Chapter 3 - Stepping Back In Time: Reynoldston, New York

My driving tour of Reynoldston was nearing its end when I spied this old cabin. Once again, it was not posted and I now wished that I had gone in to take a look:

When I took this picture, I thought this old home was being renovated. But now, looking more closely, perhaps they were just getting firewood delivered. Or both could have been true:

This photo was taken in 1932, one year after the Reynolds Brothers Mill shut down. The source of these old photos is here:

Another home which I though could possibly have begun its life as company housing:

Hey, this is the same house as several photos earlier. Oh well, here's another view of it:

And a nice home with lots of picture windows and a fireplace:

I didn't see any farms. These homes were apparently owned by folks who loved the forest. I'll bet there are lots of deer carcasses hanging from trees in deer season:

The eerily cold, gusty, snow weather continued, giving this driving tour a haunted feeling. You can see the snow in this photo, but it wasn't falling gently - it was moving nearly sidewise in the wind:

Reynoldston had some nice homes with big garages:

And big, two story homes with chimneys. In fact, nearly every home had a garage and a chimney. The winters here must be really difficult:

This was the last photo I took of Reynoldston as I drove out of town. It had been a long day and I was tired:

Chapter 2 - Stepping Back In Time: Reynoldston, New York

Reynoldston, in spite of its nicer homes and surprising traffic, had a sort of haunted feel to it. There were a considerable number of abandoned buildings, such as this old trailer. Also, just about the time I arrived, the temperature dropped precipitously, the winds began gusting fiercely and big snow flakes started to fall:

I continued driving around, taking pictures. This pleasant home could have been found in any of the rural suburbs:

Another old photo, taken from this website, of a Sunday gathering at the Reynolds' home. A priest rode out once a month to hold mass:

There were sturdy frame houses:

And nice, woodsy homes surrounded by trees:

But there were also abandoned homes like this one:

This old photo (undated) shows Mrs. Freda Wilcox (on the left), the Mill's bookkeeper:

And the main attraction, the Reynolds Sawmill itself, in the 1870s:

I was surprised to find a nice park in Reynoldston:

I always wonder where the people who live so far out in the forest work for a living, but I suppose they could easily commute to Malone. But there was still more to Reynoldston, and I'll post Chapter 3 tomorrow:

Chapter 1 - Stepping Back In Time: Reynoldston, New York

After the arrival of the hay bale feeder, I went shopping for other equipment. At the tractor dealer, I learned of a fascinating logging/mining town set way back in the forest. I was told that it was still alive, but a shadow of its former self and that there was a website filled with old photos:


So of course you know where I went next. I drove right to the little settlement of Reynoldston which was located deep in the forest at the end of a dead end, narrow, County road. I've selected a few of the old photos to mix in with the modern photos for a sort of "then and now" blog post. This photo shows a logging crew about 1900:

There were some nice modern homes, but I was mostly fascinated by the old, abandoned homes like this one. It wasn't posted, so maybe I could have gone in. Well, maybe next time:

Here's another old photo, this one of a man named Matthew M., in the office of the Reynolds Brothers Sawmill around 1890. The website for the history of Reynoldston is here:

Reynoldston is located within the town of Brandon, New York and the town offices were in Reynoldston. Apparently Brandon, New York is mighty sparsely populated. The entire population of the town in 2010 was 570:

I almost didn't include this photo because of its poor quality, but it really shows the look of the town in its heyday. That square building in the center was the famous/infamous Bordeaux Dance Hall and picture was taken in 1906. The website cited above made the point that a woman's life at the time was one of nonstop drudgery. Men toiled in the mine, forest or sawmill by day, but spent the rest of their time drinking and fighting, often at the Bordeaux Dance Hall:

There weren't a lot of homes in Reynoldston, but I snapped pictures of many of them:

This home had lots of firewood and other stuff:

And another home which seemed abandoned. Might this have once been company housing?

The Reynolds Brothers Mill signed a big contract with Brooklyn Cooperage in 1908 and Reynoldston became a boom town. This photo was taken just about then. I'd imagine one wouldn't have given this lady any guff  not more than once, at any rate:

Another home which, from the look of the roofing, may have been abandoned. But there was more to the fascinating, historic settlement of Reynoldston and I'll post Chapter 2 tomorrow: