A Trip to Upstate New York Trivia Quiz

Answer: Binghamton

Binghamton Zoo is located in Ross Park and was founded in 1875. The carousel that sits outside the zoo is the remnant of several other amusement park rides that used to be there. Most of the exhibits in the zoo are located on or near an elongated looping trail that I recall on my visit (admittedly a hot day) as being built on a slope. According to signage at the zoo, the Tennessee Fainting Goat really faints when it panics.

Answer: Susan B. Anthony

Unfortunately photography was not allowed inside of the house. Her office was on the third floor and converted from attic space. Susan B. Anthony's bedroom was on the second floor in the rear. The parlor at the front of the first floor is where she was arrested after attempting to vote in 1872. The house to the right (19 Madison Street) houses the visitor center and gift shop.

Answer: Frederick Douglass

I could not name the location since Susan B. Anthony Square Park might have been a giveaway for the previous question. The small park is located at 39 King Street and it was close enough to the house museum that this is where I parked my car. The sculpture was by Pepsy Kettavong and erected in 2001 and reflects the friendship that developed between Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass as they both shared a common interest in social justice.

Answer: William H. Seward

The Seward House Museum is located at 33 South Street. Built in 1816, the house was occupied by the Seward family from 1824 until 1951. In 1955, it opened to the public as a museum. Two noticeable features of the house are the large number of books that the Seward family owned and the many portraits throughout the house of the famous people that visited the home.

In the carriage house is a kayak given to Seward when he visited Alaska late in his life.

Answer: Harriet Tubman

The Harriet Tubman home is located at 180 South Street in Auburn. Harriet Tubman actually purchased this property from William Seward, who was generous as a landlord (giving her extra time to make mortgage payments when money was tight). Unfortunately, Harriet Tubman's own residence was not physically sound enough for tours at the time of my visit. We were able to go on a guided tour through the first floor of the Retirement Home that Harriet Tubman established on the property for poor African-Americans. We were not permitted to take pictures there, but the interior was furnished with pieces from Harriet Tubman's family rather than pieces original to the home.

Answer: Boldt Castle

Boldt Castle is located on Heart Island. The house was built at the direction of George Boldt who rose from rags to riches. He intended the summer house to be a present to his wife Louise. When Louise died, a heartbroken George ordered construction stopped on the unfinished home. Construction would resume decades later under the supervision of the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority. On a tour you can see parts of the home at several stages from rough construction to luxury in the finished areas.

Answer: Lake Ontario

The Thousand Islands (which actually number about 1,600) lie in the St. Lawrence River just downstream from Lake Ontario. The islands range in size from several square miles down to tiny patches. An island in this case is defined as having at least one square foot above sea level at all times and possessing at least two trees.

Many of the smaller islands are homes to small groups of houses or even single houses.

Answer: Buffalo

The park opened as Pilot Field in 1988 and stayed so named until 1995. When I visited in 2016 it was known as Coca-Cola Field and changed its name two years later to Sahlen Field. The park seats 16,600. Several teams called the Buffalo Bisons have played in the city including one incarnation (1879-1885) that competed in the majors in the National League.

The core of my 2016 trip was visiting ballparks in western New York and northern Pennsylvania (nine in nine days), but many of my ballgame pictures would not be suitable for this quiz because of the people in the pictures.

Answer: From the Niagara River to Lake Ontario

This shot from a tour boat is of Horseshoe Falls, which is on the US-Canadian border. The other two parts of the "Niagara Falls" complex are American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls (which are both in US territory). When water drops on the falls it is moving from the Niagara River to Lake Ontario.

The falls are a drop of about 160 feet and are actually slowly moving backwards (upstream) as the water erodes the underlying rock and soil.

Answer: Batavia

Dwyer Stadium is located in Batavia, NY, and is home to the Batavia Muckdogs (a Class A Short Season affiliate of the Miami Marlins). The stadium opened in 1996 (replacing an earlier 1939 baseball field) and seats 2,600. The netting and fencing extends backwards in an attempt to further protect spectators from foul balls.

While at the park I was able to try the snack bar special--Muckdog Chow consisting of chopped hot dog, two types of sausage, home fries, and macaroni salad topped with Muckdog Sauce.