By Carol Fisher-Linn
Buildings tell stories, and these walls are talking…
Early lore about the early days of America often seem to start with a wood-framed log cabin: Uncle Tom, Presidents Jackson, Garfield, Harrison, Lincoln, etc. And so, it is with the Town Hall (and attached jail) on the four corners of the Village of Ellicottville. It began as a simple log building in 1820, burned to the ground in early 1829, and was rebuilt out of brick in that late summer and fall, one hundred and ninety-five years ago. Can you imagine yourself living in the Ellicottville wilderness in those days? No roads, no paths, just trails through the woods marked with “blazes” to point travelers probably toward the river. Blazes were notches cut from wood, or paint marks.
Historically, Ellicottville was part of Genesee County. In March 1808, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara counties were carved away from that county and today, Genesee County is part of the Finger Lakes region of NYS. Practically unpopulated, the area that became Ellicottville was fertile ground for a few white hunters and trappers. Although the Iroquois still had control over the land, they lived elsewhere. It was wild, no roads – only footpaths, abundantly forested and home to large numbers of local fauna, including moose and elk (this bit found in an essay by John Thomas in his book, Four Corners). Prior to 1817 when Cattaraugus County was created, this region was a hamlet in the town of Ischua which today is its own hamlet on the border of Franklinville and minutes from Olean. 1817 brought changes when Holland Land Company was commissioned to designate a central spot in the county to serve as county seat. Hence, Ellicottville became that spot and, naturally a courthouse was needed to conduct the affairs of the county. In 1820, the first town hall was erected in the same spot that the current building stands. Within 9 years, it burned and a brick building replaced the cinders and ashes of the log building.
Aside from serving as a courthouse, the new 1829 building also was used for church services by St. John’s Episcopal Church until their own church was built in 1837. Being in the center of the community, the town hall filled many needs when space was needed. Our historians, Ellen Frank and Dawn Westfall shared some interesting tidbits about the goings-on in that building. The second floor with its stage provided space for otherwise homeless events or endeavors. Local children attended school in that building for many years until the school building on one of the other four corners was built in 1887; it was used as a recreation and meeting hall; Sunday Mass was celebrated after the Catholic Church burned. Here’s a fun fact from Ellen Frank: “there was entertainment on the second floor and there was a circus up there. I’m not sure how they got the elephants through the doors. I think it was probably clowns and maybe dogs. Nothing big as an elephant.” Until the turn of the 19th century, plays, concerts, lectures, and other forms of entertainment were held upstairs.
Here’s a little drama, from the Freemason paper June 25, 1840. The Headlines read: “Horrid Murder: In June of 1840 there was a murder in Leon, NY and the suspect was brought to Ellicottville to the county jail. They hope Mr. Buhall would have a quick trial.” Another story was about the Holland Land Co.: the land hadn’t been paid for so they sent the sheriff to arrest the man. His neighbors got worried about him and found he was in jail so a mob threatened to burn down the jail. Yep, right here in bucolic Ellicottville.
Towns evolve, and in this case, in 1868, Ellicottville lost the distinction of being the county seat due to lack of railroad services. The seat was moved to Little Valley where it remains to this day. The Town of Ellicottville purchased the courthouse and jail from the county, tore down the jail and has used the building as the center of our Town and Village governments ever since.
Well, it’s not quite the end of the story. You see, somehow this storied brick building caught fire again in 1969. Thanks only to the perseverance and grit of a determined group of citizens led by G. W. Northrup and William K, Laidlaw, the building was not razed, as intended (for a firehall), but rather the exterior was restored to its original status and the interior fully remodeled, thanks to an historic preservation grant of $80,000. Although the belfry was replaced by an aluminum replica, it no longer could support the bell. And now to wrap this story with yet one more tale which just affirms how “it takes a village.” Highway Supervisor, J. Frank, rescued the bell after the 1969 fire. He took it to his farm and kept it until the building was reconstructed, at which time they built a platform by the front door, on which the bell sits today. Look for the plaque and the bell next time you walk through the front doors. (Thank you to Village Clerk, Amy Hayward and Ellicottville Mayor, John Burrell for this anecdote.) At long last, in 1973 the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, protected for the ages.