528 ANNUAL REPORT OF NEW-YORK 



meeting. At the annual meeting in January, 1856, this com 

 mittee made an elaborate report, reviewing the whole subject, and 

 showing by the history and progress of those Societies throughout 

 the State, in every instance where a permanent location had been 

 made, that good results had followed, and took very decided 

 ground in favor of adopting the plan in this Society. The views 

 of the committee were indorsed by the Society, and immediate 

 measiu'es taken to secure the end proposed. A committee was 

 appointed to select a suitable site for the grounds, and commit- 

 tees of finance in each town to raise subscriptions of life-mem- 

 bershij^s, at §10 each, to furnish the necessary funds. 



The idea seemed to infuse a new life into the members — it 

 struck every one favorably that the Society should liave a 

 home of its own. It required no peculiar power of reasoning to 

 convince people that once located near a city like Rochester, of 

 50,000 inhabitants, it would be a self-sustaining institution — that 

 thousands would be ready to pay a sliilling to gratify the eye 

 with seeing what they never would give a dollar to encoui'age as 

 simply a good institution for progress and reform. A few of the 

 towns responded handsomely to the call for funds; Brighton sub- 

 scribing and paying about $1,200, in life-memberships; Henrietta 

 about $500; Eochester about $2,000, and in all about $5,000 

 were subscribed. In the greater number of towns, however, no 

 subscriptions for life-memberships were made, a difference of 

 opinion about the proposed location in some cases operating 

 rather injuriously. The funds were mainly contributed by the 

 city and towns adjoining and nearest to the location finally 

 bought. Meetings of the Society were held from time to time, to 

 hear the reports of different committees engaged, and a good 

 degree of interest was manifested in the result. In March, 1856, 

 we reorganized under the law of 1855, and in April the Board of 

 Managers selected the present location, which is near the center 

 of the county, about two miles south of the city of Rochester, 

 near to Mount Hope cemetery, and at sufficient elevation to give 

 a commanding view of the county buildings and the surrounding 

 country. The grounds contain nearly twenty-five acres, and are 

 peculiarly well adopted to the purpose. The price paid for the 

 land was $4,000. The whole has been enclosed with a substantial 

 tight board fence, eight feet high, picketed upon the top, with a 



