Retrospective

Today in county history

August 2:

-- 1882: The H. C. Sturdevant Post 282 of the Grand Army of the Republic was chartered, the first in Chautauqua County.

-- 1889: The first Grange Day at Chautauqua Institution was celebrated, highlighting agricultural traditions.

-- 1894: The Allen Opera House burned down again at 9:10 PM in Jamestown, a repeated misfortune for the community (later rebuilt).

-- 1956: Cora Gillis, on the second floor of the Fenton Mansion in Jamestown, closed the books on the Grand Army of the Republic after the last Civil War veteran died.

-- 1977: The Chautauqua County Genealogical Society was organized at a meeting in the Dunkirk Library, fostering interest in local family histories.