Lee Shurtleff: Village of Groton historian for most of his life

Almost as soon as he learned to read, Groton native Lee Shurtleff’s interest in history was evident. He loved to read – and the books he sought out as a youth were always about American and local history, and particularly books about United States presidents.  

Shurtleff was appointed as Village of Groton historian in December 1979, when he was a freshman in high school. As it happened, Don Griffin, village mayor at the time, had just learned that the village was required to appoint a historian. Griffin was aware of Shurtleff’s avid interest in local history and knew he would be perfect for the job, despite his youth.  

Shurtleff has held that position ever since, simultaneously with a plethora of jobs and roles dedicated to community service. 

Lee’s parents, the late Phil and Norma Shurtleff, made their home in Groton in 1960, along with their children, Jim and Mike. Lee and his twin sister, Lisa, joined the family in 1965.  

Lee is a 1983 alumnus of Groton High School (GHS), and just like Groton Town Historian Rosemarie Tucker, who was featured in the March 29 edition of this column, Lee’s social studies teacher was LaVena Court, who encouraged his love of history.  

Court was also the advisor to the Yorkers Club at GHS, which was part of the New York State Junior Historical Association. Lee was not only a member but served as president of the club throughout his high school years.   

“She really nurtured my interest in local history,” Lee said. “I can remember being introduced at a fire department installation dinner as `LaVena Court’s pride and joy.’ I was only invited to that dinner because my dad and brothers were being installed as officers and because Congressman Gary Lee was there, and I had campaigned for him. He was my inspiration for politics and LaVena was my inspiration for the historical.”  

Lee had also served an internship in 1981 as a high school student on the former county Board of Representatives, and coming full circle, Lee was elected to what is now the Tompkins County Legislature in November 2021.   

Lee earned his bachelor’s degree in political science at Cortland State in 1987. While in college, he also obtained his broker’s license in order to work for his dad in the real estate business, and he joined the Groton Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter.  

Career-wise, Lee worked in real estate with Phil until 1989, at which time Phil established Shurtleff Funeral Home with his son, Mike. Lee then became the Tompkins County Commissioner of Elections, and with a few iterations in between, eventually became the director and fire coordinator of the Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response. Lee retired from that position in April 2020 and took over running the family business – the funeral home – something he’d always known he wanted to do.  

All along Lee’s amazing career path, he never lost sight of his commitment to his role as historian, and he still utilizes the resources he first tapped into.   

“I spent a lot of time at the Groton Public Library and the Groton Historical Society Museum to do research back then, and I still do today,” Lee said. “I started writing historical articles in the Yorkers magazine when I was in high school. Some of my first articles were about Welthea Marsh – the first female president of the First National Bank of Groton – and the Conger family.”  

Lee also said that he spent a lot of time in the village clerk’s office vault researching Groton village history as soon as he was appointed historian, and that entailed poring through volumes of handwritten ledgers of village board meeting minutes.   

In 1984, Lee researched and wrote the history of the First National Bank of Groton. He also compiled the history of the Groton Fire Department into a slide show and talk and did  the same for the businesses and industries of Groton. 

“I’ve watched a History Channel series called `The Men Who Made America,’ which has many parallels and captures our own local history,” Lee said. “Discovering the business enterprises and how they relate to local families and commercial interests throughout the 19th and 20th centuries is what I enjoy the most.” 

One of the many research projects Lee has done that he especially enjoyed was learning about the construction of the Southern Central Railroad, which later became the Lehigh Valley Railroad. The Conger family was instrumental in promoting the funding of the spur into Groton by selling $100 bonds. Lee actually had one of those bonds framed on his office wall in the funeral home!  

“The railroad mainly hauled coal in Groton, but also some passengers,” Lee said, “and businesses here could send things out. The Conger family brokered eggs from all the local farmers and sold and sent them to places in New York City, including the Waldorf Astoria. You can still see the slab from the egg storage unit along the railbed behind the Benn Conger Inn today!”  

In June 2010, the Village of Groton celebrated its sesquicentennial. A time capsule was buried during the celebration, and the historical program with Lee’s compiled history of the village was among the things included in it.  

“My most recent big project was in conjunction with Keith Randolph’s history of the Groton American Legion in August 2021,” Lee said. “I did the history of the building. I love learning about our local institutions.”  

Lee has also served on the board of directors of the Groton Historical Society and considers its museum a great resource for research that he still uses today. He also mentioned a collection of scrapbooks of news articles compiled by Ruth Sincerbaux, which are extremely helpful with the more modern history of the 1950s and ’60s.  

In addition to running the funeral home and researching history, Lee is still an emergency medical technician for Groton Ambulance, a volunteer firefighter for both Groton and Genoa and a member of the board of directors for the Groton Rural Cemetery.  

“I’ve been on the cemetery board since my dad passed away in 2010,” Lee said. “He was on board and in his last days, he was worried about who would take his place. I’ll never forget the day he said, ‘Take care of the cemetery’ to me.”  

On his bucket list is Lee’s desire to visit as many presidential gravesites as possible. This was inspired by a monthly funeral industry periodical he receives, and he is fascinated by the writings of Todd Van Beck, who writes historical articles on presidential funerals.   

Through all that Lee does now, he emphasized how much he enjoys working directly with families in the community, and that as a historian, he particularly enjoys hearing their stories.  

Groton on the Inside appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Submit story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com or text or call Linda at 607-227-4922.   

In brief: 

Groton Recreation summer programming  

Groton Recreation summer program booklets are out, and all camps and activities are also posted online. Booklets will go home with students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Program guides are also available at the Village of Groton and Town of Groton offices, and the Groton Public Library.  

Free lifeguarding course  

Sponsored by Groton Recreation and the 21st Century Grant, a free lifeguard course is being offered to Groton residents. Those who complete the course will be eligible for employment at the Groton Memorial Pool.  

All classes will be held at Dryden High School from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, May 12, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 13-14. Contact recreation@grotonny.org for details.   

Save the date for a free block party!  

Groton Assembly of God, 701 S. Main St., is planning a block party on church property Saturday, June 3, with fun for everyone. There will be food, bottled water, snacks and more, as well as bounce houses, lawn games and giveaways – and it’s all free! All are welcome to attend. Full details will appear in this column in the May 24 edition.