Finger Lakes Day 1

Yay! We are on the road, my favorite place to be. We left the house early this morning and got on the road earlier than when we leave for work. It was a five and a half hour drive up to East Aurora, New York, our destination because, as you know, G3 is on a quest to visit every Presidents’ house. Who exactly lived in East Aurora? Millard Fillmore—one of those forgotten presidents from the Nineteenth century. While the drive northwest was long, it was peaceful and the last hour had us driving through farmland which was pretty. We stopped at Denny’s, one of G3’s favorite places to eat breakfast while on the road.

Our tour of Fillmore’s house was at two o’clock. Since we arrived in East Aurora forty-five minutes early we stopped at a cute ice cream place that looked like an old railroad car. The ice cream was good, but nothing spectacular.

The Fillmore House was small—really tiny. One of the smallest president houses we have visited. The original house was only 436 square feet. Fillmore built the house himself but only lived in it for four years, 1826-1830. When he and his wife moved out another couple rented it and then bought it. In 1930, the house was sitting empty and unused when a photographer, Margaret Evans Price—the wife of the founder of Fisher Price—wanted it as a portrait studio. She is the one who had it moved from its downtown location to its current location. When Price died in the 1970s, the historical society took it over and they have maintained it ever since.

Millard Fillmore was born to a farming family on January 7, 1800. He was the first president born in the Nineteenth century. Since he was one of several sons and would not inherit the farm, he needed a career. After trying a few trades and not liking any of them he decided to go into law, focusing initially on property law.

In 1848, he ran on the Whig ticket as Zachary Taylor’s vice president. A year and a half into his term, Taylor attended a Fourth of July celebration at the Washington monument. That night he fell sick. For a week, he didn’t get out of bed, but the American public remained clueless—much easier to get away with in an age before television and social media. On July 10th, he died and Fillmore became the thirteenth president of the United States. He was also the last Whig president. It wasn’t until 1990, when Taylor’s body was exhumed, that science was able to determine that he died of cholera from drinking unclean water.

The timing of Fillmore’s rise to the presidency was unfortunate. It was 1850, and the United States was in the midst of a crises over slavery which had been precipitated by the end of the Mexican-American War. With the accumulation of more land, the North and South were once again at odds over the question of whether or not the new land would be slave or free. Henry Clay, the Great Compromiser, negotiated the Compromise of 1850 in an attempt to keep the country from fracturing. It was actually a bundle of five separate bills that included: 1–California was admitted to the Union as a free state. 2–Fugitive Slave laws were tightened making it easier for Southern slave powers to recover runaway slaves. 3–Slave trade was banned in Washington, D.C. 4–The borders of Texas were fixed and a territorial government was established for New Mexico. Any states that would result from the New Mexico territory would not have restrictions regarding whether or not they would be free or slave. 5–A territorial government was established for Utah. Any states that might result from the terrory could choose to be free or slave.

When presented with the Compromise, Fillmore didn’t like it. He was vehemently opposed to slavery—one of the few pre-Civil War presidents not to own slaves. However, he said, “I detest slavery but I think it is a necessary evil to keep our country together.” Therefore, he signed it into law and in the process ostracized himself from his party.

As his term—the term he inherited—drew to a close he was not chosen to run again. The Whigs chose General Scott instead. He lost to Franklin Pierce.

Fillmore’s wife Abigail wanted to stay in Washington long enough to experience the inauguration festivities. It was a mortal mistake. She got pneumonia and died. Abigail was a teacher and when she first went to Washington the White House did not have a library. This, to her, was egregious, so she lobby for money to buy books. It’s thanks to her that the White House got its first permanent library. It was originally located on the second floor, but moved to the first during FDR’s term. While the First Lady, Abigail had the pleasure of meeting and entertaining Charles Dickens and Washington Irving, not a bad perk for someone who loved to read.

In 1856, Fillmore tried to make a comeback running for president on the Know Nothing ticket. The Know Nothings were anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant, and they got their name because any time they were asked about their stances they said they “know nothing.” Fillmore lost the election to Buchanan. The country would have to wait for Cleveland to have a president serve non-consecutive terms.

I was impressed with G3, as was the tour guide. She started out asking what various kitchen items were and G3 identified all of them, including an old-time ice-cream scooper. He was also able answer all her questions regarding Fillmore and America during his presidency. He even knew Taylor died of Cholera, and jumped ahead to say so. Not bad for a kid who never studied US History in a school other than The Jaeger Academy.

East Aurora is less than a half hour from Buffalo and since G3 and Kati love wings I figured it was worth the detour to go there for dinner. Because we love being the ultimate tourists, we went to Frank & Teressa’s Anchor Bar the place that started it all. According to legend, in 1964, Teressa’s son was tending the bar when his friends came in famished. They asked for something to eat and Teressa severed them wings that she fried and smothered in hot sauce. The new dish was born and rapidly spread in popularity. Kati and G3 devoured an order of wings. I had salad, but since I love playing the role of uber tourist, I did eat one wing. Yeah, I don’t like eating meat, but I was in Buffalo.

Since this is technically a Finger Lakes trip, after dinner, we drove another two hours east to our campsite in Taughannock State Park. Kati did all the driving as always, allowing me to have time to read, write, and even nap. I don’t mind. I’d rather read than drive any day. It was after eight when we finally reached the state park. Then it took about another fifteen minutes of driving around to find the campground. Setting up the tents was quick and easy. But we’ve only been settled a few minutes and I already dislike this campground. Actually, it’s the people I hate. It’s nearing nine o’clock and kids are playing and talking and singing loudly and no parents are telling them to quiet down and be mindful of the other people. Plus people are playing music loudly. Again, selfish people who care only about themselves and have no regard for others. If you don’t want the quiet of nature, stay the hell home.