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Covington
History – Covington locations in New York State |
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Covington History – Covington Township in Wyoming
County NY
Map:
Official Geographical Location:
42.83976 North, 78.01159 West
Geographical Description:
Zip codes: 14525, 14591,
Population in 1990: 1,266
Land area: 67.691 sq. kms.
Situated in Wyoming County,
New York, Covington features the Oatka Creek's emergence from a tightly
defined valley to a broad plain bordered by gentle uplands. The town's
picturesque rolling hills fall off toward the Genesee Valley to the east and
the Oatka Valley to the west. This naturally attractive area was named for
General Leonard Covington and was permanently settled in 1806
History:
Covington was officially
created as a town on January 31, 1817 from the Towns of Perry and Leroy
(Genesee County). However, part of the town formed in 1817 was annexed to the
Town of York (Livingston County) in 1823.
Covington was another of
Wyoming County's "early bloomers," achieving a peak population within
one generation of settlement and declining to a low of only twenty-percent of
its early high by the Depression a century later.
The Town of Covington in years
past was recognized by small hamlets and locations such as:
- Boyds Corner - A location in the
northeast Town corner.
- Covington Center - A hamlet located at Route
246 and Court Rd.
- LaGrange - A hamlet on Route 246 on
the south Town line.
- Orrs Corners - A location near the
northeast corner of the Town.
- Pearl Creek - A hamlet near the north
Town line on Route 19.
- Peoria - A hamlet on Route 63 near
the eastern Town line.
- Quinlans Corners - A location in the
northeast Town corner.
- Spragues Corners - A hamlet between
Covington and Pearl Creek.
- Wyoming Valley - A valley on the western
edge of the Town, containing Oatka Creek.
Over the years, theses hamlets have lost
their identities. The Town of Covington today is a blended community without
the distinction of hamlets
Recent History:
WALKERS-JEFFRES — ca. 1860 — 510 Wyoming Rd
This elaborately executed Italianate home is among the county's best examples.
The interior and exterior have changed little since initial construction. The
barns associated with the property display the simple gable favoured in earlier
barns, and the gambrel roof popular later in the nineteenth century.
Today, the
Town is comprised of a total of 16,224.78 acres, or 26.13 square miles, with
the Oatka Creek flowing through the Wyoming Valley in the Town.
The Town is mainly a
residential and agricultural community with a strong rural character anchored
by the agricultural businesses located throughout the Town.
Some commercial and industrial
activity has increased along the Route 63 corridor which is an appropriate
location due to the traffic on this major route. Since the passage of NAFTA,tractor-trailers moving
goods between Canada and New York City and points south has dramatically and
significantly increased traffic on this route.
The New York State Department
of transportation began a study in 2001 investigating increased truck traffic
within the Route 63 corridor through Genesee, Livingston and Wyoming counties.
The study focuses on travel in the vicinity of Route 63 between the I-90 New
York Thruway Exit 48A in Pembroke and I-390 Exit 7 in Mount Morris, Livingston
County.
Looking
Ahead
Revitalization efforts should
take advantage of opportunities presented by having three major routes
traversing the Town of Covington, Route 19, Route 246 and Route 63.
CROSSMAN BRIDGE — 1879 — Crossman
Road
Thrusting its 124-foot span across the Oatka Creek, this Pratt truss bridge
cost $1650 when new. Despite its quaint appearance now, it was a large
factory-made prefabricated piece of new engineering.
The Town
would like to concentrate commercial and industrial economic development
efforts in the vicinity of the Route 63 corridor due to the traffic on this
major route.
Small commercial growth would
be appropriate in the area of Route 19, while residential development should be
directed along the Route 246 corridor where there is potential of municipal
water.
Any development in these areas
should be guided in the manner that will improved upon the established
community character with the continued support of agricultural uses.
BROOKS — 1814,1914 — Pavilion-Warsaw Rd
From its earliest beginnings as
a simple Federal structure, the house was periodically added to and improved.
In 1914, the noted Rochester architect Claude Bragdon
was engaged to design plans for the remodelling in keeping with its original
simple design. Much of the furniture was designed and built by traveling
craftsmen, and the original bell used to call the farmhands to meals is still
in place. Five generations of the Brooks family resided here and figured
prominently in the development of the Covington and surrounding areas. Benedict
Brooks, the pioneer settler, was a founder of the Middlebury Academy, served as
a judge, and in 1821 served as a state legislator. His son, Hugh, helped many
immigrants to settle in this area during the potato famine in Ireland in the
1840's by finding residences and work for them. As an avid abolitionist, his
home became an Underground Railroad station known as the "Covington
Route."
The 19th century anti-slave
movement had a strong presence in Wyoming County with the sowing of seeds for
the abolitionist movement. It was in 1839 that “America’s first anti-slavery
political party was organized in Wyoming County at the Warsaw Presbyterian
Church” (Wyoming County Tourist Promotion Agency). This political party, the
Liberty Party, called for the abolition of slavery in the United States.
With this increase in support of abolition
within the county, participation in the Underground Railroad grew to record
numbers making Wyoming County the second largest with conductors or
stationmasters in the state and Monroe County being the first.
With the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act in
1850 it became illegal to help or harbor escaping
slaves. As a result of this, elements of the Underground Railroad were shrouded
in secrecy, making it difficult to trace those involved in railroad activities.
Many of the fugitives that were escaping
slavery would hide in boxes in wagons, trapdoors in floors, false walls and
tunnels in homes and barns. The Underground Railroad directed the escaping
slaves to follow waterways, where they could hide easily and the water would
hide their scent from the hunting dogs.
Covington played a key role in the
Underground Railroad and was the link between Wyoming and Genesee County known
as the “Covington Connection”. The Covington Connection ran from Pennsylvania
into New York State, through Friendship north to Covington and Pavilion Center
and to the east side of Oatka Creek toward LeRoy to where conductor Donald
McDonald lived.
A key station home on the Covington
Connection was the home of Hugh Brooks at “Brooksholm”
in Pearl Creek. Hugh Brooks was the son of Benedict Brooks who was the founder
of the Middlebury Academy and served as a judge and a state legislator.
His son Hugh was a dedicated abolitionist and
his home was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Other homes in the town were
recruited to serve as stops on the railroad but as history has noted, many of
these stops remained shrouded in mystery. Much of this was because of the
danger associated legally with the harboring of
fugitive slaves. Many of these buildings involved in the railroad are gone but
evidence of involvement remains in documents detailing the role that Wyoming
County played in helping fugitive slaves escape to freedom.
Links to other websites:
Covington, New York - Wikipedia
Town of Covington – Covington, NY
Covington
History – Fort Covington Village in Franklin County NY
Map:
Official Geographical Location:
44.94856 North, 74.49168 West
Geographical Description:
Zip codes: 12916, 12937,
Population in 1990: 1,676
Land area: 95.196 sq. kms.
A small village in Franklin
County, on Salmon River, 72 miles North West by West of Burlington, Vermont.
Close to Canadian border. Near St Lawrence Seaway, North of Westville Center,
East of Hogansburg and the Saint Regis Indian
Reservation.
History:
Fort Covington (1813-1832):
The fort had a powder house,
barracks, guardhouse, and a platform mounting ten 18-pdr. naval guns. Begun in
1813 and completed in the Spring of 1814, this battery was normally manned by
the U.S. Sea Fencibles.
During the battle, it was
commanded by Lt. Henry Newcomb, whose 80 seamen from the USS Guerriere successfully repulsed a flanking manoeuvre
by British longboats. Dismantled in 1832, the fort's bricks were used in Fort
McHenry's seawall.
No marker identifies the site
today; however, the new Baltimore Sun plant occupies the general area of
the fort. Fort Covington can be seen in the far right of A. J. Miller's
panorama painting in the Visitor Center.
"Fort Covington Namesake Died Leading Troops"
- article by Erik M Zissu - Times Staff Writer
A British sharpshooter
levelled his weapon and shortened the life of Brigadier General Leonard
Covington 176 years ago.
"He fell where he always
fought, at the head of his men, and survived but two days," according to a
serialization of a work by historian Leonard Jamison.
General Covington was killed
while on horseback leading his brigade in what has come to be known as the
Battle of Chrysler's Field, which was fought in nearby Upper Canada Village on
Nov. 11,1813. The anniversary of that battle this year coincided with Veterans
Day.
Fort Covington, previously
named French Mills, was named after the general who was brought to the shores
of the Franklin County town where he died. But the body of General Covington
was taken to Sackets Harbor in Jefferson County,
along with the bodies of his aides who had also fallen during combat, on a
barge in 1821.
Historian Robert J. Brennan
who says he has the most complete records of military cemeteries in Sackets Harbor, had said it is uncertain
whether the grave of the Maryland-born general will ever be located. But he had
been trying to interest a newspaper in Covington, Kentucky, in starting a drive
to place a marker at Sackets Harbor commemorating the
General and his courageous leadership.
Despite this project, the acts
of General Covington have been revived somewhat by the placement of historical
markers around Fort Covington in recent years.
And in 1987, the Fort
Covington Sun published 29 excerpts from Mr. Jamison's work about the little-known
general Fort Covington Town Historian Jacqueline Harvey supplied several pieces
of this historical writing that illuminates the general's last days and his
death:
Through the fall of 1813, the
American Army was battling the British and their fleet, a Canadian militia and
various Indian bands. General Covington participated in several of these
conflicts that raged on both present-day U.S. soil as well as on the Canadian
side of the St. Lawrence River.
On Nov.10, 11 days after the
general's 45th birthday, a contingent of soldiers and an accompanying flotilla
moved down the river near Upper Canada Village. That night, the soldiers were
forced to lie on their weapons to keep them dry from a heavy rain. Voicing
apprehension about the ferocity of the engagements up to that point, the
soldiers forced General Covington to address them regarding their duties.
"We have no choice but to
onward because without independence and liberty, there would be no
choice," the general is supposed to have said.
Whether these words had a
calming effect on the soldiers, the brigade was up in the morning and continued
to march along the St. Lawrence River toward Chrysler's Field. The British also
advanced as the opposing sides reached the field. General Covington was not
required to participate in the battle, but did so to aid the American approach.
As he rode with his men into
the fight, General Covington moved toward the British artillery. After pushing
them back from the left side of the attack, he attracted the attention of a
group of sharpshooters who were holed up in a house on the field.
"At this critical moment,
while bravely leading his men, he was shot through the body. His fall disconcerted
the brigade and a shower of grape shot at that moment scourged it
severely," one account of the battle reads.
From the battlefield, the
General was brought across the river and up the Big Salmon River to a house in
French Mills Three days later, he died and was buried, only to be later taken
to Sackets Harbor where the regiment was stationed.
Recent History:
Until 2001, the location of
the general's grave, as well as that of Gen. Zebulon Montgomery Pike, who were
the only generals to die during the War of 1812, was not known, but it has now
been found, but not yet marked at Mount Covington cemetery at Sackets Harbor, NY. Info sent by Gary O'Dell of Sackets Harbor, 2006 states "Efforts to have markers for these
1812ers are in process. The condition of his burial site is a National
disgrace."
Links to other websites:
Welcome to Franklin County, NY
(franklincountyny.gov)
Click on the globe to return to the Covington
Locations page