SKANEATELES - Lilian Hill has lived through things most people only get to read about in history books.

The Skaneateles resident was born into a world where running water and color TV did not exist. Owning a car was a luxury and so was being able to go to school. Hill watched World War I come and go, survived the Great Depression and celebrated as women gained the right to vote.

Affectionately called Aunt Lil by those who know her, Hill was born Feb. 5, 1905 in North Rose, to Anna and William Hanlon. A few days before her 100th birthday, stood at the foot of her dining room table reading birthday cards sent by state Sen. John DeFrancisco and First Lady Laura Bush.

"I got these citations from all these politicians," Hill said as she turned her attention to the rest of the cards scattered on the wood table top.

"It was nice of them to send something, but I also got all these other cards from my family. Now those are nice," Hill said with a smile.

Over the years Hill has watched the world around her change, and despite the ups and downs life has brought her, she looks back on her past with fondness that only comes with age.

Only able to attend school until she was in eighth grade, Hill began working on a farm picking fruit and vegetables when she was 14. During World War I Hill, she was what she calls a "Farmerett".

"The fellows were gone because of the war," Hill said. "So us women worked the farm while they were away."

When Hill turned 16, she moved to Rochester to work in a taylor shop sewing police uniforms, and at 21 she married her first husband, Court Marsh Dewy. The couple moved to Syracuse and then eventually to Skaneateles, where Dewy worked painting sail boats.

It was at this time that Hill purchased her first color television.

"We didn't have a radio or a TV when I was growing up," Hill said. "Those things were luxuries, but once I moved to Syracuse, Dewy and I got one. It was exciting and we were now able to watch old movies and such."

Before she had a television, Hill would knit, crochet and attend barn dances.

"People would take turns and host a dance at their house during the winter," Hill said. "There was always music and dancing. I played the piano and it really was a great deal of fun."

Dewey passed away in 1947 and Hill remarried in 1957. This time she married Warren Hill, a road crew worker for the state highway department.

Lilian and Warren moved to a dairy farm in Elbridge that had 40 cows, but eventually returned to Skaneateles. The farm still is still in operation and is run by Warren's grandson, Roger.

Warren continued to work for the state until he retired in 1972. He passed away in 1973, but Lilian has remained in their family home. After Warren passed away, she began to fly to Arizona during the winter months to be with her sister Myrtie.

"I remember the first time I went, it was the first time I ever flew," Hill said. "Back then it was still a new thing to have big airplanes, but I wasn't scared, though you could tell some people were."

Today Hill is a member of the Skaneateles Senior Citizen group and belongs to the town's Methodist Church. She still loves to garden and in the warmer months her yard is filled with lilies, snap dragons and irises.

She gets frequent visits from her grandchildren and nieces and nephews, who are constantly taking her out to eat and to the store for groceries.

"If you ask me she looks and acts like she's only 80," Hill's niece, Kim Waldron, said. "She is just the coolest lady that I ever saw."

Staff writer Ashley Lipsky can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 235 or ashley.lipsky@lee.net