Gaines

300-plus attended Cobblestone Museum open house

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 September 2022 at 5:08 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

GAINES – LeRoy Neeper of Medina shows people an International Harvester Model M 6-horsepower engine from 1922 on Saturday at the Cobblestone Museum.

The machine is in the Blacksmith Shop. The engine was used to power a pulley system for lathes, two table saws, a drill press, joiner and bandsaw.

Just over 300 people attended the open house that featured some old-time artisans. The event was sponsored by the Rochester Area Community Foundation, which covered the admission charge for everyone.

“I think it’s a tremendous asset for the community,” Neeper said about the museum, which is listed as a National Historic Landmark. “It’s history slipping away to modern technology. There’s not enough people with hands-on knowledge anymore.”

David Damico of Le Roy operates a Platen Press in the Print Shop. Damico has been a volunteer at the museum for seven years. He is a graphic media instructor at Finger Lakes Technical and Career Center in Stanley. He likes working with the old printing equipment.

“It prompts me to keep my hands inky,” he said. “I like the touch and feel of the type. It’s being a detail-oriented person versus a get-it-done person.”

He said the visitors seemed interested in seeing the manual process with movable type up close.

“I can explain the density of the ink,” he said. “This is a non air-conditioned environment so you are dealing with heat and the humidity.”

The print shop was built in 1875. It used to be in Medina, but was moved to the museum grounds on Route 98 in 1977.

Georgia Thomas of Medina shows sisters Erin and Lauren Allis of Medina how cream becomes butter. The two girls had to shake the cream for 10 minutes before it made a lump of butter.

“It’s nice for people to know what it takes to make their food,” Thomas said. “You should know what your ancestors did and you can reflect on what you’re doing today.”

There are butter churns at the Farmers Hall of the Museum, including one powered by a dog.

Judith Bromley of East Aurora answered questions in the Harness Shop. She is a qualified master saddle fitter with the Registered Society of Master Saddlers UK. She also is also a bridle fitter, bench and on-site flocker of saddles and is familiar with the shoemaking process and artifacts displayed in the Harness Shop.

George Borrelli demonstrated blacksmithing at the Blacksmith Shop. Borrelli has been blacksmithing for more than 30 years, starting with traditional ornamental work, garden gates, wine cellar gates and fireplace sets. For the past 20 years he has done more contemporary work.

The museum enjoyed a steady stream of visitors during the open house. There were docents also available for tours at the Cobblestone Church, Ward House (former parsonage), the schoolhouse and Vagg House.

Fiddlers of the Genesee performed to a crowd at the Cobblestone Church.

The Fiddlers of the Genesee have been frequent performers at the museum in recent years.

Bill Lattin, the retired museum director, has put together an exhibit “Victorian Mourning Art & Sundries” in the upper gallery at the Brick House.

2 restored paintings return to Cobblestone Museum

The paintings of Charles and Mary Ann Danolds have been restored and returned to the Cobblestone Museum, where they will be introduced to the public at a reception Sept. 23 at the Visitors Center.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 13 September 2022 at 6:01 pm

CHILDS – A $6,800 Conservation Treatment grant from the New York State Council on the Arts and Greater Hudson National Heritage Treatment Network have allowed two 19th century heirloom paintings from the Cobblestone Museum to be fully restored.

The paintings of Charles and Mary Ann Danolds, pillars of the Universalist churches in Childs and Albion, have been returned to the museum after conservations efforts performed by Great Lakes Conservation of Grand Island.

“The paintings are stunning, to say the least, and will be re-introduced to our Museum community at a public reception at 6 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Visitors Center,” said Cobblestone Museum director Doug Farley.

Bill Lattin, former museum director and Orleans County historian, will offer reflections on this storied couple, and will explain how these paintings came to be in the museum’s collection.

The paintings are unsigned and estimated to have been painted between 1850 and 1855, Farley said. They were donated to the museum by a relative, Margaret Cole of California, in 2005.

Mr. Danolds lived in the town of Gaines from 1833 until his death. Charles was a successful entrepreneur who, at various times, operated a hotel, mercantile, flour mill, farm, potash business and owned four canal boats for shipping goods.

During the Civil War he held large contracts to sell horses to the government. But perhaps his most significant accomplishment was becoming one of the leading contractors in New York state. He was involved extensively on the enlargement of the Erie, Champlain and Chenango extension canals. He also built locks, including six on the Welland Canal. For three years, he was general superintendent of the Western Division of the Erie and Genesee Valley Canals.

Of importance is the fact Charles was the person responsible for encouraging his friend, George Pullman, to finance the building of a new, larger Universalist Church in Albion, which eventually replaced the 1834 Childs cobblestone church.

Charles asked Pullman to make a $5,000 donation toward the new Universalist Church. Pullman said if the church could raise $5,000, he would pay for the full cost of the church.

Wine and cheese will be served at the reception and Raymond Santoro will provide light musical entertainment. This will be a free program, but donations will gladly be received.

Reservations are requested by calling (585) 589-9013, as space is limited.

Eagle Harbor lift bridge closing extended until Sept. 16

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 September 2022 at 4:49 pm

GAINES – The lift bridge over the Erie Canal in Eagle Harbor will remain closed to traffic until Sept. 16, the state Department of Transportation said today.

The bridge closed Aug. 8 for repairs and was expected to reopen on Aug. 29.

The bridge from 1910 is being repaired during the closure. The DOT urges motorists to continue to use alternative routes.

Cobblestone Museum open house will feature old-time artisans on Sept. 10

Photos courtesy of Cobblestone Museum: Georgia Thomas of Medina churns butter in Farmer’s Hall at the Cobblestone Museum. She will exhibit the process and serve guests a taste of home-made butter on bread during the open house on Saturday.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 5 September 2022 at 1:13 pm

George Borrelli will demonstrate blacksmithing at the Cobblestone Museum’s Blacksmith Shop during their fall open house.

CHILDS – As a reminder to the public to plan on attending the Cobblestone Museum’s Fall Open House Saturday, director Doug Farley and assistant director Sue Bonafini have shared information on three artisans who will demonstrate their crafts.

David Damico has been a volunteer at the Cobblestone Museum’s Print Shop for seven seasons. He is a graphic media instructor at Finger Lakes Technical and career Center in Stanley. He has worked as a historic printer at the Genesee Country Village and Museum for eight years and has a printing studio at his home, named Gardant Press.

His letterpress work has been published numerous times in an annual magazine called “It’s a Small World.,” published in Wivenhoe, Essex, England. Most recently he has been asked to be on the art grant review panel at GO Art! in Batavia.

Georgia Thomas is a Medina native, member of the Cobblestone Society and Medina Historical Society and an avid lover of history. She has offered to make butter with Cobblestone visitors during the open house. She will also provide bread so the guests can sample their own work.

George Borrelli has done several demonstrations for the Cobblestone Museum over the years and really enjoyed the experience, he said. For several years, he did art shows in the general area, having exhibited at the Clothesline at MAG, the Roycroft in East Aurora and 100 American Craftsmen at the Kenan Center in Lockport.

He has been blacksmithing for more than 30 years, starting with traditional ornamental work, garden gates, wine cellar gates and fireplace sets. For the past 20 years he has done more contemporary work, which can be seen on his Facebook page “borrellihardware.” He will be demonstrating in the Cobblestone Museum’s Vagg Blacksmith Shop.

Judith Bromley, who works professionally with horses, will be demonstrating in the Cobblestone Museum’s Harness Shop.

“Horses have always been a huge part of my life, starting on the farm as a child when my grandfather and father used horses in the tobacco fields and hay fields to pull farm equipment,” Bromley said. “I have always had and still do have horses to ride, done competitions and fox hunting.”

Bromley is a certified equine Trigger Point Myo therapist and qualified master saddle fitter with the Registered Society of Master Saddlers UK. Owner of TruFit Saddle, she is also a bridle fitter, bench and on-site flocker of saddles and is familiar with the shoemaking process and artifacts displayed in the Harness Shop, as a graduate of Sheridan College of Oakville, Ontario, Canada in fashion design/pattern making.

The Cobblestone Museum’s Fall Open House will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, followed by a toe-tapping concert at 3 p.m. by Fiddlers of the Genesee. A pulled pork dinner will be available from 11 a.m. until sold out. Presold meals may be ordered by calling the Museum at (585) 590-9013 or on their website at CobblestoneMuseum.org.

David Damico works in the Cobblestone Museum’s Print Shop. A volunteer at the Cobblestone Museum’s Print Shop for seven seasons, he is a graphic media instructor at Finger Lakes Technical and Career Center in Stanley. His is one of the artisans who will be on site during the Cobblestone Museum’s open house Saturday.

$12K grant will help Cobblestone Museum with work at Vagg House

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 19 August 2022 at 2:36 pm

File photo: The Cobblestone Museum acquired the Vagg House in 2020 at the southwest corner of routes 98 and 104.

CHILDS – The Cobblestone Society has been approved for an award of $12,000 for building restoration from the Rochester Area Community Foundation, museum director Doug Farley has announced.

Erin Anheier, president of the Cobblestone Society board of trustees, wrote the grant. She is also on the board of the Landmark Society of Western New York in Rochester.

“Erin has been writing our RACF preservation grant since 2018, and this is her fifth successful grant request,” Farley said. “Grants have totaled more than $80,000 toward preservation of our 10 historic buildings.”

The grant will fund a project to correct various structural issues with the 19th century Vagg house and barn, which are eligible for inclusion on the National Historic Register, along with needed maintenance on the National Historic Landmark Cobblestone Church.

The Vagg barn is an appurtenant structure on the property eligible for National Historic Register designation. The first floor will be jacked up in the middle to remove sagging of the floor as much as possible. Three 2” x 8” x 10’ white oak boards will be overlapped and joined together with ½-inch bolts and nuts to create a continuous new support beam, Farley explained. The board will be rough-sawn for appropriate appearance in the historic structure. Four steel joist hangers will be installed on existing floor joists connecting them to the new header.

Existing basement sliding doors and metal track will be removed and six-foot long pressure-treated boards will be installed vertically at each side of the door opening and attached to the foundation with tapcons. The doors will be reinstalled with the track attached to the side of the building with new galvanized bolts. Loose mortar on the interior of the basement walls will also be removed and the areas patched, replacing missing or loose stones. A pressure-treated 2” x 8” x 12-foot perimeter board will be installed on the north wall to replace the rotted one.

Also addressed will be the driveway, which slopes toward the barn, causing rainwater to pool at the north doors. This has resulted in the north perimeter board deteriorating and damage to the masonry below. Work will include installing a drain in the channel, which will be cut through to the retaining wall, and the water will be carried away by a drain on the west side of the building. Extensive gutter work will also be done.

The exterior of the barn will be power washed, hand scraped and caulked where needed. All bare wood will be primed and windows will be reglazed where needed.

On the Vagg house, storm windows and sills will be scraped, primed, painted and reglazed as needed. Gutters will also be cleaned and new gutter guards installed.

Repair to the Vagg barn will allow it to be used as a new gallery to display the Museum’s collection of 19th and early 20th century transportation devices, some of which are currently in storage. It will also assure the barn will retain structural integrity for many decades.

Painting of the windows of the Vagg house will help preserve the historic wooden windows and keep the appearance of the building appropriate for the time period it represents, Farley said.

Its gutters and those on the 1834 Cobblestone Church will also be cleaned and have gutter guards installed.

Farley added that the Cobblestone Society presented the RACF “Community Partner of the Year” award in 2018 for its philanthropic efforts on behalf of the Cobblestone Museum and Orleans County.

RACF will celebrate its 50th anniversary in September and honored the Cobblestone Museum, which it included in its “Gifts for Good” program, offering complementary admission to the Museum for everyone who visits for their fall open house Sept. 10.

Farley said the Museum is hoping for a record attendance on that day. The event is free to the public and RACF will pay the full cost of admission ($9 per person) for all visitors that day.

“We would like to see more than 1,000 people attend the Open House Sept. 10 to take full advantage of RACF’s Gift for Good program,” Farley said.

Flea market returned to Cobblestone Museum on Saturday after long absence

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 August 2022 at 11:08 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

GAINES – Lisa Mannella of L & S Creative Designs is shown with a display of country craft items that she makes with Stephanie Rustay. They were one of 27 vendors at a flea market on Saturday at the Cobblestone Museum.

The flea market returned after more than 20 years. The event was a popular summer event at the museum in the 1980s and ’90s, said Sue Bonafini, assistant director at the museum.

She noted many of the vendors were busy on Saturday, with some selling at least half of the items they brought for the sale.

The museum also sold out on all 100 hot dogs it cooked for the flea market.

Frank Ferri of Medina spins wool from a sheep next to his booth of primitive items. Ferri said twisting the wool gives it strength.

“It’s a great conversation starter,” he said while sitting outside the historic Ward House on Route 104.

Ed Shorey of Albion brought a collection of vintage and new fishing lures, which he said were popular with the crowd at the flea market. Some of the older lures were made of wood from the 1940s and ’50s. He is impressed by the artistry in the older lures, especially the eyes that were carved by hand.

Grant will fund Cultural Resource Inventory in Childs hamlet

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 2 August 2022 at 3:06 pm

Cobblestone Museum seeks to have hamlet included on National Register of Historic Places

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Cobblestone Universalist Church, built in 1834, is the oldest cobblestone church building in North America. It is among several historic sites in the Childs hamlet near the intersection of routes 98 and 104. Three cobblestone buildings at the museum – the church, the Ward House and a schoolhouse – are listed as a National Historic Landmark.

CHILDS – The Cobblestone Society and Museum is one of this year’s Preserve New York grantees, Museum director Doug Farley announced Monday.

A check for $8,000 received on Monday will fund a Cultural Resource Survey of the hamlet of Childs, which will go on to inform a National Register of Historic Places nomination. The Preservation League of New York State and their program partners at the New York State Council on the Arts are thrilled to help fund this important work, Farley said.

“A successful listing on the National Register will make tax credits available for approved rehabilitation projects by both home and business property owners in the designated area,” Farley said. “National Register listing will also allow the Cobblestone Museum to qualify for certain grant funding that requires NR designation.”

Through its Preserve New York grant, the Cobblestone Museum will work with the Landmark Society of Western New York to conduct a cultural resource survey of the hamlet of Childs. This reconnaissance level survey will be used to inform a National Register historic district nomination, which will include the Cobblestone Museum buildings and surrounding properties. This project seeks to build on the momentum created by the inclusion of the hamlet on the Landmark Society’s 2019 Five to Revive list. The Museum has been in contact with the New York State Historic Preservation Office and has identified preliminary district boundaries, according to Farley.

At its 2022 meeting, an independent grant panel selected 22 applicants in 18 counties to receive support totaling $235,920. Each grant supports important arts and cultural initiatives, as well as economic development related to the state’s arts and cultural heritage. Many of these grants will lead to historic district designation or expansion, tell the stories of communities throughout the state and allowing property owners to take advantage of the New York State and Federal Historic tax credits. This is even more valuable now, Farley said, with the New York State Commercial Historic tax credit recently expanded for small projects, granting property owners a 30% credit. With this announcement of the 2022 awards, support provided by Preserve New York since its launch in 1993 totals more than $3.5 million for 510 projects statewide.

Erin Anheier with the Cobblestone Society wrote this new grant because she has written several successful National Register nominations in the past, and was best prepared to tackle the task, Farley said.

“We currently apply for about 15 grants each year and receive about 10,” he said. “The check came Monday and work on the Historic Register nomination should start very soon. This grant certainly benefits the Cobblestone Museum, but I am also pleased that his particular grant has many benefits for the entire historic hamlet of Childs.”

The Preserve New York program is a regrant partnership between the New York State Council on the Arts and the Preservation League, made possible with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State legislature.

Since 1993, Preserve New York has been providing funds to municipalities and nonprofit organizations that need technical, professional assistance to guide a variety of preservation projects. This historic structure reports, building condition reports, cultural landscape reports and cultural resource surveys funded through this program lead to positive outcomes across New York’s 62 counties, Farley reported.

“The Preserve New York program ensures arts and culture organizations continue to be beacons of New York’s rich history,” said Mara Manus, NYSCA executive director. “By preserving significant spaces and sites, we promote vitality and drive economic activity across our great state. NYSCA applauds the Preservation League of New York State for their stewardship of this crucial opportunity and extends our sincere congratulations to all awardees.”

“The projects funded by Preserve New York exemplify the excellent preservation planning work being done throughout our state,” said Katie Eggers Comeau, vice president for Policy and Preservation at the Preservation League. “With each of these grants, a meaningful historic place takes a significant step toward a more secure future, and we are pleased to be working with such dedicated project sponsors to make this work possible.”

Vendors sought for flea market on Aug. 13 at Cobblestone Museum

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 12 July 2022 at 10:16 am

CHILDS – A fundraiser that was once one of the highlights of the summer season at the Cobblestone Museum is being brought back by volunteer coordinator Sue Bonafini.

“Sooner or later, everything old is new again,” is a quote by Stephen King, which Bonafini shares in her explanation for planning a flea market Aug. 13 on the grounds of the Cobblestone Museum.

“So why not attempt a fundraiser that was enjoyed by so many in the Cobblestone Society’s past,” Bonafini asked.

The flea market will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring a white elephant booth with contributions from the membership or community at-large, a large assortment of gently used books for sale and hot dogs and refreshments for sale.

In addition, Bonafini is hoping for a large turnout of vendors with a variety of goods for purchase, such as treasures which homeowners may no longer need, but someone else might.

Bonafini got the idea for a vendor fair while reviewing the Museum’s archival records of past events during the 1980s and 1990s.

“It was noted that during the month of August, the museum held the Cobblestone Fair and Flea Market events as summer fundraisers,” she said. “So I spoke with director Doug Farley and gained his support to plan a similar event for this summer on Aug. 13.”

In addition to the large book booth and white elephant booth, the Cobblestone Museum is adding a Holiday Shoppe featuring Christmas decorations. All items will be affordably priced to encourage sales, Bonafini said.

“In order to offer a wider selection of items to our visitors, we’re hopeful members of the community will rent booth space on our grounds and sell additional products,” Bonafini said.

She is hoping to attract vendors who can sell a variety of crafts or antiques, as well as individuals or organizations who wish to showcase and sell goods. Cost to rent a 10 x 10-foot square space is only $20.  A folding chair or two will be provided with each space, while supply lasts, but no table.

It is anticipated a large team of volunteers will be needed to keep the event running smoothly, and anyone interested in helping may contact Bonafini at volunteers@cobblestomemuseum.org. Booth reservations may be made by calling (585) 589-9013.

Those who would like to contribute items to the white elephant booth should also contact the museum to arrange a drop-off time.

“There’s still plenty of time for people to survey closets, attics, garages and basements to find possible contributions,” Bonafini said.

Cyclists love countryside, small towns in Orleans County

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 July 2022 at 11:18 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

GAINES – There are 750 cyclists travelling along the towpath in Erie Canal today through Orleans County, including this group that is heading east in Eagle Harbor, headed towards the lift bridge at about 8:30 a.m.

The cyclists said they loved seeing the lush agricultural fields and experiencing the small towns. They left on Sunday morning from Buffalo and stayed overnight in Medina. Today they are headed to Fairport. The eight-day journey covers about 400 miles to Albany.

This is the 24th annual Cycling the Erie Canal trek. The event was cancelled in 2020 and returned last year but was at about half capacity, limited to 350 riders. This year it is back to full strength at 750.

These cyclists stop by an interpretive panel in Ridgeway above the Canal Culvert. This is the only spot where you can drive under the Erie Canal.

The Culvert wowed the cyclists, who stopped to get selfies with the big stone structure.

Many of the cyclists welcomed the chance to walk down the dark tunnel which has sidewalks.

Anne Gulay of Canastota in Madison County and Joe Wagner of Glens Falls stopped for a photo with the Culvert.

Gulay, 61, and Wagner, 67, said they appreciated the warm welcome in Medina and along the canal villages so far on the journey. They said they have already made many new friends among the cyclists who come from 40 different states.

“It’s fabulous,” Wagner said. “The people are fantastically friendly and supportive.”

These cyclists are near the historical marker in Gaines that notes the northernmost point of the Erie Canal.

These cyclists are approaching the Gaines Basin canal bridge, about 2 miles from the Main Street lift bridge in Albion.

Bob Schumacher wore a Santa suit and greeted cyclists as they arrived in Albion this morning by Tinsel. Schumacher highlighted Albion’s distinction as home of the first Santa Claus School. It was run by Charles Howard from 1937 to 1966.

Lori Laine, right, handed out painted rocks with a cycling theme. She was part of a local welcoming group that also gave the cyclists orange slices and pointed them to nearby local attractions. Tinsel used to be painted white but last month a new large-scale mural of flowers was completed by artist Justin Suarez of Rochester.

Laine is chatting with Valerie Lloyd, 70, of Hernando, Fla. Lloyd said she lived in Los Angeles for 50 years. She is enjoying the ride along the towpath through the rural areas.

“To see these small towns and the open fields is just wonderful,” she said.

These cyclists check out the Santa School-themed mural on the north side of The Lake Country Pennysaver building. Justin Suarez also did that mural.

These cyclists visit the mural at Waterman Park of a Santa in a sleigh over downtown Albion and the Courthouse Square. Stacey Kirby Steward painted that mural in 2015. Next year there should be a bronze statue of Santa at the site.

The cyclists will also be greeted in Holley as part of the trip. Holley is about the halfway point in today’s ride and is an official welcome stop.

Museum plans art tour on July 15 to highlight paintings, prints and sculptures

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 7 July 2022 at 8:13 am

Provided photos: This is a composite photo of a few of the forms of art on display at the Cobblestone Museum complex. A tour of the arts is scheduled at 6 p.m. July 15.

CHILDS – The Cobblestone Society Museum has planned a unique art tour July 15 to highlight some of the many paintings, prints and sculptures on display at the museum.

Former art teacher and Cobblestone Museum director and curator Bill Lattin will lead an educational tour with a dozen stops to examine a variety of art from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Museum director Doug Farley said participants should be prepared to spend a relaxing summer evening being pleased and amazed during the “artful” tour.

“Wear your comfortable shoes so you are ready to walk around our various buildings to see the many paintings, prints and sculptures,” Farley advised.

The tour will take place rain or shine. A free-will donation will be accepted. Those planning to attend are asked to reserve their spot on the tour by calling the museum at (585) 589-9013.

Patriotic church service returns at Cobblestone Museum with picnic to follow

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 28 June 2022 at 9:24 pm

Photo contributed: Diana Dudley plays the historic organ at the Cobblestone Church accompanying soloist Maarit Vaga at a prior patriotic service. The service will again take place at 11 a.m. Sunday, followed by a picnic on the museum grounds.

CHILDS – The Cobblestone Museum’s patriotic service this year will have a new twist to it, according to director Doug Farley.

Harkening back to its early roots, the focus will be more on patriotism, featuring patriotic songs, poems and readings designed to make one proud of America and all that it stands for, said Bill Lattin, who has planned the service with Maarit Vaga. The service will begin at 11 a.m.

Lattin said this is the 50th year for the service, which he started in 1971 when he became curator of the Cobblestone Museum. The service was skipped the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lattin said the early services were patriotic with a keynote speaker, but one year the local Congregational Church’s pastor could not preach on Sunday, so suggested the people attend the service at the Cobblestone Church. Eventually three local churches began to participate and it evolved into more of a religious service.

Now Lattin said they decided to go back to the original format.

In addition to a solo by Vaga, Lattin’s granddaughter Phoebe Kirby will play a patriotic song on her guitar and Lattin will play an Edison cylinder record by comedian Cal Stewart on his Edison machine.

“We want people to go home feeling jolly,” Lattin said.

After the patriotic service, attendees will move outdoors to enjoy a good old-fashioned picnic with hotdogs on the grill.

Everyone is asked to bring their own lawn chair and a dish to pass. Hotdogs and beverages will be provided. A free will offering will be received.

The service has been planned by Bill Lattin and Maarit Vaga, while Farley is in charge of the picnic.

Lattin said the Cobblestone Society has had many different programs over the years and they carry on for a while and most fizzle out.

“The Fourth of July patriotic service is the only one that has lasted,” he said.

New exhibit at Cobblestone Museum gallery features collection of Victorian mourning art

Photos by Ginny Kropf – Doug Farley, director of the Cobblestone Society Museum, looks at a shadowbox memorial with a stuffed dove, crucifix and wax flowers which is part of Bill Lattin’s collection of Victorian mourning art. Two hundred pieces of his collection are in an exhibit at the Museum’s Upper Gallery, which will open with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on June 24.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 16 June 2022 at 7:14 pm

Bill Lattin, former director of the Cobblestone Society Museum, holds a death mask of Dr. Roswell Park, which is part of Lattin’s collection of Victorian mourning art.

CHILDS – An exhibit showcasing Victorian mourning art prominent in the late 19th century will open June 24 in the Cobblestone Society Museum’s Upper Gallery, next to the Cobblestone Church, with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. The cobblestone Ward House, where a body cooler is displayed, will also be open for viewing.

The exhibit is a collection belonging to Bill Lattin, former director and curator of the Cobblestone Society Museum. He has put together a floor-to-ceiling exhibit of 200 pieces of funeral art and related ephemera.

Lattin said he first became interested in mourning art when he was in college during the mid-1960s. A college professor who taught photography had a collection of antique post mortem pictures from the 19th century and Lattin found them fascinating.

The first piece he purchased was a death mask of Dr. Roswell Park, who was the attending physician when President William McKinley was assassinated. An antique dealer in Brockport sold it to Lattin for $5. He said the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society has one like it, but in a different color.

“From time to time I’d find unusual things and pick them up,” Lattin said. “In the last 25 to 30 years, I became more aggressive about finding things.”

Lattin said the Victorians tried to make death a beautiful thing, as portrayed by the flowers and ornate decorations of many of the items.

Many in his collection are one-of-a-kind (handmade) memorials. Others include manufactured knick-knacks and many memorial prints, as well as art made from hair in shadowboxes. One shadowbox holds a stuffed dove, crucifix  and wax flowers.

Another poignant piece is a framed print of a dog, who appears to be in mourning at a young child’s empty bed. The dog is sitting on his hind legs with his head bowed, as if he knows he has lost his playmate.

Visitors to the exhibit will receive a catalog describing each of the pieces, along with a booklet titled “Life and Death of Rich Mrs. Duck,  A Notorious Glutton,” in exchange for a donation. The booklet would be used to talk to children about death, Farley said.

Lattin said he previously exhibited his collection of Victorian mourning art about 10 years ago in Proctor Room of the Cobblestone Church. He said it attracted more visitors than any other exhibit he did as director of the Cobblestone Museum.

The exhibit will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, or by appointment by calling (585) 589-9013.

Cobblestone Museum summer solstice soiree will be at proposed visitors’ center on June 22

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Cobblestone Museum is planning to turn this house from 1824 into a visitors’ center. The site is prominent at the intersection of routes 98 and 104. The plans include a modern addition to the site with bathrooms and a meeting space.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 13 June 2022 at 12:33 pm

CHILDS – Summer Solstice Soiree IV will take place this year in a historic location on June 22.

Maarit Vaga is organizer of the event this year, which will have an entirely different format, taking place in the proposed Cobblestone Visitors Center across from the Cobblestone Museum. This will be the first official event to take place in the Civil War-era home at the corner of Route 98 and Ridge Road.

Previous Soirees have taken place in picturesque locations with beautiful landscaping and flowers, but because the property just recently acquired by the Cobblestone Museum does not have any gardens, Summer Solstice Soiree IV will project beauty in a different way, Vaga said.

The Soiree, which will take place from 4 p.m. until dark, is being called a “Celebration of Beauty.”

Visitors can create art themselves by participating in an activity related to the language of flowers, Vaga said. There will be poetry readings, music, artists and their art, ceramic painting, Haiku, origami, a poetry mic and more.

A scavenger hunt is designed for children of all ages, and a promenade of quotes will incorporate poetry into the festival of 19th century poets whose works speak of beauty. Several local poets will be featured.

Music will be provided by Gary Simboli and the Orleans County String Band formerly known as Cabin Fever. Ray Santoro will play the spinet piano in the vestibule.

Cheryl Giacherio from Oak Orchard on the Lake will have lanterns that glow, which she makes.

Admission to the Soiree is free, but a $5 donation is suggested. All donations go to the Cobblestone Society Museum.

Charcuterie snack boxes are available by pre-ordering. Assorted savory snacks with a glass of wine is $15, or a snack box without wine may be ordered for $10. There will be a wine cash bar, baked goods and light snacks for sale. Visitors may bring a picnic basket if they wish.  For more information or to pre-order, contact the Cobblestone Museum at (585) 589-9013 or through the website, CobblestoneMuseum.org.

Wine will be provided by Leonard Oakes Estate Winery. Non-alcoholic drinks will also be available.

“We have created an event where people can sit quietly or participate and engage in beauty,” Vaga said.

Historic Childs: Musical Instruments – Part 4, The Gulbransen Player Piano

Posted 29 May 2022 at 3:10 pm

By Doug Farley, Cobblestone Museum Director – Vol. 3 No. 13

CHILDS – This is the fourth article in the “Historic Childs-Musical Instruments” series, and the subject instrument is a Gulbransen Player Piano built in 1926.  This upright player piano is part of the artifact collection at the Cobblestone Museum’s Vagg House, a 1920s home that was once the residence of the last blacksmith on Ridge Road, Joseph Vagg, and his wife, Nellie.

René Schasel & “Jairus,” 2001

The Museum was fortunate to acquire the Gulbransen Player Piano as part of the Schasel Collection of artifacts, donated by the Estate of René Schasel in 2020.

A player piano (also known as a pianola) is a self-playing piano, containing a pneumatic or electro-mechanical mechanism, that operates the piano action (keys) via programmed music recorded on perforated paper, or in rare instances, metallic rolls. The rise of the player piano grew with the rise of the mass-produced piano for the home, in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Sales peaked in 1924, then declined, as the improvement in phonograph recordings due to electrical recording methods developed in the mid-1920s. The advent of electrical amplification in home music reproduction via radio in the same period helped bring about their eventual decline in popularity, and the stock market crash of 1929 virtually wiped out production.

Gulbransen Company of Chicago was an outstanding musical instrument manufacturer of player pianos and home organs. It also made reed organs. It was originally established in 1904 by Axel Gulbransen as Gulbransen Piano Company. In the history of musical instruments, Gulbransen is notable for several innovations.

In its early years, Gulbransen made the first upright piano with a player piano mechanism in the same case. By the 1920s, thousands of player pianos were manufactured by the firm. Later, in the electronic organ era, Gulbransen pioneered several innovations in the production of home electronic organs that became industry standards.

The Museum’s Gulbransen Player Piano is completely operated by “foot power.”  There are no electrical components. The piano player operates the piano by pumping a pair of pedals that power a large bellows in the bottom of the piano.

The air in the bellows moves through a labyrinth of air tubes that operate the 81 pneumatic pumps that move the hammers that strike the piano wires. Intent to play notes is produced via perforated paper rolls that are “programmed” to produce every note needed to play chords and melody to perform a specific song.

The musical repertoire for the instrument is only limited by one’s ability to acquire additional player piano rolls as shown above.

The Museum’s player piano is now maintained under the watchful eye of Dennis Mellander of Pavilion, seen here.

“There’s a million things that could go wrong with it,” Dennis said. He noted that every key has its own little pump and those can go bad, and there is a lot of cloth and leather parts that will dry out.  “Moving parts give out,” he said.

The Gulbransen has several levers that are used to control certain actions in the player piano. The “pianist” can change the volume of the instrument and adjust the tempo. A lever also locks the keyboard when needed.

Mellander stated, “The levers give the player the ability to add some musical expression to the composition.”

Dennis taught instrumental music at Byron-Bergen Middle School before retiring. He currently has a private studio and teaches individual students and also repairs pianos on the side.  His resume is embellished in that he is the principal organist at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Le Roy.

The Cobblestone Museum is planning a fall “concert,” to demonstrate the Gulbransen Player Piano and also the Museum’s Edison Cylinder Phonograph at the Vagg House on Friday, September 23 at 6 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. If you’d like to be included in the “audience,” call the museum at (585) 589-9013 for a reservation.  A free-will offering will be gladly accepted.

Cobblestone Museum meets $750K fundraising goal for visitors center

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 28 May 2022 at 8:44 am

Site will be named for Thompson and Kast families

Photos by Tom Rivers: The Cobblestone Museum will put an addition on this house from 1824 and make it a visitors center. The site is prominent at the intersection of routes 98 and 104.

CHILDS – Only eight months after aggressively launching a fundraising campaign to build a Visitors Center in Orleans County, the Cobblestone Society has announced exceeding its goal by reaching $759,000.

On the heels of that announcement comes the news of two local families who have stepped up for the naming rights to the center which be in a brick house from 1824 that will include an addition with a large meeting room.

The site will be known as the Thompson-Kast Visitors Center, Cobblestone director Doug Farley, membership chair Gail Thompson Johnson and fundraising chair Dick Remley announced Friday morning.

The Thompson and Kast families are longtime farmers in the Albion area, with a connection to each other. Gail Johnson’s parents Charles and Hannah Thompson sold their farm on the corner of Ridge Road and Brown Road to David and Kathy Kast in the 1960s.

Leaders of the museum and the fundraising effort discuss plans for the visitors center. From left include Doug Farley, the museum director; Dick Remley, the board president; and Gail Thompson Johnson, the membership chairwoman and a key donor to the project. David and Kathy Kast also gave for the naming rights to the visitors center, but were unable to attend Friday’s announcement.

Johnson remembers her father saying he could have probably received more money for the farm from someone else, but he knew the Kasts would take better care of it, she said.

“When we identified the Thompson family as having naming rights, it was natural we should also think of the Kasts,” said Farley.

He contacted the Kasts and 10 months later, they committed.

In addition to those major donors, other local families have also stepped up to buy naming rights, starting at $15,000, to more than a dozen rooms in the new Visitors Center.

Roger and Ingrid LaMont, also local farmers, fell in love with the fireplace in the front room and bought the naming rights to that space.

Roy Bubb of Holley was the first person Johnson called, and he immediately pledged support for another room, followed shortly after by John Nipher, who chose the kitchen with its antique fireplace.

Peter and Patricia Hurd have chosen naming rights to the reception room, which will probably be located in the new addition being planned to the existing house.

Other early donors are Bill and Jackie Bixler from Albion Agencies, Lawrence and Gabriella Albanese, Jack and Debby Batchellor, Orleans Chapter DAR, Elizabeth Dye Curtis Foundation and Jim and Sue Bonafini.

The addition is planned for the sloping grassy area on the southside of the brick house. It will have a large meeting room and new bathrooms.

The Visitors Center will be located in an 1824 home on the southeast corner of Ridge Road and Route 98.

Farley said a committee had been looking at establishing a visitors’ center in Orleans County for the last five years.

“We looked at everything – from existing buildings to a new build,” Farley said. “Then this building became available, and it checked off all the boxes, except a large meeting room. That we plan to add on.”

The Cobblestone completed purchase of the historic home on Dec. 1, 2021 from Ray and Linda Burke. They gave the brick house new life after extensive work about a decade ago.

Farley said the Cobblestone Museum is not open during the winter, but the Visitors Center will be open all year.

Farley shared benefits of establishing a Visitors Center at this location, which include prevention of a 19th century home from demolition or unrelated commercial activity, high visibility at an essential crossroads location, plentiful parking for school and tour buses, year-round access to restrooms, further expansion of the Cobblestone historic district, expansion of educational programming and visitation with year-round access, and a kitchenette for use by caterers or small receptions.

There will also be a large community meeting space for educational programming, a multi-purpose room, room for Orleans County Tourism, new exhibit space to interpret Orleans County history, space for viewing an introductory video and new cobblestone interactive exhibits, and space to display materials for all local attractions, such as the Medina Railroad Museum, Erie Canal, Point Breeze lighthouse, campgrounds, marinas, bed and breakfast sites, sportsfishing, agri-business, the wine trail and more.

Gail Johnson attended the Cobblestone School as a kid and has been a member of the Cobblestone Society since the 1960s, as a charter student member.

In addition to her family receiving the naming rights for the Cobblestone Visitors Center, Gail Johnson’s connection to the Cobblestone Society goes back to the early 1960s, when she became a student charter member of the Cobblestone Society. Next, she became a life member and now a legacy member. She heads the membership and donor committees.

“I had not been active in the Society for 30 years,” Johnson said. “Then after my husband Lyle died, I felt the need  to start meeting new people and I turned to the Cobblestone Museum, which was half a mile down the road where I began to do volunteer work, and I’ve been active ever since.”

Along with half of the naming rights to the building, Johnson is also adding her name to the new large meeting room.

Farley said they knew they didn’t have the resources to purchase the property for a visitors’ center, and would have to start fundraising.

Dick Remley had chaired the fundraising committee for the new Hoag Library in Albion, and stepped up as chair of the Cobblestone’s fundraising committee, with Brett Kast, Andrew Meier, Fred Miller, Bill Lattin and Johnson as co-chairs; Kevin Hamilton, treasurer; Erin Anheier, president of the Cobblestone board; and Farley.

“Like every good fundraiser, you lead by example, and we asked all the fundraising committee members and all the board members to make a contribution,” Farley said. “Within a month, we had identified $350,000 in pledges and before we went public in September, we had $500,000. Two weeks ago, right after our annual membership fundraising dinner, we met our goal.”

The Cobblestone Society initially identified 12 naming opportunities in the existing building at a minimum cost of $15,000 each, plus several more in the new building addition. Several naming opportunities still exist. Anyone interested in becoming part of this legacy program may contact Farley at (585) 589-9013, or Remley at (585) 506-8312.

Lynne Johnson, chair of the Orleans County Legislature, added her support for creation of a visitors’ center in Orleans County.

“The new Thompson-Kast Visitors Center will provide for better programming and educational opportunities that will enhance and further the understanding and celebration of this historic site,” Lynne Johnson said. “This is so vital to the community and our tourism. The visitors’ center will be a better way to accommodate all our annual visitors who descend upon our historic area. We look forward to its unique history and beauty and contribution to Orleans County.”

The Visitors Center committee is currently in the architectural drawings phase of the project.  Farley and Remley said they anticipate groundbreaking next spring.