“BABY BEAR”
- Program
- Subject
- Location
- Lat/Long
- Grant Recipient
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NYS Historic
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Site
- 7175 Main Street, Ovid, NY 14521, USA
- 42.676834, -76.821855
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Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Abraham Lincoln Camp 6 Rochester NY
“BABY BEAR”
Inscription
“BABY BEAR”MEETING SITE OF GRAND ARMY
OF THE REPUBLIC POST
C.T. HARRIS 325, EST. 1882,
AND SONS OF UNION VETERANS
D.G. CAYWOOD CAMP 146.
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2022
Sitting amid Ovid, New York stands the historic Seneca County Courthouse—or, the three bears. For an explanation as to the name, simply look at the photo below.
“Baby Bear” was part of the original courthouse complex built in 1845 alongside “Papa Bear”, serving as the original surrogates and clerk’s office. The building was reportedly fire proof, making it the perfect place to story important records and documents; however, not long after construction it became too small to house the growing county’s records, which spurred the construction of “Mama Bear”, placed between the two existing structures. Though “Baby Bear” served a number of roles when duty called during the subsequent decades—such as a “temporary facility for a local bank after a disastrous fire destroyed most of the business portion of the village” in 1875 as described by the Friends of the Three Bears—it eventually became the meeting site of the Seneca county Grand Army of the Republic (GAR).
The GAR was a fraternal organization consisting of veterans who had fought in the American Civil War for the Union, and it was built on three objectives: fraternity, charity and loyalty. Along with providing a fraternal order for those who’d served, the GAR also helped establish Memorial Day as a national celebration.
The Seneca Post met in Ovid and was known as the C.T. Harris Camp #325. The application for the charter from Ovid consisted of 30 veterans of the Civil War, and the charter was issued December 30th 1882. The local GAR became a pillar of the community, participating in local parades and celebrations.
As years passed and the number of veterans in the area dwindled. In their stead emerged the Sons of the Union Veterans organization, a fraternal order dedicated to preserving the legacy of their ancestors who had fought for the Union, and the legal successor to the GAR. As of 2022, the Sons of Union Veterans D. G. Caywood Camp #146 continues to use “Baby Bear” to host their meetings.
According to the Friends of Three Bears webpage, the building contains a small museum dedicated to local Civil War veterans. This marker commemorates the space continued use as a meeting space for Union veterans of the Civil War and the related generations that followed.
