Everything Worthy of Observation

Description

Finalist for the 2019 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award in the History category

In the pre-dawn of August 2, 1826, Alexander Stewart Scott stepped aboard the steamboat Chambly in Quebec City, Canada. He was beginning a journey that not only took him across New York State but also ultimately changed his view of America and her people. A keen observer, the twenty-one-year-old meticulously recorded his travel experiences, observations about the people he encountered, impressions of things he saw, and reactions to events he witnessed.

This firsthand account immerses the reader in the world of early-nineteenth-century life in both New York and Lower Canada. Whether enduring the choking dust raised by a stagecoach, the frustration and delays caused by bad roads, or the wonders and occasional dangers of packet boat travel on the newly completed Erie Canal, all are vividly brought to life by Scott's pen. This journal also offers a unique blend of travel and domestic insights. With close family members living in both St. John's, Quebec, Canada, and Palmyra, New York, his travels were supplemented by long stays in these communities, offering readers comparative glimpses into the daily lives and activities in both countries. Gregarious, funny, and inquisitive, Scott missed nothing of what he thought worthy of observation.
List of Illustrations
Foreword
Acknowledgments

Editor’s Introduction: The 1826 New York State Travel Journal of Alexander Stewart Scott

Preface

Chapter One - The start of the journey from Quebec City, Canada to Schenectady, New York

Chapter Two - By canal packet boat and stagecoach to Geneva, New York

Chapter Three - Geneva to Palmyra and a stay with family

Chapter Four - Visit to Niagara Falls

Chapter Five - Incidents on the Erie Canal and a return to Palmyra

Chapter Six - Heading east once more, Palmyra to Albany, New York

Chapter Seven - Touring Albany and Troy, New York

Chapter Eight - Homeward bound, Troy to St. John’s, Quebec

Chapter Nine - Visiting family and friends in St. John’s before heading home to Quebec City

Afterword
Appendix One
Appendix Two
Notes
Index

Sujets

• États-Unis
• Regional
• History of the Americas
• Region
• Local history
• 19th century
• United States of America
• USA

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 14 juin 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781438475172
• Langue: English

Extrait

Praise for Everything Worthy of Observation
“ Everything Worthy of Observation is a delight to read. Not only does one see State landmarks such as Niagara Falls through fresh eyes (a neatly foiled snake attack at the Falls is recounted) but one almost feels the dust of stage coach travel. The hazards of canal travel are made clear—the large number of low bridges on the Erie Canal required that canal boat passengers ‘lie down flat on the Deck … or get down below’ to avoid receiving severe blows and getting knocked down. No doubt the pleasure of reading this book is greatly enhanced by the scholarship of Paul G. Schneider Jr. His extensive research is evident in the wonderful notes he provides that furnish context for the reader. I highly recommend this book.”
— Margaret Lynch-Brennan, author of The Irish Bridget: Irish Immigrant Women in Domestic Service in America, 1840–1930
“Carefully transcribed and meticulously edited, the travel journal of Canadian Alexander Stewart Scott provides a close-up view of life in upstate New York in 1826. A cultivated devotee of the theater and of books and reading, Scott records many details during his canal and lake voyage. He describes meeting many interesting people during his travel, which included transportation not only on canal boats but also by stagecoach and steamboat. Scott has left us with a fascinating depiction of New York State during a significant period in its history.”
— Paul R. Huey, Retired Senior Scientist (Archaeology), New York State Office of Parks, Recreation Historic Preservation
Everything Worthy of Observation
Everything Worthy of Observation
T HE 1826 N EW Y ORK S TATE T RAVEL J OURNAL OF A LEXANDER S TEWART S COTT
Edited by
PAUL G. SCHNEIDER JR.
Cover art: “Erie Canal,” 1831 watercolor on board by J. W. Hill.
Courtesy of the Union College Permanent Collection.
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2019 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
Excelsior Editions is an imprint of State University of New York Press
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Scott, Alexander Stewart, 1805–1846, author. | Schneider, Paul G., Jr., 1945– editor, writer of introduction, writer of afterword.
Title: Everything worthy of observation : the 1826 New York State travel journal of Alexander Stewart Scott / edited with an introduction and afterword by Paul G. Schneider Jr.
Description: Albany : State University of New York Press, [2019] | Series: Excelsior editions | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018036281 | ISBN 9781438475158 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438475165 (paperback : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438475172 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Scott, Alexander Stewart, 1805–1846—Travel—New York (State)—Diaries. | New York (State)—Description and travel.
Classification: LCC F123 .S43 2019 | DDC 917.4704—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018036281
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
List of Illustrations
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Editor’s Introduction
T HE 1826 N EW Y ORK S TATE T RAVEL J OURNAL OF A LEXANDER S TEWART S COTT
Preface
Chapter One The start of the journey from Quebec City, Canada to Schenectady, New York.
Chapter Two By canal packet boat and stagecoach to Geneva, New York.
Chapter Three Geneva to Palmyra and a stay with family.
Chapter Four Visit to Niagara Falls.
Chapter Five Incidents on the Erie Canal and a return to Palmyra.
Chapter Six Heading east once more, Palmyra to Albany, New York.
Chapter Seven Touring Albany and Troy, New York.
Chapter Eight Homeward bound, Troy to St. John’s, Quebec.
Chapter Nine Visiting family and friends in St. John’s before heading home to Quebec City.
Afterword
Appendix One
Appendix Two
Notes
Index
Illustrations
Figures
I.1 Original first page of Alexander Stewart Scott’s 1826 travel journal.
1.1 “No. 24. Lake George and the village of Caldwell,” Jacques Gérard Milbert, lithograph.
1.2 “Glenns [ sic ] Falls,” John Hill, etcher, after William Guy Wall.
1.3 “No. 18. Saratoga Springs,” Jacques Gérard Milbert, lithograph.
2.1 “No. 1,” 1825 unidentified watercolor sketch of a canal, which is probably the Erie, by John Hopkins Sr.
2.2 “Erie Canal at Utica,” watercolor drawing by unknown artist.
2.3 Etching, No. XL, “American Stage Coach,” Captain Basil Hall, R.N.
2.4 Etching, No. VI, “Bridge Across Lake Cayuga,” Captain Basil Hall, R.N.
3.1 “The Nations Bulwark. A well disciplined militia,” Edward Williams Clay, 1829.
4.1 “Aqueduct Bridge at Rochester,” detail, James Eights, 1823, pencil, ink, and wash.
4.2 “No. 7, Genesee falls at Rochester, November 1825,” watercolor sketch by John Hopkins Sr.
4.3 “Brock’s Monument (From the American Side),” detail, William Bartlett print, 1838–1842.
4.4 “The Devil’s hole, on the road from Niagara to Lockport, State of N. York. Nov. 1825,” watercolor sketch by John Hopkins Sr.
4.5 “The Landing on the American Side (Falls of Niagara),” William Bartlett print, 1838–1842.
4.6 “Niagara Falls,” watercolor drawing by an unknown artist.
4.7 “Pavilion Hotel at Niagara,” watercolor over pencil on paper, 1830, by James Pattison Cockburn, 1779–1847.
4.8 Artist’s engraving of visitors under Niagara Falls at Table Rock.
5.1 Etching, No. VII, “Buffalo on Lake Erie,” Captain Basil Hall, R.N.
5.2 “View Showing the Progress of the Work on the Lock Section,” 1839, by Thomas Evershed.
5.3 Schematic drawing illustrating the practical procedures taken by canal boat captains and drivers when passing one another.
6.1 “No. 5,” 1825 unidentified watercolor sketch showing a packet boat in a lock probably on the Erie Canal by John Hopkins Sr.
7.1 “Congress Hall,” detail, unknown artist, wood engraving on wove paper.
7.2 Engraving of the New York State Capitol at Albany.
7.3 “No. 15. Falls of Mount Ida, above the town of Troy,” Jacques Gérard Milbert, lithograph.
8.1 “No. 21. White Hall, Lake Champlain,” Jacques Gérard Milbert, lithograph.
9.1 “The Barracks, St. John’s C. E. (Saint-Jean, Quebec),” detail, unknown artist, 1846.
9.2 “Custom House Square, Montreal, QC, 1830,” watercolor by John Henry Walker.
9.3 “Officer’s quarters, Fort Lennox, Isle aux Noix, Richelieu River, QC, 1892,” photograph.
9.4 “The Place d’Armes, Montreal, QC, 1828,” painting.
9.5 “Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, QC, about 1875,” photograph.
9.6 “Champlain Street below the Citadel, Quebec City, QC, 1865,” photograph.
Maps
1.1 Detail of the region around St. John’s and Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1.2 Annotated map detail of Lake Champlain.
1.3 Map detail of lakes Champlain and George.
1.4 Annotated map detail showing Scott’s travel route down Lake George.
1.5 Detail of annotated map showing Scott’s travel route by stagecoach from Glens Falls, through Saratoga Springs and Ballston Spa to Schenectady.
2.1 Annotated map showing Scott’s travel route by stagecoach from Utica through Syracuse.
3.1 Annotated map showing the geographic proximity of the communities of Geneva, Palmyra, and Lyons.
4.1 Annotated map showing Scott’s stagecoach travel route along the Ridge Road.
4.2 Map, “Falls of Niagara and Adjacent Country.”
6.1 Annotated map showing Scott’s travel route on the Erie Canal from Lyons through Syracuse, Utica, and on to Schenectady.
7.1 Annotated map showing Scott’s travel route northward from Albany through Troy, Lansingburgh, Waterford, and then along the Hudson River past the Saratoga Battlefield.
8.1 Annotated map showing Scott’s stagecoach travel route from Fort Edward to Fort Ann.
9.1 Annotated map of the region around St. John’s, Canada.
Foreword
Every day, librarians help people identify resources and access a wide variety of information. As ever more information is available digitally, it is easy to forget that there is much information that can only be found by reading unique handwritten sources like letters and diaries. The Manuscripts and Special Collections unit of the New York State Library is the repository of thousands of these manuscripts. One such resource is The 1826 [New York State] Travel Journal of Alexander Stewart Scott (BD13145).
Paul Schneider’s transcription has made the contents of Alexander Scott’s journal accessible to even a casual reader. The journal documents a three-month trip