Steuben County

By John S. Babbitt and Sue Babbitt

Located in the Finger Lakes region, Steuben County has seen industries like glass and brick-making factories, railroad shops, and clothing mills spring up over time. Early transportation grew when people with canal fever followed water routes to the Erie Canal, while railroads crisscrossed the county and improved travel. Grape growing flourished, and in the last 149 years, this industry has brought prosperity to the entire Finger Lakes region. In 1868, the Corning Flint Glass Works arrived in Corning and was the first of many glass-making shops established in the area. The railroad provided laborers as well as a means of bringing in supplies and shipping out finished products, allowing the glass industry to flourish in the Chemung River Valley.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Jun 7, 2010
• ISBN: 9781439638613

John S. Babbitt

Retired educators John and Sue Babbitt have always had a love for local history. John, a professional photographer, is the author of over 30 slide and PowerPoint presentations, which he shows to local groups, and is a writer for several periodicals. Both John and Sue are active in local historical societies.

Book preview

Historian

INTRODUCTION

The collecting of postcards is a fascinating hobby known as deltiology. Picture postcards in the United States began with the souvenir issues sold at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The Columbian Exposition cards proved to be so successful that publishers in other parts of the country were emboldened to issue views featuring large cities, historic landmarks, and popular vacation resorts.

For the next couple of years, postcards contained undivided backs (December 1901–March 1, 1907) that were meant only for the address of the recipient. As a result, many early postcard printers left white borders either at the sides or bottom of the cards for a message to be written. Often the sender would get carried away and write over parts of the photograph.

With the introduction of the Kodak folding camera in 1906, people were able to take black-and-white photographs that could be printed on postcard backs. As a result, many one-of-a-kind, beautiful real-photo postcards were taken.

In March 1907, the law changed, and the government allowed the printing of postcards with divided backs—the right side for the address and the left side for the message. It was around this time that Germany developed advanced printing techniques, so most of the cards were printed there. With the mass production of cards and the cost of mailing only 1¢, the popularity of postcards skyrocketed, and this time in history (1907–1915) became known as the golden age of postcards.

During World War I, postcards were printed with white borders to save ink. Postcards between 1930 and 1944 were produced on linen cards. New printing processes allowed printing on postcards with a high rag content that caused a linen-like finish. In 1945, the chrome postcards were launched. Advancements in photograph quality and color allowed for the mass production of cards, a process that continues today.

People must be aware of what was in the past, for it has made what is available today. It is important to preserve these memories, so the next generation can appreciate and learn from them.

One

AROUND CORNING

JASPER AREA

Addison is located on Route 417 in the rugged and scenic Canisteo River Valley. When Steuben County was formed in March 1796 and divided into six provisional districts, the midsection of the southern half of the county was named Middletown. It was one of the most famous pine lumber regions in the state of New York, much of which was shipped by arks down the Susquehanna River.

On March 18, 1796, Steuben County was set off from Ontario County as New York’s 24th county and was named after Baron von Steuben.

In June 1796 at the courthouse in Bath, the legislature created six original towns in ratification of the acts of the court of sessions of Ontario County. The six original towns formed were: Bath, Dansville, Frederickstown, Canisteo, Painted Post, and Middletown.

This very unusual advertising cover from Husted and Goff Druggists and Stationers, dated 1915, was used to advertise and promote life in the village of Addison. The scenes on the front were taken from other postcards. In 1915, there were some 2,000 residents. Notice how the schools and churches of Addison were featured.

The Addison City Hall was under construction in June 1907. This historic structure on Main Street was a prominent sight for travelers passing through Steuben County. For years, it served as the village’s municipal building, housing village and fire department offices. In later years, the village board wanted to tear it down, but the citizens of the community wanted to preserve this historic structure. Then ironically on August 16, 1993, a 15-alarm early morning blaze destroyed the old Addison Village Hall. The structure was so weakened by the blaze that fire officials could not get in to do an internal investigation, but the cause of the fire was determined to be arson. An emergency meeting of the village board was held, and by 6:00 p.m. that evening, crews were on hand to demolish the building. Months later, the case was solved with the arrest of an Addison volunteer fireman. Today a marker sits near the site where this beautiful landmark once graced the village of Addison.

Baseball was a favorite pastime across the nation during the early 1900s. It is impossible not to notice the beautiful, historic city hall in the background.

Addison was one of the show places of Steuben County with its beautiful homes. The American House Hotel, built in 1830, was located on Main Street and was one of the oldest and most distinctive landmarks in the county. The hotel was a popular stopping point for travelers. (CRB.)

On May 15, 1851, the first Erie Railroad passenger train passed through Addison. On board was Pres. Millard Fillmore.