We will be taking a journey along 370 in the town of Ira starting just west of the Meridian Cemetery. Route 370 does not run straight from the village of Meridian to the village of Cato. The road swings north, then west in a big sweeping curve to go around the wetlands on the north side of Parkers Pond.

Who remembers what was previously on the property where the Pine Hill Medical building is now?

A house was there for a long time, then Gene Gauger bought the property and constructed the present building for the Big G Restaurant. The northern Cayuga Health Services eventually purchased the building for doctors offices in May 1975. Several doctors from the National Health Services had offices there, then Dr. John Eppolito came and established offices there. He eventually purchased the property and continues to have an office there. Dr. John Lyon's dentist office and Performance Physical Therapy's suite are in the basement.

In 2007, an addition was added to the western end of the building so the local area could have a pharmacy again after being without one since the early 1940s. Pine Hill Pharmacy is its name, Walt Coolbaugh is the owner and registered pharmacist.

As we travel on west, the Cato-Meridian Central School buildings are in view. First the high school, constructed in 1967-'68, on the bend of 370 are the athletic fields, then the original central school building with its cupola (now the middle school).

The original building was built as a WPA project in 1934-'40. The elementary wing (constructed in 1957-'58) is attached to the north side of the middle school.

In 1997, the Cato-Meridian Recreation Center was constructed and attached to the north side of the elementary wing.

A second-story was added to the north-south portion of the elementary wing at the same time. A two-story wing was added to the high school in 2003.

Also, improvements to the athletic fields were done at this time. In a separate metal building that sits west of the elementary wing, is the bus garage. Originally buses were kept under the gymnasium of the original central school.

West of the bus garage is a home that has been there a long time. Does anyone know what was located on this property many years ago? The 1853 Cayuga County map shows that a tollgate for the Cato-Jordan Plank Road was at this corner.

One must not forget that farms were all along 370 in this area. Cook, Dutton, Waggoner, Wells, Applegate, Everts, Cooper, Lamereaux, Titus, Harkness, Taber, are some of the old names of the farmland owners over the years.

West of the Bradt Road, 370 intersection on the north side of the road is the location of the Settlers Cemetery. In this cemetery, local folks were buried there from 1815 until the Union Hill Cemetery in the village of Cato and Monumental Grove Cemetery in the village of Meridian were established in the early 1870s. A number of the folks buried in the Settlers Cemetery were moved to Union Hill or Monumental Grove cemeteries after there were opened. What few gravestones are left have been laid flat on the ground and the balance of the land has been leveled off, seeded and is mowed several times a year.

The former Dutton farm has been split up with most of the farmland still being used as cropland.

Ethyle Miner had a floral shop on the property after the cropland was sold off.

The present owners use the Miner property as a private residence.

Mark Loveland started construction of a mini-storage facility during the fall of 2008. Although it is not finished, in mid-November one can tell what it will be.

This building is a dark chocolate color and blends in well with the surrounding area.

Next week, we'll continue on Route 370 just before the village of Cato and learn where the cobblestones came from that were used to build three Cobblestone houses along 370.

Dorothy Southard is town of Ira historian