Members of the Orleans County Home and Infirmary building project committee participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility on May 7, 1959. From left include Milton Bowen, Town of Clarendon Supervisor; Justin Roberts, Town of Shelby Supervisor; Victor Hawkes, Welfare Commissioner; Harold Hill, Town of Barre Supervisor; and William Knights, Town of Ridgeway Supervisor.
ALBION – As early as 1829, the Board of Supervisors of the newly formed Orleans County was mandated by the state to build a structure to “care for the downtrodden.”
Located three miles south of the Village of Albion, this facility determined the name of the road on which it was built. County House Road runs east-west between the hamlet of Millville in Ridgeway and Route 98 in the Town of Albion.
The original building was replaced in 1878. A separate structure to house an infirmary was added in 1903. People with a variety of needs were cared for at the Orleans County Home and Infirmary.
By 1957, the buildings had deteriorated and were deemed unsuitable for modern medical practices. An inadequate water supply on County House Road tipped the balance of the decision to relocate the facility. The new Orleans County Infirmary was dedicated on Sunday, August 28, 1960.
As is customary, a time capsule containing items thought to represent the times, was placed in the cornerstone. A list was prepared by Historian Cary H. Lattin. It is intriguing to read some 64 years later. The time capsule included:
Newspaper editions of the Holley Standard, the Orleans Republican-American, the Albion Advertiser, the Medina Daily Journal, the Lyndonville Enterprise, and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Also, an issue of the Albion-Holley Pennysaver.
Proceedings of the Orleans County Board of Supervisors 1958-1960
Photograph of Orleans County Board of Supervisors, 1958-1959
Enrolled electors, 1959-1960
Photograph of Orleans County Court House Square personnel, 1958-59
Brochure of Niagara Power Project
Brochure of new Dial Telephone System
Photographs of old County House and Infirmary
Clarendon Sesquicentennial Booklet, 1960
Gaines Sesquicentennial Booklet, 1959
Orleans County Census of Agriculture
Statistical Report of Orleans County
Current U.S. dollar note
Current U.S. two dollar note
Photograph of 48-star flag coming down for the last time on July 3, 1959
Dedication program for the event.
New York State Senator Austin Erwin laid the cornerstone of the new County Infirmary on August 28, 1960.
Editor’s Note: The following address was presented at the by Adrienne Lattin, Town of Gaines Historian, at the Cobblestone Society & Museum 52nd Patriotic Program, held on July 7th. For most of 19th century, the hamlet of Childs was known as Fair Haven.
GAINES – Not everybody has loved the patriotic anthem, “God Bless America.” Folk singer Woody Guthrie thought it was downright smarmy.
But, given that the whole United States Congress spontaneously sung it on the steps of the Capitol in the wake of 9/11, it’s fair to say that it has made a deep impression on the American psyche. Today, I wanted to use a few lines from this well-known song as a lens with which to more closely examine both patriotism and the life of one of Gaines’ most notable pioneers, John Proctor.
We typically think of patriotism using symbols common to the entire nation: the flag, the bald eagle, the Statue of Liberty, Mt. Rushmore. These symbols remind us of our history, and they remind us of those ideals that we consider to be distinctly American.
Patriotism is commonly defined as love of one’s country. Early on in “God Bless America,” we find the phrase, “land that I love.” I would posit that one cannot love one’s country unless one also loves a particular locale within that country.
John Proctor, 1787-1868
In other words, love of country is preceded by love of a specific, and much smaller region. Born just a few years after the War of Independence, John Proctor arrived here in 1810 at the age of 23. Two years later, he brought his new bride, Polly, to this crossroads to establish a life together. I think it is safe to say that John had a love of his birthplace, as he made a number of trips back to Massachusetts for visits. But greater still was his love for his home in western New York. He lived here for nearly sixty years.
The anthem continues, “stand beside her.” To stand beside someone or something can mean protecting it; military images are frequently used to symbolize patriotism. But it can also mean to stay faithful when life becomes difficult. John Proctor’s life illustrates both meanings.
Shortly after John had settled in with Polly to make their home, the War of 1812 started. His entry in the book “Pioneers of Orleans County” noted that during the war, a number of other settlers fled the country for fear of the British and Indians. In 1813, he was requested in the middle of the night to quickly alert inhabitants east of here that the British were coming and to take up arms, earning him the moniker of the “Paul Revere of the Ridge.”
He was chosen because he was the only one in the vicinity who owned a horse. He and a group of men that he rounded up during his ride went to a “place called Hardscrabble, near Lewiston” to perform what he called a “sort of garrison duty” for two weeks. Later in the year, he went to Buffalo to help defend against British attacks from Fort Erie, where he experienced some battle. Several men in his company were killed, while John noted that “several bullets passed through my clothes, and one grazed my finger.”
John stood ready to rally support against British troops during the war, and he stood here in Gaines for decades amidst great personal loss. As a historian investigating people who died long before living memory, and with limited resources at my disposal, I sometimes have to infer what people were like both by the things they did based on the records we have, but also sometimes by what they did not do.
John Proctor suffered a great deal of personal tragedy. In the early 1820s, he and Polly endured the loss of two children who never made it past toddlerhood. Both Polly and a two-year-old daughter died within two months of each other during an epidemic in 1828.
In the early days of Gaines, many died from what they referred to as “ague,” or what we would call malaria. Deaths from diseases that we now have vaccines for were all too common.
Clarissa Proctor’s monument is shown at Mt. Albion Cemetery. The family monument may be seen behind it. The headstones are for John, his wives and children.
John’s second wife passed away a few months after the birth of his fifth child. Complications in childbirth were also a common cause of death. His daughter Clarissa made it to adulthood and was even married, but she passed away at age 28. John erected a substantial monument in Mt. Albion for his beloved daughter in 1860.
And in 1866, John laid to rest his third wife. After so much grief, a person in his position might have chosen to look to the greener fields of Michigan for a new start. In fact, many individuals and families from Gaines chose to move west over the course of the 1800s. But despite the heartache, he stayed, and his presence must have provided this community a sense of continuity.
The next line in the anthem states, “and guide her.” In the early years of the 19th century, western New York was a place of opportunity, and like many others at the time, John was an entrepreneur, wheeling and dealing in real estate. In this, he was highly successful, and was one of the wealthiest men in Gaines for as long as he lived. Early on, he served in a number of different town offices. He was involved in the formation of the bank and other businesses in Gaines, and held mortgages for poor settlers who were unable to secure bank loans.
At one point, John Proctor owned nearly all the land that can be seen from the crossroads just outside these doors. It is no wonder that in the first half of the 19th century, this place was known as “Proctor’s Corners.” He was wealthy enough, and had enough influence to have made certain that “Proctor’s Corners” would be put on the map. He instead chose to name this hamlet “Fair Haven,” an inviting, welcoming name. One that suggests pleasant respite.
Over time, he sold pieces of land to different buyers, and the hamlet grew, not into a bustling town or village, but into a place where all of one’s basic needs could be met, materially, socially and spiritually. The general store and blacksmith supplied all the material needs that early settlers could not provide on their own. The tavern on the northwest corner was a place to connect with both neighbors and travelers, and was a source of news. And finally, there was the church in which we now sit. John Proctor both funded the construction of this church, and held the mortgage for the first church in Gaines. He fondly remembered, “For many years our religious worship was held in common together, with no denominational distinctions.”
John Proctor was a patriot, not only because he loved this land and did his part in the War of 1812, but he was community oriented. Business-wise, he had an eye as to what would build the area up, and not just for his own gain. As a pioneer, he understood that he and his neighbors were all in it together. He wrote, “Our associations in our wilderness home undergoing fatigue and hardships together, sharing alike in gratitude for every success, and in sympathy for every adversity, bound the early settlers together as a band of brothers.”
As the last line in the song states, John did all he could to make his “Home sweet home” the best it could be for everyone. May we follow his example.
Sites include West Ridgeway Cemetery, ‘Poorhouse Cemetery,’ St. Mary’s in Medina and Mount Albion
This striking headstone marks the Mason family plot which is adjacent to the chapel at West Ridgeway Cemetery.
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 4, Number 23
The Orleans County Historical Association has scheduled its popular annual tour of cemeteries. Tours are held at 6 p.m. on Sundays during the month of August.
The first tour will be held Aug. 4 at West Ridgeway Cemetery, corner of Ridge Road and Marshall Road which has served as a burying ground since 1810 when the area was still under the jurisdiction of Genesee County. The tour will be conducted by Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian.
Details of the deaths of those buried at the “Poorhouse Cemetery” were recorded in a ledger maintained by the Superintendent.
The Orleans County “Poorhouse Cemetery” located at 14064 County House Rd. in Albion is the site of the second tour, which will be held Aug. 11. It will be presented by Tim Archer.
In his role as service-learning teacher at Albion Middle School, Mr. Archer spearheaded an ambitious project at the cemetery in 2010-2011. Students researched burial records, cleared the lot and reset headstones.
St. Mary’s Cemetery, Medina
Chris Busch, Medina local history buff, will lead a tour of St. Mary’s Cemetery, North Gravel Road, Medina on Aug. 18. The cemetery, which dates to 1858, is the burial place of Lt. John Butts, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for “courage, unflinching valor and inspiring actions” in Normandy, France on June 23, 1944.
Bill Lattin, retired Orleans County Historian, and Sue Starkweather Miller, Village of Albion Historian, will conduct the final tour in the series, at Mt. Albion Cemetery on Rt. 31 on Aug. 25. Another Orleans County Medal of Honor recipient, Charles D. Harris, who was honored for service during the Apache Wars in 1869, is buried there.
Cemeteries contain a treasure trove of information; we hope you will join us as we unearth some. Tours are free of charge, but goodwill donations are gratefully accepted.
This photograph taken by Marc Cole at the 1903 Orleans County Agricultural Fair captures the excitement of a closely run race.
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 4, Number 22
ALBION – Horse racing was a popular attraction at the early Orleans County agricultural fairs.
In 1881, “trials of speed” were held for “green” horses owned in the county.
Races at the 1900 Fair were open to all trotters and pacers owned in the county. Prizes were 1st – $15, 2nd – $10, and 3rd – $5.
A “hitch-up” race was also offered – competitors would hitch up to any style of wagon, race one-half mile and then unhitch. By 1895, a grandstand had been built to provide a more comfortable viewing area.
By 1919, prizes had increased to $300-$400 per race, which attracted more competitors. There were 50 entries in the 1921 fair, many of them professional runners. This 1926 program, for example, shows entrants from Jamestown, Hilton, Hamburg, Rochester and Batavia.
1926 Program
It rained for three of the four fair days in 1927 and 1928, and in 1929, rain caused the cancellation of races on two afternoons.
The 1931 Orleans County Agricultural Fair offered “the largest racing program ever presented at the County Fair. Over one hundred harness and running horses representing fifteen regional stables were entered in ‘pace’ and ‘trot’ races. Races were held in the afternoon and “at night on a brilliantly illuminated track.”
Horse racing continued as an annual feature at the Orleans County Fair through the 1930s but the stresses of World War II interrupted an event that had started in 1856.
The Erie Canal has facilitated the transportation of a variety of cargo over the course of 200 years.
We have not one, but two occasions to marvel at the immutable principles of buoyancy and floatation this week.
The first, of course, was the announcement that a pedestrian bridge, manufactured in Italy and destined for the new Ralph Wilson Park in Buffalo will be conveyed along the Erie Canal on two 195-foot-long barges from the Hudson River Port of Coeymans to Buffalo.
Then, a collector in Massachusetts asked for information about this poster announcing:
“Large Whale on Exhibition in this Place on a Large Barge on the Canal.”
The colorful description reads:
“This Mammoth Whale is 65 feet long spanning 35 feet around the body and weighing 75 tons when captured. You must consider the monster size of this animal when his tongue weighed 3,500 pounds and made 120 gallons of oil.
“His lower jaw will seat 25 persons. His mouth has been fitted up as a reception room. A person six feet tall or a team of horses can stand between the monster’s jaws. We have seen 27 young ladies and their teacher in his mouth all at the same time. We have also seen 12 gentlemen seated in his mouth enjoying an oyster supper.
“His Whaleship has been on exhibition for over three years in the principal cities of seven states and viewed by thousands of astonished people. It is not only a wonderful site (sic), but instructive to men, women and children; an exhibition the most refined ladies and children can visit. The captain and his staff will instruct you in the different species and their many peculiar habits and how the whale is captured, showing you the ancient or modern weapons used to capture them. Come and see for yourself and if you find this is not a real whale, WE WILL CHEERFULLY REFUND YOUR MONEY.”
The poster was obviously designed for general distribution as specific details such as place and date are not included. At first glance, we wondered why this inquiry was directed to Orleans County, but a closer look shows what appears to be “Herald Print Albion” on the very last line and we gather that the exhibit is travelling by canal.
Traveling novelty shows were popular in the pre-television era. The mammoth whale exhibit was a feature of the 1880s and early 1890s, with over 8,000 Buffalo residents viewing it over a four-day period in 1881. Should you question the logistics of displaying a deceased whale over a long period of time, we discovered that the whales were embalmed.
Soon to celebrate its bicentennial, the Erie Canal was successful from the beginning because it provided faster access to markets. We tend to associate it mainly with the transportation of products such as wheat, apples, sandstone, etc. But it also facilitated the transportation of novelty cargo, entertainers and circuses.
Referring to the transportation of the pedestrian bridge, also a novelty cargo, destined for a place of entertainment, Carver Laraway, President and CEO of Carver Companies, the maritime management company overseeing the project, stated that “utilizing a vital piece of American history to transport a modern marvel is a testament to both innovation and tradition.” And to physics.
A Yates Center sewing circle created this quilt in 1865, a heartfelt contribution to the welfare of the men at war.
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 4, No. 20
YATES –“When the war (American Civil War) began in 1861, neither the Union nor the Confederate governments had enough uniforms, tents, blankets or even bandages for their armed forces. Women on both sides of the conflict stepped up to fill the enormous need, volunteering their labor and resources. They quickly became essential to keeping the soldiers well-nourished, clothed and warm.” {1}
Remarkably, a quilt completed by a sewing circle in the Town of Yates hamlet of Yates Center on February 5, 1865, survives intact. What is even more remarkable is that the quilt which resurfaced in 2010, following some 145 years in obscurity, was returned to its homeplace in 2022, thanks to the efforts of members of the Yates Baptist Church.
As they stitched and knitted, sewing circle ladies on both sides of the cause referred to their needles as “weapons” or “daggers.” They identified as fellow fighters with their “brothers in the field.” Soldiers were appreciative of the comfort of the blankets and quilts sent.
Using assorted fabric scraps, the Yates Center ladies created forty colorful 8” square blocks in the Album Block pattern. The material used for the backing and border was most likely an everyday dress fabric, which must have been a sacrifice since there was a shortage of fabric after three years of war.
Block patterns were favored as the quilters could easily work on their respective part of the project at their convenience and the quilt could be easily assembled. Quilters could also personalize their squares by signing them, or by including uplifting or encouraging messages.
Some of the signatures and verses have since faded. Pam Farewell used online census and cemetery records to help decipher the names. They include:
“Brave soldier, thou will ever be remembered.” – Sarah D. Lott
“March on to Victory” – Mrs. P. Lewis
“Wake, arise ye sons of freedom,
Bravely die but never yield,
While the signal drums are beating,
Marching to the battlefield.” – Sophronia Clark.
The quilt was completed on February 5, 1865. The end of the war was still several weary battles away. It was most likely donated to the US Sanitary Commission, the agency in charge of contributions from regional aid societies to hospitals and battlefields.
Its subsequent history is a mystery. Quilt collector Jane Garrod Chinault acquired it at an auction, date unknown. She displayed it at a quilt show in York, PA in 2010 where it fortuitously came to the attention of Sue Farwell Hauser, formerly of Yates Center, who, naturally enough, was immediately intrigued by its Yates Center connection. Sue contacted her sister-in-law, Pam Farwell, who arranged to borrow the quilt for a weekend in 2010 for a display at the Yates Baptist Church.
In 2022, church members again requested permission to display the quilt, this time as part of their bicentennial celebrations, at which point Ms. Chinault graciously decided to donate the quilt, stating that she felt relieved that it would have a permanent place to reside, “that it had returned home and will be well cared for.”
Karen Breeze was instrumental in researching how best to conserve and display this unique quilt. Church and family members assisted. Memorial funds were provided by the Bentley and Breeze families. The initiative concluded with a U-Haul road-trip to retrieve the framed quilt from Massachusetts. It is now on display at the Yates Baptist Church. Contact Karen at the church office (585) 765-2136 to arrange a tour.
The quilt is referenced in the book “Homefront & Battlefield: Quilts and Context in the Civil War” {1} by Madelyn C. Shaw and Lynne Z. Bassett, 2012, available for loan through the NIOGA Library system.
Bea Good, shown here in her Sheriff’s Deputy uniform, was a national Grandmothers Club advocate. The Medina chapter, known as the Bea Good Grandmothers Club, was active for over 40 years and was a forerunner of the Medina Senior Citizen’s Center.
MEDINA – The Bea Good Grandmothers Club! A club with such an infectiously good-humored name was bound to be popular. But, “Bea Good” was not an exhortation to grandmothers, but rather, the name of the lively and energetic lady who introduced the club to this area and who was also nationally recognized in the Club movement.
But who now remembers Grandmothers Clubs?
The National Federation of Grandmothers Clubs came into existence at an Illinois Convention of Business and Professional Women in the spring of 1934, when Marie K. Brown, having just become a grandmother herself, was interested in knowing how many other ladies present were also grandmothers. Interest in the concept of “grandmothering” took hold.
The ladies applied for and received a charter from the Illinois Secretary of State on April 11, 1938, and the clubs were soon formed throughout the country.
The founders wanted to dispel the notion of grandmothers as doddering old ladies with glasses and wearing shawls, but rather, as lively women who were mentally alert, keenly interested and still active participants in the business and professional worlds.
They believed that “Grandmotherhood is a blessing, not a title,” and that the addition of that title does not mean that life is over, but that a new and enriching chapter has begun.
Their stated goals were:
“To achieve national recognition for Grandmother’s Day,
to glorify grandmothers,
to perpetuate for future generations the peace and liberty which we have enjoyed as citizens of the United States,
to promote better radio programs, better movies, better schools, and better recreational activities for our grandchildren,
to assist in research on children’s diseases and to establish a grandmother’s haven.”
Involvement in Grandmothers Clubs declined during WWII but resumed after the war. Bea Good started a club in Medina around 1945, having just moved here the previous year.
Born Beatrice L. North in 1890 near Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Bea was a performing musician by the age of 15, playing piano for the one-reel silent movies at the local movie theater. She graduated to orchestra and later entertained troops and hospitalized veterans and worked as a welder on the war production line.
She married Ray Goode of Brockport, a railroad conductor with the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Bea preferred the spelling “Good,” it worked well with the name of her band “Bea Good and her Bad Boys.”
The Goods lived in Brockport and Niagara Falls before moving to Medina in 1944. They purchased the former home of LeGrand Whedon on the corner of West Center and Ann Streets and converted this stately home, built in 1906 by Watson Barry, coal merchant and bank president, into apartments. They lived there also.
In 1946, Bea Good of Medina, was elected President of the Chicago based National Grandmother’s Club. In August of that year, she entertained some of the national officers at her home: Mrs. Rose Dyvig of Chicago, Il., national vice-president of the organization and a former motion picture exhibitor and Grace A. Gray of Indiana, an early aviator and first female lecturer at the Federal Conservation Dept. of Indiana.
In 1948, Bea was re-elected to a second two-year term as Club President at the Annual Meeting held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Thirty-eight states were represented at the convention, and over 300 members attended.
Mrs. Good spoke over the WLOL Radio Station on the Sunday afternoon, assured of a large audience, as the broadcast preceded the World Series ball game. The station was hooked up with Kate Smith, who was sponsor of National Grandmother’s Day. She named the 16 states which had already proclaimed the day. Speaking on behalf of the Club’s 6,000 members, Mrs. Good thanked Miss Smith for her efforts in furthering the national recognition of Grandmother’s Day.
Nationally, the Club flourished with 903 member clubs throughout the country in 1976 and over 25,000 grand-members. Locally, it was a popular club with as many as 90 members in 1968. The Club was affiliated with the Western New York Federation of Women’s Clubs.
Monthly meetings were held at the Presbyterian Church in Medina. The club was involved in philanthropic and community activities. They participated in the 1967 Erie Canal Celebration and had a float in the parade.
“Mrs. Durski drove, and Georgia Coon, Ruth Benham and Mrs. Benham rode in the float” (Minutes, July 12, 1967).
The Minutes of May 10, 1966, point to the link with the Medina Senior Center:
“We had a delicious lunch, after which, a representative of the Newfane Senior Citizens spoke on forming a club here in Medina. Mrs. (Helen) Waldo was appointed in charge of Senior Citizens formation.”
It was a natural evolution – the Senior Citizens would be more inclusive and serve a larger geographic area, while still championing the founding tenet of the Grandmother’s Clubs – that people over a certain age are not decrepit, doddering and disposable, but vital and active members of society.
Bea Good exemplified this to the end. She died on November 27, 1980, at the age of 90. In a Journal-Register editorial on December 4, 1980, Bob Waters wrote:
“Bea kept so busy that life just bounced off her like a moving target. A founder and national revered figure in the Grandmother’s Club Federation, deputy sheriff, welder on the war production line, worker with disturbed and blind youths, a hostess who entertained wounded war vets at her spacious home on weekends, cited and honored by her peers, by the State Legislature, by American Presidents and a Canadian Prime Minister.
But, most of all, to us, she was one of those busy, laughing, industrious souls who brought life and charm and distinction to Medina by living here, being visibly a part of the community, blending service with enjoyment.”
She was survived by a son, Lindsay C. Good of Niagara Falls, and a daughter, Betty (Richard) Carey of Hillsboro, Ohio, three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins.
Ray died in 1975. He and Bea are buried at Boxwood Cemetery, Medina.
This headline from The Buffalo News, Sept. 10, 1981, refers to the Morrison Road site in the Town of Yates.
Posted 19 June 2024 at 9:42 am
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 4, No. 18
YATES – The Town of Yates will hold a referendum on Thursday to decide whether the town may acquire 153.3 acres of land from NYSEG for $700,000 using grant funds for public recreational use. The site is part of a larger area referred to as the Morrison Tract, a rural lakeside property which has had a dramatic and often contentious history.
The first recorded refences to the area are to an active bootlegging operation during Prohibition which was operated by Joseph J. Winghart, his wife Mayme and brother Bernie. They supplied the Lyndonville area and made deliveries to Niagara Falls. They also operated a speakeasy at a farmhouse on the corner of Lake Road and Morrison Road in the Town of Yates.
The Prohibition era has since been romanticized, but it was a dangerous and volatile time. The Wingharts were associated with “The Black Hand Gang” of Niagara Falls, who assured them of a market and of “back-up” if the need arose.
The farmhouse later became the location of Winghart’s Grill. Following several changes of ownership, it opened as Lakeshore Villa in 1959. Owner, Joseph Perry, was killed in an automobile accident in 1960. It subsequently operated as the Park House, this was destroyed in a “spectacular blaze” on March 26, 1981.
Beginning in the 1960s, NYSEG acquired parcels of land totaling 800 acres in the Town of Yates area bounded by the Lake Ontario shoreline, Foss Road and Morrison Road. Referred to as the Morrison Road site, it was selected as a possible location for the construction of an atomic power generating station in 1972.
However, local public opposition was loud and clear. The discovery of an earthquake fault near the area caused NYSEG to abandon plans for Yates and concentrate on a location in Somerset instead.
In September 1981, William Lyman, Chairman of the Orleans County Industrial Development Authority (COIDA), announced the potential development of a shipping port at the site.
Cross-Lake Shipping, formerly Ro-Ro of Toronto, proposed to operate a truck trailer ferry service from Toronto to the Morrison Road site to import a wide variety of raw materials and products to the US, thereby avoiding the substantial fees then levied for overland cross-border transportation.
The plan was quite ambitious. Sixty workers would be employed on the construction of this $8.5 million port which would include a double pier that could accommodate barges capable of carrying 120 semi-trailers.
When fully operational, 120 workers would be employed. Housing, retail and hotels would surely follow, and the development would be beneficial for the Town of Yates tax base.
Attractive as it might have seemed, local residents balked at the prospect of several hundred tractor trailers containing unknown contents traversing rural roads and narrow canal bridges on a daily basis.
A committee of Yates residents formed to oppose COIDA’s proposal. As it transpired, Ro-Ro was unable to secure adequate financial backing and the proposed project was dropped.
Subsequently, the Morrison Road tract was one of two sites in the town considered as a possible location for a state-operated toxic and hazardous waste plant. A site in Cayuga County was chosen instead.
In 1986, a group of citizens and investors formed the Ontario Shore Land Committee which proposed to purchase the site for multi-use development: camping, flea market, a pioneering village, and senior citizen housing as well as light industrial and commercial growth.
While these development proposals highlighted the potential of the site, they also exposed the town’s vulnerability when faced with the power of state agencies. Though local opposition played a part in the dismissal of the atomic power generating station and the port proposal, ultimately other external factors determined the decisions. The success of either of these proposals would have drastically altered the rural nature of the town.
It is remarkable that such a small location should have been the site of so much discord. Some places have a strange energy. Perhaps it is not surprising that trees nearby produce shoe-fruit.
Helen Millis of Waterport kept a daily journal of her 1933 cross-country trip.
Posted 9 June 2024 at 8:47 am
Cross-country journey by car included many stays in roadside cabins
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 4, No. 17
“Miss Helen Millis, who was accompanied by four girlfriends on a motor trip from Long Island to San Francisco and back, has returned to her home in Waterport.” – Lyndonville Enterprise, August 17,1933.
What an adventure it must have been! Helen kept a journal account of the trip, which her niece, Luann Millis Tierney, recently shared with the Orleans County Department of History. It is a charming read and offers a view of a different era of travel.
The big trip began at 5:15 a.m. on the morning of June 28, 1933, when Eve, Alice, Ann, Carle and Helen left Huntington, Long Island to the tune of “California, Here We Come.” Helen observed that New York City was very quiet, “with the exception of the milk trucks.”
On to Pennsylvania and through the Appalachian Mountains, they logged 416 miles on their first day and stayed overnight with friends in Indiana, Pa. Next day, they headed south and joined Route 40 at Pittsburgh. Also known as the Lincoln Highway, this route – which was entirely paved by 1931 – traversed the country and connected New York City to San Francisco.
They drove each day, stopped for food at roadside stands or diners, and stayed overnight at cabins with names such as Cottonwood Cabins or Al Smith’s Cabins. Automobile ownership had ballooned by the 1930s, roads had been improved and Americans were on the move. Clusters of these rustic, box-like cabins sprang up along busy routes to provide accommodation for travelers. The girls did not “book ahead” and rarely had a problem securing a place to stay at the end of the day.
From Pittsburgh, they travelled on through Columbus to Indianapolis where they visited the Indiana War Memorial and were impressed by its art and architecture. She described Indiana and Illinois as “very monotonous. The air is saturated with pigs.”
The prairie was “most interesting.” But July 8th was “the most thrilling day of the trip so far.” Helen wrote nine enthused pages about their visit to the Cave of the Winds, and the rail trip on the Cog Railroad (tickets $3.50 each) to Pike’s Peak, the sights, the exhilaration, what the guides told them. “A grand trip I shall never forget.”
They headed south to New Mexico and visited Taos, the Painted Desert, and the Petrified Forest. Their first view of the Grand Canyon was from Yavapai Point. She wrote:
“Had I looked at its beauty many more minutes, I should have been overcome by its magnetic power.”
They traversed west on Route 66 and negotiated the intimidating Oatman Hill. Of the hairpin bends she wrote:
“You almost met your spare tire going around some of them.”
They arrived in Southern California on July 14, the 17th day of the trip. On to Long Beach where they rented an apartment for a few days to explore the area. Having rested, they set off to Yosemite National Park, the Mariposa Giant Sequoias, and through the terrifying Tioga Pass. Carson City, Reno, Salt Lake City, Pocatello, Yellowstone National Park, Casper, Cheyenne where they enjoyed some rodeos, and then to Omaha, Nebraska. They motored on to Chicago and spent two days visiting the World’s Fair exhibits. Through Sandusky, Ohio finally to Buffalo on August 6th.
“Cleopatra” as they named the car, served them well. Helen did not specify the make or model but referred to bringing it to a Chrysler dealer for repairs. They frequently had the car “greased.” They had one flat tire, ran out of gas once, and had some carburetor problems towards the end of the trip. The “freewheeling” problem that Cleopatra experienced as they were descending the Oatman Pass was the most dangerous. Luckily, a truck driver attached chains to the back of the car and prevented them from descending too quickly.
Cleopatra sported a “rumble seat,” which was basically the trunk lid reversed to provide extra seats. It was open to the elements and probably had little or no suspension. Helen was invariably a rumble seat passenger when it rained. On a few rainy occasions, they simply pulled off the road and into a farmer’s barn to wait for the rain to pass.
In the era before cell phones and pay phones, the girls communicated their travel progress to their families at home by postcard. On several occasions, Helen refers to “picking up mail” – their families wrote letters to them and mailed them to certain prearranged cities. Not as instant as texting, but it worked.
These girls were independent and confident. Then in their early 20s, they enjoyed dances and rodeos along the way. Helen mentions just one occasion when they felt uncomfortable, but they just brazened it out.
Helen lived to be 104 years old. Born in 1909, she was the daughter of Carl A. and Cora Miller Millis of Waterport. The family resided at the Breezy Ridge Fruit Farm on what is now Fuller Road. One of eight siblings, Helen graduated from Waterport High School, Geneseo Normal and Training School, and Syracuse University. She married Beryl Livingston. An elementary school teacher, she taught on Long Island and later the Fayetteville-Manlius Elementary School, Syracuse. She retired in 1977 and passed away in 2014.
She ended her travel journal:
“Lockport, Gasport, Middleport, Medina, Albion, and I was almost home. Uncle Richard, Dad, Sally, Jack, and Roger met me about 6:30. It surely seemed good to be home again. And it was a grand trip!”
Photo by Tom Rivers: Sue Starkweather Miller, the Village of Albion historian, and Bill Lattin, retired Orleans County historian, led a tour of Mount Albion Cemetery on Aug. 13, 2023 that was attended by about 60 people. The two will lead a Mount Albion tour this summer on Aug. 25.
Posted 28 May 2024 at 7:38 am
Press Release, Orleans County Historical Association
GAINES – The Orleans County Historical Association is pleased to welcome the community to their 2024 selection of presentations at their Gaines Basin Cobblestone Schoolhouse, 3286 Gaines Basin Rd.
The presentations are held on the last Wednesday of each month, May to October at 7 p.m. Donations are gladly accepted.
The schedule includes:
May 29: “Last Call” – Hotels, Restaurants, Bars – A History of Medina with Renee Lama, author (Books will be available for purchase)
June 26: “Flight Research Aircraft in Buffalo” from 1946-1971, the Cornell Aeronautical Lab flew 50+ different military aircraft in Buffalo, with presenter Allen Kidder, aeronautical buff.
July 31: “Animal Stories” – from famous to local history stories with Bill Lattin, Retired Orleans County Historian.
Aug 28: “The Groovy ’70s” – Cultural Change – with Erica Wanecski.
Sept. 25: “Franklin and Eleanor Slept Here” – the local connection, with Dee Robinson, Hoag Library History Researcher.
Oct 30: “History of Medina Sandstone” with Jim Friday, author.
The always popular Summer Cemetery Tours are back! Tours are every Sunday in August at 6 p.m. Sponsored by Orleans County Historical Association.
Aug. 4: West Ridgeway Cemetery, Ridge Road (Rt. 104) at the corner of Marshall Road. Presented by Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian.
Aug. 11: Orleans County “Poorhouse Cemetery,” 14064 County House Road behind the Emergency Management Center. Presented by Tim Archer, ACS Teacher.
Aug. 18: St. Mary’s R.C. Cemetery, Route 63, N. Gravel Road, Medina. Presented by Chris Busch.
Aug. 25: Mt. Albion Cemetery, Route 31, Albion. Presented by: Sue Starkweather Miller, Village of Albion Historian and Bill Lattin, Retired Orleans County Historian.
Thomas O’Dea’s depiction of the horrors of Andersonville Prison. The detail in this oversize work warrants close examination.
Posted 25 May 2024 at 9:01 pm
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 4, No. 16
To this day, a reference to the Civil War Confederate Prison at Andersonville, is synonymous with overcrowding, starvation, suffering and wanton cruelty.
Originally intended to house 10,000 people, some 35,000 prisoners were packed in the site. In its fifteen months of operation, 29% of those interned there died while survivors suffered from years of ill health due to the conditions they endured. Prison commander, Captain Henry Wirz, was the only Confederate soldier executed for war crimes at the end of the War.
The Historical Album of Orleans County (1879) noted that the following Orleans County soldiers were held there:
Carlton
Anderson, George W. sgt. – (Discharged)
Hall, John Bentley, corp. 27th inf., Co. K – (4 months, discharged)
McCarthy, John E., pr. Co. 6, ind. Sharpshooters – (7 months, discharged)
Macomber, Otis, pr. 76th inf., Co. B – (1 year, discharged)
Parkinson, Alfred H., 4th art. – (Died)
Reid, Ambrosall, pr. 76th inf. Co. B – (1 year, discharged)
Willett, Frank E., pr. 8th cav., Co. A – (10 months, discharged)
Gaines
Doyle, Hugh Sgt., 114th inf., Co. B – (Died)
Kendall
Cowell, Charles Jr. Pr. 8th art. Co. K – (Died)
Murray
Flanders, O’Neil, pr. 22nd cav., Co. F – (Died)
Ridgeway
Burch, Philo, pr. 8th cav. – (1 year, discharged)
Hawkins, Isaac, pr. 54th cav. – (Discharged)
Shelby
Ross, Jacob, pr. 151st reg., Co. A – (Died)
Yates
Coleman, James K., Sgt., 3rd Cav., Co. C – (Discharged)
A remarkable depiction of conditions at Andersonville as they appeared on August 1, 1864, was created from memory some years later by Thomas O’Dea. An Irish immigrant, O’Dea enlisted in the 16th Maine Regiment in 1863 at the age of 15. Captured in May 1864, he was sent to Andersonville Prison where he spent nine months.
The scenes depicted by O’Dea teem with detail. Measuring 40×60 in., it is an imposing piece. It takes a few moments to adjust one’s perspective, to focus closely on the center panel where tiny stick figures are crowded in an area bounded by a tall fence.
“The scene of indescribable confusion among the prisoners presents them in every imaginable position, standing, walking, running, arguing, gambling, going to or coming from the Branch with cups, dippers, canteens, or rude pails with water, lying down, dying, praying, giving water or food to the sick, crawling on hands and knees, or hunkers, making fires and cooking rations, splitting pieces of wood almost as fine as matches, the sick being assisted by friends, others “skirmishing for graybacks”, washing clothes and bodies in the Branch, trading in dead bodies, fighting, snaring, shouting …”. Excerpt from History of O’Dea’s Famous Picture of Andersonville Prison by Thomas O’Dea, 1887
Smaller vignettes along the top and sides depict equally grim scenes of a prison which was described by survivors as “Hell on Earth.” O’Dea completed the nine-foot work in 1887 and had 10,000 lithographs made which he sold for $5 each and at a discounted price to G.A.R. posts.
This memorable work, a gift from the family of Philo Burch, an Andersonville survivor, is on display at the Medina Historical Society Museum. It was originally donated to the Armory by his grandson, Bruce Burch and great-granddaughter, Mrs. Fern Corrieri, and was transferred to the Museum in 1977 when the Armory closed.
Born in 1838, Burch enrolled in Hartland on Dec. 19, 1861. According to the Civil War Muster Roll abstracts, he had blue eyes, auburn hair, a light complexion, and his height was 5’4 ¾. He served as a private with the 8th Cavalry, Co. E, was taken prisoner at the Battle of Blackwater on July 28, 1864, and was sent to Andersonville.
He managed to survive there for almost a year and was mustered out on July 27, 1865. His Army Invalid record noted that he later suffered from “disease of the mouth and loss of teeth as a result of scurvy, rheumatism, catarrh, disease of the heart and lungs.” Upon his return, he farmed in the Town of Yates and later lived in the Town of Carlton. He died on June 16, 1918, and is buried at Lynhaven Cemetery.
Located at 406 West Ave., the Medina Historical Society Museum is open to the public on the first Saturday of the month (May – Sept.) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tours can also be scheduled by appointment: call English Rose Tea Shoppe (585) 798-4410.
This 1919 poster depicts a boy with a hoe leading a parade of “smiling” vegetables displaying an American flag. (Maginel Wright Enright, Library of Congress collection)
“I hereby declare and set aside Friday, May 11, as Garden Day, and urge all citizens to observe the same by putting in a home garden on said day.”
This declaration was made on May 9, 1917, by Dr. Warren E. Stocking, acting president, and subsequent mayor of the Village of Medina.
A poor harvest in 1917, the loss of agricultural workers due to military conscription, the sabotage of ships carrying food supplies, and the necessity of supplying food to soldiers, led to a food crisis for the Allied forces.
The U.S. Food Administration was established in 1917 to produce and conserve food for American and Allied troops as well as for war-torn Europeans. With slogans such as “Every War Garden a Peace Plant,” Americans were encouraged to plant “home gardens” or “liberty gardens” during World War I. These were the forerunners of the “victory gardens” of World War II. Food production and conservation were linked to patriotism.
This poster created in 1918 by William McKee evokes the iconic Spirit of ’76. Wheat and vegetables replace the fife and drum. (Library of Congress collection)
In Medina, the Patriotic Committee on Home Gardens started a campaign in April 1917 to make every backyard in Medina a participant vegetable producer.
“The importance of this phase of war activity cannot be overestimated, as every family that provides itself, not only helps to bring down the cost of living, but also sets free for war uses much-needed foodstuffs, and a planter has come to occupy a place of importance in war secondary only to the soldier himself.” (Medina Daily Journal, April 25, 1917)
Committee members included Parke Davis, William U. Lee, Harry W. Robbins, Fred B. Howell, Robert H. Newell, Mrs. David White and Mrs. Eugene Walsh.
The committee campaigned to have every back yard in Medina produce vegetables for the home. Instructional leaflets provided by the Garden Club of America were distributed to schools and factories.
Students were encouraged to encourage their parents to participate. The Lyndonville Enterprise in 1918 proclaimed that “Every boy and girl that helps with the garden is helping win the war.”
The instructional leaflets outlined how best to use a plot of 20 by 30 feet for a succession of spring, summer and fall crops and how the suggested vegetables should be cultivated. It was estimated that working one hour a day on a 20 x 20 ft. plot would provide vegetables for a family of six. Sensibly, the Committee also arranged for the services of a horse and plow and an experienced plowman at a reasonable cost.
The Committee was “besieged by orders.” By May, it had received enough orders for seed potatoes to warrant ordering “a car of Maine potatoes.”
Nationally, the campaign was a success. Home gardens produced around 1.45 million quarts of canned fruit and vegetables, food which critically helped avoid starvation in Europe during the final two years of the war.
Kennan chronicled difficult conditions in Siberia in 1865-’67
Livia Hamel placed flowers on the grave of George Kennan in Boxwood Cemetery.
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 4, No. 14
MEDINA – Livia Hamel travelled from Phoenix, Az. to Medina this weekend, specifically to honor the centenary of the death of her favorite author, George Kennan, who died on May 10, 1924.
The 23-year-old, who works at Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s desert laboratory in Scottsdale, Az., was suitably dressed for the occasion in a striking Cossack outfit.
A voracious reader and history enthusiast, Livia’s introduction to George Kennan resulted from a reading of the Dostoyevsky novel, Crime and Punishment.
Intrigued by the novel’s references to Siberia, Livia sought out additional reading material on the region and chanced upon George Kennan’s two-volume book, Siberia and the Exile System. Published in 1891, Kennan’s vivid, heartfelt, and unforgettable descriptions of the horrors of the treatment of political exiles and prisoners in Siberia generated a public outcry in this country and established Kennan as the foremost advisor on Russian affairs.
Livia then read Kennan’s Tent Life in Siberia, his lively account of his 1865-67 journey across the wilds of Siberia. He had been hired by the Russian American Telegraph Company as part of a team sent to survey the possibility of connecting North America and Europe by means of an overland cable route.
Livia was captivated by Kennan’s zestful retelling of the team’s many hair-raising adventures. They experienced extreme temperatures (68 degrees below zero), traveled along steep knife-edged precipices during blinding storms, encountered a variety of nomadic tribes, and sampled alcohol made from fermented toadstools.
By then, Livia was well and truly a George Kennan fan. She read and researched as much as she possibly could. She admires the energy of his written work, and the sincerity of his involvement with the Siberian exiles.
Kennan was born in Norwalk, Ohio in 1845, but came to live in Medina in 1871 since he needed employment upon his return from his Russian adventure. His brother, John, was president of the Union Bank in Medina at the time and George was hired as a bank teller there.
Livia was intrigued to walk in Kennan’s footsteps, from the home at 200 West Center St., where Kennan first lived with his brother to the Union Bank (currently Avanti’s). She also visited Bent’s Opera House, where Kennan lectured on many occasions.
“Welkenna” at 127 West Center St., the home of George and Emeline Kennan, was photographed in the late 1930s when the Post Office was being built.
George also met the love of his life on this West Center Street block. Emeline Rathbone Weld lived but a stone’s throw from John Kennan’s home, on the now vacant lot on the southeast corner of West Center and West Avenue. They were married in 1879 and then divided their time between the Weld home in Medina, Washington, DC, where Kennan was employed by the Associated Press, and a summer home in Baddeck, Nova Scotia.
Throughout his career, Kennan maintained a hectic pace of traveling, lecturing, and writing. Ill-health and advancing age forced him to slow down and the couple retired in 1920 to their Medina home “Welkenna.”
George “suffered two strokes of apoplexy” in early May 1924 and died on May 10, aged 79. Reporting on his death, the Buffalo Times described him as a “noted lecturer, traveler and adventurer.” The Medina Tribune published some of the many telegrams of condolence sent to Emeline, including one from the National Institute of Arts and Letters which commended “his glorious and immortal achievements.”
The Kennan gravestone includes an emblem designed by George and Emeline.
Dr. David Fairchild of Washington, DC, a prominent botanist, and son-in-law of Alexander Graham Bell, traveled to Medina for the funeral. He selected a burial site at Boxwood Cemetery for Kennan that peacefully overlooks Glenwood Lake. The grave’s flat marker was all but unreadable in recent years, until it was cleaned in 2023 by Friends of Boxwood organizers, Nikki and Todd Bensley.
It is gratifying to see a continued interest in George Kennan. Additionally, Gregory J. Wallance published a new book on Kennan in 2023, Into Siberia: George Kennan’s Epic Journey Through the Brutal, Frozen Heart of Russia. Wallance is another unabashed admirer of Kennan’s writings and adventures.
Accompanied on this trip by her parents, Robert and Grace, (Kennan devotees-by-proxy), Livia visited the Medina Historical Society and the Medina Railroad Museum.
Livia continues with a visit to New York, where she plans to access the Kennan papers at the New York Public Library and tour the Guggenheim Museum.
Incidentally, George Kennan performed a reading from Crime and Punishment at the home of Mrs. D.A. Acer at 212 Park Ave. in Medina, on November 3, 1922.
*The books referred to in this article are available for loan, free of charge, from your favorite library.
A receipt from 1873, Dr. Thomas Cushing then working in Medina, acknowledges payment of $20 for 20 home visits.
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 4, No. 13
If you were a farm laborer living in Shelby in 1873 and you broke your leg or your youngest daughter was seriously ill, what would you do?
Then, as now, the cost of medical care was a matter of concern. Dr. Cushing’s fee list from 1873 illustrates the cost of his services. A visit to your Shelby home would cost $1, with mileage added. As a farm laborer, you would earn $1.25 per day, according to the History of Wages in the United States from Colonial Times to 1928.
Dr. Cushing could have set your broken bone, but even he had few weapons to fight your daughter’s dysentery. It is not surprising that home medical remedies developed. It is unlikely that they would have effectively treated cholera or dysentery, but the cough medicines and liniments would most likely have been effective.
All too often, these remedies survive as handwritten notes on fading scraps of paper. Fortunately, the Crescent Circle cookbook compiled by members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in East Shelby included a collection of home remedies. A reprint of this 1901 cookbook was included in the West Jackson Corners Cookbook published by the East Shelby Community Bible Church in 2004.
Dr. Cushing’s fee list, 1873
The instructions provided for the preparation of these remedies are very basic. Some of the ingredients and terms used may be unfamiliar, explanations are provided.
Cholera Cure (1)
*Tincture of opium, tincture of rhubarb, tincture of cayenne. Mix well together.
Dose: 15 to 30 drops in water, to be repeated in 15 or 20 minutes if necessary.
Mrs. John Brown
(*Tincture – the berries, leaves, roots or bark of a plant dissolved in alcohol or vinegar)
Cholera Cure (2)
One oz. rhubarb, 1 oz. camphor, 1 oz. laudanum*. Dose for children 5 drops, for adults 15 drops repeated once in 2 hours.
(*Laudanum – also known as opium, made from air-dried poppies could be purchased without the need of a prescription until 1915.)
Cough Medicine
Juice of 3 lemons, 1 cup loaf sugar*, 2 or 3 tablespoons castor oil.
Mrs. Ernest Hill
(* Loaf sugar or sugarloaf – refined sugar was sold in loaf form until the late 19th century.)
Croup
A teaspoon alum*, grated, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar. Give as quick as possible, keep giving until vomiting is produced.
Mrs. R. Neal
(*Alum is a mineral salt)
Diphtheria
One gallon strong apple vinegar, 1 tablespoon saltpeter*, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 piece borax size of a chestnut. Gargle every half hour.
A.L. Thurston
(*Saltpeter or potassium nitrate was mined in Kentucky as also used to make gunpowder)
Dysentery Medicine
Tincture of opium, camphor, and rhubarb in equal parts. Dose 10-15 drops.
Mrs. E.I. Hill
Kittredge Grease
One half-pound fresh butter, 1 oz. orgamin (sic) oil, 1 ounce camphor gum. Simmer all together. Grease well with it. Give ½ teaspoon every little while.
Mrs. Mary Kilner
Linament
One egg, 1 oz. turpentine, 1 oz. of camphor, ½ pint of vinegar. Shake egg and vinegar, then add the rest and shake for 10 minutes.
Directions: Put the above in 3 quarts boiling water. Boil down to two quarts and 1 pint, then strain through a piece of cheese cloth and add 1 pint of alcohol to keep from souring. Bottle and use.
Dose: One tablespoon 3 times a day before the meals ½ hour. For children from 1 to 12 years, 1 teaspoon 2 times a day.
Dr. Herman
(*Senna – a medicinal herb used as a laxative, buchu – a medicinal herb from South Africa used for kidney and urinary tract problems, the mayapple plant is a woodland rambler, it’s roots, leaves and seeds are poisonous, it was used as a purgative, Culver’s root is a wildflower, used as an emetic and analgesic.)
We have not been able to identify the Dr. Herman who provided this “Blood Remedy for Stomach, Liver and Kidneys,” but with its combination of laxative, purgative and emetic agents, it no doubt, produced memorable results.
(Please note: These remedies are presented solely for their historical interest; they are not intended as prescriptions for use.)
Judging by the price of gas, this photograph of Narby’s Superette was taken in 2001.
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
“Illuminating Orleans” – Vol. 4, No.12
CARLTON – For over one hundred and forty years, a general store has operated from the location which until recently housed the now closed Narby’s Superette at The Bridges in Carlton.
Several photographs from the Orleans County Department of History collection document this history.
This photograph, dated 1887, shows two adjoining businesses – that of G.W. Root on the left and G.D. Fowler’s general store on the right. A hotel, later destroyed by fire, had originally been built on this location.
Two men are standing on the left of the building. Peering closely, we can see two young children wearing white shirts peeking out from either side of what appears to be a tub.
The man standing on the left on the front porch is identified as George Root, who was a Civil War veteran of 8th NY Heavy Artillery. To the right, the man leaning against the pillar is identified as Ed, but his last name in not readable, while the man to his right is identified as G. D. Fowler.
This photograph, dated 1888, shows G.D. Fowler’s’ General Merchandise delivery wagon. Canned goods and fabric may be seen on the back of the wagon. The body language captured in the interchange between the three people shown here is classic. The salesman, identified as A.J. Small, is obviously pitching a sale for his goods. The older lady in the middle appears skeptical, while the young lady on the left is almost convinced, but still a little uncertain.
Fowler’s store also housed the Post Office. Benjamin and Gifford Fowler alternated as Postmasters from 1877 -1915 with a brief interruption from 1894-1897 when the post was held by James J. Waldron. Postal service to The Bridges was discontinued in 1915, when the mail was sent to Kent. Benjamin Fowler was one of the directors of the Albion-Carlton Telephone Company formed in 1880 and his store was among the first to provide telephone service in the area.
Fowler’s store was later purchased by Benjamin Bamber. A listing in the 1903 Orleans County Directory noted that Bamber was a general merchant who sold dry goods, groceries, boots and shoes, hats and caps, drugs and medicines, hardware, crockery, paints, and oils. The store was also identified as a “Telephone Pay Station.”
Following Benjamin Bamber’s death in 1921, the store was run by his son Ward and was later acquired by Floyd Burns. The left half of the building was torn off many years ago.
Sharon and William Narburgh, Jr. acquired the business in the mid 1960s. Sharon continued the operation following the death of Mr. Narburgh in 1992. Upon her recent retirement, she calculated that she had worked at the store for a remarkable 58 years.
Editor’s Note: The following address was presented at the by Adrienne Lattin, Town of Gaines Historian, at the Cobblestone Society & Museum 52nd Patriotic Program, held on July 7th. For most of 19th century, the hamlet of Childs was known as Fair Haven.
