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Bates Tavern: A Lost Oneida County Landmark

August 26, 2020 by Roy Crego 13 Comments

Salmon Bates GravestoneThe Bates Tavern, named for innkeeper Salmon Bates (1774-1858), was in Northern Oneida County, just south of Ava Corners, then part of the Town of Boonville.

Bates was born in Connecticut and had made his way there with his wife Annie Campbell and their young children, by way of New Lebanon, Columbia County, NY, around 1805. They soon opened a tavern in their house; a place to rest the horses and quench the thirst.

The War of 1812 brought additional business as military columns moved past with troops and supplies headed north toward Sackets Harbor. After the war, trade and traffic continued to grow with the completion of the Erie Canal. In 1823, the Canal Turnpike Company applied to the state legislature to alter the present route of their road to the Bates tavern.

Salmon and Annie had several children before she died (ca. 1810) and Salmon remarried to Margaret Crego Terry (1788-1868). Salmon and Margaret had six more children.  A humorous article in a local paper provides details of domestic life at the tavern:

Caroline Bates GravestoneDecember 5, 1839

To the editor of the Northern Journal:

Please give the following instance of Female dexterity an insertion in your paper:

Female Dexterity – A young lady by the name of Emeline Bates, daughter of Salmon Bates, innkeeper in the town of Boonville, spun in one day (9th of Oct. inst.) six runs or one hundred twenty feet of woolen yarn from 7 o’clock in the morning till 8 in the evening of the same day with a drop spindle. On the same day, Caroline, another daughter of same Bates, taught school six hours and made a shirt for her father in a workmanlike manner.

We cheerfully comply with the request of our correspondent and if the dexterity does not prove a bait to the young ___ in that quarter they must be a stupid set of fellows and ought to go shirtless.

Site of Bates TavernWorking Farm

Salmon became a prosperous farmer. In 1836, he bought a large parcel (originally part of Oothoudt’s Patent) near the tavern from Ambrose Spencer, a land speculator, former Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court, and future U.S. Congressman.  By the 1850s, Bates had built a homestead of about 355 acres almost opposite the tavern. The Bates’ farm included 100 improved acres with  an acre of potatoes and an orchard capable of producing 300 bushels of apples. The farm also had substantial livestock for the time, including two horses, a team of oxen, a dozen milk cows, 57 sheep, and nine hogs.

Salmon Bates died on September 21, 1858 and was buried in West Branch Cemetery about a half mile south of the tavern. His stone stands next to that of his son who had died the year before.

1852 Map ColorHard Times

Following Salmon’s death, the tavern and farm began a long decline. The Civil War caused several of family to leave the farm. Daughter Mary served as a nurse at a hospital in Washington, DC, as early as December 1861. Son Thomas joined the war effort early and was named a captain in the Union Army. In 1864, he requested leave to attend to family matters:

March 25, 1864
HdQrs Batty A 1st NY Arty
Potterville, PA
Major Jno S. Schultze
AA General
Major,

I would respectfully request a leave of absence for (30) thirty days for the following reasons: I have lost my father and he has left a farm of 300 acres of land with a large stock of horses, cattle, sheep, etc, etc, and there is no one to take care of it but my mother who is seventy six years of age. I am by his will, the executor of the estate, and I desire to go home, sell off the stocks, settle the debts, rent the farm, and provide a place for my mother to live.

The case is of such urgent necessity that unless I can have a little time to settle my father’s estate, I shall feel it a duty I owe my mother to leave the service, which I should very much regret to do. It is the time of year to dispose of stock and to rent farms, and I trust this application will be acted upon without delay….

I am, Major, very respectfully
Your Obdt Servant
Thos H. Bates (signature)
Capt. Co. A 1st NY Arty.

In 1865, Margaret Bates remarried a much younger man, John Woodcock, but Woodcock did not remain in the picture long. She died at the Bates homestead in Ava in 1868 at age 81. Her obituary described her as “Mrs. Salmon Bates” and as an “energetic, kind-hearted and benevolent woman.” The farm and tavern then passed to her children, but the following year, the Bates Tavern suffered a sad end:

Rome May 24 [1869]

About a week ago the “Bates place” in Ava was burned to the ground. The fire occurred in the night and it is said to be the work of an
incendiary. The dwelling was situated on the road from West Branch to Ava Corners and will be well remembered by all familiar with the early settlers of that town. There was no insurance upon the buildings destroyed.

Another son, Stephen L. Bates, lived at the Bates homestead with his family until his death in 1874. Management of the farm then passed to his brother Thomas, with the help of several farm laborers.   Eventually, the farm was mortgaged to Amaziah D. Barber of Utica, foreclosed on, and title was transferred to Barber in 1877.

Bates Tavern was located on the west side of the Route 26, just south of Tuffy Road.

Photos, from above: Salmon Bates Gravestone, West Branch Cemetery; Caroline Bates Gravestone, West Branch Cemetery; Site of Bates Tavern (courtesy Roy Crego); 1852 Map of Ava, Newell S. Brown, Philadelphia, accessed at Oneida Co. Clerk’s office, Utica.

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Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History, Mohawk Valley, Western NY Tagged With: Mohawk River, Oneida County

About Roy Crego

Roy Crego is a researcher and writer focusing on New York history, especially that of the western Adirondacks. He is a member of the Town of Webb Historical Association and a direct descendant of Adirondack guide Richard C. Crego (1853-1925).

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Paul Huey says

    August 27, 2020 at 9:21 AM

    The Bates Tavern site should be considered an archaeological site. The site should be registered in the Statewide inventory of archaeological resources maintained by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). The site should be protected as an archaeological resource. If the site is ever threatened by new development, proper excavations should be conducted to rescue historical information. The documentation of the site is excellent.

    Reply
    • Roy Crego says

      August 27, 2020 at 11:24 AM

      Thanks for the comment. Yes, it would be interesting to see if anything remains in the ground. Perhaps the town historian or other local group can work with the current landowner to at least set up a historic marker. Almost all the early histories of the settlement of Ava mention Salmon Bates and his tavern.

      Reply
  2. Rosemary Laufer says

    August 30, 2020 at 8:55 AM

    The Margaret Crego Terry and Salmon Bates family rest within my spreading family tree branches so I was quite interested to read the details about their long lives and industrious work. And, I have passed through this beautiful area several times while touring New York state, and so appreciate fixing it more solidly in my head. How thoroughly time can undo all that individuals and families achieve!

    Now I want to know about that fire. No insurance? Burned to the ground in the middle of the night? Was Margaret’s second husband on a revenge trip? Who had it in for the family? Did a cow knock over a lantern? Enquiring minds want to know. I guess I need to go snooping into New York newspaper archives to see if there are fuller accounts of that.

    Reply
    • Roy Crego says

      August 31, 2020 at 8:53 AM

      Hi Rosemary, Thanks for the comments. The tavern fire would make a good novel. The notice quoted in the article is from the Utica Morning Herald in 1869. So far, it’s the only mention I’ve seen. I’m hoping others like you may be able to provide additional info. If anything further turns up, I’ll definitely update the article.

      Reply
  3. Eileen Fanning says

    August 31, 2020 at 8:20 AM

    Very interesting article about ordinary people in extraordinary times. Definitely things we could learn and consider for our current situation. Glad I read this.

    Reply
    • Roy Crego says

      August 31, 2020 at 4:37 PM

      Thank you for the comments Eileen. Glad you enjoyed the read.

      Reply
  4. Patrick says

    August 31, 2020 at 8:23 AM

    Very interesting read. Mr. Crego has a very deliberate and efficient writing style that I appreciate. The subject matter is a fascinating glimpse into the early years of our nation. It makes one think of the countless other stories like this that have been lost to time. I would certainly read more articles by the author.

    Reply
  5. Roy Crego says

    August 31, 2020 at 4:41 PM

    Hi Patrick. Thanks for the kind comments. To see a listing of my other articles, click on my name at the top, under the article title.

    Reply
  6. David Rundle says

    October 16, 2020 at 7:07 AM

    I have added a link to your research on the Town of Ava website. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Roy Crego says

      October 18, 2020 at 6:36 PM

      You are welcome.

      Reply
  7. Joseph Pfeiffer says

    October 20, 2020 at 9:44 PM

    Has anyone checked these sites out? Maybe they can help.

    https://www.oneidacountyhistory.org/

    https://romehistoricalsociety.org/

    Reply
  8. Roy Crego says

    October 21, 2020 at 2:37 PM

    Thank you. They are both are wonderful organizations and I’ve visited them several times.

    Reply
  9. Tom Tkachuk says

    February 21, 2021 at 9:52 AM

    From an Ava resident, thank you for spending your time for the research you have done on the Bates Tavern, I really appreciate it!!!

    Reply

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