The Flower City: 1850

.
~ ROCHESTER'S HISTORY ~
AN ILLUSTRATED TIMELINE

THE FLOWER CITY: 1850 - 1899

1850

1860

1870

1880

1890

Westward expansion has moved the focus of farming to the Great Plains. Rochester's importance as the center for flour milling has declined. Several seed companies in Rochester have grown to become the largest in the world. Rochester's nickname is changed from the Flour City to the Flower City.

1850

Population 36,003
Population is very transient, most of those counted in previous census have moved, and been replaced by new arrivals.
University of Rochester opens in the U. S. Hotel on Buffalo St. Two four year courses are offered.
Lewis Henry Morgan, the father of American anthropology, moves to Rochester. He built a library behind his home on South Fitzhugh Street. He stayed in Rochester until his death in 1881.
Ellwanger and Barry Nursery, the largest in the world, expands to 500 acres.

James Vick, Joseph Harris, and Ellwanger & Barry and others, have over 3,000 acres planted as nurseries surrounding the city.
A dozen shops employ 1000 in the manufacturing of clothing, shoes, and metal working.
Elms planted along East Ave.
G. H. Woodruff, a Rochester native, is in California, seeking his fortune in the gold rush of 1849. He is amazed by the Giant Sequoia trees, and gathers a handful of seeds. He packs them in a snuff box, and for $25 he sends them by Pony Express to the Ellwanger & Barry Nurseries. The 4000 seedlings thrive, and most are sold to the great estates of England. The remainder were sold from the nursery's mail order catalog at $2 each. In 1865 Mr. Woodruff was paid $1,030 as his half of the profits. Seven trees remained at the Mt. Hope Nurseries, until they were killed in the winter of 1917. The trees were 52 feet tall and averaged 52 inches in circumference when they were cut down in 1925.
Hamlet Scrantom dies at 88
'Home for the Friendless' opens. Offers an alternative to jail for prostitutes.

1851

Hiram Sibley starts "The New York & Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company".
Jenny Lind sings at the Corinthian Hall. Demand to see her was so great that tickets to her second performance had to be auctioned. The $2,500 over normal ticket receipts that the auction generated was donated to local charities. She also gave a private performance for four Indian Chiefs at the Eagle Hotel.

Daniel Webster gives a speech on the 'Constitution and Preservation of the Union'
Phineas Cook uses a cable and windlass to operate the first ferry across the mouth of the Genesee.
Enos Stone dies
City acquires the Buffalo Street Cemetery. The bodies are moved to Mount Hope Cemetery and the land is used for a new hospital.

1852

Ralph Waldo Emerson speaks at Corinthian Hall.
Cholera epidemic kills 420.
Union splits from Clarkson.
Park Avenue laid out. It is named for Union Park, a private harness racing track that had operated there prior to the Civil War. James Vick purchased the property in 1866 for his seed farm, but eventually he broke it into small parcels and sold it for housing. Vick Park A and B were the north-south legs of the track, and the curved section of Park Avenue that connects them (originally Crescent Street)is the southern end of the old race track.
Mr. E. L. Thomas of 159 Alexander St. opens his large ice-house. At this time ice was considered a luxury, and Mr. Thomas was told that his business would surely fail. Crowds came to watch his 'ice plow' harvest one to two tons of ice a day. Within 30 years the 230,000 tons of ice used in the city annually was about equally divided between the breweries and the rest of the population of the city.
The light tower at the end of the west pier is rebuilt, and a walkway is constructed above the pier so that the lighthouse keeper can service the light 'even in the severest gales'.
Jesse Hatch invents a machine for sewing the uppers to the soles of shoes.
The wooden railroad bridge at Portageville is built. Crossing 220 feet abovethe genesee River ,just upstream of the Upper Letchworth Gorge Falls it is the largest all wood bridge built at the time. The wood from 300 acres of trees was required for it's timber.
House at the corner of Ridge Road and Culver Road is re-modeled by it's new owners and is called Swayne's Tavern. The intersection was soon called Swayne's Corners. Mr. Swayne had been the owned the Stage Coach Inn and Toll Gate on Winton Road. He later taught school from his home when he moved to the corner of Ridge Road and Ridgewood Drive. He also served several terms as Supervisor if Irondequoit, Town Clerk and Justice of the Peace before his death in 1864. He is buried in Hooker Cemetery.

1853

New York Central & Hudson Railroad forms, consolidating the states small rail lines. The RR builds their depot on site of the Auburn Railroad train shed. It occupies this location until 1882.
Charlotte Branch of the New York Central extends to the Lake.
Bausch & Lomb Company opens at Reynolds Arcade.
Democrat reports swimming at Charlotte beach, first local mention of this sport.
A Fresnel lens replaced the ten Argan whale oil lamps in the lighthouse. The old wooden stairs are replaced by cast iron steps, and a new larger house is built with a slate roof and two chimneys. The bricked up windows on the front facade were an architectural device for visual balance.

1854

Azariah Boody donates 8 acres of pasture on Prince St. (named for his horse) for the University of Rochester campus.
Horace Greeley speaks at Corinthian Hall.
Blossom Hotel fire
5,000 people enjoy the beach on a single day. The steamer Highlander takes four trips onto the lake with up to 700 passengers.

1855

Population 45,000
Josiah Bissell nails signs to trees renaming old Main Street from the Liberty Pole to Pittsford, East Avenue. The name change becomes official when Main Street is extended from the Liberty Pole to Goodman Street. In the late 1880's Main Street reaches Culver Road, and twenty five more years pass before it is extended again to it's present end at Winton Road.
Alexander Jackson Davis designs Ellwanger & Barry Nursery Co. office at Mt Hope Ave.
Vick Nurseries opens on East Ave.
Susan B. Anthony speaks at women's rights convention.
Record year for shipping through Port of Charlotte, $1,500,000, mostly grain heading for the mills in Rochester.
Grain elevator built north end of today's Stutson St. Bridge. 87 x 63 x 94 feet tall. It had machinery that could raise 3,000 bushels an hour at a cost of one cent per bushel. It collapsed after one month, spilling 62,347 bushels of grain.

1856

The fourth bridge built at the Lower Falls was a suspension bridge, 755 feet long, 19 feet wide and 208 feet above the river, was located just north of the original Carthage Bridge. The design was by Kaufman and Bissell and was built by J. & J.C Holyland. The cast iron towers suypporting the cables were hollow pyramids sixteen feet square at the top, and 105 feet tall. The bsae of the towers were imbedded in masonry. Built at a cost of $17,000, it was finished in January but not opened until July. It closed in August so that additional stays could be attached to stop its sideways motion, and was reopened the following month. The city worried about the bridge, and passed an ordnance forbidding speeds faster than a walk, this included fire engines. It fell at 3AM on the night of April 21, 1857, from the weight of a foot of snow. The bridge was designed to carry a load of 1000 tons, and estimates of the snow load varied from 50 to 150 tons. Failure of the bridge was attributed to poor construction, and the use of cast iron columns.
Four years required to replace existing wooden bridges over the canal with Whipple arch bridges with cast iron top chord.
Genesee Valley Canal reaches Olean. Pennsylvania does not want the expense required to continue proposed water route to Ohio, and the railroads were already hauling the freight, so the canal system was never finished.
Hiram Sibley's telegraph company merges with several other telegraph companies to become "Western Union Telegraph Company". This network is the driving force in a coast to coast telegraph line. It was not until 130 years later that Western Union was permitted to offer it's service worldwide.
Rochester's first Police Chief is hired at $900 per year.
Ellwanger and Berry Nursery open a realty company, and lay out Linden St. and Cypress St. and build homes for their employees.

1857

Feb. 8th flood washes away the Main Street Bridge, and all of the structures built on it's north side. The stone piers were built without mortar, and were also carried away.

Forth Main Street Bridge built. This stone bridge still stands today.

Carthage suspension bridge falls due to heavy snow after 9 months. March 19
St. Mary's Hospital opens in two small stables on Genesee St. near Main. During the Civil War the hospital used its 500 bed capacity to treat many wounded and sick soldiers.
'Live Oaks' and 'Flour City' are Rochester's first baseball clubs. They play at Franklin and Jones Squares.
Rochester Savings Bank opens on Main St.
Susan B. Anthony and William Lloyd Garrison speak at abolition meeting in Corinthian Hall.
Runaway freight train crashes into NYC station.
An iron bridge replaces the original Andrews Street Bridge. During construction pedestrians cross on the wooden planks used by the bridge builders, until Nathan Newhafer fell into the river and was carried over the falls. Searchers looking for his body found that of Charles Littles, murdered the same day that Newhafer fell.
First telegraph line from Rochester to Charlotte located at New York Central's ticket office

1858

Coaches, sleeping cars and dining cars introduced on railroads.
A fire during the celebration for laying of Atlantic cable burns down the Minerva Block, and destroys 20 stores. Rochester establishes a professional fire department due to the inefficiency of the volunteer fire departments.
Original Court Street Bridge replaced by a bow-string truss bridge on stone piers.
William H. Seward speaks at Corinthian Hall.
2 vehicles added to Omnibus line with four trips per day to Pittsford, and five per day to Bullshead.

1859

James Vick has an idea to expand his nursery business, and sells his garden seeds by mail.
DeLeve crosses Upper Falls on a tightrope.
Public Market at Main and Front Streets is sold due to declining use.
Gas street lamps introduced. City pays Rochester Gas Co. $20 per year for each lamp, and 25 cents per month for lighting.
Liberty Pole's foundation damaged in severe March gale, Authorities cut down the 118 foot pole to prevent an accident.
A Gothic Revival entrance building replaces the original Egyptian style wooden structure at Mt. Hope Cemetery.

1860

Population 48,204
Frederick Douglass gives anti-slavery speeches at Washington Park.
Telegraph companies consolidate with Western Union.
Eight slaves passed through Rochester on Underground Railroad.
Livingston Park Seminary becomes a private school for girls.
Rochester Club organized. The city's first social club holds it's meetings at East Ave. and Swan St.
Second Liberty Pole erected. 102 feet tall, it was topped by a large wooden ball and a weather vane. During the Civil War a 30 x 17 1/2 foot American flag, and a 75 foot streamer were flown to show the city's patriotic support.
Jones Square becomes the city's largest early park at 6.7 acres. Large scale games were played here.
Rochester stores adopt the 'English plan', and for the benifit of their customers who work days, stay open until 7 PM.

1861

Population of Rochester is larger than Chicago, Detroit, or Clevland.
Feb. 18, President-elect Lincoln speaks to a large crowd from the rear platform of his railcar at the New York Central Railroad Station.
Police force expands to 35, and are required to provide their own uniforms.
13th Regiment New York State Volunteers, the 'Rochester Regiment' commanded by Col. Isaac Quimby fight at the first battle of the Civil War, Bull Run. 12 are killed, 26 wounded, and 27 taken prisoner.
University of Rochester moves to Prince St.
First steam powered fire engines.
Town of Union changes it's name to Hamlin. Except for the city absorbing small portions of surrounding towns as it grows, this is the final change within the county of names and boundaries.

1862

September 17, 200 men from Rochester and Monroe County, members of the 108th Regiment, are killed at the Battle of Antietam.
Lewis Smith discovers a comet from the roof of Duffy's cider mill.
Rochester Free Academy incorporated. First free High School.
Paid fire department organized.
Clarissa St. Bridge opens.This is an iron bridge, replacing an earlier wooden truss bridge built on stone piers
Rochester's Catholics start recruiting for an Irish Brigade, but their 300 were consolidated with the 105th New York Regiment. Rochester also manned the 54th Regiment, the 108th and 140th Volunteers. In less than 15 months after the start of the war 40 coumpanies had formed from the city and surrounding towns.

1863

Colonel Patrick Henry O'Rorke is commanding officer of the 140th NY Infantry, all Monroe County men. On the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg he ignores the chain of command, and moves his troops to Little Round Top. Arriving at the hill he is shot in the neck and dies instantly, but the 140th has arrived just in time to hold the rapidly failing Union flank. Had O'Rorke not ignored protocol, the rebels would surely have turned the Union flank, and the Civil War would have ended that day, with the destruction of Mead's army. The United Stated Military War Collage has rated that day's action on Little Round Top as the single most significant small unit action of the entire war.
The 17 city school libraries are consolidated to form the Central Library on Fitzhugh St.
First horse drawn streetcars run from State Street to McCracken Street (Driving Park Avenue) The line had a turntable at McCracken Street and the single track provided two-way traffic by the use of 'switches' at irregular intervals along the line. Service is added from downtown to Mt. Hope Cemetery.
The Peerless Tobacco Works owned by William S. Kimball opens. The factory occupied the site of the War Memorial. The statue of Mercury on the factory chimney would be a distinctive feature of the city skyline for 75 years.
In winter East Avenue was closed from Alexander St. to Culver Rd. and plowed for two lanes of straight-away racing.
After several owners the Eagle Hotel is sold to Daniel W. Powers, who begins to convert the property into a business block.
The Gothic Chapel is built at Mt. Hope Cemetery.

1864

Rochester City Hospital opens. Located on the site of the old 'Western Cemetery'. City Hospital also cared for Civil War wounded, with a capacity of 175 beds.
Seth Green starts first fish hatchery in Caledonia.
Free mail established. There is one mail carrier for each side of the river.

1865

Accumulation of ice in Avon, and a sudden March thaw cause the worst flood in the city's history, 90% of the streets in 1^st ward are underwater. Water is 6' deep at Four Corners. 54,000 cubic feet of water flow into the city every second. Two streetcars are abandoned on the Main St. Bridge; both float downstream, one goes over the falls along with several horses. A New York Central Railroad Bridge collapses and is also swept over the falls. Business fear future floods, and move to higher ground. Total damage in western New York exceeds $1million. There were great floods in the Genesee valley in the years 1785, 1817, 1818, 1835, 1841, and 1865.
By end of Civil War, Hiram Sibley had 3rd largest income in nation.
Lincoln's funeral train passes through the city, April 27, at 3:20 AM
Construction begins on Powers Block. Fearing fire, the structure is primarily cast iron and glass (the rounded corner section is stone) The building had Rochester's first marble floor, passenger elevator, and eventualy electric lighting (when it was available)
Police force is organized, patrolmen are issued uniforms.
General Custer and General Grant speak at Congress Hall.
Rochester & Brighton Railway offers horse car line on Monroe Avenue to the city limits at Goodman Street. The line was extended to the canal in 1889.
Dr. Mott Moore and family erect a large tent just west of the river on the beach. They replace the tent with a cottage, and spend several summers here. In less than ten years there are 15 more families that have lake shore cottages.
78.57 acres added, along with several earlier small purchases, bring the final size of Mount Hope Cemetery to 196 acres, with 14 1/2 miles of roads. Being surrounded by residential areas and Strong Memorial Hospital, the cemetery can no longer expand.
George Stillson is Superintendent of the Cemetery from 1865-1881. A civil engineer, he devises a plan to tunnel 500 feet through the Indian Trail esker to drain water from a large swamp near the new chapel. This opened up a large area to productive use.

1866

Queen Emma of the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) visits city.
Isaac Forest demolishes the old Swayne's Tavern and builds the Forest House. This was a very popular hotel. Outside of the city, it was the most popular place in the county. The three story structure had a huge basement, a high central observation tower projecting from the center of the slate mansard roof. The house had 30 bedrooms, and three bathrooms. The dining room could seat 200 guests. Furnishing were the best available. The aclaimed artwork in the hotel was done by William Held, who lived on an island inIrondequoit Bay. Done in King Edward style, the halls and Dining room had floor to ceiling beveled glass mirrors. The second floor had a ballroom had a thirty foot ceiling, and was large enough for 120 couples to dance. Political rallies were also held in the ballroom with as many as 800 people attending. The building also helt the Court House, and for seven years was the Post Office.

The building went through many owners before it was destroyed by fire in 1904. A second Forest House was built in 1907. In 1961 this structure was demolished, and replaced by a gas station.

1867

Parks open to public on Sunday.

1868

Charles Dickens visits city.
Rev. Bernard McQuaid appointed first Bishop of new Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester.
First Presbyterian Church has new church at Spring and Plymouth St. Designed by A. J. Warner.
Eagle Hotel is demolished as construction on the Powers Building moves toward Main Street.

1869

Street car turntable built at Four Corners.
St. Patrick's Cathedral completed.
Fire destroys church at site of City Hall.
Blast furnace built at Charlotte to manufacture pig iron. The 16 acre facility had 1200 feet of river frontage, and boasted a stack 22 feet in diameter, 94 feet tall. In one hour the process used 100 tons of limestone and ore, and 25 tons of coal to produce 40 tons of pig iron.
City Council passes resolution that street lights are to be lighted every night, and all night. Total cost $28,000 for 551 oil lamps, 805 gas lamps.
Charlotte incorporated as a village

1870

Population 62,386
State Arsenal built facing the south end of Washington Square.
The 'Democrat' and the 'Chronicle' combine to form the 'Democrat and Chronicle'.
George Selden applies for a patent on his gas compression engine he invented for his Selden Automobile.
The area's most elaborate Victorian home, the DeLand Mansion is built in Fairport. The DeLand family made it's money in baking powder, also founded the city of DeLand, Florida.
Local farmer begin using the open area surrounding the Liberty Pole as a market. This tradition continues for thirty years.
Glen House Restaurant built by Ellwanger, Barry, Woodworth, and Whitney just north of the Lower Falls, at the bottom of the gorge. You could reach the popular resort hotel by taking a steamboat up the river, or by taking the horsecar, and then descending by stairs.
Powers Building completed.

1871

April 28, Canal breaks at Oxbow in Fairport.
Nazareth Convent and Academy opens in the former home of Major John Williams, corner of Jay and Frank St.
The Lake Avenue horsecar line expands. A second track is laid and ten new cars are added.
Ellwanger, Barry, Woodworth, and Whitney purchase land at McCracken Street and Lake Avenue for public use. The site, called Maplewood, Maple Grove, and Maplewood Park, had been used by Indians as a ceremonial grounds. The northern section of the park was called Seneca Park West until 1904, when the name for the entire site was changed to Maplewood Park.
After 33 years the small Catholic cemetery for the city, St. Patrick's Cemetery, on Pinnacle Hill's western slope, was nearly full, and had no room to expand. Bishop McQuaid purchased 109 acres for a new cemetery at $200 per acre. He urged that all Catholics move family members to the new Holy Sepulchre Cemetery location on Charlotte Ave (Lake Avenue). Even though this was beyond street railway lines this was done, and the site on Pinnacle Hill was abandoned.

1872

Susan B. Anthony and 13 other women arrested for voting in National Election.
William Reynolds dies
Mehitabel Hincher dies at age 100. On her 100th birthday, she had been asked by a reporter what changes she had seen in Rochester since she and her parents had moved to the mouth of the river in 1792. "Why bless you! There was no Rochester then! There were woods and swamps, bears, deer, rattlesnakes and Indians, but no Rochester!
Improvements made to cemetery, roads built, trees and shrubbery planted, a central water system installed, chapel and are vaults built. Bishop has priests and sisters removed from Pinnacle Hill Cemetery and other scattered parish cemeteries and all re-intered at the new Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. The cemeteries empited include: St. Joseph's Cemetery on Lyell Avenue, SS Peter & Paul Cemetery on Maple Street, Holy Family Cemetery, and St. Boniface Cemetery on Pinnacle Avenue (South Clinton Avenue).
Monroe and Alexander Cemetery moved so that a school could be built in the site. Bodies moved to a mass grave at Mt. Hope Cemetery.
Land developer Joseph Tone builds 'Tone's Summer Village of Homes', becomes known as Summerville.
Bay View Hotel opens, just north of Glen Haven.

1873

William Gleason designs a bevel gear planer, the first practical machine to mass produce gears. The bevel gear allows power to be transmitted around corners.
Powers Building Tower opens.
The Vincent Place Bridge, a continuous riveted truss, is erected.
Spencer House built to help house the large crowds wanting to stay at the lakefront during the summer months.

1874

Steam powered Holley waterworks system built for downtown fire protection.
Bausch and Lomb factory opens on St. Paul Street.
Barret and Son, Boat Builders operates at Lock 66 (just west of the Monroe Avenue Bridge) until 1890.
Mary Jemison reburied at Letchworth.
Rochester's Driving Park opens. The country's largest trotting track was 68 acres, and could seat 10,000. Located between Driving Park Avenue, Dewey Avenue, Birr Street and railroad tracks.The first race at the track was held on August 11, a day before the offical opening. The one mile race, viewed by 15,000 spectators, was won by Goldsmith's Maid setting a new world's record of 2:11 3/4. On the offical opening day 20,000 Rochesterians arrived by the Lake Avenue horsecar line, excursion trains, and the Erie Canal. For many years the track was on the Grand Circut for harness racing. Facilities at the site included a mile track for racing, stables; dairy, poultry, and cattle buildings. A hall to diplay manufactured goods, a power plant and offices. There were three grandstands. There was also a bandstand and seperate stands for judges, and reporters. The grounds were surrounded with a picket fence with six carriage and seven pedestrian entrances, each with a ticket office. Boyd's Hotel was located on the grounds near the main entrance with it's ornamental towers. The hotel had a barroom and dining room, with a second floor that featured seperate parlors for ladies and gentlemen, and nine appartments for guests. The building had all the modern conviences, including hot and cold running water. The facility was used for several State Fairs, the Barnum & Bailey Circus, and Wild Bill's Wild West Show. Track meets, bicycle races and a re-enactment of a Civil War battle shared the grounds with the horses.
Cottage Hotel built.
Promoters buy the Wilder Farm, and divide it into 74 lake front lots. Cottages extend for a mile east and west of the river.
Gate and gate house designed by A. J. Warner, replaced earlier gate at Mt. Hope.

1875

New City Hall opens.
Daniel Powers opens an Art Gallery on the fifth floor of the Powers Building
Swing bridges built over the canal at Exchange Street and West Ave. (West Main Street)
Lake Ontario Shore Railroad builds swing bridge over river at Charlotte. One man with a pole could move the bridge.
The 'Yosemite' replaces original ferry at mouth of the Genesee River. Operated by G. B. Manning.
Extensive dredging allows large coal barges to use port.
Ornamental fountain added to circular drive at Mt. Hope.

1876

School for the Deaf opens on St. Paul St.
Rome, Watertown, and Odgensburgh Railroad built. (Hojack Line)
Hemlock Lake is new supply for city water.
German-American's hold first fireworks display honoring nations centennial.
Railroad track extended to form a loop around the Hotel Ontario.

1877

Run on the assets of Rochester Savings Bank stopped when they display $1,000,000 in cash. The original two story structure is enlarged by the addition of three more floors.
Longest telephone line in the world is run 28 miles from Rochester to Hemlock Lake.
Hiram Sibley donates Sibley Hall to the University of Rochester.
Ferry in operation on Genesee River at site of the Stutson St. Bridge.

1878

Genesee Valley Canal closes.
Elevator takes passengers down gorge to Glen House Restaurant. The elevator is closed the next year when a car load of school children drop 50 feet down the 100 foot shaft. The kids are shaken up.
Firemen's Monument dedicated at Mt. Hope Cemetery.
Genesee Brewery opens. its' first product is called 'Liebotschaner'.
Andrew Vanderbeck, a farmer, dies. His distinctive Second Empire home still stands on Lake Avenue.

1879

Fire at the Steam Gage & Lantern Works at top of the upper falls kills 39. Smoke and fire on the third floor prevent escape. Several people jump to their deaths to avoid burning.
Rochester & Lake Ontario RR (The Dummy Line) starts operation. Station and roundhouse for steam engines are located at Portland Ave. and Bay St. The rail line runs to the lake, where the R & LO RR purchase land and build Sea Breeze Park to encourage ridership on their trains.
Bell Telephone installs exchange in Rochester. The first Rochester phone book lists 400 customers.
Telephone line from Rochester reaches Summerville, crosses the river with a switchboard at the Hotel Ontario. This was not a satisfactory situation as the hotel closed every fall, and the spring ice flows brake the cable.
Rochester Bike Club organized

1880

Population 89,366
George Eastman makes first photographic dry plates in America.
Windsor Beach RR runs along the east bank of river to Windsor Beach and Summerville. The terminal named 'Brinker Station', after the line owner, was at the location of the old Bausch & Lomb plant, at the Platt St. Bridge. On it's way to the lake, the train made stops at a racetrack, and picnic grounds, also owned by Brinker.
Rochester Bicycle Club formed. 15,000 protest at Genesee Valley Park against poor road conditions that caused accidents. A twenty-five cent tax on bicycles was raised to provide cinder paths, and the road conditions improved.
Monroe Avenue shops first appear at Goodman Street intersection, by 1920 the shopping district had extended to the canal.
Windsor Beach RR runs along the east bank of river to Windsor Beach and Summerville. The terminal named 'Brinker Station', after the line owner, was at the location of the old Bausch & Lomb plant, at the Platt St. Bridge. On it's way to the lake, the train made stops at a racetrack, and picnic grounds, also owned by Brinker.
The Rochester and Charlotte Turnpike Road Company is formed

1881

Maude S. breaks world record for the mile at The Driving Park on Aug. 11. The 2:10 1/4 time will stand for six years.
Bicyclist Elsa von Blumen wins a race against a trotting mare at Rochester's Driving Park.
Second Red Cross chapter in US organized.
First commercial electric lights installed in Powers Building Art Gallery.
The Genesee Valley Canal Railroad Co. uses Genesee Valley Canal bed. Eventually the line becomes part of the Pennsylvania RR. Track on the east side of the river becomes the Erie RR.
Sediments deposited by the river at the lake shore have moved the beach several hundred feet north. The 1822 lighthouse has 'moved' so far inland that it is useless. Feb. 15th is it's last day of operation. A new light is built on the west pier.
Kimball Tobacco Factory - Largest factory in city, now employs 800.

Statue of Mercury erected on 162 foot smokestack of the Kimball factory. Standing 21 feet tall it is the largest copperplate statute in America.

Iceboat yachting is first seen on Irondequoit Bay. Those watching fear horrible accidents will result from the extreme speeds.

1882

Tolls are no longer collected on the canal. With the cost of the canal, including improvements at $49,590,000 the canal realized a profit of $52,599,000.
Summerville Gardens Pavilion, 'The House of Glass' or 'The Round House'is built.
First horse drawn fire equipment.
State pays to elevate New York Central railroad tracks in the city.
Street Railway Co. operates busses from Four Corners to the City Line on East Ave.
Mr. Lewis Swift, famous for his discovery of comets, is hired to staff the Warner Observatory. He stays for twelve years then dismantles the telescope, and moves to California. The observatory building is left empty for 40 years, then demolished.
First electric street lights in the city. There are 1,588 oil lamps, 2,514 gas lamps, and 52 electric arc lights. Total cost of lighting, $93,955
Residents of McCracken Street petition to have their street renamed Driving Park Avenue after the city's famous track.
A boy falls through the decking of the Vincent Place Bridge, falling 110

feet to the river below, and lives.

US Army Engineers extend piers and deepen river channel to sixteen feet.
Rochester and Charlotte Turnpike Company completes an improved road that encourages the use of the lake front for cottages.
The four story Spencer House burns. Two thousand bushels of apples in the basement are baked.

1883

New York Central's St. Paul Street Station built.
Powers Hotel finished.
Mr. Swift discovers a new comet from the Warner Observatory.
Buffalo, Rochester, & Pittsburgh Railroad built, gives Rochester access to Pennsylvania coal.
BR&P RR builds spur to Charlotte. A large trestle for loading coal to barges is built. Shipment of coal to Canada is soon major trade activity from port.
Rochester and Lake Ontario Belt Railroad is built from Avenue D to Windsor Beach, for patrons of the new hotel. The first train from Rochester carries 1500 passengers.
Three year old R. T. French Co., started by spice trader Robert French, moves from New York City to Fairport.
Elwood Building is erected to a height of seven stories. Daniel Powers adds a second Mansard roof to the Powers Building, reclaiming the title as Rochester's tallest building.

1884

Buffalo St. has it's name changed to Main St.
Gov. Grover Cleveland visits for celebration of city's 50th anniversary.
Reynolds Library organized
First mounted police.
First photographic film produced by the Eastman Company.
New York Central & Hudson River Railroad build boardwalk and at Ontario Beach Park. The steam train ride from the St. Paul St. Station cost a 5¢. Land leased to Lake Ontario Beach Improvement Co. They run attractions consisting of: a carousel, a mild roller coaster, shooting gallery, bath house, and a camera obscura (a darkened room with a lens built into a wall that projects an image of the outside onto the opposite wall.) Performers were also a major attraction for the park. The included tintype makers, fortune tellers, high diving from ladders & balloons, and swimming elephants.
Hotel Ontario built on Charlotte Beach, with large pavilions, and band shells.
Columbia Bank opens for business.
Nazareth Hall Academy for boys opens on Lake Avenue opposite Rose Street in the Prichard Mansion, with an enrolement of 47. The Academy was a boarding school untill 1955, and became co-ed in 1970.
Mt. Hope Cemetery records from 1846 to 1857, thought lost in a 1857 fire are found in St. Catherines, Canada. They had been taken by John Robertson to cover his embezzlement of $40,000.

1885

'Blue Eagle Jail' is torn down.
Charlotte Boulevard tollgate removed.
Eastman Kodak organized.
Rochester Baseball Company incorporated, but has to play games in Irondequoit when the Rochester refuses to allow the games in the city. The ban is finally lifted in 1892.
Asphalt pavement first used on Alexander Street.
A Civil War battle is staged at Rochester's Driving Park to raise money for the Soldies and Sailors Monument Fund.
July 4th crowd at Ontario Beach Park reaches 20,000
Lake Avenue street railroad line extends service from Driving Park Avenue north to the city line.

1886

Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg RR buy the Windsor Beach RR. They extend the route to State St., and build a new Passenger and Freight Station there.
Rochester Yacht Club opens.
Abelard Reynolds opens his library to the public, specialized in reference works.
Mrs. Abelard Reynolds dies at 102.
Auer Hotel opens on Ridge Road between Clinton and Joseph.
Rochester Yacht Club opens.

1887

The Vacuum Oil Works, on the west side of the river, just above the Elmwood Ave. Bridge accidentally releases naphtha. This highly flammable material eventually makes it's to a sewer along Browns Race. Two mills are destroyed in the explosion and two more in the resulting fire. One person was killed, and several others injured in the disaster.
On Feb. 18, a gale wind put sufficient pressure on the poles and telegraph wires that two spans on the north side of the west end of the Court Street Bridge were torn lose. Anna Graham, caught in the wreckage was thrown into the river and drowned. The bridge was repaired and in use until replaced by a stone arch bridge in 1892
Rochester Railway Company incorporated. Replacing horse drawn cars with electric trolleys powered by over head lines, they provided service to Brighton, Irondequoit, Sea Breeze, Manitou Beach and Ontario Beach Park.
First trunk sewer lines opened on city's east side.
C. C. Meyer and Son move their boat building yard to the eastern widewaters, at the site of the Armory. They continue building canal boats until 1892, one of the last boatyards. Ending Rochester's tradition of building fine canal boats.
Oil street lamps abolished.
Several steamers make regular trips to Thousand Islands.
One thousand area residents take their phone off the hook for 18 months to protest a rate hike.
Georgiania Sibley pays for the Genesee Hospital to be built, so that the city east of the river will have a hospital.
Cobb's Hill and Pinnacle Hill stripped of all trees. The hills had been logged for lumber.

1888

Kodak opens. 'Kodak Number One Box Camera' goes on sale.
Land is acquired for two city parks by a bickering Parks Commission. South Park, featured rolling wooded hills along the river. Located where Castletown had stood, it was such a peaceful, tranquil location, that Castletown's notorious reputation has been forgotten. Located upriver from any industry even it's water was considered unpolluted and the Upper River Ice, Co. was a supplier to the ice house on Genesee St. Renamed shortly after opening it is now called Genesee Valley Park. North Park, while also on the river, had a steep gorge dropping to the water, offering a wide view of the river's canyon. It was renamed at the same time as North Park, becoming Seneca Park.
Ellwanger & Barry Building is erected to a height of eight stories. Daniel Powers adds a third Mansard roof to the Powers Building, adding two additional floors, reclaiming again the title as Rochester's tallest building, for the next five years.
The Lyceum Theater opens on Clinton Avenue South. A legitimate theater, it was used for off Broadway plays. it was also used for non-sectarian services. Major artists who performed there in it's early days: Edwin Booth, Otis Skinner, Madame Modjeska, Madame Shumann Heinke. In the 20's performers included George M. Cohan and Lionel Barrymore.
Rochester's Chamber of Commerce created . H. H. Warner is it's first President.
Central Bank of Rochester opens.
The Elmwood Avenue Bridge was a wrought iron truss built in 1888. The bridge was later raised to allow use of the river as a Rochester harbor for the Barge Canal.

1889

Kodak develops the first transparent photographic film.
Electric Trolley line extends down Broadway (Lake Ave.) from Ridge Rd. to Ontario Beach Park. NYC RR loses passengers to trolley, so they build a fence around the park and charge 10¢ admission. Train passengers are let off inside the park, with no need to pay.
Trolley line West connects Charlotte with Manitou, Grandview and Crescent Beaches. Trolley line East connects Summerville, White City, and Sea Breeze.
Glen Haven RR builds a 3' steam line from East Main St. and Culver Rd. to Glen Haven, on the eastern bluffs overlooking Irondequoit Bay.
YMCA building at Court and South Ave. built.
Hahnemann Hospital opens.
Liberty Pole falls in a 72 MPH gale, on the day after Christmas. A steel replacement is proposed, but is not built. A marker in the pavement to note the site, disappears before the turn of the century.
Manhattan Hotel burns. The fire is started by the explosion of a gasoline stove. The Rialto Hotel and bathhouse are also destroyed.
The University of Rochester is beaten by Cornell in it's first football game 106-0.

1890

Population 133,696
Driving Park Bridge built, upstream from Carthage. It is the highest of Rochester's bridges at 212' The bridge is 413 foot steel arch and 717 feet long with a lattice deck at a cost of $116,108. The bridge was designed by L.L. Buck and built by the Rochester Bridge and Iron Works. Opening ceremonies on December 1st included a parade, fireworks and 10,000 people walking across the bridge.
Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company buys 16 1/2 acres on the west side of Charlotte Boulevard (Lake Avenue). Buildings and equipment for the Boulevard Plant was projected at $200,000. The four building complex became known as Kodak Park when George Eastman had the new name painted on the perimeter fence when President Benjamin Harrison visited.
Second bridge built at Irondequoit Creek. 1000 foot section filled with earth. Condemned 1920
Horse Trolleys replaced by electrified cars.
40,000 bicycles in Monroe County
Children's Pavilion opens at Highland Park.
First Presbyterian Church remodels interior of church in black walnut with windows and mosaic over pulpit designed by Tiffany's
Cyclone causes heavy damage.
First brick pavement, joints are filled with pitch.
Army Engineers conduct survey to see if Port of Rochester should be moved to the larger, safer, and more convenient Irondequoit Bay. Study said that the present port was able to handle the projected future traffic, and there was no need to waste government money.
Nazareth Hall Academy moves to Frank Street (North Plymouth Avenue) & Jay Street

1891

Kodak starts production of film.
Grandview Beach and Manitou Railroad opens.
Platt St. Bridge opens. Designed as a steel arch, it is 857' long, and 114 above the Genesee River.
Street cars offer transfers, first ever used. Idea of Harry Stedman.
Empire State Express route passes through city.
Construction starts on St. Bernard's Seminary.
First 100 varieties of lilac bushes planted in Highland Park by John Dunbar.

1892

President Benjamin Harrison visits by private rail car on Memorial Day. A festive breakfast is held at the Cottage Hotel, and then the presidential party travels back to Rochester for the dedication of the Soldiers' and Sailors'Monument in Washington Park.
Riverside Cemetery opens.
Voting machine invented by Jacob H. Meyer.
First branch Post Office opens.
Severe blizzard cripples city, March 11
Abelard Reynolds dies. He leaves his estate to the Reynolds Library, including the Reynolds Arcade, and his home on Spring St. The Library is moves to Spring St.
Rochester Gas & Electric starts construction of electric subways, to remove wiring from overhead poles.
An iron truss bridge is built, replacing the old Clarissa St. Bridge.
The Vincent Place Bridge is closed as unsafe by the Commissioner of Public Works. A second truss was added, doubling the strength of the bridge and it was reopened, and renamed, the Smith Street Bridge.
The Unique Social Club is organized. Members gathered for socializing and card. Members had the first gasoline motor launch on the Irondequoit Bay, where the members enjoyed boating. The club disbanded in 1948.

1893

'Grand Union' built at the Four Corners for Rochester and Sodus Bay and Rochester and Eastern Interurbans. First 12-way rail crossing in the world.
First female student admitted to the University of Rochester.
St. Bernard's Seminary opens.
Police force has 175 members, includes a bicycle squad to stop speeders.
The present stone Andrews Street Bridge is built. This is the third bridge at this site.
Charlotte is gaining a reputation as a loose and wild community. There are 4 churches, and 40 saloons to serve the population of 1400. The full time residents were a respectful, law-abiding group, it was the 'summer people' from Rochester that caused problems. The rowdy behavior (including manipulating elections) was encouraged by the greed of the Rochester breweries and the New York Central.
Rochester Iron Manufacturing Co. closes blast furnace.
DeLand Chemical burns in Fairport. Was the nations largest supplier of Baking Powder.
St Paul Street has the 100 foot deep, 300 foot long gully at Pinegrove Avenue filled in. It is then resurfaced as a smooth, wide gravel roadway called Summerville Boulevard. Improvements were made by The Turnpike Company, who placed tool booths at Scholfield Road and Cooper Road. The fees were three cents for a bicycle, five cents for a buggie or wagon. There was an additional charge of five cents for each passenger.

1894

Prior to this date no one lives north of Stutson St. in winter.
The ferry 'Yosemite' is caught by breaking spring ice, and is carried out into the lake, and lost.
Windsor Ferry begins service across mouth Genesee River in Charlotte. The 500' trip takes seven minutes. Ferry is 75' long by 50' wide and will carry 200 passengers and vehicles. Steam engine on board, pulls the ship across the channel using a one inch diameter chain.
Blondin, famed for his high wire walks over Niagara Falls, walks the wire at Ontario Beach Park.
Homeopathic Hospital moves to Alexander St.
Glen House, on the west bank of river near the Driving Park Ave. Bridge, burns.
Mile posts are erected on St. Paul Blvd. so that bicyclists can measure their speeds and distances.

1895

Glen Haven RR sold to Irondequoit Park Railway. They rebuild the entire line to standard gage (4'8") and change motive power to electric.
George Selden receives a patent for his gas compression engine.
Summerville Gardens, the'House of Glass' at Windsor Beach burns.
First motion pictures shown in city.
School board bans dancing at high school functions.
Frederick Douglas dies
Country's most famous landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, designs Jones Square Park. Local politicians ignore plans and build park to their 'improved' plan. Olmsted is re-hired to fix the design.
Holy Cross School burns. Three were convicted of arson.
Rochester's Driving Park holds it's last Grand Circut race.

1896

Work begins to increase canal depth to 9'. Construction stops in 1898 when money runs out.
First motion picture shown publicly.
Voting machines used for first time.
Pier is extended 500 feet further into the lake. The light tower and steam fog signal are also moved.
Improved design lift bridges were built at Emerson Street, Plymouth Ave., West Ave., and other locations.
City places an 8 MPH speed limit in bicycles. $2.00 fine for speeders.

1897

Kodak Office Building opens.
City bans Sunday baseball games
40,000 bicycles in Monroe County. St Paul Boulevard is the most popular road for 'Club Runs' and 'Club Road Races'.

1898

State roads. First paved road not in city: Hudson Ave.
Rochester Public Health Association formed.
Queen Liliuokalani, of the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) visits the city.
Baker Theater opens on North Fitzhugh St.
July 17, A gypsy fortune teller at Ontario Beach Park tells James E. Walsh that he would drown soon, later that day he slipped off the west pier, and died.

1899

Frederick Douglas monument dedicated
Accident on the Dummy Line results in bankruptcy and the Rochester & Suburban Railway acquires route for it's electric equipment.
Glen Haven RR builds a 3' steam line from East Main St. and Culver Rd. to Glen Haven, on the eastern bluffs overlooking Irondequoit Bay.
Glen Haven Park opened. Park had carnival booths, Midway, a high Ferris wheel, and roller coaster. This was a miniature railroad that ran around the grounds at a high rate of speed.
The stands at Rochester's Driving Park burn.
Electricity lights main streets.
June 10, Thomas F, Healy dies during the Philippine Insurrection, near Manila, in the Philippine Islands. He is the first City of Rochester resident, to die in battle on foreign soil.

.