This account and photographs are from the recently published book, “Our West Side Story, the West Barrier Bar Park” compiled by Pat Cooper Maxon and Susan Peterson Gateley. All profits from the book go to the West Barrier Park. It is available at Fair Haven Gift Shop.

West Barrier Bar: “Eyesore” to “Dynamic Guardian” of the Bay

(Part V – after ownership is settled as reported in previous columns, part as marina, part as public park)

-by Jeff Baker

Person at Bar looking out to lake is Pat Cooper Maxon

Things went well at first. The entire personality of the area changed. Cedar posts were driven to mark the parking and picnic areas, tables appeared, a launch ramp was begun, and a “restroom” was built near the pier. But, when after two years state money stopped flowing, Cayuga County lost interest and adopted the attitude held by the village and town boards six years earlier; the park was an expensive liability. The “restroom” was the first to suffer. This type of facility, an outhouse really, designed for use by ecologically minded hikers on wilderness trails, was unable to withstand the onslaught of beach goers it attracted. When it became the target of abuse, it was locked up. Soon the cedar posts and picnic tables became firewood for beach parties; roadways deteriorated, garbage began to pile up and once again rowdies established conclaves near the pier where they could menace both boaters and beach goers. In spite of the efforts of concerned citizens like Bonnie Bridson, various civic and church groups as well as Butler prison crews to keep the litter under control, the deterioration proved unstoppable.

In a 1997 AUBURN CITIZEN article, Charlie Itzin called the park “an eyesore — known more for its drinking parties, broken glass, and dirty diapers than peaceful, scenic Ontario views.” He called it “the forgotten orphan of the county park system,” and quoted fellow Fair Haven resident Sam Colvin, “It’s still not a safe place to go, especially for women”. Dave Holdridge was no longer in office as legislator and ultimately, the county decided that concrete block barriers and a chain across the entrance would minimize the problems. The park remained in limbo until 2004 when a developer approached the county with an offer to purchase the parcel. County officials were considering the proposal when grass roots West Barrier Bar Tenders sprang up to lead opposition against it. The sale fizzled but community interest did not.

Walkers on east channel wall

Prompted by public sentiment , the Village of Fair Haven and Town of Sterling boards took another look at the park concept and decided that a cooperative approach offered the best chance for a successful stewardship. They joined forces in an effort to promote and finance park development; it is anticipated that if the joint effort yields positive results, joint ownership is a possibility. The appointment of Pat Cooper to the newly created position of steward in ‘07 was a giant step forward.

She feels a real affinity for the land she patrols and the wildlife it attracts. Pat sees the West Side as a special place as do Dave Holdridge, Bonnie Bridson, Sam Colvin and Charlie Itzin along with countless others, looking back through the generations to the first residents of Sterling and Little Sodus in the early 1800s. The importance of West Barrier Bar as the bay’s dynamic guardian cannot be overstated just as the property’s potential to be a source of community pride cannot be denied. Here’s hoping community leaders are willing to meet the challenges involved in turning potential of the future into reality.

Note from “Out West Side Story”: “We are currently in the 3rd year of a 5 year agreement between Cayuga County and Town of Sterling and Village of Fair Haven. At the end of the 5 years the park will be jointly owned by the Village of Fair Haven and the Town of Sterling. Hopefully local control will bring stability to the park management. At this time there is a West Barrier Bar Park committee trying to navigate these uncharted waters of acquiring and managing a park. The committee’s focus is to continue management of the park as a more family friendly state than it has been in the not too distant past while maintaining its natural “feel”".

The Eldredge Role and Resolution of Ownership

by Jeff Baker

Frank’s son, Allen, born in North Fair Haven, inherited his father’s business acumen as well as his West Bay Road property including the gravel bar. At the age of 22 he traveled to India where he worked as an agent for Standard Oil. Upon returning home, he managed the family ice business and achieved success as a shoe manufacturer, restauranteur, and banker. Despite the fact that his businesses were located in Auburn, he maintained an active interest in Fair Haven, building the cottage on the water on the east side of Eldredge Point in 1933 and purchasing the Lighthouse Reservation, when the Lighthouse Service transferred operations to the U.S. Coast Guard.
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Two Beacons on Fair Haven Pier Symbolize the Boom Years

by Jeff Baker

The construction of a range light at the south end of the pier in 1896 signified the completion of the west side project. Little sister to the outer light, the range light replaced the pole mounted light that marked the channel entrance from the bay side and helped boat captains navigate its length at night. It is not far fetched to see those two beacons as symbolizing the boom years of the late 1800s and early 1900s when Fair Haven experienced its greatest prosperity thanks to the railroad and related shipping. .

The man whose name is most closely associated with the bar during the latter part of those boom years was Frank Eldredge, my great-grandfather. Frank was a Horatio Alger figure who began his pursuit of the American Dream as a telegraph operator for the Leigh Valley Railroad in North Fair Haven and achieved success as a businessman and politician. As a shipping agent for the railroad, he had his finger on the pulse of the community and because the family lived on the second floor of the depot, he was always near the center of activity. He served several terms as Sterling Town Supervisor and Cayuga County Treasurer, earning a reputation as Fair Haven’s “First Citizen” along the way.

In 1904, he purchased Hunt’s Point (Eldredge Point) and built a house there for his wife Jennie, fulfilling a promise made during a courtship picnic. He owned a number of local businesses including Eldredge Coal and Ice, Garrick Coal and Ice and Eldredge -Robinson Shipping. He was one of the area’s largest employers, especially in the winter when the “Big” ice house was in operation, His popularity was further enhanced by his love of horse racing and his sponsorship of local sports teams and community picnics. Frank knew that when the government acquired the property for the Lighthouse Service from S.R. Wells, it had failed to purchase the land on east side of the bluff, the piece that included the bar.

In 1912, he bought the property including that portion known as the “Bar” from Henry Harrison to be a base of operation for the Eldredge-Robinson Sand and Gravel Company. Longshore drift provided an endless supply of stone for the crushers at a time the local construction and transportation businesses were eager customers. Evidence of the mining operations remained into the 1950s. During the high water of 1952-53, when most of the pier was under water, the old gravel pits flooded and became carp habitats. When the water receded, the trapped fish provided great sport for local boys with spears, bows and arrows. Alas, by the 1920s, the boom had pretty much run its course and Frank began selling his various enterprises. In 1926, he tried to interest the Finger Lakes State Park Commission in purchasing the bar for a park. A survey prepared when the sale was being considered depicts property lines, Lighthouse Service rights-of-way, the range light and even some of the original groyne timbers east of the range light. Instead, in 1927, the Commission bought land on the east side of the channel for Fair Haven Beach State Park. We don’t know how close Frank’s idea came to becoming a reality, but it’s worth noting that our barrier bar “almost” became a public park as early as the 20’s. Frank died in 1928.

STERLING STATION, Its Trains, People and More, Seen Through the Eyes of a Child

by Laura A. Decker

Come down Memory Lane with me with the big iron horse that came down from Auburn twice daily, stopping along the way to Fair Haven. This is through the eyes of a child. I remember the whistle that blew when it came under the old bridge on what is now known as the Cosgrove road. The bridge is long gone now. My brother, Howard Liddle and I would stand on that bridge when the train went under it while the steam came up between the boards. That Iron Horse was not like the ones today. It was big and black and was coal fed. I remember its smoke stack with its trail of smoke going with it. The “Y” in back of the barn was where the railroad cars were left that didn’t need to go to Fair Haven. (more…)