Photo by Tom Rivers – The front lawn at Fairhaven Treasures will soon be transformed into an international peace garden.

GAINES – A historic homestead that was renovated and reopened as an art gallery and high-end co-op late last year will soon have an International Peace Garden in its front lawn.

Fairhaven Treasures, at the southeast corner of routes 98 and 104, will have a garden, three flag poles and a stone wall that says “Fairhaven.” That is the name John Proctor gave for the hamlet when he lived there more than 200 years ago.

Proctor is known as 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.

File photo by Tom Rivers – The creek that runs by the Cobblestone Society Museum on Route 98, just south of Route 104, is named for John Proctor. The creek is called “Proctor Brook.”

Ray Burke and his wife Linda now own the property and they worked most of last year upgrading the site. There will be a grand opening for Fairhaven Treasures on May 3-4.

Gaines Town Supervisor Carol Culhane assisted with the renovation providing some of the manual labor. She also connected with the International Peace Garden Foundation about having a site in Gaines at Proctor’s former property.

“It’s a great tourist possibility,” she said.

Fairhaven will be the second peace garden in the county. Brown’s Berry Patch dedicated the first one last year.

File photo by Tom Rivers – Bob and Deborah Brown dedicated a peace garden at Brown’s Berry Patch last October. They were joined by Paula Savage, right, of Batavia who is founder of the Peace Garden Foundation.

The garden locations need to have a historical 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.

Bathshua and her pioneering spirit also is noted on a historical marker in front of Brown’s Berry Patch.

The Fairhaven garden will include flag poles for the American, Canadian and Peace Garden flags. Culhane said it will enhance the historic district along the Ridge, which includes the Cobblestone Society Museum.

Photo by Tom Rivers

GAINES – The state Department of Transportation about two weeks ago added new signs near the routes 98 and 104 intersection, highlighting the presence of the Cobblestone Society Museum.

The museum has eight historic buildings, including three with cobblestone masonry. The Cobblestone Church, pictured on Route 104, was built in 1834 and is the oldest cobblestone church in North America.

The museum, which is a National Historic Landmark, opens on Mother’s Day. For more on the museum, click here.

2 also charged with rape after raid by Task Force

Lee Q. Tisdale

Devon Robinson

Four people were jailed after a drug investigation, and two of those people also face charges for rape, the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force reported.

Police made the arrests on Monday following a six-month investigation into the sale and distribution of cocaine, ecstasy and methylone “bath salts” in Orleans County.

The Task Force and Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at 2822 Lattin Rd., in the town of Gaines. Police also investigated reports of under-age parties at the residence which involved alcohol, drug use and sex.

As a result of the investigation, the following were arrested:

Lee Q. Tisdale, 43, of 2822 Lattin Rd., Albion, who was charged with two counts of criminal sale and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, one count of criminal sale and one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree.

Tisdale also was charged with third-degree rape.

He was arraigned in the Town of Gaines Justice Court on Monday by Town Justice Bruce Schmidt, who sent Tisdale to jail on $250,000 cash bail or $500,000 bond.

Tisdale was to appear in county court on Monday. When he didn’t show, Judge James Punch issued a bench warrant for Tisdale’s arrest.  Tisdale appeared in county court on Wednesday to appear on the bench warrant. He was committed to county jail with no bail.

Devon Robinson, 20, of 19 Lang St., Rochester, who was charged with first-degree rape, one count of sexual misconduct, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.

Laura J. Campbell

Jennifer L. Davila

Laura J. Campell, 40, of 19 Lang St., Rochester, who was charged with one count of a criminal sex act in the third degree and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.

Jennifer L. Davilia, 24, of 2822 Lattin Rd., Albion, who was charged with one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, one count of endangering the welfare of a child, one count of unlawful possession of marijuana.

The rape charges stem from Tisdale, Robinson and Campbell allegedly having sexual intercourse and or sexual contact with another person under the age of 17, the Task Force reported.

Robinson, Campell and Davila were all arraigned in Gaines court by Justice Schmidt on Wednesday. Robinson was sent to the county jail on $10,000 cash or bond. Campbell and Davila were both committed to the county jail on $2,500 cash or bond. They are all to return town court at 3 p.m. on April 1.

Orleans County Animal Control assisted officers at the scene of the search warrant and removed four pitbulls that appeared to have injuries due to fighting. The dogs were taken to the vet by animal control and treated for their injures. Tisdale faces numerous charges for animal abuse and neglect, the Task Force reported.

The residence also was condemned by the town of Gaines due to the condition of the property. Tisdale faces numerous codes violations as well.

The Brockport Police Department and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the investigation and arrest of Tisdale, who also faced charges in Monroe County.

This investigation is still ongoing and further charges and arrests are pending, the Task Force reported.

Photo by Tom Rivers – The Cobblestone Society Museum includes three cobblestone buildings on Route 104 and also this collection of three wooden buildings: a print shop, harness shop, and an exhibit hall of 19th century farming tools. There are other buildings in the complex as well.

Provided photo – Claire Turner, left, and Taylor George have been helping to update the Cobbelstone Society Museum web site and expand the museum’s social media presence.

Photo by Tom Rivers – The Cobblestone Society Museum opens for the season on Mother’s Day.

Press release, Cobblestone Society Museum

ALBION – In a classic case of “old meets new,” the Cobblestone Museum is engaging social media and other contemporary communication tools to attract visitors to its historical site near the intersection of routes 98 and 104.

The museum is embracing new technology to reach a wider audience. The museum also hired some fresh faces with new co-directors Sarah Karas and Matthew Ballard. They are teaming with Brockport State College interns Claire Turner and Taylor George to advance the museum board’s goal of drawing more visitors to its unique collection of cobblestone architecture and artifacts.

“Our new co-directors bring complementary talents to the table,” Cobblestone Trustee Diane Palmer said. “And we’re really excited about this new partnership with SUNY Brockport. It’s going to help us create a larger online presence.”

Cobblestone Trustee Stephen Karas helped forge the alliance with Brockport. “It has been refreshing and encouraging to view the different ideas and approaches that the co-directors and interns have designed to promote the Cobblestone through these new venues,” he said. “It is our goal that this will allow us to reach a much broader audience and encourage visits to our museum.”

The museum is already well on its way to achieving a new online “look,” resulting from a web design competition in a Brockport class last fall. One of the winning designers, graphic design and marketing student Claire Turner, also landed one of the two internships with the museum this spring.

As website intern, Turner is working to have the new site up and running in time for the museum’s opening event on Mother’s Day. Turner hails from the Rochester suburb of Greece and plans to pursue a career in the field of brand design. She enjoys the small town charm of Brockport and would like to continue her work with nonprofits.

“Claire’s contributions have been an enormous help so far,” said Ballard, one of museum co-directors. “Her skills in graphic design have put us on the fast track to a beautiful new website.”

Taylor George is the museum’s new social media intern. She has already established new social media accounts on Twitter (@CobblestoneMuse), Pinterest (The Cobblestone Society Museum), and Instagram (Cobblestone Museum), and will be helping maintain these accounts, along with the museum’s current Facebook page (The Cobblestone Museum). She is a journalism and broadcasting student graduating this May.

Originally from the Southern Tier town of Sidney, George would like to move to the South after she graduates to pursue a career in the food writing sector. She said working with her grandmother at the Sidney Historical Museum has inspired her to contribute her skill set to the Cobblestone Museum.

Sarah Karas, one of the new co-directors, has been working with George on the social media aspects.

“It has been a pleasure working with Taylor,” Karas said. “She has great ideas on how to promote events and the museum in a unique way. She has been a valuable addition to our organization.”

The museum will use its new online presence to help promote events, provide information on renting the museum for weddings and meeting spaces, and to generate interest in general admission tours and large group tours. In the future, new interns will continue to maintain the website and social media aspects of the museum.

Photos by Tom Rivers

GAINES – Firefighters quickly put out a chimney fire this afternoon at a house owned by Bill and Anne Downey at 13506 Ridge Rd., in the town of Gaines. The call went out at about 1:45 p.m.

Firefighters are taking the cap off the top of the chimney and they will run a chain through the chimney to clear debris and fire hazards.

Dan Strong of the Carlton Fire Company walks down Ridge Road at about 2 p.m. when he joined other firefighters at a chimney fire.

Firefighters said they had a good turnout for an afternoon call when many firefighters typically are at work. Many were home today due to the blizzard and were available to respond to the call.

Al Cheverie and his son Andrew of the Albion Fire Department were among the firefighters who responded to the call in a blizzard this afternoon in Gaines.

Photos by Sue Cook – Kim Rowe poses with some of her craft displays inside the Cobble-Ridge Co-op.

By Sue Cook, staff reporter

GAINES – After months of anticipation, Kim Rowe will open the Cobble-Ridge Co-op today on Ridge Road with 10 vendors.

“A lot of people have been buzzing about it,” Rowe said.

Today’s grand opening event will feature Of the Bear, a musical collaboration between Al Capurso and his son. They will entertain shoppers with their bluegrass sound starting at 10:30 a.m. Refreshments will be served as well.

Rowe put an offer in on the USA Merchantile building in June and was able to close in November. She did some clean-up on the space and applied for permits from the town of Gaines and the county. Rowe, owner of U Make Scents shampoos and conditioners, bought the building and accepted applications from interested vendors.

“I needed to figure out what to do with the rest of the space. This made sense,” she said. “It’s like an old time variety store, but not just with one vendor, there are several.”

Betsy Meisenzahl sells an assortment of items like cupcake wrapper topiary art, coasters, cutting boards, holiday crafts, ornaments, and more. Her table is adjacent to another vendor specializing in quilted items.

Stepping inside is like walking into a miniature flea market. Vendors fill the room with their own little display spaces selling an amalgam of items.

Betsy Meisenzahl plans to be a permanent vendor at the co-op. “I saw her sign out front and decided to stop in. I talked to Kim and came back the next day with all the paperwork filled out. I thought it was awesome.”

Meisenzahl commented that this is a great spot for finding craft supplies in small quantities so that you don’t have to buy in bulk the way you might at many big chain stores, and that the cost is reasonable. “Everybody here is fairly priced,” she said.

“I don’t take commissions or cuts from any of the vendors,” Rowe stated.

Albion resident Earl Treese Sr. has a section of collectibles including Star Wars, Godzilla, and many other pop culture items for sale.

Rowe feels it helps everyone price their items the way that they want. She hopes that if you walk in looking for one item, you will see something from another vendor and want to purchase from them as well. Rowe sells several craft products, furnishings, and lots of other little odds-and-ends items.

The current vendors include local businesses, such as Big Ash and Hendel Farms. Viola’s Boutique has also set up a display of their own inside the co-op selling accessories such as scarves, bags, and necklaces. Owner Tina Page applied as a vendor at Rowe’s encouragement.

“It’s another opportunity to showcase merchandise, and it’s a good location,” Page said.

Rowe plans to further expand the business by having outdoor flea markets and farmers’ markets when the weather warms up. She also hopes to create a kitchen space in the back of the building.

She welcomes customers to come back frequently and provide feedback. She says she plans to change around merchandise all the time in order to provide what the customer wants and would love to add more vendors.

The grand opening is today at 10:30 a.m. The co-op will be open regularly Wednesday through Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about the Cobble-Ridge Co-op or becoming a vendor, call (585) 283-4009. It is located at 14462 Ridge Rd., Albion, next door to the Olde Dogge Inn.

Matt Ballard and Sarah Karas will share workload

Photo by Tom Rivers – The Cobblestone Society Museum includes several buildings on Route 104 and Route 98 in the Childs hamlet, including this Universalist Church that was built in 1834, the oldest cobblestone church in North America.

GAINES – Two Albion residents with a love for history have been hired as co-directors of the Cobblestone Society Museum, a National Historic Landmark in the Gaines hamlet of Childs.

Matthew Ballard and Sarah Karas will share the workload in managing the museum, which opens on Mother’s Day and closes on Columbus Day weekend.

The museum director job is high demand in the spring, summer and fall with the activity slowing during the winter.

Ballard and Karas both work as librarians. Ballard is library supervisor for Hilbert College in Hamburg. Karas works as a reference librarian at Genesee Community College. Both Ballard and Karas impressed museum board members during the interview process, said Susan Rudnicky, president of the museum board of directors.

“Both have their strengths – and their strengths are not the same as each other’s,” Rudnicky said. “We wanted so many skills to run the museum that it would probably have been impossible to get them all in one person. By selecting Matt and Sarah both, we are getting a larger selection of those skills than by just taking one of them.”

Karas brings a teaching background to the museum while Ballard has been focused on research and history.

By sharing the workload, the two can both keep their other jobs, Rudnicky said. They both started at the museum last week.
“They will be responsible for deciding who does which parts of the job, and ultimately their job titles will reflect those differences,” she said.

Karas graduated from the University at Buffalo in May 2012 with a master’s degree in Library and Information Science. She earned a Bachelor of Science from Oneonta State College in May 2010 in Adolescent English Education. She has a state teaching certificate in English for grades 7-12 and in School Library for grades K-12.

She has volunteered at the museum for the past three years giving tours, organizing the book sale, cataloging historic books, and completing other tasks.

Ballard received a Bachelor of Science in History from Brockport State College in 2010, studying Colonial American and New York State history. In 2012, Ballard graduated from the University at Buffalo with a Master of Library Science. He focused on archival and records management.

For the past eight years, he has been active in the study of local history. He has served on the board of the Orleans County Genealogical Society and has contributed time with Orleans County Historical Association, the Cobblestone Society Museum, and with local preservation efforts.

He teaches genealogical research and has spoken at numerous events and programs throughout the tri-county area on local history subjects. He has developed a web site, www.albionpolonia.com, about the Polish-American community in Albion.

Rudnicky and the Cobblestone board believe the new directors will bring the museum to a new generation of users. The site is the only National Historic Landmark in Orleans County.

“Their combined skills will enable the museum to continue our mission into the future, and expand how we share museum treasures with the local and wider community,” Rudnicky said.