HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY, NEW YORK. 



93 



at the headquarters of the Grand Army of the Republic, 

 Department of New York, 111 Broadway, New York, June 

 1, 1876. At said meeting John F. Henry and Henry W. 

 Sage, of Brooklyn ; Henry W. Bellows, of New York City ; 

 Chas. G. Craft, of Albany ; Farley Holmes, of Penn Yan ; 

 and Frederick Davis, Jr., of Watkins, were duly chosen as 

 the additional trustees ; and thereupon the board was duly 

 organized by the election of E. C. Parkinson, President ; 

 J. A. Lewis, Secretary ; and John F. Henry, Treasurer. 



Committees were appointed on plan of organization and 

 location. The committee on location were directed to give 

 notice to all places in the State desiring to offer inducements 

 for the site of the Home, to send to the committee their 

 proposals by the tenth day of July following, and that the 

 committee would meet in the city of Elmira on said day for 

 the purpose of visiting the various localities from which 

 proposals were received. Propositions were received from 

 the citizens of Watkins, Penn Yan, Lake Keuka, and Bath. 

 Several days were spent by the committee in carefully ex- 

 amining all these locations, and the various advantages and 

 inducements offered by each. After mature deliberation 

 the committee reported to the board at a meeting held in 

 the city of Elmira, June 14, in favor of Bath. On the 

 report being made and much discussion arising, it was de- 

 cided that the entire Board of Trustees should visit the sites 

 offered by Bath, Lake Keuka, and Watkins, which was 

 done forthwith ; and at an adjourned meeting held at Wat- 

 kins, on June 15, the report of the committee was adopted. 



The location offered by the citizens of Bath was a farm, 

 situated about one mile west of the village of Bath, on the 

 Conhocton River, known as the Rider farm, consisting of 

 two hundred and twenty acres. In addition to said farm 

 the citizens of Bath donated the sum of six thousand dol- 

 lars in cash towards the erection of the buildings. 



A meeting of the committee on plan and organization 

 was held at Bath during the last week in September, 1876, 

 at which time it was decided to invite architects to submit 

 plans for the proposed Soldiers' Home buildings to an ad- 

 journed meeting of the committee, to be held at Bath on 

 the 16th of October following. It was determined that 

 three buildings should be erected, — two buildings each about 

 one hundred and twenty-five feet long by thirty wide, and 

 a third building one hundred and twenty-five feet long and 

 sixty wide, — all to be three stories in height, built of brick 

 with suitable trimmings. In accordance with such decision 

 of the committee, a circular was issued and sent to all ar- 

 chitects who desired to compete in the presentation of plans 

 at said adjourned meeting. Plans were submitted by the 

 following-named architects : I. G. Perry, of Binghamton ; 

 M. E. Beebe, of Buffalo; John Y. Culyer, of Brooklyn ; 

 L. J. O'Connor, of New York City ; Craft, of Sara- 

 toga Springs ; W. H. Hamilton, of Utica ; Warner & Cut- 

 ler, of Rochester. None of the plans proving entirely satis- 

 factory, further consideration of the same was postponed 

 until October 26, at which time modified plans were sub- 

 mitted by Messrs. Warner, Culyer, Beebe, and Perry. 

 After full consideration of said plans, those submitted by 

 Messrs. Warner & Cutler, of Rochester, were accepted, and 

 Mr. Warner was duly employed as the architect for the 

 erection of the buildings. 



In November a stone quarry was opened upon the farm, 

 from which sufficient stone for all the foundations, and all 

 the cut stone excepting window-sills, were obtained and 

 placed upon the ground ; the cutting of the stone continued 

 during the winter. All the sand used in the construction 

 of the buildings is obtained on the farm. About the middle 

 of April, 1877, ground was broken for the buildings, much of 

 the materials for the same having already been delivered. 



The following gentlemen constituted the Board of Trus- 

 tees for 1877: the Governor of New York; the Comp- 

 troller of New York ; James Tanner, Commander G. A. R., 

 Department of New York; E. C. Parkinson, Brooklyn, 

 N. Y. ; J. A. Lewis, Brooklyn, N. Y. ; John F. Henry, 

 Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Henry W. Sage, Brooklyn, N. Y. ; E. 

 W. Brueninghausen, New York ; Louis Schlam, New York ; 

 Sinclair Tousey, New York; John Palmer, Albany; E. L. 

 Judson, Albany; S. P. Corliss, Albany; E. L. Cole, Troy; 

 R. L. Fox, Oneonta ; F. H. Shepard, Utica ; L. W. Fiske, 

 Boonville ; Seymour Dexter, Elmira ; W. F. Rogers, Buf- 

 falo ; M. F. Sheppard,,. Penn Yan ; Farley Holmes, Penn 

 Yan ; A. H. Nash, Geneva ; William Rumsey, Bath ; Ira 

 Davenport, Bath. 



Officers of the Board. — E. C. Parkinson, President ; J. 

 A. Lewis, Secretary ; William Rumsey, Counsel ; John F. 

 Henry, Treasurer. 



LAYING THE CORNER-STONE. 



Wednesday, June 13, 1877, will be a memorable day in 

 the annals of Bath, for on that day was laid the corner- 

 stone of a building which will be not only a memento of 

 the gratitude of the State to its heroes, but a proud monu- 

 ment of the patriotic liberality of the citizens of this village. 

 In the hearts of the soldiers of the Union, the citizens of 

 Bath will always be held in warm affection. 



At an early hour the streets were alive with visitors from 

 the surrounding country. It was a gala day, and all Steu- 

 ben County, and a goodly portion of the State, came to 

 assist in the ceremonies. Flags and banners were sus- 

 pended everywhere, and bands of music enlivened every 

 one by playing popular melodies. 



Shortly after two o'clock the procession formed in front 

 of the Park, and at the signal marched by Liberty and 

 Washington Streets in the following order : 



Greisinger's Band. 



Custer Post, No. 81. 



Veterans, white and colored. 



Capt. Linderman's Battery, Buffalo. 



Pier's Band, Corning. 



Delegates to Semi-Annual Encampment of G. A. R. 



Carriages, containing department commander, presiding officer, 

 orator of the day, the department staff, representatives of the press, 

 soldiers of the war of 18 J 2, President of the Board of Trustees, village 

 authorities, and Trustees of the Home, clergymen, and other invited 

 guests. 



Citizens generally. 



The road was thronged with people on foot and in car- 

 riages. When near the Home grounds, the battery left 

 the column and took position on the hill above the Home, 

 whence it fired salutes at intervals during the ceremony. 

 The main building was beautifully decorated with flags, and 

 was roofed over. On the northeast corner a platform was 

 erected for the speakers and officials. Among the distin- 



