By Matt Ballard
Cobblestone Society Museum co-director

LYNDONVILLE – This small building, standing on the east side of Main Street in the Village of Lyndonville, once served as the office of Dr. John D. Warren.

Later, this same building was used by Dr. Warren’s son-in-law, Dr. Charles E. Fairman. It was common practice for a physician to have a smaller building located near their home for use as an office. Many homes had separate wings or extensions that served as the location for their practice.

Dr. Warren was well known for his interest in fruit and vegetable drying. Around 1880, he submitted a patent for “Warren’s Vegetable Soup Package,” the precursor to the instant soup packets we currently use today. Later that same year, Gaines farmer A. J. Palmer assigned half of the patent for his fruit dryer to Dr. Warren. The Cobblestone Museum has the patent model of Palmer’s fruit dryer on display in the Farmer’s Hall.

Editor’s Note: The Cobblestone Museum is hosting an exhibit, “Medicine at the Museum,” through Oct. 13, The exhibit displays a collection of medical artifacts from the Rexall Drug Store in Albion and features over 20 local physicians and pharmaceutical giants.

The museum in August and September also will have a four-part lecture series about the development of the medical profession in Western New York. The series starts with the development of Buffalo’s Medical College in the 1840s, and goes through the progression of 19th century medicine from the establishment of WNY health spas and sanitariums to the trivial and candid stories of Orleans County physicians. The series will conclude with a look into the Victorian culture surrounding death and illness in the 19th century.

For more information about the museum and its events, click here.

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

ALBION – State Sen. Austin Erwin is seen on Aug. 28, 1960, laying the cornerstone at the new Orleans County Infirmary on Route 31 in Albion.

On the 25th anniversary of this event, the name was changed to the Orleans County Nursing Home. It is now known as The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center.

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

CHILDS – In this picture from the summer of 1977 we see the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Ward House at the Cobblestone Museum in Childs.

Cobblestone Society board members, along with Congressman John LaFalce, appear behind the ribbon. In front, from left, include: Bernard Lynch, Evelyn Lyman, Congressman LaFalce (who is about to cut the ribbon), Cary H. Lattin, and Cary W. Lattin, the museum director.

In back, from left, include: Ward Wilson, Donna Rodden, Bea Davis, Donald Ross, George Wolfe, Josephine Howard and Alma Starkweather. A couple other people are in the picture but their faces do not show.

The cobblestone Ward House was first used as a church parsonage and later owned briefly in the 1860s by Horace Greeley, an influential newspaper editor who opposed slavery and ran for president in 1872.

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

ALBION – In this picture from 1904 we see the race track, two grandstands full of people and the judges’ stand.

The photo is entitled: “Ready for the Trot at the County Fair.”

At the time horse racing was Americans’ favorite sport. The fairgrounds was located off West State Street in Albion with numerous buildings including stables and a very fine race track.

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

MEDINA – The Medina Canal Basin was under construction when this picture was taken July 31, 1913. In the center we see the great retaining wall being built using wooden forms for poured concrete.

A number of derricks appear along the side of this wall. A steam engine on tracks in the bottom of the canal provides power. The back side of the business blocks on Main Street show at far left.

A temporary work building is seen in the lower right corner above which appears Oak Orchard River. Along with steam power we also notice man power in the foreground as well as horsepower drawing a wagon on the lane.

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

GAINES – Our color photo shows a small building in Gaines as it looked in 1987 when given by Rose Welles to the Cobblestone Museum.

This was moved in August 1987 from next to the Chatterbox Restaurant to Route 98 in Childs. It had been built in 1838 for a shoe shop by Starr Chester. Once at the museum grounds, the building was restored inside and out.

In the mid-1960s the children of John G. Peters from Lyndonville had given the Cobblestone Museum the contents of their father’s harness shop following his death at age 85 in 1963.

The black and white photo taken 25 years ago in July 1989 shows the dedication ceremony, when the small building opened as the John G. Peters Harness Shop.

Bill Lattin, director of the museum at the time, and the late William Nestle, president of the Cobblestone Society back then, appear on the front porch. Other participants at the dedication are seated on the porch of the museum print shop next door.

County Legislators Ronald Radzinski and William Vick are visible along with Rev. Hilda Spann and the Rev. Steve Devine.

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

BARRE – It is believed this photo was taken in the Town of Barre in the late 1920s or early 1930s.

It shows two men on a horse-drawn hay wagon pitching around loose hay to level the load. What is of particular interest is the mechanical hay loader being pulled in the rear. This greatly saved on manpower and eliminated having men on the ground to pitch hay onto the wagon.

All this kind of work was done before hay was commonly baled.

By Bill Lattin, Orleans County Historian

MILLVILLE – This clever post card was mailed in 1914 from Medina.

The tipped-on photograph shows a scene in Millville at the time. Here are we looking west onto Maple Ridge Road from the intersection of West Countyhouse Road and West Lee Road.

The tower of the Millville Methodist Church shows above the trees. Next to this is the Methodist parsonage, which was removed many years ago with the site now a parking lot.

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

HOLLEY – In this postcard view from 1908 we note it’s labeled “Trolley Road and Glen, Holley, N.Y.”

The picture was taken right after the BL & R trolley tracks were paid at the top of the very high embankment. This photo looking northeast from the glen shows the east branch of Sandy Creek where it goes under the canal.

Back in 1908 the trolley tracks were adjacent to the canal bank through here. Today the embankment is totally covered with a dense overgrowth of trees.

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

Two local residents, Harry Spencer (left) and Bruce Baldwin, obviously had a very successful fishing expedition when this photo was taken about a century ago.

The picture is from a post card by J. Cliff Pennock from Chaffey’s Lock in Ontario, Canada.

A summer type resort hotel appears in the background.

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

ALBION – In this post card view from around 1910 we see the Lewis E. Sands Company.

Sands was known as “The Bean King.” His produce business was located north of the railroad tracks at West Academy Street in Albion.

Here we notice a box car which is probably about to be loaded with sacks of beans off the horse drawn wagon.

A number of employees appear to be posing from the windows of the building.

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

The noted Civil War photographer, Mathew Brady, took this picture at Camp Cameron in Washington, D.C. during 1861.

The men are identified from left as Pt. Samuel Sherman, F.E.T. Cotter, William H. Gibson, Captain William H. Smith, Pt. R.P. Gibson and William H. Lent.

Captain Smith of the 151st Infantry was a volunteer from Gaines.

In this tent scene we note a sign on the tent which states, in part: “Crow’s Nest!”

A cook stove with stove pipe shows to the left rear of the picture.

Photo by Tom Rivers

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

CHILDS – It was 32 years ago on July 4, 1982, that this picture was taken for the ribbon-cutting at the Liberty Pole.

The block of stone is inscribed as follows: “To the people of Gaines this Liberty Pole Replica was erected in the Year of the Eagle 1982 by the Cobblestone Society.”

The Liberty Pole is located by Farmers Hall on Route 98 in Childs, just south of Route 104.

Officials from left to right include: Richard Cook, chairman of buildings and grounds for the museum; Arthur “Dick” Eddy, Orleans County legislator; Steve Hawley, state assemblyman; James Hubbell, Gaines town councilman; Roger Rush, Gaines town councilman; Ronald “Butch” Radzinski, Gaines town supervisor; and David Vagg, Gaines town councilman. Sheret Post NO. 35 Color Guard stands in the background.

The Liberty Pole by the Cobblestone Museum is a replica of the poles that were popular during the Revolutionary War. The tall wooden poles were typically put up in town squares. They were painted red on top, a sign of defiance against British rule.

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

ALBION – This picture was taken on Sept.10, 1885 at the laying of the cornerstone of Bruen Memorial Chapel. This is now the parish house of Christ Episcopal Church in Albion.

Dignitaries in the photo include, seated, from left: William J. Hannington, clerk of the Vestry; Rev. C.T. Seibt, S.T.D.; Rev. W.W. Walsh; Rev. S.H. Cook; Rev. G.W. Southwell; Rev. W. D’Orville Doty, D.D.; Rev. Noble Palmer; Rev. Sidney Wilbur and Zephaniah Clarke, senior warden.

Standing, from left: Howard Abeel; W. Crawford Ramsdale, junior warden; W.S. Danolds; R.C. Tobias; John Hull White; Rev. Francis S. Dunham, rector of Christ Church; Joseph A. Wall and George H. Thatcher.

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

ALBION – In this photo from the mid-1940s we see Walt Disney looking over the shoulder of one of his chief illustrators, Henry L. Porter (1901-1951).

Porter was a native of Albion where he attended Albion High School. From there he studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and became a commercial artist. After working at his own business in Buffalo, he then joined the Disney Studio in 1936, working on cartoon films. He created many of the characters in Disney’s 1941 film “Fantasia.”

In fact it was Henry Porter who created the cartoon character Donald Duck. Because he worked for Disney, all credit went to the studio.