Billings, MT to Westfield, New York (I-90)
Set the stage for this fall’s adventure by picturing a kite flying on its’ side in a strong breeze, the long tail flapping in the wind, streaming out from a swirling kite. This image gives you a good idea of the proposed layout for this fall’s trip through northern New England. The long tail represents the drive to and from New York on Interstate 90, the kite at the end is the actual adventure. Here’s the proposed path on MapQuest:
I am not journaling the approximately 1,700 mile trip along I-90 from Billings, MT to Westfield, NY (the lower tip of the “kite “) but can summarize my interstate experience crossing these states:
• Montana – If you’ve seen one pot hole, you’ve seem ‘em all…”
• Wyoming and Western South Dakota – “If you’ve seen one lonely cow on the prairie you’ve seen ‘em all…”
• Eastern South Dakota and Southern Minnesota – “if you’ve seen one cornfield, you’ve seen ‘em all…”
• Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Northwestern Pennsylvania – “If you’ve seen one tree, you’ve seen ‘em all…”
Clearly this experience validates my long-held belief that I need to get OFF the interstate to find the real America! This trip will be a long one as I don’t plan on being back in Montana until the first of November. So snuggle up under a robe, get some hot apple cider, and search You Tube for the Frank Sinatra, Doris Day or Nat King Cole version of “Autumn Leaves” to put on the music player of your choice (Eric Clapton for those who want a more “modern” rendition). Our tale begins at the bottom tip of the kite, the small village of Westfield, New York, nestled on the eastern shore of Lake Erie…
Westfield, NY to North Towanda, NY (Hwy 5 to I-190)
The eastern shores around a small natural harbor on Lake Erie were first settled in 1802 with the establishment of a mill a couple of miles inland. Barcelona Harbor (barely visible in this view through the dense forest that blankets the land edging Lake Erie) continues today as a harbor for recreational boats.
The Barcelona lighthouse was built in 1829 and today is a visitor’s center overlooking the harbor and the dense forests that cover the bluffs to the north.
Westfield was founded in 1828 a couple of miles inland from Barcelona Harbor. The key to the local economy was introduced in the early 1800’s when Deacon Elijah Fay planted various strains of grapes on the hills of Chautauqua County. Most of these varieties were not able to withstand the harsh winters of the region but settlers persisted and Fay’s son Joseph successfully introduced the Concord grape to the area in the late 1850’s. The growth of the industry was hampered by the difficulty of transporting ripe grapes to markets on the east coast but in 1867 Orrin Stray invented the Climax basket (so named because it was perceived to be the ultimate basket for packing the fresh grapes safely) which allowed the fruit to be shipped long distances without damage and the vineyards of the area quickly grew.
The next defining moment in the development of Westfield occurred in 1897 when Charles Welch moved his Welch Grape Company to Westfield from New Jersey and it became it was the dominate force in the industry for many years. Welch was a master salesman and constantly advertised the benefits of drinking grape juice to the masses in his efforts to expand the markets.
The production of wine was not extensively pursued until Frank Johnson returned to his roots in Westfield in 1960 and inspired the evolution of the western New York wine industry. The Grape Discovery Center outside of Westfield celebrates the history of the grape in the Lake Erie region and the health of the vineyards is demonstrated by the sheer number of them within a few miles of downtown Westfield.
The prosperity created by the growth of the Welch Grape Company is evident by the period architecture of the village. Most of the small downtown area was constructed in the early 1900’s.
Westfield has not been reborn as a tourist town, there are no “glitzy” reconstructions lining Main Street. Time has in many ways passed by with most of the modern development and retail focused in the much larger city of Fredonia, about 10 miles to the northeast. A grassy square, Moore Park, anchors the small downtown, centered on the 1818 McClurg Mansion. McClurg was an early settler in the region, a wealthy son of a Pittsburgh industrialist who used his wealth to build the finest house in the region while many of his contemporaries were living in log cabins. Unfortunately the museum was closed the day I was in Westfield so I was unable to tour the interior.
Bordering the south side of Moore Park is the largest building in town, the 1910 C.E.Welch building. Once the headquarters of the Welch Grape Company it is now an empty reminder of the past.
The steeple of the 1878 Presbyterian Church pierces the sky, anchoring the southeast corner of the square.
Next door to the Welch Building and across the street from the Presbyterian Church is the stately 1897 Patterson Library, legacy of a prominent early family in the area.
Lining the main street as it heads north out of town are the homes of those early businessmen who profited from the booming economy brought on by the presence of the Welch Grape Company.
Surrounding the town on all sides are the vineyards. On the east side of the highway they stretch towards the hills, on the west they flow down to the cliffs above Lake Erie.
Heading north on Hwy 5 the vineyards give way to the industry and commerce of Buffalo, New York. I slip through all the traffic in a rain storm and find my way a few miles north to the suburb of North Towanda for my next stop, the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum.
Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum
The Buffalo/Niagara Falls area of New York became a bustling industrial center after the Civil War, first driven by its location at the western terminus of the Erie Canal, then by the combined development of railroads reaching west and access to the power generated by the Niagara River falling from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. The Armitage Herschell Company was founded in 1872 as a manufacturer of steam engine, boilers, and related equipment. Herschell saw one of the first steam-operated carrousels during a visit to New York City and returned to North Towanda and began building carrousels. He participated in a succession of companies culminating in the creation of his own company, the Allen Herschell Company founded in 1916. Due to the combination of easy access to the appropriate raw materials and a pool of skilled labor created by the booming industrial base of the Buffalo area, North Towanda became the center of the carrousel and “kiddie ride” amusement industry in the United States until the late 1950’s. Herschell built the carrousel and the Wurlitzer Company provided the music by making perforated paper rolls that played the music on player organ. An assembly line that created the paper rolls for the carrousel organs from the Wurlitzer factory is on display.
The exposed back of a barrel organ shows where the sounds of the various instrumental tones were created.
This 1900 Lodge and Shipley metal lathe was used until the factory closed in 1959 to create metal components of a carrousel.
Carrousel horses were originally carved from wood before converting to fiberglass.
A little known fact is that a carrousel horse does not look the same from both sides. The side facing out, called the “romance side”, was more highly decorated than the back side. Most riders never notice the difference. Here are pictures of both sides of the same horse. Note the difference in the decoration between the two sides.
The highlight of the museum is the still-operating 1916 carousel.
A number of Herschell-Spillman carrousels are still operating throughout the United States, including the 1911 carrousel at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon!
Just a few miles northwest of North Towanda is our next destination, fabled Niagara Falls.
Next up: The Niagara River
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