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Westfield Area Historical Sites

Dr. Bottum's
Hospital & Incubator

Dr. Arthur L. Bottum graduated in 1875 and moved to Westfield where he built up a large practice. He found that his practice demanded some place where he could more conveniently attend to his patients who came here for treatment for chronic troubles and in 1879, he erected his Main Street lot, a handsome and spacious residence to be used as a private hospital where his many patients found the needed care and treatment necessary to the recuperation of impaired health.

This was the first hospital started in Tioga County. This 30-room dwelling was built by Millard F. Clark. There were hand-laid wooden parquet floors of maple and cherry on the first and second floors. Rising from the large center hall is a rosewood staircase to the third floor. Another feature of the structure was the tall, curved glass windows in the front of the building. There was a water cistern in the attic.

The first incubator baby in these parts was saved by him in a crude home-made affair. One newspaper account called it a sanitarium.

In 1891 he started a private hospital for special diseases of women and surgery. The hospital closed in 1899 at his death. Dr. Mahlon Pritchard also used that house for his medical practice as an eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist until his death in 1917. His daughter, Florence Pritchard Scott and husband, Leland, later had a jewelry store in the house.

Dr. Bottum’s house is now known as the Ordway House.

This baby was born at Dr. Bottum's Private Hospital on July 6, 1898. The birth was prematurely induced between six and seven months on account of a deformed pelvis. It was placed in an incubator with temperature 86 degrees and was fed by forced feeding with a medicine dropper. The weight one week from birth was 3 pounds and 4 ounces. The baby went home with her mother less than a month later.

She lived to be 62 years old, married in 1917, and was the mother of seven children.

Westfield Fair

A high fence surrounded the area. The main entrance was on the North Fork road.

The fair was started through the efforts of a group of farmers and others who met at Tucker Hall one night in July 1886 and organized a Farmer’s Club, preparatory to hold annually an agricultural fair in Westfield Borough.

The Cowanesque Valley Agricultural Society formally organized August 14, 1886, and incorporated August 31, 1887.

In April 1887, the Trowbridge farm located on the corner of Main Street and North Fork Road about one mile west of the borough was contracted satisfactorily for the future fair grounds. In the fall of each year from 1887 until 1941 young and old alike made their way to the Westfield Fair Grounds to attend the annual Westfield Fair. The trains ran special low rates during Fair Week.

There were many exhibits in the Fair House on the hill which included paintings, needlecraft, gardening and butter and cheese.

There were cattle barns, horse stables, and an exhibit hall with smaller animals such as sheep, swine, various birds and pets such as squirrels, minks, mice, fox, raccoon, woodchuck and various rabbits.

Perhaps the greatest fascination for the children and adults was in the Midway with wondrous attractions such as the dog-faced boy or a beautiful girl in a den of snakes or games of chance or a wild west exhibition. The Merry-Go-Round, Ferris Wheel and other rides were there for all to ride. The dining hall and concession stands held a wide variety of food.

Acts of all sorts were in the area in front of the grandstand such as parachute jumping, trapeze artists, hot air balloon ascension rides. Special activities were held such as bicycle day, grand stock parade, or ball games with teams from other towns. There were exciting horseraces but no trotting or pacing records were ever set. There was a dance hall where one could enjoy round or square dancing. It was indeed a week-long celebration with other activities in town in the evenings such as concerts or plays to the theatre had film attractions each night. There were even Saturday automobile races in some years. 1932 brought an illuminating system so evening hours were offered.

During the 1930’s and the early 40’s the fair began to become less and less of an attraction until in 1941 the last fair was held. It was sad for many of the local residents to see the buildings disappear one by one – either being torn down or burning. The land was sold to Cowanesque Valley Joint School Board in 1956 and later became the home of the Cowanesque Junior-Senior High School. The site of the old fairgrounds’ racetrack was converted to the school athletic fields. Yes, the Westfield Fair holds many memories and has an important place in Westfield’s history.

Westfield B&O Depot

The railroad, first known as the Addison and Pennsylvania, was a narrow gauge road and arrived in Westfield November 7, 1882 with the donkey engine and 3-4 flat cars. A crowd of nearly 500 gathered, including the Westfield Cornet Band, to see the site. Children were let out of school and Adriel Sayles, the blacksmith, used his anvil in place of a cannon to the street to announce the coming train.

Mr. Edward Bryant was the locomotive engineer who ran that first engine and Daniel Conderman was his fireman. B.B. Strang later gave an address thanking all who made the occasion possible, and he was referring to the first survey for a railroad that had been conducted 35 years before to the town.

It was made standard gauge in 1893. It later became the Buffalo and Susquehanna (B&S), then the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) and then the Wellsville, Addison, and Galeton (W.A.G.).

The last passenger train was on November 19, 1949. The freight shipments ceased in 1975 with flooding and briefly resumed until the spring of 1976 floods and service ended between Gaines Jct. and Westfield.

The depot closed later in 1978.

Pictured: Sara Marsh; L-R: Gerald Longwell, Carl Outman, Arnold Ruef, Clayton Scott, Arthur Rugaber, Wilbur Jackson; L-R: Lester Scott, Rae Outman Sr., Mahlon Pritchard, Lawrence Case, Harold Longwell, Harry Wright, Wesley Thomas, Walter Bartlett, Lewis Tubbs, Leland Scott; L-R: Arthur Seamans, Ellsworth Griffin.

This may have been around 1928 under the direction of Leland Scott. The band existed as early as 1908 under the direction of C. E. Fullwood.

Westfield Area Historical Sites

Dr. Bottum's Hospital & Incubator

Dr. Bottum's
Hospital & Incubator