History of Springport, New York, USA

The town of Springport was formed in 1823 from parts of the towns of Scipio and Aurelius.

wikipedia.org

1836 - Springport
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... Read MORE...

The village of Union Springs was incorporated in 1848.

wikipedia.org

1854 - Springport
Springport, a township of Cayuga co.. New York, on the E. side of Cayuga lake, 10 miles S. W. from Auburn. Population, 2041.
A New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States: Giving a Full and Comprehensive Review of the Present Condition, Industry, and Resources of the American Confederacy ... Thomas Baldwin (of Philadelphia.) Joseph Thomas January 1, 1854 Philadelphia : Lippincott, Grambo & Company 1854.

1859
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

1860 - Springport, New York
"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... Read MORE...

1868 - Medical Experiment
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.'
genealogybank.com
Cincinnati Daily Gazette
Cincinnati, Ohio
July 22, 1868

1876 - Courtney becomes professional oarsman
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.

The Times
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
October 9, 1876

Read more about Charles Edward COURTNEY

1879 - Springport
SPRINGPORT was formed from Scipio and Aurelius January 30th, 1823, and derives its name from its numerous and copious springs and its lake ports. It lies upon the west border of the County, south of the center, upon the east shore of Cayuga Lake, which forms its west boundary. It is bounded on the north by Aurelius, on the east by Fleming and Scipio, and on the south by Ledyard. The surface rises in gradual slopes from the Lake to the eastern border, where it attains an elevation of 400 to 500 feet.

Its minerals are extensive and valuable, and play an important part in its industrial development. They consist principally of limestone and gypsum, the latter being by far the most abundant and important. Both blue and gray flmestone are found, the latter overlying the former, principally in the south part of the town, near Hamburg, on the lake shore, (which was built up by the early development of the limestone interests,) and on the farm of Robert B. Howland, on which also is a mass... Read MORE...

1879 - Laughed to Death
Mary Perry, aged seventy-four, of Springport, New York, sat at tea with some friends. They were relating funny incidents, and Mrs. Perry became convulsed with laughter and fell back in her chair dead.
genealogybank.com
Elkhart Review
Indiana
September 4, 1879

Read more about Mary "Polly" WHITE

1882 - Assault
A fiendish assault was committed Thursday on a child belonging to Union Springs, N. Y., by Thos. E. Ford and John Wingfield, lately connected with Frank A. Robbins' show and exposition. A reward of $200 is offered for their apprehension.
Lebanon Daily News
Lebanon, Pennsylvania
June 24, 1882

1884 - Courtney turns fireman
Oarsman Courtney, once known to fame, is foreman of the fire engine company at Union Springs, N. Y.
Arkansas City Weekly Traveler
Arkansas City, Kansas
February 13, 1884

Read more about Charles Edward COURTNEY

1884 - Died 'Full of Years'
The oft repeated, familiar psalm of the Good Book says: "The days of our years are three-score years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be four-score years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."

In the death of Mrs. Phoebe Brockway, Wednesday of present week, our community has an instance where human life was prolonged a year more than five-score and ten.

This woman, remarkable by reason of the accumulation of years, was laid at rest in Chestnut Hill cemetery this afternoon, all the local pastors being invited to take part in the burial services - held at the house of her daughter Abigail Menzie (in "Hamburg") at 2 o'clock and in the cemetery at 3 o'clock. Had it not been for the unfavorable weather the attendance would undoubtedly have proven very large.

Much has been said and written of this wonderfully aged woman, familiarly known as "Granny Merritt." Her age is a matter of some doubt, but we have chosen the minimum... Read MORE...


Read more about Phoebe COLLIER

1884 - Aged 112 Years, and Never Rode in a Railroad Car in Her Life
Rochester, N. Y., Nov. 16. - Mrs. Phoebe Brockway, who, on account of her extreme age, has of late enjoyed the distinction of being, next to Courtney, the oarsman, the greatest natural curiosity of Union Springs, N. Y., has just died, aged nearly 112 years. It was claimed that she was the oldest woman in the state. The date of her birth is given as Sept. 12, 1772. Gray haired, venerable residents remember her as an old woman even when they were in their prime...
The Kansas City Star
Kansas City, Missouri
November 16, 1884

Read more about Phoebe COLLIER

1890 - Kind Deeds
Elizabeth Comstock, an aged Quaker preacher in Union Springs, N. Y., has visited in her lifetime 122,000 persons, and nearly twice that many sick persons in and out of the poor houses, on battlefields, etc.
New Oxford Item
New Oxford, Pennsylvania
September 5, 1890

Read more about Elizabeth L ROUS

1893 - Temperance Reform Experiment
The village of Union Springs, N. Y., is about to try a novel experiment in the way of temperance reform. A number of prominent citizens, including the village president and several clergymen, propose to take under control the sale of intoxicating liquors. Their object, they declare, is to "supply the reasonable wants of temperate persons" for alcoholic stimulants. No treating is to be allowed, and neither drunkenness nor an approach to it is to be permitted. A committee will pass upon the names of the persons to whom liquor may be sold, while to persons to whom the proper authorities have altogether forbidden the sale of liquor none whatever will be sold. Minors are not to be allowed in the saloon under any circumstances. Spirits will not be sold in larger quantities than a single glass except on a physician's order, and all sales of this class will be carefully recorded. The profits of the venture, which are expected to be large, will be applied to the reduction of town taxes. The... Read MORE...

1906
Springport, a township (town) of Cayuga co., N.Y. Pop. in 1900, 1770. It contains Union Springs.
Lippincott's New Gazetteer: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World, Containing the Most Recent and Authentic Information Respecting the Countries, Cities, Towns ... in Every Portion of the Globe Publisher J.B. Lippincott Company, 1906

1907 - BIG STEAMER BURNS; NINE LIVES LOST. THE FRONTENAC WAS AN OLD SIDE WHEELER CARRYING CREW OF TWELVE.
PASSENGERS LOST LIVES.

VICTIMS WERE ALL WOMEN AND CHILDREN - OTHER PASSENGERS BADLY BURNED BEFORE BOAT WAS BEACHED.

(Associated Press.)
Auburn, N.Y., July 27. -- The steamboat Frontenac was burned opposite Farley's Point, Lake Cayuga, today. Nine lives were lost. The victims were all women and children, several other passengers being severely burned before the boat was beached. The bodies of the drowned were recovered.

The Dead.
The dead are:
MRS. HOMER GENUNG, Freeville, N.Y.
CARL GENUNG, seven, her son.
ZALIA McCREARY, Cohoes, N.Y.
LIDA BENNETT, Frankfort, N.Y.
STELLA CLINTON, Ithaca, N.Y.
MARETTA SULLIVAN, Syracuse, N.Y.
Six Year Old Daughter of HOWARD ABLE, Syracuse, N.Y.
Two Unidentified Woman.

Old Side Wheeler.
The Frontenac, an old side-wheeler, which plied between Ithaca and Cayuga on Lake Cayuga twenty-five years left former place this afternoon carrying fifty passengers, a crew of twelve.

Crew Was Heroic.
In midlake fire broke out in the engine... Read MORE...

Here's a list of places to go and things to do in Springport:
Cayuga Lake State Park: Start your adventure at Cayuga Lake State Park, which boasts stunning lake views, a sandy beach, and picnic areas. You can swim, fish, or take a leisurely stroll along the shoreline. The park is also popular for birdwatching and offers campsites for those who want to spend the night.

Seneca Lake Wine Trail: Springport is part of the Finger Lakes wine region, so exploring the Seneca Lake Wine Trail is a must. You can visit world-renowned wineries like Fox Run Vineyards, Anthony Road Wine Company, and Red Newt Cellars. Enjoy wine tastings, take in the vineyard scenery, and learn about the winemaking process.

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge: Just a short drive from Springport, Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge is a birdwatcher's paradise. It's home to various waterfowl, including bald eagles and ospreys. There are several hiking trails and observation areas where you can spot wildlife and enjoy the serene wetland landscapes.

MacKenzie-Childs: Art and... Read MORE...