In 1912, Albion hosted state-wide fruit growers’ convention attended by 1,000-plus

The Albion Chamber of Commerce produced a stylish souvenir program for the 1912 Fruit Growers’ Convention.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans – Vol. 3, No. 26

ALBION – The New York State Fruit Growers’ Association held their annual business meeting in Albion on August 14-15, 1912. The Albion Chamber of Commerce coordinated the arrangements.

Over 1,000 people attended, and the Chamber appealed to residents to open their homes to provide accommodation. Messenger boys were on hand to direct visitors to the residences where they had been assigned.

Scheduled events had to be moved from the Orleans County Courthouse to the Baptist Church auditorium to accommodate the large crowd. Additional telephones and

telegraph instruments were set up in the Courthouse.

Over 300 members traveled in their own automobiles which were parked on the Albion High School grounds. Policemen were assigned to guard the vehicles.

Wednesday’s program began with an Address of Welcome presented by W.B. Dye, Mayor of Albion, and Clark Allis, president of the Fruit Growers’ Association.

Edward Van Alstyne, Director of Farmers’ Institutes, spoke on The Apple Industry.

Major R.R. Riddell of the State Dept. of Agriculture spoke on New York’s Agricultural Renaissance.

The program included this list of Albion restaurants.

A complimentary Musical and Literary Concert held at the High School rounded out the day’s activities.

A mammoth 70-mile automobile trip to inspect Orleans County orchards was organized for Thursday, August 15. Medina and Albion residents donated the use of their cars for the trip.

The entourage of over 300 cars left Albion at 8 a.m. They visited the State experimental orchards of Albert W. Wood in Carlton, the Point Breeze farm of Mrs. Anna Clark, the S.T.J. Bush orchards in Kendall, and the Foster Uddell orchards, south of Brockport.

Lunch was served at Point Breeze, then the tour headed west to view the peach orchards of “peach king”, Clark Allis, near Knowlesville and the Jay Allis farm, the Bickle orchard in Shelby and the Dudley Watson, Francis Hanlon, and Crowley orchards near the Ridge.

The group was impressed by the obvious investments in new orchards and by the innovative methods in use. They concluded that the future of the fruit industry in Western New York looked very promising.