Sunday, August 14, 2011

August 14

August 14, 1884: The body of Lt. Kislingbury, second in command of the Greely Artic Expedition is exhumed from Mount Hope Cemetery to investigate allegations of cannibalism. Kislingbury had been laid in state at Rochester City Hall four days earlier. Inspection of the body revealed that flesh had been stripped from the bone, confirming the rumors.

Sources and Further Reading

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

August 10

August 10, 1889: The westbound Thousand Island Fast Express train on the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad (ʺHojackʺ line) collides with a stopped morning commuter train at the Forest Lawn station in Webster, killing two and injuring nine of the passengers and crew.

Sources and Further Reading:
  1. FATAL RAILROAD ACCIDENT; TWO LIVES LOST NEAR THE CITY OF ROCHESTER, New York Times, Aug 11 1889
  2.  TO PREVENT RAILROAD ACCIDENTS, New York Times, Oct. 2 1889
  3. The Hojack Line Story, Batzing, Dick, Friends of Webster Trails

Saturday, August 6, 2011

August 6

August 6, 1975: The Town Affiliation Association begins its three day conference celebrating Rochester's 18 year relation with our six sister cities.  Foreign delegations from 17 nations including all of the sister cities attend. During the conference, a dedication ceremony is held for the Sister Cities Bridge pedestrian walkway across the Genesee River by High Falls.

Sources and Further Information

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

July 19

July 19,1878: The National Woman Suffrage Association holds its convention in Rochester, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Seneca Falls convention.

Sources and Further Reading:

http://www.winningthevote.org/APost.html

Friday, May 6, 2011

May 6

May 6, 1894: In an attempt to prevent the spread of tuberculosis and other diseases, the North Presbyterian church become the first to adopt the use of individual communion cups. The practice soon caught on in other parts of the country.

Sources and Further Reading

Sunday, March 13, 2011

March 13

March 13, 1906: Susan B. Anthony died in her home on Madison St. at the age of 86.  She is buried at Mount hope Cemetery. It would be 14 more years before the 14th amendment to the Constitution was ratified, preventing any citizen, regardless of sex, from being denied the right to vote.

Sources and Further Reading:
  1. Wikipedia: Susan B. Anthony

Friday, November 12, 2010

November 12

November 12, 1867: Edward Payson Weston, the famous pedestrian, passes through Rochester on his 26 day, 1200 mile walk from Portland, Maine to Chicago, Illinois. Along the way, Weston was known to give lectures on the health benefits of walking to spectators. He was awarded a $10,000 prize for his achievement. He repeated the feat again in 1907, at age 68, finishing ahead of his original time.

Sources and Further Reading:
  1. History of Rochester and Monroe County, New York (1908); Peck, William F.; page 108
  2. Wikipedia: Edward Payson Weston