This is a transcription of the White Creek Villages from History of Washington County, New York with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some if its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Philadelphia: Everts & Ensign, 1878.
This is the old name for what is now the village of Cambridge, or for the eastern portion of it, and is properly included in the notice of that place, given in connection with the town of Cambridge.
DORR’S CORNERS, now a part of Cambridge village, was a business point at an early day. The place bears the name of a noted physician and public man of early times, Dr. Jonathan Dorr.
Stillwell was a merchant there, afterwards Rice & Billings. Above Dorr’s Corners, a mile or so, was an old gristmill. Nearer the Corners there is the new mill now owned by Clum & Horton, built in 1861 by A. Woodworth; burned and rebuilt in 1864. It is run by water brought from the old pond, east, through a trunk underground, one hundred and forty-eight rods, securing a fall of thirty feet.
Near Dorr’s Corners is a machine-shop and foundry. Farther up the stream is an old saw-mill, and used as a flax-mill in later years.
This place, two miles east of Cambridge, has become of historic importance, in consequence of its connection with the Methodist church. The society is understood to have been the pioneer church of that denomination in the United States outside of the city of New York. Old John Street church, in the metropolis, formed in 1766, and Ashgrove next, in 1770. The name of the pioneer of Methodism, Philip Embury, too, is associated with Ashgrove. Though he died in the Camden valley, Salem, his remains were afterwards removed to this place, and later to the cemetery at Cambridge village. Ashgrove takes its name from the early settler, Thomas Ashton. The first frame house built at this point was by Thomas Ashton, and is still standing,–the present dwelling-house of Charles Hover. The place has never had any special amount of business, being merely a small hamlet growing up around the old church and the school-house. It lies in a narrow valley upon North White creek, between two ranges of Taghanic hills.
PUMPKIN HOOK
This name is regarded as a corruption of the Indian word Pompa-nuck. A tribe of Indians of that name are said to have moved to this point from Connecticut. The name to Yankee ears sounded very much like Pumpkin Hook, and was very easily changed to that. There was a mill very early at this place. In later years a chair-factory, by John Warren. In 1816, or about that time, there was a clock-factory; a comb-factory, by Mr. Glass; a woolen-mill, by Joseph Gordon also; the machinery for the latter was built by Leonard Darby, who had a machine-shop, and was a gunsmith. He made his patterns, had his casting done in Troy, finishing them up in his own shop. He also made the machinery for the cotton-mill built by Briggs. Lieutenant-Governor Talbot, of Massachusetts, who afterwards built mills at Lowell, learned his trade in this factory at Pumpkin Hook. In the meadows below this place, John Rhodes had a fulling-mill, the first in town. About 1815 there was a distillery built by Frank Crocker. All these various enterprises are abandoned; the buildings themselves gone except the chair-factory. The frame of the old woolen-mill was removed to Cambridge, and is now in the store opposite the Irving House.
MARTINDALE CORNERS.This place is near the east boundary of the town. The name is derived from the Martindale family, early settlers at that point. There was a store here in early times kept by Kincaid. The place is better known as Briggs’ Corners, from the name of the family residing there.
WHITE CREEK.This was a village of considerable business importance, and is also a point of very early settlement, the chief village of the town excepting Cambridge. White Creek, spoken of in the old documents a hundred years ago, no doubt refers very generally to this place rather than to the present territory of the town.
The first house at this point was built by John Allen. It was a log building, down the creek, below the old hat-factory. The first business enterprise was a store at the forks of the road, soon after the Revolution, a mile below, southwest of the present village. Jacob and Benjamin Merritt were the proprietors. Not satisfied with the location, they soon after moved and built a store on the site of the present Dyer P. Sisson store, in the village. They did an extensive business, –forty thousand or fifty thousand dollars trade a year, an immense amount for those times,–extending into Vermont. Farmers sold them their wheat, drew it to Troy, and returned to trade at this White Creek store. As a specimen of their prompt collection and the thrifty habits of their customers, it may be added that on retiring from business there was only five hundred dollars due them from the community. They were followed in business by John Barrett.
A little earlier than the removal of the Merritts to the village, Edward Aiken had come to White Creek, and built a grist-mill and the first frame house. This will was changed to a cotton-factory for the manufacture of sheetings, then a woolen-mill, and is now a flax-mill. As a cotton-factory it; was run by a company, and the mill was known as the Washington Company Factory. Paul Cornell, Garner Wilkinson, and Dr. William Richards were the proprietors.
Another grist-mill was built by John Allen and Paul Cornell, below the house now occupied by Dr. Joseph Richards.
The first tannery was built in the rear of the house now occupied by James Allen. Another early tannery was built by Jonathan Hart, now a flax-mill owned by Hugh Tabor. Still another tannery was by Sylvanus Tabor, in 1824; changed it to a mitten-factory afterwards, which he still carries on. He also has a flax-mill in the same building.
A hat-factory was founded by John Allen at a very early day. George N. Briggs, afterwards congressman and governor of Massachusetts, learned the trade in this establishment. His father was then living as a blacksmith in White Creek, having moved there in 1805. In reference to this old building, still standing, is told the anecdote of Governor Briggs:
Once, at a brilliant party, while he was governor, a lady said to him, “May I ask, governor, at what college you graduated?” He replied instantly, with great gravity and courtesy of manner, “At John Allen’s hat-shop, madam.”
It is related of his that he left White Creek for a lawyer’s office in Lanesboro, Mass., with only five dollars in his pocket, which he had earned at haying.
There were two trip-hammer establishments in White Creek at an early day. One by Paul Cornell, on the creek near the present cheese-factory, where he made scythes and hoes. The other, by George Mann, a scythe-factory. Edwin Hurd, an axe-factory. The last two from 1814 to 1820,–Cornell’s earlier. Mann’s factory was changed into a wagon-factory. There was also a scythe-snath factory, by Garner Wilkinson; also made handles. All these enterprises are abandoned, except the mitten-factory.
The first tavern was kept by Garner Wilkinson, on the site of the present tavern, probably about the time of the first mills and store.
Earlier than this a tavern at the forks of the road, already mentioned, had been kept by Seth Chase as far back as the Revolution. Whipple also kept tavern there.
The first post-office is said to have been established in 1822. The first postmaster was Daniel P. Carpenter, succeeded by Michael F. Palmer, Dr. Joseph Richards, Stephen Barker, Jerome Mosher, and, Dyer P. Sisson, from 1850 to the present time.
POST’S CORNERS. This place, a short distance east of Waite’s Corners, has the advantage that may be derived from the meeting of several roads,–not quite at a common point, but so near as to cause the travel from several valleys of the town to concentrate here to some extent,–but has never become a point of much business. It takes its name from Dr. Post, a former physician of the town. Formerly a store was opened here, and a post-office, kept by James Hay. The office was removed to Waite’s Corners in 1836.
CENTRE WHITE CREEK designates a post-office, but the name fails to express its real location, as far as the town is concerned, it being much nearer the southwest corner than the centre. It is, however, about half-way between White Creek and North White Creek, and may, therefore, fairly be considered entitled to its name.
It is, perhaps, better known as “Waite’s Corners” in all the old records, as well as in the member of the older citizens. This place is about two miles southeast of the celebrated historical house,–the “checkered tavern.”
The land in this vicinity was purchased by William Waite, a Baptist preacher, and from him the place was named for many years.
An early grist-mill was built half a mile south, by James Hay, soon after the Revolution; sold to Aaron Vail, run by him for many years, now abandoned, and a rope-factory existing near it. A saw-mill, nearer the Corners, was built by Colonel Hercules Rice in 1790, on a tributary of the Owl Kill. A little above the Corners was a flax-mill, now abandoned. Zerah and Ezra Waite kept the first store. Ishmael Gardner kept the first tavern, and afterwards it was Waite’s tavern for many years. The town-meetings of White Creek, and of old Cambridge still earlier, was frequently held here.
The town meeting of 1773 was held at the house of Archibald McViccar. This was about half a mile east of Waite’s corners. The present hotel is kept by McD. Cornell, a son of the Paul Cornell, a prominent business man of White Creek, already mentioned.
The post-office, removed from Post’s Corners in 1866, was first kept here by Thomas Fowler. He was succeeded by Henry Rice, and Waite, and Pratt. The present incumbent is Wm. P. Fowler, who keeps the only store at this point.