In today’s wacky and overpriced housing market, it’s fun to remember a time back in the early to mid-1900s when you could purchase your new home from the Sears Catalog. 

They were called “kit houses,” also known as pre-cut houses, ready-cut houses, mail order homes or catalog homes. Basically, they were delivered in pieces, which the homeowner would assemble. They came in many different styles ranging from simple bungalows to imposing colonials, and buyers were encouraged to personalize their order; walls, windows and doors could be moved, added or eliminated. Prices ranged from $3,000 to $10,000 depending on the style, which was a reasonable price even back then. 

Several other companies also offered kit homes, including Montgomery Ward, Aladdin Homes, Wardway Homes, and Bennett Homes. Almost all the materials needed to complete the home were provided, including pre-measured and pre-cut lumber, and hardware. Brick, concrete or masonry were not included, and plumbing, electricity, labor and land would, of course, add to the final cost. But ultimately, a kit home was an economical option for a lot of families. 

Several kit houses still exist in Webster. One, at 936 Shoemaker Rd., is currently owned by Webster Museum Treasurer Cherie Conrad. It was built between 1956 and 1957, and has since been added onto a few times, so it looks quite a bit different from when it was first constructed. 

Cherie remembers that the ranch-house model was called the Fairmount and it was ordered from Liberty Ready-Cut Homes. It featured a 1330-foot floor plan, with covered porch, three bedrooms, kitchen, living room and dining room.   

Cherie added, 

The “kit” was brought in on the Hojack, then the parts were trucked to the building site on Shoemaker. The owners (Irving and Helen Simmons) did much of the assembly themselves and hired contractors for a few things. I can verify that the quality of the construction is superior to the two previous homes I’ve owned, contractor-built, around the same time, and of similar styles. 

These beautiful little (and big) homes were the perfect answer for families looking for an affordable home-buying option, and their quality has survived the test of time. 

You can read more about Webster’s kit houses and more at the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster. It’s open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Visit the website at webstermuseum.org. 

Missy Rosenberry
Webster Community Blogger

see my blog at: websterontheweb.com
Check out my Facebook page at Facebook.com/Webster-on-the-Web and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)

The next stop in our History Bits Tour of the Webster Museum’s permanent exhibits is the office of W. Roy “Bob” Hawley. 

W.R. Hawley was born in 1881 to George Nelson Hawley and Mae Hawley, who owned a prosperous general store. He could have chosen to take that over when he grew up, but instead, in 1910 he opened Hawley’s Hardware Store at 17 West Main St., and later moved it to the corner of Lapham Park. When it closed more than 50 years later in 1965, it was the oldest retail business in the village or town of Webster.

In addition to running his store, W.R. was also actively involved in the Village of Webster’s political and social scenes. In 1931 he was elected village mayor, a position he would hold for the next 34 years.

Among the original items you’ll see when you visit Mayor Hawley’s office at the museum are the roll-top desk which sat in his office at the back of the store, and the store’s ornate cash register.

Adjacent to Mayor Hawley’s office is the museum’s tribute to the many apothecaries and their pharmacists who have served our town. 

Next to a recreated drugstore, complete with an apothecary cabinet, apothecary bottles and mortar and pestle, are biographies highlighting some of Webster’s best-known pharmacists. They include George Mason, who in 1884 built the block at 5 East Main St. and opened a combination drug and grocery store on the first floor; and Milton Case, who owned the Webster Drug Store in the 1930s and served as village mayor for several years. You can also read about Walter Weiner, who bought the Webster Drug Store from Milton Case, and Frank Lucas, who ran the Lucas Rexall Drug Store for 43 years. 

Stay tuned for the next stop on our museum tour of Webster in July when we take a closer look at our town’s dairy industry. In the meantime, you can find out more about the Webster Museum on the website, webstermuseum.org. Or stop by for a personal tour. 

The Webster Museum is located at 18 Lapham Park in the village, and is open every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. There’s no admission charge.  

email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)

(posted 5/10/2025)

We all know Seabreeze Amusement Park in Irondequoit. It’s been around for almost 150 years, making happy summer memories for generations. Fewer, however, will remember Willow Point Park, Webster’s very own amusement park. It was in business for only three decades, but to this day it evokes very fond memories.

Willow Point Park was located on Bay Road (where Willow Point Rd. is now), a little more than a half mile north of the Empire/Bay Rd. intersection. It was a small, rather quaint amusement park, quite different from the sprawling parks that today’s kids know today. But its more intimate atmosphere was one of Willow Point’s biggest draws, especially for young families. It was also popular because, despite its moderate size, it featured many unusual attractions which were – and are – hard to find at the bigger amusement parks.

Everett DeNeve opened the first incarnation of Willow Point Park in the early 1930s. It began as just a miniature golf course, but every year DeNeve expanded it with new attractions. By 1939, he sold Willow Point to Jack Garliner, who would direct its expansion well into the early 1960s. 

In many respects, Willow Point seemed more like a summer camp than an amusement park. Throughout its almost 30-year history, its various attractions included an archery range, trampoline, batting cages, tennis, volleyball, badminton and small boats. But of course there were also plenty of traditional amusements and rides, including an arcade, a roller coaster, carousel, tilt-a-whirl, kiddie rides (which by today’s standards were especially quaint), and several other rides for young thrill-seekers.

As Garliner added and swapped out features through the years, Willow Point became a favorite gathering place for all ages. Teens and young adults would crowd into the roller rink/dance hall to see nationally-known bands, and a bingo hall added in the 1950s attracted older adults. 

Garlinger even made sure that disadvantaged children could enjoy his park. In the 1950s, he started offering “free days” for blind children one day a year and provided free lunches. Those events were followed later by similar days for children with multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.

In 1964, a year before he died, Garliner offered to sell Willow Point Park to the Town of Webster, with no success. After Garliner’s death, Joseph Schuler bought Willow Point in 1966, and kept it open until Labor Day, 1968. The land sat vacant for years before it was redeveloped as the Waterview Townhouse Apartments complex.

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(posted 4/15/2025)

In Today’s History Bit, we take a closer look at another of the Webster Museum’s permanent exhibits, the Webster Candy Kitchen. 

Located adjacent to the Witmer’s Variety exhibit, the Candy Kitchen is the second stop for museum visitors as they stroll down the Village of Webster’s recreated Main Street. 

Founded in 1908 by Charles Papapanu, the Candy Kitchen was located at 14 East Main Street, and was a fixture in the village for 65 years. It was a popular teen hangout and beloved sweets shop, known for its dizzying selection of penny candies, including taffy, peanut brittle, nougats, ribbon candy, caramels and dozens more. It was especially known for its molded chocolate Easter bunnies, and every year the owners donated a huge chocolate rabbit for the annual Kiwanis Easter Egg hunt. 

In 1940 the owners added a classic soda fountain, further cementing the Candy Kitchen’s popularity among both young and old. 

Tragedy struck in September 1973 when a discarded cigarette sparked a fire which destroyed the Candy Kitchen. Not having enough insurance to cover the damage, the owners had to close the shop.  

But the beloved Webster Candy Kitchen lives on at the Webster Museum, where many of the salvaged items from the shop are on display. The recreated soda fountain, complete with soda and topping dispensers and ice cream dipping cabinet harken to a time when kids would gather after school. Candy molds, a taffy pulling hook and ribbon candy maker remind us of when just a few pennies would buy a bag filled with sweets, a treasure beyond compare for any child. You can see them all – and read about them all – at the Webster Museum. 

Stay tuned for our next stop along Main Street in the next few months, when we remember another beloved and long-standing village business. In the meantime, you can find out more about the Webster Museum on the website, webstermuseum.org. Or stop by for a personal tour. 

The Webster Museum is located at 18 Lapham Park in the village, and is open every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. There’s no admission charge.  

email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)

(posted 3/2/2025)

Today’s Bit of Webster History celebrates a notable birthday. Last week, the current Webster Village Hall turned 60 years old. 

The current Village Hall, located at 28 West Main St., was constructed in 1964 on the former site of Klem Chevrolet. In 1921, Walter Klem and his brother Frank took over the Johanson blacksmith shop, and eventually started selling Chevrolets. In 1963 the property was sold to the Village and Klem Chevrolet later moved to 740 Ridge Road.

The Klem building was demolished and construction of the new Village Hall began in 1964. Officials moved into the new building in the middle of January, 1965 and the first official function held there was a meeting of the Village Board. 

On January 27, 1965, the Village hosted a grand community celebration and open house. The event was advertised in the Webster Herald as an opportunity for village residents to “view and inspect the new village hall and its facilities, which include Customer Counter, Billing Machines, Vault, Mayor’s Office, Meeting Room and DPW Office and Garage.” Vice-Mayor Donald King was on hand to show off the facility, assisted by Trustees Milton Case and James Hall and several staff members. Mayor Hawley couldn’t be there because he was ill. 

Prior to 1965, the Village Hall was located next door in the area which is now an entrance to the back parking lot behind Village Hall. The two-story building was constructed in 1912. The first floor housed the Fire Department’s equipment, along with three steel cells used as the village and town jail. Two big front rooms on the second floor were used for village and town offices. A large assembly room in the back was used for elections, trials, and various meetings. The basement served as a warehouse for the public works department.

Thank you to the folks at the Village Hall and the Village’s Historic Preservation Committee for pulling all this information together.   

Want to learn more about Webster history? Visit the Webster Museum, located at 18 Lapham Park in the village. It’s open every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. There’s no admission charge. Or log onto webstermuseum.org. And if you’re especially interested in historic village properties, visit the Historic Preservation Commission website at websterhpc.com.

email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)

(posted 2/8/2025)

From the shores of Lake Ontario, I bring you a ghost story. It’s the legend of a long-lost ship whose spectral image (some say) can still occasionally be seen sailing under a blue moon. 

The story hails from 1835, the heyday of lake-sailing cargo schooners. Nine-Mile Point was a natural stopping point for local shippers; the large sand bluff poked out into the lake and had a tree at the point’s end, making it easy to identify.  

Angus McClone and Dirk VanWesterly were two tight-fisted farmers who had large farms near Nine Mile Point. Ship captains who docked there knew both farmers well, especially their penchant for haggling over shipping rates. Successful ship captains refused to deal with them, but there were always others who needed the money and had no choice but to agree to a bad deal. 

One such captain was Hugh Bowe. His ship was called the Nilfred, and it was in very bad condition. McClone was on shore when it pulled into harbor, and – sensing that the ship’s captain would be desperate for funds – McClure negotiated a very unfair rate to have his goods shipped to Charlotte.

Adding insult to injury, McClone and VanWesterly demanded free passage to Charlotte, where they made a good profit selling the cargo. Then they demanded a free ride home. Since he’d not yet been fully paid, Bowe agreed, setting sail under a blue moon back to Nine Mile Point, furious about how these country farmers had gotten the better of him. 

On the way back to Nine Mile Point, McClone and VanWesterly tucked into a bottle of whiskey to celebrate their good fortune, and soon started talking too much about how much money they’d made. Hearing this, Bowe and his crew hatched a plan. Why not kill the farmers, take their money, set the Nilfred on fire and row away in a lifeboat? The people on shore would see the fire and assume that all on board had died.   

The plan went off without a hitch. The crew dispatched the farmers, found the money, and when the ship arrived back at the mouth of Four Mile Creek, the sailors set it afire, boarded a lifeboat and started paddling to shore. The schooner sailed away slowly toward the middle of the lake. 

But the winds at Nine Mile Point can be capricious. They turned the schooner completely around and it started sailing back to shore, heading straight towards the lifeboat. Unable to get out of the way in time, the Nilfred crashed into the lifeboat, killing Bowe and his crew. 

Then the winds changed again, turning the Nilfred completely around once more. It was last seen sailing away over the horizon, a blazing torch under a blue moon. 

It’s said that sometimes, on nights of a blue moon, a ghostly apparition of a burning ship appears far out on the lake off Nine Mile Point. It moves towards the shore, and then suddenly turns around and disappears over the horizon.

Perhaps the farmers’ ghosts are trying to get back to reclaim their lands.      

This story, and the image above, were pulled from The Burning Ship and other Legends: Tales and Lore of Western New York (1994) by C. Benn Forsyth, still available on Amazon.com.

Discover more fascinating Webster history at the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park. It’s open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Find out more at webstermuseum.org.

email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)

(posted 10/19/2024)

In honor of the new school year rolling around again, this month’s history bit takes a closer look at a piece of Webster schoolhouse history, faithfully recreated at the Webster Museum. 

It’s the museum’s very own one-room schoolhouse. Tucked at the far southern end of the museum’s exhibit space, the room represents a typical early-1900s schoolroom. It seats 24 students at double desks and includes a schoolmaster’s desk, a collection of early textbooks, and early teaching aids.   

The schoolroom is a very popular tour stop for the elementary school classes who visit the Webster Museum every year. As part their 75-minute tour through all of the museum’s exhibits, students take a 15 to 20-minute detour into the classroom and step back into a time when a wood stove provided the heat, lessons were completed on slates, and your older brother or sister might be sitting in a row behind you.

The lessons are designed to be as interactive, entertaining and humorous as possible, while illustrating what a typical school day would look like 120 years ago. The teacher rings a school bell to begin the day, students complete a math lesson on the slates, and are required to raise their hand and stand when called upon. They hear about how students had to walk to school because there were no school buses, how the wood stove in the corner of the room provided all the heat, and when you looked out the window you would very likely see fields and orchards, not a playground and parking lot. 

More than a dozen volunteers, many of them retired teachers themselves, take turns leading the museum tours and presenting the classroom lesson. Most of the students who come through are Webster Central School District second graders; the curriculum that year focuses on community, and a big part of that is comparing “then and now.”  

Our children already know all about “now.” And thanks to our dedicated Webster Museum volunteers, they’re also learning about “then,” when Webster was an agricultural community and the schools – and school day – looked a whole lot different.  

Stop by the Webster Museum and visit the schoolroom for yourself. The museum is located at 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster, and is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Read more about the classroom and all of the museum’s exhibits at webstermuseum.org.
—

Missy Rosenberry
Webster Community Blogger

See my blog at: websterontheweb.com
Check out my Facebook page at Facebook.com/Webster-on-the-Web and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)

Webster Union Cemetery, located at the corner of Rt. 250 and Woodhull Rd., is one of the richest historical sites in Webster. 

Farmland was donated for the first known burial in 1817, when a Webster child needed a place to rest. It was originally called The Burial Ground, Lakeside, Union Cemetery of Webster. Since this caused some confusion between other areas near Webster, especially Union Hill Cemetery, the name was officially changed to Webster Union Cemetery in April 1954.

In 1859, Webster’s first settler, Abram Foster, was buried there at the age of 90. He was the first of many prominent families to come, including the Burnetts, Curtices, Fosters, Pelletts, Woodhulls, Whitings, and Wrights. Veterans from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War are buried there as well.

The cemetery is also stunningly beautiful. In 2008 it was awarded the Historic Landscape Award from the Landmark Society of Western New York, and was listed on the National List of Historic Places in 2022.

This month, Webster Union Cemetery celebrates 200 years as an active burial ground, and community members are invited to the party. 

On Saturday Aug. 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., visitors are invited to stroll Webster Union Cemetery’s beautiful grounds and “meet” some of Webster’s earliest settlers. Talk to a suffragette fighting for women’s right to vote, a 1918 Spanish flu victim, Civil War soldiers, shopkeepers, boardinghouse owners, and even a Revolutionary War spy. You’ll also have a chance to learn headstone cleaning and preservation. Admission is free. 

Webster Union Cemetery is located at 345 Webster Rd. (corner of Rt. 250 and Woodhull). Find out more about all of Webster’s historic cemeteries at the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster. It’s open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Visit the website at webstermuseum.org.

email me  at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)

(posted 8/14/2024)

With the return of the Webster Fireman’s Carnival this week, it seems an appropriate time to take a look back at the history of this very popular and long-running summer event. 

According to the Webster Volunteer Fire Department’s 100th anniversary history book, the Fireman’s Carnival turns 87 years old this year. The first carnival was held July 23 and 24, 1937 on Ridge Rd. just west of Corning Park, where Pierce St. is now. The first chairman, Russell B. Mason, reported a net profit of $514.63. 

Not much is known about that first year, but we do know that the carnival was held at the same location the following year. The July 15, 1938 edition of the Webster Herald reported that carnival-goers would enjoy four thrilling rides, plus free dancing and entertainment. They could also enter to win cash door prizes, a radio from Hawley’s Hardware and a refrigerator from Netzman’s Appliances. 

The 1938 carnival was even more successful than the first, netting about $1100, despite some challenges. It rained buckets Friday night, and on Saturday the Ferris wheel broke down. Fortunately, though, carnival-goers had other entertainment options, including a hoop-rolling contest and a “Dutch bowlers” (cricket) demonstration game, which attracted an audience of 700. 

Even before the 1938 carnival, the Webster Fire Department was well into the planning stages of purchasing its own property for use as carnival grounds. That September, they finalized the sale of a 24-acre tract of land owned by William Partridge near their current festival site west of Corning Park, purchased for $2500. The firemen have held their carnival on that property, now known as Fireman’s Field, every year since. 

Missy Rosenberry
Webster Community Blogger

See my blog at: websterontheweb.com.
Check out my Facebook page and follow me on Instagram.

As spring slowly creeps back into town, and the flowers and trees start to bloom, it’s the perfect time to get out and take a hike on one (or several) of our outstanding Webster trails. Some of the most beautiful of those trails, and most interesting from a historical perspective, are the ones that wind through the Four Mile Creek Preserve at the corner of Lake and Phillips roads.

Scattered along the Four Mile Creek trails are seven rusted-out old cars, including a 1949 Nash Ambassador Custom Airflyte, a 1950 Chevrolet Deluxe Bel Air, a 1956 Nash Rambler and others. They tell of a day when the parkland was just farmers’ fields and kids would use the area for joyrides. 

According to Dennis Kuhn, the Friends of Webster Trails’ resident Cars along the Creek expert,  

The cars were driven onto the property from Lake Road across a bridge that accessed farmland where the cars were last driven. It seems that some local youths decided to create a racetrack somewhat off the beaten path to have some fun cavorting around the open fields that were available at the time. If you traverse the land as it is now, you’ll have to use your imagination to see a relatively treeless landscape that existed sometime in the nineteen fifties or early sixties.

Nevertheless, the youths of the day had a ton of fun going around in circles until they ran out of gas or had a flat tire or wrecked the transmission.

So take a hike one of these spring days along the trails at Four Mile Creek Preserve, and enjoy a fascinating walk back through Webster history. You can read more about these and all of Webster’s trails at the Friends of Webster Trails website, webstertrails.org. 

Discover more fascinating bits of local history at the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster. It’s open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Visit the website at webstermuseum.org.

Missy Rosenberry
Webster Community Blogger

See my blog at: websterontheweb.com.
Check out my Facebook page and follow me on Instagram.