Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1904-02-11
ALMOST A CENTURY.
J. L. COOK, OF WATERF ORD,
HALE AND HEARTY AT
THE AGE OF SO.
Brief Sketch of His Long and Useful
Life: Was a Noted Figure in
the Early History of Erie
County.
Erie Daily Times

Joseph Lewis Cook, of Waterford,
who was SO years old on Jan. %, was
visited by many of his friends on his
birthday. Mr.. Cook is lively, likes
joke and is especially pleased when he
can get one on Charles Noble, the
genial ticket agent of Waterford,
which he often does. And by the way,
Mr.. Cook is not one sided, for he takes
jokes in as good nature as he gives
them, and is yet zone of the boys"
He is bright mentally and attends to
his business affairs with considerable
vim. Keeps track of time and collects
what is coming to him. As Mr.. Cook
is an Erie county landmark, it is
thought that a sketch of some of the
events of his long life may be of in.
terest.
j. l. Cook was born at Buffalo, n.
Y, Jan. 2S, 1911, and is the son of Rob
wings in front of the hotel, and changed
its name to The Eagle The cost Of
the gold leaf with which it was at first
gilded and the carving was about 800.
Mr.. Cook was a member of the board
at the first election held in Waterford
borough, was constable, member ofthe
borough council at various times, and
a trustee of Waterford academy for
four years. In 1S41 he was appointed
postmaster of Waterford, the salary
then being about S175 year.
Mr.. Cook had the contract for build
ing part of the Lake Shore railway
from the state line to North East,
which included the bridge over Twen-
ty-mile creek, which bridge was $50
feet long and 800 feet above the water,
built three miles of the Waterford and
Marvin's Mills plank road, graded II
miles of the o. & NJ. railway, and
about 20 miles on the n. NJ. railway in
Maryland and erected the piers and
abutments across the Wabash at Vim
cennes, Id.
While engaged in hotel keeping Mr..
Cook erected several houses in Water
ert and Lodina Thayer Cook, natives of
Connecticut. Her husband having
been accidently shot, Mrs Cook moved
to Chautauqua county. n. Y, bought
farm and married Samuel Trusdel
for her second husband She died in
1927
In 1928 ]. l.. came to Waterford and
lived for year with Captain John
Tracy, the father of John A Tracy.
Captain Tracy had been acquainted
with the Cooks in Connecticut. Young
| Cook worked three years in the G. w
Reed HOTEL kept by II. G. Davice, and
then served an apprenticeship of five
years at the cabinetmaking trade with
Johnson Boyd, with whom he engaged
in the furniture business under the
firm name of Cook & Boyd. They ad-
vertised in the Erie papers and had a
large trade. They employed several
workmen and manufactured chairs,
| tables, etc.
Mr.. Cook married Miss Belinda, sis.
| ter of his partner, and also of the late
@ q Boyd. In 1887 Thomas King,
who for nearly life time had kept a
public house in Waterford, rented Mr.
Cook the Stone hotel and he com.
menced his long career as a hotel
keeper. He was of a friendly, lively
disposition and always popular with
the travelling public. A travelling gen
ius came along and Mr.. Cook employed
him to carve the eagle which, for
more than go years, has spread it's
ford, which he sold and built a block
on the corner of main street and the
park, which contained Washington ball
and Keystone hall. The block was
about S0x1O0 feet, and was made over
into Cooks Union hotel, which was the
center Of attraction in Waterford dur
ing war times.
In the Union hotel was the United
States recruiting station and in front
/ of it were the names of the men draft
! ed in Northwestern Pennsylvania
! While the Office was in Waterford
thousands of men surged through and
about it in those exciting times.
Mr.. Cook held several celebrations of
Washington's visit to Fort LIE Beufi in
this house, which compare flvorably
with any society events ever held in
| Waterford.
j. l.. Cook had been successful,
owned large farm west of town, and
some so acres in the borough, and was
a large taxpayer. He was desirous of
adding to the industrial business of the
place for the reason that he liked to