history columns

Historian Columns

Please click the link below to read the Historian’s column.

FAIRPORT VILLAGE

Mallett’s Tavern Part 1March 26, 2008
Mallett’s Tavern Part 2March 26, 2008
Osburn House Part 1April 9, 2008
Osburn House Part 2April 16, 2008
The Cottage Hotel April 30, 2008
DeLand Homes of N. MainJan. 27, 2011
Canal Debate of 1909 Part 1February 28, 2013
Canal Debate of 1909 Part 2March 14, 2013
From Garage to Grill: Part 1April 10, 2014
From Garage to Grill: Part 2May 01, 2014
Remembering Old Parker St: Part 1June 17, 2014
A Street by any other Name: Sanford StreetDecember 4, 2014
Fun on Schummers LotDecember 18, 2014
IITUWUBAD (Saporito’s Bar)September 03, 2015
Short Life for Fairport Miniature Golf CourseSeptember 17, 2015
Perinton’s Disney Connection at Riki’s Family RestaurantNovember 26, 2015
Bus Garage to Bistro at 80 North Main StreetDecember 17, 2015
T.C. Hinch and his Portable Tailor ShopJanuary 07, 2016
Underwear Factory Burns – Community Goes Without!January 21, 2016
He Knew the Underwear Business from the Bottom UpFebruary 04, 2016
Prohibition Raids Targeted Fairport’s North SideMarch 10, 2016
Prohibition Raid at Fairport’s Cottage HotelMarch 24, 2016
Property of Prominent Residents Vandalized (1873)April 07, 2016
Young Hooligans Smash Greyhound Buses in FairportApril 21, 2016
Fairport’s First Fresh Air Kids (1885)May 19, 2016
DeLand Fire Sparked Establishment of Village Water Works (1893)June 02, 2016
DeLand Fire Sparked Establishment of Village Water Works (1893) Part TwoJune 16, 2016
DeLand Fire Sparked Establishment of Village Water Works (1893) ConclusionJune 30, 2016
Every Picture Tells A Story – ED Warren store in the Bown buildingAugust 24, 2016
A Surprise in the History of Henry DeLand’s HouseMay 25, 2017
Twenty-one Babies at the Big Brick HouseJune 22, 2017
R.T. French and the Fairport ConnectionJuly 6, 2017
State Skewers Stinky Sewers: Part 1July 20, 2017
State Skewers Stinky Sewers: Part 2- ConclusionAugust 3, 2017
Washout at the John Street Waste WeirSeptember 14, 2017
Best News in Fifty Years: Rochester Manufacturing Company Chooses FairportOctober 12, 2017
Fire Escapes an Afterthought on Early BuildingsDecember 21, 2017
Fire Escapes an Afterthought on Early Buildings – ConclusionJanuary 11, 2018
Catastophic Explosion on Parce AvenueApril 12, 2018
Brief Residency of a Wealthy EuropeanOctober 25, 2018
Turn-of-the-century_Safety at Main St RR CrossingsJanuary 2019
A Lot of History in a Little Space (north shop of Deal Block)January 2019
Horseless Carriage verses Horse on Fairport’s West AveFebruary 2019
The Story of Fairport’s Clyde KelseySeptember 2019
The Camp Fire Girls Arrive in FairportOctober 2019
The Low-Down on High StreetNovember 2019
The Goose Diamond of Roselawn AvenueDecember 2019
A New Home for the PigeonsDecember 2019
A Place Called DeLand ParkJanuary 2020
Searching For Clues in a PhotographJuly 2020
Early Firefighting Was an Uphill BattleAugust 2020
An Old Building Resides Within Riki’s RestaurantSeptember 2020
Treacherous Railroad Crossing Closed in 1959          October 2020
Survival of Fairport’s Iconic Lift Bridge                  November 2020
Dog Grooming Shop Had Many LivesFebruary 2021
Dockmaster StationAugust 3, 2021
NW Canal Bank HistorySept. 3, 2021

ORGANIZATIONS

Service Orgs. Lions September 6, 2007
Service Orgs. Rotary oneSeptember 27, 2007
Service Orgs. Rotary twoOctober 4, 2007
Veterans-VFW December 6, 2007
Veterans-American LegionDecember 13, 2007
Fairport Little League    May 19, 2011
The GrangeJune 30, 2011
Boy Scouts: Eagle Project 1July 18, 2013
Boy Scouts: Eagle Project 2November 7, 2013
Rotary’s Haloween ParadeOctober 24, 2013
Pro Basketball Players helped build Perinton VFW HomeMay, 2020
A Fire Dept. for Bushnell’s BasinMay, 2021

PEOPLE and PLACES

Farms And Shoe Polish 1
Black Walnut Location And Planting
Doctor George Adgate Dean
Leona Sharp
Don Hull
Perinton Park Part 4
Perinton Park Part 3
Perinton Park Part 2
Perinton Park Part 1
Carmen Peck
Vacation Spot To Ashes
Sawdey Story
Skiing On Selborne Chase
RSE Part 2
RSE Part 1
English Annie
Forest Hills
Historic Preservation
Following In His Footsteps
The Orroy Rose Story
Recovered Memories
Nancy Armstrong
Fairport Road Overpass
140 Years Of Haircuts
Black History Underground Railroad
Civil War
African Americans In Early Perinton
Susan B Anthony Newspaper
Cobb Preserving Company
Comic Book Menace
Heroics On The Canal At Fullamtown
Dog Tag Treasure Hunters
Bridges At Linden Ave
I And I Of A Perinton Pioneer
Perinton’s First Auto Dealer
First Free Methodist Church And Rec Center
More Moved Houses
Fairport Blacksmith Shoes Horseless Carriage
John Brownell Spoke His Mind
SPUMC And Cemetery
Keck Hill
Ancient Bridge Buried
Rod And Gun Club
Canal Break At Wapping Road Bridge Crossing
When President Lincoln Came To Town Part 2
When President Lincoln Came To Town Part 1
Parce Avenue Factory2013
DeLand Chemical
WWII D&C Archives
Cobb Preserving Company
Barrancos
A Memorial To Perinton Soldiers
Little Brown Jug
Fairport’s First Catholic Church
1937 16mm Film Column
Liftbridge Construction2013
Early Gas Stations2013
The Erie Canal Memory
FMC Memory
D & C S. Main Street 1932
GAR Slocum Post
Potter House Memory
Locust Farm Memory
Fireworks Fire Memories
D & C Shaw’s Hall
D & C Fairport Police
D & C Baseball
D & C Post Office
D & C Baptist Home
D & C Fire Cart
D & C Egypt Canning
Mallett’s Card Players
Cutting ice
One Horse Grocery
Linn Snow Plow
Hupp Motors
The Fullamtown Bridge
Arnold House
Bushnell’s Basin Gas Station
Richardsons
Egypt Trolley Stop
Ramsdell House
Danger of Howard CrossingDecember, 2020
Early Football in PerintonJanuary, 2021
Charlotte ClappFebruary, 2021
The Super Highway of Bushnell’s BasinJune, 2021
The Ghost of Staples InnJune, 2021
A Place Called KnappvilleJune, 2021

BLACK HISTORY

Perinton:African Americans February 13&20, 2008
Perinton:Underground RR Feb.27 & Mar.5, 2008
African American Barbers 1August 14, 2014
African American Barbers 2August 28, 2014
African American Barbers 3September 11, 2014
The Very Long Life of a Former Slave in PerintonMay 06, 2016
The Orroy Rose Story – Perinton’s son of slaves serves his country in the Civil WarFebruary 01, 2018
Fairport Rotary Speaker urged Martin Luther King Jr. to Choose RochesterMarch 1, 2018

HISTORIC AREAS and PRESERVATION

Historic PreservationJanuary 24&31, 2008
Forest HillsMay 14 & 28, 2008
Egypt:the Early Years 
Egypt:the Middle Years 
Egypt:Today & the Future 
Fullam’s BasinNovember 11, 2009
Bushnell’s Basin 1March 1, 2012
Bushnell’s Basin 2March 8, 2012
Baird Road 1March 22, 2012
Baird Road 2April 12, 2012
Clues to the Long Gone Houses of PerintonMarch 16, 2017

MEDICINE 

Medicine part one June 11, 2008
Medicine part two June 25, 2008
Medicine part three July 9, 2008
Medicine part four July 16, 2008
Medicine part five July 30, 2008
Medicine part six August 6, 2008

STREET NAMES

 Street Names one August 20, 2008
 Street Names two     Sept. 10, 2008
 Street Names three Sept. 24, 2008

EDUCATION

An Historic Overview  October 22, 2008
District School One November 5, 2008
District School Two November 19, 2008
District School Three   December 10, 2008
District School Four     March 11, 2009
District School Five March 25, 2009
District School Six April 8, 2009
District School Seven April 22, 2009
District School Eight    May 6, 2009
District School Nine May 20, 2009
District School Ten June 3, 2009
District School Eleven June 17, 2009
East Avenue School July 1, 2009
Fairport Union School July 15, 2009
West Avenue School July 29 & Aug.5,2009
School Centralization August 19, 2009
School District Growth September 2, 2009
Class of 1913 June 20, 2013
Where Is The Bell?July 4, 2013
Martha Brown 50th AnniversaryJanuary 15, 2015
Perinton’s Little-Known Educational Pioneer: Delphine HannaMay 4, 2017
Sharing Photos and Films Brings Back MemoriesSeptember 28, 2017
The Long-Lost School on Fairport’s Hart StreetNovember 23, 2017
Friends and Rivals Remember The Little Brown JugOctober, 2019

BUSINESS

A Trio of Businesses    January 14,2009           
A Trio of EntrepreneursJanuary 28, 2009
A Trio of Entrepreneurs February 11, 2009
Canning part oneMarch 17, 2011
Canning part twoApril 7, 2011
Canning part threeApril 14, 2011
Canning part fourApril 28, 2011
DeLand Chemical CoMarch 3, 2011
Parce Avenue Factory   January 31, 2013

HOUSES OF WORSHIP

First Baptist ChurchAug. 10 & 24, 2006
First Congregational Church Sept. 23 & 30, 2009                         
St. Luke’s Episcopal ChurchJan. 13 & 20, 2010
Roman Catholic ChurchesFeb. 5 & 12, 2010
First Methodist ChurchMar. 26 & Apr. 2, 2010
Lutheran ChurchesApril 16 & 23, 2010
Fairport Community BaptistMay 7 & 14, 2010
S. Perinton United MethodistJune 18 & 25, 2010
Newer ChurchesAugust 13, 2010
Egypt’s Only Church a Long Lost MemoryJuly 28, 2016
The Little Church on Cole Street (Free Methodist Church)April 13, 2017

CEMETERIES

 Perinton CenterJuly 16, 2010
 Mt. PleasantJuly 30, 2010
 GreenvaleAugust 27, 2010
 Mason RoadSeptember 24, 2010
 Bushnell’s Basin   October 8, 2010
 Elmwood October 22, 2010
 St. Mary’sNovember 5, 2010
Schummers’November 19, 2010
Veterans Memorial at ElmwoodNovember 7, 2013
Cemetery Benefits from Volunteers Who Never MetAugust, 2019

PERINTON GOES TO WAR

The Civil WarJuly 14 & Aug. 4, 2011 
Veterans Memorial at ElmwoodNovember 7, 2013
WWII Air Warning ServiceMay 15, 2014
A Soldier and Artist in NormandyJune 19, 2014
Mario Pomponio: American Hero (Part 1)October 9, 2014
Mario Pomponio: American Hero (Part 2)October 23, 2014
Mario Pomponio: American Hero (Part 3)November 6, 2014
Fine Line Between Being Decorated and Court MartialedSeptember 8, 2016
“A Date Which Will Live in Infamy”December 1, 2016
Exhibit Commemorates Fairport and Perinton Involvement in WWIMarch 29, 2017
Life Through the Lens of Frank BeaumontJuly 24, 2018
Local Veterans Honored at WWII MuseumAugust 2, 2018
Playgrounds Born in a War Torn WorldSeptember 5, 2018

PUBLIC SERVICE

Fpt. Municipal Com. (1) Aug. 8, 2011 
Fpt. Municipal Com. (2) Sept. 8, 2011
Fpt. Municipal Com. (3) Sept. 22, 2011
Fpt. Police Dept. (1) Oct. 6, 2011
Fpt. Police Dept. (2) Nov. 10, 2011
Fpt. Police Dept. (3) Nov. 24, 2011
Fpt. Police Dept. (4) Dec. 8, 2011

EARLY PERINTON

Perinton at 200 January 5, 2012
Perinton Center Jan. 19 2012
Perinton Center 2 Feb. 2, 2012
Egypt Taverns  February 16,2012
Early Town Meetings May 17&31, 2012
Hops Cultivation Feb. 23, 2012
The Crooked CanalMay 14, 2015

Columns in the Democrat and Chronicle

Ramsdell House EgyptApril 29, 2011 
Egypt Trolley Stop May 27, 2011
Richardson’s Inn June 17, 2011
Bushnell’s Basin Aug. 26, 2011
Arnold House Fairport Sept. 16, 2011
Perinton Center Sept. 30, 2011
Fairport Road Bridge Oct. 14, 2011
Hupp Motors Oct. 28, 2011
Linn Snow Plow Dec. 2, 2011
One Horse Grocery Dec. 9, 2011
Crossman Pond Ice Dec. 23, 2011
Card Players Jan. 6, 2012
Egypt Canning Feb. 3, 2012
DeLand Hose Company Feb. 10, 2012
Fpt. Baptist Homes March, 2012
Fairport Post Office March, 2012
Baseball April, 2012
Fairport Police May 4, 2012
Shaw’s Hall May 17, 2012
Class of 1897 June 29, 2012
Osburn House room July 27, 2012
Rochester Fireworks Co. Sept. 14, 2012
Locust Farms Oct. 5, 2012
Potter House Oct. 19, 2012
GAR E.A. Slocum Post Nov. 2, 2012
S. Main Street 1932 Nov. 23, 2012
Fairport Electric  Dec. 7, 2012
Erie Canal circa 1922 Dec. 21, 2012
Early Gas Station Jan. 02, 2013
Liftbridge Construction    Feb. 22, 2013
District 3 Schoolhouse Aug. 08, 2013
First Catholic Church Dec. 21, 2013
Vets Memorial at Potter May. 09, 2014
Barranco’s – 100 YearsJan. 29, 2015
Canning the Old Fashioned Way at Cobb Preserving CompanyJuly 15, 2015
WWII Archive of Perinton Soldiers Shared with CommunityNovember 11, 2015