This week’s question: The photo this week shows a devastating fire that destroyed much of a thriving company that had developed a new form of construction. Do you know the name of the company, its innovative development, and where it was located?
Last week’s answer: Many may recognize the man behind the counter. His name, Albert (Al) Palmer. He ran Palmer’s Diner aka The Hut from 1946 to 1978. The building was a surplus Quonset hut left over from World War II that stood at the corner of Albert Palmer Lane and East Genesee Street.
He was most noted for his pies and his volunteerism. In the ‘50s when he was mayor, he was very dedicated to the betterment of the village. At that time there was a lot of growth which led to multiple issues taxing the village’s municipal departments. Also at that time the Baldwin Canal was nothing but a stagnant mess running through the village. He spent multiple hours addressing these and other issues.
He also is very well known for his volunteerism. He spent many hours helping the many charitable causes in our community. He was frequently seen contributing his generosity to various organizations: the Methodist Church and other churches, the Masons, helping with Meals on Wheels, McHarrie’s Legacy especially McHarrie Day, the Riverview Cemetery Association. He was named an honorary member of both the Female Charitable Society where he kept the equipment in good repair and the WSCS (women’s group) at the Methodist Church. He even headed up several of the vary popular holiday bazaars. At the time when the public library was running on nickels and dimes, he spearheaded its fundraising to help keep it running. He was also named to the first Onondaga County Library Board as the representative from Baldwinsville. He was the first male to have the honor of being named Man of the Year.
Many remember his famous pies. The B’ville Voices marker dedicated to him is titled “121 pies in one day.”
Al Palmer was a volunteer extraordinaire. His favorite saying was, “Do something for someone else, sleep better at night – volunteer! There are a lot of places in town that can use another volunteer. Think about it — give it a try.”
Several people contacted the Messenger with the correct response but the first person to do so was Joyce Chapman.
Email your guess to [email protected] or leave a message at 315-434-8889 ext. 310 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.
