I talked to a lot of dead people on Saturday.
Like Lillian Witmer, owner of Witmer’s General Store, which anchored Webster’s four corners for more than 60 years. And Robert Woodhull, a Revolutionary War spy originally from Setauket, Long Island. And Luther Curtice, a driving force behind the beautiful and historic cobblestone Webster Baptist Church.
They and several other of Webster’s founding fathers and notable citizens were hanging out near their grave sites at Webster Union Cemetery on Saturday afternoon, sharing their stories as part of the cemetery’s 200th anniversary celebration.
The event was the culmination of a year and a half of planning and effort on the part of a small, hard-working committee led by George Baker and Beverly Wallwork. They were supported by a few dozen more volunteers, who pulled together countless details from recruiting actors and collecting props to putting up tents and ordering lunch. That’s not to mention the men, women and children who played the parts of our former Webster residents; they were tasked with remembering very long scripts, which they performed flawlessly, and — as you can imagine — many, many times over as small clumps of visitors worked their way through the cemetery.
In addition to the actor portrayals, there were also opportunities to learn more about headstone cleaning and watch the fascinating process involved in etching new names and dates onto headstones. And along the Heroes’ Walk, you could read short biographies about lots more well-known Webster residents buried at Webster Union, like “Charlie” Riedel and Abram Foster, one of Webster’s earliest settlers.
It rained briefly during the four-hour event, but that didn’t stop hundreds of people from wandering through the cemetery’s beautiful grounds, meeting the actors, watching the demonstrations and enjoying popcorn and cookies. It was an outstanding way to enjoy the beauty of Webster Union Cemetery, and learn about Webster history from the people who started it all.
Congratulations to the Webster Union Cemetery 200th Anniversary committee for a job well done.
In case you’re interested, here’s who I met on Saturday:
Willie Conant (played by Samuel Torrez); Willie worked as a brakeman for the railroad, but died when he was just 21 years old when his foot got caught when he was on top of a rail car.
Robert Woodhull, (Richard Keefer); a Revolutionary War spy from Setauket, Long Island, and member of the Culper Spy ring (but he refused to fess up to that). His family owned a sawmill on Woodhull Rd.
Jonas Whiting (Robert Palmer) a Minuteman in the Revolutionary War, he fought at Lexington & Concord, and after the war was given land as payment for his service. He lived in what we now know as the White House on Lake Rd.
Dewey Burnett (Jayvon Davis); Dewey was in Buffalo preparing to ship out to serve in the Navy when he contracted the Spanish flu and died at just 18 years old.
Julia Pierce (Izabella Wigdzinski); Dewey’s cousin. A Webster High School teacher, Julia was a suffragette and met Susan B. Anthony.
Lillian Witmer (Heather Schmidt); Lillian was a lifelong Webster resident and owner of Witmer’s General Store, which stood for more than 60 years at the corner of East Main St. and South Ave. (the former Jeff’s Computer store).
Minerva (Foster) Strowger (Deanna Burrows); she and her husband owned Nine Mile Pt. Boarding House, which later became a resort. Legend has it that rum-runners would pass by the resort and hide their contraband cargo in the hedges, which might be one reason the business is now known as Hedges Nine Mile Point restaurant.
Ebenezer Curtice (Dave DiFranco); a Revolutionary War private who fought at Lexington & Concord, after the war he started an orchard on his land, which helped establish Webster as a leader in fruit production.
Luther Curtice (John Schmeelk); Ebenezer’s grandson, Luther was a driving force behind building the historic Webster Baptist Church from cobblestones. He came up with the method of making sure that cobblestones were all equally sized, by pushing them through a hole in a board.
Following are some other photos from the day. And be sure to check out this great feature put together by Fox Rochester about the celebration, which ran on Good Day Rochester and features Webster Union President George Baker.
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(posted 8/18/2024)
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Good coverage….it was neat….so, a swamp….the may be why our driveway sinks – Dave
This is wonderful! Thank you so very much!
Thank you to George, Melissa, the BOD. And all others that made that day happen. Beautiful weather. It was a great day! I learned a lot. Paul was on the gulf cart making sure everyone was safe and answering questions. 👏👍
Wonderful summary of a fine event! Thank you, Missy.