Category: News, Notices and Articles

By: Barb Chapman, Town of Wheatland Historian

As I was sitting in my office at the Wheatland town hall on a late summer Tuesday afternoon, a distinguished looking woman approached the doorway and asked, “Are you the historian?” She went on to tell me that she had driven from Washington D.C. to talk with me and to explore the Scottsville area. Her name is Mary Helen Thompson, and she is the granddaughter of Frank Thompson who was born in Scottsville, the son of a former slave who had migrated from Culpeper, Virginia after the Civil War. Mary Helen later sent me this biography of Frank Thompson. It is a remarkable story of a young man of courage, determination and outstanding ability. Here is the story in her words:

Frank F. Thompson Sr., MD (1887-1964)

Frank French Thompson was born February, 1887, in Scottsville, New York, a small farming community in Monroe County not far from Rochester.  Both his father and his mother migrated north from Culpeper County, Virginia after 1880.  His father, Albert, a farm laborer, was born into slavery in 1859 and his mother, Mollie Turner, was born about 1868, just after the Civil War.  Mollie’s father, Fielding Turner (1830-1895) of Culpeper, Virginia, fought in the Civil War for the Union Army in the 20th US Colored Troops.

Frank was expected to become a farm laborer like his father. However, Frank had a brilliant mind, a thirst for higher education and from an early age, aspired to become a physician.  He always recounted the story that he and his father were down in a ditch, digging away, when the bell pealed for the first day of school. He kept digging that day and the next, but on the third day, with tears in his eyes, told his father that he simply had to disobey him and go to school. His father, Albert, told him that he would have to step over him to do so. Young Frank struck his father down, leapt out of the ditch and defiantly went to school with the help of his Aunt Millie, his father’s sister, who worked for a wealthy white family in the community and garnered their support. Millie Alexander is pictured to the right with her husband John.

Frank graduated from Scottsville High School in 1904 and entered Syracuse University, graduating in the class of 1909. In 1907, he and another student were inducted into the “jewel” chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, which originated at nearby Cornell University in December 1906. Needless to say, it was a huge source of family pride that he was “almost” a jewel and a devoted “Alpha Man.” Frank entered Syracuse Medical School but due to the rampant discrimination of the times, he transferred to Howard University Medical School, receiving his MD in 1912.

Frank moved to Montclair, New Jersey where he practiced medicine for over 50 years. In 1915, he married Julia Ellen Ruffin of Warrenton, Virginia, daughter of the Rev. Robert Logan Ruffin and Mary Turner Jordan. Frank and Julia had two children—Frank French Thompson, Jr. (1916-1966) and a daughter, Julia (1921-2009).  Julia, also a graduate of Howard University, both undergrad and masters degrees, married Dr. John L. Pinderhughes.  Frank F. Thompson, Sr., MD died in 1964 leaving a rich legacy of service to his family and community.”

Like many other municipalities, the Town of Wheatland has endured the destructive effects of the emerald ash borer. Our highway department has removed many trees that could present a potential safety hazard along the road right of ways or within the boundaries of town owned land. This effort is undertaken as time and money permits while ensuring that all spoils are disposed of per New York State guidelines.

When it became apparent that an ash tree at the entrance to Freeman Park (a town owned park at 845 State Street in Mumford) was diseased, Chuck Hazelton, our highway Superintendent brought the issue before the Wheatland Town Board for a discussion. He noted that the tree was anywhere from 75 – 100 ft. tall and perhaps just as old as it was high. He thought it might present an interesting opportunity to do something creative. The Town Board was “on board” with his idea. From there, the project took shape and the work began in late June and early July. The skeleton of a tree was reduced to a height of about 16 feet. From there, Black Creek Carving, specifically Ric Letourneau, discussed various designs with Chuck and sharpened his chain saw. The Town Board selected a design that would highlight the eagles known to be nesting about the rural areas in our Town. Ric began his custom design woodcarving on the tree about the second week of July. Approximately eight days later, with much saw dust and sweat (the hottest days of the summer) being created, the first phase of the project was completed.

The final phase will consist of two additional steps. The first will be to imbed a Freeman Park sign into the front of the tree. The second will be to place a plaque (also in the tree) recognizing the “Two Mary Anns” who have spent years donating their gardening skills and love of Mumford to beautify the park with flowers. That would be Mary Ann McGinnis and Mary Ann O’Dell. The Town Board and I thank them both profusely for using their friendship and skills to help beautify our community. We also thank the neighbors and residents who endured the chain saw noise and sawdust while this project took a dead tree and brought it back to life through a sculpture. Our expectation is that this sculpture should endure another 40 – 50 years. Please visit Freeman Park and enjoy the sculpture when you have a chance or visit the Town Website and view photos in the Town Photo Gallery. Wishing all a wonderful Fall Season!

LEGAL NOTICE OF ADOPTION TOWN OF WHEATLAND

Notice is hereby given that on October 4, 2018 the Town Board of the Town of Wheatland adopted Local Law Number 2 of 2018 entitled a “Local Law to override the tax levy limit established in General Municipal Law Section 3-c. (A copy of the complete Local Law is filed in the Town Clerk’s Office).

By Order of the Town Board of the Town of Wheatland
Dated: October 5, 2018
Laurie B. Czapranski, Town Clerk

Town of Wheatland Legal Notice

Notice is hereby given that the Town Board of the Town of Wheatland sets Thursday, October 4, 2018 at 7:00 P.M. at the Wheatland Municipal Building as the time and place for a Public Hearing to consider Local Law No. 2 of 2018 a Local Law to override the tax levy limit established in General Municipal Law Section 3-c. The entire Law may be viewed at the Wheatland Town Office.

By Order of the Town Board of the Town of Wheatland
Dated: September 21, 2018
Laurie B. Czapranski, Town Clerk

The Wheatland Town Board has approved a new logo as part of an ongoing branding and marketing initiative to develop broader recognition and community awareness for the Town. The new logo provides a contemporary look and feel in a form that is compatible with today’s electronic media. The former Town logo served its purpose very well for many years and will be gradually phased out over time.

 

Based on changes in the collection, processing, and marketing systems of recycling, Monroe County has worked with the operator of the Monroe County Recycling Center, Waste Management, to update the list of acceptable materials. These updated recycling guidelines will go into effect on November 1, 2018. We estimate that the Monroe County Recycling Center serves approximately 75% of residents in the county, but not all private collection companies utilize this facility, so residents are encouraged to follow the guidelines of their hauler. Refer to the Monroe County “Recycle Right” flyer for details.

HELP WANTED – TOWN OF WHEATLAND HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT – FULL TIME EQUIPMENT OPERATOR
CDL CLASS B LICENSE REQUIRED (Minimum of 2 years)
(Includes the operation and maintenance of construction equipment
and performance of a variety of manual labor tasks)

Applications may be picked up at the Wheatland Town Office at 22 Main Street, Scottsville NY (585-889-1553) or printed from the Town of Wheatland Website.

Please return completed applications to the Wheatland Town Office
MONDAY THOUGH THURSDAY BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8 A.M. – 4 P.M.
MONDAY 6 P.M.-8:00 P.M.
FRIDAY 8 A.M.-1 P.M.

APPLICATION DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 24, 2018
Equal Opportunity Employer

NOTICE TO TOWN OF WHEATLAND RESIDENTS OUTSIDE VILLAGE OF SCOTTSVILLE – 2018 Fall BRUSH REMOVAL:

The Town of Wheatland D.P.W. will pick up brush at each resident’s home. Brush pick-up will start on Monday, October 15, 2018. We will do the town residential areas first:
a. Hamlet of Mumford
b. Rolling Acres

After the residential areas are done, we will start at the west end of Town and work east to cover the outlying areas.

– Brush must be neatly piled, butt ends in same direction
– 1 truck load per household Residential brush only
– No fence row material, such as trees or large stumps
– No brush over 6 inches in diameter.

ONCE A ROAD OR STREET IS DONE, THERE WILL BE NO RETURN TRIP.

By Order of the Town Board Of the Town of Wheatland
Dated: September 7, 2018
Laurie Czapranski, Town Clerk

From our previous story of fun and frivolity in the hamlet of Garbutt, we turn to the grim and gritty side of life there. Soon after settlement of the area, vast deposits of gypsum were discovered beneath the ground. At first, the Garbutt family and others conducted thriving businesses of mining, grinding and selling gypsum as “land plaster,” believed to enhance the growth of crops. By the late 1800s many other uses for gypsum had been developed, including water lime cement, plaster board and gypsum blocks.

In 1900 the Lycoming Calcining Company bought the Garbutt family gypsum business, and in 1906 the Empire Gypsum Company took over the plaster mine and mill of William Weeks. The Empire Company was located on the north side of Oatka Creek about 1000 feet east of the Union Street bridge. The mine entrances were on the south side of the creek in the side of the hill. The Ebsary Gypsum Block Company was established in 1911.

In 1976, Joe Resch, a former mine worker, described his work in the Empire Gypsum Mine. The workers went down into the mine through the shaft that had a stairway and pipes for water. According to Resch, there were seven layers of gypsum in this area. The first layer was 80 feet below the surface. Then there was a layer of limestone and under that another layer of gypsum. There were two types of jobs in the mines, that of shooters (or drillers) and shovelers. The shooters calculated the amount of dynamite to use, then drilled and placed it. The dynamite was set off as they left the mine each day. The next morning, men were sent in to check the overhangs to see if they were safe and replace any props that had been blown down. Then shovelers went to work loading the gypsum into cars than ran on a wooden track. The cars each held 2 ½ tons of gypsum and were pulled by mules across the narrow wooden bridge to the mill to be ground into plaster.

A shoveler earned 25 cents a ton. He hung a tag showing his number on the car he had loaded. When the car was weighed in the weigh house, his pay was tallied. A good day’s work was ten to twelve cars. The shooters made 30 cents a ton. They had to buy the dynamite out of their pay. All the workers wore caps with lights that burned carbide and had to be refilled every two to three hours from the little cans they carried with them. They bought their own caps, lights and carbide as well as rubber boots, as water leaked in, and the floors of the mines were often wet. The water was pumped out through the shaft. In the winter, mine workers saw very little daylight. They went to work at 5:30 A.M. and got out at 3:30 P. M. six days a week. They ate their lunches in a little room about a mile inside the tunnel. The picture above depicts Miners Frank Sciera, Mike Moski and John Kulik in 1924

These men risked their lives every day when they entered the mine. Accidents were frequent. In 1902 Edward Behan, a Garbutt resident, was crushed by a five or six hundred pound rock that fell from the ceiling. Nicholas Brennan suffered the same fate in 1905. A blast of dynamite literally blew Onofrio Augello to pieces in 1911. Two other Italian immigrants had died when they were overcome by gas the previous year. Chester Hardman of Belcoda was killed by the explosion of fifty pounds of dynamite, and another man was crushed between one of the gypsum cars and the wall of the mine. These are a few of the stories found in newspaper articles about local mining accidents. The above picture depicts unidentified mine workers

In 1927, Augustus Wolf, the president of the Empire Gypsum Company died, and the business was sold. The new business failed before it started because of the stock market crash. None of the other gypsum companies in Garbutt survived the depression. The hamlet of Garbutt became a ghost of the former vital community it had been. Today, foundations of former buildings and bridge abutments have been overgrown with vegetation and are no longer visible. These reminders of both the glories and the tragedies of the early days are gone forever.

In June 2018, Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation (RG&E) filed an application with the New York State Public Service Commission seeking approval to construct and operate a 24-inchnatural gas distribution pipeline. The transmission line, approximately 8.2-miles-long, is intended to replace a portion of RG&E’s existing pipeline. The new line will be located in the Towns of Wheatland and Chili in Monroe County and Town of Caledonia in Livingston County. An Informational Forum and Public Statement Hearing will be held at the town of Chili Town Hall at 3333 Chili Ave, Rochester NY on August 22, 2018.

–  Information Session 2PM and 6PM
–  Public Statement Hearing – 3PM and 7PM

Comments are invited on RG&E’s request to construct a natural gas distribution pipeline. Interested members of the public are invited to attend public statement hearings and provide their comments. Each hearing will be immediately preceded by an information session, during which staff of the Department of Public Service {DPS) will provide-an overview of the review
process under the Public Service Law and RG&E representatives will be available to answer questions about the proposed project. It is not necessary to make an appointment in advance or present written materials in order to speak at the hearings. Review complete factsheet and public hearing notice.