Rochester Historical Society
At the Rochester Historical Museum we have quite a few choir chairs. We inherited them when we took ownership of the East Rochester Church. As you can see in the picture, they are quite unique with their caned seats and the woven basket on the back to hold the music for the singer behind the chair. During the building’s years as a church, the chairs would be lined up in formation on the side of the altar. As with most of our historical items, there’s a story or two that go beyond the simple fact of the chair.
The choir group that sang in the church was known as the Pierceville Choir. Many of the male and female choir members were young adults who managed to turn their choir practices into “a grand old time” according to a poem written about the group. They were quite a group. Ella played the organ, George sang second tenor, Annie and Miss Bessie sang soprano, Edd and Ellerd provided the bass. When the choir was first organized, there was no leader until Finley joined and he coupled that job with the part of first tenor. This brings us to the two altos. Barbara and Clara are described as “two giddy girls from school, and when they came to rehearsal all they could do was fool.”
Now to the reason that Bessie Martin and Ella Bumpus wrote the poem, “Ode to the Pierceville Choir.” After Peter Beaton attended church one Sunday when the choir performed, his family noted that he suddenly became unusually interested in both church services and choir music. Before long, he added his bass voice to the choir, and soon the other members realized that Clara Galt not the urge to sing was the attraction. The attraction was definitely mutual as it wasn’t too long before Clara Galt became Mrs. Peter Beaton and eventually grandparents of Mack Phinney, our society president.
I have to say this is why I enjoy time spent at the museum and reading about Rochester history. So often a picture or object is not just a picture or object but a portal to a story that brings the past alive and in this case, we have a chair that isn’t just a chair but part of a family’s lore.
Rochester Historical Society
By Connie Eshbach