ANNOUNCEMENTS

HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE

On Sunday Dec. 1^st from 2:00-4:00 p.m., everyone is invited to an open house at Eaton Hall featuring weaving and spinning demonstrations by

Betty Atwood and Peg Armitage. Light refreshments will be served, and copies of the award winning Pittsford’s Second Century will be on sale.

Betty is a hand weaver of rugs and clothing textiles, and will bring her tape loom used to weave narrow bands or “tape.” Popular uses of the loom (ca.1800) include garters to hold up stockings or decorative edging for garments such as hats. Peg will demonstrate how hand spinning is done with a drop spindle. The drop spindle can be traced back to late 9^th century England, and two thousand years before that in Greece.

In Memoriam:

The Society marks with deep sorrow the passing of two of its long-standing members, Henry (Hank) Paynter, and Ed Autenreith. Hank designed and maintained the Society’s website and served on the board of directors. He was a professor emeritus from MIT, a scientist, researcher, publisher, and was deeply interested in local causes.

Ed was a realtor and served as Pittsford town lister for 22 years. In 1973 he and his family moved from Nassau Co. N.Y to Pittsford where he began an electrical contracting business. Both men will be missed by all who knew them.

New Storage Building at Eaton Hall!
The prebuilt storage building purchased from Garden Time has been delivered and put on a foundation in back of Eaton Hall. The structure measures 12 x 24 and will be home to several pieces of farm equipment from the Susan Peabody Plimpton estate. Four generations of Peabody ancestors farmed and raised sheep for sheepskin mittens and moccasins where Jim and Liz McRae now live, raise sheep, and operate Vermont Camera Works. Fred Harvie deserves a big thank you for overseeing this project from start to finish. At a previous board meeting, John Cadwell generously offered the seed money for the building to be paid back as soon as funds are raised. Fred and Jean Harvie have given a $500.00 donation towards the $5000.00 building cost, and proceeds from the Tag & Bake Sale held last July will also go towards this project.

Old Timbers For Sale
When the Penfield Tavern (ca.1797) was demolished in 1997; Fred Harvie was able to obtain several of the hand-hewn beams used in its construction. He stored them in back of Eaton Hall, thinking they might someday be used for building a Museum storage barn. The timbers measure in lengths up to thirty feet, and Fred is asking $95.00 apiece or best offer. All proceeds go to the Pittsford Historical Society.

Successful Tag & Bake Sale
The Society held a very successful tag and
bake sale last July 13^th, raising approximately $600.00. Many thanks go out to all the volunteers who began setting up early that Saturday morning, and continued helping throughout the very warm day. Director Richard Beriau was in charge of selling raffle tickets for Pittsford’s Second Century, and as luck would have it his three-year-old granddaughter, Olivia Vallandingham won the book!!

Recent Acquisitions
Bob and Sally Wood from Brandon donated a treenail (“trunnel”) identified in Charlie Powers’ writing as being from the Pittsford Mills covered bridge, which was replaced by a cement structure in the 1930’s. Patty Candon from Pittsford brought in a box of Candon, Carriagan, and Lowth family memorabilia. Included were 14 old photographs, one of which was a postcard of an old Candon farm now owned by antique dealer Mike Seward.

Ed Keith brought in a collection of Town Reports from the Ruth Keith Estate, and Mrs. Louis Faivre of Brandon donated an old wooden baby’s walker used by Glenn Spaulding. From the estate of Mrs. Esther Bassett, donated by Martha Allen and Benjamin Bassett, we received a picture of the Pittsford High School’s class of 1927. They also donated framed color photos of Katherine Crockett Marnell’s card shop on Furnace Road.

These donations add to the rich history of Pittsford stored at the Museum, and we are most grateful to everyone who gave.

Cemetery Markers
The Pittsford Cemetery Association has voted to put markers up identifying the Baptist Burying Ground and the Congregational Meeting House Cemetery. The Baptist Cemetery, located on Rt. 7 across from Plains Rd. is considered the oldest Pittsford Cemetery. The Old Congregational Cemetery is located on the east side of Rt. 7 next to the Congregational Church.

Membership Information:
Toni Frett, membership chairman, will be on hand to collect dues at the Annual Meeting. Dues are based on a calendar year and if you haven’t paid since Jan. 1^st of this year, please renew as soon as possible. Thank you.

NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2002