Latest News & Announcements
The Museum at Eaton Hall
Regular visiting hours are ended until April, although visits may always be arranged with some advance notice. Leave a message on the answering machine, if the visit is some weeks off. Email or call Steve Belcher (spbelcher@myfairpoint.net / 802-483-2852) if it comes sooner.
Planning for This Year
Events
Saturday, May 31st at 10am-2pm: Plant Sale at Eaton Hall
Saturday, July 19th at 10am-2pm: Tag & Bake Sale at Eaton Hall
Donations gratefully accepted.
Member Meetings
The Annual Meeting is planned for Sunday, October 12th in the Fellowship Hall of the Congregational Church, starting at 5:30 pm with a pot luck supper, followed by the annual meeting and election of officers. Peter Cosgrove will offer a presentation on covered bridges. Details to follow.
We have not yet settled on other member meetings, and invite your response. Topics on the table are:
A visit to the 18th C. Stevens Homestead (between Gorham Bridge and Whipple Hollow Road) led by Phil Mandolare, who has been metal-detecting in the area (and has provided the PHS with valuable relics.)
A visit to Hawk Hill and the early June family cemetery.
A visit to the Rochester Historical Society and the Verde Antique Marble quarry
A visit to Whitehall, NY, to see the Skenesborough Museum.
We welcome additional suggestions, and would like to know what topics are of interest to you. The winter season is when we meet and try to set up the schedule for the coming year.
Please note: 2026 will be the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. There will certainly be national celebrations; Vermont will also observe the occasion at the state level. What do you think Pittsford should do to commemorate the occasion?
Society Activities
Annual Meeting and Talk on the Library: October 18th, 2024
Members gathered and fed on a pot-luck supper. They then participated in the Annual Meeting; there were no elections. The President spoke, addressing challenges facing the Society such as falling membership and opportunities such as the new internet service at Eaton Hall. A fuller report, accompanied by the Curator’s report, will appear in the Spring Newsletter.
Shelly Williams, Librarian, then offered a lively talk about the history of the Pittsford Library. The idea of a library, in the form of an association of people sharing books, goes back to 1796. Caleb Hendee was the first Librarian for the organization in Pittsford. A second group formed in 1832, the Library Company of Pittsford, led by Thomas Palmer. Benjamin Winslow served as librarian. Its distinction was that it excluded religious material, on the grounds that it could be found elsewhere.
In 1839, accepting a general offer from William Maclure of Scotland to provide funds for libraries that would take his name, the two societies merged and the Maclure Library was established. The book collection involved had no settled home until 1895, when Dr. Henry Walker funded the construction of the present library building as a memorial to his brother Stephen Walker. The Maclure Library is thus housed in the Walker Memorial Building. Books were moved from the Town Hall to the building (and reciprocally, the Walker building had a safe in which town documents could be kept: as of 1909, the two buildings were across the street from each other.) Bertha Shaw was the first resident Librarian, followed by Mary Randall and many others.
The talk then addressed peculiarities in the history of the Library: it was made a part owner of the Pittsford aqueduct company. A watering trough in front of the building had, for a piece of stone, an exciting history: movement here and there across the Green, car accidents… It has now come back to the Library, although not in its original position (that would lie in the middle of Rte. 7) In 1913, the Library received a package of Confederate monetary notes from the US Treasury for safe-keeping as historical relics. It did not charge fines on overdue books in 1918, because it was closed for four weeks because of the Spanish flu epidemic. There was a controversy about the removal of trees in front of the Library in 1926.
Many of the original books remain in the Library, stored in a glass-plated cabinet on the third floor; some were donated to the National Archives in 1938.
Historical Insights & Discoveries
The Pittsford Historical Society is excited to share new insights and discoveries about Pittsford’s past that have come to light through our recent research initiatives. Our dedicated team of historians and volunteers work tirelessly to uncover stories that add depth and context to our community’s rich heritage.