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 1

I drove into Massena one sunny day and visited the town museum, newly moved to a former bank building and looking elegant:

I'd been there before but didn't remember the two giant murals. I had to ask about the subject of the paintings. They depicted Jacques Cartier's exploration of the St. Lawrence River in the mid 1500s:

 

Cartier was a French explorer and named Canada by misusing the Iroquois word, "kanata," which meant village or settlement. He met a number of local tribes, and apparently they received him with friendship:

Only half the museum was open when I visited, as the other half was being rearranged for a new exhibit. But there was plenty to see in the open half, like this home spinning equipment:

There was no sign on these handmade dolls and I wish I'd asked about them. I will next time:

I headed down the hallway, which was filled to overflowing with local artifacts:

A Victorian dress, butter churn and milk can:

Victorian doll, baby carriage - an old desk and artifacts from an early church and synagogue:

Lots of hand tools, which I assumed were for kitchen use because those few which I recognized were kitchen tools:

Mohawk baskets, wagon wheels and lots of artifacts from Massena's history:

Farm and fireplace tools:

Tools for barn building and use around the farm:

A Civil War Uniform. There was a lot more to see, though, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Nicandri Nature Center - Part 2

I was touring the new nature center on the shores of the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). I fondly remembered this giant hollow log from my previous visit. It was made of concrete but looked entirely real:

I walked up to it and entered, this time knowing what to expect. When someone enters, a red light comes on and these imitation bats begin chirping. I saw a woman scream the last time:

All along the wall of this room was a diorama with birds and mammals common to the area:

This Wild Turkey was one of the most realistic and one of the most commonly seen:

 A Cottontail Rabbit and Red Fox:

The last time I was at the nature center, their bees had not yet arrived. But they had taken up residence over the summer and built a large, thriving colony. They were crowded and difficult to see, though, but that was solved by the lighted, enlarging camera which could be positioned wherever you wanted a better view:

And whatever you focused it on was displayed, giant sized, on the adjacent screen:

Honeybees are an important part of our natural world and of our agriculture:

A third room contained a Blandings Turtle, a familiar species to me because I had one as a boy. If I had lived within bicycling range of a place like this when I was young, I'd have been there every day and made a pest of myself:

They also had a Wood Turtle, a species I've rescued from the roads several times around here:

I'd seen most everything, so I thanked the naturalist and exited to the first, main room on my way out:

Outdoors, I saw that they had planted a garden which was designed specifically for the bees:

It doesn't look like it here, but many of those plants were still flowering, even this late in the year:

Nicandri Nature Center - Part 1

The nature center in Massena, New York opened this past spring and when I first visited there, I called it the Robert Moses (State Park) Nature Center. It does seem to be on state park land or at least adjacent to it, but the official name is Nicandri Nature Center:

There are trained interpretive naturalists on duty to take school kids on guided tours or to shoot the breeze with an old geezer like me who once studied these things but had to earn his living elsewhere. Pollywogs, weeds and wildlife have been my passion since I was a small boy, trying to catch minnows in the local creek. This gigantic, wrap-around aquarium is the first thing a visitor sees:

On an island inside the big aquarium were four frogs, probably Green Frogs (though I didn't ask). The naturalist told me that some of the big Channel Catfish had been trying to eat them, so they stayed up where it was safe and waited for the staff to feed them crickets:

The aquarium was filled with Bullhead, Perch, Channel Catfish, Sunfish, Bluegills, etc. There was a Map Turtle and probably other animals as well, but the beaver, bear and heron were stuffed:

Who needs wetlands? We all do, and the St. Lawrence River wetlands are an ideal place to study them:

Another giant aquarium in another room contained other species. In this photo are a Bullfrog tadpole (on the log) and two Sturgeons (resting on the gravel). There were eels and other species as well. The Mudpuppy was a rubber model which sat on a shelf outside the aquarium:

In the big aquarium were several Longnose Gars, the first I'd ever seen in real life:

And a display case with five species of local freshwater clams:

One entire wall was filled with a wildlife diorama which contained taxidermy mammals and birds:

I remembered the pied deer from my last visit because it was so unusual:

A black bear. I was told that the small bear skin at its feet was for school children to handle so they could keep their hands off of the full bear. Pictures with the bear, however, are encouraged:

Behind the wavy glass were scenes as could be found in wild settings all through the area. There was more for me to see, though, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: