All posts by MBennett

News

October’s Icy Fog

October continues getting cold as the first killing frosts have started to brown up the shorter grass. A thick fog settled over the village several days this week, including some frost for some window scraping on the morning commute.   Several wind storms have removed a bulk of the leaves from the trees. Sunrise is now later in the day as we approach winter.

Former Martel's Auto Soil Excavation The former Martel’s Auto has seen some activity.  NY Works has begun excavation of soil.  After excavation, the soil is removed. The excavation activities will likely reduce the probability of the temporary truck inspection stations that have been set up in this area.

The Town of Whitehall recently decided that it may be moving into the Skenesborough Firehouse, and occupying a majority of the “carpeted” space. This move will take the Town offices from the canal building to the firehouse just a few hundred feet up the road. The Town of Whitehall has been occupying the canal building since a neighboring fire forced them from the previous office, now currently occupied by City Steaks and Seafood.

In other town discussions, recently the town decided to discontinue payments for free electricity offered on the canal wall behind the museum. This will reduce canal wall boat parking, but hopes to increase use of the two Marinas below lock 12 to the north, whom recently announced their pending closure.

Animals, Doris B Morton

Some Horses in Whitehall In 1874

Interest in horses has increased lately in Whitehall as well, as in other parts of the country. An interesting TV program that has attracted many is called The American Horse and Horseman and appeals to the owners of Whitehall’s quarter horse, standard breed Morgan and App but in Whitehall 100 years ago the Morgan breed held the
leadership. These horses seemed to be owned by Whitehall’s business men. On the Bascom farm one mile south of the village was kept a famous horse Ethan Allen Jr., owned by S.B. Woodard. This horse and his line furnished many of the horses in this area.

His genealogy started with Justin Morgan, that tough versatile animal brought to Randolph., Vt., in 1795 from Springfield, Mass. an “unbroken two year old runt.’’ From
him in line was Sherman bred in Lyndon. Vt., and noted for his endurance and docility; Black Hawk. Sherman’s greatest son born in Essex county; Ethan Allen born in 1849 in Ticonderoga to become the fastest trotter in the world and from whom every Morgan living today can be traced (his mother was owned by F. A. Leland, an itinerant peddler through Hague, Schroon Lake and Whitehall); and Ethan Allen Jr. whom W. H. Cook of Ticonderoga raised.

Mr. Bascom in 1874 was raising at least seven colts. All sired by Ethan Allen. Jr. Across the road was George H. Buel brother of Julio Buel of fishing tackle fame and
noted in his own right as a good farmer. He was one of the sheep raisers of the town. He was keeping horses owned by W. F. Bascom, an Insurance man in the village and some of his own.

H. C. Hall in the Manville Scribner & Co. lumber business owned a driving horse of the Lambert line. He is noted in the directory as a “Horseman”.
E. W. Hall owned a sorrel horse, a trotter “Mystery”, a matched pair of family horses, and a tandem team of the Ethan Allen stock. He was a slate manufacturer, a drug
store owner and owner of the Hall Mansion on West Mountain. George A. Hall a hardware merchant owned a matched sorrel team with white faces
and white legs of the Black Hawk stock.

The Honorable F. E. Davis, a dealer in all kinds of lumber, had a span of matched horses, very fast travelers.A. Martin, a village trustee and dealer in lumber in the steam mill on the east side of the lake, owned a span of English draft horses.

N. Collins, a milkman and farmer, had a well matched roan team.

Joseph Arquette, who owned a meat market, drove a fast trotter while John Brett, a feed store proprietor, had two trotters of the Black Hawk line. Supervisor George Brett and B. H. Baldwin drove trotters.

William Pardo, a barber, had a gelding of the Columbus stock. The farmers Francis Fish, Warren McFarren, Frank Douglass, George and Frank Bartholomew owned fine
colts of the Ethan Allen stock.

Hannibal Allen, town clerk and owner of a hardware store, went to the Hambleton man blood which was an out breeding of the Morgan Line not now allowed. David
Bartholomew of the Yule Hotel owned one of this line. George Griswold in the tin ware business and H. G. Burleigh of the transportation line had trotters of the Lambert stock.

Dr. Holcomb’s horse was not listed as to line but he always had a good horse to be able to attend to the sick at a distance Whitehall does not have any monuments to horses as does Crown Point. A 12 foot statue in the village square as erected to honor Pink, Col. John Hammond’s horse which was in 88 skirmishes and 34 battles of the Civil War. He descended from the Black Hawk line. Another statue is at Penfield Museum for Billy, wounded at Gettysburg and owned by Col. James A. Penfield. He was a grandson of Black Hawk.

An interesting item for horse lovers, or not, is that Ethan Allen was taken by his later owner to Rhode Island and from there to a western ranch where he made a contribution to the quarter horse breed. The American saddle horse is also indebted to the Morgan as is the Walking Horse.

Early newspaper items tell of the trotting races on the ice, road racing and ownership of fine horse flesh in Whitehall. Mr. Wilkins said ‘Our town is famous for its
handsome ladies, its fine looking, genial, gallant men and for its gallant stock particularly that noble animal, the horse.”

Doris B. Morton, Town Historian – The Whitehall Times – December 26, 1974

Animals, Doris B Morton

[About Poultry] 1881

What do the words Brahmas, Leghorn, Spanish, Plymouth Rocks, Cochins, Golden Polish, Javas, Bolton Greys mean to you? How many people in Whitehall now wake up
to chanticleer’s clarion or go out to the hen house for an egg to bake a cake for supper? This all leads to A Walk Through the Poultry Yards of Whitehall, listed by A. Francier in 1881.

Before the days of village ordinances forbidding hen houses and their occupants, many of the well known men of the village boasted of fine fowls. H. A. Griswold, a jeweler whose shop was next door north of what is now Chase’s, would drop his repair on watches any time to talk about his fine Brahmas. He imported his first about 1865.

Julius LaTour, a tinsmith and plumber of Saunders Street kept game fowls. His fancy was the black breasted red ones. He lived on LaTour Street. Martin Feely kept game hens and Brahmas which he bred for weight and beauty. T.S. McLachlin of the Rockery at the end of Rock Avenue bred white and black Leghorns, buff Cochins and black Spanish. In 1881 he sold eggs in his hardware store on Broad (North Main street) in the Dayton block for 50 cents a dozen. Once he sold a double yoked egg to a fellow merchant for six cents. The merchant would pay only five cents. The case for one cent: was taken to Judge Buel’s conciliation court for settlement.

This court sat in Buel’s fishing tackle shop around a stove where those concerned sat on wooden boxes. This building was at the location of Stile’s Meeting Place. E.J. Baldwin, an insurance agent, had no particular breed but had a good business in the sale of hen products. He lived on Rock Avenue next to T.S. Mac Lachlin. James H. Parke kept two kinds of hens, Plymouth Rocks and buff Cochins.

Keeping hens is not all that easy, but after a bad spell he built up a good flock. His store was in the Parke building at the southeast corner of Clinton Avenue and Broad Street which would make it about west of the present Lock 12. A military hall was in the third story and the Capital Palace in the basement. S.T. Boardman had buff Cochins which couldn’t be beat.” His place had a good walk in which to keep fowls. He may have been a descendant of the Samuel of boatyard fame in 181O. My, file doesn’t yield a Samuel of this date.

L.H. Carrigan kept Brahmas. He could raise chickens better than he could ducks. Mr. Carrigan was a shoe, boot and hat merchant. He was in business with John C. Earl
whom he bought out in 1892. His store was at the site of the Army and Navy store. He was a leader in veteran affairs. James Conery, the express agent who lived on Church Street, raised Golden Polish and black Spanish. He thought he had the secret of making hens lay and wrote a book on the subject.

Stephen Osgood was a carpenter and builder who lived on Poultney Street. He had good large partridge Cochins and buff Cochins which he delighted to show to visitors.
A Jessie (Josh) Wark was just starting in the poultry business with Plymouth Rocks and Black Javas that he said were A No. 1. He felt confident that he would out rival the older breeders.

Henry Douglass sold Plymouth Rock eggs for hatching. He doubtless was a farmer on the Brick church area. Alex McNeely kept Plymouth Rocks and Bolton Greys for laying quality. He was a tailor, a cleaner and colourer with a shop somewhere on Canal Street. Orville Manville planned to reenter the fowl business, -~ and as he did all things,
people knew he would have the best. When he was in business before, he had all the dealers here and made money.

Doris B. Morton, Town Historian – The Whitehall Times – March 19, 1982 – Original Title Unknown