By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – State Assemblyman Steve Hawley shared highlights of Patriot Trip tours on Monday with the Medina Historical Society. Hawley and his staff have taken about 1,000 people to see war memorials in Washington, D.C., and other notable sites, including Gettysburg.
MEDINA – Steve Hawley wanted to give his father, former Assemblyman R. Stephen Hawley, a gift about a decade ago. The younger Hawley took his dad to Washington, D.C. to see the war memorials, including the recently opened one for World War II veterans.
The elder Hawley served in World War II in Burma with the famed Merrill’s Marauders. The World War II memorial opened in 2004 in honor of more than 400,000 American soldiers who died in the war.
Another local World War II veteran, Michael Paduchak of Kendall, heard about Hawley’s trip to Washington and asked the younger Hawley, now the local assemblyman, if he would organize a similar trip for local veterans.
As a state legislator, Hawley thought it might be more appropriate for a federal official to organize the effort. He reached out to Tom Reynolds, the former local congressman, who urged Hawley to lead the effort. Hawley is a veteran and serves on the State Assembly Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
Photos courtesy of Assemblyman Steve Hawley’s Office
The bronze statue depicts Gen. Kemble Warren, the Union general who fought off the Confederates during the Battle of Gettysburg. He is known as the “Hero of Little Round Top.” The Patriot Trip includes a stop at Gettysburg.
Hawley and his staff have now led veterans on eight Patriot Trips. That’s nearly 1,000 people in all. The early trips had many World War II veterans. The most recent one, which departed Batavia about two weeks ago, only had two WWII vets. There were more than 20 veterans from the Korean War, 36 who served in Vietnam, and others who served in Desert Storm, and more recently in Afghanistan and Iraq.
This memorial includes the name of Lyndonville native, Forrest L. Vosler, a technical sergeant who is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He is a Medal of Honor recipient.
The eighth Patriot Trip included 104 people in all and they were able to see the WWII Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Iwo Jima – The Marine Corps Memorial, American Veterans Disabled For Life Memorial, Air Force Memorial, 911 Memorial at the Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery including the Changing of the Guard, Wreath Laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns – Vietnam Veterans, Gettysburg Battlefields and Mt. Vernon.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Shelby site is listed on National Register of Historic Places
Photos by Tom Rivers
SHELBY – Alice Zacher, the Shelby town historian, speaks after a new historical marker was unveiled on Sunday at the Millville Cemetery on East Shelby Road.
Zacher wrote the application to have the marker paid for by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.
Shelby Town Councilman Ken Schaal, left, and Mike Fuller, the highway superintendent, remove a cover from the historical marker on Sunday. The town pays for the upkeep of the cemetery. Fuller and the Highway Department installed the marker.
The Millville Cemetery was established in 1871. The cemetery was an early Quaker burial grounds. Back then the graves were close together. The cemetery would take on the rural garden cemetery style, with bigger spaces between graves, towering trees and ornamental grave stones.
The cemetery in 2007 was included on the National Register of Historic Places. Three other cemeteries in Orleans County are on the National Register: Mount Albion Cemetery, Hillside Cemetery in Holley/Clarendon; and Boxwood Cemetery in Medina.
Bill Lattin, retired Orleans County historian, leads about 30 people on a tour of the cemetery.
Lattin praised the Shelby citizens from more than a century ago for creating such a beautiful place. Those residents went to one-room school houses and graduated with eighth-grade educations, Lattin said.
They may not have earned college degrees, but they they knew about the power of trees, a well-designed chapel and an attractive landscape, Lattin said.
“This cemetery tells a lot about the people back then,” he said. “Look at their appreciation of nature and aesthetics. There is no other chapel like this in the world.”
The monuments and Victorian funerary art reflect the prosperity of the community back when it was home to three sawmills, gristmill and turning mill, according to the description of the site on the National Register.
The cemetery is elevated in an otherwise flat area. “The landscaping and roads and the plantings make it an exemplary vernacular rural cemetery,” according the Department of the Interior, which decides whether a site meets the threshold to be on the National Register.
Bill Lattin leads the group on a tour of the cemetery. He discussed many of the Victorian features of the gravestones, the ornamental symbols to reflect mourning and a belief in an afterlife.
Lattin congratulated current Shelby citizens, led by Alice Zacher, for getting the Millville Cemetery on the National Register and for the work in getting the chapel (behind Lattin in the photo) repainted this past August.
“They should be commended,” Lattin said about the Shelby citizens. “You’re carrying on a tradition of aesthetics.”
Lattin has family buried in the cemetery. He noted the names of many family plots, such as Dresser and Pask, that are names of roads in the community.
Many prominent local residents are buried at Millville, including this large grave marker for Arnold Gregory, who left money to start a hospital in Albion. The statue in back left marks the grave for Asa Hill, a Civil War soldier and local farmer.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 26 September 2015 at 12:00 am
This image shows John D. Brush, Sr. taken in 1916 as a senior at Albion High School.
ALBION – The son of Dwight M. Brush and Eva Gill, John D. Brush was born at Albion on Nov. 5, 1897.
His father and grandfather, John E. Brush, engaged in the Pop Manufacturing and Bottling business on Moore Street in the 1880s and early 1890s. His father took control of the lease for the Exchange Hotel at 123-125 North Main Street around the time of John’s birth, operating that business until his untimely death in December of 1906. It was for this reason that John was forced to provide for himself starting at the age of nine.
John Brush graduated from Albion High School with the Class of 1916 and eventually completed studies at St. Lawrence University in 1922. He attended the Theological Seminary at St. Lawrence University, graduating in 1923.
In 1918, John enlisted with Company C of the 338th Tank Battalion but saw no service overseas due to the Armistice of November 11th of that year. Following his short time in the service and his studies at St. Lawrence University, John began his ministerial service.
Rev. Brush spent several years as the minister of the Church of Good Tidings in North Weymouth, Massachusetts and the Universalist Church of Norwood, Massachusetts before returning to Western New York in 1930.
It was the intention of John Brush to explore business opportunities in Rochester, to which he approached his brother-in-law, Willard Punnett, about engaging in safe box manufacturing. Punnett had already inherited a successful business from his father, Byron Punnett, and a partnership was established under the name of Brush-Punnett Co. in 1931.
Formulated around the concept of a safe produced with stamped parts to cut down on production expenses, Brush and Punnett delved into the manufacturing business amidst the Great Depression. Income was nearly non-existent and orders had all but dried up when Punnett called it quits, turning his part in the company over to Brush.
Two years later, a timely order from Vassar College for 2,200 wall safes provided enough business to allow Brush a weekly salary of $10. By 1937, he was making roughly $50 per week, which amounted to a salary equivalent to that of his ministerial wages.
The 1930s proved to be a time of great difficulty, sacrifice, and hardship. It was thanks to the commitment of his wife that the family was able to pull through the tribulations of the ’30s. A large order from Eastman Kodak in 1943 paired with the conclusion of the Second World War meant that the hardships of the last 10 years were now behind him.
With the eventual entrance of his sons John Jr., Richard, and Robert into the business, the company developed into the John D. Brush & Co., Inc. in 1955.
Operating under their flagship brand SentrySafe, John’s grandsons Doug and Jim would later purchase the controlling interest in the company. In July of 2014, the company was purchased by Master Lock Co. for a staggering $117 million, bringing an end to one of Rochester’s better-kept secrets.
Staff Reports Posted 25 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Ingersoll Memorial Fountain, which was added to Mount Albion Cemetery in 1914, is pictured in the historic cemetery in this file photo. Mount Albion will host Albion students on their annual Ghost Walk on Oct. 3. Students will portray Emma Ingersoll, who bequeathed the fountain and a bench to the community.
ALBION – Students at Albion High School will highlight prominent residents at Mount Albion Cemetery on Oct. 3 during the annual Ghost Walk, which typically attracts 500 people to the historic cemetery on Route 31.
The students try to feature a different section of the cemetery with each Ghost Walk. This year’s tour will highlight war heroes, distinguished citizens and two murders that made national news and ended with the death penalty.
People must make reservations for the tour by calling the school office at (585) 589-2087. Tours start every 15 minutes, beginning at 5 p.m. with the last tour at 9:30 p.m. The tours go for about 45 minutes.
The tour will include the following:
JAMES SHERET (WWI) 1892-1918
James was honored for heroism in several single handed attacks against the enemy. He and his brother Egbert were both killed in action on September 29, 1918 in Rossnoy, France. Their unit broke through the Hindenburg Line. Their other brother, Andrew, was severely wounded. Albion’s American Legion Sheret Post #35 is named in their honor.
EUGENE BARNUM (WWII) 1917-1944
Cpt. Eugene E. Barnum Jr. was killed in action during World War II. He was responsible for shooting down two German planes during the war. On December 2nd the squadron was sweeping the airspace ahead of bombers heading towards Cologne and Frankfurt on what was called a “Ramrod Mission” (short range attack on ground targets). Eugene’s plane went down due to a mid-air collision. His brother, William Barnum, was also killed in action July 14, 1944.
ALICE WILSON 1853-1887
Alice will tell the story from the grave of Ben Williams, attorney for her husband, George Willson. Willson was convicted of murdering his wife, Alice. He was the only man executed in Orleans County. He was hanged outside the courthouse in 1888.
ROBERT CANHAM (Civil War) 1837-1938
Robert Canham lived to be 101 years old. He fought in the Civil War and was a member of Battery F, 3rd U.S. Heavy Artillery and was allegedly present for Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, and Fredericksburg. “Big Grandpa” was well known in the area given the fact that he was the oldest and last surviving Civil War vet “wearer of the blue.”
JOHN G. RICE 1849-1917
John Rice was the Orleans County Sheriff during the 1894 murder of Emma Hunt by William Lake. Sheriff Rice organized a posse to find Lake, who hid after the murder. He evaded police for a few days, but was eventually caught in a barn and confessed willingly. He was one of first in NYS to be executed by electrocution.
SIDNEY EDDY (WWI) 1894-1989
Sidney was a member of the ambulance corps during the First World War. He was stationed in France and kept a diary from 1917-1919 that shared his experiences during the War until his return home.
DAVID JONES / MAUSOLEUM 1842-1898
David and Claudius Jones patented the mouse trap and manufactured them in large numbers. In 1878 they contracted for two million to be made at a rate of 1,000 each day.
ISAAC S. SIGNOR 1842-1935
Signor was Orleans County District Attorney and County Judge. He wrote the book, Landmarks of Orleans County, which is still widely used today as a local historic resource. He was co-executor of William Swan’s will and instrumental in establishing the Swan Library as a public library. He was a member of the Albion Central School District Board of Education and created the Signor Prize, which awards high school students for excellence in rhetorical work.
Lt. Col. C. ROYCE SAWYER (WWI) 1871-1924
Sawyer was a 30-year member of the Dye Hose Company (Albion Fire Department). As Fire Chief, he worked to have the entire company motorized. Sawyer was a cashier at Citizen’s National Bank. He served as County Treasurer and was a delegate to the Republican Convention in Rochester. During WWI, Sawyer was commissioned by the War Department in the Quartermaster Officer’s Reserve Corps. There he served as finance officer of Camp Sheridan in Alabama.
JEROME GUMAER (Civil War) 1843-1913
Gumaer served as a Union soldier in the Civil War. He was a sergeant in the 8th NY Heavy Artillery. He fought at Cold Harbor, Petersburg, and was wounded at Hatcher’s Run. At one point during the war he was captured and spent five months in Libby Prison.
Photo courtesy of Orleans County Department of History – Charles Howard is pictured by the sign of his famous Santa Claus School in Albion. The school has since been relocated to Michigan, but still bears Howard’s name.
EMMA INGERSOLL (1839-1911)
Mrs. Ingersoll’s husband, Francis, was the son of Nehemiah Ingersoll. Upon her death, she bequeathed the beautiful Ingersoll Fountain and bench, located near the entrance of Mount Albion Cemetery, to the Village of Albion with the stipulation that they must pay for the water to run the fountain.
ROBERT CAPSTICK (Civil War) 1834-1907
Robert Capstick fought in the Civil War. He was present at the second battle of Bull Run, Antietam, and Fredericksburg and was wounded at Chancellorsville. He was also imprisoned in Andersonville Prison. He returned to the Albion area destitute and was taken in by Sarah Harling who nursed him back to health. He gave her a George Washington button -his prized possession – as a thank you for her kindness.
CHARLES HOWARD 1896-1966
World renowned as Santa Claus, Howard opened his Santa Claus School in 1937. There he taught people from all over the world how to play Santa. In addition, he opened Christmas Park which included many attractions and a toy shop. The park attracted over 80,000 people each year. He was the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Santa and a consultant on the movie Miracle on 34th Street. Howard’s legacy continues to this day with his Santa School (now located in Michigan.)
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Fred Fierch, a retired social studies teacher for the Orleans-Niagara BOCES in Medina, holds a copy of his book, Medina Through Time. Fierch will sign copies of the book from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday at The Book Shoppe, 519 Main St. The cover of the book shows the Washboard Willy’s Laundromat on Starr Street, and the site’s predecessor, a foundry.
MEDINA – Fred Fierch always had a hunch that Medina was different from small towns with its many historic buildings in the downtown, and grand old churches and residences built from the late 1800s and early 1900s.
But it wasn’t until he was working on a local history book that he appreciated Medina’s vast collection of historic structures.
“Medina has a real preservation attitude,” he said. “A lot of it is still here.”
Fierch has his fourth book out and it features historic photos of Medina buildings contrasted with how the sites look today. In some cases, grand old structures have been replaced with modern homes or commercial buildings. But many of the buildings are largely unchanged after more than a century.
Provided photo
Provided photo
These photos show Medina Memorial Hospital, top, at Prospect and Eagle streets. This property was originally the home of A. L. Swett, one of the premier industrialists in the village of Medina. Mr. Swett sold this house to the hospital organization and it opened as a care facility on March 17, 1910. It contained nine beds and a staff of
three. It remained Medina’s hospital for about 15 years, Fierch writes in his book.
The author highlighted 92 sites in Medina. He said the community was a vibrant business hub in the late 1800s and early 1900s – “The three main things were the sandstone, the foundries and the furniture.”
His book gives readers a tour of the community from more than a century ago. So many of the ornate houses and commercial sites remain. Some buildings, such as the current Napa Auto Parts, had tall towers. That site was a hotel. Some churches, such as the Presbyterian Church and United Methodist Church, are shown when they had steeples.
The top photo shows crews digging a trench and working to install a sewer on State Street. “This is a wonderful picture of the effort required to create things that are today too easily taken for granted,” Fierch writes. “The row of men digging a trench which appears to be about ten feet deep and perhaps four feet wide seems to be endless! Notice how far back from the crest of the ditch the dirt is piled. How did it get there? Manpower, to be sure. Certainly they always worked with their feet in water.”
The bottom photo shows a current view of the State Street.
Fierch looked through more than 500 historic photos of Medina before settling on the 92 sites to be featured in the book. He looked for spots that remained in good shape and well known in the community.
He hopes readers we learn about Medina’s grand past and continue to help preserve the sites in the future.
“I hope they will appreciate the village, what it was and what it is,” he said.
Fierch will sign copies of the book from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at The Book Shoppe, 519 Main St.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Seventh-graders will also research Civil War vets in county
Photos by Tom Rivers – Many of the markers for Civil War soldiers at Mount Albion Cemetery are rusted. Albion seventh-graders and teacher Tim Archer will restore the markers as part of a service-learning project.
ALBION The cast-iron markers are sprinkled around Mount Albion Cemetery, and many of them, put in years ago to honor Civil War soldiers, have turned to rust.
Albion teacher Tim Archer and seventh-graders want to restore the shine to the markers, put at graves by the Grand Army of the Republic. Students in Archer’s service-learning class will create a map and database of the marker locations.
They will use wiry brushes to remove rust and Archer will coat the markers with Rust-Oleum.
File photo – These bronze markers by the Civil War cannon at the cemetery haven’t rusted, but they have oxidized. Archer said students won’t be working on these ones. Nearby cast-iron markers, however, will be given a new shine.
Students have other Civil War initiatives planned for the school year. They are going to research the names of every Orleans County resident who died in the Civil War and compare that with the 463 names carved in marble slabs inside the tower at Mount Albion Cemetery.
Archer thinks not all soldiers who died in the war were included in the memorial. He and his students would like to create a database of all of the soldiers from the county who died in the war. Right now, he said there isn’t an accurate list with all the names.
The Civil War memorial at Mount Albion Cemetery includes the names of 463 residents who were killed during the Civil War. However, the memorial may not have included every local resident who perished in the war.
Archer and his students know one resident who served in the Civil War was buried at St. Joseph’s Cemetery on Brown Road in an unmarked grave.
The service-learning class, which is a requirement for all seventh-graders, has reached out to the Veterans Administration for a headstone for John Frost, who died in 1915.
Archer and the students have also contacted the offices for Congressman Chris Collins and State Assemblyman Steve Hawley about helping with the headstone.
The class has also learned about Herbert Charles Taylor, who is buried at Hillside Cemetery in Holley/Clarendon. Taylor is believed to be the only Orleans County resident who was killed at Gettysburg.
Archer and the class would like to have a historical marker at the cemetery about Taylor, noting his service to his country and death at Gettysburg.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 22 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – This sign, a replica of one from more than a century ago, was added to the Old Stone Store last week.
CLARENDON – The historic Old Stone Store at the corners of Routes 237 and 31A in Clarendon continues to take on the look of its former glory.
A reproduction “Buffalo Paints” sign painted and donated by Albion artist Carol Culhane was installed last week on the upper facade above the front door.
Clarendon Historian Melissa Ierlan said a photograph of the store taken in the 1880’s, which shows the original sign, inspired her to put another in the same place. Ierlan researched the sign and Buffalo Paints in order to make the reproduction as authentic as possible.
“I tried to find an ad or a crate on Ebay,” she says, but the photograph ended up serving as the main guide. “Carol painted it last year. We’ve been waiting since that time to get it put up.”
The sign includes the name of the store’s owner at the time: George H. Copeland. He operated the store from 1843 until 1892.
Here is how the Old Stone Store looked this morning in Clarendon.
The Old Stone Store, built in 1836, served as a general store on its main floor and Ierlan says the second story was used for many purposes including a meeting room and a doctor’s office.
During the 1970’s it was turned into apartments and was vacant since 2007. The Town of Clarendon was on the verge of demolishing the building when a group of residents formed a preservation group and the Landmark Society of Western New York stepped in to help the town market the property.
In late 2013, Sue and Joe Fertitta of Hilton took ownership and have worked since that time to completely refurbish the interior into second-story apartments and retail space on the main floor. (Transatlantic Treasures opened on Jan. 3 on the first floor and sells collectibles.)
Exterior work has included a rebuilding of the front porch, reconfiguration of the front windows and door to restore the look of a storefront and repair and repainting of the trim.
The building was built with Medina sandstone, and was included on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo courtesy of Orleans County History Department
ALBION – Albion students have raised money and designed an interpretive panel about one of the community’s most famous residents, the late Charles Howard, who founded the first Santa Claus School.
This photo from about about 60 years ago shows Howard as Santa at Christmas Park, which he developed in Albion at Phipps Road.
Albion students are working with Takeform Architectural Graphics in Medina on the panel, which will share highlights of Howard’s life as a farmer, toymaker and later as the famous Santa who appeared in the Macy’s Thaksgiving Day parades.
Howard ran the school from 1937 until his death in 1966 at age 69. Howard started the school in Albion at the corner of Phipps Road and Route 31. He developed the school after noticing many Santas didn’t have training, and didn’t always interact with children well or meet a standard for dress. He established decorum for Santas and his Santa Claus suits became popular.
The school, now in Midland, Mich., still bears Howard’s name.
The 1948 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was a huge day for Howard. The parade for the first time was televised nationally and in color for those that had color TV sets. There was also an opening for Santa and Macy’s asked Howard to fill the role. They wanted the man who trained Santas to be part of their parade.
He would do it every year until 1965 and Macy’s took pride in having Howard in the parade. The company would have him play Santa at their stores in New York City and Kansas City.
Howard is buried in Mount Albion not too far from the gazebo at the west entrance of the historic cemetery. Howard is buried on a knoll and his grave is difficult for many people to find.
The panel will be installed in the grass by the corner of the cemetery by the knoll.
The panel may be ready in time to be dedicated as part of the Oct. 3 Ghost Walk, where Albion students portray famous people in the cemetery. This year’s Ghost Walk will conclude with a stop by Howard’s grave.
Photo courtesy of the Santa Claus Oath Foundation – Charlie Howard portrays Santa in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. He served in the role from 1948 to 1965.
Students used proceeds from last year’s Ghost Walk to pay for the interpretive panel. Sue Starkweather Miller, one of the Ghost Walk coordinators, would like to see more panels at the cemetery.
“We would love to turn it into a museum without walls,” she said about adding many more panels.
She didn’t want to share a rendering of the panel publicly until it is unveiled. She said it will be black and white with text and photos, with a silver background. Those are the traditional Victorian mourning colors, she said.
Retired County Historian Bill Lattin helped students with the design of the panel.
Albion hosted about 250 professional Santas during a convention in April. That convention has spearheaded other efforts to honor Howard in his hometown.
The Albion Betterment Committee is working on a welcome sign that notes Albion is the hometown of a world renown Santa who started the first Santa School. The Betterment Committee also is pushing to have a bronze statue of Howard as Santa in front of the Hoag Library near the side walk on Main Street.
The Betterment Committee is working with Brigden Memorials in Albion on a design for that project and would like to have the money raised so it could be installed by the end of 2016, the 50th anniversary of Howard’s death.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 19 September 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Taken in May of 1933 by Frank S. Nayman, this image shows the Village of Albion’s sewage disposal facility located on Densmore Street near Butts Road. The plant used a “trickling filter” system where sewage was continuously sprayed over crushed stone.
Residents of Albion were forced to suffer from the pungent odors and pressured the village on numerous occasions to pursue other waste treatment options. Prior to this, sewage flowed directly into the West Branch of Sandy Creek that runs through the village. Residents clamored for improvements to the sewage disposal system as early as the 1880s, knowing that their current means of waste removal was unsanitary.
In the left half of this panoramic image, we see the houses that line Knapp and Joseph Streets with Sandy Creek running between them and the treatment plant. In the right half are a number of village laborers standing around a Ford Model T truck and a team of horses.
For those with 20/20 vision, you can catch a glimpse of the steeples of both the Presbyterian Church and St. Mary’s Assumption Church.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 13 September 2015 at 12:00 am
This past week I had the pleasure of visiting the Fredericksburg Battlefield Park in Virginia and Gettysburg Battlefield Park in Pennsylvania, both with connections to local soldiers from Orleans County.
Each visit was a moving experience and I thought perhaps I would share several stories of local men from our area over the coming weeks.
The top image shows the gravesite of Pvt. Charles McOmber (misidentified as McCumber), burial number 2296.
Charles McOmber was born in 1844 at Carlton – his uncle Col. Calvin Otis was in command of the 100th New York Infantry and a noted architect in Buffalo. His father Van Rensselaer later enlisted with the 8th New York Cavalry at the advanced age of 54 and his brother Otis would serve with the 76th New York Infantry, spending 9 months at Andersonville Prison. Another brother Lorenzo would enlist with Orleans County’s 17th Light Independent Artillery, dying from typhoid fever in the summer of 1864.
Charles enlisted in April of 1861, responding to Lincoln’s initial call for 75,000 volunteers after the bombardment of Ft. Sumter. As a member of the 23rd New York Infantry, Charles was present for the battles of Bull Run and Antietam before accompanying the regiment to Fredericksburg in December of 1862.
This image depicts Fredericksburg National Cemetery. The taller grave markers indicate identified burials – shorter markers are labeled with a number, indicating the site contains unidentified remains. The gravesite of Pvt. McOmber rests near the statue of Gen. Humphrey.
On December 12, 1862, Abner Doubleday began to position his division across the Richmond Road under the cover of fog to prevent a Confederate advance into the city. Situated atop Prospect Hill and overlooking this maneuver was Jeb Stuart and his horse artillery under the command of John Pelham. As the fog began to lift, Pelham’s artillery delivered direct fire upon the forces of Doubleday’s division.
Charles McOmber was struck by fragments from an artillery shell prior to the official start of the battle. Cpt. William Cole of Company B later wrote that he witnessed Pvt. McOmber’s death, having been hit by a shell and expiring within two hours. Prior to his death, Charles sent his monthly pay to his mother Angela in Ohio to help support both her and his youngest brother and sister. Angela was forced to apply for a “widow’s pension” as a dependent mother following his death.
When the Fredericksburg National Cemetery was established in 1866, the battle had concluded nearly 4 years prior and many interments were misidentified or unidentified. Fewer than 3,000 of the more than 15,000 burials in the cemetery are identified, including the grave of Charles McOmber.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Visitors walk out of the chapel at Hillside Cemetery in Clarendon during an open house last September. Volunteers and the town are trying to raise $225,000 for repairs to the chapel, which was built in 1894.
CLARENDON – Genesee Community College history students will immerse themselves in Holley history as part of a ghost walk at Hillside Cemetery on Oct. 3.
The students will serve as guides and “ghosts” of some prominent residents from Holley’s past who are in the cemetery.
This will be the first ghost walk at Hillside. Derek Maxfield, a history professor at GCC, is working with the Clarendon Historical Society on the event, which begins at 7 p.m. and will be a fund-raiser for the restoration efforts at the cemetery’s chapel. Admission is $10.
“This chapel is an important piece of local heritage that we shouldn’t lose,” Maxfield said.
He praised the Historical Society for getting the chapel listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and for pursuing grants and cleaning up the building, made in 1894 from local Medina sandstone.
The society is trying to raise $225,000 to restore the chapel, which needs a new roof, wooden window frames, some mortar repointing and repainting inside.
Derek Maxfield, shown here as a guide last October at Philemon Tracy’s grave at the Batavia Cemetery, is leading a ghost walk on Oct. 3 at Hillside Cemetery in Clarendon. Tracy is one of the few Confederate officers buried in the North. Maxfield said ghost walks are a way to highlight local history and draw attention to historic cemeteries.
Maxfield is pleased his students have shown a strong interest in the ghost walk. About 20 have already jumped at the chance to help with the event.
Maxfield and the students are looking through biographies of notable residents in the cemetery. The students will do their own research, developing the characters for the ghost walk.
“Any historic preservation project gets my attention,” said Maxfield, who is on a committee that picks “Heritage Heroes” from Orleans County. He also was coordinator of the Civil War Initiative the past four years through GCC, including from 2013-15 at the Medina campus.
Maxfield, the GCC History Club and the Clarendon Historical Society also have developed a lecture series at the chapel as part of “Hillside Heritage Events” in October to benefit the restoration effort of the chapel that was built in the Gothic Revival style.
Hillside Heritage events will include a series of evening lectures, without technology. The chapel will be lit only with oil lamps inside the chapel itself at Hillside Cemetery, just south of the village of Holley. Lectures begin at 7 p.m. and are free, though donations to the restoration fund will be gladly accepted.
The lecture series includes:
Oct. 26: GCC Associate Dean of the Orleans County Campus Centers and Historian Jim Simon will present “The Philosophy of History: What Does it Matter?”
Nov. 2: GCC Associate Professor Derek Maxfield will present “Victorian Death and the Civil War.”
In addition, retired Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin will give a lecture at 4 p.m. on Oct. 3, the day of the ghost walk. Lattin will speak in the chapel about Victorian Mourning Art.
Other heritage programs are being planned for Oct. 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the day culminating with the ghost walk from 7 to 9 p.m.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 5 September 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Taken around 1935, this image shows Orleans County’s last surviving Civil War veterans; now notice I did not write “last surviving Union veterans.”
Standing left is Robert Canham proudly wearing his Grand Army of the Republic ribbon. A native of England, Canham came to the U.S. at age 14 with his family and enlisted with the 3rd U.S. Artillery for three years before re-enlisting with the 90th New York Infantry. At the time of his death in 1938, he was the last surviving Union veteran in this county at the age of 100.
In the middle is Henry Stockton. Also a native of England, Stockton enlisted with Orleans County’s 17th New York Independent Light Artillery for the final year of the war. He often told newspaper reporters that he was present at Gettysburg even though the regiment was formed nearly eight months after the battle.
On the right is Andrew Martin Wheeler Hall, one of the few Confederate veterans buried in Orleans County (Gov. Rufus Bullock, an Albion native, accepted a commission as a lieutenant colonel in Georgia). At the age of 18 Hall enlisted with the 6th South Carolina Infantry and claimed to serve as Gen. Robert E. Lee’s “mounted orderly.” Hall’s father was allegedly killed at the 2nd Battle of Bull Run and Andrew claimed to have served at Gettysburg despite the fact that his regiment was never there. He died in 1945 at the ripe old age of 102.
The men are standing in the Civil War veteran section at Mt. Albion Cemetery located south of the western gate. The cannon still stands at this site; an M1841 6-pounder bronze howitzer cast by the N.P. Ames Foundry at Springfield, Massachusetts in 1841. Capt. William Maynadier, ordinance captain at the Pikesville, Maryland Arsenal inspected the piece and his initials are stamped into the breech.
The number “803” is also stamped into the breech, denoting that the cannon itself weighs approximately 803 pounds. These were the preferred artillery pieces during the Mexican War but were deemed obsolete by the outbreak of the Civil War. A desperate Confederate Army would have found these particularly useful.
The Curtis Post Grand Army of the Republic dedicated this cannon and 30-foot flag pole on May 28, 1885.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos courtesy of Bill Lattin
These photos will be featured in an upcoming book about Halloween costumes and pranks by Bill Lattin. He welcomes more photos submissions, including more recent ones.
Lattin, who retired on Dec. 31 as Orleans County historian, wants to document some of the local activities over the years for Halloween.
He notes that generations ago most of the costumes were home-made. Now most seem to be bought at the store. Lattin’s prefers the individuality and creativity with the older costumes.
This photo was submitted to Lattin by Betty Kenyon.
He is working to have his book about Halloween published in time for the upcoming spooky holiday on Oct. 31. He will accept photos and write-ups about local Halloween pranks until Labor Day.
Some of the costumes from the past generation or two often reflect pop culture, with mass produced costumes of Star Wars characters, Disney stars and someties even the U.S. president.
Halloween photos and stories can be dropped off at the Lake Country Pennysaver at 170 North Main St., Albion, or they can be emailed to news@orleanshub.com and we will direct them to Lattin.
He said he would accept more recent photos, but he would prefer photos and stories before the year 2000.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 29 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Henry Moore Harrington
ALBION – The son of Shelby Harrington and Nancy Moore, Henry Moore Harrington, was born in Albion on April 30, 1849. His maternal uncle, Charles Henry Moore, was a well-respected entrepreneur and land speculator in Albion.
An astute and brilliant young man, Henry attended the Cleveland Institute at University Heights, Ohio, where he graduated as valedictorian of his class. It was with these high honors that Harrington was awarded with an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, an honor that he turned down in favor of a spot at the U.S. Military Academy in 1868.
Harrington’s time at West Point was completed in 1872, capped off by his marriage to Grace Berard, the daughter of a professor at the military academy. Shortly thereafter, Harrington was assigned as a lieutenant with the 7th U.S. Cavalry and stationed in the Carolinas for training during the winter and spring of 1872-1873. These training exercises were to prepare Harrington and the other men for service in the west.
Stationed at Ft. Lincoln and Ft. Rice in the Dakota Territory, Harrington was in service alongside George Armstrong Custer during the Yellowstone Expedition in 1873 and the Black Hills Expedition in 1874, the latter discovering gold in the hills of the Dakotas.
It was during the Great Sioux War of 1876 that Lt. Harrington would distinguish himself as one of the bravest men ever encountered by the Sioux Nation. On June 25, Custer divided his 7th Cavalry into three columns. Due to a shortage of officers, Harrington was assigned to Company C where he would serve alongside Capt. Thomas Custer, the younger brother of George.
Outnumbered upwards of 20 to 1, Custer’s men crossed the Little Big Horn River and led a charge against the northern end of the Native American village. Against insurmountable odds, the men made their advance on the village and were completely annihilated.
It was during Custer’s overly glorified “Last Stand” that Harrington was said to have escaped on his “unique, large sorrel.” Breaking through the encirclement of Native American warriors, he was pursued by seven men. Based on accounts of the engagement, remains believed to be those of Harrington were found nearly eight miles away from the battlefield.
Harrington’s remains were never found or identified following the battle. His wife searched for three years in the hopes of finding his remains but returned home empty-handed.
In 2006, forensic scientists with the Smithsonian Institute identified remains within the museum’s anthropological collection as those of Henry Moore Harrington. Dr. Robert Shufeldt had retrieved the skull in 1877 from a location some distance from the battlefield, leading to misidentification.
Harrington was 27 years old at the time of his death, leaving a wife and two children to mourn his passing. The family erected a cenotaph in his memory at Coldwater, Michigan.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – Bill Lattin, the retired Orleans County historian, was busy on Friday at the former cobblestone schoolhouse on Gaines Basin Road, painting the front windows.
The schoolhouse for District No. 2 was built in 1832 and served as a school until 1944. It fell into disrepair and has been targeted for improvements by the Orleans County Historical Association.
The building has settled over the years and window frames are a little crooked. That made it tricky for Lattin to fix the windows. Fred Miller at Family Hardware in Albion cut new glass for the windows, accommodating the leaning frames.
“You have to go with the flow with these old things,” Lattin said.
The inside of the building has been largely cleared of debris and the floor swept.
Lattin said other buildings in worse shape have been saved in the county.
Gaines resident Al Capurso has been leading the reclamation effort at the former schoolhouse.
Capurso says many pioneer children in Orleans County were taught at the school, which was also used for countless town meetings.
Volunteers will be working to replace windows, repair holes in the flooring and plastering.
Capurso and the Historical Association also will erect a historical marker, highlighting the building’s use as a school from 1832 to 1944.
Capurso has photos of other cobblestone schools in the community that were torn down, including one at the corner of Riches Corner and Holley roads.
“We have lost some cobblestone school houses and we are determined not to lose this one,” he said.
Part of the front wall includes cobblestone masonry that has endured for nearly two centuries.
Capurso and the volunteers would like to have new storm windows on the building before winter, as well as a new roof and the historical marker.
Capurso would like to have the building up to code with a solid floor and electricity so it could again be used for community gatherings.
Bill Lattin points to his father’s initials, which Cary Lattin put in plaster in 1939.
Lattin said many of his relatives attended school in the building.
“My ancestors went here,” Lattin said. “I’m helping out of sentimentality.”
For more information on the project, and how to help, call Capurso at (585) 590-0763.
