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HISTORIAN’S CORNER
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CHRISTSTIME IN 1929
The village of Clifton Springs in December of 1929 was one with its own joys and disappointments. You will remember that in late fall of that year, the New York Stock Market had crashed and many in the business world who had invested were beginning to wonder what future days would bring.
J. A. Edwards & Co., a local insurance firm (still carrying the Edwards Insurance Co name of today), placed an ad in the local paper with a caution to the public not to use candles on their Christmas trees or in the windows as many had done in the past.
A Mrs. Charles Clark found her son, Gordon, ill and herself faint so she called Dr. Conley. He arrived to find Mrs. Clark had fainted and he smelt coat gas. It was discovered that the furnace door was open and coal gas had penetrated to all parts of the house. (Another case of the doctor arriving just in time!)
St. John's Episcopal Church was to hold its annual Christmas party in Legion Hall on the Monday before the holiday. (Legion Hall would have been the 3rd floor of the present day village hall.)
The Christian Endeavor Society of the Baptist Church sang Christmas carols to poet, Miss Annie Johnson Flint at her home on Teft Avenue. (Annie, confined to a wheelchair for years, was known for her poems, which became known worldwide in the missionary field.)
Christmas baskets and decorated trees collected for the needy were on display in the downtown window of J. D. Mather's store.
The Ladies Aid Society of the Methodist church raised$100 from a cafeteria and bake sale and applied the money to the church debt.
L. H. Leland, county chairman of the sale of Christmas Seals, was quite happy that $90 had been raised so far towards their goal of $150.
H. H. Griswold reported that new switchboards had been installed here and at Phelps as part of the rebuilding of the telephone service for the two communities. He hoped that the new system would be in service b y January 1st of the New Year.
The annual missionary meeting of members of the Baptist Church met at the home of Miss Mary Balcom on December 14th. Miss Balcom was elected president-emeritus of the society in honor of her long and faithful service to the cause. (Miss Balcom's home was located on the east end of the present property on which the Episcopal Church now stands. It will be remembered that the foundation of her home was the site of the first settlement of the John Shekell family here in 1802.)
The Clifton Springs Fortnightly Club met at the home of Dr. & Mrs. Schoonmaker on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the club. Mrs. M. A. Hosford, who was the principal organizer of the club, was the guest of honor. Among the charter members of the club present in addition to Mrs. Hosford were Mr. & Mrs. Judd, Dr. & Mrs. Salisbury, Dr. & Mrs. Holbrook, and Mr. & Mrs. D. M. Warner. (Mrs. Hosford, was first married to Loren Gifford of Phelps and upon his early demise had married Morton Hosford who ran a men's and ladies clothing store here in Clifton Springs. She was the grandmother and great- grandmother of the current Gifford family of the village.)
The Marquis Restaurant gave notice that they would be closed Christmas and New Years Day.
Christmas eve service was held at St. John's Episcopal Church at 11:30 PM where old familiar carols were sung.
Shortly before Christmas several Clifton Springs people, returning from Rochester on the Lehigh Valley Railroad, were marooned at Rochester Junction until 11 o'clock. As there were no lights they had to sit in the dark to await the train. The train was delayed by the collapse of wires feeding the railroad electric signal system.
The same ice storm, which delayed the trains on the Lehigh, also delayed trains on the New York Central. At times trains could not be located due to the loss of telegraph, telephone and electric lines downed in the storm. Local crews worked around the clock to restore power.
At the Baptist Church a pageant was presented entitled, "While Shepherds Watched:" with a cast of 25. The pastor, Stanley I. Stuber, gave a gift copy of one of his books to every family of the church. The superintendent, O. J. DeVall , was presented with a beautiful Masonic ring in token of his many services and the Rev. Stuber and his family with a number of NEW five dollar bills.
E. G. Williamson continued work on the rebuilding of the Palace Theater following the fire of September 26-27. Only the lighting and the placing of seats remained to be done before opening for business again. For the first time "sound" pictures will be available a great step forward in motion pictures.
Members of the fish and game committee of Clifton Springs assisted by the Boy Scouts have distributed 600 pounds of grain in places where pheasants have been seen. The unusual weather conditions have reduced many of the birds to near starvation.
Yes, the Christmas of 1929 (75 years ago) was similar to ours of today in many ways. Each home prepared as best they could for the holiday and the many church and civic organizations filled the community with the real message of Christmas, "Peace on Earth and Good Will to Men." Certainly they had their concerns in 1929, as do we of today. The full effect of the coming depression of 1930-33 was yet ahead of them, as was the beginning of the Second World War. It was enough at the time to know that this new thing called electricity was to have a great effect on their lives. After all in ice storms of the past homes were filled only with candlelight and warmth had come from stoves and fireplaces. They were beginning to find out that even though new marvels had arrived they each would have to face the tests of time.
In this year 2004, our lives are still facing those tests. We find ourselves in a conflict in Iraq and the economy is sagging. We are comfortable with our many blessings but despite all our efforts there are still those hungry and without homes this year. As we face this unknown future ourselves, let us all take faith in the real spirit of the season and in our homes and in our lives pray for those less fortunate and those who this day find themselves in harms way!
PHELPS HISTORY - "1904"
By Don Tiffany, Phelps Historian
It was a great year. As Yakov Smirnoff says, "What a country!" There were 8,000 automobiles in the United States but only 144 miles of paved roads - the Town and Village of Phelps had none. The average worker made $200 to $400 a year but butter sold for 22c/lb., coffee, 15c/lb and eggs, 22c/doz. Over 95% of all babies were born at home and the average life expectancy was 47 years. The five leading causes of death were: 1. Pneumonia and Influenza, 2. Tuberculosis, 3. Diarrhea, 4. Heart Disease, 5. Stroke. Marijuana, heroin and morphine were available over the counter at drugstores. The United States population was 75 million.
The Republicans held their convention in Chicago in late June and nominated Theodore Roosevelt for a second term. His running mate was Charles Fairbanks. The Democrats chose their candidates in St. Louis in early July. They were Alton B. Parker for President and Henry G. Davis for Vice President.
August: >Pheasants were noted as being a nuisance around Canandaigua Lake, damaging rain, fruit and other crops and they couldn't be hunted until 1910! Joel Caves was working on three houses and four barns. Although it was not reported in the "Phelps Citizen", the Olympics were held in St. Louis this year and the majority of the track and field events were won by Americans.
>"Justice Dunwell held up a party of automobiles between Lyons and Clyde last Saturday. The Judge, with his wife, was driving out behind a fractious horse when the automobiles approached at full speed. The Judge signaled the chauffeur to stop, but no attention was paid to the raised hand. Handing the reins to his wife, the Justice Dunwell jumped to the ground, picked up two big stones and, standing in the middle of the road, waited with arm held in a throwing position for the automobile to come up. The chauffeur stopped the machine, however, the Justice Dunwell severely lectured the astonished tourists.
>The local Democrats formed a Parker/Davis Club on Sept. 10th with about 50 members. R.E. Connolly was elected president. The Phelps Republicans formed a Roosevelt/Fairbanks club three days later with W.L. Crothers, president.
Other notes from September: >"Sig Santelle's Circus unloaded at the Depot last Friday. Boys with 'sporting proclivities' lost several hundred dollars to gamblers and confidence men at the circus." >E.O. Rogers, a traveling stock company, performed plays all this week (Sept. 1st) at Gibson Hall. Monday - "A Match for a King", Tuesday - "The Heart of the Mountains", Wednesday, "Wanted - a Wife", Thursday - "An Iron Will", Friday - "The Great Coal Strike", Saturday - "The Poor Mr. Rich". >The New York State Fair was open from September 5th through the 10th in Syracuse. >The 65th annual fair of the Ontario Agricultural Society was held on September 15th - 17th.
>"A new telephone line is being constructed connecting Newark and Phelps.: "Labor Day Celebration - parade at 9:30 sports contest, baseball game at 4:00, and the 148th Regimental band concert in the evening."
>"Mrs. Charles Fisher, 49 years old, committed suicide..three bullet wounds, two in the left side and one in the right temple caused death. - (Suicide??) - The weapon was a .22 cal. Revolver…" >"Elias Burgess, while fishing in the Outlet near Creager's Bridge a few days ago, captured a muscallonge (sic) which weighed nearly 12 pounds, being the best catch of the season." >The Oaks Corners Church celebrated its centennial on September 28th and 29th. "All trains will stop at the Oaks Corners Depot on those days, except the 5:30 p.m." >"James Hewitt heard chicken thieves prowling about his mother's premises early Sunday morning and took a shot at them. It is to be hoped that James will have a truer aim next time." >Judson Padden opened a coal yard at the intersection of Pleasant Street and Park Place next to the New York Central cattle yard.
October: >George Case, photographer, formerly of Clifton Springs, opened a studio in the Ross Block. >On Monday, October 24th, J. Simpson put one thousand brown trout fingerlings in the Outlet. The trout came from the State Fish Hatchery in Caledonia. >"Our venerable citizen, Norman Rockefeller, passed his 92nd birthday last Monday, Oct. 24th. He observed the occasion by calling upon Truman Dewey, Eliphelet Stoutenburg, who passed his 93rd birthday last Saturday, and Col. Stevens, who will be 97 years old tomorrow. Mr. Rockefeller is quite smart for a man of his years. His brother, William, who is the father of John D. Rockefeller, is 95 years old."
>"The Statue of Liberty is to be thoroughly renovated, the pedestal repaired and a passenger elevator substituted for the present stairway. It should then also be given a torch somewhat more brilliant than its present street lamp light.
November: >Roosevelt and Fairbanks were easily elected along with a Republican sweep both state and locally. Higgins elected Governor, S.E. Payne - U.S. Representative, Raines - State Senator, Burnett - Assemblyman. George Salisbury is the only Democrat that had a plurality in Phelps. Unfortunately, it did him little good in this Assembly District. >Classified Ads: Luther Falkey has ferrets for sale. LOST - A shield-shaped fraternity pin surrounded by small pearls and marked on the back, E.B.P., xi-99.
>"Numerous towns are claiming the distinction of having the oldest voters in the state but none of them seem to outdo Phelps in this respect. Col. I.C. Stevens, who is in his 98th year, cast his vote last week, making the 20th time he has voted in a presidential election."
> "A quartet, consisting of B.E. Babcock, Stuart Prichard, C.H. Burt and E.B. Partridge sang a couple of selections at a party given by Dr. and Mrs. Prichard."
> President Roosevelt visited the St. Louis Exposition during its last two days.
December: >Dr. Haslett and R.E. Reynolds of Waterloo purchased the hardware store of M.D. Crosier. >Mr. J.L. Salisbury and Miss Lulu Ringer were married at the home of Col. I.C. Stevens on December 7th. >The $15 million buildings of the St. Louis World's Fair are being town down at a cost of $386,000.
>"As the cart of the White Hose Co. is in constant need of repairs to make it serviceable, Chief Lane is endeavoring to have it replaced with a light wagon which can be handled more readily. The old cart is too cumbersome and makes a hard pull for the firemen when it is necessary to cover any distance."
>A new lodge of the Phelps Ruling of the Mystic Circle was formed. >There was a bad fire in the sanctuary of St. John's Episcopal Church.
>15th: Harvey & Vicinity: When Spencer Westfall went to the barn last Sunday morning he found his fine grey horse in the stall with broken leg. The animal was shot.
>29th: Harvey & Vicinity: Spencer Westfall purchased a horse of O.A. Middaugh last week.
The end of the year saw the elections of officers in the Phelps Dairy Association, Phelps Hive #171 L.O.T.M., Phelps Tent #232 K.O.T.M., St. John's Church M.R.C., Wide Awake Grange and John B. Murray Post #597 G.A.R.
For months during this year there had been speculation about where the Rochester & Eastern was going to run their tracks through the Village. Three routes had been surveyed and none had been selected by year's end. This new trolley line was to run from Victor through Shortsville, Manchester, Clifton Springs and Phelps to finally tie in with R&E line in Geneva.
There were four railroad lines operating through the Town and Village. There were depots and freight houses at several locations along each road. Business was brisk, employment was high and Phelps citizens were optimistic. It was a good year.
PHELPS HISTORY - "Phelps Grangers"
By Don Tiffany, Phelps Historian
Oliver Hudson Kelley was the father of the National Grange Organization He was a successful Minnesota farmer who was commissioned by President Andrew Johnson in 1866 to report on the condition of the farmers in the Southern states recently devastated by the Civil War. Kelley briefly returned to his Minnesota farm then accepted a position in the Post Office in Washington, D.C. He was so concerned by the state of agriculture and the treatment of the farmers in the South that he, with the help of six other influential men in the Capitol (including William Saunders from the Department of Agriculture who became the first National Master), established the Organization in 1867. Kelley's ties with the Masonic Order influenced the ritual of the Patrons of Husbandry. The organization started slowly but by 1874 it had 268,368 dues-paying members.
One of the precepts was the inclusion of women in the fraternity. They were given full membership including the right to hold every office. This was unique given the mindset of the times. Other basic tenets were that it was to be a Christian organization but non-sectarian and it was to be anti-sectional - favoring no particular part of the country. It endorsed the motto: "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; on all things, charity."
By 1875 the National Grange had 858,050 members but it had become too commercial. It had bought grain elevators and mills and started cooperatives to eliminate the middleman. The success caused doctors to join the order to gain patients, lawyers to gain clients and merchants to obtain new customers. Not all of these people were honest and ethical. By the mid-1880s membership had declined to just over 100,000 and by the end of the nineteenth century the Grange was non-existent in the South. To this day there are no Granges in the Deep South.
At the beginning of the 1890s the Grange reorganized itself to become the social, fraternal organization that the founders intended it to be and it began to grow again. While the National Grange is non-partisan it has used its national power to promote legislation for the benefit of the public, especially the farmer. While the Grange was not established to fight the railroads it was successful in gaining fair shipping rates for farmers shipping produce and grain and through its efforts the Interstate Commerce Commission was created.
Through successful lobbying by the Grange, the U.S. Postal Service organized Rural Free Delivery and later parcel post was also included giving rural farmers mail service directly to their homes. The National Grange advocated a graduated income tax prior to the twentieth century. It has always been opposed to corporate farming and government subsidized irrigation in the dry West. It promoted temperance and discouraged the use of tobacco before 1900.
The Grange is built on several levels of organization. The Subordinate (local) Grange confers four degrees on new members who can join at the age of fourteen. These four degrees represent the four seasons of farming. The Pomona (county) Grange confers the fifth degree. State Granges give the sixth degree at their yearly meetings to any member of a Pomona Grange and the National Grange, at their annual convention, grants the seventh degree to any State Grange member.
A local Grange was established in Phelps in 1874 but soon languished and died, probably as a result of the troubles the national organization was experiencing at that time.
A meeting was held in the Oaks Corners Town Hall on October 2, 1889. S.P. Farwell from Rose Hill Grange, Waterloo chaired the meeting and introduced Mr. Whiting from Farmers Village (?) who spoke to the group assembled about the advantages of being a Granger. Frances Farwell is credited with suggesting the name "Enterprise" for this new Grange.
That night twenty people became charter members of Enterprise Grange #597. Charles Holbrook was elected Master but died just three months later. Scoville Shear became Master December 10th of that year and served as Master 9 times during the next 13 years. Enterprise Grange met at the Oaks Corners Town Hall until 1926 when Joel Caves was hired to build a new Grange Hall next door for a cost of $4500. A Juvenile Grange was instituted in 1931. They met there until the mid-1980s when Enterprise Grange #597 closed its doors.
During its almost 100 years of existence it was an enterprising, active organization. Enterprise Grange was noted for its minstrel shows during the middle of the twentieth century - at first held in the Grange Hall and later, in collaboration with the Oaks Corners Church, at the Hitching Shed adjacent to the church. It was also well known for dances, dinners and its degree team.
Twenty-seven farmers and their wives tried again in 1891 to establish a Grange in Phelps. They assembled in the Town Hall on March 17 of that year and were successful, especially with the admonition from Mrs. William Hicks that, "Everyone will have to keep "wide awake" so we don't die this time," Thus Wide Awake Grange #747 was born. P.S. Rogers, who was first elected to the office in 1874, was again elected their first Master. The names of some of the charter members are still familiar today - Peck, Salisbury, Gifford, and Seager. Enterprise Grange members installed the new officers of Wide Awake Grange. It received its charter on March 26, 1891.
During the first year the membership increased to 72. Meetings were held in the Odd Fellows Hall, the Maccabees Hall in the Crothers (now DeBaere) Block, the F.A.R. Hall and Gibson Hall. Wide Awake Grange - Master, Maurice Warner - purchased the Loney (Ross) Block in 1912 and met there for the next 39 years. This is the business block at the northeast corner of Main and Exchange Streets. This block was sold by the Grange in 1951 - Master, Erwin Spafford - and the building called Guiseppe's Restaurant at Five Waters was purchased and Wide Awake Grange has met there to this day; over 50 years!
Membership has ebbed and flowed over the last half century. A vote was taken in 1908 to accept members "not generally engaged in agriculture" which resulted in a substantial increase in members during the later years. The highpoint in membership was reached in 1947 when 310 people belonged. A quorum was established and a few meetings were canceled for lack of a quorum, but many times there were meetings with 70 to 200 Grangers present. There were 61 members listed at the 100th anniversary in 1991. Many families that were listed on the rolls 60-70 years ago are still active in Wide Awake Grange - Adams, Willson, Salisbury and Howard.
Over the years the Grange has had oyster feasts, ice cream socials, strawberry festivals, maple syrup feasts, summer picnics, a box social and baking contests. Discussions are held at every meeting. Topics covered have included growing and marketing of various fruits, vegetable and grain corps and dairy products. Other concerns covered were rural roads, rural schools, rural mail delivery and laws affecting the farmer. Not just agricultural and rural subjects but problems concerning the whole community too - war efforts, daylight saving time, school centralization, atomic power and even the paving of Main Street were covered at different times.
The name "Grange" has always brought memories of country square dances, delicious dinners and County Fair exhibits, but Wide Awake Grange has, in recent years, become involved in community affairs. Its members have held roast beef dinners, chicken barbeques and chicken and biscuit dinners to raise money for the benefit of the Phelps Community Library, the Phelps Historical Society and many other organizations. These efforts, along with yard sales, bake sales and rental of their hall have helped Wide Awake Grange maintain their building both inside and out.
While many Granges have closed their doors for myriad reasons during the last two decades, Wide Awake has survived. Wide Awake Grange was chosen to become an "Action Grange" in 2001. This has brought changes to Grange policy. A password is no longer required to enter meetings, which are now open to the public, and the ritual has been simplified. However, only members can vote. Now the Master is called President. The President for 2004-05 is Sarah Lamb. A vision statement was written for the new "action grange" - "Our Grange is in a rural area. Therefore, our vision is to be a support for rural living in a modern-day world by combining old with new ideas and by working with schools and other community organizations. By doing this, we hope to gain new members through fellowship and programs that will educate, inform, enlighten, enrich and entertain."
Wide Awake Grange #747 certainly is following its aims and will be an asset to the community in which it serves. Hopefully some of its younger members will be around to celebrate their 150th anniversary.
(Many thanks to Betty Fox and Florence Jeffery for their histories of Wide Awake Grange and J. Seymour Dolittle who wrote about Enterprise Grange. Thanks to Charlotte Howard, Naomi VanCamp and Nellie Keller for their help in gathering some of the facts. Also to Bert Willson who is part of the history of both Enterprise and Wide Awake Granges.)
PHELPS HISTORY - "Phelps Masons"
By Don Tiffany, Phelps Historian, September 2004
The Masonic Fraternity is one of the oldest associations in the world. It traces its origins historically to the College of Artificers established in Rome during the height of the Roman Empire. The "civil engineers" trained there followed the Legions throughout their campaigns in the widespread empire and built forts and camps for the soldiers and, as these camps became permanent homes, they designed and constructed temples, stadiums, aqueducts and government buildings in these legion camps turned cities - all built of enduring stone.
At the decline of the Roman Empire the Artificer's (stone masons) descendents, who had lived in these settlements and cities for hundreds of years, stayed and carried on their forefathers trade by building the magnificent cathedrals throughout Europe. During this period the journeymen stonemasons formed guilds or lodges to protect their trade and skills. To gain political support from influential dukes, earls and princes, these noblemen were inducted into the mason's lodges and were given the secret signs and passwords that were used by the working masons when traveling from job to job.
By the early eighteenth century there were more speculative (non-practicing stonemasons) members than operative (working stonemasons) members and the modern Masonic Lodge was established in England. The speculative masons gained control and the ritual was formalized and standardized.
Masonry came to America almost as soon as the colonies were established. It came to Phelps with the arrival of the brothers Philetus and John Swift. John settled in the Palmyra area and, of course, Philetus came to Phelps. They formed Mt. Moriah Lodge #112 in Palmyra in 1803 and Phelps Masons met alternately in Phelps and Palmyra. The difficulty in traveling in those early days resulted in the formation of a Lodge in Phelps. Philetus was responsible for the establishment of Ark Lodge #33 in Geneva in 1807. Later, in 1811 he helped the Masons in Phelps set up Sincerity Lodge #200 of Free & Accepted Masons (F&AM) and installed the new officers, which included his brother-in-law, Wells Whitmore, as the Lodge's first Master.
The new Lodge first met in Luther Root's tavern and later at the home of James Wolvin on Pre-emption Road. In 1820 the lodge contracted with the East Vienna School District to have a second story added to the new stone schoolhouse being built on Church Street. The Lodge met there until it surrendered its charter in 1835. This building is now the Rectory of St. Francis Catholic Church.
The Morgan Affair, as it was called, started when a man named William Morgan, who moved to Batavia, had threatened to expose the secrets of Freemasonry through the publication of a book that was to be printed in that town in 1826. He somehow wound up in the Canandaigua jail because of an unpaid debt. Several men, one of whom was the Master of the Canandaigua lodge, managed to steal Morgan away from the jail while the County Sheriff, also a Mason, was looking the other way. Many stories have been told of the disappearance of William Morgan - he was seen later in Canada, his body was found in the Niagara River, he was never found, etc. etc.
The opposition political party used this botched up, backcountry affair to try to discredit DeWitt Clinton, a prominent Mason and popular New York State Governor and to gain power in Albany. The Anti-Masonic party rose to national prominence in 1831 in an attempt to prevent Andrew Jackson, a prominent Mason in Tennessee, from being re-elected President. This party again failed in 1836 in its attempt to prevent the election of Martin VanBuren, also a New York Mason. It held its last national convention that year. It had, however, put the Masonic Fraternity under tremendous pressure and many Masons were publicly reviled. Mothers forbade their daughters to associate with known members of the fraternity. The furor raised caused many Lodges, especially in Upstate New York, to surrender their charters to Grand Lodge in New York City until the storm subsided, Sincerity Lodge among them.
Notable members of the early Lodge were: Luther and Francis Root, Elias Cost, Leman Hotchkiss. Wells Whitmore, Philetus Swift, Michael Musselman, Isaac and Chauncey Dean, Benjamin Wheat Jr., Ebenezer Redfield, Frederick Vandemark, William Dickinson, Theodore Bannister and James and William Burnett.
Sincerity Lodge #200 was granted a new charter from the Grand Lodge of New York in 1858 and met for a time in the Odd Fellows Hall in the Ross Block. This is the building where Dave Clark, Mike Hoffman and Quigley's Pub are located. After the Gibson Block burned in 1864 and was being rebuilt, the Lodge contracted with the owners and the builder to construct a third floor to be used for their lodge rooms. The members took possession in 1870 and met there for the next 108 years.
The Lodge celebrated the 100th anniversary of its first charter in 1911. This year also brought the heaviest blow to its membership. For years many of the members from neighboring Clifton Springs had petitioned Sincerity Lodge to help them establish a Lodge in their home town but Sincerity Lodge, fearing a massive loss of membership, refused cooperation several times. Several members left in disgust in 1902 and joined Newark Lodge in protest. One of them, William A. Judd, a prominent Clifton Springs businessman and a Past Master of Sincerity Lodge, managed to gain a charter by other means and established Garoga Lodge #300 in Clifton Springs in the fall of 1911. Mr. Judd was its first Master. And as was feared, forty-five members left Sincerity Lodge that year to join Garoga Lodge. Sincerity Lodge survived and both Lodges continued to grow for many years afterward.
The Lodge purchased the second floor of the Gibson Block in 1930. Known as Gibson Hall, it had been used since its construction for most large public events from political to social. The local residents were entertained there by minstrel shows, traveling theatrical companies and early movies. While the Masons and Eastern Star used it as their dining room the hall was still used by other organizations for their dances, rallies and shows.
The Lodge rooms were sold to Ramon Howard in 1978 and the old dining hall was changed into apartments. The third floor is still undeveloped. Construction was started on the new Lodge Hall on Ontario Street. The new building was dedicated in the fall of 1979 by the laying of the cornerstone by the Grand Master of New York, William R. Punt.
Garoga Lodge #300 in Clifton Springs lost their lodge rooms in 1990 and used the new facilities of Sincerity Lodge #200 until 1999 when events came full circle and the members of both Lodges unanimously voted to merge. The new Garoga-Sincerity Lodge #200 was granted its charter on November 2, 1999. The schism that had occurred in 1911 was removed 88 years later.
The combined Garoga-Sincerity Lodge is one of the most active lodges in the Ontario-Seneca-Yates District and the Lodge building also serves as a home to other Masonic organizations and Royal-Garoga Chapter #425 of the Eastern Star.
William Sergeant is the present Master (2004-05) of the lodge, which has over 100 members at the time of this writing. It is a busy organization that is active in both state and local charities and civic services.
PHELPS HISTORY - From "200 Years of the Town of Phelps"
By John M. Parmelee
Chapter 15 - 1860s - Business, Civil War, Fire! (continued)
An 1867 directory lists the following farms: Crothers, Marsh, Musselman, Peck and Ridley each had 400 acres; Westfalls had 900 acres and L.B. Hotchkiss owned 1400 acres. The village had the following businesses: a newspaper, bank, six churches, seven malthouses, a paper mill, five flour mills, two plaster mills, a cheese factory, foundry, tannery, soap factory and a yeast cake factory. At this time, Oaks Corners had: a carriage factory, hardware store, blacksmith and cooper shop, a distillery, brickyard, lime and hop kiln, two coal yards and a nursery.
These were the seven malthouses listed in the Phelps directory: The H.H. Titus Company was at the corner of Flint and Mill Streets where the Gibson Distillery had burned in 1864. Tutus rebuilt on the same foundation. H. McKenna had a large operation across Flint Street on the west. John White had a malt house right next to McKenna on the north. Oliver Crothers I had one where the Deane cabin had been on Main Street. Crothers later sold the building to GLF who used it as a fertilizer store. It was torn down in 1930. Dr. John Q. Howe had his malt house in operation south of the Crothers building. Betts and Nestor, from Geneva, had a malthouse on the southeast corner of Ontario and William Streets. Peter Garlock built a malthouse and brandy operation on Mill Street at the end of Exchange Street. Later, George Hicks, grandfather of Mary Hicks Preston, operated a malt house on Eagle Street across from the Vandevoort Distillery (now the Kraut Factory). It is easy to understand why Phelps had such a reputation for producing and consuming "sprits" in those days. Of course, because of lack of refrigeration and preservatives, it was about the only way to process fruits and the grains that farmers raised.
Perhaps the best known of the malt houses was that of Betts and Nestor. Samuel K. Nestor, born in Pennsylvania in 1840, went to New York City when he was 19 to secure a position in a malt house. While there, he met John F. Betts who would later become his partner in the malt business. In 1962 Phelps Business Directory listed Nestor as a clerk at 75 West Main Street, residing at the Lawrence House (Globe Hotel), and Betts was a maltster at 75 West Main Street with a residence in New York City. By 1867 Nestor was also listed as a maltster. The towering malthouse of Betts and Nestor was built in 1867 on Ontario Street near William Street. Nestor lived in the house across the street. Their business was so successful that Nestor moved to Geneva in 1871 where the partners built a large, modern and innovative malthouse, their headquarters for many years. In 1879 the partnership broke up and Nestor became sole owner. By 1893, the Geneva operation was described by Conover as "one of the most extensive of its kind in the country". The malt house covered one acre of land, had eight malting floors, and processed 35,000 bushels of barley a year. He also had malt houses in Waterloo and Phelps, each with a 100,000 bushel capacity. He also developed branches in Buffalo, Watkins Glen and Lyons. Nestor died in 1909 and by 1914 the whole operation was sold under foreclosure order. The Geneva operation was torn down in 1921.
Jesse Briglin bought the Phelps malthouse in 1910 for $1700 from the Nestor estate and used it as a produce warehouse. During the years from 1922 to 1932, the malthouse was a cider mill and produce shipping center. Many barrels of sweet and hard cider were produced there for the local trade. I remember stopping there during the fall season on my way home from school and getting a drink of sweet cider. A spigot on the side of one of the large vats and a glass kept handy were available for anyone to stop and get a drink. That you couldn't do today! The operation was then owned by Charles White and Scott Partridge. They shipped many carloads of cabbage, potatoes, grains and beans from the railroad siding there. The operation went bankrupt in 1932 in the Great Depression.
In 1935, GLF purchased the property and used it as a bean cleaning and receiving plant. Agway, who bought out GLF, remodeled the building in 1963 to improve its capacity and efficiency in handling dry beans. In 1969 the building was totally destroyed by fire. The site is still used by Agway for storage.
In 1867, Charles Price owned the Red Mill near Newark Road, and Shumway and Sons owned the soap factory just south of the Howe Mills. The Rose and Cooley Block was erected on the corner of Exchange and Main Streets. Mr. Nelson and S.K. Bowker started their carriage and hearse business near Flint Creek West of the Globe Hotel after it was rebuilt. The carriage business lasted until 1890. In 1893 the building was used as a thermometer factory and later was used as an automobile garage. The buildings were torn down about 1920. The Globe Hotel burned in 1931. Valere Minet built a gas station and automobile dealership on the site. Walter Covert now owns the garage. In 1867 S.K. Bowker owned the home which is now the Eacker Funeral Home on East Main Street. The next year, 1868, the present Phelps Hotel was built by a local builder named Henry Edgecomb for L.B. Hotchkiss, the owner, at a cost of $26,000.
After the Civil War in 1867, the Crown Drill Company was established by B.F. Pritchard who became president and Dr. G.C. Pritchard who became vice-president. They made grain drills, planters (seeders) and similar farm equipment. They became the largest industry in Phelps during the late 1800's. Their plant was located on the south side of the railroad tracks at the corner of South Wayne and Pleasant Streets. The original building was only one story, but in 1883 they built a five-story building. In 1893, they made one thousand drills and twelve hundred seeders. There was a house on South Wayne Street in front of the factory. The Pritchards used the main part as an office; the south wing was used as a public library in 1890. Dr. Pritchard was instrumental in collecting and donating 600 books for the library which lasted approximately 25 years. In 1909 the factory burned and was rebuilt as a one-story plant. In 1911, it was sold to E.F. Needham who, with his son John, operated it until 1930. It was then used for a short while by Geneva Foundry and Andes Stove Works, purchased in 1948 by Mike Camilis and a Mr. Mahoney. It later burned.
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