JOHN HARRY STEDMAN: HIS BUSY LIFE AND WEIRD INVENTIONS

By Grc!,'<>ry R . Foster

As the sun bc.g~m to set on the evening of October 3 1, 19Z2 , ftSmftll group of men gmhcrcd ~Ln'mnd il newly inS:~LIIcd

gravestone in Section MM of M ount

Hope Cemetery. At the head of the

grave they placed a solitary candle, its fhtme flickc.ring dclhmtly against the

chilly autumn wind . Be nea th Lhc candlc

lay interred the la te John Hftrry S:ed­

man , prnmincnl Rochester citizen ::md gifted inventor.

John H~1rry Stcdmim w~1S born in Ncw­

p<>rl, R hode Island, on November 15 , 1843 10 John R . Stedmftn ftnd Hfmnfth

Wilson Brownell. Early in his child· h<><>d, John Harry's father died, flDd

H~mn::Lh Brow nell Stcdm::m rcmlllricd to

\\'illi~Lm H . Greene. S tcdm::m attended Choule's School in Newport for his

college pn:.pf1ratory education and en·

rolled at the University of R<><:hester in

September of 186 1 . While in au en· d~tncc. Stcdm~m became ll m cmbi:.r of

the Iota chapter of the s<><:ial fra ternity, Dell;, Psi . ln 1865 , he gritduated from

college with a bachelor 's degree.

On October 3, 1877, under the miniSLril· Lion of th e Revere nd Dr. Good_

(nftme faded in news clipping) in Utica , New York , S tedm;m LM k the hand of

Alice Sherwood Wells in m;,ni a!(c. Born in Bufhlo, New York on March

20, 1846, Alice Wells w;,s th e daug hter

of a pmmincnt Buffa lo citizen named Rich::Lrd H . \Veils. She gri1duatcd from the B uff:do Scmin:=try ::md in 1875 came 10 R ocheste r with he r recently widowed

mother, Delia A . Wells . Alice Wells

quickly became P'" L of the most promi· ncnt socia.l and intellectual circles of the

.John Harrv Stedman (1843-1922) was a pmminem man around Roches1er in soda/ and bus; ness circles during /he Iauer J8()(}s

and ear(y /9'10s.

John HarrvS1edman i~ huried in Moun/ HopeCfflle1ery, Section }JM. l.ol 90.

S1edman married Alice Sherwood H./ell~ (1846-/906) in 1877. She was activein

social and ime/lectual organizalions, espe· cial(v musical lifo ill Rocltes1er.

city. S he W>tS espcci;tlly involved with

th e musical life of R<><:hestc r. S he w;,s

the llrst president itnd C<>-founder of th e

Tuesday Musicille and sang in m:iny

l<><:al c hurch choirs. Alice Wells WitS a

communicant d th e Church of th e Epiph::my, ~md .;he headed its missi(m·

~~ry sodety iLS well . She WiLS a membc.r

of the H omeopathic Hospit;,l's Boitrd of

Managers ~md served as its secreta ry

since its foundation in 1887 . In addition

to holding these distinguished ofllcc.s,

\Veils W~LS a reguhLr contributor to the

Rochesler Post-Express, submitting columns of "&cicty News" under the

initi,;Is" ICN". She died on October 7,

1906, survived by John H;trry Stedm;m

itnd her two brothers, Richard itnd Ed· w;,rd Wells.

Records of Stcjmfm's post-collegeedu·

cation ~md early career ~Lre conflicting.

According to one document , S tedmitn obtained his master 's degree in 1870. It notes, howevc.r, that Stedm im W~LS not

grim ted his diploma but had to pay for it Accord ing ti) iLOOthcr document ,

Stedman obtained his m~LStc.r's degree

in 1875 , bul , il notes, he W~LS nevc.r •·ex·

iLmined" prior to receiving il.

From I865 to : 873, Stedman e ngaged in "commerci;d pursuits". From 1873

to 1889, he w<>rked as a heating c <>n ­tractor. T hen , in 1889, he began his

caree r as ~~transfer expert. (Sted mim

uses this lenn 10 describe his occupa·

lion during th e la ter yc~LrS of h is life .

T he meaning is uncleiLr. ll miLY refer to a hea ttr>msfer expcrt , which would fi t

his work ~~s i l heating contrac tor, or he

could have been a lr fLinlbus/streetcar

tnmsfer agent , which would expliLin his

brief activity with the Ohmc.r FlLre

Registe r Comp::my ::md, IiLler, his in· ventio n of the .ilrcclClLr lriansfcr ticke t .)

According to the S~Lme docu rncnl lh at

lists these datd, S tcdm ::m worked as

the s uperintendent fo r a marble q uarry from 1865 to 1874. \Vhcther Stedman continued to

work at the qua rry during his firs t year as a heating contractor is unclear. Additionally, this

d ocument claims that S tedman began his work as a transfer ex· pert in 1874. Again, whethe r he worked simultaneously as a transfer

cx.pc.rt and a heating contractor is un· clear. T hese documents, too, we re filled out in

Stedman 's hand. Other

records show that du r· ing 1888-1889. Sted­man was president of E. H. C ook C om pany , 7 1 State Street, and from

1889 to 1890, he held the position of vice-president of Rochester Burner C ompany. 409 East Main S treet. A passage from one of his obiruarics states that ~·in his active days . k\1r.

S tedman . .. was president of the Forty-mile Power and Dredging Com­

pany, vice-president of the Great North ern Mines S yndicate. secretary and director of the Ohmer Fare RegiS· ter Company, vice-president of Pacific Mines Corporation. director of Ca vc

Crcc.k C<msolidated Copper Compa ny.

and vice-president of the Contact Bay Mines . Ltd."

On August 23. 1892, Stedman patented his ''Stedman Time-Limit" . T he Time· Limit was an c.arty vc.rsion of the mod·

em streetc<tr transfer ticket. This slip of paper would enable streetcar passengers to transfe r from one car- to another in a single. continuous trip, thus eliminating the hassle of having to purchase a new ticket at each SLOp. S tedman' s ticket

consisted of a calendar and a grid-like clock that we.re punched by the conduc­

tor to indicate the appropriate lime a nd date of purchase. Below the calendar was a list of streetcar sLOps and transfer points, a tld aVuvc it was unc ut two

rows of small faces. l be conductor

would punch the face that most closely resembled the passenge r to indicate to the conductor of the next Slrcctcar whelher or not the passenger was t.Jx.

o riginal purchaser of the ticket.

This early 1 .. r.~on of Stedman S streetcar transfer tick~t depias sn.-m I) pes ofpas­sengers. Later versions feawredfigures q(

different ages and elhnicities~

Sled man in\.-mted the f uzzy pipe cleaner. wltidt is still manufoaured today.

The A t=y P;pe Qea~r Musch! Man. con­strocted of Slemnan /IL"ZJ' pip<> droners.

... '-" ............ 1 , _____ ,

..... C'"• ta ... ._ __ ., ---c...-...--A ..-;defy distributed looj/t!f promoted thR

custom of "a lighted candle set in the hin­dov.l on Chrisonas £1'1/! wiD g uide the Babe of Bethlehem to your home. that he may

bring you happiness. ·•

2

S tedman initiaUy included only a few of these faces, but later edi­

tions featured figures of different ages and elhnicities wilh various headwear and hairstyles. How­ever. this face-punching compo~

nent of the Time-Limit cvcntua.Uy proved to be unnecessary ~md

e ven ttoublcsome because passengers would sometimes become belligerent

upon fmding out the conductor had punched a face I 0 to 20 years older than their own . So, the faces were

scrapped altogether in favor of 11 simpler model

that included just the date, Lime, fmd route numbc.r.

In the early 1900s. Stedman collabo­rated with his business partner. Charles AngeL to invent the fll22y pipe cleaner. LiLLie can be found about this particular commercial venture. The rights to the pipe cleaner were eventually acquired by B. J. Long Compfmy, which is the premier manufacturer of pipe cleaners today. T he s ale of the pipe cleaner rights made S tcdmftn a wc:>tlthy man.

In a ddition to his economic pursuits , Stedman was active in many of Rochcs­tc.r 's loc...'ll societies and organizations.

He was a member of SL Paul's Episco­pal Church, the Associated Alumni of the University of Rochester, the Roch­ester Country Club, the Genesee Valley Club, the Society of the Genesee, the Rochester Historical Society, the Roch­

este-r Art Club. and the Rochester Automobile Club. S tedman was also a

member of the Rochester chapter of the Empire State Society of the Sons of the Amc.rican Revolution. his Revolulion· ~uy Wa r ancestor being \Villiam B rowne.U from his mothe.r ·s side. Sted­

man also held positions as president of the Episcopal Church Home and vice­pu:.sidcul uf Lhc H u u u:;;u tJalhic Huspilal.

In his later years, Stedman could be

found s urrounded by some of the most prominent Rochester figures of his time. T he "Minutes of a Birthday Dinner" , recorded on November IS. 1918 to

celebrate his 75~ birthd>•y show how

well connected he was. Among his

guests th::u evening wen:. Hiram \Vmson

Sibley, after whom the University of Rocheste r 's libr~Lry is nlLmcd; Fra nci.) B .

Mitchell, publisher of the Rochester

Post Express; Josi::Lh Anstice, lL promi· ncnl R<>ehcstc.r blmkc.r and

president of Josiah Anstice

& Comp>my; Judge Wil· liam W. We bb of the New

York S tate Court of Claims; J. \ViLrrcn Cutler, accom·

plished businessm~m rmd

president of the Rochester

(.haptcr of the New York

Sutte Society of the Sons of the Amcricim Revolution;

Edwrtrd Grifllth Miner,

whose monike r the Univc.r·

sity of R ochester 's medical

library now beftrs; ftnd John

N . Beckley, city auorney

:=md vicc-prcsidcnl of the

borud of trus tees of the R(><:heste r Orphftn Asylum .

Stedman WlLS lLISO connected with the

illus trious George Eastman. A lcue r from Stcdmim to Edw::Lrd G. Miner in

May 19 10 reads r•s follows:

" Dear Ned,

''George Eastm::m is giving il p lLrty (J .

H . Stcdmim instigator ~md promOlc r)

::md keenly desires your participmion. Proposition: G .E., J.H .S ., H .W.S .,

J.S.A ., E .G .M., a nd ftnOther to Slftrt

M>•y 30 , 19 10 fr om " Kod>•k M>msioos"

at 10 :30 AM on Packard for the Higb

Bfmks of the Ge nesee at M t. Mor·

ris- lunch there '' ' fre-sco-cocob<>lo· hibulo-mithe.ro-re tuming to Country

Club at 4 PM so that >my of the pftrl) de-~iring to do so m>•y pllty __ (il·

legible word) ::md piLrticiplllc in lhc

Mcm<Jrial DiLY Festivities .

" \Viii you accept the invitati<m ::md give

us the joy of your company.

" Kindly wire re ply to 6 1 E. Main S t.

" As ever, S tcd ."

S tedman m:=Lintaincd a rcguhLr corrc · sponde ncc with Edward Griffith Mine r.

M incr 's generous donation of m::uc.rhd

to the Dcp>•rtment of Rare BO<>ks,Spc­ci~LI Collections, and prc.~c.rvation m

Univc.rsity of R ochcstc.r 's Rush Rhccs

L ibr.:try has made accessible a number

Paying respec1s 10 John Harry Su.'i/man are, from left, .John w: Keller, Alfred G. lAmb. L. M. fN•iner, and .Johnny Baker. who. as a bov. '"'s Bl!f!alo Bill

Cody.~ sharpsho01er in 1he WUJ H~sr Sltmtt

A candle burns a/ John Harry SuJman.~ gral'esile.

of thc.~c lcu crs. S tedman ::llways bcg::m

his lcu c.rs to Mi nc.r with " Dc.iLr Nc.d",

presumably a nickn::Lmc of Miner's ;:md

e nded them with " As ever, S ted" . Ned

and Stcd conversation c overed fL broad

range of topics .

In the summer of 19 19, while vacfttion·

ing at L<><m LiLkc in the Adimndaek M ountf•ins , Stedm>m begfm to feel the fi rs t effects of his fLrlc.rit)SClc.rosis, ::md

he retired to his bed at 24 POrtsmouth

l c rrace. On January 23, 1922, he wrote

a flLrcwcll note to his fr iends ~\nd loved

ones, e xpressing his appn:.ciatb n for the

fr iendships he hftd forged over the

yclLrS.

"Dc>tr beloved fr iends,

" Jusl now, whc.n lhe

<><:.e::m flrs l sep~arialcS us, 1

w::ml ag::ain lO say good

bye. Once more. Good

B ye or Farewell or adieu or adios or whatever

word is lender fmd ~dfcc­

tionate in bc.nc.diction.

An d lO whom cli e would

I so long to e xpn:.ss my

kindcsl ~md mOSl loving

leave-wking as lO my dear Ned ::md Hden , who

for so long lime h::ave given me the ha nd of fricnd~hip ::md lhe he::Lrl of hospit,dity and all that

is mOSl precious in human rclations . l

shall miss you more tha n you Cfm re::ll­

ize. You go lO paslurcs green and open·

ing flowers . I slip a liule d eeper into the shadows . I shrlll follow you in my

thoughts, my wishes and my prityers hoping for you all of life's ricilest

blessing in health ::md happi·

ness-every hour rich in peace. M y

hc.~ut goes Oullo you in fondcsl bene· dic tion for I love you .

"Slcddy."

As lhe leu c.r is being wriue n , Sled·

m::m's himdwriling visibly delcrior.:aleS,

lhoogh his words re main cleiLr. This p::uticui::Lr nole w::as likely wriucn during

one of his mOSl sevc.re boulS of illness.

EPITAPH /'NHJWJ qNt11 kll}' h)• Nu FnmJJ •lJ' .1"-N

II~ c~--kl)',ktu}wtur,lkw Y.;.,k 1~.

aN<)NfY•lfo mmthn llf/:<JNk<NMNjNtNtkJ N 19SO. C :2011 T tle Frief!dsof~l'lt HopeC.metery

Ridl:rdO. Rcj,Q:m, f~r

Fcu.tA. G.iU:Jflk J'b.)(osr~r

D.-- '-b.k:c•'4:i.Aa Dirc..-1,.,..

t..cia.- '-bkz.:•'llti. £.a.lli:oi.u,U.;t~,

lb.ii.:~-:11 qp.la:SlO

CaD ~85) "6I.J.I9.t (,.,..~!reo: pM«

~ct<.l M.lt:~nt H•"fftCcm.-o.:ryatd~ -w.:a«appli::a!O:CI.

S....: •:mc.:.l,•bl ~td.-.f,"'C'm:ai\'lt \l.~b.Ut:•u• {wb+q!

The "Helen" of "Ned und Helen" re­

ferred to in th e n(He is Helen

BiLrnSCombc R imlel M ine.r , wife of Ed·

ward Griffith Miner, who married her

on April26, 1900.

Stednwn 's deulh when Webb was mude

aware of $39,650 .09 in claims ag ainst

the estate, including a $32,000 interest claim from Lincoln Alliance Bank.

T hese claims e nded up severely crip·

plingStcdmun 'sc~tutc, and as u rc..\Uh, his bcncllciarics received only a small

p<Jrtion of whal they had expected 10 be

lo your home , ~1u1 he muy bring you

happincss."That Christmas Eve sa w th e

fr onl window of nearly every Rochester ht)me lit up. Sot'ln , the tradition spread

to neighboring towns, lhe n shales, re­

portedly making its wuy as far out as

California. Stedman n:..~isted his sickness for an­

(>lher nine months, his Stn'lng C(mStiru­

tion keeping him alive. During that

time he insisted on fully drc.~sing

himself every moming in order lu

greet his visitors prupc.rly. On Oc to·

OCr 29, however, S tedmim suc­

cumbed to arterios.clert'lsis.

given. At some point in hi~ life, S tedman made

~--..:...------------------. lhc ocquainluncc of one Lemuel A. Chrl•tl""•• • ...,.. O•n«:fl••

To lh• J;dttor or 1 Itt li'ND York Tillite: ll~y 1 l't'!D.\ln\1 )'ou thoa.t n 4eft.r otd tr:L<Il·

u~n toll• u. &hat .. (\ IJ.ht•d c&adle . .. l Jn tho window on Chrl.-tma.a l!h·e wJII cuJd• the Uubo ot MethlohOIO 1.0 rour home. LlUH he wut.Y bl"hl• ) nu I•PL)I~Int·~. ••

Chrl•tmo.e nvo taus on &unc:1ay th1e )·ear. Aud u·c :thaU o.U cn)<ty It tbe Jll(lrl'! ror the lttttcoCul lnttrval betwellu tho o ruL1arnuon to1· tho holldny 44nd ILl cuJob,..lfon.. \\·o aha.ll all ho gJn.d at hulnu. tC)(•, Whf:n tho •u.u .:ou donn •ud th8 l\l"lllc;l•t tau1• nud 0, or.v ono ut ua C:An liQ"ht u. CQ.ddJ• &n4 Pia«:• Jl Jn tbe Window and know tho JOl' or aond1ng lta lt.Jn\1\y l;\<>w I out 1.1\lo tho d.tu'kne.a• to £N-Jc1a tbe ""•andertnr; toot ot t.l\o l:hrlot Chllcl and to III:ht a wet. comln• l>Alh~<ClY tor t.ll• BOlbe ot B .. 1 b t o our home. • .... , • ttn

JORN R<\.Rl\y 6't'll;l)i).lAN. nochutttr. Dec. !!0, JDJct

Jdfreys, a respected member of the

Roehcstc.r funeral business. It is

unclcilr exactly how Stedman met

Jeffreys . h is pt>ssible that Jeffreys

helped Stcdrnan gct u hcud Slat1 on his economic venture..;;. Both Jef­freys and S tedman worked in lhe

h<H-wmc.r heating industry for a

time, and they may have met when

their career paths crossed. 'Whatever the case, it is cvidcntthut by the time uf Jeffreys dealh in 1917, I he 1 wo had

formed a ciMe bo nd . Afte r working

to revive the Yuletide traditit)n of

placing u lighted cundlc in every house front window, Stedman made an agreement w ilh Jeffreys I hal who·

ever of the two outlived the other

On October 3 1 , u funeral service

was held for John Harry Stedman ul

St. Paul's Episcop;tl Church .ll WftS

conducted by the Rev. William A.

R . Goodman , rector of the church ,

who led those attending in singing

some of S tedman 's favorite hymns.

lbe honon1ry bc~Lrc.rs m th e funenLI

were William B. Farnham , John N .

Beckley, William H . Noonan ,

Harper and Hiram W, Sibley, Ed·

ward Miner, \\1illiam \\1• \\1ebb ,

Fnmcis C. Mitchell, Henry K .

Knowllon , and Henry W. Mal·

lhews. The ushers were Thomas

Spencer and Francis Macomber.

ll'L ,.. would place a lighted candle a11he "''It ~•t\U fiork ~mts grave of his companion cve•'Y Chrill·

Published: Decem~r 23, 1916 nu•l Eve until his own demise. Jeffreys

~---•C•o•p•yrlg..;.h.t•C•T•h•e•N•e,;.w;;,.;Y~o~rl(~T~i:m:e:s ___ _j died on March 24, 19 17. Fur ll ve While Stedman aflllialed him~clf with Chrislm>•S Eves , Stedm;m illuminated

such iconic Rochester flgun:.s ft!\ Hiram f his friend's gr ave with alighted candle With no cstme to establish a legacy or \V. Sibley, Edwurd G. Miner, (md himself, Sledman hod no buildings until Stedrnun , too, plLSSed awt1y on Oc-

Gcorge Eas tman, he leaves be hind lillie named ailer him, no SlnlUCS or parks in Iober 29, 1922.

to show for his connections. While his honor, and no historical landmarks

Stedm::m had phmned to divide his c.~~ dedicated to him . His niLme, however, is 111te among such local institutions ftS the · 1 f s d • not enure y orgou en. te man s most Homeopathic Ht,)Spital and the Genesee e nduring legacy, which overcome the

Valley Club , there were unexpected economic obslHcle of his con1iscnled

obstacles thul his executor, Judge \Vii- estate, was his reintroduction of lighted

lh1m \tV. \\'ebb , had to face a ftc.r S ted· Cimdles in windows during Christ miLS·

man's death. time. Stedman firs t set out to resurrect

Stedman had intended 10 divide his

$52, 152 c.~lale among his favorite local

charitable institutions . His plan was to

give $ 10,000 10 S t. Paul's Church and

$6,000 10 the Homeopt\lhic H<\Spilnl .

His housekeeper, Muric Mudigan wa.~ to

receive $ 1 ,800, und >ums of $ 1 ,000 and

$500 were 10 be given 10 a number (I(

other orgfmizmions. Howevc.r, trouble

fln)Sc less than twt'l weeks after

this lrndilion in 19 13. By 19 14, he had

recruited a number of households 10

lake up I he c ustom. According lo Sled·

man "in lhcllrst ye;tr (1 9 14) a few

houses shown-the second over a thou­

sand". Jn a leu er to the editor of the

New York 7imes on December 20, 19 16,

S tedman explained the meaning of the

old English Yule c ustom. "A lighted

candle set in the window on ChristmftS

Eve will guide the Babe of Bethlehem

•I

Editor ~,· Note: Th etwthor, Gregory

R . Fostrr, is tl studrm lit th r Univrr­sity of Ro d 1ester mui!JI't!/Jtll'etl this essay as part of the course requiTe· menrsfor Relig ion 167K: Spet1king Stone.,·, which i.\' ttwght by Prof. Emil fl om rrin , wh o i.\' tli.\'0 tl tl'tM'trr of the Friends ofMtnmr N o(Je Ceme· tery. It shoultl be known that the t.[Jitaph et!iUJJ', with apoifJgies to th e

tmtlwr, cJumgetl the title ofthi.v tll'li· c/e, which Wtl ,\' origintllfy m orr staitlfy mu/ (Jt!l'hti/JS IIUJI't! l't!S/Jl!CI· fully ccdled Th e Life tuul Legtt cy of

John Harry Stedman.

MAJOR RENOVATIONS AT MOUNT HOPE CEMETERY'S

NORTH ENTRANCE NEAR COMPLETION.

By Nidrtml 0 . l<l'i$t'm

A generous FcderJI gmnt of nearly $2!l0.000 i> crea ting an exciting ureu ut the nor~• entrance to Mnunt Hupc Ccmctcry.11>c grant w"' obtained fur the cemetery by U.S. Congresswoman Luuilc Slaughter. Among the myriud rcslurntiom, und impro\~cmcnts thi~

grant ,. paytng for arc:

• Reconstruction of a roughly circular carriage path aroond the Florentine fuunlu in. Hi~wric dmwings of the cemetery and uld documclll> clcurly de>Cnbe th~> carriage path that once cxbtcd as a very large uppruximutc cir·

de in the current lawn arc.~fl around the foun~1in, but decades ago the evidence of thut original puth h"' been obliterated by curth and gmss. The new path. which will be limited to pe· dc>trian traflic, will be lin· i>hed in the hi.toric muterial thut wa~ abo u~cd in con .. strut ting the >Lurdy Eric Ca·

naltowpaths .

• Fu~udc lighting will illumi· note the gatehnu>e. old chupel, founlllin , Gould mausoleum . und the Ruu

m .. uwleum. Ahogcthcr, u dut.cn or"'' gmund hght> and one hght aimed utlhc fnuiHain frt liU u lrcc huvc OI)W been in>tullcd. The effect >huuld be dramatic for Mount Hope Avenue pe· dcs lrians und automobiles at nighl .

Wutch for the premiere pcrfornutncc when the >Un MarLS to ><I at8:00 o 'cluek or Iuter sumclime in Augu:rr. t .

1"imcrs in the gatchuu~e will control the

operation oflhe new lighting.

• ' l11c walls surrounding the Yu~y plol. which is JUM to the right of the gate· house, were originally construc lcd to

make the pitH level on lhc steep hill· s ide. But the>< stone wulls were in a

An origmul <llfA<W'" ' ·' hJ\1 erftl inUJ posilion aJ tltc su!ps lt.v.ullttg to the

Charles Rlttt mausoleum.

Tht' stone steps tmd fort'C"Oftn \writs he«! toM complttt/.1 ffliS.t mhltd

ami n •.fct fmo tlf£•ir origuwl po.dtlon.t, h~·t·mtse the.• t•llfitc llt'l'tt ltr_li·om

of thtt Rau numsolewn ho1.l rollttpSL"'ll

serious !'ltntc of dc.lc riorution . They have nnw been completely dismantled, new frn111ng> mstullcd. und the or•g•nul stones rcsct . this time with drainage

weep holes to prevent mohture from

collec ting and free Ling behind the wulls . The wwughl iron fence Lhut . ur· rounded the plot ha> been removed from the site for cleaning und repatr of br<Jkcn segments. 1l , too , should be

rcphteed by the end of July.

• New ~tunc cnlt'ancc ~tcps arc in the procc» uf being in>Utlled at the 1862 Gothic Revival chapel and uuachcd 19 12 crcmu tnry. Vcgctntiun

thut hu> tu~cn rout in tl>: muMIIIrY of the bu•ldtng will be removed und n.:scalcd wilh murtttr. Some rc puint­

ing of the stonework was aho ac­

complished on the fa~ade.

• The original obclh~ on the Jacob Gould muusoleum to tl>: righ of the chapel c r,>cked, dropping shards. h will be replaced with a new hi>tnri· cally accumte obcli'k that i~ being ftc,hioned inlndiunullf U>c lincsl limestone. II , Lou, slll>Uid be dcliv· ered and set atop the distinctive. EgypLiun•s tyle muU><>lcum by August. The stone >idcwalls ,~· the mnuwleum were bulging dungcr· uu>ly frorn Lhc pre. sure of the hill behind them. Thc>e sidewalls have

been completely rebuilt utiliz· 111g the ungullll s tone blnch, bul now wilh u layer nf gravel behind them and weep holes installed in the mortar ul the base ln keep rnoisture

fmm collecting behind the

walls.

• The cull~1p~ing sidewalls al

the Rau mttusolc.um were

rc!'ltorcd, wilh the uddititln uf

weep hole>, u couple uf year.. ago. It w"' a project under· ll!kcn and paid for by '"I'" porters and friends who arc

contributor.. to the Friends uf Moont Hope Ccmclery. ALl he limc, llllW· ever. there were in • .,ufHcicnt fund~ to

restore the elaborate forccourt and !'ltc ps lcuding up to this mau~oleum

situated C<.,Sidcmbly 1\bove the valley floor. All ,{ the huge >lone bluclu thlll once formed the frnnl wall of the forecourl and lhc ~tcps were di:o.pcrscd

on the site. many of which hnd slid down the hill and become ptu1iully covered with eunh. They huve ull been rccuvercd. cleaned. and neatly reset and mortared tu fom>the origi· nfll clcgunt appruuch to this architecp tural nu~>tcrpicce. Electritlll fu~11de

lighring will .o~how (lff 1h1". n".m:-lrk::•hll".

quality of this hrmdsome structure.

Friends president, Marilyn Nolle, and I

ha vc been frcquenl visilors lO the con4

s truction sile this summc.r. \Ve have mel

the mflSOns, lhe electricians, ~md olhers

and h;;lve been e normously impressed

by the efforts of the dedicated work­force under the direction of the project 's

primary contr.lClOr, Hc::lSlc.r B uikJing Rcswnuion, Inc., lO deliver the bcsl

possible qurtlity results . We think you will agree when you sec the llnished

product y(JUrsclf.

A backhoe digs out topsoil for the eight· foot·wide caniage path, which will be

covered with a special stone matelial that was U.<ied to construct Erie Canal towpaths

in tl>e I 820s.

This hirloric e11gra\oing shows I he orighral carriage pa1h 1ha1 surrounded I he founJain. Over 1he

years, lhis pa1h has disappeared and ended rq> as grass lawn. As pan of/he ceme1ery .~ cun-enl renovalions, 1he

carriage plllh is be;ng res1ored.

6

A worker rakes 1he excamud carr; age pmh 10 level 1he ground before 1he hard

surface is laid

SALES SOAR FOR NEW UNDERGROUND RAILROAD BOOK

A new bnnk published by the Friend> of Mount Hope Cemetery ti­tled FJ't>flrrkk Douglc1ss and the Un· tlngi'Duud Rail mad has been achieving rccnrd ).ale.\ "'incc ib introduction last fall. The buuk " wronen by veteran localuuthur and h•>tonan. R1chard Reiscm. and •> profusely illustrated with historic maps. portraits. and Un·

dcrground Ruilrnad >lop>. '" well as Cllnlcmpurury phulllgmph> of exbting UGRR building> und ;itcs by Frank Gillc>pic, who created the stunning professional photos fur the coffee· table bnnk , Moum 1/opr: Amrrico ~\' p;,.,,., Mrmil'itml Vit·wrillll Crmrtr~y.

The UndCI'gruund Ruilroud book relates early S~lvcry in New Netherland and cnloninl New York und contrasts the trc:Dlment nf ,h,ve' by d1e Dutch ver..u> the Engh>h up 10 the penod when Rail­rood uctivitie> began in lhc late 1820s and 1830s.

The bnn~ tell> the riveting >lory of Fre­derick Duuglu">' cventfullilc >larting with his birth to u black ;lave mother and white plantation ~u~rviSt'Jr fathc.r,

und pmcccding through brutal whipping us u ~luvc, funta~tic luck und dctcrmina· tion in learning to rcud and write.~ forlu· nnte help in ph111ning a dbguiscd e.~­cupe, und the harrowing adve nture of

the e.cupe. tniVe hng from Baltimore: to New \'ink and barely .urviving many near catastrophes. E\'cn in his enormous success 'l) nn ubolition orator, he often fncc:d imminent d•mgcr. ~uch a~ on board u >hip "' llriiUin und e.cuping by minutn un urrc~t in Philadelphia by U.S. marshab.

AISll rcvculcd uru the reasons that Frc· dcrick Dt•ugl"" d>~>e RtlChc>tcr, New York'" ht' horne. Finally. then: un: the Storie> of ~1e many Roche>ter abotition­ist.< who ri>kcd priwn and appalling fine;, working wid• Frederick Douglass

an undt"rcuvcr und ~urrep_11iou) ways to ensure eventuul frc:cdom fur c.caping slave fugitive;, The >lorics tlthc br•vc Ror..·hc:o,lcr ubolitiurti!!lb demonstrate how clever they were and huw scary, heroic. und hcurtwurrning their li~ bcCLlmc. There urc hundred; ul' happy endings in this thoughtful , valuable book .

7

Sprrifimtimrs: • I 00 pa gcs

• Four-color cover

• 64 photogruphs. J mups. gmvesites of JS ubc1hllllll"" with GPS location> in

Mount ~lope Cemetery • Complete Index and Bibtiography

r•rlre: $10.

If>'"" htll'l' 11111 yrt t1IJ1oinrd this ot1tstmuling book , here is

f l list of J'etct il o 1111 ets:

CentH nl ll lj;h Fulls

60 Brown> Race. W-F II :00-5:30. Sat 12:00-5:30. Sun I :00-5:00

Friends or k\lowll Hope Cemetery 791 Mt.llupe Avenue.

Sut 1:00-J :OO.Sun 2:00-4:00

Gret'l:e lll>torical Society 595 Long fund Road. Sun 2:004:30

Lundnuu-k Soclely 133 S. Filthugh Street, M-F 8:00-5:00

The Llbrury Slore, Rochester

Public Library

Mount l h~1e Cemetery offiCe 1133 Mount Hope Avenue

M-F 8:30-3:30. Sut 8:30-noon

SoSlln 8 . Andhony House

17 Mud i><lll Street. T..Sun 11 :00-5:00

Wegmul\'l

Calkins Road Stun:, 745 Calkins Road

Chili-Paul Stun:, 3175 Chili Avenue

llyl11n Drive Store, 650 Hylun Drive (M urketplucc)

Latut Roud Sture, 3177 Lana Road

Lyell Avenue Sk•rc. 2301 Lyell Avenue

Mt. Read Store. 3701 Mt. Read Blvd.

Pitt> ford Store, 3196 Monroe Avenue

You cun ubu urdcr the book online ut :

t 'omh.on (Friends uf MI. Hope Ccmctc.ry)

Laodma cksru: 1<·1 y.o re

THE FRIENDS OF MT. HOPE CEMETERY PO BOX 18713 ROCHESTER NY 14618·0713

Non·Proll ()g. U.S. Postage

PAID Roches1er. NY Pormit No.1037

HISTORIC MOUNT HOPE STREETCAR

In a roccnl i~suc of the Epit"ph, we show,'{] a photograph of a

decorated tra flic-light control box at the corner of Mount Hope

Avenue and Cypress Strocl. A citywide program engaged local

artists to paint the boxes with inventive depictions thm relate to

the area where the control boxes arc located, and that MI. Hope/

Cypress box announced: "Emergency Mt Hope Cemetery

Zombie Stntion."

Now, anothl)r control box, this one in front of the Mount Hope

Cemetcry ollice at 1133 Mount Hope Avenue, has been painted

10 show tho) historic horse·drn wn streetcar thlll once tnweled the

avenue. The Rochester City and Brighton Railway was cstab·

lished on May 20. 1862. And the llrst streetcars on the Lake

View and Mount Hope Avenue route commenced regular runs

on July 13. 1863. The schedule was planned so thm streetcars

passed certain points on the route every 15 minull'! Ji·om 6:00

a.m. 10 I I :00 p.m.

In 1870. an epizootic. foot-and-mouth disease. sprend across the

United States, killing or disabling the ntljority of horses,

thereby crippling streetcars. Only four of every I 00 horses

owned by the Rocl"'stcr Stro;l Railway Company were lit for

LL~C. The epidemic inspired the inventOr George B. Selden to

.;omplclc his work on the internal combustion ~ts engine,

which he believed could become a dependable alternative to

horsepower.

But Selden wns bcallo the marketplace in 1890, when motive

power for streetcars: was changed lO electricity.

ROR