By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Commission is working on projects, improvements for site
Photos by Tom Rivers – Stone pillars hold up large iron gates at the entrance of Boxwood Cemetery on North Gravel Road. The entrance also includes a chapel, built in 1903 from Medina Sandstone.
MEDINA – One of the area’s grandest burial grounds, Boxwood Cemetery, may soon be recognized as a historical asset, a status that could help Medina secure grants for improvements at the cemetery on North Gravel Road.
The Village of Medina and the Boxwood Commission are working with the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to have Boxwood put on the state and national registers of historic places.
Kathy Blackburn, Boxwood Commission chairwoman, said a decision at the state level is expected in December. If approved, Boxwood would join three other Orleans County cemeteries with the historic designation: Mount Albion Cemetery, Millville Cemetery and Hillside Cemetery in Clarendon.
Boxwood Cemetery has many retaining walls made of Medina Sandstone. Some of the walls need repairs.
The commission was reinvigorated last year and wants to draw more people to the cemetery for events and also make needed improvements to the site, Blackburn said.
The historic designation from the state and federal government could help the village obtain grants for resetting headstones, fixing sandstone walls, fighting erosion and tackling other projects.
The commission has made progress in the past year, Blackburn said. It has replaced the door in the chapel from 1903. A house on the cemetery has been cleaned out and the commission is debating the future for the house, perhaps as a museum.
The cemetery is home to many prominent Medina residents, including S.A. Cook who operated a bustling furniture company in Medina.
Blackburn wants to see more events at the cemetery, including lantern tours. She wants to see more flowers by grave sites.
For the second year Boxwood is participating in “National Wreaths Across America Day” on Dec. 13. For $15, wreaths can be purchased and placed at the graves for veterans. For more information, click here.
“It’s remembering and honoring the fallen, and teaching our children,” Blackburn said.
She would like to have 100 wreaths in Boxwood, and expand it to other local cemeteries next year. The Dec. 13 event will also include a ceremony with the Honor Guard and a 21-gun salute.
The 1911 Orleans County Directory lists the Hippodrome Theatre at 33 East Bank St. in Albion.
It was established by Louis Smith in 1906 as the first motion theater in Albion. Note his name on the top of the building in the upper left corner of the photo.
Smith is also listed as living over 29 East Bank St. at the time. The 1911 directory also lists Martin Britton as running a saloon at 35 East Bank St. His name appears on the window of the adjacent storefront. A sign in that window advertises: “American Brew Co Vienna Cabinet on Draught Here.”
Admission to the movie was 5 cents and I expect a draft beer was the same.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Clarendon’s first cemetery is located off Route 31A on Hibbard Road and includes the sign, “Christian Graveyard.” The town’s founder, Eldredge Farwell, is buried there.
CLARENDON – The town last month erected a historical marker for Hillside Cemetery, a sign that notes the cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Leaders of the Clarendon Historical Society are working to get more markers up, so the community and visitors can better understand and appreciate some of the town’s notable historic sites.
The markers cost about $1,200 each. The William Pomeroy Foundation paid the cost for the Hillside marker, but only after extensive research for the site.
Some of those details can be difficult to track down and pinpoint from the 1800s, making it a challenge to satisfy the Pomeroy Foundation, said Erin Anheier, a member of the Historical Society. The group may need to consider raising the funds and doing a marker each year.
“The Pomeroy Foundation wants documentation and some of these events are so old it’s hard to get documentation,” she said.
A historical marker could note the Old Stone Store, at the corner of routes 31A and 237, is built in 1836 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Anheier would like to see the community put its next historical marker by the Old Stone Store, a building the Historical Society saved from demolition about three years ago. The Historical Society teamed with the Landmark Society of Western New York and the Town of Clarendon to find a buyer and developer for the building from 1836.
Joe and Sue Fertitta are renovating the site, which was named to the National Register of Historical Places. It’s one of the oldest Medina Sandstone structures in the county.
The building was used as a general store, and also at different points housed the post office and town court functions.
George Copeland was one of the operators of the store. He lived on Church Street near Route 237. The Historical Society would live to see a historical marker by his former home, a white Greek Revival house.
The society also believes two cemeteries are deserving of markers. A cemetery on Hibbard Road, just off Route 31A, was the first in Clarendon. It bears the grave of Eldredge Farwell, the town founder.
Eldredge Farwell is buried in the cemetery on Hibbard Road. He died in 1843. Farwell discovered Clarendon in 1810 while looking for his brother Isaac’s lost horse. He traced Isaac’s footprints along the border of Sandy Creek and was impressed with the town waterfalls.
Farwell saw the waterfalls as a potential source of power for business. He moved his family to Clarendon in 1811 and built saw and grist mills. The town was originally named Farwell’s Mills but was renamed to Clarendon. Farwell was from Clarendon, Vermont.
The cemetery on Hibbard Road has a sign that says, “Christian Graveyard.”
The Historical Society would also like to put a marker by Cook Cemetery on Munger Road. That cemetery is the final resting place for Lemuel Cook.
When he died in 1866, he was 106. He is believed to be the last living Revolutionary War veteran.
Melissa Ierlan, the Clarendon town historian, unveils a historical marker on Sept. 21 for Hillside Cemetery, which last year was named to National Register of Historic Places.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 October 2014 at 12:00 am
The Jan. 4, 1920 issue of The Buffalo Express details the fatal fire.
Edward O’Brien
MEDINA – It was bitterly cold on Jan. 3, 1920 when a fire broke out of a South Main Street house owned by Walter Crisp.
Edward O’Brien was the village’s street and water superintendent. He worried the cold temperatures would crimp water pressure, making it harder for firefighters to put out the blaze.
O’Brien was on the scene, helping a firefighter place a ladder on the house when the roof caved in. The chimney then toppled and landed on O’Brien, killing him. His 9-year-old son Francis was there for his father’s last breath before running home to get his mother, according to the Jan. 4, 1920 edition of The Buffalo Express.
File photo by Tom Rivers – Medina firefighters Josh Wolck, left, and Matt Jackson served as the honor guard for a new firefighters’ memorial in front of City Hall that was dedicated Sept. 28, 2013. There will be another memorial service at 10 a.m. today and Edward O’Brien’s name will be added to a brick by the memorial.
About a year ago the Fire Department dedicated a new memorial outside City Hall for firefighters who died in the line of duty and also unveiled memorial bricks in honor of past firefighters who have since died.
Today, O’Brien will be recognized with a memorial brick as part of a memorial service at 10 a.m. outside City Hall.
Jonathan Higgins, a captain with the Medina FD, said the department wants to honor O’Brien for his heroic efforts.
The department learned about O’Brien’s tragic death after the memorial was erected about a year ago. Some of O’Brien’s family are expected for today’s service.
The memorial service will precede the department’s annual open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. That will include a chicken barbecue, an opportunity to meet firefighters and tour fire trucks, experience a rollover simulator and give in a blood drive.
GAINES – In this photo from the 1930s we see Dr. William E. Burbank looking over his flowers.
The picture was taken in front of his office and residence located in a brick building at Gaines. This was close to the intersection of rotes 104 and 279.
Dr. Burbank (1860-1947) was an old-time country doctor who also served the rural schools in Gaines back when this picture was taken.
(Editor’s note: The Cobblestone Museum currently has an exhibit on many of the doctors in the county from more than a century ago, as well as many medical and pharmaceutical tools from yesteryear. Click here for more information.)
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 September 2014 at 12:00 am
Provided photo – Three of the five museum leaders are pictured for the Museum Crawl from Batavia to Point Breeze on Saturday. Pictured, from left, include Amy Vlack from the Elba Historical Society Museum, Jeff Donahue from the Holland Land Office Museum in Batavia, and Sarah Karas from The Cobblestone Museum.
Five historic sites along Route 98, from Batavia to Point Breeze, are joining for their first “Museum Crawl” on Saturday. Participants can buy one ticket for $5 and get access to all five sites.
The museums all tell an American story, from the birthplace of Western New York at the Holland Land Office Museum in Batavia to sites that showcase architecture, home life, agriculture, a schoolhouse and even outhouses from more than a century ago.
“I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to partner with some of the local historical organizations in our community,” said Sarah Karas, co-director of the Cobblestone Museum. “It is a great way to support each other.”
The Cobblestone Museum includes several historic structures. The museum has been declared a National Historic Landmark. The Holland Land Office Museum also has that lofty designation.
The DAR House in Albion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That site will be included on the Museum Crawl, and so will the Elba Historical Society Museum and Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum.
Karas highlighted some of the features from each site:
The Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum, completed in 2010, is the first lighthouse built on the Great Lakes in 100 years.
The Cobblestone Museum preserves the unique cobblestone masonry style and life during the 1800s.
The Orleans County Chapter DAR House is a Greek revival building with period furnishings and contains early Orleans County artifacts.
The Elba Historical Society Museum is full of local artifacts and information, including the designation as the location of the first rural mail route in the country.
The Holland Land Office Museum, which occupies the historic Holland Land Office Company Building, contains a rich history of how Western New York was settled.
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Cobblestone Museum is a National Historic Landmark, the only site in Orleans County with that status from the U.S. Departent of the Interior.
“Each museum brings their own unique charm to the tour,” Karas said. “None of them are the same, so you will be learning something new at each one.”
The crawl runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, with the exception of the DAR House, which will be open from 12:30 to 5 p.m. for the event. (The DAR House will be open at 11:30 a.m. for a presentation on the Clarendon Historical Society and Cobblestone Museum’s efforts to restore a red fox that was stuffed 134 years ago by famed taxidermist Carl Akeley when he was only 16. The Cobblestone Museum owns the Akeley fox.)
“This will be a great opportunity to learn about local history,” said Diane Palmer, vice regent for the DAR and also a board member for the Cobblestone Museum. “People can stop by places they may have intended to visit but haven’t taken the time.”
The Cobblestone Museum is also hosting children’s author Cynthia Cotten for a book signing. Her book “Window Across Time” will be available for purchase at the museum. Cotton lives along the canal in Lockport. Her book spans almost two centuries, and consists of eight stories linked together by a cobblestone house in a fictional small town on the Erie Canal. Through the eyes of the young people who live there, readers get a look inside (or a window to) both large and small moments in the history of the house, Western New York and the United States.
Photo by Tom Rivers – The DAR House, at the corner of Route 98 and Linwood Avenue, will be open to the public from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the Museum Crawl.
Passbooks for the Crawl are $5 per person or $10 per family. They can be purchased pre-sale or day of the event at each museum and two local participating businesses: Bindings Bookstore in Albion and Chap’s Diner in Elba.
Participants will have their passbook stamped at each museum. Once all five stamps are collected, a certificate will be given that can be redeemed at one of the five local restaurants offering special promotions for Crawl participants. The restaurants participating this year include Oliver’s Candies, Chap’s Diner, The Crooked Door, Tillman’s Village Inn and the Black North. Crawl finishers will also be entered to win a souvenir basket from each museum.
The museums can be visited in any order at any time throughout the day. However, organizers suggest starting at either the Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum or the Holland Land Office Museum and working your way through the museums in a linear fashion.
“It is a great way to get out and support your local museums, culture, and history while also having a good time.,” Karas said. “We hope to expand it out next year to make it even bigger and better.”
ALBION – In this picture from the 1950s we see the Albion municipal water system, pumping station and treatment plant which was located just west of the village, north of the Erie Canal.
Pools of water are being aired here for purification. This came from wells and Otter Creek before the present water treatment plant on Lake Ontario opened in the early 1960s.
The original Albion Water Works Co. was organized in 1887 with water being distributed for domestic use in the fall of 1888. An iron standpipe (water tower) was part of this system and was located on South Main Street and Allen Road. A second standpipe was added in the mid-1930s.
Laverne Kimball was the plant superintendent when our photo was taken. He and his wife Iva lived in the two-story brick residence that appears in the background.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 September 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Zach Shaffer portrays Noah Davis, who grew up poor but was later an esteemed judge. He was elected to Congress in 1869 and appointed US District Attorney by President Grant. David was elected a State Supreme Court justice and presided over the trial of William “Boss” Tweed.
Davis was one of 13 prominent Albion residents highlighted on the sixth annual Ghost Walk on Saturday at Mount Albion Cemetery. There were 66 students involved, serving as “ghosts,” tour guides, singers and on the tech crew.
Shannon Broda portrays Laura Ward, who was married to Judge Alexis Ward, who was instrumental in the development of the Rochester-Lockport-Niagara Falls Railroad. He was elected to the State Assembly in 1854, but died before taking office.
Kyle Thaine portrays Rufus Bullock, who grew up in Albion, was a railroad official in George and was elected that state’s governor in 1868. He was instrumental in the reconstruction of Georgia after the Civil War.
The steps leading up to the Civil War memorial at the cemetery were aglow for the Ghost Walk, which was attended by about 500 people.
William Pecorella portrays Starr Chester, a shoemaker from Gaines. He operated his shoe shop on Ridge Road. That shop was later moved to the Cobblestone Museum, where the building was restored as the John G. Peters Harness Shop.
Evan Steier portrays Judge Arad Thomas who served as county judge from 1860 to 1864. He wrote a book about pioneers in Orleans County. That book published in 1871 – “Pioneer History of Orleans County” – has been a valuable resource for the Ghost Walk.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 September 2014 at 12:00 am
6th Annual Ghost Walk is Saturday at Mount Albion
File photo by Tom Rivers – In this photo from last year’s Ghost Walk, student Chey-Rain Eagle depicts Elizabeth Proctor, the third wife of John Proctor. He is considered the “Paul Revere of Gaines” for riding his horse and alerting residents all the way to Lewiston that the British were coming.
ALBION – Students will again bring famous and not-so-famous Albion residents back to life on Saturday for the sixth annual Ghost Walk at Mount Albion Cemetery.
The event typically is a sell-out, and 400 of the 500 spots have already been claimed. Susan Starkweather Miller, one of the coordinators of the project, said there are still spots available between 5 and 6:30 p.m. Residents can call up to 11 a.m. on Saturday to RSVP. Call Starkweather Miller at 589-2087 to reserve a spot.
Attendees are encouraged to park at the elementary school, and a bus will shuttle every 15 minutes between the school and cemetery.
“We still have spots open,” Starkweather Miller said this afternoon. “It makes the kids so happy when we fill up.”
Tickets are $5 each and proceeds are used for community projects. The student participants will meet to decide how to spend the money.
Some of the Albionites featured on the Ghost Walk include the following:
Rufus Brown Bullock, Governor of Georgia after the Civil War;
Dr. Elizabeth Harriet Denio, University of Rochester professor of Art History and German, who helped establish Memorial Art Gallery, and wrote definitive work on painter Nicholas Poussin;
Judge Noah Davis, presided at the trial of Boss Tweed and law partner of Sanford Church;
David Hardie, first to form a volunteer company from Orleans County to fight in Civil War;
Nehemiah Ingersoll, instrumental in Albion’s development and its selection as county seat;
Starr Chester, owner of shoe-making building that is part of Cobblestone Museum;
Dr. Elizabeth Vaile, Orleans County physician who visited soldiers during Civil War;
James Lewis and Emily Pullman, whose famous son, George, provided funds to build the Pullman Universalist Church in their memory;
Alexis Ward, Orleans County judge who was instrumental in securing Niagara Falls-Lockport-Rochester Railroad and Niagara Falls Suspension bridge;
Hiram Curtis, ran a successful foundry and built agricultural implements;
Jennie Curtis, first woman prisoner of the Civil War, an accused spy;
Caroline Phipps Achilles, opened the Phipps Union Seminary for girls;
Judge Arad Thomas, in 1871 published The Pioneer History of Orleans County.
ALBION – Charles W. Fairbanks took this picture in the early 1930s of Russell Braley and Dr. Ben Howes on East Bank Street in Albion.
Fairbanks entitled this unposed moment in time: “That ain’t the way I heer’d it.” The photo was entered into the Amateur Snapshot Contest sponsored by a Rochester newspaper and appeared as we see it in a supplement.
In 1929 these men stood in the world’s largest pie tin at the Orleans County Fair in Albion. The World’s Largest Pie (apple) was conceived by Charles Howard in order to promote the apple industry and visitation to the fair.
Pictured, from left, include: Howard Olds, superintendent of the Agriculture Society; Myron Babbitt, treasurer of the Agriculture Society; William McKenna, village trustee; the baker of the pie (not named); J.W. Cramer, village trustee; Daniel Hanley, Albion mayor; L.S. Higley, Orleans County sheriff; Fred Wolf; Eugene Mahoney, village clerk; and Warner Thompson, village treasurer.
The pie tin appears on rails where it was to be used in baking.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 September 2014 at 12:00 am
Community makes push to restore chapel
Photos by Tom Rivers – Melissa Ierlan, the Clarendon town historian, unveils a historical marker this afternoon for Hillside Cemetery, which last year was named to National Register of Historic Places.
Clarendon Town Supervisor Richard Moy said the town supports the effort to restore the chapel, which was built in 1894 from local Medina sandstone.
HOLLEY – A year ago the U.S. Department of Interior gave lofty status to Hillside Cemetery by placing it on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today a historical marker was unveiled to highlight that recognition. A grant from the William Pomeroy Foundation paid the $1,280 cost for the marker.
The Holley and Clarendon community held an open house celebration for the chapel at the cemetery and Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin gave a tour of the chapel and cemetery. Town officials and the Clarendon Historical Society also urged the community to help restore the chapel, which needs a new roof, wooden window frames, some mortar repointing and repainting inside.
The chapel was open for tours today as part of a celebration for the site being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The town is seeking a state grant to help with the $225,000 overall project. Town Historian Melissa Ierlan and Clarendon Historical Society member Erin Anheier are leading the effort to restore the chapel. They worked on the grant application and also the National Register nomination.
“The community owes them a big debt of gratitude,” said Richard Moy, Clarendon town supervisor.
Erin Anheier tells the community the chapel and cemetery are a “treasure.”
The town has owned Hillside Cemetery since the Hillside Cemetery Association disbanded about a decade ago. The cemetery is located at the corner of Route 237 and South Holley Road.
The cemetery opened in 1866 and was designed in the 19th century “Rural Cemetery Movement.” That is on the eastern side of the cemetery where the gravesides are dug into the side of the hill.
The 20th century “Lawn Style” approach is seen in the western portion. The cemetery has many beautiful gravestones that are works of art, Anheier said.
“We’re here to celebrate the historic treasure in our midst,” Anheier said when addressing about 50 people today.
Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin leads a tour of Hillside Cemetery. He is pictured with a crowd outside the chapel.
This photo was taken from the inside of the chapel, looking through one of the windows.
The chapel was built in 1894. It remains much like its original state with no alterations inside. However, the roof needs to be replaced and wooden window frames are rotting.
Anheier and Ierlan want the chapel to again be available for funerals. The site also has fine acoustics for concerts. Amy Harris played her flute during a reception this afternoon inside the chapel.
Melissa Ierlan, the town historian, leads a tour of the mortuary chamber, which has room for 48 caskets. The space continues to be used to store some caskets during the winter when the ground is frozen.
This picture was taken looking up from the mortuary chambers to the stairs leading to the main chapel room.
The National Register listing should boost the town’s chances for securing funding for the chapel restoration. The Historical Society and town would like to use the building for community events in the future.
Donations of more than $1,000 will be recognized with a plaque in the restored chapel. Donations can be sent to the Clarendon Historical Society Chapel Fund, P.O. Box 124, Clarendon, NY, 14429.
For more information, call the Town Hall at 585-638-6371 ext. 104 or email clarendon_hs@yahoo.com.
Amy Harris plays her flute during a reception today inside the chapel at Hillside Cemetery.
ALBION – In this picture from 1965 we see officers of the Albion Chapter of the American Red Cross for 1965-1966. This picture was taken at Marti’s Restaurant following the chapter’s annual banquet.
Pictured, from left: Mrs. Melvin Stetson, secretary; Mr. Charles Sweeney, first vice chairman; Dorothy Cliff, executive secretary; Mr. Andrew DeCarlo, third vice chairman; Mr. David Doyle, chapter chairman; and Mrs. Ted Swierczinski, treasurer. Absent from photo: Mr. Curtis Lyman, second vice chairman.
ALBION – In this picture from 1904 we see a great view of Main Street in Albion looking north from State Street.
The Swan Library, which opened in 1900, prominently shows here. Odd Fellows had not yet built their temple next to the library. The temple was erected in 1907.
Likewise, the BL & R Trolley Depot behind the library had not yet been built. That occurred in 1908.
Main Street was still unpaved, yet we see improved cross walks. A number of hitching posts appear down the street, most of which are cast iron.
The first house down the street from the library was torn down in 1924 when Will Robson built the Rialto Theatre. Albion got electric street lights in 1890 and we see one of these hanging off cables in the upper left corner of our picture.
