By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 18 April 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – This photograph shows Charles W. Howard playing an unusual role; that of the secretary of the Orleans County Fair Association.
Taken sometime in the late 1910s, Charlie is shown standing on the race track of the old county fairgrounds in Albion. A number of men are lined up in the background, sitting atop the fence.
Born and raised at the family homestead on the corner of Route 31 and Gaines Basin Road, his earliest years were spent partaking in household chores and working the family farm. He was active in local agricultural societies and the Orleans County Fair Association for many years.
In 1926 Howard suffered injuries to his legs after falling from the top of a silo, 20 feet to the cement ground. After taking the plunge, he was rushed to the local hospital where it was discovered that he had broken his leg and broken bones in the other foot.
Around 10 years later, he suffered another fall, this time from atop a loaded hay wagon. After resting for four days, he returned to work performing his usual farm jobs. It was nearly three weeks later that he traveled to Rochester for x-rays, only to have the doctor exclaim, “My gosh, man, you’ve got a broken neck!” His neck was placed in a cast and he quickly returned to laboring on his farm.
Both injuries would have a lasting physical effect on Charlie. Despite this, he still went on to establish his famed Santa Claus School in 1937, operate his beloved Christmas Park, and enjoy the distinction of being one of the most adored men in the world. Howard has been an inspiration for many; a man of love, charity, and kindness – a true local legend.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Provided images from Orleans Renaissance Group – Frederick Douglass spoke at the Methodist Episcopal Church, shown at right, on Aug. 3, 1869. This church burned in 1874. Looking south, you can see the Bent’s Opera House and the old spire of the First Presbyterian Church before the spire was removed.
MEDINA – The “Citizens of Medina” will dedicate a historical marker next Friday (April 24) in honor of Frederick Douglass and the two speeches he gave in the village.
Douglass, a Rochester newspaper editor and leading abolitionist, visited Medina and Orleans County on several occasions.
In 1849, Douglass delivered a speech in Medina at the former Methodist Episcopal Church on Main Street (the current Fuller block, home of Main Street Appliance). He also visited Medina in 1869 and gave a celebratory address for Emancipation entitled “We are not yet quite free.” That event on Aug. 3 was attended by African-Americans from throughout the state.
A new historical marker will highlight those visits by Douglass. The Orleans Renaissance Group has lined up the donations for the historical marker. It will be dedicated at 9 a.m. next Friday at 430 Main St.
The dedication has been timed with the Civil Encampment organized by Genesee Community College. Medina is hosting that event on the 150th anniversary of the final year of the Civil War.
A Frederick Douglass re-enactor is expected to be part of the marker’s dedication and will also meet with schoolchildren as part of educational outreach programs with the Civil War Re-enactment.
Douglass found a like-minded audience when he visited Orleans County. Local historian Dee Robinson found reports of a meeting in 1850 at the Orleans County Courthouse in Albion. Congress had just passed the Fugitive Slave Act, saying runaway slaves needed to be returned, but Orleans residents voted to not enforce the law locally.
“The fact that the Village of Medina and Douglass are intertwined is a tremendous point of pride and should stand as an inspiration to current and future generations,” said Chris Busch, ORG vice chairman.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 12 April 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Pictured here is the family of John Galashan Sheret, Sr. of Albion. An immigrant from Newhills, Scotland, John came to Albion where he was employed as a block breaker. He later served as Secretary of the International Union of Paving Cutters of the United States and Canada.
Pictured in this photo (standing left to right) are John Jr., James, and Egbert. Seated, left to right: John Sr., Andrew, Marian, Anna, and Elsie. The photograph was taken circa 1906.
Egbert served with the Machine Gun Battalions, known as “Suicide Squads” during the Punitive Expedition in Mexico. Immediately following his return to New York City in 1917, he requested a transfer to the 3rd NY National Guard, Company F in Medina to serve with his brothers James and Andrew.
On Sept. 29, 1918, the 27th Division of the American Expeditionary Forces, containing the 108th Infantry and Company F, led a courageous charge on German defenses at the Hindenburg Line. Both Sgt. James Sheret and Pvt. Egbert Sheret were killed on that day. Andrew, the company’s bugler, was severely wounded during the engagement.
Sgt. Sheret was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery and his hometown paid tribute to him in naming the Albion Legion Post in his honor. Sheret Post #35 is regarded as one of the oldest American Legion Posts in Western New York, founded under the direction of Judge Bernard Ryan.
It should be noted that the 108th Infantry and the men of Company F, Orleans County’s own, were the only men to break the Hindenburg Line that fateful day.
Winners will be recognized at Civil War Encampment in Medina
Press Release, Genesee Community College
MEDINA – The renaissance mayor of Medina, a benevolent author who’s chronicled veterans’ oral histories, a tireless educator who restored a cemetery and a founding member of the Medina Sandstone Society have been selected for recognition with the second annual Orleans County Heritage Heroes Awards.
These awards honor the time and investment of individuals who are tireless advocates in preserving Orleans County history. The awards will be presented on Friday, April 24, at 7 p.m. under the central tent at the Civil War Encampment hosted by GCC’s Medina Campus Center. This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
“It’s a true pleasure to shine a spotlight on these individuals who rarely receive recognition for all they do to preserve local history,” said Derek Maxfield, GCC assistant professor of history and coordinator of GCC’s Civil War Initiative.
The recipients of the second Heritage Heroes Awards include:
Holly Ricci-Canham – One of the founders of the Orleans County Genealogical Society, Holly has served as the president of the organization and spearheaded the effort to educate the public about the Orphan Train Movement. This led to a reenactment at the Medina Railroad Museum and the discovery of several area residents who were brought to Orleans County by an Orphan Train.
For many years now Holly has also spent many hours recording and transcribing oral histories of veterans for permanent preservation by the Library of Congress.
Somehow in the midst of these many efforts, Holly has published a number of books including “Legendary Locals of Orleans County,” and a book about the history of Carlton and Point Breeze for the “Images of America Series.” Holly has donated the proceeds of these works to the Orleans County Genealogical Society.
Susan Starkweather Miller – A longtime leader of student learning projects, Susan has taken on heritage initiatives time and again. The most ambitious of these was the effort to clean up and restore a cemetery at the former County Alms House on West Countyhouse Road. Working with 175 seventh-graders, their teachers and local historians, she researched the people buried in the cemetery for the county’s poor residents, reset headstones and erected a historical marker at the site. Later Susan would work with students on a booklet highlighting the cemetery and the efforts to restore it.
Susan also serves as one of the coordinators of the popular annual ghost walk at Mount Albion Cemetery and also works with students on projects that connect them with local senior citizens.
Andrew W. Meier – Currently mayor of Medina, Andrew has long been an advocate for the preservation of historic buildings. Beginning with his effort to preserve the Newell Building, he has been a leader of the movement to save the Bent’s Opera Hall and other buildings in historic downtown Medina.
Opened in 1875, the Newell building was purchased by Andrew about six years ago. Since that time he has created the Shirt Factory Café and renovated the building for apartments and a boutique hotel.
The Bent’s Hall opened in February 1865 and was dedicated near the end of the Civil War. The Orleans Renaissance Group was formed to salvage and restore the building. Andrew has served on the board of directors and served as treasurer and counsel. He also takes his message beyond the limits of Medina, speaking about preservation and revitalization wherever he can find an audience.
Andrew’s interest in preservation extends beyond buildings to include pipe organs as well. At one time Medina could boast seven such instruments. Today there are efforts to restore two organs. Andrew is leading the charge to install a rescued Holtcamp organ at Trinity Lutheran Church.
In 2012, Andrew’s preservation efforts were recognized by Business First in an extensive article that spotlighted the renaissance of downtown Medina.
William A. Menz – Dating back to 1977 and earlier, William Menz demonstrated his passion for historic preservation and celebration of local heritage. Beginning with the formation of the Armory Action Committee, William led efforts to find a civic purpose for the sandstone armory building and its maintenance. Eventually, the Medina Sandstone Society was born from these efforts with William a founding member.
More recently William formed the Company F Monument Committee to find a way to commemorate the armory’s military past and to honor the many war veterans from the area. This effort was very personal for William and he immersed himself in the planning, research, fundraising and even the construction of the monument itself!
Many days were spent choosing the stone, grinding and milling it to perfection. And he did not stop there. Working with the scouts and others, he planned a little memorial park around the monument with flag poles and plants and shrubbery. A monumental effort indeed!
Those selected as Heritage Heroes could be of any age but had to be living residents of Orleans County. No posthumous nominations were accepted. History professionals and GCC employees were also not eligible for the award, nor were those serving on the awards selection committees. The selection committees were made up of staff and students of Genesee Community College, community members and history professionals.
The Civil War Encampment at the Medina Campus Center includes a wide range of activities on April 25-26. Saturday’s planned activities include Prof. Maxfield narrating the retreat of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s army and subsequent surrender at Appomattox Court House.
The event begins with a lively skirmish at State Street Park. Troops will then advance into downtown Medina where Generals Lee and Grant will meet, and a sandstone plaque will be dedicated at Bent’s Opera Hall followed by a flag-raising and the playing of “Taps.”
For the latest information about the Encampment visit https://civilwaratgcc.wordpress.com, or contact assistant professor Derek Maxfield at (585) 343-0055 ext. 6288 or ddmaxfield@genesee.edu. GCC’s Medina Campus Center is located at 11470 Maple Ridge Rd.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 4 April 2015 at 12:00 am
CLARENDON – This photograph taken June 2, 1902 at the Root Schoolhouse in Clarendon shows Miss Edith McCormick, age 22, with her students. Hanging in the window is a 45-star flag.
The school was located on the northwest corner of Munger Road and Cook Road (now Merrill Road). The Cook Cemetery is located across the road to the south.
1902 marked the conclusion of Miss McCormick’s third year of teaching. A party was held on the lawn of Mrs. Mary Cook where Adah Laskey, on behalf of the entire class, presented Miss McCormick with a “nice toilet case.”
Pictured left to right, back row: George Eggers, Jamie Andrews Bird, Bertha Cook Eular, Adah Laskey Russell, Lillian Robinson Carlson, Myrtle Maxon Heise, George Whipple, Earl Laskey.
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 28 March 2015 at 12:00 am
The Polish Band from St. Mary’s Assumption Parish is pictured in 1904 or 1905 and includes, front row: Alexander Rytlewski, Frank Kwiatkowski, John Jasniewski, Frank Jaworski, John Nayman, James Kaniecki, D. Jaworski, Frank Smith, Frank Furmanski, Stanley Rice and Ignatius Rice. Middle: Joseph Zwiefka, Joseph Rytlewski, Reynolds (Bandmaster), August Mager and Stanley Rutkowski. Back: Max Waclawski, C. Kaminski, ? Kaminski, John Gurzinski and Stephen Cichocki.
ALBION – While addressing the first meeting of the Orleans County Pioneer Association more than 150 years ago, Arad Thomas remarked, “we shall teach our children the story of their labors and success, as examples to be imitated”
Of course Thomas was referring to the men and women who journeyed hundreds of miles into the wildness that was Orleans County, risking their lives to start a new life.
When Theta Hakes Brown assumed the role of Orleans County Historian in 1938, she worked diligently to preserve the accomplishments of our forefathers and set in stone the importance of local history. Some 45 years later, C. W. Lattin continued that legacy of education and historic preservation for 35 years.
It is a remarkable feeling to receive the honor of serving as the next Orleans County Historian, a responsibility that is often overshadowed or taken for granted within our communities. Our county has a long, rich, and expansive history that has been overlooked outside our boundaries and it is my goal to continue to share that history within our community and with others across the State of New York.
This image shows the band standing at the intersection of Brown and Moore Streets. Looking north, you can see several people standing along the bridge crossing the west branch of Sandy Creek. Also visible on the southwest corner at the intersection of Caroline and Brown Streets was a saloon owned and operated by Frank Majewski. The house, second from the right, was razed several years ago. The center of the Polish community and Albion existed at this intersection and many of these houses were home to multiple immigrant families during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Local history has been a deep-rooted passion of mine since I was all but 12 years old; I suppose you can say that I’ve dedicated more than half my life to the history of this area. That interest is what inspired me to study history at the College at Brockport and my passion for research and education is what drove me to pursue a degree in Library Science from the University at Buffalo.
I can think of no better way to start a weekly column than to share two of my favorite photographs. This is a two-for-one special to start! This image on top shows the Polish Band from St. Mary’s Assumption Parish in Albion standing on the front steps of the church at Brown and Moore Streets, taken sometime around 1904 or 1905.
Led by Bandmaster Reynolds (believed to be Cassius M.C. Reynolds) of Albion, the young men wore dark green uniforms lined with gold braiding and performed at ceremonies and parades throughout the area.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 March 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – This former one-room schoolhouse on Gaines Basin Road, just north of the Erie Canal, has been largely abandoned since decentralization in the mid-1940s. A Gaines resident would like to see the building be saved and preserved for years to come.
GAINES – A building that has been vacant since about World War II could get new life through the efforts of local preservationists.
Gaines resident Al Capurso is leading the effort to save, stabilize and seek resources for a former cobblestone schoolhouse on Gaines Basin Road, just north of the Erie Canal.
The Orleans County Historical Association will discuss efforts to preserve Gaines Basin District No. 2. The association meets 2 p.m. Thursday at Hoag Library. The public is welcome to attend and share ideas for the building.
“It is sitting there, just waiting for us to take care of it,” Capurso said about the building.
The schoolhouse was built in 1832. A log cabin schoolhouse preceded that structure at the site. Capurso said some of the early pioneers in the Albion and Gaines area attended the school. Caroline Phipps was one of the teachers at the log cabin. It’s where she got her start as a teacher.
She would later start a women’s academy, the Phipps Union Seminary, in Albion. That school was located where the County Clerk’s Building now stands next to the courthouse.
There is an effort to have a historical marker outside the building and also to get the site listed on the state and national registers of historic places.
Capurso would like to have a historical marker by the cobblestone building that notes the significance of the site as a school. He wants the Orleans County Historical Association, where he is a member, to apply for a grant from the Pomeroy Foundation for the marker. That foundation funded a marker in Clarendon for Hillside Cemetery last year.
Capurso has also recruited help from Melissa Ierlan and Erin Anheier, members of the Clarendon Historical Society, to help get the cobblestone schoolhouse on the state and national registers of historic places. Anheier wrote successful applications for several sites in Clarendon and in the Brockport area, helping the properties to be listed and making them eligible for tax credits for renovations and preservation efforts.
Capurso said community members will also be needed to help with some of the work to make the building usable as a possible museum, display area and meeting place, perhaps for the Orleans County Historical Association.
“Saving the building will be a longer term effort with human power,” Capurso said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 March 2015 at 12:00 am
Niagara farm still has below-ground concealed chamber used to hide runaway slaves
Photos by Tom Rivers
BURT – Albion students in the multicultural clubs at the elementary and high schools visited Murphy Orchards last Friday. The Niagara County farm on McClew Road was a stop on the Underground Railroad.
The students are shown entering the barn at Murphy Orchards, which owner Xander Murphy said is largely unchanged from the Underground Railroad era in 1850 to 1861.
A concealed chamber in the barn remains. A ladder leads to a room that is 12 feet below ground.
The Murphy family and historians are unsure if the concealed room was originally built to hide people escaping slavery or for McClew family members to hide from invading British soldiers or hostile Native Americans. An archeological investigation is underway to help solve that mystery.
Charles and Anna Maria McClew were active in humanitarian work along the Underground Railroad from 1850 to 1861. After the Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1850 (when Buffalo native Millard Fillmore was president), the federal government allowed bounty hunters to track down runaway slaves in the North and return them to their owners in the South.
If the runaway slaves could make it to Canada, they would be free. Orleans and Niagara counties were a popular route along the Underground Railroad, as runaway slaves, often led by Harriet Tubman and other conductors, travelled along the Erie Canal and Lake Ontario shoreline, working their way to Canada, Murphy told the students.
The farm in Burt was a popular spot on the Underground Railroad. It was out in the country and people could move at night, less likely to be detected by the bounty hunters.
Murphy said some farmers would transport escaped slaves in horse-drawn wagons. Some of the farmers and other residents opened up their homes and barns for the runaway slaves, feeding them and giving them a place to rest before the next stop on their journey.
“People like the McClews stood up to bullies,” Murphy told the students in the multicultural clubs. “If we could all stand up to injustice, the world would be a better place.”
Students walk from a barn through an orchard to reach Hopkins Creek, a popular route used by runaway slaves about 160 years ago.
There were 21 students from Albion on the tour on Friday, as well as parent chaperones and the club advisors, Carmen Rose Brittan in the elementary school and Della Morales in the high school.
Xander Murphy, right, leads the students to Hopkins Creek. Escaped slaves would likely follow the creek to the Lake Ontario shoreline and then head west to Niagara Falls.
Murphy said many of the runaway slaves only had their feet covered in cloths or they were barefoot. Often they travelled at night, walking through streams as they moved closer to Canada.
Jeremiah Knight provides a steady hand to an Albion student who wanted to touch the water in Hopkins Creek.
Murphy said students were walking on the same ground, seeing the same stones and much of the same landscape as the runaway slaves.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 March 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – This plaque was given to the Village of Albion on its 150th anniversary in 1978 by Macy’s in honor of Charlie Howard, the founder of a Santa Claus School. He also was the Santa in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade from 1948 to 1965.
This plaque was unearthed in the former Swan Library. Volunteers and library staff have been working to clear out the building since last month.
The library is renting a storage unit on East Avenue for some of the itemsremoved from the former library. Some things have been moved to the Hoag Library, and others may be made available to the Cobblestone Museum, Orleans County Genealogical Society and Orleans County Historian’s Office, said Kevin Doherty, the library board president.
In addition to the plaque from Macy’s, Doherty said staff and volunteers discovered posters from World War I, a banner with insignias from the volunteer fire companies from about 1900, and “all kinds of stuff.”
The building should be emptied of keepsakes by Friday. The library is set to close on the building on March 23. Holley resident Chad Fabry is buying it for $53,000.
He would like to make the building available for professional offices. He intends to make the main meeting room in the library available as a community meeting space.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Civil War re-enactors marched down Main Street in Medina in this file photo from April 27, 2013. The re-enactors will be back next month.
Press Release, GCC
MEDINA – The fourth and final Civil War Encampment put on by Genesee Community College to mark the 150th anniversary of the war that defined our nation promises to be one of the most interesting to date.
The event is set for April 24-26 at GCC’s Medina Campus Center, 11470 Maple Ridge Rd. The weekend will include an Education Day on Friday for local school districts, educational activities throughout the weekend including a nationally recognized Frederick Douglass impressionist, reenactments of skirmishes, artillery and cavalry, a surrender ceremony at noon in downtown Medina on Saturday, and a panel discussion featuring distinguished guests from the popular online journal The Emerging Civil War.
The Emerging Civil War (ECW) was founded by Chris Mackowski and Kristopher White with a goal of providing fresh perspectives and original scholarship related to the American Civil War (1861-1865).
GCC Assistant History Professor Derek Maxfield is a contributor to ECW and will moderate a panel discussion at the Encampment featuring Dr. Mackowski, a professor of journalism and mass communication at St. Bonaventure University, and historian Kris White, who teaches at the Community College of Allegheny County near Pittsburgh and previously served as staff military historian at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park in Virginia where he continues to volunteer.
The discussion, “So What Have We Learned? The Sesquicentennial, The Civil War and American Memory” is set for 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, in the main tent at the Encampment.
Dr. Mackowski
“The Civil War’s sesquicentennial has been a great opportunity to introduce people to America’s ‘great story,'” said Dr. Mackowski. “Even though the anniversary is wrapping up now, it’s the perfect time for people to ask ‘What did the Civil War mean? Why is it still relevant today, to me?'”
White
“We love getting out on the front lines and talking with people about the war because it’s the best way to help nurture the public’s interest and help people understand it better,” said White.
You can learn more about ECW at its website by clicking here.
“I am so pleased that historians from the Emerging Civil War will be joining us for our last Civil War Encampment,” said Prof. Maxfield. “I have been very impressed by the caliber of work on ECW and was honored to be invited to join their ranks. To borrow a phrase, I think having a panel of ECW experts part of the Encampment schedule kicks things up a notch.”
For updated information about the GCC Civil War Encampment, visit https://civilwaratgcc.wordpress.com/.
Besides the Encampment, GCC’s Civil War Initiative (CWI) is pleased to be part of the upcoming Commemorative Civil War Ball planned for March 21 at the Clarion Hotel in Batavia. GCC is a co-sponsor of this event being put on by the Daughters of the American Civil War, a Batavia group dedicated to honoring women of the Civil War era.
The Ball, set for 7-10 p.m., will feature Civil War music provided by City Fiddle with a dance master to call the dances. Dance instruction will be offered free of charge to ball attendees from 1 to 3 p.m. the afternoon of the event in the Clarion ballroom.
Pre-sale tickets for the ball are available online by clicking here. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Genesee Veterans Support Group and the Genesee County Historians Association.
In addition the popular CWI lecture series continues this spring with the following upcoming events which are free and open to the public:
Wednesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. at the Albion Campus Center
Sarah Handley-Cousins, a PhD candidate at the University of Buffalo, will speak about Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.
Wednesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. at the Dansville Campus Center
GCC adjunct history instructor Dan Hamner will speak about “The Civil War in Indian Country.” Connections between the Civil War and Native American culture, politics, and diplomacy are often overlooked. Hamner will examine them through the eyes of three key Native American figures from the period.
Wednesday, April 1 at 7 p.m. in Room T102, Batavia Campus
A panel of GCC Historians moderated by Prof. Derek Maxfield will address “Reconsidering the Civil War: GCC Historians Consider Historiography and American Memory.” The discussion will feature Professors Garth Swanson, Charles Scruggs, Timothy Palmer, Peter Francione and Dan Hamner as well as Orleans County Campus Centers Associate Dean Jim Simon.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015 at 7 p.m. at the Medina Campus Center
A special panel discussion moderated by Prof. Maxfield entitled, “Reconsidering the Civil War and American Memory” will feature Assoc. Dean Jim Simon, Dan Hamner, GCC adjunct instructor and Bill Lattin, former Orleans County historian.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 7 p.m. at the Dansville Campus Center
Author, historian, and reenactor Robert Yott presents “Lincoln’s Other War.” In order to preserve the Union, President Lincoln had to court the border states, manage inept or politically ambitious generals, and hold the radical faction of his party at bay. Yott will speak about the “fire in the rear” that required Lincoln’s constant attention and constituted his “other war.”
