By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian 

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 5, No. 6

JEDDO – This headline which appeared in the July 29, 1926, Niagara Gazette caught our attention. According to the article, George Prudom of Jeddo felt unwell and thought he was having an attack of rheumatism.

Dr. Thurman of Lyndonville was called, he suspected lockjaw, but Mr. Prudom could not recall having received a scratch of any kind that might have caused the infection.

Dr.  Russell, a specialist from Buffalo, was consulted. He agreed with the lockjaw diagnosis and prescribed a lockjaw serum treatment which was effective and after a week, Mr. Prudom was able to open his jaws slightly. He recovered fully after some time.

Upon reflection, the only incident that Mr. Prudom could recall was that a short time previously, he had been handling a heavy piece of hemlock timber which had fallen on his foot. At the time, the injury was slight, and Mr. Prudom paid no attention to it. He surmised that the infection may have been caused by a scratch from a hemlock splinter.

However, hemlock trees are not poisonous, so Mr. Prudom’s lockjaw was not caused directly by the hemlock log but was most likely the result of an infection caused by tetanus spores entering through a cut or scratch occasioned by the fall of the log onto his foot.

Hemlock trees are native to this area and were growing in abundance when the first settlers came here. They used hemlock splints for the roofs of their log cabins. Lacking furniture, they made comfortable beds from hemlock boughs laid on the floor and covered with blankets.

When laying the first roads from Ridge Road to the lake, Jeremiah Brown, the first Commissioner of Highways in the Town of Ridgeway wrote: “We would lay a road, following the lines between lots to the lake, keeping us busy all day. At night, we would make a fire, cut some hemlock boughs for bed and sleep soundly all night.”

There is a plant known as poison hemlock which is highly toxic to humans and animals. It contains coniine, an alkaloid capable of inducing paralysis. Hemlock trees and the poison hemlock plant are unrelated, they share a name because their leaves emit a similar odor. The roots of this plant were an ingredient in witches’ brew in Shakespeare’s Macbeth: “Root of hemlock, digg’d in the dark”

Hemlocks are large pyramid-shaped evergreen trees which resemble Christmas trees. They can attain a height of 60 – 70 feet. There must once have been a significant stand of hemlocks on the road which was named Hemlock Ridge Road which runs east-west through the Towns of Shelby and Barre. Some hemlocks may still be seen along the road. Hemlock trees may also be found in Mt. Albion Cemetery.

Historian urges community to embrace for painted Ox statues for county’s bicentennial celebration

Orly the Ox was featured in the Nov. 30 Medina of Parade of Lights. It was the debut of Orly in his mascot costume. The vest includes the names of Orleans County towns, villages and hamlets. The statue was propped up on a trailer for the parade. The County Bicentennial Committee would like to see more of the statues painted to celebrate the county’s 200th anniversary.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 5, Number 5

ALBION – Hoag Library patrons may very well wonder if they are experiencing auditory hallucinations.

“Did I just hear a moo?”

Yes, Orly the Ox is temporarily “Ox in Residence” at Hoag. He emits a hearty “Moo” from time to time. Owned by Cornell Cooperative Extension, Orly is the first ox in Orleans County’s bicentennial herd. Scenes depicting his role in agriculture were created by artist Stacey Kirby Steward.

Orly’s “ambassador” is a nimble two-legged character with a winning personality. Orly in costume has proved to be very popular. He has recently made appearances at the Canal Culvert and and at various businesses throughout the county.

Charged with honoring the county’s 200th year since its political formation, the Bicentennial Committee chose the ox as its mascot, since oxen were indispensable to the early settlers. The ox also represents the importance of agriculture to the county and honors all of those who labor in the fields.

‘Slow, steady, strong and sure-footed, oxen were more suited to the rough terrain than horses. They could pull heavier loads than horses, and they could pull steadily for longer periods of time.’

The settlers who moved here in the early 1800s provided detailed written accounts of their journeys here and of their experiences as they tried to wrest arable land from deep woods. They used oxen to haul their wagons westward, an arduous trip which took from three to five weeks. Slow, steady, strong and sure-footed, oxen were more suited to the rough terrain than horses. They could pull heavier loads than horses, and they could pull steadily for longer periods of time.

Oxen are castrated male cattle, four years old, who have been trained to work. They can weigh up to 2,600 pounds, depending on weight. “Oxen” refers to more than one ox. A “yoke of oxen” refers to working pair, connected by a wooden beam (the yoke) on their necks, which allows them to pull together

The following are but a few references to oxen from first-person accounts published in the Pioneer History of Orleans County by Arad Thomas, 1871:

David Matson raised the first log-house in Clarendon in 1814. He sold the horses which he brought into the country, having no use for them in the forest. He bought oxen which drew the logs for the first shanty.

Nathaniel Brown came to Kendall with three yoke of oxen and wagon.

Adin Manley arrived in Kendall in 1815. The following fall he returned to Massachusetts and married. In February 1816, he set out with three yoke of oxen and a covered wagon, for his new home in Kendall. Unfortunately, that was the “year of no summer”:

“We had three yoke of oxen and nothing for them to eat, this was the worst of all. We turned them into the woods and cut browse for them, but the poor cattle suffered much.”

As the woods were cleared, oxen hauled logs and pulled the stubborn tree stumps out of the ground. Oxen were used in Orleans County for quite some time. As late as 1871, the Orleans County Agricultural Society Fair held in Albion included a category for Working Oxen, one for the Best Pair of Working Oxen and one for the Best String of Ten Yoke of Oxen.

The Bicentennial Committee encourages businesses and community organizations to participate in the “Oxen of Orleans County” Public Art project. We hope to populate Orleans County with an artistic & historic ox trail. Several are already on order!

Details are available on the Orleans County Tourism Page. Click here for more information.

Orly the Ox will be out highlighting people, places and things in Orleans County this year. Orly recently stopped by Canalside Tattoo Company in Medina where he got some ink from owner Shawn Ramsey. It was actually a sticker. To request a visit from Orly the mascot, click here for more information.

Orly also was hyped for the Buffalo Bills playoff games. Here he is wearing a Josh Allen jersey. Orly’s adventures can be followed on the Orleans County Tourism’s social media.

‘Our county was very unhealthy until 1828.’ – Jeremiah Brown, pioneer in Ridgeway

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 5, Number 4

“About the first of the next September (1816), myself and my wife and one child were taken sick, and until December following, we suffered everything but Death. Often during that time while myself and my wife were confined to our beds, our children were crying for food and neither of us had strength sufficient to enable us to get to the cupboard to help them.” (Jeremiah Brown, Ridgeway)

This account describes an illness encountered by the early settlers of Orleans County, they referred to it as “a fever and ague “(sounds like “ay-goo”). It was a miserable, debilitating condition which affected everybody, even the strongest person. It persisted for months and was recurrent.

“Our children, then four in number, had their full share of fever and ague. It was painful to see the little ones draw up to the fire while suffering the chill, then see them retire to their beds, tormented by the raging thirst and fever following the chills, while their mother could do little for them, except to supply their frequent requests for water.” (Asa Sanford, Barre)

In Albion, Lansing Bailey was sorely afflicted: his wife and brother died of the fever and ague in August 1813. After his wife’s funeral, some friends who lived on the Ridge took the children home with them. Bailey returned to his “desolate house to spend one of the loneliest nights I ever knew.”

The illness was thought to be part of the acclimating process, or “a penalty to Nature.” It occurred “whenever an opening was made in the forest; or the earth was turned over for the first time to the hot rays of the summer sun.”

Asa Sanford ascribed it to “clearing trees and building dams.” In 1817, Henry McCall and Robert Perry built a dam and mills at Sandy Creek to serve the twenty families living there. The dam raised the water to cover eighteen to twenty acres.

“The water killed the timber, and a terrible sickness followed among the inhabitants, about one quarter of whom died in one season. The well persons were not numerous enough to take care of the sick and bury the dead, and settlers from other neighborhoods came there and helped the needy ones. The mill dam was taken down and the sickness disappeared.”

We now understand that this was a malarial-type illness, caused by the mosquitoes who thrived in those water-logged areas. Those who had access to a doctor were prescribed “quinine and the blue pill” but that many people “just let it work itself off the natural way.” Adin Manly mentioned that some early Kendall residents drank whiskey to keep off the fever and ague.

Dr. White, who attended Lansing Bailey told Bailey that he could prescribe something that would stop it, but that he would be well advised not to take it. Bailey said that he would take it on his own responsibility. Dr. White gave him arsenic, Bailey took it.

“It stopped the ague, but I did not get well for a long time.”

Jeremiah Brown observed that “our county was very unhealthy until 1828.”

Asa Sanford recalled that “as the county was cleared up and the lowlands drained of their surface water, the people suffered less from ague.”

(Source: Pioneer History of Orleans County, Arad Thomas, 1872)

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 5, Number 3

This is a sketch of the first courthouse building in Albion as it appeared in 1840. (Landmarks of Orleans County)

Dewitt Clinton was Governor of New York State, serving the first year of his second term of office, when the 48th Legislative Session passed the Act which formed Orleans as a “separate and distinct county of the state of New York”, on April 15, 1825.

Law and order were primary concerns of this Act. It specified that two terms of the “court of common pleas and general sessions of the peace” were to be held in Gaines. Commissioners appointed by the act were instructed to locate a site for a courthouse and jail before the second Monday in June 1825. An election for sheriff, clerk and coroners was to be held on the second Tuesday of May 1825.

The first case was held in Gaines on October 13, 1825, at the Mansion House, a hotel owned by Selah Bronson. Samuel Miner was charged with assault and battery and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

The first courthouse in the county was built in Albion in 1827 on land donated by Nehemiah Ingersoll. Ingersoll is credited with naming the county and with strategizing the selection of Albion as the county seat in 1826. Located on the site of the current County Jail, the courthouse was a brick building with a white cupola and pillars. The County Clerk’s office was on the first floor, while the jail was in the basement.

At that time, the Free and Accepted Masons were an influential fraternal organization. Many of the early settlers were members and they established lodges shortly after they took up residence, in Ridgeway and Gaines.

In 1826, William Morgan, a disenchanted mason originally from Canada, threatened to publish a book exposing details of the Freemasons closely guarded secret rites. This caused a great furor and added to dissension which had already been brewing among members.

After several incidents, Morgan was arrested and jailed in Canandaigua. His release was organized by Masonic members, on condition that he return to Canada. Following his release, he was immediately escorted to a waiting carriage which then transported him north to Rochester and west along Route 104 to Niagara Falls and freedom in Canada. In all, this hurried journey required three carriage changes, five drivers, seven teams of horses and many assistants.

After some time, it became apparent that William Morgan was missing. He was never seen again after that carriage ride, nor was his body ever found. Speculation was rampant, an investigation was ordered. A total of twenty Grand Jury investigations and fifteen trials ensued.

Two of the trials took place in Albion. The first case against Avery Downer, a teacher from Gaines, was dismissed. The second case, against Elihu Mather, lasted ten days, and was held in November 1829. Hon. Addison Gardiner, Circuit Judge of the 8th Circuit presided.

Mather was charged with conspiracy to kidnap and abduct William Morgan. Detailed accounts of the trial were reported by the Orleans Telegraph and published in newspapers throughout the state, in Canada and in Vermont. (Click here to see historic newspapers in New York State. )

The counsel for the defendant, William H. Adams, addressed the jury for four hours. He did not deny that Mather drove the carriage but argued that he did so innocently, without knowing that any illegal act was contemplated. He argued that there was no proof that Morgan was in the carriage and if he was, there was no proof that he was held by force. The jury returned a verdict of “Not Guilty”.

Several of the others accused were found guilty of kidnapping Morgan, but nobody was charged with his murder, all of which further fueled anti-Masonic sentiment and led to the formation of the Anti-Masonic Party in 1831.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 5, Number 2

This genial looking gentleman, Nehemiah Ingersoll, 1788-1868 is credited with the naming of Orleans County.

ALBION – Imagine that you are a new settler in this area. What would you name the town you live in, or this county?

We take the place names where we live for granted, but two hundred years ago these names were purposefully selected and had resonance for the people who lived here.

We can see why the early settlers were so conscious of their role in history – not only did they purchase the land, stake their claims here with hard labor and make the land productive, but they also had the opportunity to name the land.

On September 14, 1824, a petition was presented to “the Honorable, the Representative of Genesee County” requesting the creation of this county from the north part of Genesee County. The petition refers to the new county as “Adams,” referring to John Quincy Adams, a leading Presidential candidate at the time.

Naturally, the supporters of his opponent, Andrew Jackson, protested and wanted the county to be named “Jackson.” We can well relate to this dilemma.

Nehemiah Ingersoll is credited with championing the name “Orleans” as a compromise, though one source credits Oran Follett, a Genesee County legislator, with this honor. “Orleans” could be construed as an honor to the Duc D’Orleans – or, more likely, a compliment to General Jackson on his victory against the British in New Orleans in 1815.

Incidentally, John Quincy Adams was elected President in 1825, Andrew Jackson won the following Presidential election in 1829.

By the time the name of the county came to be selected, several naming rights decisions had already been made. Eight of the ten towns had been formed and named:

1803 – Town of Murray: named for John Murray, a large landowner in the area.

1812 – Town of Ridgeway: named for Ridge Road

1816 – Town of Gaines: named for General Edmund Gaines who defended the area in the War of 1812

1818  – Town of Barre: named by Judge John Lee (Lee Rd.) for his birthplace, Barre, Massachusetts.

1818 – Town of Shelby: named for Gov. Isaac Shelby, a Revolutionary war soldier.

1821 – Town of Clarendon: originally named Farwell’s Mills for Eldredge Farwell, an early settler, named for Clarendon Vt., hometown of Farwell’s wife.

1822 – Town of Carlton: at first named Oak Orchard, it was changed to Carlton in 1825, for Governor Guy Carlton of Quebec.

1822 – Town of Yates: originally called Northton, the name was changed in 1823 to honor Hon. Joseph C. Yates, Governor of New York State.

The towns formed following the formation of the county were:

1837 – Town of Kendall: named for Amos Kendall, Postmaster General of the United States.

1875 – Town of Albion: set off from the town of Barre and named for Albion, the county seat.

Basically, the names selected were chosen to honor a hometown, a prominent businessman or an elected politician.

Just as a matter of speculation, which name would you prefer: Adams County, Jackson County or Orleans County? Would the selection of either Adams or Jackson have changed the course of history here?

Pioneer residents contended with heavy forest, sickness, war and brutal winter cold

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 5, Number 1

The remarkable photograph above, taken on June 19th, 1869, shows the hardy pioneers who settled Orleans County.

The records of the Eleventh Annual Meeting of the Pioneer Association held at the Orleans County Courthouse in Albion on that date noted that Mr. George P. Hopkins, photograph artist of Albion, invited the members to have a group photo taken. The invitation was accepted, the meeting adjourned until 1:30 in the afternoon to afford time to take the picture and then get dinner.

On April 15, 2025, Orleans County will mark 200 years since its political formation.

As we have seen in previous columns, this area has been inhabited from time immemorial. Following a convoluted series of land transactions, by 1800 what we now refer to as Orleans County was owned by the Holland Land Company (the land west of Transit Road) and by the Pulteney Estate (the land east of Transit Road).

Attracted by the generous terms promised by the Holland Land Company for the purchase of fertile land, young men set forth with high hopes. According to the Pioneer History of Orleans County, the first settlement of white men in Orleans County was made in 1803 in the Town of Carlton by William and James Walsworth who came from Canada. James settled by the mouth of the Oak Orchard Creek, while William settled by the mouth of Johnson’s Creek.

Conditions were vastly different in Orleans County two hundred years ago:

“A dense and heavy forest of hard, huge trees covered the land…Pestilential fevers racked the nerves and prostrated the vigor…War was declared in 1812…then came the memorable cold season of 1816.”

In the aforementioned Pioneer History of Orleans County (PHOC), we are fortunate to have an excellent record – mostly first-hand – of the experiences of the first settlers of this area. Conscious of their achievements and their place in history, these early pioneer settlers formed the Pioneer Association of Orleans County which had its first meeting at the courthouse in Albion on September 10, 1859.

Article VII of their Constitution specified that “It shall be the duty of each member of the association to furnish in a form suitable for preservation, such facts and incidents in his early pioneer life, and in relation to the first settlements of this country, as he may deem of sufficient interest to be preserved.” They wanted to have their stories recognized and indeed their stories are heartfelt, poignant and captivating.

These accounts formed the basis for the book Pioneer History of Orleans County by Arad Thomas, which was published in Albion in 1871, required reading for any person interested in local history, always available from your local library.

These photos show original Pioneer History record books and a title page from one volume.

The records of the Pioneer Association were meticulously maintained in three volumes. One volume contains the meeting Minutes from 1859-1905, the others contain transcriptions of the firsthand accounts submitted by the settlers. These unique volumes were in the possession of the University of Rochester for many years but were acquired by local history collector Tom Taber at a sale. The Orleans County Legislature approved the acquisition of the volumes by the Orleans County Dept. of History in 2021 with funding from the Orleans County Bicentennial Fund.

Much has changed in 200 years, yet 200 years is but a blink in time. Anniversaries cause us to pause and reflect on changes and accomplishments, and hopefully to draw on the experiences of the past to inform the future.

Now there’s a dog with an attitude! “Sloat’s Dog” presents a regal and commanding pose.  (Scott B. Dunlap Collection)

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 4, Number 40

SHELBY – It is the holiday season! We have been dealing with serious photographs all year long, stern looking men and somber women, buildings and street scenes galore. Time for some lighter fare!

Our submissions today are from the Scott B. Dunlap collection which we have previously used for postmortem and Powerline project photographs.

Born in 1898, Scott B. Dunlap of Dunlap Road in Shelby was a fourth-generation member of the family for whom the road is named. Armed with his new Kodak camera, Scott, who graduated from Medina High School in 1905, took unposed, relaxed photographs of family, friends and animals.

Most likely without intending to, he compiled a precious chronicle of life in rural America in the early 1900s, in those years just before automobiles replaced the horse and buggy. In 2008, Scott B. Dunlap, Jr. donated this collection of over two hundred of his father’s glass plate negatives to the Medina Historical Society.

“Sloat’s Dog” with his snout in the air, cannot but make one smile. It appears that Sloat had another dog, an equally well-fed and imperious canine.

“Sloat’s Dog” #2 (Scott B. Dunlap collection)

According to the 1900 Census, Francis Sloat, a farmer, and his wife, Mary (Dutton), lived in Shelby. Sloat later moved to Corfu, died in 1921 and is buried in Millville Cemetery.

“Dunk’s children” (Scott B. Dunlap collection)

What a visual treasure! The horse is old and calm, the girls are dressed up for the occasion, in matching dresses and hats. The younger girl, on the left, is clutching part of the horse’s mane in her hand.

“Dunk” was Frank Dunkelberger, a farmer in Shelby. The 1900 Census lists his age as 30, his daughters Ruth and Rhea were 6 and 4 at the time of the Census.

“Remson’s children” (Scott B. Dunlap collection)

Upon investigation, these children with the white cat and a sheep may be Seth Ransom’s grandchildren, rather than Remson’s children, as labeled: Theron, Anita and J. Lawrence Caleb who lived on Southwoods Road in Shelby.

“Boy with two dogs” (Scott B. Dunlap collection)

Our last selection (it was difficult to choose) is of this young man, armed with a hunting rifle and two dogs. We were taken by the unsettling expression of the seated dog.

In addition to providing some levity, these photographs contain a treasure trove of attendant details which we can now zoom over and enlarge. Naturally, we relish the challenge of finding additional information on the subjects. Armed with the most basic descriptors “Sloat’s Dog” or “Remson’s Children” we were able to locate information in the Orleans County Genweb site and the New Century Atlas of Niagara and Orleans Counties, 1913.

https://orleans.nygenweb.net

https://www.historicmapworks.com/Atlas/US/7112/Orleans+County+1913/

Loungewear, Landauer’s of Albion Christmas catalog, 1967

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 4, Number 39

ALBION – We associate the colors red and green with Christmas: Santa’s red suit, green Christmas trees, red berries on holly.

At first glance, the color scheme of this Landauer’s Christmas catalog appears jarring. But realizing that the catalog is from 1967 explains the teal, magenta and mustard colors. At the time, Landauer’s was the main department store in Albion.

This catalog lists items of clothing sold and worn just 63 years ago, still remembered (and owned?) by some, no doubt. But in terms of fashions, fabrics, colors and descriptions, this clothing might as well be from the crinoline era.

The clothing items shown above were listed as suitable “For Partying or Lounging” and, it is interesting to note that the colors are more seasonal than those shown on the cover.

The first item on the left, 2B, is a Lounger culotte of 80% Arnel® triacetate, 20% nylon. Three quarter sleeves. Styled by Lazy U. Washable. Colors: orange or lime $23.

Landauer’s Christmas catalog, 1967

Item 2C: Floral patterned quilt duster of Honan acetate crepe. Kodel® polyester fiberfill. Blue or gold. $16

Item 2D:  A long robe version of Item 2C

Item 2E:  Luxuriant “Radiant Fleece” duster of 80% Arnel Triacetate and 20% nylon with the look of velour. Front panel with embroidered grosgrain ribbon, concealed gripper closing. Colors: Tangerine, Kelly green, desert rose. $16

The colors are vibrant, the styles are non-restrictive, and the fabric is easy-care synthetic. Production of natural fabrics had declined during World War II due to the focus on the war effort. Synthetic fibers were developed in the 1950s to meet an increased demand for fabric. Tired of rationing and shortages, consumers were eager to buy new clothes. The new fabrics were popular as they were easy to wash, wrinkle-free, durable and affordable.

Of the fabrics listed in the above descriptions, Arnel® was a trademarked synthetic triacetate fabric developed in 1954 by the Celanese Corporation of America. It ceased production in 1984, due to increased toxicity standards for production and competition from newer polyesters.

Kodel® polyester was developed in 1958 by Eastman Chemical, a subsidiary of the Eastman Kodak Company. It felt like cotton but was more durable and less expensive to produce.

Ladies fashion also included Orlon® acrylic knits, “Fairfield She Shells”, cardigans and sweaters in vibrant colors – canary, lemonette, coquette pink, fresh grass and sprite green.

Men’s clothing, Launder’s of Albion catalog, 1967

With the heading “Handsome New Ideas for His World”, several pages feature coats and jackets for men and boys.

Item 22B: The fabulous Koratron® zip-out three season coat, lined with 100% Acrilon® acrylic tone tipped pile. Colors: black, navy, olive or British tan. $30.00

Koratron® was developed in 1956 by Joseph Koret who was working on creating a permanent crease product for men’s trousers. When coated with resin and baked at 325 degrees, the fabric permanently adopted creases as designed, while the remainder of the fabric remained wrinkle resistant.

The men’s dress shirts were made of Dacron® polyester and were “Sanforized®”, a pre-shrinking process developed by Sanford Cluett in 1930 that reduced shrinking after washing. Sport shirts were made from Ban-Lon® texturized nylon “that simply never needs ironing.”

Consumers in the 1960s embraced the convenience and versatility of clothing made from synthetic materials. The wash-and-wear, no-iron properties revolutionized laundry day. Sixty-three years later, we are more aware of the downside of the synthetic revolution  and it’s detrimental effects on the environment.

Large bone pit among artifacts of Neutral Indians in Shelby

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 4, Number 38

Diagram of the Shelby site drawn by Frank Cushing in 1879. (From: Illustrated Historical Album of Orleans County, 1879) The site, which is indicated by a historic marker, is located on Salt Works Road, half a mile south of Blair Road, on the left when traveling south.

SHELBY – “In the town of Shelby, Orleans County, New York, about three miles south of the village of Medina are the remains of one of the most interesting ancient earthworks in the state.”

Thus begins a description of the archaeological site at Shelby presented to the Smithsonian Institute in 1874. It was written by Frank H. Cushing, then aged 17, who had just joined the staff of the Smithsonian. He went on to have a distinguished career as an ethnologist of the Zuni Indians in New Mexico.

As a young boy, Cushing was captivated by the then abundant evidence of American Indian life in this area and particularly at the Shelby site. He camped out there on his own for days at a time and wrote the definitive description of the site. The features of the site have been obliterated over time.

Here are excerpts from Cushing’s description which was included in the Historical Album of Orleans County published in 1879:

“It consists of two mural embankments, which are now about two feet in height, parallel, and two feet distant from each other. They describe almost an exact circle, having a diameter of four hundred and thirty feet and an area of three and one third acres.

“Two fences upon original section lines, running one north and south, the other east and west, divide this enclosure into four nearly equal parts or quadrants.

“Traces of a moat, which once encircled this work, are still discernable at intervals. The moat is broad in proportion to its present depth…it was probably made by the removal of the earth for the construction of the walls.

“Ten rods south of this work lies a peat swamp….this was probably a shallow lake at the time when the works were constructed. The supply of fish in this lake was abundant.

West from the work, at a distance of half a mile, on the eastern slope of a sand hill, is a large bone pit, where the bones of many hundreds have been deposited.

Diagram of the fort prepared by Frank R. Berger. In September 1990, at the urging of Mr. Berger, the historic marker which had originally placed “three fields in” in 1932, was relocated to a more visible location on Salt Works Road.

“On making excavations in those portions still uncultivated, many specimens of great interest are found. They usually lie from 6 to 18 inches beneath the surface, often embedded in charcoal and ashes. They consist of hammers, sinkers, stone ornaments, pipes, pottery; also implements and ornaments of bone, such as bone splinters, awls and needles, daggers or dirks, cylindrical ear ornaments, implements for the ornamentation of pottery, perforated metatarsals and perforated teeth.”

Referred to as the Neutral or Neuter Indians because they did not take sides in the wars against the Hurons, the inhabitants of the Shelby site were part of the Iroquois confederacy. Recent scholarship suggests that they may more specifically be identified as Wenro people.

They were hunters and engaged in a fur trade with the Huron Indians. It appears that they fell victim to the enmity of the Iroquois against the Hurons, during a bellicose era in the mid-1600s referred to as the Beaver Wars. The Hurons were the main rivals of the Iroquois in the fur trade. The Iroquois destroyed both the Hurons and the Neutrals.

It is intriguing to consider the lives of the people who lived in this palisade some 300 years ago, before the area was surveyed and sold, and before the political jurisdictions that we are familiar with, were determined.

This collection of Indian points ranges in age from 400 to 5,000 years, and was found near Waterport. Illustration from the book: Orleans County History: Past to Present, Bicentennial Year, 1976.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 4, Number 37

WATERPORT – As Orleans County prepares to celebrate its 200th year in 2025, we are moved to reflect on time, history and prehistory and our place in the continuum.

Geologists date the formation of the North American continent to 2.5 to 1.3 billion years ago. The glaciers that formed during the most recent Ice Age, some 120,000 years ago, formed the topography of New York State as they retreated north. The melting glaciers carved out the Niagara Escarpment and created Niagara Falls. Ridge Road was once the shoreline of Lake Ontario, formerly Lake Iroquois.

We are aware of these facts of our geological history but somehow the span of time covered in that short synopsis is unfathomable to us. We can more easily relate to more recent archeological history. Ample evidence of earlier human habitation has been documented throughout the county.

No mention of archaeology in Orleans County can fail to reference Stanley Vanderlaan of Albion, who literally stumbled upon what became his life’s passion when he found his first artifacts – flint chips and arrow points – while woodchuck hunting near Otter Creek in Barre in 1956. He was recognized as a Research Fellow of the Rochester Museum and the NYS Archeological Association for his contributions to the field.

In an essay on the Archaeological History of Orleans County which he wrote for inclusion in the book “Orleans County History: Past to Present, Bicentennial Year, 1976”, Vanderlaan wrote that Orleans County was primarily a hunting, fishing and food gathering area for the Indians. Over 10,000 years ago, Paleo-Indians hunted mastodons in this area. They used a spear with a sharp flint point known as a Clovis point. One was discovered in the mucklands, about one mile west of Barre Center and is believed to be 8,000 to 9,000 years old.

Following the extinction of the large animals, humans apparently left the area for some 3,000 years and returned some 5,000 years ago. Known as the Archaic Hunters, they used a distinctive javelin point for hunting, referred to as a Lamoka point. Many have been found along Oak Orchard Creek.

Illustration from the book: Orleans County History: Past to Present, Bicentennial Year, 1976 Artifacts from the Bamber Mound, near Waterport.

The Waterport area in general has yielded many treasures. A site referred to as the Bamber Mound on the Oak Orchard Creek “a mile downstream from the Waterport Dam” yielded stone and flint artifacts from the Hopewell or Adena Indians who lived there: net-sinkers, gorgets (ornaments hung around the neck), celts (stone ax blades), 4-sided projectile points, cache blades, human and animal bones. A site nearby yielded the earliest pottery found in the county, some highly decorated, with an estimated age of  2,000 to 2,500 years.

Two later sites, about 800 to 1200 years old, home to the Owasco Indians, were also located near Waterport. Fire-making flints, triangular points and pottery decorated with a herringbone design were found there. The Owasco Indians gave way to the Early Iroquois Indians who had significant habitations in the Oakfield area.

This whirlwind summary of human habitation in Orleans County begs the question: what will remain of our culture 5,000 years hence and how will it be interpreted?

(The Shelby Neuter Fort,  which dates to 1500 A.D. was the only known large permanent village in the  county. It will be discussed in a forthcoming column.)

‘It was a terrible sight to see the fellows I had been with the last two years blown to pieces’

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 4, Number 35

Pvt. Harold P. Wirth Co, F., 108th Regiment

LYNDONVILLE – The following letter was published in the Lyndonville Enterprise on November 7, 1918:

Co. F., 108th Infantry,

France, Oct. 6, 1918

Dear Friends,

Have a chance to again do some writing. I am down in a dugout, beside a little fire.

I have gone through a ten-day period that I never want to witness again, for it has been awful. Our division has gone over the top and this battalion was the first to cross the famous Hindenburg line – a line of trenches that the English claimed could never be broken. Cos. E and F were the first ones over the line and suffered heavily for it. We have a number killed, wounded and gassed, and the rest are very lucky to be alive.

Some of the boys who came back found wine, eggs, bread and other eats in Jerry’s big dugouts. Some of their dugouts are three stories deep and all built of concrete.

Captain Thompson is thought more of than ever now, and this Battalion will swear by him, and we hear that General Pershing thinks the “Skipper” is O. K. He is burned all over the face with mustard gas, but never once flinched and even attempted to re-organize the stragglers who got back and go after the Huns again.

It was a terrible sight to see the fellows I had been with the last two years blown to pieces, others wounded and still they wore big grins on their faces and told of how they did it. One sergeant in our company had four bullets in his body and they sent four Jerries out to carry him in, and as they picked him up, he said to them: “I will kill every darned one of you if you touch me” He wanted his own pals to carry him. He was shot twice and kept on going, then got two more and had to lie down.

Medina will get an awful blow when the list comes in, and it will likely be there before you get this.

It will seem good when we get back out of here and live as civilians again.

Love to all.

Harold P. Wirth

P.S. Will be home for Christmas dinner.

Harold P. Wirth did not make it home for Christmas dinner that year, but he was one of the lucky ones who made it through “to live as a civilian again.” He had enlisted as a company cook with Co. F, 108th Inf. New York National Guard on April 9, 1917, served overseas from May 18, 1918, and was discharged May 6, 1919.

The son of John G. and Grace Faulkner Wirth, he was born in Plain View, Nebraska on August 1, 1883. The family had close connections with Lyndonville. Following his discharge, Harold returned to this area and worked for five years at Lyndonville Canning. He then accepted a position with the Thomas Daggitt Canning Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan and later as superintendent of the Red Creek Canning factory in Wayne, New York.

Harold was one of the many WWI veterans afflicted with tuberculosis and was a patient at the Veterans T.B. hospital in Tupper Lake, New York. He died at the Veterans Hospital in Batavia, NY on Sept. 21, 1957, and was buried at Huron Evergreen Cemetery in Wayne County. Harold had been active in the Wolcott Post 881, American Legion. Both the Post and the cemetery are located just off Route 104 in Wayne County.

As Harold indicated in his letter, Colonel Thompson’s list was grim: between Sept. 27 and Nov. 1, 1918, 25 members of the company had been killed, 85 wounded, 18 were still in hospital and 11 had been cited for awards.

On Veterans Day, we remember, recognize and honor those who have served and are serving in the military.

“Pickett’s Child” is a postmortem photo from the Scott B. Dunlap collection in the Medina Historical Society.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 4, Number 34

MEDINA – The child in this photograph appears to be sleeping peacefully. However, this is a postmortem photo, the child is dead, and the pose was referred to as the “Last Sleep.”

It may seem morbid to us, but at a time when infant mortality rates were high, and attitudes toward mourning were different, this photograph would have been viewed as a way of commemorating the dead and solace to the family.

This is most likely the only photograph ever taken of the deceased child. The photographer was a young neighbor, Scott B. Dunlap, of Dunlap Road in Shelby, who had a new Kodak camera and an interest in photography.

Born in 1898, he was a fourth-generation member of the family for whom the road is named. Armed with his new camera, Scott, who graduated from Medina High School in 1905, took unposed, relaxed photographs of his family and friends. Without intending to, he chronicled daily life in rural America in the early 1900s, in those years just before automobiles replaced the horse and buggy.

In 2008, Scott B. Dunlap, Jr. donated a collection of over 200 of his father’s glass plate negatives to the Medina Historical Society. The collection includes five postmortem views of the child, each taken from a different angle. The long exposure time required at the time made deceased subjects easier to photograph.

Another version of “Pickett’s Baby” from the Scott B. Dunlap collection.

The photos were labeled as “Pickett’s Child” or “Pickett’s Baby,” the first name was not mentioned. A brief search elicited the infant’s name as Harold H. Pickett, (also referenced as Herman Harold) born Nov. 7, 1905, died Sept. 12, 1906. He was the son of Henry R. (Ray) and Lena Gurrslin Pickett.

In April of the following year, 1907, the family lost another son, Wilford R., one month old. An older son, Lavern E., survived. Lena died in 1909, at the age of 27. She and the two infant children were buried in Millville Cemetery. Following Lena’s death, Henry re-married, moved to Buffalo, worked as a motorman with a railroad company and had four more children.

With regard to the child’s clothing, it was customary at the time to dress boys and girls in short white dresses until they started walking and then in short, loose-fitting dresses until they were two or three years old.

As healthcare improved and mortality rates declined, the practice of photographing the dead declined and came to be viewed as macabre. We still use photographs of the deceased for obituaries, funeral cards and services, but those are living images. At the present time, when smartphones have made it possible for anyone to take photographs of any subject, the lines between what is acceptable and what is not are shifting once more.

A selection of the Dunlap photos may be viewed at www.historicmedina.org.

Young men left for boot camp, and then overseas in World War II

Advertisement from the Brockport-Republic newspaper, Oct. 24, 1935.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 4, Number 33

(Adrienne Daniels, Town of Barre Historian, supplied the information for this week’s column.)

BARRE – We walked into a place that was built like a small barn. Rustic and smelling of new wood, one end had a platform for the small band that played there Saturdays and Sundays from 8-12:30. The other end had a snack bar and a cloakroom and in the center was a shining dance floor, smooth as glass.

We fox-trotted to the haunting strains of Sugar Blues and Blueberry Hill, we waltzed to Deep Purple and Night and Day, boogied to Boogie Wugle Bugle Boy and did the polka to the Beer Barrel Polka. We jitterbugged to Stompin’ at the Savoy and stood around the band and sang Three Little Fishies.

The dancing started with the song Blue Moon and ended with Goodnight, Sweetheart and then, Blue Moon.

The young couple who ran the place were strict – no alcohol, no couples parking in cars on the premises.

Every week, there were new boys who came to the Blue Moon. On the way home, all we talked about was boys! We could hardly wait for the week to go by, we were having such a wonderful time.

And then it happened. Pearl Harbor.

As the months rolled along, one by one, the young men we danced with were called into the service. The dance hall began to look empty and somber.

Now there were letters written posted on the Blue Moon bulletin board, first from boot camps located in different states, then later, letters from overseas – England and Italy and much later, V mail from Germany, France and places we had never heard of, such as Iwo Jima and Okinawa. All saying how much they missed home and asking us to write.

Oftentimes, when I hear the song Blue Moon on the radio or T.V., I see myself as young again, dancing with someone on a crowded floor with other couples. I wonder if others who went to the Blue Moon are thinking of the good times, too, when they hear that song”

This lovely recollection of memories of the Blue Moon Danceland, located “two miles east of Barre Center” was written by Elizabeth Hurysz and published in the Democrat and Chronicle in 1991.

The dancehall closed in the 1940s but the building had another reincarnation. In 1947, Barre residents Norm Anderson and Harold Morton, two young men recently returned from the service, bought the dancehall building, cut it in half and had the halves moved to sites on the East Barre Road where they formed the basis of two fine homes. If those walls could talk!