History of Springport, New York, USA

SPRINGPORT, taken from Scipio and Aurelius, Jan. 30th, 1823; W. from Albany by 166, from Auburn, S. W. 9, miles; surface rolling; soil rich calcareous loam; drained by some small streams flowing to the Cayuga lake.

Union Spa, post village, laid out in 1813, so called from two springs whose uni ted waters form a useful mill stream, on the lake, 10 miles from Auburn, contains 1 flouring and plaster mill, clothing works, 6 stores, 3 taverns, 50 dwellings, extensive quarries of lime and £1. and is a depot, for the wheat and other pro: ducts of the country, designed for transportation on the lake. There are salt and sulphur springs adjacent to the village, but they are not held in esteem for curative properties. Plaster of the cockscomb kind, white or transparent, is plentifully found on the lake shore, being washed from the bank where it lay embedded; and by digging may be obtained at a considerable distance from the shore.

Gazetteer of the State of New York, Comprehending Its...

Springport, a township of Cayuga co.. New York, on the E. side of Cayuga lake, 10 miles S. W. from Auburn. Population, 2041.

SPRING-PORT, a township of Cayuga co., in the state of New York, U. S. 9 m. SW of Auburn. The surface is undulating, and is drained by several small affluents of Cayuga lake, by which it is bounded on the W. The soil, consisting of calcareous loam, is fertile and well cultivated. Pop. in 1840, 1,890.

A Gazetteer of the World: Or, Dictionary of Geographical Knowledge, Volume 6
Publisher A. Fullarton, 1859
Original from Pennsylvania State University

"SPRINGPORT – was formed from Scipio and Aurelius, Jan. 30, 1823. It lies upon the E. shore of Cayuga Lake, S.W. of the center of the co. Its surface rises in gradual slopes from the water to the E. border, where it attains an elevation of 400 to 500 ft. Waterlime, plaster, and limestone used for flagging, are quarried along the shore of the lake and in the adjoining ravines. Two immense springs flow from the ground near the village, furnishing a valuable water-power. The soil is a superior quality of sandy and gravelly loam, in some places mixed with clay. The lake is so deep that it rarely freezes, and the warmth of the water essentially moderates the intensity of the frosts of winter. Union Springs (p.v.) is beautifully situated upon Cayuga Lake, S. of the center of the W. border of the town. It contains several manufactories, a private academy, and many fine residences. Pop. 1,118. The first settlement was made in 1800, by Frederick Gearheart, Thos. Thompson, and Jas. Carr. The...

Dr. Richardson, of Springport, New York, made an interesting statement at the Medical Convention, recently held in Rochester. In investigating the causes and nature of eruptive diseases he made the following experiment: 'He took a piece of fresh beef and put it under pure water, where he let it remain seventy hours. By this time the meat had begun to decompose, and was far from being agreeable either to the taste or the smell. The doctor then took a single drop of the water and examined it under the microscope. He discovered in it numerous minute animals, all in a lively state. He estimated that a cubic inch of the water contained over twenty thousand of these beings. The doctor at this state deliberately swallowed four ounces of the water, and soon afterward opened a vein in his arm. In the blood that issued forth he discovered a number of living organisms precisely similar to these in the water he drank.'

Courtney, the famous oarsman of Union Springs, N. Y., has become a professional and has challenged any professional oarsman in the world to a race for $5,000 or $10,000.