19th century Stony Creek — Measles and mumps

Progress had come to Stony Creek and so had the measles.

“Beginning with next Monday we will have a morning and evening mail in addition to the regular mails, which will give us two mails from the north and two from the south daily. This will be continued for only three months at present, but, no doubt it will be more permanent in the near future,” the Stony Creek correspondent reported in The Morning Star of Glens Falls on June 29, 1895. “Verily, the ‘world do more,’ for less than thirty years ago we had only one mail a week that was carried by team from Luzerne, and, like the measles, was liable to come any time but was never certain.”

The measles wasn’t the only illness that sometimes showed up in town.

“In addition to poverty, potato bugs and other difficulties, the mumps have been introduced among our people.”

In other 1895 Stony Creek news collected from historic newspapers of the region:

• The late thaw was hampering industry at Stony Creek.

“Hall’s steam mill has been shut down for some time because the remaining logs are held fast in the embrace of old Jack Frost by being frozen into the ice on their pond,” the Stony Creek correspondent reported in The Morning Star on April 5.

Another mill owner was taking advantage of down time to make improvements.

“A. D. Scribner is putting on an addition to his steam mill to be used as a manufactory of chair stock.”

• “Town meeting was a tame affair in Stony Creek,” The Morning Star reported on April 4. “There was only one ticket in the field and only seventy votes were cast. The registration last fall was 340.”
• “Asabel Holmes who, who runs the Creek Center and West Stony Creek stage, has moved into his new house at Creek Center and is now running daily trips,” the Stony Creek correspondent reported in The Morning Star on May 4.
• “Although sixteen months has eclipsed since the post office was removed from Dunlap’s store, a party living not two miles from Creek Center called there the other day and inquired for mail,” the Stony Creek correspondent reported in The Morning Star on May 11.
• “Commissioner of Highways Jason. L. Dean has been engaged lately putting in walls of stone along some narrow places in the road up the creek and making other repairs, which make the road much better and safer,” the Stony Creek correspondent reported in The Morning Star on Sept. 14. “He now has a force of men putting in a heavy stone dock just above the Walsh mill, where the creek has run out of the old channel and was forming a new course, much to the damage of the town and adjoining property.”
• “Cecil Holmes, proprietor of the West Stony Creek Stage, is laying the foundation of a new barn at Creek Centre place,” the Stony Creek correspondent reported on Sept. 14.

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