Map from the Illustrated Historical Atlas of the County of Chautauqua New-York from actual surveys and records, published by F.W. Beers & Co., New York, 1881.

Amriah Atherly house, photo courtesy of Library of Congress

Victory arch at 4 corners, circa 1918

 ASHVILLE

Harmony Historical Society
Brief History Leaflet No. 1
ASHVILLE, NEW YORK

Various sources of the early history of the Town of Harmony give either 1808 or 1809 as the date of settlement of the village of Ashville. The history of Chautauqua County by Andrew W. Young, published in
1875, says that “Reuben Slayton, Jr. from Otsego County, bought, in 1809, on Lot 43, where Ashville is now, and came in 1810 with Archibald Ludington.” There he built mills and Young reported that Ashville was then
known as “Slayton’s Mills.” The Chautauqua County Directory of 1875 notes that “Slayton settled upon Goose
Creek, on the site of Ashville, March 10" of that year (1810).” Another reference from “Chautauqua County
and Its People” notes that “In 1808 and 1809 Reuben and Thomas Slayton bought land at Ashville, settled there,
before 1810 had sawmills in operation.”

Other early settlers include Mr. Matteson, the last prisoner of the Revolutionary War in Chautauqua
County, who moved here from Burlington, Otsego County in 1811. He, his wife and twelve children settled
upon the shore of the lake, three miles from Ashville that February. He was a blacksmith, the first one of his
trade to settle in the Town. He lived to be 98 years old, dying in 1858. Orange Phelps settled in Chautauqua
County in 1809 and came to Ashville in 1811.

Ashville, the first village formed in the Town of Harmony derives its name from being the largest center
in Chautauqua County, in that time period, for the conversion of green timber to “pot” and “pearl” ashes.
Clearing and settling the land of that time provided plenty of timber for this endeavor. There were four asheries in the village. Ephraim Berry, who also established a distillery, built the first one. Alvin Williams set up a store in 1822 and at the same time an ashery. Adolphus Fletcher, one of the most industrious of early pioneers and Titus Kellogg built asheries in the area.

Floyd Darrow explains the process of turning green timber to potash in his book, History of the Town of
North Harmony, Vol. 1.:

The art of producing ashes was in those far-away days an industry of vast importance. Having felled the
forest over an area from three to ten acres, a settler would cut and pile the brush, after which he fashioned the
logs into suitable lengths for burning. Then, from far and near, the neighbors would assemble and with many
yokes of oxen skid the logs into heaps for the bonfires. With much hard cider during the day, at dusk these
workmen gathered for the evening meal consisting of enormous Johnny-cakes baked on boards, between the
upper and lower layers of which, when split, were inserted huge slices of roast venison or boar’s meat. When
the meal was over, these frontiersmen gathered about the open campfires, indulging in stories of wolf and bear
hunting, often engaging in wrestling matches and sometimes fights.

"The ashes collected from the burned out heaps of timber were leached with water, the lye thus obtained
being boiled down into a caustic mass, treacherous stuff to handle, which was known as “black salts.” At the
asheries, this crude raw material was thrown into a large brick oven, six or eight feet in diameter, where it was baked and almost burned for some time at a temperature approaching that of red heat. When the product
cooled, it had been transformed into a pearly white mass. Used largely as baking soda and in the preparation of baking powder, these salts brought a ready cash price. In those days, this was practically the only means which a settler had for obtaining ready money. For the payment of taxes, such money, above everything else, must be forthcoming. These salts were largely shipped to New York by ox-drawn carts and the Erie Canal, when in 1825 that vast artery of traffic came into service. Much, too, found their way over the stage and water routes to Pittsburgh. The sales by one dealer alone amounted to approximately forty thousand dollars a year. Not only did this early commerce bring much needed cash, but it also promoted the clearing of the land, without which the progress of agriculture and the building of towns and villages could not proceed."

Among the beautiful houses located in the Ashville area is the Amariah Atherly house. It stands on the
rising knoll of ground at the west side of the village on Route 474 headed toward Blockville. The following
story about the history of this house comes from Floyd Darrow:

"One day nearly a century ago (1850), the late James Campbell (always known as “Jim Camel ”) ran
away from his home across the border in Pennsylvania, coming to Ashville for a time. He was about 15 years
old, just at the impressionable time of youth when strange places and unusual sights are prone to capture the
imagination.

In this new-found village, he came upon the Amariah Atherly place, which had recently been erected. It
appealed to him tremendously and he vowed that, if he were ever prosperous enough to do so, he would return
to this village and acquire this property as his home. He accomplished that goal. Years later when oil was
struck in Pennsylvania, Mr. Campbell’s farm at Goodwill, near Grand Valley on the way to Titusville, was found to be rich in this newly discovered source of fuel and light. As a result, he became well-to-do, abundantly
able to bring to fruition the long cherished hope of his boyhood days. He returned to Ashville in 1886, living
first in the Daniel Williams place, the old colonial house owned previously by Charlie Carpenter. Campbell
soon purchased the Atherly house along with the farm of approximately 150 acres. Mr. Campbell was born in
1841 and died in 1922, having been of Scotch-Irish ancestry. He was remembered as a genial neighbor, public
spirited citizen and staunch friend in time of need.

For more information, contact the Harmony Historical Society at
1934 Open Meadows Road
Ashville, New York 14710
Website: www.harmonyhistoricals.org
Phone:(716) 782-3074