Essay of Rome in 1858

A resident of this city has in his possession the essays of tow school girls of Rome written half a century ago.  They are descriptive of two of the principal residence streets of Rome as they were fifty years ago, and show that great changes have occurred in that period.  All the householders mentioned have passed away and in very few instances do any of their descendants occupy the homes that their progenitors lived in when these compositions were written.  The little old school
house mentioned in the first essay stood where the residence of J. D. Archer is now located, No. 312 N. Washington street.  The school house noted in the second essay is the present brick building on W. Liberty street.

The first essay entitled A School Girl’s Description of Washington Street in 1853, follows:

I will try to give you a minute description of Washington street.  It commences down at the railroad and ends up at Bloomfield.  On the west side are residences of Mr. Sott, Mr. Dean’s shop, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Denison, Mr. Brown, Mr. Lawton, Mr. Amidon, Mr. Watson, the Universalist Church, Mr. Bicknell, Mr. Grosvenor, Mr. Mudge, the Welsh Church, Mr. Hayden, Mr. Brainerd, Rev. H. C. Vogel, Mr. Utley, Brayton, Mr. Langford, Mr. Giles, Mr. Kellogg, Mr. Kenyon, Rev. Mr. Knox, Mr.
Griswold.  On the east side are residences of Mr. Pomeroy, Mr. Comstock, the Episcopal Church, Rev. Mr. Whipple, Dr. Blair, William Tibbitts, Engine House No. 2, Mr. Calver, Mr. Walker, Mr. Shelley, Henry Tibbitts, Mr. Scovil, Mr. Stimpson, Mr. Servey, Mr. Woutz.  Next is the little old school house, remembered by most of us.  Even our teacher must have some faint recollections of it.  Adjoining that is Mr. Carpenter’s, then Mr. Moulton’s, Mr. Buck’s, Mr. Barton’s, Mr. Leffinwell’s
Rev. Mr. Eddy’s, Mr. Kingsbury’s, Mr. Veazie’s, Mr. Walker’s, Mr. Humphrey’s, Mr. Goodwin’s, Mr. Stimpson’s, Mr. William’s, Mr. Perkins’s, Mr. Pettit’s, Mr. Smith’s, Mr. Pratt’s, Mr. Avery’s, and last of all the burying ground.  The streets are lit with gas but their lamps are like angel’s visits, few and far between.  There are maple trees on either side of the walk, which, in a few years, will add greatly to the improvement of the village.

The second is a school girl’s description of Liberty street fifty years ago:

Liberty street commences at Spring street and ends at Brown’s Tavern.  There are many pleasant buildings on this street, occupied by the following families:  On the south, Mr. Stryker, Mr. Cole, Mr. Prince, Mr. Wright, Mr. Gage, Mr. Walsworth, Mr. Doty, Mrs. Armstrong, Mr. Huntington, Mr. Comstock, the Universalist Church, Mr. Taft, Miss Robbins, Mr. Alexander, Elon Comstock, Mr. Foot, Mr. Elmer, Mr. Parker, Mr. Stimpson, Mr. Hungerford, and then comes our school house, in which there are four large departments and four smaller recitation rooms.  On the north side are Mr. Jones, Mr. Matteson, Mr. Ferguson, Mr. Wright, Engine House No. 3, Mr. McClure, Mr. Wheeler, Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Button, Mr. Leonard, Mr. Hill, the Episcopal Church, Mr. Bicknell, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Matteson, Mr. Tibbitts, Mr. Sheldon, Miss Mudge, Mr. Bloss, Mr. Beach.  I believe this is all there is as far as the school house.  We have gas lamps on this street also, which greatly enhance the darkness.

Memory Jogged by School Girls Essay

Rome Sentinel
January 9, 1903

I was much interested in reading the essays of the school girls of 50 years ago, as published in the Sentinel, said ex-Chief of Police Thomas Byrnes.

Quite a number of important things happened here fifty years ago.  For one, the construction of the Ogdensburg, Clayton & Rome Railroad was begun.  The project ended in failure and the village of Rome staggered under a burden of taxation for years.

Fifty years ago Putnam’s Tavern, on the southeast corner of James and Dominick streets, was torn down.  It was kept by Horace Putnam, father of Prosper R. Putnam of this city.  It was a two and one-half story frame building and stood right on the corner.  On S. James street about where the Rome Savings Bank and James H. Searles office are, was the barn of the Putnam Tavern, an old wooden building.  Right in he middle of the sidewalk in front of the barn was an old-fashioned wooden pump, such as But Gilbert, an old-time Roman, used to make.  He bored out pump legs and made pumps.  Zaccheus Hill and his brothers, Henry and William, bought the present Saulpaugh four story brown stone and brick block.  It was then called the Hill block, and the Hill brothers first occupied the store with a dry goods stock.  Later another dry goods concern did business in this store.  It was thence called the New York Store, and the first lady clerk ever known in Rome was employed there.  She was Miss Julia Masterson.  She is married and living in Carthage.  I do not know her present name.

Fifty years ago Abner B. Blair was police justice, Billy Henderson was police constable, and did all the police business. Abram C. Wilds was constable and did about all the civil business.  All were Democrats.  Henderson continued as police constable till the spring of 1858 when the Republicans ran Frank Fish, a son-in-law of A. C. Wilds, and he defeated Henderson.  he was succeeded by Ed. Conley, a Democrat, who held the position two or three years.  The Democrats got into a scrap at their caucus and Thomas C. Wilds beat Conley for the nomination.  The Republicans ran John Schillner, a brother of City Engineer and the late Michael Schillner, who defeated Wilds at the polls.  The next police constable was David W. Healt, who held the position till Rome became a city, in 1870.  He was appointed the first chief of police under the city administration.  Mr. Healt is still living in Rome and is in very good health.  He is in the enjoyment of all his faculties except his eyesight, which is very poor, owing to inflammation.

Another event occurred fifty years ago, of which I have a clear recollection.  I ran away and went driving on the canal.  Two other boys went with me, but they became homesick and returned in about a week.  I was sick enough of the job, too, but I stuck it through, over seven months, and came home with a new suit of clothes and my summer’s wages.  This is not for publication, though.

I also notice that “an old Roman” writing from Elkhart, Ind. says that William H. Carswell was hanged here in 1868.  This is incorrect: the execution took place in 1869.