By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 October 2016 at 6:13 pm
GAINES – Gail Johnson, the former Gail Thompson, writes her name on the chalkboard this afternoon at the Cobblestone School (District No. 5) on Ridge Road today. Many of the former students at the school have returned to add their names to the chalkboard.
Johnson attended kindergarten at the school in 1950-51. She lived down the road at her father’s dairy farm and walked back and forth to school. At recess, she simply went outside to play behind the school.
“I remember having the smallest desk,” she said.
Beginning in first grade, she was bussed to the former Waterport Elementary School.
The Cobblestone School closed after 1951-52. Johnson’s parents – Charles and Hannah Thompson – were founders of the Cobblestone Society which acquired the school in 1960 and has kept it just as it looked in the early 1950s.
The school, built in 1849, is part of a museum site that is listed as a National Historic Landmark.
Johnson is a lifetime member of the museum. This year she started volunteering at the historic site near the routes 98 and 104 intersection.
Johnson is a retired seventh- and eighth-grade social studies teacher at Kendall. She and her late husband, Lyle Johnson, were active in Ducks Unlimited. Mr. Johnson served as president of the state chapter. A marker at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge notes their commitment to Ducks Unlimited.
Johnson also found some of her writing samples from kindergarten and donated a sheet to the museum. She signed her name on the chalkboard in a style as if she were still a kindergartener.
Other former students are welcome to sign the board. They should call the museum at (585) 589-9013 or send an email to Director@cobblestonemuseum.org.
The classroom today looks much like it did after the school closed in 1952.
The school was built in 1849 and is part of a museum that is a National Historic Landmark.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 October 2016 at 11:06 am
HOLLEY – A new historical marker for Herbert Charles Taylor, the only Orleans County resident believed to have been killed in the Battle at Gettysburg, was unveiled on Saturday at Hillside Cemetery.
The local Honor Guard is pictured in the background of this photo. Taylor is buried in the older section of Hillside Cemetery, a historic site in the Town of Clarendon, just south of the Village of Holley.
Tim Archer, the service learning teacher for Albion Central School, welcomes people to the marker’s dedication. Archer and his students wanted to honor Taylor for his sacrifice in the battle that helped turned the tide for the Union. Gettysburg was the Civil War’s deadliest battle with about 23,000 Union casualties and about 28,000 killed from the Confederacy.
Taylor, a member of the 140th N.Y. Infantry, was with his regiment at Gettysburg on July 2, 1863 and repulsed the attack on Little Round Top.
Civil War re-enactors from the NY 140th, the group where Taylor served, attended the dedication. The re-enactors are led by David George, left, of Churchill. He visited Archer’s class recently to talk with students about the 140th.
Emily Mergler, an eighth-grader, is dressed as President Abraham Lincoln. She recited a portion of the Gettysburg Address. Eighth-grader Leeanna Montanarella is in back. She also spoke at the ceremony.
Gary Befus, a member of the American Legion in Albion, holds the flag during the ceremony in the rain. He is joined by Andy Eibl, member of the Legion in Holley. The chapel of the cemetery is in back.
Archer said the Civil War soldiers had to endure rain, cold and difficult living conditions.
Al Capurso, the Gaines town historian, leads the crowd in singing, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
Matt Ballard, the county historian, speaks at the podium during the dedication program at Hillside.
Taylor’s grave includes an American flag and Civil War marker.
Re-enactors from the 140th stopped by Taylor’s grave to pay their respects.
The re-enactors also paid their respects at the graves of Corporal Francis Balcom, 151st NY, who was killed at age 39 in the Battle of Mine Run at Locust Grove, Va. On Nov. 27, 1863
The re-enactors also stopped at the grave of A.J. Seeley, who died at age 36 at Andersonville Prison on Sept. 15, 1864. Andersonville was a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp during the final 12 months of the Civil War.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 8 October 2016 at 8:56 am
“Overlooked Orleans,” Volume 2, Issue 41
POINT BREEZE – In 1867, the U.S. Federal Government allocated approximately $87,000 to construct a set of piers and a lighthouse at Point Breeze. The result was this beautiful local landmark situated along the west side of the Oak Orchard River.
This picture, taken around 1900, shows two women and four men standing along the piers that were said to extend upwards of 1,600 feet out onto Lake Ontario. Where is the fourth man you may ask? While the five individuals stand on the walkway, a sixth person is standing on the lower level to the left of the group, peering into the water. The man on the far right appears to be extending a long pole into the water, possibly fishing.
The Point Breeze Lighthouse was officially completed in 1871 and was accompanied by a light-keeper’s home located on the western shore of the river. The keeper would carry containers filled with lamp oil along the pier to refill the lantern – oil was stored in a square iron building on shore, that building remains on exhibit at the Cobblestone Museum.
After the turn of the century, U.S. Congress passed a piece of legislation called the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1905. These acts, passed every few years, allocated funds to specific projects along rivers and harbors. This particular act brought about an end to maintenance of the two piers and accompanying lighthouse, which fell into a state of disrepair over the next ten years.
During a storm in 1914, the structure was severely damaged and with no available funding to provide necessary repairs to the lighthouse, it remained in place to suffer the continued effects of Lake Ontario.
Finally, a storm on December 28, 1916 delivered the final blow and swept the entire structure and a portion of the pier into the lake. A local newspaper reported that the pier on the west side of the river extended nearly 1,300 feet onto the lake, but was reduced to a length no longer than 1,000 feet after this terrific storm.
Although the lighthouse disappeared from sight, it remained a troublesome obstacle for boaters in the area for years after. Boaters unfamiliar with the area often found themselves running aground on the submerged wreckage of the lighthouse and pier. One such occasion involved a boat from Canada carrying five women and two men. The group was halted suddenly when the boat became lodged on the debris – a higher than normal water level was to blame for the unfortunate occurrence.
On another unfortunate occasion, a cruiser carrying rum from Canada during prohibition became lodged on the wreckage resulting in the subsequent seizure of the crew and its precious cargo. It is believed that this boat was one sold at auction east of Rochester, known as the Q9-92. In 1925, the vessel was captured near Kendall offloading 200 cases of Canadian ale at the Knapp Farm; State Police and Sheriff’s Deputies were led to the location by a nosey neighbor.
The boat was seized, the owner forced to pay $95, and the two 400 horsepower engines stripped from the vessel. The farm owner admitted to helping unload approximately 4-5 boatloads of liquor per week at that very spot, shipping the spirits to Rochester by truck. Police auctioned the boat off outside of Rochester in 1925, so it was no surprise that the new owner would choose to use the cruiser for its original purpose!
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 October 2016 at 8:54 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Albion High School students once again put on the annual Ghost Walk at Mount Albion Cemetery and highlighted prominent residents in the cemetery, as well as tragic events in the community’s past, including a trolley accident on March 7, 1915 that killed four children. Sophia Zambito, left, is Mildred Skinner and Cole London is Herschel Harding, two of the kids who were killed in the trolley accident. Alfred Skinner was driving home with his three kids plus two from the Harding family after they went to Sunday school in Knowlesville.
Mr. Skinner was driving a Cole automobile when a passenger trolley came around a curve and struck the vehicle, killing Mildred and Helen Skinner, and Marion and Herschel Harding. Mr. Skinner and one of his daughters survived the accident.
There were 15 different “ghosts” featured on the Ghost Walk. About 400 people attended the event, with proceeds going to the historic cemetery.
Riley Seielstad portrays Elizabeth Bass Cunneen (1853-1917), who was married to Irish immigrant John Cunneen, a prominent local attorney who was elected the state’s attorney general and served in 1903-04. Mr. Cunneen was a Catholic and is buried at St. Joseph’s Cemetery. His wife, a Protestant, insisted on being buried at Mount Albion.
Ryan Krenning is Lansing Bailey (1787-1866), a pioneer settler in the Albion area who killed a bear. Bailey cleared his own land, and watched the area prosper after the Erie Canal opened in 1825.
Shannon Broda portrays Alice Wilson (1853-1887) who was killed by her philandering husband George, who was the only man executed in Orleans County when he was hanged outside the courthouse in 1888.
Evan Steier plays Dr. Thomas Cushing (1827-1898), a surgeon during the Civil War.
Joe Madejski is Stephen Hallock (1830-1915), who was Orleans County’s first self-made millionaire. He ran a threshing machine, and was a successful farmer with livestock. He sold oxen to P.T. Barnum.
Victor Benjovsky portrays Horace Halpin (1876-1899), a store owner who was making a delivery. He picked up a tramp seeking work in Albion, who then killed Halpin. The murderer, William Conniber, evaded authorities until he was captured in 1902 while working for a carnival in Pennsylvania.
Hannah Van Epps is Emma Reed Webster (1861-1931), who owned a grad home on North Main Street. She donated it to the Daughters of the American Revolution. The “DAR House” is included on the National Register of Historic Places. Webster also created a foundation and donated money for construction of the annex at the former Arnold Gregory Memorial Hospital in Albion.
Kaylyn Hollman plays the wife of the Honorable Elizer Kirke Hart, a congressman whose father left $50,000 to build the First Presbyterian Church in Albion. He was instrumental in Albion having illuminated street lights in 1890. He also owned Hart Island in the Thousand Islands and built an 80-room summer cottage there. (The Island was later purchased by George Boldt who built Boldt Castle.)
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 1 October 2016 at 7:39 am
“Overlooked Orleans” – Volume 2, Issue 40
HOLLEY – It was nearly one year ago that this piece was first published. Although I do not fancy reproducing work in such a rapid fashion, I thought it was fitting that this short story of the 140th New York Infantry at Gettysburg should yet again be featured as part of my weekly column.
Photos by Matt Ballard: The monument to Col. Patrick Henry O’Rorke features a bas-relief set in granite. Standing over eight feet tall, the marker rests atop the spot where O’Rorke was killed. His nose is polished as a result of visitors rubbing it for good luck, although he had little luck himself that day.
Saturday, October 8th at 11 a.m., students from the Albion Middle School will dedicate an historic marker to the memory of Pvt. Herbert Charles Taylor of Clarendon who was killed on July 2, 1863 at Gettysburg. It is rare to experience such a profound and symbolic gesture that will bring attention to the sacrifice of not only Taylor but of other men who gave their lives during the Civil War.
Upon Little Round Top rests a large monument dedicated to Col. Patrick O’Rorke, the site where New York’s 140th Volunteer Infantry made a valiant and daring charge down upon Hood’s Texans. Gen. Gouverneur Warren is often regarded as the “Hero of Little Round Top,” but one might argue that Col. O’Rorke and the 140th are the unsung heroes of Little Round Top.
At this point in time, we know of several soldiers from Orleans County who were with Col. O’Rorke on July 2nd at Gettysburg. Herbert Charles Taylor, one of those men, is believed to be the only county resident to die during that battle.
As the regiment of New York men marched towards Sickle’s 3rd Corps, Gen. Warren intercepted the 140th in a desperate effort to defend Little Round Top. Knowing O’Rorke, Warren shouted, “Paddy, give me a regiment!”
With no time to dress the regimental line, O’Rorke led his men including Taylor and Graham Reed Scott of Orleans County to the top of the hill. Reaching the precipice O’Rorke dismounted his horse, threw his reins aside and shouted, “Down this way, boys.”
The 4th and 5th Texans released a volley of fire, sending bullets into the 140th, including a bullet that pierced O’Rorke’s neck killing him instantly. With every step, the men stumbled and tripped along the face of the rocky hill. Coming within close distance of the enemy line, many Confederates chose to surrender rather risk the possibility of death from Union gunfire and bayonet. The sudden fury of Union bayonets halted the Texans dead in their tracks.
Looking down towards Devil’s Den from the summit of Little Round Top. Pvt. Herbert Taylor and the men of the 140th would have experienced this view as they reached the peak of Little Round Top. Without hesitation they advanced upon the Confederates with great fury and bravery.
O’Rorke’s death and the subsequent attack made by the 140th New York upon the advancing Confederates was regarded as one of the most daring acts of bravery during the entire battle. Surely without the aid of the exhausted and winded men of New York, the outcome of July 2nd could have been far different. It was during this act of bravery that Pvt. Taylor of Holley was killed.
Upon his death, Joseph Gile of Holley wrote a piece for the local papers:
“Oh, that is ever a cruel blow,
However it falls in the strife,
Which stops the beat of a manly heart.
And the hopes of an honest life.”
He concluded with, “few who have fallen in the cause of the Union will be more sincerely regretted.” Dying on “the field of victory” at Gettysburg, Taylor’s body was returned to Holley and interred at Hillside Cemetery.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 24 September 2016 at 11:24 am
Overlooked Orleans, Volume 2, Issue 39
This image shows the steamer Arundell approaching Oak Orchard Harbor around 1904 or 1905. Built by the Bell Iron Works at Buffalo in 1879, this iron hull steamer was operated along the southern coast of Lake Ontario during the summer months through 1910.
When this photograph was taken, the Arundell was owned and operated by the Cole & Holt Lines of Bay City, Michigan and was brought each spring to Lake Ontario by way of the Welland Canal. The steamer frequently carried Orleans County passengers during picnic days and pioneer events.
The company advertised “Good meals on steamer at 50 cents,” and “No dust, cool breeze and a pleasant time guaranteed” for its excursion trips across the lake. These relaxing jaunts included stops at Olcott Beach, Point Breeze, Charlotte, Sodus Point, Fairhaven, Oswego, Cape Vincent, and Clayton; the typical cost of a round trip ticket from Olcott to the Thousand Islands was $5 per person. During the earliest years of operation around the Buffalo Harbor in the 1880s, a ticket would run approximately 50 cents for gentlemen and 25 cents for women and children.
In 1904, the company operating the steamer was charged in the death of George Reed of Niles, NY, a passenger who boarded the previous year for an excursion trip to the Thousand Islands. Reed’s wife claimed that the employees and agents on board the Arundell got her husband “beastly drunk” and stowed him away in a bunk below deck. When reaching Fairhaven, the crew allegedly carried the semiconscious man to shore and left him there. At some point the man regained his composure and attempted to find his way inland but stumbled into the water and drowned. The $15,000 lawsuit did not appear to have any long-term effect on the operation of the steamer.
The steamer suffered an unfortunate accident in 1908 when she travelled too close to the shores of the St. Lawrence River and ran aground on the Fineview Shoals near Wellesley Island. She was towed to Kingston and placed in dry dock for several weeks for repairs; the accident set the company back several thousand dollars.
Shortly after this image was taken, the steamer was sold to the Crawford Transportation Company of Chicago, who used her as a ferry on Lake Michigan until she suffered a tragic fire and burned in 1911. Although her time as a transportation vessel was not over, her time as the “Queen of Lake Ontario” was complete. The Arundell was rebuilt, sold, and renamed Brewster in 1921. The steamer sank after a collision with the Sterling Lake on the James River in Virginia in 1922.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 September 2016 at 11:12 am
Former Voting House has become popular spot at historic site in Gaines
Photos by Tom Rivers: The former Voting House in Hamlin was moved to the Cobblestone Museum in Gaines in 1999. The Voting House was built in 1909 by the Monroe County Board of Elections. Monroe County made many of the voting houses that were placed in voting districts in Monroe. The gray tote in the lower right is a spot to place donated books.
GAINES – Twenty years ago the Hamlin town historian offered the community’s old Voting House to the Cobblestone Museum Hamlin had a local history museum but it went defunct and the Voting House was available.
Bill Lattin, the museum’s director at the time, didn’t think there was room at the museum for the small building. But Lattin kept thinking about the Voting House. He knew there used to be some in Orleans County, but they had vanished from the landscape.
Sue Bonafini, the volunteer coordinator for the museum, restocks books inside the Voting House.
The museum also had an annual used book sale on the Fourth of July weekend. It was always a chore to set up for the book sale, and to put leftovers back into storage.
Lattin thought the Voting House would be a good fit as a permanent location for used books. In 1999, the Hamlin and Gaines highway departments moved the building to the museum.
It’s behind the brick house, next to the Crosby’s gas station. The Voting House was cleaned up and repainted to resemble its original colors.
It also is stocked with books, and is popular in the community. Hardcover books sell for $1 and paperbacks are 50 cents. A metal box is mounted inside the site and people pay on the honor system.
Last year the used book sale raised $1,000 for the museum. It generated $550 in sales through the end of August.
“I originally didn’t think we had room for it,” Lattin, now retired as museum director, said today. “But it’s been a nice little addition for the community.”
The Cobblestone Museum has donated books on the shelves in the former Voting House.
There are two plastic garbage totes by the voting house for people to donate books. Museum volunteers go through them and organize by topics.
Two volunteers, R.J. Bannan and Erica Wanecski, have been instrumental in keeping the Voting House replenished with books this year, said Sue Bonafini, the museum’s volunteer coordinator.
“We get really good merchandise,” she said.
Popular authors such as Stephen King, Danielle Steel and Nora Roberts are quickly snatched up, and many classics also are popular, as well as coffee table books and the latest best-sellers. (On Wednesday, I bought “The Boys in the Boat” – the story of the 1936 US Olympic rowing team.)
The used book sale is open during regular museum hours, and often later. Bonafini noted many of the sales happen after hours.
She thanked the community for donating their books, and the customers for buying them on the honor system.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 17 September 2016 at 12:42 pm
Overlooked Orleans, Volume 2, Issue 38
This image shows the interior of the Albion Post Office located near the intersection of East Bank and Platt streets.
From left to right we see Frank Tripp, Leon Gilbert, Postmaster Daniel Hanley, an unknown gentleman, and Charles Patton. Note the image of Teddy Roosevelt hanging to the right; we also see scales situated on the back table used for weighing packages. Both Tripp and the gentleman standing in the background are wearing sleeves used to protect their shirts from wet pen ink.
During the earliest years of the U.S. Postal Service, the position of postmaster was one that was fueled by cronyism and serves as one of the finest examples of the patronage system. Many recommendations for local postmasters came from area congressmen who sought to appoint members of their affiliated party in exchange for political favors. For this reason, turnover for the position of postmaster was just as frequent as the state and national election cycles.
According to local papers, Albion experienced a taste of the patronage system when Robert Titus Coan was appointed to the position of postmaster in the early part of the 20th century. It was believed that his placement in the position stemmed largely from the recommendation of fellow Republican Congressman James S. Wadsworth to then President William McKinley. Dating back to his appointment in 1898, the Orleans Republican noted, “The [Orleans] American certifies that R. Titus Coan is fit for the office of postmaster. How condescending!”
Several years later, the paper noted that Coan was simply a “tattler” and a “messenger boy” for Wadsworth who would be incapable of receiving ten votes if put up for election. Cries for his resignation came shortly after when Washington authorities prepared to push for his replacement due to charges of corruption and “pernicious political activity.” It was alleged that Coan encouraged the addition of mail clerks to the post office in place of acquiring machinery that would reduce operating costs and increase efficiency.
This particular image of the post office was taken around 1933 or 1934. We know that Daniel Hanley was appointed to replace Amelia Bartlett who occupied the post after the death of her husband Chester in August of 1933. The following year Leon Gilbert was transferred to the Knowlesville Post Office. Hanley was a former postmaster who lost his position when the Democrats lost control of the White House; he was also the former mayor of Albion.
In 1938 the new post office building was erected at Main and State streets at a cost of $52,000. The building replaced two homes once owned by village president Alexis Ward and local banker Alexander Stewart. Installed within the building was a hidden passageway that allowed for federal postal inspectors and the local postmaster to observe workers sorting mail. The superstitious Hanley, still postmaster at the time, placed pennies in all of the desk drawers for good luck before opening the building for the first time.
It was thanks to legislation passed by Presidents William Taft and Franklin D. Roosevelt that reduced corruption and brought an end to the role of the postmaster in the political patronage system.
Provided photo: Co-authors Larry Barnes and Ruth Andes have written a book about GCC’s first 50 years.
Press Release, GCC
BATAVIA – Back in the early days of Genesee Community College, faculty members Larry D. Barnes and Ruth E. Andes helped develop and expand the ever-growing curriculum, occasionally communicating through the “Pony Express” as summer travel plans would interrupt their work flow.
From many a phone booth, psychology instructor Barnes would call sociology instructor Andes and tell her which U. S. Post Office she should mail academic materials so he could pick up their work-in-progress as he travelled throughout the country on his summer vacation.
As co-authors of the just published “Genesee Community College: The First 50 Years,” Barnes and Andes remark how drastically different their communication efforts are today compared to their earliest team efforts of the 1970s. From mailing to emailing, calling to Skyping, communication has changed through the years, not unlike the ways of educating students, which is captured in their new book just released under the Campus History Series of Arcadia Publishing.
The pair of old friends and faculty emeriti have nearly 100 years of combined service to the college and when asked to write a book about GCC, they could hardly refuse.
“We consider ourselves lucky to be a part of the college since the very beginning,” Barnes said. “It’s a privilege to work with Ruth again, and be able to combine our collective memory to tell the story of GCC, and illustrate its long-standing benefit to the community. From the old days of Valu Tech to becoming one of the country’s finest community colleges, we have been honored to be part of GCC’s fabled history and now we are honored to tell its story through our new book.”
Barnes and Andes will formally present their book to the public on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 3 p.m. in the Conable Technology Building, room T102 during Fall Fest – Cougar Weekend at GCC’s Batavia campus.
They will share a short synopsis of each of the nine chapters covering the college’s 50-year history, and also introduce a few amusing stories not covered in the book. Additionally, they will invite members of the audience to share memories, and finally they will autograph books during a post-presentation reception with refreshments in the south lobby of the Conable Technology Building.
The event is free and books will be available for purchase for $21.99. Copies can also be purchased online through Amazon and at local bookstores, including the GCC Bookstore.
Founded in 1966, GCC is the product of a grassroots movement that culminated in a public referendum supporting the creation of a community college. Today, the College boasts a population of approximately 6,500 students, more than 60 programs of study and seven campus locations in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming Counties. Barnes and Andes served on the faculty from approximately 1968 to 2014, participating and actively supporting the growth of GCC from its earliest years to the present. Together, they share the dynamic achievements of GCC through 128 pages and more than 200 photographs, alongside their first-hand experience of collectively teaching more than 16,000 students.
“Genesee Community College: The First 50 Years” is just one of the many ways to celebrate the College’s special milestone 50th Anniversary during the Fall Fest – Cougar Weekend, scheduled for September 23 – 24, 2016.
To see a schedule of GCC’s 50th Anniversary events, click here to go to the specially established anniversary website.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 September 2016 at 1:42 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
CLARENDON – Sheena Hamiter, a high school social studies teacher at Holley, portrayed her great-grandmother Jessie Moore during Saturday’s Ghost Walk at Hillside Cemetery. Jessie had 13 kids, and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren total about 250. She lived to be 100.
Hillside Cemetery highlighted prominent people in this historic cemetery with the Ghost Walk, an event that was part of the Orleans County Heritage Festival. About 50 people attended the Ghost Walk before it was called off due to a lightning storm.
Allen Smeltzer, a Genesee Community College student, portrayed Jewell Buckman, the first soldier from Orleans County to be killed in World War I about a century ago. The American Legion Post in Holley is named in Buckman’s honor. Several GCC students volunteered to serve as ghosts and guides during the Ghost Walk.
Cindy Davis, Clarendon’s town assessor, portrayed Irene Gibson, a lieutenant in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. Gibson was also a teacher. “She was a rather remarkable woman,” Davis said.
This is the backside of a monument dedicated on May 19 to Carl Akeley, the famed taxidermist who grew up in Clarendon. Akeley was portrayed at the Ghost Walk by Tom Rivers, the Orleans Hub editor. Akeley is buried in the Congo. He died there in 1926 after getting the fever. The memorial stone is carved from black African granite and bears the shape of the continent that Akeley worked tirelessly to preserve and protect.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 12 September 2016 at 8:36 am
Site was precursor to Albion Correctional Facility, the current women’s prison
Photos courtesy of Orleans County Department of History: These images taken in the early quarter of the 20th century show some of the inner workings of the institution. A group of young women are shown posing with cups of soap in preparation to do laundry.
“Overlooked Orleans” – Volume 2, Issue 37
Nearly 125 years ago, the Western House of Refuge was constructed on farmland located west of the village of Albion.
It was largely due to the work of E. K. Hart that this location was selected as the site for this new establishment, which was opened on Dec. 8, 1893. For nearly a month, the institution went without receiving a single inmate until the first woman was “brought in” during the early part of January 1894.
The House of Refuge provides insight into an interesting period in the U.S. penal system. Women ages 16 to 30 who were charged with crimes ranging from petit larceny to public intoxication, prostitution, or “waywardness” would find themselves confined to the Refuge for a period of three to five years.
During a time when crimes of a sexual nature, such as prostitution, provided a double standard in society between males and females, women were sent to the House of Refuge by cuckolded husbands or families.
This image shows a group of children, those born to “inmates” at the House of Refuge. Many women who entered the institution were there under unfortunate circumstances and some of the babies were born as a result of those circumstances.
In its earliest years the House of Refuge would have fit the character of a minimum security institution where the grounds were surrounded by a short fence, far from the chain-link fence and razor wire used at prisons today. The goal of the institution was to train women in the various domestic duties assumed by good wives and housekeepers.
The fundamental belief was that by providing a basic grade-school education along with vocational training in sewing, knitting, cooking, laundry, and good etiquette, women would be well equipped to marry or enter into employment as a housekeeper upon their release.
This image shows the women receiving instruction in “domestic science” taught by Mrs. Ruth Webster Howard. The House of Refuge had both gas ranges and coal/wood stoves to prepare women for work in homes with either setup.
Here are a few interesting happenings and crimes involving women at the Western House of Refuge:
• 1894 – All of the inmates escaped from the Western House of Refuge through a second story window. Of course, the institution was only open for one month and the population consisted of three inmates.
• 1910 – Six young women escape from the House of Refuge and are chased to Albion by attendants of the institution. The women arm themselves with clubs and stones in an effort to confront their pursuers. Eugene Mahoney, the engineer at the House of Refuge is struck in the head with a rock and knocked unconscious. To avoid capture, the women threaten to throw themselves in front of an oncoming freight train but are apprehended before they are able to follow through on their threat.
• 1914 – Alice Stearns, 18, and Margaret Trapasso, 20, of Buffalo escape while hanging clothes outside; they were left unattended only for a few moments.
• 1915 – Antoinette Carron, a Utica woman, is sentenced to three years at the Western House of Refuge for stealing $1,000 worth of fine laces, embroidery, silks, feathers, and other expensive apparel.
• 1931 – Eva Young and Rose Babyak of Jamestown escape from the Western House of Refuge and were later arrested with an accused murderer and thief named Lyman Miller at Buffalo.
• In another case, date unknown, a 17-year-old girl was sentenced to three years at the House of Refuge after she was taken advantage of and “ruined” by a 38 year old man whom she was working for as a domestic servant. The man was sentenced to four months of hard labor; a fine example of the double standards of the time.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 September 2016 at 1:46 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – There are many impressionists and re-enactors from U.S. history at GCC in Medina today as part of the inaugural Orleans County Heritage Festival.
This group, includes, from left: Tom Schobert of West Seneca, an Alamo defender from 1836; Mark Houseman of Medina, a colonial militia ranger from the French and Indian War from 1756-1763; John Della Penna of Batavia, a member of the militia in the War of 1812; John Snyder of Lancaster, portraying Sir William Johnson (Indian agent for the British Empire during French and Indian War); and Tom Faith of Elma, a British ranger in the French and Indian War.
They are pictured with weaponry and leather leggings, moccasins, provisions, powder horns and other artifacts. “The public doesn’t realize the hotbed of history sitting here in Western New York,” Snyder said.
Snyder’s replica powder horn includes a map of WNY that details sites visited by a soldier, which would help in case he got lost. Snyder made the powder horn as a replica or what one would have looked like about 250 years ago.
Raymond Ball of West Seneca portrays a member of the Corps of Engineers who served in the Mexican-American War in 1846-1848. Ball said his father is descended from a unit that served in that war.
“This is a very overlooked part of American history,” Ball said. “There was a huge land grab and the war established the U.S. Army as a force to be reckoned with.”
Gary Costello of Buffalo is James Madison, the fourth U.S. president who served during the War of 1812. Costello first portrayed Madison in 2012 at 200th anniversary observance of the War of 1812, which included action in Buffalo.
Melinda Grube is in costume as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, sharing stories of the leader of the suffrage movement from Seneca Falls.
David Kreutz of Depew is a prominent Abraham Lincoln impersonator. He is pictured with his “Penny Car,” which includes a vinyl wrap of Lincoln. Kreutz’s license plate reads “HNST ABE.” He has travelled 150,000 miles in his Lincoln car, attending events all over the country. Kreutz said the car functions as “a roving schoolhouse.”
Sam Maryjanowski of Medina, front, and Steven Burley of Barker are dressed as German soldiers from World War I.
Andy Tripp, a Niagara University student, portrays a Russian soldier from World War I. He is digging a rifle pit to hide in. He said the pits where a way to avoid gunfire.
Caleb Avery of Lockport is dressed as a Union solider in the Civil War during 1864. Avery said he was part of the 78th NY, which included infantry from the Buffalo area. Avery is working on an impression of a World War II soldier. Many of the other participants are Civil War re-enactors who have developed other characters from different eras of U.S. history, Avery said.
Ed Brodbeck, left, of Cheektowaga is Gen. Ulysses Grant. Jay Black, right, of Batavia portrays a provost marshal. Black brought along a collection of weapons that were used in the Civil War for people to look over.
GCC professors Tracy Ford (an undertaker), left, and Matt Pettit (an embalmer) are part of Victorian mourning display at GCC in Albion. A doll represents a child. Many children never reached adulthood during the 1800s, victims to disease, sickness and other ailments.
District Attorney Joe Cardone drew a packed house for his discussion on famous crimes and murders in Orleans County.
In addition to the activities at the GCC campus centers today, 29 sites in Orleans County are available for tours. Click here to see the schedule for the Heritage Festival.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 September 2016 at 4:54 pm
MEDINA – The Village of Medina and the Boxwood Cemetery Commission will dedicate a new historical marker on Saturday at noon. The marker notes the cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
The marker is by the entrance of the cemetery, next to the chapel built in 1903 from Medina sandstone in a Gothic Revival style.
After the marker is dedicated at noon, Village Historian Todd Bensley will lead a tour of the cemetery which opened in 1850. He will discuss funerary art and some of the residents buried in the cemetery on North Gravel Road.
The tour is part of the Orleans County Heritage Festival, which highlights many of the cemeteries in the county, as well as “historic gems,” transportation and agriculture.
For more on the festival, which runs from Sept. 9-11, click here.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 3 September 2016 at 8:38 am
George Pullman
Volume 2, Issue 36
As many of us prepare to enjoy a few moments of vacation time this Labor Day, it is important to reflect upon the origins of the holiday.
Today, we see the first Monday in September as an official end to the summer season; a day for picnics, trips, and rest. Yet over 100 years ago, the federal holiday was established as a day to honor the American labor movement and the continued commitment of the U.S. labor force to the development of the country.
In the 1840s, a young George Pullman arrived in Albion with his father’s family and settled down in the village. Pullman’s father, James, was a prominent member of the Universalist Church in Brocton (Chautauqua County, NY) and often filled the pulpit in that vicinity in the absence of a minister.
Upon their arrival in Orleans County, the Pullmans attended the nearest Universalist society, which was located in the town of Gaines.
As a young man, George worked with his father as a cabinet maker and worked several contracts with the Erie Canal relocating warehouse buildings during various expansion projects. Upon his father’s untimely death in 1853, George took responsibility for supporting his mother and siblings by taking over the family business.
It was thanks to his work on the Canal that he was awarded several engineering contracts in Chicago where he would partner with Charles Henry Moore of Albion. During a train ride between Chicago and Western New York, Pullman realized that there was a need for clean and comfortable railroad travel.
Utilizing his experience as a cabinet maker, he experimented with compact sleeping accommodations after partnering with Benjamin Field, a New York senator and resident of Albion. The men built two prototypes, converting those railcars with moderate success. The partnership was short-lived and Field traded his interests back to George for future loans.
Pullman was an entrepreneurial and industrious man and used the money he earned in Chicago to purchase a ranch in Colorado. Along with Spafford Field of Albion, the two men were responsible for supplying western travelers with fresh teams of animals before venturing through the mountains.
In addition, some interest in mining helped expand their financial resources and the 1,600 parcel of land became known as a basecamp for prospectors in Colorado. With his new found wealth, Pullman returned to Chicago to invest his new earnings in the Pullman Palace Car Company.
As the business grew, there came a need to expand the physical production plant. Solon Spencer Beman was hired to draw up plans for this new facility and in addition, the town of “Pullman” was planned adjacent to this new factory. Although he was praised for this magnificent creation, the town became increasingly profitable at the expense of his employees.
In order to quell unrest, Pullman restricted open discussion, town meetings, and independent newspapers, the local church sat vacant due to the lack of an “approved” denomination, and private charitable organizations were banned.
This, of course, did more to create unrest rather than prevent it. Employees often remarked, “We are born in a Pullman house, fed from the Pullman shops, taught the Pullman school, catechized in the Pullman Church, and when we die we shall go to the Pullman Hell.”
As his business began to decline in the early 1890s, he began the process of cutting jobs and wages. Instead of adequately reducing rent and utilities in the town of Pullman, prices were stagnant resulting in great disgust and anger from the workers. The result was the Pullman Strike of 1894, a rather peaceful strike made violent by the intervention of President Grover Cleveland.
Despite all of this, George Pullman attended ceremonies for the laying of the cornerstone of the Pullman Universalist Church at Albion the following week.
Federal intervention in the strike resulted in the deaths of 30 workers and nearly $80 million in property damage. In an effort to reconcile with organized labor forces in the United States, Cleveland pushed to designate Labor Day as a national holiday nearly a week after the conclusion of the strike.
File photo by Tom Rivers: Susan B. Anthony is depicted in this statue down the street from the Susan B. Anthony House on Madison Street in Rochester.
ROCHESTER – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced the bipartisan Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission Act (S.3073) at the National Susan B. Anthony House.
This legislation would establish a Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission in honor of the 100th anniversary of the passage and ratification of 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guaranteed women the right to vote.
The Commission would work with federal, state and local governments, private organizations, as well as Congress to develop and coordinate educational activities for Americans to learn about the suffrage movement.
Under this legislation, the Commission would have the ability to award grants to organizations in the Rochester-Finger Lakes Region and across the country to support programs commemorating the anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
“This legislation would help educate young people around the country about the unparalleled importance of the women’s suffrage movement in American history” said Senator Gillibrand. “The women’s suffrage movement was born in New York, and nearly a century after the 19th Amendment was passed, our state continues to be at the forefront of fighting for women’s rights, from paid family leave to equal pay for equal work. I will urge all of my colleagues in the Senate to support the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission Act, so that our nation can properly commemorate this pivotal moment in American history.”
Gillibrand also stopped at The Buffalo History Museum today to promote the initiative.
The State of New York was the birthplace of the women’s suffrage movement and it hosts some of the most legendary landmarks that helped shape this monumental gain in America’s history. New York was a powerful force in the movement for equal rights for women and the passage and ratification of the Nineteenth amendment.
This bill provides the opportunity for New York to be recognized as an instrumental part in the struggle for women’s suffrage by providing grant funding for programs and activities that commemorate the efforts of the movement and the role of New Yorkers who promoted the core values of our democracy.
Senator Gillibrand is joined by U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Susan Collins (R-ME), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission Act.
Johnson attended kindergarten at the school in 1950-51. She lived down the road at her father’s dairy farm and walked back and forth to school. At recess, she simply went outside to play behind the school.
The marker is by the entrance of the cemetery, next to the chapel built in 1903 from Medina sandstone in a Gothic Revival style.
