1854 Wall Map of Chautauqua County, NY published by Collins G. Keeney, Philadelphia

Property owners in Stedman in 1854:
1854 Property owners
Carlson, S.
Davis, P. R.
Losee, J.
Maler, W.
Pringle, H.
Scribner, D. A.
Stannard, E.
Stedman, P.
Taylor, J. F.
Whitford, O.

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.

1881 property owners in Stedman:

Davis, S.
Ford, J. H.
Keith, J.
Pringle, HOmer & Henry
Scribner, Mrs. A.
Seymour, Harriet
Seymour, J. & A.

Harmony Historical Society, Brief History Leaflet No. 2 

STEDMAN 

The village of Stedman, only a country crossroads possessed a post office for a little more than half a century. The post office was established on January 31, 1854 with John L. Losee as the first postmaster. The office was discontinued on September 15, 1905 and mail was ordered sent to Mayville. Floyd Darrow shares this story about a post office in the area prior to this one. 

Frank Seymour, whose family has lived on the same farm, just south of the four corners since 1836, showed me two letters which confirm a previous post office. One was addressed to his great-grandmother, Mrs., Anne Barber, at Stedmansville, N. Y. and bears the date 1848. Another having the same address was postmarked 1841. Since the post office name bore the suffix "ville", apparently that was the early designation. However, an answer to my letter of inquiry addressed to Washington says, "We regret to inform you that we have been unable to locate any reference to a post office in New York for the period 1841-1848, named Stedmansville." The 1854 Chautauqua county map shows the name Stedman Po. Office. 

The 1854 Chautauqua County map also lists P. Stedman & Cos. Inn & Store. The proprietor being Dr. Percival Stedman, from whom the village received its name, and that he ran a stage-coach inn for the Westfield-Corry route in the old days. He came from Mayville and in addition to his hotel and store, also erected a shoe shop, cooper shop and dwellings. 

What may be a little known fact is that Stedman was for a time, the home of a dulcimer factory. The dulcimer was a stringed instrument played by striking the wire strings with a small wooden hammer covered with buckskin and with a limber whalebone handle. The player used both hands in playing. The fiddle and the dulcimer were played at most of the country dances during this time period. Harrison and Lewis Wade began the manufacture of dulcimers in Stedman around 1855. For a decade or more, the dulcimer was a very popular instrument and this area well supplied. The Wade Brothers also sold them in Ohio, Kentucky, Canada and as far west as Missouri. Each dulcimer sold for about $15.00. Some of the young men who demonstrated and sold them were Fred Taylor, Orris Barnes, Chas C. Fisher and A. W. Cowles who worked in Kentucky and Missouri. They often took cattle in payment and drove them overland to Chicago and sold them.

The late Arthur W. Anderson, in writing about the dulcimer a number of years ago noted, "The boys demonstrating them in the South were obliged to leave hastily at the outbreak of the civil war. Homer Pringle of Chautauqua, a native of that region, now ninety years of age, clearly recalls the factory, the proprietors and salesmen and the heyday of their commodity."

One of the old dulcimer players was Malchart D. Mason, always known as "Mep", who died in 1925 at the age of 87. Floyd Darrow spoke with his daughter, Mrs. Virginia Baldwin. She says her father was a fiddler who played at dances all over this part of the country and was an accomplished dulcimer player. Among those who played with him were Merritt Barnes, Grant Baker, Silus Taylor and John Hitchcock. There was also Murray Gunton, Sam Ames, Edgar Johnson, Ben Cook and others. Mr. Mason passed his declining years in North Harmony living with Clyde and Earl Mason just south of the Ebenezer church. 

The Stedman Store 
According to Floyd Darrow, the Stedman store, situated in the northwestern portion of the town of Harmony was started around 1875 by Frank Wood. The next owner was Mr. Near and then Amos Olney. The store burned at that time. Next, for four or five years, Theodore Hawley ran a store in the abandoned creamery to be replaced with one by Merit Barnes and William Baker. Then came Walter Hewes and James Pringle in 1899. Mr. Pringle remained in the business for three years, selling out his interest to Charles Cowles in 1902. At this time, they put in a creamery station proposing to stimulate business to the store, which it did. Mr. Cowles ran the creamery, taking the separated cream to Dwight Morris on the Morris road close to Mayville. He worked in the store during the afternoons. A telephone central was operated at the store for a number of years. A grocery wagon was put on the road to deliver orders which were placed by telephone. Their business thrived and the stock of goods was worth many thousands of dollars. Ross Cowles began as a clerk, later taking Charles' place and eventually assuming control of the store. In 1908 the creamery burnt and Charles went west, living in Idaho for 9 years and returning to Cheney's Point. 

"Stedman" by Mr. John Seymour: 

The history of the hamlet began in 1851; when Dr. E. P. Stedman erected a hotel and store to be followed with wagon, cooper, blacksmith and shoe shops. Those were the days when such communities had to be self-contained, providing within themselves all the activities necessary for rural life, thus giving rise to thriving workshops in many country towns. 

Later, a factory for making wagon spokes was erected, but the machinery was so complicated that few men could successfully operate it and, after two had been crippled for life, the factory was closed and the machinery was sold. 

The Post Office was established January 31, 1854 and a daily stage coach carried the mail from Panama to Westfield and returned. Trade in the store of E. P. Stedman & Son grew so that their business within a short time amounted to seven thousand dollars a year. 

The thing that put Stedman on the map was the dulcimer business. The Stedmans sold their property to L.S. and H. (Harrison) Wade, dulcimer manufacturers, who moved their factory to the village. They came from over the border in Pennsylvania. The Wade Brothers "made dulcimers by the thousands, which were sold from twelve to fifty dollars each." The more expensive ones were inlaid with rosewood, having a cover, with a plate glass mirror on the inside of the lid, and mounted on harp legs. Their market was the whole of the United States, Canada and the West India Isles. An early description says "The dulcimer was a stringed instrument played by striking the wire strings with a small wooden hammer covered with buckskin and with a limber whalebone handle. The player used both hands in playing. The fiddle and the dulcimer were played at most of the country dances in this section in this period. " 

It was said that the name Stedman became more widely known than any other hamlet in the States since it was the home of the dulcimer manufactory. With each instrument sold, a book of instruction was given stating that supplies and information could be had by writing to Stedman. 

Unfortunately, a fire in 1860 destroyed the hotel, store, dwelling house and storage room. The store had been used as a finishing room in fashioning the dulcimers, and in the upper chamber many costly woods from Central America, such as rosewood and mahogany and curled maple from this country had been placed Such woods had been used for inlaying and veneering the instruments, and their loss was total, for there had been no insurance and they could not be replaced. 

It is told that a few years later another store was housed in one of the old shops after which a new building was erected by Frank Wood, who later sold his goods to other parties. However, fire once again visited the village and the loss was total, for there had been no insurance. 

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