CAZENOVIA — In early May, Cazenovia Public Library will be hosting history presentations exploring the local significance of railroads and aviation.
On May 7 at 6 p.m., photographer Gene Gissin will share the story of Cazenovia’s historic train depot on William Street and discuss the railroad’s impact on Cazenovia industry.
Constructed in 1894, the former depot is a one-and-a-half story, rectangular, gable-roofed, largely clapboard structure.
Gissin has owned the building for over 40 years and used it to house his professional photography and custom framing business. He also uses the space to showcase a collection of historical photographs, antique lanterns, signal signs, maps, and other railroad-related items. On the depot’s front lawn sits a decommissioned caboose that Gissin purchased in Reading, Pennsylvania, and meticulously restored.
“There is a lot of neat history here,” said Gissin. “[For example,] President Theodore Roosevelt stopped at the depot for 10 minutes in 1900 on a whistle stop.”
The depot was built for the Elmira, Cortland & Northern Railroad and was later a stop on the Lehigh Valley Railroad.
The building stands on the site of a larger train station that was constructed for the original rail line, the Canastota & Cazenovia Railroad (C&C RR).
C&C RR began offering regular trips between Cazenovia and Canastota in 1870. Cazenovia’s second railroad, the Syracuse & Chenango Valley Railroad, did not start running until a few years later. It transported thousands of visitors to Cazenovia and helped define the community as a tourist destination.
“In 1868 or so, Cazenovia had a lot of industry,” said Gissin. “You don’t think about it, but there was a sash factory, there was a canning factory, there was a clock factory, there was a foundry. All that stuff was here, and the roads were garbage. At this point, the businesspeople decided, ‘Let’s go to Canastota with the railroad.’ Railroading was relatively new at that point. Why did they go there? Because the New York Central Railroad was there and the Erie Canal. Now, they could take their supplies [on a train] instead of on a [wagon] down a dirt road. That’s why the railroad actually came here. It didn’t come here as a tourist attraction, and it didn’t come here to get from one part of the country to the other; it was to get to Canastota, the hub.”
Periodically facing bankruptcy and reorganization, the railroad changed names multiple times as it developed.
“The railroad was not very profitable,” noted Gissin.
In 1967, the Lehigh Valley Railroad abandoned its Cazenovia depot.
According to Gissin, the death of the railroad was largely a consequence of competition from interstate highways.
He explained that the rise of automobile travel led to the end of passenger train service on most railroads.
“Americans don’t like time schedules; they want to go on their own time,” he said. “The railroad came in and they still drove. [The trains] weren’t getting passenger service. The freight service wasn’t bad, but most of these companies were gone by that point. Ridership was down, funds were down, so they closed. That’s the sad part, but [the railroad] did put Cazenovia on the map.”
Gissin said that before he purchased the former Lehigh Valley Railroad depot, it was owned by Cazenovia Lumber Company and then by the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation, which completed some initial work on the building. Its uses included a youth center and an alternative education center.
During his upcoming presentation, Gissin will provide further insight into the railroad’s impact on Cazenovia, share the story of how he ended up buying the property, and discuss the years of work he has dedicated to restoring and preserving the depot, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
“Airplane Tales”
On May 9 at 6 p.m., James Coulthart will present “Airplane Tales: The Homefront Edition 1941-1945.”
Coulthart is a Central New York military aviation historian who gives talks on local military and commercial aviation to local libraries and historical societies.
He is a lifelong resident of Oneida and a retired professional executive who spent 43 years working for non-profit agencies throughout the Northeast.
In the spring and fall, he is an adjunct instructor of business at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica.
Coulthart, who has been interested in aviation history since he was a child, has curated 11 PowerPoint presentations about World War II aviation histories and commercial regional airlines.
According to Coulthart, his upcoming presentation contains stories he discovered while researching other programs.
“Included are tales of domestic life in a time of rationing food, gasoline, and other materials,” Coulthart said. “Air raid wardens, air raid lookouts, and women in the manufacturing war industries are covered. Likewise, the mobilization of many area manufacturers [is] mentioned. The last portion of the presentation will reveal details of a failed Nazi sabotage plot and clues to the unrecovered money involved.”
Both events will be held in the Betsy Kennedy Community Room and are free and open to the public.
