May is National Historic Preservation Month, so it’s only fitting that for this month’s History Bit, we take a closer look at one of the Village of Webster’s most historic and stately buildings: the Harmony House at 58 East Main St., which celebrates its 125th birthday this year.
The Harmony House earned its musical nickname from its best-known tenants, the Chorus of the Genesee. However, the building is officially known as the Webster Grange Hall, and was built in 1899 as a meeting place for Webster Grange #436. The lot was purchased for $450, chosen for its location near the heart of the business district, where it had direct access to the railroad via Kircher Park.
The Webster Grange was one of the largest and most important local organizations in the history of the town and village of Webster. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when Webster was primarily an agricultural community, the Grange served an important role in bringing farm families together for education, entertainment, and social gatherings. It was said to have been the largest Grange in the country; by 1930 the organization had 1,046 members (out of a town population of 4,778) and was said to have been the largest local Grange in the world.
In addition to the regular Grange meetings, the Hall was rented out for a wide variety of community events through the years including dances, movie nights, minstrel shows, festivals and a flea market. In June 1952, the Church of the Good Shepherd also started holding services there.
The Chorus of the Genesee entered the picture in March 1974 when the Rochester Chapter of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America purchased the building for $45,000. The Chorus has continued to call the Grange – Harmony House – home for the last 50 years. The building also still functions as headquarters for the Webster Grange.
The Grange Hall’s design and layout remain virtually unchanged in the last 125 years, and it’s recently been placed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. But it is definitely showing its age, and funds are being raised right now to begin much-needed renovations.
You can help by attending the annual Harmony in the House joint performance by the Chorus of the Genesee and Rochester Rhapsody, Saturday May 18 at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. For more information, visit the Harmony House on Facebook or call 585-259-3094.
Discover more fascinating bits of local history at the Webster Museum, 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster. It’s open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Visit the website at webstermuseum.org.
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(posted 5/15/2024)
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