This week’s question: Barges like these pictured in the Lock 24 chamber were a common site in the past. What do you know about their contribution to the economy? Why do we no longer see much of them today?
Last week’s answer: The large home in last week’s mystery photo is located on the west side of the Oswego Street hill at No. 69. The classic Greek temple design home has undergone few exterior changes since it was built in 1847. However, its surroundings have changed dramatically.
In 1847, Baldwinsville was a busy hamlet with a population of some 2,000. The economy was agrarian with small industries in the village powered by the Seneca River. Historian Edith Hall notes that at that time there were seven stores, four taverns, seven lawyers, seven doctors, three clergymen, three meeting houses, two tanneries, one woolen factory, one planing mill, one sash factory, two foundries, two plaster mills, four carriage shops and seven blacksmiths. There was also an assortment of tailors, cabinet makers, carpenters, masons, leather workers and other small tradesmen.
There was no indoor plumbing, running water or organized fire protection. Paved roads, sidewalks and electric lights were yet to come. Oswego Street was the main north/south street. However, most of the residential and commercial activity was centered on the south side of the river and east and west from the Four Corners. Areas north of Elizabeth Street were on the outskirts of the community. The Union Meeting House sat on the northwest corner of the Oswego/Oneida intersection and four imposing residences ran along the north side of Oneida Street.
Born in Utica and educated in Cazenovia, George W. Wilson came to Baldwinsville in 1837. A skilled tinsmith and savvy businessman, he soon developed a partnership with entrepreneur Henry Marvin and joined his tin making shop.
In 1841 Wilson and Marvin built “Union Hall,” Baldwinsville’s first three story brick commercial building. Located at the southeast corner of the Baldwin Canal bridge, the building was almost fully rented before it was even completed. Marvin and Wilson dissolved their partnership in 1844. Wilson struck out on his own and opened a tin manufacturing business in the new building, occupying the choice spot with frontage on both Bridge Street and the Baldwin Canal. His business flourished as stoves and general hardware were added.
Wilson built his upscale home on the hill in 1847. His neighbors were few. Between Elizabeth and Oneida streets, Oswego Street had two formal residences, a number of modest homes belonging to tradesmen, and an assortment of barns and outbuildings.
A few homes followed during the next decade. Following the Civil War, manufacturing blossomed and the hill became a choice residential area. Large fashionable Victorian homes were built by civic and industrial leaders. Several of the earlier smaller homes were either moved or incorporated into the new residences. Huge barns gave way to carriage houses. Mounting blocks and hitching posts lined the street.
The Wilson home retained its integrity. The interior keyhole design window and door frames, mahogany banister and woodwork (now painted) and ruby glass front hall lantern remained. George Sr.’s hardware business continued under his son’s ownership and thrived for a third generation as Schenck’s Hardware.
Built in the days before Baldwinsville was even incorporated as a village, the Wilson house has withstood the test of time. Its owners have gone from tinsmith to the late inventor/electrical engineer. Listed on the National Register in 1984, the home is presently on the market, awaiting the next chapter in its 173-year history.
Email your guess to [email protected] or leave a message at 315-434-8889 ext. 310 with your guess by noon Friday. If you are the first person to correctly identify an element in the photo before the deadline, your name and guess will appear in next week’s newspaper, along with another History Mystery feature. History Mystery is a joint project of the Museum at the Shacksboro Schoolhouse and the Baldwinsville Public Library.
