Editing Livingston County, New York (section)

== Important sites and events ==

=== Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, Lima ===
One of the first coeducational schools in the country, incorporated 1834, founded by the Genesee Conference of the [[Methodist Episcopal Church]] and operated until 1941. [[Genesee College]], founded on the same site in the 1840s, eventually relocated and became [[Syracuse University]]. Presently the site is occupied by [[Elim Bible Institute]].

=== Water Therapy: Avon Springs and the Jackson Sanitarium ===
[[File:Summer excursion routes and rates (1897) (14572853000).jpg|thumb|View from Sanitorium, 1890s]]
The area around present-day [[Avon, New York|Avon]] and eastern [[Caledonia, New York|Caledonia]] was known by the Seneca as "[[Canawaugus, New York|Canawaugus]]," or "the place of stinking waters" due to the prevalence of [[sulfur]] in the springs on the west side of town. The Seneca believed the water's mineral characteristics had [[Hydrotherapy|health benefits]] long before the white settlers arrived. In 1821, Richard Wadsworth was the first white man in Avon to build a showering box and promote the curative properties of the sulfur water. The reputation of Avon Springs grew throughout the 19th century, peaking just before the [[American Civil War|Civil War era.]] Guests sought health cures as well as relaxation and recreation opportunities in the Genesee Valley. By about 1900, most of the numerous hotels and [[spa]]s were gone.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book|title=Avon: Heart of the Genesee Country|last=Preston|first=Marie C.|publisher=Avon Herald-News Inc.|year=1976}}</ref>

Nunda and Dansville also boasted mineral springs and attracted travelers from around the world to enjoy the medicinal effects of water therapy. Most well-known was the sprawling resort in Dansville operated by Dr. James C. Jackson, a leading [[Alternative medicine|holistic health]] advocate and [[Abolitionism|abolitionist]]. Dr. Jackson is credited with inventing [[Granula]], America's first cold [[breakfast cereal]], and along with Dr. Harriet Austen, endorsed exercise and less constraining clothes for women. The resort stayed in the Jackson family until the early 1900s. During [[World War I]], the sanitarium was used by the [[Federal government of the United States|federal government]] as a hospital for wounded soldiers. In 1929, [[Bodybuilding|bodybuilder]] [[Bernarr Macfadden]] bought the facility and named it the Physical Culture Hotel. His larger-than-life personality and national magazine with the same name boosted the popularity of the place into the 1950s.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Castles on the Hill|last=Jackson|first=Ted|publisher=Dansville Area Historical Society|year=2010}}</ref>

=== The Shakers of Groveland ===
The only [[Shakers|Shaker]] colony in western New York began moving from [[Sodus, New York|Sodus]], [[Wayne County, New York]] to the hamlet of [[Groveland, New York|Sonyea]] in Groveland in 1836. The Shakers practiced celibacy, [[Agrarian society|agrarian]] communal living, and self-sufficiency.

The Groveland site was convenient as a stopping place for Shakers traveling between their western societies in Ohio and their parent village at [[New Lebanon, New York]]. The 1,700-acre farm, with its fertile flatlands and the access to the [[Genesee Valley Canal]] benefited the Shakers’ cottage industries. They made flat brooms, dried apples, dried sweet corn, and fancy goods such as sewing boxes.<ref>Stephen J. Paterwic, ''Historical Dictionary of the Shakers'' (Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2008), 96-97.</ref>

Groveland's Shaker population peaked with 148 members in 1836. In 1857, they had 130 members, which shrank to 57 in 1874. Shaker membership everywhere had diminished to the point where the society had to begin consolidating its population at fewer sites. In 1892, the remaining 34 Groveland members moved to the North Family of the Shaker community at [[Watervliet, New York]].

After the Shakers left Groveland, [[New York (state)|State of New York]] paid the Shakers $115,000 for the buildings and 1,800 acres of land at Groveland, for the [[Craig Colony for Epileptics]].<ref>Paterwic, ''Historical Dictionary of the Shakers'', 97</ref>

Several diaries and journals from the Shakers' early years at Groveland can be found at the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio.<ref>See, for instance: a daily journal kept by an unidentified Groveland Shaker (1837–1841), ms. V:B-23; two journals by Mary Dryer (1839–1846), mss. V:B-24 and 25; two Groveland Church Family journals (1842–1847), mss. V:B-26 and 27; Polly Lee's journals (1843–1871), mss. V:B-28 and 29, and Chauncey Sears' diary (1861–1865), ms. V:B-32, all in the Cathcart collection at Western Reserve Historical Society.</ref> These manuscripts are also available on microfilm at more than 20 locations throughout the U.S.<ref>The current Shakers, who live at Sabbathday Lake, in [[New Gloucester, Maine]], have a Shaker Library which owns this microfilm, as do many Shaker historical sites and a number of academic institutions.</ref>

=== Civil War regiments ===
Three [[American Civil War|Civil War]] regiments were organized in Livingston County. The [[104th New York Volunteer Infantry]] or ‘Wadsworth Guards’, named in honor of [[James S. Wadsworth|Gen. James S. Wadsworth]], formed September 1861 at [[Geneseo, New York|Geneseo]]. The camp was located at the head of North Street in the [[Geneseo (village), New York|village]] and known as Camp Union. The two other regiments were organized at [[Portage, New York|Portage]] near present-day [[Letchworth State Park]]. In 1862, the [[130th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment|130th Infantry regiment]] formed and later converted to a [[Cavalry in the American Civil War|cavalry]] unit known as the [[1st Regiment New York Dragoons|1st New York Dragoons]]. The same year the [[136th New York Volunteer Infantry|136th Infantry Regiment]], also known as the ‘Ironclads’, was organized.

=== The Caledonia Fish Hatchery ===
[[Rochester, New York|Rochester]] native [[Seth Green (pisciculture)|Seth Green's]] groundbreaking experiments in artificial fish propagation led to the establishment of the first fish hatchery in the [[Western Hemisphere]] in [[Caledonia, New York|Caledonia]] in 1864. The hatchery is managed by the [[New York State Department of Environmental Conservation|Department of Conservation]] and has remained active into the 21st century.

=== Genesee Valley Hunt ===
The Livingston County Hunt was established in 1876 by Maj. William Austin Wadsworth. By the early 1880s, the organization was called the Genesee Valley Hunt and the Valley became known as the [[Fox hunting|fox-hunting]] center of North America. The Genesee Valley Hunt remains active and is one of the oldest in the U.S.

=== Salt mining ===
Salt was discovered more than 1000 feet below the surface in Livingston County in the early 1880s. Salt mines opened in the towns of Leicester (Cuylerville), Livonia, Mount Morris, and York ([[Retsof, New York|Retsof]]). The Retsof mine became the largest salt-producing mine in the United States and the second largest in the world.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Goodman|display-authors=etal|first=William M.|date=September 5, 2009|title=The History of Room-and=Pillar Salt Mines in New York State|url=http://www.worldsaltsymposium.org/download/the-history-of-room-and-pillar-salt-mines-in-new-york-state-2/|journal=Beijing 9th World Salt Symposium|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507143339/http://www.worldsaltsymposium.org/download/the-history-of-room-and-pillar-salt-mines-in-new-york-state-2/|archive-date=May 7, 2018|access-date=June 8, 2017}}</ref> The industry was a major employer throughout most of the 20th century until the mine collapsed and flooded in 1994.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Mine collapse fractures a county|last=Mills|first=Steve|date=March 20, 1994|work=Rochester Democrat and Chronicle}}</ref> American Rock Salt opened a new mine in 1997 at Hampton Corners in the Town of Groveland and soon afterwards became the largest operating salt mine in the U.S.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanrocksalt.com/|title=American Rock Salt|access-date=June 8, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321082917/https://www.americanrocksalt.com/|archive-date=March 21, 2017}}</ref>

=== Murray Hill, Mt. Morris ===
Once the terrestrial lands of the Seneca Indians, a wide area in Western New York known as the Mt. Morris Tract was purchased in 1807 by four couples – Mr. and Mrs. John R. Murray Sr., Mr. and Mrs. William Ogden, Mr. and Mrs. [[John Trumbull]], all of New York City, and Mr. and Mrs. [[James Wadsworth (of Geneseo)|James Wadsworth]] of [[Geneseo, New York|Geneseo]].

In 1837, the land was subdivided and John R. Murray Jr. established a home on the property that would be known as "Murray Hill." He brought his bride, Anna Vernon Olyphant of New York City, to live in a simple but elegant [[mansion]] overlooking the Genesee Valley. The couple improved the grounds with [[formal garden]]s and [[Fish Ponds]] and entertained distinguished guests for the next 25 years.

Over the course of the next seven decades, the estate had a succession of proprietors. In 1882, while under the ownership of Col. Charles Shepard and wife, a fire completely destroyed the Murray mansion. A new, less magnificent home was built together with extensive [[barn]]s and [[stable]]s.

By 1930, New York State was seeking a site in the area for one of three new [[tuberculosis]] [[sanatorium]]s to help control and prevent a disease that was the cause of nearly 4000 deaths in upstate New York that year. Although Livingston County had a low rate of tuberculosis as compared to urban centers, the Murray Hill site was chosen as the ideal spot for this facility to serve the western region due to its central location, favorable weather, easy accessibility to [[Rail transport|rail lines]] and state roads, and proximity to advanced healthcare centers at [[Craig Colony for Epileptics|Craig Colony]] in Sonyea and [[Strong Memorial Hospital|Strong Hospital]] in Rochester. All of these factors, including the restorative nature of the surroundings and the strong community support, added to the desirability and were pivotal factors in [[Governorship of Franklin D. Roosevelt|Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt's]] final decision to build a hospital on this site in 1932.

Construction of the 200-bed facility was completed and it opened in 1936. In addition, the campus complex included residences for staff and physicians, an [[auditorium]], [[greenhouse]], [[Power station|power plant]] and [[Laundry room|laundry]]. A separate children's 50-bed ward was constructed and opened the following year. Over the course of the next 35 years, the tuberculosis hospital served patients who often spent several months recuperating. Preventative efforts and advances in the use of [[antibiotics]] impacted the spread of tuberculosis and resulted in the closing of the hospital by the state in 1971.

Livingston County acquired the site and bordering park lands for $1.00 in 1972, using the main hospital building as a [[Nursing home care|skilled nursing facility]] until 2004 when it was determined that a more modern facility was required. The adjacent Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation was built to accommodate the growing needs of the area and the other buildings on the campus now house various county departments and agencies.