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HISTORIAN’S CORNER
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PHELPS HISTORY
1850's - CHURCHES, BANKS, CEMETERIES
200 Years of the Town of Phelps
by John M. Parmelee
Chapter 18 - Turn of the Century - And After
In 1900, O.J. Whitney and H.B. Whitney operated a basket factory in the Old Stone Mill building on Main Street. The water above the dam, known as Whitney's Pond, provided an ice skating rink during the winter months, a very popular recreation center for several winters at the turn of the century. "The Phelps Citizen" building (Now Tate Building) was built in 1900. The Bussey Brothers had their print shop on the west side of the building. Also in 1900, electricity was installed in the school building, and telephones became available, although some individuals had been experimenting with them before then. The Empire Telephone Company put up poles to carry the wires. The following year, the New York Telephone Company set up both toll and local lines. Their office was in Clark's Ice Cream Store on the corner of Main and Exchange Streets. Calls were handled by the proprietor as there was no official operator and service was only available when the store was open. This company offered to install the phones free for several months to encourage new users. Many people were afraid that the wires would conduct lightning into the house and cause fires. In 1905 the Interocean or Federal Company operated here but only handled long distance calls. They set up a pay station at a local grocery store. Later this company had a switchboard in the local hardware store and connected a few private lines that had been installed in the town. Also in 1905 Harry F. Flint and a few local businessmen formed the Phelps Home Telephone Company and set up an office in the Bowker Building (Globe Hotel). They sold out to the Friendship Company, a Bell subsidiary, in 1910. In 1911 another company was organized as the Phelps Mutual Company with offices above the bank. Local telephone service cost one dollar per month for business or residence. In 1920, Phelps Mutual sold to the New York Telephone Company. At that time, H.H. Griswold worked for the New York Telephone Company in Syracuse. He moved from Syracuse to Phelps, bought and combined all the existing telephone companies in Phelps and Clifton Springs and founded the Ontario Telephone Company with exchanges in both places. The manual switchboard for Phelps, located above the bank, continued in operation until 1955 when dial service was established. The company's business office was on the corner of Main and Church Streets from 1926 until 1957 when they built their present office and exchange on East Main Street next to the Andrews home. In 1982 they bought the Burt residence next door to the east and tore it down to expand their building and provide a parking lot. The company is still owned by the Griswold family, with the third generation now in charge. They also operate the Trumansburg Home Telephone Company.
In 1904 the E. Percy dry house on Newark Road on the northwest side of Flint Creek was sold to Ernest Schoenacker. It was abandoned in 1929 and torn down shortly after that. Also in that year, Henry Whitney sold his basket factory in the Old Mill to a company who started a gasoline engine business there which lasted until 1910. Henry C. and Charles T. Severence were operating a blacksmith shop and carriage factory in the old stone building on Exchange Street at this time.
1904 was the year that Henry B. Whitney and Arthur S. Vincent built the Empire State Pickling plant on Pleasant Street, south of the railroad tracks and east of the Crown Drill Company. They started out making dill pickles. Burton E. Babcock came to Phelps to work there. He was knowledgeable about the sauerkraut business, having worked for a company in Ohio where it was made. They started using the stone tanks for sauerkraut as well as for pickles.
At that time, L.S. Foster operated a fruit and vinegar business where the present Silver Floss factory is located on Eagle Street. This business had been started by Thomas Vandevoort before 1900. Foster was an expert on vinegar. Babcock went into business with Foster to make sauerkraut at the Eagle Street plant. In 1920 he bought out Foster and the Silver Floss name, but continued operating under the name of Empire State Pickling Company. Babcock expanded the business with plants in Shortsville, Five Points and Gorham and became the largest sauerkraut manufacturer in the world. He also bought farm land, including the farm at the end of Ontario Street on Melvin Hill Road. At one time he owned all the land south to beyond the four corners except the Donnelly farm. A fire totally destroyed the Eagle Street plant in 1928. The present building was built that same year by Joel Caves, who built all of the Babcock buildings. Mr. Babcock became the one and only millionaire Phelps ever had. He built the beautiful Italian style home on East Main Street where he had riding horses, a stable and a greenhouse at the rear of the house. He bought three houses which had stood on the site he wanted and moved them father down East Main Street. One was divided and became the present Vittum and Kyke residences. Another became the Nagel house and the third became the Maynard Linquest home. Babcock died in 1941 and the business was run by Alva Bailey and John Stroup until 1965 when it was sold to Curtice-Burns who continues to operate the plant, although not on as large a scale.
In 1906 the Catholic Cemetery was started. Prior to that time Catholics were buried in the same area as Protestants, but the Catholics preferred a separate burying place for their parishioners, so they bought the northern part of Rest Haven Cemetery for their exclusive use.
This was the same year the Collins Iron Works moved to town. Collins bought a building used at the Buffalo Exposition and moved it from Buffalo to a lot on Pleasant Street extension across the tracks from the railroad station. This company made storage tanks and lockers. The building was large enough to accommodate a railroad spur from which steel and coal were unloaded. The business continued until World War I.
In 1906 the Rochester and Eastern Trolley System was operating between Syracuse and Rochester through Geneva. The R. & E. proposed a trolley line through Phelps, connecting Newark and Geneva. The right-of-way from Newark followed Vienna Road to Phelps Newark Street, then went east along the south side of Main Street through the village and followed the New York Central Railroad to Unionville, Oaks Corners and Geneva. The cost of the land, however, prohibited the company from building the line and the idea was abandoned. The R. & E. line lasted until 1930. Geneva had an intercity line connecting Waterloo, Seneca Falls, and Cayuga Lake Park, which was also abandoned in 1930.
George and Frank Tiffany had a crate factory behind the Tiffany home on Ontario Street in 1909. They were the father and grandfather of Merton Tiffany. This was the year when Joel Caves built the Village Hall and firehouse on Church Street, also the year that the five-story Crown Drill factory burned.
In 1910 the Hicks-Schaick Dry House was established. Their business was in a building just past the John White malt house where the Phelps Town barn now stands. The Dry House was an apple evaporator where apples were sorted and dried. This business continued until 1918. Del Hicks, one of the proprietors, was the father of Russell Hicks who still lives in Unionville.
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