#26
Maude Tompkins was born in Trumansburg in 1873, worked at the post office for many years, and in 1919 was the first woman elected to be Ulysses town clerk. She was also a descendant (somewhat distant) of Daniel Tompkins, the namesake of Tompkins County, governor of NY, and vice president of the US. This picture of a young Maude likely dates from the 1880s and is a photograph enhanced with oil paint, watercolors, and colored pencil – a common way to create a color image without the expense of sitting for a painted portrait. This picture, along with a later image of Maude and a framed silk fan that was a gift from a failed engagement, were purchased at an estate sale and had been in the care of Edie Stewart, a relative of the Tompkins family. They were donated to UHS by Karen Laun.
Maude Tompkins, First Female Town Clerk of Ulysses
#27
Mockford General Store Sign
Richard Mockford first came to Trumansburg in 1878 and opened a jewelry and music store that expanded to sell a wide variety of goods, including groceries, stationary, crockery, toys, cigars, and clocks. This large clock sign (not a real clock) is over two feet tall and quite heavy. It hung outside Mockford’s shop to advertise his wares. Mockford’s shop on Union Street burned down in the Opera Block fire of 1896 and a large safe that was left standing in the rubble was not opened again for over 30 years. Inside were 1888 newspapers, corroded watches, and two gold dollar coins. During the fire, Mockford moved at least some of his stock to the street and unfortunately some young men helped themselves to his property. Mockford passed away in 1925 and had operated his general store until just a few years earlier. Donated by Clara Baker.
#28
1908 Trumansburg Fair Pins
The year 1908 was the 50th anniversary of the Union (Trumansburg) Fair. It was advertised as the biggest and best town fair in Central New York. These three pins commemorate some of the special events that were planned. Wednesday, “School Day,” was dedicated to students, with all children in the area being given free entrance to the fair and a seat in the Grand Stand. Thursday, “Grange Day,” focused on the contributions of the Grange, with exhibits of fruit, vegetables, and flowers competing for prizes. And Friday was “Governor’s Day,” when New York Governor Charles E. Hughes was present to make a speech.
#29
A Doll Named Amy Bolster Durling
This late 1800s porcelain doll, who goes by the name Amy, originally belonged to Zada Ellen Bolster Durling (1890–1970). Born in Locke, NY, Zada moved to Durling Road in Trumansburg after her marriage to Ray W. Durling. Amy was also a childhood companion to Zada’s daughters, Alta Mae Durling Parker and Mary Lucille Durling Churey. Zada’s granddaughters, Donna Durling Miller and Linda Parker Spas, also played with Amy, but very carefully as she had become fragile with age. In 2022, Amy was given to UHS by Linda Parker Spas.
#30
Compass
This compass in a wooden case belonged to Azariah Letts, one of the early settlers in the area. He first came to Ulysses from New Jersey in 1801 and established a 125-acre farm in the Updyke settlement, about 5 miles southeast of Trumansburg. In 1850 he wrote some reminiscences of his life that were published in The Free Press in 1934. His first journey here took about a month, camping in the woods, and driving 4 wagons with ox teams, plus 2 horses and 4 cows. He described Ithaca as having only 3 or 4 houses at the time. The land was heavily forested and he was not the only settler to declare how easy it was to get lost in the deep woods, making this compass a vital tool. The forest also harbored abundant deer, bear, wolves, and even panthers (mountain lions), and Azariah was a skilled hunter who made an annual trip to New York City to sell his animal skins and pelts. The compass was donated to UHS by Julia Morehouse.
#31
Masonic Gavel and Voting Box
Among the Masonic items in our collection are this well-worn gavel and several voting boxes, plus the black and white ballot balls that would be dropped through the holes to place a yes or no vote. The history of the Masons is not without controversy and in the 1820s there was a nationwide anti-Masonic movement. All the Lodges across New York disbanded – except one. In Trumansburg, 12 loyal Masons, nicknamed the “12 Apostles,” met in secret for the next 20 years.
#32
Top Hat and Hat Box
This lovely beaver top hat and its form-fitting storage case came to UHS from the Costume Bureau. The Costume Bureau got its start in Trumansburg in the 1930s as a repository of old clothes, dating as far back as the 1850s, to be used for plays, historic fashion shows, and even Halloween costumes. In the 1970s, the clothing collection was transferred to the Society for preservation and the fragile outfits are no longer available for loan. There are currently several thousand items of clothing in the collection, ranging from dresses, suits, and military uniforms to shoes, bonnets, and gloves. Top hats were popular from about the early 1800s up to World War II, though they moved from more everyday wear to strictly formal wear over time.
#33
Calling Cards
From the late 18th through the early 20th century, it was proper etiquette to leave a calling card when visiting someone’s home. The custom originated among European aristocracy and gradually filtered down to the upper and middle classes in Europe and the US. The cards could also be mailed to someone or exchanged in person when making a new acquaintance or hoping to start a courtship. There were complicated rules accompanying visiting, including the time of day to call and the proper length of a visit (about 20 minutes). Messages could be written on the cards or a corner folded to convey additional meaning. People might also collect the calling cards of their friends and put them into an album as a memento. It was important for men to have both a business card and a personal calling card – using a business card for a personal visit would have been bad manners. Today, we mostly leave text and voice mail messages, but the business card still remains as a way to promote one’s business.
#34
Rifle from the War of 1812
This rifle was owned by Samuel Nivison (1785-1864) and may have been carried by him in the War of 1812 when he served as a private in McMahan’s Regiment of the New York Militia. Samuel was born in New Jersey and moved first to Enfield, NY, then to Jacksonville. He was the great-grandfather of Pearle and Sarah Nivison, who donated the rifle to UHS. There was also briefly a gun factory in Trumansburg, located upstream from Taughannock Falls and it is believed to have been used to manufacture guns for this war.
#35
Flax Hetchel
This rather alarming looking bed of spikes was used in just one part of the long process of converting a flax plant into a linen shirt. When harvested, flax must be pulled rather than cut in order to preserve the long fibers. After drying, the seeds are removed from the stems in a process called rippling. The next step is retting, where the plants are submerged in water to rot away the outer stem and free the fiber. After that is breaking – beating the flax to break up the inner woody stem. Scutching, scraping the flax fibers with a wooden knife, removes the last of the inner stem. The flax fibers are next dragged through a series of hetchels to align the fibers and separate the short fibers from the long ones. The longer fibers are then spun into thread and the thread woven into cloth. Only then could the shirt making begin.
#36
Photo Albums and Scrapbooks
We are often given individual photos and documents to add to our archives, but sometimes we also receive carefully created photo albums and scrapbooks that focus on one era or one subject. These early 1900s photos of one-room and other schools in Ulysses, Enfield, and Newfield are an important record of rural school life. The album was compiled by Fred Beardsley, superintendent of schools, and he appears in many of the pictures.
#37
A harrow is a farming implement sometimes consisting of a heavy wood or metal frame set with teeth or tines that is dragged over plowed land to break up clods, remove weeds, and cover seed. Jacob DeLong, who lived in Covert, obtained a patent for this iron harrow in 1862. Gregg Iron Works in Trumansburg made this miniature version, about 10 x 12 inches, to serve as a salesman's sample. Their foundry was located approximately where the Farmer’s Market is today, though their work can still be seen in the cast iron store fronts along Main Street. The miniature harrow was donated to UHS by David Smith and is displayed near several full-size harrows.
Salesman’s Sample Iron Harrow Made by the Gregg Foundry
#38
Presbyterian Church Lamp
This lamp came from the Presbyterian Church in Trumansburg. It is likely that the lamp was purchased as part of a major renovation of the church in 1880-81. When the church was reopened for public worship in February 1881, an article in The Sentinel described the refurbishment. A total of $2,485.50 was spent to retouch the frescoing, re-lay the floor, provide new seats, put down a new carpet, update the windows, paint the exterior, repair the slate roof, and purchase a new chandelier with 30 lights. The first chandelier purchased was unsatisfactory and the church committee returned it and ordered a new one from a different company. This second chandelier, in French gray and gilt, came from the well-known firm of Mitchell, Vance & Co. in New York City and was designed for the church. A letter to the Sentinel from the Rev. R. H. VanPelt in late 1880 provided an update on the progress and expressed his wish that the committee would agree to gas fittings, rather than oil, for the chandelier. It seems that the committee denied him but, just weeks after the church reopened, then agreed to upgrade the burners to gas due to repeated problems. Gas was the modern way – cleaner and less labor intensive.
The Rev. VanPelt may have been inspired to plea for a gas chandelier because of the nearly tragic accident at the nearby Church of the Epiphany in 1879. One evening, the kerosene chandelier, with 14 lamps, fell to the floor just after all the lamps had been lit. Only through the quick action of the choir members, using every available cushion to smother the flames, did they prevent the church from burning.
This particular lamp was saved for many years by Dud Duddleston before being donated to the Society.
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