Question: The building pictured here stood very near the buildings that were in recent History Mystery a couple of weeks ago. Do you know where it was located? Obviously it has something to do with autos, but what was significant about it? See if you know what was located in the building at the right.
Last week’s answer: One of last week’s photos was of Oscar Brown, a prominent citizen of Baldwinsville and beyond (1884-1958). He was president of Seneca Federal and a noted attorney serving as the senior partner of law firms in Syracuse, Rochester and Albany. He became assistant district attorney for Onondaga County and was long active in civic and legal affairs, serving as president of Syracuse Automobile Club and the New York State Automobile Association.
The reason the New York State Thruway sign has been paired with him is that he was chairman of the massive celebration for the grand opening of the NYS Thruway on June 24, 1954. It was a huge undertaking.
As president of the NYS Automobile Association and the Auto Club of Syracuse, he hosted a luncheon attended by 1,250 people, including the governor’s party and visiting dignitaries from all over the nation. Virtually every civic, fraternal and business organization in the county joined in formulating the program which lasted from 10:30 to 1:30. There were parades, band serenades, village celebrations as well as a key note address by Gov. Thomas E. Dewey, and a 200-vehicle Cavalcade of Progress.
The celebration, centered at the junction of Thompson Road and the Thruway, took place at the 17-acre site surrounding the Thruway Authority building. There was even a young girl crowned “Little Miss Thruway.” In advance of the festivities 27 different overpasses, either spanning the Thruway or on lead-in roads, were gaily decorated with appropriate town and village and organization signs, as well as colorful bunting and flags. At the end of Central New York’s festivities, the Governor and official party debarked for points west. Other ceremonies were held at Weedsport, Waterloo, Manchester and Rochester.
Contact Editor Sarah Hall at [email protected] or leave a message at 434-8889 ext. 310 with your guess by 5 p.m. Friday (please leave the information in the message; we are not generally able to return calls regarding History Mystery responses). If you are the first person to correctly identify an element in the photo, your name and guess will appear in next week’s Messenger, along with another History Mystery feature. History Mystery is a joint project of the Museum at the Shacksboro Schoolhouse and the Baldwinsville Public Library.
