Monthly Meetings of the Historical Society
General meetings are held at the Candor Town Hall , 101 Owego St., between 7:00-9:00 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month unless otherwise noted. There are no meetings held in July, November, December, or January.
We are always looking for ideas for new programs. If you have something you would like to learn more about, or care to share something yourself about Candor's history with us, please let us know.
Please see the Archives page for a couple of our programs that weren't put on DVD. There is also list of DVDs we have on past programs. These are available for a donation. You can also view many of the programs on our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@CandorHistoricalSociety-zw7tw/playlists
Programs for 2024, more to be added
February 28 - The Ithaca to Owego Turnpike, a recorded video presentation by the late Don Weber.
March 27 - A Round Robin discussion of growing up in the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. Share your memories of what it was like to grow up in Candor when you were a child.
April 24 - Candor Community Chorus presentation on their concerts and musical through the years by Hope VanScoy and Deanna Houck.
May 29 - History of the Williams Farm by Kevin Williams, Dave King, and Martha Goodsell.
June 28 - 215th Anniversary of the Congregation Church, a Journey Through Time by Melvin Foster at the Congregational Church, 134 Main St.
August 17 - Annual Historical Society Dish to Pass picnic at Moyer Park, next to High School parking lot. Noon. Bring any historical items that you would like to share.
September 25- The History of the Power and Paddle Store by Jim Signs
October 30 - Buildings and Businesses in Candor, Past and Present by Phil Jordan. At the Fire Hall.
We are always looking for ideas for new programs. If you have something you would like to learn more about, or care to share something yourself about Candor's history with us, please let us know.
Please see the Archives page for a couple of our programs that weren't put on DVD. There is also list of DVDs we have on past programs. These are available for a donation. You can also view many of the programs on our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@CandorHistoricalSociety-zw7tw/playlists
Programs for 2024, more to be added
February 28 - The Ithaca to Owego Turnpike, a recorded video presentation by the late Don Weber.
March 27 - A Round Robin discussion of growing up in the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. Share your memories of what it was like to grow up in Candor when you were a child.
April 24 - Candor Community Chorus presentation on their concerts and musical through the years by Hope VanScoy and Deanna Houck.
May 29 - History of the Williams Farm by Kevin Williams, Dave King, and Martha Goodsell.
June 28 - 215th Anniversary of the Congregation Church, a Journey Through Time by Melvin Foster at the Congregational Church, 134 Main St.
August 17 - Annual Historical Society Dish to Pass picnic at Moyer Park, next to High School parking lot. Noon. Bring any historical items that you would like to share.
September 25- The History of the Power and Paddle Store by Jim Signs
October 30 - Buildings and Businesses in Candor, Past and Present by Phil Jordan. At the Fire Hall.
News Articles About Some of Our Recent Programs
50 Years Farming, Still Going Strong
By Anne O. Stout May 7, 2019 Candor Chronicle
By Anne O. Stout May 7, 2019 Candor Chronicle
On April 24, the Candor Historical Society invited Skip and Jeanne Jackson to come and talk about their business, Iron Kettle Farms, about to open for its 50th season.
Jeanne Jackson started by telling about her hardworking father who only had an eighth grade education but taught his children the importance of hard work.
Both Skip and Jeanne would graduate from high school and even go on to college. Skip Jackson added, “I struggled hard getting through school; my most used book was the dictionary.” They would meet and end up marrying while in college.
His first job was with a milk company in Indianapolis, IN, and Jeanne his wife was a teacher. Skip Jackson would even pick up used furniture, fix it up and resell in their yard to help make ends meet. After a couple of years, a death in the family would bring Skip and Jeanne back to New York, where they had grown up. “I had a wonderful childhood on the farm and wanted to raise kids on a farm,” Jeanne Jackson said. “We had $1,000, and after searching around we went to the bank and bought Harold and Carol Adams Farm.”
The summer of 1969 they dragged out an old corn crib and set up their first market. In 1970 their first child was born, and despite business being slow, they ate that first year thanks to Skip Jackson’s hunting skills, enjoying deer and rabbit.
The first couple of years, 1970 and 1971, were very slow; they even planted two acres of strawberries. Then in 1972 Hurricane Agnes hit. “We just wanted to survive and enjoy our family.” Jeanne Jackson said. Her husband worked a couple of years at other jobs like for IBM, and Van Scoy, where he actually only received credit for grain. She had another child in 1972.
Skip Jackson’s father had bought them some hogs and wanted them to raise pigs as well.
In the beginning they had 52 acres, and only about 20 of it was tillable. As the farm grew they were able to increase the business and have traffic stopping by more. In 1979 they completed moving their house back.
In the mid 1980s, with the country suffering from the fuel crisis, they decided to grow more and bought a greenhouse. As the years passed the produce they would choose to grow would change, and they would end up tearing down an old barn and moving it from Marshland Road in Apalachin, as well as purchasing the farm from across the road from Iron Kettle. In 1996 they purchased a large greenhouse from Newark Valley and would end up moving it to the Iron Kettle Farm.
A member of the audience asked when the Jacksons started growing pumpkins, and they said from the very beginning. At one point the Nichols Farm (which later became Tioga Gardens) did a pumpkin display that got vandalized, and Mrs. Nichols would end up giving them some of the stuff from her display.
Their three children graduated from high school and went on to college and are involved in the farm today. The money they used to pay their own college expenses came from animals they raised and sold through 4-H. In 1992 they formed a partnership with their grown children.
Jeanne Jackson said, “Our goal has always been to have the best farm and love what we are doing. We also must be ready to make some changes and keep up with the times. We have really enjoyed building the farm.” The Jacksons would attend meetings outside of Tioga County and learn new ideas from other areas. Iron Kettle received the NY State Governor Award and in 1998 the Agri-Tourism Award.
They talked about not only their children but many others in the community that had worked for them on the farm. “We couldn’t have done it without our community,” Jeanne Jackson said.
Jeanne Jackson started by telling about her hardworking father who only had an eighth grade education but taught his children the importance of hard work.
Both Skip and Jeanne would graduate from high school and even go on to college. Skip Jackson added, “I struggled hard getting through school; my most used book was the dictionary.” They would meet and end up marrying while in college.
His first job was with a milk company in Indianapolis, IN, and Jeanne his wife was a teacher. Skip Jackson would even pick up used furniture, fix it up and resell in their yard to help make ends meet. After a couple of years, a death in the family would bring Skip and Jeanne back to New York, where they had grown up. “I had a wonderful childhood on the farm and wanted to raise kids on a farm,” Jeanne Jackson said. “We had $1,000, and after searching around we went to the bank and bought Harold and Carol Adams Farm.”
The summer of 1969 they dragged out an old corn crib and set up their first market. In 1970 their first child was born, and despite business being slow, they ate that first year thanks to Skip Jackson’s hunting skills, enjoying deer and rabbit.
The first couple of years, 1970 and 1971, were very slow; they even planted two acres of strawberries. Then in 1972 Hurricane Agnes hit. “We just wanted to survive and enjoy our family.” Jeanne Jackson said. Her husband worked a couple of years at other jobs like for IBM, and Van Scoy, where he actually only received credit for grain. She had another child in 1972.
Skip Jackson’s father had bought them some hogs and wanted them to raise pigs as well.
In the beginning they had 52 acres, and only about 20 of it was tillable. As the farm grew they were able to increase the business and have traffic stopping by more. In 1979 they completed moving their house back.
In the mid 1980s, with the country suffering from the fuel crisis, they decided to grow more and bought a greenhouse. As the years passed the produce they would choose to grow would change, and they would end up tearing down an old barn and moving it from Marshland Road in Apalachin, as well as purchasing the farm from across the road from Iron Kettle. In 1996 they purchased a large greenhouse from Newark Valley and would end up moving it to the Iron Kettle Farm.
A member of the audience asked when the Jacksons started growing pumpkins, and they said from the very beginning. At one point the Nichols Farm (which later became Tioga Gardens) did a pumpkin display that got vandalized, and Mrs. Nichols would end up giving them some of the stuff from her display.
Their three children graduated from high school and went on to college and are involved in the farm today. The money they used to pay their own college expenses came from animals they raised and sold through 4-H. In 1992 they formed a partnership with their grown children.
Jeanne Jackson said, “Our goal has always been to have the best farm and love what we are doing. We also must be ready to make some changes and keep up with the times. We have really enjoyed building the farm.” The Jacksons would attend meetings outside of Tioga County and learn new ideas from other areas. Iron Kettle received the NY State Governor Award and in 1998 the Agri-Tourism Award.
They talked about not only their children but many others in the community that had worked for them on the farm. “We couldn’t have done it without our community,” Jeanne Jackson said.
Candor’s Envirothon: Making history since 1992
By Sue Smith-Heavenrich April 8, 2019 Candor Chronicle
Hannah Robinson Murray, Hunter Wulf, Jonathan Zisk, Spencer Hunt, and Melvin Foster
The last thing you expect when attending a Candor Historical Society program is a pop quiz. And yet there we were, photos of two maple leaves projected onto a screen and a challenge issued: name those trees.
On March 27, the Candor Historical Society invited Dr. Jonathan Zisk to share stories and insights from one of the winningest Envirothon teams in the state. Zisk, who taught chemistry and physics at Candor High School, also coached the team.
Envirothon is an academic competition that measures a team’s knowledge of forestry, wildlife, aquatics, and soils. And Candor has sent a team to the National/ International Envirothon nine times in the past 27 years. Not bad for a small school, Zisk noted. “Especially when you realize that we’re competing with school districts that spend twice as much per pupil as Candor does.”
If there’s one thing the Candor coaches and team members have learned over those years, it’s that being smart won’t win the Envirothon. Spence Hunt, coach emeritus, and past and present team members Melvin Foster, Hannah Robinson Murray, and Hunter Wulf agree that winning is a result of how well the team prepares and how they work together.
“There were times when the team would meet after school until 9 p.m.,” said Hunt. “Some years they’d stay later.” Over the years their study library accumulated field guides, textbooks, thick binders filled with test questions and articles, and notes about how best to approach the competition.
“Back in the beginning, we went up to Cornell to meet with a professor,” Zisk said. “When we showed him some of the questions about soils, he told us those weren’t high school questions. They were more like graduate school level.” Zisk continues to be impressed by the young men and women who, after a full day of school, athletics, and work commitments still choose to spend hours participating in what amounts to a college level environmental science course—but without the credits.
Envirothon is more than a test; it presents authentic problems for students to solve. At the regional competition, the aquatics section not only asks a wide range of questions—they run the range from general wetland ecology to regulations—but asks teams to identify plants and fish. Not only that, the competition is a timed event, so when the air horn sounds it’s time to hustle to the next testing station.
At the soils section the pages of the written test are weighted with stones so they don’t fly away while the teams head off to the pit. There they examine the layers and roll a bit of mud in their palm. The forestry section challenges students to identify trees and tools, and calculate board feet of lumber. Not only do they need to remember how to use a Biltmore stick, but also how to do those pesky calculations. Plus, in early spring the leaves are barely emerging, so remembering bark patterns is useful. Then it’s up to the lodge for skulls and taxidermied wings.
Candor has won so many times that going to competitions was “like having a target on our back,” said Hunt. “We didn’t wear any Candor gear. We weren’t going to flaunt it, but we were going to win.” The team ranked high in the national competitions, one year coming in fourth, and even won first place in their presentation.
Yes, public speaking is a vital part of the Envirothon. Every year the competition includes a “current environmental issue.” This year students are challenged to turn a mediocre plot of land into an experimental farm to demonstrate how they could grow food crops for a billion people or more – and at the same time use technology to mitigate climate change.
It turns out that a lot of Envirothon participants go into science and related fields. Hannah Murray (Envirothon 1997—2000) studied landscape architecture. She credits the experience of putting together a presentation with helping her prepare for some college courses. With a decade of professional practice behind her, she’s back in the Candor area and hopes to begin her own landscape architecture business soon.
Melvin Foster, who is a pastor, teacher, and dedicated community volunteer, was on the 1992 team. He loved forestry and wildlife and thought at one time he might become a forest ranger. “My favorite tree is the Sassafras,” he said. “It has three different kinds of leaves, and such a distinctive smell in the fall.”
Hunter Wulf is a senior this year, and looking forward to his third Envirothon. He likes forestry, especially identifying trees. He’ll be putting his skills to the test on April 25, at the Southern Tier Regional Envirothon in Owego.
Next up for the Candor Historical Society: the history of the Iron Kettle Farm with Jeanne and Skip Jackson, on April 24, 7 p.m. at Candor Town Hall. Find events and more at candorhistoricalsociety.weebly.com and their Facebook page.
On March 27, the Candor Historical Society invited Dr. Jonathan Zisk to share stories and insights from one of the winningest Envirothon teams in the state. Zisk, who taught chemistry and physics at Candor High School, also coached the team.
Envirothon is an academic competition that measures a team’s knowledge of forestry, wildlife, aquatics, and soils. And Candor has sent a team to the National/ International Envirothon nine times in the past 27 years. Not bad for a small school, Zisk noted. “Especially when you realize that we’re competing with school districts that spend twice as much per pupil as Candor does.”
If there’s one thing the Candor coaches and team members have learned over those years, it’s that being smart won’t win the Envirothon. Spence Hunt, coach emeritus, and past and present team members Melvin Foster, Hannah Robinson Murray, and Hunter Wulf agree that winning is a result of how well the team prepares and how they work together.
“There were times when the team would meet after school until 9 p.m.,” said Hunt. “Some years they’d stay later.” Over the years their study library accumulated field guides, textbooks, thick binders filled with test questions and articles, and notes about how best to approach the competition.
“Back in the beginning, we went up to Cornell to meet with a professor,” Zisk said. “When we showed him some of the questions about soils, he told us those weren’t high school questions. They were more like graduate school level.” Zisk continues to be impressed by the young men and women who, after a full day of school, athletics, and work commitments still choose to spend hours participating in what amounts to a college level environmental science course—but without the credits.
Envirothon is more than a test; it presents authentic problems for students to solve. At the regional competition, the aquatics section not only asks a wide range of questions—they run the range from general wetland ecology to regulations—but asks teams to identify plants and fish. Not only that, the competition is a timed event, so when the air horn sounds it’s time to hustle to the next testing station.
At the soils section the pages of the written test are weighted with stones so they don’t fly away while the teams head off to the pit. There they examine the layers and roll a bit of mud in their palm. The forestry section challenges students to identify trees and tools, and calculate board feet of lumber. Not only do they need to remember how to use a Biltmore stick, but also how to do those pesky calculations. Plus, in early spring the leaves are barely emerging, so remembering bark patterns is useful. Then it’s up to the lodge for skulls and taxidermied wings.
Candor has won so many times that going to competitions was “like having a target on our back,” said Hunt. “We didn’t wear any Candor gear. We weren’t going to flaunt it, but we were going to win.” The team ranked high in the national competitions, one year coming in fourth, and even won first place in their presentation.
Yes, public speaking is a vital part of the Envirothon. Every year the competition includes a “current environmental issue.” This year students are challenged to turn a mediocre plot of land into an experimental farm to demonstrate how they could grow food crops for a billion people or more – and at the same time use technology to mitigate climate change.
It turns out that a lot of Envirothon participants go into science and related fields. Hannah Murray (Envirothon 1997—2000) studied landscape architecture. She credits the experience of putting together a presentation with helping her prepare for some college courses. With a decade of professional practice behind her, she’s back in the Candor area and hopes to begin her own landscape architecture business soon.
Melvin Foster, who is a pastor, teacher, and dedicated community volunteer, was on the 1992 team. He loved forestry and wildlife and thought at one time he might become a forest ranger. “My favorite tree is the Sassafras,” he said. “It has three different kinds of leaves, and such a distinctive smell in the fall.”
Hunter Wulf is a senior this year, and looking forward to his third Envirothon. He likes forestry, especially identifying trees. He’ll be putting his skills to the test on April 25, at the Southern Tier Regional Envirothon in Owego.
Next up for the Candor Historical Society: the history of the Iron Kettle Farm with Jeanne and Skip Jackson, on April 24, 7 p.m. at Candor Town Hall. Find events and more at candorhistoricalsociety.weebly.com and their Facebook page.
Richard Quest Digs Into Local Tales of Adventure, Intrigue
By Sue Smith-Heavenrich Oct. 4, 2018 Candor Chronicle
Depending on when you knew him, Richard Quest was a history teacher, soccer coach, local historian, college professor and now, a book author. On Wednesday, Sept. 26, he captivated friends, former students, and local residents with a tale of Civil War heroism and adventure. Quest’s new book, I Held Lincoln, A Union Sailor’s Journey Home (Potomac Books, 2018) relates the capture – and escape from Confederate POW prison – of Lieutenant Benjamin Loring.
Inspiration for writing Loring’s story came from blood on a coat, says Quest. Loring’s coat. Back in 1994, Quest heard a story from Tioga County historian, Emma Sedore, that the blood was Abraham Lincoln’s. That Loring had been present in Ford Theater when Lincoln was shot. Quest wanted to know more. Who was this Loring? So he began researching, reading Loring’s journals and letters, and writing.
Quest’s book is riveting; his talk kept the audience on the edge of their seats. That’s because Quest has a penchant for storytelling – for making local history relevant and turning historical events into adventures that capture your imagination.
Benjamin Loring made a good living in California. It was the 1860s and gold miners needed supplies. Loring and his brother were “packers”, hauling tools, food, and materials into the Sierras and hauling out money in their pockets. But when the Civil War began, Loring knew he needed to serve his country. Having served on ships before, he hitched a ride on a mail coach to Washington D.C. and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. May of 1864 found him aboard the “tin clad” vessel, USS Wave, upriver from New Orleans and fighting a losing battle. Battered into submission by Confederate artillery, and dead in the water, Loring surrenders and he and his men are taken prisoner.
Loring and his sailors are marched to Camp Groce where they suffer under poor conditions and abuse from their guards. Loring plans an escape, and Quest skillfully weaves a tale about the reconnaissance, and bribes needed to put this plot into action. Outside prison walls, Loring sees how enslaved people are treated and is reminded of what he was fighting for. But after ten days on the run, within ten miles of Union lines, Loring and his buddy are recaptured.
Sent back to Camp Groce, Loring finds conditions have worsened. It’s the fourth year of the war and southern resources are running low. The camp’s overcrowded conditions contribute to ill health and death of many prisoners. Loring vows to escape again. But now it is November, and cold weather has come. Still, he makes another break for freedom.
“The amazing thing,” says Quest, clicking to a slide of Loring’s journal entry for this time period, “is that Loring tells us where they go. We know exactly where he went because he drew a map.” Escaping from Camp Groce wasn’t an easy task. Their first obstacle is to navigate through the scrublands surrounding camp, and it’s 350 miles to New Orleans. That’s about 25 days of walking from Hempstead, Texas.
As he described Loring’s journey, Quest showed slides of what the area looks like now. Yes – historical research takes fieldwork! One place Loring mentioned was Niblets Bluff on the Sabine River. “Now there’s a ‘Do Not Feed the Alligators’ sign,” Quest said.
Loring and his companion are starving, and can barely walk by the time they near Union lines. Eight miles from freedom – and all they have to do is cross a river. But, Quest pauses… “all that is left are pilings. The bridge has been burnt.” So they walk back to where they saw telegraph lines and manage to knock down a pole which they can use to cross from piling to piling. When they get to the next bridge they find it has been burned as well. Not only that, the weather has turned and icy rain pelts them.
Finally, they reach a Union ship. “Now Loring realizes he has to convince the Naval officers coming towards them that they are on the same side,” Quest says. It would be a shame to get shot after having walked so far….
During the early months of 1865, Loring is recovering and serving at the Navy Yard in Washington. The war has come to an end and Loring wants to celebrate with a night on the town. So he heads to Ford’s theater because he hears that Lincoln and Grant will be watching the performance that night. Midway through the show, Lincoln and his wife show up.
“The Grant’s don’t, because Mrs. Grant and Mrs. Lincoln don’t get along well,” says Quest. And then – chaos! Lincoln is shot, and Loring runs to his box to render aid. This is where the blood comes from, Quest notes, referring to Loring’s coat on display at the Owego museum. At least it looks like blood…
So in 1999 to 2000, Quest teamed up with Candor science teacher Jonathan Zisk to see if they could do some forensic investigation on Loring’s coat. First, they obtained luminol, a chemical used to detect presence of blood. “We went into the darkroom and spritzed the jacket,” Quest said. “It showed luminescent splatters where it was reacting with the iron in the blood’s hemoglobin.” Then they took a sample to a geneticist and got results.
“Nine months later,” Quest said. “We could have had a baby.” The results were … inconclusive. So, the historians know it is indeed blood, and Loring has documented in his journals that he was there with Lincoln in Ford’s theater. Quest would like other historians to provide blood samples for comparison, but has had no luck yet. Meanwhile, he’s got another project to get working on.
You can find out more about Richard Quest and I Held Lincoln at his website richardequest.com.