“Overlooked Orleans” – Vol. 4, No. 4

Frederick Douglass

As we celebrate Black History Month in February, I was researching local African American families in Orleans County and attempting to assemble an understanding of this particular topic in local history. Without a doubt, it is an area that requires deeper research and is indicative of larger gaps in our understanding of how history was traditionally recorded; ideas of power and disparity. I thought it pertinent to recall some early pieces of abolitionist history in our area.

In 2015, the Orleans Renaissance Group erected a historic marker in Medina to commemorate the site of an address delivered by Frederick Douglass entitled “We Are Not Yet Quite Free,” on August 3, 1869. As the marker notes, a large crowd traveled from across New York to hear the renowned abolitionist speak; the engagement was focused on celebrating the 30th anniversary of emancipation in the British West Indies.

This particular event was not the first time that Douglass spoke in Orleans County. Four years earlier on October 2, 1865, Douglass spoke at Bent’s Hall on the subject of Lincoln’s assassination and its lessons. As Douglass so eloquently spoke, “Some of our friends seem to think our emancipation complete and our claims upon them at an end. A greater mistake could hardly be made. The colored people of the United States are still the victims of special and peculiar hardships, abuses and oppressions, and we still need time, labor and favorable events to work out our perfect deliverance.”

Combing through issues of The North Star, published by Douglass in Rochester, we find that men and women traveled throughout the area lecturing on the antislavery cause. John S. Jacobs, the brother of abolitionist lecturer, reformer, and escaped slave Harriet Jacobs, visited Orleans County in March and April of 1849. Upon the completion of his lecture circuit, he addressed a lengthy letter to Frederick Douglass which appeared in The North Star on April 20, 1849. The words expressed by Jacobs reflect poorly on our area’s willingness to lend an ear to the abolitionist cause.

On March 19, 1849, Jacobs arrived at Clarendon and spoke to a small audience at the Universalist Church, followed by a visit the next day at “Southbarr,” or South Barre as we would call it. While attending a religious meeting held in the local school house, Jacobs asked the Rev. Albert H. Gaston of the Presbyterian Church if he could speak to the congregation at Barre Center. Gaston noted that a revival was taking place and that the “introduction of the subject of Slavery, Peace, Temperance, or anything calculated to draw off their minds from the importance of getting religion,” was unacceptable. Jacobs notes that a man referred to as Mr. O. T. Burns agreed with Gaston, stating that he “knew that we (abolitionists) said some hard things of slaveholders that they did not deserve; he said they were kind and hospitable.”

Trips to Pine Hill, Oakfield, and Barre followed before a visit to Albion on March 24th. Jacobs notes that no effort was made to arrange a meeting and that the Court House was “the only public building that is not barred against the cause of the oppressed,” a building which was “newly painted.” A deacon in the Presbyterian Church attempted to arrange for use of the building for a lecture, but the Rev. William McHarg objected. The deacon in turn referred Jacobs to Eagle Harbor where he “would find friends and an antislavery church.” He spoke to a small group that had assembled for morning worship – muddy streets made it impossible to travel by foot.

This trip was followed by a stop at West Gaines and then Johnson’s Creek, where Jacobs was required to pay fifty cents to the local church for the privilege of opening the building for a lecture. Other lectures followed at Ridgeway Corners, Lyndonville, and Medina, the latter having a large gathering of pro-Zachary Taylor Whigs, much to the chagrin of the visitor. After attempts to gather a crowd at Gaines and Albion, he returned to the Methodist Church at Eagle Harbor on April 7th where he spoke to a large, disorderly crowd made up of canal boatmen “whose highest idea of manliness seemed to be disturbance.” His final stop at Holley on the 8th of April was met by a Presbyterian minister who kindly waived an evening meeting so that Jacobs would have the benefit of a full house.

He concluded the letter by writing, “At no time during my laboring in the cause as a lecturer, have I found so few friends, as on the present occasion. In some of these towns, it has been more than a year since the slaves of this land have had anyone to tell of their wrongs.”

Over the coming years, multiple visits by William J. Watkins, Charles Lenox Remond, and Frederick Douglass to communities throughout Orleans County gave rise to changing mentalities on the disease of slavery.

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“Overlooked Orleans” – Vol. 5, No. 5

This photograph, taken by Peter Fleckenstein, shows a Hough 100 Loader removing snow on East Shelby Road on February 3, 1977. Fleckenstein was a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which was responsible for clearing a large portion of roads in Orleans County after the blizzard.

A couple feet of snow, sub-zero temperatures, and 40 mile-per-hour wind gusts makes for an unbearable week of Western New York weather. Although for many long-time residents of Orleans County, these winter storms are dwarfed by the fierce Blizzard of ’77.

Growing up in Western New York, the “Great Blizzard” as I will call it, is the stuff of legend. Over eight feet of snow accumulation in some areas, peak wind gusts topping out at 69 miles per hour, and snow drifts reaching 30 or 40 feet in height; it is likely that no winter storm will ever challenge the Blizzard of ’77.

The brutal winter weather system hit Western New York on the morning of January 28th and continued into Tuesday, February 1st. Frigid temps reaching -70 degrees Fahrenheit and excessive winds packed snow so tightly that road travel was impossible. Drivers found themselves stranded in cars along the road, snowdrifts blocked some families from leaving their homes, and others remained snowed in at work.

The best stories about the Blizzard of ’77 are told by those that lived through it. Those events still exist within recent memory and without question, each person who lived in Orleans County during that terrible storm has a story to share. In 1997, the Medina Journal-Register printed some of those stories:

Don White, Orleans County Sheriff, recalled camping out in his office during the storm while deputies worked overtime to respond to the hundreds of phone calls from residents asking for help. “The ones that were in, were in. The ones that were out, were out,” he said, referring to those deputies who could were unable to travel to work. Some men accumulated over 100 hours of overtime over the course of five days.

Dennis Drought recalled returning to Albion with his wife along Rt. 31 when the road visibility dropped to zero. “We got as far as Dr. Glidden’s home which was just west of Mount Albion Cemetery on the south side of the road…we were the first of what ended up being about 86 people to seek shelter in the Glidden home.” He went on to write, “I got our toboggan out and went to several of our neighbors getting lists of what they needed from the store. I then went to what was then Super Duper…for supplies. Dick Pilon saw what I was doing and told me I could get all I needed for the people and if I needed credit to open an account. I ended up with a bill of about $500 which most of the neighbors helped pay.”

Glenn Hill wrote about his trip to pick up a load of hay north of Rt. 18 before the storm started. “Returning home the sun disappeared and the sky was becoming black…As I approached the canal bridge on Bates Road things started to tear loose. The wind picked up to a gale force and the truck started to rock. I stopped in the middle of the bridge and at one time I could feel the truck being lifted.” Delivering the load to his barn, he “decided that anyone who would get a load of baled hay in a blizzard had to have been ‘a brick short of a load’ or been left out in the sun too long.”

In one final story, Dorinne Prest recalled her efforts to get home from her shift at Lipton’s in Albion. “…At our two o’clock break the weather was awful. You couldn’t even see across the street…I called home and told my husband Ken I might not make it home. He said not to worry that he would come and get me.” Her husband borrowed a neighbor’s snowmobile and trekked to Albion to pick her up.

“We headed out and got as far as the Old Folks Home and our snowmobile quit…My husband said grab the machine and we will toss it up in a snow bank so the plow won’t run it over. Just then two young fellows pulled up and said get in the truck and we will take you back to town. To this day I don’t know who they are but by god they saved our lives.” The couple stayed at Lipton’s overnight and started out the next morning. “We drove over cars and trucks…When we got to Knowlesville Agway we stopped on top of this huge snow pile. It was so high I could have touched the top of the telephone pole…Ken said hold on, we’re going over. When we got to the other side of the pile there were two ten wheelers and a pay loader trying to dig through it.”

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“Overlooked Orleans” – Vol. 5, No. 4

ALBION – On January 26, 1875, the first electric drill was patented by George Green of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Although the device revolutionized dentistry, it fails to negate the fact that so many of us dislike our regular visits to the dentist.

This advertisement, taken from the 1869 Orleans County Directory, shows an advertisement for Doolittle & Straight in Albion. The two dentists, located on the second floor of the Granite Block on the southwest corner of North Main and West Bank streets, operated this business during the 1860s and 1870s.

Horace Doolittle, at the time of his death, was believed to be the oldest practicing dentist in New York State at the age of 86. Born and raised in Malta, New York, Doolittle relocated to Rochester at the age of 18 to study dentistry in the office of Dr. Ansel Morgan for a period of two years.

In 1850, he moved to Albion and opened a practice with Dr. Stanton Briggs and continued that partnership for 14 years before Briggs retired. Continuing his practice alone, Doolittle finally entered into business with Dr. John A. Straight who was clearly just as much interested in patenting new creations as he was with practicing dentistry.

On November 23, 1869, Straight patented a “Plate for Artificial Teeth” which utilized a soft, rubber material to hold false teeth in place. According to the patent, the rubber could be cut and trimmed to create a better fit in the patient’s mouth.  Interestingly enough, an article in a Lowell, Massachusetts newspaper from 1870 called attention to this new method of setting teeth as patented by John A. Straight of Albion. The advertisement, paid for by a dentist in that location, noted that this particular office was given special permission from Dr. Straight to perform dental work using this patented process.

Horace Doolittle and John Straight were pioneers in the dental profession, not only because of their early arrival in Albion, but because the majority of advancements in dentistry occurred in the 1850s and 1860s. This was an era of experimentation, when dentists attempted to use tree resin and molten metal to fill teeth while ultimately settling on gold foil. Early dental offices relied on spittoons for collecting blood and spit from procedures, which were then cleaned by hand. The first receptacle specifically designed for dental use came in 1867 with the “Whitcomb Fountain Spittoon” patent, utilizing a constant stream of running water to assist with sanitation.

In the earliest years of dentistry in the United States, dentists used animal teeth, bones, and occasionally human teeth from cadavers (although rare) to fashion false teeth for patients. The 1850s marked a period of refinement in the creation of dentures, including Straight’s 1869 patent. Of course the most significant development came with the use of anesthesia in dental procedures.

This particular advertisement calls attention to the use of chloroform, ether, and narcotic spray to alleviate tooth pain and aid with extractions. Other advertisements from dentists in the area, including Northrop & Shearer who operated out of the second floor of the Empire Block on the northeast corner of North Main and East Bank streets, mention the use of “Pure Nitrous Oxy’d Gas” to extract teeth without pain. Doolittle & Straight offered several options for patients, including the less-popular sulfuric ether which caused vomiting and left patients feeling nauseated. Other dentists relied on rhigolene spray to freeze the gums to extract teeth and relieve the pain associated with dental abscesses.

After Straight retired from the practice due to illness, he relocated to Hartford, Connecticut and eventually to Chicago, where he died on November 24, 1893. According to his obituary, he invented a type-setting machine that “made him a large fortune.” Doolittle continued his practice until his son, George P. Doolittle, completed school and entered into the family business. Horace Doolittle died October 20, 1915.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ROCHESTER – The City of Rochester last year unveiled 13 statues in honor of Frederick Douglass during the 200^th anniversary of his birth.

These photos of one of the Douglass statues were taken on Jan. 8. This is at 300 Alexander St., which is near the site of Douglass’s first home in Rochester at 297 Alexander St.

File photo by Tom Rivers: The original bronze statue at Highland Park was created by Stanley Edwards and is up high on a pedestal.

These statues are very similar to the one at Highland Park in Rochester. That statue, unveiled in 1899, was the first statue erected in the country in honor of an African-American.

Douglass was born a slave in Maryland in 1818. He escaped the South at age 21 and moved to Rochester in 1847. He stayed for 25 years.

The human rights advocate was a prominent speaker, editor and author, taking on many causes, including women’s suffrage. (He attended the first women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls in 1848, the only African American male present, and delivered a speech that helped sway support for the suffrage resolution.)

“At any rate, seeing that the male government of the world have failed, it can do no harm to try the experiment of a government by man and woman united…” Douglass said then.

The monument at Highland Park includes excerpts from other famous Douglass speeches:

• “The best defense of free American institution is the hearts of the American people themselves.”

• “One with God is a majority.”

• “I know of no rights of race superior to the rights of humanity.”

• “Men do not live by bread alone; so with nations, they are not saved by art, but by honesty, not by gilded splendors of wealth but by the hidden treasure of manly virtue, not by the multitudinous gratification of the flesh, but by the celestial guidance of the spirit.”

• “I know of no soil better adapted to the growth of reform than American soil. I know of no country where the conditions for effecting great changes in the settled order of things, for the development of right ideas of liberty and humanity are more favorable than here in these United States.”

The new statues of Douglass were created by Rochester sculptor Olivia Kim. The statues are placed at sites around the city that are significant in Douglass’s life and his work as an abolitionist.

Douglass, as a crusader, made Rochester a focal point of the abolitionist movement. He published the North Star newspaper in Rochester and coordinated Underground Railroad efforts in the area.

Frederick Douglass was one of the most famous Americans during the 19th Century.

Douglass lived in the city until an unexplained fire at his home. He then moved to Washington where he worked for the Garfield and Harrison administrations.

He died in 1895 and Rochester moved to honor him with the bronze statue. It was created by sculptor Stanley Edwards, who used Douglass’s son Charles as a model.

When it was unveiled in 1899 in front of New York Central Train Station, it was the first statue dedicated to a black man. The dedication ceremony for the Douglass memorial was attended by 10,000 people, including Theodore Roosevelt, who was then New York’s governor.

The statue was moved to Highland Park in 1941. Rochester officials didn’t think the spot by the train station at the corner of St. Paul Street and Central Avenue was a fitting location for one of the city’s most respected residents. That site was noisy and grimy.

The new statues were part of the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commemoration. The project aimed to better connect Douglass to the community, to bring him down to the ground where more people could interact with the statues.

Kim, the artist who created the new sculptures, softened Douglass’s stern look and tried to present him in a more relaxed pose.

Kim used the hands of Kenneth B. Morris Jr., the great-great-great-grandson of Frederick Douglass, as a model for the new Douglass statues.

This new Douglass statue is at 300 Alexander St.

You can see new Douglass statues at:

• 25 East Main St., where Douglass published The North Star

• 42 Favor St., the former site of the AME Zion Church which is the original site where Douglass published his newspaper and also a stop on the Underground Railroad

A historical marker was erected last year across from 300 Alexander St., where there is a new Frederick Douglass statue.

• 999 South Ave., the site of the Douglass family farm (now a school)

• 50 Plymouth Avenue North, formerly the Central Presbyterian Church and now Hochstein School of Music and Dance, where mourners gathered for Douglass’s funeral

• The intersection of Central Avenue and St. Paul Street, where the original statue from 1899 was located before moving to Highland Park

• Corinthian Street, where Douglass delivered his renown Fourth of July speech

• 300 Alexander Street, near the site of Douglass’s first home in Rochester at 297 Alexander St.

• Intersection of Alexander Street and Tracy Street, which was the site of the Seward School attended by Douglass’s children.

• Kelsey’s Landing in Maplewood Park – Underground Railroad departure point

• 1133 Mount Hope Ave. at Mt. Hope Cemetery, burial site for Douglass and his family membes

• Washington Square Park which is the site of the Civil War “Soldiers and Sailors” monument

• University of Rochester Rush Rhees Library, which commemorates Douglass’s work in Rochester

• SUNY Rochester Educational Opportunity Center for The College at Brockport on Chestnut Street, which celebrates Douglass’s commitment to education

Medina unveiled a historical marker for Douglass on Main Street in April 2015.

The Orleans Renaissance Group and Village of Medina on April 25, 2015 unveiled a historical marker in honor of Douglass on Main Street, in front of the Knights of Columbus.

The historical marker unveiled today on Main Street in Medina highlights two speeches he gave in Medina.

In 1849, Douglass delivered a speech in Medina at the former Methodist Episcopal Church on Main Street (the current Fuller block, home of Main Street Appliance). He also visited Medina in 1869 and gave a celebratory address for Emancipation entitled “We are not yet quite free.” That event on Aug. 3 was attended by African-Americans from throughout the state.

During the marker’s unveiling on April 25, 2015, Chris Busch, the ORG chairman, addressed the group with these closing comments:

“Let these words here, cast in iron, now and for all time, give us pause to remember our intrepid and beloved countryman, Frederick Douglass, and our forebears who stood with him in the cause of freedom and emancipation, in dark and dangerous times, when few had the courage to do so. Let us with this marker never forget their courage, and solemnly pledge to preserve their legacy for all generations.”

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A scene from Charlie Chaplin’s “City Lights,” showing Tony Stabenau (back left), a Buffalo boxer with roots in Albion.

“Overlooked Orleans” – Vol. 5, No. 3

ALBION – The pages of the sacramental register at St. Mary’s Assumption Church in Albion contain an entry for the marriage of Antoni Stabenau of Buffalo to Marianna Gminska of Albion. The couple was married by Ks. Piotr Basinski on January 24, 1899 and removed to Buffalo soon after. Marianna’s father, Simon Gminski, remained in Albion where he worked as a quarry laborer until his death in 1920.

On July 23, 1901, Marianna gave birth to her first son, Anthony, in Buffalo. The young Stabenau’s early life remains somewhat of a mystery until May 14, 1923, when he made his debut as a boxer. That evening, Stabenau started his amateur heavyweight career facing Dixie Kid at the Broadway Auditorium in Buffalo. Although his first match ended in a draw, he went on to win eight straight fights; some newspaper articles claimed his win-streak extended to 17 with 15 knockouts.

His first major fight came on January 7, 1924 against the Senegalese-born Amadou M’Barick Fall, known professionally as Battling Siki. Stabenau later recalled that he was “scared silly,” telling the Buffalo Courier-Express that “I was only 21 years old with a string of knockouts. There had been so much in the papers about this wild Senegelease [sic]…that when I climbed into the ring my knees were knocking so loud I could hear them…Because I was so tense, the rabbit punches he clubbed me with on the back of the neck paralyzed me, and I was stiffened.”

“Three-Ton Tony,” as he was known in these parts, experienced his most notable fight on March 2, 1925, at Elmwood Music Hall in Buffalo against Homer Smith, a nationally ranked heavyweight fighter. In a later interview with the Buffalo Courier-Express, Stabenau recalled this hard-fought battle. The reporter wrote, “Smith belabored Stabenau soundly in the early rounds, and it appeared as though the local lad wouldn’t last, as he made several trips to the canvas.” As Smith prepared to finish the fight, “Tony lashed out with a wild right, and it connected with Smith’s chin. Down he went!” Stabenau claimed he won the fight, but it appears as though he took a whooping at the hands of Smith, who took the fight by a slim margin.

Although Stabenau’s boxing career is rather interesting, it was his professional pursuits after leaving Buffalo that raises eyebrows. Based on his fighting record, he appears to have left Western New York sometime in 1928, boxing in Chicago, San Diego, and San Francisco, before facing several fighters at Legion Stadium in Hollywood. Stabenau was living with his family, including his mother, in Los Angeles, California; he listed his occupation as a boxer in motion pictures and prize fights.

In 1930, Tony was asked by Georges Carpentier to take a role in the Warner Brothers film entitled “Hold Everything,” an early motion picture shot in Technicolor. That same year, he played a boxer in the black and white silent film entitled “The Big Fight.” It was the following year that he would play his most notable, yet uncredited role in motion pictures.

Released in 1931, Stabenau played the role of a victorious boxer in Charlie Chaplin’s film “City Lights.” The rather unique film was shot as a silent production despite the availability of sound recordings and is regarded as one of Chaplin’s best films. This photograph shows Stabenau standing in the background lacing up his gloves while Chaplin sits on a table, front and center.

After his short stint as an actor, Stabenau became a detective with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, visiting Western New York regularly. Buffalo writer Frank Wakefield interviewed Stabenau in 1956, writing “A ponderous 6-foot-3-inch man in horn-rim glasses who resembled an elderly heavyweight wrestler, laboriously plodded up the four flights of stairs leading to Jack Singer’s gymnasium,” where Stabenau trained as a young fighter. An athlete later asked him to jump in the ring to work out, to which Stabenau responded “Are you kidding? I weighed 190 in my prime. Now I’m around 260…I’m eligible for a retirement pension now and I want to enjoy it.”

Stabenau died February 14, 1983, and is buried in San Jacinto, California.

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“Overlooked Orleans” – Vol. 5, No. 2

University of Chicago Photographic Archive: Amos Alonzo Stagg and Stella Robertson Stagg are pictured as newlyweds, c. 1894.

Medina claims Frances Folsom Cleveland, an official First Lady of the United States of America, as her own and in 1952 apparently tried to claim the First Lady of American Football as well.

Henry Clune wrote in a September 16th edition of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle that he “…expressed the opinion that the wife of the former famous University of Chicago coach, [Alonzo Stagg], had come from Medina.” Fred Tanner of Albion quickly pointed out that Clune was incorrect.

Another football season has passed and there is no playoff football for fans of the Buffalo Bills. Instead, I received a rather interesting message earlier this week highlighting an old newspaper clipping authored by County Historian Arden McAllister in the early 1970s. In this article, McAllister notes that he held in his possession “a picture of the Class of 1891 of Albion High School which includes a young woman he says may be perhaps the only unofficial woman football coach in history.” So instead of watching the Bills push for the Lombardi Trophy, a quick read about Orleans County’s connection to one of the greatest football pioneers will fill that void.

The story begins with Stella Robertson, the daughter of Peter and Mary Chester Robertson, born August 7, 1875 in Gaines. As an astute young woman, she was well regarded among members of her class, was selected as the vice president of her senior class and graduated from the Albion High School in 1891. She soon enrolled at the University of Chicago where she would meet Professor Amos Stagg.

Born on August 16, 1862, Stagg attended Yale College as a divinity student, earning quite the reputation as a pitcher for the Bulldogs’ baseball team and playing for the college’s 1888 undefeated football team. His career as a collegiate athlete earned him a dual appointment as “Associate Professor and Director of the Department of Physical Culture and Athletics with full tenure…a double precedent in the history of American higher education,” according to Robin Lester. Stagg became the first physical department head appointed with tenure and the first tenured appointment for an intercollegiate coach at any institution.

Compared to his elder colleagues, Stagg was strikingly young and perhaps less distinguished visually, but his career as an athlete earned him a degree of unprecedented respect. He quickly became the most eligible bachelor on campus and developed an open courtship with the young Stella Robertson of Albion. Faced with criticism from colleagues about his relationship with Robertson, Stagg contemplated a change of profession but remained in his position with the encouragement and support of his soon-to-be fiancée.

Arden McAllister wrote that “…[Stagg] once pedaled his bicycle all of the 30 miles to Gaines to keep a date with [Stella]” and that “He often played golf on a course that once existed at Eagle Harbor and walked across the farms in short pants and knee socks.” The couple’s wedding was performed by Rev. Osburn of the Baptist Church on September 10, 1894 at the Robertson home in Albion. Stella was nearly two years away from completing her studies at Chicago and the couple quickly returned to Illinois after the nuptials.

Alonzo Stagg, “The Grand Old Man of Football,” remained at the University of Chicago until 1932 when then university president Robert Hutchins forced the 70-year-old coach to retire. The couple relocated to Stockton, California where Stagg coached for the College of the Pacific until 1946. His lengthy coaching tenure ended at Stockton College after acting as the institution’s kicking coach; he was 96 when he retired.

Although the length of time Stagg spent coaching is quite impressive, it is his legacy that is the most remarkable. Knute Rockne, the legendary football coach of Notre Dame, once said, “All football comes from Stagg.” Rockne was later asked where he developed such innovative plays, to which he responded, “I took them from Stagg, and Stagg took them from God.” Such statements appear to be true, as Stagg is often credited with inventing the tackling dummy and developing the huddle, the reverse and man in motion plays, and lateral passes. He pioneered the forward pass, the place kick and initiated the use of uniform numbers as well as the awarding of varsity letters. His impact on sports extended beyond football, inventing the batting cage for baseball and promoting basketball as the 5-on-5 matchup played today.

Perhaps most important to Stagg’s innovative success was the role that his wife played in his career. A 1943 newspaper article notes that “Mrs. Stagg serves as scout, statistician, historian, typist and advisor, as well as a one-woman consolation committee whenever things are breaking tough.” McAllister also reaffirmed this by writing, “They say that Stella often helped her husband plot gridiron strategy.”

So, to conclude this article, the American Football Coaches Association presents the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award annually to the “individual, group, or institution whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football.” Marv Levy, the winningest coach in Buffalo Bills’ history, is set to receive the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award in 2019.

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“Overlooked Orleans” – Vol. 4, No. 51

ALBION – This photograph, taken September 7, 1925, shows the Western New York Province 8 Klonverse held at the Orleans County Fairgrounds on the western end of the Village of Albion. The term klonverse is likely foreign to most readers, as it should be, since the term was used to describe a convention of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.

Pulled from a collection of negatives within the Department of History, the photograph shows a number of robed men intermingled with common folk at the conclusion of a parade through Albion. Papers throughout Western New York published news of the impending gathering, the Buffalo Evening News noting that this particular meeting was the first of its kind in Orleans County.

Chester Harding, president of the Orleans County Agricultural Society, rented the fairgrounds to the Klan for $100 “…and considerable criticism [was] heard of the action,” and Hiram Wesley Evans, Imperial Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan from Atlanta, Georgia, was scheduled to headline the festivities. Local members of the Klan applied for the parade permit and village officials barred any Klansmen from marching with their faces covered; state police and local officers were present to keep the peace.

The parade of approximately 900 members commenced at 5 o’clock in the afternoon and a modest crowd of 500 gathered to watch the procession. Three bands and two floats escorted Klan members, all adorned in their white robes, as they processed through the streets. Residents who lined the streets to observe the spectacle did so out of curiosity, either never seeing a Klan parade before or hoping to catch a glimpse of the unmasked participants. As the parade reached the fairgrounds, only members and those with cards given to them by members were permitted to enter the event; a $.25 entry fee was charged. National and state organization leaders spoke to members in the evening, preceded by the burning of a massive cross and induction of new members into the Klan.

Aside from the shocking nature of such a meeting, a Buffalo resident by the name of Julius Grass stirred up extra commotion at the conclusion of the parade. Losing control of his automobile, Grass struck Nelson Spears of Middleport and 68-year-old Melvin Waterbury of Lyndonville. Perhaps more interesting than the accident itself was the mention in the paper that both victims were Klansmen, the only mention of any local member of the organization by name. Waterbury suffered a concussion and Spears a broken leg.

Bill Lattin wrote an article about this same event in Bethinking of Old Orleans (v. 14, no. 35, 1992) and concluded his story by writing, “very little is known of the organization locally.” Such statement appears to be true, but a relatively limited history of the Ku Klux Klan is discernable from local papers despite the secret nature of the organization.

On May 15, 1924, the Medina Tribune noted the intent of men in Lyndonville to organize a Klan in that area (the word Klan was used to describe a local “chapter”). Nearly three months later, a large KKK float participated in a festival parade in Lyndonville organized by local Masons. Members mounted the float with placards on which the objectives of the organization were printed. The Medina Daily Journal noted that “this [was] the first public appearance of the Klan in connection with a community celebration in this section of the state.”

Early Klan activity was limited to residents traveling to Genesee County, where they participated with activities in those areas. Evidence does suggest that the Klan was active enough in certain townships to support political candidates. Several months after the Klonverse, local papers printed the results of local elections in which Ross Hollenbeck defeated Fred H. Rhodey for Sheriff of Orleans County. The Buffalo Evening News ran this story with the headline, “Klan Candidate for Sheriff Assured of Election by 3200 Votes.” Klansmen in several towns offered their support to Hollenbeck in the months leading up to the election, suggesting that this particular gathering in September may have increased local activity.

Many will be surprised to read that the Ku Klux Klan was active in Orleans County, although the exact extent of that activity is unknown. Focused on upholding Prohibition and fighting moral wrongs, a series of events impacting the Klan in other states contributed to a sharp decline in membership and thus local activity would die out by the 1930s.

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“Overlooked Orleans” – Vol. 4, No. 48

Courtesy of the La Crosse Public Library Archives: This photograph of Frank A. Burton is from a composite of the Rescue Hose Company in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Occasionally, an interesting story with local ties surfaces while researching an unrelated subject. The story of Frank A. Burton would fall into that category; a man with local ties, but not necessarily a local man himself. Although unknown in Orleans County, Burton’s story represents one of the most heinous crimes in the history of La Crosse, Wisconsin.

The tale of Frank Burton begins with his grandparents, Joshua B. and Clarissa Adams, who arrived in Western New York prior to 1818. The young couple established themselves in the wilderness of the Genesee Country as one of the pioneer families and founders of the Town of Sweden. Available resources reveal that the couple reared at least two children in Monroe County, two daughters named Clarissa and Charlotte. Clarissa, the older of the two and named in honor of her mother, married Albion attorney Hiram Slade Goff and remained in Albion for duration of her life. The other daughter, Charlotte, met William Nathaniel Burton and married at Cuyahoga, Ohio on December 7, 1840. Burton was an insurance agent for mariners across the Great Lakes and the family traveled between Western New York, Chicago, Detroit, and Wisconsin.

Some records suggest that William and Charlotte’s son Frank was born in Chicago while others suggest New York, but by 1860 the family had settled in Kenosha City, Wisconsin where William was employed as an insurance agent. At some point in time, Frank returned to Albion and enrolled in the Albion Academy, likely living with his aunt and uncle in the village. Upon the completion of his studies, he returned to Wisconsin, settling in La Crosse and finding work as a telegraph operator. Burton eventually became a grain broker and ascended the social ranks, becoming a premier businessman in La Crosse and assuming prominent roles in local civic and political activities. One of those positions, president of the local Republican Party, would lead to his demise.

While preparing to celebrate James G. Blaine’s presidential campaign on October 16, 1884, Burton was set to lead a parade through the streets of La Crosse. Taking place at 8 o’clock in the evening, the torchlight parade included speeches, fireworks, and other festivities as thousands of people lined the streets. As he assisted with the arrangement of parade units, a man named Nathaniel “Scotty” Mitchell observed Burton’s movements from across the street.

Waiting for an opportunity, Mitchell emerged from the crowed and meandered across the street in Burton’s direction. As he slowly approached from behind, Mitchell slipped a revolver from his pocket and fired into Burton’s back. Four bullets left the barrel, one striking him in the head, another in the neck. Mitchell threw the empty revolver at Burton’s head, drew a second pistol and fired five shots into his victim before kicking the lifeless body and shouting, “Damn you, you SOB, now I’ve got you!”

Bystanders were unaware of the events that had just transpired, assuming the pops of the pistols were firecrackers. A nearby man standing beside Burton grabbed Mitchell and held him until two police officers rushed over and seized him. As they shuffled the criminal towards the local jail, throngs of crowds began shouting, “Lynch him! Lynch him!” Understanding the gravity of his dastardly deed, Mitchell begged his guards to get him to the jail posthaste. Meanwhile, Burton’s young wife was escorted to a nearby pharmacy where her husband’s body was examined and officially pronounced dead.

A crowd swelled around the jail, shouting at the sheriff to release the prisoner so justice could be served. After hours of refusing, the unruly mob busted through the doors, broke open Mitchell’s jail cell, and dragged him into the street. Procuring a rope, the crowd strung him up by his neck with such fury the noose broke. They secured a second rope, hauled the killer into the tree and thus the deed was done. The tree used to lynch Mitchell for the assassination of Frank Burton was dubbed “The Lynching Tree” until it was cut down shortly after.

Newspapers across Western New York printed their condolences to Mr. Goff for the loss of his nephew in this senseless crime. The motive remained unknown.

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Photos courtesy of GCC: Derek Maxfield, left, is General Ulysses S. Grant and Tracy Ford is General William Tecumseh Sherman in a 45-minute theatrical “conversation” between the two Civil War generals for the Union. They will present “Now we stand by each other always”  at 7 p.m. today at GCC in Batavia.

BATAVIA – Two Genesee Community College professors will portray Civil War generals this evening, sharing a conversation between the two leaders of the Union Army near the end of the Civil War.

Derek Maxfield will portray General Ulysses S. Grant and Tracy Ford will be the more charismatic General William Tecumseh Sherman. They will perform at 7 p.m. at GCC in Batavia in room T102 of the Conable Technology Building. The event is free and open to the public.

Maxfield has worked as a history professor the past 10 years at GCC. He wrote the script in the 45-minute presentation.

“We are both looking for new ways to reach out and educate,” Maxfield said.

Ford, an Albion resident, is in his 19^th year of teaching English at GCC. Maxfield and Ford have both been part of living history events at GCC, portraying famous people from the past.

The presentation as the two generals is based on historic resources and references. Together, they recount the important meeting and conversation held at City Point, Va. in March 1865 when the two Union generals discuss the campaigns in Georgia and the Carolinas and consider how to close out the Civil War.

“It’s really an experiment and a new way of teaching,” Maxfield said about the event.

Grant is a calm and reserved personality, while Sherman is the opposite.

“It really is the Tracy Ford show in many ways,” Maxfield said.

He reached out to his colleague about portraying Sherman because Maxfield said Ford resembles the general and has an engaging personality.

Ford said one biographer has compared Sherman to Daffy Duck. Ford welcomed the chance to bring out Sherman’s character.

Derek Maxfield, left, and Tracy Ford said they are looking for ways to engage students in understanding history.

“You read about a character in a book and it’s a very two-dimensional thing,” Ford said. “Sherman is quite vigorous, chain smoking cigars and pounding bourbon. It gives you a human face.”

Ford will have an unlit cigar during the presentation and a liter of unsweetened tea.

The two professors debuted the show at the Clarendon museum during the Orleans County Heritage Festival in September. They also performed in Hornell at a historical society. They have upcoming performances in Brockport in early 2019.

In 2020, they will be in Lancaster, Ohio for the 200^th anniversary celebration of William Tecumseh Sherman. He was born on February 8, 1820.

Ford praised Maxfield for creating the script and pushing for the production.

“He is the brains and I’m the frenetic energy,” Ford said. “It has been a lot of fun. This is another way to do it and spread it out into the community.”

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“Overlooked Orleans” – Vol. 4, No. 47

CARLTON – While digging through a box of negatives, I discovered this image of the Oak Orchard River and Marsh Creek from the 1920s. Absent from the photograph is the Route 18 bridge that crosses over the Oak Orchard, so at this point in time the little hamlet pictured here was known as “Two Bridges.” Thinking about the origin of names, a letter within the Department of History’s files provides some insight into the source of the Oak Orchard name.

The letter, addressed to Samuel C. Bowen of Medina, is from Arthur C. Parker, the Secretary Treasurer of the Society of American Indians (and grand-nephew of Gen. Ely S. Parker). In the letter, he writes “Albert Cusick the Onondaga authority defines Ti-ya-na-ga-ru-nte creek as “Where-she-threw-a-stick-at-me,” which was the label for a river to the east of Johnson’s Harbor. Parker offers an alternative name for the creek; “two-sticks-approaching” from the Seneca name “Da-ge-a-no-ga-unt.” This name is recorded in other records, along with “Skano-dario,” the Mohawk word meaning “beautiful lake” and the origin of the name Ontario. It should also be noted that the Tuscarora gave this creek the name “Ken-au-ka-rent.”

Capt. Pierre Pouchot, the commandant at Ft. Niagara sometime between 1755 and 1757, labeled the Oak Orchard as “Riviere aux Boeufs,” which roughly translates to “Beef River” or Buffalo River. This name was shared with the French River near Buffalo, which was subsequently changed to Buffalo Creek while our Riviere aux Boeufs became “Oak Orchard Creek.”

Orasmus Turner, in his history of the Holland Land Purchase, notes that the first road opened in this area was surveyed by the Holland Land Company in 1803 and ran from Batavia to the mouth of the Oak Orchard. At this natural harbor, Joseph Ellicott anticipated the birth of a bustling port city called Manilla which never came to fruition. Earlier records of this location as indicated by Turner, suggest the name of the harbor as “Tonawanda Bay.”

Although there is no indication that the Oak Orchard was ever called Tonawanda Creek, an interesting correspondence between Aaron Burr and the Holland Land Company suggest that pre-1800 maps labeled the harbor as Tonawanda Bay. Poised to purchase a tract of land, Burr noted that his survey contained an indented bay, which was considered public land, and therefore should not be included in his $1.50/acre bill for the land. The lack of documentation of a purchase of said tract suggests that Burr and the Holland Company were unable to agree on this particular matter.

Despite these older references, the term Oak Orchard appears in documents as far back as the early 1810s as surveyors prepared a path for the Erie Canal. The name Oak Orchard itself has a logical origin story. It is believed that upon the arrival of the first settlers to the present township of Carlton, a large grove of oak trees grew upon the banks of this creek and resembled, in some ways, an orchard; thus Oak Orchard.

In October of 1913, a meeting gathered at Pt. Breeze with the purpose of addressing the term “creek.” A committee of Dr. Richard Bamber, Virgil Bogue, and H. L. Brown were placed in charge of pursuing a geographical name change with the U.S. Government. The following month the Orleans County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution following suit, forwarding the resolution to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, U.S. Senators from New York, and Congressmen in the hopes “…that they use their influence to effect such change in name.” The resolution proposed that the Oak Orchard Creek become the Oak Orchard River, in the hopes that the term “river” would attract more attention when seeking federal aid for improvement projects. The U.S. Department of the Interior still recognizes the name Oak Orchard Creek.

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