This Sunday and Some History on the Canals

The Old Town of Eaton Museum will be open on Fathers Day from 11am until 1pm with a special display on the Stone Morse House and the Morse founding family off Eaton, NY. The display was featured for our Old Home Day for Memorial Day. If you missed it besure and stop by. The display will be located in the new Ag Museum next door. 

We are also preparing for a new display on the Chenango Canal. The story of this canal is an interesting link into the history of the lakes and reserviors of the area that so many summer folks enjoy today. It answers the question of how and why they came to be. 

This piece of the history is on one of the many ponds and lakes that dot our beautiful Southern Madison County area, Lebanon Reservoir. Though located in today’s Town of Lebanon, the water that flowed from this reservoir made its way via feeders to Eaton’s Leland Pond and Woodman Pond areas where it was distributed to the canal. 

This Reservoir has had two names, an old one that is very historic and a new one that is known by everyone. Kingsleybrook Reservoir is one such place. Today, we know this body of water surrounded by camps and homes as a sparkling gem, where fishing, swimming, boating and camping is enjoyed, as Lebanon Reservoir. Its original name and one still used on some maps however, is Kingsleybrook Reservoir. 

\Kingsley Brook, a fast-flowing stream, provides the water to this reservoir, a reservoir that once fed the Chenango Canal. The reservoir was added after the initial start of the proposed canal to insure that there would be enough water to run the canal during dry times. The dam was contracted in the fall of 1835, and scheduled to be completed by November of the following year. During the process, it was decided to raise the proposed height by 15 feet, it was noted that this would only take a small additional part of land, but would increase the capacity of the reservoir by 80 percent.

The addition of the height was never accomplished. After a horrible freshet occurred in April of 1843, the dam was breached and was severely damaged, estimates for the repair came to over $8,000 ( a pittance in our time). The canal engineers and commissioners felt that this dam and reservoir could be dispensed with, and consequently did not repair it. 

By 1864, more water was needed to insure navigation on the canal because of leaking canal walls and decapitated locks, plus the addition of a proposed extension, so work was begun to rebuild the Kingsleybrook Reservoir. This time, the dam was raised the additional number of feet (15) and the dam was completed in 1867. The additional number of feet increased the capacity of the reservoir by over 100 percent. When the Chenango Canal no longer needed its water it became labels Lebanon Reservoir!

Chenango Canal, Eaton, Ellis Morse, and New History

Some interesting information on the Chenango Canal!

     “Dear Sir: I am waiting very impatiently for instructions from the committee whether to remain here and try to get the bill through or return home and let it take its course.”  This excerpt is from a newly discovered letter written on March 18, 1835 from Albany by Robert Henry of Eaton.

     Eaton had introduced an Act in Assembly on March 13, 1835 to make the proposed West Branch Feeder of Chenango Canal navigable to the Hamlet of Eaton.  In a letter to Ellis Morse and others from Carbondale, dated January 23, 1835, we find that Mr. William McAlprin had made an estimate of the cost involved and found that of the two routes proposed, one using “Pettis’s Pond” the other the proposed feeder, that they would be about the same both in distance and in lockage and in cost. ($20,000 for one $21,000 for the other.)

     A main factor involved with the success or failure of this plan, however, must be somehow realized, it was politics.  Though this feeder would certainly benefit the public interest (which was a main criteria in the Legislative Act), the politics that were still somewhat in power at that time and involved with the Chenango Canal (though supporters of this venture throughout) was the Anti-Masonic Party.  

The Anti-Masonic movement in New York State had gathered great political force and power, and it was well known that Ellis Morse and Eaton had remained a hot bed of loyal Masons who had remained active while other lodges and orders had closed from political and public pressure.  This canal improvement would have made it easy for Ellis Morse’s (high ranking Mason) large distillery in Eaton to get needed grain and for him to ship his product.  I believe that this is why the act was not passed!

     Eaton would latter connect to the canal via Peck’s Port and an area now referred to as “Fiddler’s Green.”  Peck’s Port in its prime had as many as four barges docked at one time.  Peck’s Port was literally the most active port on the canal because of the Town of Eaton goods and businesses.

     The Chenango Canal opened in May of 1837 with limited success which gained and waned as the years went on.  Some of the original problems included porous canal walls which had to be sealed (flooding occurred in the basements of some communities where the canal was put through its many streets because of the loose soil.) higher loses of water through lock gates that became less than tight when closing because of sediment and loose gravel and, the inability of the Canal Authority to accurately gauge the tonnage of the canal boats, since there was no weight locks on the cnal and the shipper’s figures had to be used.

     In spite of this all, before 1859 the canal ran quietly with ordinary repairs and maintenance of its bridges and tow banks.

     The 1860’s, however proved costly as extensive repairs could not be more to the dilapidated locks.  J. P. Goodsell the Resident Engineer of the Middle Division of the State Canals in his 1861 report said: “I have made a personal and thorough examination of all the locks upon this canal and find that those from the summit (Peck’s Port) North which are built of lime and sandstone of that vicinity, have retained their original proportions entire, with the exception of a few of the lower wings.

    

Hatches Lake, Chenango Canal, and a place called Camp's Pond

The summer folks who gather around our many lakes and reservoirs have started to arrive and camp cleaning and summer dinning are evident in the area near the ponds, lakes and reservoirs. From Leland's Ponds in the east to Hatch Lake in the west the Town of Eaton still sparkles in the summer sun!

The history of these bodies of water are an interesting reminder of what was accomplished by men who did not have earth moving equipment... only rudimentary tools and horses.  Some of these are a marvel when you think about the years they were engineered and the success of the idea of a canal feeder and its feeders materialized.  One such pond, which was just that a pond, was expanded to be one of the most beautiful summer get-a-ways for people....in the old days it was called Camp's Pond and today we call it Hatch's Lake.  Have been a bit under the weather this week but figured you might enjoy a trip into history!

Camps’ Pond

Today’s Hatch’s Lake, in the corner of the Town of Eaton, once fed the historic Chenango Canal but dates its original name, Camp’s Pond, back to the late 1790s.

Dr. Abner Camp was an early resident of what he named Camp’s Hill, a man of great humor and interest in the local community.  Tales of his adventures hunting and with his efforts to stop the local Native Americans from peering into his cabin at all hours still exist in the area.  He once set about to scare the local intruders by threatening to raise a company of men to run them off after they threatened a war party to get even with him.  He won when he and two other men shouted about like a troop of men and put a bullet over the head of a sleeping old Indian, scaring him almost to death.  The man ran away back to his village thinking a whole troop of men was after him.

Camp’s Pond gave way to Hatch’s Pond when Peter Hatch took the property over in the early 1800s.  By 1833, and the opening of the Chenango Canal, the pond was enlarged as part of the feeder system of canal reservoirs and is today named Hatch Lake. 

At one point, the lake’s outlet at the southwestern end was dammed so that the water would no longer flow to the south over the Tioughnioga River and instead would flow to another man-made reservoir, Bradley Brook Reservoir.

Today, the level of the lake and its outlet are controlled and summer camps dot the shores, a great fisherman’s paradise.  This part of the Chenango Canal’s feeder system still feeds the Erie Canal far to the north, at its end starts a man-made reservoir called Bradley Brook. Bradley Brook Reservoir, constructed also in 1835 and '36, covers an area of 134 acres.

Here is a great story from Hammond's History of Madison County I have added here for your enjoyment

    The following incident of the lake neighborhood, still fresh in the memory of many, is related to us: --- Many years ago, two young children of Oliver Wescott --- Elizabeth and Stephen --- were playing upon the shore of the inlet near their father's house, when they conceived the idea of taking a ride upon the lake in their mother's washtub, which stood nearby. Launching their improvised boat upon the water, the two got in, and instinctively, or by chance, seated themselves on opposite sides, which just balanced the craft. A breeze blowing, and, aided by the paddle of a little hand on either side, they were soon out upon the waters. The frantic distress of the mother may be imagined, when, missing her children, she looked and saw, far out from the shore, the speck of a washtub and two little upright heads above its rim, the wee excursionists, of course, as unconcerned as if rocking in a cradle on the floor of their mother's kitchen. 

The lake is more than half a mile wide at the point where the tiny voyagers embarked, and they were far towards the opposite shore, whence they were drifting fast, when discovered. Here was opportunity for a scene and a tragedy; but the discretion of the mother bade her avoid attracting the attention of the children, lest they should make some movement to lose their balance; instead, she made her way swiftly through brush and briers, around the west end of the lake, (where the stage road now runs,) and reached a point near the present residence of Mr. Mann, in time to receive her truants all unharmed! 

Since they were safe, she --- no doubt with all motherly tenderness, as that was her nature --- administered a timely lesson of warning against all future temptations and attractions that the water might hold forth. The boy Stephen, however, was never cured of his love for adventure upon the "deep," and at the age of fifteen went to sea. Since that time he has sailed in nearly every quarter of the globe; and now, in middle age, he is a denizen of the southern hemisphere, spending much of his time in the Sandwich Islands. His letters home tell of his marriage in Honolulu, to a Hawaiian, Lillian, the adopted daughters of King Kamahamaha III, a devoted Christian girl. She died recently. The little girl, Elizabeth, is now the wife of Mr. Henry Patridge, and resides in view of the lake, which sometimes reminds her of the perilous adventure of her early childhood.

Canal History, Reservoirs, Chengo River & More

The Canal is really an interesting and important part of Eaton’s history.  In reality though...only a small part of it is in Eaton…but that small part was probably the most important part of it, as it is through Eaton that all the water for the main section of the canal flowed to fill it.  

The waters of the Leland Ponds, Woodman Pond, Lebanon Reservoir (once know as Kingsley Brook Reservoir), Hatch’s Lake, Bradley Brook and Eatonbrook Reservoir met there.  Yes even Lebanon Reservoir's runoff makes a turn and runs north to join the canal at that spot near Pecksport.  

If you stop at the bridge on 46 going to Hamilton and look back over the fishing section of the canal just off Wendover Road and glance east you can see where all the waters enter.

When originally surveyed by James Geddes it was decided that near this spot all the manmade reservoirs could be built above it and their waters could flow toward the Erie Canal on one side and south toward Pennsylvania on the other.  Today all the remains to mark the spot is a sign for NYS fishing.

In the earliest days of settlement, it was a special fishing spot for the Native Tribes who set up their summer camps at the flat spot up and down the ponds and near the Chenango.  Joseph Morse lived on that side of the hill before moving to Eaton Village at the turn of the century, his house foundation is at the foot of Hamilton Hill Road on the right... and family letters mention the children playing together.

The other interesting thing about the area was the ingenuity of Josiah Peck and his son Alonzo who dug out an area that would allow more than one canal boat to unload at the same time.  Alonzo who also ran the Chenango Canal Boat Lines, erected a large warehouse at what would become known as Pecksport... to allowed an overflow of goods to be stored from either the northern or southern routes.

Today there is nothing to mark the spot historically as the signs and historic markers one by one have disappeared.  This is a sad actually, as the vanished history was an important part of the canal which bought a number of new towns and new families to our area.. not to forget the coal to heat the homes with in this cold part of New York State..

The canal also served as the supply route to take goods out of the area.  Some of the regions largest businesses laid to the west in Eaton... the famous Morse distillery of Eaton, the factory of Wood, Taber & Morse Steam Engine Works, as well as the mills of West Eaton.

Too much history of our area has been lost to time... but the ponds of Col. Leland still provide a gathering spot for fisherman and vacationers who enjoy the waters charm much like the Native Americans did... since this area was summer quarters for many of them.

Needed Markers, Cows, Morse Girls & Pecksport.

I am sure we have all been depressed by the ups and downs of the weather and the news of the pandemic that is raging around us.  I myself am one!  

The weather had to be tough on animals also with it going from near zero to mid sixties and back again all winter. This got me thinking about milk production problems and  local cows, yes cows.

Few people realize the role the Town of Eaton has played in the history of the Holstein-Friesian breed whose relatives still dot the countryside today.  Many know of Gerrit Smith Miller and his famous cow, but few realize that the Chenango Breeders Association brought the first actual breeding herd here from Holland in the mid 1800’s. This herd was bought to Eaton via the last remnants of the Chenango Canal.  

The Chenango Breeders Association was formed by  group of mostly Eatonites that included Sylvester Burchard, Charles Payne and a very interesting man called by many Deacon (Alva) Cole.  Burchard and Payne wrote the rules the breed is judged by even today with Burchard's regarded as one of the best judges of the breed. (I have some of Cole’s and Burchard’s artifacts and pictures in the Old Town of Eaton Museum.) 

It is also interesting to note that the old Burchard Farm was the first dairy in Madison County. The Burchard's also had a cheese factory in Peck's Port... and Sylvester Jr. moved that building  (moving it crossed the street) when he first married. The main house shown above, and the cheese factory buildings are still standing today. 

Anna Burchard

Burchard Family and Friends

The young ladies Anna and Louise Burchard (we talked about in an earlier blog) were born and lived there in the main house. Since neither of the girls married this was always considered the homestead. Of course in those days women who became teachers seldom married.

Sylvester's wife was Allie Morse of the famous Morse family of Eaton, and the beautiful picture above shows Allie and girls and their carriage in front if the house, which unfortunately does not look as beautiful today.  I have many lovely pictures at the museum taken by  the girls who were avid photographers.  Their father did not really approve of women going to college and becoming teachers... but their cousin Cornelia... who married John Raymond the first president of Vassar... inspired them to attend with Louise working there for her entire life.  Anna became the head school master of a private school in New York City.

*Sylvester and the cattlemen referred to hops the new main crop of the area as "The Devil's Weed"...they were Baptists.

Missing Markers..Chenango Canal - Reservoirs - Pecksport

Missing Markers that were stolen or destroyed!

As soon as the Erie Canal was finished and the different stops along the canal gained great prosperity and as communities along the way garnered great wealth, the cry for additional lateral canals was heard across the state.  It was proposed that canals running north and south would bring goods, coal, raw material… as well as settlers to the expanding landscape of the State of New York.

One such canal was the Chenango Canal.  The canal was proposed to bring coal to the central area of Chenango and Madison Counties and commerce out to the Erie Canal at Utica.

Some feel the hesitation on the part of the legislature to OK such canals was the realization that the railroad was quickly becoming a better source of travel.  Some of the drawbacks to the canals were that much of the time these canals would freeze over in the winter.  

Finally, after much political pressure and wrangling, the Chenango Canal appeared on the horizon, a canal that would run from the Erie Canal to Pennsylvania… the home of coal.

The survey of the canal was done by two sources – one was James Geddes, one of the original engineers of the Erie.  Geddes laid the canal out and noted that the natural landscape of Eaton at the summit level could be dammed to hold enough water to feed the canal.

The total cost of construction and improvements came to $4,789,470.58.  The unfortunate fact was the collection tolls and superintendence and repairs were $2,081,738.85.  The loss in operating costs ran to $1,337,711.74.  Another factor that hindered its success was that it did not have a number of Weigh locks like the Erie to check load capacity.  

The total revenue derived from the canal was only $744,027.11.  In 1868, the canal had its greatest tonnage of 112,455 tons.

In April of 1863, an extension of fifty miles was authorized.  This was to extend the North Branch Canal to Pennsylvania.  In 1865, the work was started but was never completed, although $1,600,889.19 was expended.

By the 1870s, there was much public sentiment for the discontinuance of many of the state canals.  This was due primarily to three factors: fraud, administration of the canal cost of maintenance, and, of course, the success of the railroads.

So in 1874, a constitutional amendment was authorized permitting the sale or abandonment of all canals operated by the state except the Erie, Champlain, Oswego, Cayuga and Seneca canals.  A law of 1877 authorized the disposal and sale of the Chenango canal and on May 1, 1878, it was discontinued. 

The making of the canal and the importance of the Eaton area, however, created a scenic area that continued to prosper for many years because of the many reservoirs that were established to make the canal a reality. 

Sawen Morse, Pecksport & Hooks Wiltsie

The story starts in the Town of Eaton and a small dot on a NYS map today called Pecksport, near Lower Leland Pond.  The pond was named for one of Eaton's first settlers Joshua Leland... and the area named for Josiah Peck who came from Rhode Island... the spot is now a fishing paradise that was once the busiest port on the Chenango Canal. His son Alonzo and Josiah built a large warehouse on the Chenango and the Lower Leland Pond.  Alonzo was also a very important person in Hamilton and ran a canalboat line.

Alonzo Peck

Located at the actual summit of the canal... which, started a quarter mile to the north at a stake in Johnson’s Swamp in Eaton... Josiah and his son Alonzo  dug out an area that would allow boats to unload and board their cargo headed or coming from the then industrial and business giant of Eaton Village located just over the hill. This port was needed for the delivery of coal and iron ore for the early Eaton foundries, and grain for the famous Morse Distillery.

The Georgetown Plank Road also started there in the early days and maning the first tollgate on this road was Sawen Morse, first child born in Eaton and keeper of that gate. His father Benjamin was a Revolutionary War soldier who came with Joshua Leland.

Pecksport was also the home of one of baseball’s early greats, George “Hooks” Wiltse.  The Wilste family lived near Burchard farms and the numerous Wiltse children attended the one-room schoolhouse located in Pecksport. Living just a stone’s throw from Bouckville, in the Town of Madison, “Hooks” and his brother Lewis “Snake” Wiltse grew up playing with the Bouckville boys and this progressed to playing with the famous Bouckville Summits (so called because Bouckville was at the Summit level of the canal along with Pecksport).  

Wiltse later went on to play for the Giants as a pitcher of note and a player under the infamous John J. McGraw. Wiltse also played on the team that was immortalized in the film Field of Dreams...playing with the famous Shoeless Joe Jackson. 

In those early days... as the movie pointed out, boys dreamed of become professional players and would play anywhere USA in any of the small leagues to get a leg up and also to be paid.  As a matter of fact Wiltse, like the others, would jump a bus or train to get somewhere to play in a small local game for MONEY!  Yes money, many times a team paid a player or two to beef up their lineup...

The story of the local rivalries and the times when baseball was a truly American pass-time and was the local entertainment of pride, is well documented in a book by local historian and author Jim Ford. Titled “The Pride of Cidertown”, Ford tells the story of local lore in one of central New York’s baseball hot spots.  

The Great Chenango Canal, the Reservoirs and Eaton History

This week I finally have been able to start back on a project I started before becoming injured and ill, a film on the Chenango Canal that we have been working on for a few years.  

The Canal is really an interesting and important part of Eaton’s history.  In reality though...only a small part of it is in Eaton…but that small part was probably the most important part of it, as it is through Eaton that all the water for the main section of the canal flowed to fill it.  

The waters of the Leland Ponds, Woodman Pond, Lebanon Reservoir (once know as Kingsley Brook Reservoir), Hatch’s Lake, Bradley Brook and Eatonbrook Reservoir met there.  Yes even Lebanon Reservoir's runoff makes a turn and runs north to join the canal at that spot near Pecksport.  

If you stop at the bridge on 46 going to Hamilton and look back over the fishing section of the canal just off Wendover Road and glance east you can see where all the waters enter.

When originally surveyed by James Geddes it was decided that near this spot all the manmade reservoirs could be built above it and their waters could flow toward the Erie Canal on one side and south toward Pennsylvania on the other.  Today all the remains to mark the spot is a sign for NYS fishing.

The other interesting thing about the area was the ingenuity of Josiah Peck and his son Alonzo who dug out an area that would allow more than one canal boat to unload at the same time.  Alonzo who also ran the Chenango Canal Boat Lines, erected a large warehouse at what would become known as Pecksport... to allowed an overflow of goods to be stored from either the northern or southern routes.

Today there is nothing to mark the spot historically as the signs and historic markers one by one have disappeared.  This is a sad actually, as the vanished history was an important part of the canal which bought a number of new towns and new families to our area.. not to forget the coal to heat the homes with in this cold part of New York State..

The canal also served as the supply route to take goods out of the area.  Some of the regions largest businesses laid to the west in Eaton... the famous Morse distillery of Eaton, the factory of Wood, Taber & Morse Steam Engine Works, as well as the mills of West Eaton.

Too much history of our area has been lost to time... but the ponds of Col. Leland still provide a gathering spot for fisherman and vacationers who enjoy the waters charm much like the Native Americans did... since this area was summer quarters for many of them.

This week, Pie & Bake Sales, Pecksport & the Chenango Canal

Steve & Cathy with some of our bake goods!

Finally except for the Christmas gathering, which is also the Birthday gathering for December, things are winding done.  The pie sale and the making of the pies provided some interesting moments and here I will mention our little group of Friends of the Old Town of Eaton Museum who came through…Pat Utter, Barbara Keough, Steve and Judy Goodfriend, Michele Kelly, Jen Caloia, Judy Oplinger, Cathy Nagle, and Bob Betz... who baked and baked up a storm.  When we got to the sale there were 45 pies and when we left there were none.

I am personally thankful for their help and sincerely thankful to the Eaton Community Bible Church and Pastor Pollock for allowing us to use the basement for the pie sale.  This made the parking so much easier and the building well well lit for the sale.

The week also provided for some interesting sidelights as we had interesting visitors also, Kevin Orr and I were able to film a section on the Chenango Canal video that we have been working on.  

The Canal is really an interesting part of Eaton’s history.  In reality only a small part of it is in Eaton…but that small part was probably the most important part as it, as it is through Eaton that all the water for the main section of the canal flowed.  The waters of the Leland Ponds, Woodman Pond, Lebanon Reservoir once know as Kingsley Brook Reservoir, Hatch’s Lake, Bradley Brook and Eatonbrook Reservoir met there.  Yes even Lebanon Reservoirs runoff makes a turn and runs north to join the canal at a spot near Pecksport. 

If you stop at the bridge on 12b over the fishing section of the canal, just off Wendover Road, and glance east you can see where it all enters.

The other interesting thing about the area was the ingenuity of Josiah Peck and his son Alonzo who dug out an area that would allow more than one canal boat to unload at the same time.  Alonzo who also ran the Chenango Canal Boat Lines erected a large warehouse at Pecksport to allowing an overflow of goods to be stored from either the northern or southern routes.

Today there is nothing to mark the spot as the signs and historic markers one by one have disappeared.  This isa sad actually as the vanished history was an important part of the canal which bought number of new towns and new families to our area.

Baseball, Eaton, Hooks Wiltse, & the Field of Dreams on this Sunday Morning in Eaton, NY..

Eaton Baseball Team

Working on the new small history book for Eaton's 220th History Celebration on Memorial Day Monday this year.... I ran across a baseball story that I thought would be a great little addition.

The story starts in the Town of Eaton and a small dot on a NYS map today called Pecksport, near Lower Leland Pond.  The pond was named for one of Eaton's first settlers Joshua Leland... and the area named for Josiah Peck who came from Rhode Island... the spot is now a fishing paradise that was once the busiest port on the Chenango Canal. 

Located at the actual summit of the canal... which started a quarter mile to the north at a stake in Johnson’s Swamp in Eaton... Josiah and his son Alonzo built warehouses and dug out an area that would allow boats to unload and board their cargo headed or coming from the then industrial and business giant of Eaton Village located just over the hill. This port was needed for the delivery of coal and iron ore for the early Eaton foundries, and grain for the famous Morse Distillery.

Pecksport was also the home of one of baseball’s early greats, George “Hooks” Wiltse.  The Wilste family lived near Burchard farms and the numerous Wiltse children attended the one-room schoolhouse located in Pecksport. Living just a stone’s throw from Bouckville, in the Town of Madison, “Hooks” and his brother Lewis “Snake” Wiltse grew up playing with the Bouckville boys and this progressed to playing with the famous Bouckville Summits (so called because Bouckville was at the Summit level of the canal along with Pecksport).  

Wiltse later went on to play for the Giants as a pitcher of note and a player under the infamous John J. McGraw. Wiltse also played on the team that was immortalized in the film Field of Dreams...playing with the famous Shoeless Joe Jackson. 

In those early days... as the movie pointed out, boys dreamed of become professional players and would play anywhere USA in any of the small leagues to get a leg up and also to be paid.  As a matter of fact Wiltse, like the others, would jump a bus or train to get somewhere to play in a small local game for MONEY!  Yes money, many times a team paid a player or two to beef up their lineup...

The story of the local rivalries and the times when baseball was a truly American pass-time and was the local entertainment of pride, is well documented in a book by local historian and author Jim Ford. Titled “The Pride of Cidertown”, Ford tells the story of local lore in one of central New York’s baseball hot spots.  

The book is filled with pictures and information on the early days of baseball in Madison County, and the history of the famous Wiltse boys, part of the area’s “Pride”.

So come out on Memorial Day Monday and pick up a pie or two and a collectable... our new history book...filled with some interesting sidelights to some of the history you already know about "old Eaton New York".  Eaton is really Madison County's most historic town, I have 20 years of writing and research to prove it.