Question: Village entrances have been marked with “welcome” signs for many decades. This photo was taken in the mid 1970’s. The assorted insignia speak to Baldwinsville’s interest in community involvement. Can you identify the seven organizations represented and do you know which are active yet today?
The “World Pheasant-Dog Capital” title topped village “welcome” signs for some 20 years. Do you know why?
Last week’s answer: The painter seen last week is Dick Giles. A member of the Baldwinsville Optimist Club, Dick and fellow Optimists spent the weekend of April 17 to 19, 1971, painting the interior of the Baldwinsville Public Library. At that time the library was located in a refurbished house at 17 Charlotte St. The house had been painted prior to the library’s taking occupancy in 1956 and 15 years later was in need of freshening.
Bids to do the job came in at $1,200, an amount that was beyond the library’s budget. Baldwinsville’s Optimist Club was committed to taking on a community improvement project annually. The pros and cons of painting the library were weighed. The members concluded that this was something they could handle, and it would certainly benefit the community.
The project developed as most projects do. The task of painting was soon expanded to include scrubbing windows, light fixtures and floors. When viewed in comparison with the newly painted main areas of the facility, bathrooms and the office were added to the list of areas that should be painted as well. The library had to be closed an extra day to accommodate the dedicated work crew and their extended list of tasks.
While the Optimists scrubbed, scraped and painted, community support kept the project well within the library’s budget. The $1,200 job was completed — with the “extras” — at a cash outlay of $34.75.
In addition to the energy and support provided by club members, several companies and organizations provided supplies, equipment and refreshments. They included Swan Paint Company of Syracuse, Pierce Paint Company, Bilyeau Color Center and Empire Dry-Wall Company, the latter two both from Baldwinsville. Additional assistance was provided by B’Villians Tony and Eleanor Christopher, Mrs. Fred Mercer and Ted Durgee. And the essential ladders were loaned by Baldwinsville’s ambulance corps, fire department and Knights of Columbus.
Responding to community needs, the library moved to larger quarters at 43 Oswego St. in 1975. That space was used to capacity, prompting the construction of Baldwinsville’s first “purpose built” library facility almost 20 years later. Located at 33 East Genesee St., the Baldwinsville Public Library opened Oct. 29, 1995, to the applause of 2,500 supporters. Ever increasing numbers of patrons continue to keep this community resource humming and vibrant.
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.
