On Sunday, July 27, Carol and I took a walk that in our style took a strange turn, west on Main St actually. That brought us eventually to Madison St where Susan B. Anthony House Museum stands today at #17. This is where she lived and worked to devote herself to suffrage for women. She was single minded, she worked for temperance and as an abolitionist as well, but always for woman’s right to vote. She dedicated her entire life to that goal and although she herself never saw it, it did come to be in large measure as a result of her enduring self sacrifice. The house tour is worth making a stop in Rochester for, especially if you get a docent who is as into the history as the one we had who took an hour and a quarter to give the 45 minute tour. Think of single-mindedness of purpose, a life devoted to one goal “failure is impossible” votes for women.
It was pleasant to walk along and see the signs commemorating the history of Susan B, and Frederick Douglas who lived nearby and the railroads and the canal that passed through the area in those days. Thoughts of the Race Riots of 1964, just 50 years ago, that resulted in the construction of Fight Square right there on Main Street, now torn down and replaced with newer, finer housing, pass through the mind as it is so much in the news. The area is rebuilt and appears to be a substantial urban neighborhood.
In Susan B Anthony’s era Rochester was a confluence of canals and a river. The Erie Canal passed through the center of the city and crossed the Genesee River on an aqueduct which to this day carries the Broad Street Bridge across the river as an added upper deck. Just west of the river, which is not navigable, isthe Genesee Valley Canal which was opened in 1840 only be abandoned with the coming of the railroad in 1877. Today it forms a Greenway stretching from the former Erie Canal to Mt Morris and beyond. There are also remnants of the Buffalo,Bradford andPittsburgh Railroad to be seen, not the least the railroad station that today houses Nick Tahou’s Hots, the home of the Garbage plate, featured on “Diners Drive-ins and Dives”.
Just past #17 Madison St is Madison Square. It is a lovely park with a sculpture of Susan B Anthony and Frederick Douglas having Tea.
Let’s have some Tea
Since that walk we have taken many more walks, but with less exciting discoveries. For now we are entertaining or being entertained for almost every meal as we prepare to get back in the coach. A brief idea of our near term schedule follows: on Friday the 15th we drive in the Jeep to Hamilton ON to visit Carol’s aunt who just turned 91 – we should all be as spry and active at 85 as she is at 91. Then we will stay over with cousins before traveling to Niagara Falls for dinner with more cousins. A day (or two) in Rochester to prepare ourselves and the coach and we set off to see some of New York that we have driven through without stopping. First destination is Ogdensburg along the St Lawrence River where Frederick Remington, the sculptor, was born and there is a museum. Then to Hyde Park where among other things we will tour FDR’s home and museum. Eventually we will get to Jersey City NJ where we will stay over Labor Day Weekend to see Carol’s family and attend her brother’s birthday party. Since we will be a short ferry ride from Manhattan I cannot imagine that we won’t get into the city.
The looking glass gets a bit foggy after that. We will be in Covesville, VA with Dan, Malena and family over Rosh HaShanah and Dan’s birthday which coincide this year, and back in Rochester from September 29, or so, through October 13ish. Then back to C’ville before heading out either west or south or?
