Artwork in the 1812 Room/McGivney Room

Originally, this room was the home of the Jefferson County Historical Society. After the society found a new home across the street, the Genealogy Department used this room to assist patrons with their research. Now it is one of the most beautiful meeting spaces in the library.

According to newspaper accounts, Charles Frederick Naegele was commissioned by Emma Flower Taylor in 1916 to paint portraits of historic and important people and places. Unfortunately, he only completed the portraits for General Jacob Brown and Commodore Chauncey. Clifford C. Holden Was commissioned by Emma Flower Taylor to complete the rest of the portraits and murals. They include:
1. Union Academy in Belleville (the mural above the gray door without glass)
2. Hart Massey, deacon of the First Presbyterian Church in 1803 (to the right of Union Academy; the list continues in this clockwise motion)
3. John Armstrong, Secretary of War during the War of 1812
4. Henry Eckford, naval architect who supervised the construction of the Lake Ontario fleet
5. Elisha Camp, industrialist and pioneer at Sackets Harbor
6. James LeRay du Chaumont
7. Robert Lansing, Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson; was also a resident of Watertown
8. Mrs. Abby Vaughan, wife of the Sailing Master William Vaughan
9. Carrying of the Cable (more information listed below)
10. Sailing Master William Vaughan, commanded the cannon that first the first shot of the War of 1812
11. Noadiah Hubbard, one of the first settlers of Champion
12. Joseph Spratt, commanded the 19th New York Heavy Artillery in 1862
13. General Augustus Sackett, founder of Sackets Harbor
14. General Zebulon Pike, commander in the War of 1812
15. President Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States from 1801-1809
16. Sackets Harbor in 1815
17. President James Monroe, toured the area in 1818
18. Oliver Hazard Perry, Naval Officer of “Don’t give up the ship” fame
19. Woolsey Mansion, Home of Commodore Melancthon Woolsey who was an officer in the War of 1812
20. General Jacob Brown, Brownville’s namesake (the town of Pamelia is named after his wife)
21. Commodore Isaac Chauncey, Naval Officer and Commander of the naval forces on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario
22. Camp Mansion, Sackets Harbor
23. Major General Henry Dearborn
24. Noadiah Hubbard house in Champion
25. Beman Brockway, Watertown Daily Times publisher and editor
26. Colonel Walter Camp, Sackets Harbor

Carrying of the Cable:

During the War of 1812, the British setup a strict blockade to prevent supplies from reaching the American base at Sackets Harbor. The Americans ran the blockade but were sighted by the British and one boat containing a cable and 2—24 pound cannons were captured. The other boats entered Big Sandy and landed with the supplies. The advancing British were ambushed by the Americans and were forced to surrender. The supplies were safe but had to be taken overland to Sackets Harbor, many miles away. Oxen and carts took most of the supplies but there was one big cable designed for the ship “Superior” that would not fit into the wagon. The cable was made of hemp and was very heavy. The cable was 8 inches in diameter, nearly 600 feet long and weighed about ten tons. Some of the cable was placed on a heavy cart, drawn by 4 yoke of oxen. More than half the cable had to be placed on the shoulders of about 200 farm volunteers. The procession passed through Belleville to Roberts Corners where the carriers spent the night. The next morning the march was resumed through Smithville to Sackets Harbor. At the harbor, cheering soldiers, sailors, and marines greeted the marchers.

It has been said that the men who carried the cable had a permanent mark on their shoulders from the weight of the cable.