Editing Fair Haven, New York (section)

== History ==
The village first gained prominence as a port on the south shore of Lake Ontario. The openings in the [[sand bar]]s on Little Sodus Bay were widened and protected by [[Jetty|jetties]] in the middle of the 19th century, thus improving the shipping capabilities of Fair Haven. The west pier was later marked with a wooden outer lighthouse with a fourth order Fresnel lens and in 1873 a light keepers house was built on shore which still stands. Sometime later an inner [[lighthouse]] was added.

The [[Southern Central Railroad]] served Fair Haven, from 1872 until 1887 when it was absorbed by the [[Lehigh Valley Railroad]]. Summer tourists arrived by rail from [[Auburn, New York|Auburn]] and other inland towns to enjoy the parks on the waterfront.which were known for having the very best sand beaches on Lake Ontario. The railroad also carried coal up from Athens, [[Pennsylvania]] to a 1500 foot wooden trestle built on the east shore of  Little Sodus Bay. The coal was then loaded and shipped by sail freighter to [[Canada]] and Ice was harvested from the bay and shipped back by rail to [[New York City]]. The trestle was torn down in 1937, a year after the spur was abandoned.  When its use as a port waned, the village continued to flourish as a prime recreational destination thanks to the new State Park.

{{anchor|Fair Haven Community Church}}
[[File:Fair Haven NY Presby PHS791.jpg|left|thumb|Postcard image of 1882-built Presbyterian church, now the Fair Haven Community Church.]]
The Presbyterian church, whose brick building of 1882 replaced a former building destroyed by fire, was united with the local Methodist church in 1928.<ref>Per 1993 plaque written by Sterling Historical Society, which can be seen in [[:File:Fair Haven Community Church.jpeg]]</ref> It is now the '''Fair Haven Community Church'''.

In the late 1920s land acquisitions had begun for creation of [[Fair Haven Beach State Park]] with construction starting around 1930 using labor provided by the [[Civilian Conservation Corps]].

The [[Little Red School House Museum]] located at 1294 State Route 104A, Sterling, New York preserves Fair Haven's Railroad heritage with two floors of exhibits and a functioning railroad hand pump car that visitors are welcome to ride.

Camping, swimming, fishing and recreational boating are popular now, and the bay is ringed with cottages and year-round residences. There has been an active [[yacht club]] on the west shore for over a century, and many sailboats are seen during the summer.  The Pleasant Beach Hotel, located on the east shore, opened in 1910 and is still in operation today.

The history of Fair Haven has been well documented by photographer Edna Williams (1883-1967) and several writers, most recently Robert Kolsters who has two books, ''Looking Back at Fair Haven'' ({{ISBN|978-0-9726841-2-5}}), loaded with historic pictures and other information. There is an active historical association in nearby Sterling that operates a museum in the Red Schoolhouse. Susan Peterson Gately (''Passages on Inland Waters'' {{ISBN|0-9646149-2-8}}) has a section devoted to the work of Edna Williams containing a biography by June MacArthur, curator for the Edna Williams photographic collection.

[[Cottage Farm (Fair Haven, New York)|Cottage Farm]], on Richmond Avenue next to the Community Church, was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 2012.<ref name="nps">{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/listings/20121130.htm|title=National Register of Historic Places Listings|date=November 20, 2012|work=Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 11/19/12 through 11/23/12 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>