The ASP Historian Newsletter

For many years, the Allegany State Park Historical Society published the ASP Historian, a newsletter that shared stories, research, updates, and insights related to Allegany State Park and the Society’s work.

This page serves as a digital archive of past issues, preserving them as part of ASPHS’s ongoing commitment to documenting and sharing the park’s history.

We are also excited to explore the return of the ASP Historian in the future. Keep your eyes peeled for updates as we look ahead to reviving the newsletter - potentially with one special issue each year.

In the meantime, please enjoy this archive of past issues, linked below:

• The ASP Historian - Spring 1997

• The ASP Historian - Spring 1998

• The ASP Historian - Summer 1998

• The ASP Historian - Autumn/Winter 1998

• The ASP Historian - Spring 1999

• The ASP Historian - Summer 1999

• The ASP Historian - Fall 1999

• The ASP Historian - Spring 2000

• The ASP Historian - Summer 2000

• The ASP Historian - Winter 2000

• The ASP Historian - Spring/Summer 2001

• The ASP Historian - Fall/Winter 2001

• The ASP Historian -  Fall 2013

• The ASP Historian - Spring/Summer 2016

• The ASP Historian - No Date

Allegany State Park Timeline
Compiled by Bob Schmid

The Allegany State Park timeline below was originally published in The ASP Historian, the newsletter of the Allegany State Park Historical Society. Compiled by longtime contributor Bob Schmid, this timeline draws from historical records, firsthand accounts, and decades of institutional knowledge to highlight significant events, milestones, and changes in the park’s history.

Preserved here as part of our digital newsletter archive, the timeline reflects the Society’s ongoing commitment to documenting and sharing the rich and evolving story of Allegany State Park for present and future generations.

See an error or have a piece of Allegany State Park history to share? We welcome your input. Please email us at asphsociety@gmail.com

1921

• August 1: The Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences opens the first group cabin, the Buffalo Camp, on land purchased from the Olean Lumber Company.

• August 16: Construction begins on the Red House Administration Building (Frank Family Farm).

• August 4: Fire prevention is established under the management of Frank Prescott.

• August 4: The Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences opens the first group cabin at Buffalo Camp (referred to as “first service camp”).
  
  

1923

• July 2: The first wedding is held in the park at Mary Gribbon’s Camp on the site of Frank Field.

• July 15: The Buffalo Council of Boy Scouts (serving Cattaraugus and Allegany counties) opens Camp Onovaga at Allegany.

• July 23: The Red House Lake bath house officially opens.

• July 25: Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, visits Allegany State Park.

• July: The Fancher Pool opens at a cost of approximately $10,000.
  
  

1924

• July 30: Interstate Parkway Road opens, connecting Allegany State Park with the city of Bradford, Pennsylvania.
  
  

1927

• July 5: Construction of the Seneca Council of Boy Scouts Camp Onovaga begins.

• July 6: A life-size portrait of Sen. Albert T. Fancher is presented to the Allegany State Park Commission and displayed in the Red House Administration Building.
  
  

1929

• Summer: A 22-piece band is organized by ASP employees.

• August 4: The Red House Sawmill opens to the public.
  
  

1930

• March 30: A concrete swimming pool measuring 90' x 100' is completed at Quaker Camp (SP-39), funded by the Diocese of Buffalo and known as Camp Turner.
  
  

1931

• August 1: Olin W. Kelsey resigns as Executive Secretary of Allegany State Park and is replaced by Richard Halsey.
  
  

1933

• August 21: Four girls (ages 10, 12, 18, and 19) are burned to death after gasoline ignites while they are trapped inside a cabin at Red House.

• September: A new larger mess hall is completed at Camp Arrowhead (Group Camp 12).

• September: A new entrance is constructed at the Salamanca end of the park.
  
  

1934

• July 14: The Historical Fancher Pool is demolished and rebuilt by the Baer Construction Company under a $27,800 contract.
  
  

1936

• July 3: Robert Remington retires as General Park Foreman after 46 years of service.
  
  

1937

• September 25: Cyrus W. Remington dies at age 59; he was the first superintendent of Allegany State Park.
  
  

1963

• September 23: Chauncey Hamlin (for whom Hamlin Cabin Trail is named) dies of a heart attack at age 82.
  
  

1968

• September: A new larger mess hall is completed at Camp Arrowhead.
  
  

1970

• September 9: The last dance is held at the Quaker Dance Hall, which was later converted into offices for the Francis Quaker Res.
  
  

1979

• September 5: Red House Lake is completely drained to allow removal of sludge and sediment buildup from the beach area and to make repairs to the Red House Dam.

• September 8: Art Roscoe dies at age 77; he was known as the “father of skiing in Western New York” and was instrumental in developing skiing at Allegany State Park.

• September 18: The Fancher Pool was last filled with water.
  
  

1981

• September: The Fancher Pool was last filled with water (final closure period).
  
  

1985

• September: The Historical Fancher Pool is demolished.
  
  

1990

• July 1: Camp Turner, the group camp operated by the Diocese of Buffalo, officially opens.
  
  

1992

• July 26: Paul Curtin and James Phillips are killed when a car strikes their pickup truck; one was an ASP #1 apprentice and the other a Quaker headquarters employee.

See an error or have a piece of Allegany State Park history to share?
We welcome your input. Please email us at asphsociety@gmail.com