By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 23 August 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – This once beautiful mansion was erected on South Main Street by local entrepreneur Elizur Kirke Hart.
President of the Orleans County National Bank and director of the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company, Hart was well respected throughout Orleans County as a precise and decisive businessman who exuded confidence and common sense.
On July 31, 1871 Hart purchased Hemlock Island from Charles and John Walton for $100 and commenced the construction of a large and beautiful “cottage” near Alexandria Bay. The expansive structure was completed at a cost of $12,000 (over $300,000 today), measuring 84 feet long by 76 feet wide, and containing 80 rooms; hardly a “cottage” by today’s standards.
The large summer home constructed on “Hart Island” was one of the most highly desired properties in the Thousand Islands region, even more desirable than George Pullman’s nearby cottage, “Castle Rest.” Hart received numerous purchase offers on the astounding estate but consistently refused to sell.
Although he rarely considered himself a politician, Hart was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1872 as a Republican. It was during Horace Greeley’s presidential campaign for the 1872 election that Hart became a supporter of liberal ideas and a Democrat. Despite his changing of parties, he was elected in 1876 as a U.S. Representative as a Democrat in a district with an overwhelmingly large Republican majority.
Locally, Hart was respected for his efforts to bring electric lights to Albion. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Western House of Refuge for Women in Albion and served as the first president of the board of managers with that institution. A man dedicated to the continuation of education and learning, he owned one of the finest personal libraries in Western New York and was the first signer of a petition to establish a public library in Albion.
This image was taken in 1925, shortly after the death of Hart’s son Charles. At the time of Elizur’s death in 1893, he left an estate valued at $800,000 for his family equivalent to over $20 million today. In 1942 a notice appeared in the local papers stating, “everything for sale, including doors, lumber, windows, sinks, and fixtures of all kinds” Sadly, the building was razed shortly after and Albion lost a stunning local landmark.
The Hoag Library currently occupies the site of the old Hart mansion.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 17 August 2015 at 12:00 am
As the parishioners of St. Mary’s Church in Holley celebrate the 150th anniversary of the establishment of their parish, it is also worth noting that the physical building will celebrate its 110th birthday this December.
Taken prior to 1939, this image shows the interior of St. Mary’s Church as it would have appeared shortly after the dedication of the building in 1905.
The Catholic population of Holley first celebrated Mass around 1850 when Revs. Donnelly and O’Laughlin of Brockport ministered to the inhabitants of the region.
Services were held at the old stone school located on the corner of Main and Albion streets and then at the home of Fenton Whalen until a site on Canal Street was purchased from John Connery. It was under the direction of Rev. John Castaldi that the old frame church was erected on this site and the Holy Cross Cemetery purchased.
The subsequent pastorates of Revs. David Lasher, James Lasher, Patrick Maloy, James Leddy, and Michael Noonan left the parish in a stable financial state. Upon the arrival of Rev. James McCarthy in 1902, the focus of the congregation shifted towards the construction of a new church edifice upon a site selected by Rev. Noonan. A native of Albion, McCarthy studied at St. Bonaventure and then in Italy before his ordination as a priest in the Diocese of Buffalo in 1885.
Constructed of Medina Sandstone quarried from Orleans County, the interior of the structure contained beautiful vaulted ceilings painted pure white. The Georgia pine wainscoting and dark oak pews provided a striking contrast. The image shows the Gothic altar, finished in white and gold and the four statues that adorned the side altars; the Sacred Heart, St. Joseph, St. Patrick, and the Virgin Mary.
The north and south walls contained nine stained glass windows in addition to the two pictured in the chancel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Sacred Heart of Mary. A set of 14 Gothic Stations of the Cross donated by local quarry owner Richard O’Brien were situated between the windows. The most stunning feature of the church interior was the dome of amber glass situated over the altar.
On Dec. 24, 1905, Bishop Charles Colton arrived at Holley with a gathering of priests from Western New York to dedicate the church. Due to a delay in delivery, the altar rail, electric lighting, and other minor fixtures were not installed in time for the dedication ceremonies.
The interior bears a striking resemblance to those of the old St. Mary’s Assumption Church and St. Joseph’s Church in Albion, the latter also containing a beautiful dome of amber glass.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – The St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Holley will kick off the beginning of its 150th anniversary year with a big celebration on Saturday.
There will be a Mass at 5 p.m. officiated by Bishop Richard Malone, leader of the Buffalo Catholic Diocese.
In celebration of the Feast of the Assumption, the parish will have its annual procession through the Public Square with a statue of Mary (pictured above). That procession will begin at about 6 p.m. at the church at 13 South Main St.
A party will follow at 7 p.m. with food and music. The Social and Education Center will also include a historical memorabilia and artifacts related to St. Mary’s Church, St. Mary’s School and St. Mark’s Church in Kendall.
The St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Holley held services in this building on East Avenue, formerly called Canal Street. The parish moved to a new building in 1904, the current church made of Medina sandstone.
This photo shows the Rev. James H. Leddy, the parish priest from 1888 to 1898.
This postcard shows the new church not long after it was built in 1904. The postcard is part of a historical display being put together in The Social and Education Center.
The church remains a dominant and well-maintained landmark in Holley.
John Dellaquila has been a member of St. Mary’s for 50 years. He is pictured next to a statue of St. Rocco from the former St. Rocco’s Catholic Church in Hulberton. The statue was recently refurbished and is proudly displayed inside St. Mary’s.
The church in St. Rocco’s was built in 1906. The parish continues to put on the St. Rocco’s Festival. This year it will be Sept. 6. The festival has been an annual tradition since 1976.
Dellaquila said the parish has been energized with many younger members and the parish priest, Father Mark Noonan.
“We have a very young vibrant crowd that is doing more and more,” Dellaquila said. “It’s still a small parish and the people are friendly.”
Some of the artifacts at St. Mary’s include this book of recipes from the St. Rocco’s church members.
Church historians found this copy of a pew rental payment for $4 for the first quarter of 1899.
Portraits of the priests who have served the parish will also be displayed. The man in the lower right, John Castaldi, is the first priest to serve the parish. Castaldi led the parish from 1873-1875. In the parish’s first few years, it was a missionary church connected to the parish in Brockport.
The interior of St. Mary’s includes many stained-glass windows and ecclesiastical art.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Balcom’s Mills was busy place in Murray
Photo by Tom Rivers
MURRAY – A historical marker was installed in 1932 on Fancher Road, a mile north of the Erie Canal to highlight a mill in the hamlet.
That sign, 80 years later, was difficult to read and barely noticeable. On Monday a freshly painted marker was reattached on a pole that was moved a few feet away from the road so it would be less likely to be splattered with road salt.
Provided Photo
Here is how the sign looked before the makeover. It was also positioned close to the road.
The sign notes that there was a mill built at the site in 1834 by Hiel Brockway and Abner Balcom. It was known as Balcom’s Mills. (The hamlet is known as Brockville.)
In 1837 a sawmill was added to the north end after a dam was erected in 1837.
Photo by Tom Rivers
Melissa Ierlan has been spearheading the effort to clean up and repaint many of the markers in the community. She worked on four in Clarendon, and last week completed one in Albion about the childhood home of Grace Bedell, the girl who wrote to Abraham Lincoln, asking him to grow a beard.
The Murray marker in next to George’s Fancher Road Service. Owner George Berg put in the concrete foundation and set the pole for the marker.
A group of residents, Ierlan, and Murray-Holley Historian Marsha DeFilipps gathered on Monday by the marker.
Photo by Tom Rivers
Ierlan has another marker to give a facelift. She picked up the one about the Elba mucklands on Route 98. This is just south of the Orleans County line in the Town of Elba. (The muck includes portions of Barre, Clarendon, Byron and Elba.)
She uses a wire brush to take off the paint and then repaints the signs in blue and gold.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 9 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Henry C. Lawrence – Pharmaceutical Mentor
A native of Bainbridge, New York, Henry C. Lawrence was born on Aug. 5, 1820 to Richard Lawrence and Sarah DeZeng. Richard moved his family to Lafayette, Indiana prior to 1845 where he established “The Good Samaritan” drug store in 1844 on the north side of Lafayette’s public square. It was in 1853 that Henry would enter into a partnership with his father and younger brother, George DeZeng Lawrence.
In 1854, Henry Lawrence married Martha Stevens of Knowlesville, but their life together was short. She died on Oct. 10, 1855 at her father’s home in Orleans County. Henry remarried to Martha’s older sister Maria Stevens Flintham, the mother of Albion undertaker William S. Flintham.
Shortly after his arrival in Indiana, Lawrence became an active member of the Free and Accepted Masons, an organization emerging from the persecution of the Anti-Masonic movement of the 1830s and 1840s. In 1853 he was selected as the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Indiana and remained in that position until 1854. It was during that year that the partnership with his brother ceased and he took full ownership of the family business.
Taking considerable interest in the business, Lawrence expanded upon the basic medicines in which his father dealt; drugs, medicines, paints, and dyestuff. He added perfumes, hair dressing, fertilizers, and spirituous liquors for both recreational and medicinal uses. It was also during this time that Lawrence took an aspiring young Eli Lilly under his wing as an apprentice during the years of “The Good Samaritan” drug store.
Lilly was present during the growth and expansion of Lawrence’s business, witnessing the transformation of the business into “The City Drug Store” around 1857. Translating from a French pharmacology journal, Lawrence instructed Lilly in the method of dipping pills in molten gelatin to produce an easy-to-swallow capsule.
The mentorship between Lawrence and Lilly ended in 1858 when it was determined that Lilly was more than capable of conducting himself in the drug business. Nearly 10 years later, Lilly would set himself on a path towards developing one of the largest drug manufacturing businesses in the United States; a company that still bears his name today.
Lawrence met his untimely death in 1862 as the result of an accident and his body was interred within his father-in-law’s lot in Knowlesville.
As part of the 1868 sesquicentennial celebration of the founding of Masonry in Indiana, a bronze plaque was erected at the gravesite of Lawrence with the assistance of Eli Lilly and Company. This marker pays tribute to Lawrence, “an encouraging teacher” and mentor of a pharmaceutical giant.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – She is the girl who “changed the face of the presidency.” But for several years the historical marker noted the home of Grace Bedell in Albion has suffered from flaking paint, making it difficult to read the sign.
Bedell is the girl who wrote to Abraham Lincoln, suggesting he grow a beard. Lincoln, then a presidential candidate, took her advice and was elected.
Orleans County Historian Matt Ballard took the marker’s sign down about two weeks ago and Melissa Ierlan, the Clarendon historian, used a power wire brush to take off the rest of the paint. She then meticulously repainted the sign, including all of the lettering.
Ballard put the sign back on this afternoon with help from Jonathan Price, 18, of Kendall. Price is an intern this summer at the Cobblestone Society Museum, where Ballard is the director.
The sign on West State Street is next to Bedell’s home, which is now owned by Jim and Barb Passarell.
The marker was in sad shape before being repainted. (This was the good side. The other side had little paint left.)
Jonathan Price, the Cobblestone Museum intern, had heard the story of Grace Bedell. But he didn’t realize she was an Orleans County girl.
Grace spent most of her childhood in Albion. But when she was 11, she lived in Westfield in Chautauqua County. Abraham Lincoln was running for president at the time.
Bedell’s father Norman attended a country fair in the fall of 1860 and brought home a campaign poster featuring Abraham Lincoln and his vice presidential running mate Hannibal Hamlin.
Grace, 11, didn’t see how Lincoln could win, not with that face. He was too homely looking. But Bedell, who lived in a pro-abolitionist home, had an idea that would make Lincoln more appealing to the masses: Grow a beard.
One of the heritage-themed benches in Albion features Grace Bedell and Abraham Lincoln. Artist Peter Loran painted the bench.
On Oct. 15, 1860, Grace mailed a letter to Lincoln.
“I have got 4 brothers and part of them will vote for you any way and if you let your whiskers grow I will try and get the rest of them to vote for you. You would look a great deal better for your face is so thin. All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husbands to vote for you and then you would be President,” Grace wrote.
Lincoln took Bedell’s advice and was elected. He also wrote back to Grace on Oct. 19, 1860.
“I regret the necessity of saying I have no daughters – I have three sons – one seventeen, one nine, and one seven years of age – They, with their mother, constitute my whole family –
“As to the whiskers, having never worn any, do you not think people would call it a piece of silly affection if I were to begin it now?” Lincoln wrote to Grace.
The community of Westfield in Chautauqua County erected two bronze statues of Grace Bedell and Abraham Lincoln in 1999, commemorating Lincoln’s meeting with Bedell when a train stopped in the village in early 1861 on his way to Washington to serve as U.S. president.
The marker now proudly proclaims a beloved part of Americana.
The Bedell family had lived in Albion for 40 years before they moved to Westfield in 1859. They stayed two years before returning to Albion. After she married in 1870, Bedell left Albion to live in Kansas.
Grace is more an Albion girl than a Westfield one. Her father Norman was a partner in a stove-making company next to the canal in Albion.
Norman Bedell was a staunch abolitionist. Historians say the family attended the Albion Methodist Episcopal Church, which split into two churches in 1859 because of the turmoil over slavery. (The Albion Free Methodist Church emerged from this split. It is the first Free Methodist Church in the world.)
Bedell wanted out of the disharmony and moved to Westfield, working in a stove-making business. Railroads were spreading in the mid-1850s and started to compete with the canal for shipping goods. Westfield had a new railroad.
Mr. Bedell worked there for two years and then moved back to Albion. Grace finished school in Albion, married George Billings and then settled in Kansas. Grace lived to be 87. The couple had one son.
The community of Westfield erected these statues of Grace Bedell and Abraham Lincoln in 1999, commemorating Lincoln’s meeting with Bedell when a train stopped in the village in early 1861 on his way to Washington to serve as U.S. president. Bedell briefly lived in Westfield, and mailed her letter to Lincoln from that community.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 3 August 2015 at 12:00 am
HOLLEY – On the morning of Sept. 7, 1918, Mrs. Effie Stevens received an envelope from Lt. James A. Meissner of the 147th Aero Squadron. Her eyes gazed upon the words, “My deepest sympathy goes out to you who have sacrificed your all to the country” and with that single note her son, a respected pilot and Distinguished Service Cross recipient, was yet another casualty from Orleans County.
On July 2, 1918 near Chateau-Thierry, Lt. Stevens would earn himself a reputation as one of the most daring members of the 147th Aero Squadron when he and four other U.S. pilots engaged twelve Pfalz type enemy aircraft flying in two groups well beyond enemy lines.
After sighting the planes, Stevens quickly maneuvered into position between the aircraft and the sun, gaining the advantage with some difficulty. While three of the pilots engaged the lower formation, Stevens and 2nd Lt. Kenneth Porter engaged the upper formation in a “bold and brilliant combat,” destroying two planes.
Although marked as missing on Aug. 1, 1918, he was killed the previous day when his aircraft was shot down. His body was laid to rest by German soldiers under a rough cross adjacent to his wrecked machine. Lt. Henry Richardson of Albion wrote to his mother stating that a major visited their camp with a ball-bearing taken from a downed aircraft near Lt. Stevens’ grave.
In his most recent engagement, he was credited with defending an American supply base with five other flyers who repelled an attack of 30 German aircraft, accounting for eleven destroyed machines. His remains were reinterred at the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery at Picardie, France.
This image shows 2nd Lt. John Hulett Stevens seated atop his single-seat WWI biplane adorned in the prototypical aviator’s attire. The Cobblestone Museum is displaying the same style of French aviator goggles as part of an new exhibit, courtesy of the Orleans County Department of History..
“The Lost Generation” Exhibition, highlighting the service of Orleans County soldiers, opened on Sunday at the Cobblestone Museum in Childs. Additional virtual exhibits, oral histories, and other stories will be made available through an online collaborative project between the Cobblestone Museum and the Orleans County Department of History at orleanscountyhistorian.org.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 25 July 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Taken in 1932, this image shows a procession at St. Mary’s Assumption Parish in the Village of Albion.
Located at the intersection of Brown and Moore Streets, we see a number of men lining up in the street with a number of parishioners exiting the front of the church. Considering the clothing worn by those exiting the church, this is likely an image of a First Holy Eucharist celebration.
At the time, the parish had several societies for men and women. The banner, front and center, depicts the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus and reads, “Queen Confessors, Pray for Us.” On the obverse side is an image of St. Joseph, which reads, “Society of St. Joseph, February 1, 1903, Albion, New York.”
The beautiful handmade banner was constructed of green cloth with gold braiding and accents. The banner carried behind represented the Sacred Heart Society.
The buildings located along the left side of the street were torn down in the 1950s. The space is currently used as a parking lot. The Cobblestone Museum received the 1903 Society of St. Joseph banner as part of a generous donation in December of 2014.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – This house was built in 1893 at the corner of East State and Platt streets as the manse for the First Presbyterian Church in Albion.
ALBION – I have admired Phil and Harriette Greaser’s house in Albion for many years. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s part of the Courthouse Square District, which includes 34 sites on the National Register, including seven churches.
The Greasers were often out on the front porch together. I would wave, and compliment them on their house. They told me I could get a tour sometime.
I didn’t pursue a tour until Thursday. I wish I had tried harder sooner. Mr. Greaser passed away at age 88 on June 30.
The house has several oval-shaped windows that face the Courthouse and other historic sites in Albion. Mrs. Greaser says this is the half-moon window.
The Greasers bought the house from the Presbyterian Church in 1987. It had been the church manse, the home for the pastor, since the house was built in 1893.
The Greasers were downsizing after restoring a 22-room house in Eagle Harbor that they called “The Four Chimneys.”
The house in Albion was designed by acclaimed Rochester architect Andrew Jackson Warner. It was constructed in the Queen Anne style.
“To have this architecture – an Andrew Jackson Warner house in Albion – was a great privilege to take on,” Mrs. Greaser said.
Harriette Greaser is pictured with the staircase made of golden oak.
The Greasers would transform the house, scraping away paint and bringing back woodwork. They planted trees, hedges and a big garden of flowers and vegetables.
The Landmark Society of Western New York took notice and gave the couple a Historic Home award in 2002. In 2007, their house was featured in a Rochester magazine.
The reception room in the Greaser home puts the woodwork on display. The house includes red birch, golden oak and cucumber wood.
Mr. Greaser grew up in Pennsylvania, the son of a Baptist minister. He moved to Holley when he was 20 after serving in the Navy. His father was leading the Baptist church there at the time.
Phil Greaser would work 37 years for Kodak. He and his wife were married for 51 years and they raised four children.
He loved architecture, music and literature. One of the rooms in the house includes his library. He liked to read by a window while birds fluttered nearby outside.
The library at the Greaser home lets in lots of natural light from the windows.
Phil Greaser enjoyed the many birds that were in the backyard at the Greaser property in Albion. His children gave him the stained-glass artwork for his 80th birthday.
The house in the village, across from the Courthouse and next to the Presbyterian Church, proved convenient. Mrs. Greaser is the organist at the Holy Family Catholic Parish. Her husband was the organist for more than 50 years at the First Baptist Church.
They each have a piano in the house. Mr. Greaser played a Steinway and his wife a Knabe. She continues to teach piano lessons from her home.
After years in the country, the couple enjoyed the easy access to the library, Post Office, grocery store and other amenities in the village.
But the Greasers weren’t used to such a public location, especially when they were out weeding and doing other yard work.
Harriette Greaser is pictured in the backyard of the property at 31 East State St., where she and her husband created a garden with numerous types of flowers, as well as a sandstone walkway. The yard used to be all grass.
Many pedestrians pass by each day on Platt and East State streets. Mrs. Greaser is aware of the location’s prominent spot in a historic district and busy part of the community.
“This is a very public place and the grounds need to showcase the house,” Mrs. Greaser said. “It’s wrong to have a house like this and not invest it.”
She and her husband preferred to spend money on bushes, flowers and the landscape, rather than go out for dinner.
Mr. Greaser loved Daylilies, his wife said. They have Daylilies in several different colors.
About 20 years ago a man stopped by the Greasers and offered them this sandstone bench, thinking it would go nicely with their backyard. The couple gratefully accepted.
Mr. Greaser took on many of the building projects at the house himself. He and his wife did lots of scraping, and Mr. Greaser liked to pick reproduction wallpaper to give the interior a feel from a century ago.
His wife said the community is fortunate to have contractors who can skillfully work on historic houses. They hired Panek Coatings to paint the house on three different occasions. Steve Ernst has helped them with some of the bigger projects, especially with the chimneys.
The front room has windows with refracted glass that send bursts of light in different directions throughout the day.
“The light comes in and just sparkles,” Mrs. Greaser said.
Mrs. Greaser said she and her husband enjoyed the house, tending to details inside and outside.
They enjoyed sitting in the patio, chatting with their friends and family.
She was asked why she and her husband tried so hard to decorate the house and keep it up.
“It’s your home,” she replied. “It’s want you want to live in and be surrounded by.”
The Greasers preserved many of the historical features of the house, including this communication system within the home. People could talk to each other from the top to bottom floors with these phones mounted on the walls.
Builders of the house didn’t cut corners with the woodwood. The Greasers also kept many plants inside the house, including one that hangs from the top staircase.
This plaque notes the house is on the National Register of Historic Places.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 18 July 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Formed amidst the vast wilderness that was Upstate New York, Albion was built within dense old-growth forests that covered the region. The untouched and uncultivated land proved to be both dangerous and threatening for early settlers.
Wooded regions were filled with deadly animals that have gone unseen in this area for decades, but the most deadly threat to early settlement was fire.
Dating back to 1829, Albion’s earliest protection against the threat of fire was prevention. Fire wardens sought to eliminate dangerous scenarios that often led to devastating disasters, yet for those occasions where the inevitable fire broke out, the bucket brigade became the last defense against these deadly occurrences.
Between 1831 and 1880, Albion witnessed the development and transformation of the area’s fire fighting force from the establishment of a rudimentary group of young men to the creation of a well-developed and complex system of multiple fire companies.
The earliest fire garage was situated on North Main Street at the site of Gurney’s Old Coach Inn, then adjacent to the Village Hall. On Nov. 14, 1874 the new Village Hall was constructed on the northwest corner of East Bank and Platt Streets. On the second floor, the building contained a large auditorium for meetings and entertainment while the first floor contained village offices and space for the storage of fire apparatus.
It was during this time that Village of Albion President William B. Dye took an active interest in the establishment of a new fire company – Dye Hose Company No. 5. Under the direction of George W. O. Shourds as temporary chairman, Robert Beach was selected as President and W. Lettis as foreman of the organization with approximately ten charter members. George Shourds and Morgan A. McLean were the last two surviving charter members when the organization celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1932.
The company was formed the week ending on May 28, 1881 and the group participated in their first practice at the Orleans County Fairgrounds on July 19, 1881. Adler, Dye & Company furnished the new uniforms, which consisted of blue coats, white shirts, white caps, and white pants lined with red trim. On their second anniversary in May of 1883, the Village of Albion Trustees purchased a new four-wheeled hose cart for the company at a cost of $500.
In this image, you will see Dye Hose Company No. 5 lining up for a parade on July 4, 1889 in front of the present Village of Albion Police Station. The building originally served as a garage for fire apparatus and the original doors and many windows have since been bricked over.
It is presumed that the hose cart in tow is the original cart purchased for the company in 1883. This photograph was taken from the northeast corner of Platt and East Bank Streets looking northwest – notice the boardwalk situated along the dirt streets.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – A print shop from about a century ago is getting cleaned up with some new parts to be added to the old presses.
David Damico, a volunteer for the Cobblestone Museum, has been reorganizing the shop, which was built in 1875. It used to be in Medina, but was moved to the museum grounds on Route 98 in Gaines in the late 1977.
Damico lives in Le Roy. He also volunteers at the print shop at the Genesee Country Village in Mumford. Damico teaches graphic design and topography at Brockport State College.
The shop at the Cobblestone Museum has several cases of type.
Damico believes the shop dates to about 1910-1920, based on the type for printing and lettering, as well as the electricity for the shop and a phone on the wall.
The printing shop is like walking into a time capsule from a century ago. The site includes two printing presses from the late 1800s.
Damico is getting rollers, aprons and cleaning materials for the site that are appropriate for the time period of the shop.
A poster advertising a baseball game between Albion and Medina is on the wall in the shop. The game was to be played on Sept. 1, 1915 in Albion.
The building was constructed in the Second Empire style. It was built by William Hedley of Medina in the 1870s. Hedley purchased land on East Center Street in Medina, and also purchased land near the canal aqueduct. During that time period, Hedley owned and operated a saw mill, stone planing mill, a flour mill, and a machine shop, according to the Cobblestone Museum.
The print shop building was donated to the Cobblestone Museum in 1977 by Erling Maine.
For more on the historic buildings at the Cobblestone Museum, click here.
Damico wants to train volunteers on how to use the printing presses and equipment in the shop. He has a print shop in his basement with equipment from the 1920s.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
RIDGEWAY – The Medina Tourism Committee, State Canal Corp. and some passing cyclists celebrated a new interpretive panel on Monday morning explaining the Canal Culvert and other culverts along the Erie Canal system.
The panel is along the towpath on the north side of the Culvert.
Jim Hancock, chairman of the Medina Tourism Committee, said many cyclists, walkers and other canal users pass by the spot without realizing the remarkable culvert below.
The new panel draws attention to spot, the only place on the 363-mile-long canal where a road goes under the canal.
“This will let people know there is a significant architectural structure there,” Hancock said. “It’s one of a kind.”
Hancock helped organize the panel dedication on Monday. He wanted the event to express appreciation to the Canal Corp. for putting up the panel, and for also being a good caretaker of the nearly 200-year-old manmade waterway.
“We just wanted to say , “Thank you,'” Hancock said.
Here are some highlights of the panel, which also includes information on other culverts on the canal:
The panel notes the original culvert in Medina was dismantled in 1854 and rebuilt the following year. It was further upgraded in 1895.
Medina doesn’t have the only significant culvert on the canal system.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 11 July 2015 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – Sports enthusiasts from Medina will recognize the name Carl Fischer from his time as a major league pitcher in the 1930s. Albion residents are familiar with his newsstand, which retains his name to this day.
Yet all of Orleans County can appreciate the contributions that Fischer made to this community after his years in the big leagues.
A native of Medina, Charles W. Fischer was born on Nov. 5, 1905 and graduated from Medina High School in 1924. Following graduation he started his professional career with various minor league teams throughout the east coast before he transitioned into the limelight. Selected by the Washington Senators, Fischer debuted on July 19, 1930 in a 5-2 loss against the Cleveland Indians.
In 1932 the “Medina Mauler” was sent to the Detroit Tigers where he would experience his best days as a hurler. It was in that year that Fischer was said to have struck out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Sam Byrd consecutively in a game against the New York Yankees. Of course his career was far from glorious; Carl threw the pitch that gave Lou Gehrig his 41st home run in 1931 and the pitch that gave Joe DiMaggio his 21st home run in 1937.
In a 1933 game against the New York Yankees, Carl “Lefty” Fischer had the game well in hand until a series of walks paved the way for a Babe Ruth single and a Tony Lazzeri home run that brought both Earl Combs and Lou Gehrig in for runs. His 1933 season with the Detroit Tigers marked the best of his career, ranking 2nd in the league for pitchers with fewest home runs against, 10th in the league for strikeouts, and 9th overall for lowest earned run average. The following year in 1934, Fischer helped lead the Tigers to their first American League pennant.
Fischer capped his career with 42 wins and 50 losses, a 4.63 ERA, and having started 105 of the 191 games he played. He pitched 31 complete games, earned 3 shutouts and 10 saves with a .479 win-loss percentage. During the seasons he spent in the majors as a pitcher, he played with the Washington Senators, the Detroit Tigers, and the Cleveland Indians and earned a total of $32,000 during the length of his career, a whopping $500,000 by today’s standards (and still a fraction of player salaries today).
Upon his return to Orleans County, Carl was instrumental in the development of the Central Orleans Midget League to which he donated the “Carl Fischer Trophy” for the winning team each season.
In 1959 he opened the well-known Fischer’s Newsstand and operated the business until his death on Dec. 10, 1963, just weeks before his intended retirement. In 1964 the Village of Medina dedicated a plaque in his memory at the Medina Veteran’s Park, highlighting his career accomplishments and paying tribute to a true local sports legend.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 5 July 2015 at 12:00 am
CLARENDON – The history of Orleans County is sprinkled with the stories of our ancestors who served this great nation over the last 239 years.
As we celebrate Independence Day this weekend, it is only proper to recall the service of those men before us who risked everything they had as young men. They took up arms against what they believe to be an oppressive government focused on unfair taxation and inconsistent representation.
One such hero of the American Revolution was Lemuel Cook. A native of Northbury, Connecticut, Cook enlisted near Watertown, Connecticut at the young age of 16. He was present for the Battle of Brandywine and at Yorktown for General Cornwallis’ Surrender in 1781.
An eventual settler of Clarendon, “Lem” as he was known, would earn the distinction of the oldest pensioner of the Revolution at the time of his death on May 20, 1866 at the age of 107.
As a man in his old age, his talk became fragmented and his thoughts became scattered, but a glimmer of light appeared in his eyes when asked to recall the stories of his meetings with General Washington.
On the first occasion Washington approached Lemuel to ask “Is that your horse soldier?” Coming to attention, Lem responded, “Yes, Sir!” Placing the young lad at ease, Gen. Washington inquired of his name to which Lem responded, “Lemuel Cook, from Connecticut, Sir.”
After a quick compliment on the fine horse that Lem was tending to, Washington said, “Well, you take care of him, you will be glad you did,” and the General continued on.
The final resting place of Mr. Cook was vandalized in early 2006 and we are fortunate that quick work was made of restoring his beautiful gravestone to its rightful condition.
Nearly three years later, Lemuel would cross paths with Washington again. Minding his own business, Cook’s attention was grabbed by a deep, rich voice that called out, “Lem Cook, is that you? I thought that might be you with that Bay.”
Taken aback by the comment, Cook managed to let out a “Yes Sir, it’s very good to see you Sir.” A brief conversation concluded with yet another compliment of Cook’s fine horse; “I admire the lines of your Bay, Lem. I have one like it at Mount Vernon.”
Cook lived out the last days of his life at his home in Clarendon. In one of the last interviews conducted, he was asked to comment on the Civil War that was currently engulfing the nation. With a strong, booming voice he brought his cane down upon the floor with force shouting, “It is terrible, but terrible as it is the rebellion must be put down!”
Lem Cook was a celebrity in his day with people across the nation seeking the signature of their last living patriot. It is said that a publisher from Hartford, Connecticut sent a photographer to capture this only image of Cook in 1861.
Editor’s Note: Cook is buried at a cemetery on Munger Road in Clarendon.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 June 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – Lee Richards, pastor of the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church in Albion, preaches from the pulpit at the Cobblestone Universalist Church today.
The Pullman congregation twice a year has church at the cobblestone site in Gaines, a building from 1834. That church is oldest cobblestone church in North America and is a National Historic Landmark.
Universalists met at the cobblestone site until the new Pullman church, built with money from Albion native and business tycoon George Pullman, opened in 1895.
The Albion congregation of Unitarian-Universalists has been holding services twice a year at the cobblestone church for at least four decades, with a service the fourth Sunday in June and a patriotic service the first Sunday in July.
In honor of the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, Richards prepared a sermon as if it was June 28, 1865. He spent a month researching that time frame, looking up sermons, essays and newspaper reports.
Richards dressed as a preacher would in that era, with a large loose tie, a vest and some wild hair. Richards said people in that era hadn’t updated their clothes in years because of the war and they went without haircuts for extended periods.
The church presented a program from June 28, 1865, with the minister at that time named Nathaniel Langdon Frothingham. The church is located in a hamlet that was known then as Fairhaven.
The Cobblestone Universalist Church had endured many ministers who stayed briefly from 1834 to 1865. The church would close in 1865 and reopened in 1874 after a new minister, Rev. Nelson Snell, instilled a newfound zeal in the congregation, according to the church program from today.
During his sermon today, Richards spoke as if it was 1865 and the impending closure of the church would be “one more travesty of the terrible war that just concluded.”
The community and country, at that time, needed religion “now more than ever,” Richards said.
Richards noted the war claimed half a million lives, and left countless others wounded – missing limbs, eyes and bearing invisible scars: “from taken up arms against friends and family.”
Richards’ prepared a sermon from June 28, 1865, which was about two months after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated – “taken from us so suddenly and so shamelessly.” The country desperately needed Lincoln’s leadership for reconciliation between the north and the south, Richards said.
In his sermon, he advocated for rights and education for women and “people of the African race.” He noted that Universalist seminaries were preparing women to preach and lead churches at that time.
Jeremy Rath plays the organ in the balcony of the historic church.
Judy Wenrich dressed as a Native American woman for the service to help commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Wenrich said many Native Americans were assimilated into Christian churches in the 19th Century.
Lee Richards, right, chats with his wife Louise Wu and Matt Ballard, director of the Cobblestone Museum, following the service today. The church will hold its annual patriotic service next Sunday at 11 a.m.
Adrienne Kirby holds her daughter Rosemary after today’s service. Kirby’s father, Bill Lattin, was the Cobblestone Museum director and curator for about 40 years.
