Helen Moore loves her community. She has lived in Spencerport all of her life. “I love this area. I never wanted to live anywhere else,” said Moore. Her family and her business have deep roots in the village of Spencerport. A respected voice in business, government and civic affairs, Moore has volunteered for countless projects, demonstrating commitment that spans over 30 years of service to the community. A woman in business Moore grew up in the house that is now used as the Ogden Senior Center, at 200 South Union Street near the railroad overpass in Spencerport village. Her father’s business was located in the building adjacent to the senior center, now the site of Spencerport Veterinary Clinic. In 1946, the elder Moore sold the business to a nephew, but over the next 10 years, the business deteriorated. “My father returned to the insurance business determined to rebuild his business,” Helen Moore said. In 1956, Helen joined her father in the venture, renaming the business Helen C. Moore Insurance, and worked side-by-side with her father. “It was a challenge for a woman to own a business. I was a young, shy kid. I didn’t think I could do it. But I had clients and I was glad I stuck with it,” Moore said. … “It was my aim to build the name of the business again and to restore my father’s name.” After W. Boyd Moore died, his daughter continued her father’s work patterns, working six days a week. But it became too difficult to maintain the house and the business. She sold the property, along with the building that housed the insurance agency, in 1960 and moved with her mother to a house in Spencerport where she set up an office in her new home. “Business grew to a point where I needed more space and in 1966, I built a new office building.” This one was located on Route 31. In 1972, Moore sold the business to Reidman Insurance and the building to local attorney Fred Holbrook. Upon retirement, Moore’s volunteer activities blossomed. Throughout the years, Moore continued to care for her mother. Eva Moore died in 1998 at the age of 101. Service to the community Others have noticed her efforts. Compassion for the community, diligent and caring are some descriptions Spencerport business people such as Ginny Swarthout and Fred Holbrook use when speaking of Moore. Swarthout, owner of The Unique Shop in Spencerport village, said she has known Moore for over 15 years, and has worked with her on several projects of the Spencerport Area Chamber of Commerce. Moore can be described as dedicated to her community, Swarthout said. “You can always count on Helen to follow through.” Moore showed her commitment to her post as Spencerport Area Chamber of Commerce president at a recent meeting of the group. She convinced the new Spencerport Village Plaza owner, Robert Morgan, and manager, Kevin Morgan, to attend the monthly chamber meeting even though the property purchase had only closed three days before the meeting. “I was just doing what I should,” Moore said of her perseverance. Local attorney Fred Holbrook has known Moore for 40 years. Holbrook’s aunt was a classmate of Moore’s at Spencerport High School. He knows Moore best through their work for the chamber of commerce and the Ogden Republican Committee. Holbrook remembers when he became party leader in 1970. “Helen would call me to give advice and say, ‘You need to know about these things that are going on in town.’ She always lent a hand,” Holbrook said. Holbrook describes Moore as instrumental in the establishment of the Spencerport chamber group in 1988. “Helen is the catalyst for the chamber,” he said. At the time the group was forming, Helen was very active in the Rochester Area Downtown Chamber of Commerce and still today has many contacts in the Greater Rochester business community. Swarthout said that these contacts continue to help the Spencerport chamber. “Helen has spent a lot of time making the right contacts. She is committed to building the chamber’s programs.” Holbrook describes Moore as the “consummate businesswoman, always involved in women’s business issues and an active community member.” Swarthout reiterates Holbrook’s words: “She cares about our community and has a great understanding about business because she owned a business.” Moore is modest about the community accomplishments but she is convinced her contacts are what sold the deal that brought Caldwell Manufacturing to Ogden. In the early 1980s, she was serving her second term on the Ogden Town Board. “I still had my good connections with the downtown chamber. This chamber was doing a lot of economic development. I found out that Caldwell Manufacturing was looking for new space and I knew the land at the corner of Shepard and Manitou roads (in southeast Ogden) was for sale. “The president of Caldwell Manufacturing looked at the property and decided to buy it,” Moore remembered. She said she knew the Route 531 exit at Manitou Road helped to sell the property. “If it had not been for my connections, this deal would not have happened. I knew when you get one entity, others will follow,” Moore said. Soon after, other developments like the Westover Industrial Park, located off Manitou Road near Caldwell Manufacturing, came to the Ogden area. A long history of service Moore is also an avid promoter of the Spencerport Alumni Association. She encourages all Spencerport alumni to attend the annual banquet held each June. “We honor the classes celebrating their 25th and 50th years and people come from all over.” Moore’s service to the community also extends to her church. She serves on the Finance Board at the historic White Church. “It seems as like I’ve been on that board for over 100 years,” she joked. Moore said she is proud to be a community leader and encourages others to do the same. “Be interested in your community. Pursue your interest because it is all worthwhile,” she said.
some history The land on which Spencerport Village Plaza is now located was once a small farm. In their own recounting of the history of the property surrounding 200 South Union Street, the Moore family archives record: At the turn of the 20th century, my grandfather, William Moore, purchased the six acres with a small office and house. The upper story was added to accommodate his family. A portion of the property was a small farm with a cow, chickens and a garden. Since the rail line with a siding passed along the south side of the parcel, William Moore built a coal elevator so that coal could be unloaded from the railroad cars parked on the siding. The veranda on the house was added in 1915 and the appearance of the house has not changed substantially since that time. Although the original business of the property was the sale of coal and fertilizer, my father, W. Boyd Moore went into the general insurance business in 1906 and continued in that business. After my grandfather’s death in 1917, my father combined the coal and insurance businesses and operated them until his death. A few years after William Moore’s death, the office building situated on the northwest corner of the property was enlarged and weigh scales installed on the building’s north side. Hank Allen delivered coal to the townspeople by horse and wagon. He continued to deliver in this manner until his horses were lost when lightning struck the barn. He then purchased a truck to use for coal deliveries. The property undertook a few changes after 1925. The excavation for the construction of the Trowbridge School (now Trowbridge Court Apartments) was used to fill in the back section of the property so it could be seeded. The appearance of the property became more residential rather than rural and farm-like. Three Windsor cherry trees were planted in the area behind the house. … The six acres were further landscaped with evergreens, apple trees, peach trees, grape vines, asparagus. All planting flourished and my Daddy had a hobby of apple trees and the fruit they bore. At one time, Cornell horticulturists put a sign on one tree that bore green apples on one side and red apples on the other side. My grandmother, Clara Moore, was of pure English stock and had a large English garden along the front yard from the garage to the office. My mother, Eva Moore, kept it up until we moved in 1960. The interior of the home consisted of a kitchen, pantry, dining room with two large living rooms divided by gum wood trim. Each living room measured 15 feet by 15 feet with nine foot ceilings. The upper story had three bedrooms with a large front hall leading to the upstairs. The hall ceiling measured 17 feet from floor to ceiling. October 9, 2005 |
