Music in our schools

Mentz Historian Mike Riley has complimented the bands improvement several times. Credit must be given to the wisdom of Principal Arthur A Gates for starting the music programs at Port Byron. His strong support of the arts is not surprising, considering his wife Regina was not only a well known painter and artist, she was also an accomplished musician. She was frequently a guest performer in our concerts.

Right out of the starting gate, music at Port Byron began with great achievements under the first musical director Mr. Elvin L Freeman. Freeman's award winning secret was to play simple music extremely well.

This also would be the beginning of a long legacy of students participating in the solo festivals. Freeman would also serve as President of the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA), the agency that regulates the adjudication process and the ultimate ranking to group festival selections, such as All-County, Area All-State and All-State.

Music is graded in levels of difficulty, with 1 being the easiest and 6 being the most difficult. In Freeman's day, making the group festivals did not require a student to play at the highest level. They simply had to play well. This is always one of the biggest challenges for NYSSMA, to select the best students at various stages of proficiency and group them together to perform within a level that the entire group can sustain. That is one of the reasons that being selected for these groups is such an honor. It is an opportunity for the students to perform in a large body with other students in our region, often at a much higher level than the school where they may reside. In the Freeman years, many public school music programs in Cayuga County were in their infancy, so today students who make the select groups are generally performing grade level 4 or higher.

However, the most select group, All-State, today requires all musicians play at a grade level 6 before they can be considered. To my knowledge Port Byron has sent several vocalists to All-State but only 2 instrumentalist have ever represented our home town at this level, both being percussionists.

Music in our schools has always had peaks and valleys. It takes a combination of a dedicated music director, support from the local Board of Education and most of all participation from the student body. One teacher who always understood the importance of keeping students motivated with music was Kathy Wilt. Our music programs benefited from her long years of dedication and the stability she offered budding musicians.

Appropriation of funding is another challenge for any school board in a small community. However, don't forget that every school concert consumes electricity, staffing of teachers, custodians and then there is transportation. These are all ways in which our school board supports the music programs at Port Byron.

Even in years past, self supporting fund raising was needed and the band and band boosters filled this gap. In fact, that is how the band was able to accept the 1977 trip to march down Main Street USA in Disneyland Florida. We couldn't have done it with out the band boosters.

Who knows, if you chat with some of your teachers, you may find out that many of them were active in band when they went to school. Music develops a strong sense of self worth, a network with students around the County and also improves communication skills. Port Byron has produced several music educators over the years.

Most important, no matter what level of music you play, have fun.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Erie Canal Boatman

In my previous post I mentioned having some mutual interest in the Erie Canal. I thought it might be beneficial to readers who may not be familiar with Port Byron to share more of the details.

Aaron Wilson and his brother Caleb both had long careers as coopers or barrel makers. This was a specialty field related to transport of cargo on the canal. Many products could be stored and transported with the use of these barrels. However, this alone does not indicate that one traveled the canal system. However, Aaron’s son Aaron Eugene, who went by the name of Gene, was employed as a boatman early in his marriage to Frances Traver. She was the daughter of James Nicholas Traver and Elizabeth Spears.

James N. Traver would also work for a time as a boatman per the 1875 census. Living in his household was a man named Stewart Kendrick who was a silversmith. At this time James and his family lived at the intersection of First Street and Harnden Street, one of the side streets off of King Street. By 1880, his daughter Frances had married Gene Wilson and was residing with the Travers, both employed as boatman. Even his wife worked for a short time as a cook on the scow, so this may indicate that they worked on passenger boats on the canal. Gene and his family would later own and occupy the home where Henry Wells once lived (Henry Wells was a founder of the Wells Fargo Express, American Express and Wells College).

James would later leave the canal and become a respected painter in the area. He was awarded many large contracts for painting area schools and churches. His son in law Gene Wilson would eventually work for Richard Warren & Sons, the local coal dealer. However, the Traver’s service to the Erie does not stop there.

James had a brother John A Traver who would settle at Weedsport. His family had long careers on the canal. John was a Captain on the Erie, spending much of his time on the Hudson, the canal and inland lakes of New York State. He purchased what was known as "Poor Jake's Crocery " from Joshua Ketchum and would later purchase Ketchum’s farm.

John’s daughter Sarah Frances Traver married into another canal family, having married John Rosa. They traveled the canal for 10 years after their marriage at Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY. He operated a fleet of grain barges and was captain of the "Lizzy Petrie" and the "Alice A. Savage”. John’s son John Traver Jr., better known as Jack Traver, worked as an Engineer on the Erie. He would later take up farming at Weedsport. Many people will recall Jack Traver as one of the leading members of the Weedsport Cornet Band.

The Traver brothers did not become employed on the canal by chance. Their father John Joshua Traver was also employed on the canal. The family lived in various places including Hurley, Ulster Co., Lyons, Wayne County, as well as the Albany area.

It is not known what boats James N Traver and his son in law Gene Wilson traveled during their time on the canal. I'm not aware of any oral history passed down of them having their own boats. They were likely employed for other local canalers or perhaps even worked on his brother’s boat from Weedsport.

This is only one of the families that worked on the canal. Soon I will add the Kilmer’s involvement with the Erie Canal, so stay tuned….

Philo Hamilton - Builder of Steamers

It really is a small world!

For several years idle conversations with a co-worker in Syracuse would commonly turn into short chats about the Erie Canal. The conversations would usually end with mutual admiration that both of our families worked on the canal. Then one day Carol Kruger mentioned that she thought someone in her family was born at Port Byron. That prompted me to take a closer look. It turned out that her family did in deed have a connection. That connection would involve the Tanner Dry Dock.

Her ancestor Philo Hamilton was born in 1832 at Chemung County, NY, son of James Hamilton and Sophrona Durham. The family would live in Seneca County before moving to Cayuga County. Philo married Sarah Garling and became a well known builder of steamboats.

Philo designed Syracuse’s "The William B Kirk", a steamboat built for the picnic season and capable of transporting over 100 passengers. Cayuga County Historian Sheila Tucker wrote several articles in the 1970’s that included information on the Hamiltons. One such article was about the steamer "The Lady of the Lake", which was unveiled with great fanfare, having been christened by General William H. Seward Jr., which had a 23 year run on the Owasco Lake.

Philo’s son Joseph married Orpha Crofut and he also followed his father’s footsteps. Joseph owned the steamers “Ada” and “Agnes”. He also built a tugboat at nearby Ludlowville. Father and son appeared in another article that focused on their boat being docked at Tanner's Dry Dock at Port Byron. It was very surreal to find a photo of her ancestors in my hometown knowing all these years have passed and today we work together.

Joseph’s son Gilbert Everson Hamilton is buried at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. Gilbert married Emma Louise Blaisdell, a daughter of Delazon Blaisdell and Mary Kern. Port Byron had become home for part of this family.

Many locals worked at Tanner’s dry dock, performing a variety of tasks such as caulking, painting, and repairing the many boats that traveled the canal. This photo of the Hamilton’s at Tanners Dry Dock is just a reminder that many families have ties to our town and village.

Photo of the Hamilton's at Tanner's Dry Dock