GAINES – This circa-1875 Victorian print of “The Chubby Cherubs” hangs in the Cobblestone Museum’s Ward House. It’s shown here in its original rustic style or Adirondack frame.
Who is not familiar with this famous duo? The cherubs are not only popular in today’s world, but were reproduced many times over in the 19th century. These two cute little fellows actually date back to the 16th century and were the creation of one of the greatest artists of all time, Raphael.
Although recognizable on their own, many people do not know that these cherubim are actually a small detail extracted from a much larger painting, known as “The Sistine Madonna,” shown above. This painting was commissioned in 1512 by Pope Julius II for the church of San Sisto, Piacenza.
The commission required that the painting not only depict the Madonna and Child, but also Saint Sixtus and Saint Barbara. It is an oil on canvas and measures 104 by 77 inches. Raphael is known for painting around 40 Madonnas, but this is thought to be his last and most extraordinary one. He was 29 years old when this great masterpiece was completed in high Renaissance style.
In 1753, the painting was sold for $45,000 and placed in a Dresden Gallery where an entire room was allotted for it. After World War II, it was relocated to Moscow for a decade before being returned to Germany.
Here we see a small hand colored print, circa 1875, of the Chubby Cherubs.
Now, regarding the legend about these two children in this famous painting. One story is that these were children of a model that Raphael worked from, and they frequently came into his studio to watch. Another story is that they were just street urchins who peered through an open window into Raphael’s studio. He supposedly portrayed them as they rested their chubby arms on the window sill.
Two small portraits painted on porcelain, circa 1890.
In a photographic print from the 1870s, shown above, we catch a glimpse of Raphael’s workshop studio. The artist is seated in the middle with a drawing tablet. A model for the Sistine Madonna, holding a baby, is standing on a platform. In back of her, to the far left, we see one of these chubby children posed in the usual manner just looking on. To the right in this picture, a church cleric appears to be looking over Raphael’s shoulder, and of course, other people are doing various things within the studio.
It is said that these two cherubs were added to the painting as Raphael finished his work. They may have been introduced to give depth to the piece, throwing the larger figures more into the background. As early as 1913, an art critic declared that “No cherub or group of cherubs is so famous as the two that lean on the altar-top indicated at the very bottom of the picture.”
These two chromo-lithographic prints mounted on canvas appear in original frames circa 1870.
Heavily marketed for decades, the cherubs have been featured on stamps, postcards, T-shirts, bath towels and wrapping paper. A child’s mug from the 1870s depicts one of these cherubs and a modern note card shows both of them.
Shown above is a contemporary wristwatch depicting the cherubs.
Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520) was born among the Apennine Mountains on the borders of Tuscany and Umbria. At the age of 17, he entered the studio of Perugino, and at age 19 he began to paint independently. At age 21 Raphael visited Florence, where he learned the precision of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.
This self-portrait, an oil on wood panel, was done in 1509, when Raphael was 26 years of age. He was enormously productive, running an unusually large workshop as seen in a previous picture showing the interior of his studio. His last 12 years were spent in Rome, where he worked for two Popes. Many of his works are found in the Vatican Palace, where the frescoed Raphael Rooms were the central and largest work of his career.
The double portrait above shows Raphael at left with his fencing master. This painting, an oil on canvas, was completed in 1520, the same year Raphael died at the early age of 37.
Raphael left an immense amount of work for being so young, and as a result, remained and continues to remain an inspiration for artists. Our last illustration, an engraving by F. M. Spiegel, dated 1886, shown above, was surely inspired by Raphael’s Chubby Cherubs.
GAINES – Surely one of the most recognizable and renowned fine paintings of the 19th century is “The Angelus” by Millet, an image that was widely reproduced. The Cobblestone Museum has two such images on view.
The one above, circa 1885, is a lithograph which was affixed to canvas on stretchers and put into a style of frame normally used for paintings. This gives it a more realistic appearance as a painting. Our rather dark colored version here hangs in the Cobblestone Ward House dining room.
The other example at the Cobblestone Museum which is represented below, appropriately hangs in the Vagg House. This particular print dates to circa 1925 and is also in its original frame. A companion print, “The Gleaners,” by Millet hangs nearby.
The reproduction of this famous painting remained very popular with the general public over many decades. The original painting was completed in 1859 by Jean-Francois Millet, and is an oil on canvas, measuring only 25½ by 21¼ inches. Certainly, through improved printing techniques of the Industrial Revolution, great art such as this became accessible to middle-class people.
In these two small porcelain vases, circa 1900, we see transfer images of The Angelus on one, and The Gleaners on the other.
The imagery of these two peasants praying in a potato field was a popular sentimental 19th century religious subject. Although Catholic in origin, the subject matter seemed to cross all denominational boundaries.
The print below dating to 1890 was originally mounted in this frame with an oval format.
The potato diggers have stopped their evening work to pray because of the tolling of the Angelus Bell that they hear from the church spire in the distant village.
In the Catholic tradition, the Angelus Bell sometimes referred to as the Ave Bell, was typically rung three times a day at 6 a.m., noon and 6 p.m. This tolling consisted of nine rings each time, with three rings followed by a pause, three more rings followed again by a pause, and ending with a final three rings.
An older interpretation commemorated the Resurrection of Christ in the morning, his suffering at noon, and the Annunciation in the evening. In 1907, the Orleans Republican reported an interview with a local Polish resident, then a member of St. Mary’s Assumption Church, who described the frequent ringing as follows:
“At the hour of work it rings to remind them that God has given them the strength of labor. When it rings at noon, Poles are again reminded of the Giver of Temporal Blessings, and at night it calls for Expression of Thankfulness for what God has done for the people throughout the day.”
Here we see a decorative plate in the Museum collection, circa 1900, about 10 inches in diameter.
As a side note, when a church bell is tolled, it does not swing or move but rather is rung by pulling a second rope which hits the bell with a large hammer.
Jean-Francois Millet (1814-1875) was the first child of Jean-Louis-Nicolas and Aimee-Henriette-Adelaide Henry Millet. They were members of a farming community in the Village of Gruchy, in Greville-Hague (Normandy). He first studied painting in 1833 with Paul Dumouchel, a portrait painter in Cherbourg.
By 1835, he was able to move to Paris, where he studied at the famous Ecole des Beaux-Arts. In 1840, his first painting, a portrait, was accepted at the Paris Salon. In 1841, he married Pauline-Virginie Ono, but she died of consumption two years later. In 1853, he married Catherine Lemaire and they would have nine children.
Millet became one of the founders of the Barbizon School of Landscape Painting in rural France during the mid-19th century. Other noted artists of the group included Corot, Daubigny and Rousseau. Barbizon is a small village near Paris.
The Barbizon style is realistic, but done with great respect for technique of brush work and use of paint for speaking on its own behalf. It is a style which bespeaks the oncoming Impressionists in the later 19th century. Millet spoke of The Angelus as follows:
“The idea for The Angelus came to me because I remember that my grandmother, hearing the church bell ringing while we were working in the fields, always made us stop work to say the Angelus Prayer for the poor departed.”
This miniature plate, only 1½ inches in diameter, was probably a souvenir that an American tourist acquired on a trip to France in the 1940s.
This great painting is a reflection of the simplicity of peasant life, so dependent upon the rhythms of life and the Catholic faith. It was actually commissioned by an art collector from Boston, MA, and was somewhat finished in 1857. However, Millet later added the church spire in the distance and changed the title which originally was “Prayer for the Potato Crop.”
When the purchaser failed to take possession of it in 1859, Millet later sold it receiving only $400. Other well-known and famous paintings by Millet include The Sower, 1850, and of course, The Gleaners, 1857.
(Left) The Sower, Millet, 1850 (Right) The Gleaners, Millet, 1857
The popularity of The Angelus remained steadfast even into the 1950s, with the paint-by-numbers version below. We can only add that real artists, those with training, scoff at renditions such as this. It does however show the undying appreciation of The Angelus theme.
“The Bells of Angelus call us to pray with sweet tones announcing the Sacred Ave.” 1st Verse of Lourdes Hymn.”
By Doug Farley, Cobblestone Museum Director – Vol. 3 No. 5
GAINES – The Hamlet of Childs is probably one of a very few locations in Orleans County where one can still find a bear trap from the early 1800s.
At one time, a necessary evil in pioneer days, bear traps have now become a rarity in the modern landscape of Orleans County.
The bear trap at the Cobblestone Museum is about 200 years old.
Since trees were heavily abundant in the “Black North,” Orleans County provided a perfect sanctuary for animals. Wolves and bears were numerous in the area and often posed a safety problem for the settlers.
In order to catch them, traps were often used. Bear traps were made by blacksmiths from the area. Food was placed inside the trap, under the pedal, and the bear would sniff it, go for the food and then would get caught.
The settler or farmer would check the trap and shoot the bear if caught, as the trap would not kill the bear. Bear traps were set to protect livestock: chickens, pigs, and cows, and set to protect the farmer, his family, and their food supply.
The bear trap in question is now a treasured artifact at the Cobblestone Museum. The story of how this pioneer necessity survived the ages will be told, again, here.
The first known written telling of this story took place in 1879 in the “Historical Album of Orleans County, NY.” The “Historical Album” was written to record and commemorate the first 50 years of Orleans County History. Our bear story was contained therein, and dates to the early 1800s. So, to “stick with the facts,” we’ve quoted it here verbatim:
“Nearly every pioneer has his “bear stories.” Were all these to be repeated here they would be like Mark Twain’s misfortunes, “somewhat monotonous.” One, however, may be related: Some thirty years since, Mr. George Batchellor, of South Barre, went some distance into Tonawanda swamp, with a neighbor, to assist him in bringing out a bear which he had killed.
“On his way the nails in his boot-heel grated upon something which gave a metallic sound. On examination he found that some moss had been scraped from what proved to be a large bear-trap. It was lying with its jaws downward, nearly covered with muck, and the roots of trees had grown through the jaws and springs in all directions. One of these, a black-ash root, was nearly as large as a man’s wrist. The trap was but very little corroded.
“Some years afterwards Mr. Batchellor learned from a man who assisted the owner of the trap in his hunt, that 22 years previous to the finding of it, it was set in the usual way, with a clog attached, in the town of Byron, Genesee county; that a bear was caught in it, and that they followed his trail through a light snow 7 or 8 miles to within 80 rods of where the trap was found, and that they here abandoned the pursuit because night was approaching, and the melting of the snow rendered the trail indistinct. Mr. Batchellor has the trap in his possession still…” (1879)
Asher & Adams, New Topographical Atlas, 1871
So there we have it, a nearly 200-year-old story of a missing bear who walked from Byron to Barre with his foot caught in a metal trap. To bring this story more up to date we need to take a look at the Batchellor family and how the trap came to be in the collection of the Cobblestone Museum.
As the “Historical Album” indicated, Mr. George Batchellor lived in the Town of Barre. What the book neglected to report was that George Batchellor was an early resident of the county, and proud owner of a cobblestone home. (As an interesting aside, most of us have heard of the “Six Degrees of Separation” theory that states that anyone on earth is connected to any other person on earth by a chain of no more than six people. I think the degrees of separation between any person and a cobblestone home owner is actually much smaller.)
The Batchellor cobblestone home, located on Old Oak Orchard Road, was built in the 1830s by Ogden Sears and his wife Betsey (Harding) Sears. Mr. Sears was a cooper by trade in Connecticut before coming to Barre, though once there, he worked as a farmer. To build his substantial stone residence, Sears picked up the stone on his own land, burned the lime used in erecting it, made the plaster and mortar and carried it to the workmen in a sap-bucket. The beautiful cobblestone house was constructed using glacial stones (fieldstones) of various sizes and red sandstone quoins.
The Sear’s daughter, Betsey, married the aforementioned George Batchellor, and the newlywed couple lived happily ever after in the Sears cobblestone home (complete with bear trap) and lived out their lives there.
Photo courtesy Richard Palmer, 5306 Oak Orchard Rd., Barre
The home passed down through several generations of the Batchellor family and is now the residence of Jack and Debby Batchellor, proud Patron Members of the Cobblestone Society & Museum. Jack’s family has lived in the home for 7 generations, nearly 200 years. He is probably the only man who lives in a cobblestone home that was built by his great-great-great grandfather.
Published 1966, Cary Lattin
In more recent times, the Batchellor family decided to put the famed bear trap into the public domain so it could be preserved and enjoyed for posterity by a larger audience. Its first home was the Buffalo Historical Society Museum. But later, Barre Town Historian, Helen Mathes, actively lobbied to have the bear trap transferred to the Cobblestone Museum where it would be closer to its original home. The donation took place in the 1970s.
Fast forward to 1979, and Former Cobblestone Museum Director, Bill Lattin, remembers when artifacts were being placed in Farmers Hall for public display. The bear trap was among the valued artifacts that found their new home within those walls.
At that time, Mickey Burroughs and Mike Kilborn had summer jobs as interns at the Museum. While examining the bear trap, curiosity got the better of them, and they requested permission to set the trap and test it out. Bill Lattin agreed as long as the experiment was undertaken under his watchful eye.
So, the trap was set, and one thing led to another, and the duo decided they would like to spring the trap. Bill selected a suitable old broom stick, which quickly became kindling when the powerful jaws of the bear trap clamped shut!
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 February 2022 at 9:44 am
Photos courtesy of Kelly Dudley
GAINES — State Sen. Rob Ortt, center, and Assemblyman Steve Hawley, right, present a proclamation from the State Legislature on Wednesday evening to Mark Tillman in honor of the Tillman family’s long-time operation of Tillman’s Village Inn.
The family closed the popular restaurant on Dec. 30 after 70 years of service.
The restaurant earned numerous awards over the years, including from the USA Beef Council for menu excellence. The Village Inn was well known for its prime rib, steak and lobster. It also was a premier wedding destination in Orleans County through the ownership of brothers Mark and Tom Tillman, according to the proclamation..
The Village Inn also hosted numerous community events over the years, including the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce awards event and Legislative Luncheon.
“Mark, Tom and the whole Tillman family have shown the true meaning of investing into a community,” the proclamation states. “Their departure from the Village Inn will truly be felt by the Western New York hospitality community and most important the entirety of Orleans County.”
Mark Tillman and his wife Susan hold the proclamation from the State Legislature.
The Cyclorama is shown at the Cobblestone Museum, 2022.
Posted 5 February 2022 at 11:51 am
By Doug Farley, Cobblestone Museum Director – Vol. 3 No. 4
GAINES – The historic hamlet of Childs is home to a one-of-a-kind local artifact that the Cobblestone Museum refers to as “The Cyclorama.” Webster’s Dictionary defines the term as a curtain or backdrop for a stage, which was exactly the original purpose of our Cyclorama.
The colorful “curtain” was prepared for the Murray Grange, No. 1292 (Patrons of Husbandry) in 1929, and was used as a theatrical backdrop for their invited musicians who entertained at dances and meetings held in the Grange Hall.
The backdrop was produced by the Anderson Scenic Company of Buffalo. The Murray Grange was formed in December 1912, and they held their meetings in a building known as the “Modern Woodmen Hall,” located in Murray. (Modern Woodmen was a fraternal organization formed in the late 19th century.)
The Murray Grange existed until 1917 when many of their members went off to war. The Grange surrendered its charter with many members joining Clarendon Grange, while others elected to take a dimit card, hoping the Murray Grange would be reinstated after the Great War. About ten years later in 1927, the Murray Grange was reorganized with an enrollment of 32 Charter Members. The organization continued meeting in their original Grange building. Eventually, the Grangers outgrew their building and their large membership forced the Chapter to seek a larger building.
In February 1928, Murray Grange No. 1292 purchased the 19th century building at the northeast corner of Routes 104 and 237 in Murray. For many years prior, the building had served as a second-hand store operated by William Fuller. The building was modernized and electric lights were added to accommodate Grange meetings.
Four years later in 1932, the Orleans Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) dedicated a monument in front of the Murray Grange building, honoring George Washington and Revolutionary War soldiers from the County.
The former location of the Murray Grange as it looks today is shown above.
The historic marker honoring George Washington was dedicated at the corner in 1932 and remains in place today.
In 1929, the Murray Grange purchased the aforementioned theatrical backdrop and used it in their new building to provide a colorful way to decorate their hall and provide acknowledgement for the many businesses that had supported their efforts.
The drapery around the advertisements was painted bright red, and the individual ads were painted blue, pink and yellow. Advertisers on the backdrop are:
J.B. Merrill & Sons Furniture & Funeral Directors, Holley-Albion-Kendall
W.J. Hatch, Feed & Seeds, Holley.
In the course of over 80 years of business, most of these businesses have closed without a trace today. However, two business still operate in some fashion. Merrill-Grinnell continues today as part of Mitchell Family Funeral Homes and N.L. Cole Lumber carries on through the name Stockham Lumber.
The Murray Grange (Patrons of Husbandry) flourished for several decades until declining membership forced it to dissolve in the mid-1960s. At some time after this, the Cyclorama, a colorful piece of local history, was given to the Murray-Holley Historical Society. But, because of very limited hanging space, the Cyclorama had to be rolled up and stored, out of public view.
Fast forward to 1997, after several decades of storage, Murray-Holley Historical Society representative, Marsha DeFilipps, approached Bill Lattin about donating the backdrop to the Cobblestone Museum. The Museum board gladly accepted this outstanding piece of local Americana and hung it on the west wall of Farmers Hall on their Route 98 Artisans Campus. This position of honor is still the home for the Cyclorama, today. Shown above, Town of Murray Historian Marsha DeFilipps (right), receives an honor at a meeting of the Murray-Holley Historical Society in 1988, presented by Dee Robinson.
The picture above shows the appearance of the west wall of Farmers Hall prior to the installation of the Cyclorama. Local Social Studies teacher, Gary Kent, is seen standing with his class of students from Kendall School in 1979. (Gary’s students were the first school group to tour Farmers Hall.) The raised platform on which Gary is standing was originally the choir loft when the building was used as the Kendall Universalist Church. Later, the building became the Kendall Town Hall, before being moved from Kendall, board-by-board, to the Cobblestone Museum and reconstructed in 1978 and 1979.
The Cyclorama adds its beauty to the collection of farm tools proudly displayed in Farmers Hall.
GAINES – For our forth image in this series we have selected the print entitled, “Alice Blue Gown,” which hangs in the Vagg House at the Cobblestone Museum campus.
The print measures 11 by 14 inches and is a portrait of Alice Roosevelt Longworth, eldest child of President Theodore Roosevelt. She was born in 1884 and died in 1980. During her early lifetime, she became very popular as a trendsetter and remained a Washington, D.C. socialite most of her life.
This picture became immensely popular in the 1920s and it was widely published in various sizes. The original painting which this print was copied from was created by English painter, Arthur Paine Garratt. However, during the 1920s, Garratt spent several years in New York. He is best remembered as a fine portrait artist, with considerable success during his lifetime.
Arthur Paine Garratt (1873-1955)
Many of Garratt’s female subjects were elegant, high-society ladies who expected a high degree of finish and detail in their portraits. Lavish gowns of exotic textiles were usually a feature. This painting of Alice was no exception. She was a beautiful young girl who was the equivalent of a princess and whose style signature were her azure blue gowns.
The press constantly followed her around to record many of her escapades. Her portrait would suggest a demure young woman but quite the contrary was true. Her father, the President, once said, “I can run the country, or I can control my daughter, but I cannot do both.” She often smoked in public which was a “no-no” for women at the time. She had a pillow in her salon embroidered with the statement, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, come sit by me.”
In the portrait above, we note that it is signed in the lower left corner, “Arthur Garratt.” It is entitled, “An Old Sweetheart of Mine.” No publisher is noted on this print which measures 11 by 15 inches.
“Alice Blue Gown” is purposely displayed in the Vagg House (shown above) which represents the Teens, ’20s, and ’30s through its furnishings. Our print appears to be in the original frame which we believe is circa 1930. Framing of this time period is much more simplistic than picture frames of earlier decades.
It is not unusual to find “Alice Blue Gown” in antique malls today, because it was once so popular. This small 5 by 7 inch copy was framed in an octagonal frame.
The painting likely partly inspired the song “Alice Blue Gown” written by Harry Tierney with lyrics by Joseph McCarthy. It was sung by Edith Day in the 1919 play “Irene.” It became a top seller in 1920 and was revived several times in the following decades. You can listen to the 1920 recording by clicking here.
We end this story with a portrait of Alice Roosevelt Longworth done by Peter Hurd in 1965. This is a Tempura on Masonite and hangs in the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution.
GAINES – For our third famous painting from the 19th century we have selected what is known as “Pharaoh’s Horses,” or “Pharaoh’s Chariot Horses.” The painting seen here has hung in the Cobblestone Museum’s Ward House for over 30 years.
It was done, no doubt, by an amateur painter around 1890. We might add that it was poorly executed as the lower left area is supposed to represent “a wall of water.” We also note that this painter chose to use a monochromatic color scheme of yellow ocher.
John Frederick Herring, Sr. (1795-1865)
By 1900, this popular image was widely viewed with nearly ubiquitous fake paintings and prints. It is also most usually seen as a “tondo,” meaning in round format.
Many of our readers might be a little more familiar with this image, rather than the images shown in Parts 1 and 2 of this series. However, in today’s world, it is mostly forgotten and its meaning is often not understood.
The original “Pharaoh’s Chariot Horses” was painted in 1848 by John Frederick Herring, Sr. He was born in London, while growing up, he took great interest in drawing horses. In 1814, he moved to Doncaster in the north of England where he was employed as a painter of inn signs and insignias on the sides of coaches.
In his spare time, he painted portraits of horses for inn parlors. His talent was soon recognized by wealthy customers and he began painting hunters and racehorses for the local gentry. In 1845, Herring received a commission from Queen Victoria, who remained a patron for the rest of Herring’s life.
In order to get a better understanding of this painting we need to go to the biblical Book of Exodus to find answers contained in the description of the Ten Plagues of Egypt.
The Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out for help?” Tell the people to move forward. Lift up your walking stick and hold it out over the sea. The water will divide, and the Israelites will be able to walk through the sea on dry ground. (Ex. 14:15-16)
This large painting measuring 32 x 34 inches is an oil on canvas in tones of grey. It would have been done by a Sunday Painter in the 1880s. Unlike most copies it is rectangular in format. Note the waves of water in the lower left corner. The painting hangs in the home of Bill Lattin.
…and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on both sides. The Egyptians pursued them and went after them into the sea with all their horses, chariots, and drivers. (Ex.14: 22-23)
The oil on canvas shown here measuring 24 inches in diameter was done around 1890 by Harriet Wyman Kilner from the Town of Shelby. She was a Sunday Painter who often copied other artists works. Known as “Aunt Hattie,” she was an older sister to Bill Lattin’s Grandmother Wilson. This painting is now currently owned by local art connoisseurs. We note that it was largely done in tones of blue.
The Lord said to Moses, ‘Hold out your hand over the sea, and the water will come back over the Egyptians and their chariots and drivers.’ (Ex. 14:26)
Here we have another oil on canvas by a Sunday Painter dating to the 1880s. It measures 12 inches in diameter and belongs to a local collector. This piece was done largely in tones of brown.
The water returned and covered the chariots, the drivers, and all the Egyptian army that had followed the Israelites into the sea; not one of them was left. But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on both sides. (Ex 14:28-29)
We judge this print measuring 20 inches in diameter was published around 1900, and appears to be in its original frame.
In all of the images we see, it is obvious that the horses saw what was coming at them as there is great fright in their eyes. Moses parting the Red Sea and the Children of Israel “passing over” onto dry ground, is still celebrated by Jewish people today, as part of their observance of Passover.
This small print measuring 6½ inches in diameter was published in the 1890s and is mounted in its original frame.
The popularity of this picture was widely accepted, especially by Protestants, who were often reluctant to have other overtly religious pictures in their homes, mainly because of anti-Catholic sentiment.
Therefore, “Pharaoh’s Horses” was much more acceptable and popular in rural 19th century America than any of Raphael’s beautiful paintings of the Madonna and child. Above we see a copy of Raphael’s famous “Madonna of the Chair,” done on porcelain, circa 1890.
This 3½ inch diameter painting in a Florentine frame belongs to a local collector. It was probably originally purchased by an American tourist on a trip to Italy. Raphael did a number of Madonna portraits in the early 16th century. In this one, Mary is seated in a chair holding baby Jesus while John the Baptist looks on. Now in the 21st century, there is more public recognition of this than the once very poplar Pharaoh’s Horses in the 19th century.
We end this story with an illustration which shows a conclusion to Pharaoh’s Horses and the Parting of the Red Sea.
The prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took her tambourine, and all the women followed her, playing tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang for them: “Sing to the Lord, because he has won a glorious victory; he has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea.” (Exodus 15: 20, 21)
In this rare engraving we see in the foreground, Miriam with tambourine leading the women in joyful triumph. In the middle ground we observe Moses with walking stick, and Aaron, both standing on a cliff. In the background note the sea and pyramids in the far distance. This Victorian print measuring 9” in diameter dates to around 1880 and is in a local private collection.
GAINES – For a number of years this oil painting on canvas, measuring 22 by 36 inches, in its original frame, has hung in the back of the Cobblestone Church under the organ loft. It is correctly entitled, “The Parting of Ruth and Naomi,” and was undoubtedly done by a “Sunday Painter,” around 1890.
It is, of course, a copy of a famous painting from the late 19th century by Philip Hermogenes Calderon (1833-1898) who began his training in painting in London in 1850 and also studied in Paris in 1851, inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites. Throughout his career, his subjects were often historical, biblical or literary in theme.
This is a close-up picture of the painting in the Cobblestone Church.
We may ask, “How did this painting become so famous and popular back in the day?” Perhaps that question is answered by the accompanying chromo advertising card measuring 5×6 inches. The front shown here is what our Sunday Painter copied.
But it is the obverse side (back) that tells the story. Yes it was Charles E. Hires of Root Beer fame who truly brought this image into public recognition at the time. Every reproduction that Hires had printed carried the biblical quote from Ruth 1:16 (Old Testament):
“And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God…”
Shown above is a second chromo lithographic advertising card. In fine print, at the lower left on the front of the card, it states: J. Ottmann Lith. Co. NY.” The earlier card shows “Donaldson Brothers Lith. NY.” The color scheme varies quite differently between the two printers. We also note that the obverse side of the second example, while carrying the same information as the first, is in its own format. We believe the colors in our first two examples are more true to the original painting by Calderon.
The framed print shown here is one of those 15×20 inch souvenirs. “Donaldson Brothers, NY” were the printers. Framing of this piece appears to be original from the 1890s. Credit on the print is: “Published and copyrighted by Charles E. Hires Company.” You may wonder, “Why does this picture hang in the Cobblestone Church?”
It was just fifty years ago that Bill Lattin, the first director of the Cobblestone Museum, made an inquiry. He noticed regularly placed nails in the church walls centered between windows and doorways. He asked Homer Brown, then in his eighties, “Why are those nails there?” Homer’s answer was, “There were pictures there.”
Now it seems Homer had attended the church as a child, prior to the Universalist Church being built at Albion in 1894. Those missing pictures and other furnishings were sold at an auction in 1934. Consequently, over the years, to make the interior of the Cobblestone Church more authentic in appearance, prints and this painting of appropriate subject matter for a Universalist Church have been acquired by the Cobblestone Museum.
The biblical quote on the print of Ruth and Naomi is sometimes used as a reading during wedding ceremonies. Therefore, our Sunday Painter’s work fits well for the Cobblestone Church which is often the scene for weddings, as shown above.
We include here a copy of one of Calderon’s most noteworthy and well-known paintings. It was completed in 1856 and is entitled, “Broken Vows.” It appears the beautiful young woman behind a fence, shown wearing a wedding band, overhears a tryst between her mate and another woman. We see obvious tension in the genre story. Likewise, in our painting of Ruth and Naomi, we also see some tension between them. Another similarity with these paintings is Calderon’s desire to show women wearing rich, silky clothing. “Broken Vows” is in the extensive art collection of the Tate Gallery in London.
The theme of Ruth and Naomi was a very popular subject matter, especially during the second half of the 19th century. We show a couple examples below From Bill Lattin’s antique collection.
This 10” tall pitcher with a salt glaze and pewter cover perhaps dates to the 1860s. It depicts Ruth clinging to Naomi while Orpah rests on the ground. The pitcher is marked on the bottom: “Naomi and her Daughters-in-Law.”
In this beautiful Parian-ware rendition we see Naomi, Ruth and Orpah. On the base it is entitled, “Naomi and Her Daughters-in-Law.” This figurine measures 13” tall and was published circa 1860. It is not uncommon in antiquing today to find images of just Ruth alone. This particular piece of statuary would have been a focal point in someone’s parlor 150 years ago.
Let us end with a more updated story concerning our subject. We are all familiar with the well-known celebrity, Oprah Winfrey. Allegedly, Oprah’s name was supposed to be Orpah, after the daughter-in-law of the biblical Ruth, but her doctor mixed up the letters and spelled the name Oprah when filling out her birth certificate. It was never corrected, so Oprah it is!
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 January 2022 at 11:14 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – Charles Prentice Jr. takes the oath of office this morning in the Gaines Town Hall. He is joined by his wife, Laural, who is holding the Bible.
Orleans County Clerk Nadine Hanlon administered the oath.
Prentice, 57, is a retired state corrections officer and also has worked as a paramedic for 40 years, currently working part-time with the Le Roy Ambulance Service.
Chuck Prentice signs the oath of office in the main meeting room of the Gaines Town Hall. He won a Republican primary last June and then the general election in November. He replaces Bruce Schmidt, who retired from the position.
Prentice completed a 40-hour training last month through the New York State Magistrates Association.
He will preside over town court three times a month, including for the first time on Jan. 12. He also will do arraignments at all hours of the day.
Other town officials starting new terms on Jan. 1 include Tyler Allport as town supervisor, Susan Heard as town clerk, and James Kirby and Kenneth Rush on the Town Board.
Pictured here is Mr. George Morton Pettit of Maple Ridge Road, Medina, standing next to an ancient mortar.
GAINES – It’s not known for certain, but one can make an educated assumption that the Cobblestone Museum’s oldest artifact might be its “mortar.”
This “mortar” is not the typical lime mortar we discuss when we look at the “glue” that holds cobblestone buildings together. This 800-year-old “other” mortar is a Native American tool that the museum acquired in 1993.
The story of this Indian relic was first reported by former director Bill Lattin in an article that he penned in 1993 while serving as Orleans County Historian entitled, “Mort’s Mortar.”
Webster’s Dictionary describes a mortar as “a strong vessel in which material is pounded or rubbed with a pestle.
In 1993, Mr. George Morton Pettit gave this artifact to the Cobblestone Museum at Childs, N.Y. He also related this known history about how it had been passed down in his family.
The Pettits, that is, Henry who was George’s great-grandfather, bought their farm in the Town of Shelby in 1850. George M. Pettit was the fourth generation to grow upon this farm, preceded by his father Clark Pettit and his grandfather also named Clark Pettit.
It seems that Henry Pettit discovered the mortar near a spring in the woods on his farm over a century ago. Being intrigued with this unusual hollowed-out stone, he placed it near the well pump and watering trough in the dooryard.
Mr. Pettit remembers vividly his dog “Shep” of many years ago using this millennial artifact as a water dish! He also recalls when wheat harvest came and they shocked up the bundles they would sometimes find arrowheads on the ground in the general vicinity of where the mortar had been discovered years before. It seems likely that some Native Americans had an encampment in this area several centuries ago.
In due time, Mr. Stanley Vanderlaan (shown above), local archaeologist and an authority on local Indian artifacts and lore, examined the mortar. He indicated that he had never seen one quite like this and indeed, if it was a mortar, thought it rather crude.
However, he felt it possible that it could be as much as 800 years old and probably represents an agrarian culture. Mortars and pestles were used by Indians to grind corn and other grains that they raised.
This mortar, shown above in current setting, appears to be made of limestone and obviously displays some tooling marks around the upper portion. It also sits flat upon the ground and would appear, because of its heavy weight, something which was intended to be more stationary, rather than moveable.
Another interesting connection between this 800-plus year old Indian mortar and the Cobblestone Museum is Mr. Vanderlaan’s assumption that the original pestle for this mortar would most likely have been, none other than, a “cobblestone,” which even then, were abundant in the fields occupied by the Native Peoples.
It goes without saying, that the stone pestle which was originally used is long gone, but the mortar remains as silent testimony to the ancient inhabitants of this area.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 December 2021 at 2:20 pm
‘We will miss you and never forget you.’ – Tillman family
Photo by Tom Rivers: Mark Tillman, front right, will close Tillman’s Village Inn after today. He is pictured with some of his employees today including Kim Achzet (front left), an employee for 33 years. In back from left: Marty Wolfe, manager of Fair Haven Inn, employee for 13 years; David Sharp, employee for 7 years; Victoria Mortensen, general manager and employee for 21 years; Tracey Frasier, employee for 15 years; and Sammy Davis, employee for six years.
GAINES – Today is the last day of business for Tillman’s Village Inn after 70 years of operation by four generations of Tillmans.
Mark Tillman, 66, is retiring. He has been working at the restaurant since he was a young boy, first sorting beer bottles for his father, Bill.
Mark lived upstairs at the Village Inn the first three years of his life, and his parents used the liquor room as his nursery when he was a baby.
Tillman has been full-time at the Village Inn since 1977 after serving three years with the Marine Corps. His daughter Samantha has joined him in recent years at the VI.
Mark said the business is still successful and isn’t a “Covid casualty” like many other restaurants around the state and country, which had to close the inside to customers for months due to Covid restrictions.
Tillman wants to retire while “I still have some spring in my step.” The building is for sale.
Mark said closing the business has been difficult and emotional due to the close relationships with so many customers and his employees.
“We’re nothing without the community,” Tillman said today.
He has followed his father’s example of taking on any job that needed to be done at the restaurant. He strove to offer quality food without making people feel they needed to dress up fancy.
Mark motivated his staff by offering respect, rather than fear.
“It’s how you treat people,” he said.
File photos: Tillman’s Village Inn is the only remaining stagecoach stop on Ridge Road still serving the public with food and lodging. It’s been in near continuous operation since 1824. The Tillmans served about 4 million pounds of prime rib over the years.
Mark wanted to retire about two years ago but wanted to see his employees through the early days of the Covid pandemic, when the community and state faced high unemployment. He believes the employees are in demand now and better able to transition to other jobs. But it’s still hard for him to say good bye to the staff. Two of the current waitresses have been at the VI for more than three decades. June Avino has worked there nearly 38 years and Kim Achzet has been with the Village Inn for 33 years.
Victoria Mortensen, the general manager the past five years, started as a server 21 years ago.
She praised the Tillman family for their trust and confidence in her.
“Knowing the Tillmans has been one of my greatest blessings,” Mortensen said. “To start as a server and work up to general manager, for that I will always be grateful.”
The Village Inn has enduring popularity, she said, by offering quality food at affordable prices.
“It’s a beautiful venue and it’s a great place to work,” Mortensen said. “Everyone gets along. It’s like a family.”
Mark is the third generation to run the business. For many years he worked next to his brother Tom with Mark managing the dining room, the staff and the books while Tom ran the bar and kitchen.
The two have taken out an ad in this weekend’s Pennysaver thanking the community and their employees for all the support over the seven decades.
“There is never a good time to say goodbye to a successful business where many of you, your parents, grandparents and beyond celebrated ‘LIFE,’” the two brothers write in their message. “However, this IS the time, to both say goodbye and thank you. You made the Tillman family and the Village Inn family shine for over 70 years. We will miss you and never forget you.”
The Tillmans bought the Village Inn in 1951 when it was a dilapidated structure at the intersection of routes 98 and 104.
This large dining room showcases the original timber frame construction of the carriage barn with antiques and historic photos. The original inn has been enlarged by incorporating two historic barn structures that previously serviced the horses and carriages of early visitors. The hand-hewn beams 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. The restaurant’s liquor license is framed from the early 1900s. In 1905, the license cost $150, a fee payable to the state.
Tom and Mark’s grandfather Sam and their father Bill took on the challenge of running the restaurant 70 years ago. They were from Rochester and recruited their buddies from Kodak to help upgrade the building.
The Tillmans built a thriving business often serving 600 to 700 people a night, a destination restaurant known for prime rib. Many wedding receptions, banquet parties, first dates and funeral receptions have been held at the Village Inn.
Mark Tillman said he feels honored the site was a venue for such important gatherings in so many peoples’ lives.
He also praised Norbert Hausner, a Rochester architect, who helped design renovations and expansions at the Village Inn, bringing the family’s vision to reality. The family never wanted a sterile party house atmosphere. It wanted the building to honor its historical roots as a stage coach stop on the Ridge.
“In 1951, our parents and grandparents traveled from their homes in Rochester, to a small farming hamlet in the center of Orleans County to chase a dream,” Mark and Tom write in their thank you message to the community. “You – our customers and staff – made that dream a reality in helping establish a WNY institution in hospitality.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 December 2021 at 9:23 am
Provided photo: Cobblestone Society Membership Secretary Gail Johnson receives the 2021 Volunteer of the Year Award from Sue Bonafini, assistant director of the Cobblestone Museum.
GAINES – The Cobblestone Museum has recognized two dedicated supporters for their service to the museum, which is a National Historic Landmark in Gaines.
Toni Plummer, a member of the Board of trustees, was presented with the Proctor Award, which is given annually to someone who goes above and beyond to assist the museum in an extraordinary manner.
Plummer was praised for embracing the museum’s role “to educate as well as entertain.” She arranged for visits by boards members to see other museums and how they’ve navigated issues that are relevant to the Cobblestone Museum’s future goals and growth.
Her idea of hosting future Ladies Luncheons at the Vagg House led to a successful trial run this past fall, with help from some fellow trustees, said Sue Bonafini, the museum’s assistant director.
Plummer also was a key organizer in the Christmas Tour of Homes, a pre-Covid holiday favorite, Bonafini said.
Plummer also led the Marketing Committee and updated the museum’s gift shop to include products from many regional vendors. She also served on the Nominating, Personnel and Strategic Planning Committees in the past year, as well as the Executive Committee.
Gail Johnson was named “Volunteer of the Year.” She serves as membership secretary and on the executive board.
“She works tirelessly behind-the-scenes as head of the Membership Dinner Committee to complete necessary work for the event’s success,” Bonafini said. “She interacts with businesses and private donors to secure auction items. Each component of the evening, including registration tickets, bid slips and more, meets her vision for this important fundraiser and most often touches her hands before it reaches yours.”
Johnson in recent years has spent hours preparing envelopes for all bulk mailing projects. She has become the “go-to volunteer” when an individual is needed to sell or collect tickets at events, Bonafini said.
She also serves on the Strategic Planning and Welcome Center Committees, and has been critical in securing support for the Welcome Center. That project has $575,000 committed to the $750,000 fundraising goal.
Albion Advertiser, August 1959. Photo Courtesy Orleans County Historian
By Doug Farley, Cobblestone Museum Director – Vol 2. No. 46
GAINES – In 1959, the Hamlet of Childs joined forces with a handful of other hamlets in the Town of Gaines to celebrate the town’s Sesquicentennial, the 150th anniversary of its first settler in 1809. Leading up to the festivities, a Sesquicentennial Committee had been hard at work preparing a written history, as well as organizing several community events and celebrations to take place throughout the year.
The Sesquicentennial Committee was comprised of Supervisor Lester Canham, Honorary Chairman; J. Howard Pratt and Cary Lattin, Co-Chairmen; Mrs. Gerald (Janice) Thaine, Executive Secretary; Dean Sprague, Treasurer; Curtis Lyman, Program; Rev. John Minott, Donald Miles and Edwin Weeks, Program; Mrs. Harry Wilder, Hon. Bernard Ryan, and Thomas Heard, Jr., Advisors; and Miss Katharine Hutchinson, Promotion and Publicity. Sixty other town residents worked on various tasks including Antique Cars, Historical Booklet, Gaines Landmarks, Dance Committee, Auction, Parade and Floats, Midway Entertainment, and much more.
Gaines Sesquicentennial Publication, cover sketch by Mrs. Walter E. Mack
The Historical Booklet Committee presented the following dedication to their 32 page Sesquicentennial Publication:
“We wish to dedicate this booklet to your pioneer fathers and mothers who came into the Town of Gaines when it was a trackless wilderness and carved from that wilderness, our roads, our schools, our churches, our farms, our civilization – a righteous heritage of which we should be justly proud.”
Harriet Fitts Ryan, wife of Bernard Ryan, Chief Judge of the NYS Court of Claims, was called upon to write the sesquicentennial book’s Foreword. (The Ryan family is shown above in the 1930s with Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Roosevelt who made occasional trips to Gaines to visit the Ryan family.) Mrs. Ryan, originally from Mobile, Alabama, served the Sesquicentennial Committee as Hospitality Chair. Her Foreword to the publication follows:
“On a hot Fourth of July in 1921, I first set foot in the town of Gaines. I had thought my new home was in Albion, New York. But I was told in no uncertain terms, ‘You live in the Town of Gaines.” It was some time before I began to understand that the Town of Gaines was a township and to realize the miles encompassed therein. Gaines Village, Childs or Fairhaven, East Gaines, West Gaines, Gaines Basin, Five Corners, Eagle Harbor – it was some time before I realized that all of these constituted the Town of Gaines. However, in short time I realized the beauty of the homes and roads and by-ways of Gaines and the fine character of her citizens; and I felt proud to be an adopted daughter.
The beauty of the homes and the roads of Gaines is a direct inheritance from those who made the long trek over hill and stream from Massachusetts and Connecticut and settled these parts. They were the ones who planted the trees that were to grow into stately beauty and make travel on the Ridge the delight it is. God made the Ridge – mere man could have never given us the Ridge – but it was the early settlers who had the vision to set out the trees that would give shade and comfort to their descendants. They were the ones, also, who gathered stones from fields and lake and, with their own hands, erected the cobblestone houses of Gaines.
These cobblestone buildings, the fame of which has spread from coast to coast, are the pride of every resident of this vicinity, the envy of every passing traveler. Men and women of strength and determination were those pioneers – strong enough to journey by oxcart into a far country, determined enough to settle that country and make it a fair land. Men and women of vision and courage – vision enough to look to the future, courage enough to face the present. I, who can claim no descent from those sturdy men and women, am proud of what they did in those far-away days, am proud of the Town of Gaines. I am proud that my husband has lived all of his life in Gaines and that my sons are her native-born.
This sesqui-centennial is a tribute to the men and women who dared all and braved all, who left to us a goodly heritage. Now, let us who have come after them be worthy. Let us strive to leave behind us a community fair to behold, rich in tradition, in which our descendants will rejoice and be exceeding glad, a community that will inspire right living and the development of fine character. We have an obligation to the past and to the future. Noblesse oblige! There is more to it than two words. Let us fulfill that obligation.”
Courtesy Orleans County Historian
In those days, no historical celebration was complete without a beard growing contest. Over forty men participated in this face-lifting project and were photographed together for the August 13th issue of the Albion Advertiser.
Taking part included: (Front row) William Woolston, Theodore Schoonover, Thomas Manning, Glen Woolston, Ralph Appleton, Maynard Bannon, Gerald Thaine, David Sanford, and Everett Hobbs. (Middle row) Richard Appleton, Herbert Morrison, Paul Chappius, Richard Peruzzini, Harold Peruzzini, Peter Ricci, Wesley Bennett, James Kerridge, Colonel Ball, Dominic Martillotta, Sortman Jordan, Clure Appleton and Howard Pratt. (Back row) Jesse Downey, Carl Huthsteiner, Donald Bennett, Andrew Butz, Albert Neal, Jr., William Schuler, Terry Neal, Kenneth Drew, David Youngs, Wilbur Scroger, Royce Freeman, Wayne Rath, Gordon Miller, Arthur Gould, Richard Hill, David Vagg, Rev. John Minott, Whitney Howes and Clifford Allen.
Even registering for the beard growing contest involved some tongue-in-check humor. (Photo Courtesy Orleans County Historian)
On the day of the celebration, a gala parade took place from Childs to Gaines with floats, bands, horses, carriages and old cars. There was a historical exhibit, a horse show, church smorgasbord, Grange Square Dance and Carolyn Reed was chosen as Sesquicentennial Queen.
By Doug Farley, Cobblestone Museum Director – Vol. 2. No. 45
GAINES – The Hamlet of Childs is the current home for an outstanding artifact of the mid-19th century. The name settled upon for this object is “The Akeley Fox,” in homage to the taxidermy artist, Carl Akeley, who created the diorama in 1879.
Pictured at top in 1979 is Mr. John Seager, along with the fox his great grandfather Francis Harling shot over 140 years ago. In 1979, Mr. Seager gave his family heirloom to the Cobblestone Museum for its permanent collection in memory of his parents Agnes Harling Seager and John Seager.
Young Carl Akeley – Photo courtesy the Field Museum
The story goes that sometime in 1879m Francis Harling lay near a fox run in a Barre Swamp almost a full day before this specimen came along. At the time, a young Carl Akeley of Clarendon (shown above) was in his late teens or early twenties and was learning the techniques of taxidermy under the tutelage of David Bruce from Brockport. Knowing Akeley, Francis Harling purposely procured the fox for him to mount. The fox is depicted in a large gold-framed shadow box just as she had killed a partridge.
The Akeley Fox is one of his early works. It is signed on the reverse side of the glass, “C .E. Akeley, Clarendon”
In the late 19th Century Akeley went on to become the great world renowned African explorer and established the African Hall in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. He was noted as being one of the first taxidermists to place specimens in their natural surroundings and traveled with Theodore Roosevelt and George Eastman on several safaris. One of his staunchest supporters was none other than J. Pierpont Morgan. The image above depicts Akeley surviving a leopard attack on one of his many safaris in Africa. He captured the leopard using only his bare hands.
Unfortunately, Akeley died in his early sixties before he had a chance to complete his life’s work. The Akeley Fox however is testimony to a great man’s artistic genius. For many years it hung in the parlor of the Harling residence on East County House Road near Albion. It was then inherited by Walker Harling, son of Francis and passed on to his daughter Agnes Harling Seager who kept it in the attic for over forty years. Once arriving in the Hamlet of Childs, the fox was displayed along with the Hon. E. K. Hart Bird Collection at the Cobblestone Museum. Ironically, the Hart Bird Collection was prepared by Akeley’s teacher, David Bruce.
Considering the legacy left by Carl Akeley and the significance of his contributions to the field of history, the little red fox is held in the highest regard and treated as one of the crowning artifacts within the collection of the Museum. Accepting the unique artifact into the collection as a rare representation of the earliest works of a world renowned taxidermist, the Museum retained a distinct piece of history that museums today would fight over.
With thanks to the efforts of the Clarendon Historical Society, a spectacular tribute to the life and legacy of Carl Akeley was arranged to celebrate the passing of Akeley’s 150th birthday. Museum co-coordinators Matthew Ballard and Sarah Karas both attended a celebration in Akeley’s honor where they met John Janelli, chairman of the National Taxidermy Association’s Conservation Committee. After showing him photographs of the fox, the true significance of the piece was finally understood.
(L-R) Sarah Karas, Cobblestone Museum co-coordinator, John Janelli, and Matt Ballard, co-coordinator
Members of the Committee visited the Museum to see the fox firsthand on May 23, 2014 (shown above) when it was decided that the restoration of this artifact was not simply a possibility but a necessity. Heat from being stored in an attic for decades, along with freezing in the winter, had led to severe deterioration. One eye had fallen out, the tail had “melted,” the paws were void of hair and bugs had found their way inside. Melissa Ierlan, Town of Clarendon Historian, said, “It was in bad shape. We thought we would have to replace it, but we didn’t.”
The fox is depicted eating a bird it had caught. The paper mache work on the bird included newspaper from the Holley Standard, dated December 4, 1879. As an important symbol of modern taxidermy’s founding father, the fox needed to be restored and preserved.
On June 5, 2014, the Museum coordinators, Ballard and Karas, presented the proposal to the board of trustees. With a unanimous yes, the board offered their support in the effort to preserve Akeley’s little red fox. Fundraising begin immediately to procure funding for the evaluation and proper restoration of this important piece of history.
The fundraising to enable the restoration was a major project in itself. Ierlan said the restoration resulted from an “amazing grass-roots effort to secure funding” for the project. Private donors, a grant from the Elizabeth Dye Curtis Foundation and donations from the Orleans County Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Orleans County Historical Association (OCHA) and the Clarendon Historical Society made the project possible.
With funding in place, Melissa Ierlan personally bubble wrapped and transported the fox in her car to the restoration offices of George Dante in New Jersey.
Photo courtesy of Melissa Ierlan: John Janelli, left, is past president of the National Taxidermy Association. He is pictured with George Dante of Wildlife Preservations, LLC, and the refurbished fox at Dante’s studio. Dante has provided taxidermy exhibition services to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, and Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology.
Bill Lattin, retired Orleans County Historian and former Cobblestone Museum Director, has a family connection to the fox. He explained that his great-grandfather, Francis Harling of Albion, procured the fox for Akeley. Lattin explained that the fox, enclosed in a framed diorama, is a precious artifact. “In the world of taxidermy, it’s like owning a Rafael,” Lattin said. “It’s very, very special.”
Akeley (1864-1926), is known as the Father of Modern Taxidermy. He devised a method for fitting an animal’s skin over a meticulously prepared and sculpted form of the animal’s body. The process included the animal’s musculature and details such as wrinkles and veins and produced a very realistic result.
Lattin said his great-grandfather wanted the fox diorama to display in the family’s home on East County House Road in Albion. Harling was a middle-class dirt farmer and blacksmith, Lattin explained, but noted it is interesting that, “common ordinary people (of that time) had a sensitivity for aesthetics.” Harling had gone out of his way to procure the fox, Lattin said, so that something beautiful could be made to decorate the family’s home, “that’s remarkable,” he observed.
Akeley’s African Elephant Exhibit, courtesy of the Field Museum, Chicago
Akeley made many trips to Africa to collect specimens and created the African Hall at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Akeley also liked to place the mounted animals in settings that reflected their native habitat. Lattin also explained that during the Akeley Fox restoration, it was discovered that what was thought to be a “tod” (male fox) was found to be a “vixen” (female fox).
In 2017, Melissa Ierlan made a return trek to New Jersey to pick up the fully restored vixen fox. A “welcome home” celebration was held in September 2017 at the Museum’s Cobblestone Church. At the celebration, shown above, Matthew Ballard (Orleans County Historian), Bill Lattin and Melissa Ierlan pose with Carl Akeley’s restored fox diorama.
Jay Kirk, the author of the book, “Kingdom Under Glass” (shown above), a book about Carl Akeley and his work, attended the celebration as did Akeley expert, John Janelli. County Historian Matt Ballard said, “We wanted to bring (the fox) to the attention of people who would appreciate Akeley’s work.” The fox is part of a transitional phase for Akeley. Ballard noted the legwork done by Ierlan, the Clarendon historian, to have the fox restored as well as the importance of the local fundraising effort. “It’s surreal to see it come to fruition,” Ballard said of the restoration project. “It’s a piece of national significance.”
At the celebration, Ierlan discussed Carl Akeley’s life and work from his humble beginnings on Hinds Road in Clarendon to the jungles of Africa. “He was the original Indiana Jones,” Ierlan said. She noted his early work preserving the pet canary of his aunt, his training in taxidermy by David Bruce in Brockport and his apprenticeship at Ward’s Natural Science Establishment in Rochester. She explained that the taxidermy work done before Carl Akeley arrived on the scene, often made animals look like stuffed toys. Akeley wanted “to make them look as real as possible,” Ierlan said.
Melissa Ierlan brought copies of photographs of Akeley’s work including diorama’s from the American Museum of Natural History and the entourage that accompanied Akeley on his African trips to collect specimens (far left), as well as the condition of the fox diorama prior to restoration.
The Cobblestone Museum has prepared a short video to provide additional information for those who missed out attending the Akeley celebration. It can be viewed by clicking here along with a collection of other videos on local history.
In addition to his taxidermy work, Akeley was an accomplished sculptor, biologist, conservationist and inventor with over 29 patents. Akeley improved the motion picture camera for filming animal movement. Ierlan said, “He had a remarkable life. He was one of America’s greatest men.”
The cover at left is for the book, Pioneer History of Orleans County. The image at right is the only known photograph of John Proctor.
By Doug Farley, Cobblestone Museum Director – Vol. 2 No. 44
GAINES – One of the most widely read written histories of Orleans County is entitled, “Pioneer History of Orleans County, NY,” by Arad Thomas, written in 1871 and published in Albion. In this 463-page compendium we are fortunate to find an autobiographical sketch of John Proctor, the patriarch of what many called Proctor’s Corners.
Proctor has been the subject of a few recent articles written for the “Historic Childs” series, but the addition of an article detailing the earliest days of Fair Haven (known as Childs today) written by John Proctor himself, is a valuable addition to this information. Proctor wrote the following narrative in June 1863, a little short of five years before his death in January 1868.
I was born in the town of Dunstable, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, January 22, 1787. In March, 1810, I arrived in Batavia, since changed to Gaines, on the Holland Purchase, and purchased a lot of land near the Transit Line. I chopped over five acres of land and built a log cabin in what was then called the ‘Nine Mile Woods.’ My cabin was situated seven miles from any cabin going east, and two miles west. There were no inhabitants going south nearer than Batavia village. Here I kept bachelor’s hall, sleeping in the open air on hemlock boughs until I had completed the roof of my cabin, which I covered with bark. I had to travel seven miles to get bread baked.
I went to Massachusetts in the summer and returned to my cabin in January. In the spring of 1811, I cleared off and planted three acres to corn, and in the fall sowed five acres to wheat. In December I went back to Massachusetts on foot. February 11th, 1812, I was married to Miss Polly Cummings, of Dunstable, and started on the 12th with my wife for my home in the woods, in a sleigh drawn by two horses.
Fair Haven, 1852 map
When we arrived at our new home, at what has since been called Fair Haven, in the town of Gaines, there were but three families in Gaines, viz.: Elijah Downer, Amy Gilbert, and —Elliott. The nearest grist mill was at Black Creek, twenty miles distant, and on account of bad roads it was as easy for us to go to Rochester to mill, a distance of thirty miles. Indians came over from Canada and massacred several of the inhabitants on the frontier, and many of the settlers fled out of the country for safety. The people throughout this region were in great consternation.
The news of the approach of the savages spread rapidly. William Burlingame, who resided about four miles west of my place on the Ridge, called me out of bed and requested me to go immediately and arouse the people east. I immediately mounted my horse, the only horse then owned in the vicinity, and before next daylight visited all the inhabitants as far east as Clarkson.
The effect of the notice was almost electric, for quite a regiment of men in number were on the move early the next morning, to check the advance of the enemy. We marched west to a place called Hardscrabble, near Lewiston, and there performed a sort of garrison duty for two weeks, when I with some others returned, for, having been elected collector of taxes, it became necessary for me to attend to the duties of my office.
Again in September, while the war was in progress at and near Fort Erie, in Canada, news came to us that the British were about to attack the Fort and our troops there must be reinforced. In company with several others I volunteered to go to their relief. On arriving at the Fort, via Buffalo, we made several attacks on the enemy near the Fort, and in the woods opposite Black Rock.
A sortie was made from the Fort September 17th, in which we routed the enemy. In these actions several bullets passed through my clothes, and one grazed my finger. A man of our company named Howard was killed, another named Sheldon was wounded in the shoulder, and Moses Bacon was taken prisoner and carried to Halifax.
In that sortie General Davis, of Le Roy, was killed, and Gen. Peter B. Porter was taken prisoner, and rescued again the same day. We came home after an absence of twenty-four days.
The Proctor monument (left) is located on Route 104 in Gaines. The Proctor family obelisk is 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.
About February 1st, 1815, I was notified to attend the sitting of the court in Batavia as constable. Owing to the situation of my family I could not be long absent from home; and in order to get released from court, it was necessary for me to appear before the judge; so taking a rather early start I reached Batavia before the court had opened in the morning. After the court had organized for business I presented my excuse and was discharged.
After that I collected over one hundred dollars taxes, made my returns as town collector, on half a sheet of paper, took a deed of one hundred acres of land of the Holland Company, and an article for another hundred acres and started for home, where I arrived in the evening of the same day, having traveled a distance of not less than forty-four miles.
In December, 1818, I made arrangements to visit my friends in Massachusetts, on horseback. Several of my neighbors were in to see me off. As I was about to mount my horse a deer came down the creek from the south. I ran into the house and got my gun and some cartridges I brought from the war, loaded my gun as I ran out, and as the deer was passing leveled my gun and snapped it, but it missed fire. I took up a stone and struck the flint, and snapped the gun again before the deer got out of range. This time it discharged killing the deer instantly. I remained now and helped dress the deer and divided it with our neighbors, and then went on my journey.
I rode to Vermont, there exchanged my horse and saddle for a cutter and another horse, and drove to my destination, near Boston. After an absence of about sixty days I returned home in time to dine off a piece of the venison I killed just before starting, which had been kept by my wife.
Our associations in our wilderness home undergoing fatigue and hardships together, sharing alike in gratitude for every success, and in sympathy for every adversity, bound the early settlers together as a band of brothers.
For many years our religious worship was held in common together, with no denominational distinctions.
