OACS Alumni :: Photos :: Old Oakfield Photos, Volume 6

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Old Oakfield Photos, Volume 6

29 images in this album

[slideshow]

Gallery: OACS Alumni :: Photos

Album: Untitled

Album: Old Oakfield Photos

A letter written on 9 April 1892, from F.E. Wright, banker in Oakfield, to Mr. Dryer, architect in Rochester. Mr. Wright requests that Mr. Dryer take a look at plans drawn up by the Methodist congregation in Oakfield to build a new church on the corner of Webber Avenue and South Main St. The church was built and dedicated in August of 1893. To make room for the church, the Alfred Cary residence, built in 1852, was relocated to Webber Avenue, after spending 40 years on Main Street across from the Cary Seminary.
Viewed: 76 times.

A Victorian era advertisement for German cologne and toothpaste sold by Ingalsbe and Hoffman, druggists in Oakfield, circa 1890. There has been a long line of pharmacists in Oakfield. J.J. Stedman's drug business was acquired by Dr. Charles Puglsley in 1881. Ingalsbe and Hoffman succeeded Dr. Pugsley as village pharmacist. Hoffman was bought out in 1895 by Birdsall Briggs, who in turn was bought out in 1927 by Glenn Peterson. Today there is still a pharmacy in the village at 40 Main St.
Viewed: 72 times.

A photo of the A.A. Grinnell company, located at the intersection of the West Shore railroad tracks with South Pearl St. The business started out as a distributor of grain, produce, wagons, coal and lumber, but ended up primarily a building supply dealer. The structure was destroyed by fire in 1977.
Viewed: 91 times.

The Messinger family home at 11 Maple Avenue, from a postcard sent in 1908 by Julia Messinger to an address in Detroit. Dr. Milton Messinger succeeded Dr. Pugsley and Dr. Turk as the village physician, and was himself succeeded by Drs. DiAsio and Dr. Warn. He is shown here with his wife Julia and four of his children. Dr. Messinger retired in 1942 after suffering a stroke. He died in 1952, and Dr. Warn and Dr. Diasio were pallbearers at his funeral. In 1944 the Messinger house became the Burdett-Sanford funeral home and remains so today.
Viewed: 116 times.

The West Shore railroad depot on South Pearl St., circa 1910.
Viewed: 101 times.

Warner H. Smith standing in front of 68 North Main St., 30 May 1911. From an unused postcard, with notes on the back. Mr. Smith, one of three blacksmiths of that era (the others were Emmanuel Isaacs and John Zurbrick), had horse shoeing barns at what is now 10 Forest Avenue. He also ran a wagon and farm implement store next door to this house on Main St. In 1910, this residence was owned by the Chamberlin family. It later became the headquarters building of Peterson Drug Stores, and is now a private residence. My guess is that Mr. Smith worked on shoeing the horse shown here, which belonged to the Chamberlins.
Viewed: 106 times.

The A.J. Tanner canning company, circa 1908.
Viewed: 106 times.

The "new" mill of the Niagara Gypsum company, circa 1908. Niagara Gypsum was bought out by US Gypsum in the 1920's.
Viewed: 103 times.

West side of Main Street, from a postcard sent 16 July 1906. Briggs Pharmacy at 61 Main St. has its awning raised, and there is a horse and buggy in front of the Rathbone Hardware store at 47 Main St. Neither building survives today. Sadly, Oakfield has lost many of its notable landmarks, due to economic reasons and fire. Gone now are the log schoolhouse, the Union Free School, the Cary Seminary, the mill pond, the grist and plaster mills, the Arnold House, the Opera House, the Rathbone block (formerly Thompson's IGA and Santo's Auto Parts), A.A. Grinnells Lumber, the Catholic Church on South Pearl Street, most of the Gypsum Plant, the West Shore railroad and overpass on South Main Street, and 61 Main Street.
Viewed: 99 times.

West side of Main St., from a postcard sent in 1908. The building at the right, 61 Main Street, contained the Briggs Pharmacy. Note the two people sitting on the wooden sidewalk out front. In 1926 Glenn Peterson's pharmacy had its start in this building. Peterson bought out Briggs in 1927 and moved across the street to 40 Main Street, the location many of us remember. 61 Main Street is now a vacant lot. The light-colored building to the left of Briggs pharmacy, with current address 57 Main St., was the Harris Chapin Oil Can Factory, patent holders for a leak-proof oil can. At the left of the photo is the Gann Brothers grocery store, later the Rhodes grocery, then the Dan Maher grocery, and today the Village Offices. I wonder if this was the location of the first store in Oakfield, opened in 1833 by Alfred Cary. Anybody?
Viewed: 115 times.

East side of Main St. circa 1908. The large curbing at the left suggests that the Oakfield Opera House may have been under construction at the time. The Opera House was used until at least the 1920s, but is no longer there, perhaps a victim of fire. Anybody? Note the barber pole on the second floor of 54 Main St., near the curbing.
Viewed: 122 times.

East side of Main St. circa 1910. The light colored building to the right of the tree is the Oakfield Opera House. It was built and operated during the early twentieth century. Hidden behind the tree is 60 North Main St., future home of Betters Foods Enterprises and the Scotch Game Call Company. In 1910 the building was owned by Warner H. Smith, who ran a wagon and farm implement store there. Note that the barber pole is no longer on the building next to the opera house.
Viewed: 112 times.

East Main looking north, from a postcard sent 28 March 1912. The buildings are left to right: Oakfield Opera House (light-colored facade), the building that is today the M&T Bank, the building housing C.A. Spears General Store and J. Cooper's bakery (later Peterson's Drug Store), the Arnold House Hotel and Restaurant, and the Odd Fellows Hall, then containing a barber shop and R.A. Searls Grocery store. That is likely the barber standing out front.
Viewed: 107 times.

Main Street in the 1920s, from an unused postcard. A traffic light is in use. It was the prohibition era - where was the speakeasy located? The building to the immediate right, 61 Main Street, has a Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P) store. Since the Briggs Pharmacy is no longer there, the photo must have been taken in 1927 or later, after the Peterson buyout.
Viewed: 114 times.

Main Street circa 1940. From right to left, the tattered awning of Searls grocery located in the Odd Fellows Hall, the Arnold House, Peterson's Drug Store, and the Kendall Gas Station on the corner of Forest and Main. I had not realized there was a mechanic shop behind the Arnold House. The traffic light is the old single bulb type. Photo courtesy of the Oakfield Historical Society's webpage.
Viewed: 123 times.

Main Street circa 1950. From an unused postcard. The traffic light has been upgraded to the red-yellow-green format we use today
Viewed: 127 times.

An invoice from Harris and Chapin, 57 Main St., for oil tanks purchased by Hendrick Manufacturing on 26 December 1895.
Viewed: 100 times.

Porcelain candy dish with a picture of the high school on Webber Avenue, circa 1910. Probably manufactured in Germany and sold by C.A. Spear's General Store on the corner of Forest and Main, later the site of Peterson's Drug Store.
Viewed: 99 times.

A check paid on 19 June 1917 by G.W. Haxton, Oakfield distributor of hay, grain, beans, and potatoes, to a company in Pennsylvania.
Viewed: 95 times.

Matchbook covers from the Polliwog Club, the Royal Restaurant, Kritanik's Deli, and the Arnold House. The Arnold House cover is from 1944, since E. Jennings was proprietor that year alone. The Polliwog Club later became known as Froggy's. Just kidding!! I have no info on the Polliwog Club. Were the Krtaniks related to the Kitaniks (alumni Jeff, Nancy, Heather, Amanda)?
Viewed: 96 times.

Bottle manufactured by the Oakfield Beverage Company. I have no knowledge of the company. Anybody?
Viewed: 100 times.

On the left is Mr. Frank Calzi, and on the right, my dad, Mr. John Cronin. Mr. Calzi was a phys ed instructor and my dad a guidance counselor in 1961, when this photo was taken. They painted houses in the summer to supplement their teacher's salaries. Photo courtesy of the 1962 Oakfield Oracle. The Oracle caption reads "Weak board, or...?" I remember one story my dad told about Mr. Calzi. In 1960, they both attended a campaign speech presented by John F. Kennedy at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, and as they approached the entrance, Mr. Calzi was inverted, walking on his hands. Mr. Calzi, if you are out there, I know you don't mind me sharing this with alumni. Mr. Calzi? Oh well, thanks to the Internet, here is a link to the speech Kennedy made in Buffalo that night.
Viewed: 95 times.

The oldest house in the village of Oakfield, according to current tax records. Photo courtesy of the Genesee County Real Property Tax Department. This residence, located at 12 North Pearl St., was built in 1820. When early settler Daniel Hosselkus moved to Oakfield in 1829, there were only two houses in the village, this one and 5 Main St., built in 1824 and also still standing. Actually, the tax records indicate 52 N Pearl was built in 1828, which would have been three houses in the village at the time. Just to the north of 12 N Pearl St., at the creek were salt springs, Oakfield's earliest industry. Later there was an ashery, where wood was burned to create ashes for fertilizer and lye for soap. Not far behind the house was the mill pond, a large reservoir created to provide water power for the grain and plaster mills of Calvin Nobles. The ashery, pond and mills are no longer there. Early settler Grace Hill lived in this house from 1840 until 1903. When she died, Sarah Hill, her daughter, continued to live here. The Hill family is buried in the Cary Seminary. When I grew up in Oakfield back in the fifties, I never realized the village got its start where N Pearl St. crosses the creek.
Viewed: 124 times.

Site of the first Oakfield schoolhouse. This building, located at 6 South Main Street, is the old Methodist Episcopal Parsonage built in 1879 (now a two family dwelling). Photo courtesy of the Genesee County Real Property Tax Department. In 1840, there was a one story log schoolhouse on the site, the only schoolhouse in town based on the recollections of Mrs Grace Hill, who lived in Oakfield from 1840 until her death in 1903. According to the 1985 History of Genesee County reference, the log schoolhouse was built in 1828 by David Warner at a cost of 36 dollars, and had dimensions 18 x 24 feet. The shorter dimension faced Main St., based on the shape of the footprint from the 1866 map of Cary showing the Free Methodist Church at the location. The log schoolhouse was used for schooling from 1828-1853. It was later used for services by the Free Methodist Church, which had been reorganized from the Methodist Church at 8 Maple Avenue. The log schoolhouse became expendable as a place for instruction, because in 1851 the Union Free School was built behind the Cary Seminary on Drake Street - it may be seen on the 1866 and 1876 maps of the village. Both schools are now gone. As a footnote, the history books state that the first school in Oakfield appeared in 1817, but my guess is that classes were probably held in a dwelling or barn until the growing population warranted spending taxes on a dedicated building in 1828. We welcome comments and corrections from the alumni community, since determining the location of the first school seems to be as puzzling as discovering how Davy Crockett died at the Alamo.
Viewed: 113 times.

1866 map of the village of Cary, from the New Topographical Atlas of Genesee and Wyoming Counties, by S.N. and D.G. Beers, Philadelphia PA. In those days, what we know as Maple Avenue was called Chaple (sic) Street. Also, what we know as Forest Avenue was called Mill Street, not to be confused with the current Mill Street.
Viewed: 116 times.

1866 map of the town of Oakfield, from the New Topographical Atlas of Genesee and Wyoming Counties, by S.N. and D.G. Beers, Philadelphia PA.
Viewed: 106 times.

1876 map of the village of Cary, from the Atlas of Genesee County, by Everts, Ensign & Everts, Philadelphia PA. Unfortunately, I do not have access to a legend corresponding to the numbered properties, which would give us more information about the era. Note the large mill pond in the upper right, source of water power for the grain and plaster mills of Calvin Nobles. Mr. Nobles could access his pond either from Drake St. or from what we now know as Mill St. The pond and mills are gone today.
Viewed: 111 times.

1876 map of the town of Oakfield, from the Atlas of Genesee County, by Everts, Ensign & Everts, Philadelphia PA.
Viewed: 105 times.

1912 map of Oakfield as it appeared in the New Century Atlas published by Everts of Philadelphia. Many streets had not yet been built, including Cary, Bennett, Coe, and Farnsworth Avenues. There is a flag on Webber Avenue denoting the school built in 1893. Etzold Road in those days was called Fertilizer Road, since it led to the Oakfield Fertilizer Company southwest of the village. Today Etzold Road provides access to the private Oakfield Recreation Club (former site of the swimming pond used by the baby boomers of the 1950s and 60s) and deadends at the gate to the Oakfield recycle center.
Viewed: 107 times.

Gallery: OACS Alumni :: Photos

Album: Untitled

Album: Old Oakfield Photos