By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – Christy Valsente of Holley holds one of the stained glass mosaic art pieces she has for sale. Valsente is one of 33 vendors with merchandise for sale at the Gaines Carlton Community Church on Ridge Road.
The church took a break last year from its “Flea Market Extravaganza,” but the event returned today and is open until 4 p.m.
“We like to have the community come in so we can share a day with them in a nice park-like setting,” said Peggy Bropst, one of the coordinators of the event.
James Nicholson of Medina is pictured with some of the wooden artwork he creates in a style known as intarsia. Nicholson brought alone 45 pieces for the show, and sold 2/3 of them by noon.
Nicholson cuts each piece and fits them together, using different types of wood and colors.
Hope Stirk, left, is selling quilts and Martha Batt is selling baby hats.
Carolyn Ricker, owner of Bindings Bookstore in Albion, has books for sale including the new one, Go Set A Watchman, by Harper Lee.
ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office is announcing the arrest of Michael W. Conlon, 36, of Holley in connection with the theft of several All-Terrain Vehicles and motorized dirt bikes.
Conlon’s arrest comes as a result of a lengthy investigation that dates back to April of this year. These thefts were the proceeds of burglaries committed at different locations in the towns of Albion, Barre and Gaines.
The approximate total value of these machines easily exceeds $10,000. In all but one instance, the vehicles were taken out of the county and sold for cash.
Conlon is facing three counts of Burglary 3rd Degree, two counts of Grand Larceny 3rd Degree, and one count of Grand Larceny 4th Degree. He is currently being held in the Orleans County Jail, in lieu of bail.
A second arrest was made in connection with one of these incidents. Brittnie Engle, 28, of Albion is facing one count of Burglary 3rd Degree and one count of Grand Larceny 3rd Degree. She is also being held at the county jail in lieu of bail.
This investigation is on-going and additional charge(s) may be forthcoming. The investigation is being conducted by Investigators S.E. Brett & K.M. Strickland Jr.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
EAGLE HARBOR – Dan Parker was out driving his 1930 Model A on Tuesday evening with his wife Dawn. The Eagle Harbor couple is pictured crossing the lift bridge in Eagle Harbor.
They were coming home after a picnic for the Eagle Harbor United Methodist Church at the Albion Sportsmen’s Club on Keitel Road.
Mr. Parker has owned the Model A since 1994, and has done some restoration work on the car. He also has a 1936 Ford truck.
It looks like Orleans County is in store for some nice weather. The National Weather Service is forecasting a sunny day today with a high of 75 degrees, followed by a high of 76 and sunny on Thursday, a high of 78 and sunny on Friday, and a high of 86 and mostly sunny on Saturday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – A print shop from about a century ago is getting cleaned up with some new parts to be added to the old presses.
David Damico, a volunteer for the Cobblestone Museum, has been reorganizing the shop, which was built in 1875. It used to be in Medina, but was moved to the museum grounds on Route 98 in Gaines in the late 1977.
Damico lives in Le Roy. He also volunteers at the print shop at the Genesee Country Village in Mumford. Damico teaches graphic design and topography at Brockport State College.
The shop at the Cobblestone Museum has several cases of type.
Damico believes the shop dates to about 1910-1920, based on the type for printing and lettering, as well as the electricity for the shop and a phone on the wall.
The printing shop is like walking into a time capsule from a century ago. The site includes two printing presses from the late 1800s.
Damico is getting rollers, aprons and cleaning materials for the site that are appropriate for the time period of the shop.
A poster advertising a baseball game between Albion and Medina is on the wall in the shop. The game was to be played on Sept. 1, 1915 in Albion.
The building was constructed in the Second Empire style. It was built by William Hedley of Medina in the 1870s. Hedley purchased land on East Center Street in Medina, and also purchased land near the canal aqueduct. During that time period, Hedley owned and operated a saw mill, stone planing mill, a flour mill, and a machine shop, according to the Cobblestone Museum.
The print shop building was donated to the Cobblestone Museum in 1977 by Erling Maine.
For more on the historic buildings at the Cobblestone Museum, click here.
Damico wants to train volunteers on how to use the printing presses and equipment in the shop. He has a print shop in his basement with equipment from the 1920s.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Gerald Scharping checks the thermometers inside a shed in his backyard. Scharping has been a weather observer for the past 41 years for the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
GAINES – Gerald Scharping has checking the thermometer and the rain gauge in his backyard as a daily duty for 41 years.
He is dutiful in recording the high and low temperatures, as well as the precipitation for the day. He charts it all, and makes notes about other weather issues of the day, noting if it was windy, sprinkling or snowing.
He sends in a report each month to the National Weather Service, with puts the information in the National Climatic Data Center.
Gerald Scharping is presented a framed certificate and letter of appreciation for his years of service as a weather observer from Dan Kelly of the National Weather Service.
Today the Weather Service presented Scharping with a certificate and letter of appreciation for his many years of service. Only a weather observer in Oswego, who has been volunteering daily in the data collection for more than 50 years, has been at it longer than Scharping, said Dan Kelly, the observer program leader for the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
Kelly works with 53 observers in a territory from Buffalo to Watertown.
“There are very few who have been at it longer,” Kelly said about Scharping.
The Crandall Road resident walks to his backyard each day, sometimes trudging through snow. He tries to get the measurements at 5 p.m. each day.
“I was interested in it,” Scharping said about collecting the weather data.
Scharping checks the rain gauge.
Kelly said the Weather Service has data from Albion since 1938. Tom Lamont was the first to collect the data on Densmore Road, which is about a mile from Scharping’s. Dennis Kirby and Stanley Kast followed, with Scharping starting in 1974.
Kelly said the Weather Service doesn’t have too many spots like in Albion with daily data from the same area going back more than 75 years. That long-term data can help the Weather Service study possible changes in weather patterns and climate, Kelly said.
Scharping has lived in his house for all 87 years of his life. He ran a general farm until 1972, when he was hired as the first manager for the Orleans County Soil & Water Conservation District. He worked in that job until retiring in 1992.
Kelly shared some highlights from Scharping’s reports over the years. The hottest day recorded was 101 degrees on July 8, 1988 and the coldest was minus-20 on Feb. 18, 1979.
Scharping has counted 2,706 inches of snow in the 41 years with the biggest snowfall – 16 inches – on March 11, 1992. He has also tracked 1,448.76 inches of rain with the biggest day, 4.83 inches, on Sept. 14, 1979.
Scharping said he is committed to the task each day and wants to keep at it.
Kelly said he welcomes more volunteers to collect data. He said the Weather Service would like someone in Medina and people near the Lake Ontario shoreline. For more information, email Kelly at Dan.kelly@noaa.gov.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 June 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – Lee Richards, pastor of the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church in Albion, preaches from the pulpit at the Cobblestone Universalist Church today.
The Pullman congregation twice a year has church at the cobblestone site in Gaines, a building from 1834. That church is oldest cobblestone church in North America and is a National Historic Landmark.
Universalists met at the cobblestone site until the new Pullman church, built with money from Albion native and business tycoon George Pullman, opened in 1895.
The Albion congregation of Unitarian-Universalists has been holding services twice a year at the cobblestone church for at least four decades, with a service the fourth Sunday in June and a patriotic service the first Sunday in July.
In honor of the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, Richards prepared a sermon as if it was June 28, 1865. He spent a month researching that time frame, looking up sermons, essays and newspaper reports.
Richards dressed as a preacher would in that era, with a large loose tie, a vest and some wild hair. Richards said people in that era hadn’t updated their clothes in years because of the war and they went without haircuts for extended periods.
The church presented a program from June 28, 1865, with the minister at that time named Nathaniel Langdon Frothingham. The church is located in a hamlet that was known then as Fairhaven.
The Cobblestone Universalist Church had endured many ministers who stayed briefly from 1834 to 1865. The church would close in 1865 and reopened in 1874 after a new minister, Rev. Nelson Snell, instilled a newfound zeal in the congregation, according to the church program from today.
During his sermon today, Richards spoke as if it was 1865 and the impending closure of the church would be “one more travesty of the terrible war that just concluded.”
The community and country, at that time, needed religion “now more than ever,” Richards said.
Richards noted the war claimed half a million lives, and left countless others wounded – missing limbs, eyes and bearing invisible scars: “from taken up arms against friends and family.”
Richards’ prepared a sermon from June 28, 1865, which was about two months after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated – “taken from us so suddenly and so shamelessly.” The country desperately needed Lincoln’s leadership for reconciliation between the north and the south, Richards said.
In his sermon, he advocated for rights and education for women and “people of the African race.” He noted that Universalist seminaries were preparing women to preach and lead churches at that time.
Jeremy Rath plays the organ in the balcony of the historic church.
Judy Wenrich dressed as a Native American woman for the service to help commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Wenrich said many Native Americans were assimilated into Christian churches in the 19th Century.
Lee Richards, right, chats with his wife Louise Wu and Matt Ballard, director of the Cobblestone Museum, following the service today. The church will hold its annual patriotic service next Sunday at 11 a.m.
Adrienne Kirby holds her daughter Rosemary after today’s service. Kirby’s father, Bill Lattin, was the Cobblestone Museum director and curator for about 40 years.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 June 2015 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – The Orleans County Historical Association wants to preserve this one-room schoolhouse on Gaines Basin Road in Gaines, just north of the Erie Canal. The building (pictured in March) was built in 1832 and is one of the oldest cobblestone structures in the county. The Historical Association would like to have a historical marker noting the building’s history as a schoolhouse.
ALBION – Orleans County’s pride in its history is obvious from the many markers that celebrate prominent former residents, architectural marvels and other important sites in the county, County Historian Matt Ballard said.
For many years, the county set aside funds in the historian’s budget to help pay for the blue and gold markers that are sprinkled around the county, Ballard told county legislators on Wednesday.
Ballard wants to have those funds reinstated some more markers can go up in a partnership with the Orleans County Historical Association.
That group wants a marker on Gaines Basin Road for a former one-room cobblestone schoolhouse that was built in 1832. That site “is likely the oldest cobblestone building we have in Orleans County,” said Al Capurso, who is leading the effort to preserve the former schoolhouse, which has largely been abandoned since 1944.
The Historical Association is in process of acquiring the former school house from Jim Panek, who is donating the building, Capurso said. Volunteers have been cleaning out the school house and planning for its future.
The marker would note the Gaines Basin Schoolhouse was built from field cobblestones in 1832, replacing a log cabin where Caroline Phipps taught. She would later start a seminary for women in Albion at a site where the County Clerks’ Building now stands.
Here is a rendering on how the historical marker could look.
The historical marker would cost $1,289. Capurso and Ballard asked legislators to set aside $500 in county funds for the marker. The Historical Association would pay the remaining $789.
Legislature Chairman David Callard said the county wants to first see a public campaign to cover the $500. If the funds can’t be raised, Callard said the Legislature would consider the request.
Callard also said he would like to see the group work on refurbishing some of the existing signs that have flaking paint and are difficult to read.
Capurso said the effort to preserve the schoolhouse has enjoyed support in the community, from Jim Panek, the volunteers on the cleaning crew, and the Town of Gaines, which said it would have highway workers set the marker in concrete.
Capurso said the marker and effort to save the site will honor the cobblestone masons from nearly two centuries ago, and the many students and teachers who worked out of the building.
Putting up the marker and safeguarding the building are small tasks compared to efforts of the early settlers, teachers and students.
“Our efforts pale in contrast to what they’ve done,” Capurso said.
He also praised the contributions of the late Emilio Dilodovico, a farmer who kept the schoolhouse from collapse.
“He kept it going,” Capurso said. “It’s still structurally sound.”
For more information on the project, call Capurso at 590-0763.
Bruce Schmidt, a Gaines town justice and member of the Historical Association, also encouraged the county to develop heritage tourism trails. He cited a smiliar effort in Niagara County. The trails could have locations about the Underground Railroad, Civil War and other historical sites, Schmidt said.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Albion police officers David Mogle, left, and Will Francis respond to the scene of an accident on Saturday on Route 98, north of the village near the Five Corners.
Press Release
Orleans County Sheriff
Scott Hess
GAINES – An Albion man remains hospitalized in satisfactory condition this afternoon following a two-vehicle crash on Saturday in the Town of Gaines.
The incident occurred shortly after 5:30 p.m., at the intersection of routes 98 and 279 and Bacon Road. This intersection is commonly known as the Five Corners.
A 2007 Hummer HU3 Suburban was traveling south on 279 at a high rate of speed. A 2001 Chevrolet Malibu 4dr was northbound on Route 98 in the turn lane and preparing to turn left onto 279. The Hummer entered the intersection and struck the front end of the Malibu.
The Hummer continued southbound on Route 98 crossing and exiting on the east side of the roadway. The vehicle became airborne and overturned, then grounded and struck some shrubbery before becoming airborne a second time and striking a tree while still in the air. The vehicle then came to rest in an upright position against some other trees.
The driver (sole occupant) of the Hummer is identified as David W. Kuhns, 38, of Albion. He was extricated from his vehicle by Albion firefighters and flown by Mercy Flight helicopter to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.
The driver (sole occupant) of the Malibu is identified as Michael J. Pommerening, 56, of Kent. He was treated at the scene by personnel from Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance. He was not transported to the hospital.
While the investigation is continuing, it’s apparent that alcohol, excessive speed, and reckless operation were contributing factors. Pending his recovery, Kuhns is facing DWI and other charges.
The incident was investigated by Sergeant G.T. Gunkler. He was assisted by Sergeant D.W. Covis, Investigator D.E. Foeller Jr., Deputy T.C. Marano, and Deputy T.N. Tooley.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 May 2015 at 7:00 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The driver of Hummer going at a high rate of speed hit another vehicle on Route 98 near the 5 corners and then went airborne, flipping in the air at least once, before hitting a tree and coming to a stop near an embankment.
This vehicle was hit by the Hummer. The driver appeared uninjured and was talking with Orleans County deputies at the scene.
The driver of the Hummer survived the crash and was taken by Mercy Flight helicopter after being extricated by Albion firefighters. The accident was just south of Bacon Road near the intersection with Route 279.
Albion firefighters and personnel from Central Orleans Voluneer Ambulance work to get the driver extricated from the Hummer. He was transported by COVA to a landing zone for Mercy Flight at the Christian Missionary Alliance Church. Dale Banker, director of Emergency Management for Orleans County, is pictured in red.
Shelly Smith has lived at the 5 corners for 14 years. She said there are typically two serious accidents at the intersection each year. Many of those vehicles have ended up in her yard.
She saw the accident today, and watched the Hummer go airborne and flip over at least once in the air. The vehicle bounced into a tree, ripping the bark off about 20 feet up the tree.
“I have never seen anything like it,” she said.
Pieces of the Hummer were all over her yard.
“This is the worst I have ever seen,” she said. “I’ve never seen a car catapult.”
This photo shows where the Hummer took some of the bark off a tree.
The accident remains under investigation. The name of the driver of Hummer hasn’t been released. He was conversing with COVA personnel and Albion firefighters at the scene.
Mercy Flight takes off by the Christian Missionary Alliance Church.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – A crowd gathers on the front lawn at Fair Haven Treasures this afternoon to dedicate an International Peace Garden. Many of the attendees were Santas in town for the Charles W. Howard Legendary Santa Claus Conference.
Ray and Linda Burke, owners of Fair Haven Treasures, are pictured with members of the Claus Clan, a group of Santas who like to celebrate their Scottish heritage.
The Burkes were praised by speakers for transforming the homestead into an art gallery and co-op.
“Thank you Ray and Linda Burke for unlocking the door to a promising future,” said Carol Culhane, the Gaines town supervisor.
John Proctor named the hamlet in Gaines “Fairhaven” more than 200 years ago. Proctor is considered the Paul Revere of Ridge Road because he rode along the Ridge, warning settlers that the British were coming during the War of 1812. He had a log cabin at the corner of 98 and 104 before the large brick house was built in 1834.
Ruby Hoffey, a music therapist at Rainbow Preschool in Albion, sings the American national anthem during today’s ceremony. She also sang the Canadian anthem.
The Peace Garden celebrates the friendship between the United States and Canada and the largest unguarded border in the world.
A member of the Claus Clan watches the celebration in Gaines today.
Paula Savage, left, of Batavia is founder of the Peace Garden Foundation. She presents a certificate to Carol Culhane, Gaines town supervisor, that certifies the garden at Fair Haven is on the International Peace Garden Trail.
There is also a peace garden at Brown’s Berry Patch in Carlton. The gardens must have a connection to the War of 1812.
At the Browns, family matriarch Bathshua Brown settled in the area in 1804 when the trees were so dense in Carlton the area was known as the Black North. She helped fight off the British in the war and took one of their captains captive.
Orleans County Legislator Lynne Johnson said John Proctor and Bathshua Brown should both be considered heroes in Orleans County, and their efforts should not be forgotten.
County Legislator Lynne Johnson addresses the crowd. She cited the pioneer grit of many of the early settlers such as John Proctor and Bathshua Brown.
Johnson thanked Ray and Linda Burke for their efforts to upgrade a vacant house and turn it into Fair Haven Treasures.
The Burkes were also presented with a proclamation from State Assemblyman Steve Hawley’s office for the garden.
Georgia Thomas, a volunteer at the Cobblestone Museum, is pictured with a Santa from Gatlinburg, Tenn. Fair Haven Treasures is located in historic Gaines, which includes the Cobblestone Museum, the only National Historic Landmark in the county.
Gaines Town Justice Bruce Schmidt served as master of cermonies during today’s dedication.
These three Santas are all from New England. They said a peace garden fits perfectly with their efforts as Santa.
“People say Christmas is all about children, but it’s really all about heart and believing in the good in everyone,” said Jim Rizzio, a Santa from Ansonia, Conn.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – The American Red Cross provided food and clothing to the owner of a house on Eagle Harbor Road in Gaines that burned last night.
Volunteers Diane Sargent and Jim McMoil responded to the fire at 2516 Eagle Harbor Rd. David Snyder, owner of the cobblestone home that was built in 1850, has made arrangements for temporary housing, Red Cross spokesman Jay Bonafede said.
The agency will make specially trained disaster mental health volunteers available to help deal with the emotional aspects of this disaster, and the Snyder will meet with our caseworkers in the coming days to help work on a long-term recovery plan, Bonafede said.
Volunteers in the Red Cross’s Disaster Action Team also responded to a fire in Buffalo last night on St. Lawrence Avenue.
In March 2015, volunteers from the Western New York Chapter responded to 47 incidents, providing immediate emergency assistance to 172 people, Bonafede said.
The fire in Gaines remains under investigation.
Firefighters try to put out the fire in Gaines last night. Several fire departments responded to the scene.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 April 2015 at 11:45 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – A cobblestone house that has been dutifully cared for by its owner has been badly damaged in a fire tonight.
David Snyder was getting ready to go to bed when he sensed something wrong in his attic. He opened the attic door and the fire seemed to take off, said his sister, Tricia Snyder.
She is thankful her brother made it safely out of the house with his two dogs.
This photo is taken looking towards the back of the house with water coming down from the ladder truck.
It was difficult for Snyder and his family to watch the fire gain strength with flames shooting out of the roof.
Firefighters work to get the fire under control.
Snyder has gutted the house and done a lot of work inside, his sister said.
Neighbors said the house was a popular, welcoming place when Snyder was raising his children. Neighbors said they would try to rally around Snyder in the coming days.
Firefighters stand at the front of the house and direct water to the roof where flames were shooting out.
The dispatch call went out just before 10 p.m. to 2516 Eagle Harbor Rd. Firefighters were inside the house but were called out of the building as the fire spread in the upper floor.
Firefighters put lots of water on the fire, trying to get it under control.
Medina Fire Chief Todd Zinkievich hustles down Eagle Harbor Road to help at the scene.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
The bells on the Cobblestone Universalist Church will ring at 7:22 a.m. on April 15, the 150th anniversary of the death of Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln was shot on April 14 while watching a play at Ford’s Theater. An actor, John Wilkes Booth, shot the president in the back of the head. Lincoln’s death came six days after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, effectively ending the Civil War.
Churches around the country will ring bells at 7:22 a.m. on April 15 to mark Lincoln’s death. The Cobblestone Society met last night during its board meeting and agreed to have the historic church on Route 104 join the bell-ringing in appreciation of Lincoln’s life.
Other churches are urged to participate.
This statue of Abraham Lincoln looks out over the City of Buffalo from the Buffalo History Museum in this photo from November. Rockwell Hall at Buffalo State, left, and the Richardson Olmsted Complex loom in the background.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 March 2015 at 12:00 am
State officials say town may be sued if it insists on turbine relocation
Photo by Tom Rivers – The 154-foot-high wind turbine at Watt Farms on Route 98 has been a source of litigation for two-plus years. The Town of Gaines wants the turbine to be moved away from the farm market and a U-Pick area.
GAINES – Town officials are again being told by state Agriculture and Markets officials to not demand a 154-foot-high wind turbine at Watt Farms be relocated.
Town officials have insisting the turbine be moved away from the farm market and U-Pick area. Town Supervisor Carol Culhane and Michael Grabowski, chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals, both have said public safety is at risk with the tower so close to Watt customers.
The town wants the tower to have at least a 169.4-foot setback from the tower and public areas at the farm market along Route 98.
The town determined that setback by multiplying the top of the tower and tower blade (154 feet) by 1.1. But Ag and Markets says the setback should be determined by multiplying the blade length – 23.6 feet – by five, which would be 118 feet.
Ag and Markets first sent a letter to the town on Jan. 14 from Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball. The town did not respond to that letter directly, which prompted another letter on March 20 from Michael Latham, director of the Division of Land & Water for Ag and Markets.
Latham said Gaines needs to comply with the order from Ag and Markets or face legal action from the state.
“If the Town and Zoning Boards of Appeals do not confirm that they will comply with the Commissioner’s Order, the Department may take legal action to enforce the Order and will seek costs and attorney’s fees,” Latham wrote in the letter to town officials.
In the commissioner’s letter in January, Ball said it was “unreasonable” for the town to demand the turbine be relocated at an estimated cost of $20,000.
The town could, however, restrict public access to the portion of the farm operation within 118 feet of the tower’s base or Watt could take the turbine offline when there are people in the U-Pick portion within 118 feet of the tower, Latham said.
Culhane and Grabowski said recently the town’s decision to demand the tower’s relocation was upheld by James Punch, State Supreme Court judge in Orleans County. They said the judge’s decision trumps the Ag and Markets.
Watt is appealing the decision by Judge Punch in December.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 March 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – This former one-room schoolhouse on Gaines Basin Road, just north of the Erie Canal, has been largely abandoned since decentralization in the mid-1940s. A Gaines resident would like to see the building be saved and preserved for years to come.
GAINES – A building that has been vacant since about World War II could get new life through the efforts of local preservationists.
Gaines resident Al Capurso is leading the effort to save, stabilize and seek resources for a former cobblestone schoolhouse on Gaines Basin Road, just north of the Erie Canal.
The Orleans County Historical Association will discuss efforts to preserve Gaines Basin District No. 2. The association meets 2 p.m. Thursday at Hoag Library. The public is welcome to attend and share ideas for the building.
“It is sitting there, just waiting for us to take care of it,” Capurso said about the building.
The schoolhouse was built in 1832. A log cabin schoolhouse preceded that structure at the site. Capurso said some of the early pioneers in the Albion and Gaines area attended the school. Caroline Phipps was one of the teachers at the log cabin. It’s where she got her start as a teacher.
She would later start a women’s academy, the Phipps Union Seminary, in Albion. That school was located where the County Clerk’s Building now stands next to the courthouse.
There is an effort to have a historical marker outside the building and also to get the site listed on the state and national registers of historic places.
Capurso would like to have a historical marker by the cobblestone building that notes the significance of the site as a school. He wants the Orleans County Historical Association, where he is a member, to apply for a grant from the Pomeroy Foundation for the marker. That foundation funded a marker in Clarendon for Hillside Cemetery last year.
Capurso has also recruited help from Melissa Ierlan and Erin Anheier, members of the Clarendon Historical Society, to help get the cobblestone schoolhouse on the state and national registers of historic places. Anheier wrote successful applications for several sites in Clarendon and in the Brockport area, helping the properties to be listed and making them eligible for tax credits for renovations and preservation efforts.
Capurso said community members will also be needed to help with some of the work to make the building usable as a possible museum, display area and meeting place, perhaps for the Orleans County Historical Association.
“Saving the building will be a longer term effort with human power,” Capurso said.
