By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

KNOWLESVILLE – These ladies were members of a class in the Presbyterian Church at Knowlesville. The picture was taken in 1905, and it shows their teacher, Mrs. John Preston, in the front row center.

First row, left to right: Mrs. Arthur Gillett, Mrs. Preston, and Mrs. Charles Sayers.

Second row: Mrs. Avery Andrews, Mrs. Dora Tanner, Mrs. Roscoe Ostrander, Mrs. Eugene Woodford, and Mrs. George Stanley.

Third row: Mrs. John Whitwell, Mrs. Fred Armstrong, Miss Grace Remelee, Mrs. Fred Anderson, Mrs. Frank Howlett, and Miss Mittie Tanner.

Top row: Mrs. George Prudon, Miss Jean Cameron, Mrs. Harry Frost, and Mrs. George Pettingill.

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

ALBION – In this picture, taken on the Orleans County Courthouse lawn in November 1901, we see the Albion High School football team.

Kneeling in front, left to right: Unidentified, Arthur Elson, Burr Heady, William Crandall and Jay Brown. Second row, left to right: Walter Radley, Bill Luttenton, Everett Barnum, Frank Vanstone, Homer Brown and Clarence Nesbitt.

Three together at left are Mike Hughes, George Houghton, and Foster Wood. Next three together left to right are Homer Heady, Harry Harding, Fred Vanstone, and Harry Woods, the man in the suit.

The boys are Bud Wilcox and Teddy Vanstone. The man on the sidewalk is unidentified. Members of this football team graduated in the years 1902 to 1906.

Notice four of the men are wearing nose guards.

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

ALBION – In this picture from about 1960 we see David Moon, left, and John Mignano, right, both of the Holley Fire Department. In the center is Ronald W. Fornes, manager of the Marine Midland Bank in Holley.

The photo was taken by William Monacelli at Marti’s Restaurant in Albion during an annual Holley Firemen’s Banquet. The three men appear to be looking at some financial information.

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

ALBION – On April 1, 1950 Helen Burrows Hudson, first vice president of the Arnold Gregory Memorial Hospital in Albion, broke ground for a new hospital building.

Here she is about to lift the first shovel of dirt in this ceremony. Onlookers in the background include, from left: Peter Snell, “Doc Hawks,” Dr. Dorothy Cooper, Muriel Northrup and Frances Weale.

By Bill Lattin, Orleans County Historian

ALBION – It appears these were the Republican faithful in 1956. They were perhaps gathered at the Albion Town Club for a reception honoring Harold Strassen, center, a candidate for Senator at the time.

From left to right: Hamilton Doherty, Paul Miles, Barbara Moore, “Dick” Eddy, Strassen, Harold Hill, Thomas Heard Jr., and Robert Heath. They appear to be wearing badges that state: “Orleans County for Eisenhower.”

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

ALBION – In this picture from circa 1890 we see members of the Lorenzo Burrows Jr. family posed in front of their residence on Main Street in Albion.

Seated in the little surrey with fringe on top is Lynn Moore Burrows (1884-1944). The ponies hitched to this were named Dot and Dime.

For many years this house was the offices for Cornell Cooperative Extension next to the Post Office.

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

HOLLEY – The forerunner of the present day Stockham Lumber Co. in Holley was the N.L. Cole Lumberyard on Geddes Street.

This was owned by Nerville L. Cole, who later owned a lumberyard on West Avenue in Albion.

Our photo from around 1920 shows Cole’s delivery truck with hard rubber tires on wooden spokes. Products advertised on the building include: lumber, coal, wood, fertilizers, mason’s materials, cedar posts and builder’s hardware.

By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian

This picture was taken in 1983 during the annual Pumpkin Festival at the Cobblestone Museum.

Here we see examples of pumpkins entered in the jack o’ lantern contest. Individuals posted on the platform include, from left: Marsha Bolton, Dee Dee States, Pamela Frame, Allison Lattin, unidentified boy and Adrienne Lattin.

At the time Ms. Frame from Fairport was a guest cellist through the Orleans County Council on the Arts. Hence the jack o’ lantern displayed on the smal standl with a cello carved into it.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Dr. Doodle, a toy manufactured by Fisher-Price in 1957-61, was among the toys on display during a program about Fisher-Price at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library today.

Larry Lackner shared toys from his collection as well as highlights of his research about the company including its time in Medina from 1970 to the late 1990s. Lackner worked for the company in Medina from 1972 to 1997, starting as a material handler and ending as a quality control inspector.

Fisher-Price turned the former Heinz plant into a manufacturing center for toys. At its peak, Fisher-Price had 950 workers in Medina.

The Little People were a very popular toy and are currently a finalist for the Toy Hall of Fame at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester.

Tuggy Turtle was made by Fisher-Price from 1959-1961.

Elsie’s Dairy Truck was made by the company from 1948-1950. Lackner said he regretted that the packaging for the toys always said made in East Aurora even though Medina was “Toy Town,” producing many of the toys.

By Bill Lattin, Orleans County Historian

In this picture from around 50 years ago we see Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, left, shaking hands with our assemblyman, Alonzo Waters of Medina.

“Lon” served in the State Assembly under governors Dewey, Harriman and Rockefeller from 1949 to 1965.

Because of his friendship with Rockefeller, Waters was able to get the governor to come to Orleans County several times.

When Nelson Rockefeller was running for governor in 1962, he made a stop in Albion and spoke from the front steps of the courthouse. In this picture we see a large crowd of people gathered here for the rally.

A bus which his party came in may be seen in the background. A sign posted on the bus simply states: “Go Rockefeller.”

The First Presbyterian Church also shows in the background. A number of local residents may be recognized in the crowd assembled here.