History of Paterson and Its Environs (the Silk City) (Volume 2); Historical- Genealogical - Biographical (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: the setting of curb, a great deal of this work being done by private owners of property. Some of the old brown stone curbs set in 1835 are still in evidence at the present day. Appropriations deemed necessary for the safety and comfort of the inhabitants were voted on at the annual elections and for many years the township lived within its means. Then a new light seemed to dawn and the voters determined that succeeding generations ought to pay at least for some of the improvements; it was found that money could be raised with ease on obligations issued by the township and the appropriations grew less. In 1849 the township determined to realize on its assets; the poor house had already been sold; in 1849 Archibald Graham, Jr., made a successful investment in real estate by the purchase of the "town lott," obtaining what in after years was worth thousands of dollars for the sum of $800. What he obtained is described as follows: Beginning at the northeast corner formed by the intersection of York street with Broadway running thence (1) northerly along York street 600 feet (2) parallel with Broadway easterly 343 feet to the line of lands formerly owned by Edo Van Winkle (3) southerly along said line 600 feet to Broadway (4) westerly along Broadway 341 feet to the beginning at York street, containing four acres and seventy-one hundredths of an acre. The voters of Paterson apparently liked the idea of getting along without any tax bills to pay; the township real estate had been sold, but men of means were ready to advance more money on the corporate obligations and the voters concerned themselves little about what future generations might think of them. The voters finally concluded that the township expenses might as well be all paid out of the cash advanced by money-lenders and o...