Enjoy the Fourth of July!

I realize that I have been tardy in getting some new history blogs out...but I have also been struggling along trying to repair my house after the fire and get our new 501 3c started.  

This week has been good for my brain and while watching the TV about the rising "White Nationalism" and Civil War era legislation with voter suppression .. I was reminded of an old story about Eaton.  The story actually revolves around the house next to the museum on River Road, the road that was once called Water Street. The building is one of the oldest in town and was owned during the period before and after the Civil War by the Leach family. It is "Henry" I believe who served in the Confederate Army while the rest of the town for the most part was pro North.

Small towns in those days stuck together in a more cohesive way than today I guess... and after the War had passed, it is said that on all holidays and during parades old Mr. Leach would don his Confederate uniform and march in the parade with the many members of the GAR.  Both sides it is noted paraded up and down the streets with pride.  As a matter of fact... it wrote Mr. Leach into history and he has become part of the "Tales told of Old Eaton"... ones that you can enjoy.

Curiously, when redoing the museum we held a very large opening day celebration... and Chris Staudt with whom I bought the building and refurbished it to become  the museum for Eaton... invited friends and family down for the occasion. 

Chris' dad came down and toured...after the crowd had gone home and as he was leaving, he looked up at the American flag flying over the door, he glanced across the yard to the Leach house and said... "You really need a Confederate Flg flying here also".  To this day I wonder if old  Mr. Leach was around giving us a hint of his past... could be I guess.... after all it was Memorial Day!

The concept of Eaton Day arose from Eaton's traditional 4th July Celebration which had been taken over by Hamilton recent years. In "the Old Days" it was a celebration of honoring the dead warriors, remembering the past and enjoying community, today Eaton's little history group has tried to keep that spirit alive on Memorial Day Monday's.

I hope everyone will come out and visit what has become the Old Town of Eaton Museum, currently owned and run by the not- for- profit museum group Old Town Folks.  Of great interest... the new group that has formed to help support it is...Friends of the Old Town of Eaton Museum. 

The group has officially become a recognized charity so all donations to it are are tax deductible. The museum is open on very other Sunday most of the year , with a sign board giving the dates and times. of the year until October  and we are currently seeking Docents who will help, or anyone interested in giving a hand. Donations may be sent to Friends of the Old Town of Eaton Museum care of 5823 Brooklyn Street, Eaton, NY 13334.

You can contact backstreetmary@ yahoo.com for more information.

Attached is a video I did  for  Memorial Day honoring the many Revolutionary War Soldiers  buried in Eaton Village Cemetery.

The Bark Hut and the Revolutionary War Veterans

If the Memorial Day Celebration is able to take place, I decided this year we would honor the Revolutionary War Veterans who settled this area, including Smith's Valley.

One of the more interesting aspects of our area is the old historic marker that stands on River Road marking Madison Counties Early settlement history.  The marker lies just below the Old Town of Eaton Museum and lists the first clearing in what is now Madison County.. 1788...The Bark Hut.

If one takes the time to pick threw Mrs. Hammond's History of Madison County you will note many stories on our early founding including where men forged into what was still considered" indian country," and upon arrival made a rudimentary hut to stay in. This area actually formed what was eventually a set of log homes that stretched from Lebanon to Eaton then dubbed "Log City".

Most of these men and those that came later were veteran's of the Revolutionary War and some had followed Col. William Smith to his land patent set up by Joshua Smith (not a relative) who served under him. Joshua was sent by Col. Smith to find him the best tract of land in the area...which Joshua did, and where upon he built a bark hut.These actual squatters were indeed our first settlers and ironically today over two hundred years latter,  many of these families names still live on here.

Col.William Smith is buried inWest Hill Cemetery in Sherburne, but members of his family (sisters & brothers) owned land in Eaton.  It is interesting to read the many storied by Harry Hart, and one in particular that accused Smith's brother Justice of trying to hold up deeds from purchasers.

We have many veterans buried in the area and some like Miles Standish who is buried in the Eaton Village Cemetery,

To honor these men we decided to do a talk on the Revolutionary War to open our Memorial Day
Celebration if it is possible.

More Local History to Share while at Home....First on our Historic Markers!

Located equidistant from both Eaton Village and Hamilton, the ponds today are a vibrant part of NYS Fishing areas and are also a very early and important part of the Town of Eaton’s history. A NYS Historic Marker denoting its famous founding family, the family of Joshua Leland, today marks the site but of course, a marker cannot tell the full story.

Born in Massachusetts in 1741, “the Colonel” as he was always referred to, moved to the town of Eaton, then a part of Chenango County and a large tract of land called Hamilton. Leland settled first on English Avenue near today’s Eaton Village, but then moved to the current site of today’s Leland’s Ponds, then called Leland’s Lakes.

The Col. was a Revolutionary War Militia soldier and ventured out with family to find a new home and a fortune. Their removal to Eaton was not without troubles as when the Colonel after clearing land, went back home to get his wife and five children and their wagon got stuck in the mud at the very location they would eventually move to. The Leland’s also arrived so late in the year that they are recorded as spending their first winter in a three side hut with their animals.

An avid astronomer, hotel owner and miller, Leland was a favorite of the many Native Americans who fished the ponds and who regarded the Col. and his wife Waitstil with great esteem. The Leland Family also ran an ashery that made potash and in fact it is how the Col. died. When on a trip to Albany with this much needed commodity, Leland was killed when the barrel of potash they were carry on a wagon rolled off and fell on him as he was ascending a steep hill on the Cherry Valley Turnpike.

Leland is mentioned as Hamilton’s first Supervisor but at that time Eaton was part of Hamilton breaking off in 1795. At that time Leland became and important part of Eaton’s history and he actually owned one seventh of the landmass of Town of Eaton at one time. His heirs continued in their father’s footsteps’ becoming businessmen and the Leland family name is well remembered.

Leland’s Ponds was also the early fisheries of the Oneida Nation, and later was the site of the largest port on the Chenango Canal, Peck’s Port. Today its waters are a vacationers paradise and allow fisherman to revisit the quiet haunts of native fishermen.

For those who like cemeteries, the family cemetery lays 

near Mosher Farms, a short distance from the site of his home. Crow’s Hill, his property that he once gazed at the stars from, is today dotted with wind turbines, proving that Eaton is still a place where “history meets progress!”.

Our Early Settlement, Salt and Hope for the Future!

The history of settlement in many of our early communities formed around lush rich soil, water bodies or old transportation routes, in some cases around something as simple as mineral deposits like “salt”.

In early times a salt source or spring was sought and early settlers flocked to it to boil off water to gain a cup of the needed mineral.  Salt in colonial times was as valuable as gold as a source of money or for trade. Salt as a trade-ware is traced as early as 6050 BC.  Salt is a need mineral for man or animal…needed to dry meat and preserve fish, it was also needed to make many other components of life.  From the history of salt in America we find from “SALT WORKS”  – History of Salt…..

“Salt motivated the American pioneers. The American Revolution had heroes who were salt makers and part of the British strategy was to deny the American rebels access to salt. Salt was on the mind of William Clark in the groundbreaking Lewis and Clark expedition to the Pacific Northwest. The first patent issued by the British crown to an American settler gave Samuel Winslow of the Massachusetts Bay Colony the exclusive right for ten years to make salt by his particular method. The Land Act of 1795 included a provision for salt reservations (to prevent monopolies), as did an earlier treaty between the Iroquois' Onondaga tribe and the state of New York. New York has always been important in salt production.”

Yes the settlement of Central New York...our area… and so I decided to give a presentation on June 20^th at 7pm, at the Old Auction Barn in Eaton, It will be a discussion of our early settlement and the importance of the salt industry… something that in part created the need for Fort Stanwix to guard the area known as the “Oneida Carry”.

History is in some ways is a road sign to the future. It seems that as a historian you are continually seeing the current happenings in a context of what has transpired in the past and then predicting what will happen in the future.  In every small town in rural America we can see that past disappearing before our eyes.  Sitting here at night writing I wonder if perhaps there might be a rebirth of the rural small communities as more and more people do business from home and seek out peaceful setting to escape to.

Here in Eaton we have the reservoirs and small lakes that in the past filled with only summer people…but more and more of these “camps” are becoming year round homes.  As the suburbs inch closer and our electric & Internet improve… I wonder if some of these areas like Eaton might again revitalize again.  It’s a wonderful thought isn’t it.!

Video of Memorial Day Monday at the Potters Field honoring our Veterans please view and enjoy!.

Memorial Day...Talks, Pies, and the Revolutionary War Veterans

Jim Monahan and his reenactors!

The Memorial Day Celebration is coming up and I decided this year we would honor the Revolutionary War Veterans who settled the area, including Smith's Valley.

One of the more interesting aspects of our area is the old historic marker that stands on River Road marking Madison Counties Early history.  One such marker lies just below the Old Town of Eaton Museum and lists the first clearing in what is now Madison County.. 1788...The Bark Hut.

If one takes the time to pick threw Mrs. Hammond's History of Madison County you will note many stories on our early founding where men forged into what was still considered" indian country" and upon arrival made a rudimentary hut to stay in. This area actually formed what was eventually a set of log homes that stretched from Lebanon to Eaton then dubbed "Log City".

Most of these men and those that came later were veteran's of the Revolutionary War and some had followed Col. William Smith to his land patent set up by Joshua Smith (not a relative) who served under him. Joshua was sent by Col. Smith to find him the best tract of land in the area...which Joshua did and where upon he built a bark hut.These actual squatters were indeed our first settlers and ironically today over two hundred years latter,  many of these families names still live on here today.

To honor these men we decided to do a talk on the Revolutionary War to open our Memorial Day Event on Wednesday, the 23rd with a lecture, Ice Cream Social with raffle baskets  and pie pre sales. This to gear us up for the Memorial Day Parade and regular "Eaton Day"Pie Sale Event.

So Mark it on your calendar and enjoy the night the ice cream and learn some local history.  Our Rain date is Thursday night!  All proceeds to benefit the Old Town of Eaton Museum.

The Fourth of July is here, but let us look back to the past to celebrate not only the 4th but "Community"!

The Fourth of July is here!  

As usual the big celebration will be in Hamilton since colleges and money still speak.  In the old days the big celebration was in each small town and originally here in Eaton... though I am sure it was modest in 1788.  Eatonites celebrated with enthusiasum because out of the Revolution came a majority of those early settlers... men who served during the Revolution including a number who served with Joseph Morse senior at Lexington and Concord.  

Today we celebrate Eaton Day on Memorial Day Monday since all eyes unfortunately go to Hamilton.  I actually believe it is time for each community to go back to a community celebration like they used to with children playing old fashioned games, church suppers and music...Americana!

But since we can't this year I thought I would dig out this piece I wrote a while back and put up some photos of past Fourth of July events for your perusal and I hope your enjoyment!

 Eaton 4th of July Field Days in a Bustling Town

The best remembered and photographed times in Eaton were the “field days” held yearly to celebrate the Fourth of July.  This community, born out of Revolutionary blood felt it a duty to put on big yearly celebration. 

The big day usually started with cannon volley, which in later years is remembered as Patty Miles “firing” his anvil.  This was done by filling the hole in the bottom of the anvil with black powder and setting it off.  Any late sleepers would be awakened if their children had not already forced them out of bed in their excitement to get downtown.

Horse racing was part of the day and baseball games were played in different fields around town, big rivals for Eaton’s team was the Bouckville Bucks.  Food was available everywhere from the churches where the ladies aid put on a dinner, to the food stands on Main Street (front street) and the hotels, some brought their own lunches, but everybody ate.

The "Town" filled with music with people listening, especially when the Eaton Military Band played. In the evening there was always a dance that was well attended at the opera house in town, and the Rebekah Lodge usually served coffee to the attendees, with the dance continuing until midnight.

By the 1920’s, the world was at war; the steam engine plant was closing, water power had given away to electricity, woolen mills were closed, the Chenango Canal had ceased to be a transportation route and was only used to fill the Erie Canal, the “Great Depression” was on and the march to the city for work began.
 

No more does the anvil fire, and only once every three years is there a parade in Eaton and “History Day” is now on Memorial Day,  (instead of Field Day on the Fourth of July). In Eaton, however the memories live on in this rural community, remembered most of all for its once glorious past replete with famous Eatonites, famous inventions and stories of the wars. Eaton like so many of its rural counterparts has gone to Sleep!

Happy Fourth America!  Every community needs a Band!

Memorial Day Weekend ...Remembrance...and its history!

Re-enactors at the Eaton Museum

Well what a holiday weekend…the weather was unbelievable.. .Snow…Rain…Hail…wind…Frost!

Monday turned out to be a celebration for some to just get out of the house.  To those who turned out for the different parades and celebrations you are to be congratulated.  Memorial Day definitely has its sad and happy moments. In Eaton we celebrated and remembered our Revolutionary War Veteran's.

Dick Leland with Col. Joshua
 Leland's Revolutionary War
Sword! 

The stories on the original start of Memorial Day are numerous but in New York State we think it is Waterloo.

Many younger people do not realize that May 30th was the original Decoration Day, which became today’s Memorial Day. Now set on the 4th Monday in May, its history is forever linked to Waterloo, New York, a village that on May 5th, 1866, closed its doors to business to allow its citizens to put flowers and flags on the graves of its Civil War dead.

The town’s local druggist Henry C. Wells put the idea forth originally and Civil War General John B. Murray, who picked up the idea a year later, joined with him to make the original celebration a reality. The village held ceremonies with a somber march to the cemetery while martial music played and in Waterloo, it became a yearly tradition.

By 1868 the observance was recognized by General Logan the Commander-and-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic and was moved to May 30th.

This tradition perpetuated itself until the day was officially made a National Day of Remembrance for all those that fought and died for the United States, and today more than ever before it has become a community day that brings people together to watch parades, attend official cemetery ceremonies to remember our soldiers, and to reflect on all that is good in America.

For Waterloo, the history of the day is enshrined in the Memorial Day Museum on Waterloo’s Main Street. The museum contains information on the first Memorial Day and much information on the men who worked tirelessly to make it a National Holiday of importance and a yearly reminder of the great price we have paid through the years to not only keep our nation as one, but to keep it FREE!

The Museum..an Event...History...and TROUBLE!

This has been another wild week of weather...unbelievable it was 33 this morning!!!  I am still trying to get caught up for our big museum opening.  Sure hope Monday is nice…

After fighting with my poor old PC I gave up and transferred the documentary I was working on to the Apple and from there it blossomed into more trouble. 

Everyone thinks that the country is quiet…ha!  I had to try and get up at 2 in the morning to record the voice over for the documentary on Leland and believe me every so often I still heard a truck rumble through town and of course, into my voice over.  Then my little video camera took a turn for the worse…rule 1 - never take your video camera on to Fourth Lake in a Kayak.   But all and all.. the documentary is together without a studio (which I need terribly) and without using my large camera in a space that is too small and…fighting the fact that sound travels for miles…and farther.

I then called the group together to set up the canopy frame that had been twisted into a pretzel by the storm that dropped a tree on the museum and had punched a hole in the roof.  It took three people exerting all their weight to bend that thing into submission.  Then the poles that hold it up had to be shortened to eliminate the bent ends….Now you say flimsy metal right?  Wrong!  It is 11/2 inch steel pipe.  Luckily I have a plumber on Front Street who came over and in a few minutes eliminated the problem.

Then on to the big problem….it is 33 degrees outside and they are predicting cold nights like this for the weekend!  So tomorrow it is get propane and set it up to heat building in the morning of our big “Event”!

Humorously… the person who is supposed to bring the ice for the event emailed that maybe she should bring hot coffee and tea!  Also  said, “Who do you think is going to want “Ice cream”!  Hmm….

Lastly but more importantly, since the tree also took out my electric service for the second time and I have not reconnected because of money…the generator won’t start!  So as a sidelight….generator repair 101!

Well there is one thing for certain …we are going to celebrate history!  And even though the historian who has only had 3 hours of sleep a night for two weeks is sleepy…the Revolutionary re-enactors will wake her up when their cannon fires the first volley of “Remembrance” behind the museum on Monday!

So come out and help us celebrate a Museum Opening, Revolutionary War Veteran’s and one of our founding father’s here in Eaton…Col. William Leland whose sword will be in the museum to liven things up!

Eaton’s Old Town Museum is located on River Road in Eaton, NY.  For more information visit www.historystarproductions.com.

A sword of a different color….an event…a deed….and a museum!

Barbra looking sword over!

So many things to do before we open the Eaton Old Town Museum here in Eaton on Memorial Day Monday!  I have been wondering how to tie all the loose ends down with the weather as bad as it has been.  The other night it was 21 degrees …last night it warmed up to 29...whoopi doo…and the WIND!

The little documentary I was working on for the special day ground to a halt and I have had to redo in a different format…but of course that means changing it entirely as one is PC and the other is Apple…but the good news is Col. Joshua Leland’s Revolutionary War sword has arrived!

The old sword is not some glamorous shiny thing… it is a real...used sword!  The Col. was in the Revolutionary War as and Ensign under the Commission of George Washington, and the sword has been handed down to the eldest son from the Colonel’s death to today!  How cool is that.  The current owner is Richard Leland of Malta, New York, who is a friend and supporter of the museum.  Here a thank you to Fran Van Slyke for picking it up and delivering it!

Step to Col. Smith's Farm house in Smith's Valley

The Leland story actually starts with Col. William S. Smith who served under Washington and married Abigail “Nabby” Adams (President John Adams daughter) and lived in “Smith’s Valley.  Joshua purchased the property, which became Eaton from him, and the original document is framed at the Madison County Clerk’s Office.  The document on sheepskin has been preserved and has a back-story of its own.  This deed is dated July 2, 1795, and was recorded by Albert F. Devitt, Madison County clerk, July 2, 1926, just 131 years after it was dated!

But back to the “sword”.  The Col. it is said used to also help drill troops that were the early Militia here.  Most people don’t realize the local Militia’s were active at the time since the War of 1812 was pending and people were still required to form to protect and serve..the Col. died in 1816.  Of interest to me was that our wonderful Madison County Records Manager - Kevin Orr has found some information for the museum that confirms my belief that Smith famiy members lived in the Eaton side…John Adams Smith and his wife Ann are listed in deeds for Eaton, among others.

Well that all adds up to more stories and more information for the mseum…which will be opening to the public and telling its story on Monday…Memorial Day..the old fashioned way with new fangled video (I hope) and a good time for all…please come!

Here's a video on Leland & the Ponds that bear his name!