History Port Jervis, New York

1 history

1.1 coming of railroad
1.2 racial incidents
1.3 recent history

history

the first developed european settlement in area established dutch , english colonists c.1690, , land grant of 1,200 acres (490 ha) formalized on october 14, 1697. settlement known mahackamack, after lenape word. raided , burned in 1779 during american revolutionary war, british , mohawk forces under command of mohawk leader joseph brant before battle of minisink. on next 2 decades, residents rebuilt settlement. developed more roadways better connect mahackamack eastern parts of orange county.

after delaware , hudson canal opened in 1828, providing transportation of coal northeastern pennsylvania new york , new england via hudson river, trade attracted money , further development area. village incorporated in 1853. renamed port jervis in mid-19th century, after john bloomfield jervis, chief engineer of d&h canal. port jervis grew steadily 1900s, , on july 26, 1907, became city.

the erie depot, built in 1892, largest station on erie railroad s delaware division. erie ceased long-distance passenger service in 1970. depot restored , houses retail shops.


coming of railroad

the first rail line run through port jervis new york & erie railroad, in 1832 chartered run piermont, new york, on hudson river in rockland county, lake erie. ground broken in 1835, construction delayed nationwide financial panic, , did not start again until 1838. line completed in 1851, , first passenger train – president millard fillmore , former united states senator daniel webster on board – came through city on may 14. railroad went through number of name changes, becoming erie railroad in 1897.

a second railroad, port jervis , monticello railroad, later leased new york, ontario , western railway (o&w), opened in 1868, running north out of city, , connecting kingston, new york, weehawken, new jersey , western connections.

like d&h canal, railroads brought new prosperity port jervis in form of increased trade , investment in community outside. however, competition railroad, deliver products faster, hastened decline of canal, ceased operation in 1898. railroads basis of city s economy coming decades. port jervis became erie s division center between jersey city, new jersey , susquehanna, pennsylvania, , 1922, twenty passenger trains went through city every day. more 2,500 erie rr employees made homes there.

the railroads began decline after great depression. shift in transportation accelerated after world war ii federal subsidy of interstate highway system , increased competition trucking companies. 1 of first class railroads shut down o&w, in 1957, leaving port jervis totally reliant on erie. few years later, in 1960, erie, on shaky financial footing, merged delaware, lackawanna , western railroad become erie lackawanna. railroad restructuring continued , in 1976, erie lackawana became part of conrail, along number of other struggling railroads, such penn central. since breakup of conrail, trackage around port jervis has been controlled norfolk southern. decline of railroads economic blow port jervis. city has struggled find new economic basis.

racial incidents

on june 2, 1892, robert lewis, african american, lynched, hanged on main street in port jervis mob after being accused of participation in assault on white woman. grand jury indicted 9 people in connection lynching. literary critics think may have inspired stephen crane s 1898 novella monster; crane lived in port jervis time.

in mid-1920s residents in area formed ku klux klan chapter, in period of kkk s 20th-century revival. burned crosses on point peter, mountain peak overlooks city.

a view of port jervis showing mid-delaware bridge matamoras, pennsylvania on far right , new jersey s high point on kittatinny ridge on far left




the parade on july 14, 2007 celebrating 100th year city


recent history

the city s location @ confluence of delaware , neversink rivers has made subject occasional flooding. there flooding during 1955 hurricane diane, , flood-related rumor started panic in population. incident studied , 1958 report issued national research council: effects of threatening rumor on disaster-stricken community .

in addition rivers having flooded during periods of heavy rainfall, @ times ice jams have dammed delaware, causing flooding. in 1875 ice floes destroyed bridge matamoras,pennsylvania. in 1981 large ice floe resulted in highest water crest measured date @ national weather service s matamoras river gauge 26.6 feet (8.1 m).

view of port jervis high point, new jersey