Western New York State of Mind Archives - Page 5 of 17

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Special Delivery To Westfield, A Fitting First

By Chris Carosa on April 30, 2024

Previous: The Making Of The Buffalo And Erie Road

Was Lafayette supposed to depart Erie by land or by sea? As late as May 31, 1825, organizers in Erie, Pennsylvania tried to arrange steamboat accommodations for the General. The ship was to convey the Nation’s Guest from Erie directly to Buffalo.¹

Confusion reigned over Lafayette’s exact itinerary. You see, he had promised to attend the dedication ceremonies for the Bunker Hill Monument on the anniversary date of that battle. That meant he had to be in Boston by June 17^th. Initial reports said he would not visit Western New York until after laying the cornerstone on the Bunker Hill Monument.² The newspaper corrected this misinformation the following week, just a day before Lafayette would cross the state line into Chautauqua County.³

What firmed Lafayette’s travel plans? Olive Risley Seward’s grandfather commanded the militia for the Lafayette reception in Fredonia. In addition, her then eleven-year-old father and nine-year-old mother also attended—and remembered—Lafayette’s 1825 visit to Fredonia. Based on the stories from her family, she wrote the following in 1904: “An Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: Special Delivery To Westfield, A Fitting First”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Buffalo, Buffalo and Erie Road, Bunker Hill Monument, Chautauqua, Chautauqua County, Dunkirk, E.L. Tinker, E.P. Upham, Ellery, Erie, Fenn Demming, Fredonia, Henry Abell, John Dexter, Jonathan Cass, Joseph Farnsworth, Joshua R. Babcock, L. Averill, Lafayette, Main Road, Olive Risley Seward, Oliver Lee, Portland, Ripley, Samuel Shattuck, Silas Spencer, State Line, T.A. Osborne, Thomas B. Campbell, U.S. Route 20, Walter Smith, Westfield, William Peacock

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: The Making Of The Buffalo And Erie Road

By Chris Carosa on April 30, 2024

Previous: Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: The State Of Greater Western New York In 1825

At the turn of the 19^th century, a dense forest covered the southwest corner of New York State—what is now Chautauqua County. A rough trail that followed the Lake Erie shore represented the only visible evidence of human occupation. Except for what appeared to be remnants of a chimney right on the lake.¹ The trail was brutal. Settlers journeying to Connecticut’s lands in the future state of Ohio preferred to take the water route over Lake Erie from Black Rock, just off Buffalo Creek.²

That chimney might well have been the ruins of what Sir William Johnson described as a Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: The Making Of The Buffalo And Erie Road”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Allegheny River, Barcelona, Black Rock, Buffalo, Buffalo and Erie Road, Buffalo Creek, Chautauqua County, Chautauqua Creek, Chautauqua Lake, Connecticut, Connecticut Fire Lands, Connecticut Land Company, Connecticut Reserve, Cross Roads, David Ellicott, Edward McHenry, Edward Paine, Ellicott Road, Erie, Erie Road, France, French and Indian War, Genesee County, George Washington, Holland Land Company, Holland Land Purchase, Iroquois Confederacy, James De Lancey, James McMahan, Joseph Badger, Joseph Ellicott, Lafayette, Lake Erie, Main Road, Marquis Duquesne, Mayville, New Connecticut, New England, New France, Niagara County, Ohio River, Old French Road, Ontario County, Paine's Road, Pittsburgh, Portage Escarpment, Portage Road, Portland, Presqu'isle, Route 18, Route 20, Route 5, Samuel Shattuck, Seneca, settlers, Sir William Johnson, Stephen Coffen, Western Reserve, Westfield

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: The State Of Greater Western New York In 1825

By Chris Carosa on April 23, 2024

Previous: Lafayette Prepares To Enter The Greater Western New York Region

WNY portion of 1825 map published by H.S. Tanner, 177 Chestnut St. Philadelphia.

Remember how excited you were when you began a new school year, started a new job, or moved to a new place? Life fills you with promise and anticipation. You can’t wait to wake up and start the next day. Everything is sunshine and roses.

Then reality inevitably interrupts. Things get overwhelming. Despair and sometimes desperation set in. It seems as if you’re trapped. You can’t see a way out.

But, somehow, you find a way. You get over that hump. (Because, when you get over things, what once seemed like an overbearing mountain now appears as nothing more than a mere bothersome bump.)

Again, you look forward to tomorrow with an enthusiasm you thought you’d never again have.

Such was the state of Greater Western New York. It began as an enthusiastic rush into the Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: The State Of Greater Western New York In 1825”

Posted in History, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Aaron Miller, Batavia, Black Rock, Britain, Buffalo, Byron, Canada, Canandaigua, E.F. Warren, Erie Canal, Genesee Country, Geneva, Herkimer, Indonesia, Iroquois Confederacy, John Butler, Joseph Ellicott, Lafayette, lease, Lessees, Massachusetts, Mount Tambora, New York, New York Genesee Land Company, Niagara Falls, Niagara Genesee Land Company, Ontario, Orsamus Turner, Otsego, Phelps & Gorham, Phelps and Gorham, Preemption Line, Revolutionary War, Rochester, Seneca, Six Nations, Tioga, Treaty of Hartford, War of 1812, Warren

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: America Welcomes The Nation’s Guest

By Chris Carosa on February 20, 2024

Previous: And The Lucky Winner Is…

Landing of Gen. Lafayette at Castle Garden, New York, 16th August 1824, artist unknown, 1886. Public domain from The New York Public Library

The Cadmus, having departed from Havre on July 13, 1824, had been at sea for thirty-two days before seeing land on the horizon. On Saturday, August 14^th, the passengers and crew spotted their destination.¹ New York Harbor would present the ideal place to make their inaugural landing. The Cadmus would reach that port early the next morning.

The Committee appointed by the Common Council of the City of New York was busy putting the finishing touches on the celebration to welcome Lafayette. It had arranged for a “suite of splendid apartments in the City Hotel” to be set aside for The Nation’s Guest and his party. Besides the military display (anticipated to include 20,000 men), the City planned to host “a great civic feast, in the Banqueting Room in the City Hall, which will be illuminated at night, together with the whole City.” To make a memorable first impression upon entering the Harbor, “a grand salute of 100 guns will be fired from Fort Lafayette, together with salutes from the Batteries and ships of war in the harbor, and the decoration of all the shipping.”²

So, America’s largest city was more than prepared to host The Nation’s Guest. Only, not on Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: America Welcomes The Nation’s Guest”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Andre Gretry, Auguste Levasseur, Battle of Monmouth, Cadmus, Chancellor Livingston, Colonel Marinus Willet, Daniel Tompkins, First Restoration, Fort Lafayette, Hendricks Reef, Kingdom of France, Lafayette, Lafayette Guards, Mohawk, New York City, New York Harbor, New York Historical Society, New York State Society of Cincinnati, Robert Fulton, Second Restoration, Staten Island, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: The Lucky Winner Is…

By Chris Carosa on February 13, 2024

Previous: America In 1824

The nation waited anxiously for a formal response to President James Monroe’s invitation to General Lafayette. In March and April of 1824, newspapers across the country printed letters hinting that Lafayette had prior commitments.

To Major Joseph Wheaton of Washington came word from Lafayette that “…duties to the cause of freedom make it, if not a matter of hope, at least a point of honor, to keep his present post.”¹ Similarly, Lafayette wrote to Dr. James Thatcher, “At this moment a sense of duty keeps me on the European side of the Atlantic.”²

While the papers proclaimed these missives as “the latest communication from Lafayette,”³ they were months old by the time they hit the press. It wasn’t as if Lafayette disliked America. In truth, he loved his adopted country. He wrote his good friend William Eustis, Continue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: The Lucky Winner Is…”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Boston, Daniel Tompkins, James Monroe, James Thatcher, Joseph Wheaton, Lafayette, New York City, Norfolk, Staten Island, William Eustis

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: A Message From An Old Friend

By Chris Carosa on January 30, 2024

Previous: The Duty That Held Him Back

By February of 1824, the foreign press had finally revealed the extent of Lafayette’s legal troubles. He had already brought forth the wrath from the newly restored Bourbon monarchy.

In 1814, Napoleon was exiled to Elba. King Louis XVIII was restored to the crown his brother Louis XVI lost his head over during the French Revolution. Napoleon returned briefly in 1815, but quickly (after his defeat at Waterloo 100 days later) returned to exile, this time for good.

With that, the Bourbon Restoration commenced in full bloom. Lafayette, who had remained dormant following his wife’s death, was convinced to return to politics. In 1818 he wasContinue Reading “Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: A Message From An Old Friend”

Posted in History, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Bourbon Restoration, Chamber of Deputies, France, James Monroe, Lafayette, Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, Napoleon, Rufus Putnam

How Much Are You Willing to Pay to Have Free Speech?

By Chris Carosa on November 28, 2023

James McHenry was born in Ireland in 1753. His Scots-Irish family send him to America in 1771 after he became sick from studying too hard. He may also have been sent to check out the colonies in anticipation of the entire family’s eventual immigration. In fact, a year later, the McHenry clan settled in what were then (for only a few years more) the British Colonies.

McHenry finished his studies in Philadelphia before serving as an apprentice under Benjamin Rush. You may remember Rush as the doctor/patriot who signed the Declaration of Independence, the founder of Dickinson College and the mentor/teacher of both Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis & Clark fame) and future president William Henry Harrison.

Perhaps influenced by Rush, or maybe the whole Philadelphia experience, McHenry joined the cause of the patriots. After the British captured and then released him, McHenry served on the staffs of both George Washington and General Lafayette.

Two things about McHenry stand out in his long and illustrious career as a Founding Father. It’s likely you don’t know his connection to either.Continue Reading “How Much Are You Willing to Pay to Have Free Speech?”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Alien and Sedition Acts, American Revolution, balancing test, Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Rush, Bill of Rights, Brandenburg v Ohio, Catherine O'Donnell, Charles Schenck, clear and present danger, Declaration of Independence, Dickinson College, Donald Trump, Elizabeth Willing Powel, First Amendment, Fort McHenry, Fred M. Vinson, George Washinton, hate speech, Hugo Black, James McHenry, John Marshall Harlan II, Kathy Hochul, Lafayette, Lewis & Clark, Meriwether Lewis, Nikki Haley, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Richard Amesbury, Robert H. Jackson, Ron DeSantis, Star Spangled Banner, Supreme Court, U.S. Constitution, Vietnam War, William Henry Harrison, William O. Douglas

The Day Lafayette Touched Mendon

By Chris Carosa on October 3, 2023

His full name was Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette. For short, he’s called the Marquis de La Fayette. If that doesn’t speak “wealth,” then what doesn’t? At least in his native France.

In traditionally egalitarian America, we know him simply as “Lafayette.” Coming from a family with a strong military tradition, he came to the New World in 1777 at the age of 19. Seeing the American Revolution as a noble cause, he joined the patriots and was immediately commissioned as a major general.

The title reflected more a sign of respect than of actual duty, for he was given no troops to command. Lafayette understood in America, one isn’t born to status, one must earn it.

And earn it, he did. He received his red badge of courage at the Battle of Brandywine. There, though wounded, he led an orderly retreat. His brave actions in the Battle of Rhode Island Continue Reading “The Day Lafayette Touched Mendon”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged American Revolution, Amo Kreiger, Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Rhode Island, Ben Franklin, Buffalo, Canandaigua, Continental Army, Cornwallis, Daniel Barnard, Erie Canal, Freemason, Geneva, George Washington, Judge Timothy Barnard, Lafayette, Marian Powell, mason, Mendon, Mendon Hotel, Monroe County, Rochester, Yorktown

The History Of Local Historians

By Chris Carosa on September 12, 2023

James Sullivan, New York State Historian (1916-1922), source: New York State Archives

“The love of one’s locality and a commendable pride in its achievements lie at the basis of true patriotism. It is difficult, nevertheless, to love something about which you know nothing. One who knows the history of the place in which he is living is far more likely to venerate it than he who is entirely ignorant of its story. To preserve this history is the function of the local historian.”

Those words belong to James Sullivan, New York State Historian. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle published them (as part of a bigger article penned by Sullivan) on page 17 of the Sunday, March 26, 1922 edition of the paper.

Sullivan used the piece to explain the nature and purpose of a relatively new law. It was passed by the State Legislature and signed into law by New York Governor Al Smith on April 11, 1919. Technically Section 57.07 of the New York State Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, it’s known more familiarly as “Local Government Historian Law” or simply the “Local Historian” Law.

The first paragraph of the law states “A local historian shall be appointed, as provided in Continue Reading “The History Of Local Historians”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Amo T. Kreiger, David K. Maloney, Honeoye Falls, James Sullivan, Local Historian, Marian Powell, Mendon, Mendon Historical Society, New York State, The Anaconda Standard, World War I

How Far Do Private Property Rights Go?

By Chris Carosa on June 6, 2023

Many see Thomas Jefferson’s iconic “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” as having derived directly from Aristotle’s “Life, Liberty, and Eudaimonia.” For those of you not familiar with Greek, eudaimonia literally translates to the state or condition of “good spirit.” It represents the combination of the eu (meaning good) with daimon (meaning spirit).

Aristotle used the term in his Nicomachean Ethics, his tome devoted to the “science of happiness.” As a result, we commonly equate eudaimonia with happiness. Aristotle was all about living the good life, and by “good life” Aristotle alludes to a morality of higher Continue Reading “How Far Do Private Property Rights Go?”

Posted in Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Alan S. Waterman, Andrew Cuomo, Aristotle, asylum, Covid, Crossroads Hotel, Declaration of Independence, Eric Adams, Eudaimonia, Founding Fathers, home rule, Hudson Valley, illegal alien, John Locke, Kathy Hochul, liberty, life, New York City, Newburgh, Nichomachean Ethics, Orange County, property, pursuit of happiness, Ramada by Wyndham, refugee, rights, Sanctuary City, State of Emergency, Thomas Jefferson, Veronika Huta