VIDEO: Video newsletter for the week of Sept. 16, 2024

By Mary Lou Nahas

For Capital Region Independent Media

In the last couple of weeks three people have asked me about where they could find information on the Oak Hill foundries, so it seems time to write about that subject.   

First people think of the Durham Center Museum but since it is closed they don’t know where to go. There are many places to look, some without leaving your home.

I would first look for the nomination researched and written in 2015 by William E. Krattinger from the NYS Division of Historic Preservation for the designation of the Oak Hill Historic District. The listing was the culmination of 14 years of work by local and state parties. The nomination is fully documented with sources, which would provide information on where to do further investigation. That listing can be found online so not only is it professionally prepared but available (if you have a computer and can download the report) without your having to travel.

I always look at Beers’ “History of Greene County,” since I own a copy. If you do not, you can find one at a library. Beers’ in the Durham sections tell us: “The village of Oak Hill has always been the center of the manufacturing interest in the town. Messrs. Campbell and Scofield established a plow manufactory on the site now occupied by the Empire Foundry of Cheritree Bros.” 

“In 1844, Sheldon Cheritree of Middleburgh, but formerly of Greenville, bought those plow works and extended the scale of operations to other classes of work.  In 1854, he also bought the DeWitt grist mill adjoining, for the water privileges.

“Previous to this, however, a Mr. Kimball, who had acquired the art of malleablizing iron, started a manufactory in the tannery building previously occupied by Tremain and Dry. The business finally went into the hands of Calvin Adams, who made harness trimmings, principally.”  The account goes on to tell who subsequent owners of the foundries were. 

“In 1865, the grist mill, Cheritree’s foundry, the malleable works, and all the other buildings connected with those interests were burned to the ground, involving the loss of many thousands of dollars.”

“The Cheritree brothers rebuilt their foundry and plow works immediately after the fire, and now doing a very successful business in making ‘Climax’ plows.”

The Vedder Library in Coxsackie has much information on Oak Hill and the foundries. Raymond Beecher, as Greene County historian, wrote extensively about those topics. The library also has copies of early newspaper articles.

For example, I found an article from the Greene County Advertiser, Vol 1. No., April 8,1886, which reported, “The furnaces in Oak Hill are both running. It is expected that the iron business will soon start up with renewed activity. These furnaces generally give employment to a large number of hands, and when running full, Oak Hill is a lively business mart.”

The Examiner reported on April 29, 1882, “Oak Hill Manufacturing company bought of B. G. Morss the machinery heretofore used in the cotton factory at Red Falls. There are about 100 tons of it and will be worked over into hardware goods.”

The library would also have early postcards with pictures of the foundries.

Next, virtually any large history book on the Catskills will provide some stories: “The Catskills” by Alf Evers, “Dear Old Greene County,” “The Greene County Catskills: A History” by Field Horne.

Census records provide concrete information. The 1850 census lists workers in the foundries, gives their ages, and indicates whether they worked at the Malleable Iron Furnace or the Latch Furnace:  Harrison Law 40 furnace moulder; Evert Evason 19 MI [Malleable Iron]  Furnace; Wardsworth Bartlett 17 MI Furnace; Chauncy Layman 23 MI Furnace; Janus Elliott Jr. 19 MI Furnace, Asahel Strong 59 MI Furnace, Platt A Strong 25, Latch Furnace,, William Smith 34, MI Furnace, Hiram Smith 28, MI Furnace, Bela Flower 26, Latch Furnace, George Grant 30 MI Furnace, George Layman 26 MI Furnace, Branford Rugg 26, MI Furnace, Albert Dewitt 22, Latch Furnace, John Dewitt 19 Latch Furnace, Leonard Billings 29 MI Furnace, Jacob Roggin 35 Latch Furnace, Zephaniah Cornwell 19 Latch Furnace , Daniel Dewitt 36 Latch Furnace C. H. Vanburen 30 Latch Furnace, Nelson Tryon 29 MI Furnace, Charles M. Banks 17 Latch Furnace, Jacob Roden 48 Latch Furnace, Talcot B. Banks MI Furnace, Lucius Bell 20 MI Furnace (his farther was the Hotel Keeper at Dewitt’s), James Rider 18, MI Furnace, Aaron Gifford 30 Latch Furnace, James Milligan 24, Latch Furnace, William Parker 23, MI Furnace, James Gifford 30 Latch Furnace, Simeon Smith 31 MI Furnace, Lewis Bancky 21 MI Furnace, Henny Williams MI Furnace.

The 1850 census also sheds light on businesses, workers, wages and costs at that time. Smith and Buel Malleable Iron: Workers paid $18 per month. Had 30 workers. Used 80-ton pig iron (at a cost of $3,260) used 360 cords of wood ($900), l 70-ton coal ($700) Made 70-ton malleable iron, paid out in materials $4,860, in wages $6,480

Sheldon Cheritree Iron Foundry:  Used 30-ton pig iron, 20-ton coal.  Made 20-ton plough castings ($1,600) 30-ton door latches ($3,600) Paid out in materials $1,360; wages $1,5212.  7 workers. Workers paid $18 per month.

Gifford and Strowbridge Company Scale Manufacturers made 4,000 counter scales $10,000. paid workers $20 per month. Materials $5,000, wages $2,880.

The “scale furnace of Gifford & Hayes” manufactured store counter scales in 1865, making 1,400 scales and employing three men (at an average of $28 per month). They had a capital investment of $2,000, used eight tons of pig iron as well as tin ware, lumber and waterpower.

The 1850 census recorded Gifford and Strowbridge Scale Makers, employing 12 workers at $240 per month (workers paid $20 per month). They used pig iron ($4,000), coal ($1,000), waterpower. Made 4,000 counter scales ($10,000); paid out in materials $5,000; wages $2,880.

By 1865, when 300 people lived in Oak Hill, wages had gone up. The 1865 census provides the following information: Potter, Paddock, & Whitcomb Oak Hill Iron Manufacturing made 82.5 tons castings, employed 16 men $32 per month average.

Gifford & Hayes Company Scale Manufacturing, made 14,000 scales, employed three men $28 per month average;

Oak Hill Malleable Iron: 10 men and one boy, $32 per month average.

Cheritree Brothers Agricultural & Hardware: 11 men, four boys, $32 per month average.

Cheritree Brothers Plaster Mill: Made 150 tons of plaster, one man, $32 per month average.

How many foundries were there? I’ve seen it written that there were five, three, two. It depends on how you count them. They were started, sold, bought, burned, rebuilt, added to and renamed multiple times.

Vernon Haskins, founder of the Durham Center Museum, in his Yesteryear column in March 1963, wrote: “It was the two great foundries that brought the greater fame to this town [Oak Hill] along about the middle of the 19th century. The great Cheritree Foundry, located on the DeWitt property today [the Twelve Tribes property now] was the center of much activity. At the lower end of the village another great foundry operated for many years. It was known as the Oak Hill Manufacturing Company. Also, the Whitcomb Foundry and the Empire Iron Works.

In 1833, a man named Kimball started the Oak Hill Malleable Iron Company in a former tannery building at the lower end of town. He stayed in the business until 1939 when he sold it to Calvin Adams for $3,000: $2,500 for real estate and $500 for tools and machinery.

Who was Calvin Adams? According to the 1,322-page “Macmillan Index of Antique Coffee Mills,” published by Joseph Edward MacMillan: “Calvin Adams was born in Oak Hill, June 25, 1810. His father was a nail maker and working with iron definitely had an influence on the young Adams’ future. Adams’ early education was limited. His attendance at school was rather irregular, seldom covering more than three or four months during winter. After leaving school he learned the wagon-making business and worked at it for some nine years. He also devoted much of his spare time in his early life to experimenting with the casting of iron, making harness trimmings. He succeeded in this art and carried on this business at Oak Hill for a number of years. To extend his business he moved to Pittsburgh in 1838, and in partnership with John Roggen, made malleable iron. He and Roggen had made coffee mills as early as 1834. In 1839, L.R. Livingston was admitted as a partner to that company, the name now becoming Livingston, Roggen and Company.”

In 1854, Calvin Adams returned to Oak Hill, build the Lower Foundry and commenced the manufacture of coffee mills, corn-shellers, and other hardware. Adams was considered the sole inventor and patentee of nearly all the products made in his establishment.

In 1856, fire destroyed the Lower Foundry. The foundry was rebuilt in the following year, but under new ownership. In 1857, soon after the fire, Adams moved back to Pittsburgh. The business in Oak Hill was continued by 10 stockholders of the village. In 1862, William Paddock, N.C. Whitcome and S.R. Potter formed a partnership, bought the franchises of the stock company, increased the capital to $15,000, and went on with the business.

In 1866, Potter sold to Mr. Winchel and Mr. Dietz his share of the partnership. The property was purchased and their capital increased to $26,000, including real estate, fixtures, stock on hand, etc. “The firm employs from 20 to 30 hands and has been very successful.’ At this time the business was called the Oak Hill Manufacturing Company

After Cheritree rebuilt his foundry, he was famous for Climax Plows and many hardware articles, including grind stone fixtures, swivel hay fork pulley, gate hinges, foot scrapers, ash shovels, coffee stands, sad iron stands, wardrobe, coat and hat, harness, hall hooks, drawer pulls, stove pipe dampers, door latches, barn door rollers, barrel bolts, book jacks and bedstead fastenings.

One of the most successful items that the upper foundry produced was a steamless and odorless kettle and steamer. This item sold all across the country and half the sales that the foundry made were for this kettle. One advertisement was a testimony from the famous Mrs. Henry Ward Beecher: “I have had the Odorless and Steamless Kettle and Steamer in use for some weeks. It is destined to make house duties, especially those belonging to the kitchen, less oppressive, besides giving facilities for preparing food more properly than any contrivance I have yet seen.”

Why did they close and when? The lower foundry is believed to have ceased operation about 1900. Around the turn of the century Cheritree and Pierce closed because the location in Oak Hill made it difficult to collect raw materials and to ship finished products economically. The iron was not mined locally and had to be purchased and transported here. There was no railroad to ship products out. They needed showrooms in New York City to market, another expense.

Also, many of the first owners and workers were elderly or deceased: The Catskill Weekly Examiner on April 8, 1909, published: Charles W. Pierce, an old and respected citizen, died last Thursday, aged about 85. Mr. Pierce was engaged as a pattern maker and iron molder with Cheritree Bros, and was a fine mechanic.

Walter Scott Cheritree, age 79, died May 24, 1915. It was the end of an era.

Have fun researching!