Objects of Interest
Clothing Collection
The Rochester Historical Society’s clothing collection has over 2,000 clothing items and accessories. The clothing dates from the 1820s, through the Civil War Era, Victorian Era, Roaring 20s all the way to the “Me” decade of the 1970s. Included are day dresses, undergarments, hats, gloves, wedding dresses, military uniforms and Masonic regalia. The most important items in our collection are: day dress (not pictured), bonnet, and shawl of Susan B. Anthony, women’s rights advocate; Military coat of Civil War Col. Patrick O’Rorke, defender of Little Round Top and featured in the Civil War documentary by Ken Burns; Party dresses from Peggy Wegman, wife of Robert Wegman, deceased head of Wegmans Grocery Stores.
Mourning Locket: Frederick Douglass
Famed abolitionist, human rights advocate, speaker and editor, Frederick Douglass moved to Rochester circa 1847 and moved to Washington, D.C. after a fire at his South Avenue home in 1872. He died in Washington, D.C. in 1895 and as per Victorian Era tradition a lock of his hair was preserved in a gutta percha locket to be treasured by family members. This important relic was given to the society in 1929 by Mrs. Minnie Blackall Bishop and is one of our most prized possessions. .
Seth Green’s Tackle Box
Seth Green, known as the Father of Fish Culture in America, was born in Rochester, NY in 1817. He was an avid fisherman and later a fish merchant. His first store was on Front Street in the late 1850s. By 1857, he and 100 men in his employ were reeling in anywhere from 12 to 25 tons of fish a month. In 1864 Seth Green began experimenting in the artificial propagation of fish on Caledonia Creek. By 1884 he established what was to be known as the Caledonia Fish Hatchery.
This hand-made tackle box belonged to Seth when he lived at 242 Alexander Street from 1884 until his death in 1888. At the time he was the superintendent of the NY State Fish Commissioners. This is part of a larger collection which includes his favorite lures, a reel and various awards.
Spiritualist Table
Spiritualism was started by the Fox sisters in Hydesville, NY in 1848. What started out as a series of pranks to scare their mother turned out to become a national movement. The sisters reportedly could communicate with the dead through a series of rappings by the deceased, answering questions posed by the girls. Soon spiritualist mediums and charlatans started to pop up, taking advantage of this new trend.
Our spiritualist table was gifted to the society from the Smith Selden estate. Smith Selden married Delia Farley, daughter of the owner of the Farley furniture and case company. The table may very well have been made in the Farley factory for a local medium. The table is a standard Victorian card table with a secret compartment with a spring loaded wooden ball, which can be triggered to make rapping sounds from a rod under the table top or a string through the middle of the table attached to a medium’s leg.
Kelly Lamp Company Locomotive Lamp
The Kelly Lamp Co. was founded in 1851 and had its first factory on Mill Street. They made locomotive head lamps and hand held railroad lanterns. The headlights at that time had a single small oil lamp with a huge reflector, and would be mounted on the front of the locomotive high above the cow catcher.
Our lamp is unique in that it was made specifically for Oliver Allen in 1874 and has his portrait painted on both sides of the lantern. Oliver Allen founded the Rochester & State Line Railroad which ran from Rochester to Salamanca. He later was the company’s president and vice-president from 1869 to 1880. Back then locomotives were named after company officers. This lantern was installed on the Oliver Allen locomotive Number 1 at Lincoln Park in the city and began service in 1874.