Almond - New York Historical Society

06/01/2026

05/29/2026

In 1931 Almond, New York was noted for being the home of the smallest flying plane in the world. May 1931 saw the completion of that aircraft by 23 year old Clint Gillette, 28 year old Paul Coleman and 24 year old DeVere Palmer. Ron Coleman still has a copy of the article that inspired them "How to Build Your Own Airplane" from the July 1926 issue of Science and Invention magazine. They sent for the blueprints and started purchasing the needed materials. Since this was during the Depression that was a big expense. More than half the total cost of $800 was spent on the engine.

Construction of the wings and fuselage was quite labor intense. Millions of small pieces of wood were sawed and chiseled by hand to fit the purpose, glued together and gradually the plan was assembled. That was covered with a linen-like fabric which was "doped" with nitro-cellulose dope that caused the fabric to shrink tight around the frame into a hardened finish. According to Clint it was a long and tedious job.

In the end weight of the little airplane, gas, oil and pilot was 550 pounds. Norman L. Williams was the pilot on the maiden flight. He left the Hornell airport for Leroy which was 55 air miles and took 40 minutes. The return trip was 50 minutes.

There are many sweet memories of the plane but as is common in history, what happened to that it is still a mystery.

We look forward to your comments and remember our volunteers are at the AHS Archives building every Friday from 2 to 4 pm.

05/22/2026

We found a picture of the bus Randy Gillette requested from last week's post. Unfortunately there was nothing written on the back of it. Who knows who these men are?

05/22/2026

Another well known gas station in Almond was Deck's Friendly Service at the location we now know as the 7 Eleven. Henry Decker owned and operated the service station which he bought in 1935. We have a calendar from 1959 which is a nice souvenir. The building had a two bedroom apartment upstairs which was the Decker's home and later to the Ide's who ran the business as Almond Mobil.

In our files we have memories from David Fenner of working at the station when he was in school and over the summer. Henry taught him how to properly perform various vehicle services, how to pump gas and to properly provide the Mobil Oil 5 step circuit of a vehicle.Do you remember the days when an attendant would pump your gas, wash the windows and check your fluids?

Running the service station was a family business. Mildred also was busy running out to pump gas when she heard the buzzer ring. Henry died March 18, 1978 and Mildred on November 19, 1997.

We really enjoy sharing stories from our files with our readers. Even better we like being able to add to them. Please stop in sometime on a Friday between 2 and 4 or make an appointment to see our treasures. We love hearing from you through emails too.

05/15/2026

Just as The Big Dipper used to be a gas station, Almond had other gas stations. One was at the corner of Route 21 and Karr Valley Road. The green building that is currently at that intersection was Gillette Garage run by Clinton Gillette for 50 years.

Clint came from St. Louis, MO when he was 21. He opened his business in 1932. Several years later he added gas pumps. Much of what he did included welding. A big change came for him in the mid-1970s when more specialized equipment was necessary. He decided to close down in 1984 when his wife Rada died.

We're attaching some photos that may bring back memories of him and his business. We see he had a dog who accompanied him but couldn't find the dog's name. Please share your memories and stories. Tell us the dog's name if you know it.

Open Fridays 2 to 4, we look forward to helping with family research. Today we had a couple come from Columbus, OH. Email questions are welcomed too.

05/08/2026

Wow! We had so many good, positive responses to our posts last week about Kellogg's Country Store. That's what we are looking for, to have memories to add to our files. People in the future will better understand how important the store was to Almond. Keep those memories coming. Don't spare the details!

Clair was very busy keeping the store running. In about 1945 he found time to write a poem about his day on his sales slips. The forms were short and the poem covered as many as 10 pages. Later when Donna Ryan came across it, she typed the poem on nice stationary. We have scanned copies of the finished poem, a blank sales slips and Clair at the store. Enjoy!

Remember, we are here on Fridays from 2 to 4 to help you with questions about family and businesses that have been in Almond. We are always looking to add more to our collections here.

05/01/2026

Here is a picture of Leslie Kellogg in front of the family store.

05/01/2026

Kellogg's Country Store was one of the last general stores in this area. It closed after 48 years in 1986. The third generation Kellogg to run the store was Leslie Kellogg. He ran it for 12 years. He'd hoped it would be open for 50 years and it didn't quite make it. His parents Wayne and Betty Kellogg had been the owners before Leslie and his grandfather Clair was the first owner. Leslie's grandmother Ruth was helping out at the store until it closed.

In our files there is a full page advertisement for products being sold in 1945. For sale was 25 pounds of Pillsbury Flour for $1.29, granulated sugar was 6 1/2 cents per pound, Kraft Yellow American Cheese was 19 cents for half a pound, Kellogg's Corn Flakes was 10 cents for an 11 ounce package, ShurFine coffee was 27 cents a pound, Semolina macaroni and spaghetti were each 11 cents a pound, a 15 pound pack of white potatoes was 49 cents, Ball Ideal quart size jars were 75 cents a dozen and Elberta peaches were $4.70 a bushel.

Many people remember the charge accounts, you didn't even have to pay cash. Customers were just told to pay at the end of the month.

Feel free to come in and see the full page ad and more pictures. We're here Fridays from 2 to 4 to answer your questions.

04/24/2026

Leo and Bertha Alsworth owned the Alsworth Gas Station at the corner of Route 21 and McHenry Road. We know it as the Big Dipper but others in the community remember it fondly from their childhood as being like today's convenience store.

Louise Schwartz told us that it was the bus stop for the children who lived between the bridge and the town line. When the weather was bad Leo let the kids wait inside his store. School started at 8:45 then so the bus would came by between 8:30 and 8:40. Louise especially liked the creamsicles and popsicles.

Dan Hagerty lived in Rochester but would come down to visit his grandfather Veran "Lightning" Dodge. There were gas pumps in front and a glass candy case inside. His grandfather always got him something from the candy case.

Bill Lockwood remembers that in 1971 gas was 40 cents a gallon. He especially remembers that because it cost $2.00 to fill a 5 gallon gas can. Inside the store he remembered that there were also old coins for sale.

Here is a picture of the store, minus the gas pumps. Photo courtesy of Paul and Helen Spencer. Do you have any memories from those days? We would welcome those about this very busy little store from Almond's past. Remember our hours are on Fridays, from 2 to 4 pm.

04/17/2026

Spring is here and the Big Dipper is opening this weekend, April 18! The hours are noon to 9 each day with BBQ from noon to 7 or until gone.

The Big Dipper has been owned by several local people. It was first opened by Paul and Helen Spencer after they remodeled the Alsworth Gas Station. That was May of 1989. Years later they sold it to Craig and Diane Mix who later sold it to siblings, Dick Stuart and Cheryl Sirianni. Currently it is owned by Jamie and Nykole McMichael. The Big Dipper has now been in operation for 37 years. Hours are posted as noon to 9 on weekends and weekdays from 3 to 9. Come down and get your BBQ and ice cream.

For more information on the Leo Alsworth Gas Station and the Big Dipper come visit the Almond Historical Society on Fridays from 2 to 4. We look forward to see you and answering your questions.