Updates and New Exhibit

Sorry I have not written on almost two years. I have been busy with a lot of other things for the museum. One of the things I did was complete a new listing of Bayside Cemetery in Potsdam NY, I started it in 2008. Its not as complete as I would like because I have not been able to get a hold of some records to get plot numbers for some people. In connection with the Bayside listing I started a blog about Bayside.

I have been writing articles for our Quarterly magazine. Others things I have worked on are:the most recent Remington Festival exhibit which opened last year, going through the Massena Observer issues on the Northern New York website to update our listing of Massena Calvary Cemetery, and on an online exhibit about the history of the buildings we sell as wooden miniatures. I am hopeful it will be up later this year.

Our newest exhibit opened in January, Its focus is on General Newton Martin Curtis who was the hero of Fort Fisher.

Painting of Gen Curtis that used to hang in the Administration building at the State Hospital in Ogdensburg

Also last year our director Trent Trulock resigned because he accepted a job at the Brewery what opened up in Canton. Our collections manager Sue Longshore replaced him. This month we hired a new collection manager named Cassidy Percoco.

New Exhibit!

        We would like to invite you to come and look at our new exhibit. William Rogers: Norfolk's Man of the World. It is the Judd Gallery in the Second Floor. It honors Norfolk native William P. Rogers who was President's Eisenhower's second Attorney General and President Nixon's First Secretary of State.

AURIGA Lodge. No. 809 I.O.O.F. Madrid, NY

   One of the artifacts we have recieved within the past year is this ribbon from the AURIGA Lodge No. 809 I.O.O.F. in Madrid, NY. I.O.O.F. stands for Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Its a fraternal organization works for the benefit of everybody. When I searched for information on this certain lodge on the Northern New York Historical Newspapers website I could only find notices about events and resolutions they passed on the passing of a member. I was hoping to find out when the lodge started, where they met and if and when it stopped. If anybody has any infomation they are willing to share with me so we could have the information for if we ever use this ribbon in an exhibit or if anybody is looking for information that would be great. Also if you have photos that would be great too!

Sorry

   Wow it has been almost a year since I last posted I am so sorry. I have really busy working on exhibits, redoing the Bayside Cemetery Listings and researching and writing articles for our Quaterly magazine. I am hoping to get back to writing on this blog soon.

Cornelia McFalls

One of our newest donations is a book of poems titled Forget-me-nots and Other Poems by Cornelia McFalls a local poetess. She was born May 10, 1831 in Rossie to Louis and Charity Pierce. On her 20th birthday she married Dr. David McFalls. She won some fame for writing campaign songs for the Hayes and Wheeler ticket in 1876. She died October 1909. Just before she died she had just completed the book but it was not published until after her death by Ruchard G. Badger, The Gorham Press Boston Mass.

Here is an except. It's a poem titled BIRTH-DAY POEM (this is how it was titled in the book) that she wrote to her daughter Alida when she turned 14.

"Now fourteen summers round your head

 Dear "Bobbin" thus, have quickly fled

 And all, the world to you, will seem

 Like one, continuous happy dream.

 To thee dear darling, I impart ;

 The love that fills my inmost heart;

 The cherished hopes, the fond desires,

 To which a mother's heart aspires'

 I read within your little face

 The father's likeness I can trace

 All the deep love that heretofore

 Had filled my heart in days of yore;

 And now again returns in thee

 Looks sacred, then in memory ;

 Time never changes, youth must glide

 From chilhood's hour to Woman's Pride!

 And Love, that presence, must Divine!

 Some time, dear child

 Will too be thine!

 Oh! God! I pray! this change

 May be a reign of bliss, dear one to thee."

Silas Wright at Martin Van Buren's House

Sorry it has been a while since I last updated this blog. I have been working on a lot of projects. My Family and I went to Salem MA for Vacation and on our way back we stopped at Lindenwald Martin Van Buren's Home in Kinderhook NY. We had been there in the early 1990's before we even heard of Silas Wright. The tour guide asked us a little bit about ourselves and my dad mentioned that I volunteered at the Silas Wright House and the tour guide said Silas had visited Van Buren there. When we went into the President's bedroom there was a small photo of Silas on top of the fire place. I took a few photos.

Hotels

Sorry I have not posted in a while, I was trying to come up with ideas for topics. I thought that it was summer and people are going in vacation that I would post photos of old hotels in the County. Of course in the olden days there were not the chain hotels we know today. Sadly most of them are not around anymore.

The 1st one is the Racquette House in Stark near Colton

It was built by Jerry Reynolds. His son William ran it for a while. Sometime late William McKizer ran it with his wife. In the 1930's it was owned by Northern New York Utilities. In 1935 a fire destroyed the building.

The 2nd hotel is the Hotel Wanakena in the town of Fine

 It was constructed by the Rich Lumber Co. At first it consisted of the center section and two wings. The east wing was enlarged in 1906.

The 3rd hotel is the St. Lawrence Inn in Gouverneur

It was built in 1894.  It is five stories it has a frontage of 46 ft. Robert Murphy opened it on July 1, 1895. Later owners/managers included the Getman Brothers of Theresa, Everett J. Peck, J.H. McLear and a corporation with (F.M. Pratt, C.R. Dewey, Mr. White and Carl Mayhew), Fred McCarney, G. Murray Holmes, Emerett A. Green who formed a corporation with his wife, and her brother H. Walter Lee, The Watertown Mattress Co brought it and made it into a store. During Mr. Mayhew's time more rooms with baths were added, phone service among other things was added.

The 4th hotel is the Hermon House or Hotel Hermon

All the info came from Newspaper Articles I found on the Northern New York Historical Newspapers Website.