August 21

August 21, 1841: The bodies of Revolutionary War soldiers Captain Boyd and his men who fought in the Sullivan Campaign against the Seneca Indians are transferred from the battlefield near Cuylerville, NY, where they had been left for 62 years, to Mount Hope cemetery. New York governor William H. Seward travels to Rochester to provide the oration. The Sullivan campaign was ordered by George Washington against the Senecas for "the total destruction and devastation of their settlements" in retaliation for their siding with the British and Loyalists.

 

Sources and Further Reading:

1. History of Rochester and Monroe County, New York (1908); Peck, William F.; page 23
2. Wikipedia: Sullivan Expedition
3. Wikipedia: Boyd and Parker ambush

August 19

August 19, 1944: Fighting erupts when police attempt to stop local residents gathering outside of the Cobbs Hill Prisoner of War Camp to listen to the German prisoners' singing.

 

Sources and Further Reading:

1. VINTAGE VIEWS OF ROCHESTER: Cobbs Hill Park
2. "Cobbs Hill Park WWII POW Camp" Waymarking.com

August 18

August 18, 1838: William Carter becomes the first person buried in the Mt. Hope Cemetery.

Sources and Further Reading:

1. History of Rochester and Monroe County, New York (1908); Peck, William F.; page 69-70

August 8

August 8, 1893: Rochester Day is celebrated at the World's Fair in Chicago. Fifty five Rochester area institutions had reserved space at the fair including; the Eastman Company (later Eastman Kodak), Bauch & Lomb, Kimball Tobacco, Ritter Dental Manufacturing, Ward's Nature Science Establishment, the University of Rochester and the Mechanic's Institute (present day RIT). Over 10,000 Rochesterians visited the Fair in total, including many notable figures such as George Eastman and Susan B. Anthony.

Sources and Further Reading:

1. Rochester History (1964), vol 26, no 3, pg 5-10

August 5

August 5, 1863: With insufficient troops having been raised for the Civil War, Rochester participates in the statewide conscription. Many residents were bitter that Rochester was being unfairly burdened by its quota, given the large amount of locals which had already enlisted. Further, many felt that $300 commutation fee policy meant the draft unfairly targeted the poor.

Sources and Further Reading:  

1. History of Rochester and Monroe County, New York (1908); Peck, William F.; page 78
2. Rochester History (1991), vol 53, no 2, pg 9-11

August 5, 1879: Sea Breeze park opens to the public.

 Sources and Further Reading:

1. http://seabreeze.com/about/history.php