)NYS Route 3 at the southern edged of the Village of Adams. The cemetery is very well maintained. Stones, for the most part, are in excellent condition and readable. 2)Description of Rural Cemetery. Due to the large size of this cemetery I have had to spread it out over multiple pages. You can find the main page here: Adams Rural Cemetery – Includes Map This section contains the interments whose surnames begin with the letter S.   Footnotes:[+] Footnotes: ↑1 NYS Route 3 ↑2 Description of

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