ALBION – Officers of the Catholic Daughters are shown here with Father Eugene Slomba, assistant priest of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, back in the mid-1960s.
Front row, from left: Florence Pilato, Cecelia Leigh, Grace Monacelli and Dorothy Murray.
Back row: Lena Manella, Catherine DiLaura, Jean Shervin, Father Slomba, Elizabeth Eckert and Corinne Pahura.
This picture was taken at what was then the new K of C hall on East Avenue in Albion.
MEDINA – In this view from April 3, 1914, we see the construction that was taking place on the Medina Canal Basin.
The top of the aqueduct over the Oak Orchard Creek shows in the lower left. Wooden forms are seen for the high retaining wall in the center, which is being worked on.
In the middle background is the tower of St. John’s Episcopal Church. Steam-powered equipment was in use at the time.
WEST BARRE – A child watches as August Rhodey of West Barre nails a horseshoe to a horse’s hoof.
This picture from around 100 years ago shows his blacksmith shop in the background. Horse shoeing and repairing were the most common things a blacksmith did at the time this picture was taken.
An itinerant photographer took this picture of an apiarist showing off his beehives during the first decade of the 20th Century.
A one-room schoolhouse shows in the background. A telephone pole may also be seen directly behind the beekeeper.
It is believed the picture was taken in either the Town of Barre or Town of Clarendon.
A glass negative was used for this image. Note the wooden boxes of combed honey on either side of the beekeeper along with the bee smoker device in front.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Canadians fought in the Civil War
Photos by Tom Rivers – Ken Miller of Niagara on the Lake in Canada portrays Gen. James Longstreet, a commander in Northern Virginia under director of Robert E. Lee, who called Longstreet “Old War Horse.”
For the past three days Ken Miller of Niagara on the Lake in Canada transformed in General James Longstreet. Miller was one of the most popular re-enactors at the Civil War Encampment at Medina.
He traveled down Main Street by carriage in a parade on Saturday. He also joined other generals in meeting customers at Medina diners.
Miller brewed coffee over an open fire at his camp site at the Medina GCC Campus. He welcomed conversation.
Miller can talk the finer points of combat in the Civil War. But he prefers to talk about Canada’s role in the war. Canadians had about 60,000 men in the war, including 11,500 in the Confederacy.
“Most people don’t know that,” Miller said.
He goes to about dozen Civil War Encampments each year. Many are in Canada. He is happy to cross the border and join events in the States.
“I like to teach and promote Canada’s involvement,” Miller said.
Engineers were valued for building bridges – fast
Ray Ball of West Seneca wears a slouch hat and portrays J.C. Duane, who served in the U.S. Engineers. ‘The insignia of the Engineers was a source of pride,” he said.
The Civil War soldiers traveled in huge processionals, sometimes 13 miles long with supplies, weapons and the infantry. And they were often crossing the wilderness.
The U.S. Engineers were invaluable, and they were tasked with building bridges, barracks and forts – “bridges especially,” said Ray Ball, who portrays J.C. Duane, an engineer in the war.
“It’s our job to put together bridges – very fast,” he said.
Ball is a history teacher at West Seneca. He served with the engineers in the Army about three decades ago. Many of the leading officers and generals, such as Robert E. Lee, were engineers.
“The engineers were guarded,” Duane said. “They saw very little combat.”
Duane marvels at how the engineers would use raw timber to build sturdy supports, especially for cannons that weighed 19,000 pounds.
Camaraderie for friends and family in war
Lyne Lain and her husband Harry are Confederate soldiers in the 21st Georgia.
Lyne Lain and her husband Harry Lain are in their second season traveling to encampments as Confederate soldiers. Lyne portrayed a soldier she called “Len.”
She slept in tents on chilly nights in Medina as part of this weekend’s encampment. She and her husband and their son Bill left the comforts of home to join about 100 other re-enactors in Medina.
“It doesn’t bother me, sleeping in a tent,” she said. “I enjoy these events because you meet a lot of neat people.”
Mrs. Lain cooks over an open fire and shuns modern technology, at least for a weekend.
“I’m an avid hunter,” she said. “I enjoy being a part of it.”
She and her husband own a cider mill in Canisteo in Steuben County. They also have a logging business and a dairy farm.
The Lains also host their own Civil War Encampment. This year it’s June 7-8, overlooking the Canisteo Valley.
They came to Medina for the weekend to support the encampment and welcome re-enactors and the public to their event: “The Battle at Lain’s Mill.”
“If you don’t celebrate other people’s events, they won’t come to yours,” Mr. Lain said.
Lincoln has ‘instant recognition’ with public
David Kreutz has been an Abraham Lincoln presenter since 1996. He is retired from General Motors, where he worked in production, drove a forklift and “did a little bit of everything.”
David Kreutz of Lancaster draws a crowd at Civil War re-enactments. No one is more recognizable. Kreutz has been an Abraham Lincoln presenter since 1996. He is one if 186 in the country in the Association of Lincoln Presenters.
He has attended many national events and met presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
“Other than Christ, Lincoln is the most famous person,” Kreutz said. “You have instant recognition.”
Kreutz is tall like Lincoln and enjoys mingling with the crowd. On Saturday morning in Medina he visited six restaurants. He also posed for pictures in the Bent’s Opera House, which was built during the Civil War.
He rode in carriage during a parade with a re-enactor portraying General Grant.
Photos by Sue Cook – The following were recognized as Heritage Heroes on Friday at GCC during the Civil War Encampment, from left: Bill Lattin, Matthew Ballard, Chris Busch, Robert Waters (also accepting for Craig Lacey), and Clarendon Town Historian Melissa Ierlan (accepting on behalf of Erin Anheier).
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
MEDINA – Five Orleans County residents were honored in the inaugural class of Heritage Heroes on Friday night. The ‘Heroes’ included a lifetime achievement award for Bill Lattin, the county historian who has been active in many preservation projects at the Cobblestone Society Museum, Mount Albion Cemetery and many other local efforts.
“Not only are they deserving, they are worth of emulation,” said Derek Maxfield, a GCC history professor who served on the Heritage Heroes Committee. “The concentration of people here that are worried about history and heritage is remarkable.”
Maxfield pushed to recognize local residents who have saved buildings, cared for cemeteries, and fought to change a culture that often prefers demolition over restoration.
The Heritage Heroes were presented framed certificates, and citations from State Assemblyman Steve Hawley and Sen. George Maziarz. County Legislator Bill Eick presented the award winners with citations from the County Legislature.
Robert Waters received an award for being active in the Medina community with the repurposing of the Medina Armory and the founding of the Medina Sandstone Society. He has committed to many efforts to bring history into the present.
“They say you can’t live in the past,” Waters said. “That’s a lot of baloney.”
Waters wants the community to look to the past for inspiration about boldness and courage. This should be a push for people to reflect and want to make the present even better.
Waters also accepted an award on Craig Lacy’s behalf, as Lacy was unable to attend. Lacy has been an active participant in Medina as well, including his term as former president and current vice president of the Medina Historical Society. He also compiled a book of articles written by former Medina Village Historian Russell J. Waldo entitled “Medina’s Hitching Post Days.”
“I don’t think anybody can appreciate the hundreds and maybe thousands of hours it took him to produce the thick volumes of columns Mr. Waldo did many years ago. Craig pulled this out of nowhere and brought it to life,” Waters said.
Matthew Ballard of Albion accepted his award for his genealogical support of the Polish community. A noteworthy achievement is his creation of a Polish genealogy website – Albionpolonia.com. Ballard wanted to highlight the contributions of the Polish community.
Ballard said he never expected to be recognized for his work. “For me it’s always been a labor of love.”
Erin Anheier was also unable to attend the evening’s event. In her place, Clarendon Town Historian Melissa Ierlan accepted the award. She explained that Anheier found her love of history through her family, especially her mother.
Anheier has helped Clarendon to see the importance of its history through its buildings and was able to get a few listed on the National Register, including her cobblestone home, the Old Stone Store and Hillside Cemetery.
Chris Busch is also an advocate of historic preservation. He has been a part of the Bent Opera House restoration, as well as St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church. He has worked to keep Medina’s historical character.
He serves as chairman of Medina’s Planning Board, which has set policy for preserving the character of the historic downtown business district.
Chris Busch, left, is recognized by GCC Dean Jim Simon.
Busch recalled that he was fascinated in school learning about World War II and when his father found out, he told Busch “I was there.” That real connection to history was driven home to Busch/ He said he appreciated what he learned even more and knows that it is a part of his own personal history.
“This is truly humbling to be honored for something that is simply me,” he said.
Lastly, Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin was surprised with an award for his services. Orleans Hub editor Tom Rivers explained Lattin’s ability to find the extraordinary ordinary in front of all of us.
Lattin commits to spreading history wherever he goes and encourages the community, including students, to get involved in the preservation, whether it is buildings, photographs or stories.
“Those who forget the past have no future,” Lattin said, quoting his father, a former county historian.
The Heritage Heroes have given the community something to strive for in their own lives. Whether it is simply cleaning up a neighborhood or preserving old photographs, Orleans County has role models for improving our lives through the remembrance of our past.
HOLLEY – Shown here are members of the girls basketball team for Holley High School in 1923-1924.
It’s interesting to note they stood on the front steps of St. Mary’s Church for this picture.
Front row, from left: Mildred Ventriss “Cicero”, center; Ferne Wilson “Bozo”, guard (captain); Ruth Cole “Cashi”, sub – side center; and Evelyn Robinson “Bolzy”, forward.
Top row: Dorothy Neidert “Darcy”, forward; Louise Wilson “Louise”, guard; Doris Cole “Dor”, coach; Georgia Smith “Fat”, side center (manager); and Anita Brockway “Neat”, sub – forward.
ALBION – A course in Home Economics was introduced into the Albion High School curriculum in 1934. It was first taught by Miss Evelyn S. Fischer, a graduate of Cornell University.
The late Fred Holt took this picture 80 years ago of high school girls in the kitchen area of the Home Economics classroom. This was located on the third floor of the old high school, which is now the Carl I. Bergeson Middle School.
Teen-agers looked a lot older, somehow back then, than they do now.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Heritage Hero: Erin Anheier
Photo by Tom Rivers – Erin Anheier is pictured at Hillside Cemetery in Clarendon with a chapel from 1894 in the background. Anheier wrote the application to get the site on the National Register of Historic Places. She said a fund-raising campaign may be needed to refurbish the chapel, particularly some of the window panes that are rotting.
CLARENDON – When Erin Anheier retired as personnel director for Delphi in Michigan, she wanted to come back to her roots.
In 2008, she and her husband Russ Bosch bought a cobblestone house on Bennetts Corners Road. It’s not too far from where she grew up on West Sweden Road, just across the Orleans County line.
Anheier’s house was built in 1849 and the masonry includes lake-washed cobblestones.
“They are very carefully sized and arranged,” she said. “You can see the skill in the masonry and it’s spectacular.”
Anheier wanted to recognize that effort and she applied to have the house listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It made the list in 2010.
Anheier was content to live in her old home and be back in the area with her family.
“I’ve always loved it here,” she said. “The area is beautiful. I like the change of seasons and the topography.”
But her experience working on the National Register application, and her heightened awareness of local historical resources, soon came into play.
Courtesy of Erin Anheier – When Anheier moved back to the area in 2008 after a career with Delphi in Michigan, she and her husband picked this cobblestone home on Bennetts Corners Road. They made repairs to the house and got it listed on the National Register.
The Old Stone Store, a mainstay at the corner of routes 31A and 237 since 1836, was going to be demolished. Town officials and many residents saw the building as an eyesore.
But Anheier saw it as an important part of the town’s history and identity. She helped to rally support for the building. The town held off on the wrecking ball, while Anheier and other volunteers cleaned up some of the site.
She connected with the Landmark Society of Western New York, which worked with Anheier to get the building on the National Register. The Landmark Society also teamed with the town to market the property. The Old Stone Store is one of the oldest stone commercial buildings in the region.
Joe and Sue Fertitta bought the Old Stone Store and have been renovating it. They expect to have a tenant living in the upstairs and the first floor available for offices. Besides gutting and renovating the building, the couple plans to put on a front porch to match the building’s original look.
“This shows it can be done,” Anheier, chairwoman of the Old Stone Store Preservation Committee, said in October during a town meeting. “These buildings can be saved.”
File photo by Tom Rivers – The Old Stone Store was nearly demolished in 2011 after residents and town officials complained of its shoddy shape. Erin Anheier and other residents worked to clean it up. The site from 1836 was added to the National Register in 2012 and is currently being renovated with a front porch to be added to match its original look.
Anheier said the building will make Clarendon distinctive, with such a historical building at its main corner. She praised the community for coming together to keep up the site.
Anheier will be presented with a “Heritage Hero” award on Friday at 7 p.m. during a ceremony outside GCC’s Medina campus. Five “Heritage Heroes” will be honored during the Civil War Encampment.
Anheier was picked for leading several preservation projects, and for helping to change the culture in Clarendon, making preservation a priority.
She also sees potential in Hillside Cemetery. That site used to be owned and managed by a not-for-profit cemetery association, but was turned over to the town of Clarendon about a decade ago.
Anheier said Hillside is a great Victorian cemetery, a fitting final resting place for community residents. However, the site needs some upgrades, especially the chapel built in 1894 from local Medina sandstone.
Anheier wrote the application that landed the cemetery on the National Register last year. The designation should help the town secure grants for restoration projects.
“I also knew if we got it on the Register, the town would recognize we have a treasure here,” Anheier said.
File photo by Tom Rivers – The chapel at Hillside Cemetery could use some repairs. The cemetery was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
She is secretary of the Clarendon Historical Society. The group would like to mount a fund-raising campaign to restore rotted window panes, repoint mortar and make roof repairs. Anheier would like to see the chapel used again for services and community events.
Anheier is working on other preservation projects. She wrote the application for the National Register designation for the John and Chauncey White House, the White Farm Bed and Breakfast, on White Road in Brockport. She expects that will be approved soon.
She also is working on the application for the North Star School, Hamlin District No. 11. That will be reviewed for the State Register in June. She is in the early stages of researching the Spencer-Sommerfeldt House, a stone house on the west side of Route 237, just north of New Guinea Road in Clarendon.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 April 2014 at 12:00 am
Merchants also planning for ‘Sip and Stroll Through History’ wine-tasting event for August
File photos by Tom Rivers – A crowd views the stained glass window at the First United Methodist Church during a tour of windows in the seven historic Albion churches in December. The Good Shepherd window was a gift to the congregation by the church’s pastor in 1914, the Rev. Henry Clay Woods.
ALBION – On a very cold December day about 30 people, including several from outside Orleans County, came to Albion for a first-time tour of the stained glass windows at the seven churches in the historic Courthouse Square.
County Historian Bill Lattin led the tour, and he shared details about the designers of the windows, the symbolism and Biblical stories in the designs, and some background on the people memorialized with some of the windows.
“We had such good feedback about the event that we wanted to do it again,” said Debbie Grimm, one of the organizers for this Saturday’s stained glass tour.
It runs from noon to 1:30. Besides tours of the churches, the event will conclude with refreshments at Hoag Library. The library also includes a stained glass window of a swan. For more than a century Albion’s public library was called the Swan Library until a new site opened in July 2012.
Tony Mancuso of Elba takes a photo on the stained glass window tour in December. He is shown inside the sanctuary at Christ (Episcopal) Church.
The tour on Saturday starts at the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church at the corner of East Park and Main streets. The Pullman church has more than 40 windows created by Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company, perhaps the most esteemed stained glass artist.
Tiffany revolutionized the stained glass world. Stained glass windows, prior to Tiffany, tended to have clear glass with a stencil pattern painted on the glass. Lattin discusses breakthroughs and changing techniques in stained glass.
The Albion churches have examples of windows from the 1860s to 1960s. Lattin wrote a book about Orleans County’s stained glass windows: “Luminaries in the Firmament.”
The Albion Merchants Association is organizing the stained glass tour and a sidewalk sale. Many businesses will participate in the sidewalk sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern will also be having an open house and collecting household and personal care items.
The Merchants Association also is planning a wine-tasting event with about 20 stops on Aug. 9. The “Sip & Stroll Through History” will show off the historic downtown and Courthouse Square.
“We want to put on community events and bring people to Albion,” said Carolyn Ricker, president of the Merchants Association. “We want to promote our history and draw people here.”
MORTON – These photos were taken in 1961 in front of Tom Spring’s Store in Morton.
The top photo shows Tom Spring and his brother Van Alan Spring, in uniform. The flag indicates that the store was also the Morton Post Office.
In the next photo we see a Texaco gas pump, which was in front. The girl with the box was a clerk at the time. Thanks to Kathy Scroger for loaning these pictures.
WATERPORT – On April 2, 1969, Edward D. Holmes of Region 8 Department of Environmental Conservation in Avon and Kenneth Rush of Waterport (right) are shown stocking the first salmon (Coho) in Orleans County.
The site was on the north side of Lake Alice just east of the Route 279 bridge over Oak Orchard River in Waterport.
MEDINA – In this panoramic view from 1905, we see Oak Orchard Creek from the Erie Canal in Medina.
On the right is the Medina Waterfalls and next to it is Station No. 1 of the A.L. Swett Electric Light and Power Company.
This photo was taken before the present canal basin was enlarged as we know it. Oak Orchard Creek below the Falls is a reservoir for electric generation known as Glenwood Lake. In this picture we are looking at the southern end of Glenwood.
