USA > New York > Cattaraugus County > Historical review of Cattaraugus County > Part 8
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The estate on which Devereux had established the Franciscans consisted of about two hundred acres of bottom land on the north side of the Allegany River. Its location was ideal for an educational center, since Allegany was traversed by the Erie Railroad and communication with Buffalo, Rochester and other points would soon be made avail- able through the lines which, in the course of time, were to be merged into the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Nicholas Devereux saw the dream he had so long cherished being slowly fulfilled. He died several months before the institution was dedicated, which dedication took place October 4, 1858. The college was opened in 1859 with an enrollment of fifteen students. Father
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Pamphilius was first president of the college, the enrollment of which grew to sixty in four years. The monastery and college had been housed in a single building until 1862, when a second brick building was erected. This second building was enlarged in 1867 and was used as a monastery, the number of priests having increased considerably. The first building was now available as a college building exclusively.
Educational institutions for young men had a difficult time sur- viving the Civil War. St. Bonaventure College was no exception. The number of students who found it necessary to leave college because of financial conditions at home was considerable, but the college sur- vived this trying period in which other similar institutions folded up. Having survived it, the college and seminary gradually grew into the influential institution which has held so prominent a place among western New York educational and ecclesiastical centers.
The necessity of the Franciscans administering to distant par- ishes disappeared in the course of time, as the number of secular priests became greater. The Franciscans were available, however, when called upon by the parish priests for assistance. The Catholic popula- tion increased considerably in Olean and Salamanca as those com- munities grew into flourishing industrial centers.
In 1812 the public schools of the state were placed under the supervision of a state superintendent, the first of whom was Gideon Hawley. Fifty thousand dollars were appropriated annually by the state to be divided among the local communities, each of which was expected to raise an equal or greater amount by local taxation.
Schools made their way into the county as rapidly as could be expected, considering the isolation of many of the settlements. In the chronicles which described the earlier history of the various town- ships, reference is frequently made to a school being maintained in the summer. From this it would appear that teachers sometimes made use of their summer vacation by teaching for a few weeks in the isolated regions, like the pipe-line walker who spends his holiday by taking a hike which, as it turns out, follows the pipe-line rather closely.
In the southern part of the town of Farmersville a conflict of opinion as to what color of paint should be placed on the district school- house resulted in an arrangement which was both novel and quaint. Red, a favorite color of school-houses in the early days, was favored by some; white, perhaps considered more modern, was favored by others. Reports based on tradition and legend regarding this affair are somewhat conflicting, but it seems probable that the school trustee, Richard Robbins, made arrangements to have the school painted like a checker-board, the squares alternating between red and white, as a compromise between the struggling factions.
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The Checkered Schoolhouse on Route 98, Northeast of Franklinville
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However, it appears that even this arrangement, while apparent- ly a reasonable settlement of the dispute, did not meet with the ap- proval of all, for a short time after the compromise, when the check- ered school was destroyed by fire, suspicion seems to have existed that the blaze was the result of dissatisfaction with the checkered arrangement. The school was re-built in 1841.
One report states that the construction of the 1841 building was accomplished by a group of people from the neighborhood assembling by moonlight and "by vigorous and united effort" putting up the build- ing in a single night. It is, however, difficult to believe that this neat frame structure which has now stood for a century was the result of such crude and hasty construction. What may have happened is that the tradition diverts from the original facts on this point, and that the painting of the school, not its actual construction, was accom- plished at the moonlight escapade. It is quite likely that the novelty and fairness of the checkered arrangement appealed to a majority of the people, and a reproduction of this style may have been attempted by night in order to ward off the extremists who would paint it a solid color, like any other school-house. The checkered style endured for many years, but in more recent times, perhaps around 1908 or 1910, it was abandoned and white was made its color. People who were sentimentally attached to the school, however, gave financial assistance toward restoring the old checkered style, and the all-white arrangement proved to be short-lived. The checkered style has en- dured since that time.
While investigating traditions concerning the checkered school- house, the writer, after interviewing a number of people both in that neighborhood and elsewhere, discovered that knowledge concerning the exact course of events had become rather vague, only a belief that the arrangement was a compromise being commonly held. The neigh- borhood displays certain quaint features, among them the Colonial custom of hanging a gun on the wall of the home.
School meetings, at which the election of a trustee took place, as well as "such other business as may properly come before the meet- ing," were often noisy, demonstrative affairs. The election of the trustee sometimes practically amounted to the election of the teacher, it being assumed in some cases that the successful candidate would install his daughter or niece in the position. The contract for furnish- ing the school with wood also brought out keen competition. More than one district school meeting came close to the riot stage. The benefit of this spirited custom was the tendency of the taxpayers to interest themselves in the community's welfare, the school thus giving themselves, in addition to their children, the benefits of education.
In days when recreation was less available than at present, the school entertainment was an event of considerable attraction. At
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Christmas celebrations, school-closing, or at various other times dur- ing the year, it was customary for people of the district, as well as interested parties from other communities, to assemble at the school- house to hear the pupils recite or sing selections which were the climax of a long period of preparation.
Tiny tots from the beginners' class occasionally added extra drama to their recitation by making a slip from the lines of their verse, then vigorously stomping on the floor and shaking their heads as if to cancel the mis-applied words,
A rural school at Fancy Tract, in the northeastern corner of Ellicottville was the scene of one of these entertainments, which was attended by people of the community, many of whom were of Irish extraction. Catherine Ward, one of the pupils, was reciting a verse, one of the lines of which contained the exclamation :
"I'm nervous, dear I'm nervous !"
The young speaker must have put considerable expression into her verse and accompanied it with gestures of emotion, for at this point she was interrupted by one of the good ladies of the community, Mrs. Will Owens, whose heart went out in sympathy to what she believed to be the plight of the speaker. "Now don't be nervous, dear, shure there's nobody here except a few of the neighbors," was the well-meant advice of the guest.
In the northwestern corner of Humphrey township, at Sugar- town, trouble developed between students and teachers on one oc- casion and the teacher was "thrown out" of the institution of learn- ing by some of his rebellious students. Strained relations between students and teachers, however, were the exception rather than the rule. It has been stated, in describing a school taught about 1830 by Francis Bullitt, that "the school was made up largely of nearly full- grown boys and girls, and one of the prime amusements was blind- man's bluff."
The first movement toward the establishment of the Randolph Home for Homeless and Dependent Children was made by Rev. Charles Strong, a chaplain at Sing Sing Prison. He had observed the fact that many convicts were the result of having been left orphans in childhood, and he resolved to found an institution in some village or rural community for the welfare of dependent children. On September 29, 1877, Rev. Strong took two unfortunates into his own home, thus giving practical form to his ideal. Subscriptions were solicited and received, and in a short time suitable buildings were erected, the institution being located a short distance east of Cham- berlain Institute. In 1880, while the "home" was still in its infancy, fire ravaged the buildings and the institution was discontinued. It was re-opened May 1, 1882, largely through the aid of Charles Merill of Randolph. In 1892 the Randolph Home housed one hundred and
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fifteen children, most of whom were between the ages of five and ten.
In 1848 citizens from Randolph and vicinity formed an organi- zation called the Randolph Academy Association, its purpose being the establishment of an institution of higher learning in that com- munity. A pamphlet issued in recent times by the Randolph Register describes the opening of the academy as follows :
"Funds were to be raised to erect a building by the sale of shares of stock at twenty-five dollars each. To promote the idea it was decided to hold a Fourth of July celebration on this hill (the sight of the present central school) in 1849. This was good psychology, for Independence Day with a celebration in those days meant oratory. The blending of patriotism and higher education for American youth could very well be inspiring on such an occasion. A most enthusiastic response was given to the call. Large numbers were present; speeches were made; dinners were spread in the groves of maples and pines ; plans were discussed; subscriptions were offered and the best of feel- ing prevailed."
The Randolph Academy was chartered by the Board of Regents of New York State on January 24, 1851. The first term had opened in August of the previous year, one hundred and eighty-four students enrolling. Provision was made for both day students and boarding students. The progress made by the academy was in a measure due to the capable administration of Prof. Samuel G. Love. Mr. Love be- came the first principal, a position he held for three years. After his resignation the academy fell into a temporary period of decline, and in 1859 he was recalled to the principalship, after which the spirit and enthusiasm of the school was revived. He held the principalship until 1864.
In 1866 Judge Benjamin Chamberlain donated $50,000 to the academy, under the conditions that twenty more acres of ground be purchased, the name to the changed to Chamberlain Institute, and the Erie Conference of the M. E. Church be given permanent right to appoint the school trustees. These conditions were complied with, and a new boarding hall, the object in Judge Chamberlain's mind at making the gift, was soon erected.
The new building was destroyed by fire in 1872, but was im- mediately replaced. Another fire occurred at the institute in 1895 at which the chapel, together with a frame building which had stood since the school was opened, were destroyed. Two large oil paintings of Judge and Mrs. Chamberlain, which had been prominently dis- played in the chapel for many years, were preserved from the flames, only to be destroyed in another fine. The pictures were stored in a small shack near Jamestown Street and went up in flames when fire destroyed that building at a later date.
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Dr. James T. Edwards was principal of the institution for twenty- two years. Dr. Edwards had come from Rhode Island, where he had been a member of the State Senate, to become head of Chamberlain Institute in 1870.
The institute offered courses in science, literature, music and commercial subjects, also a teacher's training course.
In 1859 ground was broken for St. Elizabeth's Academy, a board- ing school for girls, which in the course of time offered courses in literature and music, as well as commercial subjects. The academy, located at the outskirts of the village of Allegany, was opened in 1865 with an enrollment of eight boarding students. It was conduct- ed by the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, being the general head- quarters of one branch of this order.
Ten Broeck Academy, an institution specializing in classical and modern languages, was incorporated April 19, 1862. Peter Ten Broeck of Franklinville endowed the academy and support came from the state as well as from tuition paid by its students. The building, located on a large campus toward the outskirts of Franklinville, cost approximately $21,000. It was built in 1867 and opened in December of that year. William Benson, A.M., was the first principal. The first graduation took place in June 1870.
The stage coach, although an institution of limited importance because of the scarcity of durable roads in the early days and the ever- present disadvantage of limited capacity, served a useful purpose dur- ing the era which preceded the railroads. The best known stage coach route in the county was the Olean-Buffalo route.
Stage Coach Stops, as the stations along the route were known, became centers of importance around the time of the coach's arrival. They were usually little different from ordinary taverns.
The coming of the railroads brought another social center of in- terest: the passenger station or depot. Every village of importance and in some cases even tiny settlements, such as Red House and Mark- ham, saw substantial buildings erected for the accommodation of pass- engers and freight. It often came about that people of a town or community raised or appropriated sums for the railroad station's con- struction.
Many occasions which brought forth a display of emotion were associated with the railroad station. It was here that residents came to greet relatives or other guests, or for some personage of local prominence to return to the village; likewise it was the final point of separation for the departure of those who were leaving the com- munity : the departing student leaving for the beginning of his higher education, and the youth departing from the "old home town" with the utmost confidence in his ability to "set the world afire." It was customary in many of the smaller communities for a large element of
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the population to go to the depot to "meet the train," their chief means of communication with the outside world.
S. G. Richards, in commenting on railroad stations in the early days, has emphasized the importance of the social side of this subject :
"As the train came within the range of vision and the screaming of the whistle became louder and louder with the crossing of each public highway, and the circles of smoke from the ponderous engine mounted higher and higher in their winding and circling course till at last they disappeared in the blue of the upper air, and the resound- ing tones of the ringing bell filled their souls with happiness, the vil- lagers stood in omnious silence while the magnetic messenger they had come to greet rolled thrillingly in on the main track and stopped in its usual place with the car steps opposite the depot door.".
"Now all the turmoil for a time; local personages returning from trips abroad, perhaps to the county-seat or even the state capital, were greeted in the cordial fashion known only to the rustic population and friendly neighbors of the time; the usual number of traveling sales- men carrying their massive cases of samples to exhibit and perhaps to sell to the village merchants; a company of visitors, or a troupe of players for the local opera, all came hurrying off the train, straining their eyes to catch a glimpse of those expected to meet them there. They were not often disappointed for usually everyone in town was at the depot when the passenger train came in."
"When the unloading act was over, the clarion call of the con- ductor 'All aboard,' set the crowd again into motion, but in the 'get- ting on' direction. The friendly, joyous greeting gave way to the farewells and good-byes of those departing."
The first movement toward a county home for the poor dates from a resolution passed by the Board of Supervisors in 1833, by which a committee was appointed to locate a suitable sight. The committee chose a parcel of land owned by Willard Jefferson, and the county sub- sequently purchased two hundred acres from Jefferson for $3,000. This land was located in the town of Machias adjacent to the shore of Lime Lake. The institution began in 1835, a man by the name of Farley from Conewango being the first keeper. In 1835, over forty inmates were cared for, and during that year two were "bound out." The building was destroyed by fire in 1846 but was soon rebuilt. Both paupers and insane people were housed at the institution.
A committee from the state senate investigating such institutions severely criticized the manner in which the Machias home was being conducted. This committee, which made its report June 9, 1857, rep- rimanded the management, claiming that "the poor, especially the insane, are illy cared for." It mentioned in detail its observations which alleged that filthy, unhealthy surroundings were found.
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Likewise it criticized the policy of housing insane at the home who it believed should be confined to state institutions at which their mental health would have a better chance of being restored. It ap- pears that the management followed the recommendations of the com- mittee.
The farm which the home occupied was productive and lessened the burden of expense to the county; however, the institution fell far short of being self-supporting.
Amateur theatrical performances were occasionally staged under the auspices of some religious or educational group. A dramatic club of St. Bonaventure College staged an annual St. Patrick's Day program at Marin's Hall in Olean which was an event of considerable attraction. "A drama, lecture, minstrel troupe and funny after-piece composed the entertainment."
Professional performances took place at the opera houses in Olean, Salamanca, Randolph, Franklinville and other villages possess- ing facilities. The arrival of minstrel troupes and companies of pro- fessional actors brought considerable delight to the villagers, and the enactment of a play such as "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was likely to be an occasion long to be remembered. The play, "Ten Nights in a Bar- room," was enacted in the basement of a church in Lyndon, "greatly to the delight of the liberals, but frowned upon by the conservatives."
While the era of the opera house and of traveling minstrel troupes was at its height, entertainment was sometimes sponsored and enacted by local organizations of firemen. The Abbott Hose Co. of Salamanca was perhaps the most celebrated of these. The Abbott organization sponsored dramas and minstrels featuring local talent, also charity bazaars and performances for the promotion of community welfare. The Salamanca hospital, incorporated in 1897, owes considerable of its origin to the success of this organization's activities.
Hose-cart races, in which teams of sprinters competed in the technique of connecting and laying fire-hoses in races of various lengths, formed a colorful part of the entertainment of the day.
On the Fourth of July, 1895, at Cory, Pa., the team of the Abbott Hose Co., in competition with the Hunter Hose Co. of Union City, and the Butler Hose Co. of Butler, equaled the world's record of thirty-five seconds on the 250-yard race.
At another race held at Dunkirk, the Abbotts, this time compet- ing against the teams from Olean, Jamestown, and Bradford, set a new world's record in the 200-yard event. Mark Hubbel was the man- ager and J. E. Slemens captain of this celebrated aggregation. Frank McFall, Fred Little, Tony Maroney, E. E. Abbott, John and William Metzler, William Thompson and a number of others were members of this team.
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The first newspapers published in the county was the Allegany Mercury, published in Olean by Benjamin Smeat. Later the name was changed to the Hamilton Recorder. The Western Courier, published in Ellicottville, and the Lodi Pioneer and Messenger were also early on the scene. The latter was the earliest of several papers published in Gowanda: the Phoenix, the Recorder and the Chronicle also were published in that community. In 1845 the Randolph Harrold began publication, its first editor being James Strang, the adventurer whose religious and quasi-political career has already been mentioned. The Neosophoc Gem, a sheet of pamphlet-like appearance featuring literary discussion, made appearance at Randolph in 1848.
Newspapers in the earlier days differed from those of today in the manner of presenting the headings and news. Death notices or mention of accidents and catastrophes commonly brought out a feeling of sympathy, such as the following headings which appeared in the Cattaraugus Press (published at Delevan) .:
"Gone Home; An esteemed pioneer lays off this mortal habit- ment." and
"Daniel Knight gives up the ghost-instant death by lightning."
The anti-slavery reform movement also was manifest in the county. At Olean, a station of the "underground railroad"-a figura- tive term used to describe the system of aiding slaves to escape from their masters-was located. Katherine Eaton Bradley, of Olean, de- scribes this as follows:
"There was a station at Olean of the Underground Railway, which was in operation previous to the Civil War. At this station, fathered by Lambert Whitney, a daughter of the old school, run-away Negro slaves who were fleeing to Canada were cared for as they passed through, and given directions for their next stopping place. Their flight was at night and they followed the north star. Aunt Sarah Johnson, when a young girl, was the first escaped slave to locate here permanently."
In the early days of settlement spirituous liquors played a promi- nent part in rural life in this county and elsewhere. Barn raisings, husking bees and quilting parties often became gatherings at which the partaking of beverages produced its hilarious effects.
Distilleries, located in several townships, became a scene of sea- sonal activity; farmers came hither with wagon loads of grain and returned with barrels of whiskey. The prominent place that the tav- ern held in society has already been mentioned.
As might be expected, these practices producd a reaction. It took the form of a temperance movement, beginning about the middle of the century, which served as a foundation for the spread of the prohibi- tion movement which came at a later date. The first indication of a
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temperance organization was that formed in Farmersville in the win- ter of 1829-30, and consisted of about thirty members.
The same neighborhood became the place of origin of another so- ciety, known as the Rummies, the members of which pledged them- selves "not to thicken the tongue, interfere with the walk, or in any way disguise themselves." Levi Peet, a hotel proprietor who maintained a bar, discontinued this form of business and became a temperance advocate. Peter Ten Broeck of Franklinville was also an influential figure in this movement.
In 1874 an association of women bent on using their influence to- ward social reform was organized in Cleveland. The Women's Christ- ian Temperance Union grew into a thriving and militant group under the leadership of Frances E. Willard and others. Chapters were or- ganized in all sections of Cattaraugus County, and to their zeal the spread of the prohibition movement was largely due.
Mathias Mosman of Humphrey was one of the ten men who jointly organized the Prohibition party. This party never gained any numeri- cal strength hereabouts, however, and the promoters of the prohi- bition movement carried on the ideals of this party without becom- ing members.
The policy of Joseph Plumb in placing a clause in the deeds of par- cels of land sold in the village of Cattaraugus, likewise that of Mr. Boardman in placing a similar restriction on land sold in Boardman- ville may be considered an early phase of the prohibition movement.
Fairs, originally institutions at which agricultural produce and live stock were placed on display on a competitive basis, supplemented by entertainment of which horse racing was the most noteworthy, were established at various times in Ellicottville, Olean, Franklinville, Little Valley, Randolph and other places. On November 11, 1841, the Catta- raugus County Agricultural Society was formed as the result of a meeting held at the Ellicottville Court House. Peter Ten Broeck of Franklinville was first president of this society, which sponsored a county fair annually. Its first location was Ellicottville, the ground now occupied by the annual Old Home Week celebration being used for the outdoor features while the Court House itself was used for display of produce. As there is no indication of a race track in the vicinity of Ellicottville it seems likely that this form of entertainment did not feature the county fair at that time.
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