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Learn More About Lorenzo - Join the Docent Corps!
The Lorenzo Docent Corps consists of about fifty men and women who have steeped themselves in all there is to know about the Lorenzo Historic Site. The purpose of the Corps is to interpret the site in a friendly, knowledgeable manner and to interact with guests in a way that will make their visit not only memorable but informative as well.
Docents attend monthly presentations which are intended to broaden their understanding of the Lorenzo history. In several meetings, Sharon Cooney has read the very private journals of the teen aged Helen Lucy Stebbins, which were humorous, insightful and reflective of the society in which she lived. Paul Fritz will lead the docents on a walking tour and discuss the landscape of the Lorenzo site. Several meeting presenters will come from Peebles Island to talk about the furniture and the textiles in the mansion. One meeting will be spent in the mansion as Jackie Vivirito opens doors to collections that are stored away and not usually seen.
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Celebrating Chittenango Falls
Exhibitions showcase Chittenango Falls’ natural, historic, and inspirational splendors.
Cazenovia Public Library celebrates Chittenango Falls and Chittenango Falls State Park in concurrent exhibitions through May 30, 2008.
The library’s art gallery features paintings from the library’s permanent collection by Cazenovia artist Dwight Williams (1856-1932) as well as sketches and photographs from the collection of Lorenzo State Historic Site; a 1950’s watercolor by R.S. Vecherek from the collection of Clark Reservation (Jamesville), NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; and contemporary photographs by Karen Kozicki and Aaron Diefendorf.
The predominant works of the exhibition are nine pastel paintings of the falls created by Williams in the 1920’s. Known in the art world as the teacher of Arthur B. Davies, Williams chronicled life in Cazenovia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. According to Russ Grills, historian and Cazenovia Public Library museum committee chair, Williams was an avid fly-fisherman and naturalist; Chittenango Creek and Chittenango Falls were two of his favorite subjects.
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Enter the Modern...
Household Innovations
Through the Years at Lorenzo
In 1968 Lorenzo was acquired by New York
State and the Ledyard family heirs donated 160 years of accumulated furnishings
and documentation. Among these treasures were all of the objects on display in
this exhibit. Lorenzo’s archive contains a vast array of information including
third owner, Helen Lincklaen Fairchild’s, Housebook. Here she collected and
recorded information on the upgrades, repairs and contents of her home from its
construction in 1807-1808 until her death in 1931. Her recollections are often
corroborated by further documentation, items in the historic collections and
evidence found during restoration and repairs undertaken since 1968.
Cazenovia
Ice Harvesting
By 1850 commercial ice cutting and shipping
was prevalent throughout the country. Charles Listman started a company in
Cazenovia in 1870. Subsequent businesses, including People’s Ice Company,
continued in the area into the 1930s with the blocks of ice transported by train
to Syracuse. During the 1930s , People’s Ice Company moved to Syracuse, changed
their production to manufactured ice and remained open into the 1960s.Many area
homes and dairies, including Lorenzo, had private icehouses and community ice
cutting on the lake was mentioned in the Cazenovia Republican as late as 1940.
The above photograph is of the pier on Cazenovia Lake in the late 19th century.
Ice packed properly in materials such as sawdust and straw would last for an
entire year.
Lorenzo’s
Beehive Oven
Lorenzo's kitchen oven was built with the
house in 1807-1808. To operate, a fire was built inside and allowed to burn down
to just coals, which heated the bricks. Once the coals were removed, food was
placed inside to be baked by radiant heat. Those dishes requiring the longest
baking time were put towards the back of the oven. To judge the oven’s
temperature, some cooks watched how quickly a handful of flour thrown inside
would brown, while others simply tested the heat by holding their hands
inside.
Gas Lighting at
Lorenzo A project to plumb Lorenzo for gas lighting
began just prior to Ledyard Lincklaen’s death in April of 1864. His plans show
the layout for pipes and placement of fixtures throughout the house, and this
small drawing, right, shows detailed measurements for the placement of two gas
lights in the southeast bedchamber.
To date no evidence suggests that the plan
progressed further than the installation of the pipes and ceiling medallions. No
records have been located for the purchase of gas fixtures or a gas
manufacturing plant, which would have been required as there was no municipal
service available. Lists of major improvements to Lorenzo in Mrs. Fairchild’s
Housebook make no mention of gas
lighting.
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Calendar of Events
Monday, May 12, 12:30 p.m.
May Docent Meeting*
The Docent Corp will learn more about the landscape at Lorenzo during the May meeting. Paul Fritz, a landscape architect with Environmental Design Research.
*Contact Sharon Cooney at (315) 655-3200 for more information about becoming a docent
Tuesday, May 13
Mansion Opens for the Season
Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through October 26, the Lorenzo mansion will be open for the season. Guided tours are offered; visitor's center and museum shop are also open. Grounds are open year round from dawn to dusk, including the formal garden and Dark Aisle arboretum.
Thursday, May 22, 7 p.m.
“The Splendor of Chittenango Falls State Park: Exploring Historic and Natural Significance”
In cooperation with SUNY CESF and the Cazenovia Public Library, SUNY CESF graduate student Kimberly May will present an overview of the Park’s natural and historic wonders, and will also highlight some of the new and exciting plans in store for the facility. The public is invited to bring along historic images of the Park to this free program, which will take place in the Community Room of the Cazenovia Public Library, 100 Albany St., Cazenovia.
Wednesday, May 28, 7 p.m.
“A Centennial Opportunity: Celebrating 100 Years of Preservation at Letchworth State Park”
Leonora Brown, Interpretive Programs Assistant at Letchworth State Park, will highlight the myriad of preservation initiatives undertaken at the Park over the last 100 years for the sixth annual PRESERVATION MONTH lecture. Sponsored by The Friends of Lorenzo in cooperation with the Cazenovia Public Library, this free lecture will take place in the Community Room of the Cazenovia Public Library, 100 Albany St., Cazenovia.
Thursday, June 6, 6 p.m.
Gala Garden Party
The Friends of Lorenzo will host a members-only garden reception in celebration of the Ellen Shipman garden and the summer season. For more information, please contact Diane Voss at (315) 655-3200; reservations are required.
Sunday, June 15, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
Eurocar 2008
European-manufactured automobiles from pre-War to the present including Porsche, Austin-Healey, Fiat, and Triumph will be on display. Sponsored by the MG Car Club of Central New York. Admission to the show is free. For more information call (315) 687-3849 or visit the Club’s Web site at www.mgcarclub.com/cny.
Saturday & Sunday, July 5 and 6
10 a.m.–5 p.m.
CAVAC Arts and Crafts Show
Show and sale featuring more than 100 artisans. Sponsored by the Cazenovia Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps (CAVAC). Admission to the show is free. For more information, please contact the CAVAC business office at (315) 655-9798.
Friday, July 11, 8 p.m.
Syracuse Symphony Orchestra Concert
Open-air pops concert on the historic front lawn of Lorenzo. Admission is free; bring your own seating. For more information about the evening concert and a pre-concert fundraising dinner, please call (315) 655-3200 or visit www.syracusesymphony.org.
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