Grandson Addie Yates grew up working on the machinery of the mill and showed an aptitude for mechanical tasks at a very early age. His first business venture was a modest auto repair service that he ran on the cider mill property. He then took a job as a millwright and repairman with the C. N. Ray Company in Oxford; C. N. Ray was a gravel operation that was the predecessor of American Aggregate at that location.
In 1920, Yates purchased the former Jackson Foundry at the foot of South Hill and opened the Yates Machine Works there; two years later, he built this handsome home for his family located just a couple of blocks west of his business. Yates was also interested in civic affairs and served as a Rochester village councilman and superintendent of the water works.
In later years, after withdrawing from his business because of ill health, Adam Yates moved to a farm in Dryden where he could better enjoy the outdoor life. He died in 1952 and is buried in Mount Avon Cemetery.
Wow - brings back memories. My friend, Debbie Garner, lived in the upstairs apartment for...probably at least 10 years if not a bit more (she lived in an apartment in the Crissman home on University before this one too!). After you walked up 6 stairs (what would have been the last stairs when you rounded the corner from the downstairs in days gone by), you were in the hallways from which jutted four rooms...a tiny kitchen, an even tinier bathroom (never had a shower - just a small claw foot tub), a large bedroom and a large living room. In between the bedroom/loving room was a tiny room (where that upstairs window looking out to the street is) that she used for her sewing room and dresser. The wood in that apartment was beautiful - it was always well taken care of by all the owners. She had big attics - both behind a separate storage area - one through the living room that you could walk in comfortably. The other was when you first entered the apartment at the base of the stairs. There was a storage nook on the right for misc. items, and behind that you could open it somehow and crawl into more attic space. That was my job and not one I really enjoyed. I had no idea the history behind the homes she lived in...I'm not certain she knew either! So fun to read - thanks for sharing!
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