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History of the Lower Chemung River Valley |
Town of Chemung History
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The Abraham Middaugh House
'Our Home' |
A Description of the Abraham Middaugh House |
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The landscape of New York State was formed by glaciers during the late Paleozoic Era, in what was called the Pleistocene Epoch, lasting from 1.8 million to 11,000 years ago, known as the ice ages. Carved out by these glaciers, the Chemung is an old river that winds through the Southern Tier of New York and North East Pennsylvania before feeding into the Susquehanna River below Athens, PA It eventually empties into the estuary, Chesapeake Bay and eventually into the Atlantic Ocean. The history is rich along the old Chemung. The Lower Chemung River Valley has long been a home to Native Americans. The Iroquois Six Nations with mainly the Seneca Tribe and perhaps Cayuga being the most prominent...
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The first settlers began moving in as early as 1780. It was not until 1786 and upward that the majority of newcomers moved in
to claim their parcels of land, by navigating the river or using footpaths. They carried with them their belongings: tools, seeds, their tinderbox and items needed to start a new life in the wilderness, and perhaps a keepsake or family heirloom. Soon after arriving they began to organize their town. They were hard working, dedicated individuals of mostly European descent. Log homes sprung up all along the river and tributaries with the pungent smell of wood burning and smoke billowing from their crude chimneys. Wild animals posed a problem for the early settlers. Wolf, bobcat and black bear to name a few. They faced many hardships in the early days of the town... |
Many of the earliest settlers to Chemung and surrounding areas built log cabins of which some of their remains can be found today. Some were primitive, others were two story imposing structures. Other settlers built post and beam structures with hand hewn logs reminiscent of the homes they left behind in the Connecticut Valley, while others chose the style of the New England Central Chimney. Some were primitive made from sawmill rough cut, stick built wood or pit sawn, either got the job done. Either way many of the architectural styles in the area were determined by the builders’ nationality or popular style of the time, Federal and a bit later Greek Revival were a few of the favorites. The Abraham Middaugh House, dates circa 1805. It has undergone many changes through the years. It was a non imposing frame structure of one and a half stories tall.
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The small frame home built by Abraham VanAken Middaugh is considered a single room frame house with a loft, a 1 1/2 story house. It sat on a foundation of pilings with possibly a fruit cellar. The home had a fireplace in which to cook meals and to provide heat. The loft was comprised of one or two rooms with a ladder to gain access. Furnishings were most likely sparce with perhaps a few heirlooms as the young couple started their family.
In Colonial America during the early settling lots under British rule, requirements set down by the crown instructed "each of said families to build and finish a dwelling house upon his home lot, of the following dimensions: viz. 18 feet square and 7 foot stud at least". Although our home was built after British rule, many early settlers used this standard to build their homes. |
