March 31, 1979 Old Apple Trees

Dewitt’s Diary Saturday, March 31, 1979

Temperature 50, cloudy. Rain a very little. Trimmed the old sweet harvest apple and the old king tree.

Trees are both hollow and old. Been around longer than I.

In the Spring of 1979 Dewitt was 80 years old. The trees were planted by his grandfather Jared Bassett who built the house in the 1850s, or by his own father, prior to Dewitt’s birth in 1899.

During the ice storm in 1936 Dewitt recorded the loss of trees. March 19, 1936 [Ice storm on the 18^th] Trees are entirely stripped of limbs, except some evergreens. Millions of dollars’ damage. Terrible floods. The lakes are up to last July 10 floods. Took some pictures of ice on everything today. Ice is melting just a little. My old orchard is gone, also across the road. 

March 29, 1988 Nivison Grain Cradle Factory’s New Home

As noted earlier this year, sometimes the exact date for an event is unknown. In this case the best we have is “During the last week of March…” so this author chose to use the 29^th.

Steve Proctor in his April 13, 1988 Interlaken Review article describes the process of moving the building.

During the last week of March, after unloading a huge stack of old planks and beams at the site, a flatbed truck hauled in the skeleton of a small, two-story barn and set it on an existing concrete foundation.”

Richard “Buster” Chesley and assistant Rod Porter, the two Interlaken carpenters now rebuilding the barn, spent the last three weeks dismantling the structure at its original site on Route 89 in Covert. The two had never undertaken such a project and therefore had numbered each plank with red ink while taking apart the barn so they could more easily reassemble it correctly when they got downtown.

On Wednesday, they spent all day nailing down roof planks and using a vice to realign the beams. The pile of nearby lumber, now relaxing after holding the same pose for 160 years, was getting ready to reassume the position.

“You kind of wonder what you’re going to find when you step into a job like this,” said Chesley. “But this really hasn’t been too bad.”

He adds that the most difficult part so far has been removing the pins which held together the beams. When the barn had been constructed, pins made of green timber were hammered into the joint; when the pins aged, they became swollen and thus strongly bonded together the joints. Chesley and Porter have had to electrically drill out many of these pegs.

Most of the old barn was saved, said Chesley. However three of the outside walls had deteriorated over the years and they would be replaced by hemlock planks. After a few years these new boards should weather and blend in with the old timber.

Rod Porter cutting one of the replacement planks. Interlaken Review April 13, 1988
Interlaken Historical Society Community Photo collection

Nivison Grain Cradle Factory building on Route 89
Interlaken Historical Society photo #1800

While on the building site, Mr. Proctor also talked with Maurice Patterson, President of the Historical Society, about the history of the building. Pat told him, “The barn had been built on Route 89 about 1850 or 1855. It first appears on the record books during the census of 1860 when it is listed as being owned by James Nivison. A subsequent newspaper advertisement in 1863 states that grain cradles were being made on the property by Nivison. An 1876 map of Seneca County outlines the Nivison property and calls it a grain cradle manufacturer.”

In the 1890s, John Hunt purchased the property and used it for a variety of purposes over the years. John’s grandson, Howard Hunt donated the building to the Historical Society.

The Historical Society then had the task of fundraising and community coordination to move the Nivison Grain Cradle factory to the former Goodman Hotel lot at the corner of Main Street and Railroad Ave. The use of this parcel was accomplished through the efforts of several people working with county and state officials when the hotel property was taken over by the county for back taxes.

By now you may be asking, “What is a grain cradle?” Grain cradles are big, one-man scythes with attached wooden fingers below the blade which keep the cut stalks in a bundle for later gathering; the reaper sweeps his scythe through the grain and deposits the bundle alongside his cutting path.

Interlaken Historical Society Farmers' Museum, Main Street
Author's collection

For more background, check back on June 23^rd for the story and pictures of the day the Goodman Hotel was torn down. For more on the Grain Cradle Museum, see the story of its history in Covert Memories 1950 – 2015.

Dewitt’s Diary March 29, 1941, 1942, 1943

Saturday, March 29, 1941 Minor Brokaw sale today of farm tools.

Sunday, March 29, 1942 Sap not running. Dug up some trees which I transplanted north of barn. Dug them on old Luckern place.

Monday, March 29, 1943 Dry and north wind. Temperature 20 this morning. Working in the woods today. Shot a red-tailed hawk near where I was working in the woods.

March 27, 1890 Joseph’s Bondage Cantata

Thursday and Friday, March 27 and 28, ’90 at Farmer Hall, Farmer Village, under the direction of Prof. J. M. Chadwick, Sacred Cantata Joseph’s Bondage.

We don’t know if this cantata had been performed in our village prior to 1890 but the knowledge of this performance has been saved for us on paper, in a photograph and a costume. There are two beginnings to this story, one in 1876 in Rochester, and another in the collections in 2005. 

“The New Oratorio of ‘Joseph in Bondage’.” So begins an article in the Evening Express, Rochester, NY, Saturday, March 18, 1876 edition. “Some time ago it was whispered about that certain citizens of Rochester were composing a new oratorio, (or more properly speaking, dramatic cantata) the subject of which was the beautiful story of Joseph as related in the Bible. Such an announcement having appeared in print, papers in various parts of the country began making “squibs” concerning it, and jokes were cracked about Potiphar’s wife, etc. But the dramatic cantata is, nevertheless, a fact, and one, we think, which will make a sensation among both musicians and the public generally. The author of the libretto is Mr. H. A. Staples, the well-knows baritone singer of this city, while the composer is Mr. J. M. Chadwick, the leader of the Choral Union.”

Mr. J. M. Chadwick is better known locally as Prof. John M. Chadwick, leader of the Third Brigade Band of Civil War times, and organist at the Baptist Church. Prof. Chadwick wrote a number of musical pieces from short dances, to choral works, and several longer cantatas.

The cantata appears to have been well received and continued being performed for many years. The 1890 performance in Farmer brought out considerable of the local talent to participate. Names known, and not so well known, are shown in the Dramatis Personae: J.H. Stover, Mrs. W. E. Peterson, A.D. Chadwick (son of the composer), Homer Boorom, Mrs. T. P. Hause, and on and on. [click here to see the full program including a Synopsis of Scenes.

Cover, March 1890 presentation of Joseph Bondage
Interlaken Historical Society Collection: Chadwick Family Papers

In the photograph collection are several photos from different events presented at Farmer Hall, or the Boyer Opera House as it was later called.

Fast forward to the Spring of 2005 when Society volunteer Nicole Nelson wanted to submit a bright orange and black costume used in an unknown Chadwick cantata as a submission for a forthcoming costume calendar.

The costume, a skirt, bodice, hat and long gloves, were a gift from Miss Hilda Horton back in 1961. The information on the worksheet noted it had been worn in the 1890s in a Chadwick cantata. Not a lot to go on, but it was a start.

Nicole put the costume on a small mannequin to take pictures and hope for inspiration. A few years before this, she had been stage manager for South Seneca’s Spring Musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. As she would note in an article for the July 2005 Historical Society newsletter, “Being familiar with that musical, I was walking past the dress and stopped to look at it from a different angle. With its brass stars and moon trims, I thought, what if it was from Joseph’s Bondage,” rather than one of the other cantatas.

Interlaken Historical Society collection
Item 1961-74 bodice detail with stars and moons

Joseph Bondage company
Interlaken Historical Society Photo #1203

We could say the rest is history. The 1890 cast photograph was pulled from the files, and using “a magnifying glass we found the dress.” Also, located in the collections were the program copy, a copy of the cantata and articles in the local papers. Unfortunately, confusion about the process resulted in a missed calendar submission deadline. 

Dewitt’s Diary March 27, 1928 and 1929

March 27, 1928 I scraped the road yesterday. We went to town with some syrup this morning. $2.25 per gallon for syrup this year. We are having plenty of orders for syrup.

March 27, 1929 We finished buzzing my wood up at the woods and also the pile at the house. Hedley Smith and father helped. The engine ran fine. The weather is fine. Francis [his brother] went up to Leroy today to study Aviation. 

March 24, 2013 The Smell of Spring in the Air

 What makes you think of Spring? The geese overhead with their honking, the first robin in the yard, or the flowers that poke above the snow and ground? Maybe, just maybe, it’s the aroma of Bar-B-Q chicken on a Sunday morning.

Packing the chickens into foiled lined barrels. Interlaken Review April 1, 1981
Interlaken Historical Society, Community Photo collection

It’s the smell of charcoal starting, the chickens cooking in that special sauce that fills the air and starts one thinking about how early to arrive at the fire house to be sure to get chicken.

For many years, the event was held at the old fire house with the Bar-B-Q pits set up along Railroad Ave. Then with the move to the current fire house, the cooking was done on the portable pits behind the fire house. A pavilion was built, and then the fixed concrete block pit was added.

It’s not unusual to see people begin lining up at 11:30, a half hour before serving begins. As the beans and potatoes are brought to the serving table, everyone perks up a bit. The cooler is carried in, the carryout boxes are lined up and serving begins. The long wait is over, whether measured in minutes since you arrived at the fire house or months since the Car Show Bar-B-Q back in August, it is time to enjoy that wonderful goodness of chicken, salt potatoes, hot beans and fresh rolls.

Chickens are done. Interlaken Reivew April 24, 1990
Interlaken Historical Society Community photo collection

Now that you are thinking about it, mark your calendar for Sunday April 9^th and plan to be on hand when that big cooler gets opened this year.

Turning the chickens on a spring morning.
Author's collection

Dewitt’s Diary Tuesday, March 24, 1953

Temperature 42 A heavy rain starting early in the night and still raining strong this morning. More than an inch in the can I put out last night.

The rain stopped about 11 o’clock. A total of 1 ¾ fell here. Clearing late this afternoon. Creeks are running torrents. Temperature 50 and sun out bright at sundown.

We needed this rain badly and the lawns and wheat really look green today. 

March 23, 1933 Tapping the Sugar Bush

Open any of Dewitt’s diaries to March and you will find notes on “Tapping the Sugar Bush.” This term applies to the tapping of the sugar maples to get the sap needed to make maple syrup.

A sample of entries for 1933: March 17, Tapped the sugar bush today. Finished up at 4 o’clock. 180 pails. Few song birds around. Sap running good.

March 18, We made six gallons of syrup today. Thousands of geese in the air today. Colder and cloudy today. Father ran the evaporator.

March 20, Rain most all day. Everything covered with ice. Ice melting this afternoon. I emptied out sap pails about 4 o’clock and it began to run strong.

March 21, It rained nearly all day. Colder tonight. Father and I made 7 gallons of syrup today. Creeks are high. Winter ended today and is the mildest winter on record.

March 23, Cloudy and cool, not good sap weather. Selling some potatoes for 40 cents per bushel. I have a fine pile of them left.

In 1933 they were selling syrup for $1.75 per gallon.

How much sap does it take to make a gallon of syrup? One source notes that each tap will have an average of eight gallons of sap, which when boiled down will be about one quart of syrup.

A few dates from 1928: March 12, Very warm all day. Washed sap pails this afternoon and began tapping. Dr. Hill has gone to Florida for a month on March 5. He has been rushed all winter. The weather is mild and acting like spring. Getting ready to buzz wood. Snow melting and the water running very high today.

March 13, I saw several robins, a sure sign of spring this morning. Partly cloudy and south wind this morning. The trees are not running very strong. We tapped some more trees today.

March 23, We made 7 gallons of syrup today. The snow is running away fast. The thermometer was 72 today. It sure was warm.

April 3, Boiled sap today. It runs fine. I made 7 gal of syrup today. The pails were all full today and I did not catch up with it. Frost is all out of the ground.

April 5, Emptied out the last of our sap and called it a season. The thermometer was 76 today. Some are plowing. Sprayed father’s peach trees today. We gathered up the pails today.

Dewitt’s Diary, Saturday, March 23, 1929

Cloudy and warm. I pulled the sap pails down today. A short season.

March 21, 1944 A Letter from Leland

On March 21, 1944 Dewitt noted, “Got a letter from Leland. We found out at last that he is located on the Anzio beachhead near Rome where some of the heaviest fighting has been for the past month.”

Letters from overseas were an item longed for and read many times over.

There were also the letters from overseas that were sent to Fred and Lillian Blauvelt at the Interlaken Review Office. Esther Wyckoff kept an extensive scrapbook of all the letters sent to the paper and other notes on the men and women. The original was given to the American Legion and later past on to the Historical Society. Each soldier is pictured in the front of the scrapbook, with the page numbers where his or her letters are in the book. The letters are in chronological order of when they were published in the paper.

The May 5, 1944 issue included a letter from Leland. No date is given of when he wrote it, just location, Anzio Beach-head.

Dear Fred and Lillian:

It has been a long time since you heard from me last, but of course I have good reasons. My outfit has been on the front-lines nearly all of the time since we landed back in September of last year. The newspapers can tell you all about life here on the beach-head, and censorship would not allow me to say much, anyway.

We all feel that our “ack-ack” is the best, and we know that the “Jerry” pilots have been discouraged by it more than once, to say nothing about the planes shot down.

I receive The Review right along, but it is usually about a month or so late. I certainly enjoy reading the letters from the boys in camp.

To protect ourselves from shell fragments and personnel bombs it is necessary to sleep well below ground with plenty of cover over our heads. Hardly a night goes by that German bombers are not overhead.

I have had any number of narrow escapes from both bombs and shells. It is bad indeed when they catch you off guard. I can recall one incident very clearly which happened a few weeks back. I was standing quite some distance from my hole when a shell (large size) landed about fifteen feet from me. Thank God, it was a “dud.” Had it exploded it would no doubt meant quick death. These things happen to us every day and they are soon forgotten (I hope).

I might add that I have been awarded my Good Conduct Medal, which all Interlaken boys should get, also my campaign ribbon with gold star for major landing (also more to come).

As I have several things to do this afternoon it will be necessary for me to cut this letter short.

Thanks again for sending The Review, and keep up the good work at home. It will shorten our battles over here.

Sincerely yours, Pfc. Leland F. Bassette.

Other letters from this scrapbook were shared on January 29 with the Scrap Material Drive snippet.

Dewitt’s Diary Monday March 21, 1927

Rain this morning. Sold my old sow today 8 cents per pound.

We remodeled the old surrey for a driving wagon today.

We got a heavy rain tonight.

March 18, 2014 Ovid’s Main Street Fire

In 2014 there were three fire fighters living at my house, my not quite 2-year old granddaughter and myself. Tuesday is Interlaken Fire Department’s meeting and training night, so by 5:30 the discussion of dinner and how soon it would be ready was normal.

The sound of pagers going off and tones dropping on the old scanner brought everyone to a halt, and then the three of them were out the door. As I listened to the scanner, it was clear this would be a long night. We could only pray everyone would be safe.

One of the benefits of having your granddaughter living with you, I didn’t have to wonder if I had overnight supplies; they were at hand. Nor was there a question in my mind of where Dani would sleep that night. I needed to be able to hear and respond if she woke up, so we cuddled and fell asleep.

It was late when the text message came in that all were safe and doing their assigned tasks. It was well after one when the dogs woke up, wanting to go out, and someone opened my door enough to let them out. Then the sound of showers, and eventually all was quiet again.

In the days that followed the discussion of the long night was told and retold. There were pictures in the paper and on Facebook. Driving through Ovid meant looking at the destruction, and being thankful. Buildings can be rebuilt; businesses can be re-established. You can’t replace family mementos, but with family safe you can begin again.

In that long evening of battling an inferno the hours and days of training paid off. The respect for officers and volunteers who came from all over to work together to save what could be saved is truly the story of that night.

Following is one of the on-line reports of that fire. It details who arrived and what was done. It also shows the difference, and yes, the similarities, of fighting a fire in 2014 or 1939. Mutual aid and working together are the same; the location and type of trucks are really the main differences.

Seneca Street side of the fire

Interlaken Engine 503 on Seneca Street, Seneca Falls Arial ladder truck in the background.
Photos by Karen Nelson

A general-alarm fire in downtown Ovid, NY, on March 18, 2014, destroyed three mixed-use buildings that contained three businesses and several apartments. More than 250 firefighters responded to the fire, which caused over $750,000 in damage. An extensive tanker shuttle was required to supply the water needed for firefighting operations.

The two-story structures were of Type III ordinary construction, built in the late 1870s. They occupied a total of 12,780 square feet and contained three businesses on the first floor; the New Dragon Chinese Restaurant, the Joint Assessment Group and the Italian Kitchen, a restaurant; and seven apartments on the second floor. Resources from eight counties were required at the scene or in standby capacities.

The Ovid Fire Department was dispatched to a reported fire at the New Dragon Chinese Restaurant at 7188 South Main St. at 5:45 P.M. Ovid responded with Engine 1102, Tanker/Pumper 1101 and Quint 1131 with 15 firefighters under the command of Fire Chief William J. Palmer Sr. Automatic mutual aid was also dispatched. Responding were Lodi Fire Department Engines 801 and 802 and Tanker 821; Interlaken Fire Department Pumper/Tankers 501 and 503; and Romulus Fire Department Engine 1301 and Tanker 1321

Click here to read the full report on the fire.

Dewitt’s Diary: March 18, 1936
The worst ice storm on everything this morning I ever seen. Hundreds of trees broke. All telephone and lights out of commission. Getting worse. 
Terrible floods all over the eastern U.S. 15-20 inches of snow in Buffalo. Rain and freezing all day and tonight. 

March 17, St. Patrick’s Day Election Law

On this date many people celebrate their Irish heritage even if they don’t have any Irish heritage.

Recognizing this, many years ago, the New York State Legislature incorporated a provision into the village election laws to prevent people from celebrating, or being encouraged to celebrate, and then go to the polls for the local election.

Two snips from the current village election law included in Sec. 15-104. General village election [Setting the election date]

Snip #1 The general village election shall be held on the third Tuesday in March…

Snip #2 In… any year in which the seventeenth day of March shall fall on such Tuesday, the board of trustees of such village shall provide, by resolution… that such election shall be held on the eighteenth day of March.

Just one more bit of trivia to add to your St. Patrick’s Day collection.

Wishing all a happy and safe Friday and St. Patrick’s Day, be ye Irish by birth or choice.

Dewitt’s Diary March 17, 1937, 1938, 1939, and 1940

Wednesday, March 17, 1937 Another day of blow. The roads are plugged except main roads. Walked to town. The roads sure are in bad shape for the amount of snow. About 7 inches.

Thursday, March 17, 1938 Made about a gallon and one-half of syrup for the first of the season. Rain and foggy all day.

Friday, March 17, 1939 Several inches of new snow. Working in the woods today.

Sunday, March 17, 1940 Clear and still. Snow not melting much. Went out skiing early this morning. Drove the car over to Edna’s folks today. We have got to have different weather if the snow ever goes. I measured the snow in the woods today. A good two feet deep where it has not blowed.

March 14, 1993 The Blizzard of ‘93

After reading 62 years of Dewitt’s diaries, and finding so many great details within them, I have, on a few occasions, gone back to re-read, or check over, bits and pieces to add to a Snippet.

Then there are the dates that happened after 1982, the last year of Dewitt’s diaries. It has crossed my mind a few times to wonder, “How would Dewitt have reported on that?” ‘That’ being an event after 1982.

In June 1972 Dewitt wrote about the destruction caused by Hurricane Agnes (see June 23 and 24). His brief, but very descriptive narrative places us beside the lake, looking at the destroyed docks and floating debris.

So how might he have described the Blizzard of ’93?

Saturday, March 13, 1993

Snowing, temperatures dropping and the wind is blowing from the southeast. Predicting more snow and blizzard conditions. Many deaths from the storm from Florida to the Carolinas.

Springtime temperatures last night at bedtime [Friday 12^th].

Roads closed, no traffic on the road outside. Cancelling events for tomorrow.

Sunday, March 14, 1993

Syracuse reported over 22 inches of snow yesterday, expect more than three feet of snow is some places. Huge drifts, and all roads are closed, no travel allowed.

Frankie Bassette’s wife Ann died this morning. They had to bring in snow plow and fire truck from Trumansburg to get the hearse to the house. The town crew used a front-end loader to get from the street to the door. Ann was a nurse and took care of Edna once.

Lake View Cemetery, lot 703
Photo from the author's collection

Dewitt’s Diary 1945--1948 

Wednesday, March 14, 1945

Froze just a little. Clear. Edna worked the morning. Solicited for Red Cross Drive this afternoon. I burned over some grass up in the field. Martin was down this afternoon. Warming up some tonight.

Thursday, March 14, 1946

Temperature 75 today. Made 7 gallons of syrup. Very dry for this time of year. A. Horton was plowing on Severn fields today. We will need a change if we get any more sap.

Friday, March 14, 1947

Rain this morning and water running some. Sap pan needs fixing, brought it down to the house.

Sunday, March 14, 1948

Chased a fox up south but did not get it. Saw geese and robin today. Snow settling today. Temperature 15 this morning. Temperature 45 this afternoon. Not freezing tonight.   

March 13, 2016 SSCS Girls Basketball State Champions

Sometimes a picture is truly worth 10,000 words.

Main Street Interlaken
Author's collection

If you couldn’t to the games for the weekend, or the day, you watched for updates on Facebook. We all cheered when the final total came through. Once again, the Lady Falcons had taken the New York State Class C Basketball Championship.

The team bus and all the cars following were greeted with a police escort as they got off the Thruway. Along the way fire trucks and more people joined the parade.

Even as this Snippet is being written the Lady Falcons are working their way through the process again.

Dewitt’s Diary Tuesday, March 13, 1951

Temperature 30, clear and calm.

A beautiful morning. We drew in 8 shocks of corn before it got too muddy. Leland and Clint P and I went over to Montour Falls to see the rainbow trout in Catherine Creek. There were quite a few trout. Husked corn this afternoon.

Cloudy and acting like storm, temperature 40 tonight. 

March 12, 1850 New Town Hall

From 1817 until 1849 the Annual town meeting was held at a home or hotel, alternating between the Hamlet of Covert and Farmerville (one of the early names for Interlaken). One of the resolutions passed each year was the location of the following year’s meeting.

The April 6, 1847, meeting recorded the 1848 “meeting to be held at Pratt’s Corners, (house not specified).”

“At the annual Town Meeting held in the Town of Covert April 4,1848, the following persons were elected officers of said town…” (Note, the exact location is not included.)

Later in that same meeting after approving constables to be elected and commissioners of highway to be elected, “Voted That this Town will have no town house. Voted that the next annual Town Meeting be held at the American House in Farmerville.”

The 1849 minutes begin in the same manner, “At the annual Town Meeting…March 13^th, 1849…” The fourth resolution was very different, “Voted that the next annual Town Meeting be held in the Town Hall.”

What is not recorded are the discussions that took place between 1848 and 1849.

Town of Covert Town Hall corner of East Covert Road and Route 96
Date unknown, but Route 96 is a dirt road.
Interlaken Historical Society photo collection #1802

The building was used for town meetings, elections, group meetings and as a gathering place. In 2006 as the Interlaken Historical Society was preparing for the Hamlet of Covert Tour, we met in the building. While it is no longer used today, it is still one of the symbols within the town, and part of the Hamlet of Covert Historic District.

Beginning with the 1850 minutes and forward, no longer was there a resolution needed to designate the location of the next meeting.

How much simpler was life back then, only one town meeting, and the election process was much quicker as well. But they also had to elect 20 or so men to take care of portions of the roads.

Dewitt’s Diary March 12, 1950

Temperature 32 this morning and 24 tonight. Cloudy and a little rain in the night and a half inch of wet snow on top of the old.

Bunny, Tip B, Leland and I had a fox chase on the new snow. Started a red on the Tunison square east of Townsendville and Bunny shot it on Batty Corner south of town.

Sixteen pheasant out front of the house where I am feeding them this morning.

March 8, 1932 More Winter Weather

Dewitt Diary, Tuesday, March 8, 1932

Worst storm in several years.

Cold tonight and a strong wind yet tonight.

Electric service off for more than a day.

Snowbanks 5 feet deep south of my garden.

March 6, 1933 National Bank Holiday Declared

On March 3, 1933 Dewitt noted “Cloudy and mild. Fairly good sleighing on most roads. Banks closed their doors today by order of the governor.” Herbert H. Lehman was governor, following Franklin D. Roosevelt who had just won the 1932 election to become the next President of the United States. The governor was acting in accord with many other states. His actions were a prelude to one of the first acts by the new President.

President Roosevelt took office on March 4, 1933. At 1:00 am, Monday, March 6, 1933, President Roosevelt issued a proclamation ordering the suspension of all banking transactions, effective immediately. He had taken that oath of office only thirty-six hours earlier.

The terms of the presidential proclamation specified that “no such banking institution or branch shall pay out, export, earmark, or permit the withdrawal or transferring any manner or by any device whatsoever, nor shall any such banking institution or branch pay out deposits, make loans or discount, or transact any other banking business whatsoever.”

For an entire week, Americans would have no access to banks or banking services. They could not withdraw or transfer their money, nor could they make deposits.

During that time congress enacted several new laws, which allowed for the orderly reopening of the banks and the successful reversal of the runs on banks.

The Wheeler National Bank of Interlaken reopened on March 15 and moved forward to continue its place as a strong leader within the community.

Interlaken Review March 10, 1933
www.fultonhistory.com

Interlaken Review March 17, 1933
www.fultonhistory.com

Dewitt’s Diary Monday, March 6, 1933

Buzzing wood today up at the woods. Clear and mild. A National closing of the banks by order of President Roosevelt.

Tuesday, March 14, 1933

A few large banks opened today.

Wednesday, March 15, 1933

Our bank and most other banks are open after several days holiday. The president of the US declared a bank holiday to safeguard the people. 

March 5, 1971 Getting out of town

Dewitt Diary, Friday March 5, 1971

Temperature 24, clear, wind blowing some.

We shoveled some more snow from the house roof. Most schools were closed. Very few roads are open.

Clipped the bills on the chickens.

About 3:30 Pete and Marian called from Waterloo that they were coming after Leland to go to Florida so Le got ready, and he went up to the corner on D. Parson’s snowmobile. I walked with his suitcase and other things on sled.

Snow became sticky this afternoon.

Our road is not open yet tonight. Ithaca reported 22 inches of snow. Temperature 30 tonight.

The snow in the yard around the barn is piled up the worst in years.

Have a ski track to the road that we walk in.

Some fields are blown almost bare by the fierce wind of yesterday.

Many main roads not open tonight.