LeRoy Pennysaver & News

LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - MAY 2, 2021 by Lynne Belluscio Arnold Kelly was a collector. He had a passion for finding rare and significant things and although he was born and grew up in Batavia, he collected things from LeRoy. The first glass Jell-O dish that I ever saw was in Arnold’s collection. He actively sought the small Jell-O Girl dishes, and he and I often talked about finding the rare “fourth” dish. The only advertising piece that can be traced to Pearle Wait – circa 1897-1899, was in his collection, and eventually he sold it to the Historical Society. We also bought the LeRoy sign that hung on the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railroad station - - now the D&R Depot - - from Arnold. He went to garage sales and house sales. He knew who had the stuff, and he bought it and took good care of it, placing rare paper letters and photographs, post cards and stereocards in acid-free sheet protectors. I remember the day he came into the office with a photograph of a building that stood on the south west corner of Wolcott Street and East Main - - opposite St. Mark’s Church. It was a little photo and we talked about it. That building was the store that was owned by Jacob LeRoy, and it was in that store that Seth Gates, the noted abolitionist, would engage in arguments about the abolition of slavery. Arnold wanted to keep the photo for his collection, and I never did find out where he found it, but he was kind enough to have a copy made for the Historical Society. Arnold died on February 12, and recently his daughter, Arna began to think about her dad’s collection. Much of the stuff not related to LeRoy, she sold or shared with her kids, but the LeRoy collection needed a home, and she really wanted it to stay together. She could have decided to sell it off piece by piece, but she called the Historical Society and I went over to take a look. I was pretty sure that I couldn’t offer her enough to bring the collection to the Historical Society. I looked through notebooks of photographs and letters - - many one of a kind - - and I just knew that somehow we had to find a way to bring the complete collection to the Historical Society. Arna said that she knew her father would want the collection to stay together, and she made an offer that was very generous. So, there is a happy ending. Arnold’s collection will be coming to the Historical Society. And very soon we will be able to inventory and accession Arnold’s wonderful collection. Of course, the next step, was to find the funds to buy the collection. And here is another happy story. I talked with Tish Williams, Ruth Harvie’s daughter, and asked her whether it would be ok to use the memorial funds donated in her mom’s name to help purchase the Kelly collection. As I told Tish, I could just see her mom, excitedly opening the notebooks, and going through the photographs and the letters. Tish agreed that it would be a lasting memorial to her mom. And we are proud to announce that in Ruth’s memory, the Kelly collection will be preserved. We still have a bit more money to raise, but I am sure we will find the funds. Adding to the Collection Here’s a little preview of some of the things in Arnold’s collection: Photographs and a ticket from the 1938 Apple Blossom Festival held in LeRoy Two blue posted signs, from the Jennings’s Detective Agencies. Don Woodward’s wife, Adelaide, established the detective services and she was a very successful private detective, with offices in several cities. She was one of the detectives called in to help with the Lindeburgh baby kidnapping. Chemical Hose Minstrel Show program – This beautiful program is one of several programs in Arnold’s collection, from a variety of musical and entertainment events that were part of the LeRoy social scene.