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Pucker Street - The First 100 Years: A History of the Village of Marcellus

by John P. Curtin; Edited by James C. Quinn

354 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #03-0101; ISBN 1-55395-738-5; US$30.50, C$34.00, EUR25.00, £17.50

This lively history of the Village of Marcellus, New York, covering 1853 to 1953, celebrates the life of the small American community as seen through historical records and newspaper accounts.

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpts or Table of Contents      catalogue info

About the Book Marcellus, like most communities, developed at at the crossroads of two major transportation routes in Central New York State - Nine Mile Creek and Seneca Turnpike. While abundant water and good soil in the area were significant attractions for settlers in the late 1790s, the water power provided by Nine Mile Creek, an outlet of Otisco Lake, was equally important, attracting a variety of individuals who build a diversity of mills (grist, saw, barley and woolen) on its banks.The products of these mills attracted even more individuals to the valley to work in the mills themselves, as well as providing other services for neighboring farmers. Following an old Indian trail, a primitive road had been opened across Onondaga County in the early 1790s and the first settlers came to Marcellus either on foot or horseback, following that old trail. Seneca Turnpike was an outgrowth of what came to be known as the Great Indian Trail, that stretched across the state and became a major highway for people moving from New England and the settled east to what was then the western frontier. The settlement that came to be the Village of Marcellus was located where this highway of east-west travel intersected Nine Mile Creek. During the first fifty years of its existence, the community continued to attract people and industries at a steady pace. As these numbers increased, more people tended to concentrate in the valley that would become the Village, living closer and closer together, in contrast to their rural neighbors. The inhabitants soon began to realize the need for some sort of organization and it was out of this urgency that the Village was incorporated in 1853. During the years up to 1953, the Village of Marcellus changed and yet, it remained the same. In 1853, nestled at the bottom of a valley and surrounded by limestone hills, the sleepy hamlet was a trading center for local farmers and a crossroads for itinerant travelers on their way west. By 1953, it was still a center of the local farm trade, but also a home for hundreds who worked in the manufacturing of agriculture-related products. Its economy had changed, but not dramatically. What had once been a small homogeneous village of about 350 people, similar to each other in background and customs, had become a diverse community of almost 1,400 residents from many different lifestyles. The community was much larger, but the people were still one, now out of many. When it became a Village in 1853, a major concern for the elected Trustees was the animals that roamed the dirt streets that often turned to mud. By 1953, their main concern was the automobiles that clogged the macadamized streets that needed constant repair. Village government had become more complex, yet the problems remained quite similar in nature. In the years that followed incorporation, the residents found it necessary to adapt to many changes in the Village. Many times this took the form of a reworking, a revision, or a modification - usually an improvement on what had been.

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About the Author Educated at Niagara University and the State University of New York, John P. Curtin spent 35 years teaching history in the Syracuse City School District and is presently employed by LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY as a field supervisor of student teachers. Since 1995, he has been a member of the Marcellus Village Board of Trustees. He is also a trustee of the Marcellus Historical Society and a member of the Town of Marcellus Republican Committee. He and his wife Maureen have lived in their house on First Street in the Village of Marcellus for over 30 years, where they raised their children to adulthood. As the parents of four grown children and the grandparents of six, they enjoy spending much time with them and their families. They also have a strong interest in family histories, many of which, including their own, span the history of the Village of Marcellus.

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Reviews

"Hurrah for Pucker Street"
The First 100 Years of Village History Chronicled in John Curtin's Book
i>by Dena DeFrees Beratta

In the Preface of his recently published book, John Curtin explains why his book is titled, "Pucker Street." He quotes Onondaga's Centennial as follows.

"According to a credible story, Marcellus village was once nicknamed "Pucker Street." Mrs. Chloe Thomas, when a young woman, boarded at Rufus Lawrence's, and one day accompanied Adam Baker to town on horseback. Finishing her errands, she mounted her horse to return, but her escort was nowhere in sight, and she lustily called out "Ad-a-m!" At home she expressed her mortification of having to shout for "Adam right in the middle of Pucker Street," a term which so pleased the four Lawrence brothers that they mounted their horses and riding through the village shouted, "Hurrah for Pucker Street."

Curtin quotes a second story, taken from Kathryn C. Heffernan's Nine Mile Country: "In more recent years, Vic Lambdin, who drew historical cartoons for the Syracuse Herald, offered another version of the origin of the term in one of his sketches portraying historical aspects of Marcellus. His explanation claimed that Marcellus had so many Yale graduates among its early settlers that it was called 'Pucker Street," which was early Americana for 'high hat.'"

Either way, it's a fun title for a fun book. Curtin's main sources for research were meeting minutes from the Board of Trustees and Marcellus Observers from 1879-1953, dates which encompass the 100-year history captured in the 387-page paperback. The book records the history of the Village of Marcellus from 1853 to 1953. Curtin originally intended to capture 150 years to coincide with the Village's Sesquicentennial celebration, but due to time constraints, chronicled only the first 100 years of history. Of a sequel, he said, "It would be nice, but ...." The first 100 years took him five years to write, "off and on," with more and more time spent at it during the last three years.

The two sources used in combination to create this work create a book that is entertaining as well as factual. Curtin, a Village Trustee since 1995, found it difficult to get information about government operations in the past. In order for the book to serve as a reference tool for people interested in the history of the Village, Curtin has provided a detailed and inclusive index. There is, without a doubt, something for everyone. Excerpts from the Observer run the gamut from political (did you know the mayor was once call the "Village President?") to comical. There's a letter to the editor complaining about the movies being shown at the local "moving pictures here in town." "We all know that 22 cents is a lot of money to pay for the pleasure of seeing the movies for an hour." If you are interested in taxes, business, war, railroads and epidemics in history, that's all in there too. There's an interesting section on the first "Olde Home Days," when it was called "Old Home Week."

The photographs, many from the Observer and The Marcellus Historical Society collection, show familiar buildings and streets if you look closely enough. Although the women are in long dresses and big hats, and there are more horses than cars, the Marcellus of the past comes alive as you look through the book. Many of the residents who helped shape the village also become real people rather than names you hear but don't give any thought. How about Ralph Share? Sound familiar? The American Legion Ralph Share Post is named after this boy, who died during "the war in Europe" in 1918. There's a photo of him and another young soldier on page 153.

Curtin's own family's history spans the years covered in his book. His great grandfather, Michael Curtin, left Ireland in 1834 at the age of 17 and settled in Marcellus by 1846. Curtin has lived on First Street with his wife Maureen for over 30 years, where they raised their four children and now enjoy frequent visits from their children and six grandchildren.

Pucker Street retails for $25 plus shipping and is currently available at the Village Offices or online at http://www.trafford.com/robots/03-0101.html

. In addition, it will be available at a book signing during the June 4 Village birthday celebration. The author has allocated any royalties from the sale of Pucker Street to the Marcellus Historical Society.

by Dena DeFrees Beratta

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Marcellus book makes going home a learning experience

Sunday, June 08, 2003

DICK CASE for The Post-Standard, from Syracuse.com

We're told we can't go home again.

Sure we can.

I went home to Marcellus one day last week to preview this weekend's Olde Home Days and pat the village where I grew up on the back on its 150th birthday.

It's been awhile since I lived in Marcellus, but part of me still walks those leafy streets along Nine Mile Creek.

I also met John Curtin, who has just finished writing a history of the first 100 of those 150 years. John's a hometown boy by way of family roots, a retired history teacher in city schools and a village trustee since 1995.

We sat in the room where the village board meets. Wouldn't you know, the two townies started swapping names and stories. Remember Schanzle's bakery? The old picture show? The mills? Lester Norris? Mel Corp cranking the village clock in the Methodist tower?

John and his wife, Maureen, settled in Marcellus 33 years ago. His father and grandfather lived here; Maureen connects to the village family of Sennetts.

We quickly figured out both John and I are sons of the mill town Marcellus used to be. Before it matured into a bedroom community of about 2,000 citizens, the village was home to Crown Woolen Mills, with two plants on the creek, as well as paper mills and the A.V. Smith "barley mill" in suburban Marcellus Falls.

Lots of Marcellians had jobs in those mills, including a troop brought from Scotland as experts in weaving wool into cloth. Their descendants are still much with us.

John's grandfather, also John Curtin, was a man of the woolen mills. So was mine - Willis Case - who lived less than a block from what we called the Upper Mill.

After awhile, we got around to John's book, "Pucker Street: The First 100 Years." Publication was timed to catch the anniversary of June 4, 1853, when Marcellus was chartered as a village.

Villagers started celebrating on Memorial Day weekend and planned to close out with booths and events in Marcellus Park today. Sept. 27, there will be a historical walking tour of the village.

John says his first book has sold well these last few days. It should. It's a dandy, one of the best local histories I've seen, if you pardon me some hometown pride.

The author's years teaching history gave him the skills for the job. The inspiration came when he got himself elected to the village board.

Then-Mayor Marty Sennett - sure, the same Marty who had the ice cream and candy shop that once belonged to my aunt Mildred Case - opened the safe in the village office and showed John the trustees' minute books, going back to the first meeting in 1853.

John says the historian in him quickly noticed that those old, mostly handwritten accounts had a story to tell. He decided to tell it, adding information from files of the Marcellus Observer newspaper, commonly called "the Gunwad," and other sources.

A big help was the only recent history of Marcellus, a book by a teacher of mine at the central school, Kate Heffernan.

Kate's was a different sort of book. Few but John would have thought of looking at village board reports as a primary source.

That was seven years ago. Before he got too far into his project, John says he reached out to his cousin, Jim Quinn, who used to be a cross-lots neighbor of mine on Reed Avenue. Jim teaches at Marymount College and Tarrytown High School.

"He gave me the focus for the book," John explains. "And he edited it for me."

Pucker Street,by the way, was an early name for the village. Maybe it was one of those pioneer jokes that somehow sink in.

"Pucker Street" was published by the village for the Marcellus Historical Society, which gets the profits. It has 387 pages, lots of lists and pictures, and an index.

It turns out John, the retired teacher who works part time with student teachers at Le Moyne College, is a fanatic about providing readers with tables of information, cross-references and, most of all, an index. We both agree a history book without an index is about as good as a man with one leg in a kicking contest.

John has gone through all of the 19th-century Marcellus town census records - state and local - and compiled lists for the historical society, where he's a member of the board.

That said, we understand that John thinks of the new book as "almost like a textbook, a reference, which also tries to relate history to the present."

Prowling those minutes, for instance, he saw that our 19th-century ancestors worried about congestion of bicycles and kids rolling hoops on village sidewalks the way villagers of the 21st century get annoyed by the congestion of cars and trucks through town.

Stray animals? Sure, Marcellus had that challenge. Like many early village leaders, trustees had to appoint a "pound master" to round up bothersome strays, cows included.

Curfews? Keeping the kids penned in at night was debated back in my grandfathers' times, too.

Reference book? You bet, but John's book also reads well and passes out new information about people we thought we knew.

I knew my father, Newton Giles Case, was a village trustee in the 1940s, and an active volunteer firefighter as a young man. I didn't know that his father - my grandfather Willis - was village treasurer in the 1880s.

Or that Willis' dad, the first Newton Giles Case, was village president for three terms in the 1880s. N.G., who lived in the house now occupied by the Masons on Main Street, ran a general store with his sons. It became the American Legion digs.

Other neat items recorded Aunt Mildred being warned by the board to get her ice cream cooler off the sidewalk, and Aunt Lucy's election to the first board of the fire department Ladies Club in 1928.

John says he's thinking about finishing his work in village records by bringing us from 1953 to the present in a second volume. I have no doubt he will. Dick Case writes Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Reach him at 470-2254, or by e-mail, citynews@syracuse.com.

Copyright 2003 syracuse.com. All Rights Reserved.

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Sample Excerpts or Table of Contents

Chapter 8 - A Peaceful Village in 1910

By the start of the next decade, the issue of the water works seemed to have been resolved and Sidney Slocombe, like Cincinatus of old, went back to his business as a tinsmith. A grocer by trade, the newly elected President of the Village in 1910 was Fred A. Thompson and he would be reelected several times thereafter. Thompson was apparently well liked by the voters and at his death in 1921, the eulogies made much mention of the concern he had for his adopted village. Elected along with Thompson was F. T. Schoonmaker, a merchant like Thompson, who would hold a single term as Village Trustee. With a new Village Board, it did not seem that there was much of the rancor that had been evident in earlier years. The normal operations of village government wereconducted with little quarrel. The water system was expanded and Village officials were appointed including Officer Powell, whose altercation with a horse thief made headlines in the local newspaper.

15 Mar 1910 - " . . . at said election thirty three (33) ballots were cast, of which, for President, Fred A. Thompson received thirty-three, . . . "

22 Mar 1910 - " . . . James Powell was appointed Village Officer, Water Superintendent and Street Commissioner at the salary of $700, $400 of which to be paid from Village funds and $300 from the Water funds."

22 Mar 1910 - " . . . there being no nominations presented for the appointment of Chief and Assistant Chiefs of the Fire Department, the Clerk was instructed to request firemen to submit nominations . . ."

12 Apr 1910 - " . . . F. W. Knapp made formal application for tapping the water main to supply the property known as the Beehive . . . was duly granted."

Dissension in Fire Department

There was some concern, however, in the ranks of the firemen. The department had nominated no one for Chief and Assistant Chiefs and there were many grievances, some directed at the Board, others at the firemen. Meetings to express concern and revive interest in the Fire Department were held and by the end of April, the "Firemen Take On New Life" (MO 4/22/10)

Village House Cleaning and Census Forms

As spring came to Marcellus in 1910, the census takers were out in force, completing their work for the 1910 federal enumeration and there was also some concern expressed in the local paper about the need for improving the looks of the Village, including the need for a bank, a ballpark and a public library. The Board of Trustees responded to the residents' requests and throughout the rest of the year approved a number of resolutions that would promote local improvement. The dirt streets were still in need of paving and some residents had to be reminded to pay their water bills, trim their grass and hedges and repair the sidewalks. However, the local Civics Club placed waste cans on Village streets and a prominent place in the Village center was selected for the W.C.T.U. fountain.

23 Apr 1910 - " . . . the Supt. of Water was instructed to shut off the water from the premises of Ella A. Peck on Monday, . . . if all arrears were not paid on that date. . . . the Board then reviewed to Main Street to select site for fountain and on motion by Schoonmaker, seconded by Dillon the same be placed in the center of Knapp Block on Main Street."

9 May 1910 - " . . . the Civics Club requested permission to place on the Village streets cans for collection of waste paper, etc. and for locations for same, and President appointed Trustee Schoonmaker as Committee on same."

13 May 1910 - " . . . John E. Griffen appeared before the Board asking consideration from the Board for a public playground and after general discussion, on motion by Dillon, seconded by Schoonmaker, the sum of $50.00 was voted applied thereto."

13 Jun 1910 - " . . . take proper steps to have grass bordering on the walks of Cherry Street mown, to investigate the feasibility of the removal of the hedges on property of Mrs. Sarah Beach on West Main St., also the repairs of sidewalk adjacent to the property of Sarah D. Baker on Cherry St., and the English property on Main St. . . . to investigate suitable fence to surround the reservoir. . . . to place a For Sale ad in the Syracuse Post Standard and the Rochester Democrat-Chronicle describing the Fire Engine now offered for sale by this Board."

A Library and a Bank

The demand for a public library grew and a July 1st editorial in The Marcellus Observer that summer argued, " . . . the value of a library to a community cannot be over estimated. In addition to being a matter of great convenience, it exerts an influence for culture and refinement and keeps young people off the streets by affording them a pleasant place in which to spend an evening" (MO 7/1/10). It would be several more years, however, before the Marcellus Free Library was established. In October of 1910, the First National Bank of Marcellus opened for business. Owned and operated by local businessmen and community leaders, it would help to provide many services for the developing community of Marcellus, its businesses, and its residents.

Complaints

The fall also witnessed a revival of what was referred to as hoodlumism and calls for stricter enforcement of the curfew laws for those under the age of sixteen. The use of shaving cream by today's youth seems to have replaced the whitewash that was used by the youth of 90 years ago, and that might be considered a welcome change, environmentally. There were also complaints made to the Board about the dumping of garbage on village streets and the littering that remains a problem today. The Village Highway Department maintains a street/sidewalk sweeper for such purpose and there is a village clean-up held in the spring of each year. Nevertheless, an all too familiar problem for the Village administration is the refuse that is sometimes left in front of an apartment when a tenant decides to move or is evicted. This is one of the reasons why the Village employs a building inspector, whose duty it is to enforce the uniform code for fire and sanitary safety.

The Village administration also found itself in some minor litigation in 1910 involving claims for damages received. That also rings familiar tunes today. In recent years, claims have been made against the Village for such damages as sewer back-ups, cracked sidewalks, and blown automobile tires. In 1910, the Marcellus Telephone Exchange also offered the use of its telephone lines for notifying the Fire Station in case of fire, a practice similar in some respects to calling 911 today. 19 Dec 1910 - " . . . complaint having been made regarding tenants in Parsons Block dumping refuse in gutters. Officer Power was instructed to request Dr. Parsons to have same stopped."

28 Dec 1910 - " . . . to consider a claim for damages by Daniel Conroy for injuries received by being thrown from his wagon by reason of obstructions in the highway in front of resident of Louis W. Scott on North Street on or about Oct. 1st, 1910. The Board, after questioning Commissioner Powell and W. F. Malay (the quarryman) as to the cause of the obstruction, passed the following resolution. Resolved, that the President be instructed to inform Mr. Malay that the Board of Trustees considered him alone to blame for the accident to Mr. Conroy and if Mr. Conroy sued the Village, this Board would hold both Mr. Scott and Mr. Malay responsible therefor."

9 Jan 1911 - " . . . in view of the fact that continuous service is now given at the Marcellus Telephone Exchange, F. W. Knapp hereby offers the . . . use of the telephone lines in notifying the Central Station in case of fire . . .. the offer, . . . is hereby accepted and this Board hereby offers the sum of $1.00 to the operator of the Exchange for receiving the alarm causing the fire bell to be rung and notifying the firemen of the location of the fire. The said sum to be paid by the owner of the property on fire."

Census Returns

By the end of the year, the census returns of the villages and towns of Onondaga County were published. "Of the villages of the county all show gains in the last decade except Elbridge, Jordan, Fabius and Tully. Skaneateles shows 1,615 against 1,495 in 1900, a gain of about 8 per cent. Both Marcellus and Camillus show nice gains, due, doubtless, to their thriving manufacturing interest," stated The Marcellus Observer in November of that year. 1910 appeared to have been a good year for people in Marcellus reflecting the optimism of the national progressive movement at the time. Prices for goods were lower than they were in 1875 and wages were higher. Attempts to improve social and economic conditions could be seen in the demands for a public library, parks, playgrounds and even a W.C.T.U. fountain. 1911 would witness more of this same commitment to improving the quality of life in a small American town in Central New York.

Trees and Streets

In the Village election of 1911, voter turnout numbered only 27 and Fred H. Thompson was returned for a second term. Frank H. Gillette was elected to replace the retiring Charles Dillon as Trustee. There was concern about the trimming of trees on village streets but even more interest about the condition of the streets themselves, particularly Main, North and Cherry (South) Streets. Working with Marcellus Town Supervisor Patrick J. Kelly, the Village Board approved the construction of a state highway through the Village along those streets, part of what is known as Route 174 today.

10 Apr 1911 - " . . . there being many trees on the streets of the Village needing trimming by reason of their branches hanging too closely to the sidewalks as well as depriving the street of the best results of the electric lights, be it Resolved, that property owners on whose premises are trees that need trimming, that they be notified to have said trees properly trimmed on or before a given date and should they fail to comply with said notice the work will be done by the Village and the expense thereof charged to the property owners and that the same trimming shall be under the supervision of the Sidewalk Committee."

8 May 1911 - " . . . Supervisor Kelly offered some numbers regarding the petition to be presented by the Village for the construction of State highway through the Village, through North, Main and Cherry Streets, that there was probability of obtaining the same in 1912, and asking the Board to take necessary steps to procure said improved highway."

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Catalogue Information

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