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346 HERKIMER COUNTY.
deep, narrow gorge of the Mohawk. A range of hills extends n. and s. from the village. They
are rocky and precipitous near the river, but less rugged on the n. and s. borders.1 The Mohawk
flows n. e. through near the center of the town in a series of cascades and rapids. Its banks are
rocky and in places precipitous. The soil is a sandy, gravelly loam. Little Falls, (p.v.,) in
the e. part, on the line of Manheim and Danube, was incorp. March 30, 1811. Its name was
changed to “BocJcton,” April 16,1850, and again changed to Little Falls, April 16,1852. It is an
important station on the N.Y. C.R. R. It contains D churches, a bank, 2 printing offices, the Little
Falls Academy, a union school, and a large number of manufactories.2 Pop. 3,984. JacliSOll-
burg'll, in the w., on the canal, has 206 inhabitants; and ISetliel, in the s., 1 church and 15 houses.
Fames Hollow is a p.o. Lots 12 and 13 of Burnetsfield Patent, embracing all the water¬
power n. of the river, were owned before the Revolution by Petrie. This town also embraces
portions of several other patents issued at an early period.3 The first settlements were made by
a colony of Palatinates, in 1722.* The settlers suffered much during the war, and most of them
»were driven off.4 The first settler at the village after the war was John Proteus, in 1790.5 A
great impulse was given to the business and population of the place by the construction of the
locks of the Western Navigation Co. in 1796.6 The first church was built about 1815. It was
octagonal, with a steep roof, and surmounted by a cupola. The census reports 10 churches in
town.7
MAWHEIM8—-was'formed from Palatine, (Montgomery co.,) April 7,1817, It lies on the sr.
bank of the Mohawk, upon the e. border of the co. Its surface gradually rises' from the intervales
along the Mohawk to the N. border, where it attains an elevation of 500 ft. above the river. East
Canada Creek forms its e. boundary.10 Cathatachua Creek flows s. through near the center, and
Gillett Creek flows s. E. through the n. e. corner. Upon East Canada Creek, 1 mi. above its
mouth, is a series of cascades, where the water descends 180 ft. in three-fourths of a mi. The soil
is a gravelly loam upon the upland, and a fine, fertile alluvium in the valleys. XSrocketts
DrMge, (p.v.,) upon East Canada Creek, in the n. part, contains 2 churches, a large tannery,11
gristmill, and 50 houses; and Inghams Mills, upon East Canada Creek, 3 mi. below Brock-
etts Bridge, a church and 25 houses. East Creelt (p. o.) is a hamlet and station upon the
N. Y. C. R. R., near the mouth of East Canada Creek. Manbeim Center is a p. o. The first
settlements were made by Germans, probably in about the year 1736.12 During the Revolution they
were frequently attacked by the Indians and were mostly destroyed. On' the 30th of April, 1780,
a party of 60 tories and Indians fell upon the settlements at Rheimen Snyder’s Bush, burned a grist¬
mill, and carried 19 persons into captivity.13 The. first church, built in 1774 or’75, was
burned during the war, and was rebuilt soon after. The census reports 5 churches; 2 M.E.,
2 Union, and Ref. Prot, D.
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Wm. Carr, Wm. Morales, Washington Britton, Alpbeus Park-
hurst, John Drummond, Eben Britton, and Josiah Skinner,—all
of whom came in town between 1790 and 1800.
7 These locks were planned by Roswell Weston, an English
engineer, and built under the directiou of Philip Schuyler. The
first locks, built of wood, were replaced by stone in 1804.
8 Bap., Ev. Luth., M. E., Af. Meth., Meth. Prot., Presb., Prot.
Episc., R. C., Univ., add Union.
9 Named from Manheim, in Baden, the native place of the
early settlers. The town embraces 6 lots of Glen’s Purchase, a
part of the fourth allotment of the Royal Grant, the Patents of
John VamDriessen and of Snell and Zimmerman, a part of the
patents of Rev. Peter Aran Driessen and of Vrooman, and several
minor tracts granted since the Revolution.
10 This stream was called by the Indians Ci-o-ha-na and Sag-
o-ha-ra.
n This is the largest tannery in the co. It has a capital of
$250,000, consumes 5,000 cords of bark per annum, and manu¬
factures sole leather exclusively.
72 Among the early settlers were families named Snell, Zim¬
merman, and Van Driessen. Snell was the patentee of a large
tract. Seven of the name, including several of his sons, were
killed at the battle of Oriskany. John Beardsley built the first
mill, in 1793. The first school (German) was taught by-
Kaufman.
13 A blockhouse stood at this place, and many of the inhabit¬
ants took refuge in it. Twelve of the prisoners were taken at
one house by half the number of Indians, without resistance.
Th^ captives all returned after the war, except one who died
in Canada, and one that escaped. John G. Snell, while searching
for cattle in the woods, was surprised by the Indians and shot
through the body. Ho recovered, however, and lived to an
advanced age. The town was deserted after this by all but
tories. |
1
The rocks at Little Falls are chiefly hvpersthene and gneiss,
overlaid by calciferous sandstone on the s. side of the river.
Falls Hill, s. of the village, is 518 feet above the canal, and Roll
Way Bluff, n. of the village, is little less in height. In the im¬
mediate vicinity of the village are quarries of limestone, from
which are obtained lime and a good building material. Small
caves and pot holes are numerous among the rocks near the
river. The largest of the latter is 28 feet in diameter and 37 feet
deep. The break through the mountains at this place was one
of the most formidable barriers in the construction of the Erie
Canal. The n. part of the town is covered with Utica slate, and
the s. part by the tludson River and Clinton groups.
2
Among these manufactories are 4 paper mills, turning out
$150,000 worth of paper annually; 2 woolen factories, producing
about $250,000 worth of goods annually; a stocking yarn mill,
producing goods to the amount of $30,000, aad a starch factory,
using $30,000 worth of corn, annually. Besides these are 2
flouring mills, a cotton factory, 3 large shoe manufactories, and
an extensive carriage shop.
3
This town includes a portion of the Glen Purchase of 1739;
Guy Johnson’s.Tract, granted in 1765; Vaughan’s Patent, granted
in 1770; Fall Hill Patent, granted in 1752; 6 lots of Butterfield’s
Patent, granted in 1725, and small portions of several other
patents.
4
Fox. John Petrie kept the first inn, before the Revolution. A
gristmill built on Casler Creek, in the n. part of the town, was
stockaded during the war.
5
In June, 1782, a party of tories and Indians invaded the
6
town, burned a gristmill on Furnace Creek, killed Daniel Petrie,
7
and carried away several prisoners. •
8
6 Among the first settlers after the war were Wm. Alexander,
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