How Did Cobleskill Begin?

Introduction

    My dad, my grandma and papa all grew up in Cobleskill. I always thought it would be interesting to learn about the history of my hometown and how it has changed. I hope you enjoy learning about how Cobleskill began.

How Did Cobleskill Get Its Name?

     Cobleskill was named after the creek called ‘’Cobus Kil’’. Cobus is a nickname for people named Jacobus. Kil is a Dutch name for a stream. So Cobleskill means, ‘’Jacob’s stream."

     Cobleskill was named in honor of Jacob Kobell, a German settler who built a mill on a creek way back in 1713.

Jacob Borst

    Jacob Borst bought a big piece of land from the Iroquois near the Schoharie Valley. A total of 4,800 acres of land next to the creek called Cobus Kil changed ownership to Jacob Borst in 1751. This land would become Cobleskill and the surrounding areas.

Settlers of Cobleskill

     Pieter Shafer and Johannes Shafer were the first two settlers in Cobus Kil. They settled Cobus Kil in 1752 on land they bought from Jacob Borst.

     Jacob Borst sold some of the land to other German people from the Schoharie Valley, Hudson Valley, Pennsylvania, and immigrants arriving from Germany to live in the American colonies. German was the main language that was spoken.

Revolutionary War Begins

     In 1776, at the start of the American Revolutionary War, most of the people living in Cobus Kil were on the side of the American Patriots against the British. They formed a militia to protect the community.

     In the winter of 1778, the Pieter Shafer farm was where Fort Dubois was built. During the Revolutionary War, the fort was burned down.

     Other forts were also built in Schoharie County to protect the people from the British and the Indians. The Middle Fort was located in Middleburgh and the Stone Fort, which still stands today, is located in Schoharie.

Battle of Cobleskill

     The Battle of Cobleskill is a famous event that happened during the American Revolutionary War on May 30, 1778.

     The Battle of Cobleskill was also called the Cobleskill Massacre. 

     The Iroquois and British went up against patriot soldiers from Cobleskill near George Warner’s house.  Iroquois and loyalist troops were led by a Mohawk leader named Joseph Brant. 

     The Battle of Cobleskill was an overwhelming victory for the Iroquois and British. It destroyed the settlement and caused the loss of many American lives. Out of forty American soldiers, only eleven soldiers survived the battle.

After the Revolutionary War

    After the loss at the Battle of Cobleskill and the end of the war, many people left the area. The community changed a lot. German had been the language most people spoke, but after the Revolutionary War, most of the remaining people spoke English.

     Someone named George Ferster built a log cabin on his former home and operated it as a tavern that became the Bull’s Head Inn.

Communities Around Cobleskill

     Many different small communities started to grow up in and around Cobleskill after the war ended. Some of these communities include Dorloo, France’s Corner, Mineral Springs, Punch Kill, Barnerville, and Bramansville.

    The population of Cobleskill was about 2,400 people in 1820. In 2020, the population was about 6,100, although the total number of people has been shrinking since 1990, when about 7,300 people lived in Cobleskill.

Thank You

     I want to thank my mom because she was the inspiration for creating my website, "How Did Cobleskill Begin?" She helped me find and collect notes to make my project. Thank you, Mom!