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482 ONONDAGA COUNTY.
Jamesville, is a small lake, occupying a deep chasm in the rocks. It is nearly circular in form,
about 80 rods in diameter, and is almost surrounded by perpendicular banks 150 to 200 ft. high.1
Another lake, of a similar character, lies 2 mi. n. e. of Jamesville.2 Messina Spring, a strong
sulphur spring, n. w. of the center of the town, has considerable local notoriety for medicinal
qualities.* 'Gypsum and waterlime are both extensively quarried along the banks of Butternut
Creek. The soil is a sand and clay loam in the n., and a sandy and gravelly loam in the s.
Jamesville/ in the s. part of the town, contains 3 churches and several manufactories.3 Pop.
270. Orville (De Witt p. o.) contains 2 churches and 158 inhabitants. Collamer,4 (p. o.,)
in the n. part, is a hamlet. Messina Springs is near the w. line. The first settler was
Benj. Morehouse, from Dutchess co., who came in April 26,1789.® The census reports 7 churches
in town.7
1ELBRIDGE5—was formed from Camillus, March 26, 1829. It is the central town upon
the w. border of the co. Its surface is level in the n. and rolling in the s. Seneca River and
Cross Lake form a portion of the n. boundary. Skaneateles Outlet flows n. w. through the w.
part. Upon the banks of the Outlet, near the center, are found the peculiar tunnel-shaped cavities
in the earth, characteristic of regions abounding in gypsum. Several weak brine springs are
found along Seneca River.9 The soil is a rich, sandy and gravelly loam. Eibridge, (p. v.,)
on Skaneateles Outlet, in the s. w. part of the town, was incorp. April 1, 1848; it contains the
Munro Collegiate Institute,10 3 churches, a pail factory, and several mills. About 1 mi. down
the stream is a mill for the manufacture of pearl barley. Pop. 630. Jordan, (p. v.,) upon the
Outlet, 2 mi. below Elbridge, was incorp. May 2, 1835. It contains the Jordan Academy, 5
churches, 2 flouring mills, and a wheelbarrow factory. It is a station upon the direct branch of
the N. Y. Central R. R., and an important canal village. A feeder from the Outlet connects with
the canal at this place. Pop. 1,331. Peru (Jacks Reefs p. o.) is a hamlet, on the canal, near
the sr. e. corner. Junction (Hart Lot p. o.) is a r. r. station on the Auburn Branch of the
N. Y. C. R. R. Half Way is a station on the same r. r. California is a hamlet, on the
canal, 2 mi. e. of Jordan. The first settler was Josiah Buck,6 who located on Lot 82, in 1793
The first church (Bap.) was formed Dec. 30, 1816; Elder Craw was the first preacher.12
FABIUS13—was formed from Pompey, March 9, 1798. Tully was taken off in 1803, and a
part of Truxton (Cortland co.) in 1808. It is the s. e. corner town in the co. It has a general
elevation of 1,000 to 1,200 ft. above the Erie Canal at Syracuse. The surface of the s. half is
broken by a series of ridges extending in a n. and s. direction and separated by narrow valleys.
Their declivities are generally steep, and the summits are 300 to 500 ft. above the valleys. South
Hill, in the s. w. corner, is the principal elevation. The central and northern parts are level or
moderately hilly. The streams from the center flow s. into the Tioughnioga, and those upon the
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one of them stood an oak tree 4 ft. m diameter. These works
were each situated near a living spring of water. The remains
of various articles found here seem to indicate that these forti¬
fications were known to the French.
8 The channel of this river at Jacks Reefs has been deepened
hy the State, for the purpose of draining the Cayuga marshes.
The work was commenced in 1854 and finished in 1857, under
the superintendence of Hon. George Geddes. More than 200,000
yards of rock cutting were removed, and the marshes were
drained as far west as Musquito Point. The cost was $156,000.
(— years previous to this work a deep channel was excavated
for a distance of — mi., near Oswego River, at an expense of
about $100,000.)
1° Founded in 1839. hy Nathan Munro, who left it an endow¬
ment of $20,000. The building—among tho finest in the State
—is of brick, faced with browhstone, and has accommodations
for 300 pupils. The school is well sustained.
11 The old elm tree under which Mr. Buck and family took
shelter before their house was built is still standing, a little w.
of the house of Col. John Munro. Among the other early
settlers were Robert Fulton, James Strong, Col. Chandler, Dr.
Pickard, Potter, Jas. Wiesner, Wm. Stevens, Dr. John Fris-
bie, Zenas and Aaron Wright, Martin Ticliner, Reynolds Corey,
Isaac Smith, Jonathan Rowley, Jonathan Babcock, Moses Car¬
penter, Squire Munro, Ezra and John Brackett, and Joseph and
Aaron Colman. John Healy taught the first school, in 1801;
Josiah Buck kept the first inn, in 1793; Wm. Stevens kept the
first store and built the first sawmill, in 1797; and Isaac Strong
the first gristmill, in 1798.
42 The census reports 8 churches in town; 3 M. B., 2 Bap,
Cong, Presb., and Prot. E.
13 The town at first embraced the military townships of Fabius
and Tully, each 10 mi. square. The s. half of the township of
Fabius was erected into the town of Truxton, and now consti¬
tutes the n. part of Truxton and Cuyler. |
1
Called by the Indians Kai-yah-Kooh, signifying “satisfied
■with tobacco.” Tradition says that an Indian woman once lost
her child here in a marvelous manner, and that she was informed
by a spirit that the child would he safe if she would annually
cast a quantity of tobacco upon this pond. The custom con¬
tinued until the advent of the whites; and hence the name. The
water of the lake is pure upon the surface, but strongly im¬
pregnated with sulphur below. The water is about 60 ft.
deep.—Clark's Onondaga.
2
In the vicinity of this latter lake two caves have been dis¬
covered and explored for several rods under ground. The caves
and sinks in which the lakes are situated are evidently formed
by the dissolving of the underlying rocks by the action of
water.
3
The principal manufactures are waterlime and plaster.
4
The Orville (navigable) feeder of the Erie Canal and the S. B.
5
In' the w. part of the town, at the time of the first settle¬
6
first discovered, the embankments were 3 feet high; and upon
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