The History of Cayuga County 1789-1879 page 276
EARLY SETTLEMENTS/ TOWN OF IRA

IRA CENTER.

Ira Center is a post village of some 150 inhabitants, pleasantly situated a little north-west of the center of the town, about two miles east of Ira Station and five miles north-east of Cato. It contains one church, (Baptist,) a district school, one hotel, (which was built by Israel Phelps about fifty-seven years ago, and is kept by Peter Van Auken, who bought the property of John Wiggins and W. W. Hooker in April, 1878,) a cheese factory, two blacksmith shops, kept by John B. Smith and Hiram Cossett, one carriage shop, kept by Michael Burk, three shoe shops, kept by G. L. M. Arnold, Selden D. Heath and D. T. Cook, a harness shop, kept by G. W. Shaw, a milliner shop, kept by Mrs. H. L. Downs, and a tin shop, kept by James McDonald.

The first settlement was made in 1805, by Thomas Barnes. The Phelpses settled here and in the vicinity the following year and have ever since been prominently identified with its growth. Stephen Pierce settled here about the same time.

MERCHANTS.--The first merchants at Ira Center were Samuel and Israel Phelps, who opened a store in 1813, where the Terpening Brothers' store now stands. Elijah S. Everts and Billings Clapp, uncle of E. D. Clapp, of Auburn, bought out the Phelpses about 1823, and kept a store for several years. Andrus P. Preston bought Clapp's interest, and subsequently that of Everts, but he kept the store only a short time.

William, Jonas, John and Strang Titus, under the firm name of Titus Brothers, opened a store a little before Everts and Preston changed, and did business several years. Jonas died in the south; William went to Locke, and Strang, to Oswego; and John continued the business, taking in Dr. Allen Benton as partner. They built and kept a distillery, which burned down after a short time, and dissolved, Titus selling out to Calvin Phelps, who kept the store three or four years, and then closed out and went west.

Campbell & Hollister opened a store where the post-office now is, which was taken, about 1836 or '7, by Henry R. Garlock, from Auburn, who kept it about six years and returned to Auburn.

David S Kellogg and Norman McCausey opened a third store about 1838, which they kept some two or three years, when McCausey died, and Kellogg took in as partner Alpheus G. Noble. They kept it about four years, when Col. Levi Lewis bought Kellogg's interest, and kept it in company with Noble about two years, when they sold out the goods. Charles Garlock, son of Henry R. Garlock, came in from Auburn and opened a store about 1844, which he kept about a year, when he returned to Auburn. For a short time there was no store.

About 1846 Phillips & Lusk, from Fulton, opened a store, which stood on the site of the one kept by Wiggins Bros., which they kept till the spring of 1849. This same spring Judah Pierce, from Cortland, opened a store and kept it four or five years, when T. West Titus, son of William Titus, bought him out, and after a year removed the goods to Hannibal Center. Soon after Ingham & Suydam, from the town of Cato, opened a branch store from the store of William Smith Ingham at Meridian, and kept it till it burned, about two years after. The same fall Henry R. Garlock moved a stock of goods kept by Edgar Ingham at Westbury, and sold them for Samuel Phelps in the store now occupied by the Terpenings, which had been vacant some years.

About this time, or soon after, S. M. Downs and Chandler M. Cogswell bought that stock and moved it to the house now occupied by D. T. Cook, the postmaster. After a short time Downs bought out Cogswell, and moved the goods to a building which stood on the lot now owned by Mrs. George W. Miller. Downs, the same year, bought the store now occupied by the Terpening Brothers, which still belongs to the estate, and kept a store there till about 1860, when he sold to David VanDusen, who at the opening of the war, resold to Downs, and went into the army, where he was killed. Downs continued in business till his death in the spring of 1876. About 1867 he admitted to partnership his son, H. L. Downs, who carried on the business about a year after his father's death, when, in April, 1877, he sold the stock to J. A. & G. Terpening, who are still engaged in the business.

Immediately after selling to Downs & Cogswell, Garlock filled up the store he had occupied with new goods, which he moved about a year later to the store occupied by Wiggins Bros., which was built by Samuel Phelps Jr., about

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