Category: Businesses
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While meandering through archived issues of the Democrat & Chronicle searching for some bit of trivia or another, I happened upon this 1983 story regarding the Beechwood neighborhood. A minor jog in the path of Melville Street where it meets Berwyn Street is described therein as a sort of delineation between part of the street…
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Something has always fascinated me about buried waterways. Perhaps it’s the idea that the persistent flow of water over millennia–long enough to carve deep gorges in the landscape–could be stymied in such short order by human action. Perhaps it’s because even human action doesn’t seem like enough to stop the flow of even the most…
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At 5’ 2” tall and about 115 pounds, Frederick S. Smith may have been a small man, but he was brave, tough, and cocky. You had to be in his line of work, for Fred Smith was one of those adventuresome janitors of the heights: the steeplejack. Known as The Human Fly–especially to himself–it was…
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This post, simply described, follows the history of a field. A Lyon’s Den Our story begins with Harrison A. Lyon, a Brightonian nurseryman. In the latter half of the 19th century, he and A. J. Fisk conducted a nursery business headquartered on the lot presently occupied by East High School. The map below shows Culver…
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I’d like to write now about two buildings from Rochester’s past that are very close to my heart. In fact, these two buildings are the impetus behind the birth of Gonechester; researching the mysterious buildings made me appreciate the depth of history, as well as the wealth of information available if one is so inclined…
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Few sights are more familiar to the Rochesterian than the Liberty Pole. A central spot of celebration and of protest, people have loved and hated this iconic structure since it was erected in 1965. However, this famous Liberty Pole was not the first liberty pole to stand on this spot. Apparently it’s the third, albeit…
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When Rochester was first a young settlement, its citizens relied on a number of springs for their fresh water needs. One of the most important early springs was located within the original 100-Acre tract, the area which was destined to become the bustling heart of Rochester. For many years, the spring was enjoyed by local…
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When the ancestors of those old familiar claw machine games first started appearing in druggist’s shops in the 1930s, Rochester reacted poorly. Customarily a town that cracked down hard on gambling and vice, the City of Rochester was concerned these nickel-hungry devices were gambling at best, outright theft at worst. This dude, Chief of Police…
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Hello! This is the first post in my new blog about Rochester, NY history. The “little” history. The history of buildings and houses that disappeared long ago, the people that worked and lived in them, waterways and springs that are now buried below the ground, trolley loops and unrealized street extensions, things of that sort. …
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