Up Coming Memorial Day, Museum and History plus Fun

Well...while thinking about the upcoming Memorial Day Holiday I was struck by the fact that this year will really be unlike so many before.  Our little Museum crew was going to do a celebration for the 25th Anniversary of the Neighbors for Historic Eaton the group that started this whole history of Eaton gig.  Doesn't seem possible but its been 25 years. But the Covid 19 has ended these thoughts for this year.

What started as a parade and cake in 1995 has now expanded to two museum buildings, websites and history research area, as well as a place in the historical community of New York State.  There is much work to be done though, especially on getting our research work labeled, setting up cleaning for old documents and sorting etc, ...for this we will need volunteers,,,but that must wait just like the Memorial Day Celebration this year.

In a week I will start a series on the Revolutionary War and the early settlers of Eaton who served in that war and I am hoping to do a presentation on video of the cemetery and the man who we have chosen to honor this year.  He has a famous name... Myles Standish, and yes he is a direct descendent of Myles Standish of the Plymouth Colony.

So while wandering around the Cemetery I came across the grave of Melville Landon, better known as Eli Perkins.  He was a Civil War Veteran, a Major and helped set up defenses for Washington DC before the War.  His later life made him a lecturer and comedian.  So to cheer us up a bit I am going to include a piece of humor he wrote on one of Eaton's past residents...a real businesses man whose store was on Main Street across from today's gas mart.

Uncle Hank

Uncle Hank Allen was perhaps the smoothest and most accomplished liar in central New York. There were other ordinary country post-office liars in the beautiful village of Eaton, New York, where I was born but Uncle Hank could lie like a gifted metropolitan. 

Every night Uncle Hank’s grocery was filled with listening citizens, all paying the strictest attention whenever the good old man spoke. When Charley Campbell or John Whitney lied nobody paid much attention because they were clumsy workmen. Their lies would not hold water like Uncle Hank’s.

Why, the old man’s lies were so smooth, so artistic, that, while listening to them, you imagined you were listening to Elder Cleveland’s Bible stories.

One day they were talking about potato bugs in Uncle Hank’s grocery:

“Talk about potato bugs,” said Dr. Purdy, “why, up in my garden there are twenty bugs on a stalk.”

“Twenty bugs on a stalk! Only twenty!” mused Charley Campbell contemptuously, “Why..they ate my first crop of potatoes two weeks ago and they are now sitting all around the lot on trees and fences waiting for me to plant them all over again.”

“Why you don’t know anything about the ravenous nature of them potater bugs!” exclaimed Uncle Hank. “You may call me a liar, but I’ve had potater bugs walk right into my kitchen and yank red-hot potaters right out of the oven! ‘Waiting around for the second crop,” exclaimed Old Hank with sneer. “Waiting? Why, by gosh and blast your souls, I was up to Townsend’s store yesterday and I saw potater bugs up there looking over Townsend’s books to see who bought seed potaters for next year. I did, by gum!”

The whole grocery was still when Uncle Hank finished. You could have heard a pin drop. Finally, a long lean man from Woodman’s Pond raised himself up. The stranger, evidently a new-comer and not acquainted with Mr. Allen, pointed his long finger at Uncle Hank and exclaimed with a hiss “You are a liar!”

Uncle Hank looked over his glasses at the stranger long and earnestly. Then holding out his hand, he inquired with a puzzled look:

“Where did you get acquainted with me?”

Memorial Day...Talks, Pies, and the Revolutionary War Veterans

Jim Monahan and his reenactors!

The Memorial Day Celebration is coming up and I decided this year we would honor the Revolutionary War Veterans who settled the area, including Smith's Valley.

One of the more interesting aspects of our area is the old historic marker that stands on River Road marking Madison Counties Early history.  One such marker lies just below the Old Town of Eaton Museum and lists the first clearing in what is now Madison County.. 1788...The Bark Hut.

If one takes the time to pick threw Mrs. Hammond's History of Madison County you will note many stories on our early founding where men forged into what was still considered" indian country" and upon arrival made a rudimentary hut to stay in. This area actually formed what was eventually a set of log homes that stretched from Lebanon to Eaton then dubbed "Log City".

Most of these men and those that came later were veteran's of the Revolutionary War and some had followed Col. William Smith to his land patent set up by Joshua Smith (not a relative) who served under him. Joshua was sent by Col. Smith to find him the best tract of land in the area...which Joshua did and where upon he built a bark hut.These actual squatters were indeed our first settlers and ironically today over two hundred years latter,  many of these families names still live on here today.

To honor these men we decided to do a talk on the Revolutionary War to open our Memorial Day Event on Wednesday, the 23rd with a lecture, Ice Cream Social with raffle baskets  and pie pre sales. This to gear us up for the Memorial Day Parade and regular "Eaton Day"Pie Sale Event.

So Mark it on your calendar and enjoy the night the ice cream and learn some local history.  Our Rain date is Thursday night!  All proceeds to benefit the Old Town of Eaton Museum.

Eaton History Day better known as Eaton Day, Memorial Day and Me!

It is May and as I do every year I work on the upcoming Memorial Day Monday Eaton Day event.  As usual I try to put into words the importance of a "Community Day"... yet trying to word it to entice even those not from the immediate community to come out and join their neighbors.  I have put on 20 of these, give or take a year.  So with that in mind I invite you to circle Memorial Day Monday, May 30th, on the calendar and come to our town and see what "rural small town America" still has going for it.   So with that thought in mind....... 

Tommy Hoe playing at last years event!

On Memorial Day Monday, May 30th, the Friends of the Old Town of Eaton Museum will be hosting the 21^st Annual “Eaton Day”. 

The day, which is held in the Hamlet of Eaton on Route 26, is an opportunity for the Town of Eaton residents past and present to enjoy history, memories and good homemade bake goods with special activities thrown it!

The theme of this years event is "Preserving the Past for the Future" a statement that is a perfect description of the importance of the Old Town of Eaton Museum that is proud of the many artifacts and stories that are preserved within its 200 plus year walls.

The Friends of the Old Town of Eaton Museum hold “Eaton Day” in an effort to raise money for the upkeep the museum building and to put on and fund the event each year.  The mission of the group being to responsibly sustain the museum building and contents as a significant evolving repository of local history and artifacts through fund raising, tours, and celebrations of which “Eaton Day” each year is an important part.

The group feels it is important for the citizens of the Town of Eaton to recognize that the artifacts housed within the walls of the Eaton Museum, those heirlooms that may come to us in the future and those people, both living and dead who form the tapestry of our community are, in fact, our inheritance.  Also, by engaging the community, on Eaton Day, they hope to protect the Town’s shared heritage and leave a legacy for the future and the future of the Old Town of Eaton Museum.  

The “Day”, that  features, a huge bake and pie sale, tours of the museum, food, crafts & rummage tables, basket raffles, as well as entertainment and history, with its theme of Preserving the Past for the Future, is a perfect explanation of the museum’s goals.  Eaton Day starts at 9am and goes to 4pm, with special presentations starting after the parade, which this year is in Morrisville.

Come join the Eaton Community for an old fashioned day of fun and community pride, Eaton Day!

Some clips from the past!

Putting on Events, Eaton Day, doubting churches, swearing at friends and all the rest this Memorial Day!

Jim from M&M Press with the new history book 20 years
to the day from when they did the first!

This week is almost over, and the little event  “Eaton Day” that we are putting on is here and… I have broken the two most important rules that I have learned in putting events on.  

After putting on 8 Fall Festival History Weekends, 4 Archives Events and 16 Eaton History Days, 2 Bicentennials, a Fireman’s 50^th Anniversary & co directed the 170^th Madison County Fair…I did it…I swore at my volunteer helper and asked another who is a busy person to do two things. My rules are never swear at your helpers and never ask people to do impossible jobs… 20 years of experience left in the dust!

The helpers for the events have dwindled (death and moving away) to a few people, good people, who are trying hard for Eaton’s 220 Birthday and the Town of Eaton Community, but alas…the leader is tired…far too tired.

Barb Keough has run the gauntlet with me and as I tried to describe what I wanted her to do while holding up over 100 lb. weight… I snapped….the Big D…. Y… words came out…I was appalled at myself!!! The horror!!!!

Not a hour later my good friend Cathy came over and was as mad as I had seen her ever…. she had brought me the 10 chairs I requested.  Well she was also baking today as she had something to do all day tomorrow…so in the midst of cookie bake off she was trying to fill the shoes of Judy Lyrek who was out of town…and get me chairs.

Now we had borrowed 10 chairs from this church in Morrisville for many events…Judy and Cathy get them, bring them down the day before, and pick them up that day and bring them back…. Simple I thought… until Cathy showed up.

Seems people were off on their whatever’s, and the many she contacted wouldn’t take responsibility for loaning this (20 year community group that is putting on an event for the whole Town of Eaton on Memorial Day for the 20^th time) ten chairs. 

Undaunted and resolute she did not call me (she should have at what time I would have dug some up from a more cooperative group), but had to round up the ten chairs from her card playing friends (who I thank for believing they will be returned) and even taking one off a porch!!!  I was appalled!

I pointed out to her why I always say...”Putting on a community event with volunteers…is like stabbing yourself in the eye a hundred times with a sharp pencil!”

The person I sat with later with a drink, who forgave me for swearing at her, and poor Cathy... say they are still my friends, but I wonder?

And as events go, it is not very big…just a mark in time for a rural community that is still trying to protect its history for the coming generations…but perhaps for me the cost has become too high!  This is the last Eaton Memorial Day Monday Event I am doing…can’t do it again.

Here is a video clip of 20 years ago today...Another still friend I hope Owen Corpin!

So my plea is to you the reader…please come out and support the wonderful volunteers and neighbors in your town who are doing this for you… and for a little town museum …though I am prejudiced… that is one of the best little museums in upstate New York!

Memorial Day, History, Parades & Celebrations remembered!

 Eaton Field Days in a Bustling Town

The best remembered and photographed times were the “field days” held yearly to celebrate the Fourth of July.  This community, born out of Revolutionary blood felt it a duty to put on big yearly celebration.

The big day (Now Memorial Day) usually started with cannon volley, (This year it will too thanks to Jim Monahan & the Revolutionary War Re-enactors) which in later years is remembered as Patty Miles “firing” his anvil.  This was done by filling the hole in the bottom of the anvil with black powder and setting it off.  Any late sleepers would be awakened if their children had not already forced them out of bed in their excitement to get downtown.

Horse racing was part of the day and baseball games were played in different fields around town, big rivals for Eaton’s team was the Bouckville Bucks.  Food was available everywhere from the churches where the ladies aid put on a dinner, to the food stands on Main Street (front street) and the hotels, some brought their own lunches, but everybody ate.

Town filled with music and people listening, especially when the Eaton Military Band played. In the evening there was always a dance that was well attended at the opera house in town, and the Rebekah Lodge usually served coffee to the attendees, with the dance continuing until midnight.

By the 1920’s, the world was at war; the steam engine plant was closing, water power had given away to electricity, woolen mills were closed, the Chenango Canal had ceased to be a transportation route and was only used to fill the Erie Canal, the “Great Depression” was on and the march to the city for work began.

No more does the anvil fire, and only once every three years is there a parade and “History Day” now on Memorial Day,  (instead of Field Day on the Fourth of July) in Eaton, however the memories live on in this rural community, remembered most of all for its once glorious past replete with famous Eatonites, famous inventions and stories of the wars, Eaton like so many of its rural counterparts has gone to sleep except on special Memorial Days.

So come out to Eaton this year and enjoy a parade, cannon blasts, history & commemoration at the cemetery & museum, bake goods and ice-cream social...step back in time...savor...

and remember!

Musings on Community Spirit, Old Hometown Days, Memorial Day and the importance of museums!

A few members of the group!

This has been a busy week for our little group of workers.  Trying to put on a community event takes time, effort and of course, money. 

It is interesting to think back to Roman times and realize that to be a citizen of Rome you had to earn it.  “Citizenship” was something to be prized.  Today we here in America seem to take that privilege for granted.  As a matter of fact we think that the community owes us… rather than we owe the community our help and our neighbors our support.

I had a visitor this past week who I discussed this very issue with… he called it “taking pride in your community”.   I call it “Community Spirit”… that something that bonds us together. 

In rural areas we have lost much of our community to the centralized school systems that have taken children out of their small town areas and melded them as one with surrounding areas.  Syracuse has tried to change that by putting up signs denoting the different sections by there historic names…Tip’ Hill. The Valley, Onondaga Hollow..etc, something to bring little area’s together as “communities” of people.

Another thing that has deprived us of community pride is the removal of names because of post office closings in areas.  Today places that once had pride in their accomplishments are actually listed as being in another town because of Post Office delivery.  For instance Heritage Farms, something a community could be proud of, is listed in Bouckville because of its post office… when it is actually in Eaton and the people of Eaton give it the tax break.

Community spirit or pride in one’s community are things that we need to work on in these troubled times.  That is actually a good reason to support our historical societies and museum groups; I call these groups the “Keepers of the Fire” for our communities.  They are places where we still feel connected to those who lived where we do in the past.  That piece of Americana we try to capture in a movie or a TV show like “Little House on the Prairie”.

We don’t have to look for it…  we are lucky enough to have it right now in our small rural area.  To insure keeping it alive our little group has been working to put on Eaton Day!  It is a community event that hopes to bring all of the Town of Eaton residents and former town residents back to their fabulously historic roots.  Some places call them Old Hometown Days… we just call it Eaton Day!

So come together on Memorial Day Monday and enjoy the parade and hang around, visit the museum, see the crafts, bake goods and savor our piece of Americana with this community event.

The Town of Eaton does not in anyway financially support this day… it is put on by your neighbors and the museum.  If you can make a small donation to help defray costs… visit the website www.historystarproductions.com, click on Donate to Eaton Day at the top… or better yet come out and participate with members of your “community”!!