Question: An essential village business is featured in this turn-of-the-century photo. Can you identify the nature of the business? Do you recognize any of the personnel in the photo?
Last week’s answer: The snowy photo from last week shows West Genesee Street west of the present police station. The house on the left belongs to the village’s first sheriff, DeWitt Toll, and the building to the east was a livery stable. Today the house is no longer there, and the building in the lower right has been replaced by the Village Hall. The livery stable was one of many that were located around the village. Toll located this one near his house and close to the busy Four Corners intersection. Remember that the large Seneca Hotel(s) and the American Hotel were located there. In 1873, this business was bought by N.M. McClenthen and later by George W. Jones and still later by Tim Cronin. Veterinarians Papworth and Stack rented space in the little room attached.
The livery or “hitch” barn was like our present day public garages but offered more services. Animals could be left in charge of the stableman, to be watered, fed and kept warm or cool. Frequently the proprietor also offered a variety of buggies, hacks and turnouts for hire. In addition, there were horses for sale.
A person who lived in the country desiring to make a trip to the city by train or trolley car would drive to one of the stables in the village and for 35 to 50 cents paid for the stall and a forkful of hay. When the man came back, he picked up his rig and returned home.
Country patrons of the Grange Movie House who came for the Saturday afternoon show left their horses in the stables across Oswego Street. Many times these places became filled (like parking lots of today) and customers had to seek other quarters.
Thanks again to Anthony Christopher’s “Sketches of Yesterday” columns for much of the information in the mystery.
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.
