!56 



HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY, NEW YORK. 



The Erie Railroad Company had compromised their 

 claims, and a new set of men were at the helm, who 

 pushed the road to completion in 1851. At the close of 

 1849, it was finished to Corning. Large appropriations 

 from the State had enabled the Corning people to improve 

 the highway through the Narrows, and to afford better 

 facilities for canal navigation. The Blossburg Coal Com- 

 pany were shipping a large amount of coal from their 

 wharves, and the lumber dealers were flooding the Eastern 

 markets with the choicest Chemung flooring, etc. ; so that 

 by reference to the canal reports we discover that, in 1849, 

 Corning stood third on the list of inland shipping-ports in 

 the State of New York. The Erie Company had located 

 their depots and yards at the upper or west end of Corn- 

 ing. This for a time seemed to draw business in that 

 direction. 



D. A. Fuller, father of George W. and Dwight L. Fuller, 

 of the Dickinson House, erected a hotel called the Waverly, 

 near the present stock depot of the Erie Railway. The 

 demand of the traveling public compelled him to enlarge 

 his accommodations. In 1850-51 the Waverly spread into 

 the Terrett House, Mr. Fuller continuing the lessee or 

 owner. About this time the Dickinson House was com-, 

 pleted by the late Hon. A. B. Dickinson, of Hornby, and 

 Col. H. W. Bostwick, of Corning. There were now four 

 well-conducted hotels in Corning, viz., the Dickinson 

 House, by S. B. Dennis, succeeded by Mayor Field, and 

 lastly by the Fuller Brothers ; the Corning House, by Capt. 

 E. Pier, and others ; the Terrett House, D. A. Fuller, pro- 

 prietor; and the Railroad House, by Maj. P. P. Cleaver. 



Foundries were established, churches were erected ; Dyer 

 and Concert Blocks were completed ; the village through its 

 corporate ofiicers was making many necessary and desirable 

 improvements. 



The village then contained about 3000 inhabitants, — 

 with the town, 4372. The Corning Journal had been 

 established in 1846, by Thomas Messenger, and in the year 

 1851 had passed into the hands of A. W. McDowell and 

 Dr. Gr. W. Pratt. Good schools were in session ; the pul- 

 pits were filled by able ministers ; and a full corps of com- 

 petent physicians and lawyers were located at Corning ; in 

 fact everything that was desirable in an enterprising, first- 

 class business town. 



We now approach the second era in the history of Corn- 

 ing, — the era of fire. She had previously been visited with 

 the element. The terrible conflagrations which occurred in 

 the next six years are familiar to every inhabitant of the 

 Chemung Valley. It will be recollected that the year 1852 

 was a comparatively mild epoch in political afl'airs. Few 

 mass-meetings were held in comparison to former presiden- 

 tial campaigns. Yet the citizens of Corning had not for- 

 gotten the exciting times of 1840, 1844, and 1848, and 

 were determined to keep alive the political spirit which had 

 animated them in the early stages of their history. 



In the year 1850 a railroad was projected, called the 

 Bufl'alo and Conhocton Valley Railroad, with such men as 

 Hon. John Magee, of Bath, enlisted in the enterprise. By 

 the terms of the charter, which was obtained in 1850, the 

 southern terminus was at Painted Post. But this would 

 benefit Corning, as it connected with the Erie. Corning 



was most fortunate in this new project. It would give her 

 a thoroughfare through to Rochester and Buffalo by the Con- 

 hocton Valley. This project was only fairly inaugurated 

 when another, and, as it has proved, a more lasting and sub- 

 stantial work, was to seek an outlet by the way of Corning. 

 We allude to the purchase, by Hon. John Magee, of the 

 interest of certain members of the Corning Company in the 

 old Blossburg Railroad, who had became the debtors of Mr. 

 Magee. He took possession of the road in 1851, and im- 

 mediately made arrangements for widening the gauge, and 

 relaying the tracks with desirable T-iron. The Pennsyl- 

 vania stockholders consented, and during the year a sub- 

 stantial railway, with all the modern improvements, was 

 opened to the public. Mr. Magee had also purchased the 

 lease of the coal-mines at Blossburg. This was the initial 

 step in developing the vast coal region now operated by the 

 Fall Brook Coal Company, the Arnot or Blossburg Coal 

 Company, and the Morris Run Coal Company. Thus it 

 seems that every adversity on the part of Corning had been 

 overcome through some new avenue of prosperity. 



About this time Corning was strengthened by the advent 

 of two bankers, George W. Patterson, Jr., and John N. 

 Hungerford, who came to identify themselves with the busi- 

 ness interests of the place. Mr. Patterson remained con- 

 nected with the George Washington Bank, as president, till 

 within a quite recent date. Mr. Hungerford is still bearing 

 an important part in the financial transactions of the village. 



The Corning Sun; a weekly newspaper, was published in 

 1853 by Mark M. Pomeroy and P. C. Van Gelder, and 

 continued about a year, when it was purchased by Rev. Ira 

 Brown, who published a paper in the interests of the 

 farmers and horticulturists. In the mean time a lodge of 

 Freemasons and Odd-Fellows had been established, the 

 new lodge of Masonry taking the name of Painted Post 

 Lodge, No. 117, and counting among its members some of 

 the most intelligent and reliable of the citizens. Corning 

 is now the centre of Masonic attraction, the whole upper 

 story of Concert Block being used as lodge-rooms for the 

 Blue Lodge, No. 117; Chapter, No. 190; Council of R. 

 and S. M., No. 53 ; A.-, and A.-. S.-. Rite ; Lodge of Per- 

 fection ; Council Princes of Jerusalem ; Corning Chapter 

 Rose Croix, and Corning Consistory. Corning has many 

 able representative men in various vocations, in whom she 

 may feel an honorable pride: such men as George B. 

 Bradley, S. T. Hayt, John N. Hungerford, C. C. B. 

 Walker, Austin Lathrop, Jr., D. F. Brown, Chester S. 

 Cole, B. Graves, William D. Turbell, C. H. Thomson, 

 Hiram Pritchard, B. W. Payne, A. H. Gorton, Q. W. 

 Willington, C. F. Houghton, Henry Gofi*, G. W. Pratt, 

 F. B. Brown, Charles G. Denison, E. Clisdell, William 

 Walker, C. E. Corbin, C. D. Sill, Dr. A. D. Bobbins, and 

 numerous others deserving of mention. 



Corning is distant from New York 291 miles, from Buf- 

 falo 142, from Rochester 94, from Hornellsville 42, from 

 Bath 20, from Dunkirk 168, from Blossburg coal regions 

 40.48, and from Elmira 18 miles. It is a picturesque and 

 healthy region, and surrounded by a rich agricultural and 

 fruit country. It is the half-shire of Steuben County, the 

 courts being held alternately here and at Bath. The 

 present population of the village is about 7000. Her rail- 



