Western New York State of Mind Archives

I’ve Seen My Lifetime Disintegrate Before My Eyes

By Chris Carosa on November 5, 2024

I’ve seen my lifetime disintegrate before my eyes.

Do you have a recurring dream that you just can’t understand? No, I’m not talking about the one where you realize the final exam is today and you haven’t cracked open the textbook. Nor am I talking about the one where the giant ape is slowly chasing you, but try as you might, you just can’t run.

Those are typical anxiety dreams. They have nothing to do with final exams or giant apes. They’re more likely related to something in your daily life (usually work or some other stress-inducing environment).

Here’s the kind of dream I’m talking about: it involves a familiar landscape, maybe current, maybe from your past. It’s “familiar” in the sense that it evokes the real thing except it’sContinue Reading “I’ve Seen My Lifetime Disintegrate Before My Eyes”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged 187 Abbott Parkway, 83 Victory Avenue, Abbott Parkway, Blasdell, Blasdell Bowling Academy, Blasdell Junction, Carthage, Erie Railroad, George S. Patton, hamburg, Honeoye Falls, Ingham Avenue, Lackawanna, Lave Avenue, Lehigh Valley Railroad, Mendon, New York Central, Nickel Plate Road, Our Mother of Good Counsel, Patton, Pennsylvania Railroad, Roman Triumph, Salvator's Pizzeria, South Park, St. Anthony's, Victory Avenue, Woodlawn, Woodlawn Elementary, Woodlawn Intermediate

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Through Seneca Falls, East Cayuga Then A Masonic Welcome And A Final Adieu In Auburn

By Chris Carosa on July 23, 2024

Previous: Bigotry Cannot Defeat A Good And Honorable Man

In Auburn, Lafayette met at “Hudson’s Hotel” a.k.a. Western Exchange Hotel Genesee St. Image circa 1840. From the collection of the Cayuga Museum of History and Art, Auburn, NY

As early as May 12^th, 1825, the Village of Auburn expected Lafayette to travel through their growing community. Seventeen men, including two future governors of New York State were appointed to a committee charged with the purpose of preparing for the visit of the French general and American hero. They were “to make suitable arrangements for the occasion; and that they be requested to communicate the doings of this meeting, to the proper military officers, the masonick order, and the surviving revolutionary officers and soldiers, inviting them to co-operate with the citizens of the village, in the proposed expressions of publick attention, to the venerable ‘Guest of our Nation,’ and its early defender.”¹

A few days later, on May 16^th, the officers of the militia met at Strong’s tavern. Led by Brigadier General Henry R. Brinkerhoff, they, too, formed a committee to prepare for Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Through Seneca Falls, East Cayuga Then A Masonic Welcome And A Final Adieu In Auburn”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Alaska, Auburn, Aurora, Benjamin C. Cox, Cayuga, Cayuga Bridge, Dirck C. Lansing, E.T. Throop, Genesee Road, Geneva, Gerhom Powers, Henry R. Brinkerhoff, J.M. Sherwood, John W. Hulbert, Lafayette, Levasseur, mason, Revolutionary War, Seneca Falls, Seneca Turnpike, Seward's Folly, W. S. De Zeng, Waterloo, William H. Seward, Woolsey's Hotel

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Bigotry Cannot Defeat A Good And Honorable Man

By Chris Carosa on July 23, 2024

Previous: Wowed Waterloo Overcomes Tragedy To Welcome Hero

Dirck. C. Lansing, after his coal black hair turned white with age. Source: Adams, John Quincy, A History of Auburn Theological Seminary, 1818-1918, Auburn Seminary Press, Auburn, 1918

Why are people so mean? What prompts them to violate the rules of decorum just to get a dig in? How many good men do we lose because of this?

It turns out the Era of Good Feelings was less universal than we think. Or, rather, within those good feelings lay dormant seeds of discord that only needed time, and a good trigger, to flower into tension and, unfortunately, eventually into conflict.

But let’s not go there yet. Let’s harken back to the source of the unity that the Era of Good Feelings recalled.

While the Revolutionary War can be aptly described as a civil war, its aftermath brought harmony through the commonality of men who served in its victory. Not only did they share the wounds of war, but they also shared within the fellowship of it.

No better manifestation of the fraternity of commonness was the proliferation of Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Bigotry Cannot Defeat A Good And Honorable Man”

Posted in History, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Abolition, American Anti-Slavery Society, Auburn, Auburn Theological Seminary, Aurelius, burnt district, Burnt Over District, Calvary Presbyterian Church, Charles G, Church of Christ, Dirck C. Lansing, Era of Good Feelings, Finney, First Church, Freemasonry, Genesee Road, George Washington, Hiram Lodge No. 88, John L. Hardenburgh, Lafayette, lodge, mason, masonic, Morgan Affair, Presbyterian, Revolutionary War, Samuel Miles Hopkins, Second Great Awakening, St. Paul's Lodge No. 265, Yale

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Wowed Waterloo Overcomes Tragedy To Welcome Hero

By Chris Carosa on July 16, 2024

Previous: The Great Central Trail Becomes The State Road

Waterloo Hotel became the Madison House before being converting into Twin Brothers’ Yeast Cake factory (pictured here). The factory burned down in 1877. Source: Becker, John E., A History of the Village of Waterloo, Waterloo Library and Historical Society, Waterloo, NY 1949, p. 81

The party began early in Waterloo on the morning of Wednesday, June 8, 1825. It was like a festive holiday. A great anticipation thrilled the small village and those visitors who had come to town for the special occasion about to unfold. Revolutionary War hero and valiant icon of freedom, the Marquis de Lafayette was about to visit.

Excitement filled the air. And cannon smoke.

There was no way to contain the enthusiasm. Several villagers expressed this feeling by gathering at Earl’s tavern, as the Waterloo Hotel had been known. Ab Falling built the three-story brick structure in 1817. Located in the center of its west side, the main entrance faced the public square. The upper floor had a ballroom and a Masonic Hall.¹

That same year, Junius Lodge No. 291, F.&A.M. received its charter from the Grand Lodge of New York on June 5. The growing lodge began meeting at the Waterloo Hotel on July 1, 1819. By 1825, only one of the original petitioners—Dr. Jesse Fifield, Treasurer—held a leadership position.²

Captain Jehiel P. Parsons was a member of Junius Lodge No. 291.³ He wasn’t among the citizens celebrating at Earl’s tavern. Instead, he chose to have breakfast across the street at the Mill. The partiers at the tavern would show their delight for the joyous day by Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Wowed Waterloo Overcomes Tragedy To Welcome Hero”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Abraham Lisk, Caleb Fairchild, Captain Jehiel P. Parsons, Captain Lemuel Ruggles, Dr. Jesse Fifield, Earl's Tavern, Freemason, G.A. Gamage, Junius Lodge No. 291, Lafayette, mason, Oren R. Farnsworth, Rev. John Caton, Revolutionary War, Waterloo, Waterloo Hotel, Waterloo House

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: The Great Central Trail Becomes The State Road

By Chris Carosa on July 16, 2024

Previous: Pomp, Circumstance, Before Lunch In Geneva

The Cayuga Bridge helped improve travel times on the Great Genesee Road, which eventually became Routes 5 & 20. Source: Barber, John W., and Howe, Henry, Historical collections of the state of New York, S. Tuttle, New York 1842, p. 79

As General Dwight D. Eisenhower led the Allied effort into the heart of the Nazi regime, he couldn’t help but notice the transportation infrastructure that strengthened the defense of his opponent. Hitler began construction of his Reichautobahn in the 1930s. Although designed primarily for civilian use, war reports during the Eisenhower’s push into Germany in 1944 and 1945 repeatedly referenced the autobahn, “Hitler’s Superhighway.”¹

Impressed by these autobahns, Eisenhower proposed an interstate highway system once Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: The Great Central Trail Becomes The State Road”

Posted in History, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Albany, Auburn, Augustus Porter, autobahn, Buffalo, Canandaigua, Cayuga Bridge, Central Trail, Charles Williamson, civil defense, Dr. Peter Wilson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, England, Erie Canal, Genesee Country, Genesee River, Genesee Road, Geneva, Great Central Trail, Great Genesee Road, Greater Western New York, Hitler, Interstate Highway System, Iroquois Confederacy, Jesuits, Main Genesee Road, Massachusetts, New York State Thruway, Old Fort Schuyler, Onondaga Escarpment, Ontario County, Phelps and Gorham, Preemption Line, railroads, Reichautobahn, road, Roman, Roman Empire, Rome, Routes 5 & 20, Seneca, Seneca Falls, Seneca Turnpike, Seneca Turnpike Road Company, State Road, The Beaten Road, The President and Directors of the Seneca Road Company, Utica, Waterloo

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Pomp, Circumstance, Before Lunch In Geneva

By Chris Carosa on July 9, 2024

Previous: How Commonality Saved Captain Williamson And Western New York

Geneva a generation after Lafayette’s visit. Source: Barber, John W., and Howe, Henry, Historical collections of the state of New York, S. Tuttle, New York 1842, p. 52

General Lafayette rose the morning of Wednesday, June 8, 1825, shortly after sunrise. At 7 o’clock that morning, the French entourage bid John Greig adieu. They climbed aboard their waiting carriage and a military escort led them onto the old Genesee Road (and then the Seneca Turnpike). About ten miles down the road, at Ball’s tavern, they’d meet the committee from Geneva and transfer their precious cargo to them.¹

For the good citizens of Geneva, the largest settlement in the Greater Western New York region, Lafayette was a long time coming. A couple of weeks before, the village appointed a committee of eleven upstanding men to invite the Nation’s Guest to visit their fair village. They drafted a letter dated May 28, 1825, for that purpose. Appealing to his sense of Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Pomp, Circumstance, Before Lunch In Geneva”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Ball's Tavern, Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Yorktown, Buffalo, Butler, Canandaigua, Captain Bartle, Captain Bayly, Captain Dox, Captain Manning, Captain Ottley, Captain Ruggles, Captain Sherman, Captain Van Auken, Colonel Whiting, Doctor Lummis, Ensign Brizse, Genesee Road, Geneva, James Rees, Lafayette, Lieutenant Lum, Lieutenant Stanley, Monsieur Camus, Noyes, Ontario County, Philadelphia, Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War Veterans, Robert Morris, Rochester, Seneca Turnpike, Sion, Waterloo, Willam S. De Zeng, Yates County

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: How Commonality Saved Captain Charles Williamson And Western New York

By Chris Carosa on July 9, 2024

Previous: Canandaigua Anxiously Waits Before Jubilation And An Elegant Supper

Captain Charles Williamson was responsible for developing much of the Genesee Country between Preemption Line and the Genesee River. Source: Main, William, Charles Williamson, Cowan & Co., Ltd., Perth, 1899, frontpiece

He was a proud Tory and Captain in the British army who volunteered to fight for King George III against the rebellious colonists. She was a proud Patriot whose father graciously saw in this prisoner of war a common human element.

Before we get into this backstory, let’s review why it’s so important.

In December 1786, the states of New York and Massachusetts agreed to resolve a conflict started by the kings of England. Those monarchs made a royal mess of Western New York, at one time or another granting rights to all or portions of it to no less than five colonies.

By the end of the American Revolution, three states had claims to the Greater Western New York region: New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut (a sliver along the southern tier). With Connecticut quickly quitting its claim, New York and Massachusetts stood nose-to-nose. With the Articles of Confederation dissolving, the two states decided to circumvent that ineffective parchment and meet in neutral territory. Ironically, this meeting took place in the state of Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: How Commonality Saved Captain Charles Williamson And Western New York”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, History, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Abagail Newell, Articles of Confederation, Bath, Boston, Canada, Charles Williamson, Colonel Hugh Maxwell, Connecticut, Edinburgh Regiment, Genesee Trail, Geneva, George Washington, Iroquois Confederacy, John Graves Simcoe, Joseph Ellicott, King George III, Massachusetts, Nathaniel Gorham, New York, Newburyport, Oliver Phelps, Patrick Colquhoun, Preemption Line, Revolutionary War, Robert Morris, Roger Hale Sheaffe, Route 5 & 20, Sir William Pulteney, Sodus, State Road, The Association, The Gore, Treaty of Hartford, William Hornby

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Canandaigua Anxiously Waits Before Jubilation And An Elegant Supper

By Chris Carosa on July 2, 2024

Previous: John Greig Lives The American Dream

Blossom Hotel as it appeared at the time of Lafayette’s visit. Source: From the collection of the Ontario County Historical Society

The young boy was no different from anyone else in the town of Canandaigua. Anxious, fretting, full of anticipation, on the morning of Tuesday, June 7, 1825, they all waited for the word they knew was coming but feared it might not.

Located on the northern tip of the lake that bears its name, Canandaigua housed the first land office in Western New York. This former Seneca stronghold sat on the old Genesee Trail, or Central Trail, that cut through the heart of the Iroquois Confederacy. Today we know it as Routes 5 & 20. Back then it had various names, from the Great Genesee Road to the Seneca Turnpike to the Ontario and Genesee Turnpike. Whatever you called it, it was the road everyone heading east or west traveled on.

Lafayette would soon be one of those travelers.

Or would he?Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Canandaigua Anxiously Waits Before Jubilation And An Elegant Supper”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Amos Read, Blossom House, Canandaigua, Canandaigua Hotel, Captain Ira Merrill, Captain James Lyon, Central Trail, Colonel William Blossom, Erie Canal, Genesee Trail, Great Genesee Road, Iroquois Confederacy, John Greig, Judge Moses Atwater, Kingsley's tavern, Lafayette, Mendon, Ontario and Genesee Turnpike, Ontario Bank, Ontario Brass Band, Rochester, Routes 5 & 20, Samuel Greenleaf, Seneca Turnpike, Western New York

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Dispelling Mendon Myths

By Chris Carosa on June 25, 2024

Previous: Timothy Barnard, A Soldier’s Story

Lafayette’s probable path from Rochester to Canandaigua, 1840 Map of New York State by Henry S. Tanner. Source: oldmapsonline.org

By 1825, the road from Rochester to Canandaigua was a well-travelled road. Samuel Hildreth saw to that, although he didn’t live long enough to see it first-hand.

Hildreth might be considered a first generation Western New Yorker. He was born on March 20, 1778, in what would become the town of Phelps in Ontario County. His parents had moved there from New Hampshire.¹ He moved to Pittsford in November 1814. There, he quickly established himself as a mover and shaker. He ran a store, rented to others, and operated a tavern. More important, he set up the Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Dispelling Mendon Myths”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Augustus Porter, Ball Tract, Beach's Tavern, Brighton, Canandaigua, East Avenue, East Bloomfield, Ebenezer Barnard, Eleven Thousand Acre Tract, Fishers, Hamlet of Mendon, Hoard's Tavern, Honeoye Falls, Kenneth B. Keating, Kenneth Barnard Keating, Lafayette, Mendon, Mendon Hotel, Monroe County, Norton's Mills, Ontario Brass Band, Ontario County, Peter B. Porter, Phelps, Phoenix Hotel, Pittsford, R. 5, Robert F. Kennedy, Rochester, Samuel Greenleaf, Samuel Hildreth, Silas Pardee, Stagecoach, Stone Tolan House, Timothy Barnard, Township 11, Victor, Wangum Mills, West Mendon, Zebulon Norton

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Timothy Barnard, A Soldier’s Story

By Chris Carosa on June 25, 2024

Previous: Competing Memories Turn Lafayette’s Rochester Visit From History To Mystery

Siege of Yorktown (1781), by Auguste Couder (1789–1873) Rochambeau (center L), Washington (center R), Marquis de La Fayette (behind Washington, L), Marquis de Saint Simon (behind Washington, R), Duke of Lauzun (L, mounted) and Comte de Ménonville (R of Washington). Source: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

“Another Revolutionary Patriot Gone.” That was the lead, buried at the very bottom of the third of seven dense columns on page two in the Tuesday, April 13, 1847, edition of the Geneva Courier. Three perfunctory sentences followed.

“Hon. TIMOTHY BARNARD, father of Hon. DANIEL D. BARNARD, the distinguished ex-member of Congress of the Albany district, died at Mendon on the 29th inst. Judge Barnard took an active part in the revolutionary struggle, and for his services he drew a pension until his death. For many years judge Barnard was associate judge of the old county of Ontario, and after Monroe county was set off; he held the same office in the latter county.”¹

That was it. That was the sum total of nearly 91 years of life.

But there was more to Timothy Barnard. He represented all that made America great; that first generation of rebels turned heroes turned pioneers turned nation-builders. In a way, Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Timothy Barnard, A Soldier’s Story”

Posted in History, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Anah Babcock Yates, Ashley Sampson, Barnstable, Battle of Yorktown, Bloomfield, Canfield Road, Connecticut Colony, Daniel D. Barnard, Ebenezer Barnard, Eleven Thousand Acre Trac, Forrest Gump, Fran h. Barnard, George Washington, Hartford, Hoard's Tavern, Jeremiah Wadsworth, Lafayette, Massachusetts Colony, Mendon, Monroe County, New York City, Ontario County, Ontario County Agricultural Society, R. 5, Revolutionary War, Roger Newberry, Sarah Williamson, Timothy Barnard, Township 11, Valentine Hill, Valley Forge, West Bloomfield Road, Yorktown