By Dorothy Heller, Clay Historian
and Zach Peelman, researcher
Question: Do you know where this photo was taken? How did this place get its name?
Last week’s answer: The photo is of the George Blanchard farmstead. The large white house on the left is the original farm house; in the center back is the horse/cow barn; and to the right the tobacco barn with the tobacco shed in the front. There were other outbuildings not included in the photo.
The photo shows George and the following members of his family, from left to right: Harriet Blanchard (George’s daughter, who later married Horace Stevenson); Martha Blanchard (George’s wife); May Blanchard Hamlin (George’s daughter), seated, is holding her daughter, Blanche Hamlin; Lizzie Blanchard (George’s daughter who later married Benjamin Shaver); and George (holding an old reel lawnmower); and on the wagon is Henry Hamlin (husband of May and George’s son-in-law).
Born in the 1870s, George was the son of Alexander and Eliza Blanchard and grew up in Clay. His father was from Vermont, but early records show that he lived in Washington County at one time. His mother was an immigrant from England.
George Blanchard’s family had a large vegetable garden and daughters to tend it; and cows for milk and for making cheese, another women’s talent. Indications are that his major crop was tobacco as many local farmers in the 1890s found it very profitable once the plants were prospering in Clay’s rich soil. There was a cigar factory right in the center of Clay’s “business district” — the J. W. Coughtry and Son Cigar Manufacturers — so George had a close market for his tobacco.
The vent on the roof of the large tobacco barn suggests that he also hung his tobacco leaves from long poles to dry them. The process was very long and required a certain temperature and humidity. Often, farmers would light fires to maintain these conditions and needed a way to vent the smoke. The smaller attached building suggests that there may have been a crew to wrap cigars as a cottage industry for local sales.
A curious question asked by the researcher was why was George holding his old reel lawnmower? Seldom, if ever, do you see anyone using one today, although they are still sold. By the 1890s, they were fairly common and relatively inexpensive. They were not motorized but simply pushed on two wheels over the lawn, which caused the blade to spin around and cut the grass. Had George just bought it and wanted to show it off? Had he just finished mowing his lawn and wanted everyone to see how beautiful it was now? Or was he too tired to bother putting it away? Another mystery!
The Blanchard house is still standing today at 8478 Henry Clay Blvd. The front entrance and covered porch have been removed but one can still see the decorative corbels along the edge of the roof. The general shape of the house is the same. Part of the tobacco barn is still standing. The small building with the windows has been converted into a convenient living space.
The Blanchard name is still well-known around the Clay area. In fact many years ago as a newlywed, I joined Home Bureau and one of the members had married a Blanchard descendant.
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 Star-Review and area historians in Cicero, Clay, Liverpool and North Syracuse.
