If Wayne County seceded from New York to became our 51st state, only three entire states would surpass it in apple production. In the early part of the 20th century, North Rose claimed the title of the busiest railroad shipping station for fruit in the country. Hundreds of farmers planted millions of apple trees just inland from Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes. The ability of a huge body of water to moderate winter temperatures created a micro-climate with the perfect temperatures for apple trees to flourish. Some local fruit farms also grew pears, peaches, and sour cherries.

Small commercial centers grew to provide these farmers, farm laborers, and their families with stores to buy food and other supplies, hardware, and appliances. They were also a natural location for schools, churches and community organizations. North Rose was such a commercial center. One of its principal functions was to provide a convenient market for farmers to sell the goods that they grew.

After the railroad passed through North Rose, fruit warehouses and other enterprises grew along the tracks and brought a population and business boom to the hamlet of North Rose.

North Rose 1940 is an unusually thorough history of the nearly 190 households in North Rose at the time of the 1940 Federal Census. The story of each family is told in complete and entertaining detail.

Alex Skutt lived in North Rose until he completed second grade. He spent long summers at the Skutt cottage on LeRoy Island. Skutt then moved to Ithaca, NY, where he still lives. Alex’s grandfather, Orin Skutt, and father, A. Gray Skutt, owned and operated O. A. Skutt Co., an international dealer in red kidney beans. Alex, a life-long entrepreneur, has owned three bookstores, several video stores, a game store, and a book publishing company, McBooks Press. Jane Flood Skutt was his mother, and Marilyn Skutt Roberts is his sister. McBooks Press was sold to Rowman & Littlefield on March 15, 2019. At that time, Skutt retired.