In 1915, the Chautauqua County Board of Supervisors was trying to decide whether or not to accept a $150,000 bequest made by Mrs. Elizabeth M. Newton to establish a tuberculosis hospital. Trustees could locate the hospital anywhere in the county, but it was expected, if the county accepted the gift, that the hospital would be located near Mrs. Newton’s hometown of Fredonia. The hospital would require a small tax increase, though those arguing in favor of the new hospital said, “The question of the cost of a county hospital is largely a question of bookkeeping. The money we spend there will be made up in future saving for the support of orphans and other dependents.”

G.R. Bradberry, a musical critic at The Journal, presented a paper on Music and the Municipality at the Eagle Temple to arouse greater appreciation of music as a science and an art, to plea for its wider teaching, study and practice in the community and to lead to a more thorough comprehension of music’s power and influence. Bradberry argued for a larger measure of municipal support in the encouragement of musical effort and the elevation of musical taste on the part of the people. Mayor Samuel A. Carlson commended the suggestion, although some took the stand that the municipality is not called upon to perform such a function.

In 1940, An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 attended a campaign rally for Wendell L. Willkie, Republican candidate for President, at the Jamestown High School stadium. It was described in The Journal as the most notable occasion in the history of political campaigning in Jamestown, not excepting the great demonstration for William J. Bryan, Democratic candidate for president, in 1896 or the high school campus rally addressed by Col. Theodore Roosevelt in the early 1900s. The Willkie special train of 18 coaches, carrying a party of some 150 people, arrived in Jamestown shortly after 9:30 a.m. Among those attending was 96-year-old Robert M. Rownd of Ripley, a Civil War veteran who was seen without even a topcoat despite the chill in the air. “We can develop an expanding America where there would be an absolute shortage of people to fill jobs,” Willkie said during his speech. “We are just beginning to touch the fringe of our accomplishments if we go ahead instead of along the road to defeatism and cynicism. In addition to that we must build for America the finest economic system – we must be so strong that no dictator will ever seek to strike this great free land.”

Far from the crowd of Willkie’s visit, there was a temporary thrill at Second and Main streets. “The bank’s being robbed … the bandits are in the bank,” somebody shouted as a gong clanged with boom tones that went reverberating through the almost emptied canyon of West Second Street. The cops are all over at the stadium … the bandits picked this time to rob the bank,” a businessman shouted to his employees. Some scattered, others sought the shelter of nearby doorways waiting for the bandits to emerge from the National Chautauqua County bank. But it wasn’t a bank robbery at all, it was a fire insurance inspector testing the alarm system in The Journal building.

In 1965, Four services over the weekend marked the 50th anniversary of the Kidder Memorial Evangelical United Brethren Church on South Main Street. Tributes were paid to Mr. and Mrs. Samuel P. Kidder, who began the Sunday school from which the church originated. At a Sunday morning service, a portrait of the Kidders was unveiled by their grandson, James Kidder, with remarks by their son, Elliot Kidder. The portrait was placed in the annex above a plaque which called attention to the fact the Kidders started a Sunday school on April 15, 1906, on their farm on South Main Street Extension, with the church organized Nov. 25, 1915. “The church should not be the dullest place in town,” said the Rev. Allen J. Willink, pastor of the church from 1960 to 1963, during his remarks, “but it should be one of radiant assurance.”

Real property taxes had reached a new high in 1965, $38.2 million more than in 1964. The Citizens Public Expenditure Survey, a private tax research organization, said real property taxes paid for 45.8 percent of county government operations in 1965. The remaining 54.2 percent of spending was mainly paid for with state and federal aid, department charges and fees, previous year surpluses and non-property taxes. The highest per capita tax levy was in Hamilton County, with $100.03. Chautauqua County ranked 54th in the state with a 1965 per capita tax levy of $20.75, an increase of 81 cents from 1964. Cattaraugus County taxes were $33.78 in 1965, 43 cents higher than 1964.

In 1990, The president of the New York State United Teachers proposed a five-step plan to revitalize the state’s schools, including supporting teachers to restructure schools and work to restructure the way school is financed for those most in need; make it harder for students to get after-school jobs by requiring student employees to show evidence of proper growth in school and make it a condition of employment; relate education more closely to the work world by sharpening the focus on what students need to learn and define student goals; improve relationships between schools and business by formulating career ladders for students with high school diplomas; and motivating students by matching them with mentors from the business community. “The student of yesteryear, with a stay-at-home mom and a breadwinner dad, is a thing of the past,” said Thomas Y. Hobart Jr. “And the school of yesteryear, with its rigid dictates and limited teaching strategies, should be a thing of the past.”

Burnett’s Fashions was the latest business in downtown Jamestown to close. The clothing store at 214 N. Main St. followed Studio One, Polly’s, Bennett Jewelers, Baldwin Jewelers, Herbert Shoes, Kid Konnection, Argersinger’s Department Store and several other businesses. Burnett’s would have celebrated its fifth anniversary in about a week. Janice Indelicato, store owner, said the store was closing, “Because there’s no customers, there’s no traffic. All the customers are going to the Erie and Warren malls.”

In Years Past

In 1940, Three young men, two of them recently freed, were arrested in five burglaries and auto thefts in Jamestown. Donald Garvey, 20, and James Johnson, 18, confessed to participation in all five burglaries and had been discharged from a state reformatory only a few months ago, according to police officials. The five recent burglaries included cigarettes and cash from the Red and White Store on Barker Street twice in about a month; ransacking the Milton J. Fletcher school for about 70 cents in change and small articles; and $5.59 in cash and ransacked rooms at the Fairmount Avenue school. The youths also stole old coins from the home of J. Emil Johnson on Connecticut Avenue and stole three cars.

A local woman had gone through great lengths to register to vote. Sarah Griffith, 85, had been confined to Jamestown General Hospital following injuries she sustained several weeks ago when she was hit by a car. She was taken by ambulance to the polls to register to vote, admonishing her physician, Dr. Donald R. Nelson, that she must get to the polls to register so she can vote for Weldell L. Willkie. Griffith was known to thousands of Jamestown women in her younger years as head of the glove department at the former A.D. Sharpe company store.

In 1990, Ed Asner, a noted actor, said during an appearance at Jamestown Community College that artists must defend the system that makes free speech possible. “Art is the power to disturb,” Asner said. “Therefore, art is feared by those who prefer the past to the present. And television is the most feared form of art.” Censorship has always been around, Asner said. In 1930 Walt Disney was accused of being a menace to children because the Big Bad Wolf was a violent character in his cartoons. Censorship shifted in recent decades from protecting people from moral outrage to protecting the policies of government and big business. “In 1983 I read a study that showed 50 corporations controlled everything we see, hear and read,” Asner said. “Last year an update of that study said 26 corporations are in control. And it estimated that soon only six corporations will control all the information.”

Cattaraugus County was in danger of losing its only railroad if the Cattaraugus County Legislature did not include a $40,000 subsidy in its proposed 1991 budget. The county IDA owned 51 miles of track in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties used by the New York and Lake Erie Railroad, owned by Robert O. Dingman. Chautauqua County agreed to spend $40,000 dependent on Cattaraugus County’s appropriation – though Dingman said $50,000 was actually needed to properly run the line. The railroad served eight industries over the last decade and other customers along the line. “I would think that some of the legislators from the area would want to get involved,” Dingman said. “It’s up to them to fund the railroad. I’m not going to go back to the legislature. If they aren’t going to fund the railroad, they won’t have a railroad.”

In Years Past

In 1915, a legal fight over two children who were the subject of an attempted abduction from school was beginning in Norfolk County, Mass. Eleanor Rockwell Kent filed in court for custody of two children from her former husband, Morgan B. Kent of Jamestown. It was unknown what jurisdiction the Massachusetts court would have in the matter since the children lived with their father in Jamestown. If the attempted abduction had been successful, the Journal reported, “the situation would be very different … The children are in the custody of their father in New York state and that changes the legal aspect very materially.”

A fish story from Findley Lake was sure to capture the interest of fishermen. A Corry resident was trying his luck among the stumps in Findley Lake when he noticed a great commotion in the water near him. Going to the spot he discovered two muskellunge engaged in deadly combat. He had no difficulty capturing both fish, discovering that one, not over 24 inches long, had attempted to swallow the other 18-inch fish. The larger fish had the head of the smaller in its mouth but the smaller fish had forced its head through the larger fish’s gills. The result was fatal to both fish.

Attorney General Robert H. Jackson visited his hometown for a large Democratic Party rally, filling every seat in the Jamestown High School auditorium while several hundreds were turned away. The crowd was estimated at 1,900 people when the doors were closed 15 minutes before the rally was to begin. Mayor Leon Roberts told the crowd Jamestown would have been bankrupt were it not for the financial assistance it had received from the Roosevelt Administration. Jackson, meanwhile, touted the administration’s efforts to keep American troops from having to fight in Europe and to keep the war from reaching American shores as well as the benefits of the New Deal. “He believes that the concern of government is not just property, but is first the people, their justice, their security and their opportunity,” Jackson said of Roosevelt. “He has that faith in the future of America and in the future of the human race which makes him the world symbol of democracy and free institutions. It is on that basis that he will be returned to the Presidency of the American people in this trying hour by humble men and women who trust nothing else as they trust the understanding, sympathy and courage of Franklin D. Roosevelt.”

A letter sent by Ralph Hope’s father detailed the valiant actions of the younger Hope during a recent dogfight. Flying Officer Ralph Hope of the Royal Air Force had received his first instruction in flying at the Jamestown municipal airport under the tutelage of Frederick C. Larson, who later began giving primary flight instruction training to U.S. Army fliers at Ft. Worth, Texas. Hope was a member of the staff at Hope’s Windows during his time in Jamestown. Hope’s father sent the letter to Frank Garratt, general manager of Hope’s Windows. The young pilot had been killed in action by the time the letter reached Jamestown.

The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department was looking for a Falconer High School girl who had been missing for more than a week. Miss Joanne Jones, 19, was last seen when she left a Jamestown theater during the intermission. She had gone to the movies with her sister. Sheriff’s deputies said it was not unusual for Miss Jones to take a walk or go outside during intermission, according to her sister. It was when the girl did not return that her sister became alarmed. Miss Jones was described as a quiet girl not known to have any boyfriends. She was doing well in her studies at Falconer and was expected to graduate in June.

The road map of Cattaraugus County was undergoing changes under the biggest highway construction program in the area’s history. The towns of Randolph, Cold Spring, South Valley, Red House and Salamanca were the site of the construction of 57.79 miles of new road at a cost of $20 million by the state Department of Public Works. The road was expected to open before the end of 1966 and would extend the highway from the southwestern boundary of Salamanca to a point south of Steamburg along a new and more direct route south of the old Route 17. Another project building a bypass in Kennedy was launched over the summer. That $2.286 million project included a 4.18 mile section of the expressway and 3.35 miles of access roads and interchanges from Randolph to a new bridge across the Conewango River southwest of Kennedy.

The Pine Valley Ministerial Association and the school’s IMPACT Team were co-sponsoring awareness walks in support of National Drug Awareness Week. The Rev. Burt Smith, ministerium president, told The Post-Journal the walks were to be held in South Dayton and Cherry Creek. “We need to make the community more aware of the problems associated with, not only drugs, but alcohol,” Smith said. “As a church we offer hope to people, and as a community we need to become more involved and visible.”

During a conference hosted by St. Bonaventure University, the former chief executive officer of Proctor and Gamble Co. urged more funding for preschool programs. Brad Butler, Proctor & Gamble’s chairman from 1981 to 1986, said Head Start had proven to help disadvantaged youth and criticized politicians unwilling to enroll every disadvantaged youth in the program. Lauro Cavazos, U.S. education secretary, said he placed less emphasis on Head Start because a child’s self-esteem forms as early as age one. “I believe we need to step back even further,” Cavazos said. “I really would like to see (early intervention programs) start even earlier than Head Start.” Cavazos also said businesses should give their employees the flexibility to get involved in school boards and parent-teacher organizations and schools should give students flexibility to attend classes while holding jobs so they wouldn’t drop out to go to work full-time. “This means classes at night and weekends so these working young people can attend,” Cavazos said.

In Years Past

In 1915, the state Conservation Commission declined Brocton’s application to enlarge its water source by tapping into Bear Lake. Stockton residents had strenuously objected to the plan. Brocton’s water was supplied from a small reservoir about 2.5 miles from the village. As the village of Brocton grew, particularly its wine and fruit juice industry, the supply was insufficient.

The power of the ballot was emphasized by Mrs. Maude McCreary of Green Bay, Wisc., during a speech at the F.M. Curtis Company in Jamestown. She said there was no question that an appreciable number of women in New York state wanted to vote. “Out of this million of women, 400,000 of them are girls who work outside of the home for their living and are asking the protection of the power of this ballot; 542,000 are home makers who recognize the need of the power of the ballot to protect their home interests.”

Jamestown was rolling out the red carpet for visitors to Jamestown Days, a program highlighting the autumn season program of the Retail Merchants’ Association. Transportation rates were cut, free parking was provided and cash prizes were being offered for visitors essays describing the sales appeal of downtown store windows. The Jamestown YWCA was offering a historical display of Jamestown’s history and, the Jamestown Fall Furniture Market was also taking place, with more than 600 buyers in attendance.

The closing of the state Armory building to any group other than the newly formed Company E, 174th Infantry, New York Guard, prompted a protest by area reservists who had always held regular meetings in the building. Major Higgins of Buffalo advised the local officers to request special permission for use of the armory by the Reserve Officers’ chapter, but local reservists said they held little hope of gaining any further use of the armory and would find another meeting place.

A roaring explosion and fire wrecked the unoccupied two-story frame home of Robert H. Macdonald, president of the Lily Dale Assembly. No one was injured. The explosion was under investigation by Fire Chief Ronald B. Hart to determine the cause. He said he received reports from residents of Fredonia, seven miles away, who heard the blast. The explosion blew out four walls of the dwelling and left portions of the roof hanging from a rafter. Cassadaga firemen also responded to the blaze. The entire area was roped off with lighted warning signs installed to keep the public away. Macdonald was notified of the explosion and fire because he was in his winter home in Florida.

The Jamestown Veneer and Plywood Corp. had been selected by the federal Atomic Energy Commission to help evaluate wood-plastic material processed by radiation. The Jamestown firm was among 78 wood products companies selected nationally which had expressed an interest in participating in the program. Under the plan, the companies would receive, without charge, custom processing of their wood samples into the new wood-plastic composite material. Each company would then fabricate specimen products for evaluation and testing. In return, the companies would turn over the results of their evaluation. The Jamestown company did not specify the end products for its material.

An investigation of possible criminal wrongdoing was under way as part of a federal civil suit filed by Blackstone Corp. of Jamestown against the Jamestown Scrap Corp. The suit accused the scrap yard of falsifying the weight of excess metals obtained from the plant. The FBI was involved because of possible violations of interstate commerce regulations. Blackstone alleged that it lost about $50,000 on at least 85 loads of excess metals over a two-year period.

Investigators say a fire that destroyed the former Variety Store in Cassadaga was the work of an arsonist. Cassadaga Fire Chief Tom Peck said gas and electric service to the building had been cut off a while ago, while the building had been vacant for about a year. A crowd watched over the weekend as the charred walls of the last commercial landmark on the village’s four corners was demolished. It was the fifth building on the intersection to be destroyed by fire. The Red & White Grocery, which had large letters on the roof spelling out Cassadaga so aircraft passengers would know they were passing over the village; a hardware store and bowling alley were destroyed by fire in 1978 while a large hotel was destroyed several years before. Another landmark, known as the Temperance Hotel because its owner refused to sell alcoholic beverages, was destroyed by fire around the turn of the century. Ames Common, a small village park, marks the site.

In Years Past

In 1915, the two daughters of Morgan H. Kent were taken from school buildings, placed in a high-powered Cadillac touring car and driven swiftly away. Neighboring towns were notified to be on the lookout. The incident was the latest chapter in the marital issues of Mr. and Mrs. Kent. The fugitives were eventually overtaken in Russell, with Mr. Kent bringing the children back to Jamestown. Kent overtook the other car after a short race, finding a wide stretch of road and whizzing by the car containing his children and turning his automobile to block the path of the other car. Then, the driver made a motion to draw a revolver, with Kent seizing the driver and Officer Hayes of the Jamestown Police Department securing one of the children and Kent the other.

A meeting of the executive committee of the National Association of Upholstered Furniture Manufacturers was held in Jamestown. L.J. Cleary, an industrial engineer, spoke about The Spirit of the Factory, including how factory owners would have to deal with the growing strength of organized labor. “Whatever may have been your method in the past of dealing with labor, you have need of a better one now. During the past year, labor unions have increased in number and strength. As a result, they are gaining shorter hours and increased rates. … When some things are wrong in your plant, they have a negative effect upon all that are good. You can not have a spirit uniformly for the best unless the plant has been prepared in its entirety. As Reynolds has said, ?Nothing is denied to well-directed labor – and nothing is ever to be attained without it.'”

In 1940: Peter Volpe of Jamestown pleaded not guilty to the 1939 murder of James Ferraro. Volpe was accused of killing Ferraro in a drunken brawl at a picnic on Water Street. Bail was set at $30,000 by Judge Lee Ottaway. Violpe heard the order without a show of emotion of any kind, then returned to his seat beside a deputy as other prisoners were brought before the judge. It was probable the case against Volpe would be tried during the November term of county court.

Relics of early Jamestown were to be displayed at the YWCA in the coming week, including items dating back to the time when James Prendergast came to the area and saw in the surrounding pine forests opportunities for the development of a thriving community. One of the relics was a ruffled shirt worn by Prendergast, somewhat dim and yellow with age but still of a texture that had bravely withstood the march of time. Other relics included a bone whistle Prendergast used to call his dog, a shingle draw shave made in 1826 by Pearl Johnson, an edged tool maker who had a factory on East Fourth Street, and other items.

In 1965: A $275,000 building fund for a new church and rectory at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Jamestown was to be launched over the weekend. The parish had been divided into nine divisions to raise the money. First reports were to be received Oct. 31. “The parishioners of St. James have an enviable record of loyal support of the church,” said Bishop James A. McNulty of Buffalo in a special letter to the pastor. “Through prayer, toil and sacrifice, they have built edifices for the worship of God and for the education of their children.” Dr. Peter Vitanza served as chairman with Fred Landy as co-chairman.

New Printomatic voting machines were to be used for the first time in the Nov. 2 elections, according to Lloyd A. Dixon Jr., president of AVM Corp. The new machines had a feature not found on any other voting machines that would allow the city’s polling places to have election results faster than had ever been possible before. Before the polls opened, each machine would produce a proof sheet that all counting dials had been set to zero. When the polls closed, each machine embossed multiple copies of the final vote totals directly from the counting dials, eliminating manual transcription. “I am pleased that the people of Jamestown will have the opportunity to use our new machines,” Dixon said. The machines would also be used in Toledo, Ohio; Oklahoma City, Okla.; and Green Bay, Wisc.

In Years Past

• In 1915, a trans-continental telephone call from Jamestown to San Francisco was to be the featured event at a Board of Commerce lunch on Nov. 3. Mayors of the two cities were to exchange greetings, and Jamestowners were to hear a band concert and the waves of the Pacific Ocean breaking on seal rocks. A few similar demonstrations had been held of the San Francisco long distance line, but they had invariably been held in the largest cities. The demonstration in Jamestown was a distinct compliment to the city and a tribute to the aggressive spirit of the local Board of Commerce, according to a preview article in the Journal.

• The Chautauqua County Society of History and Natural Science was asking for records of every Chautauqua County family. A careful examination of the histories and published records of the county showed that fewer than one-fifth of the early settlers’ names were mentioned. Of that number less than 50 percent were mentioned in an incidental way, meaning nine-tenths of the county’s pioneers had no place in the county’s recorded history. “They live only in memory and tradition. Both these sources are fast passing away. The doors to these storehouses of information will soon be closed.”

• President Lyndon Johnson signed into law a bill to fight air pollution by requiring exhaust controls on all cars, beginning with the 1968 models. Johnson said that, ever since the industrial revolution, “we have been systematically polluting our air,” with cars alone discharging enough carbon monoxide to pollute the combined areas of Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey. He said pollution from automobiles posed a health problem “that is national in scope.” The legislation also created a federal program to research and give technical aid to seek ways to dispose of the millions of tons of solid waste the nation generated each year.

• The senior class of Southwestern Central School grew its treasury as the result of stock investments made when the class was in ninth grade. In the fall of 1962, the freshmen enrolled in Gordon Dominey’s social study class invested money as a class project. Students voluntarily contributed a dollar, collecting $162 in total, then visited the offices of Goodbody & Co. in Jamestown. After studying several companies, the class decided to invest in Socony Oil Co. and the American Hospital Supply Co. The stocks, plus broker’s fees, cost the class $156.22. The stocks were sold on Sept. 30, 1965, with the class receiving $233.85 after the commission was paid, making a profit of $97.53 on their original investment.

• The Pine Valley Ministerial Association and the school’s IMPACT Team were co-sponsoring awareness walks in support of National Drug Awareness Week. The Rev. Burt Smith, ministerium president, told The Post-Journal the walks were to be held in South Dayton and Cherry Creek. “We need to make the community more aware of the problems associated with, not only drugs, but alcohol,” Smith said. “As a church we offer hope to people, and as a community we need to become more involved and visible.”

• During a conference hosted by St. Bonaventure University, the former chief executive officer of Proctor and Gamble Co. urged more funding for preschool programs. Brad Butler, Proctor & Gamble’s chairman from 1981 to 1986, said Head Start had proven to help disadvantaged youth and criticized politicians unwilling to enroll every disadvantaged youth in the program. Lauro Cavazos, U.S. education secretary, said he placed less emphasis on Head Start because a child’s self-esteem forms as early as age 1. “I believe we need to step back even further,” Cavazos said. “I really would like to see (early intervention programs) start even earlier than Head Start.” Cavazos also said businesses should give their employees the flexibility to get involved in school boards and parent-teacher organizations and schools should give students flexibility to attend classes while holding jobs so they wouldn’t drop out to go to work full-time. “This means classes at night and weekends so these working young people can attend,” Cavazos said.

In Years Past

• In 1915, the latest report of the county tuberculosis nurse showed 185 cases and 79 deaths, not including Jamestown or Dunkirk, where roughly 100 cases were reported. There were 50 children under 14 years of age who had lost one parent in the towns and 53 people who had been in sanatariums. The patients were scattered far and near, away from home and loved ones. “How much better it would be if a hospital was erected near home where every sufferer could be admitted, poor or rich, and be cared for within the confines of our own county,” E. George Lindstrom wrote in the Journal. Lindstrom said it behooves every taxpayers and sufferer to speak to their supervisor and ask him to support building a tuberculosis hospital in the county.

• The Jamestown Common Council approved a permit for a jitney bus to supply the sixth ward with needed rapid transit facilities. The proposed bus line would cover the area from Hallock to Palmer to Baker streets, Barrett to Market and Brooklyn Square on Main to Third and west on Third to Washington streets, which was to be the downtown terminus. Two buses would be operated with 30-minute service in both directions.

• Registration volume indicated an all-time record vote in Jamestown in the upcoming presidential election. The total number of voters registered was 14,132, an increase from the 13,692 in the first three days of registration for the 1936 election.

• The furniture market in Jamestown was expected to break all registration records. Early birds, comprising the advance guard of buyers from all over the country, began arriving in Jamestown on Oct. 19 for the semi-annual furniture market in the Furniture Mart building on West Second Street. The autumn market, scheduled for eight days, was expected to see attendance of more than 1,000 people, according to Paul R. Denney, manager. “There is a general spirit of confidence in the 50 displays in the nine-story show building, where latest designs in all types of furniture and furnishings are exhibited,” Denney said.

• A joint task force of New York and Pennsylvania water pollution experts reached the conclusion that Findley Lake suffered from dissolved-oxytem depletion caused by rthe decay of natural vegetation. It was this natural process, and not pollution, which was the cause of two large fish die-offs in the lake and in French Creek earlier in the year. No dangerous chemical or sewage pollution was found, though recommendations were made to eliminate the concentrations of organic matter which caused the fish kills.

• Lee N. Kellogg, Lakewood police chief, told Village Board members that 39 courtesy tickets had been presented to violators since last week’s installation of a four -way flashing red light at the Sunset Avenue and Summit Avenue intersection. The light was installed at the request of area residents who said the location was the scene of numerous accidents.

• A finding that the Jamestown/Dunkirk metropolitan statistical area ranked at the bottom of the state for per-capita income came as no surprise to area development officials. Both David Dawson, county IDA director, and Sam Teresi, Jamestown development diector, agreed the ratings stemmed from a loss of high-apying jobs in the county and their replacement with lower-paying jobs. “We have lost many long-established, good-paying manufacturing jobs in the county in the last 15 years,” Dawson said, “and replaced them with lower-paying jobs. You can’t replace a job in place 40 years with a new job paying anything like that.” Dawson also said companies locating in the county will not pay anywhere close to the wages as established industries that go out of business. “That’s a big part of the story,” Dawson said.

• The first step in the foreclosure of the Jamestown Furniture Mart building had been taken by Security Pacific Business Fiannce Inc. of San Diego, Calif. Court documents showed about $1.3 million due on the mortgage, while a second mortgage trough Marine Bank of Erie was owed about $865,000. Robert M. Karbacka, city building inspector, said anything above the first floor of the building was considered in violation of state building and fire codes because the floors lacked two exits from each floor. Karbacka said numerous time extensions had been granted for the work to bring the structure into code compliance but the project was proceeding very slowly.

In Years Past

In 1915, the state Public Service Commission was considering measures to make at-grade railroad crossings safer and was asking automobile clubs to consider meeting on Oct. 27 in Syracuse to discuss the matter. Matters for discussion included what could be done to increase the range of vision at crossings, how to pay to increase the range of vision at crossings, what crossing signs should be built and where they should be located, if they should be lit at night and changes to the way electric railroads operated.

A new pipe organ was dedicated during ceremonies at the Universalist Church in Sherman. The Sheldon Memorial organ was heard for the first time during Sunday services. The organ was presented by the Hon. A.B. Sheldon of Sherman. The gift was received by Pratt E Marshall and dedicatory ceremonies were conducted by the Rev. W.G. Price. An organ recital later in the afternoon was held by organist WIlliam Welch of Westfield. “We believe that music is an incentive to quicken thought and appease anger,” Marshall said, “therefore is an element necessary to a better and a larger understanding of true religion.”

Jamestown Days were stressed as the Jamestown Merchants Association held their kickoff dinner for Shopping Days. W.D. Roesser of Buffalo spoke to the group and said merchants are the last and an important link in the flow of goods from the manufacturers to the public. “Facts, not hot air, sells merchandise,” Roesser said, saying retailers must know their business to serve their customers. Merchandising must be placed on a factual basis to be successful, stressing the importance of the individual in business and the need of a proper perspective on the part of the merchant. “Pay attention to the public,” he said. “Many people have money to spend if you give them values. Know your business and how to get along with people.”

Jamestown’s soldiers of Company E, 174th infantry, 44th division, went to work building streets in the regimental area, and their next job would be building coal bins, all part of work getting established for their year’s stay. The regiment was fully winterized, having wooden walls and frames in place of tent poles to hold the canvas top. Practically every tent had a new coal stove to replace the wood-burning heaters.

Dismantling of the Austrian Pavilion at the World’s Fair began in the first step of an extensive proces to relocate the building to Cockaigne in central Chautauqua County. The pavilion was to serve the new recreation center as its headquarters for the ski operation in the winter and as an open cafe for summertime activities. Preparations were underway at Cockaigne to receive the buildings. Foundations and footers were being poured and a sewage treatment plant was being installed. Plans occupied for the building to be occupied by Dec. 15.

Joseph Gerace, Democratic Party candidate for the 165th Assembly seat, listed the lack of vocational technical school as one of the most important issues in the election campaign. Gerace criticized Gov. Nelson Rockefeller for vetoing a bill that would have established area centers for vocational education. Citing the shortage in technical workers and skilled craftsmen, Gerace called for the establishment of area centers for cooperative vocational educational services. “I’d like to see these vocational technical courses begin at an age where the potential dropout can be saved – where the boy who is not interested in ancient history but would like to work with his hands will be saved from the temptation of dropping out of school.”

Chautauqua County’s 1991 budget would increase taxes 14 percent – an increase from the 5.3 percent increase in County Executive Andrew Goodell’s proposed budget. Goodell’s tax rate were based on the notion that his proposal to sell the county landfill would be approved by legislators. The new tax rate increase reflected the legislature Finance Committee’s decision to remove the revenue from the landfill sale from the budget. Other factors included a $1.7 million pay increase for county employees and a 15 percent increase in health insurance costs for county employees. The legislature was to approve the budget in about a week.

Two Jamestown brothers returning to the city after several years’ absence planned to open a restaurant at 114 E. Third St., adjacent to the recently reopened Reg Lenna Civic Center. The brothers, Vincent and Steven DeJoy, were at Tuesday afternoon’s meeting of the Jamestown Local Development Corp., where their request for a $25,000 low-interest loan was approved by JLDC board members. The DeJoy brothers grew up on Jamestown’s south side, with their parents operating a grocery/catering service. The JLDC loan was part of a more than $50,000 financing project to open what would be known as the Stage Left Restaurant/Bistro.

In Years Past

Mayor Leon Roberts vetoed a $190,492.44 dividend payment from the city Board of Public Utilities to consumers. It was the first veto ever exercised by any mayor over action taken by the BPU. After the BPU board acted on the dividend, it turned down a proposal by Roberts for a donation of $150,000 to the city to be used for general city purposes. “I again call to your attention the fact that the problem confronting the citizens of Jamestown is no longer the problem of cheap electric current. The most serious problem is the ability of the average taxpayer to pay his taxes,” Roberts said.

Attorney General Robert H. Jackson declared a recent speech by Col. Charles A. Lindbergh demonstrated the “mischievous effect” of a “gathering of forces against freedom and democracy.” Jackson, speaking to the Law Society of Massachusetts, lashed out at “people who are satisfied with democracy as long as they and their interests are in control of it,” but who “urge modification as soon as they see their control slipping,” Jackson said. Lindbergh’s speech was calculated to undermine confidence in President Franklin Roosevelt and other elected leaders and to undermine the national defense effort. “We are witnessing the most ominous gathering of forces against freedom and democracy that has ever been seen in my time. Even though these enemies of democracy gain no foothold as a result of our elections, the drawing together of powerful groups making common cause under common slogans is still an ominous development.”

Work on the expansion of a section of Route 17 in Chautauqua County could begin in the spring, according to county officials. David Dawson, county IDA director, said the county received a commitment from the state to spend $9 million while gaining full cooperation from the state to expand the highway to four lanes from Stow west to the state line. “They accepted the argument that the economic development needs of the region demand that the road be completed,” Dawson said. County officials persuaded state officials that the expansion should be based on economic needs rather than on a car count of traffic on the road. U.S. Rep. Amo Houghton, R-Corning, also announced that the completion of Route 17 would be given top priority consideration in next year’s federal transportation appropriations bill.

10,000 Maniacs were warming up for their upcoming Time Capsule Tour of Midwest and Northeast colleges with a performance at Joyce’s Keg Room. The songs of “Hope Chest,” the band’s newest album, had been recorded in a Tonmeister studio at the State College at Fredonia. Michael Zabrodsky of The Post-Journal wrote “Ms. Merchant’s poetry and social awareness show through in the Maniacs’ early work. And so does the eclectic songwriting style of band members (Dennis) Drew, (Robert) Buck and then-rhythm guitarist (John) Lombardo.”

In Years Past

In a 1915 letter to a Jamestown friend, Wells B. Smith of Lafitte, La., formerly of Jamestown, described the recent hurricane which swept over New Orleans, killing hundreds and causing millions of dollars in damage. Smith wrote of a farmhouse demolished in the settlement near his home and a few others moved off their foundations, including the Smith home. “It is consoling, however, to hear old people who have lived here all their years on the bayou near us say they ?never experienced such a storm before’ so it is to be inferred these episodes are of rare occurrence, but be that as it may, I think we will keep a little closer to terra firma than before and new construction will have a barge-like appearance, perhaps.”

Tons of dead fish had been found on the shores of Chautauqua Lake. Frank W. Cheney, a fish expert, examined several hundred dead carp and said the mortality was confined to female fish. The carp did not spawn in the previous spring and died after not absorbing the dead eggs. According to the Journal report, “The carp are a useless species of fish, at least to residents along the shores of Chautauqua Lake. Ways and means of extermination have been discussed frequently at meetings of fishermen. It is good news therefore that the species, if not exterminated, will be materially reduced and it will be some time before the supply again reaches the proportions it had attained at the opening of the season this spring.” The dead fish had been reported all along the lake from Mayville to Jamestown.

Jamestown’s youth responded to Uncle Sam’s first peacetime call for manpower with an early morning rush to the 24 election polling places to register for military service – 2,887 men had registered for the draft by early afternoon. “The way the boys are registering for military service and the spirit which they are showing is a matter of great satisfaction to everybody who has the cause of national defense at heart,” said Col. Homer M. Wellman, who served as captain in command of Company L, 110th Infantry, 28th Division, Pa. National Guard, during World War I.

There was discussion to turn over preliminary proceeds from new parking meters in downtown Jamestown to the Community Chest and the Kendall Club. Only half of the scheduled 450 parking meters to be installed east of Main Street had been installed, with no legislation yet passed to collect money from the meters. That hadn’t stopped shoppers from putting money in the meters, however, under the mistaken belief that the meters were being policed and new parking rules enforced.

Last night’s second public meeting on plans for restoration of the old mill at the Busti town park reflected enthusiasm by townsmen as well as word received from former area residents. Near future rejuvenation of the mill structure disclosed “dreams” which might take years to materialize to full extent but appeared to be of great interest to those attending the meeting. Plans were to restore the mill to working order with flour grinding, complete with the old water wheel propelled power. Development was to begin later in the summer.

Jamestown City Council members were to debate a resolution at their upcoming meeting to file a joint application for a state grant for a comprehensive water study and report. The application would be filed in conjunction with the villages of Lakewood, Bemus Point and Panama and towns of Busti, Carroll, Ellicott, Ellery, Harmony, Kiantone and North Harmony.

A man injured in a home explosion at 410 W. Seventh St. in September was charged with assault in connection with the explosion after he was released form the hospital. James Lindgren, 20, was taken to the county jail after being charged with first-degree assault. The case was to be sent up to a grand jury. John Ward, county district attorney, said charges against Lindgren “does not necessarily mean he meant to kill (Ms. Deanna Robbins) but that he acted in such a reckless way that it could be equivalent to (malicious intent).”

The Chautauqua County Legislature’s Finance Committee recommended spending $1.7 million for projected 1991 salary increases for county employees, a number that County Executive Andrew Goodell said was “in the ballpark” of a fact finder’s cost for a contract agreement between the county and CSEA Unit 6300, Local 807. The fact finder recommended pay increases of 5 percent for 1990, 6 percent for 1991 and 5.5 percent for 1992. Employees had asked for 6.75 percent each year with the county asking for 4.5 percent in 1990, 4 percent in 1991 and 5 percent in 1992. “It is my belief that county employees should be entitled to reasonable salary increases for 1990-92,” Goodell said. “Those salary increases should be similar to those being granted in the private sector in Chautauqua County. It is not appropriate for the county to give raises to its employees that are higher than the raises being received by the taxpayers who are asked to foot the bill.”

In Years Past

In 1915, Jamestown was left temporarily without stock brokers doing business in the city until affairs straightened out so the office of Paul Lambert Co. in the Chadakoin Building could resume. The office closed after the P.L. Holland Company of Buffalo failed, putting local concerns out of business as well, when a continued bull market in active shares created a condition in which brokers were unable to keep their trading businesses profitable. Shops in Jamestown were operating on a two point basis, though brokers operating on the regular 10 point basis would hardly find business sufficient to warrant operating an office in Jamestown, the Journal stated. There was still a stock wire operating in Warren which could extend to Jamestown within a day or so.

The Erie Railroad now had a double track bridge across the Chadakoin River near the boatlanding and the old tower which had been a landmark at the place was being removed. Railroad employees had worked on the project for a year. Besides the greater convenience in operation, the new track would save the expense of maintaining the tower and wages of three tower men. The area had been regarded as a dangerous area, and many years before a circus train came very close to being dumped into the Chadakoin River.

Peter Volpe, 55, of 22 Tower Street, wanted in the murder of James Ferraro, 49, of Allen Street, was captured in Angola by Lt. Richard K. Moynihan of the Jamestown Police Department some 14 months after the crime. The capture was effected with the same lack of dramatic polish that characterized 14 months of patient, persistent searching for Volpe. He had been employed for two or three months at a farm near Angola and went into Angola looking for a new supply of tobacco when he ran into Moynihan, who instantly recognized Volpe even though he had long since shaved the mustache that distinguished him at the time of the murder.

The highest daily average of patients in more than 50 years at WCA Hospital was reported for September by Minnie A. Hokanson, hospital superintendent. The average daily number of patients for the 30 days of September was 106. When asked to account for the increase in the number of patients, Hokanson said, “There is no special reason; just a busy month. Of course we had 54 babies, but we also had 53 the month before. I guess there was just a lot of illness.”

Safecrackers had struck again in Jamestown, stealing several thousand dollars in cash from the GMA Supermarket, 319 Hazeltine Ave. Det. Lauritz Nelson of the Jamestown Police Department said a rough estimate placed the loss around $4,000. The burglary was discovered when the store’s assistant manager arrived to open the store. Entry was made in the east side of the building, where construction work to make the supermarket bigger was happening. The safe, located in a spot not visible from the outside, was opened by chiseling away the corners enough to allow the metal to be peeled back and the door removed. Nelson was asking banks, merchants and others to be on the look out for anyone presenting unusually large amounts of change in their transactions.

The first step toward organization of five Western New york counties to participate in a long range statewide program of regional planning began at Washington Junior High School in conjunction with a similar session earlier in the day in Buffalo. The Buffalo meeting included officials from Erie, Niagara and Wyoming counties while the Jamestown meeting included Chautauqua and Cattaraugus county officials. The program was to coordinate activities in the counties and eliminate overlapping efforts by the various departments of state government. The bi-partisan group was to develop a plan for each region and ultimately be part of an inclusive plan for the entire state, much like today’s Regional Economic Development Councils.

Stanley M. Kellogg of Jamestown, recently named to Gov. Mario Cuomo’s skilled worker emeritus program, was to begin speaking in area schools to tell students they could be gainfully employed without a college education by discussing his 51-year career as a welder for Dawson Metal Co. “Our job is go to out and sell you on a trade if you’re not college material,” Kellogg said. The Jamestown man also said labor and management must become involved in training programs, “Otherwise our country’s going to go right down the tubes in the skilled trades.”

The environment, not the economy, must be the first concern of Chautauqua County’s Ellery landfill, said Thomas Erlandson, Jamestown Community College biology and geology professor. Issues pertaining to the landfill would be discussed during an upcoming public forum at JCC. “For instance,” Erlandson asked, “what is the county’s and Waste Management’s position on recycling? How are they going to improve our recycling efforts in the future.”

In Years Past

TODAY

TOPS 721, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 825 Forest Ave., Jamestown; weigh-in, 8:30 a.m.; meeting, 10 a.m.

GED/High School equivalency classes, E2cc Boces at the Gateway Center, 31 Water St., Jamestown, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

English as a Second Language class, E2cc Boces at the Gateway Center, 31 Water St., Jamestown, 9 a.m. to noon; for information, call 484-6190

Family History Center, 851 Forest Ave., Jamestown; free access to ancestry.com; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; other times by appointment, call 245-4601

Jamestown Chapter of the Parachute Group, Allegheny Financial Services office, 474 Fairmount Ave., Jamestown, 10 a.m.

Mental Health Association Recovery Focus group, 31 Water St., Suite 7, (behind the Gateway Center), Jamestown, 10:30 a.m.

Free blood pressure screenings, Westfield Episcopal Church Community Kitchen, 12 Elm St., Westfield, 11 a.m.; contact Westfield Memorial Hospital cardiac rehab, 793-2218

Mental Health Association of Chautauqua County; Addiction, It’s No Choice, Gateway Center, 31 Water St., Suite 7, Jamestown, noon

Alcoholics Anonymous: Open discussion, Alanon Club, 511 E. Second St., noon; wheelchair accessible

MHA of Chautauqua County Life Skills, 31 Water St., Suite 7, Jamestown (behind the Gateway Center), 1 p.m.

MHA of Chautauqua County Computer Basics, 31 Water St., Suite 7, Jamestown (behind the Gateway Center), 2 p.m.

WNY Alzheimer’s Association Caregivers Support, Fredonia Place, 50 Howard St., Fredonia, 2:30 p.m.

Stroke Support Club, Jones Memorial Health Center, 51 Glasgow Ave., Jamestown, 3 p.m.

MHA Dual Recovery, 31 Water St, Suite7, (behind the Gateway Center), Jamestown, 3 p.m.

American Parkinson Disease Association Support, 189 E. Main St., Westfield, 6:30 p.m.

Women’s Family and Friends Life Beyond Cancer Support group, 7 p.m.; call 793-2258 for location and information

Narcotics Anonymous: Our Choice; open meeting; open discussion; nonsmoking, wheelchair accessible; candlelight meeting; Immanuel Lutheran Church, 556 E. Second St., Jamestown, 7 p.m.

Mental Health Association Family Support, 100 E. Second St., second floor, Jamestown (above Gary’s Trophy Shop), 7:30 p.m.

Narcotics Anonymous: Basic text, First Presbyterian Church, 300 Market St., Warren, 7:30 p.m.; open discussion, BT, nonsmoking

Alcoholics Anonymous: Open speaker rehab meeting, 7:30 p.m.; wheelchair accessible

Alcoholics Anonymous: Open discussion, 24 hour group, Christ First United Methodist Church, 663 Lakeview Ave., Jamestown, 8 p.m.

Alcoholics Anonymous: Open discussion, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 99 S. Erie St., Mayville, 8 p.m.

Alanon: Closed discussion, Alanon Club, 511 E. Second St., Jamestown, 8 p.m.

FRIDAY

Ellington Community Food Pantry, Ellington Fire Hall, 8 a.m. to noon

GED/High School equivalency classes, E2cc Boces at the Gateway Center, 31 Water St., Jamestown, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

English as a Second Language class, E2cc Boces at the Gateway Center, 31 Water St., Jamestown, 9 a.m. to noon; for information, call 484-6190

Alcoholics Anonymous: Closed discussion: Alanon Club, 511 E. Second St., noon and 8 p.m.; wheelchair accessible

U.C.A.N. Urban Ministry’s Calling and Conversion Group, 31 Water St., Jamestown, door 14, 11:30 a.m.

Narcotics Anonymous: Just For Today Group, Trinity Memorial Church, 444 Pennsylvania Ave., West, Warren, noon.

Alcoholics Anonymous: Young at Heart, open discussion, Fluvanna Community Church, 3363 Fluvanna Ave. Ext., Jamestown, 6:30 p.m.; wheelchair accessible

Narcotics Anonymous: Women’s Recovery Group, Warren Wesleyan Church, 602 Fourth Ave., Warren, 6:30 p.m.; C, nonsmoking

Narcotics Anonymous: Second Chance, open meeting; open discussion; Immanuel Lutheran Church, 556 E. Second St., Jamestown; nonsmoking, wheelchair accessible, 7 p.m.

Open ”C.D.” sing, Helping Hands, 31 Water St., Jamestown, behind WCA Hospital, 7 p.m.

Narcotics Anonymous: Work the Steps and Live, Lutheran Church, 109 Third Ave., Warren, 7 p.m.; open discussion, L, nonsmoking

We Believe Fireside Meeting recovery group, First Covenant Church, 520 Spring St., Jamestown, 8 p.m.

Baha’i Faith, an independent world religion for spiritual renewal; call 386-6900, 484-2506 or 483-6871.

In Years Past

In 1915: the custom of holding a bazaar in Ss. Peter and Paul’s Roman Catholic Church, which had been abandoned a few years prior, was to be resumed. The event was to be held in the church basement and each organization connected with the church was to have a booth. All sorts of articles would be offered for sale, and there would also be a program every evening. Money raised would be used to build the parish house and “it is expected that the sum will be large.”

Red Letter Day, a fundraiser for the Visiting Nurses’ Association, raised $1,300 over two days with several people having yet to report the money they had raised. Every person associated with the work was delighted with the happy result, due wholly to the generosity and helpfulness of the citizens of Jamestown. The liberal response would make possible the lightening of many burdens during the long winter months.

In 1940: Only three hours after falling from the air in an airplane accident, Robert Waite, 28, of Kennedy was then unhurt in an automobile crash when the vehicle he was driving rolled over end over end. A fellow passenger in the plane in which Waite was flying suffered a fractured skull in that accident while Nelson’s father, Charles Nelson, 55, was badly injured in the auto crash. The little time between the two accidents in which Mr. Waite established his record for being lucky was only a little over three hours.

Mrs. Emily Eugenia Sellstrom, widow of Fabian Sellstrom, died at her family’s residence at 811 Jefferson St. after a sudden heart attack preceded by months of declining health. Mrs. Sellstrom was one of the founding members of the First Lutheran Church and a member of the Norden Club Auxiliary and the Mozart Club, among others. “Besides the lasting heritage of her sturdy scandinavian ancestry which her life exemplified so magnificently, Mrs. Sellstrom always enjoyed the best of literature and keeping in touch with new works of distinction. She had also written plays and verses which delighted her family and friends and was the author of a historical drama, Then and Now. In the early days of woman’s suffrage, Mrs. Sellstrom was active in furthering the challenge of a cause which is now taken for granted,” the obituary read.

In 1965: U.S. Rep. Charles Goodell, R-Jamestown, was demanding equal time for full minority responses by Republicans be provided after a broadcast by President Lyndon Johnson. Goodell made his remarks at a forum on fair play in political campaigning and agreed with Democratic speakers that an incumbent president seeking re-election enjoys a greater advantage. He said of more significance than the election-year advantage is “a far more acute danger in the lack of balanced coverage by minority party views outside the campaign period. … It’s difficult enough for a minority party without having to cope with a president who both manages and saturates the news.”

A 68-year-old Westfield man suffered from a gunshot wound in the upper right abdominal region, according to a preliminary report by Coroner Ralph J. Wallace. Richard Sloan’s body was found in the ruins of a garage fire at his Mt. Baldy Road, Westfield, home. Wallace said the gunshot wound came from a 16-gauge shotgun and that the position of the shotgun in relation to the body would indicate the possibility the wound may have been self-inflicted. “I am continuing the investigation, therefore withholding a verdict, until it is definitely determined how the fire started,” Wallace said. “Mr. Sloan did not smoke and did not carry matches.”

In Years Past

• In 1915, a woman was walking rapidly along Lincoln Street, near the corner of Sixth Street, when a man with a slouch hat sneaked up behind her and grabbed her pocketbook. Fortunately, the bag was held with a firm chain that had been run over the woman’s wrist, slipping from the thug’s hand. The woman’s cries attracted attention before the thief could take the bag. “There is much more than usual of this kind of attacks reported in Jamestown of late, and it would be well for both men and women who are on the streets at night to be on their guard against sudden attack for purposes of robbery,” the Journal stated.

• J.G. Clutter gave the first lecture of the season before students of Jamestown Businesss College on Salesmanship and Business Efficiency. The series would comprise 20 lectures given in conjunction with a regular course of study. Also, H.C. Ernst of Cleveland, Ohio, gave a demonstration of the Stenotype Co. assisted by Clem Boling, an expert operator who, during the demonstration, wrote as high as 327 words a minute which were readily and rapidly read back from his notes.

• Employment in Jamestown had reached a 20-year high, according to a summary of business indicators prepared by Janice Farmer of the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce. Farmer said there were almost 200 more people employed than the previous record month of September 1959 and 800 more people employed than September 1964. Murray S. Stephens, chamber executive vice president, said the employment total of 15,248 was the largest since the high-employment days of World War II.

• A search by more than 300 volunteers ended successfully when a missing 3-year-old boy was found about a mile from his home. Philip James Hunter, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Hunter of Kinzua Road, Warren, was reported missing around 3:20 p.m. Oct. 12. The boy was found by Douglas Gebhart of Warren about two hours later sitting under a tree high on a mountainside about a mile form his home. With the youngster was a small dog of unknown ownership and ancestry. More than 30 members of the Kinzua Valley Citizens Radio Band Rangers provided radio communications between the small groups into which the search party was divided. The Hunter child, despite exposure to blustery and rainy weather, appeared no worse for the experience.

• More than 1,300 enthusiastic spectators cheered, applauded, laughed and sang to celebrate the grand reopening of the Reg Lenna Civic Center. Mitchell Anderson, a member of the cast of the television show Doogie Howser, M.D., was master of ceremonies for the show between vaudeville acts and brief speeches. “In 1923,” Anderson said, “then-Mayor Samuel Carlson called the theater ‘a palace not alone in name but in reality.’ Tonight we call the Reg Lenna Civic Center more than a theater – we call it a center, a Civic Center, and we congratulate and thank you for it being here in all its renewed splendor.”

• A program to control Eurasian milfoil in upstate’s Lake George would not work on Chautauqua Lake, said Douglas E. Conroe, Chautauqua Lake Association president. The difference was milfoil was new to Lake George while the weed had been present in Chautauqua Lake for several years and, the Lake George program was to eliminate the weed while the CLA had worked to control growth of weeds in the lake. Conroe said the CLA planned to apply for an herbicide permit for Chautauqua Lake for 1991, though didn’t know if the CLA could afford the treatments. “It’s a very real possibility we may not be able to proceed with the program,” he said.

In Years Past

In 1915, Howard S. Rodgers was named Jamestown fire chief by unanamous vote of the Jamesotwn Common Council. He replaced Fred H. Wilson, the former chief who was killed in a car accident in September 1915. Rodgers had been a city fireman for more than 20 years as part of the old volunteer department and was foreman of the old volunteer Rescue Engine company. “Mr. Rodgers is a man who does not belong to any political faction or combination and yet at the same time he has received the commendation of the citizens of all classes more than any other person who had been suggested for this office,” Mayor Samuel Carlson said.

H.A. Baker, who operates a general store in Niobe, battled three burglars, receiving a bullet wound to his right arm during the skirmish. The burglars did not get off scot-free, however, as Baker shot at them with a shotgun and heard one of them cry, “D–n him, he got me.” They escaped, leaving only one of the men’s hats behind. The hat did contain the name of the establishment where it was bought.

A plane crashed shortly after takeoff near Falconer. Lawrence E. Nelson of Waterford, Pa., suffered a skull fracture and other serious injuries while two occupants in the plane – Anthony Mangine, pilot and the plane’s owner, and Robert Waite of Kennedy – were uninjujred. The plane was caught in a severe downdraft after taking off and crashed into swampy woods about a half a mile north of the airport, only a few hundred yards south of the Cassadaga Valley pumping station of the Jametown BPU water system.

Along with poor weather conditions, Japanese beetles, corn borers and other afflictions, area farmers were being hit by cattle rustlers – something which in the minds of average city folk is associated with the ranches of the far west and not by any stretch of the imagination could be linked with farms in New York state. Several cases had been reported to the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Dept. and several more in Cattaraugus County. Thieves loaded the cows onto trucks and rushed them to bootleg butchers or other buyers, making the cattle rustlers very difficult to catch.

Jamestown Community College’s enrollment had increased 52 percent over the past two years, with full time enrollment at 701 students. The greatest enrollment increase was noted in the mathematics and natural sciences division, which had tripled. Dean William H. Schlike described it as “a reflection of the times, the emergence of scientific emphasis through our entrance into the computer society.” The business and nursing departments also showed increases.

The Jamestown City Council accepted a bid of $18,200 to complete work on the Allen Park Band Shell. The bid was the lowest of four received. The Jamestown Music Asosciation told council members the group had raised $780 toward the project and would continue raising money. The Parks Committee also approve purchase of land for a new building to replace the skating rink shack.

None of the 22 employees of Don Gage Inc. General Merchandise in Kiantone would be out of a job after a massive fire destroyed the building’s main store and more than $1 million in merchandise. The employees would work in the adjoining lumber yard, which opened for business after the fire. About 75 customers were in the store when the fire broke out, but all were evacuated. The blaze drew about 200 firefighters from eight area fire dpartments after a trash incinerator caught fire. Flames reached as high as 35 feet in the air. “At first it didnt seem very big, but then you got ourside and the whole thing was burning,” said Debbie McKee of Warren. “It wen tup really fast because at first all you saw was smoke and then it was burning like wild.”

County Executive Andrew Goodell admitted there may not be enough support in the Republican-majority County Legislature to sell the county landfill to Waste Management of New York Inc. “At this point I am very distressed that the legislature seems to be taking a position that owning a dump is more important that having a strong economic development effort or that owning a dump is more important than having lower taxes and lower user fees. I am continuing to urge the legislature to consider the landfill proposal.” The $14 million sale needed approval from 17 of the legislature’s 25 members. Thomas J. Harte, R-Lakewood, previously stated his opposition to selling the landfill. “It is a fallacy to say that the county, at the very least, cannot run the landfill at a break-even level,” Harte said. With “a bit more garbage” coming into the landfill, the county could “even make a considerable profit,” he said.

In Years Past

In 1915, the cornerstone was laid for a new Methodist church on Camp Street, the 10th Methodist church built in Jamestown at the time. The building on English Street would cost $3,000 to build. “The church is inside the city limits, and when erected will serve a neighborhood so remote from the city that attendance on the city churches was well nigh impossible, part of the constituency is drawn from outside the city and the size of the neighborhood is indicated by the fact that well over 200 persons were present at the exercises of the cornerstone laying Sunday afternoon,” The Jamestown Evening Journal reported.

Maj. A.M. Harvey, a former lieutenant governor of Kansas, spoke on women’s suffrage before a good-sized audience at the corner of Third and Main streets under the auspices of the Campaign Club. Harvey was introduced by Mayor Samuel Calrson. “I trust when Kansas, whose ear is always turned toward New York state, hears of the coming election, that she will hear that New York state has given women the same right to vote as men,” Harvey said to close her address.

A steady and rapid increase in employment in Jamestown had cut the number of local relief cases to the lowest figure since prior to 1934, the last year for which reliable statistics were available. On Oct. 1, there were 518 cases on the home relief and veterans’ relief rolls of the Welfare Department while 673 aged persons were receiving old age assistance. During the current years the number of family groups receiving relief had dropped from 571 to 361 and the number of single persons receiving aid dropped from 179 to 157.

One of Jamestown’s real art treasures were to be lost forever when the Norden Club Building was demolished to make way for a new post office. All of Albert Johnson’s paintings in the Norden Club depicted scenes from his Swedish homeland, but couldn’t be moved because they were painted directly on the plaster walls. Paintings included a painting of the landing of Leif Erikson in America that occupied the entire rear wall of the auditorium and a series of views of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Carl Sandberg, noted poet, appeared in Jamestown some years before and pronounced the paintings as among the finest he had ever seen in all his travels.

Workmen had begun stringing the first of an estimated 104 miles of coaxial cable for Jamestown Cablevision Inc. A photo showed a machine pulling the cable and lacing a sheath for it.

State Assemblyman Bruce Manley flew to Albany to confer with state officials for a deferment to keep Clymer’s only doctor in the community. The Fredonia Selective Service had ordered Dr. Robert X. Williams to report for his physical exam for active military service on Oct. 18. Williams also served residents in Findley Lake, French Creek, Panama and Sherman in a doctor’s office associated with his father, but the elder Williams was only able to practice part-time due to his health.

More than 300 Masons from a wide area attended the 100th anniversary of the Olive Lodge in Sherman. The principal address was given by Supreme Court justice Clarence J. Henry of Rocheseter, state grandmaster of Masons, in the observance held in Sherman Central School. Five of the eight 50-year members of the lodge were present and honored, including WIllis Meabon, oldest living past master in date of service who presided in 1917 and 1924; and James G. Pratt, a 52-year Mason who was master of the lodge in 1920. He gave a thumbnail sketch of the lodge’s 100-year history.

All phases of recreating the drawing room of the Fenton Historical Center in Jamestown had been completed with the installation of a conserved gasolier. When the Fenton mansion was built in 1863, gas was used to illuminate the elaborate lighting fixture in the drawing room. Over the years, the delicate shades and crystal pendants were broken or lost and the fixture had been poorly electrified between 60 and 70 years before the 1990 project. The fixture was sent to David Jenks, an antique lighting conservator in Syracuse. He attributed the chandelier as an 175 neo-classically designed product with 12 branches and gold-plated brass made by Mitchell, Vance and Co. of New York City, one of the top four lighting companies of the 1870s and 1880s.

Cherry Creek Town Supervisor Robert Frost apologized to Chautauqua County Executive Andrew Goodell and David Dawson, IDA director, for implying the two had not done all they could to keep Cherry Crfeek Woodcrafters in the county. Frost told The Post-Journal he had not been aware how much the county had done trying to keep Cherry Creek Woodcrafters until speaking with Goodell. “I feel I owe Andy Goodell and David Dawson of the county Industrial Development Agency a public apology for my statements at Monday’s town board meeting,” Frost said. “I let my anger at losing some 200 jobs, along with seeing the (Goodell) letter in print, to influence me. I now see that everything that could be done to keep Woodcrafters in Cherry Creek was done, and it just wasn’t meant to happen here.”

In Years Past

Fire destroyed the Warner Grist Mill in Niobe. James Goat, an employee of the mill, discovered the fire, which seemed to envelop the building almost from the start. The Ashville Fire Department was called and, aided by wind which blew the flames away from the nearby Wilson General Store, it and several nearby buildings were saved. The loss was estimated at several thousand dollars, partly covered by insurance. Because of the burning of the wires at the mill telephone connection was disrupted for a short time.

One of the darkest corners in Jamestown’s business section had become one of the brightest with the opening of the enlarged and improved Harvey & Carey drug store at 7-9 South Main St. The Brooklyn Square corner had been the site of a pharmacy since 1872 when the late Frank W. Palmeter opened a store at the corner of South Main and Taylor streets.

In Years Past

In 1915, Henry C. Waite, a Fenton place resident and gateman at the Foote Avenue crossing of the Erie railroad, was found dead near his shanty at the crossing, discovered by two men walking out to go hunting. It was believed Gates had let the gate down for the Number 4 eastbound train and dropped dead while doing so. He had complained to family and friends that he was not feeling well. It was believed heart failure was the cause of death.

The Jamestown Manufacturers Association received a letter from the Underwriters’ Association of New York state regarding the use of water meters in connection with automatic sprinkler systems. The association said the city would reap greater benefit from encouraging installation of the devices than by requiring the meters. The association felt Jamestown would be well served by encouraging the installation of more fire protection than to discourage it by requiring installation of a water meter that could discourage fire protection investments.

Thoroughly aroused over statements to the effect that facilities for the officers and enlisted men of the 174th Infantry, 44th Division, including Company E from Jamestown, Col. Joseph W. Becker of Buffalo invited Jamestown Mayor Leon F. Roberts and mayors of other cities to visit the camp and see for themselves the conditions. Newspaper editors from the cities involved were also invited. Letters from Corp. Falcon S. Allen, said that while there was some discomfort at first due to cold and wet conditions, conditions had improved over time.

A photo on Page 1 of the Jamestown Evening Journal showed a typical scene at Buffalo Street and Lakeview Avenue at about noon on any school day. Bicyclists from Washington Junior High School were photographed making a beeline home for lunch and creating traffic hazards typical of most city school areas. The influx of bicyclists was a major traffic problem for city police, with police issuing a warning about the school area speed imit. Several motorists had already been charged for violating the 15 to 20 mile an hour speed limit.

William S. Hults, state Motor Vehicles commissioner, came out in favor of a Post-Journal editorial deploring conditions in which habitual traffic offenders retained their driver’s licenses. He said bail forfeitures by motorists accused of traffic offenses can’t be counted under the statewide point system and expected the Motor Vehicles Department to offer legislation in 1966 which would make forfeiture of bail treated the same as a conviction. Local courts could order the re-arrest of motorists who forfeit bail, or suspend or revoke the drivers’ license.

Two large muskies were pulled from Chautauqua Lake on live bait within 30 minutes of each other. Ray Fransen of Jamestown hauled in a 48.5 inch, 37 pound muskie about 200 feet off what was still referred to as “the Packard Estate” while Ralph Smock, a veteran fisherman who lived in Lakewood, pulled a 47-inch, 28-pound, muskie. Fransen said it was his first successful outing of the season following a couple of empty-handed efforts. He battled his fish for 25 minutes before pulling it into his boat. Smock had bagged several muskies, including a 35-pound, 50-inch fish he pulled in two years ago. The light weight of his 12 foot rowboat intensified his 15-20 minute struggle this year.

Angered by increased school taxes in an austerity year, more than 150 people crowded into the South Dayton Village Hall to find out what can be done to put a hold on increasing education costs. The group formed a taxpayers’ association to act as a watchdog group to keep district spending within realistic limits in relation to residents’ incomes. “The intent of this meeting had nothing to do with what has happened at the school for the last three weeks (an investigation into the embezzlement by Richard Frame, former Pine Valley Central School business manager. “Barb (Butcher) and I attended (school) board meetings before the budget votes. Our concerns go back to last May and June and the fact we have many residents living on fixed incomes,” said Jeff Beightol, a South Dayton Village Board member.

The wooden carousel horse was making a comeback – in a slightly different form – thanks to Mason Carvings of Water Street. Rocking horses would be made out of the 16 full-size wooden carousel horses being made by the company for Hummingbird Toys in Arcade, N.Y. Sam Mason, said 1928 was the last year for carousel horses made of wood after a switch to aluminum or plastic was made because the materials were cheaper to use. Three people had been working on making the horses, which took several hours to produce using a multiple carving machine. Seven horse bodies took about 20 hours to make.

In Years Past

In 1915, Frank G. Curtis, the Progressive-Prohibition candidate for assembly in the First Chautauqua district, addressed Stockton voters on the subject of Prohibition, saying he would change state laws that made it difficult to enact Prohibition in New York state. “Just an economic necessity every patriot should demand the elimination of the beverage liquor business. In Jamestown our people annually spend more than seven hundred thousand dollars for beverage alcoholic liquors. Think of it! Think what that would mean if turned to the upbuilding of our schools and industries and other good things.”

A state conservation official was in Jamestown to investigate Jamestown’s application to extend its water supply system, with a report to be made to the state Public Service Commission. The city’s water system had been under investigation for a year after a 1914 drought showed the present supply was insufficient to meet emergencies.

Local industry’s payroll climbed 17.6 percent for the first three quarters of 1940 compared to the first three quarters of 1939, according to Charles Laycock, Chamber of Commerce secretary. Banks, meanwhile, were reporting that the first six months of the year payrolls increased 24.1 percent compared to the same period in 1939 – the latest sign that the Great Depressing was ending its grip on Jamestown. In the same edition, a Community Chest survey showed 1,300 more men at work in Jamestown industrial plants than a year before.

A plea for adjustment of city and school taxes on several parcels of property that would be the site of the new post office and federal building between Second and Third streets was heard by City Council members from the attorney for many of the landowners selling plots to the federal government. City Council members also denied a request by housing developer Arthur Sankey for work to be performed on his proposed Fairmount Acres project in the city costing more than $15,000. City officials noted more than 2,500 vacant residential lots in the city on paved streets with existing sewer service, storm sewers, water and gas mains. Spending more money on a new housing development was deemed a poor investment.

Jamestown voter registration was on pace to set a 20-year low, with 4,937 people registered to vote with only two days remaining before the registration rolls would close. The total was 7,715 voters less than the 1957 election, which was a previous low mark for the city. “An apathetic electorate is usually a poorly governed one,” said Mayor Fred H. Dunn. “All citizens should exercise their franchise in order to insure the successful candidates in November a clear mandate from the people.”

The population of Panama had received a temporary boost as the five-member family of Mrs. Thomas J. Martin had become houseguests of Martin’s brother, Mr. and Mrs. Norman Reslink, in the wake of Hurricane Betsy’s destruction in Louisiana. Schools weren’t expected to open in New Orleans until January 1, so Martin’s children were attending Panama Central School.

In response to a letter from Stanley Jacobson, executive vice president of Alden Corrugated Container Corp., charging Chautauqua County officials hadn’t been supportive enough of a new Dunkirk Containerboard plant in Westfield, County Executive Andrew Goodell replied that the county had spent about $500,000 helping Dunkirk Containerboard do the work necessary to build the $207,000 plant. “At my request, county officials have given this project a high priority, even to the extent of jeopardizing other critical county projects. I have supported the funding required for the extensive engineering and legal assistance provided this project, including the recent appropriation by the County Legislature (at my request) of another $140,000 for the Westfield location.”

The former Firch Baking Co. building, 811 N. Main St., Jamestown, was fully occupied as exterior renovations neared completion. James V. Paige, the building’s owner, said one of the principal tenants was Betty Dixon-Betty Moore Candies, which was fully manufacturing in the building after moving from Lakewood. Lawson Wholesale Tools, Nelson Trucking Co., Axion Business Machines, A.D. Bedel, a Salamanca based candy/tobacco products distributor; and Nephi Electric were also tenants in the building.

In Years Past

In 1915: In 1915, between 200 and 250 men gathered at a public conference in city hall to discuss hiring a new fire chief, but few actually offered Mayor Samuel Carlson an opinion. Carlson said he wanted to keep the decision from being a popularity contest, saying candidates should not be endorsed just because they are “a good fellow.” “You are interseted in the homes and the business blocks of this city and the matter is one that concerns you vitally. You are all stockholders in the city of Jamestown and you should exercise just as much care in the selection of your officials as you would in a private corporation.”

A fire at the C.T. Barker storage warehouse on Monroe Street, north of the Chautauqua Lumber Company’s plant, was a mass of flame by the time firefighters reached it. A short time after firefighters arrived the building collapsed. The plant of the Chautauqua Lumber Company was seriously threatened and was only saved by concentrating water lines on that side of the Barber building.

In 1940: Col. Frederick Palmer, an ex-Jamestown resident covering World War II for the North American Newspaper Alliance, foretold England’s eventual victory in World War II. “Altho hard hit and in a precarious situation, England will eventually triumph,” Palmer told The Journal while visiting his sister in Jamestown. In his opinion it was not the mechanization of the German army responsible for victory thus far as much as it was a French army that lacked cohesion and timing, putting too much confidence in their defensive works without thought of a flank attack.

Frewsburg was to have a Roman Catholic chapel after buying a building from Ernest L. Danielson of Frewsburg the former Swedish mission on Institute Street. The name, Our Lady of Victory, was chosen for the chapel. The building, a one-story frame structure, had been abandoned several years before and was being used as a grange headquarters and meeting place for several groups.

In 1965: A state Education Department plan to educate children year-round was being said to possibly save school districts enormous sums. The department issued a brochure that described five plans to trim summer vacation to between four and seven weeks. The department had experimented with a longer academic year in four districts and would not make specific plans until a three-year study was completed in 1967. Children would spend one or two fewer years in school, down from the 13 grades they were attending. Having fewer children in school would mean fewer teachers, classrooms and buses needed. Schools would save about $50,000 in each classroom not constructed. Teachers would receive 10 percent more salary to compensate them for their time. The various plans would extend the school year form 180 days to 203 or 225.

A grand opening was scheduled for a new complex or Berglund Chevrolet Inc.’s $500,000 complex on Fluvanna Avenue. Don Berglund came to Jamestown from Rochester in 1960 and built the dealership into an enterprise with total sales expected to total $6.5 million in 1965. “We would have ben happy to relocate in the downtown area,” Berglund said, “but it was impossible to find the necessary space.” His shop had been located at the corner of Fourth and Lafayette streets. He then leased a space at Fifth and Washington streets where Ss. Peter and Paul School had been.

In Years Past

• In 1915, a Chautauqua Lake association to promote the development of Chautauqua Lake as a summer resort was organized with much enthusiasm by the hundred or so interested men and women who stayed after a Jamestown Board of Commerce lunch. The plan was for members to pay $5 a year. A constitution was quickly adopted.

• The aluminum speedboat, Carlsruhe, was given a good tryout at Bemus Point by John O. Johnson, an expert operator of racing craft. The trial was very satisfactory, with the boat making 47 or 48 miles an hour – roughly the speed that was expected. “A good many who have seen this boat have expressed the opinion that it would never make any speed, but they are wrong. It is a very fast boat and the model is a good one,” Johnson said. The heavy material did, however, lead Johnson to say it is possible a wooden boat built on the same lines would lower the speed record a trifle.

• Joseph Gerace, Democratic candidate for the state Assembly, called for an overhaul of the state’s budget procedures as the first step in elimination of the state’s sales tax. He claimed the budget “is tossed together in secrecy and then tossed into the laps of the legislature during the legislative session. The public has little or no time to examine it or comment on it.” Gerace said he would recommend the Connecticut-Nebraska Plan for preparing state budgets, with state department heads making budget requests covering two years. The figures would not be secret, with newsmen able to get them. The governor then presides at hearings during which he questions department heads about their departments’ needs. As another move to eliminate the need for a sales tax, Gerace said the budget could be trimmed by establishing priorities., citing as evidence pollution and filtration problems in Chautauqua Lake and pollution and flooding problems in Silver Creek, Gowanda, Brocton, Busti and Lakewood. “There never seems to be enough money to attack these problems,” Gerace said, “yet the state can dig up $2 million to build a bath house and golf course for a state park on a lake that is supposed to be in need of dredging.” Gerace was referring to a $335,000 allocation for work at Long Point State Park.

• The development of Cockaigne Inc., an expansive ski resort being built near Cherry Creek, resulted in plans to reactivate the Cherry Creek Civic Association. The decision was made at a recent meeting of community residents and businessmen. Present to outline plans was N.C. Barnes of Jamestown, president of Cockaigne Inc. At the time, Cockaigne was to include quarter-horse racing and enough activities for the resort to become a year-round destination.

• A member of the Southern Tier West Regional Planning and Economic Development board wasn’t happy with the quality of economic development project proposals submitted to the board, particularly from Chautauqua County. Steven Carlson of Jamestown, board secretary, said he was concerned by the process. “I just want to voice my disgust in the quality of applications this year,” said Carlson, a former Jamestown mayor. “I’ve been on this board for 14 years and this is, in my opinion, the weakest group of applications we have received. I was disappointed that there weren’t more hardware projects, projects like road and sewer improvements, things that are meaningful in job creation. This year almost every project is what I call a software type of project.” Carlson also said he was particularly disappointed in Jamestown for not submitting a meaningful project for consideration.

• Harry Covert, a member of Jamestown’s First United Methodist Church, was one of 11 Methodists to take part in a trip to Burundi, Africa, on a missions project. The group, which also included Conrad King of Ashville, Patricia Butler and James Gassman of Little Valley and Methodists from the Buffalo, Syracuse and Utica areas, spent a month helping put a roof on a 50-bed hospital being built by the United Methodist Church. Most of the residents to be served were subsistence farmers living on the few crops they could grow. “I’m a mechanic by trade, and never felt I was a rich man,” Covert said. “But now I find out I am rich in comparison with what I saw in Burundi.”

In Years Past

• In 1915, the Jamestown High School Athletic Association had to raise $500 in five days or be forced to cancel its football schedule and other athletics. An athletic field was also needed. Less than $100 had been raised as of Oct. 5, 1915. Season ticket sales were not selling as quickly as they usually did. School officials also had said more of the school’s 900 students needed to take an interest in athletics, and that if at least half of the students did not then it made no sense to continue athletics. Some said the problem with lack of football interest was caused by the lack of a proper field. The team was to play the current season either in Celoron or the new Art Metal field in East Jamestown.

• Jamestown was asked to pay $100 fo the $900 in damages against Frank Johnson for running down Norman Isaacson on July 25. Johnson was taking two firemen to a fire on their request, making the city partially liable for the accident. The council unanamously approved the request. Also, Mr. Hansen offered a resolution that the board of estimate and review be instructed to place signs at the boundaries of all school property in the city as a warning to automobilists of the proximity to schools.

• In 1945, Attorney General Robert H. Jackson had given national defense a “stunning blow” according to U.S. Rep. Daniel A. Reed, R-Dunkirk. Reed made a blistering attack on the informal opinion given by Jackson to Sidney Hillman, national defense commissiner, which held that firms convicted by the national labor relations board could not receive government contracts unless convictions had been reversed by the courts. Jakcosn’s ruling, Reed said, was a shock to “those of us who felt that the national defense preparation had been all too slow during the last few months.”

• A German alien involved in a bizarre shooting incident in downtown Jamestown in September was discovered to also be wanted by police in Hastings and Shawangunk, N.Y. Fritz Feist, a 17-year-old German sailor, was wanted for stealing a gun in March form a garage in Hastings, with the gun eventually used in the Jamestown shooting. The warrant from Shawangunk accused Feist of allegedly firing a shot at a Walkill farmer when Feist fled from the farm where he had been working while waiting on immigration authorities who were going to deport Feist to Germany.

• The Lakewood Village Board cleared the way for construction of a $3.5 million “mall-type” shopping center on Fairmount Avenue by accepting a petition to rezone a tract east of the Red Coach Inn from residential to business. Because the zoning change affected property within 500 yards of the town lines of two other towns, the village had to send notice of the zoning change to the Busti and Ellicott planning boards as well as the Chautauqua County Planning COmmission and the Lakewood Planning and Zoning boards.

• The Busti Town Board failed to reach a decision on a proposal to build a television station on Shadyside Road near Baker Street Extension after a marathon four-hour meeting. The proposal from Trend Radio Inc., operators of WKSN radio in Jamestown, said it needed more time to make a decision. About 150 people jammed into the town administration building, with most opposed to the proposal. The board heard arguments for about two and a half hours before entering into closed session. One spokesman against the proposal took issue with Lowell Paxson, president of Trend Radio, using the radio station to make pleas supporting the television station. Most objectors said property owners had also already been assured there would be no business in the agriculture-residential areas, and that if one business were allowed to build in the area more would follow.

• Joseph Gerace, director of the recently created Office of Mandate Review, said the office is the result of Gov. Mario Cuomo’s sensitivity toward the concerns of local government officials. “(The Office of Mandate Review) was created because the governor was sensitive to the concerns expressed by local government and local government leaders about the pressure that many mandates put on them,” Gerace said. “As a former Chautauqua County executive, I know full well what they’re talking about.” Gerace resigned as director of the state Office of Rural Affairs to start the new job. The office was to evaluate the necessity of state and federal mandates on local government and recommend reforming or eliminating mandates that were outdated or no longer necessary.

• Residents of Cole Avenue in Jamestown wanted something done about speeding in their neighborhood, especially after a temporary increase in police presence in the neighborhood saw 11 speeding tickets written in six days. Thomas Parish, a neighborhood resident, said the neighborhood was concerned about the speed as well as the noise, particularly late at night and in the early morning. Police Department officials, however, said additional stop signs in the area would likely lead to more accidents and that the tickets written during the prior month’s enforcemnet action didn’t warrant assigning a speed enforcement officer there permanently.

In Years Past

In 1915, Mayor Samuel Carlson had received so many applications for the open fire chief position that he was calling a public conference, with the opportunity to be presented for candidates to present their qualifications. “I am determined so far as my power goes to keep this office out of partisan politics, and with this end in view, I shall endeavor to make a selection regardless of any combination of political influence,” Calrson told The Jamestown Evening Journal.

An order of 50 pieces of tapestry took 1.5 years to be delivered to the Jamestown Lounge Company, an interesting illustration of how World War I affected even businesses in Jamestown. The Belgium factory where the Jamestown company had placed its order had its shipment held up by the British government. Shortly after the war began, the factory was blown up, making the Jamestown Lounge Company order one of the final orders the factory processed.

• In 1945, gas fumes from sweet flag being dried out were believed to have been responsible for a fire causing several hundred dollars damage to a building at 701 W. Eighth St. In addition to destroying John King’s stock of various kinds of herbs being prepared for shipment to a pharmaceutical firm, the flames shot their way up through a partition into the second floor apartment of another family. All six fire companies in the city responded to the fire.

Serving in a sense as a memorial to William J. Doty, treasurer of Chautauqua County and a tireless student of county history, the Historic Annals of Southwestern New York had just been published. The three volumes told the store of Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties in a way that did not rely on a recitation of dates and statistics. “The literary work I shall do on the proposed volumes will be a labor of love,” Doty wrote in the foreward, “and I am sure this can be said also for the other writers who are contributing to the making of what we hope will be the outstanding historical work thus far produced in this section.”

In 1965, The St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox community had passed another milestone in the building of its new building on St. Nicholas Hill when it dedicated the date stone for its building following the Divine Liturgy. In colorful procession, the congregation marched from the present church to the new one, led by Seraphim Depas, one o the church founders. The congregation of 150 taking part in the procession included representatives of the Greek Orthodox community of the Jamestown area. Christ Dimas, sixth ward councilman, brought greetings from Mayor Fred H. Dunn. “The mayor appreciates what you people have done,” Dimas said, “He is grateful for your contribution to the spiritual life of the community.”

Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties felt a touch of winter as strong winds swept cold air into much of New York state and the northeast during the weekend. Little Valley reported a light snowfall which melted when it hit the ground. Scattered snowflakes were seen in Panama and Lakewood.

In 1990, Developers of a proposed Dunkirk Containerboard plant in Westfield decided to go back to the drawing board with plans to build a $207 million cardboard recycling plant. Jim Wemyss, Containerboard president, said he and his partners would go through the State Environmental Quality Review process after initially bypassing a draft environmental impact statement. “I want the answers to these questions,” Wemyss said of the plant’s potential environmental impact. Westfield residents were happy about the development. Judith Habagger, a critic of the plant, said there had been inaccuracies and inconsistencies in previous public statements regarding the plant and welcomed the DEIS process.

About 30 Ellicott residents appeared before the town Planning Board to voice their opinions about a petition to rezone Fairmount Avenue between Jackson and Houston avenues as Neighborhood Business. All properties in that section of Fairmount had been zoned Residential, Professional or Neighborhood Business, which would include retail businesses for local needs excluding department stores; restaurants and hotels with the stipulation there be no dancing and entertainment; business and professional offices; and service stations as long as major repairs were done inside the service building. “We bought our property knowing it was residential. I’m relying on the board to keep it that way,” said Beth Green of 13 Louisa Ave. “I do not care to have commercial property adjacent to my backyard.” Rick Sanders, who owned two properties in the area, countered by saying he favored the rezoning. “It’s the nature of what’s happening. If you look, it’s going to be a business area.”

In Years Past

In 1940:?In 1945, Wessen M. Paplow, Falconer police chief, was warning vandals that strict watch was to be kept at the trap shoot of the Falconer Rod and Gun Club, located just east of the village, due to considerable damage to the shoot. Persons found on the property without another reason than to inflict damage would be punished to the full extent of the law. He said during the past two weeks vandals had damaged the property, ripped locks from the doors of the shoot structure, destroyed clay pigeons and did other damage. State police posted the property earlier in the week and the Sheriff’s Department was to maintain a watch also.

• G.B. Darling, owner of Darling’s Jewelry Store on Third and Main streets, said he would open a second store at 105-107 W. Third St. in mid-November. Darling was to spend about $15,000 remodeling and installing new fixtures for the second location. The new store would be known as Darling’s Jewelry and Home Equipment and allow Darling to handle additional lines of general home merchandise. The present store would continue to feature jewelry. The Darling store was the third extensive business property improvement on West Third Street during the previous year.

In 1990: Once the name change was approved by its general membership, the Little Theatre of Jamestown was to become the Lucille Ball Little Theatre of Jamestown. Robert Ostrom, theater president, said the name change was a tribute to the late comedienne and a natural extension of her association with the Jamestown theater, where she appeared in the Jamestown Player’s Club production of “Within The Law” at Chautauqua in 1930. The Player’s Club was the forerunner of the Little Theatre. “In December, Luci Arnaz is expected to be in Jamestown to receive an honorary doctorate from JCC on her mother’s behalf,” Ostrom said. “We have contacted Luci Arnaz’s agent and he told us the dedication of the theater would fit in nicely with her schedule.”

About 10 residents, armed with some examples of brackish water drawn from their faucets, attended a South Dayton Village Board meeting demanding action to correct the smelly, dirty water in their homes. Floyd Colburn of Main Street told the board he would seek assistance from the county Health Department and state offices until the problem was fixed. He said the current problem had lasted three months. “What are we going to do about this.” Rich Soliday of Main Street brought a pint jar of his tap water to the meeting and challenged board members to drink it. “The stuff stinks whether it’s hot or cold. I just took a shower and the entire house smells from the water.” Village officials said they were properly chlorinating the water, but high sulfur was diluting the chlorine. A special meeting was to be called between all interested parties to see what action could be taken.

In Years Past

In 1915: William D. Packard, who had a summer residence in Lakewood, purchased a six-acre tract of land adjoining Chautauqua Institution and was planning the erection of a handsome home there in the coming season. The grounds, of course, would be beautified and the work, when completed, would add much to the attractiveness of the northern approach to Chautauqua. William D. Packard was the son of the late Warren Packard, one of the pioneer summer dwellers of Chautauqua Institution and a man who contributed materially to the resort’s development.

The village of Mayville was planning a Board of Trade as a way to improve the region’s economic prospects. At a recent meeting of the Village Board the movement for a better and more prosperous region was called to the attention of the board and the work accomplished by Jamestown and Chautauqua. Village trustees gave initial impulse to organize the board with nine local businessmen appointed. “This is one of the most encouraging movements for the awakening of the business life of Mayville started in years and every resident of the region will be interested in its success,” the paper wrote.

In 1940: In 1945, the city of Jamestown had cut its debt by $1,700,000 during the eight years of the Great Depression, while the city utilities system achieved gains in earning power and assets since 1933. “That the story is a dramatic one is self evident,” wrote M. Lorimer Moe in The Journal, “the city’s remarkable record having been achieved despite abnormal expenditures for care of the needy. …”

Miles Bouton of Jamestown urged education for responsibilities rather than spectator sports and entertainment while speaking to members of the PTAs of Central School No. 1 in Ellery, Ellicott, Gerry and Stockton. Bouton said a more profound study of the American constitution and Bill of Rights was needed, including the need to protect freedom of the press and the civic responsibilities to take part in public and political life while serving the country as best they can.

1965: More than 100 people attended a more than two hour meeting at the Findley Lake Fire Hall to listen to county and Pennsylvania officials talk about fish kills in the west branch of French Creek and a serious algae problem on Findley Lake. Ted Clista of Meadville, assistant sanitary engineer with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, said a large volume of water from Findley Lake was responsible for the dead fish in French Creek, though he was unable to relate the fish kill to a controversial weed control effort earlier in the summer. Charles Van Giesen of Sherman said he had been fishing in Findley Lake since he was 14 and visited the lake on three nights after the first fish kill and said the water looked like pea soup and had a bad smell. Dr. Lyle D. Franzen, Chautauqua County health commissioner, called for better relations between all those dealing with the problem and stricter controls relating to weed control in the coming year.

There were 1,313 non-natural born residents in Chautauqua County who registered with the federal government in the annual registration, according to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and Naturalization. There were 295 Italian nationals, all of whom were now permanent U.S. residents, followed by 226 Swedish nationals, all of whom were permanent U.S. citizens as well. Among other top nationalities listed were Canadians, 168 of whom registered and 149 of whom were permanent residents; 144 people from the United Kingdom, including 142 permanent U.S. citizens; 113 from Germany, of whom 110 were permanent residents; and 144 from the United Kingdom, with 142 permanent residents.

1990: New seats had been installed in the Reg Lenna Civic Center theater by Canadian Chair of Ontario. The chairs had been completely refurbished and covered with burgundy-covered fabric to complement the rich green fabric covering the walls. The grand reopening of the civic center was to begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Oct. 12.

• Jamestown Community College was asking the Jamestown City Council for approval of a $9.2 million technology center, conference center and library. Gary Winger, JCC dean of administration, told council members an updated campus master plan had recently been completed and included additions to the Hamilton Collegiate Center, the college’s Arts and Sciences Center, the library and social sciences building and the Katharine Jackson Carnahan Forum while remodeling an additional 27,000 square feet of space. The state was going to pay half of the $9.2 million cost with the rest to be paid for locally.

In Years Past

• In 1915, striking workers and Socialists attending the Jamestown Common Council meeting were upset with the council’s decision to rescind a committee that had been formed to investigate conditions concerning the strike. E. Lindgren, a Socialist who represented the workers, disagreed with the city’s opinion that the corporation counsel had no authority to go over the books of the Gurney Ball Bearings Company and investigate matters, saying the council could still appoint a committee to investigate the company. W.H. Brown, organizer of the strike, said he believed the committee was valid and asked the council to see if it would stand up if challenged in court. City officials said the company wouldn’t speak with city officials as long as the committee was in effect and that the committee would lose in court, so council members chose to rescind the committee’s commission.

• The cost of a liquor tax certificate increased from $525 to $656.25 – though the increase didn’t do much to weed out the number of applications received by the County Treasurer’s Office. Jamestown had 70 licenses issued in 1915 as opposed to 73 in 1914 while Dunkirk had 69 licenses issued compared to 79 in 1914.

• In 1945, a large barn and its contents were destroyed by fire on Jamestown-Ashville Road west of Ashville forks. A house was badly damaged and several adjoining buildings were scorched. The barn and house were the property of Leon James. The Lakewood, Panama and Ashville fire departments were called. Damage was estimated at several thousand dollars. Firemen and neighbors moved the contents of the James’ home to a safe distance when fire threatened the home. Less than a month before, a large barn owned by James’ father was hit by lightning and burned to the ground.

• Weekend raids by police netted 27 illegal slot machines in Salamanca. A smashed heap of gears and wheels in the office of Salamanca Police Chief Frank J. Noble bore evidence of the weekend raids by police, Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s deputies and state police on 14 places. The money they contained, not yet counted, was to be turned over to the city welfare fund.

• A three-member panel was appointed by the Panama Central School Board of Education to study reorganization as outlined by a New York state master plan. State plans called for a reorganized district consisting of the Panama, Clymer and Sherman central schools.

• Alicia Kenbok of Bemus Point, who had studied costume designing at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and modeled on Name That Tune and Queen for a Day, was to lead a six-week self-improvement class at the Jamestown YWCA. Kenbok’s class was to include makeup, hair styling, wardrobe planning and voice. She was one of the Arthur Murray Dancers on television for four years with Ricardo Montalban, Jerry Lewis and Sal Mineo and also had appeared on the Steve Allen Show and danced on television’s Play Your Hunch.

• A sea serpent had been sighted in early September on Lake Erie when Harold Bricker and his family returned from a fishing trip with a new sighting after a handful of sightings on Lake Erie in 1985 and 1987. The Bricker family said they saw a large creature moving in the water about 1,000 feet from their boat. They described it as black, about 35 feet long and with a snakelike head. It moved as fast as their boat. “I told my son that I wanted to get a look at it,” said the 67-year-old Bricker. “My son said, ‘No way, that thing is bigger than we are.’ So we stayed where we were.”

• Two new businesses in the new Lakewood Village Center on East Fairmount Avenue were to begin their first full week of operation. Fay’s Drugs, which had opened its second major location in the area, and Quality Markets, which was opening its largest outlet in the 23-store chain. Tony Caprino, Lakewood mayor, said of the new shopping center, “It’s a very fine addition to our community. Not only the Fay’s Drug Store and the plaza – this whole area’s going to be the shopping area of southern Chautauqua County. There are a lot of positive things going on here.”

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Community

Laurel Run Takes Place On Friday And Saturday

Lilo & Stitch To Show At Reg Lenna

Zonta Club Hosts Roper Romp

Westfield Hospital Foundation Board Names Treasurer

Centaur Stride To Host Open House Saturday

Clymer Eyes Tuition Policy Changes