Artifact Found in Yates House

Workers repairing windows found this lead sash weight dated 1869, the year original owner Joseph W. Yates became one of the first council members and Job Male became the city's first mayor.

By coincidence, as I was looking up information on the building online, so was a relative of J.W. Yates, who saw my 2007 blog post on the house and wrote from Florida to share information. He later sent a New York Times obituary for J.W. Yates and other family documents. In turn, I am attempting to get a copy of the Courier News front-page story on Mr. Yates' death, which tells more about his early life as well as his contributions to the community. He died on July 30, 1904.

The Yates house is now a six-family apartment building. In the early 20th century, the story goes, it was lifted on steel girders and turned sideways on the lot. A late 19th century map in the library's Plainfield Room shows its original placement with a circular driveway, dominating the block across from Grace Episcopal Church.

Once I get more information, I will share it with readers and also with the library.

--Bernice