Snippet From The Past: November 21, 1980 Covert Historic District

As part of the 1976 Bicentennial celebration, the Interlaken Grange took on two related projects. The restoration and painting of the Baptist Church at Covert and listing the Covert Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

A look at https://www.nps.gov/nr/ gives some idea of what a remarkable project and accomplishment this was before the era of digital cameras, scanned images and email.

Since the beginning of the program through 2016, there have been 92,375 total listings, with 931 properties listed in fiscal year 2016. There is also a spread sheet which lists all of the projects. After scrolling through the list of states to reach New York, then through all the counties, finally, Seneca County.

Project Reference number: 80002766; Name: Covert Historic District; Listed Date: 19801121. At this time, the projects for New York State have not been digitized.

That is not a problem for this article;the Interlaken Historical Society has a copy of the project documents along with pictures of each of the buildings.

The Historic District is along Route 96 between Interlaken and Trumansburg centered on the four corners of Route 96 with East and West Covert Road.

The Interlaken Review had a number of articles and announcements for the planning process. May 24, 1978, “Covert Historic District Meeting Planned.” A meeting was being planned for early June at the Grange Hall in Covert. Guest speakers included Anna Covell, with the Historical Preservation Field Service of Albany, and David Rowe, Director of Landmarks Association of Central N.Y. in Syracuse.

The article listed advantages of a Historic District including matching funds to preserve homes, loans for preservation and federal tax advantages.

Before addition to the Federal Register, the Covert Historic District was approved by the N.Y.S. Historic Department.

As with any significant project, what was started in the mid-1970s took time to reach conclusion. Those at the June 1978 meeting, and others interested in the project, had to wait until November 1980 to see the reward for their efforts.

The list of homes and buildings in the Historic District include:

Covert Baptist Church, Interlaken Grange Hall, Old Covert Cemetery and Pratt Vault, Old Covert School House, Covert Town Hall, Cole-McDaniel House, Pratt-Gregg-Salem House, the Old Chauncey Pratt Tavern, Morris Medlock House and Barn, Henry Mason House, Joel Horton Tenant House, Old Cole Home, Old Fenn House, Joel Horton Homestead, Covert Baptist Church Parsonage, Old Lucius Fenn Home, Rice House, Tenant House for Alf Farms, Horton Tenant House, Aubrey Smith Gas Station.

On the East Wall of the Interlaken Grange Hall are pictures of each of the buildings, and a map of the overall district. The pictures were taken by committee chairperson Phil Stannard as part of the overall project.