Book Description

Excerpt from Gazetteer of the State of New York, 1872: Embracing a Comprehensive Account of the History and Statistics of the State; With Geological and Topographical Descriptions, and Recent Statistical Tables Representing the Present Condition of Each County, City, Town, and Village in the State Eleven years have elapsed since the publication of the new york state gazetteer, by Mr. R. P. Smith, under the charge of J. H. French, at Syracuse. That work was, at the time of its publication, conceded by all to have been one of unrivalled merit, and is still, to the per son wishing to know the condition of the State in 1860, a work of great value for reference. But since that date, what vast events have transpired within the State, as well as in the Nation and the World! The great Southern Rebellion, after long years of angry discussion, and oft-repeated threats of disunion, began its wild career of desolation and death; ran its course of carnage through four long years, that will ever be remembered for their achievements of valor and their tears of sorrow, until the insurgents, exhausted and subdued, yielded an unconditional surrender, and gave effectual guarantees of future peace. In this mighty struggle New York has borne her full proportion in men and means, and among the unreturning brave are numbered many thousands of her sons. Yet her material resources have remained unimpaired, and since peace has returned, her industries have multiplied on every hand; new channels of business have been Opened, and a spirit of enterprize and progress has distinguished our career as a. State. It will be our' task to trace these changes in their generalities and in detail; to describe the State as a whole, and down through its various subdivisions to its smallest villages and hamlets presenting, as concisely and clearly as possible, their present condition and recent changes. Few persons, who have not given particular attention to the subject, have any true conception of the magnitude of these changes within the last ten years, of which four were spent in a vigorous and exhausting war. We may here notice some of the leading points of difference. Of railroads, there were men tioned in the gazetteer of 1860, 37; in 1870, there were reported 178, of which the majority were finished, and most of the others were under construction. The length then completed was miles; it is now The cost of construction and equipment, then is now and their earnings, then are now These roads have given rise to new villages, and have stimulated old ones to new vigor, while others, less favored, have declined, and their business has been transferred to other places. Since that period the Erie Canal enlargement has been completed, and the greatly. Increased capacity thus afforded, has led to marked changes in every interest depending upon its commerce. The greatly increased use of machinery in agriculture, the establishment of cheese factories, multiplication of manufactories of every description, and enlargement of others previously existing, mark our progress as a people, and measure our growth in wealth and power as a State. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.