Browsing by Author "Ballard, Matthew R."
Now showing items 1-20 of 90
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Akeley’s Legacy Threatened by Oil Drilling in Congo
(County of Orleans, 2018-07-07)A visit to Mt. Mikeno in 1921 changed Carl Akeley's perception of the collection of animal specimens during his tenure at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Thanks in part to Akeley’s work, King Albert ... -
Albion Boy Present at Execution of Lincoln Assassination Conspirators
(County of Orleans, 2018-05-12)At the age of eleven, John C. Collins of Albion followed his brother back to Washington, D.C. where he became a "regimental boy" with the 16th New York Cavalry. When Mary Surratt, David Herold, Lewis Powell, and George ... -
Albion Erects First Electric Pole Nearly 130 Years Ago
(County of Orleans, 2017-03-18)Wabash, Indiana became the first city to utilize electric streetlights and the Village of Albion installed a system to replace gas lighting nearly six years after. With a starting capital of $18,000, E. K. Hart, William ... -
Albion Man was Critical to Helping George Pullman Become Railroad Mogul
(County of Orleans, 2017-02-11)George Mortimer Pullman, the famous railroad magnate, gathered a considerable amount of support from Orleans County businessmen in order to support his palace car efforts. Benjamin Collins Field, an Albion politician, later ... -
Albion Native Illustrated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
(County of Orleans, 2018-06-30)Henry Lyon Porter, a native of Albion, studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts before starting his own commercial art business in Buffalo. He later attended the New York School for Walt Disney Animators, graduating in ... -
Albion Native Was Present at Capture of John Wilkes Booth
(County of Orleans, 2018-05-05)Just as many men claimed they were present at the Battle of Gettysburg when they were not, some members of the 16th New York Cavalry claimed to have participated in the capture of John Wilkes Booth. William Collins of ... -
Albion Native Was University of Rochester's First African American Student
(County of Orleans, 2018-02-03)Henry Austin Spencer, a son of Henry Spencer of Albion, attended school in Albion as a young man while working as an errand boy for Asa and William Howard. After attending Miss Foster's boarding school in Philadelphia, ... -
Albion's Baseball Club Played on Caroline Street Field
(County of Orleans, 2017-12-02)A popular pastime in Orleans County, baseball teams commonly played on fields located at the County Fairgrounds until this site was created in the early 1900s. -
Albion's Legion Band was Focal Point of Celebratory Programs
(County of Orleans, 2017-05-13)As a well-respected musical outfit in Western New York, the Sheret Post #35 American Legion Band traveled throughout the region providing concerts to communities and veterans organizations. -
Albionite's Prolific Life Concluded with Philanthropic Gifts to Those in Need
(County of Orleans, 2017-08-08)The son of an immigrant from French Canada, John Blodgett Bordwell was considered a local entrepreneur and "gentleman" while investing in real estate and engaging in the local quarrying of Medina Sandstone. After his death, ... -
Bailey's Grocery was a Staple in Albion
(County of Orleans, 2017-03-25)Raised on a 240-acre farm on Transit Road, James Bailey entered the employment of Harvey Goodrich in the 1850s. After fifteen years of working in the grocery and dry goods business, Bailey started out on his own before ... -
"Bean King" Offered Fine Dining at Lone Star Inn
(County of Orleans, 2017-09-09)The Lone Star Inn, "a quaint homestead with glass enclosed verandas, set on a knoll a few hundred yards off the Million Dollar Highway," was a fine dining establishment opened by Lewis Sands in 1923. The following year, ... -
Benjamin Lisk Bessac
(County of Orleans, 2018-08-11)Born on March 12, 1807, at New Baltimore, New York, Benjamin Bessac’s mother died when he was just 12 days old leaving his father a widower with an infant child. On October 2, 1825, Bessac walked to Lockport where he boarded ... -
Bicentennial Provides Opportunity to Celebrate the Extraordinary and the Ordinary
(County of Orleans, 2018-06-23)Bicentennial celebrations are an opportunity to draw communities together, at a time when we are perhaps not as close-knit as past generations may have recalled. It is also a time to reflect on the contributions of the ... -
Bogues Dedicated Estate to Caring for Children of Orleans County
(County of Orleans, 2018-06-16)Ninety-five years ago, the Virgil Bogue Home for Dependent Children opened its doors to young children in need of a home due to the "loss of their parents or the inability of their parents to support them." The home ... -
Brief Recollections of Medina’s Beloved “First Lady”
(County of Orleans, 2018-03-31)Frances Folsom relocated to Medina, NY following the tragic death of her father in 1875. The young woman attended Medina High School while living with her maternal grandmother, Ruth Harmon, on Main Street in the village. ... -
Burly Albionite Fools U.S. Customs Agents at Canadian Border
(County of Orleans, 2016-12-31)Frank Loveland, an Albion businessman, found himself under suspicion of theft by U.S. Customs Agents at the Canadian border in 1878. Their mistake earned Loveland a free lunch. -
Catastrophic Canal Break Put Eagle Harbor Under Water
(County of Orleans, 2017-07-22)On August 3, 1927, a local farmer discovered a three-foot square hole in the embankment of the Erie Canal near Otter Creek in Albion. Within a matter of moments, the floor of the Canal broke free, flooding the vicinity of ... -
Center of Albion's Polonia Was Home to Works by Famed Muralists
(County of Orleans, 2017-12-30)Starting in the 1930s and continuing through the 1940s, the Polish Catholics in Albion realized as they neared their golden jubilee that the interior of the church was in need of considerable improvements. Rev. John Hrycyna ... -
Centuries Old Church Was Once Worship Site for Orleans County Polish Community
(County of Orleans, 2017-08-26)The church of Sts. Bartholomew and Anne at Wabcz, Kujawsko-Pomorskie was the central worship site for many of Orleans County's Polish Catholics prior to their immigration to the United States in the late 19th century.
