News
Mennonite Heritage Farm celebrates State and National Registry designations
Croghan, NY- On a chilly Saturday in October the Adirondack Mennonite Heritage Farm celebrated a major milestone—its inclusion on the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places. Community members, friends and neighbors were joined by New York State Senator Joseph A. Griffo (R-IP-C, Rome) and his wife Lorraine for the event. The quintessentially fall afternoon began with a walking tour of the Mennonite Heritage Farm and property, led by AMHA Executive Director Dawson Grau. Around 2 p.m. the crowd gathered in the recently renovated barn’s ground floor for the plaque unveiling ceremony. Opened with a welcome prayer from Milton Zehr, the ceremony continued with AMHA Executive Director Dawson Grau’s words of gratitude for all who have supported AMHA over the years, recognition for the well-deserved designations, and plans for how AMHA hopes to move forward from the designations. These sentiments were echoed by special guest Senator Joe Griffo, as he spoke about how important historical landmarks are to our communities. The ceremony concluded with the unveiling of the plaque by Dawson Grau and AMHA Board President Phyllis Lyndaker, followed by a cake and apple cider reception. The afternoon concluded with another walking tour of the Heritage Farm, led by Phyllis Lyndaker.
The event was a rousing success and the Adirondack Mennonite Heritage Association would like to say thank you to everyone who attended the event and to all who have supported us throughout the years!
MOSER HOMESTEAD RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS DESIGNATION ON NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
Croghan, NY- When the Moser brothers, John and Joseph, first cleared the dense Lewis County forest and built a homestead over 150 years ago they could never have guessed their little piece of the American dream would one day be considered a site of national historical importance. However, after an extensive application process, the Moser brothers’ farm has achieved just that by being officially listed on both the New York State and National Register of Historic Places.
The farm, which consists of a two-story homestead, two English style barns, a granary, and garage, was inducted onto the National Register because of its architectural significance, social history contributions, and agricultural relevance. Over the years, the homestead and its owners played a pivotal role in the development of the Mennonite community in Lewis County. Until the early 1900s the house was still used for church services. By making it onto the national list the Moser Farm joins the ranks of other historic sites such as Carnegie Hall, the Susan B. Anthony House, and the Statue of Liberty.
At one point, however, the future of the Moser Homestead did not look very bright. In the 1980s after more than 125 years of use, the farm was left abandoned after the third generation homestead owners, siblings Menno and Veronica Moser, passed away. Without occupants, the farm sat deteriorating for many years until a small group of private citizens formed the Adirondack Mennonite Heritage Association & Historical Society and purchased the property in 1989 in an effort to preserve the history and property. Phyllis Lyndaker, President of AMHA, reminisces about purchasing the property: “Back then we did not have any money to purchase the building but we knew that the property was too important to the history of the area to be left to fall apart.”
Since purchasing the building, the Moser Homestead has become the Adirondack Mennonite Heritage Farm, a non-profit cultural center and living history museum that seeks to preserve the history and distinct culture of the Lewis County Mennonites and farmers. Executive Director Dawson Grau hopes that the National Registry designation will help to encourage the community to visit the farm. “We have always known that we have a truly special property, but to have the state and federal governments confirm it is really extraordinary. We really hope that this designation will encourage more people to come out and learn about the rich heritage of the Lewis County Mennonites and the agricultural experiences of northern New York,” said Grau.
In honor of receiving the National Register of Historic Places designation, the Adirondack Mennonite Heritage Farm will hold a celebration and plaque unveiling ceremony on Saturday, October 16th at 2:00 p.m. Local and state officials will be in attendance. Following the dedication cake and cider will be served and tours of the property will occur until 4:30 p.m.
The Adirondack Mennonite Heritage Farm is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in July and August and by appointment throughout the rest of the year. For more information about the farm, its history, and its programs please visit www.mennonitehertiagefarm.com.
Zwanzigstein draws hundreds
MENNONITE HERITAGE: Croghan event known as ‘Z Fest’ now in its 20th year
By GABRIELLE HOVENDON
TIMES INTERN
CROGHAN — Its name may be hard to pronounce, but that didn't stop visitors from flocking to the 20th annual Zwanzigstein Fest on Saturday.
"Z Fest," as it is commonly called, drew about 400 people to the Adirondack Mennonite Heritage Farm on Erie Canal Road. The event's theme was "Generations," based on the idea that an entire generation of children has grown up attending Z Fest.
"It celebrates Mennonite heritage," said Dawson M. Grau, executive director of the Adirondack Mennonite Heritage Association and Historical Society, which owns the farm. "This is one of the first farms in the area settled by Mennonites who came from Alsace-Lorraine."
The day's activities included sheep shearing, baking, chair caning, soap making, hymn singing, storytelling, quilt tying, woodworking, butter churning and candle making, as well as children's arts and crafts, walking tours of the Heritage Farm, horse-drawn wagon rides and a historical slide show. Food was plentiful, with homemade ice cream, root beer and sarsaparilla served alongside Croghan bologna and apple fritters.
Z Fest also featured a tent in which Mennonites and descendants of Mennonites could discuss their families' history and religious practices, which are derived from the Anabaptist faith. According to the heritage farm, "Zwanzigstein" means "20 stones" in German and describes the north country's 20 original Mennonite families as well as a biblical monument of stones in the Book of Joshua.
Mr. Grau said the festival not only teaches visitors about Lewis County's history but also helps dispel misconceptions about the Mennonite way of life, which focuses on plain living but does not eschew technology.
"Some people do drop by expecting us to be Amish," he said with a laugh. "Mennonites are big into emphasizing simplicity and humble living and community — it's all about living within your means."
Illustrating the humble lives of the original Lewis County Mennonites at Saturday's Z Fest was a mid-19th-century barn frame loom, called so because it uses the same joining as barns in its wooden frame. Typically not seen outside museums, the large loom would have been used by families in the 1800s to make carpets, blankets, household linens, sheets and lengths of woolen cloth for sewing.
"When (the Mennonites) first came here and settled, there were 20 families in the middle of nowhere. They had to be self-sufficient," said Joyce H. Birk, who recently donated the loom to the heritage farm. "It would have been a really crucial part of their lives."
In an effort to interest young children in textiles and teach older people about the lifestyles of their forebears, the loom had been refurbished and strung with eight yards of warp Saturday. Operating the loom were 12-year-old Aila A. Birk and 15-year-old Katlyn M. Ward, both of whom said they enjoyed knowing the history behind the loom and watching the cloth take shape before their eyes.
Visitors didn't have to be Mennonites to enjoy the festival and the celebration of Lewis County's past. Maribel Widrick, a native of Brooklyn and resident of Beaver Falls, said she has attended the Zwanzigstein Fest for the last two decades to learn more about her husband's heritage.
"I love it," she said, adding that it was hard to choose her favorite part of the celebration. "It's just a combination of all of it — seeing the people and all the activities, from the strawberry shortcake to the butter making."
The Adirondack Mennonite Heritage Farm is open to visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in July and August. For more information about the farm, including driving directions, visit its website at www.mennoniteheritagefarm.com or call 346-1122.
Article courtesy of the Watertown Daily Times
State Board Recommends 22 Properties for Historic Register Listing
The New York State Board for Historic Preservation recommended the addition of 22 properties to the State and National Registers of Historic Places, including a rare pre-fabricated aluminum house in Rochester, a synagogue known as the "Carnegie Hall of Brooklyn," and a Spanish-American War monument.
"The nominations illustrate the great diversity and personality of New York's communities," said Carol Ash, Commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. "These landmarks are worthy of preservation, and placing them on the State and National Registers of Historic Places will provide the recognition and assistance to help ensure they last well into the future."
State and National Historic Register listing can assist property owners in revitalizing the structures, making them eligible for various public preservation programs and services, such as matching state grants and state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits.
The State and National Registers are the official lists of buildings, structures, districts, landscapes, objects and sites significant in the history, architecture, archeology and culture of New York State and the nation. There are approximately 90,000 historic buildings, structures and sites throughout the state listed on the National Register of Historic Places, individually or as components of historic districts. Property owners, municipalities and organizations from communities throughout the state sponsored the nominations.
Once the recommendations are approved by the state historic preservation officer, the properties are listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places and then nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, where they are reviewed and, once approved, entered on the National Register.
STATE REVIEW BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS
Broome County
Dovers Inn and Rounds Family Residence, Vestal – the 1844 turnpike-era inn and the 1895 residence were built by the family of the town's earliest settlers near an important Susquehanna River crossing.
Cayuga County
Owasco Reformed Church, Owasco – built in 1811-15 in the style of a late Georgian/early Federal New England meeting house, one of the county's earliest buildings has served as a place of worship for nearly two centuries.
Columbia County
Forth House, Livingston – built between 1835 and 1840, the Greek Revival home is the last of a succession of high-style masonry homes built for Livingston family members in the area once defined as Livingston Manor.
Silvernail House, Ancram – the mid-19th century Greek Revival and Italianate home reflects the growing prosperity of a Hudson Valley farming family that occupied the home for five generations.
Erie County
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Buffalo – the Late Gothic Revival church and Queen Anne rectory, which maintain a strong level of architectural integrity, has been an important site of Episcopalian worship since the complex was completed in 1927.
Greene County
Rushmore Farm, Athens – a distinctive late 18th century farmhouse constructed of uncoursed fieldstone.
Kings County
Temple Beth El of Borough Park (Young Israel Beth El), Brooklyn – built in 1920-23 for a significant Jewish population in Brooklyn, the Moorish Revival synagogue became known for its cantorial tradition, gaining a reputation as "the Carnegie Hall of Brooklyn."
Moser Farm, Kirshnerville – today the Mennonite Heritage Farm, the highly intact 19th century dairy farm established by one of the region's earliest Mennonite families, serving as the family's home for almost 150 years.
Alcoa Care-free Home, Rochester – an example of post-World War II housing made with aluminum and prefabricated elements produced by aluminum manufacturer Alcoa, one of only 26 such homes made nationwide and the only one in New York State.
Grace Episcopal Church, Scottsville – built in 1885, the Richardson Romanesque Revival-style church was designed in part by architects Arthur Rotch and George T. Tilden of Boston, and the nationally renowned architect/artist Harvey Ellis of Rochester.
New York County
Elmendorf Reformed Church, New York – built in 1894, the church is important in the social history of East Harlem, where the Reformed Church congregation's roots date to 1660.
Niagara County
Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church Complex, Niagara Falls – the church, rectory, convent and school, built between 1906 and 1914, are outstanding examples of Romanesque Revival architecture as well as the workmanship of the regional architects and craftsmen.
Onondaga County
Saint Paul's Armenian Apostolic Church, Syracuse – originally the Park Avenue Methodist Church, the 1888 Victorian eclectic church began serving the small Armenian community in Syracuse in 1958.
The Barnes-Hiscock House, Syracuse – built in 1851 by industrialist George Barnes, it was the home of Frank Hiscock, who served as the chief justice of the New York State Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, and who with his wife Mary Elizabeth remodeled it in the Colonial Revival style in the 1890s.
Orange County
Olivet Chapel, Goshen – today the St. John's African United Methodist Protestant Church, the modest 1910 chapel was built as a mission to Goshen's African-American community by the First Presbyterian Church.
Suffolk County
Frank Melville Park, Setauket – established in 1937 to preserve the old Setauket Millpond and its surroundings the Melville family created a community park for visitors to enjoy the scenery and landscape as they strolled around the pond.
Union Savings Bank, Patchogue – a 1912 Classical Revival bank built during the peak of the growth the national banking industry, which saw savings banks established in villages and towns across the country.
Rev. Paul Cuffee Gravesite, Hampton Bays – the 1812 gravesite of the "Indian Preacher," who was well-known for his missionary work among Long Island's eastern tribes, is one of 48 historic cemeteries in Southampton that collectively represent more than three centuries of Long Island history.
Ulster County
Christ Lutheran Church and Parsonage, Ellenville – Originally built in 1862 as a vernacular, Greek Revival style edifice, the church was relocated, expanded, and radically altered in 1903-04 into a fashionable Neo-gothic building on a lot with an intact 1850 home that has served as the parsonage.
Washington County
Alexander McNish House, Salem – the 1794 Georgian-inspired home was built for a veteran of the Battles of Saratoga and prominent sheep farmer.
Westchester County
Walter's Hot Dog Stand, Mamaroneck – the landmark roadside stand – with its striking copper pagoda-style roof and dragon lanterns – has been a village cultural and culinary institution since it opened in 1928.
Spanish American War Monument to the 71st Infantry Regiment, Hastings-on-Hudson – Resembling one of the stone blockhouses the Spanish erected to defend San Juan Hill, the 1901 structure was commissioned to commemorate the 109 lives lost by the regiment during the war.