Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – A truck driver was attempting to turn around on Route 98 when the vehicle slipped into a ditch in the Town Gaines, just north of Watt Farms.
Albion firefighters, James Fisher (right) and David Nayman, were out directing traffic around the truck today at about 1:30 p.m. Firefighters were called to the scene at about 11:45 a.m. A tow truck was on scene to pull out the truck.
File photo by Tom Rivers – Matt Ballard and Sarah Karas, co-directors of the Cobblestone Society Museum, are pictured in front of the Ward House (built in 1836) with the Cobblestone Universalist Church (built in 1834) in back. The museum opened six weeks earlier this year and expanded its programming.
CHILDS – The Cobblestone Museum saw attendance nearly double this past year when the National Historic Landmark opened on Mother’s Day, six weeks earlier than normal, and worked to expand programming, including a series on medicine in the 19th Century.
A new Museum Crawl also linked museums and historic sites on Route 98 from Batavia to Lake Ontario. It resulted in about 50 new visitors for the Cobblestone Museum. Altogether there were 1,475 visitors to the museum in 2014, up from the 876 that were counted in 2013.
“It seems like we’re going in the right direction,” said Matt Ballard, co-director of the museum. “We just have to stick with it.”
Ballard put together an exhibit – “Medicine at the Museum” – about medical care in the 1800s. The museum has an extensive collection of artifacts, and many were also donated from community members for the exhibit, which ran until Oct. 12.
“Medicine at the Museum” features photos and write-ups on many of the pioneer physicians and pharmacists in the county. The museum also hosted a lecture series with four speakers discussing Orleans and WNY medical history.
Ballard is now working on an exhibit for next year about World War I. The war lasted from 1914 to 1918, with the United States joining in 1917.
The Cobblestone Society had its annual meeting on Thursday and Susan Rudnicky, president, cited several successes, including the growing attendance. The museum also used grants and donations to complete a new roof on the Cobblestone Church and a next-door brick house.
“The church is near and dear to all of our hearts,” Rudnicky told about 70 people at the meeting at Tillman’s Village Inn. “Keeping it in good condition is pre-eminent. We have to keep it in good condition.”
Sarah Karas, co-director of the Cobblestone Museum, addresses about 70 people who attended the annual meeting for the Cobblestone Society on Thursday. She is joined by Matt Ballard, at right, and leaders of the Board of Directors, sitting.
The Cobblestone Society hired Ballard and Karas as co-directors in the spring. They both have other jobs and shared the duties in running the museum and its complex of historic structures.
Ballard and Karas both graduated in the Class of 2006 at Albion, and they both have master’s degrees in library science at the University of Buffalo. Karas works at Genesee Community College in Batavia and Ballard works at Hilbert College in Hamburg.
They have different strengths and interests. Karas organized weddings, trained volunteers and docents, redesigned the gift shop and worked on the museum’s social media with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Ballard brings a passion for genealogy and research to the position.
“Matt and Sarah are doing what I hoped people would be doing when I retired,” Bill Lattin, the long-time museum director, said at the annual meeting. “I’m very grateful for what they’ve done in carrying the museum into the 21st Century.”
The museum isn’t without challenges. Rudnicky said the organization would benefit from more revenue for upkeep of the buildings and to better pay its staff. Cobblestone Society Treasurer Ken Braunbach said the organization dipped into $30,000 of its investment funds in 2014. Those accounts are now down to $163,010.
The organization has been pushing more tours and weddings, as well as other events to bring in revenue. But ultimately, Rudnicky said other support will be needed to build a strong Cobblestone Museum for the future.
Orleans County currently doesn’t have the museum in its budget. Museum leaders have reached out to county legislators, and several took tours of the museum property in late October.
Rudnicky is stepping down as president and will remain on the board of directors. Mary Anne Braunbach will be the organization’s new president. Other new board members include Al Capurso, Louise Wu and Karen Desjardins.
Photos by Peggy Barringer
KNOWLESVILLE – The Eagle Harbor United Methodist Church held a Holiday Craft Show on Saturday at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds. Santa was on hand at the event to greet children.
Amanda Edick and Dustin Gardner are pictured in front of Dirt Road Designs, which they run with another partner, Elyse Catlin. Edick and Gardner said that they were excited to be doing their very first craft show and sold several items.
One of the craft show organizers, Leslie Allen (left), takes a basket of baked goods around to the vendors who may not have chance to get away from their tables to browse. The craft show is a fund-raiser for the church, which is led by Pastor Susan Boring.
Another new vendor at the show included Come On Get Snappy Photobooth by Peggy Barringer. Dmitry Allport assists Peggy with her booth while she was taking photos for the Orleans Hub.
Darlene Nenni and Jody Lubba sell tickets to the food items offered at the craft show in the Trolley Building. They said the beef on weck and chili were about even for popularity.
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The 10th annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk at Watt Farms drew about 1,000 people this morning at the farm on Route 98.
In the top photo, Melinda Maedl, business and community liaison for the Iroquois Job Corps Center in Medina, waves and leads a group at the beginning of the walk.
Karen Watt, a breast cancer survivor, addresses the crowd before the walk. Gene Christopher is pictured in lower right. His wife Judy fought breast cancer. She died at age 70 on Aug. 3, 2013.
Organizers of the walk set a $55,000 goal for today’s event. Watt said some of that money will go to advance cancer research. She said Orleans County is fortunate to be between major cancer research facilities in Buffalo and Rochester.
Karen Watt is pictured with two of her employees who are both breast cancer survivors. Melanie Vanacore, center, was diagnosed in July and Elizabeth “Perk” Banker was diagnosed five years ago. Watt is a 10-year survivor.
Watt said 70 Orleans County residents are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. In the 10 years of the walk at the Watt Farms, about 700 people in the county have been diagnosed with breast cancer, Watt said.
About 1,000 people were out walking in the orchards at Watt Farms for the breast cancer walk this morning.
There were 23 students from the Iroquois Job Corps in Medina on the walk today. Students sold ribbons and competed in a dorm vs. dorm event to raise $350 for the cause.
Participants ventured past the pond in the orchard on the 5-kilometer route.
Members of the CSEA employee union in Orleans County are pictured before the walk. County employees raised about $1,000 for the walk. Pictured, in back from left include: Debbie Sherk, Paula Bensely, Linette Kropp, union president Cindy Troy, and Alexis Montes and Johanna Cuadra whose mother Diana Kephart works for the county.
The two girls in front, Gracelynn and Isabelle Perkins, are Troy’s granddaughters.
Robbi Hess of Albion, center, is a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed 2 years, 3 months and 11 days ago. She had a mammogram just before her 50th birthday, and had surgery and radiation. She is pictured with her sister Cheryl Sipple of Medina, left, and cousin Pam Gray of Medina. The three raised $400 for today’s walk.
Hess volunteers as a mentor with the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester, connecting with women recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She also is active on the Cancer Survivors Facebook page, arranging for people with cancer to receive cards in the mail.
Members of the Elba football and soccer teams gather for a picture before today’s walk at Watt Farms.
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Chris Watt, owner of Watt Farms in Albion, gives kindergarteners tips on how to pick an apple during a visit to an orchard today. The students are from Cayuga Heights Elementary School in Depew.
Watt Farms hosts about 15 school visits each fall with most from Erie County. Watt said the farm used to do about 30 tours with schools, but many of the schools scaled back on field trips.
The school from Depew has been coming to Watt’s for many years. Tara McCormick, one of the teachers, said the farm is very accommodating to students and their parents. The students rode out to the orchard in a train, which is actually a tractor trailer resembling a locomotive.
“We’ve been talking about apples in the classroom,” said teacher Nicole Valint. “Here they see you actually have to grow them. They don’t just come from the grocery store.”
One of the classes is pictured by the train. About 60 students from Cayuga Heights rode the train out to the orchard.
Each student picked four apples. Mary Krawczyk, center, walks in the orchard with her daughter MacKenzie, right, and Alivia, one of the kindergarteners.
Besides picking apples and riding the train, the students learned about the importance of bees and pollination from Karen Watt. Another station at the farm showed students how to make apple cider.
Photos by Tom Rivers – Mark Tillman, owner of Tillman’s Village Inn, stands next to a new addition under construction at the landmark restaurant at the corner of routes 98 and 104.
CHILDS – As it is nears its 200th anniversary, The Village Inn isn’t standing still as a business.
Two years ago, Mark Tillman gave the dining areas a new look with fresh paint, new tables, booths, finishings, lights, windows and soffits.
This summer, contractors led by Joe Penna of Holley started putting on a new 1,800-square-foot addition. The project should be done in two to three weeks, and will then be furnished to open in time for the holidays.
The addition will boost the capacity for parties and special events to about 225 to 250. The current main meeting room, a former carriage shop, seats about 150 to 165.
“We get numerous calls for wedding receptions, class reunions, banquets and special events,” said Mark Tillman, owner of the restaurant. “Two hundred seems to be the magic number.”
Tillman is also doubling the number of parking spaces to help accommodate the bigger crowds.
The Village Inn opened in 1824, before the Erie Canal opened, and long before the railroads and paved streets with cars. The Village Inn was part of a stagecoach route along Ridge Road, which was originally an Indian Trail.
The other taverns on the trail are long gone. In fact, few local landmark restaurants seem to last more than a generation. Locally, the Basket Factory, Albion Steakhouse, the Apple Grove, Barbary Coast all prominent local restaurants – have all closed.
Tillman said The Village Inn has endured, mainly because of its commitment to consistent high-quality food with a friendly staff. But he said the restaurant needs to be willing to change and seize some opportunities.
The Village Inn, with its historic flavor, stands out from other party houses, Tillman said.
“There are so many party rooms that are sterile,” he said. “They are big open spaces with lights.”
Mark Tillman sits on a carriage step at The Village Inn that notes the restaurant dates back to 1824. The new addition is in the back right. It should be ready for the holidays.
The main meeting room at The Village Inn has hand-hewn beams. Those supports were were shaped by axes and machetes nearly 200 years ago. Tillman displays many artifacts from the bygone era – saddles, harnesses, food barrels and many historical photos. He has the restaurant’s liquor license framed from the early 1900s. In 1905, the license cost $150, a fee payable to the state.
The new addition will blend in with the historic site. Tillman said many customers have brought in community artifacts over the years that he put in storage because he didn’t have enough space to display them. He will soon have more room to show some of those relics.
“The new space will blend in,” he said. “We don’t want to take away from the aesthetics.”
The restaurant has been in the Tillman family for 64 years. Mark is the third generation owner, following his grandfather Sam and Mark’s father Bill. Mark is determined to see the business to its 200th anniversary in 2024.
He knows the business is important for the community, providing jobs for 50 people and drawing visitors from outside the area. Many teen-agers get their first jobs washing dishes and bussing tables at the restaurant. Many of his wait staff have stayed with the Village Inn for decades. Twelve of his employees have a combined 300-plus years of working at the restaurant.
Tillman has a good relationship with the neighboring Cobblestone Museum, which is increasingly hosting weddings at the historic Cobblestone Church, which was built in 1834. People who get married there will soon be able to have wedding receptions at the Village Inn, which also operates the Fairhaven Inn, offering lodging.
“This route was once known as the Honeymoon Trail,” Tillman said, noting the close drive to Niagara Falls. “We’re trying to recreate that.”
Photos by Tom Rivers – Al Capurso and his wife Christine have two signs in their front yard on Route 279 in Gaines that show their support for the state’s gun control legislation known as the SAFE Act.
GAINES – About a week ago Al Capurso put up two lawn signs, both in support of the SAFE Act.
That might not seem newsworthy, but Capurso might be the first Orleans County resident to make such a public declaration of support for the state’s controversial gun control law. Capurso sees many “Repeal the Safe Act” signs, and he knows all of the elected town, village and county boards in Orleans have passed formal resolutions, calling for the law’s repeal.
Many of the law’s opponents see it as an attack on the Second Amendment’s Right to Bear Arms. Capurso doesn’t see it that way.
“I don’t believe the framers of the Constitution foresaw a citizens’ arms race where they have to get bigger and faster guns to feel safe,” Capurso said today. “A citizens’ arms race is not the Second Amendment.”
Capurso, a long-time sportsman who owned a bait shop for more than 20 years, said the anti-Safe Act voices don’t acknowledge the good with the law, mainly a restriction against magazines with more than 10 bullets. (The law, passed in January 2013, first limited it to seven bullets, but was overruled in a court challenge to a 10-bullet limit.)
Capurso also worked in the mental health field, retiring as an intensive case manager at the Orleans County Mental Health Department. He supports background checks and the pistol permit process. He supports the 10-bullet limit so madmen can’t fire off numerous rounds before reloading.
“Extremist” vices have dominated the SAFE Act discussion locally, Capurso said. He would like to see the public consider other viewpoints, and respect people with differing views.
Paul McQuillen of Buffalo is the Western New York coordinator of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. He sent Capurso one of the signs in support of the SAFE Act. Capurso hand-painted the other one, which says “Keep S.A.F.E.”
McQuillen says a “silent majority” supports the SAFE Act and efforts to rein in gun violence. He gives out many of the organization’s signs, although he said they are often stolen from front lawns.
He pointed to a Sienna College poll in March that showed the majority of the state by a 2 to 1 ratio backs the SAFE Act. In New York City, the law has about 75 percent of the public’s support. In Upstate New York, a slight majority opposes the law, according the poll.
Capurso would like to see the public, including local elected officials, offer constructive criticism of the law, looking for ways to make it better rather than roundly rejecting it.
“There needs to be another side of this story told besides the extremist point of view,” Capurso said. “I’m not seeing a voice of moderation out there. The pendulum is swinging so far to the extreme. They’re afraid the government might come get their guns and that’s nonsense. They’re afraid the bogeyman will come get them.”
Capurso also took issue with the anti-Safe Act message that proclaims those supporters as “true patriots.” Capurso considers himself a “patriot” who supports the Second Amendment and “common sense” gun laws.
“I respect people’s rights to have signs in their yard,” he said. “I would defend that to that hilt. But I don’t have to agree with them. That’s what being an American is about: You have the right to speak out.”
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – Eileen Sorochty is out today weeding a garden in front of Farmers’ Hall at the Cobblestone Museum.
Sorochty is training to become a master gardener, a role that requires at least 50 hours of community service each year. She is pulling Bishop’s Weed from the garden. The weed was crowding out some Daylilies.
Sorochty of Albion is retired from Brockport State College. She worked as an administrative assistant in the college advancement department.
She also is helping the Cobblestone Museum with another garden near the bathrooms behind the Cobblestone Universalist Church.
Photos by Tom Rivers – Ray Burke is pictured outside Fair Haven Treasures, which opened in May after 18 months of renovations. The site will have a peace garden in the spring by the flag poles.
GAINES – Ray Burke says he was looking for a “project.” About two years ago he and his wife Linda bought a stately old house at the corner of routes 98 and 104 in the heart of the Cobblestone Historic District.
The house has been vacant for five years and needed significant renovations. Burke and a team of volunteers went to work. The site was given a new life as “Fair Haven Treasures,” a business featuring crafters and artisans. Fair Haven now has nine vendors with room for more.
The Chamber of Commerce has picked Fair Haven for its “Phoenix Award,” recognition given to a significant restoration effort. The award will be presented on Sept. 20.
“It’s a lovely old home and I’m glad we did it,” Mr. Burke said. “It’s been a lot of work and there’s more to do.”
Linda and Ray Burke are pictured inside Fair Haven Treasures on the business’s opening day in May.
Gaines Town Supervisor Carol Culhane watched the old brick house decline in recent years before the Burkes bought it. She served on the Zoning Board of Appeals with Mr. Burke a few years ago and the two became friends. Culhane suggested the Burkes buy the building and she envisioned it as a site for high-end artisans, live music and other special events.
Culhane and her husband Gerry helped bring the building back to life. They teamed with the Burkes and other volunteers to remove plywood and linoleum from the floors, and discovered hardwood floors underneath. They took out one wall to make a bigger room that can be used for performances, book-signings and public events.
“You could see the house was declining,” Culhane said. “It’s so tragic to see these beautiful stately homes decline.”
She grew up in the “Dutchtown” neighborhood in Rochester. That area in Jay, Childs and Ames streets has been overwhelmed with crime, and so many of the houses, even her old high school, have been torn down, Culhane said.
When she saw the brick house deteriorating, she worried it would meet the same fate as some of the beloved buildings of her youth.
These bowls and a table were created by Ted Hicks of Oakfield. He has other wooden furniture for sale that he made from reclaimed wood.
The 3,040-square-foot brick house was built in 1834, the same year the Cobblestone Universalist Church was erected across the street. Burke said the house is a prominent location and should be a showcase for the community.
“It’s the crossroads of the county and the crossroads of our town,” he said. “It’s a stately building that sits up on a hill.”
Burke is retired from DuPont in Rochester. The former machine shop foreman also has renovated smaller houses as rental properties. He has built his own plane and driven a Harley. He was looking for something else, a new challenge with the brick house.
“I’ve had all the toys and I’ve always been busy,” he said. “I can’t stand to sit still. This house will probably never be done. The list is on and on.”
Burke put in a new driveway and parking lot for the house, which required 1,300 tons of stone. He just added three flag poles out front and in the spring, there will be an International Peace Garden by the flags. It will be the second peace garden in Orleans County. Brown’s Berry Patch has the first.
To be a peace garden, the site needs to have a historic connection to the War of 1812. The site was once owned by John Proctor, who is considered the Paul Revere of Ridge Road. He warned residents the British were coming during the War of 1812. Proctor also gave the hamlet the name Fair Haven.
Fair Haven could be used for wine-tastings, concerts and other special events.
Culhane helps manage the site, lining up vendors and planning events. Fair Haven will begin offering “paint and sip” classes every two weeks beginning on Sept. 17. Participants can sip wine and paint in classes led by Culhane.
Fair Haven also is working with two other businesses, Tillman’s Village Inn and The Cabaret at Studio B, for an “Evening in Orleans” this Sunday. Fair Haven will host a wine-tasting from 3 to 4 p.m. before the activity shifts to the Village Inn and then the Cabaret.
Burke said he has been encouraged by the business partnerships in the community and other new business ventures. Tillman’s is expanding its dining facilities, and Ridge Road in Gaines also is home to other recently opened ventures including the Old Goat antique store, Cobble-Ridge Co-Op and the Rocking R Ranch.
He sees the Ridge Road corridor as a draw for culture and history enthusiasts.
“Things are happening in the town,” Burke said.
GAINES – The Town of Gaines overcharged residents in water districts by about $175,000, the Town Board announced on Wednesday after audits by two accounting firms.
The Town Board decided it will take money from the water district reserves to pay down debt in the districts. That will shorten the life of the loans and also reduce the annual payments to residents in eight water districts.
One district, No. 8, actually wasn’t paying enough and residents in that district will need to pay “a little more” to cover the district’s full expenses for debt and maintenance, said Town Supervisor Carol Culhane.
Water District No. 4 overpaid by $52,000 and that will be enough to wipe out the remaining principal, eliminating debt payments in the future for that district.
Other districts overpaid by the following amounts, according to the town:
Water District 2: $29,567
Water District 3: $29,633
Water District 5: $20,269
Water District 6: $2,617
Water District 7: $39,522
Water District 9: $2,788
Water District 10: $2,014
Culhane said she has been working with auditors for about 18 months, trying to determine if there was an overcharge and how to best solve the problem. The town also consulted the State Comptroller’s Office and reviewed New York Finance Law, she said.
She couldn’t say why the town overcharged residents. She said it goes back to at least 2006.
A resident complained about a high tax bill for water and that got Culhane, the town supervisor for about three years, to look into the issue.
The changing numbers in the districts makes it difficult to craft a solution for the excess charges. Some residents who overpaid their water district bills have sold their homes and moved out of the district.
The water districts often add users as new houses are constructed. Sometimes lots are split up, changing the numbers of users from when the districts were first formed and started collecting annual debt payments to pay off the loan for the construction.
Using the excess funds from the water district reserves will provide relief to water users in 2015 with smaller debt service charges, except for District No. 8.
“The most important thing is we came up with a fair fix,” Culhane said. “I don’t see another viable plan.”
Culhane said the Town Board is united in wanting to address the problem.
“It’s the board decision to go forward and straighten this out,” she said.
Photos by Tom Rivers – David Heminway is pictured with his grandson Nathaniel Metzler, 8, on a carriage step that Heminway dug up and reset last year. He also repositioned the hitching posts and sandstone sidewalk panels.
A close-up view of the Danolds carriage step
EAGLE HARBOR – Most of the carriage step had disappeared into the soil. David Heminway saw the tops of letters on the step but wasn’t sure what it said because the majority of the stone was buried.
Last year Heminway set about unearthing the step. It was in his front yard in Eagle Harbor. Heminway and his wife Joanne bought a house in 2006 at 3209 Eagle Harbor-Waterport Rd. It took about two years of work before they could move in. The house wasn’t original at the site. The first house burned down more than a century ago. That original house was owned by the Danolds family.
When Heminway dug down to see what was on the carriage step, he recognized the Danolds name. Heminway, a machinist for the state Canal Corp., also has been an active volunteer the past 20 years for the Cobblestone Society and Museum. In the Cobblestone Church there is a Danolds Room, dedicated to Charles and Mary Jane Danolds.
Mrs. Danolds suggested the Cobblestone Universalist Church name its building “The Church of the Good Shepherd.”
Her husband was friends with George Pullman. In the 1850s, when the canal was enlarged, Danolds had a contract to expand the canal and he hired Pullman to move some of the houses that were in the way of the expansion.
Pullman was also a local furniture maker. He would move to Chicago and become a titan of industry with railroad sleeping cars.
Danolds kept up a friendship with Pullman and while the two were vacationing in the Thousand Islands in 1890, Danolds made a pitch for Pullman to help build a new Universalist Church in Albion. Pullman agreed as long as the locals would commit some of their own funds to the project.
The new church opened in 1895 as a memorial to Pullman’s parents, James Lewis Pullman and Emily Caroline Pullman.
Pullman was one of the great industrialists of the 19th Century, but Danolds was no slouch. He ran a mill in Eagle Harbor, where he ground wheat into flour, said Bill Lattin, Orleans County historian.
These portraits of Mary Jane and Charles Danolds hang in the Cobblestone Church in Childs.
Danolds also owned the Cobblestone Inn, sold horses to the Union during the Civil War, worked to enlarge the canal and was a key leader of the local Universalist Church.
“He was a real entrepreneur in his own time,” Lattin said.
The Danolds carriage step, once prominent in front of the Danolds homestead, gradually sank to the point only the top was visible.
Heminway decided to reset a sandstone sidewalk and two hitching posts last year. He also brought up the carriage step and hired Mike Jessmer to fix the sandstone steps by the house.
Heminway worked on the project for about six months. It was a lot of work. The carriage step weighs about 1,500 pounds. The sidewalk panels are also very heavy. He used a tractor with a fork lift to move them. He set the carriage step on about 2 feet of crusher run stone. That should prevent the step from sinking in the future.
David Heminway and his grandson Nathaniel Metzler pose the carriage step in front of Heminway’s house on Eagle Harbor-Waterport Road.
He considered moving the hitching posts, carriage step and sidewalk panels closer to the house. He didn’t want to have to mow around a bunch of obstacles, but decided they wouldn’t look right back by the house.
“I think they belong out front where they are,” he said.
Heminway made the sure the hitching posts and carriage step were set far back enough out of the right of way by the the road. He didn’t want to be told he would have to move them again someday.
He is happy to have the step fully visible, and is pleased to have an artifact from a prominent community member from generations ago.
The step shows the talent of the stone carvers from that era with the inscription of “DANOLDS” and detailing on the front. The stone also has two steps where many of the carriage blocks were one-step stones.
Heminway is pleased to have the artifacts from the horse-and-buggy era in his front lawn.
“They’re not making any more carriage steps,” he said.
Lattin praised the Heminways for bringing a historical asset back to the local landscape.
“I thought it was great that they resurrected it,” Lattin said.
Photos by Tom Rivers – This death mask, believed to be one of three cast of Dr. Roswell Park of Buffalo, is on display at the Cobblestone Museum until Oct. 13.
GAINES – The Cobblestone Museum has added two new pieces to an ongoing exhibit about medicine in Orleans County and Western New York.
The museum just acquired a wooden wheelchair that is likely at least a century old. It was donated by Francis London of Waterport, who bought it at a garage sale.
The other new addition is on loan until the end of the museum’s season on Oct. 13. The “death mask” of Dr. Roswell Park shows the likeness of the doctor best known for starting a cancer research laboratory in Buffalo, now known as Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Park was a well-respected doctor who cared for President William McKinley after he was shot in Buffalo.
Park was born on May 4, 1852, and lived until 1914. The death mask is on loan from a private collection. The local owner acquired it from an antique dealer, said Matt Ballard, co-director of the museum. UB’s School of Medicine and Buffalo’s History Museum each have a death mask of Park.
Death masks were created of deceased family members. It is a practice that goes back to Ancient Egypt, Ballard said. At the time of Dr. Park’s death, the practice was becoming uncommon with the rise of photography.
This wooden wheelchair was recently donated to the Cobblestone Museum by Francis London of Waterport.
The wheelchair looks like a regular wooden chair with large wooden wheels attached. It was made by the J.S. Ford, Johnson & Company from Chicago.
The company was started in 1867 John Sherlock Ford and Henry W. Johnson in 1867, according to Ballard’s research. The two men operated a chair manufacturing company out of Columbus, Ohio. They relocated the business to Chicago in 1872. It became well respected for manufacturing high quality Mission Style furniture. They were best known for their chairs and settees, Ballard said.
The exact date of the chair’s manufacturer is not known. The back label reads, “J.S. Ford, Johnson & Co. – Manufacturers – Chicago.”
“So we know the piece is dated after 1872 when the company moved to Chicago,” Ballard said.
The exhibit is located in the Danolds Room at the Cobblestone Universalist Church on Route 104, just east of Route 98.
Photos by Sue Cook – Robert Stilwell took photographs of pets in funny poses and costumes for the event. Dilly was made to look like a ’20s swinger with the props on hand.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
GAINES – The Olde Dogge Inn held a Pet Festival on Saturday and welcomed more than 100 visitors in the first hour. People were welcome to bring their pets for sales, demonstrations, services, portraits and psychic readings.
“People are really excited about this and having a lot of fun,” said Olde Dogge Inn owner Jennifer Stilwell. “All the animals are happy, all the people are happy. It’s just a great event and it’s getting a lot of positive response. This only reinforces our decision to bring the festival back because it definitely is drawing a lot of attention.”
Eveline Burdick attended the festival with her dog Sasha in tow.
“It’s a good way for the dogs to socialize with people and I’ve never been here and I wanted to see what they had to offer,” she said. “We always do all the pet festivals and I saw this one online.”
Festival goers could check out tents selling pet merchandise or talk to vendors about food choices. Pet rescuers were also there accepting donations and educating the public on their services.
Pet ID tags were offered at a discount price to give lost pets a better chance of getting home.
Lieutenant Christopher Bourke with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department was there to do a demonstration with Cim, a dog that works for the department. He was contacted by Stilwell to do a demonstration.
Cim was trained in Germany and imported by the department. Bourke gives Cim her commands in German. Because the dog and trainer are so close, Cim works the same hours as Bourke and returns home with him each night.
“We’re going to talk about the dog and how we use the dog and the training the dog has,” Bourke said. “We’ll demonstrate some obedience, some drug-detection work and let the dog apprehend a pretend bad guy.”
Bourke plays with Cim for a moment because she found the drugs that were hidden.
Drug detection is turned into a game for training to make it more exciting for the dog.
Bourke demonstrated how Cim follows commands by having her sit and heel on command.
He also had her break into a full run and then had her drop into a laying position instantly. He explained that having her obey commands so quickly from a distance could potentially save her life. It could prevent her from being in harm’s way in a variety of dangerous situations.
Bourke and Deputy Jeff Cole show how Cim is used to apprehend criminals.
The Orleans County Dog Heelers 4-H club also did a demonstration at the event. The group showed off their dogs’ agility and obedience. They also performed tricks and played flyball. The club is led by Jackie Gingerich and Lindsay Moore.
Club member Abby Allen brought her chocolate lab Cody to show off his abilities.
“He’s really well trained,” she said. “He’s really good at obedience. If you tell him to sit and stay, he’ll stay there forever.”
The Dog Heelers ran their dogs through the obstacle course.
P.A.W.S. Animal Shelter also brought some pets and information about adoptions. Olde Dogge Inn helps the shelter with adoptions by having kittens in the store.
“We’re just spreading the word that we’re open. We’re in a pretty slow spot. We’re on Gaines Basin Road and there’s not a lot of traffic through there. We’re also a no-kill shelter,” said volunteer Morgan Tinkous. “We’ve had birds, ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs. We’ve taken small animals. We don’t take in anything we’re not comfortable with.”
These cats are among the ones up for adoption. Throughout the festival, several kids came up to play with the cats.
Photo by Tom Rivers
GAINES – Fairhaven Treasures recently installed three new flag poles and started work on what will be an International Peace Garden. The poles hold flags for the United States, Canada and also a yellow flag that says, “Don’t Tread On Me.”
Ray Burke and his wife Linda own the property at the southeast corner of routes 98 and 104. They celebrated the grand opening for Fairhaven Treasures on May 3-4.
They will have the second International Peace Garden in Orleans County, following Brown’s Berry Patch. The new garden by the flag poles should be in place by the end of the summer, Mr. Burke said.
GAINES – The Cobblestone Society Museum will kick off a new four-part lecture series next month about medical care and its history in Western New York.
The lectures all begin at 4 p.m. on Sundays at the Cobblestone Church, 14389 Ridge Rd. There is a $5 suggested donation. That price includes admission to an exhibit about early physicians and medicine in Orleans County.
That exhibit is in the first floor of the historic church and highlights more than 20 doctors from the county. The exhibit includes some of their tools and equipment, including a bag used for house calls. (Orleans Hub will feature that exhibit in a separate article to be posted soon.)
The lecture series is designed to bring more visitors to the museum and highlight pioneering medical care in the region.
The following lectures are planned at the museum:
The Development of Buffalo’s Medical School
Dr. Ronald Batt
Dr. Ronald Batt from the University at Buffalo will be the first speaker in the series on Aug. 17.
Founded on May 11, 1846, The University of Buffalo was established to train local physicians in the Buffalo area. Opening in 1847, the University welcomed Millard Fillmore as the first chancellor. He filled the position in a part-time capacity while serving as President of the United States. The establishment of Buffalo’s Medical School represents an important part in the growth of Western New York.
Batt is a professor of clinical gynecology at SUNY University at Buffalo. His master’s thesis was focused around the development and formation of Buffalo’s Medical School and the history of the Buffalo area.
The museum will have a special artifact on loan for this event: a death mask of Dr. Roswell Park. Several masks were cast following Dr. Park’s death in 1914, including those in the collections of the Buffalo Historical Society and the University at Buffalo’s Medical Sciences Library. This is believed to be the third of three that were cast.
The Search for Health: Sanitariums and Health Resorts of WNY
Erica Wanecski of the Medina Historical Society will discuss health resorts during a lecture at 4 p.m. on Aug. 31.
Wanecski has worked in the medical field for more than 20 years. She currently works in the education field with deaf children.
Provided photo – Pictured is the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Mich. It first opened in 1866 as the Western Health Reform Institute and was operated by John Harvey Kellogg (inventor of corn flakes) in the mid-1870s.
With an interest in history, she became curious about the history of the Castle on the Hill, a health resort and sanitarium in Dansville. She researched health spas, patent medicines and other medical-related topics. This presentation will focus on the history of Sanitariums and Health Resorts in Western New York.
Sanitariums existed during a time when medicinal treatments for ailments such as Tuberculosis were non-existent. The concept of health resorts and sanitariums developed into an idea similar to luxury resorts where members of the middle and upper class would travel away from home to experience state-of-the-art medical treatments guaranteed to improve their quality of life.
Trivial Tales of Orleans County Physicians
Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin will give this lecture at 4 p.m. on Sept. 14. Lattin will share human-interest stories from his up-and-coming book.
The program will include stories about several of the physicians featured in the Cobblestone Museum exhibit and others who have practiced throughout the area in the last 100 years.
Come join us as we hear the history of Orleans County’s finest physicians, told from an amusing and entertaining perspective.
Dying on Script: A Look at Victorian Attitudes Towards Illness and Death in the 19th Century
Derek Maxfield, GCC professor
Derek Maxfield, a history professor at Genesee Community College, will give a lecture, “Dying on Script: A Look at Victorian Attitudes Towards Illness and Death in the 19th Century.”
Maxfield’s presentation at 4 p.m. on Sept. 28 will explore the effects of medicine on the lives of families during the Victorian era. Looking back, many would consider the attitudes relating to death to be a morbid fascination or obsession.
Social norms developed around extended periods of mourning, a dictation of mourning dress, and exorbitant and extravagant funerals. A “Cult of Death” seemed to develop as families invested in mourning art, jewelry made from the hair of deceased loved ones, post-mortem photographs, and expensive cemetery monuments adorned with symbolism.
Maxfield will highlight a unique aspect of Victorian culture, representing the “final stage” in the 19th century treatment of severe medical ailments.
The lecture series is made possible through Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council and the New York State Council on the Arts.
