A friendly suit against Miss Julia A. Morgan

After her younger brother's passing in 1879, Miss Julia A. Morgan became the sole owner of Morgan Lake and the Morgan Lake Ice Company at the age of 68. This came as a surprise to me. Although advocates of women's suffrage began gaining visibility a decade prior to 1879, it was still uncommon for women to be business owners and managers. As a result, I was curious to find out if anyone questioned her ability to lead the Ice Company.

An article published in the Daily Eagle on August 5, 1885 provided me with some insight on how Miss Morgan and her business were viewed by some members of the public in Poughkeepsie. A "friendly suit against Miss Julia A. Morgan"1 was held, City vs. Morgan Lake Ice Co., charging the Ice Company with "violation of the city ordinance regarding peddling in the streets of the city without a license."2 According to the article, Miss Morgan's counsel Captain William H. Woodin informed the jury that she had a regular office in the city where business was transacted and agents who delivered ice to homes and businesses.3 Woodin also argued that "hawkers" and "peddlers" blow horns, ring bells, or cry out and Miss Morgan's agents [did] not cry out.4 The jury's verdict was for the defendant; a ruling that hopefully encouraged Poughkeepsie residents to view Miss Morgan in a different light.

As the sole owner of the Morgan Lake property and the Ice Company, Miss Morgan was permitted to do with both as she saw fit. In 1888, she sold the 15 acres next to the lake (what is today the open lawn, picnic table and bench area, and parking lot) to the Poughkeepsie Bridge Railroad Company for a Maybrook Line railroad trestle to be constructed over Morgan Lake.5 Below is a picture of what remains of the trestle today.

That same year she also leased the Lake to Stephen A. Perkins and his brother Jacob A. Perkins who became the proprietors of the Morgan Lake Ice Co.6 The advertisement below was printed in the Daily Eagle in 1893. It reads: "ICE from MORGAN LAKE, is from Pure Spring Water and contains no Sewage or other Impurities. All orders left at the Office or with the drivers will receive prompt attention"

Miss Morgan lived a long and healthy life and passed around the age of 99. Who inherited the Lake and the Ice Company from her you ask? Stay tuned once again to find out!

1. "A Test Case: City vs. Morgan Lake Ice Co.: The Question of Peddlers' Licenses - A Just Trial...The Verdict Against the City" Daily Eagle, Friday August 5, 1885.

2. "A Test Case: City vs. Morgan Lake Ice Co.: The Question of Peddlers' Licenses - A Just Trial...The Verdict Against the City" Daily Eagle, Friday August 5, 1885.

3. "A Test Case: City vs. Morgan Lake Ice Co.: The Question of Peddlers' Licenses - A Just Trial...The Verdict Against the City" Daily Eagle, Friday August 5, 1885.

4. "A Test Case: City vs. Morgan Lake Ice Co.: The Question of Peddlers' Licenses - A Just Trial...The Verdict Against the City" Daily Eagle, Friday August 5, 1885.

5. *in need of relocating the article.

6. Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Dutchess and Putnam, New York. (Chicago: J.H. Beers & Co. 1897) 330.