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The rich history of the City of Oswego’s oldest commercial building and its many past uses will be the focus of discussion on Saturday morning, July 11th from 10am to 12 at the J. Richard Pfund Boating Center at 11 Lake St. in Oswego.
Mark J. Slosek, Oswego City Historian will present a lecture on the history of the Cahill’s Fish Market/Walton & Willett Stone Store and the development of the west side pier. The building originally built in 1828, has been home to a multitude of businesses including a ship chandlery, newspaper office, customs office, steamboat ticket office, warehouse, fish market, and tavern restaurant.
“We’re delighted to introduce this informative lecture,” said Austin Wheelock, president of the Heritage Foundation. “The Cahill’s Fish Market Building and the west side pier touched many generations of Oswegonians going back to the City’s origins.”
The West side pier and waterfront has seen tremendous change from its beginnings as an early trading post to the manufacturing boom of the late 19th and early 20th Century to today but the one constant has been the existence of the Cahill’s Building. Today that building is under distress from Mother Nature and neglect. “Action needs to be take place now for the building to continue to be a part of Oswego’s future,” remarked Wheelock.
Event lecturer Mark J. Slosek holds a B.A. in History from Niagara University and M.A. in History from SUNY Oswego. He was selected as the City’s Historian in 2014 by Mayor Tom Gillen. He is a past curator of the Oswego County Historical Society and was an active member of the Oswego Immigration Council. He is a published author and a retired educator whose career spanned almost 40 years in the Fulton School District where he taught American History.
The free Heritage Foundation lecture is part of an ongoing series of informational programs on preservation topics. For more information, call (315)532-1277 or email Austin Wheelock at awheelock@oswegocounty.org.
