Waterville Seventy Years Ago (1876)
The Houses Here and Who Occupied Them
The following article appeared in The Waterville Times on Thursday, March 23, 1876. The locations of the homes described herein may be determined by referring to the map which appears at the end of this article.
"The following memoranda of the houses in Waterville in 1805, and the occupants thereof, were made by the writer (presumed to be Amos O. Osborn) in 1849, who gleaned his information from those then living who resided here in 1805. It makes quite an interesting chapter in the history of our village, and should be preserved."
1. The kitchen part of Col. Buell's house, then occupied by John Williams, Esq., father of Mrs. Judge Gridley of Utica.
2. The kitchen part of G.M.Gifford's house, where the Presbyterian Church now stands; this was, for a long time, the house and tavern of Col. Muzzy, who was the grandfather of Mrs. D.K.F. Camp.
3. The old house once owned by Pardon Keyes, afterward Samuel Farnham, where Wm. J. McKown's house now stands. Here Enos Knight lived and had a black smith shop just east of it.
4. The house now occupied by Doct. E.A.Munger, then the house and tavern of Pardon Keyes.
5. The house and store next east, where the Episcopal Church now stands, was occupied by Brown & Hewitt.
6. The old house built by Doct. Stafford, and afterwards owned and pulled down by Charles Bacon, where he built the brick dwelling in which Mrs. Bacon now resides.
7. Mr. George Putnam's house on the corner, just vacated, was built by Ichabod Stafford, father of Mr. Aaron Stafford, and was for many years a tavern.
8. The kitchen of the house now occupied by Mrs. Hoarce Bigelow was built by Calvin Reed. This Mr. Reed married a daughter of Stephen Barrett, who was an aunt of Mrs. Wm. P.Cleveland.
9. The old red house on the northeast corner of the road to Paris Hill and Hooker Streets.
10. The house opposite the above on the southeast corner, built by Nathan Gurney. This was the first frame house in Waterville. It was for many years occupied by a Hazen family; then by the family of Dudley O. Derthick. Old Mrs. Derthick, aged about ninety-five, was living last fall at Richfield Springs. The old house was pulled down when the present dwelling was erected.
11. The kitchen part of Isaac Terry's house, where Putnam Avenue begins, south of Dr. Wm.P. Cleveland's. This was torn away when Putrnam Avenue was opened to the railroad. This Isaac Terry was father of Mssrs. Edmund and Orrin Terry, and of Mrs. N.C.Bacon of Eaton.
12. The house now owned by Mrs. Geer, then on the corner where E.H.Lamb's house now is, and which was the birthplace of the late Hon. Sidney A. Bunce.
13. The house for many years, long ago, occupied by Oliver Rude, and late by Mrs. Mary Holmes, and torn down by Mr. Mason a year or two ago.
14. The east wing of the house next east of the Welsh Church. For twenty years, or more, this house was occupied by Abner Livermore, Esq., uncle of Mssrs. Uranus and Daniel Livermore, and father of the Hon. Fidus Livermore of Jackson, Michigan.
15. The house owned by Thomas Garvey. For many years it was owned and occupied by Mrs. Page, a sister of Mr. Aaron Stafford. Afterward by two brothers, Harvey and Harlow Spencer, (one of whom moved to St. Louis and became quite wealthy); this house was afterward occupied by George Cornes.
16. The house burned a few years ago on the ground where J.R.Jones now lives, and occupied successively by Mssrs. Reuben Bacon, Reuben Tower, Stanton Park and Oliver Harris.
17. A house between the present residences of Doct. Blackman and Mr. O. C.Harris, once owned and occupied by Eli Hotchkin and Daniel Keyes.It was moved away and has been altered over into a very pretty house belonging to Mrs. Henry Tower.
18. The house owned and occupied by Major White,which stood on the ground of Mr. A.O. Osborn's present brick house. The old house is still standing a little west of its former location.
19. A house built by Josiah Morse, on the ground now occupied by the new Commercial Hotel.
20. A house next west of the factory bridge, on the north side of the road, owned by Mr. John A. Berrill and occupied by Mrs. Vibbard. Here Doct. Benedict lived, at brother-in-law of Doct. Eliphalet Nott, who used to visit there. Mr. Benedict had a store which was the west part of the Park Hotel before it was altered over.
21. A house on the point of land nearly in front of the above Benedict house, owned and occupied by John McLeish, a Scotch tailor, full of wit and fun. This triangular piece of land was fenced in and around the house were fruit trees and shrubs. This house was afterward removed to the east corner of the park, a little southwest of the pump.
21a. The west end of the triangle, fronting the south, was occupied by the building now next north of the Park Hotel and was, in 1805, the store of Sylvanus Dyer.
22. Mr. Dyer's residence, used by him also as a tavern, was the building owned by Mr. Putnam Page, when it burned three years ago. Mr. Dyer built this in 1799, moving into it in 1800.
23. The old house next east of the one occupied by Mrs. Robinson.
24. A house occupied by John Dodge.
25. The house owned by Mr. Buell, fronting the south, just north of the bridge, with the two-storied piazza. It was then occupied by a Mr. Sheldon. Esq. Park owned it many years, and Ahiman Seabury died there.
26. The old house next north of Dr. Wm. P.Cleveland's brick blacksmith shop. This house was occupied by Mr. Justus Tower, the father of Horace D. Tower, at the time he was drowned, in 1804.
27. A house occupied by Mr. Amos Osborn and now the house next south of the Brewery Cooper's shop.
28. The house next north of the above, opposite the lower grist mill, for many years occupied by Miles Squires.
29. A house standing where the late residence of Mr. Moore is situated, second north of Mr. J.A.Berrill's. It was then the dwelling of Benjamin Swetland, father of the late Mrs. Amos Osborn.
30. The house of Jabez Hancock, where Col. Wm. Osborn's residence now stands.
There were no dwelling houses on the Flat Iron.
O.
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