The History of Cayuga County 1789-1879 page 255
Town of Sterling / Sterling Center -- Fair Haven

or three years, when they sold the goods at auction and the building to J. B. Chappell. Wood returned to Albany, whence he came, and Freeman Longley removed to Wisconsin.

The Cayuga House, Ethan Allen proprietor, was built in 1833, by Samuel Crawford, and was first occupied as a hotel about 1838, by Samuel Beattie, having been used previously as a dwelling. It was the first hotel in the village. Beattie kept it three or four years, and was succeeded by several individuals who kept it only for a short period. In 1876, Jno. C. Shaw, uncle of the present proprietor, bought the property and put it in good condition.

The grist-mill, owned by Edwin Clark, and run by James Mizen, was built in 1813, by a man named Ireland, whose sons, though not practical millers, managed it several years. He built a saw-mill about the same time. The grist-mill and some three acres of land were bought by Samuel Crawford, who operated it several years, and in 1835 gave it a thorough over-hauling and put in new gearing. Soon after it passed into the hands of Liva Peck, and others. Edwin Clark is the present proprietor. It contains three runs of stones. The saw-mill and 225 acres of land were bought by Asa Cary from Vermont, who came into the town in 1831, and whose son Nathaniel C. Cary, now resides here. Edwin Sanford, now owns it, and has converted it into a shop for cutting out stuff for cabinet ware.

The creek, which furnishes the motive power for all the manufacturing establishments in the village, except the foundry, has a fall of ten and one-half feet, but the supply is not constant of late years.

The tannery which is owned and operated by Wemple Halliday, was built in 1859, by John Halliday, father of Wemple, on the site of one built in 1832, by Vilas, White & Co., and burned about 1852.

The foundry owned by Nathaniel C. Cary and Alex. C. Sturgis, was built about 1846, by Wm. Kirk and A. C. Sturgis, who, in 1848, finding it too small for their business, erected an addition. About 1861, Kirk sold his interest to Sylvanus Ferris, who, about 1864, sold to Nathaniel C. Cary. It has since been conducted by Sturgis & Cary. Plows and cultivators are the principal articles manufactured. The works are operated by steam.

FAIR HAVEN.

Fair Haven (p. o.) is situated in the north-west corner of the town, on Little Sodus Bay, and is the northern terminus of the S. C. R. R. It contains two churches, (M. E. and Reformed,) a district school, two hotels, eight stores, two saw-mills, a planing-mill, brick-yard and a population of about 700. The village extends the whole length of the Bay and to some distance above it. It is prosperous, and new enterprises are being rapidly undertaken. The gently sloping shores of the Bay, which is a pretty sheet of water, presents many fine sites for residences.

The Barrus House was built in 1875, by Giles C. Barrus, who had previously, for about six years, kept a hotel at the head of the Bay, in a building now in a dilapidated condition and used as a dwelling-house, and erected about fifty years since by Abijah Hunt, who kept in it for a good many years the first hotel in Fair Haven. Hunt was succeeded by Emer S. Sayles, who kept it four or five years, when Benj. S. Patty followed him and kept it a like period, being succeeded by James M. Crozier. Thos. Harsha kept it afterwards five or six years, until it came into the hands of Giles C. Barrus. Barrus, who was from Hannibal, kept the present house till his death in the winter of 1877-'78. when he was succeeded by his son, Giles F. Barrus, the present proprietor.

The Meyers House, a fine large hotel, situated at the "Point," was opened in the spring of 1873, by R. J. Meyers, the present proprietor.

Mrs. Jane Hitchcock opened a hotel just east of the old Hunt hotel, which she kept a good many years, till her death during the war.

The fist store at Fair Haven was started by Garrison Taylor, about 1825, in the building he now occupies, on Lake Street.

Seth Turner was next to Taylor. He opened a store about twenty years ago in the building subsequently used as a hotel, at the head of the Bay. He kept it some three or four years, when he went west. David Cole and a Mr. Oakes succeeded him, but neither of them continued long.

Isaac Turner and Rufus S. Welch then opened a store near where the brick block of Mendall & Hitchcock now stands. After a short time Turner went out and Welch continued it alone, but only for a short time.

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