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610 SCHUYLER COUNTY.
marched unmolested through the only place where successful resistance was practicable. Upon
the conclusion of peace, many of the soldiers belonging to the army returned to this region and
located upon land which had been first brought to their notice during their march against the
Indians. The first settlements in the co. were made on Catharines Creek, near the present site
of Havana, in 1788, and on the shores of Seneca Lake, in 1790. The town of Hector belonged to
the Military Tract; the towns of Catharines, Dix, and Reading, to the Watkins and Flint Pur¬
chase ; and Tyrone and Orange, to the Phelps and Gorham Purchase.
Two weekly newspapers are now published in the co.1
CATHARINES 2-—was formed from “Newtown,” (now Elmira, Chemung co.,) March 15,
1798. Catlin and Veteran (Chemung co.) were taken off in 1823. A part of Newfield (Tompkins
co.) was annexed June 4,1853, and a part was added to Cayuta, April 17,1854. It lies upon
the s., border of the co., e. of the center. Its surface is a hilly upland, broken by the deep valleys
of the streams. Catharines Creek, along the w. border, flows in a deep ravine 300 to 700 feet
below the summits of the hills. Cayuta Lake lies in the n. e. part; and its outlet, Cayuta
Creek, flows s. into the Susquehanna. The soil is principally a gravelly loam mixed with clay.
Havana, (p. v.,) upon Catharines Creek, on the line of Dix, 3 mi. from Seneca Lake, was incorp.
May 13, 1836. It contains a courthouse, jail, clerk’s office, the People’s College,2 3 churches, a
newspaper office, 3 flouring mills, and several manufacturing establishments.1 It is a canal
village and a station upon the Chemung R. R. Pop. 1,290. Odessa, (p. v.,) near the center
of the town, contains 2 churches, a gristmill, several sawmills, and 40 dwellings; and Catlia-
rlnes, (p. v.,) in the s. part, 2 churches and 25 dwellings. Alpine., (p. v.,) on the s. e. border,
and Cayuta ville, (p. o.,) on the n. e. border, are partly in this town. Silas Wolcott and -
Wilson settled at Havana in 1788.3 The first religious meeting was held at the house of Mr. P.
Bowers, by a Presbyterian minister, in 1794.® (For the new town of Montour, see p. 612.)
CAYUTA—was formed from Spencer, (Tioga co.,) March 20, 1824. Parts of Catharines and
Erin (Chemung co.) were annexed in 1854. The town was transferred from Tioga to Tompkins co.
March 22, 1822. It is the s. e. corner town in the co. Its surface is a hilly upland. Cayuta
Creek flows s. e. through the town, in a narrow valley bordered by steep hillsides 300 to 600 ft. high.
The soil is a clayey and gravelly loam. Cayuta (West Cayuta p. o.) contains 15 dwellings;
Alpine, (p.v.,) on the sr. line of the town, a flouring mill, sawmill, chair factory, and 25
dwellings.. The first settlement was made in the valley of the Cayuta, near West Cayuta, in
1801, by Capt. Gabriel Ogden, Rev. David Janes, and Jos. Thomas,—the first two from Tioga co.,
and the last from Athens, Penn.4 The first religious services were held by Rev. Mr. Janes,
(Bap.,) at his own house, in 1802. No churches are reported.
1 The Tioga Patriot was started at Havana in June, 1828, by
L. B. and S. Butler, and was continued a short time.
The Havana Observer was started in 1830 by P. W. Bitter, and
was soon discontinued.
The Havana Republican was commenced in 1835 by Nelson
Colgrove. It was issued successively by Barlow Nye,
T. I. Taylor, and W. H. Ongly until 1849, when it was
changed to
Lift m The Country and Havana Republican. It was discon¬
tinued in 1850.
The Chemung Democrat was removed from Horseheads to Havana
in 1840, and to “Jefferson” (now Watkins) in 1842. Its
name was soon after changed to
The Democratic Citizen, and it was issued by J. I. Hendrix
until 1850.
The Independent Freeman was started at Watkins, June 15,1850,
by W. B. Slawson & Co.; in 1851 it was changed to
The Jefferson Eagle, and was continued a few months.
The Corona Borealis, a literary paper, was published at “Jeffer¬
son” about the same time.
Tbe Havana Journal, started Sept. 1,1849, by W. M
Potter, was transferred 1S51 to J. W. Smith, and April
16, 1853, to J. B. Look.
Tlie Watlclns Republican was established in June,
1854, by S. M. Taylor. It passed into the hands of J.
K. Averill, and afterward into those of M. Ells, by
whom it is still published.
The Schuyler County Democrat, commenced at Havana, April 25,
1855, by Averill & Baxter, was soon after discontinued,
s Named from Catharine Montour, a French woman who mar¬
ried an Indian, was adopted into the Seneca tribe, and exerted a
controlling influence among the Indians. She received a small
salary from the English Colonial Government, for many years,
on account of her influence among the Indians. She resided on
the present site of Havana, and was known as Queen Catha-
■riue. This town as first formed embraced the N. part of Tps.
1
and 4 and all of Tps. 2 and 3 of John W. Watkins’s Tract,
8 This institution was incorp. April 13, 1854, and was located
2
which has been commenced—is to be 320 by 52 feet, 4 stories
high, with a basement. At either end is a wing, 206 by 52 ft.,
3
4 2 plaster mills, 2 sawmills, a planing mill, woolen factory,
iron foundery, and tannery.
4
Havana in 1789-90. Anthony Broderick kept the first school, in
a house owned hy Phineas Bowers, in 1792-93. Silas Wolcott
kept the first inn, soon after his settlement, and Isaac Baldwin
and George Mills the first store, in 1805, at Havana. Phineas
Bowers erected the first grist and saw mills, at or near the village.
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