Chapter I: Foreword

The ensuing narrative is a faithful record of life in Cooperstown from the earliest times, except that the persons and events to be described have been selected for their story-interest, to the exclusion of much that a history is expected to contain. The dull thread of village history has been followed only in such directions as served for stringing upon it and holding to the light the more shining gems of incident and personality to which it led. Trivial happenings have been included for the sake of some quaint, picturesque, or romantic quality. Much of importance has been omitted that declined to yield to such treatment as the writer had in view. The effort has been made to exclude everything that seemed unlikely to be of interest to the general reader. Those who seek family records, or the mention of all names worthy to be recorded in the history of the village, will find the book wanting.

The local history has been already three times recorded, first in 1838 by Fenimore Cooper, whose work was brought down to date by S. T. Livermore in 1863, and by Samuel M. Shaw in 1886. While now out of print many copies of these books are still accessible.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. THE INDIANS 1

II. THE COMING OF THE WHITE MEN 26

III. A BYPATH OF THE REVOLUTION 51

IV. THE BEGINNING OF THE SETTLEMENT 74

V. A VILLAGE IN THE MAKING 89

VI. OLD-TIME LOVE AND RELIGION 109

VII. HOMES AND GOSSIP OF OTHER DAYS 130

VIII. THE PIONEER COURT ROOM 150

IX. FATHER NASH 163

X. THE IMMORTAL NATTY BUMPPO 174

XI. STRANGE TALES OF THE GALLOWS 192

XII. SOLID SURVIVALS 211

XIII. THE BIRTHPLACE OF BASE BALL 247

XIV. FENIMORE COOPER IN THE VILLAGE 258

XV. MR. JUSTICE NELSON 299

XVI. CHRIST CHURCHYARD 326

XVII. FROM APPLE HILL TO FERNLEIGH 339

XVIII. THE LAKE OF ROMANCE AND FISHERMEN 364

XIX. TWENTIETH CENTURY BEGINNINGS 393

VILLAGE MAP AND GUIDE 432

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE
COOPERSTOWN, from the northwest _Joseph B. Slote_ Frontispiece

THE COOPER GROUNDS _Arthur J. Telfer_ 2

COUNCIL ROCK _Arthur J. Telfer_ 8

THE OTSEGO IROQUOIS PIPE 13

AT MILL ISLAND _Charles Frederick Zabriskie_ 21

JOSEPH BRANT, from the Romney portrait 52

SITE OF CLINTON'S DAM _A. J. Telfer_ 71

OTSEGO LAKE, from Cooperstown _A. J. Telfer_ 78

THE OLDEST HOUSE _Charles A. Schneider_ 86

WILLIAM COOPER, from the Stuart portrait 91

AVERELL COTTAGE _C. A. Schneider_ 104

THE WORTHINGTON HOMESTEAD _Forrest D. Coleman_ 110

CHRIST CHURCH _A. J. Telfer_ 127

THE HOUSE AT LAKELANDS, as originally built 131

MRS. WILSON 133

LAKELANDS _C. A. Schneider_ 137

POMEROY PLACE _J. Patzig_ 141

AMBROSE L. JORDAN 151

JORDAN'S HOME, AND HIS LAW OFFICE _C. A. Schneider_ 156

THE HOME OF ROBERT CAMPBELL _J. B. Slote_ 158

FATHER NASH 171

LEATHERSTOCKING MONUMENT _A. J. Telfer_ 185

NATTY BUMPPO'S CAVE _C. A. Schneider_ 188

RIVERBRINK _C. A. Schneider_ 193

EDGEWATER _A. J. Telfer_ 212

RESIDENCE OF W. H. AVERELL AND JUDGE
PRENTISS _C. A. Schneider_ 221

WOODSIDE HALL _Forrest D. Coleman_ 226

THE GATE-TOWER AT WOODSIDE _Walter C. Stokes_ 228

SWANSWICK _A. J. Telfer_ 230

SHADOW BROOK _James W. Tucker_ 233

HYDE HALL _A. J. Telfer_ 238

HYDE CLARKE, from the Emmet portrait 243

A WEDDING DAY AT HYDE _A. J. Telfer_ 246

BASE BALL ON NATIVE SOIL _A. J. Telfer_ 249

THE ORIGINAL HOUSE AT APPLE HILL (now Fernleigh) 256

FENIMORE _A. J. Telfer_ 259

OTSEGO HALL, from an old drawing 260

JAMES FENIMORE COOPER 263

THE CHALET _A. J. Telfer_ 265

THE NOVELIST'S LIBRARY, a drawing by G. Pomeroy Keese 267

A PAGE OF COOPER'S MANUSCRIPT 269

THE HOME OF NANCY WILLIAMS _C. A. Schneider_ 271

THREE-MILE POINT _A. J. Telfer_ 282

THE CALL FOR THE INDIGNATION MEETING 284

THE COOPER SCREENS IN CHRIST CHURCH _F. D. Coleman_ 293

AT FENIMORE COOPER'S GRAVE _Alice Choate_ 297

SAMUEL NELSON, LL.D. 300

THE HOME OF JUSTICE NELSON _C. A. Schneider_ 314

NELSON AVENUE _A. J. Telfer_ 320

CHRIST CHURCHYARD, from the Rectory _Alice Choate_ 327

THE COOPER PLOT, IN CHRIST
CHURCHYARD _A. J. Telfer_ 334

A FUNERAL IN CHRIST CHURCHYARD _J. B. Slote_ 337

MAIN STREET, LOOKING WEST FROM FAIR STREET, 1861 347

FERNLEIGH _A. J. Telfer_ 357

KINGFISHER TOWER _M. Antoinette Abrams_ 359

THE LAKE, FROM THE O-TE-SA-GA _J. B. Slote_ 365

FISHERMEN'S SHANTIES ON THE FROZEN
LAKE _A. J. Telfer_ 374

HOP-PICKING _Elizabeth Hudson_ 378

MAP OF OTSEGO LAKE _Henry L. Eckerson_ 381

THE SUSQUEHANNA, NEAR ITS SOURCE _A. J. Telfer_ 383

LEATHERSTOCKING FALLS _A. J. Telfer_ 387

FIVE-MILE POINT _A. J. Telfer_ 388

MOHICAN CANYON _M. Antoinette Abrams_ 389

GRAVELLY POINT _A. J. Telfer_ 391

BISHOP POTTER _A. F. Bradley_ 395

THE RECTORY _C. A. Schneider_ 396

THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY AND THE
BISHOP OF NEW YORK _A. J. Telfer_ 405

BYBERRY COTTAGE _C. A. Schneider_ 407

THE CLARK ESTATE OFFICE _A. J. Telfer_ 409

THE LYRIC AT COOPER'S GRAVE _J. B. Slote_ 420

COOPERSTOWN, FROM MOUNT VISION _A. J. Telfer_ 430

MAP OF COOPERSTOWN _H. L. Eckerson_ 432

The Story of Cooperstown