newporthouseny.html

newporthouseny.html

I as of yet do not know where to draw limitations as to listings of amusement/recreational locations in the late 1800's. Some I will list. Others maybe not. There was the era of the 'Grand Hotels' of which many evolved into full fledged Amusement Parks and others NO except many in their day were sort of like an Amusement Park themselves. I assume all had Dance Halls. Casino's ?

The Rochester area had it's quantity of such places. I would suggest researching Rochester History. I can not include all in this web site which covers the whole USA. It would be a theme for a whole another website. 'Known old Hotels' ??? Known old 'Sports Fields' ? For major 'known' Amusement Parks look elsewhere on this site under 'Rochester, New York.

Newport House

More information needed. It was one of those 'Hotels' of latter 1800's that evolved into 'Amusements'.

Carryalls

Horse cars began to be used in Rochester about 1880, but anyone traveling into the country had to find other means of transportation, and that was when Carryalls had their day. Carryalls were extraordinary in appearance, especially the ones used by the Kalmbach Brothers, Henry and Jacob, who had their stable on Maria Street in Rochester. Their popular model was painted maroon with gold lettering and striping. There were good brakes, a bugler, cushions, curtains and accommodations for 24-40 passengers. Some of the larger of these, such as the Higgins "49," required teams of four to six horses. The driver was seated very high on the coach and the lead team was sometimes forty to sixty feet from him. It did require skill on the part of the driver, but the teams were usually well-trained and dependable. It was quite a sight to see these fine horses, in their highly-polished, brass-trimmed harness, hauling what looked like a circus wagon loaded with people. Carryalls were the last word in rural transportation. It was quite the custom to picnic at the Newport at that time, and Carryalls were hired to take small groups there, remain all day with the party, and then bring them back to the city in the evening. Sometimes, as many as twenty Carryalls could be counted backed up against the hill at the extreme end of the ground, a horse show in itself since Higgins' Livery was noted for its fine horses. These conveyances were also engaged to take people to affairs at Schuetzen Park, to various outings at resorts on both the Lake and Bay, and to Charlotte for the Blessing of the Graves at the Holy Sepulcher Cemetery. They were kept especially busy on Sundays and holidays, for that was when crowds sought the resorts.

When the Glen Haven Railroad was built in 1888, Carryalls went on the wane and when the trolley line to Summerville was installed in 1903, their era had passed.

CREDITS: City of Rochester