Linda Osborne Cynowa

‘Old Field Point Light’

Linda’s Monday Morning Moaning’s:

FYI, for those individuals who are contemplating researching, really any type of topic, never, never allow your enthusiasm and excitement over a great find, to blind you to the fact, you are on the path to furthering something you CAN NOT USE! As I have mentioned I am researching another book for Arcadia’s ‘Postcards of America Series’ on the Lights of the Great Lakes, I am pretty familiar with our lights in Michigan, but learning about the other states that have a stake in having lights on the Great Lakes, and is still a some what unfamiliar territory for me.

I now refer you to the ‘Old Field Point Lighthouse’ on what I thought was Lake Ontario. It’s not! I had purchased two separate postcards of this lighthouse, and well on my way for more, because I let my excitement get the better of me and didn’t double check my sources. I was so taken by the vintage fieldstone look, I failed to realize, that yes, this is in New York, a state that borders Lake Ontario, but this lighthouse is on the north shore of Long Island, and no amount of finagling could it be near Lake Ontario.

Because I liked it so much I decided to tell you about this today, anyway. The Old Field Point Light is located on the northern tip of Old Field, and dates back to 1823. It was built by the United States government for $2,500., The light would be totally finished in 1824 for an additional $1,500. A three-acre parcel was purchased from Samuel Ludlow Thompson and Ruth Thompson for $600. with property boundaries being defined by the high water mark, a fence and a cherry tree. The final constructions cost came to $3,999.25, with the remaining severity-five cents being put into the surplus fund.

It’s first light came from nine whale oil lamps and was magnified by a large glass reflector. The plaster octagonal stone tower stood thirty feet tall, and there was a separate one-and-a-half story, five room keepers dwelling located inland from the tower. Although the first tower is gone, the original keeper’s house is still standing on the east side of the currant lighthouse. A fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed in the tower’s lantern room in 1855, replacing the array of nine lamps previously used, that consumed around 350 gallons of oil each year.

The currant Old Field Lighthouse was finished in 1869, after congress provided additional funds for its construction. The two story granite structure stands roughly fifty feet tall with walls two feet thick. The twenty-eight-foot cast-iron tower is square with beveled edges and a circular lantern room, that houses the original Fresnel lens. It’s stone church like architecture, is in the Victorian-Gothic Revival style.

The Old Field Light was deactivated in 1933, having been replaced with a beacon on top of a nearby steel tower. The property was given to the town of Old Field for a public park. A modern beacon, now maintained by the Coast Guide, was placed back in the lantern room in 1991, and the keeper’s house from the 1824 lighthouse has served as the village hall since 1963.

For me these lovely old structures have such a great meaning. The romance they bring to mind of a long ago past. Not to speak of the keepers and their families, the loneness, as most of these lights were far from anything to give help to these families. They were there to help others out at sea at all costs.

On that ‘wee note’ till next week.

Thank you to the http://www.lighthousefriends.com for all the great work they do in preserving these lights so that the rest of us can learn about them. ‘American Lighthouses’ by Bruce and Cheryl Shelton-Roberts

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My ‘Covid Lockdown’ Book – Part 2

Linda’s Monday Morning Moanings

The roll out of ‘Farming in Northern Macomb County’, was more than we could have asked for, and I am sending a great thank you to all the people who made it out to the Washington Historical Museum on Sunday the 8th. The museum is such a special place and the historical society puts such loving care into keeping it updated and refreshed with revolving displays with many historical artifacts. The museum will be the location of a book presentation on the ‘Washington Township’ book on Thursday 23rd of September at 7:00 pm. Hope if you are interested in hearing about Washington Township you will join us. More about dates and times of book presentations coming up in the coming weeks blogs.

The Octagon House was this Sunday’s book signing, both these places were kind enough to give me a forum to let people have a chance to purchase this newest Arcadia Publishing book.

Couldn’t have been more please with the turn out, so many people came to see this lovely old home and what the ‘Friends of the Octagon House’ have done to keep it in top shape and in creating a great space for learning about the past times in Washington Township and the Loren Andrus family.

As I have called this my ‘covid book’, it took on special meaning as last year with the mandate about mask wearing, I was not recognizing many of the people I had contact with, but was nice to see a more normal part of life again. I was able to have some great conversations and talk about the stories listed in the book and some that weren’t able to make the cut. For some it was a good opportunity to purchase the other previous books that have been written in this series in the last couple of years.

It was a very rewarding and fulfilling day and very nice to see the interest and excitement that these books bring to peoples lives. I am hoping they will spread the word and bring the farming life out to the public of Macomb County, I believe they will be pleased.

On that ‘wee note’, till next week.

My ‘Covid Lockdown’ Book

Linda’s Monday Morning Moaning’s

Today August 9th, 2021 Arcadia Publishing will add ‘Farming in Northern Macomb County to its long list of publications. This book was put together, as with all these books with the help of many people, this time the people I was working with and meeting many for the first time, would be masked up and we would all be smelling of hand sanitizer. Creating this book was my company and interest while we were going through a lockdown with Covid last year.

With the library closed to patrons, we still managed to get the scanning done, as Julie Oparka has done on all of my past books. It took some work, but when the library did opened too ‘pickup books only’ we found a way. I would contact the people wanting to make contributions of their family stories to the book, we would arrange to meet at the library, but they would stay in their cars. I would call into the library to Julie, and with our masks on. I would get the peoples images and information from them, and run it up to the door, where Julie would meet me, and I would go back to my car and wait for her to scan and bring back their items, and thank them for their help.Their kindness in waiting as they did was very appreciated. This would happen. many many times. As my Mum used to say ‘where there’s a will there’s a way. Thanks Mum!

‘Pete Schoenherr telling his Dad Louie that he knows the way’

In the two previous books, they are about the community as a whole of both Macomb and Washington, and I included churches, shops, schools, etc. but the stories I would hear about the farming families and the lives they lived was so fascinating and interesting, I really had no idea about the life these hard working and necessary people lived.

In moving on I realized I could hopefully tell the stories of these families and make people more aware, through the nine townships north of Hall Road. Many of the farms are no longer here, because of progress and development. But many are still working the land as hard as ever. I found that for the communities it is much more profitable for developers to come in and build subdivisions than having the revenue from the farm land, really forgetting just how important the farming and what these families are doing for the communities themselves. I would learn about the first Rhubarb Festival, and where Macomb County was known for being the ‘Rhubarb Capital of the World’ next to Washington State. I loved the stories of the Donley’s, originally from Ballyporeen, Ireland, then of Lenox Township and their cabin now safely in the hands of the Richmond Area Historical Society’s, ‘Bailey Park’. Or the little girl whose family teased her about getting a farm for her birthday she didn’t really want at 10 years old.

As I was asked many times, if I had grown up on a farm, my answer was always no, I was raised in the city. So for me, doing this book was a learning experience as have all my books been. I hope if you get a chance, either to purchase or to borrow from your local library, you will take this trip, I hope you will find well worth making.

On that ‘wee note’, till next week.

Thank you to my editor Angel Prohaska and everyone at Arcadia Publishing for the opportunities they have given me in getting these books out to the public.

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‘Local Option Inforced’

Linda’s Monday Morning Moaning’s

Today I want to talk about something that has given me reason for thought since working on my research material when writing the ‘Macomb Township’ Arcadia book. In Waldenburg on the north west corner of 22 Mile and Romeo Plank Road, there still stands the Dopp Building with a cap stone that says 1909. But here I will go back a bit.

On this same corner was the general store owned by Peters and Kruth that unfortunately would burn in a fire in 1907. Robert Dopp bought the land and in 1908 construction began on a new store of brick.

Peter and Kruth general Store before the fire

Robert Dopp put the word out that men were needed for the building of the building, and as per the usual community, there would be many local men that would want to help with this project. During construction on one particular day, a photograph was taken of the men while they were resting, and the group very willing obliged the photographer with their posing. Along with this happy group, someone added a sign, ‘Local Option Enforced’, which drew my attention. After researching the saying, I found it very interesting.

‘Local Option Enforced’ has to do with alcohol, and was first used during the temperance movement, as a means to bring about prohibition gradually. Citizens in a community could hold a local option election and they had the option of deciding to legalize or prohibit the sale and use of alcohol within their community.

I found in my research that this was a mainly German Lutheran area, working harm, farming and family always come first. When harvesting time came, everyone gathered to help one another and get the job done faster. When it was accomplished all gathered for food and drink, and time to celebrate.

My curiosity got the better of me in what these gentlemen where trying to tell us with their sign in the photograph? Were they telling us that they were for prohibition? Doesn’t really seem likely, as when they were able to they could very well ‘cut lose’ and enjoy the German beer that was available. Or were they telling us they were trying to bring it to the attention of who ever was to see the photograph that this was what people were trying to bring into the community? Not sure I will be able to find out the correct answer to this question. But does make one wonder.

The Dopp Building looks much the same today on the corner of 22 MIle and Romeo Plank Road

On the ‘wee note’ till next week.

Thank you to Shelley Steir Henshaw for her all her help with the ‘Macomb Township’ book when working of the Waldenburg chapter for the images used here today.

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Jackson Crissman’s Home

Linda’s Monday Morning Moaning’

There is a house that has seen much in over 160 years, and probably, over the years a big variation in the amount and type of traffic passing by it on Mound Road in Washington Township.

Really my story starts with Josiah Jewell from Genessee County, New York, and his original purchase of land from the government of 160 acres on June 8, 1825. The acreage spanned the entire front portion of land running from 28 Mile to 29 Mile on Mound Road. By 1859, Jackson Crissman owned those 160 acres, by now configured a little differently. Jackson would soon add another 75 acres for a total of 235.

This property would stay in the Crissman family until Jackson’s death in 1881 and his wife May’s in 1902. By 1916, the property had new owner in William Hart, who picked up an additional five acres; he remained the owner into the 1930’s. It is known that by 1982, Stanley Ross had owned the land for some years, and was worked as the Maxwell Diary Farm.

The Crissman House at it’s most glorious, circa 2000 (Pat Hallman)

By 2001, the land moved again in to private hands, where today it still rests.

Although the home on the property that was built by the Crissman’s has been in the process of being remodeled for many years now. Progress seems to have stopped some time ago. This sad shaped building is now there for all to see. Further down the road you come across another building on Mound, it is the Thornington School, in much worse shape. There is little understanding as to why someone wants to own an historic property and let it go to ruin.

If the costs of fixing are too dear, ways need to be found to work around that, if the problem wants to be fixed. The school really hasn’t long left before it will be at the point of no return. I guess my question is, why has the township of Washington not stepped in, similar to Shelby Township that has amassed a park now for some of their historic buildings, and save this school, especially?

Two Mound Road Historical buildings in ruins (authors images)

On that ‘wee note’ till next week.

Thank you to the Greater Washington Area Historical Society and Museum for my research material.

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