by Matt Langworthy
Lehighton_Man wrote:Alrighty Matt:Agriculture. Hammondsport was a farming community. Prior to the arrival of vineyards, a variety of crops were grown. The first grapes were grown by Father Bostwick of St. James Episcopal Church for communion wine circa 1828. Grapes were quite successful in the hilly terrain, which is fairly similar to that of wine making regions in northern France and Germany. By the 1850s, grapes and wine making were the main commerce in the Hammondsport area.
I dont know if you know some of these questions, because i was to originally interview the Hammondsport Town historian, but any answer is well appreicated.
Hope you dont mind a few stray non-B&H questions...
1. In the Beginning, what was the main focal of Economic developement and/or commerce in Hammondsport?
Lehighton_Man wrote:2. I understand that Hammondsport had a steam ship landing once, could you tell me about that?
The first steamboats made their appearance on Keuka Lake in the 1830s. The landing in Hammondsport was basically the entire waterfront from Cold Brook to the marina next to the Hammondsport Motel. The B&H station basically sits in the midpoint of that landing. Several steamboat companies used the landing during the 1800s, and they all came under the control of the Erie Railroad by 1905. Steamboats stopped using the landing in 1922, when the Penn Yan (nee Mary Belle) made her last runs.
Lehighton_Man wrote:3. I believe, like Canaduagia lake, in the winters during the 1800s and early 1900s that Keuka Lake completely Froze over; is that so?
Keuka froze over completely during some of the harsher winters of the 1800s, but that event became rare in the 1900s. The only winters where I saw the lake freeze completely in my lifetime were 1976-'77 and 2003-'04. It was a trip to watch the B&H switch while standing a mile offshore back when I was a kid!
Lehighton_Man wrote:4.(if yes to question above): How did that affect the transportation for that time period? and more importantly, the economy?
The steamboats tended to tie up for the winter because even if the lake didn't freeze completely, there was usually a decent ice build-up near shore. Tourism in general tended to die down as the weather got colder, so the B&H would trim back passenger service. While freight service tended to be busiest in the fall (during the grape harvest), the wineries and other freight customers were active all year so the B&H was shipping freight during the cold weather. too.
Lehighton_Man wrote:5. What type of industries located themselves in hammondsport?Lyons Brother Warehouse, the Curtiss airplane factory (now Mercury), a lumber yard, a collier, Frey & Campbell, and a couple of wineries were located within the village limits during the late 1800s and 1900s.
Lehighton_Man wrote:6. When the Railroad Came, How did it affect the steam ship operations?The B&H provided a connection between the railroad(s) in Bath and the steamboats on Keuka Lake, so it fostered a growth in freight and especially passengers. Keuka Lake was a popular resort in the heyday of the B&H. Before automobiles arrived en masse, trains and boats were the means to get travellers to the water, which was highly desirable in those days. (Hint:no air conditioning!)
Lehighton_Man wrote:7. How much longer did the steam ship operation last after the advent of the Bath & Hammondsport Railroad?
First B&H passenger train: 1875
Last steamboat run with passengers: August 6th, 1922.
Lehighton_Man wrote:8. Did then B&H Bring any new economic developement to the town?Yes, it attracted more wineries on Rheims, plus most of the businesses I listed above.
Lehighton_Man wrote:9. I have learned recently that the railroad was originally built as a 3ft gauge 'Narrow Gauge' line, but why did they build it as narrow gauge, instead of standard gauge from the start?You've answered your own question. The B&H standard gauged itself after a decade plus of profitable operations.
same reason any narrow gauge railroad was built..cost.
it was much cheaper to build a Narrow gauge railroad than a standard gauge one..and at the time, there was no standard gauge railroad the B&H could interchange with anyway..the Erie at Bath was 6-foot gauge
Lehighton_Man wrote:10. When was the Railroads operation inaugural Run? When was its last run? (passenger, freight, etc.)First run: July 1st, 1875 (both freight and passenger)
Last passenger run: July, 1935 (mixed train)
Last freight run to Hammondsport: early 1994
Last freight run to Taylor Winery: April, 1995
I promise to answer your other questions later this week. It's a very busy time for me...
Matt Langworthy
"It is highly likely that the 1990s were an overrated decade."
"It is highly likely that the 1990s were an overrated decade."
