Some Stories from the Battle of Sodus Point: Ammi Ellsworth and Isaac Davidson 'Who in Hell Am I?'

Frim the Historic Sodus Point site.

One of the men who was at the battle on the American side was Ammi Ellsworth who lived between the point and the village of Sodus  It is said that he was one of a pair of identical twins with his brother Levi.

"Ammi, on occasion,  partook of the cup that cheers and does inebriate, and when he reached a certain stage of exhuberance, was wont to turn to a bystander and say, 'Am I Ammi, or am I not Ammi?  If I am not Ammi, then who in hell am I?' "

Another was Isaac Davidson, who was the miller at Dr. William Lummis' grist mill some  two miles west of Sodus Point near the mouth of Salmon Creek.  That evening, Davidson had been locked in the mill by mistake.  We do not know how he got out, but got to the Point in time for the battle.

The great wrought iron  hinges and superb handle of the mill is now on a resident of Sodus' home and the author wonders what it was like for Ike to get out that night.

To Get Out and Then Go Get Shot At.  Oh Boy.  --Brock-Perry

From the Chesapeake Mill Website-- Part 2

HISTORICAL VENUE

  The historical significance of this fine building arises first of all from the timber used in its construction.  These timbers come from the United States frigate Chesapeake, which was captured by the Royal Navy during the War of 1812.

Architecturally, the mill is the finest example of re-used ship timbers within an industrial building outside the confines of the Royal Dockyards.

In addition to this maritime heritage, the mill has been a prominent feature of the landscape in the Meon Valley, performing a vital function in the rural economy from its construction in 1820 up to 1976, when it ceased commercial operations.

On My List of Places to Go If Ever in England Again.  --Brock-Perry

From the Chesapeake Mill Website-- Part 1: Lots of Stuff to Buy

You can find it at thechesapeakemill.com.

You can take a virtual tour of the building, which now is an antique/gift store and evidently quite a popular tourist destination.

SIMPLY UNIQUE

We have dealers who offer a wonderful mix of antiques and collectable, antique pine, kitchenalla, and country made furniture, Georgian and Victorian mahogony, oak and walnut furniture for the bedroom, sitting room, dining room or for occasional use.

With some dealers offering Antique and Vintage Jewelry, ceramics and glass from early Staffordshire Pottery, Oriental Porcelain and Victorian Glass through to collectable 20th century ceramics and Quality Glass.

There is an award-winning restaurant on site, currently #1 in Wickham.

--Brock-Perry

Chesapeake Mill

From Wikipedia.

Watermill in Wickham, Hampshire, England.

Designed and constructed in 1820 using the timber from the HMS Chesapeake, previously the United States frigate USS Chesapeake which was captured by the HMS Shannon in the War of 1812.

The interior of the mill was designed around the dimensions of the deck beams of the ship.

The mill remained open until 1976 and is now an antique and gift sellers building.

It has a Grade II listing.

--Brock-Perry

Rhode Island's Great Road

I'll write more about this road in my RoadLog blog, but for right now, I'll give a short history of it here since I mentioned that the Hearthside House is located on the Great Road.

The Great Road was a major transportation route through the Blackstone River Valley until the early 1800s with the completion of the Louisquisett Pike and Blackstone Canal took away much of its traffic.

It connected Rhode Island with Massachusetts, to the north.

Several small mills operated along it, but the limited power of the Moshassuek River prevented the development of larger mills like those along the Blackstone River. The Great Road remained an agricultural area until well into the 1900s.

The Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor has a driving tour guide of it "Great Road-- Lincoln, Rhode Island-- Travel Through Three Hundred Years In Three Miles.". The road dates to 1683 and would definitely have been used during the War of 1812.

Oh, That Great Road. --Brock-Perry

1812 Mill Stone Rededicated-- Part 2

The Christian Zavitz Mill was built in 1790 on the northeast side of the Eagle Marsh Drain and shut down operations sometime in 1834.  All evidence of its existence is long gone as the mill was torn down in the 1880s.  That is, except for the mill stone.

The mill housed British and Canadian forces in the Sugarloaf settlement (now Port Colborne).

On October 28, 1814, American soldier John Dixon, retreating back to Buffalo after a skirmish in Norfolk where British and Canadian soldiers were killed, was shot by militia guard while trying to raid a store for guns near Zavitz Mill.

It was the last shot fired in the peninsula during the war...and the last death.  Dixon did make it back to Buffalo before dying from his wound.

Just a Little Aspect of the War.  --Brock-Perry

1812 Mill Stone Rededicated-- Part 1

From the June 5, 2012, St. Catherines Review by Dave Johnson.

Members of the Port Colbourne-Wainfleet War of 1812 Bicentennial Committee will meet at H.H. Knoll Lakeview Park to rededicate a grist stone from the Christian Zavitz Mill on June 17th.

The stone stood for years in front of Newport Centre, near the site of Christian Zavitz's grist mill which was captured three times during 1812, but was the only mill on the Niagara Peninsula not torched by American forces.

Three times, forces led by Captain Cyrenias Chapin captured it, but did not burn it because the grain inside was not tied to British government stores.

Don't Burn My Mill!!  --Brock-Perry