canisteo valley historical society, inc.newsletter arkport

CANISTEO VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC.NEWSLETTER
ARKPORT, N.Y.
April/May/June 2009 Vol. 6
Linda Burdett, Publisher
Nancy A. Glover, Editor
Dorothy J. Dunham, Asst. Editor
OUR READERS WRITE US
Rex McGraw of Massachusetts emailed: “Bravo! My brother [Jack] and I received the latest publication
and we were both very impressed with the articles. Of course, after reading about Buck Newsom, Jim Ells and the
Rod and Gun Club, we started talking about the old days in Arkport. Someone who knows more about them than
I do should do a story on Cecil and LeGrand McCarthy and their store. I used to pal around with Dean and we
would go down there on a hot summer afternoon and Cecil would give us Nehi Orange or make us a strawberry
soda since they had a soda fountain in the front of their grocery store. It was a great place to gather. Keep up the
good work. I know it takes a lot of effort, but the results are worth it, especially to us old timers who have nothing
to do but chew, rock and talk about the good old days. Keep ‘em coming!
The story about “Buck” Newsom has generated talk in the valley. Shirley Burdett, among others, wonders
about the fate of his spouse, Genevieve Rose White Newsom. We are working on this mystery, with no answers
yet. We’ll keep searching and hope to have a story soon.
Lois Schryver Harvey remembers “Buck” as he visited her family’s store, the Weiermiller Store (pictured
in the Historical Society’s DVD) in Rogersville (South Dansville). She was about 8-10 years of age and she
worked at the store. “Buck” sometimes came with a friend (James or Robert Stewart?), who was of small stature. This made “Buck’s” size even more impressive to a child of Lois’ age. She recalls that besides his stature, his
nature made an impression. He seemed special in his demeanor, being very polite and soft-spoken. Lois had a
sense that he was well educated and articulate. There is a correction to be noted. The young woman who rode
with “Buck” in his wagon to South Dansville was not Margaret, but Mildred Weiermiller, and she was Lois’
mother. Lois remembers that her mother cautioned her that Mr. Newsom had lice, as he had reportedly told
Mildred after the ride.
As reported in the original article, the Coroner noted that Newsom’s death was from natural causes. Henry Briggs was told by his father, Leo Briggs, and Ronald Karr was told by his grandfather, Joseph Jones,
that the death resulted from a strangulated hernia.
Henry Briggs was also told by his father that “Buck” picked up a horse. This story is confirmed by
Shelton Lawrence, who recalls that “Buck” had an ill horse. He wanted Shelton’s father, Arnold Lawrence, a
knowledgeable “horse man”, to come take a look at the horse after chores. The horse was standing in a stall. To
get a better look at the horse, Arnold was preparing to slap the horse’s rear to get him to turn. Shelton says that
“Buck” wouldn’t let that happen to a sick horse. Instead, he squatted beneath the horse’s belly, picked up the
horse on his back, and gently turned him around so that they could have a better look.
Shelton Lawrence also had memories of “Buck’s” career-ending accident. “Buck” blamed himself for the
fatal injury to his last opponent, and chose to end his career in the ring. Shelton points out, however, that there
was no medical report, as there would be today. Such life threatening possibilities as an aneurysm or heart attack
were not investigated; perhaps Newsom did not need to take responsibility, but his earnest and gentle nature led
him to do so.
A tour of Odeon Hall at the time of the Arkport Bi-Centennial celebration in 1997 sparked a memory of
Irene Floyd who remembered seeing a poster of a “Buck” Newsom event. Gary Schultheis retrieved the poster
from Odeon Hall, which is above his place of business. It is printed, with misspelling, on the back cover. The
poster was also printed in the Evening Tribune-Times on January 5, 1922. A review of three following issues
revealed no report of the outcome. RECENT SPEAKER
Nancy Williams, CEO of Serv U Credit Union from Painted Post, spoke to our group on May 12 on “Grab
Bag of Financial Tips” with 40 people in attendance. The talk included the definitions of phishing, smishing,
vishing and pharming plus topics such as current scams and shams, credit and debit card breaches, ways to order
safely online, compromised accounts and many other helpful tips in today’s financial world. The eye opener
program was interesting to everyone. The attendees requested her return for another session in the fall.
HISTORY OF ARKPORT POST OFFICE – Part 1 - By Peg Baker, Arkport Historian in 1961
This story was published in the Evening Tribune on May 31, 1961. Part 2 about the rural carriers will be in the
next newsletter.
On September 22, 1806, a Post Office was officially established at Arkport. For nearly 155 years, the
postal facilities have wandered in and out of homes, stores, and remodeled buildings in various parts of the
village.
With the opening of the new Post Office on the southeast corner of Main and Park St. on May 22, 1961 the
office is located for the first time in facilities specifically designed and constructed for postal work and service.
Nearly all of the records of the local office have been lost or destroyed. However, it is possible to trace
some of its early history through papers and documents in the possession of the James Hurlbut family, descendants
of Christopher Hurlbut, the original settler and first postmaster of Arkport.
One old and faded account sheet is headed, “The Post Office at Arkport, Steuben County, New York is
account current with the General Post Office from the first establishment of said office Oct. 1, 1806, to Jan. 1,
1823”. (Oct. 1 would be the first day of a yearly quarter and 1823 was the year that the post office became a
separate federal department instead of a branch of the Treasury Dept). The total sum of the receipts for the
Arkport office for those years is listed as $158.58.
Judge Christopher Hurlbut apparently prepared the report from information that he kept in an old, handmade
account book. The book is a collection of pages sewn together and bound in a cover made from pages of an issue
of the New York Herald dated Saturday, August 1822.
Some of the newsprint is still legible and one of the items of the day was an account of a duel that took
place on Long Island between DeWitt Clinton, later mayor of New York City and Lieutenant-Governor of the
State, and a Mr. Swartwout. The item is in the form of a letter written by Richard Riker, Esq., who acted as
Clinton’s second at the duel and was evidently a written rebuttal to an earlier letter written by a Col. Smith, Mr.
Swartwout’s second.
The pages of the old book contain many names associated with early history of the Canisteo Township of
which Hornellsville was once a part. George Hornell and Moses Van Campen are listed as patrons and subscribers
to the New York Herald Tribune in 1806. Other names written on the pages dated 1806 and 1807 are Joseph
Taylor, Jacob Holt, Reuben Briggs, William Hyde, James McBurney, Elisha Chamberlain, Evert Van Winkle,
Silas Tanny, Luke Goodspeed, Miles Olreley and others whose names are partly visible.
Although Christopher Hurlbut was not officially appointed postmaster until Sept. 1806, letters dated
previous to that are addressed to him with PM after his name. He was licensed to keep a “public inn” in 1801 and
the inn was probably used as a distribution place for the mail that came from Bath.
Bath was the nearest Post Office in the county in 1804, according to a table of post offices and rates of
postage that was issued Sept. 13, 1804. The table, authorized by Gideon Granger, postmaster general during the
Thomas Jefferson administration, was used to compute postal rate by distance from New York City. Bath is listed
at 363 miles and Painted Post as 343. There are 198 post offices printed on the table (this document is also in
the Hurlbut collection) and 35 more are handwritten including Arkport at 388 miles, Canisteo at 383 miles and
Dansville at 402 miles.
In 1804 postal rates were determined by the number of sheets of paper in a letter and by the distance sent.
For example, a single letter composed of one sheet of paper being sent 40 miles or less cost 8 cents; over 40 miles
and less than 90, 10 cents; and so on up to 500 miles. A single sheet letter being sent over 500 miles cost 25 cents.
Letters of two sheets of paper were charged double the rates, three sheets, triple the rates and so on.
In 1805-06 the Big White Hurlbut house was built where it still stands on the south bank of the Lime
Kiln Creek on the east side of Main Street and Judge Hurlbut continued as postmaster until his son, James, was
appointed July 11, 1831. James moved the office to the “south bedroom by the stoop” of the house built in 1827,
a few hundred feet north of the Lime Kiln Creek on the west side of Main Street. James served until late in 1857
when he and his family moved to Geneva. All local records of his successors in the 1800’s have been lost, but
from the General Services Administration, National Archives and Records Service in Washington, D.C. comes the
following list of postmasters and dates of appointments:
“Christopher Hurlbut, Sept. 22, 1806; James Hurlbut, July 11, 1831; William N. Baldwin, Feb. 16, 1858;
Charles Baldwin, July 20,1868; Lott Reynor (a misprint since his signature on a postal report is Lot Reznor),
Feb. 1, 1872; L.C. Healy, Aug. 28, 1885; Horace Hunt, Oct. 20, 1885; Llewellyn C. Healy, Feb. 2, 1888; Miss
Roxie Armstrong, April 1889 and reappointed as Mrs. Roxie Sewell Dec. 22, 1891; John D. Taylor, Sept. 2, 1893;
Samuel A. Carter, Mar. 23, 1898; Wells E. Ellis, Feb. 20, 1915; George Taylor, July 19, 1916; and Lester Taylor,
April 19, 1920; and Edgar Karns, Mar. 23, 1934.” [Editor’s note: Edgar Karns retired June 22, 1973. Joyce
Howe became Postmistress from Dec. 7, 1973 to Oct. 30, 1987. Following Joyce’s retirement Colleen Sanderl
became the officer in charge until David Crowl was appointed Postmaster on April 9, 1988. After his retirement
Colleen Sutfin was appointed postmistress on Jan. 17, 1998 and continues in that position today.]
Before the list was received from the National Archives, some of the
senior citizens of Arkport endeavored to compile a list of postmasters and
many of them firmly recall a Julius Weber as having been postmaster. Since
there is no record that he was ever appointed, it may be assumed that he often
served as postal clerk since the office was housed in his store at East Ave. and
Main St. more than once. Horace Hunt lived on a farm outside the village
and it is possible that the office was in Weber’s store at that time and again
when Miss Armstrong was appointed. The store is the location that has just
been vacated by the post office in May 1961.
For a period of about 30 years the office moved from store to store. It was
in two different stores on the west side of Main St. in “Bert” Carter’s store
on the corner of West Ave. and Carter St. and in another store on the corner
of West Ave. and Davenport St. In the 1920’s Lester Taylor moved the office
back to the “four corners” where it has remained till the move to the new
building.
For many years the mail
for Arkport was carried on the Erie Railroad. The train did not
stop at Arkport regularly and Ernest Dungan Sr., retired R.F.D.
carrier, recalls watching the mail bags being put on the extended
arms of a post near the tracks where they were snatched off as
the train passed through.
The Arkport office was advanced from fourth to third
class during the term of George Taylor (1916-1920) and from
third to second class on July 1, 1952. The office staff with
Postmaster Karns included Stanley Snell and Mrs. Joyce Howe
as clerks.
Tim Timmerman
In April 2009, the Arkport Central School baseball field was dedicated to and renamed in honor of Tim
Timmerman to thank Tim for his contributions to the community. This spring Tim started his 43rd year of
coaching Little League. Our congratulations to Tim for this honor and for the outstanding influence he’s had on
Arkport’s youth.
Timmerman. - The following story is a chapter from John Senka’s book “Wounded Body – Healing Spirit”
We lived next door to the Timmerman family. There was a huge cherry tree that sat on the property line
and I loved climbing it. What I loved even more was hanging out at the Timmerman’s. They had a goldfish pond
and a large garden similar to the one my Mom kept. Mr. Timmerman, known as Tim to most people, was a cool
guy. He chewed tobacco and smoked cigars. He was a good baseball player, fisherman and hunter, and even kept
chickens. He grew his own popcorn. It was normal for me to follow him around for hours. He’d often play catch
with me. His son, Timmy, was at least ten years older than me, but he spent time with me as well. He taught me
how to throw a baseball, field a ball, and hit the ball with a bat. He and I often played catch together. Sometimes
after chores were done, Old Tim would invite me into the house. This was a treat because he would show me the
Indian artifacts he’d found in the field behind his house. When I got older, young Tim would show me how to
find arrowheads, axes, and other Indian artifacts. We’d walk for hours in the freshly plowed field.
An invitation into the house usually meant popcorn. Old Tim always wore a hat, but within his house, he’d
remove his cap and expose a bald head. This was a sign to me that he was going to fix his homegrown popcorn. I loved the whole thing, the smell, the anticipation and the delicious taste. What fun, so honest and pure. I relish
those memories to this day; they were some of the best memories of my childhood.
Even work was fun at the Timmerman’s. They rented a small piece of muck land on which they grew
lettuce and onions. They would tie twine around the cuffs of their trousers to keep the black dirt out. I’d feel like
a big shot whenever they would ask me to help them weed their plot.
During deer season, I’d love to look in Tim’s garage to see the deer hanging and skinned. When I was old
enough to hunt, I’d be invited to drive to Haskinville to hunt with them. Even as I grew older, I’d spend time over
there.
Sunday mornings were particularly exciting, as local men would spend hours pitching horseshoes. I’d
hang around listening to all the stories and if they were “short” a man, I’d be asked to fill in. I actually got quite
good at the game and Old Tim laughed whenever I’d top an opponent.
I was in high school when I learned that Mr. Timmerman had died. He was only sixty-four years old and
he had a heart attack while bowling. He died as he had lived, having fun. I took his death hard because I lost a
friend. Even today, I wish I could have lived more like Roswell “Tim” Timmerman. He lived simply, was happy
with what he had, and above all, he seemed to enjoy life.
ARKPORT SUMMER PROGRAM – By Dorothy Jones Dunham
Eleanor Karns Levengood Hislop recalls that she was the summer playground director in 1961 or 1962,
when this photo was in the newspaper. Coach Frank Rose was involved in the program; he drove the school
bus to Stony Brook State Park a few times a week for the Arkport youngsters to swim. Eleanor remembers that
besides outdoor sports, the program included arts and crafts for the children. Do our readers have memories of
the program to share?
Coach
Rose
Arkport Archery Checking the results of their shooting with bow and arrow are these youngsters at the Arkport playground under the
supervision of Mrs. Earl Levengood, a playground director. From left: Robert Clark, Catherine Piatt, Mary Frances Rose, Lucinda
Dungan, Carolyn Karns, Mrs. Levengood and Debbie Dungan. Photo and caption is from the Evening Tribune.
THE WAR YEARS IN ARKPORT - A TYPICAL FARM FAMILY by Dorothy J. Dunham
Farm families were affected by World War II. Daily life was impacted, sometimes subtly, sometimes more
dramatically. Young people from farm families joined the armed services to fight overseas. Established farmers,
however, were needed to stay on the home farm to increase production for a country at war.
Joseph Jones, nearly 40 with a young family when the U.S. entered the war, was one of the farmers
who stayed on the home front. Three of his daughters, Anna Jones Roach, Ruth Jones Woodruff, and Joyce
Jones Enderle, have shared their memories. To all three, the most vivid and dramatic memory was of the Civil
Defense System practice of blackout drills. It was the U.S. government’s plan to protect the country from attack
from the air. Communities were to turn off all lights, a practice drill in the event that enemy planes would seek
targets. Joseph Jones was one of the many Air Raid Wardens, each with an assigned post. Beginning in 1942,
he made notes in his diary of going to defense meetings held at the school. There were diary references until the
end of 1944 about the Civil Defense System obligations. When a drill occurred, a siren signal would ring and
the wardens would put on a uniform of a jacket, overalls, helmet, and a flashlight. Ruth and Anna remember a
wide white reflective piece that was part of the uniform. His post was at the intersection of Route 36 and what
was then the Airport Road. Ruth remembers that she, Anna, and Joyce were joined by two other sisters, the late
Helen Jones Karr and the late Mary Jones Thompson; the sisters would go to an upstairs bedroom to watch their
father at his post, hoping to see the activity, even though it was dark. The sisters were nervous, but none more
than Joyce, who was downright frightened at the age of six or seven. Joyce remembers that either the shades
were drawn, or the lights put out, and in the darkness, was sure that she heard airplanes coming. Joyce and her
sisters watched as their father stopped traffic in all directions, directing the motorists to turn off their headlights. Anna remembers that he told of being able to see a tiny light from Oak Hill, perhaps a lighted match, or perhaps
another warden, very obvious in the blackness of the night. Joyce recalls that the drills were about one half hour
in duration and then an “all-clear” siren would sound, and the family could resume normalcy. She recalls that the
sisters were cautioned not to mention their father’s role as a warden, in the event that the enemy would occupy,
and then discipline citizens who took responsibility in Civil Defense.
Anna remembers that Rev. Murray gave the family a tent, which seemed like a grand adventure. On
summer nights when the sisters “camped out” in the side yard, sometimes their adventure was interrupted by
drills at the nearby airport. Large training fighter planes would come to the Canisteo Valley, flying low and loud,
practice circling the valley and the airport, then would return to their source. She said it was scary until their
mother reassured them that it was another practice. Joyce remembers watching the Erie Railroad tracks as the
war equipment (tanks, jeeps, etc.) was transported to the north. The war was “up the road” to a six year old, Joyce
said.
It would seem that the role of the farm wife, in this case, Priscilla, was to keep the family calm and
reassure the normal childlike fears.
Ruth remembers that during the war years, south of the farm, probably in the wooded swamp area, there
were homeless “squatters”, and that the villagers were suspicious of them. They were called either Gypsies or
Japanese.
For the less worrisome impacts on daily life, Anna recalls that DeWitt Edmonds used to walk down from
the village to gather milk weed pods from the farm fields, which were eventually used for jacket linings for the
soldiers. She also believes that the recycling habits adopted during the war led to a lifelong commitment to
recycle. Feed for the farm animals came in printed fabric bags, and Priscilla Jones made many dresses and aprons
from the material. Tin cans were flattened for the war effort.
Joyce recalls that, when walking up to the village, she gazed at the windows sporting a banner with blue
stars. Her mother had explained the significance of the banners. Her Grandmother Hurlbut had a banner with
one star, since her son, Major F. Howard Hurlbut, was in the war. She remembers that Mrs. Elsenheimer had two
banners. On her Uncle Howard’s rare visits, the sisters were told not to ask him any questions about the war. It
was a mystery to Joyce why the rare letters sent from her Uncle Howard to her Grandmother Hurlbut and her
mother Priscilla were partially blacked out.
Anna talks of the rationing and recalls that the family had a sticker on the windshield of the family car
with an “A”, which determined the quantity of gasoline the family could purchase. Four months before the end of
the war, the five sisters welcomed two little baby sisters into the family, twins Doris and Dorothy. An unintended
consequence, Anna said, was the extra ration cards for sugar allotted to the family for two more members. She
remembers that her mother could purchase more sugar, which led to more baked goods for the family.
One of Anna’s jobs after the birth of the baby twins was to take them on a carriage ride down the Airport
Road (the original road to Hornell, later called the “old road” or “back road” to Hornell). On a summer ride with
the four month old babies, she heard bells and sirens from Hornell and/or Arkport. When she arrived back at the
homestead, she was told by her mother that the War had ended. It was V-J Day, August 15, 1945, and the Japanese
forces had surrendered.
These recollections are not unlike those of many farm families, and are surely not unusual. The families
dealt with the war’s impact on their daily lives, and then carried on with their duties and responsibilities, as did
millions of Americans.
Ice house on North side of barn.
AN OLD DAIRY MILKING BARN, chapter 1: THE
ICE HOUSE by Dorothy J. Dunham
As old wooden milking barns vanish from America’s
rural landscape, a local representation of the style will be
featured in three successive chapters. The first chapter is
a description of an ice house.
The ice house was added to the north side of the Jones
Farm Old Dairy Milking Barn, a “parts and parcels” barn,
dating to the late 1800’s. During the recent restoration
of the milking barn, done by Thomas Gene and Thomas
Stephens of Cameron Mills, N.Y., the ice house required
serious jacking. Now, however, it is restored to its original
position.
Ice was used by the dairy farmer for the cooling of
the milk after milking chores were completed, thereby
preventing souring of the product. At the Jones Farm, ice
would have been harvested from the Canisteo River which
flowed through the farm property.
Snow and any spongy ice layer would be removed from the frozen river surface and lines would be marked
on the ice. Ice saws cut the blocks at right angles and the blocks were 2 or 3 feet square. The blocks would have
been transported on horse-drawn sleds to the ice house. The ice would be quickly packed with a thick layer of
sawdust, which would slow the melting. The floor of the ice
house was gravel for draining purposes. It is estimated that a
30-cow dairy would need 15 tons of ice for the year.
The doors of the Jones Farm ice house, 11 feet in
height and 7 feet each in width, would be swung open for
the sleds. The wooden walls were 5 inches thick, with dead
space for insulation, essentially a double wall.
It is possible that the ice may have been needed to
preserve the butchering done at the farm.
Ice was also needed in the home for refrigeration of
food. Before the electric refrigerator, a wooden icebox held
The interior double wall exposed
ice in an enclosed space, and the food beneath was cooled.
There was a drain to carry the melting ice away, and then the
ice would be replaced.
Electricity came to the Jones Farm in the mid-1920s. The ice house was then used for storage.
Ads from Yesteryear – From the Arkport Bulletin dated March 1924 – courtesy of Arlene Clark’s
scrapbook.
Membership is now at 130 members. We had five who did not renew and 2 deceased members. If you would
like to join, the dues are $10 per year. Please make your check payable to Canisteo Valley Historical Society and
mail to P.O. Box 96, Arkport, NY 14807.
Our next meeting will be Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009 at 1:00 at the community room at the Arkport Village Hall.
Enjoy your summer!
CANISTEO VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC.
P. O. Box 96
Arkport, New York 14807
Nancy A. Glover, Editor
email: glover39@verizon.net
Dorothy J. Dungam, Asst. Editor
email: djdunham45@verizon.net
Linda K. Burdett, Publisher
email: linda_burdett@stev.net
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