The Road Less Travelled-A Series
Volume 11-biking in and around White Store, NY
Welcome back. In this article, I will write about biking on a familiar backroad and also exploring a couple of historic landmarks in White Store, NY, a small hamlet in Chenango County, NY on NY Route 8. This town is so small you won’t even find it on Google Maps.
I began my bike ride this week on Ken Stead Road North near my home in rural Chenango County in NY. This is one of my go-to routes since it doesn’t have much traffic; normally I don’t encounter any vehicles. This road travels through a densely wooded area before coming to a huge farm with large open fields, revealing a very old farmhouse from the early 1800s with several barns and outbuildings.
Ken Stead Road North runs about 1.5 miles from County Road 33 to White Store Road. Once past the farm, which is at about the halfway point, it is all downhill to White Store Road.
At the intersection of these 2 roads, the historic White Store Church and Evergreen Cemetery can be found. The cemetery was established in 1805, with the church being finished in 1820. It was built by Baptists, Methodists, and Universalists. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1995. It is the oldest church in Chenango County and the cemetery is the resting place of 12 Revolutionary War Veterans.
Unfortunately, the church is normally locked for obvious reasons. However, there are several events held each summer including an ice cream social and pig roast. This year, the ice cream social will be held on July 18th. If I attend, I will write an update to this article with photos inside the church.
Continuing on to Route 8, and not far from the White Store Church, I rolled by the former White Store Hotel and Restaurant, and I suspect also a store, established in 1803 according to the sign. The first settler in this area was in 1788. We used to eat at this restaurant in the eighties and up through the mid-1990s until it then closed. It has now been divided into apartments. Maybe someday it will be converted back into a restaurant.
White Store was named such as the store was painted white, unusual for the time period. Most buildings were red or not painted at all. Looking at White Store now, it is hard to imagine all the businesses that existed over 200 years ago. These included blacksmith shops, sawmills, wagon shop, cooper shop, cider mill, carding mill, shoe shop, grist mill, tannery, a hattery, and a store. Today there are no businesses that I know of, although the church and hotel thankfully remain.
I continued on Route 8 for about a mile but turned around as the shoulders are narrow and there is a lot of traffic, including tractor-trailers. I feel much safer on the back roads and most of all on the roads in the NY State Forests.
On the way back past the church, however, I rode through the Evergreen Cemetery which is a great experience. So much history, so peaceful. I stopped for a few minutes to take it all in.
There is so much history in my local area as I am sure there is where you live. I encourage you to get out and explore.
