What’s in a Name? (Part 2)

Last month’s Bit of Webster History feature really struck a chord with many current and former Webster residents. Titled “What’s in a Name?”, it told the history behind several well-known Webster street names: Salt Rd., Basket Rd., Five Mile Line Rd., Shoecraft Rd. and Whiting Rd. 

Dozens of readers reached out, many wondering about other well-known road names. So here, drawing liberally once again from Webster History Through the Years, are answers for some of those wonders. 

Klem Rd., now known in part for its spacious shoulders, was only 49 feet wide when it was surveyed in 1816. Several families of Klems lived on or near the road, so it was named for them. It was originally built with logs because the bed was low and swampy. 

Woodhull Rd. was surveyed in 1816 across the original Robert Woodhull Farm and was named after him. 

It’s commonly believed that Vosburg Rd. was named after the forebears of George Vosburgh, who lived many years in the old brick house near the corner of Lake Rd. It was actually named after Freeman Vosburgh, a German blacksmith, who built that house.

Drumm Rd. was named after a colorful character called “Captain Drumms.” He was reputed to be a former canal boat captain who bought land on the west side of the road. 

Herman Rd. was named after Gustav Herman, who owned a farm on the south side of the road opposite Pellett Rd. The road had apparently been nameless for several years.

More information about these roads and many others can be found in Webster Through the Years, by Esther Dunn, published in 1971. You can check out a copy at the Webster Public Library, or page through one at the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster. The museum is open every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 2 to 4:30 p.m.

Missy Rosenberry
Webster Community Blogger

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

A Bit of Webster HIstory: What’s in a name?

The names are all very familiar to us: Plank Rd., Salt Rd., Basket Rd., Five Mile Line Rd., Shoecraft Rd., Whiting Rd. But what might not be so familiar is exactly how these well-known roadways got their names. 

Plank Rd. is pretty self-explanatory; it was originally constructed with planks. But how about the others? Their stories, recounted in Webster Through the Years by Esther Dunn, offer a glimpse into Webster’s history:

  • Salt Rd. was named after salt springs located nearby
  • Basket Rd. was originally known as Basket Street because many of the early settlers in the area made baskets out of branches from the willow trees that grew nearby.    
  • Five Mile Line Rd. referred to the distance from Penfield Village to Ridge Rd. 
  • Shoecraft Rd. bears the name of John Shoecraft, an early settler of Penfield who served in both the Revolutionary War and War of 1812.
  • Whiting Rd. was named for John Whiting, a pioneer who settled on the lakeshore near the junction of Lake and Holt roads. You can still see the grand home he built near that intersection, in Webster Park, which we now know as the White House Lodge.

Webster history is all around us, even hidden in the streets on which we drive. Uncover more historical surprises 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.

Missy Rosenberry
Webster Community Blogger

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

Webster woman of note: Victoria Woodhull

Victoria Woodhull

Now here’s something you might not have known: the first woman to run for President of the United States actually did so way back in 1872. Her name was Victoria Woodhull, the daughter-in-law of Byron Woodhull, the Town of Webster’s first supervisor.

Woodhull was a woman 100 years ahead of her time. She not only ran for president, but was also deeply involved in the suffrage movement, and advocated for social improvements like an eight-hour work day, a graduated income tax and social welfare programs. She and her sister Tennnessee published a weekly newspaper – among the first women ever to do so – and were the first women stockbrokers. By the late 1800s, Woodhull was one of the most famous women in the country.

When Woodhull ran for the presidency in 1872, she was a candidate of the Equal Rights Party. She didn’t garner even one electoral vote, but it’s interesting to note that she spent election day in jail. The U.S government had arrested her for sending “obscene” literature through the mail. Her offense was publishing articles in her newspaper about an adulterous affair between Elizabeth Tilton and Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, a prominent Protestant minister. 

Victoria Woodhull, portrayed by Gwen Hoffman, was one of several notable Webster women, past and present, who “visited” the Webster Public Library on Thursday March 30 for a Women’s History Month program. Also on hand to tell their historical stories were Monroe County politician Erva Wright (portrayed by Eileen Brookins), former Webster Historian Esther Dunn (Lisa McNamara), farm wife Agnes Semmler (Sharon Pratt) and present-day Town of Webster Councilwoman Ginny Nguyen. Learn more about lots of interesting historical Webster women (and men) 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 to learn more.

Missy Rosenberry
Webster Community Blogger

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

Revlon Couturines

A truly fun idea…but alas, Revlon only made these “Couturines” lipstick holders between 1960-1963.

For more of their story visit the Makeup Museum.

Lincoln

Near 10 years after the death of Daniel Webster, President Lincoln shared a story of Webster’s early life during a morning gathering at the White House in May of 1862.

“Did you ever hear the story of Daniel Webster and the schoolmaster?” Lincoln began.

He then shared how as a boy, Webster had been repeatedly punished by his teacher for coming to school with dirty hands. One day the teacher asked to look at them. As Daniel went forward he surreptitiously licked one palm, wiped it on his pants, then exhibited it. “Daniel,” said the teacher sternly, “if you will find another hand in this schoolroom as filthy as that, I will let you off this time.” The quick-witted Daniel promptly held out his other hand. “That will do,” sighed the teacher. “You may take your seat.”

Having concluded, Lincoln laughed as loud as any of his hearers.

From The Inner Life of Abraham Lincoln: Six Months at the White House by Francis B. Carpenter, (New York, 1867).

A little respect for the proud Irish potato

image by Missy Roenberry

In honor of the month of March, when we celebrate all things Irish, here’s an amusing – and historical – look back at a vegetable that’s central to Irish heritage: the potato.

Back in the days when Webster was more a farming community than anything else, the Webster Herald would commonly publish reports on the bounty of the year’s harvest. But the following two items, pulled from a column called “Who Can Beat This?”, published on Oct. 23, 1942 at the height of WWII, focused specifically on two very unusual potatoes. 

The author began, “We are told that food will win the war. And it will. When you get a combination of fighting Irish and Irish potatoes, you just can’t beat it. … Of course we all know that there are no fighting men like the Irish… Now about the potatoes….” 

The article continued, “In the fall of 1941, Martin Hosenfeld, who farms over on the State Road, harvested several acres of potatoes. In sorting them he came across one that weighed 3 pounds and 4 ounces, which goes to prove that you can’t beat the Irish potatoes.” 

Apparently the potato had some even more unusual qualities.

This particular potato was not going to be caught napping, so it was born with eighteen eyes. In the spring of 1942 Mr. Hosenfeld cut the potato into eighteen pieces, one eye in a piece, and planted them one in a hill. From that nineteen forty-one potato that weighed a little more than three pounds, he this year harvested twenty-three pounds of potatoes, practically all of them being of marketable size.

These reports typically also included specifics about the farmer’s methods, perhaps in case others might want to try to grow an even bigger potato. In Farmer Hosenfeld’s case, the author wrote, 

“The soil in which he planted was a heavy loam. He fertilized with twenty ton manure to the acre and half a ton of fertilizer.”

Later in the column, the author reported on yet another monstrous potato, which he theorized might actually help the war effort. 

He wrote, “Fruits and vegetables are certainly going to town this year in size. They realize we are in the war all right and they sure are producing. The latest on the list is a potato that grew in a patch on Ovid Fry’s farm on the Nine Mile Point Road. This little Irish potato weighed three pounds. Not a bad weight for a small potato.” 

“We are going to have this potato baked and while it is good and hot come in and pick it up and you will better realize what Hitler has got a hold of.” 

And in case you’re wondering, “Ovid had four and one-half acres of Katahdins and they produced three hundred bushels to the acre. The soil is a sandy loam and he used 1100 pounds of fertilizer to the acre.”

The Webster Museum has an entire exhibit highlighting Webster’s rich farming history. Stop by for a visit and learn more about, well, maybe not potatoes, but certainly all sorts of fruits and vegetables, cereal grains and more. The museum is located at 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 to learn more. 

Missy Rosenberry
Webster Community Blogger

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

What is it?

We’re been posting images of unusual implements to our facebook page in conjunction with our current “What is it?” museum exhibit.

The Goodell Bonanza Apple Peeler Corer was created by David H. Goodell whose Goodell company produce a variety of devices to aid in the processing apples and other fruits. Goodell became the Governor of Hew Hampshire in 1889.

Nipper

Meet “Nipper,” the Webster Museum mascot

Just steps inside the front door of the Webster Museum sits one of the museum’s most faithful greeters, a life-sized white dog made from papier-mache. His head cocked slightly to one side, he seems to be patiently and carefully listening for when the front door opens and he can welcome the museum’s next visitor. 

His name is “Nipper,” and if you’re of a certain age, you’ll recognize him as the mascot of RCA Victor, one of the most famous trademarks of the 20th century. 

Nipper has been part of the museum’s collection – and presumably welcoming museum patrons – for almost 40 years. But he had some interesting travels before then.  

When exactly Nipper came to Webster has been lost to history but it’s believed that around the late 40s and early 50s, he was a feature on East Main St. in the village, where he sat in the front window of Mayor Roy Hawley’s hardware store, watching the world go by. After many years he was removed from the shop and relegated to Mayor Hawley’s garage. 

Sometime after the death of the Mayor, his widow gave Nipper to her neighbor Dick Batzing, who at the time was a teacher at Bay Rd. Elementary School, and Town Historian. For a few years, Nipper resided in the school’s music room. When the room had to be converted to classroom use, Nipper was moved into a hallway, where he became a beloved landmark, helping students locate their rooms and receiving regular pats on the head as classes passed. 

Nipper did have a very scary experience during his school days, however. In September 1974, vandals broke into the school and chopped him to pieces. Fortunately, a generous benefactor came to his aid several weeks later. Roberta Kappel, an art teacher and mother of a former Bay Rd. student, successfully reconstructed Nipper, and he was returned to the school, to the delight of students and staff members alike.

When Bay Rd. Elementary closed in 1983, Batzing brought Nipper to the Webster Museum, where he continues to delight visitors, both young and old. 

Mayor Hawley | Dick Batzing | Roberta Kappel

Meet Nipper yourself 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 to learn more.  

Missy Rosenberry
Webster Community Blogger

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

Checking out the history of the Webster Public Library 

Webster Public Library: The Webster Public Library, located in Webster Plaza, as it looks today. photo: Missy Rosenberry

The Webster Public Library has long been an invaluable community asset. So it’s hard to imagine there was a time when Webster had no library at all. 

According to Webster Through the Years by Esther Dunn (1971), the first Webster library was established in 1881 by a group called the Literary Society. Mary Jane Phillips kept the books in her home on Main St. in the village, just west of what is now the Cobblestone on Main restaurant. Society members, who paid $1.20 annual dues, were the only ones who could check out books.

Between 1881 and 1889, the library moved twice, first to a storefront on West Main Street, and then to 11 South Ave., in the building now occupied by B3 Beauty. 

Soon afterwards, community support for a town library waned. In 1894, the library was disbanded, and for almost the next 30 years, Webster had no library at all

Then, in 1923, the Monroe County Traveling Library was established. It traveled to 222 stops about every six weeks. In Webster, the principal stations were at Dewitt and Bay roads, Vosburg and Lake roads, Forest Lawn, Nine Mile Point, Union Hill, Hard and Ridge roads, West Webster, and all the schools.

Finally, in 1929 the first Webster public library was officially established at the new Webster High School (now Spry Middle School). It had 657 books, 265 borrowers and a circulation of 6,246. 

The library has moved several times since those early days, first to the Reitz Building on West Main, then to Webster Town Hall, and finally to its current location in Webster Plaza. It’s also grown – a lot. Today, the Webster Public Library has more than 260,000 items in its collection, 34,000 borrowers, and circulates about 334,000 items a year. 

Spry Middle School: The first Webster public library was established in the new high school (now Spry Middle School) in 1929.  photo: Missy Rosenberry

The Webster Museum, located at 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster, is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Visit the website at webstermuseum.org for more about Webster’s history. 

Missy Rosenberry
Webster Community Blogger

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

WHAT’S IN THAT DRAWER?

Each drawer in the old card catalog at the Webster Museum holds a small historical surprise. (M. Rosenberry)

Do you remember library card catalogs?

Before the days of computers and electronic catalog records, these bulky wooden cabinets held individual cards for every book in the library’s collection. To find the book you wanted, you had to find the right drawer and flip through the cards. 

One of those classic card catalogs has been creatively repurposed at the Webster Museum, to the delight of visiting children and adults alike. It was donated to the museum several years ago by Spry Middle School, and has found a new life as a kind of surprise cabinet.  

Each of the cabinet’s 25 drawers now holds a different historical curiosity. They’re all very small items, of course, and run the gamut from jewelry and household objects to toys and personal grooming items. 

The cabinet has become a regular stop on school tours of the museum, and the children enjoy taking turns pulling open a drawer and examining the tiny objects inside. (Most adults are rather fascinated as well.) 

Next time you’re at the museum, discover for yourself how much history has been packed into those very small drawers.

The museum, located at 18 Lapham Park, is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Visit the website at webstermuseum.org for more historical tidbits about our town’s schools and teachers.

Missy Rosenberry
Webster Community Blogger

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