The first town meeting was held at the hotel of Jacob Beringer, May 15, 1849, at which the following officers were elected: Frederick A. Folger, supervisor; John W. Little, town clerk; W. H. Webb, superintendent of schools; Jacob Beringer, Augustus Awberton, and Barney W. Payne, justices of the peace; E. Clement, collector; John H. Lawton and Adam A. Gray, assessors, Buel Fuller, commissioner of highways; Francis A. Cross, overseer of the poor.

In 1880 Cape Vincent had a population of 3,143. The town is situated in the third school district of Jefferson County, and in 1889 had 16 school districts, in which 20 teachers were employed 28 weeks or more. There were 726 scholars attending school, while the aggregate days attendance during the year was 64,310. The total value of school buildings and sites was $11,360, and the assessed valuation of all the districts was $1,816,705. The whole amount raised for school purposes was $6,432.27, $3,904.80 of which was receved (sic) by local tax. Charles E. Whitney was school commissioner.

CAPE VINCENT village is pleasantly located on the St. Lawrence River, and is the most important village in this town. It is the terminus of the Cape branch of the R., W. & O. Railroad, and is connected with the lower river towns, and with Kingston, Ont., by steamboat. The village was incorporated April 14, 1853, with a population of 1,218 within the proposed limits, or 312-1/2 acres. It now contains a weekly newspaper, four churches (Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic), two large seed houses, a brewery, planing-mill, grist-mill, a grain elevator, six hotels, one large lumber yard, the usual number of stores and business houses, and a population of 1,700. It is popular and healthful as a watering-place, and many illustrious personages sojourn here during the summer months. The custom-house district of Cape Vincent was organized in 1818. Previous to this date Cape Vincent was only a port of entry in charge of a deputy, with Sackets Harbor as the headquarters. It is now the point where the chief officer is stationed, and comprises the entire coast of Jefferson County, Sackets Harbor having been consolidated with the Cape Vincent district March 3, 1863. The first collector was John B. Esselstyne; the present one is Henry E. Morse. Before the completion of the railroad the greatest amount of business was done in the winter.

ST. LAWRENCE (p. o.) is a village of considerable local business in the midst of a good-farming region. It has a hotel, church, and several shops, and is located in the extreme eastern part of the town.

MILLEN’S BAY (River View p. o.) is pleasantly situated on the river about six miles below Cape Vincent, and was named after one of the early settlers. The postoffice here was discontinued for a time, but has recently been reestablished. The hamlet containes (sic) a union church, hotel, and a few dwellings.

ROSIERE is a postoffice and station on the R., W. & O. Railroad. It is quite a thriving hamlet, and contains a Catholic Church, a store, and a small number of dwellings.

FRENCH SETTLEMENT is the name given to a locality near the central part of the town. It was originally settled by Americans, who gradually disposed of their lands to a French colony which was induced to come to this town through the influence of Mr. Le Ray. After the French a company of Germans appeared and made themselves neighbors. The colonies were both Roman Catholics in faith, and for many years the services were conducted in both languages.

The A. B. Cleveland Company (Limited), located in Cape Vincent village, was established in 1879 by Artie B. Cleveland. In 1887 a large addition to the buildings was erected to accommodate a vegetable canning department, and for the preparation of garden and field seeds, and for wholesale and retail trade. The establishment has a capacity for handling annually 100,000 bushels of vegetables, and cans about 1,000,000 cans of peas, beans, corn, and tomatoes. The establishment is one of the largest of its kind in the United States. It is now under the management of Jordon, Thurber & Gallandet, trustees, and Henry T. Hopkins is superintendent.

Howard & Underhill recently established a seed house on Broadway, in Cape Vincent village. They do a flourishing business and their seeds maintain an excellent reputation.

The St. Lawrence Hotel is a magnificent brick structure occupying a position in the center of Cape Vincent village. It was erected in 1884, by H. J. Crevalin, at a cost of about $100,000, and was subsequently sold to satisfy several mortgages and liens against the property. In 1887 Edwin D. Fox purchased the property and is the present proprietor. It will comfortably accommodate 300 guests, and is one of the most popular of the river hotels.

R. S. Scobell’s brewery, at Cape Vincent village, was built by the present proprietor in 1852. It has an annual capacity of 6,000 barrels.

Louis Cornaire’s cheese factory, located on road 24, in the eastern part of the town, was built by the present proprietor in 1883 at a cost of $1,500. Mr. Cornaire manufactures annually about 60,000 pounds of cheese.

Peter Fraley’s saw, shingle, and grist-mill, located on road 51, was built by the present proprietor in 1886. He does a thriving local business.

This town is the oldest in settlement in the county, Carleton Island having been occupied by a British fort for a long period before the adjacent country had been purchased and colonized. The island was reserved by the state in their cession to Macomb. A military bounty, or class-right, was issued to William Richardson, a sergeant in the New York line of the Revolutionary war. Matthew Watson and William Guilland became the purchasers of this right, and on the 2d of October, 1786, located the same on Carleton Island, generally. The land commissioners sanctioned this location, but inserted the condition that it should be void if the island, in the division, should fall to Canada. Guilland sold his right to Watson, who died leaving three children, John, Margaret, and Jane, two of whom (John and Jane) died without issue, leaving their sister Margaret their heir-at-law, who married one Jacob Ten Broeck, and these sold their right to Charles Smyth. The matter of this sale and title was brought to the notice of the state legislature in 1821, when it was found that the title to the land covered by the military bounty was not good. The British held the island when Richardson sold his right, and continued to hold it till it was surrendered, at the commencement of the War of 1812. By special legislation the title was made a legal one, and on March 2, 1821, an act was passed directing a patent to be issued for the amount of land designated as the original military bounty. This was 500 acres on the west end of the island. In 1823 F. R. Hasler made a survey of Carleton Island and reported an area of 1,274 acres. At the time of this survey there was about 30 acres of old improved land near the south shore, called the “King’s garden.”

In 1823 Grenadier Island was surveyed and the area put down as 1,290 acres. In 1803 Samuel English and Hezekiah Barret petitioned the legislature of New York for the grant of Genadier Island, which they evidently supposed belonged to the state, and which they proposed to settle within 12 months after such grant was made; but no good title could be given until the national boundary line had been agreed upon. This was done in 1819, and the islands were patented soon after. John Mitchel was probably the first settler here. There is good reason to believe that the island was visited by French explorers more than 100 years before the settlement of the county. La Salle and Count Fontenac undoubtedly visited this island. In 1813 General Wilkinson, with several thousand men, started out from Sackets Harbor with the ultimate purpose of capturing Montreal. It was the intention of this army, fully equipped with heavy and light artillery, to rendezvous at Grenadier Island. They started out about dusk, with flags and banners waving, all filled with confidence in the success of the expedition--full of enthusiasm, it is said, and bad whisky. All went well until a little after midnight, when a storm arose which completely wrecked the fleet of scows, batteaux, sail-boats, etc., in which the army was embarked, and it was four days before all the survivors reached Basin Harbor, with an immense loss of ammunition and supplies. Some of the boats were driven to Wolf Island, some to Chaumont Bay, and others stood off for Kingston after working out into the lake. On the way to Cape Vincent from Grenadier, General Wilkinson encountered similar difficulties. He had a small fight with the British near Clayton, and again encountered the enemy below Ogdensburg. And then she was left of the flotilla went into winter quarters on the banks of the Salmon River. On account of the mismanagement of this expedition General Wilkinson was court-martialed and removed from command.

No spot in this vicinity has excited more historical curiosity than the head of Carleton Island, where now can be seen the conspicuous ruins of the old fort--Fort Halidmand. At the head of the island are two land-locked bays, with a depth of water sufficient to accommodate large vessels, and beyond is a low peninsula. On the high bluff overlooking the river is the ancient fortification, which, at the time of its completion, was a first-class work. Five of the massive stone chimneys are still standing, and deep excavations in the rock, probably used for magazines or secret storage, are very noticeable. It overlooked the little peninsula and the two harbors below, and effectually commanded both the channels of the St. Lawrence lying south of Wolf Island. The gorge, or rear wall, was mostly formed by the high cliff at its base, which, for about one-half of its length, hangs nearly perpendicular over the waters of the north bay. Excavations at the base of the first shoulder of the cliff would seem to indicate magazines or store-rooms, though the main magazine was located a little north of the center of the work. The front, looking towards the main land of the island, was defended by a somewhat irregular line of earth-works, with a solid parapet having three unequal faces, with a strong bastion on each face, calculated for four guns, and there were guns mounted at intervals between the bastions. The ditch was excavated through rock to a depth of six feet. A zigzag wall, built of stone taken from the ditch, ran along the front, parallel to and distant from the outer wall of the ditch about 30 feet, and the glacis was formed of debris of the ditch filled in beyond, making the approach of an enemy exceedingly difficult, the whole glacis and ditch being under direct fire from the guns of the parapet. The quarters appear to have been built along three sides of a parallelogram, and a low wall of loose stone inclosed the space between on the south and east sides of the quadrangle. Originally there were about 15 buildings within the work, as indicated by the immense chimneys, five only of which remain standing. These chimneys were very solidly constructed of hammered stone, and were about six feet square at the base and 20 feet high. Most, if not all, of the chimneys were constructed with two fire-places, and in opposite faces, with double flues. There were two gateways, one near each extremity, on the north and south, connecting with roads leading down to the landings. The lime-kiln used in manufacturing the lime with which the chimneys were constructed was on the plain near the water’s edge, and can be seen yet. The fort, including the ditch, probably covered an area of from eight to 10 acres, and could accommodate a garrison of 500 men. It was according to the system of Vauban, and must have cost an immense sum. The cemetery was on the plain east of the works, but very little remains of the head-stones at the present day. The relics found in and around the works consist of buttons, coins, tomahawks, flints, etc. Pieces of wrecked vessels are distinguished, on a still day, at the bottom of the river in the north bay. There is a sunken dock on the west side, and some little distance in the rear are the broken and almost obliterated graves of the soldiers’ cemetery. When Charles Smyth obtained possession of the island, about 1820, many of the burial-places were still marked by carved oaken pieces of wood, but when Dr. Hough published his History of Jefferson County, 1854, he found only one grave that was indicated by a head-stone, on which was the following: “J. Farrar, D. 23 by. 1792.” The oldest coin ever found was dated 1696.

There has always been considerable doubt whether the French or English built the fort, but in the history of Carleton Island and the Old Fort recently published by Major J. H. Durham, of Cape Vincent, is a letter written October 14, 1778, by Gen. Sir Frederick Haldimand, who succeeded Sir Guy Carleton in command of His Majesty’s forces in Canada, which proves conclusively that the fort was built by the English in that year. In his letter to his commander in England he says he has sent several officers and their companies of soldiers to establish a “post at the entrance of Lake Ontario, to serve the purpose of a safe place for the traders to send their goods to, which go from Montreal in boats, till the king’s vessels, now the only craft allowed to navigate the lakes, can be spared from the more urgent services to transport them to Niagara, a secure harbor for these vessels, and a defense against the enterprises of the rebels upon this province by that great avenue into it.” He also writes that he has sent an officer to build gunboats, and says: “The place pitched upon by these gentlemen, after having been carefully examined, is an island about 12 miles below the entrance of Lake Ontario, having Grand Isle (now Wolfe) on one side, from which it is divided by a channel of something less than a mile, and the south continent on the other, at a distance of one mile and a quarter from it.” He also states “the name of Carleton Island is now given to this in question. Very favorable ground for fortifying, commanding a commodious and safe harbor which the island possesses at the upper end of it looking toward the lake, induced the gentlemen sent on this service to fix upon this spot, where a fort is begun, and barracks are building for the troops, and the place will be in a tolerable state of defense and habitation by the winter.” As will be seen by this letter, there is no longer any doubt who built the fort or when it was built. It was named Fort Haldimand, after the general who ordered it constructed.

In 1796 Fort Haldimand was defended by a small British guard and six pieces of cannon. In 1812, as soon as the news reached Cape Vincent that a second war had been declared against Great Britain by the American Congress, Abner Hubbard, and old Revolutionary soldier living at Millen’s Bay, authorized himself and several of his neighbors to capture the fort. They crossed over the river in the night and demanded its surrender. Two women and three invalid men surrendered. The following day the fort was destroyed and the prisoners taken to Sackets Harbor. Immediately adjoining the ruins of the old fort, and lying clear across the head of the island from shore to shore, a plot of ground of more than 100 acres has been surveyed, and a park laid out. Messrs. Folger and Hance, the present owners, contemplate the erection of a large hotel, and the locality once the scene of warlike preparations against Fort Stanwix, Cherry Valley, and Fort Edward, and the meetings of the mighty Iroquois chiefs who here assembled thier (sic) followers and prepared for their sanguinary raids, will give place to the beauties and pleasures of a summer resort among the Thousand Islands.

The earliest settlement on the main land in this town was made by Abijah Putnam, from Rome, who, in 1801, located two miles below the present village of Cape Vincent, at a place known as “Port Putnam,” where he established the first ferry to Wolf Island. He was sent there for the purpose by Jacob Brown, the land agent of Le Ray. One Samuel Cone settled on the opposite shore of the island at the same time. In 1803 the State road was extended from Brownville to this place, and cut out and partly worked in the winter of 1803-04. In 1804 John Macombs and Peter Sternberg purchased Putnam’s interest, laid out the plan of a village, and sold a few lots. In May, 1803, John B. Esselstyn settled three miles below the present village of Cape Vincent. Daniel Spinning came in 1804, and soon after two families by the name of Smith Jonathan Cummings, _______Sheldon, and others located near the place. In 1806 Richard M. Esselstyn settled near Putnam’s ferry with his brother. In the summer of 1809 Elmer Kelsey came to the present village of Cape Vincent, and cleared for Mr. Le Ray, the proprietor, a tract of 50 acres, erected a wharf, block, dwelling house and tavern, a frame barn, etc., and the same season Richard M. Esselstyn built a house and store, and commenced trade with John B., under the firm name of J. B. & R. M. Esselstyn. Dr. Avery Ainsworth, the first physician to settle in this part of the county, came from Vermont, in 1809, and the same year built a house and store here. Mr. Le Ray, from an early period, designed Cape Vincent, or “Gravelly Point,” as it was sometimes called by the pioneers, as the site of a village, and in 1811 a mile square was surveyed and lotted by Musgrove Evans, one of the surveyors employed by Le Ray.

In 1809 an extensive lumbering business was commenced in this town, which gave employment to many men and brought a transient population to the place. A large business was done in importing staves in 1810, and also the building of arks for the Montreal trade, which was continued in 1811. The War of 1812 necessitated the discontinuance of this business, and the lumber on hand was mostly used as fuel by Wilkinson’s army. The business was not continued until the close of the war. The news of the war spread terror throughout the settlement, and this point being nearest to Kingston was considered of much importance by General Brown, upon whom the care of the early military operations of this place was laid. Capt. Farrar had been stationed here with a small company of militia to enforce the embargo laid in 1812.

A few days after war had been declared, but before the news was received, the Niagara and Ontario, schooners, laden with flour and potash, from Queenstown to Brockville, were seized by Mr. Elijah Fields, Jr., deputy collector at Cape Vincent, and taken to Sackets Harbor, where, after an investigation, the Niagara was condemned and sold, and the Ontario was released.

During the war, this being the most exposed point on the whole frontier, and one of the few places then inhabited on the river, it became the scene of adventures that attrcted notice at the time. On one occasion, probably in the summer of 1813, a man by the name of Draper, who belonged to Capt. Getman’s company, obtained permission from Col. Dodge, of Sackets Harbor, to raise a party of volunteers from the company, to dislodge a party of Indians that had been discovered lurking on Wolf Island. A gunboat, under Capt. Hawkins, having touched t the Cape, agreed to take them over, but not to take part in the affair. As the boat approached a gun was fired which put the Indians to flight. They wer pursued about a mile, when Draper carelessly exposed himself to the shots of the enemy and was killed. Two others were slightly wounded, when the party hastily returned.

A little before the attack on Sackets Harbor a British gunboat touched at Cape Vincent in the night, and a part of the crew, having heard of the presence of three dragoons, who had put up for the night from Sackets Harbor, resolved upon their capture. One of the dragoons, named Moore, who was an accomplished fencer, retreated to a corner of the room and kept off his assailants so effectually that, finding it impossible to take him alive, they shot him, a most cowardly act and one unworthy of a true soldier. His comrades escaped. Two weeks later another visit was made, a store plundered, and temporary barracks burned. Subsequent visits for plunder followed, and many of the inhabitants sought a less exposed situation.

The Royal George, a British war ship of 24 guns and three masts, once stopped at Cape Vincent, but withdrew without making any demonstration. Major Esselstyn was taken prisoner near Chaumont, August 23, 1813, was removed to Canada, and two weeks later was exchanged for a British officer of equal rank.

The Patriot movement in 1838, when a number of deluded persons of the United States and Canada organized for the purpose of freeing Canada from British rule, caused considerable excitement in this locality. Hunter lodges were organized, secret meetings were held, and among the initiated a mysterious sign language was used. The robbery of the arsenal at Watertown, the burning of the Sir Robert Peel near Wells Island, the memorable trip of the United States across the lake and down the river, when the Patriots gathered at Windmill Point, and the disastrous end of the expedition are matters of historical interest previously mentioned in the County Chapter. Daniel George, one of the patriots who suffered the death penalty, was a resident of Cape Vincent village.

During the civil war Cape Vincent contributed her full quotas. The quota under the call of October 17, 1863, was 44; under that of February 1, 1864, it was 0; March 14, 28; July 18, 50; December 19, 40. At a meeting of the citizens held August 6, 1862, a permanent war committee was appointed, which continued till 1865. In February, 1865, the committee reported that $235.85 still remained in its hands unexpended, of the moneys raised to pay bounties, which was used by the committee in providing for the families of volunteers. At a special town meeting held January 12, 1864, it was voted (263 for and 52 against) to tax the town sufficiently to pay a bounty of $300 to each person who should thereafter volunteer into the service of the United States and be credited to Cape Vincent. Previous to the appointment of this war committee the volunteers received little or no bounty, although small sums were given them by individuals as they left home, and they went under the stimulation of a patriotism that no one could lay to the charge of greenbacks. Through the efforts of the women of the town several hundred dollars were raised for the purpose of establishing a “Soldier’s Relief Fund.” Several cows and sheep were donated for the benefit of this relief fund, and on the occasion of festivals given by the ladies were sold.

Previous to 1816 the settlements in the town were limited to a few points on the river; but about this time the country around about began to be taken up, new roads were opened, and the country rapidly advanced in population. About this time several educated and accomplished French families located here, among whom, in 1818, was Peter Francis Real, known in European history as Count Real, the chief of police under Napoleon. The political changes in France, in a few years, recalled many celebrated exiles who had adhered to the fortunes of Napoleon, and fled from the disasters which overtook that dynasty, among whom were Count Real and others who had made this country their home. At about the same time Mr. F. R. Hasler, the eminent philosopher and engineer, having become interested in real estate in this place, came here to reside with his family, and planned the establishment of a Normal school, which he never perfected. The village was a favorite resort of Mr. Le Ray, and he was often accompanied by eminent foreigners, who never visited the county without becoming his guests, and sharing that refined hospitality which he knew so well how to bestow. The first visit of Le Ray to this place was in 1803, and was attended with the following incident, the account of which we take from Hough’s History of Jefferson County: --

“He was accompanied by Gouverneur Morris, and after visiting Brownville they took an open boat to continue their journey, as Mr. Morris had a wooden leg, and could not conveniently travel in the woods by the rude means of communication which the country then afforded, and he was moreover very partial to sailing, and claimed to be especially skillful in managing water craft. On passing Cherry Island Mr. Morris observed that there must be fine fishing there, and as he had with him his French cook and culinary apparatus, he declared he would serve his friend a better fish dinner than he had ever tasted. Mr. Le Ray objected that it was getting late and cloudy, and they had a great ways to run before reaching Putnam’s, the first settlement on the shore. Nothing would do; Mr. Morris was as fond of good cheer as of sailing, and they stopped. They had good fishing, and a capital dinner; but it was late before they set sail again and dark before they reached the St. Lawrence, and they were obliged to stop at Gravelly Point, two miles above Putnam’s, where they pitched their tent and went to bed, for they had all the necessary implements. In the middle of the night a fire built before the tent set it in flames; Mr. Morris, thus unseasonably disturbed, felt all around for his wooden leg, but was obliged to flee without it. The exposure to wind and rain produced in Mr. Le Ray a violent illness, and he with difficulty returned to Brownville. Dr. Kirkpatrick was summoned from Rome and attended him through a long an dangerous fever.”

The first grist-mill in the town was built on Kent’s Creek. Previous to its erection the early settlers were obliged to have their grain ground at Chaumont, and it was not an uncommon feat for the hardy pioneers to shoulder a bushel of corn and carry it to Chaumont, and bring home their meal in the same manner.

The First Presbyterian Church, located at Cape Vincent village, was organized by its first pastor, Rev. Jedediah Burchard, in 1832, with 22 members. Their house of worship, which will comfortably seat 300 persons, was built in 1840, at a cost of $2,000, and is now valued, including grounds and other property, at $5,000. It now has a membership of 80, and Rev. James W. Hilman is the pastor. The Sunday-school has 14 teachers and 100 scholars.

St.John’s Church (Episcopal), located on Market street in the village of Cape Vincent, was organized January 25, 1841, by Rev. John Noble, Messrs. Otis P. Starkey, Richard Townsend, William Deny (sic), Nelson B. Williams, Robert Moore, Robert Bartlett, and Judah T. Ainsworth. Rev. John Noble was the first rector. Their house of worship is a wood structure, will comfortably seat 194 persons, and was erected in 1841 at a cost of about $3,000. The present value of church property, including buildings and grounds, is $6,500. The present membership is 69 families, with 103 communicants, and Rev. Samuel W. Strowger is the rector. The Sunday-school consists of 65 scholars and eight teachers.

The Methodist Episcopal Church, of Cape Vincent village, was organized October 14, 1851, with 55 members, and Rev. William Jones was the first pastor. Their house of worship, a wooden building capable of seating 250 persons, was built in 1853 at a cost of $2,000. The present value of the church property, including grounds and buildings, is about $6,000. The present membership is 67, under the pastoral charge of Rev. Harry B. Fritts. The Sunday-school has seven teachers and 60 scholar.

St. Vincent de Paul’s Church (Catholic), located at Cape Vincent village, was organized in 1850, under the direction of a French missionary. Their church building was built of stone in 1850, will comfortably seat 500 persons, and cost $5,000, about its present value. Rev. William S. Kelley is the present pastor. The Sunday-school has a membership of 10 teachers and 90 scholars.

The union church at Millen’s Bay was erected for the use of the Protestant Episcopalians and the Episcopal Methodists. The Episcopalians are considered as being members of the St. John’s Church at Cape Vincent village, and the services are held at Millen’s Bay for the accommodation of the members in that part of the town. The Methodists around Millen’s Bay are considered as members of the M. E. Church, at St. Lawrence village. These two societies occupy the church on alternate Sundays. Their house of worship, a wooden structure, was commenced in 1869 and finished in 1871, costing $2,700. It will seat about 200 persons. The present value of church property, including grounds, etc., is $3,000. Rev. S. W. Stowger conducts the Episcopal services, and Rev. A. Thompson the Methodist.

The Methodist Episcopal Church at St. Lawrence village was organized by David Aylesworth, the first pastor, in 1850. Their first church building, a wooden structure, was erected in 1850 at a cost of $2,000, and is now valued, including grounds and other church property, at $2,500. It will seat about 250 persons. The present membership is 50, and Rev. Arthur Thompson is pastor. The Sunday-school has 11 teachers and 50 scholars.

The Roman Catholic Church, located at Rosier village, was organized by Michael Gaith, the first pastor, in 1830, the society at that time consisting of 20 families. Their first house of worship, a stone structure, was built in 1830 by James Le Ray, who also presented the society with 100 acres of land. The present beautiful church was erected in 1879, of wood. It will comfortably seat 800 persons, under the pastoral charge of Rev. William S. Kelley. The Sunday-school has a membership of 15 teachers and 150 scholars. Rev. Michael Gaith, their first missionary priest, for many years labored among those of the Roman Catholic faith in this new country, and did much by word and deed to lighten the burdens of pioneer life. Rev. Father Kelley was born in Keeseville, N. Y., in 1854. He was educated in Montreal, Canada, and was ordained a priest in September, 1878.

END OF HISTORY OF TOWN OF CAPE VINCENT.

Note: The Family Sketches followed. Those may be viewed by going to Nan Dixon's Website - Town of Cape Vincent