The Massena, New York Museum - Part 2

I was touring the Massena, NY Museum (see also Part 1, posted yesterday) and stopped at this old writing desk for a closer look:

 Victorian Era wicker wheelchair and crutches. I thought the uniforms were from World War I but wasn't sure, and I saw no signs to tell me:

There was kitchen furniture and furnishings from a variety of eras:

An old still, probably the only real one I've ever seen:

And this mysterious object. I'll bet you don't know what it is. It's a bottle capper from Massena Springs (see also next photo):

 

I knew nothing of Massena Springs, so I checked the town website and learned this:

During the 1800’s, Massena grew in prominence as a health retreat as people flocked to the area to enjoy the medicinal benefits of bathing in the sulfur mineral springs found along the Racquette River. Known to the Indians as Kanaswastakeras, meaning "the place where the mud smells bad," the Iroquois had been visiting the springs and using the waters for their "curative" powers for generations before settlers from New England and Europe came to this area. The Indians described the springs as a place where many moose, deer and their sick brothers would come to drink the healing waters.

The sulfur springs provided a booming economy for the place known as Massena Springs, N.Y. Many grand homes and hotels opened and grew to accommodate the many people who would come to "use The Massena Waters." For those who couldn't travel here, the curative waters were locally bottled and shipped far and wide:

I kept having the feeling that I was being watched, and this exhibit was the reason why. This woman tended an old fashioned general store, comprised of artifacts from former Massena merchants:


This Dayton scale (early 1900s) was once used in Tarpenian's Grocery Store. The store counter was once used in "Honest John" Serabian's store:

Lots of old grocery items, but it was calendar which caught my eye. It was from September, 1946,  before I was even born. I've reached the age when I see lots of things in museums which are younger than me, and it was a pleasure to see this calendar which was older than I:

An old cash register from Podgurski's store:

Uniform and switchboard from the Massena Police Station in the 1950s:

And a phone book from 1953-54 to authenticate it. Massena was called "The Aluminum City" because of the aluminum production plants which once ruled the city. Only Alcoa is left, and that has a much reduced workforce now. Massena was a boom town in the heyday of aluminum production and again during the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway. I have been told that Massena's population is now only half of what it once was:

This was my last stop for the day, a collection of items saved by local residents and donated to the museum. I'll have to return when they other half of the museum opens:

The Massena, New York Museum - Part 2

I was touring the Massena Museum (see also yesterday's post) and came to this display, representing an old fashioned general store:

This cash register used to ring up sales in Massena's H.T. Clark Co:

And a poster from World War II, urging patriotic Americans to eat well and stay healthy:

There was entire room devoted to Massena's main export - aluminum. Massena is a company town and Alcoa has several plants in Massena and employs about 1100 people, about 1/12 of the town's population. By the way, did you notice that the war poster above was sponsored by Alcoa?:

And old fashioned washing machine with a Civil War soldier in the background:

And an early refrigerator:

I'm sure this Hotpoint kitchen stove was state of the art at one time:

Remember when people got new clothes every year for Easter?

A dining room:

I went downstairs to the Hearse room, where they had two enormous, horse drawn hearses. There were also displays of military costumes and fire equipment, - but the hearses and funeral home displays were my favorites:

This set-up used to be in a local funeral parlor:

I didn't photograph everything, but that'll give me new things to post when I make a future visit to the Massena Museum. My last picture was of this milk crate and bottles from Massena's Wilson's Dairy: