The first post-office was established in Chester in 1794. Joseph
Wickham being the first postmaster located at West Chester, then and
now a part of Chester village, afterward it was moved to the old
village and in 1842 was removed to the building opposite the present
Erie Railroad tower at Chester Station. The idea of offering fresh
milk from the country to the distant consumer in the city originated
with a road contractor named Selleck who interested some of our
leading farmers in the project and succeeded in getting a supply
sent by the Erie in the spring of 1842. It was shipped in the blue
pyramid churns of that day. The first shipment were about six cans
per day and freight charges were by weight, twenty cents per hundred
pounds. The price paid the producer was two cents per quart, placed
on the cars at Chester. The farmers soon finding that there was more
money to be made from milk at two cents per quart than butter at
fifteen cents per pound, began sending milk to Selleck. Thus the
milk business of the county was born, and in spite of the many
difficulties, this business has alone been the means of building four
railroads in Orange County and returned to it over $100,000,000.
In 1784 mention is made of a saw-mill on the trout brook, on the
Sterling road. These mills are now known as Bull's Mills. A
grist-mill was then operated on the opposite side of the stream. The
old flouring mill at West Chester was established soon after the
settlement was made. As late as the year 1820, an old mill stood upon
the ground just above the present Chester mills. During these times
they used two run of stone and never were compelled to shut down for
lack of water.
Chester's first library was incorporated November 17, 1779, with
seven trustees, and was verified before Judge Wickham and recorded
the same year. Abijah Yelverton was the first librarian.
The war of 1861 occasioned a great demand for onions and our onion
culture on the black meadows began about that time. Our average
yearly production has been about 60,000 bushels. During revolutionary
times a part of these meadows were cultivated for raising hemp;
later on, potatoes and corn.
INCORPORATION.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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