AUBURN - Nearly 50 people went to church Sunday, but they heard a history lesson instead of a sermon.
Jennifer Meyers / The Citizen
Shirley Stolzel, center, and husband, Bill, speak with Maureen McEvers about the flavors of tea available while attending the Tea and Architecture Series event at Willard Memorial Chapel Sunday afternoon.
Shirley Stolzel, center, and husband, Bill, speak with Maureen McEvers about the flavors of tea available while attending the Tea and Architecture Series event at Willard Memorial Chapel Sunday afternoon.
Willard Chapel hosted the second event in the first Tea and Architecture Series. The Community Preservation Committee organized the series as a means to educate people about buildings in Auburn and Cayuga County.
Michael Long, one of the original members of the Community Preservation Committee, gave a presentation on almost 200 years of Auburn's history. Listeners then sat at a high tea service to discuss the presentation.
Long offered a slide show with original photos of buildings, homes, streets and overviews of the city. He also detailed important dates and events in Auburn's history, such as fires, demolitions and the beginning and ending of businesses.
He went through the history of the first settlers to the progression of downtown and the city's prominent families.
Often, he would ask the audience to call out names of streets they believed slides depicted based on buildings or road patterns.
“It was frustrating to see all those lovely old buildings gone,” Ann Burch said while in line for tea.
Burch's family were long-time residents of Auburn, although she moved to Aurora in 1939.
Lilas Buttignol-Jones followed Long's presentation with tea and treats. She offered an explanation of a high tea, as opposed to afternoon tea, along with her scones and cucumber sandwiches. She has both types of tea service at her bed and breakfast, A Touch of Country, in a historic house in Scipio Center.
She dispelled misconceptions that afternoon tea was the less elegant of the two tea services. High tea was for the common man, and was served on the high, or regular dinning room, tables. Often, it was put out when workers would come in from the fields or home from work and included hearty meals.
On the other hand, afternoon tea was fashionable among the elite as a snack between lunch and dinner. People offered it at 4 p.m. with sandwiches or cookies.
Buttignol-Jones learned more about the services after receiving requests from her bed and breakfast patrons.
Last month, Margaret Mosher gave a speech about residential architecture around Cayuga County.
The committee plans to take participants on a walking tour of South Street Sunday, June 3. They will have tea in the gazebo across from Memorial City Hall and view art on selected homes' porches.
The committee also aims to offer a walk at the end of September.
Next year, the committee will offer Tea and Tiffany, and in 2009, Tea and Treasures.
The committee members aim to educate residents who don't know the story of the area, as well as people who are familiar and want to know more, such as Edward Rossmann.
Rossmann's interest in local history brought him to Willard Chapel Sunday afternoon.
While he knew much of the city's past, the Aurora resident picked up a few bits of information he'd forgotten along the way.
He and his wife moved to Aurora from Geneseo at the height of Auburn's urban renewal - or urban removal, as Long refers to it. During that time, city officials razed hundreds of buildings during the building of the arterial and street projects.
“Even now, downtown has an empty feeling to it,” Rossmann said.
Staff writer Jessica Soule can be reached at 253-5311, ext 267 or jessica.soule@lee.net
Michael Long, one of the original members of the Community Preservation Committee, gave a presentation on almost 200 years of Auburn's history. Listeners then sat at a high tea service to discuss the presentation.
Long offered a slide show with original photos of buildings, homes, streets and overviews of the city. He also detailed important dates and events in Auburn's history, such as fires, demolitions and the beginning and ending of businesses.
He went through the history of the first settlers to the progression of downtown and the city's prominent families.
Often, he would ask the audience to call out names of streets they believed slides depicted based on buildings or road patterns.
“It was frustrating to see all those lovely old buildings gone,” Ann Burch said while in line for tea.
Burch's family were long-time residents of Auburn, although she moved to Aurora in 1939.
Lilas Buttignol-Jones followed Long's presentation with tea and treats. She offered an explanation of a high tea, as opposed to afternoon tea, along with her scones and cucumber sandwiches. She has both types of tea service at her bed and breakfast, A Touch of Country, in a historic house in Scipio Center.
She dispelled misconceptions that afternoon tea was the less elegant of the two tea services. High tea was for the common man, and was served on the high, or regular dinning room, tables. Often, it was put out when workers would come in from the fields or home from work and included hearty meals.
On the other hand, afternoon tea was fashionable among the elite as a snack between lunch and dinner. People offered it at 4 p.m. with sandwiches or cookies.
Buttignol-Jones learned more about the services after receiving requests from her bed and breakfast patrons.
Last month, Margaret Mosher gave a speech about residential architecture around Cayuga County.
The committee plans to take participants on a walking tour of South Street Sunday, June 3. They will have tea in the gazebo across from Memorial City Hall and view art on selected homes' porches.
The committee also aims to offer a walk at the end of September.
Next year, the committee will offer Tea and Tiffany, and in 2009, Tea and Treasures.
The committee members aim to educate residents who don't know the story of the area, as well as people who are familiar and want to know more, such as Edward Rossmann.
Rossmann's interest in local history brought him to Willard Chapel Sunday afternoon.
While he knew much of the city's past, the Aurora resident picked up a few bits of information he'd forgotten along the way.
He and his wife moved to Aurora from Geneseo at the height of Auburn's urban renewal - or urban removal, as Long refers to it. During that time, city officials razed hundreds of buildings during the building of the arterial and street projects.
“Even now, downtown has an empty feeling to it,” Rossmann said.
Staff writer Jessica Soule can be reached at 253-5311, ext 267 or jessica.soule@lee.net
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