Gaines

Cobblestone Museum asks congressman to help with visitor’s center

Photos by Tom Rivers: U.S. Rep. Chris Jacobs and Orleans County Legislature Chairwoman walk together on the grounds at the Cobblestone Museum on Route 104 in Gaines on Friday. Jacobs, who was sworn into office on July 21, made his first visit to the museum, which is a National Historic Landmark.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 September 2020 at 11:07 am

GAINES – Leaders of the Cobblestone Museum met with Congressman Chris Jacobs for an hour on Friday and asked him to pursue federal assistance for a visitor’s center in the historic Childs hamlet and also to help make the area safer for pedestrians.

Jacobs, who was sworn into office on July 21, made his first visit to the museum, which is a National Historic Landmark, the top historic recognition given by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Congressman Chris Jacobs said he has experience with historic properties in Buffalo’s Theater District. He said federal tax incentives are critical for projects at historic sites.

“History is the best thing Orleans County has to sell to visitors,” Erin Anheier, the museum president, told Jacobs.

She thinks the county has many historic sites that could be promoted as part of heritage tourism. The museum could be the center of those efforts, working with other partners in the county, Anheier said.

The museum has expanded its programming, drawing more visitors and members in recent years. (The Covid-19 pandemic has limited the museum to tours by appointment in 2020, but the museum has a full calendar of activities planned for next year, said Doug Farley, the executive director.)

The museum will soon acquire the home next to the blacksmith shop at the southwest corner of routes 98 and 104. It will be decorated in a 1920s style and offers more space for exhibits, Anheier said.

The museum would like to work with other local agencies – perhaps the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce and Orleans County Tourism Department – to develop a visitors’ center in the historic Childs hamlet. The site could be used promote many attractions in the county, including sportsfishing, Farley told Jacobs.

The hamlet in October 2019 was named one of “Five to Revive” by the Western New York Landmark Society. That designation brings awareness to important sites in the region that are in need of protection and investment.

Congressman Chris Jacobs, right, hears from Cobblestone Museum President Erin Anheier about concerns over traffic and available parking near the museum on Route 104.

The hamlet is unusual in WNY, with so many cobblestone buildings and other historic sites on a busy road that is largely devoid of chain store commercialism, said Larry Francer, associate director of preservation for the Landmark Society of WNY.

She praised the museum and other Gaines residents for their work to preserve so many sites from the 1800s.

“This is great example for the rest of our region,” Francer said about the Childs hamlet.

The hamlet would benefit from sidewalks along the stretch of cobblestone buildings that are part of the museum (from the Cobblestone Universalist Church to the former one-room schoolhouse), and historic-looking street lights, said Richard Remley, the museum’s vice president.

Cobblestone Museum Executive Director Doug Farley, left, speaks in the lower level of the Cobblestone Universalist Church, a building constructed in 1834. Farley said the museum maintains three important cobblestone structures, as well as other important buildings near the routes 104 and 98 intersection. Others in the photo include, U.S. Rep. Chris Jacobs, Cobblestone Museum President Erin Anheier, Cobblestone Museum VP Richard Remley and Larry Francer, associate director of preservation for the Landmark Society of WNY.

Farley said the museum needs more parking. It would like to upgrade its bathrooms for the public, and have meeting space for up to 100 people with a kitchen facility.

It could pursue a new structure for a visitor’s center, but Farley and museum leaders believe a brick house from 1834 across the street from the church offers a lot of potential as a visitor’s center. The 3,000-square-foot site is owned by Ray and Linda Burke and is for sale.

Museum leaders asked Jacobs to help pursue funding for the visitor’s center and the pedestrian improvements in the district.

Lynne Johnson, chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature, said the county would benefit from a welcome center. She said the Legislature values the museum and has recently contributed $3,000 in annual funding for the organization.

The Legislature also ended a hiring freeze on Aug. 27 and appointed a new county historian, Catherine Cooper of Medina. She recently retired as the director of the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina.

Jacobs said he knows the value of well-maintained historic sites. As a real estate developer, he worked on several historic rehabs in Buffalo’s Theater District. He said maintaining state and federal tax incentives for those projects is critical for developers.

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Historic Childs: Nellie Vagg, wife of blacksmith, was active leader in temperance movement

Posted 5 September 2020 at 8:05 am

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth article in a series about historic Childs in the Town of Gaines. The hamlet of Childs lies just north of Albion at the intersection of Routes 104 and 98. In 2019, Childs was selected to be on the Landmark Society of Western New York’s “Five to Revive” list. In 1993, the federal U.S. Department of the Interior declared the Cobblestone Museum in Childs a National Historic Landmark, the first site in Orleans County with that distinction. The NYS Barge Canal was later declared a National Historic Landmark in 2017.)

By Erin Anheier, President, Cobblestone Society

Nellie Vagg

GAINES – In our last installment we learned about Joseph Vagg, the last practicing blacksmith on the Ridge. This time let’s focus on his wife, Nellie.

You already know that Nellie was civic minded as she donated Joseph’s blacksmith shop to the Cobblestone Museum after his death. She wanted to assure that his legacy was preserved and that future generations learned about the importance of the village blacksmith.

Today we might call Nellie a citizen activist, as she tirelessly worked to improve the lives of her neighbors.

Nellie not only maintained the home, raised two children and frequently assisted Joseph in the blacksmith shop, she was active in the church and community. She was a member of the Home Bureau and Extension Service since its inception.

Nellie Vagg taught many classes for the Home Bureau.

Similar to the Farm Bureau, the Home Bureau sought to bring scientific information to the rural communities in curriculum formulated by Cornell University. Classes for local women which she hosted at her home included Elementary Meal Planning, The Study of Meat, A Place for Everything, General Mending, Nutrition, The Amount of Food Required, Salad Making and Whole Wheat.

She herself conducted classes at other locations including What Makes A Good Day for the Homemaker, Family Fun and Morale in War Time, and Hazards to Our Youth in Our Present World.

Nellie was a long-term member of the Orleans County Women’s Christian Temperance Union rising to the position of delegate to area and state conventions. Her commitment to the Temperance Movement was strong; a local resident recalls that when the corner store across the intersection from her home began to sell beer, she told the proprietor that she would “no longer be able to trade with him.”

The white ribbon of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union

Local residents recall she wore the white ribbon of the WCTU, a symbol of purity, until her death in 1975.

Ironically, she maintained this stance from her home located directly across the road from the tavern that is now Tillman’s Village Inn.

As the Cobblestone Museum uses the story of Joseph and his blacksmith shop to educate visitors about the past, next year they plan to include Nellie’s story.

The Vagg home is being purchased by the museum and will become a new exhibit. The interior of the home maintains the decorative style of the 1920-30’s and will help illustrate rural life in the early 20th century as well as Nellie’s role in the community.

The Cobblestone Museum is acquiring the Vagg home at the southwest intersection of routes 104 and 98.

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Historic Childs: Blacksmith shop was a vital business in Gaines hamlet

Posted 29 August 2020 at 8:45 am

Editor’s Note: This is the third article in a series about historic Childs in the Town of Gaines. The hamlet of Childs lies just north of Albion at the intersection of Routes 104 and 98. In 2019, Childs was selected to be on the Landmark Society of Western New York’s “Five to Revive” list. In 1993, the federal U.S. Department of the Interior declared the Cobblestone Museum in Childs a National Historic Landmark, the only site in Orleans County with that distinction. The NYS Barge Canal was later declared a National Historic Landmark in 2017.)

By Erin Anheier, President of Cobblestone Society

Two cherished and respected former residents of Childs were Joseph and Nellie Vagg. They lived in the house on the southwest corner of the intersection of routes 104 and 98.

Joseph was the last blacksmith plying his trade on Ridge Road.

The Vaggs moved to Childs in 1909 and lived there the rest of their lives. When they purchased their home, it included the brick blacksmith shop that sat just south of the house.

The blacksmith shop is pictured here in the background of a photo taken at the Gaines Centennial parade. Joseph had worked as a blacksmith with Nellie’s brother in Elba and built a successful business here. However, tragedy struck as the brick building was destroyed by fire in 1921.

Vagg’s blacksmith shop was so vital to the community that the local farmers left their own work to help build a new shop. This included hauling stones for the foundation and rerouting part of Proctor’s Brook to make room for the new structure. Today the 1922 shop is a major exhibit at the Cobblestone Museum, graciously donated by Nellie after Joseph’s death.

The forge was salvaged from the fire and installed in the new shop. Joseph worked here until 1956. The forge is still in use today when the Cobblestone Museum holds living history demonstrations, here presented by Henry Ott.

As the automotive age was dawning, horses were fewer and there was reduced need for a blacksmith, so a wood working shop was included in the new building. It was powered by a 1920 International Model 650 hit or miss engine and a complicated series of leather belts overhead.

These belts delivered power to saws, planers, lathe and drill press which are still in the building. There are no safety guards on any of the equipment.

While the shop has been part of the museum, the Vagg’s house continued life as a private residence, but that is soon to change.

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Historic Childs: Inn has been mainstay at busy intersection for nearly 2 centuries

Posted 22 August 2020 at 9:20 am

(Editor’s Note: This is the second article in a series about the historic Hamlet of Childs in the Town of Gaines. The hamlet of Childs lies just north of Albion at the intersection of Routes 104 and 98. In 2019, Childs was selected to be on the Landmark Society of Western New York’s “Five to Revive” list.)

By Erin Anheier, President of Cobblestone Society

GAINES – When stagecoaches were the preferred form of transportation, the town of Gaines welcomed visitors with 10 public houses.

The photo above shows the Village Inn in 1898. It was built in 1824 as a “tavern stand” by Samuel Percival in the heart of the hamlet of Childs.

Today, as Tillman’s Village Inn, it is the only remaining stagecoach stop on Ridge Road still serving the public with food and lodging, having been in near continuous operation since 1824. For the last seven decades, the Tillman family has preserved and cherished this heritage. Third generation proprietor Mark Tillman greets guests and will happily share his love of history.

The old hand water pump still stands along Ridge Road. This is where the horses were watered and where male guests were asked to wash themselves. Female guests were invited inside to freshen up.

The second floor held rooms available for the night, along with a ballroom. Today, comfortable lodging is available in two adjacent buildings.

The original inn has been enlarged by incorporating two historic barn structures that previously serviced the horses and carriages of early visitors. This large dining room showcases the original timber frame construction of the carriage barn with antiques and historic photos proudly displayed.

Over the years the Tillmans have served over 1,850 tons of their famous prime rib!

A great place to enjoy a refreshing beverage while soaking up the historic ambience, the Village Inn has been serving thirsty visitors at this bar for almost 200 years. Local lore has it that even during prohibition, clientele were seen stumbling out on a daily basis, much to the dismay of the local Temperance groups.

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Grube resigns as Gaines town supervisor due to demands with full-time job

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 August 2020 at 10:51 am

Joe Grube takes the oath of office on Jan. 2, 2018, when he started as Gaines town supervisor.

GAINES – Joe Grube has resigned as Gaines town supervisor after almost three years as the town’s top elected official.

Grube submitted his resignation at the end of the Gaines Town Board meeting on Monday. He was promoted in February as Northeast regional manager for 911 solutions for Motorola. That job keeps him very busy.

“My new duties just don’t leave me enough time to do justice as town supervisor,” Grube said this morning. “I’m the type of person if I can’t put in a hundred percent I don’t want to do it.”

Tyler Allport, a town councilman, was appointed by the board to step in a town supervisor. The position will be up for election in November 2021. Allport works as the Hazard Insurance Manager at KeyBank.

Allport vacated councilman’s position was filled by Kenny Rush, who works on a farm with his father, Gregg Rush.

Grube was first elected town supervisor in November 2017, defeating Carol Culhane, for a two-year position. He didn’t face opposition when he was re-elected last November.

Grube said the town was able to update its zoning in his tenure and was able to bring back its Plannign Board. The Planning Board had been abolished with its duties shifted to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Now the town has a ZBA and Planning Board like most other municipalities.

The Grube-led Town Board formed a Zoning Advisory Committee to review the zoning. That committee worked with LaBella Associates on the project.

The new zoning regulations and map include an expanded commercial district on Route 104, from the Cobblestone Museum going east to Brown Road. That allows for more options for development on Ridge Road that aren’t in a historic district.

The town also eliminated a commercial zoning district in the Eagle Harbor hamlet, while keeping the commercial district at the 5 Corners and expanding the district at the routes 279 and 104 intersection.

The project updated a comprehensive plan for land use, that Grube said was originally adopted in 1983.

The revisions include more detail on development in the commercial districts, especially with signage, and includes samples in the zoning code for signs that fit the historic district.

Other highlights include:

Established regulations for R-1 Residential District and Planned Development District as floating zones. They are not specified on the zoning map, but can be added to rezoned land if the Town Board deems either district appropriate.
Established new regulations for the Commercial Historic District, including standards for building design, building placement, parking and landscaping, with a goal to prevent incompatible development with the historic district.
Added provisions for farm labor and agricultural packing and processing facilities.

“The end change is very good,” Grube said about the zoning regulations. “We solved issues with historic district. We have the Planning Board back. The Zoning Board of Appeals is fully functional with processes more in line with other towns.”

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Historic Childs: John Proctor was instrumental in shaping hamlet

Posted 15 August 2020 at 9:19 am

Pioneer resident known as ‘Paul Revere of Ridge Road’ for warning of British attack in 1813

By Freeman Lattin, intern at Cobblestone Museum

(Editor’s Note: This is the first article in a series about the historic Hamlet of Childs in the Town of Gaines.)

GAINES – The hamlet of Childs lies just north of Albion at the intersection of Routes 104 and 98. In 2019, Childs was selected to be on the Landmark Society of Western New York’s “Five to Revive” list.

This is the only known photograph of John Proctor.

The Five to Revive draws attention to significant historic aspects of our built environment where redevelopment can become catalytic projects for the communities that surround them.

Tom Castelein, chair of the Five to Revive committee, explained that “the ultimate goal is to return these important historic resources to places of prominence in their respective communities, as economic and social assets that spark even more investment and revitalization.” (Click here for more information on that designation.)

While working with the Landmark staff, we found ourselves enjoying both the history and present-day ambience of Childs and decided to share some of this with a greater audience. It seems appropriate to start this series on the hamlet of Childs at the beginning, with a biography of its founder, John Proctor.

Born to a wealthy family in Massachusetts, John Proctor first came to this area in 1810 at the age of 23 after purchasing several large parcels of land from the Holland Land Office. It’s hard to imagine how wild and unpopulated this area was 200 years ago, but in “Pioneer History,” Proctor says he had to travel seven miles to get bread baked, and the nearest established village was Batavia, about 20 miles away.

He built a cabin in what is now Childs and lived modestly for his first few years in the area, surviving on a few acres of corn, wheat, and potatoes. In 1812 he returned to Massachusetts on foot to marry his first wife, Polly.

Perhaps John Proctor’s most famous accomplishment is his role as the “Paul Revere of Ridge Road.” In December of 1813, Proctor’s nearest neighbor (who lived four miles to the west) woke him in the middle of the night bringing word that the British were invading from Canada and had already burned the village of Lewiston.

Proctor owned the only horse in the area, and so he rode 15 miles from Childs to Clarkson to warn other settlers that the British were coming. Afterwards, Proctor joined the local militia that had been raised and headed west to defend Lewiston. He recounts that he was grazed by several bullets in skirmishes and that he assisted in the capture of a group of redcoats and natives who were caught unarmed and very drunk at a tavern.

Located in front of John Proctor’s home on Ridge Road in Childs, this plaque commemorates his participation in the war of 1812 as well as Governor Dewitt Clinton’s visit to Childs in 1818.

By this point, John Proctor had begun to make a name for himself. He was an active Mason and a prolific public servant, serving as the first collector for the town of Ridgeway as well as an overseer of the poor for the town of Gaines.

Proctor had a vision for the hamlet and began to sell and rent his land to settlers, businesses, and churches that were starting to spring up in and around what is now Childs. In 1834 he paid for the construction of a cobblestone church for the Universalist Society of Gaines, and later sold a house of worship to the Free Congregationalist Church, an abolitionist congregation. Proctor was such a notable figure that before he named the hamlet Fair Haven, it was colloquially referred to as “Proctor’s Corners.”

The Proctor family obelisk, located at Mount Albion Cemetery. The other sides of the monument memorialize Proctor’s wives and children, several of whom died in a typhoid breakout in 1828.

Although he was an outstanding member of the community, Proctor’s personal life was marked by tragedy. John was married four times and had to bury three of his wives, and while he had six children, only two of them survived to adulthood.

Proctor alludes to these troubles in his short autobiography in “Pioneer History of Orleans County,” where he recounts getting out of jury duty in Batavia due to the “situation of [his] family.” I think it’s interesting that he dedicates an entire paragraph to recount a story of him shooting a deer but doesn’t write about three of his wives or any of his children. One can imagine how this might have been a sensitive subject for him.

John Proctor died on January 28, 1868. A Masonic memorial in the Orleans American described him as “an example of energy, frugality, [and] moral excellence.” I think it speaks to his character that his name isn’t plastered all over Childs today.

He owned hundreds of acres around the hamlet and could have named it “Proctorville,” but he chose to call it Fair Haven. There is no Proctor Road, and the brook named after him was only discovered to be named so over a hundred years after Proctor’s death.

In a 1988 pamphlet from the dedication of Proctor’s Brook, Dee Robinson refers to him as a “pioneer entrepreneur,” which seems to me like a fitting title for a man who did so much for his community and put Childs on the map.

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Happy Independence Day from Gaines!

Posted 4 July 2020 at 8:00 am

By Adrienne Kirby, Gaines Town Historian

The above photograph of an unidentified boy, most likely taken in Gaines, comes from a small photo album that belonged to Virginia Lattin Morrison.

The second image is a photo of Virginia found in that same album. She was a longtime resident of Gaines.

Coincidentally, Virginia was born on July 4, 1906. In 1919, she turned 13. To celebrate her birthday that year, Virginia could have gone to the recently opened ice cream parlor above Mr. Spaulding’s grocery in the rebuilt White’s Hall.

White’s Hall, located on the southwest corner of 104 and 279, was a social hub. Prior to a devastating fire in 1910, it housed a grocery store, post office, grange hall and was the headquarters for town meetings, among other social activities.

She would have been too young to attend the box party that evening with the Swarts Orchestra at the Grange Hall, which had moved across the street in 1915 to what used to be Thurber’s Hotel. Admission to attend the party was $1.00, plus 10 cents war tax.

A box party was essentially a dating game. Women would make a meal for two and put it in a cardboard box they had decorated. Then men would bid on boxes, not knowing what was inside or who the creator was with whom they would share the meal.

Dances and social events like this were common fund raisers for the Grange.

Ballard praised for ‘superb job’ as county historian

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 June 2020 at 1:19 pm

‘He brought out crowds of people. What historian is able to do that?’

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Bill Lattin (left), the retired Orleans County historian, presents a card to Matt Ballard, who followed Lattin as historian and served in the role for more than five years. They are shown Monday evening inside the cobblestone schoolhouse on Gaines Basin Road.

Ballard has resigned as county historian. He is leaving Orleans County in about two weeks to take a position at a college in North Carolina. He will be assistant director of Collection Strategies at Davidson College.

Lattin said Ballard put in tremendous effort in a part-time position, while also finishing up a master’s degree and working full-time at Roberts Wesleyan College in North Chili as director of library services.

Matt Ballard, center, is pictured with members of the Orleans County Historical Association on Monday evening. They are next to a cobblestone schoolhouse that the association took on as a project the past five years. They were able to save the building and will use it for their meetings. Ballard served as the group’s president the past 18 months. He credited Al Capurso for leading the effort to preserve the school. Pictured from left include: Frank Berger, Tina Inzana, Jean Sherwin, Adrienne Kirby, Bill Lattin, Jonathan Doherty, Sue Baker, Rick Ebbs, Sandy Freeman and Betsy Kennedy.

Ballard did an in-depth column each week on local history that was featured in the Orleans Hub and The Daily News in Batavia. He also led many historical tours at cemeteries and a very popular tour of downtown Albion that attracted several hundred people.

“This is a real loss for the community,” Lattin said about Ballard’s resignation and his impending move to North Carolina. “It’s going to be a big loss for local history to see him move away. It’s really a shame. He’s done a superb job.”

Lattin teamed up with Ballard in some of the cemetery tours. Lattin watched Ballard grow in the role, especially in the presentations, sharing details of lives from more than a century ago. Ballard would sometimes dress in period costumes for the tours.

“He had a good spiel for each tour,” Lattin said. “He is a wonderful presenter, and he did as a one-man act. He brought out crowds of people. What historian is able to do that?”

Matt Ballard looks at some of the school desks inside the cobblestone schoolhouse on Gaines Basin Road. Those desks were donated by the Cobblestone Museum, which also has a schoolhouse on Ridge Road.

Bill Lattin served as historian for 35 years before being succeeded by Ballard in February 2015. Lattin said Ballard did wonders organizing the Orleans County Department of History records, including creating an online database.

“He deserves all kind of accolades,” Lattin said. “It’s going to be big shoes to fill, not only for county historian but as the president of historical association, which is a position no one wants to do.”

Monday’s meeting also was the first chance for the Historical Association to see several recent improvements at the schoolhouse.

It has a new hardwood floor, which was installed by member Rick Ebbs. The inside walls have been painted by Jerome Ebbs.

The building from 1832 was used as a schoolhouse until 1944 was on the verge of falling down, until a group of volunteers put on a new roof and stabilized the building.

Volunteers from the Historical Association in 2015 cleared most of debris from the inside of the former school. Many pioneer children in Orleans County were taught at the school, which also was used for countless town meetings.

The building also was listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places in 2017, and a historical marker was added in front to denote its significance. Lattin believes it is the oldest cobblestone building in the county.

The 913-square-foot building hadn’t been used much since it was closed as a school in 1944. Nor had there been much upkeep of the building until 2015.

Later this summer a log cabin will be relocated behind the schoolhouse at this spot. The privy behind the schoolhouse was recently donated by Irene Roth and her daughters, Chris Sartwell, Marge Page and Arlene Rafter.

The log cabin will be moved from the home of Pat and Ralph Moorhouse on Linwood Avenue in Albion. The cabin was built in 1930 by Boy Scouts.

The cabin is 10 feet by 14 feet and about six feet tall at the peak.

Rick Ebbs, a local contractor who has been working on restoration work at the schoolhouse, will lead the effort to move the log cabin.

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Reporter discovers some hidden artistic talents at Cobblestone class

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 20 February 2020 at 8:44 am

GAINES – Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

Ginny Kropf

I recently got a phone call from Doug Farley, director of the Cobblestone Museum, asking if I would be willing to join the upcoming Sunday afternoon art classes taught by Pat Greene of Medina.

Me? I don’t have an artistic bone in my body. At least not the kind of art Pat Greene would teach. Pat actually paints and creates beautiful things. My artistic ability stops at stick figures and paint-by-number.

But I admire Doug and all he is doing for the Cobblestone Society, so I agreed.

The classes are geared to artists (or would-be-artists) of all levels – from beginners to advanced. And Pat said the first class would be different – something that everyone would be able to do.

So with that in mind, I arrived at the Cobblestone Church at 1 p.m. on a recent Sunday and was directed to sit in the front row. I immediately thought Pat realized I was going to need a lot of help and she had me right under her nose.

There were eight of us and I recognized Kim Remley of Albion, who I learned as the afternoon wore on was already a painter.

Pat began unpacking stacks of magazines and spread them out on the table, telling us all to come and pick out several. Then we were to go through them and tear out pages with images which appealed to us. Our first art lesson was going to be collage.

Pat said she decided to do this kind of class because she had done oil painting and watercolors and wanted to try something new. This was a jumping-off point for anything else we might want to do, she said.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: This artistic creation is mostly a collage created by Ginny Kropf, who admits she has little artistic ability. She shared her meager attempt at collage in the Cobblestone Museum’s Sunday painters’ class. Three classes remain.

“You may want to stamp it or stencil it,” Pat said. “It’s good to switch things up a bit. It could be surrealistic or it could tell a story – whatever inspires you.”

I love to cook, so the first thing I saw in the magazine I grabbed was a full-size picture of a pineapple upside down cake. Then a display of multi-colored peppers caught my eye, along with a couple of photos of lobsters. Pat began telling us about color and how we could choose a theme or things of the same color. I seemed to be drawn to things which were yellow and orange – although green is my favorite color.

The first thing we were supposed to do was choose a board – our blank canvas. Pat poured out a little green paint in a tiny paper cup, handed me a brush and told me to paint the entire background. I slathered the paint on so thick it wasn’t dry 45 minutes later, so we stood it on the floor in front of the register.

As we worked, Pat was giving us instructions or suggestions on how to proceed. She suggested tearing out our pictures instead of cutting them to give a more interesting edge. After deciding where we were going to place our pictures, we applied the decoupage and using a straight piece of cardboard, smoothed out the wrinkles.

Seated next to me was Joy Merriman of Waterport, who I soon learned was not a novice, but works in collage with fabric and paint. She had found a picture of a large red bird with giant plumes and massive tail feathers. She began cutting the bird apart and I soon saw her creation take shape.

“It reminds me of decoupage we did in Girl Scouts,” Joy said. “It’s fun to try something new.”

I wanted to try and create texture on my board by using a plastic leaf Pat provided. I held the leaf down like she said and started brushing the paint over it, but when I picked the leaf off, all I had was smudges of paint. So I started pasting my pictures over it in random fashion.

Pat suggested I try to fill in around my pictures by brushing in the spaces with a little paint. So I guess you could say I did paint.

I was put to shame, however, when I saw Kim Remley’s creation. She had decoupaged a dog right in the middle of her board, standing upright on all four legs. Then she painted around him to make it appear he was coming out of fog or clouds. Her talent as a painter was obvious.

As I watched the other women work, I realized how un-artistic I really am. But I’m not going to give up and I promised Doug I’d be back for the next class and whatever that brings.

I see the March class is on “drawing” words, and words are right up my alley, so I’m looking forward to making a better impression in that class.

There are still openings for the remaining classes on the last Sunday of February, March and April, and anyone can sign up by calling the museum at 589-9013 or e-mailing director@cobblestonemuseum.org. Each class will feature a different art form.

Pat promises everyone will start with a blank canvas and go home with a completed work of art.

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Landmark Society wants to partner with Gaines officials to promote Childs hamlet

Photos by Tom Rivers: Two officials from the Landmark Society of Western New York met with Gaines town officials on Monday to discuss the next steps in promoting and protecting the Childs hamlet. Larry Francer, associate director of preservation for the Landmark Society, and Caitlin Meives is the director of preservation. They are shown speaking with Gaines Town Board members Mary Neilans and Jim Kirby, and Town Supervisor Joe Grube. Town Clerk Susan Heard is in front.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 February 2020 at 12:56 pm

Cobblestone Historic District has potential for investment, but issues with parking, pedestrian safety

GAINES – The Childs hamlet, which includes the Cobblestone Museum and several businesses and historic structures, is “a really special place,” Gaines town officials were told by the Landmark Society of Western New York.

Two Landmark Society officials attended Monday’s Town Board meeting, and offered to help coordinate a community forum to get feedback from residents about the hamlet and historic district. The Landmark Society also offered to write grants for the town to pursue funding for sidewalks and streetscape improvements.

The Landmark Society on Oct. 16 named the Childs hamlet as one of “Five to Revive” in the Rochester region, an annual list the Landmark Society presents of sites that have strong public support but are in need of protection and investment.

“We’re saying this place is really great with lots of historic resources – the Cobblestone Museum and other historic buildings – and more economic potential,” Caitlin Meives, director of preservation for the Landmark Society, said in a presentation to the Town Board.

The Five to Revive designation was a key designation in helping to bring attention to the old Holley High School, which will soon open with 41 affordable senior apartments and the Holley village offices, following a $17 million construction project by Home Leasing.

The Five to Revive also helped the Town of Clarendon secure a state grant and other funding to work on the chapel building at Hillside Cemetery.

“We have found the Five to Revive is a great tool to build public momentum and dollars,” Meives said.

The Landmark Society urged the Gaines Town Board to be a strong partner in shaping the Childs hamlet.

Town Supervisor Joe Grube said the town would welcome assistance from the Landmark Society. The next step may be a community meeting led by the Landmark Society, where there will be different stations to measure feedback from residents about the hamlet.

The Landmark Society will also have experts at the meeting to help people interested in getting their home or building on the National Register of Historic Places. That designation brings prestige and also can help with tax incentives for a capital project.

Farmer’s Hall, left, and the harness shop are shown on Monday night on Route 98. They are part of the Cobblestone Museum in the Childs hamlet near the intersection of routes 98 and 104. Local officials would like to make it safer for pedestrians crossing Ridge Road to see the museum’s buildings on Route 98.

Grube said the hamlet could use sidewalks and crosswalks. He said crossing Ridge Road is difficult for many of the Cobblestone Museum visitors. The museum often will have crossing guards at big events to make it safer for people walking at the busy intersection.

The Landmark Society could also facilitate with a parking study that could identify better ways to utilize space in the hamlet for parking.

Several museum board members attended Monday’s meeting. Chris Sartwell, one of the museum trustees, said that parking is a problem, especially when tractor trailers park by the side of the road right in front of the historic Cobblestone Church.

The Landmark Society said it would coordinate with the Cobblestone Museum and the town on when to have a public meeting and at what location.

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Gaines will pave Brown Road this year

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 February 2020 at 9:14 am

Town Board also sets March 9 for public hearing on fire protection contract with Albion

GAINES – The Gaines Highway Department is planning to pave 1.3 miles of Brown Road this year, Town Highway Superintendent Mark Radzinski said during Monday’s Town Board meeting.

The town last year paved 1.2 miles of the road from Ridge Road to near the Brown Road Golf Course, the former Pap-Pap’s Par 3.

This year the paving will go from near the golf course to the village line.

The Orleans County Highway Department is expected to help with the project, using its paving machine.

The town has $130,000 set aside for the project, with the state expected to provide about $47,000 in CHIPS (Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program). The CHIPS amount is uncertain until the state budget is passed.

The Town Board also set a public hearing for 7 p.m. on March 9 at the Town Hall for a proposed fire contract with the Village of Albion. The town is to pay the village $105,000 in fire protection in 2020, which is up from $102,000 in 2019.

The board also voted to seek bids for lawn mowing services in 2020 at the Town Hall and the town cemeteries. Those bids will be voted on March 9.

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Cobblestone Museum plans for a busy 2020, which is its 60th anniversary

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 10 January 2020 at 8:11 am

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Doug Farley has served as director of the Cobblestone Museum in Gaines since 2017. He has since developed a full schedule of events in an attempt to grow the museum. This year’s schedule includes more than half a dozen new events, in addition to most of the old favorites.

GAINES – When Doug Farley became director of the Cobblestone Museum in 2017, his goal was to grow the museum and make it a year-round destination, and this year’s schedule of events alludes to that success.

The museum will be open by appointment during May and will open for the season from Wednesday through Sunday, beginning June 3.

However, the Sunday Painters Art Classes will start the season with their first class on Jan. 26. The successful classes are a return event, and will take place at 1 p.m. for four weeks on the last Sunday of January, February, March and April. Medina artist Pat Greene will teach the classes for beginners, intermediate and advanced students.

Greene has created a new syllabus for each class. Participants will start with a blank canvas and leave with a finished painting. Farley called Greene a “real professional.” People who have taken her classes said she is very helpful, he said.

New this year is a bus trip April 4 to Corning Museum of Glass. The trip will include admission to the museum and lunch on the bus.

A Cobblestone Spring Trivia night is also new, with a date in April to be announced. Maarit Vaga has volunteered to be emcee for the night and has her questions ready. Farley suggests putting together a team of two or four, even six contestants. The evening will include wine and refreshments.

A Mother/Daughter Tea on May 10 (Mother’s Day) is a new event, organized by Georgia Thomas of Medina. A short program on the history of Mother’s Day will be included. Cobblestone Society members will have priority, but it will be open to the public if space permits.

The group who participated in the Cobblestone Museum’s bus trip to view cobblestone buildings in the Rochester area are pictured here in front of an Amish cobblestone home near Palmyra. The tour this year will take participants to the Sodus area in August.

The Cobblestone Society is honored to welcome Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension to the museum on June 6, when the 4-H program will host their statewide 4-H Fashion Show from 10 a.m. to noon in the cobblestone church. After lunch at Tillman’s Village Inn, a group tour of the cobblestone campus will follow.

A Civil War Re-enactment at a date to be announced in July or August is new. The Lewiston Reenactment Group will portray a Civil War field hospital with nurses and surgeons demonstrating skills and medical tools of the era.

A fall history bus trip Oct. 10 will take participants on a narrated tour of cobblestone homes in the Finger Lakes area, while viewing fall foliage along the way. The trip will feature a tour of the facilities at Ganondagan State Historic Site near Canandaigua, the Seneca Arts and Cultural Center and the full size replica of a 17th century Seneca Nation Longhouse.

The last new venture for the Cobblestone Society this year is creating a float to take to local parades, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Cobblestone Society. Parades will include Holley’s June Fest Parade June 6, Albion’s Strawberry Festival June 12 and 13, Lyndonville’s Fourth of July Celebration and Medina’s Parade of Lights Nov. 28.

Returning for a second year is Cobblestone Museum Day March 21 at Lures Restaurant at Bald Eagle Marina, Kendall. Lures will donate a portion of the proceeds from guests who eat at the marina from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Mike Deniz of Fairport, center, plays the violin during an April 14 performance by Elderberry Jam at the Cobblestone Church in the Gaines hamlet of Childs. Nearly 200 people attended the concert. Elderberry Jam will be back for another concert at the church on April 26.

Farley is also thrilled to have been contacted by Elderberry Jam, an extremely popular fiddlers’ group from the Finger Lakes area, asking if they could return. The Museum waited several years to book them for their first appearance last year, when they packed the cobblestone church.

The Cobblestone Society’s Membership/Fundraising dinner will take place May 6 at Carlton Recreation Center. The evening will feature dinner catered by Michael Zambito, live and silent auctions and raffles throughout the event.

The third annual Progressive Organ concert and dinner will move to Holley and Brockport this year on May 16, with visits to the Morgan Manning House and two historic churches. A catered dinner will follow.

The opening exhibit June 7 is “Historical, Hysterical and Naughty,” featuring some very unusual novelty pieces from the collections of Bill Lattin and the late Rene Schasel.

The Cobblestone Patriotic Service July 5 will celebrate the museum’s cobblestone heritage and 60th anniversary. The nation’s independence will be observed with patriotic songs and readings at 11 a.m. At noon, all churches in the community will be welcomed for a picnic lunch on the side lawn. A freewill donation will be received.

Sue Starkweather Miller will host the annual summer garden bus tour, at a date to be announced in July. The trip will visit four or five new gardens in Orleans County.

The Cobblestone Museum is working with Orleans County Tourism to put together events for the 10 days of the Orleans County Heritage Festival Sept. 11 to 20. A celebration of the storied history of Orleans County will be celebrated by many different partners throughout the county.

An Old Timer’s Fair and Antiques Appraisal is scheduled for Sept. 12. The museum will come alive with artisans and re-enactors as they recreate the feel of Orleans County life in the 19th century. Admission is free for the fair, but a small fee per item will be charged for the appraisal service. A Chiavetta chicken barbecue will take place for dining on site or takeout from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or until sold out.

The Cobblestone Tour of Homes on Sept. 26 will branch out to several fine examples of cobblestone structures in western Orleans and Niagara counties. Self-drive or bus tour options are available.

Photo by Tom Rivers: These girls portrayed students at the District No. 5 Schoolhouse at the Cobblestone Museum during a Ghost Walk on Oct. 8, 2017. The girls include, from left: Meganne Moore, Kelsey Froman, Ella Trupo, Autumn Flugel and Liana Flugel. The museum will have another Ghost Walk on Oct. 17.

The Cobblestone Ghost Walk on Oct. 17 will showcase Orleans County happenings at the conclusion of the Civil War.

The Cobblestone Museums Gift Shop will again be turned into a Holiday Shoppe on Nov. 6, 7, 8 and Dec. 5, featuring a Christmas wonderland of decorations and gifts at low cost. There will also be Christmas music at special times.

The Cobblestone Society will hold its annual meeting from noon to 2 p.m. Nov. 14 at a location to be announced.

The final event of the year is the Christmas Tour of Homes on Dec. 5, featuring Christmas displays and homes in Holley. Diana Flow is working with the Holley Historical Society to select homes that will be on the tour. Again, a self-drive or bus option will be available.

Further information on all events is available on the Cobblestone Museum’s website or by calling the museum at 589-9013.

Farley and the museum also continue to explore options to create an Orleans County Welcome Center at the Cobblestone campus.

“It will be a very busy year,” he said.

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Cobblestone schoolhouse bell tower gets some attention

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 December 2019 at 1:27 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

GAINES – Bob Fisher of Robert Fisher Contracting Inc. in Kendall is about 26 feet up high today, working on the base of the bell tower roof at the Cobblestone schoolhouse.

Fisher on Friday set up the scaffolding for the lofty work. Today he removed old tine from the bell tower roof on the schoolhouse, which was built in 1849 and is part of the Cobblestone Museum, a National Historic Landmark on Route 104.

Fisher is putting in new plywood sheeting and aluminum for the roof on the base of the bell tower roof. He expects to be finished with the project on Tuesday.

Fisher heads down the ladder on the schoolhouse, which closed in the 1950s and remains largely preserved by the Cobblestone Museum from the era when it was an active schoolhouse.

Fisher said working on older buildings requires some ingenuity. “They’re always interesting,” he said about the historic sites. “You never know what you’ll run into.”

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3 highway superintendents retiring after century of service

Photo by Tom Rivers: These town highway superintendents – from left, Larry Swanger of Clarendon, Mike Fuller of Shelby, and Ron Mannella of Gaines – are pictured at Tillman’s Village Inn on Wednesday. They were honored at the monthly meeting of the Orleans County Town Highway Superintendents Association.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 December 2019 at 8:45 am

Swanger, Fuller and Mannella led their towns through major waterline expansions

GAINES – Three town highways superintendents in Orleans County are retiring, with the trio serving 106 years combined as highway workers, including 70 years as the highway superintendents.

Larry Swanger of Clarendon, Ron Mannella of Gaines and Mike Fuller of Shelby have each put in many new miles of water districts, in addition to leading their departments in maintaining and plowing roads.

The superintendents were honored on Wednesday at the Orleans County Town Highway Superintendents Association. They received citations from State Assemblyman Steve Hawley and the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways. That group’s president, Joel Kie of the Town of Dickinson near Binghamton, attended the meeting and praised the three local highway chiefs for their service.

Larry Swanger, left, is presented with citations for his service by Joel Kie (center), president of the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways; and Michael Neidert, Albion town highway superintendent and president of the Orleans County Town Highway Superintendents Association.

Swanger is retiring after 30 years as Clarendon’s highway superintendent. When he started, there was one water district in Clarendon, and it was privately owned and served Thomas Estates. Now, Clarendon has 13 water districts spread over 50 miles with 830 customers. About two decades ago, the town built a water tower.

Swanger is the water superintendent, in addition to the highway leader. Mannella and Fuller also serve in both roles.

“I’ve liked the people and the other highway superintendents,” Swanger said. “It’s the people that you get involved with.”

Swanger said the job is more complicated than people realize.

“People don’t see the behind-the-scenes paperwork, the contracts you have to deal with,” he said.

Swanger didn’t seek re-election in November. Tracy Bruce Chalker was elected to the position and starts Jan. 1.

Ron Mannella is presented citations for his service by the president of the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways and the president of the Orleans County Town Highway Superintendents Association.

Ron Mannella is retiring after 26 years as the Gaines highway superintendent. Before working in Gaines, Mannella was a motor equipment operator for six years with the Town of Albion Highway Department.

When he started with Gaines, the town had 8 miles of waterlines. Now there are more than 50 miles with 750 to 800 water customers. The expansion of public water is a big accomplishment for the town, Mannella said.

Gaines also used a grant to cover most of the costs of a salt storage shed. In 1999, the town highway garage collapsed after a heavy snow storm. A rebuilt garage opened in 2001.

Although Mannella is retiring as the highway superintendent, he will stay in public service as a new member of the Gaines Town Board. He received the most votes in November among four candidates. Mark Radzinski was elected in November to succeed Mannella as the highway superintendent.

“It was a good run,” Mannella said about the 26 years as highway superintendent. “The people of Gaines are really nice.”

Mike Fuller smiles after receiving his citations for a 44-year career with the Town of Shelby Highway Department.

Mike Fuller has worked 44 years with the Town of Shelby Highway Department, starting as a motor equipment operator when he was 21. The past 14 years he has been highway superintendent.

The town built its first water district in 1972 with 125 customers in the hamlet and on South Gravel Road. During Fuller’s career, the town expanded to 12 water districts serving 800 customers. Shelby also built a salt storage shed.

“We put in a lot of waterlines,” Fuller said. “Those are big projects.”

Shelby used to have its town building on Maple Ridge Road, where ALDI is located today. That site had contaminated soil from fuel. Fuller led the effort to have the soil removed from the site and relocated to the town property on Salt Works Road. The town used a bio-cell where micro-organisms improved the soil, which was cleared by the Department of Environmental Conservation. Fuller said that project was an interesting challenge for the Highway Department.

He also is pleased with the town’s efforts in helping to put in infrastructure and clear land for the Medina Business Park. Shelby teamed with the Medina Department of Public Works and Orleans County Highway Department for projects at the Business Park.

Fuller lost a close election last month to Dale Root for highway superintendent. Fuller said he will remain active in the community. He is past chief and current president of the East Shelby Volunteer Fire Company. He also serves with the Knights of Columbus and has a part-time job with Mercy EMS in Batavia.

“I’ve enjoyed serving the people,” he said.

Mike Neidert, president of the Orleans County Town Highway Superintendents Association, is finishing his first four-year term as Albion’s superintendent. He said the local highway leaders embraced him when he started. He urged the group to continue that approach with the three new highway superintendents.

“Everyone took me under their wing and welcomed me in and I encourage everyone to do that with the new guys coming in,” Neidert said.

Joel Kie, president of the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways, attended the meeting, driving from near Binghamton. He said the town highway departments will need to press the state legislators to maintain funding for road maintenance. Kie said he is concerned about the state funding, especially with the state facing a shortfall.

He urged the highway superintendents to attend lobbying days in Albany on March 3-4.

“This year will be extra tough because of the deficits,” he said.

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Cobblestone Museum, businesses would like speed limit reduced in Gaines hamlet

Photos by Tom Rivers: Grace Denniston, a trustee with the Cobblestone Museum, walks on the edge of Route 104 near the Cobblestone Museum during an Oct. 19 Ghost Walk at the museum.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 December 2019 at 12:03 pm

‘Five to Revive’ designation could help bring resources to historic district

GAINES – The recent “Five to Revive” designation by the Landmark Society of Western New York should bring attention to the historic district in Gaines, where there are cobblestone and brick buildings from before 1850.

The Cobblestone Museum is hopeful the designation will galvanize local and state officials to look for ways to make the district more pedestrian friendly, while also promoting the area as a tourism destination.

The routes 98 and 104 intersection is a busy spot in Orleans County. Not only are there several businesses and a museum in the hamlet, but motorists pass through on their way to other destinations.

The museum would like to see sidewalks in the district, better signage, historic-looking street lights and a reduced speed limit.

“This area has so much history,” said Doug Farley, the museum director. “The (Five to Revive) will do nothing but help us if we promote it right.”

Mark Tillman, owner of Tillman’s Village Inn, would like to see a reduced speed limit, and more ambitious marketing plan for the historic cobblestone district. The businesses and museum do a lot of their own marketing, and would benefit from a bigger collective push about the historic district, he said.

The district is highlighted by three cobblestone buildings – a church, a residence and a schoolhouse – that were designated as a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1993. This is the only site in Orleans County ranked as a National Historic Landmark.

This ranking means the sites have national importance, including such nearby sites as the George Eastman House and Susan B. Anthony House in Rochester, the Holland Land Office Museum in Batavia, and the Darwin R. Martin House and U.S.S. The Sullivans in Buffalo.

Farley said the historic district is at a main crossroads in the county, with routes 98 and 104. The museum is exploring having a visitor’s site at the district and would welcome the county as a partner in the project, Farley told county legislators last month.

The Five to Revive has been critical in bringing attention and funding to the former Holley High School (being renovated for $17 million into apartments and the village offices) and the chapel at Hillside Cemetery.

Farley said the historic district is not well marked with signs and he is concerned about the 45 mile per hour speed limit.

“The cars travel past us at a very high clip,” Farley told the county legislators.

There isn’t much parking in the hamlet for larger tractor trailers and trucks. Many park on the edge of Route 104 near the Crosby’s convenience store.

The museum will often bring out traffic cones and have road marshals during events to make it safer for pedestrians.

Carol Culhane, the former town supervisor, manages Fairhaven Treasures at a brick building owned by Ray Burke at the routes 98 and 104 intersection. She said a reduced speed limit should be a top priority.

The speed limit drops to 40 mph near the Gaines Town Hall to past the intersection with Gaines Basin Road. Culhane would like the speed limit to go down to 35 in the historic district. But she said it isn’t an easy process to petition the state Department of Transportation and get DOT approval for a reduction in speed.

“To lower the speed limit would be wonderful,” she said. “But the state is very particular. It is a very long, arduous journey to get them to change that.”

The museum buildings are spread out on Route 104, with several buildings also on Route 98, south of Ridge Road. The museum could use more parking, and the sidewalks would make it safer for the visitors on foot, Culhane said.

Farley urged the local elected officials to work with the museum, businesses and residents in the district to develop a plan to better promote the district, and make it safer for pedestrians.

“We certainly have a wonderful historic product here that we can be proud of,” he said. “The sky is really the limit if we put on our thinking cap with the resources we have.”

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