Question: This one-story commercial structure was built in 1922 to serve a particular function. A victim of arson, it burned to the ground in 1969. Less than one year later its replacement was up and running, where it remains in service yet today. Perhaps you recall the building in the photo. Its very design may be a clue.
Last week’s answer: The man in the drawing last week was examining his ruined crop in 1816. That year has become known as the “Year Without A Summer.” The weather that year was anything but normal. Here’s a rundown of the year:
January was mild — so much so that it was almost unnecessary to have a fire for warmth.
February for the most part was quite mild.
March was cold and blustery for the first half and quite mild for the remainder.
April began warm, and grew colder as the month advanced, and ended with snow and ice, with a temperature more like winter than spring.
In May buds and fruits were frozen; ice formed to half an inch in thickness; corn was killed; and the fields were again and again replanted, until it was deemed too late.
June was the coldest ever known in this latitude. Frost, ice, and snow were common. Almost every green herb was killed; fruit was nearly all destroyed. Snow fell to the depth of 3 inches in Central New York. There were 10 inches in much of New England.
July was accompanied by frost and ice. On the morning after the 4th, ice formed to a thickness of a common windowpane, throughout New England, New York and some parts of Pennsylvania. Indian corn was nearly all killed.
In August ice formed to the depth of half an inch. Indian corn was so frozen, the greater part of it was cut down and dried for fodder. Almost every green thing was destroyed in this country as well as in Europe. Very little corn in the New England and Middle states ripened; farmers supplied themselves from the corn produced in 1815 for seed in the spring of 1817.
Part of September had about two weeks of the mildest weather of the season. But soon after the middle, it became very cold and frosty; ice forming a quarter of an inch in thickness.
October produced more than its usual share of cold weather; frost and ice were common.
November was also cold and blustery with enough snow for sleighing.
December ended the year as mild and comfortable.
The following year, 1817, 200 years ago this year, saw a group of women gather to form the Female Charitable Society of the village of Baldwinsville. They saw a need to help their neighbors that year and today still strive to meet those needs. Watch for more about this worthwhile organization in the coming weeks.
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.
