By Jorge Batlle
Skaneateles Village Historian
Aaron Austin bought 150 acres of land from William Vredenburrg and built a house on the north east corner of Jordan and Austin Streets facing Austin Street. The land passed on to his nephew Ebenezer who lived there for 50 years. He was highly respected and a man of great wealth. His son, Franklin, was the next owner lived in the home since infancy. In 1860, he and his Elbridge wife, Louise Rice, continued to farm the 150 acres until his death in 1917. His only child was Clarence Mason Austin.
Upon his father’s death Clarence returned home from Seattle, Washington where he was a successful business man for over 30 years. He continued to live in the Austin homestead and being a refined and well-read man became active in cultural affairs of the village. He died suddenly Aug. 26, 1927.
In his will, Clarence gave the farm’s land to the village for a park and to the school. The home was given to the village for a community center, “a place where clubs and village organizations could meet.”
Section 7 of Clarence Austin’s will says: “I grant and devise to the Village of Skaneateles all that part of my real estate on Block 4 in the Village of Skaneateles, according to Griffin’s map, bounded and described as follows: Bounded on the west by Jordan Street, on the north by the north line of the Village, on the east by Syracuse Street (State Street) on the south by the center line of the gulch or stream running from said Syracuse Street southwest to Austin Street and from the point where said stream crosses Austin Street, on the south by Austin Street, together with my house and barns thereon, in trust however that said parcel of land shall be held and kept perpetually as a public park for the use and good of the people and the same to be known as “Austin Park” to commemorate the Austin family, a name associated with this section from early days.”
In 1928 there was a proposal to use the land for an airport. The village board was in favor of this but did not want to approve it until the village had full control of the land. This never happened. In 1930, Austin Park was overgrown and infested by mosquitoes.
The village was slow in developing the park according to an item in the June 11, 1943 Skaneateles Press.
“Mr. Adams, (neighbor to the north) deplores the handling of the Austin bequeath to the Village. C.M. Austin left his home and 95 acres and money for a park. A brass plate was supposed to be over the door of the house for a community center,” the article states.
The house had been used during World War II. The Red Cross met there to carry out the work of the war effort. It was the local Civilian Mobilization Center. The Scouts and other organizations also used the house as a meeting center. The barns were used by the village DPW until torn down in the 1960s.
On May 15, 1946 the village placed a public notice stating “The Board of Trustees feels that available funds are insufficient to make the house useful for a park or public purposes and that it would be to best advantage of the park project to sell the house. Anyone wishing to make a cash offer for the house or for the buildings should make such offer in writing and deliver same to the Village Clerk on or before June 10, 1946.’”
The notice ran for four weeks in the newspaper. George Dudman of East Street made the only offer of $3,000 for the house. He is required to remove the building, and fill in the cellar hole.
The Sept. 6, 1946 edition of The Skaneateles Press reported that the Austin house move had passed the halfway mark. Nicholas Brothers of Yonkers, NY was the house mover. It was “the largest project of its kind ever attempted in the Village….with work underway only 10 days, the 160 ton house has already proceeded through the back lots along Austin Street, crossed State Street north of the High School and is now moving across school grounds.”
The Sept. 9, 1946 Press announced that the George Dudman house has arrived at its new location on East Street “but is still up in the air with no place to settle. Resting on blocks at its new site the house must await construction of a new foundation before it can become a permanent fixture.”
In the 1940s there was a baseball field there but in order to play the boys had to mow the grass themselves with a hand push mower. In the 1950s interest in and use of the park grew. The north end of the park bordering on Jordan Street was quite low and water accumulated in the fall. During the winter this froze over providing a place for ice skating.
In early 1950, negotiations between the village and the American Legion for a site for a new Post Office was under way. Sun Dial Park, owned by the American Legion on West Genesee Street (now the site of Talbot’s and the Packwood House hotel at 14 West Genesee St.) was the preferred spot. The American Legion would acquire a portion of Austin Park for $1500, in exchange for Sun Dial Park. The exchange was completed. In 1952, the legion built their headquarters on this land.
In the 1950s the park still had a small baseball field, and the outdoor skating rink. In 1954 a 550 foot circular dirt track was constructed by Wikstrom Construction Co, for the then popular Microds, a small homemade wooden lawn mower engine powered car. Later the track was black topped. Its location was where the present pavilion is today. By 1964, Microd popularity declined and the racing was ended.
In March of 1961 the Skaneateles Jaycees pushed for this land to become a recreational park.
The village board and Mayor Stewart Smith agreed to develop this into a landscaped park with baseball fields, basketball and tennis courts, a picnic area and a storage building. Local contractors Wikstrom and Dougherty did the work. The Sim’s Memorial Building was the project of the Rotary and chamber of commerce. The garden club began planting flowering crabapple trees.
As far back as 1948, Sedgwick Smith, a avid skater and hockey coach, said there was a need for a public skating rink, since the lake could not be depended upon to freeze over in winter. In 1967 the Austin Park Development Committee retained a local architect to draw up plans for a recreational building for the southwest corner of the park. This building was never built.
The first master plan for the park was produced in 1968. It included a three hole golf course and a community center.
The following year it was decided to build an artificial ice rink. With a state matching grant and a sizeable donation from Mr. William Allyn, Skaneateles acquired a $440,000 facility – half the money being raised locally.
This new ice center opened Nov. 8, 1970.
Officially named the Austin Park Community Center, this 200 by 85 foot covered rink, in the summer months, serves as a site for the Fire Department Field Days, dances, concerts, antique shows and other events.
