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Here's an interesting photograph from the Wellsville River Museum files. Notations on the back said it was taken in 1899 on Main St. With the churches in the background you can tell it was taken between 5th & 6th St. The church with the steeple in the center is now the Masonic Temple. It was a Presbyterian Church at the time. We believe it was called United Presbyterian. The light colored round stone on the front toward the top is still there. The other church partially hidden by the telephone pole was the First Methodist at 5th & Main, before they rebuilt. What made it particularly interesting to us are the three houses just down from United Presbyterian. There is now an alley where the third house down was sitting. Between it and the church is now the Home Savings Building at 525 Main St. That is now the home of the Twisted Stone.
We're left wondering if the circus came to town on a train, off loaded at the 3rd Street Train Station and was enroute to the fair grounds in the lower end of town.
The River Museum is open each Sunday afternoon from 1 to 4:30 PM for touring.
ole nib
4 comments:
kind of surprised to see the power lines in an 1899 photo.
We don't know the history of when electricity first came into being but if you look closely you can see the trolley tracks in the street. At that time the trolley was powered on electricity. The automotive industry was just in its infancy. Wellsville was a booming, progressive town at that time. There was a power station located at 3rd & Lisbon that was originally installed to supply power for the traction companies. The excess electric capacity produced was used to light homes in the town.
nib
Once again, thanks for sharing some great history. I love the old newspaper entries!
For some reason, I'm drawn to the images of the children in this picture. Yes, the boy in the center - but also the boy on the bike, and the girl with the flowered hat in the lower-right corner. This photo captures what must have been an exciting moment for them!
I should know the story behind the First Methodist church's new building - but I don't. Do you have further info? Was the old building outgrown - or did it suffer (as so many buildings did in that era) a fire?
Interesting trivia: As a teenager, I had the opportunity to look through the original blueprints for the "new" First Methodist building. I recall that there was quite a bit of cool detail in the drawings.
Phil - We'll have to dig out the history of the Methodist church sometime. We do have copies of some pictures but not the particulars. However, think we heard that the building was just replaced with a newer building that's the one sitting there today. Don't think there was a fire involved. Maybe their members took a hint from the Presbyterians and the Riverside church.
nib
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