HE. thr iving city of Po r t J ervis is se t be

tween green h i l ls on the Delaware River

at the mouth-

of the Neversink, which

winds in and out l ike a si lver thread

among the foo th ill s o f the Blue Ridge

Mo un ta in s . The crest o f the Appalacha in 'ange forms a mos t

harmonious and pleasing background for the farms o f

Orange County , set like jewels in Nature’

s crown .

Port Jervi s i s idea l ly loca ted , whether considered from

a residen tia l or a commercial s tandpoin t . No ma tter how

much natura l beauty and attractiveness a place may possess

i t does no t appea l wi th much force to an outsider unti l h e

has definite ly settled in his own mind the q uestion of i ts

access ibi l i ty . There are many l oca l i ti es which boas t— and

ju stly , too— oi rugged and picturesqu e surroundings and

prosperous local conditions . But i n too many cases they

are no t to be considered by th e city worker w ho has nei ther

the time nor the inc l ina tion to undertake the long journey

necessary to reach i t .

Port Jervi s is doubly fortunate in this particular . I t i s

wi thin easy commuting distance of New York Ci ty , ahd yet

affords a l l the advantages of country l i fe . The ci ty i s loca ted

on s evera l l ines o f ra il roads , one of them being the main

trunk l ine of the Erie , and there are twenty-four trains sched

uled in and out of the ci ty every day on thi s single road . The

ci ty claims a population of l 4 ,000 and i ts sub urban popu

lation wil l swell th is number by perhaps

REAT historical in tere s t a ttaches to the

city and i ts surroundings . Port Jervis

was laid out as a vil lage in 1826 . The

firs t p ermanen t sett lers were decendants

of the 'rench Huguenots and the Dutch

who sett led the o ld town of Deerpark . 'ong before the

whi te man came , before the Manha ttan lnd-ians so ld their

i sland to the crew of the Ha l f Moon fo r twenty- four

dol lars worth o f beads and rum , the country around abou t

Por t Jervis was the abode of fierce abori gines . Even within

the memory of the early white sett lers i t was a veri tab le

paradise fo r spor tsmen , fish and game of eve ry sor t abound

ing . The big game , fiercer than i ts copper- colored hun ters ,

was like th e la tter , slow ly driven westward with the march

of empire . Even to-day , some of the mi lder denizens of the

woods remain and make the re gion one o f the most a ttrae

tive near th e coast for the hunter and sportsman .

There are many evidences , which antiq uarians may find

a t the presen t t ime,of the Indian o ccupancy of the country .

Many rel ic s o f their l i fe and warfare prove conc lusively tha t

the Orange County Indians recognized ful ly the excellen t

stra tegica l loca tion on the Delaware at the mouth of the

Neversink , and tha t the presen t si te of Por t Jervi s in tha t

remote period was a grea t camping ground .

Slowly , bu t sure ly , the trapp ings of the hunting and camp

ing ground made way for the homes of the white men . The

stem chase and warfare was succeeded by modern schoo ls

and factories . 'ong ago the metamorphosi s was compl ete

and the pale faces came in to complete possession of the rich

terri tory . But'

the la tter fol lowed the lead of their copper

colored predecessors in their choice of a center of population ;

so th e lndian’

s camp ground of yesterday has become the

prosperous city o f Por t Jervis to -day .

'ST how many years elapsed after the

occupa tion of Manhattan Island by the

Du tch o r,more proper ly , the founding of

Communipaw,New Jersey , in l 6 l 3,

which was the firs t European se ttlemen tin these par ts , b efore the sturdy Ho l

landers began to spread out among the hi l ls and lakesa round the upper Delaware , i s a matter of some conjecture .

I t was early in the thi rd decade of the Seventeenth Century ,for by tha t t ime a l l this co un try had been taken up by the

lordly'

pa troons ,’

who obtained for a small pi ttance from theDutch Wes t lndia Company immense tracts of this coun tryland extending along and back from the Hudson River fo rscores o f miles .

'

These Old Dutch buvrghers and the retainers whom thebrough t w i th them were huge , slow ~moving bodies , grea t'

trenchermen’

and given to much si lence , as they are graphica l ly described in irving

’

s most in teresting h isto ry . Theynever hurried , havin g too much avoirdupo is , but they wereunexcel led in a barga in , being for some centuries the grea ttradesmen of Europe . They early took a fancy to thi s section be tween the Hudson and the upper Delaware , knowinga fine piece of coun try and being able to drive a sharp bargain , yet wi th such ski l l and ease that they seem to have hadl i t tle trouble with the Indians .The Indians of this sectio n were induced to peaceab l eness

by the mi ld character and gent le ways of the 'uakers , whobegan to come up through the Pennsylvania country alongthe Delaware . So tha t , while New Eng land was beingharassed by i ts Pequod massacres and ' ing Phil ip

’

s war , these tt lers in these p leasan t val leys around and in Por t Jerviswere l eft to pursue their un troubled , easy-going ways , cul tivating the fert i le soi l and making the firs t beginnings of whathave s ince become the dairy and pastora l in te rests of th issection .

About the midd le of the Seventeen th Cen tury sett lersbegan to come in to thi s sec tion from New Eng land (especially from Connecticut', being attrac ted by the extreme fertility and good si tua tion of this coun try to the west of theHudson . After the cession of New Yo rk to England by theDutch in 1664 the es ta tes of the pa troons were grea tly curtailed

,thus opening up much new land , and the Eastern im

migration was considerab ly -increased . Thus , th e population of Por t Jervi s comes from cosmopo li tan sources , thefire and push of the Puri tan spiri t being added to the so lid ,steady virtues of the Dutch .

Erie depot .

AT'RE has been kind to Port Jervis .

The beautifu l l i ttle ci ty , nest l ing in the

shadow of the Blue Ridge Mounta ins ,

has every na tural a dvantage to attrac t the

homeseeker . Although well wi thin the

suburban zone of New York Ci ty , i ts surroundings are as

rugged and picturesque and i ts home l i fe as essentia l ly

countrified as i f the p lace were b eyond the 'auren tians ,

in far off Canada .

But i ts advan tages are not l imi ted to the beau ti ful surround

ings bestowed by Mother Nature— ri ch and prodigal as they

are . I ts schools and churches - are models for o ther and even

larger cit ies to pattern after , while i ts socia l advantages and

hi gh sense of civic pr ide are unrival l ed .

Tal l Timbers

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ORT JER' IS and vicini ty is very popular

with summer vaca tioni sts who are a ttrac ted

by th e superb scenery and natural advan

ta ges of the place . There are famous

trou t streams wi thin easy reach , pure

sprin g wa ter lake s are near , there are scores of romantic

wa ter- fal ls and wooded glens , while there i s no t in a l l the

country'

round a swamp , a marsh , a breeding p lace for

mosqui toes or a lurking spot for malaria .

The hotels and boarding houses have a w ide range of

pr ices , with a ttractions of various degrees , so that every taste

and every purse can be accommodated .

The roads about th e ci ty are a constant del igh t . The

city au thori ti es have spared no expens e to put them in fi rst

c lass condi tion for au tomobil is ts and drivers , and i t i s a wel l

know n fact tha t they are no t surpassed even by the famous

pikes o f Westches ter Coun ty .

The number o f summer visi tors has grown to astoni shing

proportions of la te years . The de l ights o f moun ta in and

s tream wi th the quiet leisure possible a t al l time s , the ci ty

newspap ers availab le each morning and even ing and fina lly ,

accessibil i ty to New York Ci ty , are powerful magnets to at

tract summer visi tors .

HE number and varie ty of commercia l

en terp rise s which 'ourish in Por t Jervis is

astonishing to one who has no t taken in to

accoun t the ci ty'

s fine geographical lo ca

tion and its magnificen t resources . Even

if i t did not possess unusual ra ilroad faci l i ties , which bring

i t into close to uch w ith New York and o ther large ci ties ,

Port Jervis would flourish on i ts own accoun t .

I t i s loca ted in the very heart of one,of the most famous

agricul tura l and stock- raising sections of the world . 'or

many years the fame of Orange County has grown and

spread to a l l q uarters un til to-d'ay i t s tands a lmost wi thou t

riva l in the excel lence of i ts agricu ltura l products and the

high breeding and commercia l value of i ts l ive stock .

On such sol id founda tion of fine natural resources was the

ci ty’

s proper ty laid . The artifi cia l a ids came la ter and in

na tural order of growth . The geographical posi tion of Port

Jervi s was in its favor from the very o utset . When the greattrunk l in e of the Eri e Rail road was proj ected in the early

fortie s , and pushed to completion a t a somewhat la ter date ,

Port Jervis was made the terminus of the New York and

Delaware divi sions . This , of course , guaranteed excep tiona l

frei ght faci l i ti es for the town . As year has succeeded year ,

the business of th is one road a t thi s poin t has grown to enor

mous proportions .

At the presen t time the emp loyees pay—roll of the Erie

Rai lroad a lone amounts in round numbers to per

month . An idea of their exten t and general impor tance may

be ga ined from the fine photographs in the pictoria l section

of this portfol io .

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THER rail l ines serve to strengthen the

frieght and passenger facil i t ies o f Po rt

Jervis . The improvements and construe

tion o f new lines now well under w av

wi l l cos t abou t twenty—seven mill ions of

dollars . In addit ion a franchise ha s been granted for a tro l ley

and steam l ine from Por t Jervi s to Straudsburg. This l ine wil l

be bui l t down the beau tifu l and p ic turesque val ley of the

De laware River , through the famous Delaware Water 'ap .

I t wil l make a direc t connecting line to Philadelphia and

w ill bring a vast deal of passenger and freigh t traffi c to i ts

no rthern terminus , Port Jervi s .

Thi s road wil l enter the famous anthraci te coal region of

Pennsylvania and wil l b e of incalculabl e value to the Por t

Jervis manufacturers and general tradesmen . lts beneficia l

in'uence w il l be felt especia l ly in the coal and iron and all ied

in teres ts , as i t i s bound to open up a large trade throughout

the New England section whil e through competitive ra tes are

inevi table .

This lin e , too , wil l afford direct and quick connection with

the Pennsylvania and with the Philadelphia and Reading

roads, thus affording new and impor tan t trade inle ts to the

West and Northwes t as well as to the South .

S ti l l another road , the Delaware 'all ey and 'i ngs ton ,which will b e a par t of the Eri e system , i s proje cted to run

a long the Delaware and Hudson canal . This will give the

fortunate ci ty of Por t Jervis a third l ine into the anthraci te

coal regions , and is bound to a ttrac t many new and importan t

manu facturing en terp ris es to the p lace .

The Ontario and Wes tern is now in operation , running

nor theast from Port Jervi s through the Neversink 'all ey .

This company have large coal fields of their own , and benefi t

Por t Jervi s greatly .

Al l express train s stop a t Port Jervis . This gives quick and

extremely satisfactory passenger service to New York a t a l l

t ime s . No stops being made between Por t Jervi s and New

York Ci ty adds immeasurably to the advantages o f Port

Jervi s as a residen tia l ci ty .

Swift Company.

Port Jervis .

OINCIDENT wi th the deve lopment of

the various railroads leading in to and

through Port Jervi s has been the rapid

grow th of the ci ty'

s manufacturing indus

tr ies . In these are represen ted nearly

every branch of human endeavor . There are iron foundrie s ,

s tove works,fac torie s for making agricul tura l implements ,

tinware manufacturers , glass cu tt ing and, glass b lowing works ,

underwear,overa l l

,shir t and g love fac tories , si lk mi l ls ,

factories for the manufacture o f boo ts and shoes , saws , silver

ware,furni ture

,glass , bronze works , hardware and wooden

ware , brushes , paper, motors , genera l ra i lroad supplies ,

carriage stock, hats, cemen t goods , p ipes , besides lumber

mi l ls , flour mi l ls and breweri es .

Its close proximi ty to New York and o ther seaboard ci ties

and i ts fine connection wi th Western in land ci tie s , gives PortJervis a peculiar advantage as a manufacturin g cen ter . In

brief, i ts location is idea l and when the transpor ta tion l ines

proj ected or under construction are added to those already

existing , the ci ty must , in the very na ture of things , take i ts

place as one of the impor tan t manufacturing cen ters of the

country.

In the Op in ion of real ty experts , whose conclusions are en

ti t led to a respectfu l consideration , proper ty va lue s in Port

Jervi s wil l take a sharp upward turn within a very shor t t ime;

and in their j udgmen t the presen t is the psycho logica l time

for making investments there .

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0 sing le fea ture in the civic l ife o f any ci ty

makes for c lean l iving and good ci ti zen

ship so much as the advan tages i t o ffers

for the educat ion of i ts youth . In this

respec t Port Jervis takes h igh rank . I ts

progressive ci t izens , who are a lways to be found working ,

in season and out of season , fo r the city'

s welfare , are

particu larly proud of its schoo ls and its churches . The reader

may readi ly understand this feeling of pride by a g lance at

the accompanying pic tures . The se speak louder than mere

words for the progressive spir i t and hi gh mora l tone of the

communi ty .

The fine High School bui lding shown was erec ted in

1888 ; the Church street scho ol in 1899 . An excellen tly

equipped corps of teachers is emp loyed and the schoo ls'

curricu lum includes the higher branches , which fi t the pupil

for an entrance to college .

There are also a number of up ~ to~ date publ ic schoo l bui ld

ings which are under the sup ervision of the Board of Educa

tion . The grea test possib le care i s taken in the selection and

assignmen t of teachers , and the highes t standards are main

ta ined in every department of instruction .

Besides the public schools there are a number of parish

schools , two priva te schoo ls and one Conserva tory o f Music .

In al l of these schoo ls a uni formly high standard of excell ence

i s main tained , and al l are fu l ly abreas t of the progressive

spiri t of the ci ty and of the times .

The spiritual side o f the ci ty'

s civic l i fe is represented by

ten fine church edi fi ces , the pastors or pries ts in charge being ,

wi thout exception , men who hold broad and l ibera l views ,

in harmony wi th tha t toleran t sp iri t whi ch makes for the

upbuild ing of a community .

MON' the more prominent pub l ic bui ld

ings may be mentioned the fine new

Carnegie Building conta ining the 'ree

Public 'ibra ry of vo lumes and

the 'ree H istorical 'ibrary of rare

volumes and manuscripts , Public Schoo l 'ibrary , the Port

J e rvis Board of Trade , the prospective Y . M . C . A . bui ld

ing , St . Mary’

s Orphan Asylum , th e E lks new building in

process of construc tion , and two fine hosp i tal s .

The ci ty supports five progressive newspapers . Two of

them, the 'nion and the 'azette , are dai l ies . Besides these ,

there are a weekly , a semi-week ly and a weekly a gricul tura l

journal of wide circula tion .

Two large national banking insti tu tions are located at

Por t Jervis . There are a l so severa l building and loan asso

c ia tions whose repor ts show them to be in first- class condi

tion . One o f these , established in 1868 , i s the oldest insti

tution of i ts kind in the world .

There are commodious ho tels and theaters , a comp lete

electric street car system wi th thoroughly modern equipmen t .

The ci ty a lso has a splendid fi re depar tment with an enviable

record of saving property .

The accompanying photographs give a good idea of the

archi tectura l excel lence of the publ ic bui ldings of Port Jervis .

In this respect the town compares very favorably with much

larger c i ties .

The residen tial sections are a del igh t to the eye . Much

painstaking care has been taken in the home building by the

ci tizens , and the resul ts as a whol e are very pleasing . There

are scores of beau tiful priva te homes where good taste in

archi tecture has been combined with pleasing landscape

effects— the well kep t lawn of this or tha t particularhouse

owne r bein g a proper component par t o f a harmonious whole .

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HE city government is vested in a Mayor

and Common Counci l , who are chosen

by popu lar vo te . The methods which

have brough t success to the progressive

merchants have been extended to the

ci ty’

s corporate management . The municipa l government

combines the advantages of a Dutch burg with i ts individua l

re sponsibi li ty , wi th the most a ttrac tive fea tures of the town

governmen t system of New England .

In summing up the na tura l re sources o f Orange Coun ty ,

where Port Jervis is loca ted , i t i s proper to mention the fact

tha t there are importan t minera l depo si ts . A fine vein of red

marb le runs through the foothi l ls of the B lue Ridge Moun

tains , and thi s crops ou t in several p laces . This s tone is of

grea t va lue and beau ty , and is especial ly sui tab le for the con~

s truction of buildings and monuments .

The Shaw angunk mounta ins , to the east of Por t Jervi s ,

conta in large inexhaustib l e mines of lead ore which are being

worked . One of the sources of wea l th in this region i s the

b lues-

tone industry a long the Delaware , o f which Port Jervi s

is the cen ter of supply .

There are a l so qui te extensive deposi ts o f manganese,iron

ore and limestone . The iron ore i s of the sor t which is

susceptibl e to conversion in to s teel by both the Bessemer and

the Basic processes , and only awaits the further deve lopment

of coal and coke carrying lines to become a source of con

siderable weal th to the communi ty .