Wyckoff Mill (courtesy of Mark Brown)

Mill Creek flows into Seneca Lake about a half mile south of the present Lodi Marine State Park. An extensive flood plain extends to the east, where Silver Thread Falls roars 125 feet into a majestic waterfall. The falls have been a wonder of nature in its splendor, and a landmark, since discovered by early settlers.

For many years, Silver Thread Falls was a popular tourist attraction. During the years of boat travel on Seneca Lake, day excursions would bring hikers intent on visiting the falls, compared with Niagara Falls as a scenic wonder. Guests at The Willows, the hotel at Lodi Landing, also made picnic trips to visit the falls.

Winter Freeze

In a diary she began in 1875, Fannie Miller of Lodi wrote the following entries about her family's enjoyment of the 1912 freeze of Seneca Lake.

 

Feb. 11 - "Lake freezing over. Charlie Galloup came near falling in."

Feb. 14 - "Nice day, wind blows from South. Harry and Nell and Nina and Jim down to the lake. Harry went across twice, Nina once. Great hustling around for skates. Nice sleighing, people going down by sleighloads to see the ice."

Museum InteriorHallett PlaqueOver 100 hundred people - including officials of the town and other historical societies - crowded onto the sunny sidewalk in front of the Lodi Museum to witness its grand opening on June 30.

Antique cars owned by Lewis Rosbaugh, Bob Covert and John Mulford were parked at the curb.

Following a welcome by president Carolyn Zogg, an original song, "Lodi," was sung by Marj Wilson Clark of Interlaken, who also performed "Bless This House."

LODI HAD EVERYTHING YOU NEEDED

By Paulette Likoudis

She's one of the newest lifetime members of the Lodi Historical Society, and she's a prime example of why its membership includes folks living from coast to coast.

Main StWhen Lynnette Trippiedi of Henderson, Nevada, signed the guest book at the Lodi Museum during a recent visit here, she wasn't seeing the quiet, bolted

storefronts along Main Street for the first time. She had walked through many of those doorways. When she sent her membership check, she wrote to say she had seen the new museum and was "impressed with its beginning."

Caywood Trackside Bldgs

Ninety-year-old Clayton Smith Porter of Florida responded to the spring issue's mystery photo of "Porter's Hired Helpers," taken at one of the trackside buildings near the Caywood Station on the Lehigh Valley Railroad. He and his wife, Warda, recently celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary.

 

"I remember this building being built for packing fruit. From there, the fruit was loaded into "refrigerated" cars on the railroad. An ice house was in the north end of the packing house to ice the cars. The ice was cut from the Porter and Campbell dam in the winter and was hauled down in bob sleighs."

Lodi Union School c.1914

HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED...

The six-member 1932 class of the Lodi High School held its commencement exercises at the Lodi Methodist Church (now the Lodi Historical Building) at 8:15 p.m. on June 28, 1932.

After music by an unnamed "orchestra," the Rev. F.E. Hewitt offered an invocation. Each senior delivered a presentation. The salutatory address, "Sportsmanship in Life," was given by E. Marie Withiam and the valedictory was "Development of the Radio," by Jason E. Newman.

Eagle Hotel

By Ruth Myer

Lodi was attractive to me, as a young teenager, because summer dances were held in the old Masonic Hall - now used as the town hall.

There was always a live band and round dancing, sometimes square dancing. This was in the days before I met my husband, LeConte. Sometimes I got a ride with friends, or once in a while, had a date.

I remember one summer night when there was to be a dance in Lodi and I greatly longed to go. We lived on Bassett Road at the time. Possibly, it was the summer after I graduated.

2007 Cover‘TIS THE SEASON FOR PARADES - In this undated photo of a fireman's parade in Seneca Falls, William Dohrer (with cigar) rides along with his son William Dohrer, Jr. (at far right). The couple with hats switched are unknown, and the other men are believed to be Henry Dohrer (in vest) and Bill Putnam. Bill Dohrer ran the Eagle Hotel from the mid-1920s to the 1940s. Prior to that, the Seneca Falls native operated the Ovid Hotel, now Community Bank.

HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED...

While times were certainly different hundreds of years ago, they were still very different only 55 years ago. The following items were taken from “Your Household Guide,” a 1951 booklet of helpful tips sponsored by the North Hector No. 318 Grange chapter at Valois, NY. It was clearly designed for the woman of the house, with some directions for children’s manners included. Display ads for a number of Lodi businesses also appeared. (courtesy of Bill Gates)

            – “When men’s shirts wear out across the shoulders, cut out the whole back and sew in bottom side up.”

 

MODEL SHEEP – These larger-than-life Cotswold Sheep are a colored illustration featured in “The Illustrated Stock Doctor & Live Stock Encyclopaedia,” by J.R. Manning, M.D., V.S., circa 1880.                                                                                                                                

A Feature Interview with Kari Lusk

HOOKED ON SHEEP, HISTORY & LODI

By Paulette Likoudis

Visiting the secluded Traphagen Road log cabin that is, for now, the home of Bill and Kari Lusk was, in some ways, like taking a step back to Lodi’s pioneer days. There is no passing traffic, and it is very quiet there. The remnants of stone foundations in nearby woods are evidence of what was once a neighborhood with its own post office on Lodi Center Road.

Winter had arrived late, delivering its first blanket of snow to the Lusks’ Sheepish Grin Farm in mid-January. Fifteen sheep wearing heavy fleeces were cozy and warm on a thick bed of grass hay in the barn. Although it looked like winter, spring lambs were due.

1893 SPRING FASHION FOR BOYS – These sailor suits for boys were among spring and summer clothing for men, women and children, offered by the John Wanamaker Company on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. The suits were priced from 2.75 to 4.50 in the 1893 mail order catalogue, which also pictured bone corsets, real tortoise shell hair combs, hearing aids, lace, trunks, glass, china, silverware, rattan furniture, scissors, baskets, refrigerators, dog collars and horse harness, toys, sporting goods and clothing patterns.

A feature interview with: CULLIE MOWERS,

PRIEST & ORGAN RESTORER

Paulette Likoudis

Christmas is perhaps the most prominent time of year for Cullie Mowerspipe organs to raise their voices to the heavens. Although not all pipe organs are found in churches, their vital role in sacred music throughout the ages is undeniable.

Built by the Caywood brothers and now the home of Harriet and Michael Eisman, located on a lane west of the Caywood railroad station, no longer standing. Persons pectured are believed to be Nivisons. (courtesy of Ruth Wagner)

COLONIAL DAMES MEMBER RECALLS SARAH TOWNSEND

 

The Winter 2005 edition of The Record featured a cover photo of an unidentified woman holding a cat. Several readers thought they recognized the woman, but there has been no positive identification.Colonial Dames

Last Beach DayFifty years ago, millions had their prayers answered. In April 1955, it was announced that Dr. Jonas Salk had perfected a vaccine effective in preventing polio.

It was an important announcement. Polio (infantile paralysis) had crippled and killed thousands every summer. Fifty-eight thousand Americans – mostly children – contracted the disease in 1952. Of the 58,000, many never walked again, some were crippled for life and others died.

Play BallBy Paulette Likoudis

Documentation of the days when Lodi had a baseball field is hard to come by, but the memories of the players and the fans are as vivid as can be.

Fran Steverson (70) and Jim Covert (68) played ball on the Lodi town team when they were teenagers attending the Ovid Central School. The playing field was located in what is now a cornfield to the north of Alta Boyer’s home.

Fossenvue:

SUMMERS’ MEMORIES, THE LATE 1800S

By Carolyn Zogg

One hundred twenty-nine years ago, this July, a group of friends from GFossenvue E.S. Millereneva, looking for a good time for their summer vacation, hit upon the idea of camping, and set about fulfilling their plan.

Autograph BookTHIS 1880s AUTOGRAPH BOOK of Sarah Townsend was recently given to the Lodi Historical Society by resident Gayle Hatch, director of the Elizabeth B. Pert Library in Hector. The book was among miscellaneous items found by Bob and Lois Nordling when they owned the John Townsend farm on the east side of Rt. 414, at Upper Lake Road.Somewhat like the tradition of school yearbook signing, the autograph book was offered to friends and family for a fond, written gesture. Rendered in the most perfect of penmanship, heartfelt messages were composed at the time of signing, especially for the recipient. In some regions, illustrations appeared.

Townsend HotelA banner hung from the balcony of todays Eagle Hotel announces that hunters are welcome. Nothing said hunters were welcome quite like this photo of a 1964 gathering of deer hunters and their trophies at what was then the Townsend Hotel, operated by Webb Ganoung, Mike McLaughlin and Pete Close. This auto is a 1963 Ford and the photographer is unknown.

(courtesy of Bob and Joan Covert)

unknownSOFT MOMENT IN A HARD LIFE? This undated photo of an unidentified woman and her cat was among numerous photos found in a barn on the John C. Townsend farm, now the location of Suzanne Fine Regional Cuisine on Rt. 414 at Upper Lake Road. Unlike most of the professionally produced, matted photos in the collection, this one was wrinkled and torn. Does anyone know who she is? (photo courtesy of Gayle Hatch) (featured on the cover of the Winter 2005 issue of The Rec

When Henry Budd Covert showed his prize Shropshire sheep at the New York State Fair in Syracuse he transported them on a train boxcar so they could travel comfortably.

Caywood General StoreKEEPING WARM AND UP-TO-DATE AT THE CAYWOOD GENERAL STOREtc "KEEPING WARM AND UP-TO-DATE AT THE CAYWOOD GENERAL STORE"

Pictured are Charley Ellis, Monroe Smith, and Lou Coleman. (c.?) Located a short distance down Caywood Rd., west of Rt. 414, the general store supplied goods for the hamlet of Caywood. The Caywood Station, a stop for the Lehigh Valley Railroad, was about a hundred yards west of the store. The building is now home for Caywood Antiques, owned by Steven Wagner. Caywood Road has been dubbed a number of other names, including “Caywood Station Road,” “Station Hill Road,” “Porter’s Caywood Shores,” and “the road going down to the store.”

School Picnic, Summer 2004 cover of the RecordSchool’s Out! This truck was packed with students who traveled from the Caywood School to Taughannock State Park for a school picnic on June 16, 1939. The one-room 24’ x 40’ wooden schoolhouse, still standing on County Rt. 137, operated for 114 years, and was “the last of its type in South Seneca County,” according to a Geneva Times article by Elizabeth McElroy, dated June 18, 1959.

Snowplow, Winter 2004 cover of the RecordIN 1929, Lodi town board member Arthur Knight took this picture of a new snowplow being demonstrated for board members. The gas-powered vehicle is shown plowing through a massive drift, on Townsendville Rd. (County Rt. 146), about one half mile south of Rt. 96A. Among those pictured are Sidney Colgate, Gilbert Townsend, Edgar Covert and his son, Clermont Covert. (photo courtesy of John and Ann Knight)

Porter homeOne of three large houses built by James and Charles Caywood, around 1900, has been purchased and renovated by James and Patricia Pellegrini. Located at the corner of State Rt. 414 and Caywood Road, the house was home for Elmer J. Porter and his wife, Mary DeBuyscr Porter, and their family before it was sold to the Pellegrinis. The couple is set to open the doors of their home to bed and breakfast guests in March. The est

Covert CoonsA GOOD DAY’S HUNT – As fall settles in, hunters in this area still look forward to their sport. Around 1900, raccoons were hunted for their pelts, which could be turned into soft, warm coats. A 1907 edition of the New York Times advertised a “man’s raccoon automobile coat” for $47.50. Popular to this day, vintage raccoon coats sell from $500 to $1000.

John Walter Keady, Summer 2005 cover of the RecordSUMMER TIME AND THE LIVIN’ IS EASY… Some simple pleasures, like watermelon in summer, are universal. John Walter Keady, Jr. II is the third man from the left, in back row. Photo is believed to be from summer 1918, just before Keady left Lodi to become a soldier in WWI. Last fall, Kathleen Keady, daughter of John Walter Keady, III, contacted and visited the present owners of her great-grandparents’ home on Keady Road.

Lodi Town TruckSTATE OF THE ART 1925 – The man in this 1925 photo of a Town of Lodi truck with hoist is believed to be John T. Rallings. An early 1960s edition of the Ovid Gazette featured this photo and another of Rallings seated on the running board of a truck bought by the town in 1919. The caption states that Rallings — well-known for his photography — drove both “service vehicles” for Lodi and that he posed for the picture he took of himself with the 1919 truck. It is likely he did the same in this photo.

BACK TO SCHOOL – The 1923-24 sophomore class of the Lodi High School on W. Seneca Street was dressed in their Sunday best with hair combed neatly in place for this picture taken by photographer J.H. Kibler of Syracuse. Back row: John Wright, Ray Newkirk, Grant Newkirk. Middle row: Lynn LaM1923 Sophomore class Lodi High Schooloreaux, Mary Huff, Carrie Wiley Halsey, Alice Covert Wyckoff, Betty Voorhees Hazlett, Ben Birge, Earl Shannon.