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.