1
200
39
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https://nthistory.com/files/original/0f22cce8408a8b0b718658858c93a9ad.pdf
26b57233f248640a4c1cb82714b6a3c6
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Auto-Wheel Coaster Company (95 Schenck)
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" src="https://nthistory.com/custom/cover/14.jpg" alt="Buffalo Sled employees, 1917" /><span class="cover-caption">Employees of the Buffalo Sled Company in North Tonawanda plant. PHOTO: North Tonawanda History Museum</span> Organized as the Buffalo Sled Co. in 1905 by John J. Schneider and Henry J, Tiedt, having been in business since 1899 (other sources say 1904). The firm moves to North Tonawanda in 1909 after the local trade organization agrees to cover the expense. Originally making sleds and shovels, they add coasters (wagons) in 1912. Soon they are enjoying national success, advertising aggressively in several publications, and marketing their boys' toys ingenuously with clubs and giveaways. In July of 1920 they file paperwork to change their name to the "Auto-Wheel Coaster Company."<br /><br />The North Tonawanda plant was located at foot of Schenck Street, west of Oliver and south of Schenck, though they at times also have operations in Buffalo, on Ellicott Creek in the old A. B. Williams plant, and in Preston, Ontario. The NT site was formerly (1908) occupied by the Orient Mfg. Co. (Fred Paschen lived just east). <br /><br /><span><span>From the Internet's <a href="http://www.harryrinker.com/col-1117.html">Harry Rinker</a>:</span></span>
<blockquote>A fire on April 16, 1920, destroyed the wheel department and storehouses. According to the 1921 City Directory, the company rebuilt and assumed a new name, Auto-Wheel Coaster Company.</blockquote>
Auto Wheel files for bankruptcy in July 1964, but is bought by area men to resume production. This did not seem to be successful, as the plant was is in the process of being converted to a palette factory when it is completely destroyed in a spectacular fire on Memorial Day (May 29), 1972, taking at least seven nearby homes with it.
Book
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An Auto Wheel for Every Age, illustrated booklet (Buffalo Sled Company, 1918).pdf
Date
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1918
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https://nthistory.com/files/original/d330dbbffeddfee41cf89dcfc2da43f7.pdf
16a1f9b6814f331cc2acea9079b5ec60
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North Tonawanda Police Department (1888 - present)
Book
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History of the North Tonawanda Police Department (Westphal, Butler, Belbas, ed. by Chief Glass, 2022).pdf
Date
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2022
police
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https://nthistory.com/files/original/e46c4ecb1132767cdfb1a389fe0e61bd.JPG
b6f6c9eb78ae50492ff62857f45aaadf
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On the Avenues and Beyond by John Kolecki, 2007, book review (Dennis Reed Jr, 2023).htm
Description
An account of the resource
It’s disorienting to contemplate how different the Avenues would have appeared to young Master Kolecki in 1925. If you’ve seen photographs of the era, you realize they might as well have been taken in Slovenia. It’s a decidedly more rural existence. Most families keep their own small vegetable gardens “either on their own lot or on a nearby vacant city-owned lot. Many ‘lot gardens’ were located between Gilmore Street and Payne Avenue” (35). The “upper” avenues (9th through 19th) only begin to get filled in with homes during the post-WWII era. Livestock abounds, including poultry, rabbits and pigs (“The aroma of smoked sausages, hams and bacon signaled the Easter season” (35)).
The author, John Kolecki, is about as homegrown as they grow ‘em: Born in North Tonawanda in 1920 and educated at OLC and NTHS, he later earns a degree from Canisius. He is a proud Polish WWII war veteran and educator. In the Acknowledgments he says he is now 86 years old, “more like an old horse than a young colt.” The earliest recollections are likely from around 1925, when he is a boy at 5 (a charming cover photo shows him on a palomino pony; we learn later it was staged by an entrepreneurial photographer who roamed the Avenues with the animal). It’s a time when the Polish presence on the Avenues is developing into a self-sufficient community; a time of new automobiles, Prohibition, and then the further privations of the Great Depression and WWII. His narrative is supplemented by church pamphlets preserved by his wife, Violet; articles from the Am-Pol Eagle; resources from local libraries and historical societies.
Neither Burger King nor McDonald’s were offering their Big Fish or Fishwich sandwiches yet, so the Niagara River had to provide protein in fish form. The rod and reel, baited throw lines and night lines were common among the “slip area” of the river where the avenues’ fishermen most often plied their skill. In other areas of the river, fisherman use the “unsportsmanlike method” of putting dynamite in a bottle, dropped to the bottom and detonated, stunning the fish above for relatively easy collection. The first and second slips are also popular swimming holes for the kids. The first slip, he writes, is now Fisherman’s Park, while the second is covered by the “industrial disposal complex” (68).
Religion is the center of this straight-as-an-arrow military hero. He takes some pains to explain the 1392 origin of Our Last of Czetochowa (it is named after an icon of Mary said to be painted by Saint Luke himself) and the founding in North Tonawanda of the Polish Roman Catholic parish on Oliver Street at Center Ave. “Young men competed to operate the bellows on the antique [church organ]. The Mass was in Latin, but the gospel, homily and hymns were in Polish” (2). There is a good description of the early development of the church and its related buildings, and even a few photographs. Kolecki also describes a short-lived but vicious rivalry between his establish Polish Roman Catholic Church and upstarts from the Polish National Catholic Church, who “initiated a movement to entrench itself on the avenues” by establishing a church at Oliver Street and Wheatfield Street (4).
As a proud Pole, Mr. Kolecki palpably resents the tradition of the “Polish joke,” which he says surfaces after WWII. He has two responses to people who want to tell him a Polish joke: either tell it to him in Polish, or say it “in the language of your ancestors so nothing is lost in translation” (92). The upshot: this so-called “dumb Pole” can speak two languages. Can you? One imagines that challenge was especially intimidating issued in-person by a Marine paratrooper.
Poles are mistreated in other ways. Prospective Polish home buyers are told properties they are interested in in other parts of the city are suddenly off the market. It is the same with jobs. A qualified mechanic, Mr. Krajanowski, applies for Remington Rand, and is turned down. He applies for the same job two days later under the name “Mr. Taper” and is hired (91).
North Tonawanda has always been a hard-drinking town, from the rowdy canawlers and lumbermen to the later industrial workers. According to Mr. Kolecki, taverns are on Ironton. In some circles, Prohibition must have seemed like an existential threat. Not so much the avenues. Mr. Kolecki maintains that the Poles were neither upset or happy about Prohibition. “A casual indifference prevailed” (11). They collectively shrug, and begin brewing at home, as they plant, and milk, and sew. They buy malt and yeast from a local hardware store for beer (three are listed on page 25). To make wine, they ferment whatever they can find. “Cherries were popular because they were inexpensive at 5-6 cents per pound. Dandelions also were experimented with” (15). Even after Prohibition, the practice continues. “A small number of avenue home wine cellars continued with the art of wine making. To them, there was an element of pride and a badge of accomplishment to grace a table with homemade wine” (15).
A strength of Mr. Kolecki’s book is that the financial fortunes of the “avenuers” are traced with the national picture in the background. WWI’s conclusion does not immediately increase prosperity, as industries have to be refitted to resume production of consumer goods, and returning “veterans flooded the unemployment ranks and exacerbated a bad situation” (31). Soon things do pick up, and the stock market soars. A few cash in their Liberty Bonds and buy stock—to their eventual ruin. Most of the Polish on the Avenues however were either uninterested in such investments, or couldn’t afford them.
“Vast majorities of families were penny-pinching to save enough to own a lot, which was adequate equity to negotiate a mortgage to build a house…Mothers wished to pay off the installments on a Swinger sewing machine; fathers had their hopes on a Ford Model T or A” (32). Even if they didn’t invest directly, residents feel the effects of the 1929 crash in almost immediate widespread unemployment. “The standard of living on the avenues plummeted…Lincoln Radiator on Ironton and Pierce Arrow on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo were just two examples” (33). Unemployment is at 75%. Values of everything from homes to automobiles continues to sink. Scavenging the railroad tracks for spilled coal is a common pastime. When people talk about the good old days and low prices, they sometimes fail to note it was partially because nobody had any money to buy anything. The Strand Theater at First and Oliver asks just 5 cents for Sunday admission; during the week, it was two people for 6 cents.
The cinder-covered back alleys are a convenient place to repair and test the early automobiles popular on the Avenues. During the Depression, these go for a song. Mr. Kolecki’s father buys a used 1924 four-door Chevrolet Sedan for just $5. John and his friends raise $35 for their own Model A four-door sedan, steering it around the alleys and fields east of Gilmore Street. (This sedan provides occasion for the funniest moment of the book: when the car needs a replacement carburetor, one of his friends tries to steal one from a local junkyard. A policeman catches him as he is pawing around the old parts. The boy claims he is just urinating. When the policeman demands to see his hands and observes they are black, he quips, “‘You surely have a greasy prick, let’s go to the station for an oil change’” (43)).
The sixth chapter is devoted almost entirely to “the play culture of children in the 1920s and 1930s,” and recounts such Avenues pastimes as “Pitching to a box” (throwing coins into a box on the ground), “Baby in the hole” (a form of tag involving rolling a ball into a competitor’s dug hole in the ground), and “Nip” (something like baseball but with a small chunk of wood for a ball). Two pages of photos of OLC sports teams follow.
The Avenues belong to the city’s Third Ward, and are mostly registered Democrats. Dom Polski Hall hosts boisterous campaign rallies. Progressive, 5’5,” red-headed Mayor Myles Joyce, Mr. Kolecki relates, becomes the subject of everlasting ridicule for the excuse he offers when he is pulled over for erratic driving in the city’s health car. When asked if he has been drinking, the visibly intoxicated and aromatic mayor replies that he has been drinking only buttermilk. This thigh-slapper allegedly reaches the pages of the New York Times (the only mention I find of the mayor in the Times is a March 26, 1944 article noting a failed attempt to evict him from his home.) Mr. Joyce must have been doing something right: the “fiery” Labor progressive is a six-time mayor of the city, wining in 1937, 1943, 1945, 1951, 1953 and 1959, and running for a 7th term in 1969; This June 18, 1969 article in the Tonawanda News narrates the Buttermilk and other misadventures of the mayor.
A chapter on Oliver Street describes it as the “main artery bisecting Polonia” (17). Its evolution from gravel to red brick is recalled, as well as the Gratwick Line of the trolley that joins Oliver from Robinson and continues north to Ward and beyond. After Prohibition, Oliver Street leaps to life with “taverns, ice cream parlors, delis, eateries and candy stores…the butcher and the baker” (18). “Cash registers rang and family coffers were clear of cobwebs” (Ibid). Call boxes for both the fire department and police are provided at Oliver and Center, “almost human-size electric devices” (18). He remembers the State Ditch, aka Pettit Creek, which “most of the year was just a 6-foot wide muddy stream,” once requiring a small stone bridge from the 1880s and just west a “narrow pedestrian bridge with wood handrails” to cross the stream at Oliver. It is now concealed by the OLC grotto.
Two pages are dedicated to the taverns of the Avenues, almost every name with a word or two about its specific claim to fame (if you want to talk politics, you went to Turecki’s on 10th; if you want a great fish fry and maybe a floor show, Palka’s Mirror Room on 8th is the place to go). Mr. Kolecki repeats the urban legend that Oliver Street once had the most taverns per mile than “any other municipality in the United States” (21). The many factory jobs in the area are pointed to as the reason for all these “watering holes,” and he lists a few. He tips a toe into the water of the origin of the name of Oliver Street (22) but endorses no one view. The chapter concludes with eight pages of business names, sorted by type.
On the Avenues begins with something between a mission statement and a prayer: “Lest we forget, the little, inconspicuous places, people and things that made life on the avenues interesting and unique” (i). Throughout the book, Mr. Kolecki pivots from prose into lengthy inventories of these “inconspicuous places” and once-familiar names, from bakers to milkmen. They are names that will “ring a bell” for an ever-dwindling number of people. But this isn’t mere nostalgia: it's a conscious act of resistance against the erasure of a shared past. It’s the veteran fulfilling his mission. From an 86-year-old who's navigated global upheavals, fought at Iwo Jima, and lived as an exchange student in the Soviet Union, the message is clear: remember, or risk losing the communal fabric that defines us.
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https://nthistory.com/files/original/a20c73cf5cf75e10218707c17523d614.pdf
04c790b20e3aadcf52558248e5f678ff
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Early Days of the Tonawandas
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An account of the resource
These book excerpts and articles shed light on the earliest days of the Tonawandas, as well as the nearby villages of Martinsville, Sawyer's Station, Gratwick and Ironton that would be incorporated into the city of North Tonawanda in 1897. See our <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/browse?type=11&sort_field=Dublin%20Core,Date">Books</a> for full-length works.
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The Town of Wheatfield, transcribed chapter (Landmarks of Niagara County, 1897).pdf
Description
An account of the resource
CHAPTER XXII.
THE TOWN OF WHEATFIELD.
Wheatfield is the last town organized in Niagara County, and was set off from Niagara May 12, 1836. It lies on the southern boundary of the county, west of the center, and extends farther south than any other town. The Niagara River forms its southwestern boundary and Tonawanda Creek its southern. Its surface is level or gently undulating. The soil is generally a clayey loam, not easy of cultivation, but productive of grains and especially of wheat; this latter fact gave the town its name. Cayuga Creek flows across the northwestern part of the town and empties into the Niagara River, and Sawyer’s Creek flows southeasterly across the southeastern part and empties into TonawandaCreek. The town contains four post offices Martinsville, Bergholtz, St. Johnsburg, andShawnee, besides the city of North Tonawanda, and the hamlet of Walmore, in the northwestern corner.
The first town meeting was held on the 6th of June, 1836, in the school house of districtNo. 7, on the north line of the town, and the following were elected as the first officers:Supervisor, N. M. Ward.; town clerk, Edwin Cook; assessors, Isaac H. Smith, JamesSweeney, Hiram Parks; justices of the peace, L. B. Warden, John Sweeney; commissioners of highways, Elias Parks, Matthew Gray; collector, Stewart Milliman; Overseer of the poor, William Towsley; constables, Stewart Milliman, Daniel C. Jacobs, Calvin F. Champlin, Seth F. Roberts; commissioners of schools, Isaac L. Young, James Sweeney, Loyal E. Edwards.
These were all esteemed citizens of the town at that comparatively late date. The following have been supervisors of the town: In 1836, N. M. Ward; 1837, Benjamin McNitt; 1838, N. M. Ward; 1839, WilliamVandervoort; 1840, John Sweeney; 1842, Isaac L. Young; 1843, N. M. Ward; 1844—45,Lewis S. Payne; 1846, N. M. Ward; 1847—48, L. S. Payne; 1849, Sylvester McNitt;1850, L. S. Payne; 1851, Seth F. Roberts: 1852, Sylvester McNitt; 1853—54, PeterGreiner; 1855, Joseph Hawbecker: 1856—57. GeorgeW. Sherman; 1858, N.M. Ward;1859—61, L. S. Payne; 1862, Peneuel Schmeck; 1863—66, George W. Sherman; 1867H. H. Griffin: 1868, James Carney; 1869, H. H. Griffin; 1870, Edward A. Milliman1871—73, Joseph D. Loveland; 1874—75. Thomas C. Collins; 1876, L. S. Payne; 18771878, Christian Fritz; 1879—81, Charles Kandt; 1882, Daniel Sy; 1883, C. F. Goerss1884-88, Peter Heim; 1889—94, Chauncey Wiebterman; 1895—96, William Tompkins1897—98, Herman Rosebrook.
Charles Hagen, a veteran of Co. D, 100th N. Y. Vols., has served as town clerk since about 1874.
Since the incorporation of North Tonawanda as a city, Charles Kohler was elected supervisor of the First ward; Conrad J. Winter, Second ward; and John H. Bollier, Third ward.
Although this town was erected so many years later than most of the others in the county, and its settlement in the interior and western parts was so comparatively recent, it still bore a close relation to the important events that took place in early years on the frontier.The banks near the mouth of Cayuga Creek, as the reader has learned, constitute ahistorical locality and witnessed stirring scenes when this town was a part of Niagara.The first settlements were made on the Niagara River on and near the site of the city ofNorth Tonawanda. Even in that vicinity progress was slow, except in the direction of improving farm lands, until after the completion of the Erie Canal. There were few settlers within the limits of the town previous to the war of 1812, and when these learned of the destruction of Youngstown and Lewiston, they shared in the general consternation along the frontier, gathered in haste such property as they could carry, and fled eastward beyond immediate danger.
Probably the earliest settler on the site of North Tonawanda was George N. Burger, who came in 1809 and built a log tavern on the river; he remained a resident until about 1825.Joshua Pettit came in 181o and settled near the Niagara Iron Works, where he opened a tavern. He was the father of Mrs. Daniel C. Jacobs and Mrs. Whitman Jacobs. Stephen Jacobs, a soldier at the battle of Bunker Hill, located on the river two miles below in1817, where he purchased 196 acres of Augustus Porter, paying eight dollars an acre. He died in Niagara Falls in January, 1840. William Vandervoorte settled here in 1825, occupying a log house which tradition says was the only one then in existence. It was his intention to make a business of purchasing staves and timber for the Boston market, and ultimately to open a mercantile business. In 1828 he finished the first public house in the place, which was called the Niagara; it was burned in 1844. Later he purchased 1,000acres of land of the Holland Company and sold to Prussian immigrants the largest part of their possessions on Tonawanda Creek and its vicinity. He established the first bank in1836. As before indicated, little progress of a business nature was made here until the opening of the Erie Canal. The interior of the town was still almost an unbroken wilderness and as late as 1850 a large part of the area of the town was unimproved. The prospects at Tonawanda in 1824, as viewed by interested persons, is indicated in the following advertisement:
VILLAGE OF NIAGARA.
This village is located at the confluence of the Niagara and Tonawanta rivers, where the Erie canal from Buffalo enters the Tonawanta, and where boats pass from the canal into the Niagara river by a lock. At this junction of the rivers and adjoining the village, is a safe and spacious harbor, as well for canal boats as for vessels navigating Lake Erie.These advantages cannot fail to render the village of Niagara the depot of the products of the West, destined to the city of New York, and of return cargoes of merchandise.A dam of four or five feet high will be thrown across the Tonawanta, at the village, so as to raise the river to the level of Lake Erie, and the river will be navigated for the distance of eleven miles, and be united with the canal between Niagara and Lockport. The surplus water from the dam will afford an abundant and steady supply for mills and other hydraulic works.
The village is 12 miles from Buffalo, 8 from the falls, 15 from Lewiston, and 16 miles from Lockport. A line of stages passes through from Buffalo to Lewiston daily, and another from Lockport to Buffalo every other day. Travelers to the Falls will leave the canal at this place.
A bare inspection of Vance’s or Lay’s map of the western part of this State will at once show the advantageous position of the village for trade, market and manufactures.Building lots are now offered for sale to actual settlers. A map of the village may be seen by application to James Sweeney, at Buffalo, or to George Goundry at the Land Office inGeneva; and the former will enter into contracts of sale.
The title is indisputable, and good warranty deeds will be executed to purchasers.
GEORGE GOUNDY, JAMES SWEENEY, JOHN SWEENEY, Proprietors. July 5, 1824.
The James Sweeney, whose name appears above, settled first in Buffalo in 1811. He became one of the proprietors of the site of North Tonawanda village, and as such settled there in 1828 and built one of the very early frame dwellings. The land owned by him and his associates was cleared to supply timber for the Buffalo pier and breakwater, and at the same time to prepare the tract for sale in small lots. The sites on which were erected the First M. E. church (1837) and the first school house were donated by Mr. Sweeney, and largely through his energy, activity and generosity the village received its early impetus. He died in January, 1850, aged fifty-seven. John Sweeney was his son and long a prominent citizen; he superintended the building of the first railroad depot and was long the station agent. He caused the building of the first dock on the creek next to the bridge, and subsequently extended it 250 feet. He built the first grist mill, which was burned and not rebuilt, and also the first saw mill.
James Carney settled as early as 1819, with his father, Edward, on Tonawanda Island, which was known for many years as Carney Island. His purpose was to gain pre emption rights to the island if the boundary settlement should leave it within the United States. In 1854 the State caused a survey to be made and ordered an assessment valuation of $4 50 per acre. In the next year the island was directed to be sold at auction in Albany and required one-eighth of the purchase money to be paid down. Mr. Carney placed the requisite sum in the hands of Judge Samuel Wilkinson, of Buffalo, to make the purchase. But the spirit of speculation awakened by the operations of Mordecai M. Noah and his associates, on Grand Island, created a spirited contest for this island and it was sold to Samuel Leggate at $23 an acre. After that Mr. Carney became one of the most active and energetic of the pioneers; engaged extensively in clearing lands; was employed as a teamster by Porter, Barton & Co.; boated salt and other produce up and down the river; and was otherwise a useful member of the young community.
Among other early settlers of the town were Heman A. Barnum, James A. Betts, Wilhelm Dornfeld, Albert Dornfeld, C. F. Goers, Herman F. Stieg, Nelson Zimmerman, John Grey.
In 1824 Harvey Miller came from Rochester and settled on the Lockport and Niagara Falls road, in the north part of the town, where he purchased 100 acres of the Holland Company at $5 an acre. He was young and energetic, and although without much means, he soon became independent. During the first winter he was in this town he, with the assistance of one young man, cleared twenty-five acres. In that summer he sowed eighteen acres of winter wheat and raised 8oo bushels; this he sold to other incoming settlers at seventy-five cents a bushel. He was long a road commissioner and aided in laying out all the first roads in the town. He lived to an old age.
Among the first settlers in the extreme northeastern part, where the post-office of Shawnee is located, were Timothy Shaw (from whom the place is named) and Volney Spalding, who opened a store and established an ashery there in 1828. John Grey settled about a mile south of Shawnee in 1825; he purchased eighty-four acres of the Holland Company at $5 an acre.
In the course of time certain influences brought into this town a largely preponderant foreign element, mainly of Prussian nativity, who settled at first mostly on small tracts of land, but finally became in many instances large owners. By far the greater portion of the territory of the town was finally occupied by them, and the same is true today of them or their descendants. They developed into excellent farmers, frugal and industrious, and patient in overcoming adverse conditions in their surroundings. They cleared the lands, drained the swamps, and rendered the town one of the most productive in this region.
Settlements by this element were about simultaneous in separate localities. In 1843 Carl Sack, Erdman Wurl, and Fred Grosskopf purchased of William Vandervoorte 400 acres at $15 an acre; the tract was situated on the Tonawanda Creek, in the southeast corner of the town, and the settlement made there was given the name of Martinsville, through the veneration felt by the inhabitants for Martin Luther. The original purchase was subdivided into small tracts of three or more acres, to suit the wishes of purchasers, and about thirty families came in the first season. Ten log houses were completed in the fall, and into these the families moved, three or four in a house, in some cases, until additional buildings could be erected.
Christian Dornfeld settled here in 1843, purchasing six acres of Vandervoorte, and lived to old age, leaving a family of children. His sons William and Albert became prominent business men in the place. William Dornfeld and Christian Fritz purchased, in 1856 the first saw mill, which had been built by Joseph Hewitt. Mr. Fritz built a saw mill and planing mill in 1860, and established a lumber yard. William Dornfeld also carried on a considerable store, which he opened in 1851. He was associated with Krull Brothers in operating another planing mill and sash and door factory, which was built in 1876, and was also postmaster of the place for some time. The present postmaster is Charles A. Graf, who is also a harnessmaker. Other later and present merchants are William F. Fritz, lumber; Charles Grosskopf and Ernest G. Jaenecke general stores; Ferdinand Ziehl, hardware; and Christ Martin, grocery. John G. Jaenecke is proprietor of the Martinsville Hotel, and Charles Rogge is a blacksmith and cider manufacturer.
Eugene De Kleist began the manufacture of church and other .organs in Martinsville in 1892, and in 1893 erected a large factory, in which he employed about fifty hands. He has been eminently successful in this enterprise, and enjoys a trade which extends all over the country.
Martinsville became a part of the city of North Tonawanda on April 24, 1897, but still maintains its own post office.
New Bergholtz (Bergholtz is the name of the post-office) is in the central part of the town and was settled almost exclusively by Prussians. The place is named from one in Germany whence many of the settlers came. In 1843 Frederick Moll, John Williams and John Sy, as trustees, purchased a tract of land for a German Evangelical Lutheran congregation consisting of 120 members. The tract contained 820 acres and was conveyed by deed from the Farmers’ Loan and Trust Company; 176ó acres, deeded by William L. Marcy and wife; 118 acres deeded by Washington Hunt; 200 acres deeded by John J. DeGraff (the two latter tracts including the site of the village); 456 acres conveyed by Blandina Dudley; and 349 acres by the Farmers’ Loan and Trust Company. These transfers were all made in October, 1843. The whole quantity of land conveyed comprised 2,119ó acres and cost the settlers a little more than $16,000. A map of the lands was made and 121 village lots laid out, with proper streets and a large public square. By a general deed executed by the trustees October 12, 1843, they conveyed to Augustus Manske and 118 others each a lot of one acre. The first of these corners found temporary quarters in a large barn that had been previously built for some purpose, until houses could be erected. Washington Hunt presented the community with their first ox team to aid in building log houses, and during the first season a building was completed on nearly every one of the lots deeded. With the community came a carpenter, a blacksmith, a mason, a tailor, a shoemaker and a cabinet maker, which enabled them to live almost wholly upon their own resources. Some of them had considerable money, one of the wealthiest being John Salingre, who brought over about $20,000. His kindness and generosity to his less fortunate neighbors in the new country are gratefully remembered. He died in 1871.
The first dry goods store started at Bergholtz was that of Christian Wolf, one of the pioneers. The first post-office was established in 1850 with John Sy, postmaster, who died in 1861.
These Lutherans left their own country chiefly on account of the determination of the king of Prussia to force a union of the Lutheran and Reformed churches. Hundreds of families left their country on that account. Rev. J. An. A. Grabau of Buffalo, preached to these people for about a year from 1843, when their former pastor, Rev. Mr. Ehrenstroem, arrived from Germany. He was succeeded a year later by Rev. Henry von Rohr, formerly a captain in the Prussian army, who remained until his death in 1874. A church was erected in 1848, and was called The Holy Ghost Church. A school was opened and taught by one of the pioneers, and later by G. Renwald. In 1845 the Lutheran Synod was organized in Buffalo and the Bergholtz church became a part of it. In 1866, through dissension, the synod divided into three parts, and in consequence the Bergholtz congregation was divided into two parties, one of which, consisting of fifty-two families, renounced its old pastor, Mr. Von Rohr, and called Rev. W. Weinback. This party had a rriajority of the members and remained in possession of the church property, consisting of about twelve acres of land, the church parsonage, cemetery, and school buildings. The other party, about thirty-seven families, remained loyal to Mr. Von Rohr, held services in a private house, which was later fitted up for a school house, and soon built a new brick edifice, taking the name of Trinity church. Mr. Von Rohr died in 1874, and about two thirds of the Trinity congregation now wished to join with the Buffalo synod; but as the remainder were not willing, they separated, called another pastor, and in 1875 organized the Lutheran St. Jacob’s Congregation. A lot was purchased, and in 1876 a new church, parsonage, and school house were erected.
Bergholtz now contains the stores of Charles W. Kandt and August Lange, the latter being also postmaster, and the store of August Retzlaff.
At Shawnee, in the northeast corner of the town, a Baptist church was organized in July, 1830, but the large influx of Lutherans caused the abandonment of that organization and the substitution of the other. Land for the church was donated by Isaac Carl and the building was erected in 1847.
Shawnee was named from Timothy Shaw, who with Volney Spalding opened a store and ashery there in 1828. In 1863 an M. E. church was erected. Harmon H. Griffin is postmaster and general merchant, and Carl E. Eddy, blacksmith.
St. Johnsburg is an outgrowth of Bergholtz, and lies to the southwest of the latter place on the 820 acres deeded by the Farmers’ Loan and Trust Company, before mentioned. It has had very little business interest. A brick church was erected by St. John’s German Lutheran Society in 1846, to which was attached a school. A store was opened and a few shops established. William C. Krull is the postmaster and a general merchant, and Lewis Holland is a harness dealer and proprietor of the hotel.
New Walmore, in the northwest corner of the town, was so named from a village in Prussia, whence the settlers came about 1843. A Lutheran church was built there, of brick, in The place is merely a rural hamlet.
North Tonawanda formed one of the wards of Tonawanda from the incorporation of the latter village to 1857, when it withdrew, and for eight years was simply a part of the town of Wheatfield. The village of North Tonawanda was incorporated May 8, 1865, with the following trustees: David Robinson, Jacob Becker, George W. Sherman, Alexander G. Kent, Clark Ransom and J. D. Vandervoorte. At that time it contained a population of 440 and an area of 681 acres. The village government was established with its various departments of fire, police, schools, etc., and during the thirty-two succeeding years was brought to its present efficient condition.
The village presidents were as follows:
James Carney. 1868; Franklin Warren, 1869; John M. Rockwell, 1870; A. G. Kent, 1871; Franklin Warren, 1872—73; C. W. Watkins, 1874—75; Franklin Warren, 1876; C. W. Watkins, 1877—78; F. S. Fassett, 1879; Alexander McBain, 1880; John Taylor, 1881— 82; William Goinbert, 1883; Conrad Backer, 1884; J. S. Thompson, 1885—87; Fred Sommer, 1888—89; Joseph Pitts, 1890; Benjamin F. Felton, 1891; John E. Oelkers, 1892; James S. Thompson, 1893—94; George Stanley (resigned, and E. C. McDonald installed), 1895; Levant R.Vandervoort, 1896; Albert B. McKeen, 1897.
On April 24, 1897, by a special act of the Legislature, North Tonawanda was incorporated as a city with the following boundaries: All that part of the county of Niagara, in the State of New York, comprised within the following boundaries, to wit: Beginning at the junction of the middle line of the Tonawanda Creek with the Niagara River, the same being on the south bounds of Niagara county; thence running up said Tonawanda Creek, following the middle line thereof, the same being the boundary line between the county of Erie and the county of Niagara, to a point opposite the mouth of the Sawyers Creek, where Sawyers Creek empties into said Tonawanda Creek; thence northerly along and following the middle line of Sawyers Creek, to the junction of the east and west branches of said creek, in farm lot four, lying along Tonawanda Creek; thence northwesterly along the middle line of the westerly branch of said creek, to the intersection of said middle line with the north line of lot 12, in township 13 of range 8 of the Holland purchase (so-called); thence westerly along the north line of said lot 12, and lots 21 and 28 of said township and range, to the northwest corner of lot 28; thence continuing the same course westerly along the projection of said north line of said lot 28 to the point of intersection of said projected line with the north line of lot 73 of the New York State mile reserve; thence northwesterly along the said north line of said lot 73 and along the north line of lots 71 and 70 and 69 of the said mile reserve, to the intersection of the west line of said lot 69 with said north line thereof; thence southerly along the west line of said lot 69 to the easterly shore of the Niagara River; thence at right angles to the shore line of said river at that point, southerly to the middle line of the east channel of Niagara River. being the boundary between Niagara and Erie counties; thence up the said middle line of said east channel of Niagara River and along said boundary line between said Niagara and Erie counties, to the southerly point or angle of said Niagara county, in the middle of said east channel of said Niagara River: thence easterly and northeasterly in the waters of said river along the boundary line between said Erie county and Niagara county. to the place of beginning; shall be known as the city of North Tonawanda. The city, by this act, was divided into three wards, and the village officers became and held over as officers of the new city, as follows:
Albert E. McKeen, mayor; Thomas E. Warner (who had been village clerk since 1886), city clerk; John Kaiser, William M. Gillie. Peter D. Hershey, William Nellis. William Ostwald, Frederick F. Wagenschuetz, Leonard Wiedman, and Martin Wurl, aldermen; Hector M. Stocum, treasurer; James F. Davison, superintendent of public works;
Stillman C. Woodruff, superintendent of water works; Augustus F. Premus, city attorney. John Kaiser was elected the first president of the Common Council.
A special election was held June 8, 1897, for the purpose of electing supervisors, and resulted as follows; First ward, Charles H. Kohier; second ward, Conrad J. Winter; third ward, John H. Bollier.
The city is provided with well organized police, fire, and health departments, the mayor being president of the latter. The police department is under the control of three commissioners, appointed by the mayor, the first (1897) incumbents being Lewis F. Allen (president), George McBean, and John Mahar. The chief is John Ryan, who has under him one sergeant and six patrolmen.
The fire department was organized about twenty years ago, the first company being Columbia Hook & Ladder Co., which is still in existence; there are seven other companies, viz.: Rescue Fire Co. (stationed in Martinsville), Alert Hose Co, Active Hose Co., Hydrant Hose Co., Live Hose Co., Gratwick Hose Co. (in Gratwick), and Sweeney Hose Co. The chief is Louis J Wattengel.
The water system originated with the Tonawanda City Water Works Company, which was incorporated in 1885 with a capital of $50,000. The works were located on Tonawanda Island, and water was obtained by the Holly system from the Niagara River. The company supplied both Tonawanda and North Tonawanda, but the former finally built a plant of its own. About 1894 the village of North Tonawanda purchased these works at a cost of $275,000, and the city now operates it through its Board of Public Works.
Public improvements, such as the laying of pavements and sewers, were commenced by the village about 1889, and up to the present time about $150,000 have been expended for the former and $161,000 for the latter.
The Standard Gas Company was incorporated August 21, 1888, with a capital of $25,000, for producing and piping natural gas, which is obtained at Getzville in Erie county. George P. Smith is president.
The Tonawanda Lighting and Power Company was incorporated February 23, 1897, with a capital of $150,000, and is the successor of the Tonawanda and Wheatfield Electric Light Company, which was organized in 1890 The company supplies both Tonawanda and North Tonawanda, and operates in all about 290 arc and 2,400 incandescent lamps. Frank M. Gordon is local manager.
The Tonawanda Street Railroad Company was incorporated in 1891 with a capital of $50,000. George P. Smith is president. Besides this the city is connected with Buffalo and Niagara Falls by electric lines, and with Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Lockport by the New York Central and Erie Railroads.
Much of the early history of North Tonawanda has been detailed in preceding pages of this chapter, and the reader has doubtless observed that no marked impetus was inaugurated until about 1875. The Sweeney and Vandervoort families were the first resident owners of land in the old village limits. James Sweeney bought farm lots 81 and 82 June 14, 1824, and later conveyed a one-third interest to his brother, Col. John Sweeney, and one-third to George Goundry, an uncle of the latter’s first wife. William Vandervoort, a brother-in-law of James Sweeney, bought farm lot 80 June 7, 1826. These three lots comprise three-fourths of the old corporate limits. As stated, development and settlement were slow until recent years, when an impetus was inaugurated that afforded an unprecedented growth and marked North Tonawanda as one of the most enterprising cities in the State. One of the first to effectually promote the business and shipping interests of the place was Col. Lewis S. Payne, who settled in this town in 1841. In 1845 he engaged in the lumber business and in 1847 erected the first steam saw mill here. He was a lieutenant-colonel in the Rebellion, served as county clerk, assemblyman, and State senator, and was long one of the most enterprising of citizens.
Beginning within a few years after the completion of the Erie Canal and continuing to the present time, North Tonawanda has been one of the most important lumber markets of the great lakes. A great many energetic business men, both resident and non-resident, have been associated in this business, whose names even cannot be mentioned here. The rafting of logs from Canada and other lake points was commenced during the war of the Rebellion by Hon. H. P. Smith, but the great lumber business properly dates from 1873. Since then it has grown to enormous proportions. The following tables have been prepared by the Tonawanda Herald:
[SEE PDF for figures]
Among the leading lumber firms of North Tonawanda are the following: Smith, Fassett & Co., Huron Lumber Co., Calkins & Co., Rumbold & Alliger, Kelsey & Gillespie, James B. Huff, F. A. Myriçk, A. K. & W. E. Silverthorne, Rumbold & Bellinger. Dodge & Bliss Co., OilIe & McKeen, Robinson Brothers & Co. Ltd., Robertson & Doebler, John Godkin, Thompson Hubman & Fisher, J. & T. Charlton, Merriman & Merriman, Export Lumber Co., Willoughby & Hathaway, W. H. Cooper & Co., Skillings, Whitneys & Barnes, Harrison W. Tyler, Wisconsin Lumber Co., A Weston & Co., W. H. Sawyer Lumber Co., David G. Cooper, Fassett & Bellinger, Frost, Rider & Frost, Monroe & McLean, Cornelius Collins, George H. Damon.
Among former lumber concerns were J. S. Bliss & Co., formed in i886, whose mill, which was burned recently, was built as a grist mill by John and James Sweeney in 1853; The Tonawanda Lumber and Saw Mill Company incorporated in June, 1891, with a capital of $300,000 which succeeded the Tonawanda Lumber Company, whose predecessor was the New York Lumber and Wood Working Company, which was incorporated by George P. Smith and others in 1885; the Hoilister Brothers Company, Ltd., organized in January, 1889, with a capital of $450,000, which on September 1, 1890, was increased to $600,000; the L. A. Kelsey Lumber Company, organized in 1886, which established the first hardwood lumber trade in North Tonawanda; W. E. Marsh & Co., organized about 1888; ; W. H. Kessler & Son, formed in 1887; Plumsteei, Gillespie & Himes, organized in 1890. A. M. Dodge & Co. began business here in 1883, erected a planing mill in 1885, and were succeeded by the Dodge & Bliss
The firm of McGraw & Co., consisting of John McGraw, T. H. McGraw, C. B. Curtis and Ira D. Bennett, was for many years heavy dealers in lumber, their yards and docks covering more than six acres of land, with a main dock 400 feet long and two slips of 6oo feet each.
W. H. Gratwick & Co., about two miles below the city, established an immense lumber interest several years ago. Others connected with this company were Robert S. Fryer, in Albany, under the style of Gratwick, Fryer & Co., and Edward Smith, in Michigan, under the firm name of Smith, Gratwick & Co. These companies owned more than 30,000 acres of Michigan pine lands, where their mills were capable of turning out 28,000,000 feet annually. Their docks had a frontage on the river of 2,000 feet, with every facility for handling and shipping lumber economically. William H. Gratwick came here and established a lumber business in 1870. In 1880 the Gratwick, Smith & Fryer Lumber Company was incorporated. P. W. Ledoux built a sash, door and blind factory about 1876 and Mr. Gratwick erected a planing mill in 1879
J. & T. Chariton's wood working mill was built by Charles Williams. John Charlton came here in 1862 and was soon followed by Thomas.
Grand Island was purchased for the white oak timber in 1833 by the East Boston Company for $16,000. A large mill with gang saws was built and Stephen White, the manager of the company, purchased Tonawanda Island for his home and erected the mansion there. The company did an extensive business until 1837-38. Later William Wilkeson, of Buffalo, became the owner of the island, and from him Smith, Fassett & Co., who had been in the lumber trade since 1872, purchased it in 1882. The island comprises 85 acres, and is one of the largest lumber centers in the world.
The W. H. Sawyer Lumber Company was organized in January, 1887. Skillings, Whitneys & Barnes succeeded to the plant of Hall & Buell in June, 1890, and have a dockage of about 1,300 feet on Tonawanda Island. Robertson & Doebler began business here in 1888 and erected a large planing mill in 1889.
These and many other lumber concerns have brought the city of North Tonawanda into the front rank of lumber centers of the world during the past quarter century, and it is safe to say that no place in the country has had a more wonderful and sudden development in this respect. With unexcelled harbor facilities, upon which the government has expended thousands of dollars in improvements, and with the great lakes as a feeder and the Erie Canal and numerous railroad lines as outlets, the city has recently forged ahead with an unusual bound, and enjoys extraordinary prospects for the future. Much of the recent prosperity of the place is due to the efforts of the North Tonawanda Business Men's Association, which was organized in May, i888, and of which Edward Evans is president. While the great lumber business has brought capital and fame to the place, other interests have equally shared in promoting its growth and prosperity, and to the most important of these the reader's attention is now directed.
The Niagara River Iron Company was organized in 1872 with a capital of $400,000. The company purchased real estate at North Tonawanda to the extent of 165 acres, and in 1873 completed the plant and began operations. The blast furnace was built to turn out fifty tons of pig iron daily, and all of the structures necessary for the business are models of strength and architectural harmony. Early officers of the company were Pascal P. Pratt, president; Josiah Jewett, vice-president; S. S. Jewett, H. H. Glenny, George B. Hays, F. L. Danforth and B. F. Felton, trustees. This company was finally succeeded by the Tonawanda Iron and Steel Company, which tore down the old stack and erected a modern furnace at a cost of $250,000, and which subsequently doubled the capacity of its plant. William A. Rogers is president of the company.
The Armitage-Herschell Company had its inception in a small brass and iron foundry established by James Armitage and Allan and George C. Herschel! about 1872. Their shop was burned in 1874, rebuilt, and again burned in 1875. Afterward the present site was secured on Oliver street, and the manufacture of engines, boilers, and machinery was conducted on a large scale. In 1887 they added the manufacture of steam riding galleries, or "merry-go-rounds," which has become a leading industry of the Lumber City and the largest of the kind in the country. James Armitage is president; Allan Herschell, vice president; and George C. Herschell, treasurer.
The flouring mill of McDonald & Ebersole was started by C. C. Grove and L. D. Ebersole in 1883. The capacity is over 200 barrels per day.
Franklin Getz established his present feed mill in North Tonawanda in 1883, coming here from Getzvilie, Erie county.
The carriage and wagon works of McIntyre & Miller were started in 1876. The Tonawanda grain elevator, of which Louis Fick is proprietor, was erected in 1882 by L. G Fuller. The Niagara brewery was started by George Zent in 1867, and early in 1883 passed into the possession of the Niagara River Brewing Company, who in June, 1892, were succeeded by the Bush Brewing Company.
The first permanent banking business was founded by Edward Evans on June 1, 1872. He was succeeded May 1, 1877, by the firm of Evans, Schwinger & Co., with James H. De Graff president; Edward Evans, vice-president; William McLaren, cashier. This concern was followed by the State Bank, which was organized May i, 1883, with a paid up capital of $100,000, and with James A. De Graff, president; Edward Evans, vice president; Benjamin L. Rand, cashier. The present capital, undivided profits, and surplus is about $165,000, and the officers are J. H. De Graff, president ; C. Schwinger, vice-president; Benjamin L. Rand, cashier.
The Lumber Exchange Bank was organized May i, i886, with a capital of $100,000; Edward Evans, president; Joshua S. Bliss. vice president; James H. Rand, cashier; In 1889 the capital was doubled, and in 1890 Mr. Evans was succeeded as president by James S. Thompson. The bank discontinued business in April, 1897.
George F. Rand started a private banking business in 1890.
James H. Rand established his present private bank in 1894.
Frederick Robertson & Co. began a private banking business in 1897.
The various journalistic enterprises have been so intimately identified with both Tonawanda and North Tonawanda that it seems advisable to mention them briefly here. The first in the field was the Tonawanda Commercial, which was started by S. Hoyt on May 2, 1850, and lived a little more than a year. In September, 1853, S. S. Packard began the publication of the Niagara River Pilot, which was sold by him in 18,, to S. O. Hayward, who started the Niagara Frontier in November, 1857, and, after an absence, the Enterprise, which was continued till about 1891.
The Tonawanda Herald was started July 19, 1875, by Jay Densmore, who a year or two later was succeeded by Warren & O'Regan. On October 14, 1877, Thomas M. Chapman bought out John O'Regan and in 1880 George Warren sold his interest to Thomas E. Warner; since then the firm has been Chapman & Warner. During six months in 1890 a daily edition was published; otherwise the paper has been successfully continued as an able, influential Democratic weekly.
Thomas M. Chapman, of the firm of Chapman & Warner, editors and publishers of the Tonawanda Herald, of North Tonawanda, is the son of Thomas and Margaret Chapman, and was born in Queenston, Canada, November 17, 1844. His father was a native of Hull, England. Mr. Chapman moved with his parents to St Catharines, Ontario, where he received an academic education under Rev. T. D. Phillips. When sixteen he was apprenticed to the printer's trade, which he learned thoroughly. In 1877 he came to North Tonawanda, and on October 14 of that year purchased the interest of John O'Regan in the Tonawanda Herald, thus becoming a partner with George Warren in the publication of that paper. In 1880 Mr. Warren sold his interest to Thomas E. Warner, and since then the firm has been Chapman & Warner. Mr. Chapman is one of the oldest and ablest editors in Niagara county, and during a successful journalistic career has always stood in the front rank of his profession. He is a terse, ready writer, a good judge of literature, and an enterprising, public spirited citizen. In politics he has always been a prominent Democrat. He was deputy collector of customs four years and clerk of the village of North Tonawanda three years, and is a member of Niagara River Lodge, No. 527, I. O. O. F., and other social and fraternal organizations. January 27, 1870, he married Cecelia J., daughter of the late James Stephenson, of Canandaigua, N. Y., and they have two children, James Alfred and Alice M.
Thomas E. Warner, of the firm of Chapman & Warner, publishers of the Tonawanda Herald, and the first clerk of the city of North Tonawanda, is the son of Hon. Ulysses Warner and Eliza Ann Jones, his wife, and was born in Orleans, Ontario county, N. Y., March 23, 1844. His father was member of assembly in 1858 and 1859, served as justice of the peace for many years, and was a prominent and influential citizen. Mr. Warner was educated in the common schools of his native town. At the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to the printer's trade in the office of the Geneva Gazette, where he remained three years. Afterward he spent some time as a journeyman, principally in Detroit, Chicago and New York, and while in the latter city was one of four or five compositors who put into type the first dispatch that came over the second Atlantic cable. He was also warden of the Jersey City (N. J.) Charity Hospital for four years. In 1880 he came to North Tonawanda and purchased George Warren's interest in the Tonawanda Herald, with which he has since been connected under the firm name of Chapman & Warner. He is an able writer, a man of energy and ability, and one of the most public spirited of citizens. He served as village clerk of North Tonawanda from 1886 until it became a city, when he became the first city clerk, which office he now holds. He is a past master of Tonawanda Lodge, No. 247, F. and A. M., and the present high priest of Tonawanda Chapter, No. 278, R. A. M.
The Daily News, of North Tonawanda, was commenced about i88o by George S. Hobbie, who had been employed in the office of the Index, which was started in 1875 by J. A. L. Fisher. The News was originally a diminutive two-column sheet. George W. Tong became a partner in 1884, and soon changed it to a weekly, taking the name of the Standard, which was leased to J. W. Works in 1886. In 1887 Mr. Works resumed the publication of the Daily News, having as a partner his brother Arthur. Other owners following them were Hepworth & Lane, George P. Smith, and M. J. Dillon, who sold it on December 4, 1894, to Harlan W. and Walter S. Brush; the News Publishing Company was incorporated in May, 1895, with a capital of $12,000, and with H. W. Brush, president, and W. S. Brush, secretary and treasurer. A weekly edition was added April 1, 1897.
Harlan W. Brush, president of the News Publishing Company of North Tonawanda, is a son of James A. and Amelia A. (McCall) Brush, and was born in Nelson, Portage county, O., May 27, 1865. He soon moved with his parents to Alliance, Ohio, where he attended the public schools and Mount Union College, which he left at the age of fifteen on account of his father's death. He spent one year in the office of the Alliance Weekly Standard learning the printer's trade, which he finished with F. W. Lordan, a job printer of that place. In December, 1884, he purchased Mr. Lordan's establishment, and in 1887 also bought the Standard, and combined the two plants. In 1888 he added the Alliance Weekly Review and consolidated the two papers under the names of the Daily Review and Weekly Standard, forming a stock company, of which he was the manager and has since been the principal stockholder. In 1894 he came to North Tonawanda, and with his brother, Walter S., purchased the Daily News. In May, 1895, the News Publishing Company was incorporated with a capital of $12,000, and Mr. Brush has since been its president. Mr. Brush has always been active in politics, as a Republican, and was president of the first McKinley club ever organized (1887) this was in McKinley's own county (Stark) in Ohio. As a journalist he is progressive and enterprising, and has been eminently successful in this profession. He has made the News one of the liveliest and best dailies in the county.
Walter S. Brush, secretary and treasurer of the News Publishing Company, of North Tonawanda, is a younger son of James A. and Amelia A. (McCall) Brush, and was born in Alliance, Ohio, September 25, i868. He was educated in the Alliance public schools and Mount Union College, was for two years a clerk for the Solid Steel Company of his native city, and then took a course of short hand in Oswego, N. Y. He became chief clerk in the train master's office of the West Shore Railroad in Syracuse and later bookkeeper and manager of the Minneapolis branch of the Hall Safe and Lock Company. In 1894 he came to North Tonawanda, and with his brother, Harlan W., purchased the Daily News, of which he has since been the secretary and treasurer. Mr. Brush is an efficient business manager, as the prosperous condition of the News shows.
The North Tonawanda Cemetery Association was incorporated in 1868 with Hiram Newell (president), Benjamin J. Felton, Garwood L. Judd, Selden G. Johnson, Franklin Warren, and John Simpson, trustees.
The first bridge over Tonawanda Creek in the village was erected chiefly for military purposes soon after 1800. It was a temporary structure and soon went to ruin. Passage of the stream was then made by ferry until 1824, when a toll bridge was built under a legislative charter, which gave it an existence of twenty-one years. Prior to the expiration of the charter the shares were bought by the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad Company, which rebuilt the bridge to accommodate its tracks. When the charter expired the bridge became a county and town charge. The third structure was built by Niagara and Erie counties and stood until J875 when the present one was erected. In 1891 another iron bridge was built across the Tonawanda Creek to connect Delaware and Main streets, and still another was erected over Ellicott Creek on Delaware street.
Within recent years a number of land enterprises have been inaugurated in North Tonawanda, giving the city an impetus commensurate with its business growth and development. The Ironton addition was replatted and placed on the market in 1890; the North Tonawanda Land Company was incorporated in June, 1891, with a capital of $100,000. One of the moving spirits in each of these incorporations was George P. Smith. At this point mention should be made of a number of business men and residents of North Tonawanda, past and present, who have been instrumental in developing the resources of the city and imparting to it that degree of prosperity which has brought it into prominence throughout the country. Among these are:
John Schuimeister, Lehon & Warren, A. & B. M. Krauss, L. G. Stanley, Dr. C. C. Smith, Nice & Hmkey, William J. Kage, M. F. and G. F. Myers, (who succeeded G. L. Faulkner in the coal business in 1890), John 0. Ball, John T. and William Bush, W. W. Tlaayer (afterward governor of Oregon), B. H. Long, Hon. Garwood L. Judd, Lewis T. Payne, Frederick Sommer, Dr. R. G. Wright, Dr. W. L. Allen, Dr. W. V. R. Blighton, Levant R. Vandervoort, George P. Smith, A. F. Premus, James S. Thompson, J. H. De Graff, James Sweeney, jr., Frank Batt, Benjamin F. Felton, William Tompkins, Albert Dornfeld (postmaster), George 0. Miller, Henry Homeyer, C. F. Goerss, Thomas H. Tulley, John T. Hepworth, Edward C. Praker, August M Wendt, James H. Rand, Albert E. McKeen, Fred F. Wagenschuetz & Co., Mundie & McCoy, Charles Hagen. William Allen, Edward Evans, Hon. Henry F. Warner. John E. Oelkers, John P. Christgau, Batt, Kopp & Co. (manufacturers of church and school furniture). John H. Bollier, L. G. Fuller, Gillie Godard & Co. (manufacturers of steam riding galleries), August H. Miller, C. F. Oelkers, Christian Schulmeister.
Among other prominent citizens of the town of Wheatfield may he mentioned: Edward A. Milliman, William Krull, Frederick and Martin Kopp, William Boening, William Fritz, Frederick Wurl, William Mauth, Gottlieb Walck, William Beutel, James Briggs, L. B. Bullard, John Chadrick, William Deglow, William Devantier, Frederick Geutz, F. D. and B. A. Habecker, Henry Hall, Peter Heim. Dennis G. Hoover. Martin Klemer, Ferdinand Lang, William Lehon, William Mavis, Oliver and John Miller, \Villiam Pfuhl, Christ Radlaff, Charles Rogge, George Schenek, Joseph Schenek, William Schmidt, John H. and William Schnell, Henry Treichier, William Vandervoort, Henry F. Wagner, Albert and August Walk, Christopher Walk, Gottlieb Walk, William Watt, Fred Weinheimer, William Wench, August and Charles Werth, Chauncey Wichterman, August and Gustav H. Williams, William Williams, George M. Warren, Christian George Krull, J. D. Loveland, Daniel Sy, William Clark, Martin Reisterer, Calvin Jacobs, J. S. Tompkins, Thomas Collins, Daniel Treichler, Harvey Miller. More extended notices of some of these and many others appear in Part III of this volume.
Schools and religious services were among the first institutions to be inaugurated by the early settlers. The history of the beginnings of the former, however, is meagre. The first school in the north part of the town was taught by Ira Benedict in 1826, while the pioneers in the south part evidently sent their children over into Erie county, a school having been started there, near the creek, as early as 1816. In 1836, soon after the formation of the town, Wheatfield was conveniently divided into school districts, which in 1860 numbered seven; the present number is eight. In 1866 a portion of the Union School building in North Tonawanda was erected; this is a fine brick structure, known as the Goundry Street school, and was rebuilt in 1882, bonds to the amount of $14,500 being issued for the purpose. There are three other substantial brick schOol houses in the city, viz., the Ironton School, erected in 1889, and the Pine Woods and Gratwick Schools, built in 1892; the former cost $15,000 and the latter two $20,000 each. One of the most successful teachers and superintendents was Prof. Alexander D. Filer, who came to North Tonawanda from Middleport in 1881 and remained until his death, about 1891, being succeeded by Prof. Clinton S. Marsh, the present incumbent. The principal of the High School is F. J. Beardsley. Benjamin F. Felton has been connected with the Board of Education since 1876 and has served as its president since 1877; James H. Rand has officiated as clerk since 1882.
Religious services were held in this section as early as 1816-20, when Rev. John Foster was a preacher on the Tonawanda circuit, but no church was organized until many years later. Some of the earlier churches of the town have already been mentioned. The inhabitants of Tonawanda worshiped for some time in a union church which was erected about 1830, on a lot on South Canal street donated by A. H. Tracy.
The First Methodist Episcopal Church of North Tonawanda was built in 1842. on the corner of Main and Tremont streets. One of the prime movers in this as well as in the original movement was John Simson, who on July 4, 1867, presented the lot, edifice, etc., to the society free of debt. The present church was completed in 1882.
A Baptist church was organized about 1852, but a few years later succumbed for lack of support. The First Baptist church of North Tonawanda was organized September 6, 1885, with eighteen members, and in 1887-88 an edifice was erected on Vandervoort street at a cost of about $8,000.
St. Mark's Episcopal church, organized February 17, 1869, is noticed in the chapter devoted to Lockport.
St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran church, of North Tonawanda, was organized October 31, 1887. by Rev. H. Kaufman, who also instituted a parochial school in connection therewith. The church was built about 1888.
The Church of Christ of North Tonawanda was organized in 1888, and the next year an edifice was built on the corner of Christiana street and Payne's avenue; with the lot it cost about $12,000.
The Church of the Ascension (Roman Catholic), of North Tonawanda, was organized by Rev. Father Bustin in i888, and a church and parsonage were erected soon afterward. The present pastor is Rev. Patrick Cronin.
St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran church, on the corner of Wheatfield and Bryan streets, was built in 1888-90, the church organization being effected in January, 1890. The first pastor was Rev. W. C. Koch. Connected with the church is a flourishing parochial school.
The Evangelical Frieden's church was organized by Rev. Paul Dittman in 1889, and an edifice was built the same year on the corner of Schenck and Vandervoort streets at a cost of $8,000.
The North Presbyterian church was organized April 30, 1891, with seventy- five members, and purchased the building erected by the German Methodists in 1887. The Central Methodist church on Oliver street near Fifth avenue, North Tonawanda, was built about 1893.
The Young Men's Christian Association of North Tonawanda was organized largely through the influence of the late Rev. I. P. Smith in December, 1886. In 1892 a handsome brick building was erected on the corner of Main and Tremont streets. One of the principals in fostering this institution was Dr. F. M. Hayes, the first president. There are two churches of the Lutheran faith in Martinsville, viz., St. Martin's, erected in 1846, and St. Paul's, built in 1861. Connected with each church is a flourishing parochial school.
FROM LANDMARKS OF NIAGARA COUNTY, NEW YORK
EDITED BY: WILLIAM POOL
PUBLISHED BY D. MASON & CO. PUBLISHERS, SYRACUSE, NY 1897
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1897
-
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https://nthistory.com/files/original/5b2732f2740178d0a179a0d037c2a90a.pdf
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Souvenir history of Niagara County, New York - Commemorative of the 25th anniversary of the Pioneer Association of Niagara County (1902).pdf
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1902
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/85b1b7e572b35a33bf6790819953fabc.pdf
c7f5745e326c61e7ddc5effe90c6f7e4
Book
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Papers Relating to the Burning of Buffalo, and to the Niagara Frontier Prior to and During the War Of 1812 (Buffalo Historical Society).pdf
Date
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1812
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/87b769aa6216c4fc7a98d2b4cdf295e1.jpg
9836ec41ab5b1c44ad9746e1b9e08d3f
https://nthistory.com/files/original/6e76ac22605c6a06867f0002db215794.pdf
ff995caba44b574fcf4bfa0b40618a5d
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Early Days of the Tonawandas
Description
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These book excerpts and articles shed light on the earliest days of the Tonawandas, as well as the nearby villages of Martinsville, Sawyer's Station, Gratwick and Ironton that would be incorporated into the city of North Tonawanda in 1897. See our <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/browse?type=11&sort_field=Dublin%20Core,Date">Books</a> for full-length works.
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Pioneer History of the Holland Purchase, complete book (Orasmus Turner, 1849).pdf
Description
An account of the resource
Embracing Some Account of the Ancient Remains ... and a History of Pioneer Settlement Under the Auspices of the Holland Company; Including Reminiscences of the War of 1812; the Origin, Progress and Completion of the Erie Canal, Etc., Etc., Etc
This fascinating volume contains a wide variety of early WNY lore. Elsewhere on this site the reader may find excerpted portions pertaining to our special interests: Tonawanda: Horatio Jones, the early mounds of Tonawanda Island.
There is also a good deal of material dedicated to the War of 1812: Page 590 begins description of McClure's rashness in burning of Newark. Flight of the "motley throng" eastward down the Ridge Road to Forsyth's. Aid of the Tuscarora. Invalid Judge Cook at Lewiston shooting Indians from an ox sled. The following summer (British) Indians pillaged occasionally from occupied Fort Niagara. Sparrow Sage and a "female companion" abducted, he axes them (592).
(December 23rdish, 1813) Eighteen Mile Creek and destruction of Lake Road dwellings, Van Horn Mill (mansion not built for a few more years). "Seldom has there been a more peaceable and humane march of invaders through a conquered territory. " (593). Brought "fifteen or sixteen" men back to Niagara as prisoners.
Moves onto Black Rock landing, Buffalo's shoddy defense, the "disgraceful" spectacle of retreating soldiers passing fleeing families: "The rout, the hasty, panic stricken retreat, the unnecessary surrender ing of a frontier, and its then largest village, to the arms and the a torch of an invading foe, not formidable either in numbers or military prowess" (597). Still credits the behavior of the settlers in the aggregate.
"Before daylight, the citizens of Buffalo were fully apprised of the feeble and ill managed defence at Black Rock; of its prospect of failure. Tidings that all was hopeless, had reached them , and were confirmed by the hasty retreat of squads of militia, who were making palpable demonstrations of their innate love of life, in their eagerness to outstrip each other in the race that was taking them beyond the reach of danger" (Ibid).
Col Cyrenius Chapin's surrender and terms. (Chapin had been opposed to McClure's misdeed). Gave time for citizens to escape. British officers liquor be hidden to keep Indians from getting out of control. Lt. Riddle and the Williamsville 40 march on British, not knowing about the treaty, and provide rationale for British to resume burning. They contest the authority of Chapin to surrender, fire cannon? Chapin winds up prisoner and taken to Montreal.
The Buffalo Road filled with all manner of retreating humanity, descriptions of occasional rallies to fight. Pity, as invaders were marred by timidity and cowardice, did not deserve their spoils. Description of the gloom and privation throughout the Holland Purchase that followed, as the invaders hunkered down at Niagara.
Letters follow. "Twelve thousand souls" depopulated. Legislative aid. President Madison dispatched Gen. Cass to Niagara Frontier to describe scene. He writes a scathing report to the Sec of War:
"The fall of Niagara has been owing to the most criminal negligence. The force in it was fully competent to its defence. The commanding officer, Captain Leonard, it is confidently said, was at his own house, three miles from the fort, and all the other officers appear to have rested in as much security as though no enemy was near them . Captains Roge and Hampton, both of the 34th, had comp in the fort. Both of them were absent from it. Their conduct ought to be strictly investigated. I am also told that Major Wallace of the 5th , was in the fort. He escaped and is now at Erie." (604-5).
"From the most careful examination, I am satisfied that not more than six hundred and fifty men, of regulars, militia and Indians, landed at Black Rock. To oppose these we had from two thousand five hundred to three thousand militia. All except a very few of them, behaved in the most cowardly manner. They fled without discharging a musket."
Redemption in Sortie of Fort Erie.
Date
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1849
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Book
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North Tonawanda City Directory (1893), excerpts.jpg
Date
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1893
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/96e36c4b466c63d8e15a75e4cb625e5a.pdf
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Book
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Greater Buffalo NY Industrial Commercial, book (1914).pdf
Date
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1914
Description
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Hundreds of illustrations of Buffalo institutions and factories. <br /><br />Tonawandas section:<br />71: Lumber views, Sweeney Building<br />72: Tonawanda Iron, Buffao Bolt, Felton School<br />73: Bennet, Eastern Lumber Co., Buffalo Pump<br />74: Niagara Falls (Adama Power Plant)<br />77: Lockport<br />80: Depew
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Book
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If the Niagara Frontier Is Bombed, pamphlet (c1950).jpg
Date
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1950
-
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Title
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Bennett Lumber Company
Description
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Island and Main Streets.
<blockquote>Bennett began his lumber business at Main and Island Streets as Hoadley and Bennett in 1902, eventually expanding to 190 Oliver Street, the former W. G. Palmer Lumber Co. facilities.85 In addition to lumber, the Ray H. Bennett Lumber Co. also sold prefabricated mail order ‘kit homes,’ known as Bennett Redi-Bilt Homes. <br /><br />- <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/2172">Sweeney Estate Historical Survey (2019)</a></blockquote>
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Bennett Homes, Excerpts from Catalog 18 (1920).jpg
Date
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1920
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Title
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Richardson Boat Company
Description
An account of the resource
From the <a href="http://www.richardsonboats.com/">Richardson Boat Owners Association website</a>:
<blockquote>In 1909 G.Reid Richardson founded the Richardson Boat Company in North Tonawanda, New York to build high quality boats at a fair price. History has shown that he was quite successful in this undertaking. Over the years many types of boats were produced including not only cruising vessels but sailboats, runabouts, racing boats and military craft during the war years. The Richardson Boat Company organized "Sailaways" where the owners of newly purchased boats were encouraged to congregate in North Tonawanda and join in a cruise down the Erie Canal to New York City. Sadly, Mr. Richardson passed away in 1937 and his wife Ethel took over management until 1941 when the company was sold to a group of local businessmen.</blockquote>
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Richardson 1930 Cruisabouts, catalog (c1929).jpg
Date
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1929
boat
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Richardson Boat Company
Description
An account of the resource
From the <a href="http://www.richardsonboats.com/">Richardson Boat Owners Association website</a>:
<blockquote>In 1909 G.Reid Richardson founded the Richardson Boat Company in North Tonawanda, New York to build high quality boats at a fair price. History has shown that he was quite successful in this undertaking. Over the years many types of boats were produced including not only cruising vessels but sailboats, runabouts, racing boats and military craft during the war years. The Richardson Boat Company organized "Sailaways" where the owners of newly purchased boats were encouraged to congregate in North Tonawanda and join in a cruise down the Erie Canal to New York City. Sadly, Mr. Richardson passed away in 1937 and his wife Ethel took over management until 1941 when the company was sold to a group of local businessmen.</blockquote>
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G Reid Richardson, biographical pamphlet (1939).jpg
Date
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1939
collection
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Book
An extensive textual resource.
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Title
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Power or The Story of Niagara Falls, booklet (Elbert Hubbard, 1914).jpg
Date
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1914
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/a996e728aab594d126c6dbc8028ac826.pdf
c2fb51f0d598ae8774a6eade9c8f7761
Book
An extensive textual resource.
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Title
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YWCA of Niagara 1915-2015, book.pdf
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2015
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/c703477c347495d798e384c9139bbf03.pdf
4e9963aefa935f949a83ef344bed27b1
https://nthistory.com/files/original/8b3408ad9cc2da5eb7d191763d3ed8ff.pdf
ab0a34c3042efd8bb9d814c9a029c50a
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Title
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Hope-Jones Organ Co. (of Elmira)
Description
An account of the resource
The inventor of the Mighty Wurlitzer organ which catapulted the company to worldwide recognition was a brilliant (if troubled) Englishman named Robert Hope-Jones.
Hope-Jones came to the U.S. in 1903. In 1907 he formed the Hope-Jones Organ Co. in Elmira, N.Y. (Mark Twain is a large shareholder) at the corner of East 5th and Madison. After three years of struggles (and under a "cloud" of suspicion in Elmira for his "actions with small boys"), the company and patents were purchased by Wurlitzer in 1910, whereupon Robert Hope-Jones moved to Wurlitzer's North Tonawanda plant to oversee production of a new line of organ. The relationship is said to have been a strained one, with the old inventor constantly tweaking and refining his instruments, and never willing to relinquish control so that they could go into production. He would be barred from the factory he led. At least six months before his death he had cut ties with Wurlitzer. The Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ and pipe organs are based on his breakthroughs, and sustained Wurlitzer between the mechanical music era and the jukebox era (and beyond). Hope-Jones committed suicide on September 12 or 13, 1914, while traveling in Rochester. A report says August de Kleist brought his body back to North Tonawanda.
Book
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Title
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Robert Hope-Jones articles and photos (Puget Sound Pipeline, 2012-08 and 2012-10).pdf
Description
An account of the resource
Includes the following essay, photos of Hope-Jones, and two lengthy addresses by the inventor. <b>Who was Robert Hope-Jones?</b>
<p><i>Hope-Jones, 1859–1914, was a brilliant innovator, whose inspirations in the field of organ design and building contributed to possibly the finest musical product to ever come out of America—the mighty Wurlitzer!</i></p>
<p>No person in the long history of the organ-building craft can have been the sub- ject of more criticism, or more praise, than Robert Hope-Jones.</p>
<p>Born February 9th, 1859, the third of seven sons and two daughters, he was a highly strung, nervous and sickly boy, often subject to deep fits of depression. Ill health prevented him from attending school until his teen years, thus a tutor was employed to teach him at home and in the South of France, where he was sent on occasion to escape the cold damp conditions of the area. Owing to this disruption to his early years, he spent little time with other chil- dren his age, and found consolation playing and studying music.</p>
<p>At the age of nine he proved to be a capable church organist playing at one church, all three services on a Sunday. At the age of 15, his health having improved tenfold, Robert was enrolled at Birkenhead School where shortly he was appointed or- ganist and choirmaster in the large chapel. Leaving school at 17, he was apprenticed to Lairds of Birkenhead, who were ship- builders and engineers. During his employ- ment with Lairds, he was to spend time in engineering and drafting shops, learning the skills that were to benefit his career in later years.</p>
<p>Although at this time he felt it necessary to relinquish his job playing organ, Rob- ert’s inventive mind had been busy at work devising means to improve existing organ actions of the time. With assistance from his choir members at St. John’s Church, Birkenhead, he spent a great deal of money rebuilding the church pipe organ with these new ideas. Members of his choir who as- sisted him in this task were later to hold po- sitions in the Hope-Jones Organ Company formed later in Britain.</p>
<p>On leaving Lairds, Robert took a posi- tion with the Lancashire and Cheshire Tele- phone company where he rose to become the company’s chief electrician. It was while there that he conceived the ‘diaphone’—a large scaled fog horn for marine use. The diaphone was later redesigned and scaled for use in the pipe organ. By 1899, Robert’s interest in the organ had become so great the he relinquished his job with the telephone company to devote full time to his new vocation. During this time many organs were built for him by other notable English organ-builders on a sub-contract basis for distribution the world over.</p>
<p><b>Robert’s ideas were too avant-garde </b><br />Traditionalists attacked Robert’s ideas on organ design, the likes of which had never before been seen. They resented his ideas of electrifying the internal mechanics of the organ. His first instrument employing elec- tric action was St. John’s Church, Birken- head, done in 1886 when he was only 27 years old. Many Hope-Jones organs were maliciously interfered with in England and later America. Ridiculous rumors of fires caused by his electrifications were spread. Sadly, this gave the invention a bad reputa- tion, and it was blamed for any fault in an organ his critics could come up with. The trifling electric current—derived from dry batteries—could not possibly have caused the fires so much talked about. The voltage was only 10-12 volts DC.</p>
<p><b>Robert left England for America </b><br />Upset with the reception of his ideas in England, Robert departed the coun- try to America, taking up with the Austin brothers, two Englishmen building small church organs. He later spent time with two other American organ builders and in 1904 when with the Skinner Co., produced some remarkable changes in organ build- ing. At Skinner he directed the building of his first organ of magnitude for the Park Church, Elmira, New York. This organ marked the practical beginning of Hope- Jone’s electrical extension and unification system, whereby one rank of pipes is made to play at various different pitches. Also this marked the introduction of the Hope-Jones idea of inclined or slanted keyboards for the convenience of the player. Additionally this was the first organ to be built with the famous ‘horseshoe’ or cinema-type console.</p>
<p><b>Hope-Jones Organ Co. re-established</b><br />His relations with Skinner Co. were not good. Having been able to secure contracts for two organs on the ‘quiet,’ Robert severed connections with that firm and re-established the Hope-Jones Organ Company. A principal sponsor in assisting the beginning of the firm was author Mark Twain. This period marked the culminating point in Hope-Jones’ career in the United Bellingham’s Mt. Baker Theatre Organ Society has disbanded Sadly, MBTOS has decided to disband due to shrinking attendance and support. Their last several concerts were attended by only about 35, according to Bill Charles, long time “spark plug” behind the group. Bill states that the theatre will take over managing the use of the Wurlitzer. With its great publicity network, it reaches a much larger group of people than the club was able to reach. The theatre will continue to use the organ, presenting concerts and silent movies. Bill and other enthusiasts are very hopeful that everything will work for the best for everyone. The organ will be maintained the same as in the past, with many of the theatre organ society mem- bers volunteering to keep it up. Upgrades that have been on the drawing board for several years are moving forward, includ- ing a new relay and other improvements. The Mt. Baker Wurlitzer is one of just four remaining original theatre organ in- stallations in Washington. The others are in Seattle’s Paramount, Tacoma’s Temple Theatre, and Mt. Vernon’s Lincoln The- atre. States. He was now free to do as he pleased with no restrictions and could do more or less what he pleased with the design of his instruments. The company was located in Elmira, New York, and during its existence (1907-1910) many organs were built. It was during 1907, despite the build- ing of many instruments, Robert once again found himself in financial trouble. A notable organ built during this time by the company was a remarkable instrument for the Ocean Grove Auditorium in New Jer- sey. It was entirely different from any organ existing at that time and created a great deal of interest in musical circles. At the invitation of Robert Hope-Jones, officials of the Rudolph Wurlitzer Manu- facturing Company were invited to view the Ocean Grove organ. They were so taken with the instrument that negotia- tions were quickly underway organizing the absorption of the Hope-Jones Co. by the Wurlitzer Co. In May, 1910, Robert and key members of his staff moved to North Tonawanda, New York, to take up resi- dence at the huge Wurlitzer factory...</p>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2010
-
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Dublin Core
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Title
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Early Days of the Tonawandas
Description
An account of the resource
These book excerpts and articles shed light on the earliest days of the Tonawandas, as well as the nearby villages of Martinsville, Sawyer's Station, Gratwick and Ironton that would be incorporated into the city of North Tonawanda in 1897. See our <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/browse?type=11&sort_field=Dublin%20Core,Date">Books</a> for full-length works.
Book
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Title
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A History of the City of Tonawanda, illustrated booklet (Dittmar, Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, 1971).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1971
tonawanda
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/d6892ec5863bb84b6fbd9a8b38ab158a.jpg
34e76f8858902a4e1295508171df7033
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a8d33832d8b856ec361d4bfffeaa20d9
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Title
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International Paper Company
Description
An account of the resource
(1898-1975?) The International Paper occupied the northern edge of Tonawanda Island for over 50 years, processing lumber for use in magazines and stationery. Organized in 1898 and uniting disparate interests across New York and New England, the company in 1931 purchased the paper mill that had been established by the Tonawanda Paper Company on Tonawanda Island in 1924. Many residents still recall the distinctive odor of the factory, and its green treatment wells still stand conspicuously on Tonawanda Island's eastern shore.
Source
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<ul>
<li><em><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=O9g8BQAAQBAJ&dq">Tonawanda and North Tonawanda 1940-1960</a>,</em> page 10, Historical Society of the Tonawandas</li>
<li><a href="https://theniagarabranch.wordpress.com/international-paper-north-tonawanda/">International Paper North Tonawanda, The Niagara Branch blog. </a>Acccessed January, 2017.</li>
</ul>
Book
An extensive textual resource.
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Title
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Tonawanda International Paper, booklet excerpts (c.1956).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1956
factory
tonawandaisland
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/46411d316898f54388e169c79ae5692e.pdf
f05754ec168c2c691d6ba062be060948
https://nthistory.com/files/original/2376235e2f98ae5f7e9d11e1572c393f.jpg
d5d1fbc41fd29d3de4d1f65f1cb0efba
Dublin Core
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Title
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Sweeney Family
Book
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Title
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Sweeney Estate - Reconaissance Level Survey of Historic Resources of City of North Tonawanda (kta preservation, 2019).pdf
Description
An account of the resource
A mostly readable overview of the area's early development from 1600, with special emphasis on early village luminaries in general and the Sweeney family in particular. The urban development of their land, and its use as Pine Woods Park is detailed.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2019
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/fb6dd9484d7398a84f52d2bb45fceba8.jpg
6f13604092ee676f8e72e407aacf519e
https://nthistory.com/files/original/63b51e902fd7ad46a800b1dfcb7c5a25.pdf
8a2847e1dbbb4cabb11c65e09b1e8c3e
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American District Steam Heating, Taber Industries (455 Bryant Street)
Description
An account of the resource
Before the electric age, there was the steam age. <br /><br />Steam (harnessing the pressure created by boiling water) was used to power factory equipment, trains, and even to heat buildings. A system for heating entire cities with steam ("district steam heating") is developed by Birdsall Holly in Lockport in 1877. His American District Steam Company has a sprawling plant in North Tonawanda at 455 Bryant Street in the early 20th Century.<br /><br />(Holly also develops the modern <span> network of water mains connecting fire hydrants, providing a reliable water supply for firefighters, an important innovation for early American cities.)<br /></span><br />As of 2022, the buildings are operated by Taber Industries. From <a href="https://www.taberindustries.com/about-taber">their website</a>:
<blockquote>Originally founded in 1941 by Ralph Taber, The Taber Instrument Corporation was established to manufacture precision testing instruments. As lead engineer, Mr. Taber invented numerous devices that aided in the understanding of material physical properties. Many of the original product concepts were so innovative they are still widely used today, and continue to be considered the standard for comparison in many industries. Best known for our expertise in abrasion and surface wear, Taber also offers a full product line to evaluate resistance to scratch, mar and scuff damage; along with bending and stiffness. Acquired by the Teledyne organization in 1966, the company’s name was changed to Teledyne Taber. In August 1992, the company changed ownership and became Taber Industries.</blockquote>
The buildings in the northeast section of the plant are now operated by <a href="https://ltrrigging.com/home/">LTR Rigging and Hauling</a>.
Book
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Title
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Central Station Heating, booklet (American District Steam, 1911).pdf
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1911
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/fce501025f5a8b95431bc0d4239c6277.jpg
000b2906f1dac20d4f9555886517d31a
https://nthistory.com/files/original/a940b91c579a163457b9ceaa6aa878ef.jpg
8f6a3cb5d6568ae12cdbe77acfd7acbd
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3f6c9070b10b984e829e3f16ad449d62
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https://nthistory.com/files/original/f4ab0a9602c4afe481ed2f7ca8c55660.jpg
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https://nthistory.com/files/original/c29dfb233e014b8210c61adac530d927.jpg
05d5f0f7eea14185c22319df839538e3
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Title
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Lumber Business of the Tonawandas
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/48.jpg" alt="Map of the Lumber District of the Tonawandas, 1893" /><span class="cover-caption">In the heyday of the Tonawandas' lumber years, practically every available inch of the Niagara riverfront and Tonawanda Island is covered in lumber (shown as lettered, colored portions in the map above). <a href="http://nthistory.com/items/show/1848">1893 Sanborn Insurance map</a>.</span> In the mid-to-late 19th century, vast forests of Midwest timber are cut, dressed and shipped by water to the exploding towns and cities of the east, largely through the Tonawandas. The villages' advantageous location (between the Great Lakes and the Erie Canal) and the natural harbor afforded by Tonawanda Island make it one of the largest lumber ports in the country by 1890. A lock allows small craft to jump between the Niagara River and the Erie Canal via the non-canalized portion of Tonawanda Creek.<br /><br />Scores of lumber comanies spring up here, and their yards vaccum up almost every available inch of real estate along the Niagara River, Tonawanda Creek, and Tonawanda Island. Docks are built over the water, and millions of feet of lumber stored in great blocks are stacked to the sky. They are brought here largely on lake vessels from Lake Erie, where they are moved onto canal boats by lumbershovers and stevedores and hauled by canal boat captains (along with other goods) to points east.<br /><br />The big business means big money, and conflict between the laborers and employers sometimes turns deadly. Articles in this collection describe the lumbershovers strikes of 1892 and 1893, the first of which resulted in the death of a police officer, and both of which required the National Guard to be deployed. A separate collection, "<a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/136">Murder at the Docks</a>," digs into the 1895 double murder of canal boat captain Lorenzo Phillips and his son Charles as the captain attempted to haul a load of lumber from P. W. Scribner's Tonawanda dock in defiance of a boatmen's union agreement.<br /><br />As the forests of the midwest were depleted and shipping routes and technology changed, the lumber heyday of the Tonawandas receded into the past.
Book
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Title
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Gratwick, Smith and Fryer Lumber Co., promotional booklet (1880).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1880
Description
An account of the resource
This illustrated booklet details the business of the Gratwick, Smith and Fryer Lumber Company, showing how they were able to be successful by controlling all phases of lumber cutting, transporting and refining for market. Their Tonawanda dock, yards and planing mills would fuel the growth of the village of Gratwick, named for them. <br /><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_William_H._Gratwick">SS William Gratwick at Wikipedia.</a>
boat
lumber
river
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/ee1d3476918a73b7dda14ea89d5d1a73.jpg
0bddb11dd41e6fd89407a06bd87e629a
https://nthistory.com/files/original/eb6fd4722248c849e0708d9241d947a9.pdf
a623f85e8cf47291e50901af2c019c0f
Book
An extensive textual resource.
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Commerce, Manufactures and Resources of Buffalo and Environs (1880).pdf
Date
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1880
Description
An account of the resource
Later part of the book has a ton of great and detailed lumber and other ads.
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/5ad422cfe0daf0695d29c7137f32e09d.pdf
f517a06cd0e82a247001409bf5e2413b
Book
An extensive textual resource.
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Title
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Niagara County 1821-1921 Vol 2, Biographical, book.pdf
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1921
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/cdc6602dd06606351e4674d56a4d1520.pdf
8dcdecb6758df8a09281ad3214522212
Book
An extensive textual resource.
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Niagara County 1821-1921 Vol 1, Historical, book.pdf
Date
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1921
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/03ff06d87996019f4b3199265b5b4b4e.pdf
e32fdc72e0eca9941a466e7cf6402cee
Book
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City of North Tonawanda, Centennial Celebration, book (1997).pdf
Date
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1997
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Title
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Buffalo Bolt, Roblin Steel
Description
An account of the resource
Formerly situated on Oliver Street near East Ave., this longtime employer got its start in Amsterdam, N.Y. in 1855. They moved to a small two-story brick at the corner of Clinton & Adams Streets in Buffalo, where the brilliant Orrin C. Burdict joined the firm, and began inventing many superior machines. They were known as Plumb , Burdict & Barnard for a time. Eventually they extended to Eagle Street. In 1897 they were forced to suspended activities as patent expiration hurt their business. Soon after R. H. Plumb, the senior partner, removed the machinery to North Tonawanda, using steam for a few years until Niagara Falls electricity prevailed. From: <em><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=uo5PAQAAMAAJ&lpg=PA225&ots=HsKZ916Mg0&dq=%22Buffalo%20Bolt%22%201855&pg=PA225#v=onepage&q=%22Buffalo%20Bolt%22%201855&f=false">History of the Bolt and Nut Industry of America</a></em> by W. R. Wilbur
Book
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A Graphic Story of the Buffalo Bolt Plant, photo book (1920).jpg
Date
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1920
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/1a2d46fdbf6742d5020ab819f70b063d.jpg
a2588d0fed457aba324c90eeac31d2e2
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Title
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Niagara Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><a href="http://nthistory.com/niagara">PHOTO SEARCH: Learn about the search for a photograph of Niagara! </a></strong><br /><br />(1905-1917) The Niagara Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company is formed by former employees of the <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/24">North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory</a>. Signatures on the company's incorporation papers include those of William Herschell, the man who arranged for de Kleist’s coming to America to make organs, as well as machinist William Strassburg and Frank Morganti. There are also:
<ul>
<li>Duncan Sinclair</li>
<li>Frederick Schultz</li>
<li>William H. Griffin</li>
<li>Louis Schultz</li>
<li>William D. Trimble</li>
</ul>
Frank Morganti is named president of the new firm. Given the kind of direct competition it represented, it seems unlikely that the parting was amicable. <br /><br />The local newspapers are silent about Niagara’s March 1905 start (it is only a later piece that gives us this origin date). In 1906 Niagara loses some if its leadership, including president Frank Morganti, to the larger and better funded <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/10">North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works</a>. Niagara continues on, and completes a second small expansion of it modest plant in August 1910.<br /><br />Niagara produces Niagara Military Band Organs ("The Organ That Is Different," one ad insists) for carousels, dance halls, roller rinks and sideshows; in 1910 the picture house-targeted "En-Symphonie" is being marketed in <em>Billboard</em> and other comtemporary trade publications; the "Midget Orchestra" and similar instruments follow. <br /><br />Business appears to be booming in 1914, as the company pays out a dividend of 10% to its stockholders that January.<br /><br />However, in October 1917, the Foster Specialty Company of Buffalo purchases the "patents, goodwill, stock in trade, and equipment" of Niagara. In spite of reports that Foster intends to "immediately develop the business...on a large scale," the enterprise is never heard from again.<br /><br />Reader Andrew Barrett contributes the names C. E. Phillips and J. F. Preston as probable Niagara sales people in 1909 and probably thru 1910.<br /><br />Some more particulars are on my semi-abandoned website, <a href="http://dennisreedjr.com/organwars/items/show/36">Organ Wars</a>.
Book
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Title
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Military Band Organs, catalog, Niagara Musical Instrument Mfg Co.pdf
Description
An account of the resource
https://hdl.handle.net/2027/nyp.33433032949152
Date
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1911
-
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https://nthistory.com/files/original/197cd3944adbc937c9eb02801e9c4ea0.jpg
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Title
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Bennett Lumber Company
Description
An account of the resource
Island and Main Streets.
<blockquote>Bennett began his lumber business at Main and Island Streets as Hoadley and Bennett in 1902, eventually expanding to 190 Oliver Street, the former W. G. Palmer Lumber Co. facilities.85 In addition to lumber, the Ray H. Bennett Lumber Co. also sold prefabricated mail order ‘kit homes,’ known as Bennett Redi-Bilt Homes. <br /><br />- <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/2172">Sweeney Estate Historical Survey (2019)</a></blockquote>
Book
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Bennett Bargain Book, selected catalog pages (1926).jpg
Date
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1926
factory
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/9c6a3c9a16deeb270e371d02254c368f.jpg
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Our Lady of Czestochowa Church, 57 Center Avenue
Description
An account of the resource
From <a href="https://nt-olc.org/history/">their website</a>:
<blockquote>Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish was established on May 1, 1901. Father Peter Lotocha was named Pastor and the first Mass was celebrated on May 3, 1903. The first church building was formerly a Presbyterian Church located on the site of the Grotto. This building was used as the church until the opening of the new school building on October 13, 1920. With the completion of the school, the former church building was used as the parish hall and the school basement (now our parish hall) was used for the church for 8 years. The current church building was opened on December 9, 1928. The former church building was raffled off in 1927 to help raise funds for the construction. Since its construction, the church has had many enhancements. Some of these include:
<ul>
<li>In 1947, stained glass, designed by Joseph Mazur, was added to the nave of the church.</li>
<li>The mural of The Coronation of the Blessed Mother was added in the early 1950’s in time for the 50th anniversary of the parish in 1953.</li>
<li>In 1966 the Grotto garden was added and dedicated to Our Lady of Czestochowa.</li>
<li>A new altar, a replica of the original one on the back altar, was dedicated in 1982.</li>
<li>The Shrine to Our Lady of Czestochowa was added in 1983.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
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Our Lady of Czestochowa, yearbook photos (1945).jpg
Description
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Includes photos and a history of the Polish settlement in North Tonawanda.
Date
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1945
church
ironton
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/5b67a8ea71fb3bf28186ad1592eaaad7.pdf
2751045b287a7940e323d25a7a135a97
https://nthistory.com/files/original/9bf4d5688343827f97bcabce79cac152.jpg
8b23ce3eac9e315049b4b01090da785e
Book
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Waterfront Revitalization Plan, City of North Tonawanda (1988).pdf
Date
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1988
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/d2f907a755b1fe5e89cfaa50da1e9144.jpg
690018fc713facd34f0265e82d3670a1
https://nthistory.com/files/original/22246b880739248f61475266e66f1996.pdf
cebd30539f244e5b39fd7184eac4328a
Book
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City of North Tonawanda Brownfield Opportunity Area, report (2012-12).pdf
Description
An account of the resource
From the 376-page illustrated report's Introduction:
<blockquote>The North Tonawanda Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) is an approximately 546 acre area located along the Niagara River and Erie Canal in the City of North Tonawanda, encompassing all of Tonawanda Island, the Little River and the majority of the City’s historic downtown core. The City and BOA are also located at the western gateway to the Erie Canal, and are within short distances to Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Ontario, Canada. The study area includes a variety of waterfront, industrial, commercial, and retail land uses. In addition, the BOA is home to some of the City’s primary cultural and natural resources, most notably 15,000 feet of waterfront along the Niagara River and 3,500 feet of the New York State Erie Canal. <br /><br />This document is a summary of the full Nomination Study, which includes the detailed analysis and Master Plan for the North Tonawanda BOA. The Nomination Study is a framework to guide public and private investment within the Study Area, including the rehabilitation of vacant, underutilized and/or contaminated sites, the enhancement of parkland, and the efficient utilization and reinvestment in the City’s wealth of infrastructure.</blockquote>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2012-12
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/3c6d36affba7c438915ed0ca03d1ac26.pdf
2cc35d833d182977153dfc7cc5675426
https://nthistory.com/files/original/8ab3f2368638d1798c0bfa68accb09f0.jpg
7544a6921192b5fe6417de0babff9e09
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Title
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North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/10.jpg" alt="North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works, colorized by the webmaster." /> <span class="cover-caption">North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works factory at 435 Payne Avenue, c1913; photo colorized by the webmaster.</span>
<div>(1906-1919) The North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works produces military band organs, player pianos, organs for (still silent) "moving picture" theaters and more. The factory is the third automatic musical instrument manufacturer in the city, starting about a year after the <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/75">Niagara Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company</a>. Like Niagara, NTMIW is partially comprised of men who have worked with <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/24">de Kleist's Musical Instrument Works</a> (president John Birnie had been secretary-treasurer for de Kleist). <br /><br />According to an article in this set, NTMIW originally operates out of "the Williams plant on the Ellicott Creek." They incorporate in 1906, and in the second half of 1907 build a substantial four-story factory. In 1911 that factory is tripled (articles suggest the work is not completed until early 1912). Although larger than Niagara, NTMIW will always be a distant second behind de Kleist and Wurlitzer. In 1918, NTMIW is acquired by the Rand Visible Records Company. Rand continues the musical manufacturing business, and the former NTMIW leadership at first sticks around. Rand's press officers kick into high gear, founding a monthly internal company magazine, <a href="http://nthistory.com/items/show/1192"><em>All of Us</em></a>, apparently aimed at easing the culture change. In spite of this gesture, NTMIW founding officer Stillman C. Woodruff and others leave Rand--and the bones of their former company--around 1920 to try their hand at the band organ game one last time with their <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/22">Artizan Factories Inc.</a> venture in 1922.</div>
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All of Us, Rand-NTMIW Newsletter (1919-11).pdf
Date
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1919-11
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/a9a819d97260937960681003c4cdb733.jpg
8fb079b9b55c3926c9bf067d51de0e36
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https://nthistory.com/files/original/e7b08bb1c14df67772b911065dd525d7.jpg
4f63f65b955af5d1c4386da89bc22111
https://nthistory.com/files/original/bc90d6969f96bfee5c06cbb9566530d1.jpg
63bd7c826a3dceeaaeeaa6888e2a9889
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Title
A name given to the resource
Artizan Factories Inc. (583 Division Street)
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" src="http://nthistory.com/custom/cover/22.jpg" alt="Artizan Factories photo, 1926" /> <span class="cover-caption">The only known photograph of the Artizan Factories Inc. building in its seven years of operation; published in a 1926 industrial survey. From the Historical Society of the Tonawandas.</span> The red brick building at 583 Division Street was built for music.<br /><br />
<div class="img-caption-container"><img src="http://nthistory.com/files/square_thumbnails/7737a2457cebcbaaa529e8a7c35d86e6.jpg" alt="A colorfully painted Style D band organ" />
<div class="caption">A "Style D" band organ on display at the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum, 2015</div>
</div>
Artizan Factories Inc. makes "automatic" musical instruments for carousels, fairgrounds, and parks. The men are refugees, so to speak, of the <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/10">North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works</a>, which was purchased by the Rand Visible Records Company in 1918 and converted to making office supplies. Artizan president Stillman C. Woodruff was the first secretary and treasurer for the <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/24">de Kleist Musical Instrument Mfg. Co.</a> in 1903 and served in a similar capacity for the <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/10">North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works </a>. Vice president Frank Morganti and treasurer Christian Maerten have also made the rounds of the local organ factories, and each have 30 years of firsthand experience.<br /><br />Like the North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works' original factory, the single-elevator Artizan building is designed to accomodate expansion. However, in its case, an expansion is never necessary. In spite of its talented leadership, the competition from the nationwide Wurlitzer and changing tastes in public entertainment prove too much. After years of economic hardship, the venture fails in 1929.<br /><br />Other concerns have owned the building through the decades. Little trace remains of the original work done here. The first floor was removed and merged with the basement, as seen in a video tour in this collection. Doug Hershberger of the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum paid a visit in 2006, and found much the same, as he recorded in the <a href="http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/Digests/200811/2008.11.29.06.html">Mechanical Music Digest</a> that year:
<blockquote>Inspection of the interior of the factory building is an exercise in frustration to a historian. I have never seen a building so utterly devoid of clues or artifacts or interest. There was not a partition, a workbench, a sign painted on the wall, anything that gave a clue as to the original occupant of the building. I'm not sure there was even paint on the wall. Moreover, even the first floor was gone! One of the post-Artizan owners of the property needed a higher ceiling, so he removed the first floor, making the basement ceiling the underside of the second level. <br /><br />Mr. Wagner was generous with his time and provided some interesting background on the building. He moved his business to the site in 1986. He said the previous owner was a pallet manufacturer who had gone bankrupt. The elevator had been sold off for income. Some of the (hardwood?) flooring had been removed by someone for the construction of a summer home. There were two boilers associated with the building, but evidently not within the four-story structure. Both have been removed and one boiler room is now used as a compressor room.</blockquote>
Book
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Title
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Improved Military Band, Artizan Factories Inc., pamphlet with photos (c1924).jpg
Date
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1924
organ
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/b2c70efb4081f7d4fdb70a3835da5865.pdf
ec69eeaddd29a2f09982a6edb9bc32cd
https://nthistory.com/files/original/9ee74d149c306a786cc180b5bbab13d6.jpg
3ce823fec4558aae70ed2aac8da5d6af
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The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Allan Herschell Companies
Description
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<img class="cover" src="http://www.nthistory.com/files/original/0a8137a27b9978ab2f72819b2bd699cf.jpg" alt="" /> <span class="cover-caption">An 1894 Armitage-Herschell advertisement shows a not-at-all-dangerous-to-children-looking steam boiler and pulleys providing motive power to the company's signature device.</span>
<div>On gilded signs posted at its southern and northern entrances, North Tonawanda introduces itself to visitors as "The Home of the Carrousel." The still-ubiquitous fairground staple was not <em>invented</em> in North Tonawanda (some version of it had been around <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dizzy-history-carousels-begins-knights-180964100">since at least the 12th Century</a>), but thousands were produced here and the highest levels of craftsmanship were attained here under the guidance of Scottish-born Allan Herschell.<br /><br /></div>
In 1872 (<em>Landmarks</em> says 1873), the Armitage-Herschell Co. begins as a small brass and iron foundry on Manhattan Street, comprised of Englishman <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/889">James Armitage</a>, and Scottish brothers <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/880">George</a> and <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/877">Allan Herschell</a>. The firm survives devastating fires in 1874 and 1875, and expands to a location off Oliver Street (whence comes the name, "Mechanic Street"), adding engines and boilers to their specialties. Youngest partner Allan sees a carousel while traveling, and recognizes ways it can be improved. By 1887, his "Improved Steam Riding Gallery" captivates the world, and people from India and France demand the modern amusement. The merry-go-round-makers at first import the accompanying band organs from the old European master-builders of Germany and France, but high tariffs decide them to instead import German organ maker <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/936">Eugene de Kleist</a> from England (de Kleist begins making organs at his <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/24">North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory</a> in 1893). They organize in 1890.<br /><br />James Armitage and George Herschell die in early 1900. The Armitage-Herschell Company is succeeded by Herschell, Spillman & Company, and the Allan Herschell Company. Allan Herschell dies in 1927. The latter company continues making amusements, including miniature trains, boats and airplanes (some of which can be played upon at the <a href="http://www.carrouselmuseum.org">Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum</a> in North Tonawanda) as late as the 1960s.<br /><br />There is a large Herschell family plot in Sweeney Cemetery.
Source
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/607"><em>Landmarks of Niagara County</em> (1897)</a></li>
<li><span class="_Tgc">“<a href="http://carrouselmuseum.org/site/about/allan-herschell">Allen Herschell History</a>.” <em>Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum,</em> 2014.</span></li>
</ul>
Book
An extensive textual resource.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Herschell-Spillman catalog (1904).pdf
Date
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1904
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/7a50939a341a938d2d3dc7230aa20c92.pdf
b87ebe0ab4b29cd94518278951841abc
https://nthistory.com/files/original/d948040aab6785126cc3b8a84b8fe918.jpg
db3dea0373aae9d73a62e4e3eb43b869
Book
An extensive textual resource.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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North Tonawanda Centennial Magazine 1865-1965.pdf
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1965
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/5785dd1990bb906bdc41a734f1f787b3.pdf
1dbe75bc81643bec30bf92466d66e81d
https://nthistory.com/files/original/30b590707f0c520764c5100944a1f34b.jpg
0a2435d38dc44359a34e96133aa21d38
Book
An extensive textual resource.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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North Tonawanda and Tonawanda - The Lumber City, book (1891).pdf
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1891
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/312ffed25e9ad684ac90507a6831fb13.pdf
03bceee300c66966e2a31c433023e5b8
https://nthistory.com/files/original/ec2fa2ccb7e2908c61ff54650765a745.jpg
069002855f44883fc0f414e9c8ab93fe
Book
An extensive textual resource.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Landmarks of Niagara County, book (1897).pdf
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1897
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/0f04371aec5e5dc2e6c0ca35fb71b201.pdf
fe00c8e5f7222b564e4a29499388736f
https://nthistory.com/files/original/cf581f93bed2c8bbf52cbdc314284fb0.jpg
ba147b7ab78834009713cf6fd888a6b1
Book
An extensive textual resource.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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History of Niagara County 1821-1878.pdf
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1878
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/cc14515ca2b48aa616508086c6e9c5fa.pdf
2c64db363f13681cc1a3e0ce91dab07f
https://nthistory.com/files/original/429804ab390bc7d5510b954d3d8cdd72.jpg
7546f0d75ec8c93225c8524d2dac98dd
Book
An extensive textual resource.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Paul's Dictionary of Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Tonawanda and Vicinity (1896).pdf
Date
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1896