Bath, NY 14810
Magee House History
John Magee enlisted in the US Army at 17 years of age, just prior to
the War of 1812. He saw four years of exciting military
experience, serving in a rifle company at the onset. He was taken
captive by the enemy British on at least two occasions. Due to
his great skill as an equestrian, he served later as a courier,
carrying dispatches between Fort Niagara and Washington. It was
at this time, traveling perhaps on the Williamson Road, that he might
first have become acquainted with this part of the state.
After the war, he and his brother Jefferson walked from Fort Niagara to
Bath and began work for his brother-in-law, Adam Haverling. Magee
soon became sheriff of the county and later went on to Washington as a
Congressman. He married twice, first to Sarah McBurney, daughter
of the County Judge, Thomas McBurney. Sarah died at a very young
age, and he subsequently married Arabella Stewart, for whom he build
the house at the point of West Morris and Cameron Streets.
At this time Magee was active in business ventures. There was his
stage line enterprise, followed by the Fallbrook Coal Company that
shipped coal from Blossburg, Pennsylvania mines by railroad to Corning,
and from there, when the Chemung Canal had been extended, to Elmira,
and then north to Havana and Seneca Lake and the whole Erie Canal
system.
Magee was one of the promoters of the Erie Railroad out of Bath. Old
correspondence tells of the warring between the canal factions and the
railroad interests in the legislature over the issue of state support
for the railroads. The Erie did build through Bath, and water
from the railroad water tank did supply water to the fountain in the
lawn in front of Magee’s house.