Hezekiah Joslyn Office Site
15 Church Street, Cicero, New York | Unmarked Location
Between 1823 and 1850, Dr. Hezekiah Joslyn is presumed to have maintained his medical office at 15 Church Street in downtown Cicero. During urban renewal, that block of Church Street was closed to auto traffic; it is now a serpentine pedestrian walkway connecting Main Street with a large parking lot. None of the structures once fronting on this block of Church Street appear to have survived.
In later years Joslyn’s daughter Matilda—the future Matilda Joslyn Gage—would have been a frequent visitor at this office, receiving the precocious medical instruction Dr. Joslyn imparted to his daughter.
The present-day pedestrian walkway is anchored by a large four-faced tower clock. Its base bears a plaque in memory of North Syracuse firefighter Douglas G. Goettel, Jr. (died 1985). The inscription concludes with a text freethinkers can appreciate. In a nod to the old town of Cicero, which has been mostly swallowed up by North Syracuse, it is a quote from the Roman philosopher-statesman, Cicero: "In nothing do men more nearly approach the gods than in doing good to their fellow men."
Hezekiah Joslyn
Hezekiah Joslyn. Image courtesy Matilda Joslyn Gage Center.
Church Street looking west
This view looks west across Main Street toward the block of Church Street, now closed to vehicular traffic, where the Joslyn medical practice was once located. It was probably on the left side of the street as seen in this photo.
Church Street looking east
This view looks east, toward Main Street and, beyond it, the portion of Church Street that remains open to auto traffic. The Joslyn medical office was probably behind this camera position and on the right-hand side of the road.
Main and Church Streets signage
This signage marks the intersection of Main and Church Streets in Cicero (part of North Syracuse) today.
