by Rachel Hunter
The Gouverneur Cub Scout Pack No. 2035, led by Cubmaster Chris Gates, toured the Gouverneur Museum on Thursday, December 26. The tour guide was Gouverneur Historical Association President and Gouverneur Museum Curator Joe Laurenza of Gouverneur.
Mr. Laurenza welcomed the local cub scouts to the Gouverneur Museum. The building was purchased by the Gouverneur Historical Association and opened on July 4, 1976. The main building was built in 1904 and was once a three-story Victorian home, the Presbyterian Manse. In 2015, the church building next door and the Manse were placed on the National Historical Registry.
The cub scouts, leaders, and volunteers were ushered inside the foyer and were first told about the history of Gouverneur. Gouverneur, originally named Cambray, is named after Gouverneur Morris. He bought a total of 90,000 acres in three purchases. Cambray was first in the 1770s, and then the rest to Morristown, also named after him. The cub scouts were shown a picture of the Gouverneur Morris, and the stone house he had built in Natural Dam, about three miles west of Gouverneur, where his land agents resided to oversee his property. The house is still there in disrepair. Those on the tour were told that it was bought this last spring by a young man from Antwerp. Mr. Laurenza also showed the cub scouts the original deed to Gouverneur Township, also hanging in the museum’s foyer. It was given by Gouverneur Morris to James and John Parker on October 1, 1808.
Mr. Laurenza also showed the cub scouts the living room, filled with all sorts of artifacts from Gouverneur’s history including the following:
Norman Rockwell Sketch of Former Gouverneur Historian Nelson Winters. A pencil sketch can be found in the corner of the Living Room of Nelson Winters, former Gouverneur Historian. The sketch was done by Norman Rockwell, in August 1925. Nelson was 14 when Rockwell did the sketch. They were both on vacation on the St. Lawrence River and became friends. Norman Rockwell was about 30 and was not very well known at that time. Nelson Winters passed away in 2004, and the sketch is on a long-term loan from the Winters family.
The William F. Sudds Parlor Organ. Even though William F. Sudds (1843-1920) was born in London, he moved to Gouverneur, New York with his family when he was seven. He served in the Civil War with the 11th Regiment, N. Y. Cavalry, distinguishing himself as a cornet player and as a composer. He later studied at the Boston Conservatory, and published several volumes of music that he composed or arranged for the American reed organ. Professor Sudds had a music store in Gouverneur, and had his own line of parlor organs. His first composition was the "Soldiers' Funeral March," written for his cavalry band in 1864; he included it in his 1883 "Parlor Organ Treasury."
Capturing the cub scouts’ interest above the Sudds Parlor Organ was something known as a “hair wreath” or “hair flowers.” The hair flower wreath was made about 1850 and belonged to Emma Sheldon Easton. These are formed by "stitching" the hair with fine wire over a rod which forms a series of loops which could be formed into flower shapes. This art was practiced by Victorians as a memorial for lost loved ones. The Victorians saw hair as something tangible to remember someone dear to them. Friends would even exchange hair, with locks of hair kept in jewelry. The top of the wreath was always kept open...."ascending heavenward." The newest hair would be placed in the center and slid to the side as it became part of the large wreath when the next person passed away. This wreath was donated by Ruth Gertrude Easton (1892-1982). Ruth was a teacher in Gouverneur for 43 years and a tireless volunteer for the Gouverneur Historical Association.
Another item of interest was a pendulum clock that once belonged to Ross Goodnough, who had a jewelry store at 105 East Main Street. He was in the jewelry business from the late 1800's until 1917, when he bought a farm on the Country Club Road. Upon his death, his widow, Anna Gene Parsons Goodnough, moved the clock to Hailesboro. After her death, the clock was moved to Marshall and Hope Goodnough Lepper's home. After their deaths, it was moved to William and Barbara MacTurk's home. The (still working) clock has been given to the museum by Barbara MacTurk and her sister, Carolyn Lepper Fanning.
Mr. Laurenza also told the cub scouts that the reason that the Victorian Doll House was in the living room was so that it could be seen from all sides, as it was detailed in its craftsmanship, pointing out all of its different facets. It was donated to the Gouverneur Museum by Marilyn Scozzafava. The Victorian Era dollhouse was made to order over 40 years ago. It was fashioned on life in the early 1900s as accurately as possible. The carpet, wallpaper, and décor were selected from materials that were available in that period and it was painted by the craftsman. All furnishings were purchased separately. When you look into the home, the family is going about their daily routines. The dollhouse is too intricate and delicate to be considered a toy and for this reason has been donated to the Gouverneur Museum for people of all ages to enjoy/
Mr. Laurenza also showed the cub scouts the Gouverneur Museum’s Music Room, home to a number of rare radios and recording players. One of the more unique is the Edison home phonograph, which amazed the crowd gathered for the tour. The phonograph still works, and the recordings are on cylinders instead of a flat disc. Also, in the music room was a radio, manufactured by the FaDa Radio company. It was sold to Burr Hurlbut, from Richville by Harold Storie when he had a radio shop on John Street. He donated it to the museum in 1974.
Mr. Laurenza also led the Gouverneur Cub Scout Pack No. 2035 Pack into the Gouverneur Museum’s Dining Room, also referred to as the "Glass Room" because of the number of glass display cases and the original stained-glass windows. This room honors the community and displays paintings from local artists and many examples of local souvenirs and memorabilia. Since this room used to be a dining room, there are many examples of rare, decorative glassware. Among the paintings in the Dining Room are ones from Helen D. “Nonnie” Caswell, a well-known local artist whose specialty was architectural portraits and landscapes. Many residents have had their homes painted in miniature by Nonnie. She had a display at the Gouverneur Museum in 1985, and the Gouverneur Historical Association is proud to showcase a number of her works to the public.
Mr. Laurenza then led Pack 2035 downstairs to the Gouverneur Museum’s Cellar, and showed them the Mica Castle, designed by David Millis, a member of the St. Lawrence County Rock and Mineral Club. He told the youngsters that the castle was a culmination of several years of the expert making Mica creations – starting with butterflies and reaching spheres. The castle is made of Mica, square wire brass clips to hold the Mica in place and a drop of superglue on each clip. Mr. Laurenza told the cub scouts that the best material was provided by the club, but most was self-collected on a field trip of the St. Lawrence County Rock and Mineral Club. While in the cellar, Mr. Laurenza also showed them various rocks and minerals that were also found within a 30-mile radius of Gouverneur and talked about the area’s mining history. He also showed the cub scouts a two-headed calf, an examination table that was used by Dr. Norman C. Hawes, an osteopathic physician (early to mid 1900s), an industrial scale, among other items of interest.
Mr. Laurenza also showed the cub scouts the Military Room, Children’s Room, Women’s Room, Bedroom, and Research Room on the second floor of the museum, and the artifacts in the out building. Much gratitude was extended to Mr. Laurenza for conducting a thorough and educational tour.
Those who would like to take an online tour can do so from the comfort of their own home or any web-enabled device with a full browser. The Gouverneur Museum is Wi-Fi enabled to allow for self-guided tours as well. This can be accessed by visiting Gouverneurmuseum.com. Mr. Laurenza said the idea came from Missy Tersmette, and that Gouverneur Museum docents had helped make the project possible through their narration as follows: Shari Barnhart (Welcome), Bill Cartwright (Foyer), Missy Tersmette (Living Room), Sue Cartwright (Music Room) Marilyn Scozzafava (Dining Room), Katie Pistolesi (Victorian Bedroom), Shari Barnhart (Research Library), Tania Sterling (Woman's Room), Judy Brown (Children's Room), Joe Weekes (Military Room), Jon Jackson (Cellar), and Joe Laurenza (Out Building). Much gratitude is also given to OnCell, based in East Rochester, New York for providing the creation tools and hosting for the tour, and to Rainbowtech Designs in Fowler for providing the photography, recordings, script editing, videos, and app construction and publication for the tour.
All those who are interested in seeing the Gouverneur Museum exhibits in person can visit on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 1 to 3 p.m. The Gouverneur Museum is located at 30 Church Street, Gouverneur, NY. Admission is always free. For more information, call (315) 287-0570 or (315) 323-2654. Those who would like an appointment for individual or group tours can call ahead.
