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HISTORIAN’S CORNER
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CHANGING TIMES, CHANGING SCENES
By Don Tiffany
The human mind cannot comprehend the temperature of the surface of the sun or the distance of a light-year or a billion of anything. Neither can people accurately visualize how an area looked before they first arrived to see it. If you stand at the intersection of Rte. 96 and Rte 488/South Newark Street the distraction of car and truck traffic noise, the bustle of business and the many buildings block your ability to imagine the forest that stood there before 1789 or hear the multitude of birds or the wind through the trees or the sound of Flint Creek flowing unobstructed to the Canandaigua Outlet. So with some difficulty, maybe some pictures of the past can be gathered using descriptions of some of the earlier inhabitants and their constructions.
The land was heavy forest containing many huge trees, the size of which we will never see again There was also some open grassland and plenty of free flowing streams and numerous springs during the time of the Seneca Indian occupation in the in the 18th century. Travel was by foot on the numerous Indian trails and footpaths worn by centuries of use. Streams were crossed at shallow fords; smaller brooks by possibly a fallen log lying across them near the trail. Travel was by foot because horses were rare and the forest was so thick in most places that it was easier to walk than to try to maneuver a large animal and/or vehicle through the trees. Canoes were used only on the lakes or larger streams.
The first settlers - Robisons, Deans, Grangers - came with the impediments of civilization: draft animals, implements and the concept of possession and ownership of land. They also brought the desire to take advantage of this new land and, through its resources, improve their lot in life. These first opportunists, the Grangers, Deans and Robisons, et al. coming from the east, had no reason to go west beyond Flint Creek to find fertile soil and ample water power so they claimed their land near the greatest fall of the Creek and Outlet and nearest he Pre-emption Line in Range 1 of the Phelps-Gorham survey.
The settlement and development of the eastern end of the village was governed by different circumstances. The first road to be surveyed and constructed was begun in 1793. The early records state that it ran from Chapinville, through Littleville to the Sulphur Brook (Clifton Springs) and so into the District of Sullivan passing through Vienna and easterly to the Military Tract line (Five Points). Shortly thereafter a corduroy (logs laid side-by-side) road was built from Clifton Springs east to Flint Creek connecting to a state road running from Geneva to Palmyra via Vienna and Gypsum. This log road was called "Jockey Street" probably because it was so rough that it took a jockey to stay on a horse or wagon traveling on it. Jockey Street was made into a plank road, which made for a much smoother ride. To pay for the plank construction it became a toll road. The eastern tollgate was located at the home that is now owned by John & Kathy Allen (the former residence of Dr. Pulver) at 1904 Rte. 96.
There were few houses westward from Seth Dean's place to Clifton Springs, only the tollhouse and a few farmsteads. John Hildreth arrived in 1802 or 1803 and bought about 600 acres of land west of present-day Newark Street. His property ran as far west as the location of the future Phelps Junction. It was John's son, William, however, who was responsible for the growth and development of West Vienna. William built a sawmill on Flint Creek approximately across the toll road from the tollhouse and south of the Warren/Harland house (now 1907 Rte. 96). Careful examination of the site will show remains of the stonework of the dam. Old maps show a feeder ditch running from that dam eastward along the north side of the Creek and then flowing under Melvin Hill Road. This waster was used to power a gristmill built later by the same William Hildreth. It was called the "Red Mill". Hildreth also built a hotel on the southeast corner of Jockey Street (Rte 96) and the road to Melvin Hill. He built a road from West Vienna to Dickinson's mill on the Outlet at the end of North Wayne Street so he could get his grist and flour ground until his own gristmill was constructed. It was first named Henry Street and is now called Clifton Street. West Vienna was now a busy hub with a five-road junction at its center.
By 1825 Hildreth's enterprises were thriving and several other businesses grew in West Vienna along West Main Street, now relocated from its former location along Flint Creek; Spellman had a cooper shop, Coolridge ran a store, Severence operated a carriage shop and Israel Nims ran a tavern. A brick West Vienna schoolhouse was built in 1822 along the same street (now a home at 248 Main Street). The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 took some of the stage traffic but the hamlet was to be given another boost fifteen years later with the arrival of the railroad that ran from Rochester to Auburn. A railroad depot was built on the southwest corner of Melvin Hill Road and Jockey Street and the ever-busy, opportunistic William Hildreth built a distillery along Flint Creek near his Red Mill.
A description of the route of the first road from West to East Vienna is necessary to locate the sites of several of the early buildings. This road began in the west at South Newark Street/Melvin Hill Road where the main driveway to Phelps Cement Products is now. It traveled eastward past Hildreth's mill, his distillery and a slaughterhouse. A short road (now Miller Avenue) came north from the slaughterhouse to West Main Street. The original road then continued east along the creek and to the south of (behind) the Pioneer Cemetery and the houses now on West Main Street and traveled between Seth Dean's house and his mill. The slaughterhouse was eventually owned and used by Ed Ridley in the 1920s and 30s. The slaughterhouse is gone but the property is now owned by his grandson, Floyd, but is landlocked now as no road leads to it. Miller Avenue is cut off by the railroad and the road from the west is part of the Phelps Cement property.
By the latter half of the 19th century Hildreth had sold his Red Mill to J.P. Champion and the depot was torn down and all the N.Y.C. & H.R.R.R. business was handled at the depot and freight office on Church Street Jockey Street was no longer a toll road. The Pennsylvania RR was built running through Orleans and on to Sodus Point crossing Jockey Street on its way. When the East and West Vienna school districts merged in 1846 and the Village of Phelps was incorporated in 1855, the name West Vienna disappeared.
At the beginning of the 20th century the sawmill was empty and falling down and Hildreth's Franklin House Hotel was moved. By the 1920s the Seneca Kraut & Pickling Company plant was built on the site of the RR depot and its weigh house built where the Franklin House stood. Ernest Schoenacker ran an apple dryhouse next to Flint Creek to the south of the kraut factory. Bert Warren opened a gas station-tourist stop-garage-"restaurant" along the highway east of his house (1907 Rte. 96). A gas station and hot dog stand was built on the northwest corner of the five corners. A railroad overpass was built over the Pennsylvania RR on Rte. 96. The RR depot was closed at the Phelps Junction in the early 1930s. The state highway was changed to bypass Clifton Springs on the north. The Can-Do Grille was built next to the RR track on the new bypass.
During the 1930s and 1940s there were many small markets operating in the West End along West Main Street - Bullock's, Utter's, Beech's and Maslyn's.
After WWII there was a building boom at the corners. Albert Ives built his Ford dealership just east of the kraut factory weigh house, John Avedesian built a block building on the northeast corner for his Willys and Buick car sales. These went up in the early 1950s. The Can-Do Grille became Stan & Helen's. 'Ma' Goodman ran the gas station across the street (now Rte 88) from the Avedesian business. Kate & Hank DeRuyter opened a hot dog stand across the street (West Main Street) from Ives Motors. Phil Haers and Herb Upchurch started Phelps Cement Products. 'Ma' Goodman's son, Jesse, built a new service station of concrete blocks and tore the old wooden one down. Lawrence "Bud" Maslyn built a Super Duper supermarket on Rte. 96. By the 1960s Ives Motors had become Tyman Ford and by the '70s Avedesian Motors had closed. Pat Hulster opened Pat's Kountry Kitchen in the north end of the building and Chas. Joseph had a can & bottle recycling center in the other end. The Pennsylvania RR was abandoned and the Rte 96 overpass was removed. Although there were many ownership and business changes during the next three decades, this is how the same area looks today at the beginning of 2005.
These are the sights traveling east from the west Phelps town line along Rte 96, even #s on the north side, odd #s on the south:
The first business is Pam Everson's, PK's Kennels, #1341 Banker Road, then an expanded Stan & Helen's now called the Yankee Clipper #2402 Rte. 96. Next on the north side is Steve's Electric Co. then Dorgan's Welding Service #2360, and Key Auto #2338. Farther along on the south side is the Church of the Nazarene #2143, then Allen Auto on the north next to Roger's Auto. Halfway Haus #2121, Midlakes Bus Garage #2117, Paul's Auto #2120, Sunshine Enterprises #2094, next the Midlakes School campus covering many acres along Rtes 488 and 96. Phelps Veterinary Hospital #1990, Finger Lakes Credit Union #1934, Mobil Express Mart #1924, Perkin Elmer plant #1920 (this includes the original Maslyn's supermarket building), Z-Axis plant #1916, Magnus Precision Machining #1912. Inside the Village east of the Railroad - Windy Hill Farms Nursery store (on the site of the Seneca Kraut Pickling Co. plant). The Seneca Kraut weigh house was moved to 2978 Co. Rd. #47 in Hopewell. The original site is now part of the expanded intersection. The Tyman Ford dealership is now the Blue Ribbon Smokehouse & Restaurant. The site of Goodman's gas station and store is now a vacant lot. The old Avedesian building now houses Gus's Kountry Kitchen, Dollars to Donuts and Studio 96.
This history does not include business, past and present, on the Phelps Junction Road or Rte. 88 to the north or the myriad small business along Rte 96 and Main Street, such as Leroy McGorney's (Mac's) fruit and vegetable stand, Castle's Fish Fry and Buy-Rite, the fist self-service gas station in town, that came and went over the past 200 years, but we hope it gives a picture of "Changing Times and Changing Scenes."
To be continued…
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Jewelers
By Fred Gifford
Several decades ago, when downtown Clifton Springs had a thriving business district, the proud firm of Bosshart & Morphy, Jewelers was an active local business firm.
The senior partner was Albert Bosshart, Jr. the son of Alfred Bosshart Sr. who had been head chef at the Clifton Springs Sanitarium. In the summer of 1897, Mr. Bosshart Jr. then a youth just out of high school, left his home here to take a course of training at the Huchinson School of Watchmakers and Engravers at Laporte, Ind. After being graduated in July of 1889, he entered the employment of E. S. Ettenheim & Co., in Rochester, NY where he remained for two and a half years. R. H. Gulvin, a Geneva watchmaker, having offered him a position, he moved to that city remaining there until he opened up his jewelry store in the Walsh Block on Crane Street in Clifton Springs on November 4th, 1904.
Al was busy with both the local traffic and the large influx of summer visitors to Dr. Foster's Sanitarium. The store carried fine jewelry, watches as well as some china and silverware. The main source of revenue was the jewelry and watch sales and the repair hereof.
Mr. Edwin Morphy was born in Clifton Springs on February 20, 1900. While a senior in high school he took a part-time job at what was then Albert Bosshart's Jewelry Store. The year was 1915. He attended New York University for a time and returned to Clifton Springs to work and learn from Mr. Bosshart. In March of 1925 he was admitted to partnership and the firm became known as Bosshart & Morphy. By this time the jewelry store was located in the Foster Block just east of the Devereaux Book Store. This is where we "oldsters" remember the two at work. Here most of the local population went to obtain their wedding rings, watches and plate ware. The walls were hung with clocks and the cases filled with a fine selection of gold, diamonds and silverware. We often wondered how the two put up with the constant ticking of the clocks but to them it was probably like the "background music" of any vocation.
The firm both before and after the forming of the partnership, was successful in attracting an important patronage for many miles around, as well as guests to the Sanitariuim. There was no great secret as to how this was done. Both members seemed to have the qualification, which stood them well.
Mr. Bosshart retired in 1951 and died in 1963. Following his demise, Ed Morphy took over sole ownership of the business. At the time of his retirement, Ed said, " Orginially I wanted to work in the railroad yards in Manchester during World War I, but Mom said I was too young. However, when I went to work for Mr. Bosshart I used to get to the store at 7 in the morning and leave for home at 6:30 at night. I've always enjoyed my work - I like meeting the public and I'm happiest when I'm repairing things, especially watches and clocks." In 1972, when Ed retired, he continued to stay busy as people who knew him continued to bring watchers and clocks to his home at 32 Broad Street for repair. He said, " I never had many hobbies, I guess my hobby was work. Young people nowadays have plenty of spending money, but there is little to keep them at home. They drive to movies in nearby places and we lose their business. It's not that we can't compete with others price-wise, but we don't have the assortment to show!"
Ed thought back over the changes he had witnessed, saying, " They paved Main Street in 1915, the Clifton Springs Hospital has moved into a modern palace and now we have sewers. I suppose that's all to the good and it's progress, but I think how wonderful the good old days were, too."
He recalled that his father was in the hardware business here and had helped build Dr. Foster's last 1896 buildings. (By the time of his retirement in 1972, the old San had been converted into 119 apartments and renamed itself, Spa Apts.) "Those were the days of the Missionary Society and many people came here in the summer. Dr. Foster used to give free treatments to teachers and clergymen. The town was full of rooming houses and it was a cheap and wonderful vacation for many. Then there were the sulphur baths, which it was said contained great healing power. The first automobile in the village belonged to George Lindner, the cashier in the bank. My first car was a Model T Ford and I paid $125 for it second-hand. I've been driving since 1924, before you needed to have a license."
Mr. Morphy was to live ten more years and passed away in 1982 at age 82. He was predeceased by his lovely wife and left two daughters, Catherine and Carol and a son, Charles.
Both of these men were very civic minded. Ed was on the Board of the Ontario National Bank and active at the YMCA & library. He was a member of St. Felix Parish and past president of the Clifton Springs Rotary Club (1948-49). Al Bosshart was mayor of the Village of Clifton Springs from 1918 until 1922 and belonged to several organizations.
The village is proud of these businessmen of yesterday for on the firm foundation they lay, today stands our special " Victorian" community, showing its continued vitality for the days that lie ahead.
(Part of this article was an interview in 1972 of Ed. Morphy by Dave Rosenbloom)
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