The Chronicle-Express —Â Consolidation, January 1, 1926, of the Yates County Chronicle (1824) and the Penn Yan Express (1866); the Rushville Chronicle (1905) and the Gorham New Age (1902)
The Yates County History Center’s volunteers have gleaned these entries for your enjoyment from their digitized newspapers. You can access them at the free site www.nyshistoricnewspapers.com. For more information about the YCHC, visitwww.yatespast.org.
Sept. 12, 1872
A Large Peach — Mr. Henry M. Mingay, Foreman of the Chronicle office, has laid on our table the finest peach of the season. Its rich blush, large size and fine flavor, rank it in the royal order of peaches. It was a rich Malacatoon, and measured 8 1/2 by 9 inches in size, and weighed 6 1/2 ounces.
Grape Growers to meet — We are requested to state that there will be a meeting of Grape Growers and others interested in the grape business on Saturday the 14th instant, at two o’clock P.M., in the room of the Keuka Company near the Benham House. The object of the meeting is to consider the best course to pursue to secure quick transit and low rates on the shipment of grapes this season. An associated offer may have a better effect than any individual influence.
Hazard Mill Dismantled — The Hazard Mill near Dundee was built several years ago and, when finished, was found useless because water power could not be brought to it. Of its present fate the Record says: The large building which has graced our valley, about a mile below the village, for thirty years, known as “the Hazard Mill,” is in process of being taken down, and is to be used in the construction of a barn and other out buildings on the farm. The establishment cost a pile of money, was built when labor and timber was cheap, was fitted up in good rig for doing flouring and custom work, and never earned its projector, builder, and owner a dollar. It was one of the most striking effects of “penny wise and pound foolish” projects we ever knew. The noble pile has stood in solitary grandeur and lonely idleness for over a quarter of a century as a memento of the folly of a man who was rich, who had a natural mechanical genius, generally a clear head, and an indomitable will, and was a lover of money to an intolerable degree, and actually lost the use of several thousand dollars for years in this enterprise to avoid the paying of one dollar to a Civil Engineer.
Sept. 13, 1922
Headless Skeleton Found in Forgotten Grave — Last week while excavating for the new highway running from Legg’s Corners north in the town of Torrey, the skeleton of a man was dug up at the roadside. The body evidently had been encased in a wooden box as some of the wood had become rotted and was found at a depth of about two feet below the surface. The oldest residents do not recall of any tragedy occurring in that vicinity. The body was found in front of the house on the property long known as the “Reed farm.” There is no burying ground nearer than 40 rods and this cemetery was located on a cross road and was known as the “Carpenter Cemetery” long since unused. The skeleton, without the skull, is in the possession of Grant Travis, who was assisting with the work. It seems to be nearly whole excepting the skull and is evidently of a large man. Jens Jensen owns the Reed farm now. Mrs. F.H. Cole, of Clinton Street, says her father owned this farm as long as 65 years ago and she does not recall of anything ever being said about a body being buried in that vicinity.
Peach Train — The Dresden correspondent says a train of 95 cars, all loaded with peaches, passed through that village going south.
Steamboat’s Return — The Lake Keuka Marketing Co. recently cleaned out the channel so that the steamer Penn Yan arrives at the steamboat dock in Penn Yan instead of at the wine cellar dock. The attempt to revive the passenger traffic on the lake has not proven much of a success. The steamer company has sent an open message to the grape growers stating they will not only truck the grapes but will arrange for a marketing direct from grower to jobber.
Sept. 11, 1947
Plane Crashes in Potter orchard — Three men from Fitchburg, Mass. were injured, one critically, at 2:45 p.m. Sunday when the four-passenger amphibian plane, NC87461, in which they were flying from Fitchburg to Toledo, Ohio, crashed in the pear orchard on the Harry Chesebro farm in Potter, two miles southeast of Rushville, and was demolished. Nearby residents, Harold Marshall, Irwin Bailey, and Frank Hamilton, who heard the crash and were first at the scene, found two of the men conscious, on the ground a few feet from the wrecked plane, and the third man unconscious under the plane the three were removed to Thompson Memorial hospital by the Hobart Ambulance and private cars. Trooper B.C. Keeley of the Canandaigua State Police substation quoted the pilot as saying that he was flying at 1,200 to 1,300 elevation when the craft struck a vertical draft, went out of control, and nosed down onto the farm.
Dundee Fair Predicts Success — “Looks like we’re going to have the biggest fair since way before the war,” declared L.R. Hanmer, executive secretary of the Dundee Fair association, as he sat on a stool at one of the food tents for a quick cup of coffee Tuesday morning. He said there will be at least 40 horses taking part in the six races scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday afternoon. Grapes have colored up sufficiently during the last few warm days to make a pretty display in several exhibits and the peach crop in Yates is right at its peak now, with some very luscious specimens competing for blue ribbons in the Dundee exhibits. Attracting considerable attention from vineyardists and raspberry growers is the new spray rig invented by E.A. Beers of Lakemont and being demonstrated at the fair by Frank Sistek. Built to operate by a power take-off from a tractor, the sprayer is adjustable to height of vines and width of rows. It will spray two rows at a time and three sides of a berry bush in one time over. It will fill a long-felt need of berry growers who need spray low to the ground and who have never been quite satisfied with any commercial rig with has been on the market or with any airplane job.
Penn Yan Schools Enrollment at All-Time High — Enrollment of 1,382 pupils in Penn Yan Schools is an all-time high, exceeding last year’s record of 1,333 by 49. Registration figures are: Academy 351; Junior High School 411; Liberty Street School, 476; Hutton Street School; 59; Chestnut Street School, 85.
Sept. 14, 1972
Wood Earns Wings — Second Lt. Leslie E. Wood, son of Mr. & Mrs. C. Leonard Wood, of Penn Yan, has been awarded his silver wings at Reese AFB, Tex., upon graduation with honors from U.S. Air Force pilot training. Following specialized aircrew training at Homestead AFB, Fla., he will be assigned to Tan Son Nhut AB, Vietnam. He will fly the OV-10 Bronco with the Air Force, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month.
PYA Varsity Football — The 1972 Penn Yan Academy varsity football team was featured in a two-page spread. Players pictured were: Bob Farenelli, Harold Johnson, Dave Garvey, Ben Armstrong, Bob Champlain, Paul Marble, Dan Jorgensen, Kim Johnson, Phil Peilow, Squire Osborne, Keith Fullagar, Tim Supple, Ed Murdoch, Bob Stuart, John Marshall, Steve Castner, Joe Abraham, Phil Chapman, Steve Trombley, Gerber Christensen, David Giles, Mike Christensen, Steve Staples, Tom Orr, Dan Emerson, Paul Horrigan, Jeff Spencer, Paul Clingerman, Marty MacKerchar, Farrell Jensen, Steve McMichael, and Art Maeske.
Keuka Lake Levels Approach Normal — On Sept. 5, the level of Keuka Lake water was 714.0, a drop of 69 inches in 74 days from the flood crest of 719.72 on June 24. The gates at the dam continue wide open so with minimal rainfall the drop has averaged .05 per day since mid-August. The level is now down almost to target normal level for Labor Day, according to John T. Andrews, Keuka Lake Association water level chairman. The level will be lowered still further and more quickly than usual to prepare for flood damage repair renovation work at the dam later this fall.
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