By Jolene Hawkins By 1874, the Erie County Fair had the need for a permanent place. The Society appointed a five-member committee and, by 1875, the Society had agreed on a contract with the Hamburg Driving Association to lease its grounds. Where before they had met without charge, now the annual fee was $50 a year, as long as the ... Read More »
There’s something special about a good old-fashioned county fair. Farmers, crafters, and families come together to celebrate regional agriculture and much more. Did you realize that there are over 50 County Fair and 4-H fairs, starting in July and running through the fall? Every weekend, somewhere in the state of New York is a fair— sometimes they overlap each other ... Read More »
Looking back through the history of the Methodist Church, I came across this old photo of the Methodist Choir from 1889. Isn’t it awesome?! Plus, we know who the people are as well so we can include their names in the caption! Now let’s learn all about this church! As early as 1814, the Methodists were having regular services in ... Read More »
By Jolene Hawkins Looking back to 1870 here in Springville, we had a large number of German Lutheran families who settled in and were established in business or engaged in farming. In 1871, the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church was officially organized. Rev. F.W. Schmidt was the pastor and a constitution was drawn up with the signatures of Carl Joerns, Henry ... Read More »
By Jolene Hawkins Looking back to the year 1853, in East Concord, the Free Baptist church had the gift of land from Jared Davis to build a church on. Before that, for 30 years, they had met in various school houses that were in the area. The new church rose, beam by beam, graced with eight stained glass windows and ... Read More »
By Jolene Hawkins Who has noticed the beautiful round stained glass window in the peak of the Lucy Bensley Center? Wait, I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s learn the history of the Universalist Church, whose window it is. The first Universalist Church was organized in 1846 by Rev. I George , Abram Dygert, I B Childs, and Jonathan Mayo. ... Read More »
By Jolene Hawkins Looking back to 1816 — what was happening? Well, James Monroe was elected president, it was known as the year without a summer, Indiana was admitted as the 19th state and, here in Springville, Father Spencer and nine others created the Congregational Church. The first meetings were held in a log schoolhouse. By 1821 the membership had ... Read More »
By Jolene Hawkins Last week, we learned all about the schools in the 1800s. You paid for classes you took and sometimes even paid to stay in a home near the school instead of going home each day. So let’s move on to Archibald Griffith. He was one of the founding families in Springville, coming from Rhode Island in 1815. ... Read More »
By Jolene Hawkins With graduation just around the corner and kids getting ready to get out and away from school, I thought I would share with you some local information that all local school kids should know, or at least I think so. Have you ever wondered how Good Ole Griffith Institute get its name? I can hear all the ... Read More »
By Jolene Hawkins The term “hiraeth” is a Welsh word which means a homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was or the nostalgia, yearning or grief for the lost places of your past. When we remember the past, what do we really think of? Was it cookies with grandparents on a old ... Read More »
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