Rochester’s 19th ward is huge. As a ward, and a neighborhood, it dwarfs most other named places, save for Group 14621. This particular leg of my journey consisted of about 28 miles of roads, which I had decided would consist of the southern and western chunk of the area. It’s hard to pinpoint place identities under the 19th ward banner, but for now I’ll refer to them as Thurston Village and South Park. The former is really a couple-block section surrounding the Brooks/Thurston intersection, and the latter has more to do with the big park straddling the river.

Thurston Village has popped up in the news recently for less-than-ideal reasons. City-Wide Tenants Union had just lead a successful tenants strike at the Apartments at Thurston Village. This is in contrast to what I’m about to say about the area: so much of this section reminded me of Brighton. Big, beautiful homes, wide streets, manicured lawns, and yet a block away there are moldy walls and bug infestations unseen from the road. It’s a reminder that for as many visible struggles as the city faces, there are just as many that go unseen, and we need to stay diligent about ensuring everyone’s rights to safe housing.

I have fond memories of Thurston Village as a kid. I used to get my hair cut every few weeks at Eddie’s Barber Shop, which was in clear view of Louie’s Sweet Shoppe. Louie’s was almost like Stever’s of the West side, but in reality Louie’s opened over 20 years earlier than Stever’s. A family business launched by Greek immigrants, Louie’s served the 19th Ward from 1925-1997. Part soda-fountain, part cafe, it was a local watering hole for local kids and adults alike. The business passed from one generation to another until ’97, when they could no longer compete with big chains. Now People’s Choice Kitchen occupies that space, and though I’ve heard amazing things about their Caribbean fare I haven’t tried them yet. Something tells me they’ll be another neighborhood fixture for years to come. Speaking of Eddie’s barbershop, there’s a great interview of Eddie on youtube that goes into detail about the last 50+ years of Thurston Village. His barbershop hasn’t changed since at least the ’80s. Eddie retired in 2020.

If we’re talking about fixtures in the community we can’t overlook Megiddo Mission. Theirs is a unique faith in that they don’t align with any major Christian denomination, yet they continue to believe that Jesus will very soon return from the dead. They are also well known for their missionary work and self-sufficiency. Their story begins with a steamboat named Megiddo, named for the biblical city. Reverend L.T. Nichols and his congregation would amble from port to port on the Mississippi River, preaching everywhere they went. A number of accidents took a toll on the 90 or so congregants aboard, and so in 1904 Nichols – on the advice of family – purchased about 5 and a half acres on Thurston Road. In many ways this land was its own settlement; part commune, part church. Over the years it bloomed into a large campus, and with it the need for more amenities. In many ways the Megiddo Mission was the reason we have Thurston Village; without their insistence on expanded sewers, water service and transit options this part of the 19th Ward might’ve taken years longer to develop.

The Megiddo Mission tract is long and thin, bounded by Flanders Place and West Sawyer Place. Toward Thurston are a handful of numbered main buildings, with individual houses behind. There’s a very large garden in the center of the campus which lends to their self-sufficiency. Flanders (the actual road) has seen better days but the houses are well-kept, despite the congregation shrinking to about 20 members. The members don’t seem to be concerned about their dwindling numbers; someone, they say, will still be around in time for the return of Christ.

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Sometimes I stumble upon a local history nugget that manages to hide itself in plain site; that is, it’s hard to research because modern documents seem to overlook it, and I have to go way back to find any mention of its existence. Nowadays, World War II is regarded like the Civil War was when I was in school; the Civil War regarded as ancient history, to be tossed into conversation in terms of a possible sequel; pre-Civil War history, in this context, seems to find itself in the same paragraph as cave paintings. And yet I dig, virtually, and manage to unearth the reason behind this curious and uncatalogued historical marker that I had almost rode past. Digging beyond the volumes of knowledge on Susan B. is the home of Asa Anthony, distant cousin to the former. In the 1840s there was no Post Ave, only cherry trees and a cabbage patch. The Anthony farm would act as an overflow stop when the Frederick Douglass home was too full, filling the basement as safety would allow. Those that escaped their captors would stop here, likely after the Douglass home, but before moving on to Lake Ontario at a point near Hilton, hidden under straw in horse-drawn wagons that only traveled at night. The only reminder of this area, besides the sign from 1984, is the street named Anthony. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Post Ave is also named after Susan B. Anthony accomplices Amy and Isaac Post, who lived not far from here. At least this is what I’d like to believe.

South of Thurston Village is, save for the planes flying low overhead, a quiet area nestled between the airport and Genesee Valley Park. The eastern half of this was covered at some length in my article on The Rapids, and widely known as the Wadsworth Tract. The western half carried the name of South Park for some time, due to its proximity to the park. In 1888, the city constructed the Elmwood Avenue bridge. With both sides of the river now accessible, it acquired the surrounding land to be set aside for park space, cleverly labeled it South Park, and hired Frederick Law Olmstead to design it. I’m a fan of Olmstead parks, but there’s an interesting anecdote about him purchasing 80 sheep to be released within the park to contribute to the “pastoral” vibe, leading me to believe he went a little over the top here. He also added 70,000 trees to the city. His efforts paid off, as the area formerly known as The Rapids lost it’s dirty reputation. Being up-river from most industry, it was also known for some of the cleanest water (and ice) in Rochester. Rail transit was extended further south to meet the demand, and even more people began to flock to the neighborhoods of the 19th Ward to settle down.

It’s perhaps this chapter of history, the very late 19th and early 20th century, that gave the ward it’s flavor – that bit I wrote about big, beautiful homes and manicured lawns. We saw its libertarian past in seedy areas such as the Rapids or communal experiments such as the Megiddo Mission, and these offer the area character and historic charm. The 19th Ward is like the kid who liked to party in high school but ended up getting a decent job and settling down. Its close friends knows it’s still cool, but people on the outside might still believe more in the reputation than the reality.