Small Lyndonville building served as doctor’s office

By Matt Ballard
Cobblestone Society Museum co-director

LYNDONVILLE – This small building, standing on the east side of Main Street in the Village of Lyndonville, once served as the office of Dr. John D. Warren.

Later, this same building was used by Dr. Warren’s son-in-law, Dr. Charles E. Fairman. It was common practice for a physician to have a smaller building located near their home for use as an office. Many homes had separate wings or extensions that served as the location for their practice.

Dr. Warren was well known for his interest in fruit and vegetable drying. Around 1880, he submitted a patent for “Warren’s Vegetable Soup Package,” the precursor to the instant soup packets we currently use today. Later that same year, Gaines farmer A. J. Palmer assigned half of the patent for his fruit dryer to Dr. Warren. The Cobblestone Museum has the patent model of Palmer’s fruit dryer on display in the Farmer’s Hall.

Editor’s Note: The Cobblestone Museum is hosting an exhibit, “Medicine at the Museum,” through Oct. 13, The exhibit displays a collection of medical artifacts from the Rexall Drug Store in Albion and features over 20 local physicians and pharmaceutical giants.

The museum in August and September also will have a four-part lecture series about the development of the medical profession in Western New York. The series starts with the development of Buffalo’s Medical College in the 1840s, and goes through the progression of 19th century medicine from the establishment of WNY health spas and sanitariums to the trivial and candid stories of Orleans County physicians. The series will conclude with a look into the Victorian culture surrounding death and illness in the 19th century.

For more information about the museum and its events, click here.