history

Press release:

The Holland Land Office Museum reopens to the public today, June 26, at its normal business hours. The museum will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The museum will be reopening with some noticeable changes.

Firstly, the museum is implementing its Safety Plan, which requires all visitors to the museum to wear masks and admission will be limited to 10 at a time. Also, visitors are asked to refrain from touching any of the artifacts and cases, and to follow our “one way” floor plan. Visitors are also asked to maintain the 6 foot social distancing protocol and to use the hand sanitizer and washing stations around the museum.

Secondly, the museum is reopening under a new admission policy. Visitors to the museum will now have to pay an admission fee. The ranges include: Free for Museum Members, $1 for Children, $3 for Students/Veterans/Seniors, $5 for Adults, and $10 for a Family of four.

The HLOM is instituting a strict cleaning procedure to ensure the safety of our staff, volunteers, and visitors, but wishes everyone to come by and visit us and see all our treasures of the history of Genesee County.

Thank you to all who have supported us in the past, through this difficult time, and continue to into the future. 

If you have any questions please contact the museum by phone at (585) 343-4727 or email at hollandlandoffice@gmail.com. Information can also be found on our website, hollandlandoffice.com, or our Facebook page.

Press release:

The Holland Land Office Museum will be administering a change in its admission policy for visitors to the museum upon its opening in the coming weeks.

The museum’s new admission policy will be as follows:

• Free for Members;
• $1 for Children;
• $3 for Students, Veterans, and Seniors;
• $5 for Adults;
• $10 for Family of two adults and two children.

​This policy is a change from previously when admission was based on a suggested donation.

The Board and the Executive Director did not take this decision lightly, but it was deemed as a necessity for the museum to continue serving the people of Genesee County and Western New York.

The museum will remain committed to carrying out its mission of preserving the living history of Genesee County for the future, in an educational, entertaining, and inclusive way.

Everyone at the museum would like to thank those who have supported us in the past, through this difficult time, and into the future. We look forward to seeing both old and new faces walking through the door again very soon.

If you have any questions, please contact Director Ryan Duffy at (585) 343-4727 or email: hollandlandoffice@gmail.com

Information can also be found at the museum’s website.

Diana Diplarakou Dipson, is seated in forefront, left, with violin. Photo courtesy of Anne Marie Starowitz.

Rose Caccamise will truly be missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her. About 10 years ago Rose contacted me and asked if I would do an article on Diana Dipson. We met a few times and she explained that this famous lady deserved to be remembered. That was so Rose, always thinking of someone else. So, in memory of that beautiful, talented, athletic woman, this is for you, Rose.

            -- Anne Marie Starowitz

In 1929 a young girl, who liked her name to be pronounced "Dee-AN’-na," graduated with honors from Batavia High School. She was a member of the National Honor Society, was awarded the Glenn S. Loomis Award for History, and was a member of orchestra and chorus. Her ambition was to be a concert violinist.

Diana Diplarakou Dipson was born in New York City but moved to Batavia as a child. When she was 5 years old she began studying violin in Batavia with August Fricker. She began giving recitals at the age of 11. Many of her recitals were at the State School for the Blind.

She later won a scholarship to the Curtiss Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She received degrees with high honors from Oberlin Conservatory and the Julliard Graduate School of Music. Her music career spanned many decades. She studied in Europe under the direction of George Enesco.

Music reviews of her undeniable talent began in Batavia and followed her career all over the country.

“Diana Dipson is a brilliant artist, possessing an amazing technique. It can be predicted without fear that Miss Dipson will become one of the country’s most accomplished violinists.” Daily News of Batavia, NY, May 16, 1928

Diana’s music career began when she accompanied silent movies at the New Family Theater on Jackson Street. Her father Nikitas D. Dipson operated the theater. As Diana’s career soared so did her father’s in the theater business. Nikitas’ name became synonymous with both movie theaters and drive-in-movie theaters.

Diana performed on radio in Buffalo and Cleveland and before World War II she played in public appearances in Greece.

She later joined the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra in West Virginia, where she was a featured soloist.

In 1939, Diana married George Papulias in New York City at a private ceremony officiated by the Eastern Orthodox Bishop of New York City. The groom was an attorney from Steubenville, Ohio, an amateur violinist, and the son of Greek immigrants who, like the Dipsons, were in the theater business.

The newlyweds sailed the same day on the Italian liner Conte de Savoia for a three-month Mediterranean honeymoon. In June 1940 their son Michael was born. When Michael was 2 years old his parents divorced. He was not raised by either of his parents but was raised by a family in Wellsville.

Diana went to New York City to pursue her musical career in the early '40s. Michael would come to Batavia for Christmas or Easter and stayed at his grandfather’s home on 431 E. Main St.

Diana was disappointed that Michael never learned to play an instrument or read music. According to her, he had perfect pitch. The one thing Michael did have in common with his mother was she had very sensitive ears and could not tolerate hearing instruments played out of tune. To this day her son has the same complaint.

When Michael was in grade school his mother would make arrangements to visit his school in Wellsville and play the violin for his class. She played tunes that appealed to the students and then added some classical medleys. The teachers appreciated her visits and to this day his classmates still reminisce about it.

Diana did fulfill her dream. The headlines in The Daily News March 1, 1944 read “Batavian Chosen First Violinist in a New York City Symphony.” After very competitive auditions, Diana was chosen first violinist and would be a member of the New York City Symphony under Leopold Stokowski, conductor.

Interestingly Mischa Mischakoff, concertmaster of the New York City Symphony, was a soloist in Batavia Civic Orchestra’s second season and perhaps was a colleague of Diana.

During and after World War II she toured military hospitals with the Hospital Music Guild, entertaining wounded servicemen. She had great sympathy for the many servicemen who had been wounded in the war. She found playing her violin for the soldiers gave her great satisfaction.

Michael also shared that his mom was a born mimic and could flawlessly lapse into a variety of dialects. She spoke Greek fluently and could also speak French from her time in Paris. By the time she was 30 she had traveled all over Europe, and had a very cosmopolitan view of customs, culture and cuisine.

While Diana was performing in New York City something musically wonderful was happening at home. Four musicians in the 1940s, John and Helen Grapka, Norman Hall and Muriel Mooney formed a quartet and along with many talented musicians in the area, helped form the Batavia Civic Orchestra later known as the Genesee Symphony Orchestra.

Ironically, their first concert was held at the Dipson Theatre* on Nov. 6, 1947 to a sold-out audience.

In 1955 Diana returned to Batavia and became a member of the Genesee Symphony for six years. She served as a board member for five years. She was first stand with concertmaster John Bobka. She also played in concerts presented by the Fine Arts Division of Geneseo State College and frequently gave offertory performances for local churches.

Diana continued to teach violin to young people and in 1964 served as the concertmistress with the Perry Pops Orchestra. She was later employed in the offices of Dipson Theatres, which still owned or leased about 10 theaters operated by her brother, William Dipson.

In the '70s the community leaders in Batavia, particularly William Dipson, decided to give Main Street a cultural boost. They organized a live performance of an opera, with costumes, scenery, and full orchestra to perform on stage at the Dipson Theatre.

Everybody attended in formal finery as though it were a Hollywood premiere. Michael came to Batavia to escort his mother.

By all accounts, it was a beautiful performance, an afternoon to remember. It was not too long after the gala that the Dipson theatre like many other beautiful buildings became the next target of urban renewal.

Diana continued to live in Batavia in the Dipson home on East Main Street. She had a fear of locking herself out of her apartment so she never locked her door. One day when she came home she found that her violin was stolen; she never played the violin again.

Rose Caccamise from Roxy’s Music store has very fond memories of Diana. She describes Diana as artistic, musical, humble, intelligent, gracious, and a lover of animals, especially her dog Augie. In Rose’s words, “it was a privilege to have known her.”

Diana also taught students to play the violin at Roxy’s Music Store.

Diana Diplarakou Dipson died at St. Luke’s Manor in Batavia in 1997 at the age of 86. Her son is an attorney in Madison County, Virginia, where her ashes are buried.

*Editor's Note: The Dipson Theatre in Batavia was located at 38 Main St. Ground breaking for the movie house was in 1946 and when it opened it had seating for 1,325 people, according to a website called Cinema Treasures.

Mary Powell, circa 1870s, taken at A.K. Drury Studio, Le Roy, NY.

Reader Shelley Cardiel contacted us this afternoon and sent along this photo, saying:

"I’ve 'rescued' an old photograph of Mary POWELL, which was taken at the A. K. Drury Studio in LeRoy, NY.  The photograph appears to have been taken in the 1870’s with Mary appearing to be in her teens at the time it was taken.

"I’m hoping to locate someone from Mary’s family so that this photograph can be returned to the care of family. If you are a member of this family, or you know someone who might be, please contact me."

Email:   cardiels@comcast.net

A Batavia author has penned a paean to The Stumblin' Inn in Elba, the storied landmark that burned down two years ago this summer.

Daniel J. Crofts was to speak at the Holland Land Office Museum April 23 about his fictional short story "Ignis Invictus,* a Eulogy for the Stumblin' Inn" as participants noshed pastries and sipped hot coffee during the kaffeeklatsch known as Java with Joe E., cancelled because of coronavirus, naturally.

"I worked in Elba for a little over five years, and had passed by the Inn every day," Crofts said in a recent email. "But it wasn't until reading The Batavian's coverage following the July 2018 fire that I learned just how important it had been to the Elba community.

"I have always been interested in storytelling, and felt that a short story that would function as a sort of memorial for the Stumblin' Inn would be appropriate and, perhaps, welcomed."

Crofts said his tale is about a man from out of the area who drives into Elba, sees the wreck of the Stumblin' Inn (after the fire had occurred but before the debris was cleared), and treats it disrespectfully.

Then he meets a mysterious, supernatural guide (like the ghosts of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," or Virgil from Dante's "The Divine Comedy") who takes him on a journey through the history of the Stumblin' Inn, its predecessors, and Elba in general (insofar as it is relevant to the Inn).

Of course, Crofts' book ($10.50) is stocked at the Holland Land Office Museum, which is temporarily closed because of the pandemic.

HLOM Offers Online Book Sales

It is among a number of intriguing titles in the HLOM bookstore inventory, which are available for purchase online.

Also on the list: "The Story of the Muck as Told By Those Who Worked There," ($12) written by the late William F. Brown Jr., and researched by Anne Marie Starowitz; and "Up South -- Folk Stories Whispered on the Summer Wind and Seen Through the Green Leaves" ($24.99), by Lynda Breckenridge Gaetano; and "Transfiguration and Hope -- A Conversation About Time and Hope" ($21.99) by D. Gregory Van Dussen, about spiritual journeys infinite and eternal, and the power of grace.

There are battlefield maps for purchase and titles about wars and veterans, baseball, the Erie Canal, Buffalo gangsters, Native Americans and pioneers, railroads, Genesee County architecture, haunted places, leading citizens, lore, and WNY amusement park rides.

A tiny brass cannon collectible can be had 10 bucks. It spurs remembrance of the actual cannons that stood outside the museum for more than a century. Last November, those were carefully dismantled and sent to Altoona, Pa., for a $20,000 period-accurate restoration, half paid by the museum and half through funds from an ongoing fundraising campaign called "Ready. Aim. Donate."

And if you need some soap to wash your hands good and clean of COVID-19, the bookstore's online inventory also lists prettily wrapped, handmade goat's milk soap, three cakes for $12, with fragrances such as green tea, rose hip, and lavender mint.

Meanwhile, HLOM is using this time of closure to take stock of its operation and programs and is asking people to complete a survey to help them better serve the community.

(Ignis Invictus is Latin for: Fire or Passion + Invincible or Undefeated, etc.)

Editor's Note: Below is a YouTube video of the Stumblin' Inn fire July 8, 2018, by Elba resident Lucine Kauffman, along with our news partner WBTA:

Also, video of the cannons being loaded for their restoration trip.

This article is from the book "Back in the Day, Snapshots of Local History, The Way I See It," by Anne Marie Starowitz, 2017. Reprinted with permission from the author. 

Growing up in the ‘60s in Batavia would be considered very uneventful to today’s young people. The parks program was very popular and the highlight was the parks parade. Main Street was closed down for an afternoon to let all of the different parks parade their floats down Main Street. Young people played outside, made up their own games, and walked or rode their bikes.

In the winter the tennis courts were converted to an ice rink. In the summer the tennis courts would be used for evening dances. There was nothing like dancing under the stars on the tarmac of a tennis count.

The highlight of the summer of 1962 was the opening of the “New Pool.” How the pool became a reality was not important to the young people of Batavia. All they knew was the new pool meant happy days ahead. Young people would wait anxiously in line for the doors to open holding onto their 25 cents and waiting to get a key for a locker. No one ever noticed a plaque on the wall with the name Greta Patterson.

Greta Patterson was the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Guy Patterson of 41 Ellicott Ave. When Greta was two years old she began learning to swim. She loved to swim and did not have a fear of water. Some of her first lessons were in Branton’s pool on River Street. Mrs. Branton and her daughter Sibyl were her first swimming teachers. She also swam at the indoor pool of the New York State for the Blind School, YMCA, and Conesus Lake. She continued to swim during all of her school years.

Greta graduated in June 1955 from Batavia High School. Five days after her graduation she made swimming history. She swam fifteen miles from Angola, NY, to Crystal Beach, Ontario, in thirteen hours. As she exited the cold water of Lake Erie she was treated as a heroine. The day after her historical swim she was welcomed on the steps of Batavia City Hall by Mayor Herman Gabriel and was serenaded by St. Joseph’s Drum Corps. The radio station WBTA broadcast the event. In the same year her picture was in the November issue of Seventeen Magazine.

Her swimming achievement inspired the building of a city pool that would be completed seven years later. Members of the Kiwanis Club decided to launch a fund to build a swimming pool somewhere in the city. Several local social clubs joined the effort under the chairmanship of Robert DeLong. He was to head a fund-raising committee.

The first event was a public entertainment program that would be called a Swimarama. The event took place at the Batavia Downs and a Buffalo talent scout provided an all-star cast of entertainers. On August 8, 1955, 9,000 people sat in the stands at the Downs to watch the opening ceremonies. Leading the parade around the track was Greta Petterson riding in a sulky drawn by a racehorse. The entertainers followed in convertibles. The music of St. Joseph’s Drum Corps and the Brockport-Batavia Cavalier Drum Corps filled the air. There were singers, dancers, and impersonators. The event raised $6,000 for the new pool fund. The contributions were slowly coming in. In 1958 William Henry became the new chairman of the pool committee and he established a door-to-door drive hoping that every family would donate one dollar to the new pool fund. Finally, they were very close to their goal of $80,000.

In 1959 the building contract was awarded to Ed Leising to excavate a choice piece of land in MacArthur Park. The pool would measure 60 feet by 100 ft. and would accommodate 100 swimmers.

The pool opened July 9, 1962. People from the summer recreation program were trained to be lifeguards. The pool was never given an official name but the Kiwanis Club did place a plaque on the wall at the main entrance acknowledging Greta Patterson’s part in the creation of the pool. The pool will be forever called the “New Pool” for those young people that made the pool the highlight of that summer and many summers to come.

In 1991 the pool needed major repairs. Due to the high cost for repairs, the pool was closed and was filled with dirt and made into basketball courts. In 1997 the bathhouse was remodeled and made into the Batavia Youth Center. It was decided to ask Greta if she would accept the honor of having the new Youth Bureau dedicated to her. Greta Patterson Hansen was honored.

Greta’s history has come full circle from being Batavia’s famous swimmer, inspiring the community to create a community pool, to coming home and having the Batavia Youth Center dedicated in her name. Today the Batavia Youth Bureau is housed at 114 Liberty Street in St. Anthony’s former school.

Picture below and at top courtesy of Anne Marie Starowitz. Photo of the painting of Greta Patterson as a little girl, courtesy of the Holland Land Office Museum. The book "Back in the Day, Snapshots of Local History, The Way I See It," is available at the museum.

We're talking with Genesee County Historian Michael Eula about the 1918 global flu pandemic, better known as the "Spanish Flu" and its impact on Batavia.

We had technical difficulties -- we're going to try again.

Submitted image and press release:

Genesee Community College's History Club is proud to welcome Jeffery Glodzik, Ph.D., associate professor of History at D'Youville College, on Wednesday, March 11, at 7 p.m. to present "Erasmus: The Most Important Figure in the Reformation Era?".

The famous Dutch humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam played perhaps the most important role in the intellectual world and the religious conflicts in the 16th century.

His satirical critiques of Catholicism opened the door for more pointed criticisms and the allowed for the challenges taken up by Luther. His disagreements with Luther after the onset of Reformation solidified the differences between Catholic and Protestant and ultimately made permanent the division in Western Christianity.

The show begins at 7 p.m. in room T102 of the Conable Technology Building on GCC's Batavia Campus and is free and open to the public. All are invited to attend.

Fourth- and fifth-graders at St. Paul Lutheran School are proudly displaying their projects on "Early Colonial Settlements" at the Holland Land Office Museum.

They are the culmination of all they learned on the topic during the two-week lesson plan, which they began before National Lutheran Schools Week, Jan. 26-Feb. 1.

There was no America as we know it now, their teacher Jennifer Dunn explained to them.

Native Americans lived throughout the land. There were settlements by Puritans and Pilgrams from England, and by the Dutch, French and Spanish. Think Roanoke, Jamestown, Cooperstown, Plymouth.

Travel was difficult. Conditions primitive. Why did they take such risks to come here?  How did they live day to day? What did they eat, or wear? What rules governed them?

Besides history, the studies emcompassed English Language Arts, social studies and geography.

Between the drears of winter and the sheer scope of written/verbal information, it seemed to Dunn that her students were getting sort of "overwhelmed" and bogged down by it all, including niggling details: at least four of the key people of the time had the first name John.

So she decided to have students do some research on their own and put their knowlege into the tangible form of displays with essays accompanying them.

"They did their own research themselves and they are proud of it," Dunn said. "It made history come alive."

Their fact-finding also helped clarify some confusing points.

And they created labels for the models -- made of stuff like wooden sticks, twigs, tempera paint, plastic barnyard animals, craft paper, even Rice Krispies -- with references to the essays they wrote.

Each child presented their work in front of their parents and the whole school.

It was a lot for 9- and 10-year-olds to master and their mastery is on display tomorrow Feb. 22 through Thursday, March 5, when the St. Paul students will retrieve their projects after a field trip to the museum.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The location is 131 W. Main St. in the City of Batavia.

On April 19, 1862 a local paper reported “Grave Robbed in Batavia -- Great Excitement.” The story begins on Feb. 20^th of that year when 20-year-old Mary Buchanan was buried in the village cemetery, having died from what is believed to been consumption (tuberculosis, or "TB").

Young Mary’s mother is reported to have had dreamt on three occasions that her daughter had been exhumed from her eternal rest. To calm her anxiety, she visited her daughter's grave to discover that her dreams were true; the grave was empty.

“The body had been taken, and from the state of the clothes in the coffin it was evident that they had been torn off of the body by sacrilegious hands.”

Sheriff's deputies arrived and evidence was soon discovered pointing, as many believed, to a medical student named Forrest Page; parts of the remains of Mary Buchanan were discovered at a location where he resided.

Page was arrested by Deputy Hull and held on substantial bail.

It was in all actuality John Harding Page from the Town of Elba who was held to account.

The charge as taken from the court records of June 23, 1862 said: [paraphrased]

“John H. Page of the Town of Elba on the Twenty Fifth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty two…with force and arms did enter the public burying ground…did enter the grave there of Mary Buchanan and with force and arms unlawfully, willfully and indecently did dig, open and carry the body of Mary Buchanan from the grave for the purpose of dissection.”

He was indicted and admitted to being a medical student studying under a Dr. Root, of Batavia, and later coroner.

His trial was held in Genesee County beginning in the summer of 1862.

Page’s counsel, William Bryan, said that if his client was ever in the possession of any body unlawfully it was for aiding in his medical education.

Soon after the indictment was handed down “the Surgeon General in Washington, being in great need of medical assistances in U.S. hospitals because of the Civil War, interviewed Page for a Medical Cadet [but he was found in eligible]. He did however receive an appointment as an assistant surgeon with the U.S. Volunteers and was assigned to Ft. Scott in Kansas, Department of the Borders; this was in January of 1864.

The bail I believe was $1,000, approximately $25,000 in 2020 money. It appears, and I’ve not been able to completely prove, that he may have "jumped" bail and gone west with the Army. I found no disposition of the case.

Page -- whom some dubbed "Digging Doctor Page" aka "The Body Snatcher" -- died circa 1920.

Ones Forrest Page spent considerable time and effort during his lifetime trying to restore his notorious brother's reputation.

• Here is a link to a letter written by then Genesee County Coroner Dr. John Root to the Batavia Times verifying that John Harding Page was a medical student of his.
• Here is a link to a letter by Dr. John Root vouching for the abilities and qualifications of John Harding Page to serve as a surgeon.
• Here is a link to a letter from Dr. John Root to the Surgeon General asking to appoint John Harding Page to the Medical Corps. This was at or about the time Page's trial was going on. Page was subsequently rejected.
• Here is a link to a friendly, supportive letter to John Harding Page written Aug. 11, 1862 by Dr. John Root, explaining the situation back here in Batavia. At this point Page was, or appears to be, in Kansas.
• Here is a link to a four-page letter written to John Harding Page from his brother, Forrest Page; it shows the brother petitioned the Lieutenant Govenor for John Harding Page to be a Medical Cadet.

(Historical photos courtesy of Rochelle Wyatt, who is married to Dr. Page's grandson​.)

Submitted photo and press release:

From their tiny offices on the second floor of humanities suite at Genesee Community College's Batavia Campus, Associate Professor of History Derek Maxfield (top photo, left) and Professor of English Tracy Ford became colleagues, then friends, and eventually formed their own theater group, Rudely Stamp'd, where they became generals from a bygone era.

Maxfield's passion for history and Ford's obsession with the written and spoken word is no longer confined to their separate classrooms, or even GCC. The dynamic duo has begun performing their unique program around the country.

The Fairfield County Heritage Association in Lancaster, Ohio, will celebrate General William T. Sherman's 200th birthday in a grand gala on Saturday, Feb. 8, from 6 to 10 p.m. at The Mill Event Center located at 431 S. Columbus St., in Lancaster -- Sherman's hometown. The Association has invited Rudely Stamp'd, starring Maxfield, who plays the role of General Ulysses S. Grant and Ford as General William T. Sherman to be featured as part of the celebration!

Performed by Rudely Stamp'd nearly two dozen times in venues across the country, "Now We Stand by Each Other Always" features conversations between Grant and Sherman at critical times during the Civil War. Act I takes place at Vicksburg, Miss., as the men plan for the fall of the city to Union forces in July 1863. Act II portrays a meeting between the generals in Cincinnati, Ohio, as the men plan for the Atlanta and Overland campaigns in 1864.

Finally, Act III takes place at City Point, Va., as Sherman briefs his chief about his wildly successful exploits in Georgia, during the March to the Sea, and his campaign through the Carolinas. The generals also plot an end to the remaining Confederate armies. Acts II and III will be performed at Sherman's Birthday Celebration in Lancaster on Feb. 8.

The Rudely Stamp'd program illustrates the collaboration, dedication and expertise of GCC professors. Maxfield and Ford combined their talents and their craft as teaching professionals to create a program that not only benefits local communities, but often provides GCC students, specifically the History Club, with unique opportunities to appreciate the importance of history and its continued significance on contemporary times.

Many of the performances have also engaged students in event planning, sound and light technology, public speaking and understanding the value of community collaborations, which is a key value under the College's declared mission.

While many of the local performances have been free and open to the public, tickets to the Lancaster performance are $40 each. Available online at www.fairfieldheritage.com, or by calling the office at 740- 654-9923.

The ticket cost includes hors d'oeuvres, the Rudely Stamp'd performance, a General Sherman look-alike contest, Civil War costumes and trivia contests, and much more!

"This will be our third out-of-state performance, and Tracy and I continue to be impressed with how audiences engage with the characters, and are truly absorbed by their story," Maxfield said. "Being asked to perform in Sherman's hometown and on his 200th birthday is a profound honor for us."

For more information about the "Now We Stand by Each Other Always," contact Derek Mayfield at ddmaxfield@genesee.edu or go to https://rudelystampd.wordpress.com/. Rudely Stamp'd is also scheduled to perform in Brunswick, N.C., on March 3.

Press release:

The Genesee Community College History Club is excited to announce the Spring 2020 Historical Horizons Lecture Series lineup full of live readings and events that will transport audiences to another place and time.

The entire community is invited to GCC's Batavia Campus on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. to hear Sharon and Don Burkel present "The Angel and the Warrior: The Story of Emily and General Upton."

The program focuses on the brief love story of Emily Norwood Martin and General Emory Upton between 1866 and 1870. General Upton, who is seen as the epitome of a military officer, will surprise the audience with his fervent devotion to a sheltered, religious young lady from Auburn.

Through the reading of their personal letters and sharing original photos, their tragic story will be told.

The presentation will be in room T102 of the Conable Technology Building and is free and open to the public.

The Historical Horizons Lecture series will continue with events scheduled on the first Wednesday of each month during the Spring 2020 Semester including:

• Wednesday, April 1 at 1 p.m.: "The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution" presented by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Eric Foner, Ph.D., of Columbia University. This lecture will be based on the book of the same title and will occur in GCC's Stuart Steiner Theatre. 
• Wednesday, May 6 at 7 p.m.: GCC Associate Professor of History Derek Maxfield will present on his book "Hellmira: The Union's Most Infamous POW Camp of the Civil War," which explores this notorious time period in the history of Elmira.

From Linda Call:

2020 is an important milestone for Stafford -- it is its Bicentennial!

 On March 24, 1820, the people of Stafford came together to incorporate their community as a town, giving the residents the ability to make decisions about what will happen in their community. The celebration of the Stafford Bicentennial will include a variety of events open to the public and are scheduled to take place throughout the year.

Settlers of European descent began to arrive in this area not long after the Revolutionary War, chopping down trees and clearing fields in land inhabited for centuries by Seneca Tribe of Native Americans. Those traveling through Genesee County used the old Indian trail that is now Route 5.

People often drive through Stafford on Route 5 without noticing the rich architectural heritage to be found here. Many of the original homesteads are still inhabited 200 years later.

Stafford, which includes land from the Holland Land Purchase, the Connecticut Purchase, and the Craigie Tract, was the hub of settlement activity in the early 1800s.   

The culture and architecture of Stafford was heavily influenced by an influx of immigrants from Devonshire, England. Residents of Devonshire were mainly employed in agriculture and relied on this knowledge of farming to build a new life in the growing settlement of Stafford. Farming is still the major business in the area.

Whether you are looking for a good game of golf at the Stafford Country Club, fishing or hiking at Godfrey’s Pond, or a chance to explore the history and architecture of the area, Stafford has something to offer everyone who visits.

Submitted photo and press release:

City of Batavia Historian Larry Barnes (above, right) and Holland Land Office Museum Executive Director Ryan Duffy (pictured left) announce the publication of an amended version of the "History of the City of Batavia" written in 1993 by Ruth M. McEvoy.

The original book, published 26 years ago, has long been out of print, but continues to be in demand among local residents. Barnes and Duffy decided to address this situation by working with Michael Hodgins of Hodgins Printing Co. to scan a surviving original copy and then print another 200 books for sale to the public.

These copies are now available at the Holland Land Office Museum bookstore.

The reprinting of McEvoy’s book provided an opportunity to correct errors in the original publication. To this end, Barnes identified 50 instances where errors had crept into McEvoy’s otherwise excellent book. Three additional pages are inserted into the amended edition for the purpose of pointing out the appropriate corrections.

McEvoy was the Batavia city historian from 1971 to 1985. She was also director of the Richmond Memorial Library for eight years in addition to serving as a member of many community organizations including the Holland Purchase Historical Society. McEvoy, now deceased, was named a “Fabulous Female” by the YWCA in 2003.

Barnes views McEvoy’s book, his own "History of Batavia: 1801 to 2015" (available online through the City’s website), and his Batavia Revisited (published by Acadia Press) as the three publications which together provide the most comprehensive history of the city. According to Barnes, each in its own unique manner complements the other two books in a way that readers should find especially satisfying.

The two cannons that have sat on the front porch of the Holland Land Office Museum for more than a century have been removed and transported to Altoona, Pa., for a $20,000 period-accurate restoration.

The Museum is paying $10,000 for the restoration and is seeking public donations of $10,000 in a campaign called, "Ready, Aim, Donate."

Submitted photos and press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) departed to Washington, D.C., for his 12^th annual Patriot Trip last week.

Hawley, local veterans and their family members will visit a host of famous military memorials in the area of the nation's capital.

The group left from Batavia Downs at 7 a.m. last Thursday and will spend four days visiting historical sites such as Arlington National Cemetery, the Capitol rotunda and the Vietnam War Memorial to name a few.

The group made a stop in Gettysburg, Pa., to visit the Civil War battlefield, and then headed to the Air Force Memorial in Arlington County, Va.

“I’m eager to embark on this journey with some of our finest veterans,” Hawley said. “This trip is consistently one of the highlights of my year.

"I’m grateful to spend time with our heroes and visit some of the most important sites in our nation’s history.”

The Barber Conable Post Office Building in Batavia is 100 years old.

Construction of the post office began in 1916 with a $57,993 bid awarded to contractor George F. Rossell, of Rochester, according to the City of Batavia History book by Ruth M. McEvoy.

Because of World War I, Rossell had a hard time completing the project as he was beset by higher costs and construction supervisors who kept going off to war. He gave up in October 1917, voiding the contract.

Progress continued slowly under the supervision of E.D. Gray and it was finally ready for postal employees to relocate from a rented building on Jackson Street to their new headquarters.

The post office was built based on plans by John Taylor Knox, the former architect of the U.S. Treasury. He designed dozens of federal buildings during his career, including the post office in Buffalo and Niagara Falls. 

The cornerstone was laid in 1916 and bears the name of William G. McAdoo, who was Secretary of the Treasury, as "supervising architect."

A few post offices in other communities share common designs with our post office, including Live Oak, Fla., Fulton, Mo., and Menomonie, Wis.

The name of the post office was changed in 2004 by an act of Congress to the Barber Conable Post Office Building. Conable is a former congressman who represented our area and later became president of the World Bank.

Ironically, perhaps, according to McEvoy's book, the Batavia Daily News reported in 1970 that the area's congressman -- who would have been Conable at the time -- had promised the community a new post office building. "In 1990," McEvoy notes, "that promise had not been fulfilled."

When the post office first opened, it had a front porch area. It was enclosed in 1961.

The postmaster in 1919 was John F. Ryan. According to McEvoy, Ryan and his brother William opened a light shop at 79 Main St., Batavia, in 1898. In 1910, they installed an electrical device that opened and closed their shop windows automatically.

His daughter was Dr. Edith F. Ryan. She intended to open a practice in Philadelphia but war disrupted her plans. She opened an office on Jackson Street and was then appointed as a medical examiner for the school district. That helped her practice grow. She retired in 1957.

Batavia's first postmaster was James Brisbane, who handled postal duties through his general store. He eventually became a wealthy man and the current police headquarters is the former Brisbane mansion. His son Albert was a social reformer and his grandson was the famous journalist of the early 20th century, Arthur Brisbane, who is buried in the Historic Batavia Cemetery. Arthur was also Nellie Bly's editor. The Brisbane Family Papers (1819-1965) are in the Special Collections Research Center at Syracuse University.

The second postmaster was Ebenezer Cary followed by Trumbull Cary. The Cary Mansion, long destroyed, is commemorated by a historic marker on East Main Street.

In 1829, Simeon Cummings became postmaster. He also owned a harness shop in Batavia.

The next postmaster was William Seaver wrote what is perhaps the first history of Batavia in 1849. Another William Seaver, perhaps his son or possibly grandson, or maybe not related at all, took two pictures of Downtown Batavia that The Batavian previously published.

Following Seaver the postmaster was Levant B. Coates, who appears to have owned a drug store that was destroyed in a fire in 1833. 

Then came Frederick Follett, publisher of a local newspaper, Spirit of the Times, and the author of a book on the history of the press in Western New York.

The first woman postmaster was Elizabeth R. Erbland, who served from 1994 to 1998, followed by Catherine M. Maniace.

Today (top photo), current and former local postal employees gathered on the front steps of the building for a photo.

Do you know what else is 100 years old? The Upton Monument (watch the video).

Press release:

Back and expanded by popular demand, please join the Holland Land Office Museum for a Westside Ghost Walk on three Fridays in October.

The walks led by Connie Boyd will take place at 7 p.m. on Oct. 11, 18, and 25.

Take a walk on the Westside and hear tales of murders, hangings, grave robbing, ghosts and other eerie happenings from Batavia's past.

Hear stories of Joseph Ellicott, E. N. Rowell and other famous and infamous Batavians.

Admission is $10 and reservations are required.

Tours are limited to 25 people each. The tour begins and ends at the museum and is approximately one-and-a-half to two hours in length.

For tickets or more information, please call (585) 343-4727, email at hollandlandoffice@gmail.com, or stop by at 131 W. Main St., Batavia.

(Also, be sure to check out the Old Batavia Cemetery's Guided Ghost Walk on Saturday, Oct. 26; must RSVP by calling the Batavia Cemetery Association at (585) 943-5662.)

Living history reenactors portraying Dean and Mary Richmond; taken by Howard Owens on Oct. 13, 2012.

Press release:

Join us to meet the famous and infamous movers and shakers who shaped and influenced the City of Batavia on Saturday, Oct. 26th, when the Batavia Cemetery Association will host a candlelight guided ghost walk through the Historic Batavia Cemetery on Harvester Avenue in Batavia.

The guided tour on candlelit paths will bring guests to meet men and women of Batavia, who, for various reasons, held great power and exerted great influence in their day, were victims of tragic events, or both.

Philemon Tracy, one of the few Confederate officers buried in the North; Ruth the unknown -- victim of a horrendous murder; Joseph Ellicott, a man of great power and great flaws; and William Morgan, the man who disappeared and was allegedly murdered before he could reveal the secrets of the Masons, are some of the ghosts who will tell their stories on the tour.

Also visiting will be Civil War veteran General John H. Martindale, who was Military Governor of the District of Columbia in 1865.

Dean and Mary Richmond, who greatly influenced civic life in Batavia in the 1800s, will meet with guests in their mausoleum on the last stop of the tour. Dean Richmond made a great fortune in Great Lakes shipping and was the second president of the New York Central Railroad. Mary Richmond vastly expanded her husband’s fortune after his death and sat on the boards of many businesses and civic organizations.

Come and have some spooky fun! Tours begin at 7 p.m. and run every 15 minutes until 8:30.

Admission is $10 and includes refreshments. Reservations are required. For more information, or to make reservations, contact (585) 943-5662.

Proceeds benefit the upkeep and restoration of the cemetery.