Bemis Bookstore, Canandaigua, New York, c. 1850

The quarter-plate view made in Canandaigua depicts the Bemis bookstore, on the left, and the Bemis family Federal Style brick home, in the center of the frame. A sign with the word “BOOKS” is clearly visible on the side of the store, while an enclosed stagecoach, with a driver visible sits just outside the bookstore.

James Bemis moved to Canandaigua in 1804 and opened a bookstore. The family home was built in 1815, and according to the Ontario County Historical Society, both were located on S. Main St in Canandaigua, and were demolished by 1855. This section of S. Main St is now “Bemis Block.” The OCHS houses letters, bills, and receipts from the bookstore dating from 1818-1838.

In the 19th century, the town of Canandaigua, New York, emerged as a vibrant center for reform, intellectual exchange, and moral activism. Located in the heart of the Finger Lakes region, Canandaigua was part of the Burned-Over District—an area of upstate New York known for its religious fervor and sweeping social movements during the Second Great Awakening. Among the most powerful of these movements was the campaign to abolish slavery, and Canandaigua played a quiet but significant role in that national struggle.

Local residents, many of whom were influenced by Quaker values or evangelical Protestantism, joined anti-slavery societies, supported Underground Railroad activity, and hosted prominent abolitionist speakers. One of the most important among these was Frederick Douglass, the formerly enslaved man who became one of the most influential voices in the fight against slavery.

Based in nearby Rochester, Douglass traveled frequently across upstate New York, delivering lectures, building support for emancipation, and publishing his abolitionist newspaper, The North Star. A particularly notable moment in Canandaigua's history when Douglass spoke in Canandaigua on August 3, 1857. He delivered a speech titled "West India Emancipation". This speech commemorated the emancipation of British West Indian slaves in 1834. This speech provided a foretelling of the coming Civil War, including one of his most quoted sentiments: “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”

Canandaigua's reform culture was also nurtured by local figures and institutions that fostered civic engagement and the exchange of ideas. Among them was James Bemis, a prominent printer, editor, and publisher who co-founded the Ontario Repository in 1806. This publication would evolve into what is now the Daily Messenger, one of New York’s longest-running newspapers. Bemis played a formative role in shaping public discourse in the region and, while politically aligned with the Federalists, created space for a range of views in print, including reformist and abolitionist ideas.