Enderlin Building

Built in 1840, this structure housed a tin shop purchased in 1852 by John B. Gould. His son, Jason "Jay" Gould, born in Roxbury in 1836, joined his father as a partner in the shop at age 16 and was sent to New York City to buy manufactured hardware, introducing Roxbury to factory-made pots and pans. In 1853 Jay Gould turned to surveying and produced maps of Ulster, Albany, and Delaware Counties. While recovering from illness at age 18, he wrote a definitive history of Delaware County. He later became a partner with Zadock Pratt in the tanning business in Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania, a town named for him. Gould went on to a storied and controversial career as an investor, railroad developer, innovative businessman, and skilled Wall Street speculator. He rescued the Union Pacific Railroad from near bankruptcy, built the Missouri Pacific system, and controlled many other railroads as well as the Western Union Telegraph Company and the Manhattan Elevated Railroad. His work brought him one of the largest fortunes of the late nineteenth century, and he died in 1892 at age 56. The building continued in use as a hardware store, and in 1905 owner Frank Enderlin added a two-story front, after which the Greek Revival structure became known as the Enderlin Building.

Roxbury, New York · United States