History Highlights Spring-Summer 2015

VOL. 28 NO.
$5.00 SPRING / SUMMER 2015
Friday, June 12 & 19 from 6pm to 7:15pm

Saturday, June 13 & 20 from 5:30pm to 7:15pm
For ages 10 and up
Stroll
Among
the
Spirits,
Oakwood
Cemetery
Ghostwalk
Discover a pathway into the past through the picturesque old section of Oakwood
Cemetery. Meet some of the fascinating folks that reside there and hear their
stories. Friday, June 12th & 19th and Saturday, June 13th & 20th. Tours start at
6:00pm on Friday, and at 5:30pm on Saturday, and leave every 15 minutes from
Oakwood Cemeterys Chapel. Reservations for OHA Members: $12, Non-Members:
$15. For more information and reservations please call Karen at 428-1864 x 312.
RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. If calling for reservations on the weekend, please
call 428-1864 x 321.
ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS
VOL. 28 NO. 1
$5.00 SPRING / SUMMER 2015
ON THE COVER
DEPARTMENTS
Development:
Planned Giving
New Flag
Medal Breakfast
Our Glorious Workplaces Recap
Donor List
Gift Gallery
OHA Gift Gallery Catalog

Education
Ghostwalk
Curatorial
"Lodging Landmark: Hotel Syracuse exhibit
ON THE COVER
Carousel Installed At Mall - 1990
IN THIS ISSUE
3
Abraham Lincoln's
Visits to Syracuse
by Thomas Hunter
7
"Gallery of the Louvre"
by Dick Case
OHA History Highlights Spring/Summer 2015 1
10
Exploring the
Onondaga Creekwalk
by Dennis Connors
12
Salt City Celluloid
by Gregg A. Tripoli
18
Recent Acquisitions
by Thomas Hunter
& Pamela Priest
OHA Staff
Gregg Tripoli, Executive Director
Daniel Connors, General Manager, Sknoh Great

Law of Peace Center
Dennis Connors, Curator of History
Karen Cooney, Support Services Administrator
Thomas Hunter, Assistant Director / Curator of
Collections
Sarah Kozma, Research Specialist
Lynne Pascale, Director of Development
Scott Peal, Education Associate
Michael Piscitell, Director of Finance
Pamela Priest, Archivist / Research Center Manager
Gina Stankivitz, Gift Gallery Manager
Jon Zella, Development Associate
21
A Carousel's Destiny
by Gregg A. Tripoli
28
Gail Sherman Corbett
by Dick Case
OHA Board of Directors 2014-2015

Lee DeAmicis, President
Louis J. Steigerwald, III, Vice President
David Murray, M.D., Secretary
Raymond V. Grimaldi, CPA, Treasurer
Charles Baracco, CPA, Assistant Treasurer
Lt. Jonathan L. Anderson Michael Bottar, Esq.
Nancy Collins
George Curry
Marilyn Higgins
Daniel D. Lent
David B. Liddell, Esq.
John T. McCann, Esq.
Diane Miron
Tara Ross, JD
Michael Stancyzk, Esq. James Stoddard, Jr.
Honorary Directors
Hon. Joanie Mahoney
33
How Did Syracuse
Get Its Name
by Dennis Conners
39
On the Street
Where We Live, Part III
by Karen Cooney
Hon. Stephanie Miner
Volume 28, No. 1
51
Marcellus Shale
by Dick Case
www.cnyhistory.org
2015 Onondaga Historical Association

321 Montgomery Street
Syracuse, NY 13202
All Rights Reserved.
Official magazine of OHA. Subscription is available as a benefit
of membership. Onondaga Historical Association is chartered by
the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York. Its
programs are supported, in part, by funds provided by Onondaga
County, the City of Syracuse, various private supporters, and our
members. Onondaga Historical Association has engaged Dupli for
the design and printing of this magazine. Editing / Proofreading
by Gregg Tripoli; Project Management / Compilation by Pamela
A. F. Priest.
No part of this periodical may be reproduced without the consent of the
publisher. Onondaga Historical Association assumes no responsibility
for unsolicited manuscripts.
cnyhistory.org
karen.cooney@cnyhistory.org
31
The Bread Oven
by Daniel Conners
All images in this newsletter are from OHA collections,

unless otherwise noted.
Many thanks to Paychex for providing top

quality in-kind payroll and payroll
tax services to OHA.
Abraham Lincolns
Visits to Syracuse
& His Eulogy in
Hanover Square
by Thomas Hunter
President Abraham Lincoln painting

by George Knapp, 1895
Lincoln Box, the box in which assassin John Wilkes Booth

shot Abraham Lincoln during the presidents visit to Fords
Theatre, Washington, D.C.
braham Lincoln paid two visits to Syracuse, the first

was on February 18, 1861 as President-elect when
he was traveling to Washington, DC; the second was
on April 26, 1865 aboard his funeral train, the victim of an
assassins bullet, traveling back to Springfield, Illinois. In
between these two trips, he was eulogized by central New
Yorkers in Hanover Square on April 19, 1865.
its passengers. On another occasion, there was an attempt

to derail Lincolns entire train. These incidents werent
described in the newspapers until after Lincoln arrived in
Washington. Newspaper reporters allowed to ride with the
Lincoln party were sworn to secrecy to discourage further
dissent and prevent copycat attempts on his life; getting
Lincoln safely to the White House was a top priority.
On Monday, February 11, 1861, the newly elected U.S.

President, his family, and personal friends left Springfield,
Illinois by railroad on his way to Washington to take the
oath of office and begin to contend with a divided country
dissolving into civil war. As the President-elects train
journeyed toward the nations capital, security heightened
due to the threat of assassination attempts. Several efforts
to take his life occurred in Indiana and Ohio, the most
alarming one transpiring in Cincinnati. As the presidential
train was leaving that city, security officials discovered a
grenade concealed in a carpet bag inside his personal train
car. No one knew who left the ignited grenade, which was
about to explode in fifteen minutes. Once discovered,
security personnel quickly dispatched it. Had the grenade
exploded, its force would have destroyed the railroad car and
Despite the incidents, Lincolns train continued to make

scheduled stops along the way. On Monday, February
18th, the train traveled east through New York State,
having just stopped at Clyde in Wayne County. Its next
stop was Syracuse. Along the route, Lincoln was informed
that he was entering a Republican stronghold, a hot bed
of anti-slavery sentiment, and the site of the fugitive slave
liberation dubbed the Jerry Rescue in 1851. Lincoln
received a telegram that a very large crowd had assembled
in Syracuse and they were determined to listen to Lincoln
make a speech. The city was festooned with patriotic
banners, small flags, and a colossal 34-star flag that was
hoisted up a Liberty Pole in Clinton Square. Early that
morning New York Central Railroad cars brought people
from as far away as Oswego and Binghamton to join the
locals in ogling the new president. At 9:52am, a cannon

boomed, signaling to the crowd the approach of the special
locomotive. As Lincolns train chugged down Railroad
(now Washington) Street toward the train depot, the
group aboard it noticed a nicely carpeted stage, erected
especially for the occasion, in the middle of Salina Street.
Surrounding the stage were possibly 10,000 spectators,
elbow to elbow. Military personnel had formed a hollow
square around the depot and stage to keep the multitude
at a safe distance. Upon the stage sat the welcoming
committee, Reverend Daniel Waldo, and a bald eagle
borrowed for the illustrious occasion.
When the train stopped Lincoln appeared on the rear
platform of the car and Mayor Amos Westcott introduced
him to the immense concourse by stating, Mr. Lincoln
I have the honor to welcome you to our city and to tender
to you the cordial sympathy of our citizens in the trying
position which you have been called to fill as the chief
magistrate of the United States. Never in the history of
our country has there been a time when there was such a
demand for the exercise of sagacity and wisdom on the
part of the chief executive of the nation as at the present
moment. We feel assured that you will so conduct the
Government generally, that when you retire from the high
office which has been bestowed upon youyou will be
enabled to transmit to your successor our national flag not
merely with its stars undiminished in number, but with each
star shining more brightly in the glorious constellation of
Freedom and Liberty. I have now, fellow citizens, the honor
of introducing you to Abraham Lincoln the President
elect of the United States of America.
In his inimitable way, Lincoln then addressed the people.
Ladies and Gentlemen I see that you have provided
a very neat platform, upon which I suppose you have
desired that I should appear and address you. It would
indicate, if I were to go on to the platform, that I would
make a longer speech than my strength or my time here
will allow; I therefore hope that you will not understand
that I mean any discourtesy to you, in declining to go upon
the platform you have provided. In acting upon
this decision, I may be allowed to express the
hope that you will not draw any inferences
as to any other platform that I may have
any connection with. I have not time or
strength to do more when surrounded by
so many intelligent and happy people,
than to meet them and to greet them,
and to express my most earnest hope and
desire for their long life and happiness,
and for the perpetuity of the institutions
under which we have so long lived and
prospered, and that we may all continue long
to live under them.
Rev. Daniel Waldo (1762-1864)

Each man unwittingly spoke prophetic words that morning
that would haunt the nation four years later.
The enormous crowd applauded and cheered Lincolns
remarks. A few dignitaries then were allowed to greet
Lincoln on the railroad cars platform, including Reverend
Waldo. A frail 98 year old Revolutionary War veteran who
had voted for both George Washington and Lincoln, Waldo
was carried from the stage to Lincolns car where he shook
hands with the President-elect.
After the thirteen-minute stop, Lincolns train left Syracuse
heading toward Utica. The President-elect stood on the cars
rear platform, bowing to the multitude that surrounded him
on all sides. Thousands of cheering men and boys followed
the train as it left the city.
Four years later, President Lincoln returned to
Syracuse aboard another railroad car but this
time his journey back home to Springfield
was a much more somber occasion.
Mortally wounded by John Wilkes
Booth on Good Friday, April 14, 1865,
Lincoln died the following morning,
and was immortalized as a martyr in the
great civil war that had torn the country
asunder for four long years. Four days
after his death, Lincolns funeral occurred
in the East Room of the White House. On
Syracuses Mayor Amos Wescott
that same day in Syracuse, thousands gathered to eulogize

Lincoln in absentia.
April 19, 1865 was a bright and beautiful day in Syracuse.
But the clear sky stood in sharp contrast to the mood of
the citizens gathered in the city on that Wednesday
to remember their fallen national leader. The 16th
presidents funeral train would briefly visit Syracuse
on April 26th, but on April 19th mournful residents paid
tribute to their late president by publicly eulogizing him
in Hanover Square. The day before, Mayor Stewart
recommended that all businesses close for the day so
that citizens could unite to show proper respect to the
memory of the dead president. As the sun rose on
that striking day, cannon boomed and bells tolled to
awaken the citizenry. The city was much quieter and
the people went about their business in hushed fashion.
They would prepare for a funeral in which all could
participate. Buildings, locomotive cars, and people were
trimmed in black. At 2pm, a procession of about 3,000
military, firemen, clergymen, and civic leaders walked
from Montgomery & East Genesee streets, accompanied
by a splendid horse-drawn hearse that was escorted by
sixteen pall bearers comprised of local leaders. As the
demonstrators wound through city streets on their way
to Hanover Square, church bells tolled, guns fired, and
bands played dirges. In the Square they joined with
hundreds of other mourners already assembled to hear
the eulogy. A special stage had been erected for the
solemn occasion and on it sat distinguished members
of the community. At 3pm, Mayor William Stewart
introduced Reverend Sherman Canfield who prayed for
the blessings of Heaven to rest upon the family of the
murdered statesman, and most earnestly besought that
the life and strength of the great and gifted Secretary
of State [William Seward of Auburn, who had been
seriously wounded in the multi-pronged attack] might be
preserved. At the conclusion of Canfields prayer, Mayor
Stewart introduced the Honorable Charles B. Sedgwick,

former member of the U.S. Congress, to deliver the
eulogy. Sedgwicks lengthy speech summarized the
events of the war, applauded the recent passing of the 13th
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and vilified Booth,
his conspirators and Northerners who sympathized with
the South. Throughout the eulogy, Sedgwick extolled the
virtues of the late president, recognizing the countrys
immeasurable deprivation: The dark and deep sorrow
of this great loss settles down upon every hearth-stone,
and clothes the habitations of a whole people, high and
low, rich and poor, in mourning for a common loss.
Sedgwick ended his speech with these words: He is
gone-but he has left us the rich inheritance of a redeemed
and regenerate and free country. The great blot upon our
escutcheon, the great stain upon our National character,
the Great source of strife and contention among our
people, by his courage and fortitude, has been wiped
out and removed. His name has become historic. With
the eulogy concluded, a reporter for the Syracuse Daily
Journal observed that the great multitude dispersed as
quietly as if from church on a Sabbath day. Never have
we seen a more intelligent gathering of people, or one
where sympathetic [harmony] of feeling was so general
and so deep.
On Friday, April 21, 1865, Civil War veterans carried
Lincolns casket to the railroad station in Washington
where it joined with a casket bearing the body of Lincolns
son Willie who had died in the White House in 1862 at age
eleven. The President and his son started the long, slow
journey back to Springfield, Illinois, where it began four
years earlier. On the way, the train traveled through seven
states and 180 cities, including Syracuse, one week later
than the eulogy in Hanover Square.
Within four years, the citizens of Syracuse had gone from
an enthusiastic throng, cheering with hopeful cheers
President Lincolns Funeral Car, Photo courtesy of the National Park Service
New York Central Railroad Special Time

Table for the Lincoln Funeral between
Syracuse and Rochester
Lincolns Eulogy in Hanover Square on April 19, 1865

the untried man to whom had been entrusted the helm of
government amid the threatenings [sic] of a coming storm.
Now, [the] vast multitude assembled to greet in silence
and sorrow the return of him whose four years of anxious
and able service had wrought regeneration in the Nation,
and been sealed and sanctified forever by the sacrifice of
his own noble life.
About 15,000 residents congregated at the New York
Central railroad depot on the rainy night of Wednesday,
April 26, 1865 to pay their last respects to the late President
Abraham Lincoln. Throughout the day trains brought
people from the countryside into Syracuse to join griefstricken city residents. Private and public buildings along
Railroad Street toward the train depot were festooned
with black and white bunting to commemorate the solemn
arrival of the funeral train. The Central New York Railroad
depot also was decorated in tasteful fashion; drooping dark
bunting and flags hung from the smoke-filled rafters and
evergreens adorned the sides of the building.
The funeral train, consisting of the hearse car and eight
other cars, and dubbed the Lincoln Special, arrived
in Syracuse at 11:15pm. The night was wet; rain had
showered the city since 6pm. However, it didnt deter the
large crowd that congregated at the depot to witness the
mournful conveyance. As the train arrived, the restless
people pressed forward toward the hearse car, straining to
look one more time on the slain president. Several women
were allowed to pass through the hearse car while parked at
the depot and a wreath of white flowers presented by Mrs.
Burr Burton was placed on the coffin. Three year old Mary
Raynor placed a bouquet of flowers atop Lincolns casket
that was inscribed, The last tribute of respect from Mary
Virginia Raynor, a little girl three years of age. Syracuse,
April 26, 1865. At precisely 11:30pm, the funeral train
departed Syracuse and headed west toward the outlying
towns and villages. Along its sorrowful route, farmers
illuminated the darkness with burning brooms to salute the
fallen president.
The presidents funeral train reached its final destination on
May 4, 1865 and he was entombed on the same day.
The citizens of Syracuse and Onondaga County were
privileged to both cheer in 1861 and mourn in 1865 the
16th U.S. President. The memory of these occasions was
indelibly recorded in the minds of those present for the
events, as well as in contemporary newspapers, so that
even we who live in the 21st century have the opportunity to
vicariously experience the same type of sentiments as those
who witnessed the events 150 years ago. n
Gallery of the Louvre, by Samuel F. B. Morse
Gallery of the Louvre by Dick Case
painting described as an American masterpiece,

Gallery of the Louvre, by Samuel F. B. Morse,
hung in Syracuse for more than one hundred years.
The painting also spent time in a crate at a city warehouse
and in storage rooms at Syracuse University.
with Clarke. Townsend gave the painting to his daughter,

Julia, who was married to Allen Monroe, Syracuses seventh
mayor (1854) for their home. The house, at 105 West Genesee
Street, was built about 1852 and later was torn down and
replaced by a city school district building.
Morse, famed as inventor of the telegraph and Morse code,

painted the massive work - measuring roughly six by nine
feet at the Louvre between 1832 and 1833. The artist
considered the work his best as a painter and was gravely
disappointed that the public did not share his enthusiasm.
He exhibited Louvre briefly in New York City in 1833.
Eventually, he sold the painting for much less than he felt it
was worth - $1,300 to George Clarke, who lived at Hyde
Hall, a grand home on the north shore of Otsego Lake, near
Cooperstown. (Its now a state historic site). Clarke was a
neighbor to Morses friend, novelist James Fenimore Cooper.
The painting could have hung at the Monroe home for about
20 years, according to Syracuse University art historian David
Tatham. In 1884, according to notes published by Lester
Wells, curator of special collections at Syracuse University,
the Syracuse Herald reported the painting had been left at
the University Parlor by Mrs. Monroe. Wells also reported
in notes of 1956, that in 1889, a city newspaper reported
that one of the first things to be placed in the new Crouse
College would be the large oil painting made by Prof. S. F.
B. Morse, which Wells said was exhibited at the annual art
exhibits at Crouse College, beginning in 1890.
The painting hung in the Clarke mansion until about 1875

when it was acquired by industrialist John Townsend, a
former mayor of Albany (1829), reportedly to settle a debt
In 1875, university Professor (of Fine Arts) George Knapp

reported in Young America newspaper, that this valuable
painting had been successfully restored by Knapp, after
suffering from heat that had cooked the varnish so brown

that the artists work had been obscured for years.
Lester Wells also chronicled Samuel Morses family ties
to Central New York in a 1944 letter to the Syracuse PostStandard:
Morse was a nephew of Samuel Breese, who came to
Cazenovia late in the 18th century as an agent for John
Lincklaens Holland Land Company. The young Morse spent
several vacations with Breese and his wife at Sconondoa near
Oneida. While there, in 1827, he painted portraits of his
relatives. His second wife was Sarah Griswold of Utica. Dr.
Arthur Breese of Syracuse (who lived at 310 James Street)
was a relative.
In his recent book, The Greater Journey: Americans in
Paris, historian David McCullough drew a portrait of
Morses (and others) time in Paris. He wrote that Morse
left New York City by boat in November 1829, arriving in
Paris on New Years Day 1830. Morse went at once to the
Louvre, one of the worlds premier museums of art. In the
fall he traveled to Italy where, according to McCullough, he
conceived the idea of the most difficult, ambitious painting
of his career, which he would eventually call Gallery of
the Louvre.
Later, his friend James Fenimore Cooper, whom he had met
seven years before at the White House, (They became fast
friends, McCullough wrote) reported Morse was hard at
work at the Louvre, where he made quite a hit. Cooper
wrote he went to the museum every day and sat and watched
the artist. Cooper, meanwhile, was working on his 40th novel.
He said Morse painted on a high working stand at the
Louvre. He reassembled the museums art collection to fit
into his own painting. Eventually, there were 43 Louvre
paintings and sculptures in the finished work, including the
famed Mona Lisa portrait. Morse included 10 human

figures in the painting: among these at the left are Cooper
and his wife, Susan, and daughter, Sue; Morse showed
himself at the paintings very front, with a student; his friend
and Paris roommate, Richard Habersham, is shown at the
left; his other roommate, Horatio Greenough, was shown at
the doorway. Both were artists. Scholars have determined
the woman shown at the desk, at the paintings right, was
Morses late wife, Lucretia.
Morse later said he spent 11 months painting the work at
the museum. In McCulloughs account, he sailed for the
United States on October 6, 1832, aboard the packet boat,
Sully. Gallery of the Louvre was crated and stowed
securely below decks. This was the first of the paintings
many journeys.
Morse completed final touches on the painting in New York
City in the summer of 1833, according to McCullough.
About the same time, by this account, Morse harped at
the idea of the French telegraph hed been shown in Paris,
which he deemed too slow. On August 9 he wrote to Cooper
My picture, cest fini.
The artists idea, at the time, was to show the large painting
at various venues across the U.S. It went on public view
for the first time in the second floor gallery of a New York
bookstore. There was a 25-cent admission charge.
According to McCullough, the painting received
complimentary reviews but the public showed little
interest. The painting was no more of a success than
Morses earlier work, the House of Representatives.
Rejection was a hard pill for the artist to swallow. In 1834,
he wrote The painting has been a smiling mistress to many
but she has been a cruel jolt for me. I did not abandon her,
she abandoned me. Also, I staggered under the blow.
In 1835, Morse turned his attention to the
telegraph. His invention, which he patented in
1847, with the help of a man he met on board the
Sully, Charles Jackson and his electromagnets.
Morses single-wire telegraph had its first public
demonstration in 1838, but Congress didnt fund
the project until 1844, which allowed Morse to
send his famous Biblical line, What hath God
wrought between the Supreme Court building
in Washington, D.C. to a station in Baltimore,
Maryland. He also developed the Morse code.
Gallery of the Louvre had a second show at
Franklin Hall in New Haven, Connecticut in
House of Representatives, by Samuel F. B. Morse
1834, but was not shown again until 1890, in an exhibit

at the Crouse College art gallery at Syracuse University,
according to an exhibition history developed by the Terra
Foundation of Illinois, which purchased the painting from
Syracuse University in 1982. The sale price - $3.25 million
was said to be the highest amount paid for a single American
work of art at the time.
In announcing the sale, university officials said net proceeds
would be set aside in a special fund to further strengthen
the acquisitions program of the SU research library system.
University officials pointed out in a press release about the
sale that the school actually had held Morses painting since
1884, when Julia Townsend Munroe deposited it on campus.
University trustee Francis Root purchased the work for the
university in 1892.
The university loaned the painting several times during
its stay at Syracuse University, including to the Syracuse
Museum of Fine Arts (later to the Everson Museum); also
to the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford, Connecticut; the
Detroit and Carnegie Institutes; the Metropolitan in New
York; and National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.,

among others.
Since its purchase by the Terra Foundation, founded by
collector-business man Daniel Terra in 1978, Gallery of
the Louvre underwent extensive conservation in 2010 and
two years of scholarly investigation. Terra himself died in
1996 and the Terra Museum closed in 2004 after 24 years
of operation.
In October of last year, the Foundation, which remains in
business, announced a three-year tour of American museums
much as envisioned by Morse in 1834, Terra explained. The
tour, which began at the Huntington Library in California in
January, was described as permanent by the foundation.
Tour stops include the Carter Museum in Fort Worth,
Texas; Seattle Art Museum; Crystal Bridges Museum in
Bentonville, Arkansas; Detroit Institute of Art, Peabody
Museum in Sale, Massachusetts; Reynolds House Museum,
Winston-Salem, North Carolina; New Britain Museum, New
Britain, Connecticut, and Cantor Center for Visual Arts in
California, through 2018. n
The Syracuse
community is
excited about
current renovations
underway at the
Hotel Syracuse,
geared toward a re-opening
of the grand hotel by next
spring. Meanwhile, everyone
is invited to visit the Onondaga
Historical Museum to view the
exhibit,Lodging Landmark: The
Heritage of the Hotel Syracuse.
The exhibit features unique
artifacts plus a number of historic
and contemporary views of the
hotels grand spaces. The exhibit,
which runs through August 2,
was made possible through the
generous sponsorship ofHolmes,
King, Kallquist Architects; MLG
Architects; Klepper, Hahn & Hyat;
IPD Engineering; The Hayner Hoyt
Corporation; and First
Niagara Bank.
Color rendering of the Hotel Syracuse
Exploring
the Onondaga
Creekwalk
by Dennis Connors
Creekwalk in Franklin Square.
he Onondaga Creekwalk has proven to be one of

the most popular additions to the citys landscape in
recent years. The concept of having a pedestrian path
along Syracuses primary waterway goes back, at least, to
the 1960s. The idea languished for many years until the
1980s when the revitalization of the Franklin Square district
began. That joint project, between the City of Syracuse and
the Pyramid Companies, included both the rehabilitation of
several former factories in the Lakefront area as well as the
construction of a pedestrian pathway along the portion of
the Creek that runs through the district.
as early as 2004 to develop a permanent lobby exhibit for

the repurposed O. M. Edwards factory, where windows for
railroad passenger cars were once manufactured. Shortly
thereafter, OHA began offering tours of the Franklin Square
district which included sections of the Creekwalk. OHA
prepared another exhibit in 2008 for the lobby of the Bradley
Manufacturing building, now re-christened as The Foundry
and home to the Marshall, Testone & Discenza accounting
firm. The exhibit includes a hefty power forging hammer
from the OHA collection an example of the massive
devices once assembled there and shipped around the world.
This initial Creekwalk section, however, was not then linked

to downtown or to the shore of Onondaga Lake. It did,
nevertheless, provide an attractive trail through one of the
citys more historic areas. For the first half of the 20th
century, Franklin Square was home to some of Syracuses
more iconic industries: O.M. Edwards, Merrill-Soule,
New Process Gear, Monarch Typewriters and Bradley
Manufacturing, among others.
By 2007, the city had begun serious planning for extending

the Creekwalk at both ends to a full 2.6 mile length,
connecting Armory Square to the south shore of Onondaga
Lake. City planners approached OHA at that time about
helping them develop an historic signage system along the
finished route. OHA identified 24 potential locations for
such interpretive signs, with topics ranging from use of the
Armory for a World War I cavalry unit to the presence of
mineral baths along the Creek to the spiritual significance
of the Lake for the Onondaga Nation.
Although their former buildings were being converted to

upscale housing and offices, the presence of these sturdy,
brick factories offered an opportunity to explore some of
the citys rich industrial heritage. The OHA was invited
Bradley Forging Hammers
As work on the Creekwalk extensions began a few years

later, the city contracted with the OHA to develop sign
content for 12 locations. A Communications Design class
from Syracuse Universitys School of Art and Design
completed a semester project in the spring of 2012 to provide
an overall framework for a full Creekwalk branding and
signage system. As OHA curator of history, I developed
text and selected images for the specific historic signage,
working closely with city planning staff member Rebecca
Klossner who handled graphic design.
The OHA recognized, however, that there was additional
opportunity to make these Creekwalk interpretive stations
more interactive, and to extend access to content beyond
the physical trail, through the application of contemporary
social media technology. With a grant from the Central New
The topics and locations for the signs are as follows:
OHA Collection
Sign Title
The Armory
The Warehouse
Rumble of Trains
The Original Washington Station
The Niagara Mohawk Building
The Old Red Mill
Coal Dust and Smokestacks
Remnants of Railroads
Mineral Springs and Baths
A Harbor for Syracuse
A Sea of Solar Salt Sheds
A Sacred Lake
York Community Foundation, OHA developed a website that

allows smart phone and internet users to access short films
that convey additional, little-known stories associated with
the Creekwalk locations. OHA hired Steven VonDeak, of
Rounded, Co. to develop the application and John Craddock
of Many Hats Media, to create the films.
These stories include how the only known moving images
of the local salt industry wound up in a feature length silent
movie starring Hollywood legend Norma Shearer or how one
early 19th century Syracusan used beer to pay for having
his lumber sawn at a creek-side mill, among many other
interesting tales not included on the physical signs.
Visitors to this on-line site have the opportunity to enjoy
these and other local tales that explore the rich heritage of
Approximate Location Along Creekwalk

Armory Square
Fayette Street South Side
Fayette Street North Side
Washington Street
Erie Boulevard
West Genesee Street
Franklin Square
Bridge Crossing near Maltbie Street
East Side of Maltbie Street
Inner Harbor
Hiawatha Blvd.
Onondaga Lake Shoreline
Syracuses urban waterway in an easy, interactive fashion.

This feature can also be used in conjunction with the actual
interpretive signs, stationed along the Creekwalk, to enhance
the signs content by scanning an attached QR code. Or,
its variety of unique stories can be enjoyed anywhere as a
stand-alone visual journey into the Salt Citys past. The link
can be found at http://creekwalk.cnyhistory.org/
The banks and waters of Onondaga Creek have played
a significant role in this communitys history from the
founding of the Haudenosaunne Confederacy, through
colonial times, into the industrial era of the 19th century
and on to the present day of lakefront renewal. Come
take this journey with the Onondaga Historical Association
and experience the fascinating stories of our unique urban
waterway. n
Planned Giving Steps to the Future
We want to make sure that the history of Central New York continues to touch the lives
of generations to come. Please consider leaving a bequest to OHA in your will. Making a
bequest is a simple process of consultation with your attorney or financial advisor. Types
of bequests to OHA can include gifts of securities, trusts, retirement assets, life
insurance, cash, or a percentage of your estate. For more information,
contact Lynne Pascale, Director of Development
at (315) 428-1864, ext. 314.
f you were asked to name the birthplace of

the motion picture industry in America,
the city of Syracuse would most probably
not be a major contender. However, when one
considers the contributions that people from
the Salt City made to the early development
of the film industry, Syracuse might actually
emerge as the leading candidate for the title
of Hollywoods home town.
device, called the Vitograph. Edison sued

Casler over the copyright but lost after
many years of litigation. The Biograph
and the inferior Vitograph vied for the
title of most widely used movie projection
machine in America and, though Casler
could claim the legal distinction, both men
are generally considered the originators of
the motion picture industry in America.
The American Mutoscope and Biograph
The Technology Innovators: Herman
Company was one of the earliest movie
Casler and John M. Wall
production companies and its famous,
Herman Casler
and very popular, in-house director, D.W.
It started on November 21, 1894 when
Griffith, made it one of the leading players
Herman Casler patented the Mutoscope, which he invented
in the burgeoning film industry. In fact, it was the first
and manufactured in the Lipe Machine Shop on Geddes
company of its kind devoted solely to the production of
Street in Syracuses Near Westside. The Mutoscope was
motion pictures.
a hand-crank machine that allowed the user to rapidly
flip through a succession of still photos in order to create
Silent films were the mainstay of the movies prior to the
the perception of motion. The Mutoscope was one of
introduction of the talkies. The technology that brought
the popular peep show machines of the Nickelodeon
sound into the picture (both figuratively and literally) owed
era. In 1895, at the Lipe Shop, along with his partners
a great deal to the millionaire inventor, Theodore Case, who
Henry Marvin and William Dickson, Casler invented
was from Auburn. However, while working on a project for
and manufactured the Biograph Machine,
Case, it was John M. Wall of Syracuse who
one of the first motion picture capture
invented the first camera that combined film
and projection devices, which led to the
and sound. Wall began manufacturing the
establishment of the American Mutoscope
revolutionary device in 1925 at his motion
and Biograph Company. At the same time,
picture camera factory on North Franklin
there were many inventors around the world
Street. The Wall camera transformed
who were coming up with similar machines
motion pictures from the eyes of the
and, whether Caslers was the first is
world into the eyes and ears of the world.
a matter of debate, but his Biograph was
Though Hollywood typically adds sound to
universally considered as the machine
its movies after the filming process, soundthat produced the highest quality results.
on-film cameras are still used in many
Thomas Edison, who employed Marvin
movie productions and are essential to the
and Dickson before they worked for Casler,
television and news industries in which
Wall Camera
was one of those working on a similar
sound-on-film shots are the norm.
Before the advent of television, Walls camera was used

by the news services, like Fox, Hearst, and Movietone, to
simultaneously capture the images and sounds of some of
the most iconic events in world history that are still familiar
to many of us today. It recorded the triumph of Lindberghs
take-off for his famous flight across the Atlantic as well
as the tragedy of the Hindenburg disaster. The Syracuse
Herald-Journal reported that by World War II, John Wall
was the only man in the world making a moving picture
single system sound camera. The armed services used
Walls camera to record the attack on Pearl Harbor as
well as the Japanese surrender. Essentially, John Wall is
responsible for allowing all of us today to continue to bear
witness to these, and countless other, historic events that
occurred so many years ago and that changed our world in
so many ways. The last building to house Walls operations
still stands on North Clinton Street and, if one looks closely
at the decorative pediment over the main entrance, one can
see that the ribbon-like relief actually depicts a roll of film
connecting two reels. It is an appropriate architectural
homage to the transformational product once made there.
The inside
of the
Mutoscope.
The Biograph,
invented at the
Lipe Machine
shop in 1895,
was among the
earliest motion
picture capture
and projection
devices.
The Mutoscope
was invented and
manufactured by
Herman Casler in
1894 at the Lipe
Machine shop on
Syracuses Near
West Side.
The last building to house John Walls operations still

stands on North Clinton Street in Syracuse. The buildings
pediment shows a relief carving that depicts a roll of film
connecting two reels.
The Oracle of the Industry: Sime Silverman
John Wall, of Syracuse, invented the first camera that

combined film and sound.
Almost every industry has its journal and the film industry
is no exception. Variety magazine had been reporting on
the Broadway theater scene since 1905 when it was founded
by Sime Silverman, a guy from Syracuse, who developed
his interest in the theater by hanging around the travelling
troupes that regularly made their way through the Salt City.
This was the late 1880s when the Shubert brothers were just
beginning to build their theatrical empire from Syracuse.
By the 1920s, Silverman was already known as the Oracle
of Broadway, so the expansion of Variety to cover the
movie industry was a natural evolution for the magazine.
Simes style of writing was often at

It was a fitting tribute to the man who
odds with the traditional journalistic
was responsible for building so many of
standards of the day and it reflected the
their careers. Among the many car-loads
colloquial-laden common language of
of flowers taken to the service was an
the entertainment industry. His headline
enormous bouquet of five hundred orchids
announcing the stock market crash of 1929
from Mae West.
read simply, Wall Street Lays an Egg.
He pulled no punches in his reviews,
The Men Behind MGM: Lee Shubert, J.
often boiling down his assessment of an
Robert Rubin, and Red Silverstein
inferior production to one word lousy.
Though he became friends with the top
Theater impresario Lee Shubert and
producers directors and stars, he never let
attorney J. Robert Rubin knew each other
those relationships influence his reviews.
well. They were both from Syracuse and
As the New York Times reported in his
Rubin cut his legal teeth on cases defended
Sime Silverstein
obituary, Sime felt it was good business
by his older brother, Syracuse attorney
for one concerned with retailing news and gossip not to
William, who represented the Shubert organization in
restrain himself from fear or favor. He was a regular
some of its first, of many subsequent, legal battles. The
fixture at opening nights and industry hotspots and he
Shubert brothers, Lee, Sam, and J.J., regularly tapped local
quickly earned the respect of the entertainment crowd,
Syracuse talent, management personnel, and investors to
though likely not of English teachers across the country.
help them create the largest theatrical empire the world
Variety was the hit maker and star maker of theater and
has ever known. J. Robert, who grew up in the Shuberts
film and is still the definitive journal of both industries.
neighborhood and attended Syracuse University Law
Sime ran the magazine until shortly before his death in
School, went on to specialize in entertainment law and
1933. His son, Sidney, took the helm in 1931 until his
listed many early movie moguls as clients.
own death in 1950, when his son, Syd, then continued the
family tradition until 1987.
Lee Shubert
Simes funeral at New York Citys Temple Emanu-El was
swarmed with the most famous and powerful faces from
Broadway to Hollywood in the over-capacity crowd.
Important ingredients in
the movie business include
talent (actors, directors,
choreographers, etc.), content (like stories and music), and theaters in which
to present the films. By the
early 1920s, Lee Shubert
was the king of American theater and controlled
more theaters, owned more
content and had more talent under contract than anyone else in the world. The value of the Shubert holdings to the budding movie industry
was, as one can easily imagine, more than significant. Like
Rubin, Lee was involved with the movie making business
from its inception through its golden era. It was, after all,
Shubert star Al Jolson who starred in The Jazz Singer, a
movie billed as the first talkie, singing Shubert owned
songs like My Mammy and Toot, Toot, Tootsie in 1927.
And, there is a particularly interesting letter in the Shubert
Archives, dated fourteen years later, in which Lee gives his
permission for top box office star, Mickey Rooney, simply
to impersonate Shubert discovery and star, Carmen Miranda, in the 1941 MGM hit Babes on Broadway.
The Shubert archives, where Ive spent many hours
doing research, are housed in the very grand apartment,
originally built for Broadway producer Charles Frohman,

located on the top floor of the spectacular Shubert owned
Lyceum Theatre on 44th Street in New York City. The
files are filled with the contracts and correspondence, as
well as the stock transactions and telegrams, that detail the
story of Lee Shuberts involvement with the beginning of
the motion picture industry in America. He particularly
developed early business relationships with two men who
were, coincidentally, also clients of J. Robert Rubins Marcus Loew and Samuel Goldwyn.
J. Robert Rubin
Marcus Loew made his
fortune by providing movie theaters for the new industry. He owned a small
production
company,
called Metro Pictures, but
it wasnt very prolific so he
relied on others for most of
the films he showed. Rubin, as the lawyer, was in
regular contact with Shubert who sold and leased
theaters to Loew when movies began to increase in popularity and there werent enough venues for the rising demand.
The traditional live stage theater business was declining
and expensive so Shubert provided underperforming theaters to Loew, who converted them to movie houses, and
they both became very rich, and very close friends, in the
process. Lees personal approach was typically cold and
aloof and, consequently, he was not known for having many
close friends. His relationship with Marcus Loew was an
exception and, while eventually delivering a moving eulogy at Loews funeral, Lee uncharacteristically wept openly.
Sam Goldwyn, another Rubin client, owned the largest
movie production lot (over forty acres) in Hollywood, as
well as a production company called Goldwyn Pictures.
Shubert knew Sam from the early days, when his last name
was Goldfish. Like Loew, however, Goldwyn didnt have
the knack for making popular films and a good portion of
his income was derived from leasing his studios to other
production companies. Shubert began his professional
association with Goldwyn by providing him with actors
and content from thirty years of Broadway hits. In fact, in
a 1919 agreement, Lee gave Goldwyn an exclusive option
in and to motion picture rights to plays heretofore produced
by the Shuberts.
It was another of Rubins clients, however, who actually
made Shubert realize the potential for a merger that
would create a company that could corner the market in
the fledgling film business. Louis B. Mayer was a movie
making genius who had the managerial skills to make hit

films, which also enabled him to attract the top celluloid
stars of the day. Mayer thought the world of Rubin and
relied heavily on him for advice. In his biography of
Mayer, Lion of Hollywood, Scott Eyman cites Rubin as the
man who would play the most critical role in Mayers
life. Shubert knew that with Loews theaters, Goldwyns
production facilities, and Mayers managerial expertise, he
and Rubin could form a motion picture conglomerate that
would have no equal. Eymans book quotes Lee Shubert as
the one who convinced Loew that the Goldwyn company
had certain assets which if handled properly would prove
of great value. Though Mayer brought no hard assets to
the table, Shubert and Rubin argued that he provided the
necessary ingredients for a winning formula and, despite
initial objections from Loew and Goldwyn, the Syracuse
strategists convinced them that Mayer deserved to have his
name in the new companys title.
On April 17, 1924, Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) was
formed as a subsidiary of New York City based Loews
Corporation with Lee Shubert as a founding board member
and major shareholder. He was already a director of Loews
and Goldwyn Pictures. J. Robert Rubin was a corporate
director, lead counsel, a partner in the profit distribution,
and the main business strategist behind the company. Thus
began MGMs reign over the hey-day of Hollywood. It
became the most productive, powerful, and profitable
company during the golden age of the motion picture studio
era. Financial records reveal that the notoriously thrifty
Lee, probably in exchange for his conception of the merger,
borrowed a good portion of the investment in his shares
from the principals. He paid back the loan out of very
hefty profits, which means that he made a considerable
fortune from MGM with little to no upfront investment of
cash or collateral.
Metro Goldwyn Mayer, founded in 1924, became the most

productive, powerful and profitable company during the
golden age of the motion picture studio era.
Three men with Syracuse connections figured prominently
in its organization. (1956 logo).
The Syracuse duo made a great deal of history, hits, and

money with Loew, Goldwyn and Mayer over the years.
They also gave a substantial amount of that money to
charity. Rubin was very active in Jewish causes and was a
trustee of Syracuse University, where he gave major gifts
to the law school. The Shuberts started and endowed the
Shubert Foundation, one of the largest of its kind in the
world that, still today, funds regional theaters all over the
country.
Tickets to the premiere of Gone With the Wind

were in such demand that Lee Shubert was willing to
sit in the first-row balcony
The personal correspondence between all parties involved

in the early MGM days document a cordial atmosphere,
including Lee continually pitching potential movie material
from Shubert stage productions to Rubin (most of which he
politely rejected on behalf of the studio or my California
Colleagues); alternating offers of tickets for opening
nights on both stage and screen (acknowledging the high
demand for seats at the premiere of Gone With the Wind,
Lees December 15, 1939 request for tickets conceded
even first row balcony would do); solicitations for
donations to their respective charitable causes (especially
Rubins frequent, but heartfelt, invitations to support the
National Conference of Christians and Jews, for which Lee
served on the Amusement Division Committee); thank
you notes for many coast to coast mutual kindnesses
and hospitalities; and, of course, mutual introductions to
a variety of actresses. One notable letter from Goldwyns
office to Shubert, dated August 19, 1943, asks Lee if he
would meet with a very charming and lovely girl named
Doris Day.
Sixteen year old Maurice Silverstein (known as Red)
lived in Syracuse next door to the aunt of a Loews
Corporation executive and he parlayed that connection
into a job as an office boy for Marcus Loew shortly after
MGM was formed. Gradually, Red worked his way up
through sales and advertizing jobs at MGM before making
a niche for himself in the international film distribution
department. The multi-lingual Red represented MGM
in Bogota, Singapore, and Mexico City. While living in
Singapore, unbeknownst to MGM, he served as a spy for
British Intelligence in Indochina in 1939/40.
Maurice Red Silverstein
The cast of A Clouded Name, which was filmed

in Syracuse in 1923. The stunning woman in the
center of the photo, wearing the plaid coat, is actress
Norma Shearer, who went on to a lengthy career that
included winning an Academy Award for best actress
in the 1930 film The Divorcee.
After World War II, during which Red served as a deputy film officer in London for the U.S. Office of War
Information, he gained experience in the production side
of MGM. Soon, he was named MGMs liason with independent producers, which was a growing segment of
the movie studio business. Eventually, Loew put Red in
charge of all company involved independent production
and, in 1963, he became president of MGM International. During his long career, Silverstein was the company man responsible for many of MGMs biggest hits including Doctor Zhivago, The Dirty Dozen, and 2001 A
Space Odyssey.
The Making of a Movie Star

Syracuse can even claim a connection to the making of one
of MGMs first bona fide movie stars. Early Syracuse film
maker, Eugene Logan, made a silent movie in 1923, filmed
entirely in Syracuse, that starred a young unknown actress
named Norma Shearer. The film, A Clouded Name, also
recorded the only known motion picture documentation
of the citys salt industry that built central New York
and supplied the country with one of its most necessary
commodities.
Shearer became one of MGMs first major superstars and
remained a top box office draw for decades , earning one
academy award and five nominations. In 1927, she married
Irving Thalberg, who was known as Louis B. Mayers boy
wonder protg and who became one of the most famous
producers in MGM, and film industry, history. Their
union created the Hollywood power couple of the era;
the Brangelina of the 1930s. Though A Clouded Name
helped launch her impressive career, its been reported
that Shearer, later in life, while trying to shave a few years
from her age, claimed that she never made a silent film. A
rare full-size poster, and footage from Logans Syracuse
film showing the salt works, and a stunning Shearer in her
first starring role, can be seen at the Onondaga Historical
Museum.
It may be a long distance from Hollywood but considering
that Syracuse was an incubator and a manufacturing
home of early motion picture technology and devices
for recording, projection, and sound-on-film; that a
An advertisement for A Clouded Name. The silent film

recorded the only known motion picture documentation
of Syracuses salt industry.
Syracuse man was responsible for the magazine that is
still the definitive journal of the film industry; and that
three Syracuse men were behind the inception of, and a
good portion of the success of, the pre-eminent movie
production studio in history, it is safe to say that Syracuse
was a major player in the launch of Americas iconic film
industry, both nationally and internationally. Whether
Syracuse can claim to be the birthplace of the business
or the mother of the movies can probably be debated but
there are definitely less than a few degrees of separation
between Tinsel towns trailblazers and the Salt City. n
In 1960 movie theaters lined South Salina Street in Syracuse, reinforcing the citys connection to the history of cinema.
From left to right are the Paramount Theater, RKO Keiths Theater, and the vertical marquee of Loews State Theater, now
the Landmark Theater. Only the Landmark Theater remains today.
President Abraham Lincoln painting

by George Knapp, 1895
Recent Acquisitions to
OHAs Collections
By Thomas Hunter and Pamela Priest
HA continues to receive local history donations, and

over the past eighteen months, OHA has acquired
some very nice additions to its archival and object
collections.
First and foremost is the original artwork for the Hotel
Syracuse centennial mural painted by Carl Roters between
1948-1949. To celebrate Syracuses centennial in 1948,
city officials commissioned a mural to be painted over the
main registration desk in Hotel Syracuse. Via a competitive
process, artists were invited to submit their designs for the
mural. Carl Roters won the competition with his submission
titled, The Early Days of Syracuse. The mural depicts some
watershed historical events in Syracuse, including Native
Americans, boiling salt, early settlement, the opening of
the Erie Canal, and the Jerry Rescue. Donated along with
other artwork by Roters daughter, Carlene, the maquette
is currently on display in the Hotel Syracuse exhibit.
Other recent donations germane to the Hotel Syracuse
include thirty-seven photographic positives and negatives
of the hotel taken and donated by local photographer,
Bruce Harvey; a chair made for
the hotel by Stickley, caricatures
of local politicians that once hung
in Bernardis Bistro, a drink menu
from the 1930s, photographs and
newspaper articles, all of which
were donated by Ed Riley of the
Hotel Syracuse Restoration Project.
Linda Kar pouzes of Portland,
Oregon donated another chair from
Hotel Syracuse. Modified and
reupholstered by the hotel with lime
green naugahyde around the 1960s, the chair nevertheless

retains some of its original carved wood design along its
arms and bottom.
General furniture added to the collection includes a settee
once owned by William Freeman Galpin, donated by Sedona
Brown of Camillus. Galpin was the author of Central
New York: An Inland Empire, in 1941 and an OHA Medal
recipient in 1948.
OHA acquired several other excellent paintings and sculpture
recently. These fine objects include a scene of flying birds
carved in wood by Henry Van Wormer, a cabinet maker from
Cicero and Brewerton, NY, and a member of Co. H, 149th New
York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, during the Civil War,
donated by James Bradley of Charlestown, MA; two original
cartoons drawn by Jamesville artist/cartoonist Joe Glisson,
and donated by him; seven watercolors of local buildings
and parks painted by Barbara Howden in the 1950s & 1960s,
donated by her daughter, Kirsten Dikhut of Jamesville. The
Wesleyan Church, Fayette Park, a smoke shop at 200 W.
Onondaga St., Syracuse University
campus buildings, and a Jamesville
streetscape are all depicted in
Howdens watercolors. An oil
painting titled, Eagles Return to
Onondaga Lake was donated for
use at Sknoh Great Law of
Peace Center by the artist, Milton
Norman Franson of Liverpool; an oil
The first potato chip made by

Jeans Foods
Oil portrait of Frank B. Gardner, age five,

of Fayetteville
Collage with Lou Gehrig and a Joseph Kren baseball bat

made in Syracuse
1950s, donated by Edward Becker of Colony Shop Antiques

painting of a mythical drawbridge located on the campus
of Syracuse University used for the cover of the 1938
& Art in Fayetteville, NY.
Onondagan yearbook, donated by the artists son, Theodore
Clark of Washington, D.C.; and an oil portrait of Percy
Mr. Becker also donated an interesting local novelty. . . a
framed potato chip! However, its not just any potato chip,
Soule McCarthy, the first wife of Thomas McCarthy, an
its the first chip made by Jeans Foods, a
early pioneer businessman, by an unknown
artist, c. 1825-1830, was donated by Patricia
subsidiary of Jeans Beans in the 1940s.
Coffin of Sudbury, MA. An acrylic painting
titled, Not Here, Not Now, 2012 by Amy
OHA also acquired sculpture in 2014: a
soapstone carving of an owl, sculpted by
Greenan of Niagara Falls was donated by the
artist. The artwork depicts the 19th century
Native American artist, Tom Huff, and
home of Austin ONeil and his family at
donated by OHAs executive director, Gregg
Tripoli; and five ceramic panels depicting
711 Tully Street, Syracuse, N.Y. Other
paintings include oil portraits of Harmon
scenes from William Shakespeares play, A
Mid Summer Nights Dream, donated by the
& Emeline Van Buren painted by George
Kasson Knapp, donated by Sandra Hurd of
artist, Elizabeth Tibby Dumanian.
Syracuse and an oil portrait of Frank B.
Gardner, age five, of Fayetteville donated
OHA also acquired many clothing items
by Nan Serwatka of Gainesville, Florida.
including a Camp Fire Girls ceremonial
gown made by Betsy Stone of Jamesville
Painted by an unknown artist about 1865,
young Frank is wearing a Navy blue dress
about 1944-1945. Other clothing items
and white stockings, fairly common attire
include childrens attire, baseball caps
from local Little League teams, uniforms
for young boys at the time. Also acquired
representing the Manlius Military School,
were four fine paintings of Syracuse scenes
by Hall Groat, donated by Rillan Van Epps
the Onondaga County Sheriffs Department,
of Skaneateles; and a watercolor titled,
Camp Fire Girls
and World War II and Korean War veterans,
a mans hat purchased at Wells & Coverly
Jeans Beans painted by Ruth H. Lee in the
ceremonial gown
and a womans hat purchased at Chappells, and a flapper

dress worn by Alice Rose Testi of Syracuse in the 1920s.
Other local history items added to OHAs object collection
include a full beer bottle from Haberle brewery; candles from
Muench-Kreuzer, Marty, and Tavern Candle Companies;
horsehead bookends made by SYROCO; milk bottles from
local dairies; Iroquois China Co. items; Onondaga Lawn
Seed Mixture; a metal snow shovel patented by John Grady
in Syracuse in 1921; a glass bell commemorating the opening
of Hotel Onondaga in 1910; a glass washboard from the
World War I era; metal savings banks from Syracuse Savings
Bank, and a Haudenosaunee snowsnake.
Joe Glisson cartoon
Laurie Stone of Plymouth, MA donated a melodeon made by

Xavier Spang in Syracuse. This beautiful musical instrument
is made of rosewood and has an intricately carved body and
legs. An upholstered stool with a finely carved pedestal base
accompanies the melodeon. Xavier Spang manufactured
cabinet organs and melodeons in his shop on North Salina
Street in Syracuse from 1860-1880.
OHA also acquired archival collections, some of which
contain multiple, even hundreds of individual items. These
collections represent a wide variety of local businesses,
organizations, and citizens. A mere tip of the archival
iceberg reveals that OHA obtained Syracuse promotional
material, recipe books, school records, some of the late Karen
DeCrows personal & professional papers, photographs
(including a collage of Lou Gehrig with a Joseph Kren
baseball bats made in Syracuse), business records, Armenian
cultural items, the contents of a time capsule discovered in
the foundation of the Industrial Bank on S. Warren Street,
local cemetery records, and fourteen boxes filled with
archival records from the League of Women Voters donated
by Onondaga Community College.
Joe Glisson cartoon
Melodeon made by Xavier Spang in Syracuse
Tip of Haudenosaunee snowsnake
Close-up of Haudenosaunee snowsnake
Wow! As you can see, OHA has collected numerous and

varied archival and object collections just in the past eighteen
months! As the repository for Onondaga Countys history,
OHA serves as the custodian of the illustrious and everyday
tangible past. You can help OHAs curatorial staff and
volunteers continue to preserve Onondaga Countys past
by joining OHA today! Your membership helps provide the
needed resources to collect, document, exhibit, and share
the ever-growing assortment of history in our community.
Many of these recent acquisitions will be featured in the
upcoming exhibit Look At What We Got! - Recent
Donations to Onondaga Historical Association from May
13, 2015 to February 14, 2016. n
Haudenosaunee snowsnake
Gib
Me
Clo
A Carousel 's
Destiny
The Story of PTC #18

By Gregg A. Tripoli
PTC #18 Destiny USA, 1990
Entrance to Long Branch Park.
n October of 2015, the iconic carousel at Destiny USA,

formerly known as Carousel Center, will celebrate twenty
five years in that location. However, it led a somewhat
circuitous route to its current home since the merry-go-round
was first built in 1909. It was the eighteenth carousel made
by the famous Philadelphia Toboggan Company (PTC),
which explains its official industry designation as PTC
#18. At the time the manufacturer was formed, in 1904, the
term toboggan referred to a wooden roller coaster and, over
the next hundred years, the company cranked out 147 roller
coasters and 67 carousels, of which 33 still exist.
piece by piece, then offered as a complete package at the

individual bid total plus a twenty percent premium. Jim
Tuozzolo, a partner at the Pyramid Companies of Syracuse,
and his wife, Salli, fondly remembered bringing their young
daughters to Roseland often to ride the carousel. Hearing
about the auction, Salli mentioned that it might be a nice idea
to buy one of the horses as a memento of those wonderful
family outings. Jim happened to mention his intentions
to Bob Congel, the principle partner at Pyramid. Congel,
a veteran shopping mall developer, had been thinking of
building a mall along Onondaga Lake in his home town of
Syracuse and imagined the carousel would make an ideal
focal point for such a facility. At that moment, he decided
to buy the entire carousel and return it to the shores of the
lake as the centerpiece and the namesake for his new mall.
As many know, Destiny USA is the second local home

of this much loved carousel. It delighted riders of all ages
on the north shore of Onondaga Lake at Long Branch
Amusement Park from 1926 until 1941, though the Park
closed three years earlier in 1938. Prior to being at Long
Branch, PTC #18 originally ran in Louisville Kentucky, then
Worcester, Massachusetts, and then in Erie, Pennsylvania
before it made its way to upstate New York. In 1941, the
carousel was sold for $1500 to William Muar and George
Long who over-saw a year-long refurbishment before
placing it at Roseland Park, on the shores of Canandaigua
Lake, in 1942 where it ran until Roseland finally closed on
Labor Day, September 2, 1985.
PTC #18 has forty two jumping horses arranged in three
rows. One horse was removed when the carousel was
installed at Destiny USA to make the ride fully accessible
to those with disabilities. That horse now stands alone on
display not far from the merry-go-round. The intricately
carved equines were all created especially for PTC #18 by
the companys master carver, Leo Zoller. Their long faces
and close set eyes are hallmarks of Zollers design. The
carousel also includes two beautiful chariots decorated
with cherubs in high relief style, scenery paintings, and a
Wurlitzer Artizan Band organ.
After Roseland Park closed, the carousel was put up for
auction by Norton Auctioneers in its September 16, 1985
sale. Norton announced that the carousel would be sold
Tuozzolo represented the Pyramid Companies at the auction

and, after the horses, which went for high bids ranging from
$3,000 to $20,000 each, the accompanying Wurlitzer band
organ, and its twenty seven rolls, were bid at $15,000. With
the rest of the carousel (apart from the horses and the organ)
bid at $13,000, the grand total of individual high bids for the
entire unit came to $331,250. The twenty percent premium
added another $66,250 for a total package price of $397,500.
As tensions mounted in the packed auction crowd, Tuozzolo
waited patiently. When the auctioneer finally asked if
anyone in the hushed assemblage wanted to make the bid
necessary for the carousel to be sold complete, Tuozzolo
slowly raised his hand and bought the entire package at
the new world record price for a carousel sold at auction.
The room erupted into cheers and extended applause as the
exceptional carousel was saved intact.
The new record price would soon soar to over $400,000
as the Pyramid Companies also paid for the rights to one
horse, which was mysteriously missing from the auctioned
carousel.
Sometime between the 9th and the 11th of September,
1985, about one week before the auction, one of the horses
was stolen from the carousel. It is believed that the
PTC#18 - Restoration of one of the horses.

PTC #18 scenery paintings.
PTC #18 Wurlitze Artizan band organ.
perpetrator(s) entered the locked carousel building through

the ticket booth, stole the horse, and escaped by boat over
Canandaigua Lake. After purchasing PTC #18, Pyramid
Companies hired a private investigator to track down the
missing horse. Salli Tuozzolo, who was put in charge of
managing the restoration of the carousel, made it a personal
mission to find the stolen property and remarked, I felt like
a member of my family was missing. The publicity about
the theft was extensive, making it practically impossible for
the horse to be sold without notice. Finally, in May of 1988,
a Rochester lawyer contacted Pyramid and, eventually,
provided them with the complicated directions that led to
a remote dirt road in Manchester, Ontario County, where
the missing horse was located, wrapped in plastic, and
buried in a farmers field.
and painted in the original 1909 colors by Bill Finkenstein

of R & F Designs from Bristol, Connecticut. It made
its stunning debut in the Carousel Center in October of
1990, almost fifty years after its last bow on the shores
of Onondaga Lake. The ride, and the organ, are regularly
maintained and annually inspected under the supervision
of Destiny USA General Manager Rob Schoeneck. Paint
touch-up is periodically done by artist Susan Germain
who says, I wish all owners of operating carousels had
this level of dedication to the health and longevity of their
antique machine.
PTC #18 underwent a million dollar restoration in Syracuse

that took over two years. The entire carousel was repaired
Today, twenty five years after its return to the lakeside, it is

still a major draw for hundreds of thousands of tourists and
residents who come to Destiny USA to ride the spectacular
jumping steeds that have been etched in the fond memories
of countless people for over one hundred years. n
PTC #18 @ Roseland Park in Canandaigua.

OHA Receives Gift of New U.S. Flag and the SFD Helps Install It!
HA staff and volunteers recently replaced the

organizations tattered U.S. flag with the grateful
assistance of the Syracuse Fire Department. On
Tuesday night, January 13th, the Syracuse Fire Department
lent a ladder truck and a few firemen to lend a hand with
substituting the well-worn flag with a brand new
one. The bucket on the ladder truck was essential
to the task and OHAs intrepid volunteer, Kevin
Troxell, took on the mission of climbing into
the bucket and going up to the flagpole with the
firemen to remove the old flag and install the
new one. The night was very cold but Kevin and
the firemen were determined to grace the faade
of OHAs museum with a new and splendid
national emblem! The new flag looks great as
it adorns the museums entrance, so please look
up the next time you visit the museum and see
it for yourself!
Many, many thanks to the Syracuse Fire
Department for assisting with this necessary
endeavor; we greatly appreciate your generous
contribution to installing the new flag! Also,
many, many thanks to OHAs faithful volunteers,
Kevin Troxell, for providing the new flag at no cost to OHA

and for taking the time to install it on the flagpole and to
Barbara Rawlings for creating a sleeve to hold the flags
stabilizing rod!
Removing the tattered flag on

the evening of January 13, 2015
January 14, 2015
OHA Medal Breakfast to Honor Those Who

Utilize History to Improve the Community
Thursday, June 18 - 8:00 9:15 AM
Genesee Grande Hotel, Tiffany Ballroom
1060 East Genesee St. Syracuse, NY
Each year, the OHA Medal Breakfast is a wonderful celebration of

individual and organizational efforts towards the preservation of local history.
This years honorees include Crawford-Stearns Architects and Preservation Planners
for almost three decades of architectural preservation and restoration work; J. Roy
Dodge for service as the Town of LaFayette Historian and as an independent author
and researcher; and St. Josephs Hospital Health Center for the investment the
hospital and the College of Nursing have made in archival preservation and library
services, and for their new museum honoring Saint Marianne Cope.
Tickets are $50 per person, regular tables of ten are $400; patron tickets are $125
and patron tables are $1250. Sponsorships begin at $500. For ticket and sponsorship
information, call Lynne Pascale, Director of Development at 428-1864, ext. 314
or email her at lynne.pascale@cnyhistory.org.
Historic T-Shirts
Are you a fan of the Syracuse music scene and its history?
Check out our vintage Syracuse rock and roll t-shirts by
Retro Syracuse! From bands such as Carmen and the
Vikings, Sam and the Twisters and Wilmer Alexander Jr.
and the Dukes, as well as WNDR radio, these colorful
shirts pay tribute to Syracuses musical past ($20.00).
Show your pride in Syracuses

brewing history by wearing one of our exclusive
t-shirts! Youll love the look and feel of our new designs,
which are produced using a process that gives the shirts
a softer feel. Our latest shirts feature Congress Beer and
Congo designs from the Haberle Brewing Company.
These colorful shirts are available in both mens and
womens sizes from small through double extra large
and are a great value at $14.99 each.
The Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau recently
unveiled a new promotional campaign: Syracuse:
Do Your Thing. The slogan refers to the abundance
of activities available in the Syracuse area for whatever
ones interests may be. At OHA, history is our thing,
and you cant spell history without the letters SYR.
Show your love of history with one of our shirts for just
$14.99! Shirts are available in unisex sizing, from small
through double extra large.
Notecards
Ever yone loves get ting a

handwritten note or card. Express yourself with our
exclusive notecards! We have several designs available,
featuring images from the OHA collections. Our newest
offerings feature historic images of the Hotel Syracuse
and beautiful hand drawn floral illustrations from a
scrapbook once belonging to the Sabine family, who
came to Syracuse in the early nineteenth century. Each
set of cards comes with matching envelopes ($6.00 for
a pack of 8).
Tin Jewelry
In the spirit of our jewelry lines featuring vintage typewriter

keys and Syracuse China, we now also feature tin jewelry
by East Street Tins. Jewelry maker Betsy Sio collects
antique tin containers and repurposes them into oneof-a-kind, upcycled creations. These colorful necklaces,
OHA Gift Gallery Catalog

By Gina Stankivitz
bracelets, earrings and brooches are unique pieces that

will complement any wardrobe ($24.00-$90.00).
Prints and Posters
Decorate your space with some help from OHA! We

now offer a selection of Syracuse patent prints, featuring
iconic Syracuse inventions such as the Brannock device.
These large scale prints are available, made to order,
in two sizes: twenty by twenty-four inches and twentyfour by thirty-six inches ($10.00). Framed prints are also
available at an additional cost ($35.00 - $45.00).
Relive the heyday of Onondaga Lake resorts with a full
color poster of the historic Iron Pier Resort. The resort
was located on the south shore of Onondaga Lake and
was in business from 1890 to 1907. The poster was
reproduced in a limited edition of five hundred from the
original advertising lithograph, and is on fine quality
paper ($24.95).
Books
We offer a great selection of local

history books and books by local
authors. Especially popular is the
new Salt City Trivia by Dick Case.
The book is a compendium of
local history tidbits, and is chock full of fascinating facts

and images that will delight trivia buffs of all ages. At
$18.99, the book is a great bargain and also makes an
excellent gift!
Eight Nineteen is a book of cherished recollections and
recipes from several generations of the Delmonico and
Pietrafesa families of Syracuse. Filled with heartwarming
stories and delicious culinary traditions, this book
captures the memories of a local Italian American
dynasty through the years ($30.00).
Soup at St. Pauls, a cookbook compiled by Betsy Elkins,
is a collection of recipes for soup, bread and cookies
that have been served during Thursday Soup Lunches
at St. Pauls Cathedral in downtown Syracuse ($15.00).
Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer is
a book about the natural world that incorporates
indigenous wisdom as well as scientific knowledge
to enhance understanding of the relationship between
humankind and the natural environment. Kimmerer is
a Distinguished Teaching Professor at State University
of New York College of Environmental Science and
Forestry in Syracuse, as well as an enrolled member of
the Citizen Potawatomi Nation ($18.00).
Gail
Sherman
Corbett
By Dick Case
Horace S. White monument in Fayette Firefighters Memorial Park
wo of the most interesting public sculptures in

Syracuse were created by a woman, Gail Sherman
Corbett, more than a century ago.
Both were restored recently by another woman, a modern

counterpart to Mrs. Corbett, Sharon BuMann, who is herself
an accomplished artist in public three-dimensional work.
Gail Corbett (her married name) was commissioned to
create a memorial to Hamilton S. White in what then was
called Fayette Park and the so-called Kirkpatrick Memorial
Fountain in Washington Square Park. Both places are among
Syracuses oldest public spaces.
Gail Sherman was a native of our city (born in 1871), the
daughter of Frederick Sherman, who, at one time, served
as treasurer of Syracuse University. She grew up at 1312
Park St., not far from Washington Park, which was laid out
as a village green in 1799, then known as Centre Square
when the settlement was called Salt Point. This was
later to be the village of Salina, and later still Syracuses
First Ward.
honor of his father, Dr. William Kirkpatrick, an early leader

of Syracuses salt industry, who had been a member of the
U.S. Congress in 1807 and superintendent of the Onondaga
Salt Springs, from 1800 to 1831. The physician died at Salina
during a cholera outbreak in 1832.
William Kirkpatrick left money in his will (he died in
1900) for two other statues, Hunting Group, two Native
Americans originally placed in Union Park along North
Salina Street, and the figure of a young boy with a bird in
Demong Park, across Salina Street from Union Park. Both
were later removed from the parks by the city.
(William Kirkpatrick also left money in his will to give
the Onondaga Historical Association its long-time home,
a former New York Telephone Company structure at 311
Montgomery Street. In 1980, OHA moved to its present
location, down the block to 321 Montgomery, also a telephone
company building.)
She married Harvey Wiley Corbett, a man shed met in art

school in Paris, in 1905. He was an architect. They had two
children. She set up a studio in New York City, where her
husband practiced.
William Kirkpatrick gave the future creator of the memorial

to his father some guidelines for the work, specifying a bronze
drum set on a granite base, which would have a watering
trough for horses. The general design of the fountain would
symbolize members of the Onondaga Nation discovering
to the white men the salt springs as related in the historical
narrative of the Jesuits.
Gail won the Washington Square commission which was

made available under the will of William Kirkpatrick in
The completed tableau, which circles the bronze drum,

shows the incident of 1654 when Father Simon Lemoyne is
introduced to a spring of water the natives dare not drink

saying there is a demon within it. The missionary is shown
with Onondagas and his white guide, Jean Baptiste. There
is a native pot on the ground.
The plaque on the monument explains in the Jesuits words
Having tasted of it I found that it was a fountain of salt
water and in fact we made some salt from it as natural as
sea salt as a sample of which we are carrying to Quebec.
Gail Corbetts two Syracuse monuments were put up during
the first 10 years of the 20th century. Kirkpatrick Fountain
was dedicated in 1908, White memorial in 1905.
The first commission was for a monument to a man who might
be considered one of Syracuses best-known firefighters,
Hamilton S. White. Miss Sherman won the commission
while still single. She married Harvey Corbett later in
1905, after the monuments dedication in June. Corbett is
identified as her collaborator in the design of the granite
pedestal, which she called in an interview an exedra.
Kirkpatrick Memorial Fountain in Washington Square Park
Gail Sherman explained in a Syracuse newspaper interview

published the day of the dedication June 27, 1905 that
she had submitted sketches of her design while living in
Paris in January 1900; they were accepted a year later. She
said shed known Hamilton White and described her work
on the design as a labor of love; I had great admiration and
love for him.
She said shed delivered casts of the bronzes to HenryBonard Foundry in New York City six months before the
dedication. The cost of the White memorial some $12,000
raised in public subscription allowed Miss Sherman to
make it much larger and more elaborate than ususal.
According to the artist, her design included a bust of
Hamilton White at the top, flanked on the sides by lifesized bronzes of a firefighter symbolizing manhood and
a mother cradling a child symbolizing charity and love.
Hamilton White was a member of a prominent Syracuse
family which included a governor of New York (Horace
White, II) and a founder and first president of Cornell
University (Andrew D. White). Although trained as a lawyer,
he devoted much of his life to professionalizing firefighting.
He had a private fire house built on family land at 400 East
Genesee Street, close to the family home of the Whites.
His father, also named Hamilton White, was a successful
Syracusan, a lawyer, salt merchant and investor. Hamilton
S. White was one of his five children.
Hunting Group in Union Park
Hamilton S. White is credited with developing the citys first

public mechanical and electrical fire alarm system. In his
private firehouse he boarded and trained his fire company
and provided the mens equipment and salaries. He stressed

education in what he called the science of fire-fighting and
was known as the worlds first professional firefighter.
Hamilton White died in 1899 after being called from a concert
to a fire in a city drug store, where he inhaled smoke and
poisonous gases and was asphyxiated. His funeral closed
every store in Syracuse. The community mourning was
described as for a dead president. Money for his monument
was raised by popular subscription.
Corbetts design later was praised in the Craftsman Magazine
(Gustav Stickleys publication) in 1905 as a remarkably
virile piece of work by a woman.
Fayette Firefighters Memorial Park is a 1.194 acre green
space in downtown Syracuse, first laid out in 1839, rerouting
Genesee Street to permit creation of a rectangular park. It
has been redesigned several times during its history. The
area evolved into todays firefighters memorial park with
creation of the White monument in 1905 and placement of
the Collins memorial in 1939, a tribute to firefighters who
died in the Collins Block fire that same year. It is a stone
relief carved by an artist identified as William Cowie, who
worked for a monument firm in Barre, Vermont, where stone
for the monument was quarried, and shows a fireman holding
a hose. The monument is the site of an annual memorial to
the citys firefighters who died on the job. Money for the
memorial was raised in a public subscription drive in 1939,
when it was dedicated.
In 1972, the Common Council voted to rename the area
Fayette Firefighters Memorial Park. Previously, the park
had been called Centre Square and White Park.
Side, to Fayette Park. The statue originally was placed in

another North Side park in 1900. Eckel died in 1886 after
being thrown from a horse-drawn fire engine on its way to
a blaze.
Another contemporary addition to the park is a 12-foot castiron bell tower from which a fire bell dating to 1871 hangs.
Also, a small memorial marker to firefighters who died in
New York City on September 11, 2001. It reads: All gave
some. Some gave all.
Gail Corbett left Syracuse with her husband after dedication
of the Kirkpatrick Fountain in 1908 for a successful career
as a sculptor and painter. She supplied a head of George
Washington for a Masonic Memorial in Alexandria,
Virginia, designed by her husband and a sculpture of
Constance Witherby in a Providence, Rhode Island park.
Harvey Corbett, who died in 1954,
was an architect who worked on
Rockefeller Center in New York
City. He also chaired committees
of architects for the 1933 Worlds
Fair in Chicago and the 1939
Worlds Fair in New York City.
Eckel
Harveys obituary said, as an
Monument
advocate of skyscrapers, he
where it
changed the skylines of cities
originally
stood in
on both sides of the Atlantic.
Ashland
Gail Corbett died in 1952 in New
Park
York City at the age of 81. n
Earlier, a full-sized memorial statue to Chief Philip Eckel, the

German-born second full-time Syracuse fire commissioner,
was moved from a small park (Ashland) on the citys North
Collins Memorial in Fayette Firefighters Memorial Park
By Daniel Connors
W
Bread Oven Before The old bread oven took a
beating from the strong winds and snowy winters
Demolition Kevin (right) and two of his helpers

demolishing the old oven
Clay Mixing
The workers found
that the best method
of mixing the clay was
by stomping on it with
their bare feet
Oven Construction #1 Kevin (right) and a fellow

scout get covered in the clay mixture while building
the oven
hen Kevin Blydenburgh started thinking about

what to do for his Eagle Scout project, it is likely
that building a reproduction of a 17th century
bread oven is not what he had in mind. When he visited
the Sknoh Great Law of Peace Center in July of 2013
looking for project ideas, however, he immediately saw an
opportunity to improve that unique part of the Sainte Marie
mission site.
The old bread oven had seen many years of use, serving as
a key interpretive device for the Sainte Marie Among the
Iroquois living history program. In fact, it had already been
rebuilt once before because it was used so frequently. The
ovens location at the site was another contributing factor
in its degradation. Positioned just outside the palisade fence
on a hill overlooking Onondaga Lake, the oven took the full
force of the strong winds that regularly blew in off the lake.
The wooden shelter for the oven had taken a beating, many
of the shingles had blown off, and the clay had cracked and
was not retaining heat well. It was time for a new oven.
Once Kevin decided that his project would be to rebuild
the oven, he spent many hours visiting the site, talking to
experts, and researching the subject on the internet. He came
up with a plan on how to tackle the task and presented his
ideas to the Eagle Scout Council. Kevin also had to raise
money and find donors and sponsors to cover the costs of
the project, which included clay, sand, wooden shingles for
the new roof, and food for the volunteers working with him.
When spring came around, Kevin and his team were ready to
begin by demolishing the old oven. They went to work with
crowbars, pick axes, hammers, shovels, and wheelbarrows,
and on one beautiful May afternoon they were able to
completely remove the protective wooden roof and the entire
oven. Kevin made sure to save all the nails they pulled out
of the wooden roof since each one was made by hand on-site
in the missions Blacksmith Shop.
After gathering the supplies he needed during the month of
June, Kevin was prepared to start construction. It took four
full days of hard work to build the clay mound that would
become the oven. The work was dirty because the clay had
to be mixed with water to make a mud-like substance that
could be sculpted and molded into the desired shape. The
workers found that the best way to create the mixture was
by stomping on it with their bare feet. Needless to say, by the
end of the process everyone was covered in a muddy mess.
During the four day build, the crew (which included Kevins
fellow scouts, their families, and their friends) found ways
to have fun while working. Whether it was getting dirty in
the clay, playing handball and hide and seek on breaks, or
relaxing in the mission buildings at lunchtime, there was
always a smile on everyones face. The scouts even spent a
night camped out in the mission, complete with a good old
fashioned campfire.
Over the rest of the summer, Kevin, along with his parents
Gary and Heidi and his brother Chris, returned to the Great
Law of Peace Center frequently to work on the bread oven.
They built a new wooden roof and filled in cracks which
had developed once the clay had dried. This often involved
crawling into the oven, which was large enough for a person
to completely disappear from sight while inside. They also
started a few test fires to break in the oven.
On a rainy day in early December, it was finally time for the
moment of truth. It took a few hours of a well managed fire
to get the oven up to the right temperature for baking before
Kevin loaded the dough and a couple of pizzas into the oven.
Within ten minutes the pizzas were a perfect golden brown
and the bread was ready for eating. It was a very satisfying
and delicious end to a long, well done Eagle Scout project. n
Oven Construction #2 Workers sculpt and shape

the oven
Oven Interior Once the clay hardened, it was safe

to go inside an d fill in the cracks
Roof Construction Kevins dad Gary finishes up one

side of the ovens protective wooden shingle roof
Finished Product Kevin and Gary next to the finished and

functioning bread oven
Baking Pizza The oven passed the baking test with

flying colors
A map of Siracusa, Sicily, dated
1839, gives us some idea of what

early Syracusans might have
known about the ancient Greek
city that inspired the name for their
home in upstate New York. This
circled detail shows the saline
solar evaporating pans or flats
located near Siracusa.
HOW DID SYRACUSE GET ITS NAME?
By Dennis
Connors
to be offered to New York veterans of the Revolution by

lottery. Survey names for the Military Tracts 25 townships
were decided by state officials who were drawn to classical
associations.
Today, names of communities like Lysander, Pompey,
As populations increased in the late 1790s and early 1800s,

local civil governments were formed within the Military
Tract. Some of these first incorporated towns decided to
carry on the names of their original survey designations.
So, for example, the 18th century Military Tract township
of Marcellus gave birth to todays Town of Marcellus.
any Syracusans, especially those who have

lived here for a bit, might recall that our citys
namesake is an ancient town on the Italian
seacoast in Sicily. The Italian immigrants that settled in
Syracuse, New York, during the early 1900s, however, must
have wondered how this upstate locale wound up with the
name of that Sicilian city of Siracusa. In some regards,
it is not surprising, but in the case of Syracuse, it has an
interesting tale and a bit of a twist.
Cicero, or Marcellus are second nature to local residents.

No one usually ponders their origin. But, on occasion, an
area student studying ancient history or literature will be
surprised to learn that the name of his or her town was being
used by some Roman or Greek citizen centuries ago. In fact,
classical history and localities formed the identity for many
Onondaga County places.
C entral New York was surveyed and divided up for

non-Native settlement after the American Revolution.
Treaties between New York State and the Haudenosaunee,
controversial to this day, removed the Onondaga Nation to
a small, defined territory south of Onondaga Lake. The
rest of the surrounding land was divided into townships,
then further divided to comprise 100 lots of 600 acres each,
T he late 18th century was an era when learned citizens

were quite enamored with ancient Greek and Roman
culture. Thomas Jefferson was inspired in his enthusiastic
Drawing of Monticello
architectural pursuits by classical Roman buildings. His

famous University of Virginia Library was modeled after
the Pantheon in Rome, as was his own home at Monticello.
Americans, who were proud of their young democratic
republic, readily accepted associations with ancient locations
in Greece and Italy.
Men like John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas

Jefferson, and James Madison, were superb classicists
they could read both Latin and Greek fairly well and knew
Greek and Roman literature, history and philosophy rather
thoroughly.
Just as importantly, from the time they went to school, they
Joshua Forman
saw ancient Greek and Roman statesmen as models to be

emulated in their own careers as lawmakers, civic-minded
leaders, and public figures of responsibility.
This influence spread down to local civic leaders, men in

Central New York like Joshua Forman, a graduate of Union
College in Schenectady. He moved to Onondaga Hollow at
the age of 22 in 1800, with his young bride, and opened a law
practice in this frontier setting, near the Onondaga County
seat on Onondaga Hill.
What became Syracuse owes its origins to a turnpike, the
creek and a mill. Its beginnings were centered near Clinton
Square. But the land, at first, was not prized. It was low,
dominated by an unhealthy, smelly and discouraging cedar
swamp. Places like Manlius and Pompey, were well underway
before anyone showed much interest in what would become
downtown Syracuse.
T he catalyst for change became the states need to raise
money for improving the Seneca Turnpikes connections

to the salt works. In 1804, the legislature authorized selling
250 acres of the salt reservation for revenue. James Geddes
surveyed the parcel and included a stretch of Onondaga Creek
and its water power potential as an incentive. Abraham
Walton, a land speculator and Utica attorney, bought the
acreage. By 1805, he had a mill erected where the improved
road, todays Genesee Street, spanned the creek. Another
road, now Salina Street, crossed nearby on its way to the
salt works.
Walton laid out a small settlement at the intersection and sold

a lot at the corner of Salina and Genesee to Henry Bogardus.
The latter opened a tavern in 1806 and the intersection took
on the informal name of Bogardus Corners. Soon a few
simple houses joined the mill and tavern. After a few years,
ownership of the inn passed to Sterling Cossitt of Marcellus,
and the little location became Cossitts Corners. The nucleus

for Syracuse was being formed. Plagued by the unhealthy
nature of the surrounding low lands, however, anemic
Cossitts Corners grew very slowly.
Forman, living a few miles south at Onondaga Hollow, was
an ambitious and visionary fellow. In addition to his law

practice at Onondaga, he

leased land at Oswego Falls, todays Fulton, New
York, to build a grist mill

He founded a plaster company in Camillus

became an officer in the militia

h elped organize the Presbyterian Church at
Onondaga Hollow

was elected to the NY State Assembly

gave money to help establish the academy at
Onondaga

set up a tannery

became the first Judge of the Onondaga County
Court of Common Pleas
And all of this before he was 40 years old.
Most significantly, Forman also understood the potential
of increasing talk in Albany about building a canal across

the state. Forman pushed for the canal shortly after he was
elected to the state Assembly in 1807 and got a resolution
passed in 1808 to authorize the first survey of a potential
route.
He knew any eventual canal would need to service the salt
industry centered at the south shore of Onondaga Lake. If

an inexpensive way could be found to transport the salt to
market, the economic potential of that natural resource was
staggering.
Forman even met with President Thomas Jefferson in 1809 at
the White House to try and sell the Virginian on having the
federal government fund the canal construction. Jefferson
was always interested in new technology and had previously
expressed support for internal improvements.
Jeffersons response, however, was disappointing. One

source quotes the President as saying the project was a
little short of madness, essentially just too ambitious for
its time. Forman left the meeting disappointed, but told
Jefferson that if the federal government would not fund it,
then the citizens of New York would rise to the task. And
eventually, Forman would find a strong ally in New York
politician Dewitt Clinton.
Forman was still living at Onondaga Hollow, and owned
lots of land there that would become more valuable with
an adjacent canal, but the leading citizens at Onondaga
derided the canal idea as impractical. And it is doubtful
that the canal engineers would have ultimately picked a
route through the hilly terrain south of Syracuse anyway.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the salt focused community near
the shore of Onondaga Lake called Salina, also had their
doubts about the practicality of a canal and were less than
enthusiastic.
Forman, the ambitious visionary and entrepreneur set
his sights then on the struggling, swamp-surrounded

settlement in the middle, at Cossitts Corners. About
1815, Forman and a handful of partners formed a land
company to buy out Waltons remaining interests in the
tract surrounding Clinton Square. Forman continued
to be a strong canal advocate and helped guide that
revolutionary venture into being through his effective
lobbying. Construction of the Grand Canal began at
Rome, NY in 1817 and the chosen route was headed for
Cossitts Corners.
But personal problems arose for Forman in 1818, while the
canal was still in its early stages of construction. The Bank

of the United States had overextended its credit, called in
loans from state banks, which, in turn, called in their loans
on the heavily mortgaged lands they had financed. Forman
and his land company, apparently, were overextended and
faulted on a mortgage and their holdings in what would
become downtown.
T he land was sold in a Sherriffs auction in October of

1818. Fortunately for Forman, the highest bidder was a new
partnership that included his brother-in-law, William Sabine.
The new owners turned around and hired Forman to be their
agent, so he was able to maintain his management of the land
that would become downtown.
Some residents, meanwhile, had thought it might be good to
secure a formal post office designation for the little Cossitts
Corners settlement and proposed the name Milan; an Italian
city controlled for several centuries by the Roman Empire
and declared the capital of the Western Roman Empire in
286 AD. However, a settlement named Milan over in Cayuga
County already had been given a post office designation.
That settlement later changed its name to Locke, but in
1818, the state legislature had created another town of
Milan in Dutchess County and it grabbed a federal post
office designation in August of 1818. Milan was just not
available for Cossitts.
Forman was continuing to work tirelessly to promote his

adopted community. He definitely felt the little crossroads
needed a more formal name, one appropriate to its anticipated
future as a great city. Additionally, by 1819, Forman was
having a survey conducted, and streets laid out. That year,
he had also moved from the Hollow to Cossitts to more
closely oversee his work in progress. So Forman made an
executive decision and chose Corinth.
Corinth was the name of an ancient city in Greece. In

classical times, Corinth rivaled Athens and Thebes in wealth.
We may know of it more now from the two books, First
Corinthians and Second Corinthians, in the New Testament.
Well, where did Wilkinson come up with that? As we know,

Americans in the early 1800s were quite enamored with
using ancient Greek and Roman names to identify the new
towns in their young democracy.
The company of Sabine & Kellogg, which owned most of
Siracusa, Sicily was founded in 734 BC by settlers from

Greece. It has a rich history, one including the great
mathematician, Archimedes, who called it home. It was
conquered by the Romans in 212 BC despite a fierce defense
put up by the Greeks. In fact, legend has it that, among other
creative devices, Archimedes built a giant mirror that was
used to deflect the powerful Mediterranean sun onto the
sails of the Roman ships, setting fire to them.
the area in what would become downtown, advertised lots

for sale in February of 1819 with this glowing description
of this new place they were calling Corinth, the newspaper
ad probably written by Forman, himself.
Construction on the canal had begun in 1817 and the middle

section was completed by 1820. And sure enough, it flowed
right past Formans doorstep at Corinth. Surely, now was
the time to get that formal post office established. The
application was made to the federal government for the
name Corinth. Unfortunately for Mr. Forman, Cossitts or
Corinth had missed the boat again. In 1818, a new town
at the northern edge of Saratoga County, along the Hudson
River, had been created and called Corinth; and the federal
government had just granted it a post office designation in
November of 1819.
Forman and his cohorts were not trying to create a new
municipal entity. Cossitts Corner or Corinth, in 1820, was

still legally part of the Town of Salina. They just wanted
to establish a post office for convenience. A committee
was formed to come up with a new name. John Wilkinson,
another newcomer from Onondaga Hollow and a lawyer
protg of Formans, had agreed to be the postmaster
once it was established and it was he that would suggest
Syracuse.
But, in addition to its association with great Greek and
Roman history, it was John Wilkinsons fascination with

its geography, which inspired him to make the suggestion.
Siracusa, or Syracuse in its English version, was a city
that faced water. Wilkinson thought of Onondaga Lake.

There were hills surrounding it. . . same here in Central
New York. Nearby there were evaporating flats making
salt from seawater, and an adjacent settlement called Salina.
Wilkinson could not ignore the similarities.
In fact, today, salt is still made near the western coast of

Sicily has it has for centuries, by evaporating waters from
the Mediterranean Sea by the solar method. There even is
a Salt Museum located near there.
But what drew Wilkinsons interest to Siracusa in the first
place? Would you believe the connection was a 20-year old

future prime minister of England titled the 14th Lord of
Derby?
While a student at Oxford in 1819, Edward Stanley wrote

a lengthy poem, in Latin, about the mythology and history
of Siracusa. He was awarded the Chancellors Latin verse
Salt is still made near the western coast of Sicily
John Wilkinson
prize for his poem, titled Syracuse. Shortly after, Wilkinson

stumbled upon the poem in a friends library in New York
City. It caused him to research Siracusa, which was fresh
in his mind when the need for our future citys name arose.
The other committee members liked his suggestion and the
post office authorities had no objection. So, Syracuse it
became, perhaps to Formans disappointment, but having
the post office was more important.
Of course, the Erie Canal would be completed between
Albany and Buffalo five years later and it literally passed

right through the middle of town. Syracuse rapidly took off
in population and property values. That same year, 1825,
Syracuse formally incorporated as a village with its own
elected officials. President of the village board was none
other than Joshua Forman and he was generally recognized
by his contemporaries as the Father of Syracuse.
So, once the name was settled, did the connection with
Siracusa have any more impact on the community?
Apparently, not too much. When historical analogies
Siracusa Coin Detail in Faade of Former Bank of Syracuse
in Hanover Square
seemed needed, perhaps for some historical celebration,

commemoration or public art, local citizens tended to
gravitate to the areas rich Native American history,
employing images and legends related to Onondaga Indians.
Even the one monument erected in Syracuse to honor Joshua
Forman, inside Forman Park, does not have a figure of,
say, Archimedes from Siracusa on it, but rather a figure
representing Hiawatha of Haudenosaunee Confederacy
tradition.
It does seem, however, that a few folks did play off the
historical connection to Siracusa. In 1896, the Bank of

Syracuse was erecting a classical building in Hanover
Square. Someone recognized that the ancient city of
Siracusa, Sicily had it own coinage, something obviously
associated with banking.
One Siracusa coin, in particular, was famous, dating from
about 300 BC. It featured the head of Arethusa, (In Greek

mythology, she was a nymph who fled from her home in
Arcadia, beneath the sea, and came up as a fresh water
fountain on the island that forms the core of Siracusa,
Redfield/Forman Monument in Forman Park

Hotel Syracuse Plate, c1924
Sicily. On the coin, her profile is depicted, surrounded by

dolphins which were common in the waters around Sicily.
On the opposite site is a Greek chariot. The banks architect,
Albert Brockway, worked images of the coin into the marble
pediments over the buildings two entrances, where they
remain to this day.
In 1924, Syracuse citizens witnessed the opening of their

citys grandest hotel The Hotel Syracuse. Its design was
classical revival. Its china, of course, would be produced by
Onondaga Pottery, which later became the Syracuse China
company. In seeking a custom image for the hotels china,
which would reflect both to its name and architectural style,
designers turned, once again, to the image of the coin from
Siracusa. Over the years, the hotel would use other plate
designs but the one depicted here was found on the hotels
dining room tables when it opened in 1924.
World War II stirred up a bit of local interest, again, in
Siracusa, when in July of 1943, British General Bernard

Montgomerys forces occupied the city during their March
through Sicily, pushing the German forces back to mainland
Italy.
And what happened to Edward Stanley, the Brit who started
it all? He eventually inherited a title from his father and

became the 14th Earl of Derby in 1851, known thereafter as
Lord Stanley. He had already entered politics, and would
rise to be head of Britains Conservative Party, serving three
times as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the
1850s and 1860s.
Stanley was a moderate conservative during his earlier years

in Parliament, a period when it was debating the abolishment
of slavery in the British Empire. Stanley introduced five
motions, over time, calling for the emancipation of all slaves
in the British colonies within one year. He also presented
the final bill to Parliament which gave slaves their freedom
in 1834.
Lord Stanley may never have visited the city in Central
New York that he had an unknown hand in naming, but

we can be sure that Syracuses band of abolitionists in the
years before the Civil War would have looked upon him
as a fellow warrior in their fight to abolish slavery in the
United States. n
What happened to the cast of characters in later life, which

were involved with naming our fair city?
Wilkinson, who suggested Syracuse, would go on to
be a leading citizen in his community. Among several

other ventures, he helped physically shape its future as the
president of the Syracuse & Utica Railroad, which would
become part of the great NY Central in the 1850s. Its route
through the city played a major role in the 19th century with
the location of rail yards, factories and train stations.
One might say his influence didnt even die with his passing.
Wilkinsons grandson, also named John Wilkinson, would
go on to become the inventive genius behind the locally
made Franklin auto in the early 20th century - Franklin
manufacturing being one of the citys biggest employers in
the 1920s.
Forman, always an ambitious guy, eventually left Syracuse
in the late 1820s taking up residence in North Carolina

where he again became an agent for a land speculation
company. Although he returned to Syracuse on a few
occasions, he settled in North Carolina, where he died in
1848. His remains were brought back here later and reburied
in Oakwood Cemetery, in the Leavenworth plot. Syracuses
second mayor, Elias Leavenworth, was his son-in-law.
Lord Stanley
MONTGOMERY STREET
ON THE STREET
WHERE WE LIVE PART 3
By Karen Y. Cooney
Blocks between Water Street and E. Fayette Street, 1910
1892 map of block 112
1951 Map of Block 112
he neighborhood surrounding OHA is

rich in its own history and this article
will focus on the west side of the 300
block of Montgomery Street. As noted in the
previous article, the homes and offices of several
of Syracuses most prominent physicians were
located in this area of the city. The YMCA has
anchored this block for over one hundred years
while undergoing several renovations. What was
once the Masonic temple has also been the location
of an extremely successful silver business, a well
known doctors home and office, the home for a
school for the arts, and now an apartment building.
These homes and businesses were sandwiched
between two different church denominations
both of which have each been in existence for over
one hundred years.
Locally, St. Pauls parish was the third denomination

to construct a church building in Syracuse. The
Baptists and the Presbyterians had preceded them.
The church, located at the corner of Montgomery and
East Fayette Street (the lot was once home to a hotel),
was the congregations third home. It was completed
in December of 1885 and constructed of Onondaga
limestone. One of the most notable features of its
Gothic Revival style is its 200 foot tall spire topped
by a 7 foot cross. This spire, that is said to tilt slightly
to the east, was built as a memorial to Clara Dickson
White. Her son, Andrew Dickson White, a local
resident and Cornell Universitys first president,
donated the money for its construction. The bell in
the belfry was moved from its original location in the
parishs second church, which was on the northwest
corner of Warren Street and East Fayette Street. In
St. Pauls Episcopal Church
322 Montgomery Street, home of Dr. Pease
1887, that bell fell from its mooring just as the sexton began
ringing it to announce evening services on July 31, narrowly
missing the sexton, the organist and a young parishioner
standing below. It did land on the organ causing $3,000 in
damage. Eventually it was reinstalled and finally automated
in 1967. The churchs beautiful stained glass windows were
designed by several noted stained glass artists including
Tiffany and Keck. The Lockwood Memorial Parish House
was erected in 1909 with renovations completed in 1929
and 1958. The Samaritan Center, located in the Parish
House basement, was established in 1980 to prepare and
serve meals to Syracuses needy.
Additionally, he designed Masonic, Odd-Fellow, and other

Society silver and gold pieces such as badges and ornate
medals. One of the manufacturers most famous orders
was for one million commemorative spoons honoring the
1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo. There were
four patterns designed and used for the bowl of each spoon.
These were a view of Niagara Falls, the Fairs electric tower,
the machinery and transportation building, and the electrical
building. The handle was imprinted with both a buffalo
head and an Indian head and the lettering Pan-American
Exposition 1901. Despite the death of Joseph Seymour in
1887, the firm remained in business until 1905.
Most Onondaga County residents associate the silverware

industry with Oneida International; however, Onondaga
County, and specifically Syracuse, were major suppliers
of formal silverware during the last half of the
nineteenth century. After working locally with
silversmith, William Ward Willard, Joseph
Seymour started his own company with
one assistant in a small building located
near Fayette Park. When he outgrew
the inadequate space, he relocated to
324 Montgomery Street near the present
YMCA. He employed twenty men to fill
the ever increasing work orders. At his
zenith, Seymour used $40,000 worth of
silver per year to manufacture items such
as forks, spoons, ladles, dessert and butter
knives, servers, napkin rings and crumb scrapers.
322 and 324 Montgomery Street were the addresses of two of

Syracuses more prominent physicians. In the mid 1800s, Dr.
Roger Pease resided at 322 Montgomery Street. He served
as a surgeon during the Civil War in several military
hospitals, including the hospital set up during
the Battle of Gettysburg. He also organized
and served as head of one of the largest U.S.
Army Hospitals in Maryland (now the
site of the Maryland School of Medicine)
before returning home to Syracuse. Dr.
Pease then began working with Mother
Marianne Cope to help her establish St.
Josephs Hospital. He also served as a
faculty member for Syracuse Universitys
Medical College. Dr. Pease and his family
Roger Williams Pease, M.D.
Dr. Aaron B. Millers

Hospital House at
324 Montgomery Street, home of Dr. Mercer
were known for being ardent

abolitionists and he was one of the more noted participants
to be involved with the Jerry Rescue. He died in 1886.
324 Montgomery Street served as the home and office of
Dr. Alfred Mercer. Dr. Mercer is cited as the first physician
in Syracuse to use a microscope for diagnostic purposes. A
graduate of Geneva Medical College, he was appointed the
chair of the minor surgical department, a position he held
for a number of years. Additionally, for over ten years, he
was one of the leading consulting surgeons on the staff of
the Hospital of the Good Shepherd. Mercer was a member
of the local Board of Health and the State Commissioners
Board of Health and was on the committee responsible
for establishing a city water supply using the water from
Skaneateles Lake. In his will, the doctor bequeathed to
Onondaga Historical Association a sum of money placed
in a restricted fund to be used every five years to cover
the costs of perpetuating the memory of the Jerry Rescue.
After his death, a memorial drinking fountain was installed
in a niche in the wall of the building where he had
resided. Until the residence was replaced by the
Masonic Temple, this fountain served to quench
the thirst of the public on hot summer days.
In 1912, plans were made to replace
Dr. Peases home and office at 322
Montgomery Street with a Masonic
Temple. The architect (also a Mason)
was Walter T. Gaggin, a locally well
known architect and graduate of Syracuse
University. The Classical Revival style five
story building had three lodge halls (one hall
was divided into smaller meeting rooms and a
billiard room), a drill hall, kitchen, and mens club
facilities. At one point, members thought about transforming

the flat roof into a garden area; however, this was never
instituted. During the latter part of the 20th century, the
building was used as a Metropolitan School for the Arts.
It stood vacant for nine years until in 2007 when a local
developer transformed it into apartments.
The YMCA now occupies much of the block. This was
not always the case. Dr. Aaron B. Miller, OB/GYN, ran a
hospital home at 326 Montgomery Street. This two story
building was designed for the treatment of surgical diseases
of women, and for the treatment of abdominal afflictions of
either sex. The hospital admitted only special cases who
had been accepted by Dr. Miller after a formal consultation.
Through the years, other minor businesses occupied small
storefronts along the block. When the Y chose to expand,
these storefronts were bought and leveled.
Syracuse opened its first Y in 1858 in a leased space
located on South Salina Street in Hanover Square. In 1884,
it moved to more permanent quarters on Warren Street.
This location had a gym that was used for numerous
athletic events held by both the city schools
and Syracuse University. In 1908, as the
organizations finances improved, the board of
directors voted to build a new facility at 340
Montgomery Street. The old Warren Street
building was retained to house homeless
boys and a hallway was constructed to
connect it to the new building. The new
five story building, like its neighboring
Masonic Temple, was designed by Gaggin
and Gaggin Architects. Funding for the
original building and the property was
Dr. Alfred Mercer
Masonic Temple being built

Masonic Temple interior
Masonic Temple Parlor

and Card room
Masonic Temple Billiards Room
Demolition of the Miller and Mercer buildings, to make

way for the YMCA addition.
primarily provided by city resident, Benjamin Tousey. He
gave $100,000 with the stipulation that the city residents
provide the remaining $212,000 required to properly outfit
and complete the building. The new edifice was designed
with numerous offices for support staff and a large lobby and
association hall with a stage and seating for 600 people on
the first floor, along with a restaurant that would be open to
the public for extended hours. The basement was designed
to house locker rooms, physical education offices, a bowling
alley, and a rifle range, plus rooms for wrestling, boxing,
fencing , bicycles and exercising. Other features included
the installation of a swimming tank, shower facilities and
a Turkish bath. A landing located between the second and
Exterior of Masonic Temple
The Miller and Mercer buildings between the YMCA and

the Masonic Temple were leveled to make way for the
expanded YMCA.
third floors was designed to accommodate a barber shop.
The second floor contained a large game room, the directors
office, reading room, banquet hall and the main floor of
the gym. The third floor was designed for the inclusion of
more offices for the education staff, a library, class rooms,
camera club space and an apartment for the organizations
secretary and his family. The remaining floors were set
aside for mens dormitory-style living. In 1955, the buildings
next door were leveled to create additional living space. A
modern faade was then affixed to the front of the building.
The corner of Jefferson and Montgomery Streets has been
home to the Mizpah Tower for many years. In 1872, before
YMCA building before the 1955 addition.
YMCA before facelift and addition.
New YMCA building, 1955.

YMCA with its 1955 addition construction and modernized
faade in progress.
YMCA with addition and modernized faade in

progress, 1955.
the Mizpah building, the Central Baptist Church built at

this location. On June 23, 1874, one of Syracuses greater
tragedies occurred. Members and guests of the church
had gathered to enjoy a childrens concert and strawberry
and ice cream festival. Without warning, the church parlor
floor collapsed throwing the party goers down through the
floors below. Fourteen people subsequently died and over
one hundred people of all ages suffered injuries. An elderly
blind woman miraculously escaped harm by avoiding any
of the falling debris when the chair she was sitting in fell
straight through the floor and landed right side up with her
still on it! It was determined that the floors had not been
properly supported when constructed. In 1910, another
unlucky calamity occurred when the steeple was hit by
lightning. It was totally destroyed, therefore was rebuilt.
When the Central and First Baptist Churches consolidated,
a new church was built at the site of the Central Baptist
Church. It opened in 1914. This building was rather
unique in that religion (the newly created Baptist Church)
and commerce (the Mizpah Hotel) were combined together
under one roof. A restaurant was installed in the 1920s,
and on the roof of the church a penthouse apartment was
built to house the superintendent who needed to be available
around the clock.
Central Baptist Church floor

collapse, July 23, 1874
Central Baptist Church floor

collapse, July 23, 1874
Central Baptist Church in 1910,

minus its steeple.
First Baptist Church under

construction
Central Baptist Church, built in 1872
First Baptist Church, Lent service, 1935
First Baptist Church and The Mizpah
It is said that lightning never strikes twice in the same spot, but in 1967,
lightning once again struck the Mizpahs steeple destroying one of the
four finials on the steeple. Upon further inspection, it was determined
that the remaining finials were in poor shape so they were also removed.
Dormitory rooms were constructed with the idea that the church could earn
extra income renting spaces back to the YMCA. However, eventually the
Grenoble Hotel chain took over management and the hallway connection to
the Y was sealed off. When the church took back ownership, it became a
hotel residence for women only. Several ministers and their families also
lived in the penthouse quarters through the years. Their childrens yard
was an outdoor space on a fence-enclosed roof. Although the church moved
its congregation to the suburbs in 1988, concerts were held in the auditorium
for a short time. The Mizpah has now been closed for over twenty years.
Recently, it was purchased by a local individual who plans to renovate the
building by converting it into retail and office spaces on the lower floors
with the upper floors divided into apartments.
So many families, so many businesses and buildings. . . all contribute to the
truly intriguing history of Syracuse and Onondaga County. All members of
OHA are welcome to visit our research center for free (non-members are also
welcome to visit our research center for a fee of $7.00 per visit) when it is open
to the public on Wednesdays Fridays 10am 2pm and on Saturdays 11am
3:30pm to find more local stories. n
OHA Annual Gala Glorious Workplaces

Celebrated at TERACAI and CXtec
OHAs annual fundraising gala, Our Glorious Workplaces,
was held November 15, 2014 at TERACAI and CXtec
on South Bay Road in North Syracuse. OHAs Glorious
Workplaces event showcases how organizations create and
deliver their products or services while emphasizing their
historic impact upon the larger community.
This years Glorious Workplaces evening began with a
tour - led by members of the TERACAI and CXtec staff
- of the companies office spaces in the landmark Switzs
building over the cocktail hour. Musical entertainment by
the very talented CXtec Dinosaurs kept up with the lively
crowd while food and beverages were graciously served by
Pascales Catering.
The sit-down dinner began with OHA Executive director
Gregg Tripoli serenading guests with a musical salute to
TERACAI, CXtec and its founder, Bill Pomeroy. After
dinner, guests heard the story of TERACI and CXtec,
Switzs, and North Syracuse during a presentation by OHAs
Curator of History, Dennis Connors. Several members of
the Schmidt and Clark families, who had owned Switzs for
many years, were in attendance for the festivities. For the
evenings raffle, TERACAI and CXtec kindly donated an
iPad, which was won by Sandy Case, whose husband, Dick
Case, formerly of the Post Standard and now a researcher
at OHA, recently authored the OHA book, Salt City Trivia.
The culmination of the evening was Bill Pomeroys
description of the history of TERACAI and CXtec with a
surprise video performance of a song written in support of
OHA. A presentation of a commemorative plate presented
by OHA Board President Lee DeAmicis to Bill and Sandra
Pomeroy followed the video. The plate is decorated with
images from the early Cable Express days of the company to
the present, and with photos of Switzs, the beloved novelty
store whose iconic Swiss-style building became TERACAI
CXtecs company headquarters.
Tribute to Teracai & CXtec
2014 Our Glorious Workplaces

Lyrics by Gregg Tripoli
(sung to the tune of Dream a Little Dream of Me)
These companies have strong roots.
Though they wear more jeans and t-shirts than suits,
its cutting edge technology stuff,
led by a history buff.
Theyll cure all your networks ills
then see if youre a relative of Bills.
Great service is a priority,
since you might be family.
These companies do so much good for
our communities.
Though their mascot is a big dinosaur,
theyre the bees knees.
They start each day with a cheer
cause they just sold what you threw out last year.
They can turn the old into the new
and did it with Switzs too.
They started with no time for pleasure
And some borrowed cash.
And made themselves a local treasure
from others trash.
A company band that rocks.
Network solutions from outside the box.
Mix The Cable Guy, Roots, and Star Trek
thats Teracai and CXtec.
Onondaga Historical Association extends many thanks to

the hard-working committee members whose commitment
and enthusiasm made the whole process fun for all. And
thank you to the sponsors, without which we couldnt tell
these great stories for future generations.
Sandra and
Bill Pomeroy
enjoy the
celebration
of the history
of CXtec and
TERACAI.
TERACAI and CXtec Vice President and Chief Financial

Officer Barbara Ashkin (second from left front row) and
other members of the companies.
Dick Clark and Barbara SchmidtClark, former co-owners of Switzs

Variety Store, smile after receiving
their Glorious Workplaces plate on
their way home.
Left to right: Bill and Sandra

Pomeroy, Lee DeAmicis, OHA board
president, and Gregg Tripoli, OHA
executive director.
2014 Glorious Committee Members:

Pam Reilly Chairperson
Michele Johnson
Nancy Bottar
Sandra Pomeroy
Paula Miller
Renee Duffy
Jaime King
Jennifer Pelow
Lisa Loftus
Jeff Pawlowski
Mark Azzarello
Constance Bull
Leanne Fiscoe
Charla Roth
Lynne Pascale
Jon Zella
Charles Coe (portrayed by actor John

Kuengich in hat and cape) explains
how he is related to Bill Pomeroy,
founder of CXtec.
The Steigerwalds,
Bourkes, Harrises and
Delmonicos pose for a
photo before dinner.
Sustaining
Haylor Freyor & Coon L. & J.G. Stickley
Top Level Sponsors for Our Glorious Workplaces

Presenting
TERACAI CXtec
Supporting
Bottar Leone
Cathedral Candle
Hancock Estabrook
Bruce and Linda Kenan Foundation

Crouse Hospital
David Murray, MD
Several of our members have chosen to receive their issues of History Highlights via e-mail in order to help us cut down
on mailing costs. If you would also like to receive your copy of the OHA newsletter via your e-mail please let us know.
Just call 428-1864 X 312 or by e-mailing Karen Cooney at Karen.Cooney@cnyhistory.org.
2014 Fee for Service Customers

ABC World News with David Muir
Barnes Foundation
K. Bass
Canton Woods Senior Center
Central City Riverside Masons
Charles Boynton
City of Syracuse
CNY Genealogical Society
County of Onondaga
Dorianne Parker
Dewitt Boy Scouts
Diocese of CNY
K. Ducre
Eureka Crafts
Expedentiary Learning Middle
School
Friends of Marcellus Library
Home School of Central New York
Lafayette Jr./Sr. High School
Lambda Kappa Mu Sorority
Leadership Greater Syracuse
LFUMC Seniors
Literacy Volunteers of CNY
Kevin Lowther
M &T Bank
M & T Charitable Foundation
Merchants Commons
James C. Monahan
N. Syracuse Parks and Rec.
NYS Department of
Transportation
NYS Historical Association
OASIS
OCPL
ONCENTER
Onondaga Central School
Onondaga County Bar Association
Onondaga County Public Library
Oswego County BOCES
Parkview Academy
Petit Library
Pine Grove Middle School
Renee Crown Honors Program
Retired Teachers Assoc.
Seymour School
Sons of the Americal Revolution
Syracuse Community Hotel
Restoration Co.
SU Electronic Media
Communications
Syracuse Housing Authority
SU Maxwell School
SU Southside Initiative
Syracuse City School District
Syracuse Ward - BSA
The Barnes Foundation
The Century Club
The Corinthian Club
The Jewish Home
The Monday Club
The New School
The Organ Historical Society
Upstate University Hospital
Washington Street Partners
Yates County Historical Society
Ann Drumheller
Dupli
Bork Edwards
Kay Frizzell
Michael Galban
Gaylord
Wendy Gonyea
Bruce Harvey
Sid Hill
Deborah Holler
2014 In Kind Donors

Dr. Philip Arnold
Joe Bangnoski
Edward Becker
Sandy Bigtree
Bob and Kathy Brown
Kevin, Heidi, and Gary

Blydenburgh
Boy Scout Troop 3112
Daryl Catterine
CNY Business Journal
CNY Magazine The Good Life

Dannible & McKee
Daylight Blue Media Group
Barbara Delmonico
Dermody, Burke and Brown
2014 In Kind Donors Continued

ICS Solutions Group
Freida Jacques
Peter Jemison
Jack Kaczmarczyk
Robin Kimmerer
Jerry Klineberg
Oren Lyons
Rex Lyons
Vern Lyons
RAMTech
Barbara Rawlings
Redhouse Arts Center, Inc.
Restoration Co. LLC
Ed Riley
Holly Rine
Tara Ross
Robert Ruehl
Debora Ryan
Jack Manno
Media Finishings
Otto Media
Diane and Robert Miron
Robert Moss
Richard Palmer
Neil Patterson Jr.
Paychex
Brad Powless
Holly Scherzi
Sasha Scott
John Sposato
Syracuse Community Hotel
Syracuse Media Group
Syracuse New Times
Eva Sztechmiler
Ryan Hope Travis
Gregg Tripoli
Kevin Troxell
Scott Stevens
The Post Standard
The York Family
Tracy Thomas
Sally Roesch Wagner
Shawn Wiemann
Ms. Diane L. Medvitz

Mr. John G. Meyer
Ms. Elizabeth Mosher
Ms. Pam Murray
Dr. and Mrs. David T. Nash
Ms. Sydney Newell
Mr. and Mrs. Bob and Joan
OBrien
Ms. Casey Crabill
Tadodaho Sidney Hill
Mr. Marcus Overdyk
Mr. Denny Owen
Ms. Nancy Page
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick
and Virginia Parker
Ms. Eleanor Pearlman
Ms. Patricia Pellenz
Ms. Rochelle Perrine
Ms. Judith Peterson
Ms. Marsha Phillips
Mr. and Mrs. Robert
and Jane Pickett
Mr. Steve Plank
Mr. and Mrs. Karen
and Joe Porcello
Ms. Laura Powers
Mr. John Przepiora
Ms. Kathleen Quigley
Ms. Diane Quint
Ms. Scarlett Rebman
Ms. Maria Reed
Mr. Stephen A. Resnick

Ms. Jonnell Robinson
Ms. Karen Robinson
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen A Rogers
Mr. Michael E. Root
Mr. and Mrs. Richard W.
Russell
Ms. Theresa Russo
Ms. Laurie Sanderson
Mr. and Mrs. Walter
and Nancy Shepard
Mr. Lance Skapura
Ms. Cauleen Smith
Mr. James Spano
Ms. Mary Spencer-Geer
Ms. Sharon M. Stevens
Dr. Quentin Wheeler
Syracuse Behavioral

Health Center
Chancellor Kent Syverud
Robert and Marilyn Thayer
Ms. Natalie Trump
Mr. Howard Tupper
Ms. Catherine Underhill
Mr. John Mandyk
Ms. Anne Uva
Ms. Stephanie Vincent
Mr. Fran Walter
Ms. Pia Weinheimer
Ms. Janice Whitcraft
Mr. Lee Whitted
2014 New Members

Ms. Linda Alexander
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Alexander
Mr. Oliver Anderson
Ms. Jo Appleton
Ms. Joan H. Back
Mr. Joe Bangnoski
Mr. Robert Barnello
Ms. Mary Barrett
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Barry
Ms. Jayne Beilke
Ms. Barbara Bell
Ms. Deborah Bendig
Ms. Janeen Bjork
Mr. Raymond T. Blackwell
Ms. Julie Bourke
Mr. Ross Stefano
Mr. Christopher Braun
Del Breazeale
Ms. Sedona Brown
Sue and Nick Caputo
Mr. Leon Carapetyun
Mr. Steve Case
Mr. and Mrs. William Casey
Ms. Stephanie Cavallaro
Ms. Diane Chappell-Daly
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Charles
Ms. Amanda Chase
Mr. Kevin Cook
Dr. Derek Cooney
Mr. Michael L. Corp
Ms. Susan Crossett
Ms. Margaret D. Curtin

Mr. and Mrs. Lynn Davis
Mr. and Mrs. Lee DeAmicis
Mr. James Decker
Ms. Brenda DeGroff
Ms. Dee deRosa
Mr. Rick Destito
Ms. Dorothy Dimento
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Doucette
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Driscoll
Mr. Skip Duett
Ms. Kristin Earle
Ms. Bella Elliott
Mr. Robert A. Emery
Ms. Anne B. Ferguson
Ms. Valerie Fish
Mr. David Ford
Mr. Arthur Fritz
Ms. Carrie Gannett
Ms. Donna Gataletto
Mr. Leonard E. Gerber
Mr. Miguel Goodlin-Saenz
Mr. and Mrs. Gary Grossman
Ms. Susan Hagan
Ms. Martha Hancock-Olech
Ms. Laura Hand
Ms. Wendy Harris
Ms. Marilyn Heebink
Mr. Jeremy David Heiser
Mr. Michael Henry
Mr. Robert Herz
Mr. Kevin Hunt

Mr. and Mrs. Max and Doris
Huyck
Ms. Patricia Infantine
Ms. Paulette Johnson
Mr. Jeffrey Jones
Mr. Andrew Jordan
Ms. Michele Jordan
Mr. Steven Joslin
Ms. Sharon Kennedy
Mr. Tony Keser
Mr. Ronald Killian
Mr. Randall H. Korman
Mr. and Mrs. Larry
and Mary Leatherman
Linda and Jerry Limpert
Mr. Frank Lipari
Ms. Melanie Littlejohn
Ms. Deborah Litz
Mr. James Loperfido
Mr. James E. Mackin
Ms. Linnea K. Makela
Ms. Debra Maloney
Mr. and Mrs. Cliff

& Bobbi Malzman
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Mannion
Ms. Marcia Martin
Ms. Patricia Marzola
Ms. Margaret McCormick
Mr. and Mrs. William L.

McGarry Jr.
The Onondaga Historical Association would like to thank the following contributors,
supporters, and members (Gifts received between January 1 - December 31, 2014)
$10,000 or More
$5,000 - $9,999
J.M. McDonald Foundation, Inc.

M & T Charitable Foundation
Dr. David G. Murray
Empire State Development
ESD/ Market NY
New York State Council
on the Arts
Onondaga County
Onondaga Nation
Richard S. Shineman Foundation
TERACAI/CXtec
United Technologies
Cathedral Candle Company

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
Greater Hudson Heritage
Network
Helen R. Brady Memorial Fund
Mr. and Mrs. John D. Marsellus
Richard Mather Fund
Stickley, Audi & Co.
$2,500 - $4,999
Bottar Leone, PLLC
Bousquet Holstein PLLC
Bruce A. and Linda H. Kenan

Foundation
Crouse Hospital
DestiNY USA Holdings LLC
Durston Sanford Charitable Trust
Ms. Diane Wilson Flynn
Franklin Properties
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond V.
Grimaldi
Hancock & Estabrook LLP
Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc.
Judaic Heritage Centeer
King + King Architects LLP
Onondaga Community College

Pinckney Hugo Group
Pioneer Management Services
Co., LLC
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen A Rogers
Syracuse University Department
of Humanities
Mr. Gregg A. Tripoli
$1,250 - $2,499
Anonymous
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Baracco
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Bottar
Dannible & McKee, LLP

Dupli Envelope & Graphics Corp.
Mrs. Ruth Pass Hancock
MacKenzie Hughes LLP
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Miron
National Grid
OBrien & Gere Engineers, Inc.
Practice Resources LLC
Redhouse Arts Center, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Salisbury
Mr. James Stoddard
St. Josephs Hospital
Health Center
contributors, supporters, and members (Gifts received between January 1 - December 31, 2014) Continued
Syracuse Media Group
The Dorothy & Marshall M.
Reisman Foundation
Allyn Foundation
Whiteman Osterman
& Hanna LLP
Ms. Linda A. Witherill
$500 - $1,249
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Alberding
Mr. Dave Birchenough
Bright House Networks
Mr. and Mrs. William Byrne
Mr. John F Catanzarita
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Charles
Citizens Bank
Ms. Nancy Collins
Costello, Cooney & Fearon, LLP
Mrs. Dawn W. Cottrell
Mr. Lee DeAmicis
EBS - RMSCO
Mr. and Mrs. John M. Endries
Estate of Richard F. Clark
Mr. Gregory Faucher
Frank & Frances Revoir
Foundation
Geddes Federal Savings Bank
Mr. and Mrs. Edward S. Green
Ms. Elizabeth Hartne
Ms. Marilyn Higgins
Dr. and Mrs. David R. Hootnick
JP Morgan Chase Manhattan Bank
KeyBank
Mr. Russell A. King
Ms. Theresa Kociencki
Mr. David B. Liddell
Lipe & Dalton
Dr. and Mrs. Eugene Lozner
Mr. Todd Luchsinger
Kevin and Suzanne McAuliffe
Mr. and Mrs. Eric Mower
Mr. Philip S. Murray
Mrs. Letty Murray
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick and
Virginia Parker
Mr. and Mrs. Simon
and Amy Perez
Mr. and Mrs. David A. A Ridings
Ms. Barbara S. Rivette
Dr. Frank C. Smith
Ms. Eleanor Theodore
Mrs. Cynthia Dietz Tracy
Wegmans Food Markets
$250 - $499
Anaren, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Ash
Mr. Seth Austin
Mr. George S. Bain
Ms. Louise Birkhead
Bernie and Ona Cohn Bregman
Ms. Constance K. Bull
Mr. and Mrs. James C. Burns
Mr. George W Curry
Ms. Patricia Deferio

Mr. and Mrs. Jed Delmonico
Ms. Vita Demarchi
Mr. Anthony DiRenzo
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Doucette
Dr. Gregory L. Eastwood
edr companies
Mr. John H Fennessey
Ms. Theresa A. Flaim
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Flusche
Dr. Richard J. Giarrusso
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Goodman
Mr. Holland C. Gregg
Mr. and Mrs. Gary Grossman
Mr. Dennis J. Heber
Ms. Ruth E. Hotaling
Mr. and Mrs. Guy Howard
Mr. and Mrs. James N. Jerose
Mr. and Mrs. Harvey H. Kaiser
Dr. and Mrs. Edward M. Kantor
Mr. and Mrs. James E. Keib
Mr. and Mrs. James R. King
Mr. and Mrs. David Liddell
Ms. Katie Lindsey
Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Linn
Manning & Napier Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. William L. McGarry
Mr. Donald W. Meinig
Mr. William H Meyer
Morse Mfg. Co., Inc.
Dr. and Mrs. David T. Nash
Mr. and Mrs. Bob
and JoanOBrien
Mr. William OConnor
Ms. Margaret G. Ogden
and Mr. Timothy Atseff
Ostroff Associates
Ms. BarbaraRawlings
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Riley
Ms. Jonnell Robinson
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Rodormer
Ms. TaraRoss
Daniel and Katherine Ruscitto
Mr. Paul M. Solomon
Ms. SallyStarr
Syracuse Behavioral
Health Center
Syracuse University
Department of History
Syracuse University Office of
Government and Community
Relations
Mr. James M Taylor
The Sutton Companies
Mr. RonThiele
Upper NY Annual Conference of
United Methodist Church
Mrs. Barbara H. Wanamaker
Mr and Mrs. John Williams
YNN
Mr. Thomas G. Young
$101 - $249
Mr. Jonathan L. Anderson
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph A. Austin

Mr. Stephen E. Auyer
Ms. Marilyn M. Bittner
Mr. Robert Bitz
Mr. and Mrs. Peter E. Black
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Boland
Ms. Claudia Burns
Mr. and Mrs. Richard G. Case
Mr. Philip R. Chase
Mr. and Mrs. Goodwin Cooke
Mr. and Mrs. Randall T.
Crawford
Mr. Mark Feldman
Mrs. Sandra K. Gingold
Ms. JuneGoodreau
Grand Lodge Free
and Accepted Masons
Mr. and Mrs. Richard
and Deanna Granville
Ms. Pamela Helmuth
Ms. Anne Marie Pattie Higgins
Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Holstein
Dr. and Mrs. Lewis W. Johnson
Mr. and Mrs. Steve Kimatian
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Kinsey
Larry and Mary Leatherman
Ms. Anne C. Maier
Mrs. Margaret McDivi
Mr. Wallace J. McDonald
Ms. Sarah Stuart McIlvain
Mr. David S. Michel
Mr. Walter E. Miller
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Miller
Mr. and Mrs. Bernhard P.
Molldrem
Mrs. Jean Murray
Mr. and Mrs. Michael R. Neuner
Mr. Jeff Pacelli
Ms. Connie S. Palumb
Ms. Marilyn Pinsky
Mr. Bertel H. Schmid
Mr. and Mrs. Arlene
and Joseph Scrivani
Ms. Roberta M. Severson
Mr. Michael Stanczyk
The William G. Pomeroy
Foundation
Ms. DorotheaTheodore
Ms. Janice Whitcraft
and Mr. Hart Seely
Mr. and Mrs. J. Warren Young
Up to $100
Anonymous
Ms. Arlene Abend
Ms. Maxine Adams
Ms. Diane Adler-Farnach
Ms. Ellen Agnew
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Agostini
Ms. Erma Agresti
Mrs. Marjorie H. Agresti
Mrs. Sally B. Alden
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Alexander
Linda Alexander
All Saints Catholic Church

Robert and Jeanne Anderson
Mr. Oliver Anderson
Ms. Betty Andrews
Mr. Russell S. Andrews
and Ms. Linda Henley
Ms. Marty Angelone
Ms. Jo Appleton
Ms. Donna M. Arseneau
Ms. Cassandra Ashman
Mr. Michael E. Auer
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Aupperle
Mr. Geordy P. Austin
Mr. John Auwaerter
Ms. Joan H. Back
Sallie and Dwight Bailey
Ms. Jo Anne Bakeman
Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Baldwin
Mr. Joe Bangnoski
Ms. Stephanie Baran
Senator and Mrs. H. Douglas
Barclay
Mr. Robert Barnello
Ms. Elizabeth H. Barre
Ms. Joan Barre
Ms. Mary Barre
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Barry
Mr. and Mrs. S. Jeffrey Bastable
Mr. and Mrs. Elizabeth
and Jorge Batlle
Ms. Florence J. Baur
Ms. Anne M. Bazydlo
Ms. Terrie Bean-Minero
Mr. Edward Becker
Dr. David W. Beebe
Ms. Jayne Beilke
Ms. Nancy W. Bell
Ms. Barbara Bell
Mr. Niles F. Bell
Ms. Deborah Bendig
Ms. Dorothy C. Benedic
Ms. Geraldine Berish
Ed and Angela Berna
Ms. Carrie Berse
Ms. Carol Biesemeyer
Dr. and Mrs. William A.
Billingham
Ms. Joyce A. Bird
Ms. JaneenBjork
Mr. Raymond T. Blackwell
Mr. Douglas Blanchard
Ms. Claire Bobrycki
Mrs. JoAnn L. Bock
Mr. Thomas W. Bock
Ms. June Bomberger
Mr. and Mrs. Ron Bor
Ms. Julie Bourke
Mr. and Mrs. John T. Bowser
Ms. Mary Jo Boya
Ms. Nancy A. Boyle
Dr. Brian P. Boyle
Ms. Susan Branson
Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Bra
Mr. Christopher Braun
Del Breazeale
Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Brown
Mr. and Mrs. William W. Brown
Ms. Sedona Brown
Mrs. Joann P. Brown
Mr. Adam J. Bruce
Ms. Caryl R. Buck
Honorable MinnaBuck
Mr. JasonBuck
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Buckley
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen W.
Buechner
Dr. Charles E. Bullock
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy D. Bunn
Ms. Barbara Burke
Mr. and Mrs. William Burrows
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Burton
Ms. Elisabeth W. Burton
Mr. Carl Byrne
Mr. Lawrence G. Byrnes
Mr. George B. Cady
Mr. Ronald M. Capone
Mr. and Mrs. George
and Marion Capria
Sue and Nick Caputo
Mr. Leon Carapetyun
Mr. and Mrs. Richard
and Colleen Carbery
Mrs. Beverly Carlson
Ms. Virginia Carmody
Ms. Maryann Carrigan
Ms. Cynthia C. Carter
Ms. Marjorie D. Carter
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Casale
Mr. Steve Case
Mr. and Mrs. William Casey
Dr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Cassady
Ms. Jane Cate
Mr. A. Scott Cauger
Ms. Stephanie Cavallaro
Ms. Barbara H. Caveny
Ms. Elizabeth Chapman
Ms. Diane Chappell-Daly
Mr. Brendan Charlebois
Mr. and Mrs. Alexander N.
Charters
Ms. Sarah C. Chase
Ms. Amanda Chase
Mr. Michael Cheslik
Ms. Christine Chiappone
Mr. John A. Chistolini
Ms. Orlene K. Chrismer
Ms. Joan Christensen
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony C.
Ciarpelli
Mr. and Mrs. Alan
and Carole Ciciarelli
Mr. Anthony Cimino
Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Clark
Dick and Barb Clark
Lynn and Cecile Cohen
Ms. Eleanora Collins
Mrs. Ruth Colvin
Mr. Gary Comins
Mr. Edward Conan
Ms. Theresa Constantine
Mr. Kevin Cook
Dr. Derek Cooney
Mr. David Cooper
Mr. Michael L. Corp
Ms. Elizabeth S. Costello
Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Cote
Mr. John T. Cowin
Crawford & Stearns
Ms. Phyllis E. Creamer
and Mr. Michael Kingston
Mr. James Creveling
Ms. Susan Crosse
Mr. Don Crosse
Mr. David S. Cuculich
Mr. Richard Pass Curran
Ms. Margaret D. Curtin
Mr. Daniel Curtin
Mr. Shannon David
Mr. and Mrs. Lynn Davis
Mr. Judson W. Davis
Ms. Kathryn G. Davis
Mr. and Mrs. Lee DeAmicis
Ms. Darothy DeAngelo
Mrs. Barbara E. DeAngelo
Ms. BonnieDeboer
Mr. Frank N. Decker
Mr. James Decker
Ms. Suzanne Defuria
Ms. Brenda DeGroff
Ms. Kristine Delaney
Mr. and Mrs. Paul W. deLima
Mr. and Mrs. John
and Joanne Demetro
Ms. Deede Rosa
Mr. Rick Destito
Mr. Ned Deuel
Ms. Kaye M. Devesty
Dr. and Mrs. Robert F. Dewey
Ms. Cheryl A. Dickinson
Mr. Paul Dillon
Dr. Joseph F. DiMento
Ms. Dorothy Dimento
Mr. and Mrs. Jim
& Anne DiStefano
Mr. J. Roy Dodge
Ms. Susan M Donelan
Ms. Mary Donovan
Ms. Cathy Dornton
Mr. Stephen J. Dreher
Ms. Margreta Drexler
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Driscoll
Ms. Elaine Dubroff
Ms. Susan Duerr
Ms. Faye Duerr
Mr. Skip Due
Ms. Stella Duffee
Ms. Mary M. Duffin
James and Marlene Dunford
Mr. and Mrs. R. Wayne Dunham
Ms. Mary Dunn
Mr. and Mrs. Judith
and John Durling
Ms. Carol Dwyer

Ms. Kristin Earle
Ms. Carol Eaton
Mr. William B. Eberhard
Mr. Harold Edwards
Mr. and Mrs. William Edwards
Mrs. Nancy E. S. Edwards
Ms. Betty S. Edwards
Mr. and Mrs. Paul
and Sue Eiholzer
Ms. Carrie Ellio
Ms. Bella Ellio
Mr. Robert A. Emery
Ms. Susan A. Estabrook
Dr. Alfred E. Falcone
Ms. Lynn H. Fallon
Ms. Jeannette Fanelli
Dominic and Joyce Farrell
Mr. William R. Farrell
Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm P. Fekete
Ms. Vicki Feldman
Ms. Norma S. Feldman
Mr. Thomas F. Ferguson
Ms. Anne B. Ferguson
Mr. Timothy M. Ferlito
Ms. Barbara Fero
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Field
Mr. Joseph Finelli
Mr. George D. Finkbeiner
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Fiscoe
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Fish
Ms. Valerie Fish
Fish Cove
Ms. Ruth G. Fitzmorris
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Flaherty
Mr. James S. Flanagan
Ms. Donna Folle
Mr. James M. Fooks
Mr. David Ford
Mr. and Mrs. Roger Forell
Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Forth
Mr. Thomas L. Fox
Ms. Thailand Fralick
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald
and Sheila Francis
Mr. Walley Francis
Friends of the Rosamond
Gifford Zoo
Mr. Arthur Fritz
Mr. and Mrs. Gary Fros
Ms. Renee K. Gadoua
Mr. John Gaida
Mr. William Galvin
Ms. Diana Gandino
Ms. Carrie Ganne
Ms. Martha Gardner
Edward and Deborah Gasparini
Ms. Donna Gataletto
Mr. and Mrs. Clinton R. Gay
Mr. Stephen H. George
Mr. and Mrs. James W. Georges
Mr. Leonard E. Gerber
Ms. Janice P. Gere
Ms. Emily Gere
Ms. Christine M. Gianquinto

Mr. John M. Glisson
Mr. and Mrs. Susan
and Robert Glisson
Mr. Miguel Goodlin-Saenz
Mr. William J. Goodwin
Ms. Joan C. Green
Mrs. James H. Greene
Ms. Jeanne H. Greenhalgh
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Grooms
Ms. Carolyn S. Gross
Mr. Samuel Gruber
Ms. Susan Hagan
Mr. and Mrs. Susan and John Hall
Mr. and Mrs. B. L. Hall
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hamel
Ms. Susan I. Hamilton
Ms. JeanneHammer
Ms. Roberta O Hampson
Ms. MarthaHancock-Olech
Ms. SamaraHannah
Marcia and WilliamHanne
Mr. and Mrs. H. Baird Hansen
Mr. and Mrs. GeneHares
Mr. David B. Harper
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Harris
Mr. and Mrs. Larry Harris
Mr. Thomas Harris
Ms. Wendy Harris
Mrs. Mary Louise Hartenstein
Mr. Bruce G. Harvey
Mr. Paul Harvey
Mrs. John M. Hastings
Mr. and Mrs. Edward K. Haven
Mr. William Havens
Ms. Kitty Hayes
Mr. and Mrs. Burnett D. Haylor
Ms. DianeHeaphy
Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Heaphy
Ms. Jeanette B. Heath
Ms. Marilyn Heebink
Mr. Richard Heimerman
Mr. Jeremy David Heiser
Ms. Dorothy Heller
Mr. and Mrs. John Hemmerlein
Mr. and Mrs. H. Ernest Hemphill
Mr. Michael Henry
Mr. and Mrs. Michael T. Henson
Mr. and Mrs. Victor Hershdorfer
Mr. Robert Herz
Mr. and Mrs. David Hildenbrand
Ms. Mary Anne Hogan
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hogan
Ms. Diana L. Hogue
and Mr. Thomas Schur
Ms. Deborah Holler
Ms. Carole Horan
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hovey
Ms. Karen Howe
Ms. Shirley A. Hubbel
Ms. Dorothy Huber
Mrs. Patricia L. Hudelson
Ms. Mary Hueber
Mr. Don Hughes
Mrs. Susan Hummel

Mr. Kevin Hun
Mr. and Mrs. Max
and DorisHuyck
Dr. Clelia Ilacqua
Ms. Patricia Infantine
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Irvine
Dr. JohnIsaac
Mr. and Mrs. Wendy
and Richard Isome
Mrs. Mary D. Iversen
Ms. Jeanne Jackson
Mr. Leon Jacobson
Mr. and Mrs. Judy
and Neal Janaushek
Mrs. Marilyn Jenkins
Ms. Norma Jenner
Ms. Helen Jennings
Mr. Rolf Jesinger
Mr. and Mrs. David Johnson
Ms. Pamela E. Johnson
Ms. Paulette Johnson
Ms. Eleanor Johnson
Mr. Jeffrey Jones
Ms. Michele Jordan
Mr. Andrew Jordan
Mr. Clarence L. Jordan
Mr. Steven Joslin
Ms. Marjorie T. Julian
Ms. Eileen Julian
Dr. and Mrs. Allan Kanter
Linda & Zach Karmen
Ms. GwenKay and
Mr. Jeffrey Sneider
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence W. Keefe
Mr. Norman O. Keim
Mr. Dale F. Kelso
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Kenan
Ms. Sharon Kennedy
Ms. Lynn E. Kenyon
Ms. Darlene Kerr
Mr. Tony Keser
Mr. and Mrs. Ali Keskin
Ms. Lucinda Kiehl
Mr. Ronald Killian
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Kimball
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Kimber
Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Kimm
Mrs. Roberta M. Kincaid
Mr. Bruce C. King
Mr. Elbridge Kinne
Mr. Gregory Kinnetz
Mr. George M. Kirkpatrick
Ms. Dee A. Klees
Mr. Jerry Klineberg
Mr. Phillip Garry Klink
Ms. Leslie Kno
Col William B. Knowlton
Mr. Frank Kobliski
Mr. and Mrs. Nick Kochan
Ms. Holly A. Koenig
Barry and Kathy Kogu
Mr. Randall H. Korman
Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Koten
Ms. Suzanne Kowalczyk

Mr. Carleton B. Laidlaw
Ms. Gloria LaManna
Mr. and Mrs. KenLance
Ms. Martha Lawson
Mr. Nathaniel Lawson
Ms. Jacqueline K. Lee-Engel
Ms. Judy Lennox
Ms. Meredith Leonard
Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Lerner
Linda and Jerry Limper
Mr. and Mrs. Stan Linhors
Mr. Frank Lipari
Mr. Frank Lipari
Mr. and Mrs. Donna and
SidneyLipton
Ms. Melanie Littlejohn
Ms. Deborah Litz
Ms. Lisa Loftus
Mr. Douglas Logan
Mr. James Loperfido
Mr. and Mrs. Lars Lorentzon
Ms. Carol Louise
Ms. Barbara E. R. Lucas
Ms. CynthiaLush
Mr. and Mrs. Steve Lutwin
Mr. James E. Mackin
Mr. and Mrs. Donald
MacLaughlin
Mr. Neil K. MacMillan
Ms. Susan Magee
The Hon. William B. Magnarelli
Ms. Dee Maguire
Ms. Linnea K. Makela
Ms. Kathleen Maloney
Ms. Debra Maloney
Mr. and Mrs. Cliff
& Bobbi Malzman
Mr. and Mrs. David Mankiewicz
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Mannion
Mr. John F. X. Mannion
Mr. and Mrs. Henry D. Manwell
Mr. Matthew Marko
Mr. and Mrs. Craig
and Erica Martin
Ms. Marcia Martin
Mr. Albert Martinez
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick S. Marty
Ms. Patricia Marzola
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald J. Mathews
Mr. Donald M. Mawhinney
Mr. and Mrs. John McCann
Mr. R. Daniel McCarthy
Mr. John F. McCarthy
Ms. Margaret McCormick
Mr. Terrence McGovern
Mrs. Sue McManus
Ms. Diane L. Medvitz
Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Mellor
Mr. Luis Mendez
Ms. Penny Mercer
Ms. Sarah Merrick
Ms. Kathryn H. Metherell
Mr. John G. Meyer
Ms. Mary Lou Michalec
Ms. Marie Miczan
Mr. and Mrs. JimMiller
Ms. Donna Z. Miller
Ms. Susan Pope Mille
Ms. Saundra Mnich
Ms. A. W.Moffa
Ms. Pauline M. Monz
Ms. Ann L. Moore
Mr. and Mrs. Francis C. Morigi
Mr. and Mrs. Dan and Lynn
Morrow
Ms. Elizabeth Mosher
Mr. and Mrs. Donald G. Moss
Michael and JoyMoss
Ms. Margaret R. Muller
Ms. Martha E. Mulroy and Dr.
David Manfredi
Mr. and Mrs. John David Mura
Ms. Pam Murray
Mr. and Mrs. R.Murre
Mr. and Mrs. Allen Naples
Native American Cultural
Center, Inc.
Mr. Thomas H. Neale
Ms. Sydney Newell
Mr. Paul Newman
Ms. Suzanne Nichols
Ms. Joan M. Nicholson
Mr. Larry Novak
Ms. Kenitha Nugen
Mr. Robert L. Obers
Ms. Kathleen OBrien
Mr. and Mrs. David M. ODonnell
Mr. William E. OLeary
Mr. John Omicinski
Dr. Alexis ONeill Boeshaar
Ms. Judy Oplinger
Mr. John OTier
Mrs. Carolyn C. Otis
Mr. Marcus Overdyk
Mr. Denny Owen
Ms. Patty Pack
Ms. Joyce F. Packard
Ms. Nancy Page
James and Kathryn Palladino
Ms. Cathy L. Palm
Ms. Dorianne B. Parker
Ms. Barbara Patrick
Mr. Haden Patten
Ms. Eleanor Pearlman
Mr. Roy J. Pearson
Ms. Patricia Pellenz
Ms. Rochelle Perrine
Ms. Eleanor K. Peterson
Ms. Judith Peterson
Dr. and Mrs. Eric O. Petti
Mr. Warren R. Petty
Ms. Christina Pezzulo
Dr. Paul E. Phillips

Ms. Marsha Phillips
Mr. and Mrs. Robert
and Jane Picke
Ms. Joan B. Pierson
Mr. Nicholas J. Pirro
Ms. Julie L. Pitcher
Plan and Print Systems, Inc.
Mr. Steve Plank
Ms. Sherrie Plouff
Mr. Marian Poczobu
Mr. Craig Polhamus
Mr. Fred Popp
Mr. and Mrs. Karen
and Joe Porcello
Mr. and Ms. Ann and Howard Por
Mr. and Mrs. William W. Porter
Mr. JoelPotash
and Ms. Sandra Hurd
Ms. Laura Powers
Mr. Nelson Price
Mr. Vincent T. Prindle
Mr. John Przepiora
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Pytko
Ms. Kathleen Quigley
Ms. Diane Quin
Mr. and Mrs. Gary Radke
Mr. Gary Radus
Ms. Ruth Ragonese
Dr. Michael Ratner
Ms. Scarlett Rebman
Ms. Cleota Reed and Mr. David
Tatham
Mr. and Mrs. MichaelReed
Ms. MariaReed
Mr. TimothyRegin
Ms. Mary EllenReistrom
Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Remling
Mr. Stephen A. Resnick
Ms. Mariana L. Rhoades
Mr. Timothy E. Rice
Ms. M. Catherine Richardson
Ms. Mary Richardson
Mr. David Rink
Mr. Francis R. Rivette and Ms.
Judith LaManna Rivette
Daniel and GailRizzo
Mr. Jordan M. Roach
Ms. Karen Robinson
Lucille and Michael Roche
Dr. Sally Roesch Wagner
Mr. Charles Roeschlaub
Ms. Ann Louise Rogers
Ms. Gloria Romeo
Mr. Michael E. Roo
Mr. Norman Roth
Ms. Patricia H. Roth
Mr. and Mrs. Arnold and Libby
Rubenstein
Mr. Mel Rubenstein

Rudy Schmid Inc., Body & Frame
Shop
Ms. Ellen F. Runge
Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Russell
Ms. Theresa Russo
Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Russo
Mr. and Mrs. William F. Ryan
Dr. Vicky Ryan
Ms. Linda Ryan
Ms. Mary Ellen Ryan
Mr. Thomas W. Ryan
Dr. and Mrs. Jalal Sadrieh
Ms. Laurie Sanderson
Mr. George N. Sarkus
Ms. Marie Sarno
and Mr. Chris DeVoe
Mr. Peter Sarver
Mr. Peter P. Scalzo
Ms. Ruth Schermerhorn
Mr. and Mrs. James M. Scherzi
Ms. Josie T. Schieffelin
Ms. Judy A. Schmid
Ms. Carol M. Schoeneck
Dr. and Mrs. Edward W.
Schoenhei
Ms. Karen Scholl
Mr. John Schopfer
Judge Jack Schultz
Mr. and Mrs. Vito Sciscioli
Dr. and Mrs. Kendrick A. Sears
Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Secor
Sedgwick Farm
Neighborhood Assoc.
Mr. and Mrs. Milton Serne
Mr. Anthony S. Sgarlata
Ms. Christine Shapiro
Mr. Richard Sheeran
Mr. and Mrs. Walter
and Nancy Shepard
Mr. David A. Shetland
Ms. Jan Shollenberger
Ms. Rhoda Sikes
Ms. Adelaide Silvia
Ms. Carolyn Simmer
Mr. and Mrs. John Sindoni
Ms. Marcy J. Singer
Mr. Lance Skapura
Mr. Robert Skopek
Ms. Cauleen Smith
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Smith
Mr. Peter F. Smith
Mr. Daniel Smothergill
Mr. and Mrs. Siegfried Snyder
Mrs. Elsa A. Soderberg
Mr. and Mrs. Neal B. Sorkin
Dr. and Mrs. George Soufleris
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Spalding
Mr. James Spano
Specialty Welding &

Fabricating of NY, Inc.
Ms. Mary Spencer-Geer
Mr. and Mrs. Norb Spiegel
Mr. Theodore Stafford
Mr. Nick Stamoulacatos
Ms. Anastasia Staniec and Mr.
Ron Nole
Ms. LorraineStanton
Mr. Robert L. Stanton
M/M Charles & CathyStedman
Mr. Jamieson R. Steele
Mr. Stephen Stehman
Mr. and Mrs. Louis J. Steigerwald
Mr. Louis John Steigerwald
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Steigerwald
Mr. Donald L. Steinaker
Ms. Heidi A. Stephens
Ms. Sharon M. Stevens
Ms. Arlene Stewar
Ms. Betsy Stone
Ms. Martha J. Stratton
Mr. Raymond J. Straub
Ms. Kathleen A. Stribley
Ms. Olga H. Suhole
Mr. and Mrs. Everett Sullivan
Ms. Barbara A. Sutton
Mrs. Marilyn W. Swanson
Chancellor Kent Syverud
Mr. and Ms. Sheva
and Jordan Tannenbaum
Mr. Timothy M. Taylor
Mr. and Mrs. Marge
and Fred Teillon
Ms. Delia Temes
Mr. Paul Terrien
Robert and Marilyn Thayer
The Gifford Foundation
The Phillips Family
The Questers
Ms. Josephine Thomas
Mr. and Mrs. Peter
and Martha Thompson
Ms. Kathy Thompson
Ms. Janet B. Thorna
Mr. Gregory Titus
Ms. Lillian M. Tokarz
Ms. Mary Jane Train
Ms. Natalie Trump
Mr. Howard Tupper
Mr. and Mrs. A. Dale Tussing
Ms. Barbara J. Ullrich
Ms. Catherine Underhill
Ms. Anne Uva
Ms. Judy Valentino
Ms. Dale Van Buren
Ms. Faith Van Voolen
Village of Solvay - Library Fund
Ms. Stephanie Vincen
OHA also wants to thank the people & organizations that

use the Carolyn & Richard Wright Research Center.
Mr. Arthur J. Vinette

Ms. Kathy Vogel
Mr. Charles Walker
Mr. Ronald Wall
Ms. Mary Kate Walsh
Mr. Fran Walter
Dr. Daniel Franklin Ward
Mr. Robert Wargulski
Mr. John R. Webb
Ms. Sheila Weed
Mr. Robert M. Weicher
Mr. Robert Weiner
Ms. Pia Weinheimer
Mr. Ben Weisfuse
Ms. Kathleen Weiss
Mr. Volker Weiss
Ms. Barbara W. Weller
Ms. Judith Wellman
Mr. John Wesche
Dr. Quentin Wheeler
Ms. Shirley Hotchkiss Whee
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen
& BeverlyWhite
Mr. and Mrs. James D. White
Mr. Lee Whitted
Mr. John H. Wiesner
Mr. and Ms. Renee and
Christopher A. Wiles
Ms. Linda Jane Willauer
Mr. and Mrs. James F. Williams
Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Williams
Mr. Sheldon S. Williams
Ms. Natalie Williams-Dardaris
Ms. Donna Willis
Ms. Edith L. Willoughby
Ms. Lynn Harper Wilson
Ms. Maryann Winters
Ms. Nancy Wolco
Mr. Ronald H. Wolf
Ainsley Wonderling
Mr. Kenneth J. Wooster
Ms. Linda A. Wozniak
Mr. and Mrs. H. John Wrigh
Dr. and Mrs. Richard N. Wrigh
Mr. and Mrs. John C. Wyman
Mr. Paul H. Young
Ms. Margaret Young
Mr. and Mrs. George A. Zacharek
Mr. Richard A. Zalewski
Mr. Howard Zendle
Mrs. Joanne Zinsmeister-Yarwood
Ms. Loretta Zolkowski
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas
and Esther Zorn
NOTE to our Contributors: If
there are any inaccuracies, we
apologize and ask that you
let us know in order for us to
update our files.
Marcellus
Shale?
by Dick Case
Fragments below exposure offissileMarcellus black shale atMarcellus, NY
o we know how the rock formation got that name?

Or, who named it?
The name is at least 175 years old and the name-giver is

identified as Prof. James Hall, the New York State geologist
and paleontologist at the time, 1839. In his exhaustive study,
Geology of New York, we are told by Encyclopedia
Britannica that Hall first used the term, Marcellus Shales
in the 1839 version of his study. Hall was said to have
picked the name because of a distinct outcropping of shale
in the Town of Marcellus, near Marcellus Park, just south
of Marcellus village. The name has stuck, all these years,
and that formation still is visible.
M arcellus shale is a black shale formation extending
underground into Ohio and West Virginia. It is said to

contain some 489 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The layer
of Marcellus shale extends from New Yorks Finger Lakes
region and Southern Tier through Western Pennsylvania into
Eastern Ohio and much of West Virginia, covering more
than 100,000 square miles.
also close to another interesting natural phenomenon of the

area, the so-called Disappearing Lake of Pleasant Valley
(also known locally as Pumpkin Hollow).
We can still see the Marcellus shale outcroppings near the

road that drew James Halls attention almost two centuries
ago. Theres another outcropping at the Gorge Road, north
of Marcellus village and the railway tunnel thats less visible.
Marcellus Historical Society has a 1915 photograph in its
archives identifying this feature as The Nose.
I was able recently to verify my fathers stories about the
man on the Spinks property with the help of Marcellus
historian (and mayor) John Curtin. Johns research produced
an undated article from the Marcellus Observer weekly
newspaper describing one Hans Frasch, who represented
a company that leased land on Slate Hill from the Spinks
family.
Marcellus shale is much in our attention these days as we
argue about the process called hydraulic fracturing (aka

hydrofracking) designed to release gas trapped in the shale
for centuries. It is a matter of much controversy.
I have a faint connection to the Marcellus shale story. I grew

up in the western Onondaga County village of Marcellus.
My father, Giles Case, told me about the man who worked
out of a little hut near Slate Hill Road, where Lee-Mulroy
Highway swings around Marcellus Park. This is the site of
Spinks Memorial Camp, where I used to spend overnights
when I belonged to Troop 66, Boy Scouts, in Marcellus. Its
Map showing the extent of Marcellus Shale
T he article, from the 1920s, explained

that Frasch has a little house up there,
used as his laboratory, where he works
each day. The land, according to the
Observer article, was leased, with an
option to buy, by corporate interests.
The land was owned by Mark Spinks and
others. Elsewhere in the article, those
corporate interests were identified as
the Lupher interests have found some
diggings near Fulton, of which the
newspapers have made lively stories.
of the ground with high-pressure, superheated water. There was something about
it in our chemistry book in high school.
This was verified in the Marcellus
Observer story about Frasch in which
Miss Arvins, a chemistry teacher at
Marcellus High School, a fellow boarder
at Emily Grays, mentioned the lessons
on sulphur in the text to Hans Frasch
and he confirmed he and his brother had
invented the process.
In 2010, when I wrote about the Frasches

in the Post-Standard, Dan Ross, Marcellus
town supervisor, said a few test gas wells
were sunk at Rose Hill, south of U.S.
Route 20 , in recent years but these have
been capped, pending future regulation
by the state, which still has a ban on
fracking in New York. n
Hans Frasch, and his brother, Herman,
were identified as the inventors of a

method of extracting sulphur from the
rock deposits by drilling down 500 feet
and inserting a heated pipe containing
compressed air. This forced the sulphur
to the surface, where the melted sulphur
was forced into bins, where it solidified.
The Frasches were natives of Germany.
The Observer article stated Hans Frasch
August 7, 1922,
The Syracuse Herald
makes his home with Mrs. Emily Gray and is seen daily
on his way to his duties.
An August 1922 story in the Syracuse Herald confirmed that

leases were obtained from the Spinks family for searches
for natural gas and other products. An earlier article in
the same newspaper reported that 30,000 acres of farm
land in the towns of Onondaga, Skaneateles, Marcellus and
Camillus were leased to an Ohio company in a search for oil
and natural gas. A March 1922 story said gas drilling was
to start soon in the Town of Marcellus along Howlett Hill
Road, near the modern Tuscarora Golf Course. We dont
know the outcome of this exploration. The site of the Frasch
experiments is empty of any signs of gas drilling today.
Jane Spinks Smith, a member of the family that leased to the
Frasch brothers, explained to me in 2010 that the family was

aware of the history of the land where her grandfather, Amos
Spinks, deeded 50 acres to Marcellus Citizens Club to be
used by local Boy Scouts and other groups. Jane still lives
on the property and said she believes an old foundation still
visible on it was used by the Frasches. She said shed heard
stories that Herman Frasch was interested in making paint.
Howard Smith, a resident with strong Marcellus roots, told

me back in 1993 that the Spinks property was where Old
Man Frasch experimented with getting oil out of the shale.
He cut a big hole in the bank at one time, back in the 1920s.
They said he made paint out of it. I dont know. I do know
his brother invented the Frasch Process of getting sulphur out
Marcellus Shale bank along Rt 174 just

south of Slate Hill Road in Marcellus, NY
DIRECTIONS TO OHA:
Getting to OHA is easy just follow the directions and map, below:
From 690 Westbound: Take Townsend St. exit.
Turn left at bottom of ramp. Go to

4 light (Fayette St.) and turn right onto Fayette St. Go to 2nd light (Montgomery St.) and turn
left onto Montgomery St. OHA is halfway down the block on the left at 321 Montgomery St.
th
From 690 Eastbound: Take West St. exit.
At first light after offramp (intersection with Fayette St.) turn left onto Fayette St. Go to 5th light
(intersection with Montgomery St.) and turn right onto Montgomery St.
OHA is halfway down the block on the left at 321 Montgomery St.
From 81 Southbound: Take Clinton St. exit. Travel south on

Clinton Street until 6th light at Fayette St. Turn left onto Fayette St. Go to
the 3rd light and turn right onto Montgomery St. OHA is halfway down the
block on the left at 321 Montgomery St.
From 81 Northbound: Take Adams St. exit. Travel north on
Almond Street until 5th light at Fayette St. Turn left onto Fayette St. Go to
the 4th light and turn left onto Montgomery St. OHA is halfway down the
block on the left at 321 Montgomery St.
PARKING NEAR OHA:
We recommend parking in the garage

on the corner of Fayette Street and Montgomery Street. The entrance is on
Fayette Street, between State Street and Montgomery Street. The price is
lower than street parking for 2 hours just $1/hour for the first 2 hours, and it is closer to
OHA than the majority of street parking available (including many of those on Montgomery
Street) and you wont get an expensive parking ticket just because your meter time ran out!
Other parking facilities are marked on the map, and there is, of course, metered parking
available on surface streets.
NON-MEMBERS are also welcome to visit our research center
(for a fee of $7.00 per visit) when it is open to the public on Wednesdays-
Fridays 10am-2pm and on Saturdays 11am-3:30pm to find more local stories
OHA Hours
History Museum and Gift Gallery
OHA WISH LIST
Old manual typewriters with metal keys Flat screen TVs (32 or larger)
New or used power or hand tools
We are looking for new or used items with current or recent technology. For used
items we ask that they have a reasonable useful life remaining. Donations of items
themselves or contributions toward the purchase of these items will be appreciated.
VOLUNTEERS APPEAL
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Sat-Sun 11am-4pm
Research Center
Wed-Fri 10am-2pm
Sat 11am-3:30pm
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gift shop for a few hours or more each week from 10-4 W-F and 11-4 Sat-Sun.
Archival Volunteers Needed! Were looking for great volunteers, who know how to type,
to help with our archival processing.
If youre interested in volunteering, please let us know! 315-428-1864 ext 324.
To download our volunteer application, please visit our website at cnyhistory.org.
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History Highlights Spring-Summer 2015

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VOL. 28 NO.

$5.00 SPRING / SUMMER 2015

Friday, June 12 & 19 from 6pm to 7:15pm

ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS

$5.00 SPRING / SUMMER 2015

OHA Gift Gallery Catalog

OHA History Highlights Spring/Summer 2015 1

OHA Board of Directors 2014-2015

Hon. Stephanie Miner

Volume 28, No. 1

2015 Onondaga Historical Association

All images in this newsletter are from OHA collections,

Many thanks to Paychex for providing top

OHA History Highlights Spring/Summer 2015 2

President Abraham Lincoln painting

Lincoln Box, the box in which assassin John Wilkes Booth

braham Lincoln paid two visits to Syracuse, the first

its passengers. On another occasion, there was an attempt

On Monday, February 11, 1861, the newly elected U.S.

Despite the incidents, Lincolns train continued to make

OHA History Highlights Spring/Summer 2015 3

locals in ogling the new president. At 9:52am, a cannon

Rev. Daniel Waldo (1762-1864)

OHA History Highlights Spring/Summer 2015 4

that same day in Syracuse, thousands gathered to eulogize

Stewart introduced the Honorable Charles B. Sedgwick,

OHA History Highlights Spring/Summer 2015 5

New York Central Railroad Special Time

Lincolns Eulogy in Hanover Square on April 19, 1865

OHA History Highlights Spring/Summer 2015 6

Gallery of the Louvre, by Samuel F. B. Morse

Gallery of the Louvre by Dick Case

painting described as an American masterpiece,

with Clarke. Townsend gave the painting to his daughter,

Morse, famed as inventor of the telegraph and Morse code,

The painting hung in the Clarke mansion until about 1875

In 1875, university Professor (of Fine Arts) George Knapp

OHA History Highlights Spring/Summer 2015 7

suffering from heat that had cooked the varnish so brown

famed Mona Lisa portrait. Morse included 10 human

OHA History Highlights Spring/Summer 2015 8

1834, but was not shown again until 1890, in an exhibit

York; and National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.,

Creekwalk in Franklin Square.

he Onondaga Creekwalk has proven to be one of

as early as 2004 to develop a permanent lobby exhibit for

This initial Creekwalk section, however, was not then linked

By 2007, the city had begun serious planning for extending

Although their former buildings were being converted to

Bradley Forging Hammers

As work on the Creekwalk extensions began a few years

OHA History Highlights Spring/Summer 2015 10

The topics and locations for the signs are as follows:

York Community Foundation, OHA developed a website that

Approximate Location Along Creekwalk

Syracuses urban waterway in an easy, interactive fashion.

Planned Giving Steps to the Future

f you were asked to name the birthplace of

device, called the Vitograph. Edison sued

Before the advent of television, Walls camera was used

The last building to house John Walls operations still

John Wall, of Syracuse, invented the first camera that

OHA History Highlights Spring/Summer 2015 13

Simes style of writing was often at