Historic Moment: Village Improvement Association
By Jorge Batlle
Skaneateles Village Historian
The Women’s Village Improvement Association was started in August of 1901 by a group of residents that met in the Skaneateles Library. Their purpose was to bring improvement in the appearance of Village streets, bettering its sanitation and the preservation of its natural beauty. At that time the Village had a population of 1,495 according to Census figures. It was originally called the Women’s Village Improvement Association, with Mrs. D.K. Leitch as President, Mrs. L.B. Fitch as Vice President, Miss Elizabeth Clift as Secretary, and Miss Lydia Cobane as Treasurer. Later on it was decided to drop “Women’s” from the title and became known as the V.I.A. of Skaneateles.
Their first project was painting of park benches, and placing trash receptacles in parks and cemetery. A man was employed to keep the parks clean of papers and other litter. Along Genesee Street improvements in the cleanliness of sidewalks began to show largely due to encouraged supervision by the members of V.I.A.
Land owned by the State of New York on the north side of Genesee Street and just west of the outlet was loaned to the Association to be used as a public park. It was named Elm Park. After being cleared it was landscaped with flower beds and shrubbery. In September of 1907 Mr. Phillip Moule presented a bronze sundial which was mounted on a large boulder taken from the shore of Skaneateles Lake. Thereafter the park was called Sundial Park. In 1962 the post office was built on that site and the sundial was taken to a residence on Orchard Road. Now this sundial is part of the American Legion’s recent landscaping project.
Another little park caught the attention of the V.I.A. It was called Hen Park and was on the corner of E. Genesee Street and State Street. At that time the bank building was a much smaller towerless square brick building. There were two small wood buildings just to the east of the bank. One being George Harwood’s harness shop and the other was Henry Harses’ butcher shop. Later it was a general store and telegraph office. In 1908 the V.I.A. purchased the corner lot for $1,115, so that “this prominent corner might be forever protected from the possible erection thereon of an unsuitable or unsightly building.” Additional expenses were incurred for grading of the property. Village residents were encouraged to dump their ashes on the lot to help with the project. Miss Frances Kneeland was in charge of the landscaping. A park bench was provided so the weary would have a place to sit. A drinking fountain was in the plan but never materialized. The V.I.A. turned the park over to the Village. The village tried in 1918 and 1919 to sell the park to the bank. Not until 1928 did the bank decide to purchase the vacated lot to the east and put on a two story addition bordering the park. Finally in 1967 the village transferred the land to the bank and Hen park was gone forever.
The V.I.A. continued interest in parks. In 1915 they began a planning and planting of Clift Park. Done under the supervision of Miss Mary Clift Finch, new paths were laid out, flowers and shrubs were planted employing a general scheme of landscape gardening. The V.I.A. paid the entire cost. After this the Village assumed care of the park. Later a handsome stone drinking fountain was placed in the park, donated by Mary Bartlett Kellogg in memory of her brother Judge Edward Bartlett.
In 1912 the V.I.A. started a program for the extermination of the housefly. As this was still ‘the horse and buggy days’ and automobiles were still quite rare, the Association suggested that the fly attracting manure piles be removed or covered. Dozens of “Improved Fly Traps” were purchased, sold and distributed throughout the Village. Dr. H.B. Wright, the county health officer, said there were good results from this program.
All these projects put a drain of the resources of the V.I.A. To help with the situation, in 1915, Miss Mabel Smith, and Mrs. Henry Beatty spearheaded the publication of a cookbook, “The Skaneateles Cookbook.” Recipes were selected from the choicest dishes prepared by village housewives. The first edition sold out, as did the second run of 500 copies. The third edition of 2,000 copies was printed in 1924.
In 1919, the Association secured the services of Miss Ella Smith, of Academy Street, as a nurse. She was Skaneateles’ first visiting nurse. She had worked the flu epidemic of 1918 when the Packwood House (Sherwood Inn) was converted to a hospital. Her salary was paid by a 75 cent charge to the patient, if they could afford it, and moneys given by the Red Cross, the Village and Town. She used the available transportation services of the railroad and trolley, and walking. This became an unsatisfactory and expensive situation, so the Association wanted to provide her with a car. They held a 3 day bazaar in the summer of 1921on the Webb-Thayer property, which featured a boxing exhibition. They raised $1,500 enough to by Miss Smith her car.
The first lunch room was opened at the Skaneateles High School Jan. 6, 1922. There was only soup, cocoa and milk on the menu . The V.I.A. pushed to improve by starting a new lunch program with a cost of a few cents per item. By the second week the menu increased to cocoa, soup, milk, pork and beans, and rice pudding. The Association paid for the needed equipment. Village merchants donated some of the food items. The program ran smoothly and other items were added to the menu.
The Village Improvement Association was into many other projects including the numbering of houses, providing the life guard for the swimming area, and providing furniture for the library.
April 8, 1959 the Village Improvement Association retained local attorney C. R. Milford to disband. He was paid $450 for his service. The remaining funds of the Association were transferred to the Skaneateles Fire Department. May 24, 1960, the Village Improvement Association became another chapter in Skaneateles history.
