Williamson town historian 
celebrates 90th birthday  

Community invited to open house April 18

WILLIAMSON - The family of Chester A. Peters, Town of Williamson historian, invites the community to join them in celebration of his 90th birthday from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 18 at an Open House at the Williamson Town Hall. There will be a special proclamation in his honor at 3:30 p.m.

Peters was born and raised in Williamson. As a youngster, he attended Koetsville District School. While in high school, he was a future farmer and Joke editor for the school newspaper.

Following graduation in 1937 from Williamson High School as one of only 27 students, he attended the two-year agriculture program at Cornell University. Throughout his life, Peters has remained involved in his hometown and was appointed Williamson town historian February 23, 1965.

Locally, he worked at the Young Funeral Home and is a retired florist, farmer, building contractor. A cabinet maker by trade, he truly made time his hobby as a clock maker.

From 1961 to 2007, he meticulously cared for the Lakeview Cemetery in Pultneyville.

A lifetime resident of Williamson, Peters is also a lifetime member of the Pultneyville Reformed Church and member of the Pultneyville Masonic Lodge #159, from which he received a Dedicated Service Award in 1990 for his service to the community. He is a founding member of the Pultneyville Historical Society, serving in a variety of capacities for nearly 50 years.

Peters has served on the Board of Directors of the Wayne County Historical Society and currently attends monthly Wayne County historian meetings.

In 1990, he was nominated by the Town of Williamson, and received the Albert Cory Award for individual achievement presented by the Regional Council of Historical Agencies in recognition of his long and distinguished service for his local history work.

Peters has a following and is known to many, both young and old. He has conducted walking tours of both the village of Williamson and the historic hamlet of Pultneyville for adults, organizations and fourth grade classes, as part of their study of local history.

He prepares members of the Pultneyville Historical Society for their roles in the society's annual candlelight cemetery tour portraying 'famous residents' of the historic cemeteries in the Town of Williamson and the hamlet of Pultneyville.

With his help, members research the lives and contributions of their respective characters for reenactment in this popular event.

Peters has written a series of informative articles about local history that have appeared in the Sun & Record and in school district publications.

He contributes often to historical publications, local, regional and statewide tourism guides and has also written numerous columns for inclusion in historical society newsletters and the annual Pultneyville homecoming booklet.

Peters has conducted a series of lectures on township history sponsored by the local public library. As an invited guest, he gives frequent talks on historical topics to groups in Williamson and throughout the county, to Friends of the Williamson Free Public Library as part of Williamson's annual Apple Blossom Festival, to class groups at local and nearby schools and the State University of New York College at Oswego, to church groups, visiting organizations, senior citizens, garden clubs and friends. Over the years, he has acted as a counselor and judge in the Wayne County History Jamboree, has helped many high school students with research efforts for Hoffman Foundation papers, and just last month manned a table at the annual Williamson Central School District's Learning Fair.

In 1999, he was both humbled and honored as recipient of the Town of Williamson Citizen of the Year Award for his unwavering commitment to our community.

Peters is credited for guiding the successful 11 year effort which placed historical significant structures in Pultneyville on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Remaining interested in the direction of the town as a whole, he most recently is a member of the Williamson Heritage Asset Committee. Whether regarding the area's maritime heritage, early settlers, style of architecture, cobblestone structures, community churches and cemeteries, the War of 1812 or the Underground Railroad, he is a noted authority and is often a source for information, and the focus of newspaper articles, magazine stories, and radio and television interviews.

Peters is widely known by many in the community, and those traveling along the Seaway Trail, as the Maker of Tall Clocks and Teller of Tall Tales, as the sign on his front porch indicates.

He married Pearl Orbaker June 2, 1943. They reside at 4154 Mill St. in Pultneyville, where they continue to welcome local, regional and worldwide visitors into their home. Chet and Pearl are the parents of 12 children who have always been quick to give much deserved credit to their dad for his commitment to history, and to Mom for supporting his many efforts to help others.

Making for some lively family gatherings, they are grandparents to 22 grandchildren and 14 great- grandchildren, and look forward to the arrival of two more great-grandchildren later this year. From his youth, Peters has demonstrated a zealous love for his family, the community and history. He loves to pour over old documents and photographs, journals and census records, as well as birth, death and marriage certificates, in hopes to gain a glimpse into the past. The only son of Mr. and Mrs. John Peters, Jr., he has traced his own family's history as far back as 1611 in Holland.

Along the way he has written, taught and lectured. He continues to enthusiastically share his knowledge, hoping that his work will be used to assist future generations in their genealogical research, as people trace their heritage.

As Chester turns 90 years young, he remains passionate about the preservation and documentation of history, which for him has been a lifelong labor of love. He firmly believes that one must possess some knowledge of the past in order to have guide for the present and the future. He continues to be dedicated, not only to getting, but to keeping people interested in their history.

For Peters, life continues to be a journey, not a destination. He has made many friends along the way. Admirers and community residents are invited to join the Peters family in the celebration of this special milestone in Peters' life.

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