It had been years since we were in the village of Homer so we decided to stop there on our way. The center of town, 170 stores and homes, is listed on the Federal Registry of Historical Places, and is a VERY pretty place to walk around, especially in the spring. As far as claims to fame, they do boast this is where the "real" David Harum lived. (Do you recognize the name? It was a VERY popular novel in 1898 and was later made into a movie with Will Rodgers.) Homer is also home to 3 rare lenticular (a new word for me - something to do with metal cabling) truss bridges built in 1881 (the "kit" was made in Connecticut). Two are now "pedestrian only" bridges including the one in the picture. The Wall Street bridge is a fully functional one lane bridge (no weight limit but a large truck would not fit).
Although I have about 50 pounds of NYS tourism info, nothing tells you exactly where Millard Fillmore was born - just a dot on the tourism map outside of Homer. We finally happened upon "Millard Fillmore Road" and, putting two and two together... The picture shows the site. Pretty exciting, right??!!! Let's see - they have that pathetic little sign on the right which says "Millard Fillmore Birthplace" in small letters and "Open Dawn to Dusk" in big letters; a bigger sign down on the left by the flag... however, that just shows a map of the Millard Fillmore trail; to the right of the flag there's a very nice bronze plaque mounted on granite... however, that's in memory of MF's biographer, Robert Scarry; down by the main road there is a NYS historical marker (from 1932) that says he was born in a cabin here but that's all; and (I almost forgot) 4 picnic tables in various stages of disrepair. (Some say he's our most forgotten president - perhaps they are right.)
Although this site was a bit of a disappointment, remember the next time you flush the toilet that it was Millard Fillmore who put indoor plumbing in the White House. And of course you can Google him and learn more including the details of his last run for President in 1856 as a member of the Know Nothing Party...
Since that little adventure didn't take up a much time, we decided to stop at the 1890 House in Cortland (another thing we've been intending to do for years). It was VERY interesting. Five floors of "things" to look at (have you ever seen a Tiddlytennis game?), not to mention the lovely architecture. It was built (you guessed it) in 1890 for Chester Wickwire and is the mirror image of a house in NYC (another trip). What you may not know is you probably have one of his inventions in your home - screen wire. He ran a hardware store. One of his customers who couldn't pay his bill gave him a carpet loom instead of cash. It must have been black fly season because Wickwire got the idea of weaving metal instead of carpets. It worked. Wickwire built a factory (closed in 1972 - who knows where it comes from now) and made a fortune. Speaking of black flies - it's that season in upstate NY so camping is OUT for me until they're gone in June as I'm allergic. But don't dismay, more exciting day trips are planned (this one was just late getting posted because our computers have been in the shop for the last ten days).
