The Story of Cooperstown   By: Ralph Birdsall (1871-1918)

[Illustration: Joseph B. Slote

COOPERSTOWN FROM THE NORTHWEST]

THE STORY OF COOPERSTOWN

BY

RALPH BIRDSALL

Rector of Christ Church

With Sixty eight Illustrations from Photographs

NEW YORK, CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, 1925

Copyright, 1917, by RALPH BIRDSALL

First printing, July, 1917 Second printing, December, 1917 Third printing, August, 1920 Fourth printing, August, 1925

Printed in the United States of America

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