www.heritagesquaremuseum.org
Vol 3 2015
The Village Blacksmith
By Liz Albright, Ontario Town Historian
The Village Blacksmith
Under a spreading chestnut tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Stuber Blacksmith Shop about 1900
The blacksmith was an essential part of early pioneer life in Ontario. One of the
blacksmith’s main jobs was to shoe horses. (A blacksmith who only worked with
horses was called a farrier.) Horses needed shoes to protect their hooves. The
blacksmith shaped the shoe to fit the horse’s hoof, rasped the hoof, then burned
and nailed the shoe on the hoof. Since such an important part of his job was
shoeing horses, the blacksmith worked very closely with animals. As a result,
many people often thought of him as a veterinarian and often asked his advice
concerning their sick or injured animals. In addition to making horseshoes, the village blacksmith made nails, wagon
wheels, hoops for barrels, fireplace utensils, farm tools, hinges, hooks, cooking
utensils and almost anything made of wrought iron. He was also the person the
farmers came to when they needed repairs to their broken ploughshares, wagons
or metal tools and equipment.
The main tools of the blacksmith was the forge, the hammer and the anvil. The
fire was kept burning in the raised brick hearth called a forge. The bellows were
used to fan the fire to keep it hot enough. Once the piece of iron was red hot,
the blacksmith would use tongs to hold the metal on his anvil. Then he would
hammer the hot metal into different shapes. The metal was then cooled in a tub
of water.
Peter Thatcher, who came to Ontario from Oneida County in 1807, was a
blacksmith by trade. He set up the first blacksmith shop in Ontario in 1811 near
his home in the Lake Road/Knickerbocker Road area.
The 1858 Gillette Wall Map of Wayne County and the 1867-68 Wayne County
Directory each list six blacksmiths in Ontario. According to the Beers Atlas of
Wayne County, by 1874 there were eleven blacksmiths – two in the Village of
Ontario, two in Ontario Center, three in Furnaceville, one on Ridge Road east
of Union Hill, one on Willits Road, one on Ontario Center Road south of Brick
Church Road and one on Furnace Road south of Putnam Road.
In a 1951 reminiscence of Mrs. Fannie Schnetzer, then 94 years old and a resident of Ontario Center Road, we learn of an old stone blacksmith shop located
on the east side of Ontario Center Road approximately one-half mile north of
Ridge Road. The shop was formerly called the “Little Furnace” probably because
of its two small ovens or furnaces that were used for making pig iron from the
locally mined ore. The blacksmith shop was operated by a man named “Flex”
Smith, and the building was also used as a meeting place for early settlers in the
neighborhood. A part of the shop was used as a pump house for the purpose of
pumping the accumulated water from the iron ore beds which were fed by natural
springs.
The blacksmith shop, many local folks may remember, was the Stuber Blacksmith Shop located on the north side of Ridge Road just east of the Ontario Center Hotel. About 1875, Seymour Stuber took over the blacksmith shop previously
run by John Ellsworth. Seymour ran the shop for over forty years. William took
over his father’s business to be joined later by his brother Grover. The brothers
worked together for several years and then Grover took the business alone when
William passed away in 1936. Grover finally closed the shop around 1966 at the
age of 79.
Several Stuber Blacksmith Shop ledger books in the possession of the Ontario
Town Historian show the names of clients and the work done for them. Much of
the work involved shoeing horses. However, other work such as repairing buggies, farm equipment, stoves or making hooks and tools were also done. Among
the clients were the Iron Company and the Rochester-Sodus Bay Railroad. While most entries indicate payment by cash, there are several payments
made by a cord of wood or one or two pounds of apples. The horseshoeing
part of the business was discontinued in 1946; and by the 1950s and 1960s, the
majority of work was repairing and sharpening tools and lawnmowers.
After the shop closed in 1966, Grover Stuber kept its memory alive by giving
tours and demonstrations to the many fourth grade students who visited the shop
on their annual field trip.
The blacksmith has survived, but now only as a specialty. The farrier now
shoes pleasure horses instead of work horses. Blacksmiths work as interpreters
of the past at restoration villages, craft shops, and working with wrought iron is
now being done to produce works of art rather than common tools or goods
Town of Ontario Historical Society
Announces Newly Elected Board Members
The Annual Dinner Meeting of the Town of Ontario Historical Society was held
on Wednesday, May 20th, 2015. Jim Switzer will continue in his term as president of the Board for the ensuing year. Ann Welker has been re-elected as vice
president. Marguerite Manning has been elected as secretary. Ed Kushall has
been elected to serve a three year term as treasurer. Two trustees have been
elected, Alayna DiSanto and George Mandery. Other board members remaining in current positions of trustee are: Billy Lochner, Judy Lynd, Bill Slocum and
Jim Codding. Liz Albright, Town of Ontario Historian, will continue to serve as a
non-voting member of the board as historic advisor.
Pictured L-R are new officers Alayna Disanto, Edward Kushall, George Mandery
and Ann Welker being installed by Retired Judge Beth Howard
ANNUAL REPORT
May, 2014 thru May, 2015 –Heritage Square Museum
•
Our season opened in 2014 with debut and dedication of Dr. Floyd
Thompson’s Buggy
•
We welcomed his grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other family
members at the event
•
Substantial time, talent & treasure was devoted throughout the year by numerous members, volunteers and community groups to support facilities,
newsletter, web page, mailings, tours, guides
•
Thanks to Ontario-Walworth Rotary Club for repair of siding at school
house and bridge repairs
•
Thanks to Ontario Garden Club for their continuing support and contributions to our property
•
Our Fall Arts and Crafts Festival was a success and we enjoyed support
from local artisan’s group
•
Both “Summer Sundays at the Square” were also successful and well
received by visitors and members
•
Winds and age led to break of large portion of the sugar maple tree; missing the log cabin by “inches”
•
During the dormant, winter season, the damaged portions of the sugar
maple tree were repaired and new cables installed by a licensed tree
surgeon.
•
Eagle Scout candidate Nathan Yoder of Ontario worked with Bill Slocum,
Jim Codding and Jim Switzer to plan and install a new walkway and steps
at the train station.
•
Received an unexpected bequest from the Estate of Wilson Johncox (He
was our charter president and passed at age 99 in Florida. He and Miriam
were long-time, founding members and benefactors of our society)
•
Received donations in memory of “Polly” Crombe and Ward Benedict.
•
Received a donation from Ann and Steve Tobin of 2 padded-seat folding
chairs from the former Howk and Mepham Funeral Home (mortuary and
furniture store ca. 1930s - 1950’s at 1996 Ridge Rd/Main St)
•
Repair of the roof on the 25-plus year old exhibit barn is the fund-raising
goal of the membership drive for 2015-2016
•
Heritage Square will serve as a rest stop on Saturday morning, June 13th
for the Tour de’ Cure
•
(Sponsored by the Rochester Chapter of the American Diabetes Associa-
tion)
•
We hosted our Mormon Service Teams for the second year and will host
them again this July
•
Weekend visitors, school tours and event guests totaled more than 2,000
persons in the past year
•
We received a grant from the Hoffman Foundation to repair the outhouse
at the school house and for additional display mannequins.
•
We received a grant from the Wayne County Antique Dealers’ Association
to restore Floyd Thompson, M.D.’s buggy
•
Our Business Partners’ program has grown to 20 local business memberships
•
Many volunteers, Mormon visitors and a community service worker restained the train station and apple dry house
•
New siding, doors and windows were installed on our “workshop” which is
a replica of a Rochester polling site
•
Shared ideas about possible joint and reciprocal programs with Ontario
Public Library highlighting the traditions, history and folklore of our community, with an emphasis on welcoming and informing new families about
Ontario
•
New chairpersons have volunteered for 2015 duties in scheduling/training weekend guides, editing the newsletter, and managing school tours
replacing many long term, dedicated volunteers
•
To increase awareness and, hopefully, participation, the BOD decided to
distribute approved meeting minutes by e-mail to the group e-mail used to
distribute our newsletter and e-blasts about publicity and current events
•
Our name and events were widely publicized, advertised and reported in
local print and non-print media
•
Community Outreach: Ridge Road Rummage Rage - Saturday, May 30th
– Baked Food Sale at 1178 Ridge Road
•
Community Outreach: Spinning wheel, quilt, toys from our collection displayed @ town hall/library lobby
•
Community Outreach: Photo Gallery – Town Hall – framed, color photos
of our buildings
•
Community Outreach: Multiple exhibits during the year in the town hall
lobby display case
•
Opening Weekend – Saturday, June 6th - Regular Weekend Hours;
Guides on Duty
•
Opening Weekend – Sunday, June 7th - Exhibit Barn Dedication, Debut
of Uniform Exhibit/Hats
•
Summer Sundays in 2015 – July 12th (Pioneer Family Day) & August 9th
(Music @ Square/Ice Cream Social) 1:30 – 4:00 p.m.
•
Fall Arts & Crafts Festival –– Saturday, October 3rd – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
•
Planned for 2015 are updating of the sleigh & cutter and the outhouse at
the school house
•
Our 2015 season will open with dedication of our exhibit barn to Bill & Polly Crombe in recognition of their many, many contributions to our society
and museum.
•
Past/Present members JoAnn Meaker, Jo Ann Check & Mary Jane Auch
have new books on sale in the gift shop
•
Special tribute to retirees: 15 years as treasurer, 20-plus and 6 years as
trustees and 4 years as secretary, respectively. Jean Tsepas,
Carol Boughton,
Nancy Cleveland
Alayna Di Santo
•
•
Jean, Nancy and Carol will shift to emeritus status and Alayna is seeking
election to a seat on the Board of Trustees
We are thrilled that Amelia Earhart “landed” at the square for our 2015
annual meeting on May 20, 2015
Jim Switzer, President, Board of Directors, 2012-2016
In Passing
Our condolences are extended to the family and friends of
J. Gregory Doyle who passed away June 6th. Greg and
his wife, Margaret, have been members of the Society
since 2005.
Membership News
We would like to thank everyone who returned their 2015 application and
dues. To date we have received $2,357 in dues, $921 to the unrestricted fund,
$370 to the endowment fund and $2,343 to the barn roof fund. There are still a
number of members who have not returned their application and check and we
ask you to please do so as soon as possible. Our count stands presently at: Life
Members –49; Patrons –19; Family –10; Individual – 8; Seniors-66; for a grand
total of 152 plus 24 businesses.
At this time we would like to welcome the following new members
John Check, Holly Springs, NC (returning member)
Veronica Crysel, Ontario, NY
Julie Dombroski, Ontario, NY
Mike and Pam Friedler, Ontario, NY (returning members)
Neil and Trish Giudice, Ontario, NY
William Ross, Williamson, NY
Mary Sfikas and family, Ontario, NY (returning members)
Shirley Shackelton, Dryden, NY
Chet and Tricia Yoder, Ontario, NY
Businesses:
Dennis Dey Plumbing & Heating, Ontario, NY
Kunzer Electric, Inc., Ontario, NY
Wilberts Lakeside, Ontario, NY
President
Vice-President
Secretary
Treasurer
Trustee
Trustee
Trustee
Trustee
Trustee
Trustee
Jim Switzer
Ann Welker
Marguerite Manning
Ed Kushall
Bill Slocum
Jim Codding
Alayna DiSanto
Billie Lochner
Judy Lynd
George Mandery
Ontario Town Liz Albright
Historian
585-750-2277
315-524-9330
585-265-1825
315-333-5228
315-524-4841
315-524-7837
315-589-9884
585-265-3863
585-271-4925
585-550-6662
[email protected]
[email protected]
Toothorn39@gmail
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
315-524-2942 ext. 703
315-524-9127
[email protected]
Proud Supporters
of the Heritage Square Museum
and the Town of Ontario Historical Society
We would like to publicly acknowledge and thank the following businesses who
have joined in supporting the Society and Heritage Square Museum. Please
patronize them whenever possible.
Alfred Pardi, Architect
465 Ontario Dr.
Tel. 315-524-7651
Concord Insurance Agency
6270 Dean Parkway
Tel. 585-265-6060
Crown Electric Supply Co. 75 Route 104
Tel. 585-265-2480
Don & Jon Lawn & Tree Service P. O. Box 5
Tel. 585-737-9891
Exelon Generation – Ginna Plant
1503 Lake Rd.
Tel. 585-771-5220
Furguson’s Hair Care
2005 Ridge Rd.
Tel. 315-524-8983
Gilson & Tobin DDS
6200 Slocum Rd.
Tel. 315-524-7433
Integrity Tool, Inc.
6485 Furnace Rd.
Tel. 315-524-4409
Joe Bishop Auto Sales, Inc.
114 Route 104
Tel. 585-265-0400
Joe’s Meat Market
6845 North Slocum Rd.
Tel. 315-524-8252
Konstantinou’s Liquor LLC
2024 Route 104
Tel. 315-524-3015
Konstantinou’s Restaurant
2030 Route 104
Tel. 315-524-8238
Lakeside Restaurant
6270 Lakeside Rd.
Tel. 315-524-3092
Lakeside Roofing & Siding Materials Inc.
6296 Lakeside Rd.
Tel. 315-524-9420
Lyons National Bank
6256 Furnace Rd. Tel. 315-524-9661
Mama Lor’s Union Hill Café
1891 Ridge Rd.
Tel. 585-545-4895
Murphy’s Funeral & Cremation Chapels
PO Box 426
1961 Ridge Rd.
Tel. 315-524-4621
Phil’s Automotive of Route 104, Inc.
1364 Route 104
Tel. 315-524-8129
Sparky’s Cans & Bottles
631 Ontario Center Rd.
Tel. 315-524-2267
Sue’s Hair Trends
2015 Ridge Rd.
Tel. 315-524-2766
The Original Door Store
1712 Route 104
Tel. 315-524-3776
We would like to also welcome three new businesses that have joined the Society and
thank them for their support.
Dennis Dey Plumbing & Heating
7204 North Slocum Rd.
Tel. 315-524-3646
Kunzer Electric Inc.
1006 Willits Rd.
Tel. 315-524-9814
Wilberts Lakeside
6333 Lakeside Rd.
Tel. 315-524-8800
Echoes from School Field Trips
to Heritage Square Museum Summer 2015
Our short time with visiting students from schools near and far is over already.
The docents had a great time. Everyone left feeling accomplished. We ran each
and every trip as scheduled. The weather cooperated for the most part, with
only a few small exceptions on two of the eight days. We are expecting students
to visit us in the fall again. If you had fun volunteering, please join us again in
September. If you did not get the chance in June, just call Polina and come on out
in the fall. It was so rewarding to read some of the teachers’ responses after their
trips. Here are some of them:
We had a delightful time! We absolutely loved the format of rotating from building to building, getting a focused talk about each place, and then hearing the bell
to signal rotating to the next place. We are so glad that we found our way to this
field trip. You are right about it being the “best kept secret in Wayne County”...
only one of the adults who joined us had heard of it before. We look forward to
going again next year. Thank you so much for making this work.
Our field trip was fantastic!! Your volunteers were knowledgeable, patient, and
kind to our second grade students. The rain hardly bothered us at all. We really
appreciated the time your volunteers spent teaching our students about local
history. We are looking forward to visiting again next year.
We had a wonderful time!! We will need to plan our next trip!
It was great!!! Will be in touch soon for next year. I would like to thank the
following people for making the school tours possible: George Mandery, Pat
Chakalis, Bob Davis, Ann Welker, Jean Johnson, Jim Graves, Vera Graves,
Richard Denison, Liz Albright, Kate Alessi, Carolyn Rittenhouse, Jean Davis, Ann
Sass, Alayna DiSanto, Mary Gwen Todd, Jinny Loomis, John Lynd, Carol Boughton, Mary Sfikas, Chris Butler, Sue Welker, Joyce Lyke, Donna Hudson, Veronica
Crysel, Judy Powley, Melinda Meagher, Allan Dombroski, Billie Lochner, Floyd
Welker. I could not have done it without you!! Polina Doran
Barn Sale Results Disappointing
Although the weather was fine, and the shoppers came in average numbers,
the total taken in at the spring barn sale was only $1881.00. This is lower than
the average fall sale and well under the $3000 usually realized by the spring barn
sale. Donations were down over the winter, perhaps because of the harsh weather. Drop-off days did not make up for the reduced number of items. Competition
from other organizations and the Ridge Road Rummage Run, all within a few
weeks of our sale, may have reduced the number of donations and money spent
by shoppers. We will hope for better luck in the fall.
Drop-off days for the fall sale will be Thursdays, August 27th and September
3rd, 6 to 8 pm, and Saturdays, August 29th and September 5th, 9 am to noon. As
always, you can contact Ann Welker at 315-524-9330 to arrange a more convenient drop-off time. PLEASE NOTE: We cannot accept any items until after the
Summer Sunday event on August 9.
Successful May 30th Bake Sale
By Carol Boughton
Many people are owed a thank you for making this sale a success. First to
Sharon Pray, our sales coordinator for her organization and energy, secondly to
all the great bakers, and members who made monetary donations, and lastly to
the members who made those important phone calls. Thank you to Katie Scott,
Nancy Cleveland, Pat Codding along with Sharon who worked the sale. We
were sold out by 2:00 PM.
Thank you to the BID people for hosting this event. A special thank you to
Travis Montgomery, a Wayne Central junior who helped me clean my garage to
get ready for the sale and Judy Powley who helped with signage. Oh the most
important, our final sales count was $376.50.
Heritage Square Museum is Our “Hidden
Gem” – Please Share It With Family &
Friends !!
www.heritagesquaremuseum.org
Vendors Wanted !
for the Fall Arts and Crafts Festival, October 3, 2015 Indoor and outdoor spaces available. Exhibit fee $30.
Please contact Judy Lynd for more information 585–271-4925
Some interesting facts ... enjoy
The year is 1914 --- One hundred years
ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics for the Year
1914:
The average life expectancy for men was 47.
Fuel for the 1914 model T Ford car was sold in drug stores only.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub. Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.
The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500
per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical
engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at home.
Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they
attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press
and the government as “substandard.”
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks
for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country
for any reason. The Five leading causes of death were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars...
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was only 30.
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn’t been invented yet.
There was neither a Mother’s Day nor a Father’s Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn’t read or write and only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local
corner drugstores.
Back then pharmacists said, “Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to
the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of
health!” (Shocking?)
Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic
help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.!