Question: The photos this week are of two historic markers that were erected by the New York State Education Department to acknowledge the Sesquicentennial of the American Revolution. During the time of the program (1926-1939), over 2,800 small blue cast iron site markers with yellow lettering were placed all over the state of New York. Do you know where these were erected? Something special has been taking place with them in recent months. Do you know what that is?
Last week’s answer: The first trolley came to Baldwinsville on Sept. 25, 1899, and its route started in Syracuse and stopped at the Seneca River at Syracuse and Water streets. The Barge Canal was not built yet, and the bridge over the Seneca River was not considered strong enough to carry the heavy trolley cars. Eventually a new bridge, the fourth bridge to cross the Seneca River, was built in 1900. This allowed the trolley to continue to what is now Albert Palmer Lane and eventually on to Oswego.
Trolley travel was especially popular during the summer months, allowing passengers to travel between Syracuse and Baldwinsville and beyond. At that time people did not have the means to travel the distance to the Adirondacks or the Thousand Islands. They flocked to the many resorts that were around Onondaga Lake. The most popular one was probably Long Branch Park, located at the north end of the lake. When it was built in the 1880s, the residents of Syracuse and Baldwinsville would go to these spots to visit the swimming pools, zoos, and other entertainment. In 1899, Long Branch really came into its own when the two-and-a-half-year-old Syracuse, Lakeside & Baldwinsville Trolley brought a railroad spur from the DL&W and extended its line from Maple Bay north to the entrance where a loop was extended to the park. Due to this, people could reach Long Branch in a few minutes.
Double-decker trolley cars were introduced to Baldwinsville around 1906. These special cars were used during the summer months to transport riders between Syracuse and Baldwinsville with the most popular dropoff being Long Branch Park. Each car had 10 benches on each side for passengers. It was a pleasant experience to ride on the trolley double-decker car on a warm evening and many persons took advantage of it.
Quoted from “Trolley Trivia” by Ruth Connell: “One July Sunday, 11,860 passengers rode the Lakeshore line. When these busy times occurred, trolleys were packed with people, some clinging to the outside of the open cars in order to get a ride to the resorts.”
Due to the danger from winds blowing across Onondaga Lake, these cars eventually were removed.
Trolley transportation, without the double-decker cars, continued until Jan. 24, 1931, when the last car to Baldwinsville came through. The next morning buses started running through the village carrying the passengers to Syracuse. The age of the trolley had passed.
Some information for this History Mystery came from Ruth Connell’s book “Trolley Trivia” and Donald H. Thompson’s book “The Golden Age of Onondaga Lake Resorts.” Both are available at the Baldwinsville Public Library.
Email your guess to [email protected] or leave a message at 315-434-8889 ext. 332 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.
