Question: Once a landmark of great village pride, this building has been gone for many years. Do you know its story?
Last week’s answer: The rather bleak landscape seen in last week’s photo was Walnut Street as it appeared in 1887. The photographer was standing on West Genesee Street facing north toward West Oneida Street. The streetlight at the right holds an oil lamp to illuminate the intersection. The plank sidewalk is ramped so pedestrians did not have to traverse the drainage ditch, an unpleasant experience in the days before underground sewers.
Earliest development on the village’s north side centered on the Four Corners and the area to the east. The railroad came through in 1848; its depot was at the eastern end of the village. Transportation and access to water power drove the development of industry east of the Four Corners. Housing for both owners and workers developed within easy walking distance.
The 1885 Baldwinsville Village Directory describes a booming industrial and business community. Tobacco production was high and profitable, mills flourished and retail and service businesses rounded out the profile. Churches, schools, fraternal and civic organizations were integral parts of the culture.
As Baldwinsville grew, the need for increased housing stock grew also. In 1874 the only structure on Walnut Street was on the northwest corner and was very likely a barn. Ten years later the dirt pathway linking West Oneida and West Genesee streets started to come to life. Foundations were dug, frames were erected and houses and barns appeared.
Edward and John Kane had purchased several lots on the undeveloped street. Contractor Stephen Lonergan built a number of the homes, including one for Edward Kane himself at No. 16. Kane’s was one of the first. Located at the upper end of the street and built by Lonergan at a cost of $600; in 1890 it was among the first homes in the village to subscribe to municipal water. Kane and his wife Catherine lived in the home for the rest of their lives.
The Kanes witnessed Walnut Street’s development from a dirt pathway to an established residential neighborhood. Maple trees lined the street. Plank sidewalks were replaced by stone and cement. A series of road improvements eventually led to pavement. The clip-clop of horses gave way to the sounds and smells of gasoline powered engines. Barns were moved to the back of lots; many were simply replaced by garages. Unpleasant drainage ditches disappeared as water and sewer systems were installed. Glass encased oil lamps mounted on wooden poles were replaced by electric street lighting.
More than 75 years after their passing, Baldwinsville continues to grow and develop in ways unimaginable to Catherine and Edward Kane and their fellow “Walnut Street pioneers.”
Don and Claudia Swan recognized last week’s photo: “The picture is of Walnut street facing north from Genesee,” Don wrote in an email. “Me, my wife and three girls lived there from 1985 to 2001 in a house that was built in 1888, so it would not be in this picture.”
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 before the deadline, 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.
