Hannibal's Historical Highlights Bv Gordon W. Sturge, B.S., M.S. ltla_yor and Town Historian APPRECIATION is extended to Mr. Hosmer and the entire staff of The Community Newspapers at Red ,Creek, New York, especially to Dwight Stewart, l\i1rs. Anna B. Taber, Fred Hudson, Miss Helen Neal, Harry Van Patten and Charles Jaeger, for their patience, forbear­ ance and cooperation during the printing of this book. GORDON W. STURGE. August 1, 1949 Hannibal, New York Dedicated To My Foster Parents Frank G., Jennie A., and l\ilary F. Sturge ERRATA Page 37-Alfred Pierce, lumber sawing, 1n­ :stead of Robert Scott. Page 68-Stanley Church replaces Wilfred Greenfield. Page 95-Lucille McCarthy Berlin, instead of Lucille Berlin McCarthy. Table of Contents Page How the Town of Hannibal Was Formed______________________ _______ __ 9 Can You Remember When_______________________________________________________ 15 Hannibal Man Founder of Kenosha, Wisconsin_____ ______ _ ____ 22 Railroads________ ____ ____ ______ _______ ____ ___ _____________________________________ _________ 24 Old Industries and Businesses ____ ___ ___________ _ _______________ ________ ____ 29 Elections__________________ _____ ____ __ __ _____________________ _________________ _____ __ _ 38 George Washington ___ ____________ __ ___ _______________ __________ ________________ _ _ 41 Wiltseville-District No. l_____ ___ _ _______ ___________ ___ _________ _____ ____ 42 Stone Schoolhouse-No. 2____ ___ __ ____ __ ___ __ __ _____ ___ __ ____ ___ ____ __________ __ ________ 49 North Hannibal-No. 3 __ ___________ __ _______ ______ _______________ __________ _ 51 Hannibal-No. 4 __________________________________ --------------------------------------------- 62 Fairdale-No. 5 ______________________________________ --------------------------------------- __ 99 Cain's Corners-No. 6 __ ____________ __ __ --------------------------------------- ___ ____ 103 Hannibal Center-No. 7_ ________ ___ __ _ _____________ __ ________ ______________ ____ __ ___ __ 105 Mc Causey-No. 8 __ ___ __ __ _______ __ _ ___ __ __ __ __ ___ ____ ____ _____ __ _________________ ____ ______ 110 Carter-No . 9 __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ 112 Schoonmaker-No. 10 ___ ________ __ __ ____ _______ _____ _________ ____________________ ______ ___ 117 South Hannibal-No. 11 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 119 White School-No. 12 ____ _________ ____ ___ ____ __ ____________ ______ __ __ __ __________ ________ ___ 128 Gifford District-No. 13 ___ ________ ____________ _____ _______ ____ _________ _________ ___ ______ 135 Rhoades-No. 14 _________________ ------------------------------------------------------------- 140 Dennison-No. 15 ____ __ ___ _ __ ___ _________ ____ __ __ _ _ _ _ ____ _____ ____ ___ ___ ____ ________ ___ __ ___ ___ _ 142 Pem bers-No. 2 (Gran by)______________________________________________________________ 144 Ear1 y Au tomo beelin '_______ ____ _____ ___ _____ __ ________ ______ __ ____ ____ ______ ______ _______ ___ 146 Hannibal Town Hall_ _____________________ ----------------------------------------------- _ 148 Brewster's Silver Band _________________________________________________________________ 150 Hannibal July Fourths _________________________________________________________________ 152 Guthrie's Ole Swimmin' Hole ________________________________________________ 155 Churches _____________________ __________ ________ __ ________________ ___ __________ ___ ________ 156 Floods and Fires ________________________________________________________________ 183 Sports __ _ _ _ __ _ _ ___ _ _ __ ___ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ 18 7 Hannibal Men in Wars _____________________________________________________ 201 Masons and Eastern Stars___ __ __ ______ ___ ____ _ __ __ _______ 227 Civic Organizations _ __ __ _ _______ __ __ ___ __ _ 249 Postoffices ____ ___ __ __ ___ _ _________ 252 Firemen ___________ ____ __ __ _ 256 Granges ____ __ __ __ __ _ _ ___ 258 Page Town and Village Officers_______________________________________________________________ 267 Finances and Prices___________________________________________________________________________ 269 Newspapers and ·Telephones__________________________________________________________ 271 0 Id Land marks__________________________________________________________________________________ 27 4 Miscellaneous ______________________________ ------------------------- ______ __ __ _______ ____ ____ ____ 277 Table of Pictures Page Village Square (South Side)_____________________________ __ ______ ____ ____ ____ _______ 16 Village Square (West Side)______________________________ _________ __ ______ .. _ 17 A Friendly Game of Cards_______________________________________________ ______ 18 Ice Harvesting Time______________________________________________________________ __ ____ __ 19 0 ld Mill Stream and Dam_ ___________ ___________ __ _____ ________ ___ ____ ___ ___ _______ __ __ 20 Wreck on the R. W. & O.______________________________________ ___________ __ __ ______ 26 Old Cooper Shop____________________________________________________________________ __ __ 30 Brewster's Store_______________________________________________________________________ _____ ___ 32 Mc Farland's Store-------------------------------___________________________________ ___ ____ __ 35 The American HoteL__ ________________ ________ ___ _____ ____ __ ___ ________ ___ ___ _____ __ __ _ __ __ 40 North Hannibal School___________________________________________________ __ ______________ 61 Hannibal Primary Department______________________________________________ _____ 63 Hannibal High School ( 1868)________________________________________________________ 65 Ruins of Hannibal High SchooL___________________________________________________ 67 Hannibal High School (1923)_______________________________________________ _________ 69 Seven th and Eighth Grades (1914-15)______________________________ _________ 76 First Graduating Class ______________ ------------------------ ____ ____ ____ ___ ___ __ _ ___ ___ _ 77 1949 Gr ad uating ·Class____________________________________________________________ __ __ _ __ _ 90 Hannibal Cheese Factory__________________________________________________ ___ __ ___ _ ____ 102 The Old Matson Trail______________________________________________________________________ 122 Old Hannibal Dryhouse ____________________________________________________________ 139 Hannibal Town HalL_________________________ ____________ ____ ___ __ ____ __ _ ____ ____ _____ ____ _ 148 Chamberlain Tannery and Residence_________________ ________ __ _ 154 Camp Meeting at Demster______________________ ___ ____ _______ __ _______ _ 172 First Organized Baseball Team________________ ___ __ __ ____ _ ___ __ 188 G. A. R. Members, Post 447____________________________ _______ _ __ ___ 208 Hannibal Free Library_________________________________________________________ ___ __ __ _ 255 Golden Sheaf Grange_____________________ ___________ _ ______ __ ___ _ ______ 259 North Hannibal Juvenile Grange _________________________________________ 262 Cato-Meridian Telephone Office ______________________________________ 272 The Town Pump _____ ---------------------------------------------------------- ___________ 276 Acknowledgments MANY of the facts, happenings and events recorded herein were obtained from the older citizens of the town, old town, village, church and school records, newspapers, "History of Oswego County," "Landmarks of Oswego County," and many other sources. A goodly portion of the material is given to you "as was told to me." In many cases involving old records the original form and spelling has been purposely retained. There will be some disagreements as to dates as different people were not certain of time placement, even regarding comparatively recent happenings. The following people loaned pictures, aided in giving information or helped in some way to make this account possible and their assistance is hereby gratefully acknowledged: Mr. and Mrs. Fred Cox, Karl Kellogg, Mr. and Mrs. S. R. Lockwood, Mr. and Mrs. Melzar Van Auken, Miss Grace Hawkins, Mrs. Ida Til­ ford, Mrs. Lena Cox, Mr. and Mrs. John Cox, Mrs. Walter Youngs, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Perkins, Robert Bishop, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Rogers, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Rogers, Mr. and Mrs. Julius Knapp, Mrs. Edward Fairley, Mrs. James Jackson, Mrs. Leon Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. Ray­ mond Shutts, Orville Wiltse, Grant Wilson, Harvey Wheeler, Mrs. Floyd Follett, Miss Sadie Adamy, Mr. and Mrs. Ward Adamy, Mrs. William Smith, Henry Wiltse, Mrs. Alice Chamberlain, Mrs. Herman Plummer, Mrs. Sela Travis, Mrs. Chester Pearce, Roy Welling, Mrs. Fannie Tucker, Mrs. Emma Field, Mrs. George McMillen, Mr. and Mrs. George Baldwin, Donald Wheeler, Mrs. Bert Blodgett, Miss Margaret Lindsley, Mrs. Homer Lindsley, Mr. and Mrs. William Byrne, Miss Rita German, Mrs. Wade Gillis, Mrs. Harry Powers, Mrs. Winfred Welling, Hayes Braga, Mr. and Mrs. Hardy Lamson, Mrs. Clive Mead, Reverend Leonard B. Whitney, Mrs. Roy Darling, Mr. and Mrs. George Wells, Maurice Lockwood, Miss Vivian Megraw, Mrs. Jesse Lounsbery, Mrs. Raymond Howell, Mrs. Curtis Cooper, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Cooper, Ernest Lonis, Mrs. Dolly Barrett, Mrs. Clayton Gifford, Mrs. Ira Dopp, Miss Cassie Marsh, Mrs. Charles Petrie, Mrs. Grover Showers, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kranze, Ivan Blake, Mrs. Adelbert