While conducting research on another white whale of a building, I was intrigued by the below article’s mention of six houses built in the earlier part of the 19th century for William W. Mumford by builder William Lawton, called “The Six Sisters”.

The above article notes that, by 1877, “a number of these buildings, remodelled, and standing up on embankments … are yet standing along the east side of Frank Street.” The below map, from 1851, seems to show all the “Six Sisters” in their mostly original states:

Above one can see the six sisters are nearby a house belonging to George Elihu Mumford, a son of William Woolsey Mumford, whose very large main home was between State Street and the river, near Vincent Place. William W. Mumford was the one who ordered the construction of the Six Sisters houses, as well as numerous other houses in early Rochester.

Between the above 1851 map and the below 1875 map, the Six Sisters house nearest the corner of Brown and Frank seems to have been made into a double house by building an extension mirroring the original structure, becoming Nos. 56-58 Frank Street.

It is also during this time, beginning in 1864 with the laying of a corner-stone, that the third St. Patrick’s Church was built, replacing the second one illustrated in the woodcut below:

The unfinished third St. Patrick’s Church became the St. Patrick’s Cathedral in 1868 after the organization of a diocese and the arrival of the Bishop Bernard McQuaid in Rochester.

No. 54/84 Frank Street was the home of Patrick J. McCracken, a miller at the Chase Flour Mill which was mentioned in a previous post. The McCrackens would continue to dwell in the house as of the 1888 plat map, which leads me to believe the house is the same, albeit with a wing added to the north side.

Likewise, Susannah Kehoe remains in residence at No. 50/78 Frank Street between these two maps. She was the widow of Michael Kehoe, a Union veteran of the Civil War and railroad worker, who died April of 1879.

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The First Sister Falls

In 1879, a large number of improvements were made to the residence of Bishop McQuaid, including the installation of a new wing on the north side of the house. This would necessitate razing No. 46 Frank Street, the rightmost of the Six Sisters on the above map.

Though obviously heavily stylized, the 1880 View of Rochester usually at least drew inspiration from that which was there, which means the above may be an exaggerated portrayal of the Six Sisters. This is as close to a visual representation I was able to find.

Here’s when it starts to get tricky.  With a dearth of records about these properties, I’m forced to turn my discerning eye to shapes on maps, which is not the most accurate method of assessment. Still, the Six Sisters exhibited a particular shape, and if the shape of one of the houses drastically changes between maps I assume a full replacement, or else a very thorough renovation. 

Above, one can see the bishop’s residence; the Six Sisters properties would be just beyond that panel fence at left. The lawn on the near side of said fence would have previously been No. 46 Frank Street, the house that was razed to expand the episcopal dwelling.

In 1891, Kodak–then the Eastman Co.–purchased a lot along Vought Street–or Vought Alley, depending on what source you ask–to expand their burgeoning photographic industry. This would serve as the seed of Kodak’s eventual kudzu-like growth; over the next few decades, the entirety of this block and its numerous historic contents would find themselves crushed under Kodak’s very large, very heavy footprint.

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Three More Sisters Gone

Between the 1910 map above and the 1918 map below, three more houses would be torn down. St. Andrew’s seminary was built around 1904, yet fails to appear in the 1910 plat, instead making its debut in the 1918 edition:

We can see that three more houses have been removed by the 1918 map’s publication.

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Consumed by Kodak

By 1926, all the original Six Sisters houses are entirely gone. Kodak would continue to expand its factory, eventually razing the seminary, rectory, and cathedral in order to build additions.

Despite the above map being from 1935, it would appear some alterations from after 1938 were included, such as the demolition of the cathedral and the construction of the Eastman Kodak building along Plymouth Avenue North at the corner of Brown Street.

So, overall that mission was unsuccessful. I failed to turn up any photos, etchings, not even really a second confirming source. No other book or article mentions these “Six Sisters” despite the indication given that they were well-known enough to inspire a proper noun. Perhaps in their time they served as more of a spoken landmark.

Regardless, I didn’t expect much; these houses were old even in the 1851 map. Hoping to chase down details of wooden residences from this time period is folly. However, it’s somewhat sad to see such antique homesteads vanish into history without so much as a mention in the paper. Indeed, nobody seemed to take note of the Six Sisters between 1877 and my own investigation nearly a century and a half later.

I hope I can find more, but until then, this is where the story of seeking the Six Sisters ends.

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Updates

A correspondant of mine in the matters of historical structures, architect Christopher Brandt, wrote to me concerning some materials and some hypotheses of his own regarding the Six Sisters.

Firstly, he located some articles from old newspapers, which I will share below:

“ASSAULT–Roselie Baker was brought up for an assault and battery on Richard Van Houghton. The assaulted and the assaulted are tenants of one of the “Six Sisters,” near the Catholic Church, and the affray originated in an attempt of the former to prevent the latter from the passage through a lower room to an upper. The defendant was held to answer, though in rendering the judgment, the Magistrate remarked that he had more doubts about the case than he had had about any other that had been before him for some time. By the way, the “Six Sisters” have of late been the scenes of frequent disturbances and contentions, and should receive the attention of the guardian of the peace.”

“TO LET– … One half of one of the Six-Sisters, so called, in Frankfort.”

“TO LET– … Two of the six sisters, so called, Frank St., cheap, for a respectable tenant. Possession now.”

“TO LET. ONE of the six sisters, No. 50, east side of Frank Street. Call on Mr. Bangs, on the premises, or at my office.”

Mr. Bangs, indeed.

Christopher shares these observations as well, from casting his expert eye over the 1892 Sanborn Map, a copy of which is included again below the quote for reference:

Also, the 1892 Sanborn map helps clarify some of the changes wrought to the sisters. Going by construction type and stories, it appears that only two of the sisters remained by that time, at 78 and 76 Frank Street. 80, 82, 86, and 88 are all different houses. Keeping the information from the 1892 Sanborn map in mind, it appears that the 1875 map documents 5 of the 6 still standing.

Christopher Brandt, excerpted from e-mail to author.

This map, shown below, was where my guesswork hit a stumbling block, and I am pleased to have a second opinion on the matter. I have marked it according to Chris’ info above.

Finally, Mr. Brandt shared with me his observation that the 1890-1895 photograph of the St. Patrick cathedral I included above more likely than not shows one of the surviving Six Sisters! In his words:

Lastly, and perhaps most exciting, I am pretty sure one of the sisters is visible in the 1890s photo of St. Patricks, as due to the angle of the camera, you would never see the Bishop’s house, so those two story buildings in the background are the houses at 76-88 Frank Street, with the closest one to the camera being one of the surviving six sisters.

Christopher Brandt, excerpted from e-mail to author.

Indeed, it looks as though the structure in question is up on a higher foundation, which–as the original article noted–would have been due to changes in the street grade over the half-century since its construction. I’m thrilled to know that I have actually seen one of the Six Sisters, after all, and once again I have Albert R. Stone to thank for it!

Thank you again, Christopher Brandt, for all of your interesting contributions to my search for the Six Sisters, and I hope you continue to contribute your knowledgeable personal perspective on these matters. As for the rest of you, thanks for reading all this! Have a Gonechester day!

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