At the Sinclairville Valley Historical Society Christmas dinner, Town of Stockton Historian John Sipos, wearing his festive outfit, presented the history of the Town of Stockton.

SINCLAIRVILLE-Members and guests gathering last week at the Sinclairville Firehall Dining room for the Valley Historical Society Christmas dinner and program. The Valley Historical Society began in 1977 by the late John and Ruth Smith, Rev. John Rough, William Hulett and Walter Waite to preserve the history of the Cassadaga Valley area. The museum was purchased one year later in the village of Sinclairville.

At the dinner, many dishes of food were brought for all to share including the famous Carol Barmore goulash, the Helen Runge meatloaf and the Sherry Shay whoopee pies. All enjoyed a wonderful dinner with ample amounts of food.

Following the dinner, President Larry Barmore opened a brief business meeting by leading all with the Lord’s Prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. Secretary Sue Peacock read the minutes of the previous meeting, and treasurer John Sipos gave the financial report of the society.

Elections for 2022 were held and Barmore will continue to serve as President. Betty Jean Ridout will serve as the vice president, Mrs. Peacock as the secretary and Sipos as the treasurer. All of the trustees will continue as none of their three year terms had expired.

The program for the evening was presented by Town of Stockton Historian John Sipos. Sipos had picture boards, notebooks, books on Stockton, and various posters on display. Sipos said Stockton was settled about 1800, and the four corners was known as Bear Corners or Corners. When the Town Board was organized in February 1821, the teacher Miss Lorraine Danforth was asked to find a new name for the Corners. The name Delanti, meaning a place of beautiful flowers and the animals running freely, was chosen and used from 1833 for 40 years. Eventually the post office which was one mile south, was moved to the four corners and it became known as Stockton. Stockton was famous for its annual Town Picnic which ran from 1898 until 1966, and drew crowds as much as 5000 people. The Stockton cane was shown, which was presented to the oldest man in attendance from 1928 through 2000. Sipos had a display case built for the cane to preserve it. Sipos said there is much history of the town, and new information is always being found. A very interesting presentation.

The Valley Historical Society will be taking a winter break until April 2022. In April will be the annual maple sugar party. New members are always welcome. For more information on the Valley Historical Society, write to P.O. Box 1045, Sinclairville, NY 14782.