"It is a small village on the canal where it first approaches the Delaware. It is just above Carpenter's Point (Tri-States) and the junction of the Neversink and Delaware Rivers. It owes its population and its importance to its position about midway between Honesdale, Pa., and Kingston, N. Y., the two terminals of the D. & H. Canal. There are five stores in the village; three taverns in spacious buildings; one three-story grist mill, built by Dr. Ball, of Brooklyn, N. Y., being a stone building with five run of stone in it; three churches, a Dutch Reformed, Baptist, and Methodist, and one large school house. Coal and lumber are sold in considerable quantities. A mail route from Kingston, N. Y., to Milford, Pa., and thence to Philadelphia, passes through the village."
At this time the population of the village was small, and Port Jervis was equaled if not exceeded in importance by the neighboring hamlet of Carpenter's Point, where the post-office was located and courts were held.
The completion of the Erie Railroad to Port Jervis, January 1, 1848, gave a wonderful impetus to its growth. The directors of the company celebrated the event by an official trip over the road from Piermont on the Hudson River, its eastern terminus, to Port Jervis, where the entire population of the surrounding country were gathered to celebrate their arrival. Cannon boomed and flags and bunting floated from every house top. A banquet was served at the hotel of Samuel Truex on the southwestern corner of Pike and Main streets, during which the president of the road, Benjamin Loder, made an address congratulating all concerned in the successful completion of the great enterprise as far as Port Jervis. The subsequent growth of the place was rapid. Its position as the headquarters of the Delaware division of the road and the terminus of its eastern division and the location here of extensive machine and car shops gave it a large railroad population, which has been and still is the principal contributing element to its prosperity.
In 1853 the village was incorporated and the first charter election was held in August following. The total village expenses for the first year was $1,350. Samuel Fowler was the first president.
Port Jervis became a city by an act of the Legislature of the date of June 26, 1907, and at the first election under the city charter, held in the ensuing November, the following city officials were elected: Mayor, Dr. H. B. Swartwout; aldermen, Joseph Johnson (at large), F. N. Mason, Andrew Hensel, A. F. Brown. P. C. Rutan, C. F. Van Inwegen, Thomas Mulhearn, James Howell and James I. Delaney. The first five named are republicans, the others democrats. The following appointments were made by the Common Council: City clerk, A. P. Altemeier; city engineer, Irving Righter; commissioner of charters, John M. Snook; superintendent of streets and sewers, Theodore Ludlum; chief of police, William Wilkin. Supervisors from the four wards were elected as follows: First Ward, S. S. Garriss, dem.; Second Ward, Henry Farnum, rep.; Third Ward, J. J. Toth, rep.; Fourth Ward, J. P. Gillen, dem.
The population of Port Jervis in 1907, according to the census of the State excise department, taken in that year for the purpose of furnishing a basis upon which to adjust license rates, was 10,035. But as the census was not intended to be exhaustive and practically stopped when the 10,000 limit was reached, leaving certain sections uncounted, it is fair to presume that the actual population was considerably in excess of the figure named.
The assessed valuation of the city of Port Jervis for the year 1907 was $2,000,000; for the town of Deer Park about $500,000.
The city has eighty-two industrial establishments including the car and machine shops of the Erie Railroad, employing over 1,000 operatives. The principal manufactured commodities are saws, glassware, silk, gloves and mittens, shirt and ladies' collars. These industries give employment to many skilled operatives who receive good wages. The city has three hardware stores and two iron foundries.
Among the important industries of Port Jervis is the Deer Park Brewery Co., located on Reservoir avenue. The company was organized in 1902 with George F. Ott, of Philadelphia, as president. The plant of the insolvent Deer Park Brewery Co. was purchased and greatly improved and enlarged.
STREET RAILROAD.