By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 September 2019 at 1:49 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Militello Concrete in Buffalo has been at Bullard Park today pouring concrete for the splash pad. This employee is sealing the concrete this afternoon.
Construction on the Bullard Park improvements started in May. The $800,000 project includes a splash park, amphitheater, utility building with bathrooms and a pavilion.
The village is doing about $800,000 worth of upgrades at the park. The village in December 2016 was awarded a $499,605 state grant for Bullard projects.
The village also received $97,500 from the county and $45,000 from the town of Albion, money that was through a revolving-loan fund that needed to be spent for handicapped accessibility at the park. Those funds will be used for sidewalks to the amphitheater and splash pad, to make them accessible to people in a wheelchair.
The new splash pad is next to the amphitheater. The new facilities will open to the community next year.
The Albion DPW is providing $166,370 of in-kind services as part of Albion’s local share for the state grant. The DPW took down a pavilion and storage building last fall to make way for the new utility building. The DPW also ran a new sewer line across Route 31 near the Bullard entrance. That sewer line will service the park.
The DPW also ran 600 feet of waterline for the splash pad and utility building, several feet of sewer line, and will be doing the electric service for the amphitheater.
Village crews also hauled stone from Barre Stone Products and moved the concrete sections of the retaining wall for the amphitheater.
Titan, a construction company from Gasport, is the general contractor on the project and is expected to soon build the utility building, which will include bathrooms, controls for the splash pad and the pavilion.
Next year, a walking trail that is about ¾-mile will be constructed by the perimeter of the park. The new path will be trail base, similar to the canal towpath, said Gary Katsanis, Albion’s deputy mayor.
“All the pieces are coming together,” Katsanis said today.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 September 2019 at 4:12 pm
Photos courtesy of Hoag Library
ALBION – Hoag Library announced today that is has the pen used in 1867 to sign the bail bond for Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy.
The pen was given to Rufus Bullock, the governor of Georgia and an Albion native. Davis was captured in Georgia on May 10, 1865. He was taken to Fort Monroe, Virginia. Although he was accused of treason and plotting in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, he was never brought to trial.
After two years in prison, he was released and lived out the rest of his life in relative peace in Biloxi, Mississippi, at the Beauvoir plantation. He died in 1889.
The clerk of a U.S. Circuit Court in Virginia gave the pen to Bullock.
Dee Robinson, a reference librarian Hoag Library, will discuss the pen and how it can into the library’s possession during her monthly “Tea with Dee” historical talk. That will be next Tuesday, Oct. 1., at noon.
Robinson said today the quill still has some ink on the tip.
The pen has been in the library’s possession, likely for over a century. It was listed in an inventory of items, but Robinson said she didn’t see it until April. She wanted to research the history behind the pen before going public about it.
The pen was among many items in the library’s archive that were moved from the former Swan Library to the new Hoag Library in 2012.
Robinson has been going through the archives – many boxes and file folders.
Hoag Library also has the box for the pen used to sign Jefferson Davis’s bail bond.
Impeachment parchment
The pen was donated to the library by Bullock, who died in 1907. He gave the library another prized artifact from the post-Civil War.
When Bullock was governor, he was given an impeachment notice signed by the 126 members of House of Representatives who voted Feb. 24, 1868, to impeach Andrew Johnson for “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
Bullock moved back to Albion in his later years and gave the impeachment notice to Swan Library in 1903. The library had only been open for three years at that point. Bullock died at age 73 on April 27, 1907, and is buried near the tower at Mount Albion Cemetery.
For a century that document sat in the attic at Swan Library. Librarians were aware of that piece of history and kept it safe.
But when the community was looking to build a library, Swan leaders thought the impeachment notice might fetch a big dollar and could help get the new building built. Some speculated the document might be worth a million dollars or more.
Library leaders at the time sent a photo of the impeachment parchment and a description to Sotheby’s, the famous international auction house. Its assessment of the document: about $15,000 to $25,000 – a nice sum but library leaders decided it wasn’t a difference maker for the library.
George Washington letter
The pen joins other interesting artifacts in the library’s archives. That includes a letter from George Washington written in May 1784, about five years before he started serving as the first president of the United States. Robinson found the letter in April when she was looking through the archives.
The letter from Washington was written to Jacob Morris, thanking him for taking care of a gift package sent to Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat and military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He led American troops in several battles, including Yorktown.
The letter acknowledges correspondence from Morris in regard to the package of Lafayette, and Washington offers to pay the cost of the delivery, and also extends his compliments to Mrs. Morris. Jacob Morris was the son of Lewis Morris, who signed the Declaration of Independence.
The Journal-Register in Medina on April 19, 1967 wrote about the letter from Washington, which was being put on display briefly at Swan Library. The Journal-Register reported then that a family in Westchester County owned the letter for about 90 years. Thomas Bell then owned it and presented it to Noah Davis, a justice for the State Supreme Court who was from Albion. (Davis was the judge in the trial that brought down New York City Tammany Hall ringmaster William M. “Boss” Tweed. Judge Davis presided over Tweed’s trials on charges of conspiracy, perjury and larceny.)
After his death, Davis’s wife sent the letter to Emma Swan, the founder of the library with her husband William. Mrs. Swan gave the letter to the library. According the JR article, the letter’s authenticity was established by the Historical Society of New York City and by the Astor Library.
The article from 1967 reports the Washington letter is ordinarily kept in bank vault and only seen by a few people.
While The Journal-Register wrote about the Washington letter, Robinson said today she hasn’t found any previous coverage of the pen used to sign Davis’s bail bond.
Susan B. Anthony letter
Robinson was searching through library files in March and found a 1903 letter from Susan B. Anthony, written to the then Swan Library. (The new Hoag Library opened in July 2012.)
Anthony, the women’s rights activist, was a pivotal leader for women’s suffrage. She wrote to the library to encourage Swan to buy four volumes of the History of Woman Suffrage and also two volumes about the life and work of Susan B. Anthony.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 September 2019 at 10:26 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The True Value Family Hardware store in downtown Albion has many posters nailed to the side delivery door. Those posters highlight concerts and other performances in the community during the 1950s.
Fred Miller, owner of the store the past 33 years, has kept the posters up. They have become a little tattered over the years from the being pelted with wind and snow when Miller needs to open the door.
He never considered removing them. He likes the old posters and other metal signs and mementoes from generations ago.
Miller is closing the hardware store. He expects it will be open about two more weeks.
This poster advertises a musical “Rotary in Farce” by the Albion Rotary Club on Feb. 15-16, 1956. The Rotary Club used to do musicals as a fundraiser for the Rotary Community Fund.
This poster advertises a Christmas concert by the Albion Community Chorus on Dec. 22, 1954. The concert benefitted the Orleans County Cancer Fund.
This poster advertises the Fly-In Breakfast at Pine Hill Airport. The breakfast was $2.50 on Oct. 1, 1978. That event still continues and has been going on for more than 50 years.
ALBION — Inmates, staff and administrators at Albion Correctional Facility are pictured last month during the second graduation program for a canine training program.
Kathy Smith and Ariel Strickland, who are both animal control officers for Orleans County, also attended the graduation.
Two dogs from the Orleans County Animal Shelter — Maverick (a beagle) and Mateo (a hound) – were trained by inmates at the prison. The two dogs arrived at the animal shelter on May 14.
Maverick and Mateo then spent about 12 weeks at the correctional facility with two teams of three inmates. They cared for and trained the dogs, under the supervision of a community volunteer, Tom Ryan. He received his professional trainer certification through the National K-9 School for Dog Trainers in Columbus, Ohio.
During the 12 weeks, the two dogs learned obedience training and socialization skills, making them suitable for adoption.
Since the graduation, two more dogs arrived on Sept. 4 for handlers to work with and prepare for adoption to their forever homes.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 September 2019 at 2:45 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Dollar General is closing its store in Albion at 449 West Ave. Employees said the store needs to be out of the building by Oct. 14.
The building is for sale for $219,000, and is listed by Hanna Commercial Real Estate in Buffalo.
Dollar General has four other stores in Orleans County: Route 18 in Kendall, Route 31 in Holley, Maple Ridge Road in Medina and Ridge Road in Medina (just south of Lyndonville).
Dollar General and Zaremba Development proposed a store in Gaines on Route 104 across from a cobblestone schoolhouse built in 1849. The school and two other cobblestone buildings in Gaines are part of a National Historic Landmark. That Dollar General has been opposed by the State Historic Preservation Office, many local historians and the Cobblestone Museum.
Gaines town officials say they haven’t heard from the developer in several months about the project.
The Albion store has faced stiff competition with Walmart down the road, as well as the Dollar Tree and Family Dollar, both close by.
Photo by Tom Rivers: This billboard on Route 98, on the northern edge of the Village of Albion, went up last week. The spot often has had billboards promoting alcohol.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 September 2019 at 4:45 pm
ALBION – Beth Giordano would drive by the billboard on Route 98, at the village’s north line, and would be upset at the typical message being prominently displayed, celebrating alcohol.
The billboard is next to the Oak Orchard Estates mobile home park and is on one of the county’s busiest thoroughfares. Giordano knew many kids and local residents were seeing the sign promoting alcohol.
“Week after week I saw the beer ads up there and it breaks my heart because the kids see it,” she said. “The school buses go by it, and it’s right next to the Albion sign that says, ‘A Great Place to Live.’”
Giordano wanted to send a different message with the billboard. She and her husband John decided to rent the billboard with a thankfulness message for 12 months. The first one went up last week. It proclaims a community challenge, asking people to “show the world who or what YOU are thankful for.” They are encouraged to post their responses on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at #ThankfulinOrleans.
“I know they are thinking about thankfulness every time they go by there,” Giordano said today.
She and her husband have lived in Point Breeze for more than 20 years. They have owned a building in downtown Albion since 2007 at 25-27 East Bank St.
They have run youth centers in the community.
“I have a huge heart for Albion, for the children and families,” said Giordano, who works a Christian counselor. “I know alcohol itself can be very damaging to teen-agers and their families.”
The East Bank Street location will be the base of the new ministry or community care center called “Rise Above.” Giordano wants to help girls and women rise above depression, anxiety and other challenges in their lives.
With the billboard, she will open up the display to other community organizations, and will keep with a thankfulness theme. The Giordanos have reserved it for 12 months, but won’t have it for December because that month was already taken.
“Our goal is to put more encouraging things on it,” she said.
File photo by Tom Rivers: Ryan Krenning portrays Hiram Curtis (April 1804 – May 17, 1871) during last year’s Ghost Walk on Sept. 30. Ryan was one of the Albion High School students who was a ghost, portraying a prominent person at the cemetery. Curtis owned a foundry along the Erie Canal currently occupied by the Lake Country Pennysaver and Orleans Hub. He manufactured agricultural implements including plows, cultivators and reapers. His company made 1,000 plows annually in a variety of patterns. The Erie Canal was a perfect place for his business allowing him to receive raw materials and ship finished product throughout the state and beyond.
Staff Reports Posted 17 September 2019 at 9:34 am
ALBION – The annual Ghost Walk at Mount Albion Cemetery, featuring many Albion High School students, returns on Sept. 28 with students portraying 16 people at the cemetery, including three who haven’t been highlighted before.
This is the 11th annual Ghost Walk, and the tours typically attract about 400 to 500 people. The tours start at 5:30 and go until 8:30. There are tours every 15 minutes and they last about an hour.
RSVPs are required and can be made by calling Sue Starkweather Miller at the school, 589-2087. There is a $5 suggested donation. Everyone will be bused in and out of the cemetery from the elementary school.
High school students will perform as actors, singers and tour guides. Students also perform technical duties, making sure there are batteries, lights and microphones.
New ghosts on the tour include:
• George Bullard, a former NYS Assemblyman who donated 24 acres of land to the Village of Albion it what is known as Bullard Park.
• Hank Porter, an Albion graduate, worked for Walt Disney and created illustrations for the full length film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” He also updated the image of Donald Duck, was responsible for the “Disney” design, and sketched numerous emblems and insignias for all military branches to be used on war planes, tanks, and ships. It built comradery and identity with the troops.
• Anna Dann Mason will tell the story of her time as Susan B. Anthony’s housekeeper and personal secretary. She was married in Anthony’s parlor and the famous suffragette was her maid of honor. Mason’s husband, Gilbert Mason, lived in Albion.
Other ghosts featured on the tour include:
• Charles Howard opened his Santa Claus School in 1937. There he taught people from all over the world how to play Santa. In addition, he opened Christmas Park which included many attractions and a toy shop. He was the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Santa and a consultant on the movie Miracle on 34th Street.
• Virginia Sheret will share the story of her brothers James, Andrew and Eugene as their Company F broke through the Hindenberg Line. Two of her brothers paid the ultimate price for their efforts.
• The Barnum brothers and their stint in WWII will be highlighted
• Alice Wilson will tell the story of her death by strangulation. Her philandering husband was her killer. He was the only person ever hanged in Orleans County.
• Sidney Eddy played an important role during WWI. He was stationed in France and was an ambulance driver, putting himself and his Model T in danger as he transported the wounded from the front lines to hospital.
• Emma Hunt will share how she was murdered by the jilted William Lake. Then Sheriff Rice will tell how he put together a posse to apprehend Lake, who was on the lam. He was caught, tried and put to death at Auburn State Prison. At the time, he was the 7th person to die by the electric chair.
• David Jones will share how he and his brother Claudius patented the Delusion Mousetrap. What made is special was the fact that it was a multi-catch mousetrap that would repeatedly kill mice. It was “always set and never out of order.” At its peak of popularity, they were producing over 1,000 traps a day!
• Isaac Signor, Orleans County Judge who wrote the book Landmarks of Orleans County (a resource used for the Albion ghost walks).
• C. Royce Sawyer, a 30-year member of the Dye Hose Company (Albion Fire Department). As Fire Chief, he worked to have the entire company motorized. Albion was the 2nd department in NYS to become motorized, with NYC was the first.
• Emma Ingersoll will show off her family statue and share details of her will, which gifted the water fountain and bench to Mount Albion Cemetery – as long as they promised to supply the water.
• Robert Capstick, a down and out Civil War soldier, gave Sarah Harling his prized possession, a George Washington button, for taking him in and nursing him back to health when he was so destitute.
• Charles Nelson Brown was a minor league baseball player who suffered from severe depression. He was institutionalized in Batavia, but left the facility on snowy night, walked home to Albion and took his own life.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 September 2019 at 10:11 am
Déjà Vu Ballooning in Gasport provided tethered hot-air balloon rides on Aug. 31 at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds for the Steampunk Festival. Déjà Vu will have a balloon at the upcoming Walk for Life on Sept. 29 in Albion.
ALBION – The Walk for Life, a fundraiser for Care Net of Greater Orleans, is going to be at a different location this year, and will offer tethered hot-air balloon rides for the first time.
Walk for Life is usually at Mount Albion Cemetery. That location didn’t have a big enough open spot for Déjà Vu Ballooning in Gasport to offer the tethered balloon rides.
Care Net has moved the Sept. 29 to Albion Central School with the balloon rides in front of the track/football stadium.
“I thought it would add a nice fun dimension to the walk,” said Wende Swick, Care Net’s executive director.
Tickets are $25 for a ride in the tethered balloon. The top 2 fundraisers for the walk will get a full ride in the balloon.
The Walk for Life will include a 1-mile route in the nature trail/woods. If it’s muddy or rainy, the course will shift to the track.
Participants can walk or run the course as individuals or as a team. Swick encouraged youth groups, Bible study groups or families to be part of the event, which goes from 5 to 8 p.m.
There will be prizes for the teams with the best costume, most spirit, largest team, and in other categories.
Care Net has set a $15,000 fundraising goal for the event. For more information, call Care Net at 589-7505, or click here.
Care Net Center of Greater Orleans provides free services which include pregnancy and STI testing, limited ultrasounds, classes in parenting, Bible study and life skills, material aid, an earn while you learn program.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 September 2019 at 9:36 am
Albion DPW will repair road, while DOT works on bridge this week
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Crews from the Village of Albion Department of Public Works work on a section of Route 98, just north of the Main Street lift bridge, this morning.
The village is working this week to restore the road which had to be torn up in January after a water main leak.
With the road closed for the repair, the state Canal Corp. is using it as an opportunity for maintenance on the bridge, keeping it in the upright position so boats can pass through.
The bridge is expected to be closed to traffic for approximately five days.During the closure, vehicular traffic will be detoured using East State Street, Ingersoll and Caroline Streets.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Fred Miller moves a dolly at Family Hardware in Albion this morning. He has owned the store for the past 33 years at 58 North Main St.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 September 2019 at 3:54 pm
Fred Miller has owned the store for 33 years
ALBION – A downtown mainstay, Family Hardware, will soon be closing. Fred Miller has owned the store the past 33 years, and worked there for five years before buying it.
An ad posted on the Orleans Hub this morning informed the community the store was closing, with a 30 percent off sale next week. Miller will be selling the inventory, and then he expects there will be an auction to sell the shelves and fixtures.
The store was once a bustling place, with customers lined up before the doors opened at 8 a.m., Miller recalled today.
He once had 8 to 10 employees. On a typical day he would make 50 keys for customers.
Miller, 65, has been running the place mostly by himself in recent years. He is often joined by his dog, Max, a German Shepherd.
“It was a wonderful past,” Miller said today.
He was thankful for the 38 years in the business, for the chance to get to know many community members. His children grew up working in the store. Kevin is now 37 and Janet is 32. They are coming home next week to help their father with the going-out-business sale.
Fred Miller helps the driver from True Value Hardware unload a truck this morning, in what Miller expects will be the last hardware delivery for the store.
Miller said it is a challenge to succeed as a small business owner. He has watched many businesses come and go in downtown Albion. He felt the loss when Fischer’s Newsstand closed in August 2015. That business, like the hardware store, had been a fixture of the downtown for about a century.
Many of the Fischer’s customers would stop by the hardware store to grab a few items.
Miller ran for local elected office about a decade ago over concerns about taxes and the small business environment. He was first on the Albion Village Board and then was elected to the Orleans County Legislature. He is the lone Democrat on the Legislature, and he is well-liked by the Republicans. The party didn’t endorse any one to challenge him in the election.
“The people of this I’ve always loved,” Miller said. “That’s why I got into politics. But I’m not a politician. I’m a business owner.”
Miller said the store was given a boost through e-commerce, where local people could order from the Family Hardware website and then pick up the products at Miller’s store.
He has been wanting to retire anyway. He hasn’t been able to take vacations over the years with his wife Betty Sue.
Without employees to run the store, He has had to close Family Hardware early to make meetings as a county legislator.
This spring he had to close a few hours each day so he could get radiation treatments for prostate cancer. Miller said the treatments have been successful.
He had hoped the building would stay a hardware store, but that won’t be the case. Miller said someone has an option to buy the building.
Doug Bower stopped by the store today to pick up a water heater from Miller. Bower, a plumber, has been one of Miller’s most dedicated customers over the years.
Doug Bower, an Albion plumber, has been one of Miller’s most loyal customers. He stops by each morning around 7:30 for coffee, just before the doors open to the public. He is usually joined by Joe Baker and Richard Nenni, two other dedicated customers.
Bower said Miller kept the store going long after most others would have stopped.
“It’s hard to stay in business against the Home Depots and the Lowe’s,” Bower said.
Miller said the big box competition wasn’t the culprit in the store’s closing. Ultimately, he said there are far fewer do-it-yourselfers these days. Many local residents either hire out work around the house or neglect home improvement projects.
“People used to do more projects,” he said. “We used to have people lined up here at 8 in the morning. They knew how to do things with their hands. They could do projects – faucets, toilets, outlets, plumbing and electrical.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 September 2019 at 3:15 pm
Village DPW needs to make road repair from Jan. 1 water leak
File photo by Tom Rivers: The Village of Department of Public Works had to dig down on Main Street, just north of the Erie Canal lift bridge, to fix a water leak on Jan. 1, 2019. The Village DPW next week will repair the section of the road to state Department of Transportation standards. The DPW did a temporary restoration in January.
ALBION – The Main Street lift bridge will be closed to traffic beginning Monday so a full road restoration can be made just north of the bridge. The bridge could be closed to traffic until Friday.
The Village of Albion Department of Public Works on Jan. 1 was forced to cut into the road and dig down to a water main after a big leak was discovered.
The Village DPW will dig down again about 6 to 7 feet next week, and will check on the water main to make sure the fix is holding, said Jay Pahura, the DPW superintendent.
The DPW then needs to restore the road the state Department of Transportation standards, with layers of sand, crusher-run and flowable fill, topped by 14 inches of pavement.
The DOT is bringing in a saw to cut through the 14 inches of pavement. The County Highway Department will help haul material to the site.
The DPW also needs to reset granite curbing and sidewalks at the site.
Pahura said there is a chance the work won’t take five days and the bridge could reopen to traffic sooner. The bridge will remain operational for any boat traffic during the week.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 September 2019 at 8:14 am
Provided photo
ALBION – Some members of the Albion Rock the Park Committee on Wednesday presented a $5,000 ceremonial check to Albion Mayor Eileen Banker, left, for projects at Bullard Park. Other sin the photo include committee members: John Grillo, Bernie Baldwin, Kim Remley and Ron Albertson.
The committee organized the Albion Summer Festival featuring Rock the Park on Aug. 3. It added children’s games and welcomed vendors for the event.
The sixth annual event attracted about 1,000 people to the performance tent where five bands performed from 3 to 11 p.m.
Next year, the bands will play from a new amphitheater that has been under construction this summer, along with a spray park and other improvements.
The Rock the Park Committee would like the $5,000 to go towards the amphitheater with $2,000 for electric work, and $3,000 for side slats that can be rolled up. The amphitheater is on a slope and some of the $5,000 from the committee could also be used for drainage, said John Grillo, one of the committee members and Albion’s recreation director.
The committee wants to add more vendors and children’s games and activities for next year’s festival.
Press Release, Orleans County Department of History
ALBION – The torch-lit tours of historic downtown Albion scheduled for Friday and Saturday will gather at Tinsel, 160 N. Main Street, north of the Canal (instead of 34 E. Park Street). The tours will conclude at Courthouse Square.
Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian, will lead guests on a night-time tour of downtown Albion at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Come hear the stories of the disappearance of William Morgan, Nehemiah Ingersoll’s crafty plan to secure the county seat, the murder of Pierpont Dyer, Albert Warner’s theft of thousands from the First National Bank of Albion, the murder of Alice Wilson, and many more. Guests are encouraged to bring a flashlight and to wear comfortable shoes.
The tours are free and open to the public, no advanced registration is required. Tours will take place rain or shine (unless thunderstorms are forecasted), so bring an umbrella or jacket in case of inclement weather.
Tinsel will host food options for guests on both evenings and offer a special discount to tour participants. Guests are encouraged to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to support local businesses and to grab a bite to eat before the tours: Dubby’s Wood Fired Pizza, on Friday, starting at 5 p.m.; The Chuck Wagon, on Saturday, starting at 5 p.m.
A special thank you to Tinsel, Dubby’s Wood Fired Pizza, The Chuck Wagon, and the Downtown Browsery for their support!
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 September 2019 at 10:33 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Thaddeus Nauden of Waterport removed his hat for the Pledge of Allegiance during a Sept. 11 memorial observance this evening at the Courthouse Square.
Many local firefighters and law enforcement officers attended the service. They are standing near the Sept. 11 monument by the flag pole.
About 3,000 people were killed during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks including 343 firefighters, 60 law enforcement officers, and eight EMTs.
The Honor Guard does a 21-gun salute at the service today.
Scott Schmidt speaks in front of the 9/11 monument which shows an outline of the World Trade Center towers.
Scott Schmidt, the Orleans County chief coroner, served as keynote speaker for the service. Schmidt is a member of the U.S. Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team and deployed to New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. He spent 20 days in NYC at the Twin Towers scene.
Schmidt recounted a timeline form that day. At 8:46 a.m., the North Tower was struck. At 9:03, a plane hit the South Tower. At 9:37, the Pentagon was struck. At 9:59 p.m., the South Tower fell. At 10:07 a.m., Flight 93 crashed in rural Shanksville, Pa. At 10:28 a.m., the North Tower collapsed.
Schmidt assisted in the recovery, removal and identification of the dead along with the office of the chief medical examiner’
Besides the nearly 3,000 killed that day, 6,969 U.S. military personnel have died in Global War on Terror, and 2,100 people have died as a result of illness post-Sept. 11, Schmidt shared.
There was community remembrance a few days after the 9/11 attacks, and more than 2,500 attended the event, filling East State Street in front of the Courthouse.
Schmidt recalled seeing photos people sent him from Orleans County, with American flags on display everywhere.
“Those are the actions of a unified people and of a country that supports our right to be a free nation,” Schmidt said.
The nation won’t forget the first responders who charged into the buildings, and the many others who responded to help in the days and weeks that followed.
“We won’t forget the countless volunteers who cared for the injured, the dying, the dead, and the responders, as well as caring for each other,” Schmidt said. “We won’t forget the strength of America and of Americans.”
Don Snyder, a chaplain with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, gave the opening and closing prayer. He thanked God for first responders who put their own lives in peril to help others.
He urged community members to consider volunteering with their fire departments.
Jim Hollinger of Albion plays Taps near the end of the service. He is a member of the Marine Corps League.
A resident salutes while Taps is played during the memorial service.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 September 2019 at 8:43 pm
File photo by Tom Rivers: Local veterans were part of the memorial ceremony on Sept. 11, 2015 outside the Orleans County Courthouse by the 9-11 memorial.
ALBION – There will be a Sept. 11 memorial observance at 6 p.m. on Wednesday by the 9-11 monument near the Orleans County Courthouse.
The service is being put together by Scott Schmidt, the Orleans County chief coroner, and Dale Banker, the Emergency Management Office director for the county. They stepped up to plan the service when none was scheduled for the 18th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Schmidt is a member of the U.S. Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team. He left for New York City on Sept. 11, 2001 to help collect and identify remains. He was there for 20 days, interviewing family members and helping to carefully catalog human remains.
The service on Wednesday includes an opening prayer by Don Snyder, chaplain for the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.
Banker will also speak about the community’s appreciation for first responders, while Schmidt gives the memorial address, sharing some of his experiences in New York City after the World Trade Center towers were toppled.
The Honor Guard also is expected to be at the service.
