Interesting Facts

Interesting Info

Local Name Origins

	Allan’s Creek or Oatka Creek was named for Indian Ebenezer Allan and Indian word Oatka meaning "the opening."
	Allens Creek was named for two brothers who resided on the banks of the creek in Brighton
	Auburn - The name is from Oliver Goldsmith's poem 'The Deserted Village' (1770), about the depopulation of rural areas, with its opening line: "Sweet Auburn! Loveliest village of the plain." Its name is nothing to do with the color auburn, but means eel stream. It was the home of William Seward and Harriet Tubman, "the Black Moses." In 1890 a Buffalo murderer, William Kemmler, was put to death in the first electric chair in the world in Auburn prison which wound up at Rattlesnake Pete’s museum in Rochester.
	Brockport was named for founder Hiel Brockway and became incorporated as a village in April 6, 1829. From 1844 to 1847 a factory in Brockport manufactured McCormick reapers.

	Carthage was named for the ancient African City. In Phoenician it means new town.
	Cayuga is an old Indian name which means "place for the canoe landing"
	Charlotte - In 1805 William Pulteney of England, who had bought thousands of acres in Western New York, died, and his daughter, Lady Bath, inherited the property. She died, July 14, 1808, without issue, and her cousin, Sir John Lowther Johnstone, became the heir of her American real estate. His wife’s name was Charlotte.
	Chili was formed from Riga and named for Republic of Chile in South America although how the pronunciation changed is unknown
	Clarkson was settled in1804 and named after Matthew Clarkson, a businessman from NYC, who donated some land to the town then called Murray. It soon became an important point on the road to the Niagara Frontier because of its stage stop where the horses were changed and weary travelers given a chance to refresh themselves with food and drink. At one time several mills and distilleries stood on the road near Clarkson. In the War of 1812 it was a rendezvous for troops and a depot for military supplies. Close to the highway, is the Selden Homestead. From 1830 to 1859 this was the home of Judge Henry Rogers Selden, lieutenant governor of the state, 1856-58. His son, George Baldwin Selden (1846-1922) recognized as the inventor of the automobile engine, was born in this house.
	Dansville, one of the gateways to the Genesee country, lies in a valley flanked by hills. One of the earliest settlers was Daniel Faulkner who came to the valley from Pennsylvania in 1795 and built the first sawmill. The settlement was named for him. Col. Nathaniel Rochester had his home here before the founding of Rochesterville. While visiting Dansville on a lecture tour in 1876, Clara Barton (1821-1912) was attracted by the water cure at the Dansville Sanatorium and purchased an adjacent house for a country home. In 1881 she organized in Dansville the first Red Cross unit in the United States, known as the Clara Barton Chapter. There is the Clara Barton Red Cross Chapter No. 1 and the chapter house on Elizabeth Street with the state historical marker in front of the Lutheran Church where the first Red Cross chapter was organized.
	East Rochester was originally called Despatch because of the Merchants Despatch Transportation Corp., which has its vast home plant and switch yards here. Among other large industrial concerns in East Rochester are the Aeolian American Piano Corporation, the Lawless Brothers Paper Mills, the Ontario Tool Company, the Crosman Seed Company, and the Mack Tool Company. The village is served by the New York Central Railroad and the Greyhound Bus Lines. The village contains two small parks, Edmund Lyon Park and Eyer Park, and two golf courses, limited in their use to members only.
	Egypt was named from a circumstance in pioneer times when Deacon Ramsdell & Cyrus Parker had an unusually excellent crop of corn and other grains when the surrounding area crops were poor. New spread far and people came from far to buy corn from them and the Place became known as Egypt for the long journey many had to get there.

Fairport - The growth of the village began about 1822, with the construction of the Erie Canal. The first frame house, built in 1812, on the site of the present Green Lantern Inn, was later moved to the east end of Church Street, where it' still stands. In the 1800’s businesses in Fairport included the Deland Chemical (baking soda), Cobb Preserving (the predecessor to American Can) and the Trescott Company (fruit grading and packing systems). Deland Chemical later became Fairport Vinegar Works - makers of Certo brand pectin used to jell foodstuffs.

	Gates was named for General Horatio Gates, Revolutionary soldier. It was named June 10, 1812.
	Genesee comes from an Indian word "Chenussio" meaning beautiful valley.
	Greece - from Gates and named for the kingdom of Greece on March 22, 1822. A revolution broke out in the kingdom of Greece in 1821& sympathies in this country were for the revolutionists.
	Hamlin - taken from Clarkson, named in honor of Hannibal Hamlin, Vice President of the U.S. during Lincoln’s first administration. It was named February 22, 1861.
	Hanford’s Landing was named for Frederick & Abraham Hanford with five brothers & two sisters who lived there; it was originally known as King’s landing
	Henrietta was formed from Pittsford March 27, 1818 in honor of Lady Henrietta Laura, Countess of Bath, and daughter of Sir Will Pulteney, an Englishman who with two associates purchased from Robert Morris a large part of the original Phelps-Gorham Purchase.
	Honeoye was the trading center for the surrounding farms and, in season, for the lake residents. In the center of the village is the SULLIVAN MONUMENT commemorating the Sullivan expedition (1779). One block from the monument stands the PITTS HOUSE, built in 1821 by Gideon Pitts, son of Capt. Peter Pitts. The house was the birthplace of the Pitts daughter who became the second wife of Frederick Douglass.
	Ithaca was named by Simeon DeWitt, the state surveyor general, after the town where Ulysses, Greek hero, lived.
	Irondequoit was formed from Brighton March 27, 1839. It is an Indian name meaning where the waves gasp & die.
	King’s Landing was-named for Gideon King but later changed to Hanford’s Landing.
	Mendon was named for Mendon, Mass. where some of the pioneers came from Nine mile point- nine miles east of the mouth of the Genesee.
	Mount Morris was named for Robert Morris, financier of the American Revolution, who bought from Ebenezer Allen the land on which the village stands. The first name of the town was Allen Hill, but this was changed to Richmond Hill by Col. John Trumbull of Washington's staff, who painted the Signing of the Declaration of Independence. He planted an orchard here with a view to making this his permanent home, but he changed his plans.
	Ogden was named for William Ogden, one of the first proprietors of the town of Parma formed in 1817, and it was part of the Phelps-Gorham mill yard tract.
	Ontario from an Indian name meaning beautiful prospect of rocks, hill and water.
	Penfield named for Daniel Penfield who owned much land in the area. It was formed March 30, 1810.
	Perinton named for Glover Perrin, the first permanent settler of the town. It was formed May 26, 1812.

Pittsford was named by Col. Caleb Hopkins who had come from Pittsford, Vermont. Northfield, parent of seven present Monroe County towns, was set off as a unit of Ontario County, N.Y. Northfield became Boyle in 1803, when Penfield and Perinton had been established and separated. In 1813 the name was changed to Smallwood. When Brighton was separated from the town, it was renamed Pittsford by Caleb Hopkins after his hometown of Pittsford, Vt. March 25, 1814. Pittsford was divided again when Henrietta was established in 1818. Brighton was divided in 1839 when Irondequoit was formed, and, in 1840, Penfield and Webster were formed as two separate towns.

	Rush named for the patches of rushes in the town along the river and Honeoye Creek; the early locality was called Rush Bottom. It was formed from Avon March 13, 1818. Another theory was that it was named for Dr. Benjamin Rush, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
	Skaneateles is an Indian name meaning "long lake."
	Sibleyville is named for Benjamin Sibley & his sons Samuel & Hiram who had wool carding & grist mills there, also manufacturing agricultural implements.
	Sweden is believed to be named for the country of Sweden since some of the first settlers came form Sweden, Maine.
	Webster is named for Daniel Webster the great orator & statesman. It was formed from Penfield February 6, 1840.

History of the 100 Acre Tract Which Eventually Became Rochester
& The Infamous Indian Allan

When Oliver Phelps held his treaty with the Indians at Buffalo Creek in 1788, he was anxious to secure all the lands within the Massachusetts preemption claim. The Indians declined to part with any land west of the Genesee River, regarding that as a natural boundary set by the great spirits between the white man & the red man. Unable to buy the land outright, Phelps asked them for a piece of land west of the Genesee to build a mill which they could use grind their corn and saw timber. The Indians asked how much land this would take and Phelps replied a piece about 12 miles wide by 24 miles long from about Avon to Lake Ontario. The Indians were reluctant to part with such a large tract but upon Phelps assurance it was all needed, granted his request. This strip of land contained about 200,000 acres and was designated the Genesee Falls Mill Lot.

Phelps hired one Ebenezer Indian Allan to build the mill and in return gave him 100 acres of land commencing at the center of the mill extending equal distances up, down and west of the river to contain the 100 acres in a square form. So far as we know no deed ever passed between Phelps and Allen, but in a deed for 20,000 acres embracing the site of Rochester west of the Genesee sold to Cortus Pomeroy a note indicates an exception for the land previously granted Allan. In the Revolutionary War, Allan was from New Jersey, was a Tory and became acquainted with the Senecas. He joined the Indians against the American settlements and committed atrocities. Mary Jemison tells one story related to her by Allan where he found a man, wife & baby in bed. He burst in, severing the man’s head and tossing at his terrified wife, grabbing the baby, and smashing its head against the jamb, leaving the woman with her murdered family.

In the fall of 1789, Peter Sheffer and his sons Peter & Jacob came upon Allan at his farm near the mouth of Allan’s Creek. He had a comfortable log house on the land which 300 acres were given to him by the Indians & 170 purchased from Phelps & Gorham. Mr. Sheffer purchased this tract for $2.50/acre as indicated on the deed dated November 23, 1789. It was recorded November 12, 1793 on page 178, book 2 in the County Clerk’s office Canandaigua. Allan wanted the money to push forward his mill enterprise. The stone used in Allan’s gristmill was made from boulders on the surface of the ground near the mill. With the assistance of Indians Allan cut and dressed both stones. He was a blacksmith and had a forge near his house at Allan’s Creek and at the mill. A 14-ft. waterfall powered the mill where Broad St. crosses the Genesee. This waterfall was obliterated by building the canal aqueduct. In 1790 Allan moved his assortment of wives, children and other relatives, legal and otherwise, into the mill. He shod his own horses and repaired guns for himself and the Indians. He was anything but lazy, with a bold appearance, determined look, and the faculty of controlling all about him. He usually had 30 Indians at work and in return supplied them and their families with everything them needed including whiskey. Wherever Allan went a company of Indians went with him to do his bidding. When he stayed at the mill, the Indians encamped at Exchange Street at the Indian spring. Allan was adopted as a member of the Seneca Nation and named Genusheeo, but called Indian Allan by the whites who greatly disliked him. He married a Seneca squaw whose English name was Sally.

In 1790 Allan bought a stock of goods in Philadelphia and reopened his trading post in Mt. Morris, leaving his brother-in-law Christopher Dugan in charge of the mills. He probably left the mills for good soon after the sale of the 100-acre tract to Mr. Barton. Barton sold the 100 acres to Samuel B. Ogden December 24, 1793, who transferred the property to Charles Williamson of Bath, an agent for Sir William Pulteney and it became part of Pulteney’s estate. Williamson was the general sales manager for the Pulteney project. He was a Scotchman, an organizer, and, what counted in those days, a gentleman of the period. In some respects he was very modern, and, as we read his career, he was a master salesman. Everything interested him: Good food, good wine, good company. He read books, organized the first theater west of New York, kissed the babies and made love to their mothers.

In 1803 Nathaniel Rochester, Charles Carroll & William Fitzhugh bought the 100-acre tract from Pulteney’s estate for $17.50 per acre. They made no effort to settle the tract until 1810. Nathaniel Rochester surveyed the land and hired Enos Stone to sell lots. He also persuaded the town of Brighton to open a road from Pittsford along the present East Avenue and build a wooden bridge over the river. The war of 1812 slowed down the settlement since the British threatened to destroy lake improvements and landings. After the War settlement became very rapid with competition among various villages like Carthage and Frankfort. Nathaniel Rochester moved his family to Bloomfield in 1817, the year he helped found St. Luke’s Church. He persuaded Matthew and Francis Brown to layout their Frankfort village streets to line up with the streets in the 100-acre tract to form Rochesterville in 1817. Matthew and Francis Brown built the race at the upper falls in 1816.

Our Most Quoted Rochesterian

Francis Julius Bellamy (1855-1931) has been described as "our most quoted Rochesterian." The 1876 University of Rochester graduate earned this distinction by composing The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag . In 1892 Bellamy was employed by the Boston magazine The Youth’s Companion . As part of the celebrations marking the 400^th anniversary of the voyage of Christopher Columbus to the western hemisphere, the magazine promoted the idea of a flag ceremony on Columbus Day in every school in America. Bellamy wrote the Pledge for students to recite as flags were raised over schoolhouses across the country. Over the years additional words have been added to Bellamy’s original Pledge, but it is still recited by millions of school children every day. On September 8,1892, the Boston based "The Youth's Companion" magazine published a few words for students to repeat on Columbus Day that year. Written by Francis Bellamy, the circulation manager and native of Rome, New York, and reprinted on thousands of leaflets, was sent out to public schools across the country. On October 12, 1892, the quadri-centennial of Columbus' arrival, more than 12 million children recited the Pledge of Allegiance, thus beginning a required school-day ritual. At the first National Flag Conference in Washington D.C., on June14, 1923, a change was made. For clarity, the words "the Flag of the United States" replaced "my flag". In the following years various other changes were suggested but were never formally adopted. It was not until 1942 that Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance. One year later, in June 1943, the Supreme Court ruled that school children could not be forced to recite it. In fact, today only half of our fifty states have laws that encourage the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in the classroom! In June of 1954 an amendment was made to add the words "under God". Then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower said "In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war."

Seabreeze

Perched just above the shores of Lake Ontario, Seabreeze takes its name from a once-thriving resort community featuring hotels and other attractions that was the summer destination for people throughout the Rochester area and elsewhere. Irondequoit town historian Patricia Wayne said that during the resort era from 1870 to 1930, Seabreeze was a prominent place known as the "Coney Island of western New York:" The beachfront community's fancy hotels are long gone, but the park is still standing. Over its 129-year history, Seabreeze has staved off the Great Depression, changes in the public's taste for entertainment, fires and competition from larger amusement parks. Seabreeze Amusement Park began on August 5, 1879, making it the 13th oldest amusement park in the United States. Many observers credit the park's staying power to its current owners, the Norrises, who have been intimately tied to Seabreeze since their family began operating a carousel concession there in 1904. In that year, George W Long Sr. came to Rochester from Philadelphia, where the Long family had been makers and operators of carousels. His son, George W Long Jr., was 12 years old at the time. Long Jr. later settled permanently in Rochester.

John Norris said that in 1879 "the local train company opened the park. In those days, train and trolley companies bought up waterfront land for parks and made money by transporting passengers from urban centers to the parks. They hired concession operators to provide the attractions." In 1946, Norris' grandfather George Long Jr. bought Seabreeze from the trolley company and renamed it Dreamland Park. He ran the park with his sons-in-law, the late Bob Norris and Merrick Price, for many years. In 1976, Long Jr. retired and transferred management of the park to his five grandchildren, Rob Norris of Hilton; Suzy Hofsass of Walworth; and Anne, John and George Norris, all of Irondequoit. Long Jr. died in 1988 after having spent many of his later years carving carousel horses and miniature carousels. The Norrises changed the name of the park back to Seabreeze, but have built on their grandfather's vision of the park and continue it today for thousands of children and adults. "Because of that family ownership, it's looked upon as more than a business - as a family heirloom;" said Jim Futrell, of Pittsburgh, founder of the National Amusement Park Historical Association. Changing with times Futrell said Seabreeze, which opened in 1879, is the fourth-oldest operating amusement park in the country. Begun as a picnic area by the Rochester and Lake Ontario Railroad, Seabreeze is an example of early trolley parks that once were both numerous and popular across the country. "I was there about is years ago. I think it's a great place;" said Futrell. "When their merry-go-round burned (in March 1994), they ... seized on that as an opportunity to carry on the family tradition of manufacturing merry-go-rounds:" Rob Norris took the lead in getting a replacement carousel built. Four of the horses not on the carousel at the time of the fire, along with two carved by his grandfather, were added to 38 new horses carved by Edward Roth of California. The new carousel opened on June 1, 1996. At one time Seabreeze shared the regional market with other smaller amusement parks that have since gone out of business, such as Olympic Park on Scottsville Road in Chili and Roseland Park in Canandaigua. For more information on the history of Seabreeze and some interesting photos go click on this link: Seabreeze History

Early Rochester Theaters

	Corinthian Hall - opened June 28, 1849 and became the city’s first principal concert & lecture hall. It was also know as the Athenaeum and the Academy of Music, ending it’s days as a burlesque house in 1928.
	Cooks Opera House – opened on South Avenue in 1846, remodeled in 1848 as the New Theater one year before Corinthian Hall opened and ended as the Embassy burlesque house
	Baker Theater was on N. Fitzhugh just behind the Powers Hotel. It was built in 1899, backed by the Shuberts of NYC and others in Rochester. It became the Gayety Theater and closed in 1929. It was located where the garage is adjacent to the Executive Office Building. Three year old Joe Yule Jr., later known as Mickey Rooney, made his stage debut at the Gayety.
	National Theater became the Capitol Theater.
	Temple Theater – was located on Clinton Avenue South where the Lincoln First building is today. This is where the great George Cukor directed the best summer stock theater in the nation. Bette Davis made her debut as an actress here.
	Lyceum Theater- The golden age of Rochester theater was ushered in the late 1880’s with construction of the Lyceum theater on North Clinton, just off Main Street. It devoted itself to serious drama, and succeeded, thanks to an "interested and eager public" and several patrons with discriminating tastes.