Stained Glass Series: Emmet C. Dodge

This is the eighth article in a series about the historic Grindstone Island Church. Over the coming months, we will highlight families who are honored with stained-glass windows. Their history continues, and we hope that the descendants of these families and the people who love the region will help rebuild the church for future generations.

Emmet Claude Dodge was born on November 25, 1883, in Manistee, Michigan, to Melvin and Rhoba Dodge. During his childhood, the family relocated to Northern New York, where he completed his education at Dexter High School. In 1904, Mr. Dodge accepted a teaching position on Grindstone Island. He married Nellie Mae Cummings, daughter of William and Addie Cummings, at the Grindstone Island Church in 1907. Together, they had eight children: Hazel, William, Avis, Lois, Florence, Mary, and twins Roland James, Norman John.

Nellie Dodge served as Grindstone Island's postmistress from 1944 to 1959 and was known to pass on the daily news and gossip to the island residents collecting their mail. She also played the church pipe organ, with her loyal dog lying on the floor nearby.

Emmet was both a talented builder and a schoolteacher at Upper (Red) Schoolhouse from 1905 to 1926, additionally he worked as a Customs Inspector between 1905 and 1915. Famous for his construction skills, Emmet spearheaded a major church reconstruction on Grindstone Island during the mid-1930s while Reverend Gabriel served as minister. Thanks to his leadership, the church—which was in extremely poor condition when Reverend Gabriel arrived—was successfully restored. Emmet not only managed the renovation, but he also helped with the fundraising efforts and donated his own time as well as many of the building materials to complete the huge project.

Stanley Norcom, in his book Grindstone, An Island World Remembered, portrayed Emmet as a man with a rugged, deeply lined face who was not only a great storyteller but also an impressive builder— “always seen with a hammer in hand”. Norcom also noted Emmet’s impressive ability to quickly and accurately calculate, in his head, the amount of lumber required for construction projects.

When Nellie’s parents retired from farming, Emmet and Nellie took over the Cummings Farm. The farm was located south of the church on Cross Island Road. Nellie died in 1959 and Emmet built himself a small house in the Thurso Community with indoor plumbing. But, as a true River Rat, he still preferred to bathe in St. Lawrence River.

During the 1960s, Emmet wrote a manuscript detailing the history and families of Grindstone Island. Although it was never published, several copies still exist and are closely held by residents and descendants of the island.

Emmet passed away in 1966 and was laid to rest in the Upper Cemetery on Grindstone Island next to Nellie and their son William who drowned at age 12.
Emmet made an invaluable contribution to the Grindstone Island Community by donating a building, located across the road from the church. The building is now known as The Dodge Memorial Hall and it remains a vital community center and event venue that frequently hosts community meetings, events, and has been home to summer square dances since the 1960’s.

The stained-glass window in the church that is dedicated to Emmet Dodge also honors the contributions of the Garnsey and Slate families. Next month's story will provide an overview of the historical significance of these prominent island families.

By Cindy Hagemann

Cindy Rusho Hagemann was born in Alexandria Bay, NY, to Manley and Mary Lou Rusho – she is the third of their four daughters. In 1969 the family moved to Sanford, FL, where she grew up, but she was lucky enough to spend her summers on Grindstone Island with her grandparents. Cindy has been married to USN Commander (Ret) Jon Hagemann for 38 years and they have four grown children and three grandchildren. They live in the mountains of Tennessee on a hobby farm with alpacas, goats, pigs, dogs, and chickens. Cindy is a marketing professional and serves on the board of the Grindstone Island Church and is a committee member of the Grindstone Island Heritage Museum. Cindy helped her father, Manley Rusho, a long-time resident of Grindstone Island, write his many stories of growing up on Grindstone Island. We’re grateful to Cindy for encouraging her Dad to write these stories, to help him edit them, and send them to us to publish.

Important Notice: Cindy has been writing these vignettes in support of the Grindstone Island capital campaign called Save our Sanctuary Campaign. Please consider a sending a donation to: https://www.giumc.org/donate/ or by mail: P.O. Box 411, Clayton, NY 13624. Together we can help repair this historic and community worship center for the next generation of islanders.