Town of Burns, A History -continued
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The people of Canaseraga did not wait for electricity to be brought to them by public
utilities headquarted miles away. About 1917 John Wheeler generated current in a building located behind the Knight’s Hardware Store.
It is not known whether this was the Canaseraga Heat, Light and Power Co., Inc. which
in 1917 negotiated with village officials for the right to introduce the new wonder to the community. It probably was. At any rate early that year the village granted to
this company the right to build and maintain a power system and to use the “streets, lanes and public grounds” for the company’s poles, wires and other equipment. The company
retained the option of extending the service beyond the corporate limits.
Then on July 27, 1920 the Board of Trustees approved the transfer of this franchise,
to the Canaseraga Electric Co., Inc. It was probably this company which built a dam and power plant at the falls of Canaseraga Creek a mile and a half east of the village at the spot popularly called The Old Mills. The area became knows as
Electric Park. Power was generated there for about four years. At that time the current was on in Canaseraga a few hours daily in the
evening.
People outside the village had to wait another decade or longer for power.
Meanwhile the private franchise at Electric Park was transferred to the New York
central Electric Corp. under the terms of the original 1917 franchise.
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FORMER
CARIG HOME. House on W. Main St. now owned by Lauren Oliver.
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WILLIAM
WINDSOR ESTATE as it looked in 1887. Now the Hillcrest Manor on N. Church St.
THE CANASERAGA TIMES
From shortly after the Civil War into World War II, the community had its own weekly
newspaper—the “Canaseraga Times”. Surviving issues of this paper have been an important source of information gathered for this history. The high point for the “Times” was
the period between 1885 and the 1920’s, generally considered the most prosperous era for American country weekly newspapers. In the early part of that period an annual
subscription to the paper cost $1.00. When the “Times” finally folded early in the 1940’s, a dozen other weeklies were still being published in Allegany County but most of them
would go out of business in the next few years.
However, the “Times” was not the first publishing venture in the Town of Burns.
The distinction probably belongs to “The Harp of Burns” printed about 1850 in Burns Village (Old Burns). It is not known how long the paper was in business or whether the publisher was a permanent resident of the area. It is
likely “The Harp of Burns” was very short-lived, perhaps produced by one of the itinerant printers who in those pre-Civil War years often moved into communities such as Burns Village
and soon moved out again for greener pastures or because they had disturbed local sensibilities.
The next newspaper in the locality was the “Canaseraga Advertiser”, founded in 1869 by
W.H. Harris, the dentist and educator. Beginning as a monthly, the paper became a bimonthly and then a weekly publication. The “Advertiser” was printed in Dansville until
1873 when H.C. Scott took it over and began printing it in Canaseraga. It was called the “Canaseraga Times” from then on.
The “Times” office was on the west side of S. Church St. as of 1878. At that
time it was owned and edited by W.H. Barnum. About 1898, or shortly after the 1895 fire, a new building was erected to house the paper. It was located on W. Main St.
between the present-day Tefft home and the Tri-County Medical Center. The owner-editor was Frank S. Miller who held that position for many years and the Associate Editor was
Andrew D. Glimpse. According to Ronald S. Kingston, owner-editor of the paper for four years after 1930 and the source of much of the information used here, the heyday of the
“Canaseraga Times” was the period under Miller’s direction.
By 1930 the fortunes of the “Times” were on the decline because revenues from job
printing, indispensable to keeping the paper solvent, dried up. We should note, too, that advertising income was down during the depression years. Another influence that
had undermined so many country newspapers also took its toll, namely competition from the expanding circulations of metropolitan daily papers.
Still the “Times” was able to continue for several years after Mr. Kingston bowed out.
Mr. Russell J. Brewer bought he paper in 1934. Later the owner-editor was Mr. Malcolm R. Burt of Dalton. His associate editor was Hugh Spencer and then Lucille Carney.
In those years the paper was printed in Dalton. It went out of business I 1942 when Mr. Burt lost several employees to the armed forces and because newsprint was very hard to
get.
In 1974 the “Times building, having for a while housed the Eldridge barbershop, was
torn down. Both the ground floor and the upstairs apartment had been extensively damaged by flooding, fire and vandalism.
“Nuggets” from the “Canaseraga Times” published elsewhere in these pages show the
flavor and humor of a country weekly paper of a bygone ear.
COMMERCE IN CANASERAGA – 1930
Business continued to grow and change in Canaseraga in the first decades of this
century. By 1930 there were some 60 businesses and professional offices in the village, employing a sizable number of people full time or on a seasonal basis. That year
there were seven grocery and/or drygoods stores, two drugstores and a hardware. The automobile had become a fixture in American life and Canaseraga counted four service
stations/garages in 1930. The furniture store-undertaking business was on W. Main St. in the left half of what is now Mastin’s Market. Three feed mills ground grain for
local farmers. The combination newspaper job printing shop was still in operation and there was a monument works on River St. “Shoe Make” Chiella sold and repaired shoes on E.
Main and there was a combination coal and fertilizer business off Depot St. There were five hotels/saloons and two millinery shops in Canaseraga as of 1930. FrankYocum was
still manufacturing wagons in a shop on Depot St., a business that had been founded by his father in 1853. Other enterprises at the opening of the Great depression included a
coffee ship, a bakery, blacksmith shops, sawmills, an ice and dray business and mild deliveries by local diary farmers.
Rowe & Kennedy handled a large volume of farm produce—grain, potatoes and beans.
Herbet Colgrove, and later Armstrong & Rowan, had a similar business just off Depot St. Both companies employed several workmen as well as women who ran the bean picking machines to
sort out the stones and bad beans before the crop was shipped out by rail. There was a pea vinery just west of the cemetery on W. Main St.
As of 1930 personal services available to the community and surrounding area included
two insurance agencies, an optometrist, two doctors, two lawyers, the railway station agents and three to four barbershops.
COUNTRYSIDE TO CENTRALIZATION
For the first classes taught in the Town of Burns, the total stock of teaching
materials consisted of a half dozen seasoned switches and a stout ruler – “for the advancement of education and good manners.” That’s according to tradition and tradition is
probably not far wide of the mark. The building was a log house a half mile west of Canaseraga and the teacher was David Crooks. The year was 1810.
The next school in Canaseraga was “the little plank school”, a 16 by 18 foot structure
located near the foot of N. Church St. on the site where Gary Lander’s garage now stands. Cynthia Payne was the teacher. Later an “Academy” was built on the same site.
As the population of the community grew, a larger one-story building was erected near
where the Canaseraga Inn is now located. When there were too many students for the classroom the younger ones were sent to nearby houses. Mrs. Woodard was one of the
teachers. IT is said that she sometimes brought her churn to school and worked it while giving lessons, and that pupils availed themselves a lick of cream while her back was
turned.
Meanwhile schools were opening for the farm children. One of these was on N.
Almond Road across from where the Arthur Bonhamers now live. When at an unknown date the one-room log building burned down, a new school was built at th foot of the hill, the
home now owned by Leonard Boyd. In the years 1841-1864 the average attendance in this school district was 30 to 68 students. It gives us some indication of the number of
families living in that area then, bearing in mind that people had large families in those years. It suggests as well that many pupils attended classes quite irregularly.
Over that 23
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STREET
REPAIRS – early 1900’s
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LYCOCK
LUMBER MILL in this century. The view is to the north over Mill St. past the house now occupied by Harlan Clark. Note the water barrels on the mill roof as a fire
precaution.
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GAS SPRINGS SCHOOL in 1911
Year period there were 32 different teachers at that school. This is an exceptionally high turnover and says something about the quality of
instruction. Academic terms were geared to spring planting and the fall harvest, with a winter session from November into March and a summer session from May into September.
By the Civil War years the Town of Burns was organized into 10 school districts.
The Village of Canaseraga was District No. 2. School in the other nine districts were situated so that no pupil had to travel more than three miles one way to attend. Many of the youngsters walked to class
but some of those living farthest away often lightened the burden on horseback or in the family buggy.
Harry Knights, who at age 88 continues to operate the hardware store in Canaseraga,
attended classes at the school in Miller Hill, District No. 8. He recalls that 44 students were in school there about 1905. The school at Old Burns was on the west side of
the Canaseraga-Arkport Road, north of Tilden Road where a large tree still marks the spot. Long since abandoned, the building was torn down some years ago by Reid Mehlenbacher.
The Garwoods school, now owned by Roma Austin, opened in 1855 and continued to be in
use into the 1940’s. In 1898 George Gates had 60 pupils in eight grades at that school. By the late 1930’s enrollment had shrunk to an average of 12 to 15 students in the
first six grades. With that student body class instruction was in reality private tutoring. By 1911 enrollment must have been down to no more than 20 students at the Gas
Springs school, judging by the photo reproduced here and allowing for absentees.
Other rural schools were located on Latimore Hill Road and in the Slader Creek valley,
the latter in the brick building now used as a summer house. In addition Burns shared two schools with the Town of Dansville. One of these was located in Allegany County,
in what is now the Dunham home on the Arkport Road. The other was in Steuben County near Doty’s Corners (intersection of Rts. 36 and 70A).
Mr. William J. Garwood, life-long resident of the Canaseraga area, served more than 45
years as school superintendent for six townships in Allegany County. Upon his retirement in 1961 he reminisced about conditions when he assumed the post in 1916. At that
time there were no kindergartens, cafeterias or gymnasiums. There was no transportation for students and the three high school in his territory, including the one in Canaseraga,
prepared students only for college entrance. AT that time, he noted, the average salary in the country schools was $9 a week. As of 1920 the budget for school supplies for
the rural schools was $15 to $25, or less than 50 cents per pupil per year. That helps to explain why the
Total “library” at the Garwoods school in the
1930’s consisted of fewer than 30 books, some of which had been donated by people in the community. From time to time the teacher borrowed books
from the Canaseraga public library to provide some novelty in reading material.
The Canaseraga school to which Mr. Garwood referred was the Canaseraga Union Free
School. Combining the elementary and secondary grades, it opened its doors January 12, 1874. This was a square brick building measuring 38 by 38 feet and located on a one
acre lot on top of the hill between N. Church and north Sts. A two-story building with a basement, it was built on land donated by Hon. William White who also contributed $1,000
toward the cost of construction. It was said to be the “handsomest school house in Allegany County.”
This Union Free School opened with an enrollment of more than 150 students and too few teachers. It provided instruction through the high school levl.
In 1887 it graduated its first class of tow students. Down to 1899 there were 40 graduates from the institution, or an average of three students per year. At that time, and
for many years after, high school students who lived outside the village had to provide their own transportation to and from school. Those who lived beyond commuting distance
arranged for board and room in Canaseraga. By the 1930’s and perhaps earlier, students from the rural districts who had moved beyond the grades taught in the district schools
often car-pooled into Canaseraga. Marjorie Dieter Mastin, now the Town of Burns historian, recalls having to sit on a young man’s lap when she began commuting to and from the
village high school in a crowded private car. Only 12 years old at the time, and in the eighth grade, she remembers being quite embarrassed for a while.
Much earlier, enrollment at the Union Free School had outgrown the facilities. IN 1908, 12-foot wide extensions were added on both sides of the building. Within another
generation, however, the school building again proved to be inadequate. Pressure was growing for centralization to make possible higher quality education for all students in the
township. Centralization was achieved in 1939 when the new facility on E. Main St. opened for the largest number of students up to that time housed in one school in this
locality. The school district owned six busses at that time. In November 1939 the “school on the hill” was torn down.
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CANASERAGA
UNION FREE SCHOOL. Photo taken in 1910 showing the 12-foot wide addition on each side made in 1908.
Centralization incorporated all but one rural district in the Town of Burns, that one
being transferred to Arkport. In exchange 10 districts were added to the new system from adjacent townships. Five of these were in Grove, two in Burns-Dansville, and one
each in the towns of Birdsall, Almond and Ossian. Four of these district schools continued for awhile to hold classes in their own schools under the supervision of the Canaseraga
central School. In the Town of Burns the only one which fell into this category was at Garwoods. It closed its doors a few years later.
Centralization was not achieved without much heartache and a few harsh words, however.
For a century the rural institutions had been a focal point for the communities hey served. Some had been used for church services and most of them for community meetings and
social functions for lack of other facilities. The rural schools were abandoned with great reluctance in some quarters. The enrollment was declining, the cost of operating
them increasing, and the quality of education they could provide was becoming less and less adequate for a rapidly changing world. But the attachment to them was of ancient
vintage, while the memories of a world that once was were fond ones. Many of us recall spelling bees in which third grade pupils competed against those in the higher grades
because otherwise there would have been no one to compete against. And we remember walking to a neighbor’s house to carry back a pail of pump primer when a youngster left the
pump handle up so the priming was swallowed – accidentally on purpose of course.
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CANASERAGA
CENTRAL SCHOOL
Photo by
Gordon E. Willitt 1976
Classes were first held in the new school in January 1939 and total enrollment was
approximately 350 students. There were 15 graduates in June that year.
The total cost of the new building, including equipment and furniture was $238,624.44.
More than a third of this amount, or $96,789.36, was paid by a federal grant through the Public Works Administration. The balance was financed though a bond sale for $200,000
payable in 30 years at 3% interest. Final payment on this bond issue was made in 1968.
In 1950 bonds in the amount of $34,000 at 1.75% interest were sold to finance an
addition to the garage for the agriculture shop and a classroom. This amount also paid for converting the old agriculture shop, farm machinery repair room and classroom located
in the main building into two regular classrooms.
Increasing enrollment required another addition in 1956 at a cost of $250,000 at 3.40%
interest. This addition included a receiving room for food storage, a walk-in refrigerator/freezer, kitchen, cafeteria and three new classrooms, one of which was a band room.
In April 1965 the school board approved the leasing of two portable classrooms.
This was a three-year lease/purchase arrangement whereby the school acquired the two structures at a total cost of $27,498. these two units, together with all contents, were
totally destroyed by fire on January 26, 1972.
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CANASERAGA
CENTRAL SCHOOL
Photo by
Gordon E. Willitt 1976
The kindergarten class was moved to the Larger Parish Church for the remainder of the academic year. The structures were covered by cost
replacement insurance and the district received approximately $40,000 in insurance.
In August 1962 three more common school districts joined the Canaseraga Central School
system, bringing the total number of rural schools in the new system to 20 representing five townships besides Burns. The districts added in 1962 were Ossian No. 2 and Birdsall
Nos. 4 and 5.
In the years 1967-69 enrollment at the central school was at its peak figure to date,
an average of 550 students in those years. Enrollment has since declined, to 477 as of the end of March 1976.
Since 1966 some students have participated in the BOCES vocational program in Hornell.
During the current academic year 35 students are in this program: autobody, auto mechanic, building trades, business, LPN, office practice and other fields. They attend BOCES on
a half-day basis throughout the week and take their academic courses at Canaseraga for the balance of each day.
In 1972 the community approved another addition to the school building and alterations
to the heating system and the main building in order to meet fire and safety regulations. Expenditures amounted to $292,159.93. In October 1975 bonds in the amount of
$260,000 were issued to finance this project. They bear an 8.20% interest rate and are payable in 17 years.
An Honor Roll commemorating those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces in World War II stood on E. Main St. near what is now Charles Oliver’s garage.
Measuring 14 by 7 feet, it listed the names of 165 men and women from the Canaseraga School District (towns of Burns, Birdsall and Grove). Names were lettered on movable slats so
that additions to the Roll could be kept in alphabetical order. The board was surmounted by an ornamental plaque in blue and gold.
Sponsored by the village of Canaseraga and the Town of Burns, the Honor Roll was built by
George Brokaw from plans drawn up by H. Lee Newman of Angelica. The Vanarsdale Studios in Hornell did the color work, lettering and the plaque,
using materials donated by Fred Blakely of Swain. Ronald S. Kingston, the Postmaster in Canaseraga, contributed the cost of the plan, compiled the list of names, and made
arrangements for construction of the board.
This list of World War II veterans may well be incomplete. We sincerely regret
any errors or omissions.
Ackley, Donald Garner, Clark
MacMaster, Kenneth Sleggs, Richard
Anderson, Irving
Garwood, Gerald Macomber, Clair
Sleight, Carl
Anderson, Reino
Gleason, Thurlow Macomber, Glenn
Sleight, Floyd
Anderson, Wilho
Glover, Harding Macomber, Murray
Slusser, Stanley
Bailey, James
Glover, Harold Mastin, Alonzo
Smith, Robert
Bardwell, Howard Glover, Harry
McGuire, M. Leo
Spencer, Dean
Berry, Herbert
Glover, Howard Miller, Ellsworth
Spencer, Marion
Berry, Walter
Glover, James Mitchell, John
Spencer, Richard
Bird, Charles
Goodbody, Mary Morris, Calvin
Stewart, Wilbur
Brokaw, Howard
Gordon, George Morris, George
Swain, Carl
Brokaw, Lloyd Gould, Howard
Morris, John
Swain, Hugh
Brokaw, Richard
Griffith, Burdette Moose, Victor
Swain, Roger
Brooks, Joseph Halbert, Leslie
Moose, Vincent Sweitzer, Harold
Brown, Lynn
Hammond, Robert Murray, Joseph
Terwilliger, Leverette
Bruggeman, Arthur Hartman, Kenneth
Nichols, Donald Thomas, Howard
Buchanan, Robert Hartwell,
Clair Nichols, Irene
Thomas, Leon
Bush, Oscar
Harvey, Bailey Norton, Warren
Thomas, Lewis
Butler, Richard Harvey, Edward
Novell, Charles Thomas, Robert
Calkins, Wilbur Harvey, Francis
Novell, Harry
Thompson, Stephen
Carnes, George Harvey, Nelson
Novell, Walter Tucker, Betty
Carpenter, Gerald Harvey,
Ray Perry,
Raymond
Tucker, Robert
Carpenter, William Heagney,
George Pfeifer, Robert
Tucker, Vincent
Coombs, Richard Hess,
Richard Phillips, Carl
Tucker, Warren
Conklin, Jack
Hess, Stanley
Phillips, Francis Underwood, La Rue
Cone, Clifford
Higgins, Raymond Piyak, Peter
Underwood, Leslie
Cone, Harold
Iverolino, John Plank, Leo
Underwood, Thayre
Conners, John
Isaman, Michael Porter, Robert
Uptegroff, Abner
Craig, Robert
Jackson, George Pratt, George
VanName, Robert
Dieter, Howard Jackson, Leighton
Rawlings, John Weaver, Lawrence
Evingham, Donald Kellogg, Laverne
Ringelberg, Nicholas Wampole, George
Fagerstrom, John
Keough, Herbert Robinson, Melford
Wheeler, Charles T.
Fawcett, Arthur Keough, James
Rollins, Minor
Whitney, Harold
Fawcett, George
Keough, Lavern Rosekrans, Albert
Whitney, Ivan
Fawcett, Harry Keough, Robert L.
Roth, George
Wiley, Richard
Flower, Joseph King, H. Robert
Ryther, Colman Willitt, Leland
Fox, Adrian
King, Kempton Saxton, Carl
Wilson, John
Fox, Wister
King, Phyllis
Scott, Kenneth Wirt, Donald
France, Donald Kriedler, Walter B.
Scott, Lewis
Young, Eunice F.
France, Jesse
Kurtz, Elmer
Scott, Robert
France, Lester
Lacy, Alton
Scott, Wayne
France, Roy
Leroy, Bruce
Shay, Howard
AIRCRAFT WARNING SYSTEM
During World War II there was great concern over the possibility that enemy aircraft
might penetrate U.S. coastal defenses and attack key installations ranging several hundred miles inland. In our area Buffalo and the hydroelectric system at Niagara Falls were
felt to be likely targets.
An Aircraft Warning Service was organized to monitor all flights and report them to
regional headquarters where the information collected from many localities was assembled for analysis. Volunteers in Canaseraga devoted many hours to this Civil Defense Program.
An observation tower was built on N. Church St. between the homes owned by Henry
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S. CHURCH
ST.
1976 Photo
by Gordon E. Willitt
Thomas and Ernest Harrison. Later the tower was moved to an open lot between the homes of Mrs. Mae Travis and Robert King.
Mrs. Cecil King was the first Chief Observer. Mrs. Travis was an observer and
later Chief Observer. Altogether she spent a total of 2,250 hours at the observation post for which she was awarded several honorary pins. Iva and Lloyd Woolworth also
contributed many hours, reporting from their home when other people were not on the tower platform.
All flights, day and night, were reported to Buffalo—the type of aircraft and the time
it overflew Canaseraga.
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N. CHURCH
STREET
1976 Photo
by Gordon E. Willitt
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W. MAIN
STREET
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E. MAIN
STREET
1976 Photo
by Gordon E. Willitt
CHURCHES
The first reported church service was held at the log house on Mill St. owned by Moses Gregory, one of the first four settlers in the community.
The year was 1808. This service was given by Rev. Robert Parker, a Methodist, and was followed by services at other homes, sometimes by itinerant preachers. The Rev. Parker
also served the Canaseraga Methodist Church in 1857 and 1858, probably toward the end of his ministerial career. There are five churches in the township as of 1976: three in
Canaseraga and one each at Garwoods and Burns. There have been several others over the past century and a half.
FIRST
BAPTIST CHURCH
The First Baptist Church of Canaseraga was organized in 1810 under the name of Alfred Baptist Church. In 1820 it was called the Ossian Baptist Church and then in 1826 the Burns Baptist Church when the Town of Burns was separated from Ossian. It received its present name in 1857.
The church building was erected in the latter year at the corner of Mill and N. Church
Sts. And was repaired in 1878 and again in 1893. Horse sheds were purchased from the Episcopal Church and moved to the rear of the lot. The Baptist Church also acquired a
parsonage on Depot St., now owned by Eldon Coots. The Rev. W.H. Robertson, grandfather of Charles Gould, now a resident in Canaseraga, was for several years pastor of the church.
Very little information can be found about the church until 1917-1918 when union with
the Methodists and Presbyterians was considered. However, the Methodists were not willing to give up their church at that time so the Baptists and Presbyterians united in what
was called the Union Church. Later the name was changed to the Community Church with services held in the Baptist Church building.
During the 1930’s the Protestant churches again felt the need to unite. This
time the Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians formed the Larger Parish Church. In 1936 the Baptist Church was sold to the Canaseraga Grange. In 1972 the Grange sold this property to Carl Hubbard who razed
the building.
OLD BURNS
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The Presbyterian church was an important structure in Burns Village, often called Old Burns, when that was the principal community in the township. The church was on Tilden Road approximately across the
road from where the Clair Wing mobile home now stands.
This church was organized at a June 22, 1833 meeting held in the South Valley school house. The Rev. Robert Hubbard of Dansville preached the first sermon using as his text Acts: 22-26. Rev. Benjamin Russel
served as one of the pastors, preaching in Hornell and in Old burns on alternate Sundays.
Almost 40 years after its founding, in 1872, 13 members of the congregation were
dismissed by letter and the church was closed. By that time the community had greatly declined, having been eclipsed by the rise of Burns Station after the Erie Railroad was
built. The 13 discharged members then helped to organize the Presbyterian Church in Canaseraga under the leadership of the Rev. James Board.
CANASERAGA METHODIST CHURCH
The Methodist Church was organized in 1833. The 23 founding member spurchased a
Lewis Rapplee lot on W. Main St. where their church stood until 1924. the first Trustees were: John Hopkins, William Morley, Samuel Boylan Jr., Joseph Whipple and Hiram
Leonard.
In 1856 the Rev. Veranus Brownell, grandfather of Lynn Brownell, became the pastor.
With a five-point charge including Canaseraga, Almond Hill, and Ossian his total salary for the year was $345. At different times the churches at Burns, Gas Springs and New
Michigan (East Grove) were also part of the charge. The Canaseraga Methodist Church first mentioned a parsonage on its records for 1878.
In 1900 the Rev. A.B. Straight, formerly of Burns Station came as pastor. He
later left the ministry and became a medical doctor in Hornell. In 1910 or 1911, the pastor was the Rev. J.H. Gardner, the father of Nelia Gardner White –author of several books.
(Miss White graduated from Canaseraga Union Free School in 1911.)
In 1924 the Methodists decided to move the church from its location between the
present-day homes of Richard Harvey and George Bennett to the corner of Main and Depot Sts. A lot was purchased and the building moved, incurring a debt of $5,000. The Rev.
Alden Longwell was pastor from 1927 until his death in 1932.
Starting in 1933 the Methodists worshipped with the members of the Larger Parish
Church. In 1941 they returned to their own church and became part of the charge with Swain and Garwoods. In the intervening eight years the Methodist parsonage on Pratt
St., now owned by Olin LaMonte, was sold.
A gift of $1,000 from Anna Bell Boylan, a former member who evidently married a
descendant of the Samuel Boylan Jr., mentioned as one of the first Trustees, made it possible to pay off the balance of the mortgage. A mortgage-burning ceremony took place at
the church November 28, 1941.
In 1961 the Methodists again decided to unite with the Larger Parish Church, this time permanently. Due to the insistence of some of the members that the building not pass into other hands. It was torn
down and the lot sold to Dean Ewart who now operates a trailer sales on the site.
GAS
SPRINGS METHODIST CHURCH
Organized in 1846 with 12 constituent members, the Gas Springs Methodist Church was originally under the ministration of the Rev. Veranus Brownell. The edifice was erected in 1861 at a cost of $600 and
it is reported it would comfortably seat 300 people.
No records can be found in regard to the church except that it was served part of the
time by pastors from the Canaseraga Methodist Church. Also the Rev. Brownell who lived nearby served at different times until his health failed and he died in 1874.
The building had not been used for many years as a place of worship and was sold in
the 1960’s for razing. The lot is now owned by Mrs. Jennie Coats.
TRINITY
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
This church was organized July 22, 1857 at a meeting attended by: John Leman;
Michael, Edward, and Stephen Mundy; L.L. Carter; Vespascian Whipple; Daniel Miller; George Yocum; William Battin; and the Rev. Lloyd Windsor, a great uncle of David Windsor who now
resides on Pratt St. in Canaseraga.
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1976 Photo
by Gordon E. Willitt\
Land for the church was donated by the Hon. William White. It was part of his
farm and had been used for a cow pasture. The cornerstone was laid September 26, 1864 and the edifice consecrated December 14, 1865.
A rectory was built on Jackson St. at a cost of $1,500. Later it was sold and
the Adam Zimmer property on Mill St. was purchased for a rectory. Horse sheds were built up the hill from the church. Later these were sold and moved to the Baptist Church
lot at the foot of the hill, as previously noted.
The parish had a resident rector until the early 1920’s, the last one to serve full
time and live in the rectory being the Rev. Shaw. After his departure the rectory was rented for several years before being sold. It is owned today by Mrs. Rhea Luce.
The Rev. C.J. Croston from the Episcopal parish in Dansville, where he resides, now
serves the Canaseraga Parish as well.
BURNS
COMMUNITY CHURCH
With the decline of Burns Village (Old Burns) and the growth of the community at the railroad station, the Burns Methodist Church was organized in 1859. The six founding members under the leadership of the Rev. Blevan soon increased to 25. It is
supposed that meetings were held in homes until the church was erected in 1871. It was constructed by Burton Palmer and his son at a cost of $2,000. It is reported the
father lost his life while getting out logs for the lumber and that his son completed the work.
In 1872 the building was dedicated as one of the churches on the Canaseraga charge
with the Rev. L.T. Hawkins as pastor.
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1976 Photo
by Gordon E. Willitt
Worship services and Sunday School were held in the afternoon. Many times the pastor walked from Canaseraga to Burns after preaching in
Canaseraga in the morning.
Sometime after 1915 stained glass windows were installed, and some years later extra
rooms were added on the rear of the building using materials salvaged from the horse sheds.
In 1932 the Church was dropped form the Canaseraga charge when the Larger Parish
Church was formed. The burns church continued as a Methodist Church until 1939 when it was closed. Two years later it reopened through the efforts of concerned residents of
the area and with help from a missionary from the American Sunday School Union.
After Mrs. Holden’s arrival as pastor in 1951, the congregation functioned as a
non-denominational unit using the building by permission of the Methodist Conference. In October 1959 it was incorporated as the Burns Community Church and the property as purchased for $300. During Mrs. Holden’s 17 years with the church a basement dining room was constructed,
plumbing and heating systems were installed and many other improvements made.
After Mrs. Holden’s resignation in 1969, a new mobile home was purchased and placed on
an adjoining lot donated by former members. Pastor Daniel Evans was installed April 19, 1969, resides in the mobile home and has served the church since that date.
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1976 Photo
by Gordon E. Willitt
About June 1, 1872 the Rev. James Board, a member of the Presbytery of Steuben County,
moved with his family to Canaseraga from Howard, N.Y. and began preaching at Ossian Sunday mornings, and at Canaseraga in the Baptist Church at 3 p.m.
Shortly thereafter 13 former members of the Old Burns Presbyterian Church which had
closed its doors met with other interested people to organize a new church in Canaseraga. The first Trustees elected were James Craig, Headly Thompson and H.K. Barnum.
In 1874 services were held in the John Boyd store. Two years later a lot was
purchased from Mr. Isreal Aber and a church erected at the Pratt-Aber Street junction. The building was dedicated January 18, 1877. The building was dedicated January 18,
1877. August 24, 1918 the Presbyterian manse on Aber St., now owned by Norman Howes, was sold to Edward Norton and the Martha Mundy property on Pratt St. purchased for a manse.
In 1919 Presbyterians and Baptists formed the Union Church, later called the Community
Church, and services were held at the Baptist Church. In 1924 the Presbyterians were back in their own church when the Rev. O.T. Anderson came as minister.
In 1932 the Larger Parish Church was organized with Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians worshipping together. Then in 1941 the Methodists returned to their own
church.
In 1961 eight classrooms were added to the church and the basement was enlarged for a
dining room. On September 12 that year the Canaseraga Methodists again jointed the Baptists and Presbyterians in the ecumenical Larger Parish church, the welcome being extended
to the new members by Moses Garippa, President of the Church Council. Later a tower and steeple were added to the building.
The Larger Parish Church now maintains an affiliation with the American Baptist convention, the United Methodist Conference of Western new York and the united
Presbyterian Church of the United States of America.
The Rev. David Crosby, residing in the manse on Pratt St., serves the Ossian
Presbyterian Church as well as the Canaseraga Larger Parish Church.
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1976 Photo
by Gordon E. Willitt
The first church service in Garwoods was held in 1873 in the school house on the
Swain Road. For many years services were held there by different denominations. In 1916 the Rev. E.L. Eldridge began to conduct regular Methodist services, organizing the people into a
society in the Methodist Protestant denomination. The rev. Frank Karr, father of Mrs. Hollis Baker who now resides on N. Church St. in
Canaseraga, came as minister in 1921. The next year plans were made to build a church on lad donated by George Gates. The whole community, men and women, worked to raise
the funds and erect the building. On July 19, 1923 the church was dedicated in a service led by the Rev. Richards.
Upon his resignation in 1941 for reasons of ill health, the Rev. Karr who many times
walked the Shawmut tracks from his home in Swain, had served the Garwoods congregation for nearly 20 years, contributing much to both the church and the community.
As church membership expanded the need was felt for a dining room and more classrooms.
Again materials, money and time were donated by members and the addition was dedicated in October 1952.
In 1961 the electric organ, pews and hymnals from the Canaseraga Methodist Church, its
parishioners having joined the Larger Parish church, were given to the Garwoods Methodist Church. The next year the Coombs house across the road was purchased for a parsonage.
In 1968 when the Methodist Church as the United Brethren Church joined together in the United Methodist Church, Swain and Grove became a part of the Garwoods charge. The three churches are now served by the Rev. Kenneth Babcock.
The Rev. Matt Leach who attended the Garwoods church is now pastor at two Methodist
churches at Correctionville, Iowa. He attended Duke University and was ordained in the early 1960’s. He is married and has four children. Recently the Rev. Leach received a commendation from
his Bishop, particularly for his work with youth.
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1976 Photo
by Gordon E. Willitt
Saint Mary’s Church began as a Mission attended first from Hornellsville and later
from Portageville. Mass was said once a month at the Lynch home on S. Church St. near the Shawmut tracks. Later Union Hall, destroyed by the 1895 fire, was rented for a sum of $25 per annum by the Rev. Jeremiah
McGrath. In 1874 St. Mary’s became a mission of Portageville together with St. Patrick’s, now St. Mary’s of Birdsall.
On November 10, 1977, the present-day church was dedicated by Bishop Steven V. Ryan.
Land for the church and cemetery had been donated by the Hon. William White. On November 7, 1905 the Rev. John J. Ryan became the first resident pastor, having charge also of the
Birdsall Mission which later became a Mission of Angelica. Father Ryan soon established a parochial school, located across the street in charge of Miss Alice Prendergast.
The first Baptism was Charles Blank, November 17, 1905. The first burial
recorded in the parish cemetery located about a quarter of a mile from the church was Peter Nice, age 70, on December 27, 1905.
Despite the depression after 1929, the Rev. Francis J. Shubert repaired the church and
the rectory and in 1931 redecorated the interior of the church. A bell was blessed December 10, 1932 after parishioners’ subscriptions amounted to $515, and a sacristy was added
while the Rev. John H. Trulin was pastor.
The rectory was sold 10 years ago and a mobile home was placed on the church property.
St. Mary’s now shares a pastor with Portageville, the Rev. Daniel Pokornowski as of
1976. Mass is said every Sunday and on all special days.
The Rev. Henry J. Kingston, born in Canaseraga on December 11, 1871, studied in Europe
for the holy priesthood and served in the diocese of Buffalo. At the time of his death in 1924 Father Kingston was pastor of the Visitation Church in Buffalo.
Two daughters of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Piyak eventually entered the convent and
became Sisters of the Third Order. Mary Piyak, now Sister M. Bernadine, was assigned to Mount St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston. Her sister Catherine Piyak is now Sister
Monica. She has been a teacher in the Holy Name School in Buffalo.
INCIDENTALS
In 1873 the local newspaper printed this story concerning the first occupants of the
village lock-up that had been built that year: “A child of Henry Mosher, 6 or 7 years old, was most brutally beaten on Thursday and Friday by the Father and a woman living with
him who claims to be his daughter. A complaint was entered against the parties by Mrs. Covill and Mrs. Cook on Friday before Justice Leonard, who issued a warrant for their
arrest. They were brought to this place by Officer M.G. Mundy and deposited in the new lock-up. And by the way, they have the honor of being the first patrons of that
institution. Mosher has been for some time in the employ of Mr. Orville S. Tilden and lived in one of his houses.
“The child presents a pitiful appearance, the back being covered with bruises and
patches of black and blue, while his head has cuts inflicted by a chair in the hands of the female prisoner.
“The prisoners have since been sent to jail in Angelica, and the boy to the poor
house.”
- - - - - -
For some years what people called the “dummy” stood in the middle of the four corners
intersection in Canaseraga. Arrows on the four side of it pointed the direction to other towns and cities. The “dummy” also served as traffic cop. Drivers entering
the village from the west, for example, who wished to park on the north side of W. Main were supposed to make a 180 degree turn around the “dummy” before parking. It is said that
the “dummy” sometimes got in the way of teams handled by inebriated drivers.
When electricity reached Canaseraga lights were installed in the “dummy”.
Besides illuminating directions to other places, the lights prolonged the evening poker games in the middle of the intersection.
It seems illumination of the “dummy” also led to its downfall. According to one
version, when the State took over maintenance of Main St. the Village Board decided the State should also pay for the electricity used in the “dummy”. The State didn’t see it
that way and the village officials refuse dot pick up the tab. Eventually the “dummy” disappeared.
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THE FOUR
CORNERS “DUMMY”. Note the Post Office in the Hotel Kingston building.
Rumor has it that the Democratic Party was not notably powerful in these parts for many years. Still, the few Democrats have at times made the most
of what they have. In 1912 when Woodrow Wilson was elected to his first term as President of the United States, the “four or five” Democrats in town staged their celebration at
the four corners. For lack of a mule they dressed up a horse with long imitation ears. And they gathered wood and other burnables for a huge bonfire in the middle of the
four corners. In the exhilaration of the moment they “darn near burned the town down again.”
- - - - - - -
In 1908 the big story in Burns and Grove was the bear shot that year by Jim Mapes and Hal Scott. The local photographer, William Mabie of
Canaseraga, sold hundreds of copies of the picture reproduced here. Many people still have a copy. Over the years since, the story has been told and retold so many times
there are probably more versions of how it happened that there are bear photos in people’s albums and attics.
Eugene Hubbard gave the following account of the big hunt to Mrs. Alonzo Mastin, Town
of Burns historian:
One day Mrs. Will (Abbie Mundy) Scott heard a commotion by the corner of her house—now
the Alonzo Mastin residence—where she had two beehives. On investigation she found a big black bear nosing around. She immediately called the Hubbards. With the news
spreading rapidly the bear ambled off into Bell Hollow with some of the neighbors in pursuit.
In the meantime Hall Scott and Jim Mapes got the word. They went to the
Fitzpatrick livery in Canaseraga and borrowed Libby, the grey mare he loaned out, and a buckboard. They went up through Garwoods and into East Grove where they tied up the horse
and began the chase on foot. They spotted the animal near where the Weinharts now live and wounded him. The bear fled north, passing near the granary owned by Jim Doud,
went up the slope and across the Shawmut tracks. Hal and Jim followed in the buckboard and finally caught up with him on the “Round Top” in the Town of Grove where they finished
the kill.
Loading him into the buckboard they returned to Canaseraga, to the Bluestone Meat
Market where the picture was taken. The bear was hung up inside the market and attracted much attention from young and old alike. A few people say they or their parents
enjoyed a piece of the meat.
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Jim Mapes
at left and Hal Scott
BANKS
With money borrowed from a Dansville bank, Mr. William C. Windsor and Mr. Stephen
Bennett opened the Canaseraga Banking Co. in October 1881. It was located about where the Post Office is now. The 1895 fire destroyed everything in the bank except the
vault. The “bank” opened again a few days later, transacting business on a plank across two barrels. A new bank was built in 1896 on the corner of S. Church and E. Main
Streets.
The bank closed for one week during the bank holiday in 1933 and reopened with no loss
to depositors.
Mr. Windsor was the first president and held that position until his death in 1939.
His nephew, David Windsor who moved to Canaseraga in 1924, succeeded him as president.
In 1957 the bank merged with the First Trust of Wellsville and was then known as the
First Trust of Allegany County. A new building was constructed on E. Main St. in 1959 and is now known as First Trust Union Bank. David Windsor was First Vice-president of
the new bank until he retired in 1960. Mr. Robert Saunders is the present manager.
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WILLIAM C.
WINDSOR
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1976 Photo
by Gordon E. Willitt
LAWYERS
Over the past century there have been several lawyers in Canaseraga. Mr. William
C. Windsor opened an office in 1874 and practiced law here until his death in 1939. After the 1895 fire his office was on the second floor of the bank building.
Fay Miller, Arthur McTarnaghan, Mr. Houston and Albert Robbins (1947) followed him.
The Hon. William Serra is the last person to practice law in Canaseraga. His
office was on S. Church St. In 1951 he became County Attorney and in 1964 was elected Surrogate Court and Family Court Judge of Allegany County.
MILK DELIVERIES
The first mild route in Canaseraga was operated by Mr. Baker who worked the S.J. Craig
farm. His wagon was an oblong box with a top. There was a low step making it easy to get in and out. The milk was delivered in tin pails or the housewife brought out
a basin or pitcher and purchased whatever amount she wished. The price in 1905 was $.03 for a pint and $.05 for a quart.
In 1908 S.J. Craig took over the route, dispensing the milk in bottles. In 1912
George Sleggs bought the route and three years late his father, J.W. Sleggs, took it over. In 1915 he peddled about 120 quarts of milk a day at $.06 a pint and $.12 a quart.
Heavy whipping cream sold for $.40 a quart or $.10 for a half pint.
Most people bought milk tickets which were about the size of a quarter and made of
metal. Later the State required the tickets to be made of light cardboard.
The milk had to be cooled over an aereator to about 50 degrees immediately after
milking. Initially a pitcher was used for filling the bottles. Later Mr. Sleggs used bottling and capping machines.
In the 1930’s Mr. Edward Freiner also had a milk route in Canaseraga.
When the government required pasteurization Elmhurst Dairy took over the routes,
ending the days of raw milk deliveries.
GRANGERS
The Canaseraga Grange No. 1268 was organized in 1912 with 74 charter members.
The first meeting was held at the Town Hall. Then for the next 25 years the Grangers rented the hall over what is now Hub’s Village Store.
There have been various projects designed to aid the members. For some time,
flour, feed, fertilizer and grass seed were bought in bulk for resale to members but this proved to be a losing project. The next project was the sale of insurance with only
Grangers eligible to participate. Mr. Frank Coombs directed this program initially. Mr. Eugene Hubbard is now in his 27th year in charge of this program.
Non-Grangers are now eligible to participate.
In 1936 the Canaseraga Grange bought the Baptist Church and held its meetings there
until 1971. After hat meetings were held in various homes until 1974 when the Grangers began meeting in a Sunday School room at the Larger Parish Church.
The Grangers’ goal in this Bicentennial year is “6 new members in ‘76”.
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GRANGE MEMBERS OF 1922. Left to right: George Luce, Frank Coombs, Abbie (Mundy) Scott, Abner Miller, Nora (Swain) Hess, Fannie (Mastin)
Bailey, Olive (Thomas) Mastin, Bessie (Scott) Golding, Marian (Swain) Luce, Jess Burnside, Gertrude (Coombs) Ewart, Philip Coombs, Hi Howes
ENGINEERS JOINT TRAINING FUND
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In 1971 the Engineers Joint Training Fund purchased approximately 500 acres in the Town of Burns for the purpose of training new apprentices and
retraining current members in the operation of bulldozers, shovels and related equipment. The site is one of four, with headquarters in Binghamton, New York, and is also a
division of the IUOE Local 832 based in Rochester, N.Y., serving a 9 ½ county area. Each site is managed by a co-ordinator who also resides on the property, the local
co-ordinator being Daniel S. Swauger.
All upgrading projects are formulated to modify the land for future purposes and with
due regard for protection of the environment. In the Morraine area some marshy areas have been cleared to produce ponds. Since this project started more ducks and geese
have been seen in the spring and fall. This spring a flock of whistling swans was seen in the area.
Approximately 230 acres in the area are currently rented out to two local farmers to
keep the excess acreage productive.
AMERICAN
LEGION
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FAWCETT
POST AMERICAN LEGION. 1976 Photo by Gordon E. Willitt
A meeting to organize an American Legion post in Canaseraga was held at the firehall
on October 1, 1946 with George Pratt as temporary chairman. On October 8, 1946 members adopted the Post Charter and elected George Pratt as Commander of Fawcett Post 1582.
On November 12 that year the Post met on the second floor of the Market Basket building where it had rented quarters from Harry Scott.
County Commander Leo Pike of Belmont installed George Pratt as Post Commander at a meeting held January 28, 1947. Other county officers assisted with the installation of the other newly elected officers. George Enos of Cuba, past county
commander, presented the Post Charter bearing 71 names. There were two father and son teams among the charter members: Charles Wheeler and Charles T. Wheeler, and George W.
Wampole, Sr. and George W. Wampole, Jr. Forty members were present at this meeting which also approved the formation of a Legion Auxiliary.
On May 27, 1947 the Post accepted the Post Colors, donated by Mr. and Mrs. Albert Fawcett in honor of their two sons.
In 1953 the Legion purchased the first and second floors of the Market Basket building
and four years later paid off the mortgage through bingo revenues.
The present Legion home was constructed in 1960-61 and occupied officially in 1962.
Eleven years later the debt was pid off and a mortgage burning ceremonial dinner was held in the Legion quarters in the fall of 1973.
There are 160 regular and 80 social members of the Fawcett Post as of 1976. the
Post is active in Legion social services, youth programs and community activities. It maintains the annual scholarship awards program established in 1967.
ORGANIZATIONS – 1976
American Legion
American Legion Auxiliary
Babe Ruth Baseball
Bluebirds
Campfire Girls
Canaseraga Grange #1268
Canaseraga Historical Society
Canaseraga Volunteer Fire Co.
4-H Groups
Library Association
Lions Club
Lioness
Masonic Lodge #781
Spirit of ’76 Club
Weight Watchers Club
Willing Workers
Young at Heart Club
Explorers
Boy Scouts
Webelos
Cub Scouts
MEDICAL CARE
Dr. Philip Rich was perhaps the first person to practice medicine in this locality.
He was here in the 1820’s. the 1845 census reported one physician in the township. Other than that we know nothing of medical care here until after the Civil War.
Drs. Watson, Dimmick and Curry were here about 1870. Drs. O.S. Pratt, St. John
and Davies were here in the 1880’s. Dr. Fairbanks practiced medicine in Canaseraga from 1888 to 1902 when he moved to Dansville.
In this period the physician who remained longest in the community was Dr. A.T. Bacon
who was practicing medicine as early as 1882 in an office in the rear of the drugstore operated by him and his sons. The drugstore was in the building now occupied by Canaseraga
Business Machines. Dr. Bacon was health officer for the community until his death in 1927.
Dr. A.L. Damon practiced medicine in Canaseraga in the early ears of this century.
About 1911 Dr. Deegan opened an office in his residence on Pratt St. where the Burt Bynders now live. After his departure Dr. Schwan opened an office above the present-day Post
Office. Subsequently he practiced in the Kingston Hotel, entrance on N. Church St., before leaving to specialize. He was followed by Dr. Mayhew who for about two years used
the already-mentioned office on Pratt St.
About 1917 Dr. T.H. LaMonte came here from Ossian and moved into the Pratt St. office.
He was a homeopathic physician with a degree from the Eclectic College in Cincinnati. When paid, Dr. LaMonte received $.50 for an office visit and $1.00 for a house call. He dispensed most of
his prescriptions from his own stock, usually charging $.50 or so for pills and about $1.00 for four to six ounces of liquid medication, some of which he mixed himself.
Indicating it was meant “for use but not abuse”, Dr. LaMonte sometimes prescribed whiskey as a curative.
In his career, Dr. LaMonte delivered some 1,500 babies, losing only one mother.
His record was equally outstanding during the flu pandemic of 1918-19. Worldwide, an estimated 21,640,000 persons died of the disease. In the United States, nearly 25
percent of the population fell ill and a half million died. Mrs. Walter Shay who compiled the data for this section reports that Dr. LaMonte’s record for flu cures during those
years was 100 percent among patients who called him first, with the exception of pregnant women “for whom there was no help.” For several years Dr. LaMonte health officer for the
community.
In 1919 and the early 1920’s two more doctors were located in Canaseraga for short
periods: Dr. Simon King and Dr. Bowen. They were followed in 1928 by Dr. Dargon who practiced medicine in the brick house on Main ST. next to what is now Charles Oliver’s
garage. About the time he left Dr. Jetter came and stayed about one year, occupying the same office.
Three physicians were in Canaseraga during the 1930’s. Dr. Alverson, a native of
Dansville, had an office in the Mabie house next to the then Deysher Roller Mill on Main St. DR. Blaisdale opened an office in the Kingston Hotel where his family also lived.
Later he moved to the brick house on Main St. now occupied by Richard Dickenson. He moved to Wellsville in 1938. Dr. Fraiser followed him in Canaseraga. After a short
stay he moved to Virginia to go into medical research.
In recent years the longest continuous service to the community was provided by Dr.
Francis Tisdale who practiced in Canaseraga from 1939 until his death in 1962. For most of that time his offices were on the ground floor of the family residence, now the Coombs
apartments on Main St. Dr. Al Rabin came in 1949 and joined the practice with Dr. Tisdale. Later he moved his office to the then Bacon residence, on the corner of Main and
River streets, where he practiced until 1954.
Upon the death of Dr. Tisdale, Dr. Gilbert arrived but remained only a short while.
Then through the efforts of Stanley Tefft, Charles Oliver and a few others, the Shay Construction Co. built offices on Main St. for Dr. Stanley Freeman who came in 1963. After
some four years in Canaseraga he left for Panorama City, California.
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TRI-COUNTY
MEDICAL CENTER, Canaseraga, N.Y. 1976 Photo by Gordon E. Willitt
For the next seven years the community was without a doctor. Then in 1974 a
committee was formed and a fund drive organized for the purpose of providing office space for a medical facility. A branch of the Tri-County Medical Center, headquartered in
Dansville, opened on W. Main St. in Canaseraga in 1975. A doctor resident in Dansville now has calling hours there three half-days a week. A nurse and a receptionist are on
duty five days a week.
At least two dentists have practiced in Canaseraga. The first was W.H. Harris
who in the 1870’s, if not before, had an office on S. Church ST. and after 1890 in his residence on W. Main. A community leader with a particular interest in local history and
education, DR. Harris remained in Canaseraga until his death in 1919. The other dentist was Dr. Mattice in the early years of this century. His office was in the Kingston
Hotel until about 1912 when he moved to Dansville.
TRAIN WRECKS
In Recent years there have been several train wrecks in the Town of Burns.
In 1936 there was a wreck at Freiner’s crossing where a car loaded with hams split
open. People helped themselves. Shortly after that there was another wreck near the depot in Canaseraga.
In 1942 several livestock cars were derailed between Canaseraga and Garwoods.
Local people rounded up hogs and hid them away from the official eyes.
In 1954, 30 Erie cars were derailed between Depot St. and the ballpark. Damages
amounted to
ERIE DEPOT, Canaseraga, N.Y. 1976 Photo by
Gordon E. Willitt
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$75,000, with the Rowe & Kennedy warehouses hardest hit. Flour and sugar spilled out of some cars.
In 1960 there was a wreck at Burns Station . Syrup, beer, dried prunes, canned
meat and oranges spilled out. Some people, afraid of being caught by the police, dropped their loot only to have people behind them pick it up.
Shawmut coal trains have been wrecked between Garwoods and Swain, including once up on
the hill when tons of coal spilled down the bank into Strickland’s woods.
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Erie Wreck at Depot St. 1954
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FLOODS
The Canaseraga Creek has overflowed its banks too many times to count, inundating
lowland sections of the village. In the twentieth century heavy flooding occurred in 1902, in 1904, in 1906, in 1935, in 1959, and in 1972 when Hurricane Agnes struck. The
hardest hit areas have been River St. and the area south of the tracks – Potomac Ave., S. church and Bennett Streets.
The worst flood occurred in 1935 in terms of the total area under water and the amount
of property damage. That year Main St. and the sections just mentioned were inundated when the Bennett Creek sluices under the railroad tracks became blocked. The creek
overflowed its banks and raced across the flats where the Town of Burns garage now stands, pouring water down Main St.
1935 Flood in
Canaseraga
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Looking east on Main St. Lynn Brownell seated with Hugh Spencer behind him. To the right Elinor Carney, William Van Dyke and Harry Knights
with the Tefft Pharmacy and the Gottschall building (Sodas) just beyond.
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Main and
River Streets
South Church St. with Elinor Carney in the foreground.
A MISCELLANY
1807: First white birth in the Town of Burns, Lewis W. Carroll on August 1, son
of William Carroll.
??: John Gregory and Betsy Doty were the first settlers married in the township,
date unknown.
1819: Samuel Boylan or Ezra Whitney built the first frame house in the township,
at Canaseraga or Garwoods. Sources conflict as to which was first.
1838: Canaseraga had only one frame house by this year, the Samuel Boylan home.
1853: Erie Railroad reaches this locality and Canaseraga receives its current
name.
1872: Boys of 12 to 15 years were frequently permitted to play with the “ball
and cue” at one of the three billiard tables in the pigeon-hole saloon in Canaseraga. Sometimes the proprietors also sold them beer. Many residents of the village did not
approve, the “Canaseraga Times” editor noting: “Not quite right gentlemen!”
1873: In August there was an exhibition of Indian artifacts at Union Hall.
In the fall cows were going for $24-$30 at auction in Canaseraga.
1874: On May 1 a Women’s Temperance League was formed during a well-attended and
enthusiastic meeting at Union Hall.
In September and October 150 carloads (60,000 bushels) of potatoes were shipped from
two of the three railroad stations in the Town of Burns. In addition many tons of butter, grain and other farm produce went out by rail.
1875: As of January 160 students were enrolled at the Canaseraga Union Free
School.
According to the Times, Canaseraga had 150 houses, “some quite pretentious and costing
from five to ten thousand dollars each, with but few of the real shabby kind which disgrace many villages.”
1876: Some 500 “excursionists” left the village for a visit to Silver Lake on August 9.
1879: A Fat Man’s Dance was held at Bennett House on Depot St. Prizes were
awarded to Lott H. Bennett—202, J.D. Goodwin – 202, and S.N. Bennett –201 pounds. Music was provided by the Union Coronet Band from Buffalo.
The number of milch cow in the township was 556. The milk from 96 of these was
sent to local cheese factories. In the previous year local families produced 60,515 pounds of butter.
1882: Shawmut Railroad completed through the locality.
1901: Over 80 rail tickets to Buffalo were sold one Friday that year and 90 more
on Tuesday. No doubt most of the travelers planned to visit the Pan American Exhibition in Buffalo.
1902: The newly-organized Canaseraga Ladies Ballteam, “the first in the
vicinity”, drew a large audience for its first fame. With the grandstand filled the crowd ranged along the base of the structure and along the Erie tracks. Carriages were
lined up the entire length of Bennett Street, the Times reported. The paper characterized it as the fastest game “played on the diamond this year.” (The diamond was at
Church and Bennett Streets)
1921: At a Board of Trustees meeting on Juen 26, it was proposed that the
village have Main and Mill Streets tarred.
Additional upgrading of the streets was on people’s minds that summer. In August
it was decided cinders should be applied on Church St. from Mill ST. to the tracks. Taxpayers along Church St. attended a meeting to complain and later hired a Hornell attorney to help them protest the increased assessments that would be required.
1922: Village officials decided to deduct $51.66 from the bill received from the
Canaseraga Electric Co. (The Old Mills) for the month of September because the village had been without lights for about three weeks.
1926: April 28 was designated as “Clean Up Day” in Canaseraga.
There was an outbreak of scarlet fever in the Spring. In May Dr. A.T. Bacon, the
Health Officer, was paid $24 for quarantine measures: 11 cases of scarlet fever and one of measles. He also received $65 for fumigating and removing the quarantine
measures. Additional fumigating was done at the high school.
1927: April 28-9 was designated as “Clean Up Day” in the village.
1928: In January the Village Board approved the use of N. Church St. for sliding
down hill between 4-5:30 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. on nights when the stores were closed, providing the Boy Scouts would monitor the traffic to prevent cars from using the hill until the street was cleared of sledders.
1930: At a special meeting it was proposed that the village house, maintain and
operate a fire truck which was to be purchased by the Town of Burns for the entire township.
In November the Board agreed that a notice should be printed in the “Canaseraga Times”
barring any trapping within the village limits.
1931: In September there was a meeting at the Town Hall to discuss the paving of
Pratt, Aber and River Streets.
1933: The Annual Estimate of Village Expenses was:
General Fund
$1,800
Street Fund
$1,000
Bonds and Interest $3,300
Street Lights
$1,925
Salaries
$ 450
Library
$ 100
$8,575
1939: The dial telephone system came into operation in Canaseraga on June 27.
1942: Several German POW’s worked under armed guard at the pea vinery located
just west of the main cemetery.
NUGGETS FROM THE CANASERAGA TIMES
1873: Angelica is said to be the place of residence of more handsome young ladies than any other village in Allegany County except Canaseraga.
I will not say anything about the men who are under arrest for whipping their dear
wives.
1874: The two Methodist clergymen of this place have been holding revival
meetings at Swains and Gas Springs and a score of souls have been converted.
A couple was married this week by Rev. Farnum of Klipknocky. The young groom
requested the clergyman to be as expeditious as possible with the services as he was in a hurry to get home to do chores.
We have noticed that Mondays, more than any other day in the week, young ladies get
together to compare notes.
A man who ought to know says,” There has been no diminution in trade among the
merchants since the refusal of the Board to grant license.”
1875: A lively competition has existed for sometime between the two undertakers
of this village, and as a consequence their goods are sold at extremely low figures.
Five of ‘our boys’ started for Texas. They are to go to Cincinnati by rail,
thence by water most of the distance. We earnestly commend them to the tender mercies of Texans.
1876: Mr. Will Jeffries is building as neat a boat as one would wish to see.
It is to be launched on the waters of Lake Erie.
A very little Canaseraga boy while visiting his aunt was asked by her if his mama’s
washerwoman was an Irish or Dutch woman. “She ain’t neither one, but a Methodist.”
1890: The pension of Otto S. Sten, formerly of the town, has been raised from $2
to $6 a month.
1901: M.L. Harvey went to Gaines, Pa. last week on business, which means that we
will soon see Canaseraga Oil Co. Well No. 1 in our vicinity.
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George
Dolloph Hardware on W. Main St. early in the 1900’s.
Now
Knight’s Hardware Store.
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Bluestone
Brothers Meat Market on N. Church St. where the firehouse now stands.
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Town Hall and Bluestone Meat Market on N. Church St. which were spared in the 1895 fire. Robert Bluestone is at lower right. Photo was taken
about 1915.
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Hotel
Lackawana on Depot St. It burned in 1892.
WELL
WISHERS
Daniel & Susan Axtell
Douglas, Daniel, Silas, Jeremiah
Mr. & Mrs. Darwin Bacon
George & Anna Bennett
Harry & Virginia Boylan & Kim
Clarence & Betty Brown, Slater Ck.
Mrs. Lynn Brownell
Wilbur Calkins
Dave and Sandy Campbell
Mike and Stacy
Canaseraga Cowgirls 4-H
Canaseraga Historical Society
Mr. & Mrs. Larry Carney & Mathew
Mr. & Mrs. Terry Chapman, Bobby Lin
Neal & Zoe Coombs, Kevin & Sher
Mr. & Mrs. Eldon Coots, Lisa & Amy
Carlos Costa
Mrs. Mae Craig
Mr. & Mrs. Howard L. Dieter
Esther Dresser
Mr. & Mrs. Dick Duthoy,
Lynn, Amy, & Lisa
Jim & Diane Freiner & Nicole
Moses & Sally Garippa, Teresa,
Lynette, Christine, John & Nancy
Ezra & Helen Gilbert
Gary & Donna Gilbert, Roger,
John, Kimberly, Vicki, & David
Mr. & Mrs. Milton green & Family
Mr. & Mrs. Frank Gregorius
Mr. & Mrs. Burton Griffith & Family
Mr. & Mrs. Bailey O. Harvey
Dick & Cindy Harvey & Family
Ray & Lucille Harvey
Mrs. Walter L. Hess, Sr.
Clara Higgens
Mr. & Mrs. Carl Hubbard, Mike,
Doug, & Joey
Mr. & Mrs. Bob Kenyon, Tracy & Barry
Mr. & Mrs. Clayton L. Kenyon
Clayton & Scott Kenyon
Mr. & Mrs. Philip R. Kinney
Harvey & Sue Lacy
Hugh & Esther Lacy
Leon & Darlene Lacy, Dawn,
Brian, & Stephen
Mr. & Mrs. Edward LaMonte & Family
Mr. & Mrs. Gary L. Lander & Family
Mr. & Mrs. Keith Maker,
David, Chris, & Linda
Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Mastin
Alonzo & Marjorie Mastin
Dave Mastin
Jeff Mastin
Margaret A. McCray
Dayton & Laura Murray
Mr. & Mrs. Russell Nichols
Lauren & Carolyn Oliver, Lauren L.,
Marlon M., Corey C., Julie J.
Mr. & Mrs. Gerald O’Brien
Charles & Hope (Harvey) Owens & Family
Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Pfuntner & Mike
Francis, Lois & Terry Phillips
Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Rauber
Sid Robinson
Mr. & Mrs. David C. Roosa
Mrs. J. Gordon Rowe
Mr. & Mrs. Harold Runge
Faye & Bob Sarvis
Mr. & Mrs. Richard L. Sarvis
Graham Scott
Mrs. Walter Shay
Irv & Margaret Shelp & Family
Mr. Neil R. Simpson
Francis & Mildred Slater
Jack & Esther Sleggs
Dean & Molly Spencer
“Spirit of ‘76”
Mr. & Mrs. C. Jerome Steng
Alison Marie Steng
Jodi Ann Steng
Mr. & Mrs. Paul C. Steng
John P. Steng
Stephanie Ann Steng
Stanley & Opal Tefft
M.S. & Phyllis Tracy
Mr. & Mrs. David Trickler,
Christine & Michael
Sandra Watkins, Beth, John & David
Gordon & Sally Willitt, Troy & Brett
Leland & Virginia Willitt & Rhonda
Mr. & Mrs. Eric Wilson & Kathleen
Mr. & Mrs. Gordon Wilson, JR.
Mr. & Mrs. Larry Wilson
Kimberly Ann Wilson
Fred Wright
Maitland & Mary Wood, George, Dana,
Karen, Beatrice & Doris
George & Lura Sommers
Very Hill, Dick & Marcia
Ina B. Craig
Shirley Oliver
Dan & Beverly Mullen, Jamie
Florence Mehlenbacher
Paul & Bea Petteys
