What an amazing day for a hike! Beautiful sunshine, not too hot and not too cool … just a perfect day!
Kirk, Donald and I (Micky) took on the adventure of looking for the homestead where Daniel Augustus and Emeline Vickery Atwater first lived when they moved to Stephentown in 1847 from the Alps/Nassau, Rensselaer County, New York.
Daniel A. Atwater made the purchase of 103 acres on 7 April 1847 with $500. down and a mortgage of $500 with interest paid to the estate of Justus and Catherine Leonard who both died by 1840. The property was sold by their sons, James Leonard and daughters, Almira and Sophronia Leonard and David Leonard.
GPS coordinates:
2 Foundations: N 42.55538 W 073.42901
Leonard Family Cemetery: N 42.55627 W 073.42823
Bridge: N 42.55447 W 073.42884
Logging Road: N42.55459 W 073.42725
This was our first obstacle on our hike. We had to climb around this fallen tree as it was blocking the old roadway. It took us about an hour, give or take, to reach our destination area. We walked along a roadway off George Hunt Road past the Knoblock Home, likely the road to Tinley Road.
We followed the roadway on the west side of Roaring Brook. We found where the loggers had made a log bridge several years ago, but that is now gone. We saw the roadway follow along the Brook on the east side. We hiked through a swampy area climbing over mossy rocks, old logs and brush on the west side until we came to a point where it appeared there was an old stone bridge abutment. We walked through the brook, leaving shoes on as it looked slippery. Once we reached the east side of the brook and walked up the bank, we were in an opening that was likely a header for an old logging operation. We didn’t see any signs of current logging going on in this area.
From the opening there were 3 different roadways; one to our immediate left, one to the left and up the hillside and the third roadway was more or less straight ahead. We thought it might be helpful to split up. Kirk headed up the hillside road as he noticed a cemetery on top of the hill. Donald noticed some type of foundation, but it was very long and had water running through. I stayed there and took pictures of what I could see and Don went on the roadway to the left. The terrain was fairly flat considering.
Kirk on the roadway on the way in along the west side of the Roaring Brook.
Not sure if you can see, but there are piles of rocks in a long row. This was taken from the roadway going up the hill in the area of Atwater Hollow and the Leonard Family Cemetery. The rocks were lined up with a hole to the right. It was very wet and you could tell there was a spring or tiny creek coming through here. |
As you can see, time has overtaken the foundations with moss and fallen trees.
When Kirk said he found a cemetery on the hill and yelled down to me the name of Justus Leonard, I knew we were in the right spot!
Justus Leonard (Left Headstone) Catherine Leonard (Middle Headstone) and William Leonard (Right Headstone)
The Leonard Cemetery sits on a hillside overlooking the foundations which once supported their home. Beautiful spot! The afternoon sun caused the shadows of leaves on the headstone. Amazing the stones still stand; Justus Leonard died in 1810.
There were several stones that were just slate markers. I didn’t count, but am guessing there were about 15 to 20 stones.
Francis Julia Manning married Silas Leonard in Stephentown, September 2, 1849 and lived here on this property on the 1850 Federal Census for Stephentown. The 1850 Census on page 29 the census reads as follows:
Line 27/889/1027
Daniel A Atwater, 28, M Farmer $1000
Line 28 Caroline (Emeline), 35, F
Line 29 John Clark, 16, M,
Line 30 Mary E Atwater, 5, F
Line 31 William H Atwater, 3, M
Line 32/889/1028 Silas Leonard, 22, M Collier
Line 33 Francis Leonard, 21, F
Francis Julia Manning Leonard was daughter of Joseph and Sarah Atwater Manning. Daniel A Atwater’s father was Tuttle Atwater. Tuttle and Sarah Atwater Manning were brother and sister, therefore, Daniel and Francis were 1st cousins, living either together or next door. Silas and Julia didn’t stay there long on the original Leonard property after they were married. They moved to Greene, Chenango County, New York shortly after this according to the NYS Greene, Chenango County 1855 Census. The census was taken on June 4, 1855 and Silas and Francis have a child who was born in Chenango County and they state they have lived here for 4 years.
After hiking up to the cemetery, I went back down to join Don and Kirk by the area we considered the house foundation on the roadway.
I don’t know if you can make it out, but this is the wooden culvert with water flowing out of it from the long foundations. This actually goes under the roadway from the foundations feeding back down to Roaring Brook. The wood is covered by moss, but truly amazing that it is still functioning. Kirk said in all his years working inspecting bridges and highways, this is only the 2nd wooden culvert he has ever seen.
Don and Kirk are standing on the side of the roadway where the smaller foundation is. I am at the opposite end of the foundation where there may have been a door into the basement.
Kirk and Don standing on road with foundation to left of Don. Below is another photo of the wooden culvert pipe in the road.
More photos of the wooden culvert. I was very impressed how something could be made so long ago with water running through this and it still exists today.
If you do hike back in there, someone should bring a measuring tape to take measurements of the foundations’ width, length for dimensions of the size of the buildings that were on them.
I would like to thank all of you for sharing your knowledge and family memories of Atwater Hollow with me. We probably wouldn’t have thought to take a hike to that destination on our own. I only wish we could have shared the experience with all of you. I hope you enjoy the hike as much as we did!
Micky