WHAT IS THE HERITAGE AWARD?
The new Sandstone Heritage Award, which began in 2023, is intended to recognize buildings, individuals, groups, etc. that significantly contribute to our understanding and appreciation of Medina Sandstone.
JAMES FRIDAY
Jim is a Kodak retiree and loves local history. In 2021 he wrote a book about the local sandstone
industry, “The History of Sandstone in Orleans County NY.” The 108-page book includes many photos of the county’s dominant industry. In the book he explores the geology of how and when the stone was formed, the rise and fall of the regional quarry industry and what remains today.
Friday is a descendant of Polish immigrants who lived in Albion. When he was a child, Friday spent a lot of time in Albion and often swam in the village’s quarries.
Friday presently serves as the coordinator of the orleans.nygenweb.net website that includes a wealth of local genealogy data about Orleans County.
MARIANA L. RHOADES
Researcher, Mariana L. Rhoades, with a MS degree in sedimentary geology from the University of Rochester, taught geology for over two decades at St. John Fisher College and SUNY-Empire State College as well as through other continuing education programs at Nazareth College and the Roads Scholar offerings. She has authored several papers on stone materials for the Erie Canal, California sandstones and other general geology topics.
She is the author of “Stone Industry in Erie County, NY, 1820-1930”, “Stone Industry in Niagara County, NY 1820-1930” and the most recently published “Stone Industry in Orleans County, 1820-1930”. The later is a definitive work documenting virtually every quarry and quarryman in that huge local industry.
Her primary research continues with documenting early stone quarries in New York State.
We are honored to celebrate these distinguished individuals as the
2024 recipients of the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame Heritage Award!
