Working up at Quarry Farm

Just pictures for now - come back for the words later this weekend.....

Lamoka Lake History

 

The dock went in the water last week - getting ready for another summer (and specifically Memorial Day this weekend).

I once took a "whack" at the history of Lamoka Lake on Hidden Landmarks.

Click the link if you want to see it:
https://www.facebook.com/JD.Iles/videos/3588328654747888

 

J.D.'s "Beach Book" for the Summer

 

 


We have a little slice of heaven on Lamoka Lake,

"The Middle-Finger Lake",

and one of the things that I like to do at the lake is read something purely for pleasure.  This book is my selection for this summer, and it is one I have actually read before.

Back when Christine and I were contemplating a move to Elmira in the late 2010's, one of the careers I was contemplating was selling Billboard Advertising for Park Outdoor.  I stumbled across this book while I was researching the company (written by the company's CEO) and was very happy that I did.  I have no idea what I was expecting from the book, but it turned out to be an excellent read. 

Oh, and here is the episode of Hidden Landmarks LIVE that deals with Park Outdoor
https://www.facebook.com/JD.Iles/videos/375182248456992 

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Here is the link to the book on amazon
https://www.amazon.com/SONS-SHADOW-Roy-Park-JR/dp/1932762876

The Mark Twain Study - just photos

 

Yesterday's episode of Hidden Landmarks LIVE

Here is the latest episode of Hidden Landmarks LIVE

This episode was a "question show" which I tend to do when I feel I need a "soft reboot".  A lot of people STILL don't realize that I do every show LIVE, which really blocks me in to doing it every Friday morning without fail, AND is a pretty grueling schedule when you factor in the fact that I am almost always at some location.

It is NICE to be able to do a show in the office once and a while.

I ask for questions from my audience ahead of time, and I got some great one's this time around.  Really made me go down some rabbit holes I was not expecting.....

 

Where to find J.D. Iles online - a map to the Hidden Landmarks universe

(note:  I am going to work on this post over the next two days so it will probably change over the next 24-48 hrs)  

There are two main areas of my professional life and they intertwine HEAVILY

#1 - Real Estate - I am a Realtor in the Finger Lakes of New York.  That is how I pay the bills

#2 - I do a Facebook LIVE local history show every Friday at 9am (and I have been doing that for about 7 years now).

When you start to look into anyone on the internet, you tend to find a wide-array of content and, at times, that can be confusing.  I want to create a "map" so that it is a little easier to find on the the places I am online and where all of it fits into the overall "plan".

Real Estate Links
https://hiddenlandmarkshometeam.kw.com/

Facebook Links
https://www.facebook.com/groups/hiddenlandmarkstv
https://www.facebook.com/JD.Iles

Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@josephdavidj.d.ilesatkelle2098

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/j.d.iles/

TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hidden_landmarks

Nextdoor
https://nextdoor.com/profile/01DsfBb62Y3WR394J/

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There is a very good interview with Claire Hughes Johnson on Tim Ferriss' podcast where she talks about having a User's Guide to working with her professionally.  I eventually want to work up to something like that.  What I have post above is my "first step" to building up to that,

The interview on Tim Ferriss' show
https://tim.blog/2024/02/27/claire-hughes-johnson/

An article about why everyone should create a "Users Manual" for themselves
https://medium.com/swlh/user-manual-to-me-92c8ce68f960

This is a link to Claire's "Guide"
https://assets.ctfassets.net/fzn2n1nzq965/6bKUeQ36CwyDoAUKC965tv/599e5b5a42bb970abbdba03c9ae87578/SCAPE_Working-With.pdf

Planning a weekly LIVE history show

 

Most of you know that I do a LIVE local history show on Facebook every Friday at 9am.

LOTS of planning goes into this (probably more than you think).  Here is a preview of the next few weeks, and yes, this all goes onto a spreadsheet (I DO love a good spreadsheet!)

Bumped into the new owners of Joycrest at the Chemung County Chamber of Commerce BUSINESS EXPO and set up a time to get back there.

The Chemung County Historical Society Museum is having an exhibition of Langdon Mansion furniture and I am going to be doing a 3-part series to promote it.

And the Monument to Adam is, of course, my white whale,,,,,,,

First Settler? Probably not.........

 I always have difficulty anytime anyone says something in history is the "first", or "oldest", or "tallest" etc, etc, etc.  To be honest, there is just too much "stuff" in history to make any of these superlatives likely.

First settler?  From Europe maybe.......  I think there were people here already NY State Education Department 1932.

Here is an excerpt from the Big Flats Historical Society web-page.

Indians inhabited the Big Flats area with several camps; the largest of which was Runonvea. It was located a bit south east from the hamlet of Big Flats. Many Indian relics have been found in the area of this camp. This beauty and fertility was not lost on the soldiers of the Sullivan Expedition when they visited Big Flats area to destroy the Indian Village of Runonvea and drive the Indians from the area. Some Indians continued to live about the area until 1791 when title to the lands was extinguished by a treaty. 

 

In March 1783 an act was passed by the State of New York most favorable to persons who would settle in this new land, by giving land grants. Thus, in the spring of 1787, Christian Myneer (Minier) with his wife and seven children came up the river through the “Gateway to Big Flats” and landed on the north side of the Chemung River. He was honored as the first settler, planted the first orchard, building the first log house. Remaining were he settled, in March 1791 he received a certification or deed for his chosen ground. His son was the first white child born in the town. His descendants still live and conduct business in Big Flats.

 In March 1783 an act was passed by the State of New York most favorable to persons who would settle in this new land, by giving land grants. Thus, in the spring of 1787, Christian Myneer (Minier) with his wife and seven children came up the river through the “Gateway to Big Flats” and landed on the north side of the Chemung River. He was honored as the first settler, planted the first orchard, building the first log house. Remaining were he settled, in March 1791 he received a certification or deed for his chosen ground. His son was the first white child born in the town. His descendants still live and conduct business in Big Flats.

However, Christian Myneer had hardly roofed his shelter when other settlers began to arrive. Enlarging the community enough that a Baptist Church was organized in 1807, land for a cemetery donated in 1809 and a Post Office was also established in 1809. The Town of Big Flats (Flatts) was established in 1822."

2 extremely rare photos of the Mark Twain Study

 

One of the interesting things about being know as an "Elmira Historian", is that people occasionally give you very, very interesting stuff.

In 1874 Susan Crane built a study on her property for her brother-in-law, Samuel Clemens.  This is the place that the majority of Mark Twain's most famous works were written in.

You can read about Mark Twain's use of the study here.....

In 1952, the study was slowly and carefully moved, by truck, to the Elmira College campus.

These two photos were given to me by my co-worker, Vicki Schamel.  It seems that her father was the one who moved the study to its current position.

It is amazing the details you can find when you search through a blown-up version of images.  (I tried the phone-number - no answer)

This shot shows the primary reason that the study was being moved.  The signs read "Please - Do Not Camp" and "Please - Do Not Picnic".  The study was regularly used for both as it was unguarded and unmonitored in those days.

So, what did I do with the photos once they fell into my possession?  They are currently in the possession on the Chemung County Historical Society.  (I think - and this is why people should WRITE THINGS DOWN)  I may have given them to the Center for Mark Twain Studies......  I can't remember.....

Mark Twain vs Chat GPT

 

Some of you might know that somehow, impossibly, I was selected to be the Official Historian for the Town of Elmira.  I hope this does not shake your faith in local government.....

Below is an excerpt from the first "essay" that I did for them.  Click the link to see the essay in full.

I am going to attempt to get one of these out per month.

 Samuel Clemens was well known for embracing new technology and rapidly incorporating it into his personal and professional life.  He purchased a Remington typewriter in the 1870’s, was one of the first people in Hartford to have a telephone installed in his residence, experimented with dictation machines to augment his writing output, and when he originally built his home in CT, he made sure it was equipped with electric lights.  Clemens was certainly interested and inspired by technological innovation, both in day-to-day life, and specifically for his writing.

 We are currently at the dawning of a new chapter in the Information Age, one that is rapidly becoming dominated by the tremendous leaps that Artificial Intelligence is making.  I have no doubt, if ChatGPT would have co-existed with Samuel Clemens, he would have experimented with it, and possibly, would have used it within his writing in some fashion....more.....

Here is the link to the full essay
https://townofelmira.com/post/_docs/MARK_TWAIN_AND_CHATgpt_doc.pdf

And here is the Town of Elmira "Historian Page"
https://townofelmira.com/post.php?pid=812

PLEASE NOTE:  I did not write all of the essays on the Town History Page.  Many are by my predecessor Scott W. Deming

 

A return to blogging.......

 

Most of you know me as on online video historian.......

Some of you know me as a Realtor on the Hidden Landmarks Home Team.......

What many of you may not know about me is that i was one of the FIRST business bloggers in the United States.  This is all ancient history at this point.  Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in 2004.  And it has to do with a period of my life where I was involved in the sign industry.  I sold sign-making equipment, and then owned my own sign company.

And I blogged about that part of my life daily.......

https://everything.typepad.com/blog/2009/06/introducing-the-typepad-small-business-center.html

https://thesignexpert.com/sign-industry-blogs-the-ultimate-list/

https://www.allbusiness.com/lincoln-sign-company-small-business-blog-3874740-1.html

Most of my blogging history has been washed away by the sands of time, (including a very nice USA TODAY feature, but the above links might give you the gist.

The original "blog" has long since been wiped out.  But the fact that we were on an episode of The New Yankee Workshop with Norm Abram has not

https://www.newyankee.com/episode/carved-wooden-signs/

"So J.D., why are you coming back to the "dark side" and why are you going to start blogging again?"

#1 - writing every day is a great personal practice, and lately, I have been missing it.  Journaling is a great way to start the day.  And of course, Blogging is journal-ling on steroids.

#2 - I have got some really interesting stories to tell in this odd, weird Real Estate / history situation I have created.  And I want to start telling some of those stories in a new way......

#3 - i miss the "blogging community".  Something strange happens when you start blogging.  New people come into your life that you never knew existed, and it allows closer ties with those you do know, so, just warning you bloggers.......

I'm back.......