TOWN OF URBANA. 



413 



importance. The agent of the Pulteney estate, taking 

 wheat and produce in payment for lands, made this the 

 shipping-point by barges on the lake to Penn Yan, whence 

 it was hauled by teams to Dresden. The farmers gener- 

 ally, for several counties around, disposed of their surplus 

 products through the same channel. In this way a large 

 amount of grain and produce was handled for several years, 

 and all that was wanting to make Hammondsport the head 

 of navigation, connected with New York and all interme- 

 diate cities by a continuous line of boats and barges, was a 

 canal connecting Crooked Lake with the Seneca. The 

 "Albany Regency," seeing the importance of this project, 

 got a bill through the Legislature establishing the Crooked 

 Lake Canal, in 1830. In 1831 the enterprise was com- 

 pleted, and at once Hammondsport became a city of " great 

 expectations." While the canal was in prospect a new 

 impulse had been given to the place; lots were laid out 

 and sold ; new buildings were erected ; the population con- 

 siderably increased ; and the business, by no means small 

 before, was rapidly augmented. Messrs. Olcott and Ger- 

 main, of Albany, Judge Whiting, Charles Butler, and Mr. 

 Dezeng, of Geneva, known as the Hammondsport Com- 

 pany, came and purchased of Judge Hammond and Wil- 

 liam Hastings all their land which remained unsold. The 

 progress of building received ^ rapid impulse ; all the large 

 warehouses and stores now in the village were erected 

 during this rapid period ; many speculators and capitalists 

 were attracted to the place, and many investments made 

 which subsequently proved profitless. 



At this time neither the Chemung nor the Genesee Val- 

 ley Canal had been constructed, and Hammondsport was 

 really the shipping-point for the entire extent of country 

 embraced in Allegany, the southern part of Livingston 

 County, a large part of Chemung, Steuben, and Tioga 

 County, Pa. Situated at the head of navigation for all 

 this extent of rich agricultural and lumbering country, 

 and with direct communication by boats with the city of 

 New York, the expectation was not unnatural that Ham- 

 mondsport was destined to become a large place ; and this 

 expectation was in a measure realized till the Genesee Val- 

 ley Canal cut off a large portion of her tributary territory ; 

 and even after that she enjoyed a good degree of prosperity 

 as the exclusive shipping-port of Steuben County till the 

 opening of the great Erie Railway, in 1850, and the Corn- 

 ing and Rochester branch, in 1852. 



Immediately after the opening of the Crooked Lake 

 Canal, a number of new merchants came in from Geneva 

 and Ithaca. The first steamboat, the Keuha^ was built 

 and put upon the lake by the company in 1835. A. M. 

 Adsit and John Gregg built another boat to run in com- 

 petition with the Keuka^ and sold it to Capt. Allen Wood, 

 who ran the boat, and also a small "propeller," for some 

 six years. The Yates^ now running on the lake, was 

 built by Holmes & Co., of Penn Yan. Capt. Wood sold 

 his boats to Holmes & Co., who own and run the Steuben 

 and the Yates. The Lulu, a small boat recently started, 

 was built by Sanders & Hall, of Hammondsport, in 1878. 



A. M. Adsit was one of the leading merchants of the 

 village, with Deloss Rose and William Hastings & Co. ; 

 and after the opening of the canal did a large business in 



the transportation of grain. Adsit & Co. were proprietors 

 of a line of deck-boats which made regular trips from New 

 York City to Hammondsport. J. W. Taggart, of Cold 

 Spring, and Dugal Cameron, of Pleasant Valley, were Adsit 

 & Co.'s agents in New York. A. M. Adsit was succeeded 

 by J. W. Davis ; Deloss Rose, William Hastings & Co., 

 by L. D. Hastings and G. W. Nichols. These merchants 

 were also dealers in lumber and wool, which at one time 

 were large interests, and a large amount of money was an- 

 nually paid out by them to the farmers for their produce. 



In 1831, Gen. George McClure built a saw- and plaster- 

 mill at Hammondsport. He also built a house, and resided 

 here up to the time of his removal to Illinois. John Ran- 

 del came here from the city of New York, in 1833. He 

 was born in that city, in 1801, and had been a merchant 

 there. On his arrival in Hammondsport he opened a store 

 on the corner where the Steuben House now stands. In 

 1852, he built the brick store which is now a part of the 

 Railroad House, on Water Street. Mr. Randel was in 

 business as a merchant in Hammondsport about twenty- 

 three years, and was justice of the peace in 1838 and 1842. 



The Mallory stone mill, which still stands as one of the 

 prominent landmarks, was begun by Meridith Mallory, of 

 Yates County, in 1835, and finished in 1836. About 

 $30,000 were invested in the engineering and construction 

 of the mill, which were entirely sunk, as the enterprise 

 never paid a cent on a hundred dollars. The mill is four 

 stories in height and was supplied with three overshot 

 wheels, one above another ; the water, which had an im- 

 mense fall, was brought from the " Gulf Stream," in a canal 

 or race dug along the side-hill. John Capell, of Penn Yan, 

 was the master millwright, and Mr. Van Autrick, a son-in- 

 law of Mr. Mallory, the engineer. The mill was a first- 

 class merchant- and custom- mill, with four run of stones, 

 and finished in splendid order. Had the expectations of 

 Mr. Mallorv been realized, it no doubt would have been a 

 fine property. Mr. Mallory came to reside here, and was 

 elected justice of the peace in 1838. Previous to coming 

 here he had been elected member of Congress in Yates 

 County. 



The first school-house in the village was built in 1827. 

 It stood on the site of the present St. James (Episcopal) 

 Church. The present large stone building was erected for 

 an academy in 1858. J. W. McLaury was principal, and 

 had the charge of the school about six years, while it con- 

 tinued an academy. He was an excellent teacher, and left 

 the impress of his influence and character upon the com- 

 munity. He removed to the West, and is now a resident 

 of the State of Iowa. 



The present public school employs three teachers, — four 

 during the winter season. An effort is being made to 

 change it into a union free school, under the manage- 

 ment of a board of education, which will soon be success- 

 fully accomplished. 



Steamboats make regular daily trips between Hammonds- 

 port, Penn Yan, and all intermediate points. During the 

 spring and summer of 1878, a small steamer has also made 

 trips to Branchport and other landings along the lake. 

 Hammondsport is also connected with Bath by a narrow- 

 gauge railroad, which was commenced in 1872 and opened 



