Lincoln Auditorium is located in the Central High School building in Syracuse, New York. Central High School was built in 1903 at the intersection of South Warren and Adams Street, to replace the 1867 Syracuse High School facility. Central High was designed by architect Archimedes Russell. The school has many unique architectural features, including its U-shaped design. The auditorium is located in the interior of the U-shaped building and has seating and a stage. It was originally called Assembly Hall, but was rededicated in 1903 as Lincoln Hall. Several years later the auditorium was altered to improve the acoustics by sound expert W.C. Sabine. In 1907 Lincoln Hall was reopened, with Neo-Baroque panels of acoustical plaster. The auditorium’s arch was said to be one of the largest in the United States and was adorned with a gilded eagle. In 1928 Central High was remodeled by architect Albert L. Brockway. He enlarged the assembly room to create the Lincoln Auditorium. The 1875 seat Lincoln Auditorium was used by the students at Central High, and was also used by the Syracuse community. It became Syracuse’s cultural center. Artists such as George Gershwin, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Arthur Fiedler performed at Lincoln Auditorium. The Syracuse Symphony performed in this hall for many years until the Onondaga County Civic Center was built in the mid 1970s.

The high school operated under the name Syracuse Central High School from 1903 to 1960 and later as Syracuse Central Technical High School. In 1975, the high school officially closed after the graduation of the senior class. Even though the high school has been vacant since 1975, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1981.

Lily Dale Postcards
This collection includes postcards depicting several events, activities, local individuals, buildings, and landmarks of the spiritualist community in Lily Dale, New York, made famous by the Fox Sisters. Lily Dale is a small community of psychics and mediums, and it also happens to be the oldest spiritual community in North America. Lily Dale is a site of spiritual worship where tourists can get in touch with the occult and supernatural. Today, spiritualism still thrives in Lily Dale as strongly as when it was established by the Fox sisters.
History of Spiritualism and the Fox Sisters
According to the Lily Dale Assembly, Modern Spiritualism can be defined as, "...one who believes, as the basis of his or her religion, in the continuity of life and in individual responsibility. Some, but not all, Spiritualists are Mediums and/or Healers. Spiritualists endeavor to find the truth in all things and to live their lives in accordance therewith."
Spiritualism first appeared in the 1840s in the “Burned-over District” of upstate New York and a reformed movement was started circa 1848 by the Fox Sisters—Leah, Kate, and Margaret—of Hydesville, N.Y. They reported they had made contact with the spirit of a murdered peddler and claimed that this "murdered peddler" communicated through rapping noises which were audible by onlookers. These events appealed to Americans and made the Fox Sisters an overnight sensation.
In 1888, Margaret confessed that these events and their "rappings" were a hoax and demonstrated how they did these events. She then attempted to recant her confession the following year, but their reputation had been ruined and Spiritualism continued as if the confessions of the Fox sisters had never happened.
History of Lily Dale
Lily Dale is located in the Town of Pomfret by the Cassadaga Lake in Chautauqua County, New York. Since the relocation of the Fox Cottage in 1916, Lily Dale is now the center of Modern Spiritualism with most of its population consisting of mediums and healers. Many of the operations are run by the Lily Dale Assembly. The Assembly is affiliated with the National Spiritualist Association. Today Lily Dale remains a place of pilgrimage for many Spiritualists and others interested in the paranormal because mediums and healers give readings to their visitors. Most of the landmarks within the postcards in this collection may be seen today.
These postcards were sold at Lily Dale in the early 1900s and feature scenes like picnics, gatherings, and buildings from the Lily Dale area. It is important to note that most of the postcards in this collection were made from a specific type of printing process known as Albertype. The Albertype Company is based in Brooklyn, N.Y., and was hired by a specific individual in Lily Dale only known as either "Evielena" or E.P. Bach. The Sunflower Pagoda at the Lily Dale Assembly was run by Evielena Bach, who sold books, took subscriptions to Spiritualist publications, and sold supplies such as stationery, postcards, ice cream, candy, soft drinks, novelties, and cigars. Her husband, William Bach, built the building in 1898.
The Brooklyn-based Albertype Company, owned by Herman L. Wittemann, published postcards along with other items such as souvenir books and pamphlets from around the late 1890s to the early 1950s, using a process invented by photographer Joseph Albert. Albertype was unique because it employed a collotype coating on glass plates. This processing permitted high-speed mass production of photographs for the first time. Prior to this, a copper plate was used instead of glass. Another advantage that Albertype photos have is that although the paper may yellow over time, the inks, unlike normal photographs, do not fade. The company would have photographs taken by its own agents and would also arrange to utilize photographs taken by others. Thus, Albertype postcards provide a valuable documentation of buildings and locations that may or may not exist anymore.
Additional Resources
Lily Dale Assembly
A "Dale" By Any Other Name

In 1950, the Saratoga Springs Public Library was chartered to serve the residents of the Saratoga Springs Enlarged City School District, and the original library building opened at the corner of Broadway and Spring Streets. That building is currently home to the Saratoga County Arts Council. The Saratoga Athenaeum, a private subscription library founded in 1885, preceded the public library.

The American Civil War was fought between the years 1861 - 1865 between the Union (the North half of the country) and the Confederates (the South half of the country). The war began over the disagreements between the North and South regarding slavery. The Civil War is known for having more American deaths in a war than any other war America has been a part of. People from both halves of the nation joined this battle, both voluntarily and through a draft. Lewis Brown served in the 27th New York Regiment of the Volunteer Infantry from 1861-1863, while Burritt Brown and Al Ransom were in the 168th New York Regiment of Volunteer Infantry from 1862-1863. They all re-enlisted in the 1st New York Veteran Cavalry in 1864 and continued with this regiment until the war’s end. They were all residents of Broome County, New York.

Levittown is a hamlet in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York. It was built between 1947 and 1951 by the real estate development firm Levitt & Sons, Inc. as a planned community for World War II veterans and their families. Levitt & Sons, Inc. was founded by Abraham Levitt in 1929. His sons, William and Alfred, served as the company's president and chief architect and planner, respectively. As one of the first mass-produced suburbs, Levittown is widely regarded as the archetype for postwar suburban communities throughout the country.

The Town of Middleburgh is located in Schoharie County and is one of the original towns within the county. The town was established at the end of the eighteenth century, after it survived many raids by the British during the Revolutionary War. Middleburgh grew in the area of industry and takes pride in the businesses within the town.

Leo Henry Bock was born in Brooklyn, NY on September 3rd, 1880. He moved to 19 South Franklin Ave in Lynbrook, NY on March 17th, 1911 along with his wife Lillian and their two children, Walter and Marie. Bock remained a Lynbrook resident until he died on April 10th, 1973. 

Soon after moving to Lynbrook, Bock was asked to join the Lynbrook Civic Association. At this time he was working for the Tiffany Studios as a photographer. When the Civic Association discovered his profession, he was made the official photographer of the association. During this time from roughly 1911-1917 he photographed events throughout Lynbrook and the surrounding areas. These events included a baseball game between the Lynbrook and East Rockaway Civic Associations, the 1915 Fourth of July parade and the Boy Scout rally that followed, the Lynbrook Home Defense Corps which months later turned into Company B of the 23rd regiment of the New York Guard, Memorial Day celebrations in Lynbrook in 1949, as well as his home life from 1912 into the 1940s.  

Most notably, Bock photographed a Four Day Camp and Rally of the Nassau County Council of the Boy Scouts of America from August 31-September 1-3, 1917 at the Mineola Fair Grounds. The photographs from this event feature an image of President Theodore Roosevelt that is unique to this collection.

Bock closed his photography business in September 1917 due to the lack of business and frustration with the Village of Lynbrook. He was never compensated for his work. He went on to work for the art dealership P.W. French & Company and the Republican Aviation Corporation. Any photographs in the collection after 1917 were done for pleasure, past time, and occasionally the newspaper.

The Village of Canastota is located in Madison County, New York. It was originally inhabited by the Oneida Nation and later settled by Europeans. Captain Reuben Perkins was the original founder in 1810, and the village was formally established in 1835. After its official establishment, the village was in need of essential institutions, such as hospitals. A small hospital was opened within Canastota, but it was serving the outlying areas more than it was the village. In 1917, the the village purchased the hospital and it was named the Canastota Memorial Hospital in 1926. The hospital was remodeled in 1937, adding the following additions: improved operating room; more modern delivery room; a nursery; and an X-ray department. In 1947, the hospital struggled with financial operating losses and had trouble serving the needs of its villagers because of its inadequate physical space. The hospital was then turned over to the Town of Lenox and named the Lenox Memorial Hospital. Unfortunately, the hospital did not meet federal and state standards, making it unable to serve people who were under Medicaid and Medicare which encompassed a majority of the population. The hospital was closed in 1966 and torn down in 1969.