What do you think Kendall is Known For????

This question was posed to me today.  When someone asks you, "What do you think Kendall is known for??"  What would you say in return?? I am curious as to what my readers think.  Is Kendall known for its agriculture or would the railroad, "The Hojack", come to mind.  What about Kendall being the first to have a Norwegian colony in the United States.  That is something that should be well known about our community but isn't.  Kendall had a great community where if a farmer was down on his luck his neighbors were right there to help.  It didn't matter if they had their own work to do still.  Tell me what you believe Kendall is known for.  Post your comments below or email me with what you think.  I would love to hear from you.  Thank you.

Interesting Kendall Tidbit

Here is an interesting find to share with y'all.  Do you know what a Gandy Dancer is?  Kendall had them here in town in the years 1875-76.  Anyone familiar with the railroad would know the term well.  

A Gandy Dancer is the name given the men who had the job of laying railroad tracks.  What's interesting was a farmer's wife who lived in West Kendall.   Mrs. Absalom Harradine prepared one hot meal a day for these men and in doing so made enough money to make a down payment on a farm.  The meal consisted of roast beef, potatoes, gravy and one vegetable.  This required an entire cow per week!  She would pack the food in wash tubs, load it in her wagon and deliver it to the men at lunchtime.  As a result of the back breaking work by these men, the track was completed and the first passenger train went through town on 12 June 1876.  The railroad line was known as "The Hojack Line".

 

For the sake of saying, the last revenue train on the Hojack Line ran on 31 March 1978.  The Hojack was alive for 102 years.

The Evolution of The Old Kendall Town Hall

 If walls could talk, the old Kendall town hall would have a story to tell.  Her story begins here.

Kendall had a Universalist society of about 70 members in 1832.  (mind you, Kendall was charted in 1837, so prior to 1837 we were called North Murray).  They were in need of an edifice to call home for their church services.  They typically would take turns having services in different homes of the members.  Alanson Whitney was a stout Universalist and a trustee of the church.  He donated his land east of Main Street in 1855.    The Greek Revival church was built by Carlton Bridgeman for $2300.  Hitching sheds were built to the north of the building, which stood for a century and then were torn down.

(This is the only picture found so far of the old town hall with the steeple still attached.  Photo was taken in 1907 after a freakish wind storm hit.)

    *A side note about Alanson Whitney.  He was our town's first supervisor in 1837.  He died in 1855.  He never got to see the completion of the church.  His widow and heirs in 1856 deeded to the trustees of the Universalist society the lot on which the church edifice stands.  The deed was recorded on 2 April 1859 in Book of Deeds 53 on page 189.*

The Universalists, a few years after 1874, did not utilize the church anymore.  The German Lutherans in 1887 decided to rent the church for $40 a month and did so for about three and half years until their church, the Concordia Lutheran was built. 

 After the Lutherans, the building sat vacant until the late 1890's when the town acquired it for use as a town hall.  No longer would town council have to conduct business in private homes and business locations.  The building was used for town meetings, was a voting place, the Farm Bureau would hold shop classes here, and was also used for storage.  I believe it wasn't till the 1950's-60's that because of the deteriorating nature of the building, council would once again start conducting business in private homes, the Kendall Fire Hall, and the Town Highway building.  The building did not have plumbing or heat.

This photo was taken in 1917 inside the old Town Hall.  This is the Kendall Home Guard (WWI).

The next series of photos shows the evolution of Town Hall before it becoming dismantled for its new home in Childs, NY and becoming part of the Cobblestone Museum as Farmers Hall.  The location of the building was between the Kendall Fire Station and the current Town Hall.

                                  This is photo shows the old town hall being dismantled in 1978.

              The old Kendall Town Hall as Farmers Hall in Childs, NY as part of the Cobblestone Museum.
                                     www.cobblestonemuseum.org/content/historic-buildings

                      The new Kendall Town Hall was built in 1975 and remains the central hub of Kendall.