Everyone reading is more or less familiar with the notion of "living museums". Williamsburg Virgina is such a place, and, possibly, the best known. But there are other places scattered throughout the country, as well. Some are small, some are large. They all bring the visitors' focuses (foci? focaacia? Oh dear..it's only the second paragraph) to a time not in the "now". Sturbridge Village, the Plymouth Plantation...and Genesee Country Village and Museum (GCV)
Fortunately (for me) or unfortunately (for you!), GCV is a mere 26 minute drive from my humble hobbit hole in Greece, NY. I have loved going there for decades (yeah, so I'm sligihtly older than 30...) and have watched it grow all that time.
The Genesee River (after which the beer is named) flows North from the Southern Tier toward Lake Ontario. (Remember, in this case, North is a lower altitude than South). As it wends or thunders or tiptoes its way (and we've seen pics of the river raging through downtown) it has provided water, transport, power, and some nifty geology to the people who have setted in the region.
Here are a couple of shots of the river. The first is Middle Falls and Upper Falls in Letchworth State Park, south of Rochester.
And we all remember the pictures of the river rampaging through at Broad and Court Street Bridges in downtown Rochester.
Colonel Nathaniel Rochester acquired 100 square acres of land (someone should take a look at land acquisitions and such during the settlement period. It's enough to make a body's head spin widdershins!), which was named Rochesterville in 1817. In 1821, when Monroe and Wayne counties were formed, Rochesterville became the county seat. Don't ask. I don't think they sat down any more than anyone else, really!
In small towns and hamlets all around Rochesterville, other settlers were claiming land and starting new lives. Some of the towns are still in existence; some are not. People were farmers and teachers, ministers and tavern owners, land agents and insurance reps (yup, even back then.).
And, for the next couple of hundred years (well, I'm only going as far as the timeline for GCV goes), the area continued to change and to grow.
Buildings had to be constructed to be TOUGH, and I don't mean maybe. Exterior painting of homes wasn't common until into the 19th century, so the wood from which homes were built was exposed to our charming humidity and heat in the summer, rain and sleet and snow all the other three months, and the occasional storm or flood. Not surprisingly, a number of buildings from centuries past survived or at least managed to hold themselves upright well into the 20th century.
Which is where our story begins.
I could go on forever, but I'm not going to. Jack Whele, a philanthropist and appreciator of the history of the Genesee Valley, purchased 600 acres of land in Mumford, NY in 1966. He had a vision: he wanted to find and move to the village buildings representative of the settlement years of Western New York, focusin on the 19th century, but with some earlier buildings if possible.
Mr. W's feeling was that, just as fine arts represent the culture of a society, so do the crafts (carpentry, husbandry, tin smithing, etc.). He wanted to preserve the history of such things and wanted the public to be able to experience them in an outdoor setting.
That was the beginning.
And this is what it's like today.
I know it's a small map, but - the front gate is near the bottom of the map. The Great Meadow (shades of Bilbo's Birthday Party!) separates the more modern buildings from the village itself. And the old Toll Road Gatehouse is the place to step back into a different era.
Some piccies to give you an idea:
My first visit out was in late May this year, on a grey and cold day. But I still took pictures. The parking lot is behind me. The tiny stream that you see in the picture is actually the result of run off: everywhere was hugely damp this spring!
A Red Maple (or is that Oak? Nope, Maple) at the side of the walk up to the entry. I am a tree person so there are lots of 'em...
I just looked to see if I'd down shots of the Great Meadow and, other than the one for the Ladies' Baseball Team, I don't have any! Bah! Shame on me! You can see from the map above that there is quite an expanse of space. One can walk around the circumfrance or cut straight across the middle (much preferable). I shall find pictures of the Bandstand the Carriage Museum and The Wehle Art Gallery and post them later.
For now: We have reached the Old Toll House. But first, off to the right of the Toll House stands a little monument, set up with care a decade ago and in honor of one of the New York Units that fought in the American Civil War.
I was there that day. It happened quietly and without a lot of speeches or noise. There is inscription on all four sides (and you can see the Great Meadow in the background). This one has the grimmest and most telling message. Mustered in: 1095. Mustered out: 387.
Still, the statistics and the details are only important as signposts of what effect they might have had on the population living in the Genesee Valley...
People are still respectful and quiet as they walk by this little monument. But they are also excited about entering the village and head straight for the old toll house.
Different day - more SUN!
That's the toll house.
The toll keeper lived in the toll house. And it looked like this:
This is just to the right of the last picture. In fact, in the lower left is the rest of the explanatory placard describing the building. The curtain rod is a piece of rope (pretty handy), and the chair is upholstered in yellow fabric. Everything here dates back to the period, including the little table under the window.
Once inside the village proper, the question is Which Way to Go???? If you were a traveller in the 19th century, you might want to go to the general store. So that's what we're going to do.
The Altay General Store was moved from Altay New York a distance of 84 miles Northwest to Mumford. In this case, it was moved by truck. The family that owned the store had built their home as an extension of the store, but that was not included in the move...
If you want to locate Altay, draw a triangle among Bath, NY, Penn Yann, Ny and Watkins Glen, NY. Smackin the just below lower center is where the tiny town of Altay is.
Here's the exterior of the store:
This is the store itself, not a reproduction. As you can see, the sidewalks in front are made of boards. Just wanted to toss that in!
On the day (the sunny one) that I took these pictures, there were children on field trips from nearby schools and the gentleman talking to them kept 'em hopping! His clothing is period dress, made to patterns from the time and in materials common at the time. Everything that you see on the shelves would have been for sale in the Altay Store. Some of the glassware is actually from the early 1800s, although some is reproduction. There is a gorgeous set of brown toile transferware that someone donated to the museum. And there are all sorts of boxes and cans of things.
Oh, and the big rectangular heap in the front is rope. A LOT of rope.
when I first started going to the museum, there were very few things in the store, but, as the years have gone by, more and more types of merchandise have found their way in. This store is actually really full! They need a yard sale! I get to buy first!!!!
And, still relaxing in the pleasant gloom of the General Store, I bid you adiew for now. Next time? Hmmmmmmmm....perhaps the Hosmer Inn and a whole new definition of "underground living"????
