CA I RO. BY HENRY WHITTEMORE. N THE NORTHEASTERN part of the county are little villages scattered through the valleys, with small I seven towns, forming a triangle, of which Cairo is the streams wending in every direction, while hills rise one center of the base. It is bounded on the north by above another as far as the eye can reach; and, on a Durham and Greenville, on the east by Coxsackie and clear day, the Berkshire Hills and Green Mountains may Athens on the south by Catskill, and on the west by Wind­ readily be discerned. The principal streams are the ham, Jewett and Hunter. The Potick Creek flows in a Katskill Creek, the !Shingle Kill and Plattekill, the Jan­ southwesterly direction along the eastern part of the town, de-Bakker and Potick Creeks. These have numerous separating it from the town of Athens . The town of Cairo small tributaries, which, rising in the mountains, find was formed from Coxsackie, Catskill and Freehold (now their way down the slopes until they reach the main Durham), March 26th 1803, as Canton; and on the 6th streams in the valley below. The soil is a clayey, grav­ of April, 1808, the name was changed to Cairo. The elly and shaly loam, fertile in the valleys, but of very name of Cairo was suggested by Asabel Stanley, a prom­ poor quality among the hills. inent citizen of the town, from Cairo in Egypt. By an The town contains 36,109 acres, about one-third of act of the Legislature, in 1803, "for dividing certain which is unimproved. With the exception of two de­ towns in the county of Greene" the boundaries are given cades there has been an appreciation in the value of tax­ as follows: able property of about 50 per cent. for each decade, as "Beginning at an oak tree on the bank of the Pee tick Ci-eek near the follows: r8ro, $191,043; 1820, $400,000; 1830, $247,256; fulling-mill of Ezekiel Benton, in the town of Coxsackie; thence north­ 1840, $226,499; 1860, $442,576; 1880. $859,142. The erly along said creek, until it intersect s the Schoharie turnpike road, at or near the dwelling house of Calvi n Wright; thence westerly along said prc,ent population is divided as follows: males, 1080; turnpike road until it intersects th e west lin e of the town of Coxsackie; fem ales, 1 179; colored, r 2. The population during the thence southerly to where it ifltersects the Snsqnehan na h turnpike road, two chains south of the dwelling house of Daniel Crane; thence summer months is much larger. in a direct line until it intersects the Batavia road one chain north of the dwelling house of Bildad Hines; thence continuing said lin e PROPERT Y TITLES. to the summit of the Catskill Mountains; thence southerly along the top of said mountains until it intersects the line run from the place of Nearly all the property within the present boundary of beginning, which said line is sonth sixty degrees west; thence to the place of beginning- * * shall be and hereby are erected into a town the town was included in the several patents obtained by the name of Canton, and the first town meeting· shall be held at the prior to the Revolution, an account of which is cor..tained dwelling house of Mary Carbine." in the general history of the county. Very few of the It is situated at the east foot of the Catskill Moun­ old deeds containing descriptions of the property cov­ tains, the crest of the mountains forming its western ered by these patents are now in existence; so that it is boundary. Its central and eastern parts are broken by very difficult to locate their boundaries. Among the several high, rocky ridges. Black Head, a peak of the largest of these are what is known as the Salisbury or Catskill, rises in the western part to an altitude of 3965 Catskill Patent, for land purchased of the Indians in feet, and *Steuffel (or Stoprel) point, is said to be 3450 1678 by Sylvester Salisbury and Marte Gerritse (Van feet high. Near the foot of these is t Round Top, or Bergen), for which a patent was granted by Governor Dome Mountain, a rocky, isolated hill, 500 feet high . Andros March 27th 1680; and the Barker Patent, granted From along the slopes and tops of these mountains a to James Barker just previous to the Revolution for 6,000 most beautiful and picturesque view is obtained. Spread acres extending from the little hamlet of Woodstock, nine out before the beholder like an immense panorama, are miles north to the town of Durham, situated on both sides * So called from a hunter who dwelt in the mountains. :t.A large business was done by some of the early settlers in making t This is nearly a literal translation of the Indian name, Wawante- shingles, and what is now the village of Cairo was formerly called Shin- pachook or Woweontupauke, meaning" round head place." gle Kill. ~,').., 204 HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY. of the Katskill Creek . The following is a partial list of the west of Kats Kill, adjoining a tract granted to the patents issued: Thomas Millet, Philip Lambert and Robert Davidson. A tract of 2,000 acres in Cairo and Catskill, petitioned (Cairo)." · for by Thomas Moore, Matthew Holland, and others, "Vol. XL V .l, page I z-October 24 I 788.-Certificate of April 6th 1768; subdivision of a tract in Cairo and Cats­ location for William Cockburn, of zoo acres of land, to kill, granted to James Coleman and others, dated April the west of the Cats Kill, adjoining a tract granted to 13th 1768; two tracts in Cairo, containing 6,000 acres Thomas Millet and others . (Cairo)." ~n both sides of the Catskill Mountains , surveyed for " Vol. XLV.l,page 13-0ctober 24 1788.-Certificate Donald McLean, Malachy Treat , and Neal McLean, of location for Casper ,valter, of 200 acres of land to the August 24th 1768; tract of land in Cairo, surveyed by west of Cats Kill, adjoining a tract granted to Thomas Thomas Moore and others, April 12th 1769 ; first and Millet and others . (Cairo)." second tracts , sur veyed b y John Mo rin Scott and his "Map of three preceding lots." associates, 4,660 acres in Cairo, June 28th 1769; 200 "Vol. XL V .l .l, page 54- July 23 1789.-Certificate of acres in Cairo, on th e west side of the Katskill, surveyed location for Elnathan Fitch of a tract of zoo acres near for Robert Walter , October 24th 1788; tract containing the foot of the Cats Kill Mountains, on the head-waters 603,½ acres in Freehold, now Cairo, under Catskill Moun ­ of Shingle Kill, and southwest of Airy Point. (Cairo)." tain and on bo th sid es of th e Shingle Kill, petitioned for " Vol. L, page roo-llifay 5 1791.-Proposal of Samuel by Samuel Darby, Solomon T ice, and Ephraim Darby, Darby, Solomon Tice and Ephraim Darby for a tract of May 5th 1791. land containing 603,½ acres in the town of Freehold at The following is a list of land papers pertaining to the the foot of the Cats Kill Mountain, on both sides of the town of Cairo, on file in secretary of State's office, Al­ main branch of Shingle Kill, and beginning at the south bany: corner of a tract granted to Elnathan Fitch. (Cairo). "Vol. XV.l, p age J06-Decembe r 23d 1761.-Indian Map of same ." deed to Willia m Van Bergen , Marte Gerritse Van Ber­ "Vol. L.l.l.l,page 157.-Map of three tracts of land gen, and James U mphrey j r., for four tracts of land, con­ and three islands in Hudson's River, surveyed for Martin taining together 2,14 1 acres; the first of which begins at Garretse Van Bergen, Thomas Lynot, John French and a fall of wat er on the west side of the brook called Kats others . (1st tract is in Greenville and Cairo, 2nd in Cairo Kill; the seco nd lies near Batavia on the west side of the and Durham, 3d in Ashland and Prattsville, Greene Catskill Mount ain s; the third tract lies about eight miles county, and Conesville, Schoharie county; the islands are to the west of the last menti oned tract, on the west of a opposite Coxsackie and are named the Dover Flatt, the brook called 'Schohary' Creek , opposite the land for­ Blinder Flatt and the Nutton Flatt, Greene county; see merly granted to Vincent Mathews and others, along Vol. 23, page 155)." 'Schohary' Creek, and on the north end of a small piece "Another map of above exclusive of islands ." of low ground called Elks Plain, where a small run of '' Vol. XX.l.l1, page 155- June 23 1767.-Return of water falls into' Schohary' Creek; and the fourth tract survey for Martin Garetsen Van Bergen, and associates, begins at the mo st sou therly bounds of the above men­ and for Samuel Deal and Andrew Breedsted, jr ., and tioned tract granted to Vincent Mathews and others John McKenney, of three tracts of land; also of three (Durham , Cairo, Windham and Greenville), with certifi­ islands lying in the Hudson River opposite Coxhackie, cate of Isaac Vrooman, deputy surveyor, certifying that called Blender Flat, Dover Flat, and Nutten Island, con­ the said tracts were surveyed by him, and that the bounds taining in all 35,500 acres of land .