1
200
235
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Bank of Tonawanda, capital stock certificate (1839).jpg
Date
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1839
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/1df0e074505b913562b16361633769f3.jpg
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https://nthistory.com/files/original/71285eb6214ac440b3dea3312e28bf55.jpg
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First National Bank of Tonawanda, 10 dollar note (1869).jpg
Date
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1869
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/ee51d48524aeb8e97a7812f10945670c.jpg
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Bank of Commerce, Stocum, note (1874).jpg
Date
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1874
bank
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/642db71407edae312938ea6432ee6822.jpg
2b38057b6475fb7b1261957c6727fcfe
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Bank of Commerce, Tonawanda, H.M. Stocum, check (1874-11-07).jpg
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1874-11-07
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/ef617fce42b25d088e8258e2643f5ff9.jpg
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Bank of Commerce, Tonawanda, H. M. Stocum, bank note (1874-11-07).jpg
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1874-11-07
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/1d263451bce01bb6787388f1424083cf.jpg
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Eagle Bottling Works, William Batt, Tonawanda, seltzer bottle (c1880).jpg
Description
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Wild guess at the date!
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1880
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/f6bdc6ed0ffb37ffbcf4b0d28543e865.jpg
92b484921be9f6d56cffb02eabfe8096
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Rose and Simson, New Home Sewing Machine illustrated cards (c1880) .jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1880
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/70cc803692c981691be56dbc0577fbd1.jpg
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B. H. Neff, Kent Block, trade card (1881).jpg
Date
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1881
-
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Nice and Hinkey Hardware, paperweight (1882).jpg
Date
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1882
retail
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/2b9b972c87144282a51b8a129d6f009b.jpg
ea9a1114ff395207a78a82561638de0f
https://nthistory.com/files/original/37d4a53cb9d09a9946fd02977854f1c1.jpg
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First National Bank of Tonawanda, 5 dollar note (1882).jpg
Date
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1882
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/5a670e03c1cdab534d5dba237be9b5ac.jpg
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The Young Peoples Practical Temperance Association, pledge card (1885).jpg
Date
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1885
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/584814a501a0ef58a4eeef9431e52aab.JPG
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Hydrant Hose, ribbon (1890).JPG
Date
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1890
civic
firefighter
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/6d8573bfd9de8dd3ebd5508b15a36f2e.jpg
95e7f083efe7c1a58dd40d320dce4fd6
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B. H. Neff Shirt Emporium, Kent's Block, trade card (1890s).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1890
retail
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/9d47787eadea78f5ddecf09897afe71c.jpg
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Tonawanda & Wheatfield Electric Co., stock specimen (1890).jpg
Date
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1890
-
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Tonawanda & Wheatfield Electric Co., stock specimen 1 (1890).jpg
Date
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1890
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/4216691ff0304b5d15b039e7359a95ca.jpeg
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John Spilman, Liquor Dealer, 60 Webster, bottle (c1890).jpg
Date
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1890
jug
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Antique silver case, Charles Butts (c.1890).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1890
-
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Title
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Firefighters
Description
An account of the resource
Rough chronology at <a href="http://www.nthistorymuseum.org/Collections/firefighting.html">NT History Museum</a>, including notes about many defunct companies. A provocative (if unlikely-sounding) morsel about Hydrant Hose Co. No. 3 (1886-1909), formerly based on Sweeney near Delaware bridge:
<blockquote>The fighting crew of the old Hydrant Hose Company liked to fight fires so much, they would first fight the men of any other fire company who raced to a North Tonawanda fire to see who got the pleasure of conquering the flames. Often the flames ended up as the victor as the firefighters spent their energies in a brawl rather than on the element of nature.</blockquote>
From Sarah E. Walter's thesis as it appears on <a href="http://www.nthistorymuseum.org/Collections/thesis.html#thesis">nthistorymuseum.org</a>:
<blockquote>The North Tonawanda Fire Dept is known as one of the best paid and volunteer departments in the nation. The greatest enemy the lumbermen had was fire. Annually it destroyed millions of dollars of lumber and cost many lives. A step forward came on May 7, 1876, when twenty of the most prominent residents of the Village of North Tonawanda gathered together in the school house at the corner of Main and Tremont Streets and formed themselves into a Company for the protection of property against the ravages of fire. The newly formed Company petitioned the Village Board and in special session on May 15, 1876, the board approved and appointed them firemen of the Village and their company was called the North Tonawanda Bucket Company, later to be called the Columbia Hook and Ladder Company No. 1.
<p>North Tonawanda depended heavily on Volunteer Firemen and quickly grew to seven companies located at important places around the city.</p>
</blockquote>
<table border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" align="center">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>Date Started </strong></td>
<td><strong>Name </strong></td>
<td><strong>By Whom </strong></td>
<td> <strong>Notes</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>May 7, 1876</td>
<td>North Tonawanda Bucket Company / Columbia Hook and Ladder Company No. 1.</td>
<td> </td>
<td> (See below)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>March 1, 1886</td>
<td>Active Hose Company No.2</td>
<td> </td>
<td>"Ironton Boys"</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1886*</td>
<td>Gratwick Hose Company No. 6</td>
<td>Village Council</td>
<td><a href="https://yellow.place/en/gratwick-hose-fire-company-6-north-tonawanda-usa">1890?</a> On Felton until 1962.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>April 1887</td>
<td>Live Active Hose Co. No. 4</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>January 26, 1891</td>
<td>Rescue Fire Company No. 5</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 6, 1891</td>
<td>Gratwick Hose Company No. 1</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1894</td>
<td>Sweeney Hose No. 7</td>
<td>Village Council</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br /><br />From The<em> Tonawanda News, May 9, 1896:</em>
<blockquote>Monday, June 15, has been selected as the date of the Firemen's Annual Parade. It is expected that it will prove of more than ordinary interest as unusual efforts will be put forth this year to make it an enjoyable spectacular affair. <br /><br />In this connection it is interesting to note that Thursday of this week was the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the first fire company In North Tonawanda. Previous to this date North Tonawanda had paid Tonawanda $300 a year for the fire protection that the Tonawanda companies afforded. <br /><br />The parent company of North Tonawanda was the <strong>Columbia Hook and Ladder Company</strong>; it is still in existence, but is now one of eight splendid companies of which North Tonawanda can boast. As before stated it was organized May 7, 1876, and its first president was Frank Fellows. It was organized under a famous old hickory tree which stood on the ground now occupied by the parsonage of the First Methodist Church. Nicholas Beckrich was the first foreman of this company and other members of this crack organization were John E. Oelkers, Frank Batt, H. U. Berger, M. J. Wattengel, W. P. Hayes, Jno. Spillman, Aug. Duckwitz, Fred Schultz, Isaac Gardei, Geo. Miller, John Haas, Julius Miller and others. A number of these early firemen are numbered among the most prominent residents of North Tonawanda but it is with considerable pleasure that they recall the days of their early triumphs.</blockquote>
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Volunteer Firemen's Benevolent Association, ribbon and pin (c1890).jpg
Date
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1890
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/6b0aef34c97fdfd42019f72171389dce.jpg
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Erie Canal
Description
An account of the resource
The Erie Canal in North Tonawanda followed the existing Tonawanda Creek from Pendleton. The first work done locally was the 1823 construction of a wooden dam near present-day Gateway Park to raise the level of the creek four feet. In 1918 this dam was removed when the length of the Erie was re-engineered to become the Erie Barge Canal. The Tonawanda and Buffalo portions of the canal were abandoned at that time, making North Tonawanda the canal's new western terminus. In 1923 Tonawanda began filling in the old canal. The work was not yet complete in 1929.
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Tonawanda Tug Association Dr., towing receipt (1892).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1892
boat
canal
erie-canal
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/b0750b0cc74e832cc872f901e80d0826.jpeg
6b8d512e0ced5944be468c07cf7bf536
https://nthistory.com/files/original/9dbbbf2bfe9bdee1c120e3af792cf567.jpeg
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https://nthistory.com/files/original/a4cb18b0bb09162f0d9a4a506a58634d.jpeg
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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.
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Eastern Lumber Company (Tonawanda), price list (1894).jpg
Date
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1894
brochure
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/85e4955701bf5bfcc40773b313afb004.jpg
b3590688d9686afdeae7a2c5bb95f913
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North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory (1893-1903)
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/24d.jpg" alt="North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory, 1893 (colorized by webmaster)" /><span class="cover-caption">Nucleus of Wurlitzer: The North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory in 1893. It still stands in 2023.</span>
<p class="intro">The first of its kind in America, the North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory makes automatic musical instruments to provide music for Allan Herschell's world-famous carousels. Led by the fiery Prussian gentleman-genius Eugene de Kleist, the firm survives an early national Depression to succeed beyond its wildest expectations with the help of a musical family from Ohio named the "Wurlitzers."</p>
<div class="img-caption-container"><img src="http://nthistory.com/files/square_thumbnails/cc9e0bcd6b738bbe4ed82bac5ef50e91.jpg" alt="Image description" />
<div class="caption">De Kleist band organ, c.1900.</div>
</div>
<b>Portable music of another era<br /><br /></b>Before the phonograph and radio, the next best thing to a live orchestra or marching band is a "band organ" or "orchestrion." Essentially giant music boxes with drums, pipe organs, brass horns and more, these devices are popular in Europe for centuries before being produced in the New World in 1893 with the North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory. <br /><br />The factory is built in the spring of 1893 by local merry-go-round makers the <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/73">Armitage-Herschell Company</a> in the Sawyer's Creek / Martinsville area in the northeast of the recently incorporated City of North Tonawanda. To oversee operations, Armitage-Herschell recruits a German organ maker from London with whom they have been acquainted: the talented <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/936">Eugene de Kleist</a>. With a small crew of workers culled from England and the surrounding Martinsville farms, the North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory also makes organs for churches, offers repairs on existing organs, and makes the pinned barrels that contain the music the organs play. After about a year, Armitage-Herschell sign ownership of the enterprise over to their capable superintendent.<br /><br /><strong>Meet the Wurlitzers</strong><br /><br />Business is middling until 1897, when de Kleist meets a decades-old musical retail concern from Cincinnati that will prove a valuable partner: the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company. The story goes that de Kleist was looking to interest the U. S. Army in buying his bugles, which were made as part of many of his band organs. de Kleist is told that the Wurlitzer company already has that business, so he approaches Wurlitzer, and is able to sell them some of his bugles. He also tries to interest Wurlitzer in his band organs, but they ask if he coud instead produce a coin-operated piano for use in taverns and restaurants. After over a year in development, the first "Tonophones" are ready in 1898, and are an immediate success. (Hear <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/1023">Farny Wurlitzer</a> tell this story himself <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5dXbpPM7T0&t=5m29s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in this remarkable speech from 1964</a>).<br /><br />Similiar instruments, such as the Pianino, follow, and the small factory begins to grow, and over the next few years establishes the northwest corner of the massive Wurlitzer plant still standing in North Tonawanda today.
<p><strong>The de Kleist Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company</strong></p>
In 1903, the Barrel Organ Factory incorporates as the de Kleist Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company, with investment from banker James Thompson and some new top brass. Wurlitzer's interest in the North Tonawanda plant increases as Eugene de Kleist's seems to wane (<a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/936">see de Kleist's bio</a> for more on this). In 1905 a group of workers leaves to form the <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/75">Niagara Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company</a>; within a year another wave of defectors forms the <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/10">North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works</a>. <br /><br />1908 begins auspiciously: in January, de Kleist (now mayor of North Tonawanda) lavishly fetes 700 employees and their families in the new music department building. His superintendent, Paul Von Rohl, delivers a speech in his honor, and they dance and carouse until morning light begins filtering over Sawyer's Creek.<br /><br />The following months will not be as good. de Kleist files a $50,000 infringement lawsuit against the aforementioned Instrument Works, but loses. In March, he leaves the aforementioned Paul Von Rohl in charge of the factory while he is off racing powerboats in Florida. de Kleist returns to suspect there has been rampant theft in his absence, and brings charges of grand larceny against Von Rohl, which are dropped, replaced by petit larceny charges, and then found unproved by a jury. In April, Mayor de Kleist accuses eight employees of stealing valuable machinery and plans from his factory, and of conspiring to start another rival factory. The summer brings more powerboating and politicking.<br /><br />Perhaps fearing for the security of their investment, Wurlitzer buys Eugene de Kleist out. <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/52">The Rudolph Wurlitzer Manufacturing Company</a> is organized in December of 1908 with $1,000,000 capital.
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Barrel Organ Factory work ledger, Schwenke, Morganti, Strassburg (1895-01-14).jpg
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1895-01-14
labor
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/765139c8e298790818b6b116fae9973f.png
6acb8ef77ab3208e5f54d885388d0d64
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Tonawanda Lumber and Saw Mill Co.
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Tonawanda Lumber and Saw Mill Company, mortgage bond (1896).png
Date
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1896
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/a93ee51feb9a3485ef6d10f93a78a401.png
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Tonawanda Lumber and Saw Mill Co.
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Tonawanda Lumber and Saw Mill Company, mortgage bond, inside (1896).png
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1896
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/383071208194f880c614671e25193c7a.jpg
7d65243beb0a9fe6c75c9bcad2f3f80a
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46a1cf49c90174e3980226a2d3289a9a
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State National Bank (14 Webster Street)
Description
An account of the resource
This former beauty of a building on the northwest corner of Webster and Sweeney Streets housed the State National Bank and other businesses. James H. DeGraff is president, J. S. Thompson vice president and Benjamin L. Rand, cashier (in 1922, W. M. Sutton). "Lumber Exchange Bank" has same leadership and address in 1900. <br /><br />A November 22, 1932 item in the <em>Buffalo Evening News</em> reports the historic building is being razed, and somewhat affectively describes stalled efforts by demolition crews to remove the "4,000 pound lion which has gazed out over the Tonawandas from its perch atop the the...building for the last 40 years...Efforts to get the huge statue of the jungle beast down to earth have been considered...[it was] decided to break it into pieces on the roof rather than risk bringing it down intact." <br /><br />Ads for a "North Side Liquor Store" appear by 1938. For many years the address was associated with Frank's Liquors, in 2022 it is Canalside Wine & Spirits.
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State National Bank illustrated check, Talismanic, Peuchen, Chelius (1899-06-22)
Date
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1899-06-22
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/1cc55199e1b671e653ca80f6f3b8995a.jpg
f5b53bf531b8bca254e443b5dee57cfe
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Castor oil, George L Traver, Pharmacist, Oliver and Miller, labeled bottle (c1900).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1900
retail
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/2d305d5a5d578be7539c86930ad8c5a0.jpg
4cb36e7bd3cb6c840df28d7bcb9fc38f
https://nthistory.com/files/original/7c8cd902d7c64051aa1822699cce5241.jpg
77b4ce5bb16efcbdb07f132910b07c8e
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Koch and Brown's Postoffice News Room, trade card (c1900).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1900
retail
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/66e1fdda50689dfafbfa8c5813076126.jpg
b34d6283494da088abe573c1cdaf9c70
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Tonawanda Brewing Company (533 Niagara Street, Tonawanda)
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" alt="Employees outside the Tonawanda Brewing" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/36c.jpg" /><span class="cover-caption">People outside the Tonawanda Brewing Company. Colorized by the webmaster.</span> The northeast corner of Hinds and Niagara Streets in Tonawanda hosts a succession of breweries<sup> <a href="#1">[1]</a></sup>:
<ul>
<li>1867-1883 George Zent Brewery</li>
<li>1883-1893 Niagara River Brewing Co.</li>
<li>1893-1898 Busch Brewing Co.</li>
<li>1898-1900 Niagara River Brewing Co.</li>
<li>1900-1918 Tonawanda Brewing Co.</li>
<li>1924-1928 (Prohibition) Tonawanda Beverage Co., River Beverage Co.</li>
<li>1931-1933 (Prohibition) Schwab’s Liquid Malt</li>
<li>1933-1935 Tonawanda Brewing Co.</li>
<li>1935-1948 Frontier Brewing Co.</li>
</ul>
In 1912, a fire does almost $80,000 worth of damage to the Tonawanda Brewing Company.<br /><br />Local historian John Olszowka shares some of his unpublished research regarding <strong>Bernhard Voelcker</strong>, the German owner of the Tonawanda Brewing Company between 1903 and 1921, and the rising tensions between German-Americans and other citizens during WWI:<br />
<blockquote><span>In early-1917, paranoia slowly descended across Western New York. The fears grew amid the looming backdrop of America’s potential entry into the Great War. As the United States inched closer towards joining the Allied powers, public concerns emerged over the potential impact of the war on the local populace, raising questions over the loyalty of the region’s sizeable German population. Local newspaper accounts of domestic saboteurs, fictional and real, heightened public suspicions. One such story centered on the arrest of Bernhardt Voelcker, head of the Tonawanda Brewing Company. <br /><br />In the early stages of the war, the German-born businessman vocally supported the Axis power. By 1917, however, Voelcker’s pro-German views were no longer tolerated, and a cause for public suspicion. <br /><br />Apprehension over his loyalty only grew with news of the brewer’s arrest. According to local newspapers, law enforcement authorities detained Voelcker for allegedly “plotting” against the United States government. <br /><br />Almost immediately, community residents responded to the news by boycotting Voelcker’s wares, refusing to purchase his beer. Two days after news of his arrest first broke, Voelcker responded to the controversy by taking out a paid advertisement in a local newspaper. In the article, he publicly professed his unending loyalty to his “adopted country.” As he declared, “Every dollar I own is invested in American property… and [that] ought to convince everybody.” In doing so, Volecker hoped to not only clear his name but also cut his economic losses caused by the boycott. <br /><br />Volecker’s story is reflective of the growing internal tension that emerged in many American communities with the start of World War I. What makes Voelcker’s account so fascinating is that the arrest never actually occurred. Rather the account of brewer’s incarceration was merely an elaborate April Fool’s Day joke concocted by several so-called friends, that spun wildly out of control. Yet, as the story makes clear, in April 1917 the people of Western New York were in no joking mood when it came to tales of Germany spies and saboteurs living in their midst.</span></blockquote>
<a name="1"></a> <b>References</b>
<ol>
<li><a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/1726"><i>The History of Brewing in Tonawanda, New York (1867-1948)</i></a>. John P. Eiss</li>
</ol>
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Tonawanda Brewing Company, logotype, label (c1900).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1900
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/b8b3586a53df13a6088ffe033534ae27.jpg
2a3df70c7fe7db5b0c108a48adbd2b4e
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Tonawanda Brewing Company (533 Niagara Street, Tonawanda)
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" alt="Employees outside the Tonawanda Brewing" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/36c.jpg" /><span class="cover-caption">People outside the Tonawanda Brewing Company. Colorized by the webmaster.</span> The northeast corner of Hinds and Niagara Streets in Tonawanda hosts a succession of breweries<sup> <a href="#1">[1]</a></sup>:
<ul>
<li>1867-1883 George Zent Brewery</li>
<li>1883-1893 Niagara River Brewing Co.</li>
<li>1893-1898 Busch Brewing Co.</li>
<li>1898-1900 Niagara River Brewing Co.</li>
<li>1900-1918 Tonawanda Brewing Co.</li>
<li>1924-1928 (Prohibition) Tonawanda Beverage Co., River Beverage Co.</li>
<li>1931-1933 (Prohibition) Schwab’s Liquid Malt</li>
<li>1933-1935 Tonawanda Brewing Co.</li>
<li>1935-1948 Frontier Brewing Co.</li>
</ul>
In 1912, a fire does almost $80,000 worth of damage to the Tonawanda Brewing Company.<br /><br />Local historian John Olszowka shares some of his unpublished research regarding <strong>Bernhard Voelcker</strong>, the German owner of the Tonawanda Brewing Company between 1903 and 1921, and the rising tensions between German-Americans and other citizens during WWI:<br />
<blockquote><span>In early-1917, paranoia slowly descended across Western New York. The fears grew amid the looming backdrop of America’s potential entry into the Great War. As the United States inched closer towards joining the Allied powers, public concerns emerged over the potential impact of the war on the local populace, raising questions over the loyalty of the region’s sizeable German population. Local newspaper accounts of domestic saboteurs, fictional and real, heightened public suspicions. One such story centered on the arrest of Bernhardt Voelcker, head of the Tonawanda Brewing Company. <br /><br />In the early stages of the war, the German-born businessman vocally supported the Axis power. By 1917, however, Voelcker’s pro-German views were no longer tolerated, and a cause for public suspicion. <br /><br />Apprehension over his loyalty only grew with news of the brewer’s arrest. According to local newspapers, law enforcement authorities detained Voelcker for allegedly “plotting” against the United States government. <br /><br />Almost immediately, community residents responded to the news by boycotting Voelcker’s wares, refusing to purchase his beer. Two days after news of his arrest first broke, Voelcker responded to the controversy by taking out a paid advertisement in a local newspaper. In the article, he publicly professed his unending loyalty to his “adopted country.” As he declared, “Every dollar I own is invested in American property… and [that] ought to convince everybody.” In doing so, Volecker hoped to not only clear his name but also cut his economic losses caused by the boycott. <br /><br />Volecker’s story is reflective of the growing internal tension that emerged in many American communities with the start of World War I. What makes Voelcker’s account so fascinating is that the arrest never actually occurred. Rather the account of brewer’s incarceration was merely an elaborate April Fool’s Day joke concocted by several so-called friends, that spun wildly out of control. Yet, as the story makes clear, in April 1917 the people of Western New York were in no joking mood when it came to tales of Germany spies and saboteurs living in their midst.</span></blockquote>
<a name="1"></a> <b>References</b>
<ol>
<li><a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/1726"><i>The History of Brewing in Tonawanda, New York (1867-1948)</i></a>. John P. Eiss</li>
</ol>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Rhein Gold, Tonawanda Brewing Company, label (c1900).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1900
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/4111bc7f6ae13a315c25bb1ed9818309.jpg
db8b3a2cc6c59cb4d2013d59085a12f1
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Title
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State National Bank (14 Webster Street)
Description
An account of the resource
This former beauty of a building on the northwest corner of Webster and Sweeney Streets housed the State National Bank and other businesses. James H. DeGraff is president, J. S. Thompson vice president and Benjamin L. Rand, cashier (in 1922, W. M. Sutton). "Lumber Exchange Bank" has same leadership and address in 1900. <br /><br />A November 22, 1932 item in the <em>Buffalo Evening News</em> reports the historic building is being razed, and somewhat affectively describes stalled efforts by demolition crews to remove the "4,000 pound lion which has gazed out over the Tonawandas from its perch atop the the...building for the last 40 years...Efforts to get the huge statue of the jungle beast down to earth have been considered...[it was] decided to break it into pieces on the roof rather than risk bringing it down intact." <br /><br />Ads for a "North Side Liquor Store" appear by 1938. For many years the address was associated with Frank's Liquors, in 2022 it is Canalside Wine & Spirits.
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Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
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State National Bank, illustrated pass book (HST).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1900
bank
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/45821ea310aded7878fb05a9ef977c50.jpg
e37c9d75cfde4a236ab292c741cbf6df
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Tonawanda Brewing Company (533 Niagara Street, Tonawanda)
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" alt="Employees outside the Tonawanda Brewing" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/36c.jpg" /><span class="cover-caption">People outside the Tonawanda Brewing Company. Colorized by the webmaster.</span> The northeast corner of Hinds and Niagara Streets in Tonawanda hosts a succession of breweries<sup> <a href="#1">[1]</a></sup>:
<ul>
<li>1867-1883 George Zent Brewery</li>
<li>1883-1893 Niagara River Brewing Co.</li>
<li>1893-1898 Busch Brewing Co.</li>
<li>1898-1900 Niagara River Brewing Co.</li>
<li>1900-1918 Tonawanda Brewing Co.</li>
<li>1924-1928 (Prohibition) Tonawanda Beverage Co., River Beverage Co.</li>
<li>1931-1933 (Prohibition) Schwab’s Liquid Malt</li>
<li>1933-1935 Tonawanda Brewing Co.</li>
<li>1935-1948 Frontier Brewing Co.</li>
</ul>
In 1912, a fire does almost $80,000 worth of damage to the Tonawanda Brewing Company.<br /><br />Local historian John Olszowka shares some of his unpublished research regarding <strong>Bernhard Voelcker</strong>, the German owner of the Tonawanda Brewing Company between 1903 and 1921, and the rising tensions between German-Americans and other citizens during WWI:<br />
<blockquote><span>In early-1917, paranoia slowly descended across Western New York. The fears grew amid the looming backdrop of America’s potential entry into the Great War. As the United States inched closer towards joining the Allied powers, public concerns emerged over the potential impact of the war on the local populace, raising questions over the loyalty of the region’s sizeable German population. Local newspaper accounts of domestic saboteurs, fictional and real, heightened public suspicions. One such story centered on the arrest of Bernhardt Voelcker, head of the Tonawanda Brewing Company. <br /><br />In the early stages of the war, the German-born businessman vocally supported the Axis power. By 1917, however, Voelcker’s pro-German views were no longer tolerated, and a cause for public suspicion. <br /><br />Apprehension over his loyalty only grew with news of the brewer’s arrest. According to local newspapers, law enforcement authorities detained Voelcker for allegedly “plotting” against the United States government. <br /><br />Almost immediately, community residents responded to the news by boycotting Voelcker’s wares, refusing to purchase his beer. Two days after news of his arrest first broke, Voelcker responded to the controversy by taking out a paid advertisement in a local newspaper. In the article, he publicly professed his unending loyalty to his “adopted country.” As he declared, “Every dollar I own is invested in American property… and [that] ought to convince everybody.” In doing so, Volecker hoped to not only clear his name but also cut his economic losses caused by the boycott. <br /><br />Volecker’s story is reflective of the growing internal tension that emerged in many American communities with the start of World War I. What makes Voelcker’s account so fascinating is that the arrest never actually occurred. Rather the account of brewer’s incarceration was merely an elaborate April Fool’s Day joke concocted by several so-called friends, that spun wildly out of control. Yet, as the story makes clear, in April 1917 the people of Western New York were in no joking mood when it came to tales of Germany spies and saboteurs living in their midst.</span></blockquote>
<a name="1"></a> <b>References</b>
<ol>
<li><a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/1726"><i>The History of Brewing in Tonawanda, New York (1867-1948)</i></a>. John P. Eiss</li>
</ol>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
A name given to the resource
Tonawanda Brewing Company, crate (c1900).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1900
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/9d72ebf30bb6e9081e16b26915510334.jpeg
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https://nthistory.com/files/original/094c7a8c8a039765680b8dff8db51c52.jpeg
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https://nthistory.com/files/original/fda67fd4acb975044b6d114262f203c6.jpeg
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https://nthistory.com/files/original/385b5f570d37b36631f5f5902ffefb00.jpeg
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https://nthistory.com/files/original/02544011f0177a2e6ae9c3a3f21ae49e.jpeg
02755038a76ec7f347d00305b8afe956
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Batt Brothers Bottling Works, Tonawanda NY, bottle (c1900).jpg
Description
An account of the resource
Aqua Beer Bottle, Blob Top
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1900
bottle
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/adf8f1397b32149635e847d0648f5f14.jpg
23d4bf21ded5453371cd840c497b28b6
Dublin Core
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Title
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Photographers and Photographic Portraits
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Stumpf and Bros. Portraits, photographers, 65 Sweeney Street, logotype (c1900).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1900
logotype
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/cc9e0bcd6b738bbe4ed82bac5ef50e91.jpg
917b186df988dc1e09cabfc002121bd6
https://nthistory.com/files/original/c07d3e8944a2dfb49945c531001de46a.jpg
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North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory (1893-1903)
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/24d.jpg" alt="North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory, 1893 (colorized by webmaster)" /><span class="cover-caption">Nucleus of Wurlitzer: The North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory in 1893. It still stands in 2023.</span>
<p class="intro">The first of its kind in America, the North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory makes automatic musical instruments to provide music for Allan Herschell's world-famous carousels. Led by the fiery Prussian gentleman-genius Eugene de Kleist, the firm survives an early national Depression to succeed beyond its wildest expectations with the help of a musical family from Ohio named the "Wurlitzers."</p>
<div class="img-caption-container"><img src="http://nthistory.com/files/square_thumbnails/cc9e0bcd6b738bbe4ed82bac5ef50e91.jpg" alt="Image description" />
<div class="caption">De Kleist band organ, c.1900.</div>
</div>
<b>Portable music of another era<br /><br /></b>Before the phonograph and radio, the next best thing to a live orchestra or marching band is a "band organ" or "orchestrion." Essentially giant music boxes with drums, pipe organs, brass horns and more, these devices are popular in Europe for centuries before being produced in the New World in 1893 with the North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory. <br /><br />The factory is built in the spring of 1893 by local merry-go-round makers the <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/73">Armitage-Herschell Company</a> in the Sawyer's Creek / Martinsville area in the northeast of the recently incorporated City of North Tonawanda. To oversee operations, Armitage-Herschell recruits a German organ maker from London with whom they have been acquainted: the talented <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/936">Eugene de Kleist</a>. With a small crew of workers culled from England and the surrounding Martinsville farms, the North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory also makes organs for churches, offers repairs on existing organs, and makes the pinned barrels that contain the music the organs play. After about a year, Armitage-Herschell sign ownership of the enterprise over to their capable superintendent.<br /><br /><strong>Meet the Wurlitzers</strong><br /><br />Business is middling until 1897, when de Kleist meets a decades-old musical retail concern from Cincinnati that will prove a valuable partner: the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company. The story goes that de Kleist was looking to interest the U. S. Army in buying his bugles, which were made as part of many of his band organs. de Kleist is told that the Wurlitzer company already has that business, so he approaches Wurlitzer, and is able to sell them some of his bugles. He also tries to interest Wurlitzer in his band organs, but they ask if he coud instead produce a coin-operated piano for use in taverns and restaurants. After over a year in development, the first "Tonophones" are ready in 1898, and are an immediate success. (Hear <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/1023">Farny Wurlitzer</a> tell this story himself <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5dXbpPM7T0&t=5m29s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in this remarkable speech from 1964</a>).<br /><br />Similiar instruments, such as the Pianino, follow, and the small factory begins to grow, and over the next few years establishes the northwest corner of the massive Wurlitzer plant still standing in North Tonawanda today.
<p><strong>The de Kleist Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company</strong></p>
In 1903, the Barrel Organ Factory incorporates as the de Kleist Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company, with investment from banker James Thompson and some new top brass. Wurlitzer's interest in the North Tonawanda plant increases as Eugene de Kleist's seems to wane (<a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/936">see de Kleist's bio</a> for more on this). In 1905 a group of workers leaves to form the <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/75">Niagara Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company</a>; within a year another wave of defectors forms the <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/10">North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works</a>. <br /><br />1908 begins auspiciously: in January, de Kleist (now mayor of North Tonawanda) lavishly fetes 700 employees and their families in the new music department building. His superintendent, Paul Von Rohl, delivers a speech in his honor, and they dance and carouse until morning light begins filtering over Sawyer's Creek.<br /><br />The following months will not be as good. de Kleist files a $50,000 infringement lawsuit against the aforementioned Instrument Works, but loses. In March, he leaves the aforementioned Paul Von Rohl in charge of the factory while he is off racing powerboats in Florida. de Kleist returns to suspect there has been rampant theft in his absence, and brings charges of grand larceny against Von Rohl, which are dropped, replaced by petit larceny charges, and then found unproved by a jury. In April, Mayor de Kleist accuses eight employees of stealing valuable machinery and plans from his factory, and of conspiring to start another rival factory. The summer brings more powerboating and politicking.<br /><br />Perhaps fearing for the security of their investment, Wurlitzer buys Eugene de Kleist out. <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/52">The Rudolph Wurlitzer Manufacturing Company</a> is organized in December of 1908 with $1,000,000 capital.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
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De Kleist band organ, booklet type, photo (c.1900).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1900
organ
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/0930ab52fd69ef0d8ac636fad13e20bb.jpg
61a75928f18ea77466b16ecb2f51d5dc
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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Allan Herschell Companies
Description
An account of the resource
<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
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<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>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Herschell Spillman, illustrated cigar box (1901).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1901
carousel
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/2e16ffe17a65f560191acc7e1c767727.jpg
afaa529397ff0af8c19737c11f901051
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
A name given to the resource
Allan Herschell Companies
Description
An account of the resource
<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
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<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>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Herschell Spillman, illustrated cigar box detail (1901).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1901
carousel
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/4ce9466a301c0d8d580f22254178a686.JPG
10ccc9ee24be9cd88ce4260ec009fe5e
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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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Hydrant Hose Company, North Tonawanda NY, embossed ribbon (1901-06-17).JPG
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1901-06-17
civic
firefighter
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/376754a2f0f6a9acff6130ef4c3966e0.JPG
284383af804dc18f0e0fe6cff5be657d
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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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Hydrant Hose Company, North Tonawanda NY, embossed ribbon 1 (1901-06-17).JPG
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1901-06-17
civic
firefighter
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/b8bb90d4ba38ffecf423438d413378bc.jpg
d2e125dfa867c552ddfd756b5b56773c
https://nthistory.com/files/original/bd8a37bb71abe2c60a8c4e3da28da00a.jpg
0a38686e061e9d00859af84fff135d7f
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Title
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State National Bank (14 Webster Street)
Description
An account of the resource
This former beauty of a building on the northwest corner of Webster and Sweeney Streets housed the State National Bank and other businesses. James H. DeGraff is president, J. S. Thompson vice president and Benjamin L. Rand, cashier (in 1922, W. M. Sutton). "Lumber Exchange Bank" has same leadership and address in 1900. <br /><br />A November 22, 1932 item in the <em>Buffalo Evening News</em> reports the historic building is being razed, and somewhat affectively describes stalled efforts by demolition crews to remove the "4,000 pound lion which has gazed out over the Tonawandas from its perch atop the the...building for the last 40 years...Efforts to get the huge statue of the jungle beast down to earth have been considered...[it was] decided to break it into pieces on the roof rather than risk bringing it down intact." <br /><br />Ads for a "North Side Liquor Store" appear by 1938. For many years the address was associated with Frank's Liquors, in 2022 it is Canalside Wine & Spirits.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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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/.
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State National Bank note (1902).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1902
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/7195ef13b0b651ad07e99353cf40dbba.jpg
fa619f6288d193947b0f51e4909835b4
https://nthistory.com/files/original/bf6da87a2883b9fcb14bcb332ed0efef.jpg
79541be6bd145a45da68a3c9145b6f7b
https://nthistory.com/files/original/4a5375cddb292d201f1650cc42bd4ac2.jpg
24694a9685a80281b859cffe804e193b
https://nthistory.com/files/original/5fafc5b310283285b92bfcab0964d3fe.jpg
1ed55566fc4aa491416153a80f76707d
https://nthistory.com/files/original/401ac82c869b1f06411bb4c82ba61544.jpg
792d88f9b225186e8a2d4c013dc77fd4
https://nthistory.com/files/original/c2ba18d3689edbda680f25bb37c383c0.jpg
ec0fded44800c1c71edbcfd1329456b3
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541cd6c026d00015c32d0f82b1a5faf2
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
A name given to the resource
Allan Herschell Companies
Description
An account of the resource
<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
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<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>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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 excerpts (c1903).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1903
carousel
organ
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/eeeba2510bed46813cdc039c620b92fb.jpg
0343429d63ce36ce574d438d3b259326
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 Barrel Organ Factory (1893-1903)
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/24d.jpg" alt="North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory, 1893 (colorized by webmaster)" /><span class="cover-caption">Nucleus of Wurlitzer: The North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory in 1893. It still stands in 2023.</span>
<p class="intro">The first of its kind in America, the North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory makes automatic musical instruments to provide music for Allan Herschell's world-famous carousels. Led by the fiery Prussian gentleman-genius Eugene de Kleist, the firm survives an early national Depression to succeed beyond its wildest expectations with the help of a musical family from Ohio named the "Wurlitzers."</p>
<div class="img-caption-container"><img src="http://nthistory.com/files/square_thumbnails/cc9e0bcd6b738bbe4ed82bac5ef50e91.jpg" alt="Image description" />
<div class="caption">De Kleist band organ, c.1900.</div>
</div>
<b>Portable music of another era<br /><br /></b>Before the phonograph and radio, the next best thing to a live orchestra or marching band is a "band organ" or "orchestrion." Essentially giant music boxes with drums, pipe organs, brass horns and more, these devices are popular in Europe for centuries before being produced in the New World in 1893 with the North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory. <br /><br />The factory is built in the spring of 1893 by local merry-go-round makers the <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/73">Armitage-Herschell Company</a> in the Sawyer's Creek / Martinsville area in the northeast of the recently incorporated City of North Tonawanda. To oversee operations, Armitage-Herschell recruits a German organ maker from London with whom they have been acquainted: the talented <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/936">Eugene de Kleist</a>. With a small crew of workers culled from England and the surrounding Martinsville farms, the North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory also makes organs for churches, offers repairs on existing organs, and makes the pinned barrels that contain the music the organs play. After about a year, Armitage-Herschell sign ownership of the enterprise over to their capable superintendent.<br /><br /><strong>Meet the Wurlitzers</strong><br /><br />Business is middling until 1897, when de Kleist meets a decades-old musical retail concern from Cincinnati that will prove a valuable partner: the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company. The story goes that de Kleist was looking to interest the U. S. Army in buying his bugles, which were made as part of many of his band organs. de Kleist is told that the Wurlitzer company already has that business, so he approaches Wurlitzer, and is able to sell them some of his bugles. He also tries to interest Wurlitzer in his band organs, but they ask if he coud instead produce a coin-operated piano for use in taverns and restaurants. After over a year in development, the first "Tonophones" are ready in 1898, and are an immediate success. (Hear <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/1023">Farny Wurlitzer</a> tell this story himself <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5dXbpPM7T0&t=5m29s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in this remarkable speech from 1964</a>).<br /><br />Similiar instruments, such as the Pianino, follow, and the small factory begins to grow, and over the next few years establishes the northwest corner of the massive Wurlitzer plant still standing in North Tonawanda today.
<p><strong>The de Kleist Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company</strong></p>
In 1903, the Barrel Organ Factory incorporates as the de Kleist Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company, with investment from banker James Thompson and some new top brass. Wurlitzer's interest in the North Tonawanda plant increases as Eugene de Kleist's seems to wane (<a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/936">see de Kleist's bio</a> for more on this). In 1905 a group of workers leaves to form the <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/75">Niagara Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company</a>; within a year another wave of defectors forms the <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/10">North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works</a>. <br /><br />1908 begins auspiciously: in January, de Kleist (now mayor of North Tonawanda) lavishly fetes 700 employees and their families in the new music department building. His superintendent, Paul Von Rohl, delivers a speech in his honor, and they dance and carouse until morning light begins filtering over Sawyer's Creek.<br /><br />The following months will not be as good. de Kleist files a $50,000 infringement lawsuit against the aforementioned Instrument Works, but loses. In March, he leaves the aforementioned Paul Von Rohl in charge of the factory while he is off racing powerboats in Florida. de Kleist returns to suspect there has been rampant theft in his absence, and brings charges of grand larceny against Von Rohl, which are dropped, replaced by petit larceny charges, and then found unproved by a jury. In April, Mayor de Kleist accuses eight employees of stealing valuable machinery and plans from his factory, and of conspiring to start another rival factory. The summer brings more powerboating and politicking.<br /><br />Perhaps fearing for the security of their investment, Wurlitzer buys Eugene de Kleist out. <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/52">The Rudolph Wurlitzer Manufacturing Company</a> is organized in December of 1908 with $1,000,000 capital.
Object
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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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de Kleist annual employee outing ribbons (1904-1906).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1904
labor
-
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North Tonawanda Police Department (1888 - present)
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North Tonawanda Police Department Complaint book (1905-1912).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1905
police
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/03527b21d476de029b18b4e548c45788.jpg
84a84f54265542800eb5b7b40ec1c7cd
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Old Empire Straight Whiskey, Wm Holgate, 27 Felton St., bottle (1906).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1906
retail
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/9a34f76040b5cdd7682e9514abdc818b.jpg
619b8687a4476d7d96392e91b235be27
https://nthistory.com/files/original/a0827e2a1c793ba553e529158f2be6a6.jpg
7a4ffda8cde374e6009abcd1164fb0dd
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Offer to A Weston and Son, postcard (1907-05-31).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1907-05-31
postcard
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/ed4a8c52ffe8c4d866407d0e21a2b3a6.jpg
ccb0498b5af7c972b96b04267eee2d80
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Gratwick Hose Company 6, matchbook inside (c1910).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1910
civic
firefighter
gratwick
matchbook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/f91f00cbd4124ac6a94fbddd4a4ffa45.jpg
51f44940a17e707cd3d9eb3cfbce7e9a
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Gratwick Hose Company 6, matchbook outside (c1910).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1910
civic
firefighter
gratwick
matchbook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/7fba8ec80bd3350079586cce1978b129.jpg
72f43ed1b175284d9ff8b5b789e10398
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, North Tonawanda to Buffalo, ticket (1910).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1910
railroad
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/a5de3fb454e1fdbd450da5ca37b4ed2f.jpg
37205c65b7e406cc32dbaf8b7073de70
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
A name given to the resource
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>.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Niagara Musical Instrument Mfg. Co., player piano and side unit (HST, c1910).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1910
organ
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/285563dd9a661d46126d9b56d436a901.jpg
f9b71c87282fb98900678885ddde23dc
https://nthistory.com/files/original/ae750d0ad8dfd08f1ec9f13bd43a3ed9.jpg
313d9dccd7edb967ba77d7ba1a64b335
https://nthistory.com/files/original/df0caee6528f34e01de05aec3f8df03d.jpg
a14564212049b092f65293dcfb479a13
https://nthistory.com/files/original/7e66cd634230ec5177b32ec74e1f4c8b.jpg
63aaad6d0dbd73d0fbf24efc123d3d08
https://nthistory.com/files/original/37a76b301b34dcb0ecf1a76985e6f9f6.jpg
50953f72b4aa2b2b972b4981c2760ff0
https://nthistory.com/files/original/6244328770b67ac67c0c44f8621c5e43.jpg
8b9b4505779119cac41f57fc1c853215
https://nthistory.com/files/original/f27781bd57eed37328aa923264c7b820.jpg
65c2de1378336622dfd7ebcf0634b84c
https://nthistory.com/files/original/34d8307334b4ab59391b73dbf9a3a823.jpg
fe97c35d5ba08cc756818eb930105611
https://nthistory.com/files/original/bc03dd0c9e3d9da676c41bddeccd045a.jpg
cecd0e0f8a1d27a678642bcd1c55b61b
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
A name given to the resource
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>.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Niagara-Engelhardt Player Piano, photo set.jpg
Description
An account of the resource
Seen on eBay. From the seller's description: "Niagara Musical Instrument Company North Tonawanda, N.Y. with Peerless Engelhardt plaque directly below the coin slot. This is an A roll piano with mandolin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSiPwR8xJg4."
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1910
organ
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/7eebe08a4d116ed2e8f1e0fe4ff3e71a.jpg
ce6336bffac11927d10790f260cd050e
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
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>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Builders Hardware Roofing, catalog (Bennett Lumber Co., c1910) 2.jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1910
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/980df57e9cfaecdbd3c68b6685b9d8a0.jpg
6f13604092ee676f8e72e407aacf519e
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Central Station Heating, booklet cover (American District Steam Co., 1911).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1911
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/c7361c706a677ea61e36035b8498d798.jpg
38ceb594acf660ea8583f1f386e2591a
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
W.E. Zavitz, Payne and Schenck, calendar (1913).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1913
retail
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/b2a7de9752b9f50127232d7a853db1a7.jpg
987d7b3296d47341addaceaab771c6f1
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
A name given to the resource
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>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works, annual outing ribbons (HST 1914-1916).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1914
labor
recreation
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/d214c3b512ff1325d26cca0dcbc0ade7.jpg
b2ec100da2910f09f5fb809aef25f88e
https://nthistory.com/files/original/f5535456e87b00945e371ef743f036fa.jpg
b0ff3cbb1222e9db574c89bdf69cff70
https://nthistory.com/files/original/26e85d8865987992a063c31859af5deb.jpg
90e2faf71ae2848ec5178ea146ef73e6
https://nthistory.com/files/original/27d1175af99cdcd4cd416510eca91bac.jpg
4741e84df67e1fffa1120d872b3e0069
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
A name given to the resource
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>.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Niagara Musical instrument Works, 100 shares (1914-01-13).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1914-01-13
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/729f93fb82ae774e8a8182e6f0218f7a.jpg
7d04b28e79a6b54241b0bccdb7f4fa43
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Dime Social with Tussing Band, 92 Elm, invitation (1914-10-08).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1914-10-08
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/08af89a6faf83eb048845fe8b4051a2d.jpg
a5a860539603512d810253a2d3070f09
https://nthistory.com/files/original/3829e959afaecdb737e46b20334489e8.jpg
80c9174fecbcdc268ce3fd546e5e5276
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
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.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Buffalo Sled Co - Auto Wheel - still bank (c1915).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1915
ironton
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/abc1a43f08f07fc674806e0ec01f505f.jpg
1fc4b41fc24888c6c6b79572e837b65f
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
A name given to the resource
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>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works, advertising card (c1915).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1915
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/34dbca738a767565f02b2fe60bbfb0c0.jpg
e21f2ba88a6a2dbdf5b28bc3288e946d
https://nthistory.com/files/original/c68de3bb13e2816a33d1a9fd4a235a37.jpg
98f72582dc087bfd6282bd4ccb0b2c51
https://nthistory.com/files/original/39bdc230645a75e69a5ab717fd173637.jpg
f3d50cf80281199417cdc8fcc03421ae
https://nthistory.com/files/original/bfdb302d00b7fdc726eb184e75031468.jpg
e8607984bb0a816d78d1a4556fc0191c
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
A name given to the resource
Riverside Chemical Company (1906-present)
Description
An account of the resource
From <a href="http://www.rivchem.com/about.html">their website</a>:
<blockquote>
<p>Riverside Chemical was founded in 1906 by A. C. Rasch. The business started running out of the basement of a grocery store at the corner of Oliver Street and Porter Avenue in North Tonawanda, NY. In those beginning years, the company focused on household supplies such as ammonia, bluing, vanilla extract and other extracts. Mr. Rasch founded the company on the simple principle of providing a good product, for a good price, with special attention to customer service and community involvement.</p>
<p>Later Mr. Rasch began manufacturing products to serve the needs of horse drawn wagons and industrial machines. The company produced axle grease and other grease for machinery, as well as leather oils, harness preservatives and hoof dressing.</p>
<p>When the automobile age began, Mr. Rasch developed a non-chatter oil for Model T cars which launched the company into a new era.</p>
<p><b>Dr. Carl H. Rasch (1904-1980)</b></p>
<p>In 1929 the company moved their facility to the current location on River Road in North Tonawanda, NY.</p>
<p>During the 1940's and 1950's the company was managed by A. C. Rasch's sons, George A. Rasch and Dr. Carl H. Rasch.</p>
<p>In 1959 Dr. Carl H. Rasch was appointed as President of the company. Dr Rasch had worked at Riverside since the early 1930's, and had also earned Ph.D. Degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Buffalo and the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Rasch was responsible for another large growth period in the company as he expanded the business product lines to include high purity chemicals and food grade additives as well as dramatically increasing their industrial product lines. Dr. Rasch remained President until he passed away in 1980.</p>
<p>The 1980s began the third generation of the family run business as Dr. Carl H. Rasch's sons Peter C. Rasch became President and Jon A. Rasch as Vice President. Both had worked for Riverside for many years before taking charge in 1980.</p>
<p>Peter Rasch has continued to grow the business, while also minding the principals that had been set by his grandfather so many years ago. Riverside's success has been enhanced by its high ethical business practices; commitment to community, customers, employees and the environment.</p>
</blockquote>
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Riverside Chemical Company, blotter (c1915).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1915
blotter
collection
logotype
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d9580390bb6aa8ea11cfa8d5c52a7207
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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.
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Auto-Wheel Coaster, c1916.jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1916
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/8a671a4dee8e93700ce67e0e4f413de8.jpg
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https://nthistory.com/files/original/6f907b30c7f417a3179fee97ee698a18.jpg
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Dublin Core
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Bodoni Press
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Bodoni Press advertising blotters (c.1916).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1916
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/0890c51054851a4ba0313f427a86c946.JPG
7909e58467152d0d1f8c63737bc23bcc
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Title
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Tonawanda Power Company (435 Robinson)
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/37.jpg" alt="National Grid transformer station in 2023. Photo by Dennis Reed Jr." /> <span class="cover-caption">National Grid transformer station in 2023. Photo by Dennis Reed Jr.</span><strong>First located on Tonawanda Island</strong><br /><br />Around 1889, what would be come the Tonawanda Power Company (Tonawanda & Wheatfield Electric Light company) supplied electricity to NT from a small steam unit on Tonawanda Island, fed by wood shavings from the Doebler Planing Mill. Their office was at the northeast corner of Main and Goundry in an old frame building. Arc lights on a few streets were run. A few "daring" homes and businesses ran its power.<br /><br /><strong>Electrifying Buffalo-Niagara</strong><br /><br />In late 1895, The Niagara Falls Power Company builds a long-distance power line (mostly along the Old Mile Reserve) from Niagara Falls to Buffalo, the first of its kind in the world. It is operational by November 1896.<br /><br />The long distance line uses Nikolai Tesla's breakthrough alternating current (AC) transmitted at high voltages, which could travel with minimal loss. A ‘transformer house’ like the one established on Robinson street would step down (transform) some of the high voltage lines to more manageable and safer levels for local distribution. Other lines passing through this North Tonawanda substation continued at high voltage to Buffalo and Lockport, to be stepped down at other transformer houses before being used locally. Much of the line followed a right of way established by the old New York State Mile Reserve, a mile east of the Niagara River.<br /><br /><strong>Former switching tower<br /><br /></strong>Where the new park is now, on the Twin City Highway side, was once a two-story “switching tower” connected to the transformer house. Added around 1902, this tower was actually owned by the Niagara Falls Power company. It helped engineers manage and troubleshoot defects in the multiplying lines. Most of the high voltage lines carrying electricity from the massive turbines at Niagara Falls ran into this tower. <br /><br /><strong>Halloween disaster</strong><br /><br />In 1920, a horrific explosion kills 13 men early Halloween morning. An NT fire chief <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Safety_Maintenance_Production/Njw6AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Superintendent+Albert+S.+Allen+tonawanda&pg=PA221&printsec=frontcover">alleges the work was rushed</a> in <em>Safety News and Comment</em>. The January 1921 <em>Safety Bulletin</em> <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Safety_Bulletin/XwkUAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=tonawanda+power+substation+tower&pg=RA24-PA2&printsec=frontcover">provides more context and details</a> (a storm and wind outside) and a photo of the ruined second floor of the switching tower. <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/State_of_New_York_Supreme_Court_Appellat/-NBRpQpR-lwC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=tonawanda+power+substation+tower&pg=RA3-PA17&printsec=frontcover">Rose Derby's suit</a>. Superintendent Frank S. Wahl's (and others!) testimony in <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/New_York_Court_of_Appeals_Records_and_Br/wU3z2XtqKz8C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=tonawanda+power+substation+tower&pg=PA178&printsec=frontcover">Yates's survivor's suit provides</a> more tower details, tower role, and what he saw on the scene (where the dead were found).<br /><br />In 1925 they become "associated with" Buffalo General Electric, Niagara Falls Power Co. and others. <br /><br />In 1929, they open a new headquarters on Sweeney and Webster, today Buffalo Suzuki Strings.<br /><br />The Robinson street transformer house and environs is now owned and operated by National Grid.
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Tonawanda Power Company, illustrated specimen stock (1917).JPG
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1917
electricity
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Dublin Core
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Title
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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.
Object
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Title
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Buffalo Sled Company, catalog excerpts (1917).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1917
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/c904b4bc5074ee04f8d60227e82a0685.jpg
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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
A name given to the resource
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.
Object
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Title
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Auto-Wheel Coaster Club, promotional pennant (c1917).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1917)
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/0d04f86845291477843d06c47828d767.jpg
80a5870e98dfc7b5ea15d52f0d4aaa99
https://nthistory.com/files/original/135cf618d5254375ed3724adcd5680cc.jpg
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Object
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World War Service medal, North Tonawanda seal (c1918).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1918
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/9cb69cea7f37bdb572c30f6a140bee80.jpeg
46cd6434bef144c7242e8ff7d16fbffb
Dublin Core
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Avondale / Oliver Theater (358 Oliver)
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" alt="Avondale Theatre as it appeared in 1924. Sketch by Dennis Reed Jr." src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/69.jpg" /><span class="cover-caption">Avondale Theatre as it appeared in 1924 (Dennis Reed Jr) </span> <b>The southwest corner of Robinson and Oliver Streets—now an empty lot—was formerly occupied by a silent film theater in 1910, an evangelical center in the 50s, and a concert hall in the 80s before being demolished.</b><br /><br /><strong>Oliver Theater</strong> (1910-1921)<br /><br />The Oliver Theater opens its doors to the silent film-hungry public on November 3rd, 1910. It is operated by one Henry Klinger of Wheatfield Street (formerly of Buffalo). It boasts a capacity of 500 seats, modern electric lighting and ventilation, and is "sanitarily perfect." It exhibits the latest pictures, three each evening, and a Saturday matinee for a 5 cent admission.<br /><br />In those more religious times, "blue laws" forbid certain kinds of work and the sale of alcohol on Sundays. Klinger battles with local authorities to permit the auditorium to be open to the public on Sundays, pointing out that other cities do. "Why, some of the churches in Lockport are showing pictures on Sundays, so I don't see why they should be considered so immoral in North Tonawanda," <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/2272">he says</a> in a 1913 interview.<br /><br />But Mayor B. L. Rand will not budge. Klinger takes the fight to the courts. In July of 1915 a Lockport judge <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/2273">rules against</a> the mayor, opening the way to Sunday picture shows.<br /><br />At some point Klinger sells "the house to Snyder and Zimmerman of Buffalo" but buys it back from them around July 1921 with a plan to "remodel the theater and increase its seating capacity" (from <a href="http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/28609">cinematreasures.org</a>).<br /><br />A public contest is held to rename the theater. Grocery store owner George Roggow wins the $10 prize with his romantic entry, "Avondale." He claims he <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/3338">read the name</a> from the tag inside his shirt.<br /><br /><strong>The Avondale Theater</strong> (1921-1955)<br /><br />The newly christened theater re-opens on September 1, 1921. L. E. Bargar is manager. At his request, he is appointed as a "special police officer," serving without pay but with the authority to make arrests. In January, 1922, Wurlitzer installs a cutting-edge Hope-Jones Unit Orchestra with a $2.5K price tag. It debuts in February, the same month early silent film actor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lillian_Walker">Lillian Walker</a> (aka "Dimples") visits the theater in person, and speaks from the stage at each performance.<br /><br />Apparently some vaudeville is presented at the Avondale among the films. On June 17, 1922 the NEWS reports the Great Abdiz, the Man with the Iron Jaw, and Bryson appear in an Arabian juggling act.<br /><br />In October 1924, L. E. Barger resigns as manager. He is said to have been in the picture business for 22 years. In 1925, manager James. J. Kelly gets Duo-Art Films of Rochester to produce a "civic review" of the Tonawandas in pictures. Kelly becomes manager of the newly opened Riviera Theatre in 1926.<br /><br />Daniel A. North is a longtime owner and operator, with a two-year absence between 1936 and 1938. The Avondale is still showing pictures as late as 1955, but is put up for sale in 1956.<br /><br /><strong>Evangelistic Center of the Tonawandas</strong> (1956-1979)<br /><br />In 1956, the building is purchased by Italian Pentecostals at the Christian Tabernacle who have outgrown their modest church on 195 Schenck Street, and have been renting the Avondale. After extensive remodeling, the old theater is renamed the Assembly of God Evangelistic Center of the Tonawandas. Pastor Cooper's parsonage was at 11 16th Avenue until 1960.<br /><br />The first services are held on November 4, 1956. It appears to have been a lively era, as scores if not hundreds of touring speakers and religious musical acts appear in ads in the News over the following two decades.<br /><br />In 1979, the Abundant Life Assembly of God <a href="https://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252011%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%25201979%2520%2520Grayscale%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%25201979%2520%2520Grayscale%2520-%25201795.pdf%23xml%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3De67711b%26DocId%3D2254257%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cDISK%2520U%26HitCount%3D23%26hits%3D1f%2B71%2B1a6%2B22e%2B2ff%2B335%2B428%2B583%2B58a%2B5cb%2B5d6%2B5dd%2B5e6%2B5e9%2B621%2B62c%2B669%2B715%2B771%2B7e2%2B841%2B846%2B84d%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&uri=https%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252011%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%25201979%2520%2520Grayscale%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%25201979%2520%2520Grayscale%2520-%25201795.pdf&xml=https%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3De67711b%26DocId%3D2254257%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cDISK%2520U%26HitCount%3D23%26hits%3D1f%2B71%2B1a6%2B22e%2B2ff%2B335%2B428%2B583%2B58a%2B5cb%2B5d6%2B5dd%2B5e6%2B5e9%2B621%2B62c%2B669%2B715%2B771%2B7e2%2B841%2B846%2B84d%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&openFirstHlPage=false">sell the building and move to new quarters</a> at 1001 East Robinson in North Tonawanda. They owned the land since 1967, and have tent revivals there. In 2009 <span>Abundant Life <a href="https://buffalonews.com/news/congregation-reaps-what-it-sows-with-its-first-public-services/article_53270053-59e1-59d2-a1c3-47121a1b4863.html">is closed</a> "because of a dwindling congregation."</span><br /><br /><strong>Final years<br /></strong><br />By December 1979 the "Oliver Auction House" <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/3346">is doing business</a> at that address.<br /><br />The theater enjoys a final act in the mid 1980s as the "Avondale Ballroom," featuring live musical performances. It opens in April 1985, and is run by Dennis Lasky (who also conducted the auction house operation).<br /><br />The theater is razed in the late 1980s.
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Oliver Theatre, ticket (1919-05-26).jpg
Date
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1919-05-26
dr
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By-Laws of Electric City Lodge 663, I.O.O.F., booklet excerpts (1920).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1920
-
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Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
National Grinding Wheel, speed calculator (c1920).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1920
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/696eaae3bfda7fa7abb7b99ae47ae254.jpg
eca3421f1b65fb27422d222dd6cd2d22
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Ives Ice and Coal Company
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Ives Ice and Coal Co., metal calendar holder (c.1920).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1920
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/2cc729624d10ce305a323af8e48cd33b.jpeg
7f6c82a4f690c823bdfd9ca5bcd360c6
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
142 Oliver
Description
An account of the resource
This Oliver Street address appears to have its foundation laid in 1886, in the midst of a grist mill, boiler and engine works, a train depot, and a flour mill.
By 1893, maps show a saloon with two stories in the front, and several single-story buildings behind it.
Around 1914, Andrew Dorn and his Bavarian-born wife Katharina come to North Tonawanda from New York City, and begin operating a tavern and rooming house at 142 Oliver. "The Erie Hotel and Cafe" is advertised in 1915 with Andrew Dorn as the proprietor, and their clientele as "gentlemen only." Prohibition forces drinking establishments to serve on the down-low, and a 1932 dry raid targets Dorn and others.
With the end of Prohibition in 1933, Dorn resumes serving openly. A business card for what is now called "Dorn’s Buffet and Rooming House" promises "light lunches" and features an illustration of a smiling man proffering a sudsy beer glass twice the size of his head. Andrew Dorn passes in 1935, and by 1942 the site is advertised as "North Star Tavern."
Today, the address is privately owned apartments, seemingly now two stories all the way back. County property data gives 1930 as the build date.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Dorn’s Buffet and Rooming House, 142 Oliver, business card (c1920).jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1920
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/5b233fb1d04434a5b89d3e81ae2a7447.jpg
09a20ca5b5601b2ab74bcc0b5b4416ef
https://nthistory.com/files/original/f3e073b3fe407957ff0c134433e38d1e.jpg
8943fb64e748bae1d1a7ffd0d1833c7b
https://nthistory.com/files/original/43dd5e64aabd4943aab95cf4f2c80ae9.jpg
ea31361b865e14bbb96293f3d0c6eb3b
https://nthistory.com/files/original/18a8e42db23be0441149ed9ce773306b.jpg
7ed95944dd7c9e3ff2e2061a411efd62
https://nthistory.com/files/original/00ec6d51f616463d24a1e235c0bd716f.jpg
423ca596c2c412f91ae344dda995d3bf
Dublin Core
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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>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Artizan carousel organ, photo (1923).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1923
organ
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/82ceb27cd50770a2c2e99e0bd78b180b.jpg
1c71a960fbad8ccbbe5361da5a3a6fbd
https://nthistory.com/files/original/e61301a23ed06c8a2ad22af8b5f68ab0.jpeg
7d5eb1e2f30eac9d7bdd95ba54010be2
https://nthistory.com/files/original/6be761335a0a5f794c23fdcb06029e9c.jpeg
45292dda4a6be1d0c656798b8342f9ce
https://nthistory.com/files/original/e49a490097d433ed1806384be84f7f92.jpeg
24f7d28e57cb6937c806ce25ecf48124
https://nthistory.com/files/original/bfa154e22959b8f4f6bb9151aace9497.jpeg
4343501bf49f967aae22475b8aedd2c6
https://nthistory.com/files/original/6d3b36d88184e5ebe275041336602476.jpeg
030cf3797cf02e331b0e93b719ec17d2
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Creo-Dipt, Weatherbest Stained Shingles
Description
An account of the resource
In November 1929 Island Street facility nearly wiped out by a disastrous blaze that does an estimated $250,000 in damage and destroys 100 carloads of shingles.
Creo-Dipt used creosote to hold the color within the shingle.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Making Old Houses into Charming Homes, Weatherbest booklet (1925).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1925
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/1dea99c0002ba529aa2d00a93012d094.jpg
c4888416a4b12519b97bdb5d1d0c82aa
https://nthistory.com/files/original/2ee3cff213ff7d869a33c36b3c936718.jpg
e013a814f0000e486b4bd644321856e1
https://nthistory.com/files/original/14f06d975942e7303cbcb5cee52bde9f.jpg
45dbfcfd3281de28c2c33d9877e6dd29
https://nthistory.com/files/original/e45c0fdccff19deb445f1b56c5ec3aef.jpg
27677aaa10ab1b0027d25a91a4f9c948
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Felton High School and Grammar School
Description
An account of the resource
Built in 1901, the visually striking Felton High School once stretched along Thompson Street between Bryant and Falconer streets. It was named after local leader <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/650">Benjamin F. Felton</a>, who was<span> president of North Tonawanda's Board of Education for 30 years. The building </span>would later be used as a grammar school. Although demolished in 1969, it is not entirely forgotten: we still call the field across Payne Avenue (which was a N.Y. Central train yard and later in 1919 the site of NT's first public playground) "Felton Field."
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Feltonian yearbook, cover and sports team photos (1926).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926
school
sports
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/2c08f44552c8a6d93658c9fee47b3cba.jpg
00a768103cc848cdc77ed7d415f1efb5
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
J. P. Mackenzie for Mayor, pinback button (1926).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926
person
politics
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/fe9c429b13d21647414f6bcc9dc13f62.jpg
e2852a3347f3a33a944154bbcff29ea3
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
International Railway, monthly commutation book (1926).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1926
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/6e00d3138e295210a8bdf2559f8afc3b.jpg
5bd5301c9c856c731e32d1b6f3cae065
https://nthistory.com/files/original/b6d2e0a02f218fed4d1c30198f7f61e0.jpg
84a8eaedd2f7afaaf60445035b503b07
https://nthistory.com/files/original/4d5a2848b0fef5c7a15e3500bde306d0.jpg
99a256f9325aa87f902f6227bfd329a0
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Creo-Dipt, Weatherbest Stained Shingles
Description
An account of the resource
In November 1929 Island Street facility nearly wiped out by a disastrous blaze that does an estimated $250,000 in damage and destroys 100 carloads of shingles.
Creo-Dipt used creosote to hold the color within the shingle.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Weatherbest Stained Shingles matchbooks (c1926-1928).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1927
matchbook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/8b7eaa1f899940ecec8b908956fdd298.jpg
f90ac89043158cc5840239236187efae
https://nthistory.com/files/original/1ced607006bd3d8cb24a86420dd02af3.jpg
7f95ec41e71b2d005f5a2825480a163d
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Spaulding-Fibre tag (1928).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1928
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/4f4eb5d26cbccc8eb82043512d1926d7.jpg
949ef117b14c0bc15addba939f6b0640
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
WNY Firemen Association, button (1929).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1929
civic
firefighter
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/ad6f5d4a0dc2534d29465913a2d11272.jpg
1255de35e40fcbc6fb0a89bc64f4605a
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Helwigs, Fischers and Fairchild pharmacy boxes (1929-1963).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1929
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/86eebe9cda521081b3ac48eaba5d6d03.jpeg
01681ecc6ca43897ca82c62efdf483c2
https://nthistory.com/files/original/5535314e486f69d7e60634a280143625.jpeg
ef33963b41454941d6317963696f980f
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Fleuron Pottery (73-79 Robinson Street)
Description
An account of the resource
Fleuron pottery stamped with "N. Tonawanda" appears to be produced in the 1920s and 1930s. Contemporaneous ads for home goods sellers mention it occasionally (e.g., The Niagara Dry Goods Company offers flower pots for Christmas plants in a 1933 Xmas ad; Palmer's of 160 Delaware advertises a "Fleuron Quartz Cup and Saucer" giveaway in a 1933 ad and notes "no two Fleuron pieces are identical in their charming coloring, as you will see from our window display").
On May 1st, 1933 a fire heavily damages the two-story factory building at 73-79 Robinson occupied by Fleuron and the Tonawanda Corrugated Paper Box Company. The nearby IRC trolley barns are damaged in the blaze. The president of Fleuron at the time of the fire is Harry E. Gosch.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Fleuron green vase (c.1929).jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1929
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/5bd03eb305183d74dde0363abbaecb6c.jpeg
2c7ffe9d267621b552606038406e7f08
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
A name given to the resource
Fleuron Pottery (73-79 Robinson Street)
Description
An account of the resource
Fleuron pottery stamped with "N. Tonawanda" appears to be produced in the 1920s and 1930s. Contemporaneous ads for home goods sellers mention it occasionally (e.g., The Niagara Dry Goods Company offers flower pots for Christmas plants in a 1933 Xmas ad; Palmer's of 160 Delaware advertises a "Fleuron Quartz Cup and Saucer" giveaway in a 1933 ad and notes "no two Fleuron pieces are identical in their charming coloring, as you will see from our window display").
On May 1st, 1933 a fire heavily damages the two-story factory building at 73-79 Robinson occupied by Fleuron and the Tonawanda Corrugated Paper Box Company. The nearby IRC trolley barns are damaged in the blaze. The president of Fleuron at the time of the fire is Harry E. Gosch.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Fleuron pottery vase (c.1929).jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1929
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/28404b09882c8561a1ba5dc3ca6b79aa.jpg
83ff4047fd29e7972c10a1c100af4dc7
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Oliver Street, sign (c1930).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/81435066e4c65a72d3ee9d6c81845f84.jpg
b0702ae2e0842ed7652c4af64c6fe5a2
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
A name given to the resource
Talismanic Corporation, Frontier Manufacturing Company
Description
An account of the resource
Located at 1174 Erie Ave. Talismanic and Frontier were owned and operated by Stanley C. Peuchen and his brothers. Manufacturers of Tops Oil and Oak Oil. In 2008, Battenfeld Grease and Oil.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
http://www.nthistorymuseum.org/Collections/frontiermanu.html
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Battenfeld Grease and Oil, employee pin (c1930).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930
labor
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/69d5bde2e89ad81fc91de3102eafb11e.jpg
e795b2283686e02c21558817c6761162
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Forbes Tourist Home and Cabins, 1166 Niagara Falls Blvd, card (c1930).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/1a349fa849c65262ebe99c18821e60e4.jpg
d20253c3a1e9ebc71616e7d5400aa7f9
https://nthistory.com/files/original/3c541eba9fada65a0c029d0547f0e3e0.jpg
386cf15fd9a71168242471b8830eadb4
https://nthistory.com/files/original/e278379ee5c941a6d051bfd002c3c66d.jpg
ee8b38d446443332e70626ecf1c0cac0
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Dunlop Golf Course, scorecard (c1930).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930
recreation
sports
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/4cc4b3f3d9e6b3f3d6950b0ba63d26d8.jpg
76b3b42c5ae532e04bcd198dedf2b799
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Walker Bros and Monroe Jewelers, trade card (c1930).jpg
Description
An account of the resource
From a reader: "They were established in 1925 and now the shop is located at 84 Webster st....They are known as the 'Clock Doctor.'"
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/505461a687bb3ec40d808ad6f5779f88.jpg
61ade1325ba5dcd2c967053e329d721f
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Khans New York Store, Tonawanda, matchbook, logotype (c1930).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930
matchbook
matchboook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/e3afabd9d4f6b87b5f69176932a1877f.jpg
13e56aae238aadebc53a163ce1662177
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
National Grinding Wheel, wood barrel (c1930).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/dbb7fa8ed7c2e0c51e123f2bc1bf2bd5.jpeg
f6757b9000e604d90f9e5077ddf4deea
https://nthistory.com/files/original/41109567f8a3d2e080c03df5dfe42dd5.jpeg
c07feddb2ae416c0b6feb1eb68983775
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Wulf Bottling Works (285 Main)
Description
An account of the resource
Started by Norman Wulf Sr. in 1921 (at 20 Minerva St., Tonawanda). His sons become partners in the business along the way. The operation has moved to 285 Main Street in North Tonawanda by 1944. Around 1959 they return to Tonawanda (a new location on Fillmore). Business closes shortly after founder's death in 1964. Distributors of Manru and Frontier Beer & Ale.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Wulf's beverages, bottle.jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930
bottle
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/946ad0220e90d460733b77cdfc3e2d92.jpeg
3df4f3222581a09f3f4eee64faf2e955
https://nthistory.com/files/original/eeae5d4580afb226311645ae10cb855f.jpeg
5b9026bf079f67866fca2458befd275f
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Durez Plastics
Description
An account of the resource
General Plastics--the company that would become Durez--is incorporated in 1921 by Texas-born Harry Mason Dent (1888-1967) in North Tonawanda. Dent was a chemist with E.I. Du Pont Nemours when he discovered a method to mass produce phenolic plastics, which will become extremely useful in consumer products from automobiles to electronics and beyond. The Walck Road plant is completed in 1940 for $2.5 million. Durez is sold to Hooker Chemical Corporation in 1955 for $50 million. Mr. Dent dies on June 6, 1967.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Durez Plastics, employee ID badge (c.1930).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/aefc93f49416bed42040f7d0579f9859.jpg
59a2f4993e36a41e5a871f8d40931b96
https://nthistory.com/files/original/468c876db41be38575d9ae2ea638b71c.jpg
4c6ab03b87839d9d72321209fb4a8f59
https://nthistory.com/files/original/cc88cd8af3c5b14c22973519c9052122.jpg
b3c4389c74bc622102195aff8a10be11
https://nthistory.com/files/original/903c42d0027b65355b078cf9f5eedd07.jpg
07bcf43f971444c6e8d188184c41a4f5
https://nthistory.com/files/original/1c7c394138ae6be98d37702a16717779.jpg
9b92769ce379a35c5d37b3f1ebf79a92
https://nthistory.com/files/original/e66e72c57b7e657e1d72f22bda089a2e.jpg
55d08311a95c2d3c07085f6ef0367af9
https://nthistory.com/files/original/6056040de313b27bed679f90e1524173.jpg
cf76968f4bb1f24e7109c1c160449c70
https://nthistory.com/files/original/bc13a71181fff6893c802c93553743f7.jpg
d54de487240cf8687a7a7cd15c2af82e
https://nthistory.com/files/original/d77c2e023b19a1b2f8c6b1c5f4dca87d.jpg
fcc9f986b6740fe9b6b8ff37e1339c9b
https://nthistory.com/files/original/bc6c6aaa732479a74edf5de638516942.jpg
d7c3ae93878af31d3a1aecfdf4b4c9ee
https://nthistory.com/files/original/9e79b10974f6d75570c21beeac139542.JPG
5edebffe94c145760467d31c5523c47d
https://nthistory.com/files/original/38b9f7b41e11c04b825d7740ba9ad54a.png
cd00737806779e6d81a8c60442396d7f
https://nthistory.com/files/original/e314ff6c366130b49e908fb1f117d35a.jpeg
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Title
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Perew's Electric Man and Other Inventions
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" src="../../../custom/cover/106.jpg" alt="The Electric Man appears to draw a car" /><span class="cover-caption">Perew's most famous invention, a patented, giant automaton known variously as the "Electric Man," "Peter the Great," "Christopher," and the "Frankenstein of Tonawanda," appeared to draw a car but was actually pushed by it. Photo: Granger Collection, c1900.</span> Louis Philip Perew (1862-1946) came to the Tonawandas at 17 in 1879 from Quebec. He came with his brothers and his father, a lake boat captain who settled on <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/26">Goose Island</a>. <br /><br />He was a boat captain like his father, but was best known as an inventor. In addition to his Electric Man (which underwent many changes over the years as he refined the technology and sought a market), Perew is credited with developing anti-torpedo technology, a <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/867">canal electric trolley system</a>, a cigar lighter, and a <a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US499800?oq=499800">new merry-go-round system</a>. His inventions met with varying degrees of sucess.<br /><br />He was associated with local merry-go-round makers <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/100">Gillie, Goddard and Company</a>. He and Goddard were implicated in one of the most horrific events in the Tonawandas history: the double murder by a mob of a canal boat captain and his son over a labor dispute in October of 1895. Neither was ultimately convicted.<br /><br />In 1909 he is proprietor of the White Star Hotel. Perew was an avid boat racer and builder, and owned a gasoline cruiser and a yacht in 1910s. In 1916, after the Webster Street bridge was destroyed by ice, he was hired to construct a temporary pontoon bridge while the bascule bridge was being built. In 1925 he has a store at 152 North Niagara Street in Tonawanda. He is said to have had a "private zoo" with a "Russian wolf."<br /><br />Perew also owned several "disorderly houses" on <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/26">Goose Island</a> (he claims in the Cappola trial he bought them from a bank and had no idea they were disorderly). He runs afoul of the law quite often during Prohibition, and is involved in a very public bribery case against local police. Goose Island's bordellos and taverns would finally be closed down in the late 1930s. Perew lives all the way until 1946 at the White Star Hotel. The hotel's entertainments include square dancing nights and "Spanish dancing" girls. The address of the White Star Hotel? 46 Sweeney Street in North Tonawanda: the site of the present-day Alexander's Gentleman's Lounge.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<ul>
<li><a href="https://archive.org/details/TheStrandMagazineAnIllustratedMonthly/page/n6">An Electric Man, Strand Magazine (1900) - archive.org</a></li>
<li><a href="http://cyberneticzoo.com/walking-machines/1894-1914-electric-man-perew-american/">1894-1914 – Electric Man – Perew - cyberneticzoo.com</a></li>
<li><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=NXOdDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PT67&ots=h__RbBghkS&dq=%22United%20States%20Automaton%20Company%22&pg=PT66#v=onepage&q=%22United%20States%20Automaton%20Company%22&f=false"><em>Robots in American Popular Culture</em> (pp 60-62).</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.buffalohistorygazette.net/2010/09/the-man-of-tonawanda.html">The Automatic Man of Tonawanda! Buffalo History Gazette</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillip_Louis_(Phil)_Perew">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillip_Louis_(Phil)_Perew</a></li>
</ul>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
A name given to the resource
Great Christopher Corn and Callous Salve, box (c.1930).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/a1df6428b606673fa99e627e5e1f0345.jpeg
a15a9eb4a758b3f53a31a0e4edaef729
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
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Frontier Gold Label beer, label (c1930).jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/b328892720740d916edb89438474451a.jpeg
df086453c451b0b95a149f2f3984f379
https://nthistory.com/files/original/a1000c4f9d5460b00b6f97336f598942.jpeg
935c2961ead7964d8770e78dea5e5faf
https://nthistory.com/files/original/ff7246c3b1b4bae9efd15704e6212efd.jpeg
3d564b3d6ab575b17b5fef04354f9a04
https://nthistory.com/files/original/52d26e529b3407292dceadd777200b57.jpeg
f62d54b92bd6f11836cfd67e6aed2095
Dublin Core
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Title
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Victor Safe Company
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
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Rand - Victor Safe Cabinet (c.1930).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930
logotype
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/101ce6bc7ee041c5706888f6f4842ffc.jpeg
f20e504fa363b24bacc7d418c8cfcad0
https://nthistory.com/files/original/b2bb759e3328d378b2fd1f8bf2519c47.jpeg
a4efff9827013a11f4908a370e2b4ca4
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Title
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Fleuron Pottery (73-79 Robinson Street)
Description
An account of the resource
Fleuron pottery stamped with "N. Tonawanda" appears to be produced in the 1920s and 1930s. Contemporaneous ads for home goods sellers mention it occasionally (e.g., The Niagara Dry Goods Company offers flower pots for Christmas plants in a 1933 Xmas ad; Palmer's of 160 Delaware advertises a "Fleuron Quartz Cup and Saucer" giveaway in a 1933 ad and notes "no two Fleuron pieces are identical in their charming coloring, as you will see from our window display").
On May 1st, 1933 a fire heavily damages the two-story factory building at 73-79 Robinson occupied by Fleuron and the Tonawanda Corrugated Paper Box Company. The nearby IRC trolley barns are damaged in the blaze. The president of Fleuron at the time of the fire is Harry E. Gosch.
Object
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Title
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Fleuron vase (c.1930).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/ba17de94cf502d70bdc30aecd5e22275.jpeg
395dceece146db35b4acdf67a8876d84
https://nthistory.com/files/original/80e432e39548639d3d27f7b2f1c6df62.jpeg
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https://nthistory.com/files/original/08f643e78b204e9948784798e3081fb0.jpeg
0e90654d6d8bf088c37c9bba6dbd5725
https://nthistory.com/files/original/7833b3259613a0b036508aeb938c7c14.jpeg
6d63e791c58678ac12d558ef71c26c8f
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Fleuron Pottery (73-79 Robinson Street)
Description
An account of the resource
Fleuron pottery stamped with "N. Tonawanda" appears to be produced in the 1920s and 1930s. Contemporaneous ads for home goods sellers mention it occasionally (e.g., The Niagara Dry Goods Company offers flower pots for Christmas plants in a 1933 Xmas ad; Palmer's of 160 Delaware advertises a "Fleuron Quartz Cup and Saucer" giveaway in a 1933 ad and notes "no two Fleuron pieces are identical in their charming coloring, as you will see from our window display").
On May 1st, 1933 a fire heavily damages the two-story factory building at 73-79 Robinson occupied by Fleuron and the Tonawanda Corrugated Paper Box Company. The nearby IRC trolley barns are damaged in the blaze. The president of Fleuron at the time of the fire is Harry E. Gosch.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
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Fleuron vase with handpainted portrait (c.1930).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/f0c214a038b9ce9a3e451ca6d91460d3.jpg
640e4c7923dbfd142cb4caa0cd3ab796
Dublin Core
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Title
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Firefighters
Description
An account of the resource
Rough chronology at <a href="http://www.nthistorymuseum.org/Collections/firefighting.html">NT History Museum</a>, including notes about many defunct companies. A provocative (if unlikely-sounding) morsel about Hydrant Hose Co. No. 3 (1886-1909), formerly based on Sweeney near Delaware bridge:
<blockquote>The fighting crew of the old Hydrant Hose Company liked to fight fires so much, they would first fight the men of any other fire company who raced to a North Tonawanda fire to see who got the pleasure of conquering the flames. Often the flames ended up as the victor as the firefighters spent their energies in a brawl rather than on the element of nature.</blockquote>
From Sarah E. Walter's thesis as it appears on <a href="http://www.nthistorymuseum.org/Collections/thesis.html#thesis">nthistorymuseum.org</a>:
<blockquote>The North Tonawanda Fire Dept is known as one of the best paid and volunteer departments in the nation. The greatest enemy the lumbermen had was fire. Annually it destroyed millions of dollars of lumber and cost many lives. A step forward came on May 7, 1876, when twenty of the most prominent residents of the Village of North Tonawanda gathered together in the school house at the corner of Main and Tremont Streets and formed themselves into a Company for the protection of property against the ravages of fire. The newly formed Company petitioned the Village Board and in special session on May 15, 1876, the board approved and appointed them firemen of the Village and their company was called the North Tonawanda Bucket Company, later to be called the Columbia Hook and Ladder Company No. 1.
<p>North Tonawanda depended heavily on Volunteer Firemen and quickly grew to seven companies located at important places around the city.</p>
</blockquote>
<table border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" align="center">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>Date Started </strong></td>
<td><strong>Name </strong></td>
<td><strong>By Whom </strong></td>
<td> <strong>Notes</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>May 7, 1876</td>
<td>North Tonawanda Bucket Company / Columbia Hook and Ladder Company No. 1.</td>
<td> </td>
<td> (See below)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>March 1, 1886</td>
<td>Active Hose Company No.2</td>
<td> </td>
<td>"Ironton Boys"</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1886*</td>
<td>Gratwick Hose Company No. 6</td>
<td>Village Council</td>
<td><a href="https://yellow.place/en/gratwick-hose-fire-company-6-north-tonawanda-usa">1890?</a> On Felton until 1962.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>April 1887</td>
<td>Live Active Hose Co. No. 4</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>January 26, 1891</td>
<td>Rescue Fire Company No. 5</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>February 6, 1891</td>
<td>Gratwick Hose Company No. 1</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1894</td>
<td>Sweeney Hose No. 7</td>
<td>Village Council</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<br /><br />From The<em> Tonawanda News, May 9, 1896:</em>
<blockquote>Monday, June 15, has been selected as the date of the Firemen's Annual Parade. It is expected that it will prove of more than ordinary interest as unusual efforts will be put forth this year to make it an enjoyable spectacular affair. <br /><br />In this connection it is interesting to note that Thursday of this week was the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the first fire company In North Tonawanda. Previous to this date North Tonawanda had paid Tonawanda $300 a year for the fire protection that the Tonawanda companies afforded. <br /><br />The parent company of North Tonawanda was the <strong>Columbia Hook and Ladder Company</strong>; it is still in existence, but is now one of eight splendid companies of which North Tonawanda can boast. As before stated it was organized May 7, 1876, and its first president was Frank Fellows. It was organized under a famous old hickory tree which stood on the ground now occupied by the parsonage of the First Methodist Church. Nicholas Beckrich was the first foreman of this company and other members of this crack organization were John E. Oelkers, Frank Batt, H. U. Berger, M. J. Wattengel, W. P. Hayes, Jno. Spillman, Aug. Duckwitz, Fred Schultz, Isaac Gardei, Geo. Miller, John Haas, Julius Miller and others. A number of these early firemen are numbered among the most prominent residents of North Tonawanda but it is with considerable pleasure that they recall the days of their early triumphs.</blockquote>
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North Tonawanda Fire Dept certificate, Frank Ensminger (1930-05-07).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930-05-07
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/c861c50a320adcdf1681a447cde7d1a4.jpg
149081ed57f33a97eaaeac4861b9bece
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Title
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Trolleys and Trains
Description
An account of the resource
Before everybody in North Tonawanda could afford their very own muffler-less Honda Civic to run up and down Oliver Street, trolleys and trains were an important means of personal transportation. Several lines ran throughout the city, moving people to and from their jobs, churches, or just out for a look around.
Though they may seem romantic to us now, people griped about the trolleys the same way we complain about snow plows today. Apparently their slow speed was sometimes targeted: An item in this set describes a "well-known peddler" in the Gratwick area who is injured by a trolley car. The author drolly observes, "'Twould have been a real miracle if a Gratwick car could have got up enough speed to have killed him" (Tonawanda News, 1908-2-13).
The trolley era did not last long. By the 1920s, the electric streetcar had been passed by the gasoline-powered bus as the most prevalent means of public transportation. Another article in this set from the Tonawanda News, "Carpenter now operates 14 busses in the Tonawandas," outlines the rise of the Carpenter Rapid Transit buses.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
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Carpenters Rapid Transit, fare token (c1935).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1935
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/e48dc5db88eb18a2129b3c253b75f858.jpg
e922521e31f2c931e2d94b4369bd0be7
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
A name given to the resource
Trolleys and Trains
Description
An account of the resource
Before everybody in North Tonawanda could afford their very own muffler-less Honda Civic to run up and down Oliver Street, trolleys and trains were an important means of personal transportation. Several lines ran throughout the city, moving people to and from their jobs, churches, or just out for a look around.
Though they may seem romantic to us now, people griped about the trolleys the same way we complain about snow plows today. Apparently their slow speed was sometimes targeted: An item in this set describes a "well-known peddler" in the Gratwick area who is injured by a trolley car. The author drolly observes, "'Twould have been a real miracle if a Gratwick car could have got up enough speed to have killed him" (Tonawanda News, 1908-2-13).
The trolley era did not last long. By the 1920s, the electric streetcar had been passed by the gasoline-powered bus as the most prevalent means of public transportation. Another article in this set from the Tonawanda News, "Carpenter now operates 14 busses in the Tonawandas," outlines the rise of the Carpenter Rapid Transit buses.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Carpenters Rapid Transit, fare token, reverse (c1935).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1935
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/1d6ecb0b8bf93609870523748f01868b.jpg
096ef9e5208b581f12e167e701f16061
https://nthistory.com/files/original/c006d4e4a3abc0404fd92ce5d8439ed9.jpg
aee472b271f56499de674b07b245d470
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Title
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Isle View (Red Pump, Tonawanda)
Description
An account of the resource
During Prohibition, this 791 Niagara Street "roadhouse" in Tonawanda was known as The Red Pump, and found itself the target of numerous vice raids. Formerly Kitty Kuhn's Place. Articles suggest a cluster of such establishments existed around Two Mile Creek Road.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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The Red Pump, 791 Niagara Street, Tonawanda, matchbook (c1935).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1935
logotype
matchbook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/faa646f80bafea005d9b86f3235e3056.jpg
e4448f31c7bfca80b9f9c3e3c90504ec
https://nthistory.com/files/original/4d6f658accab5b7edb19cfb39f07697a.jpg
1da05278ea394f533ac01f97db32abae
Dublin Core
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Rand Company, Kardex, Remington-Rand
Description
An account of the resource
The Rand family powerfully shaped the Tonawandas' business landscape over several generations. Starting in banking, the Rand men (sometimes in direct competition with one another) would become involved in filing systems, office furnishings, <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/10">automatic musical instruments</a>, and even what would be come the modern computer. In 1908, James Rand Sr.'s Rand Company has its Plant No.1 on the west side of Goundry, near the train bridge (now a parking lot). In 1919 Rand adds Plant No.2, the former North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works (now Liston Mfg. Co.). The rival <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardex_Group">Kardex company</a> (operated by James Rand Jr.) is in Tonawanda at Main, Wheeler and Franklin in 1920. This site is later Remington-Rand Plant No. 10 in Tonawanda, where a workers' strike is broken in early summer of 1936 (<a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/2297">see plates 48 and 54 for maps</a> of Plants 10 and 11). <br /><br />Wikiepdia, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remington_Rand_strike_of_1936%E2%80%931937">Remington Rand Strike of 1937-1937</a></i>:
<blockquote>The strike is notorious for spawning the "Mohawk Valley formula," a corporate plan for strikebreaking to discredit union leaders, frighten the public with the threat of violence, use local police and vigilantes to intimidate strikers, form puppet associations of "loyal employees" to influence public debate, fortify workplaces, employ large numbers of strikebreakers, and threaten to close the plant if work is not resumed.</blockquote>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Remington Rand strikers, flyer (Erie County Committee Communist Party, 1936-05).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1936-05
Description
An account of the resource
From the files of the North Tonawanda Police Department
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/0acbf4aba3a350f685c5c4b7991004c8.jpg
edd523a7e10600a4bc9bf9ade5768e2c
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Grand Island bridges, brochure (c1937).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1937
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/9c750c24f9879991bdbb2425ba1fbb45.jpg
1db1567c4667305046eecfaebeebc78d
Dublin Core
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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.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
A name given to the resource
Island Street Lumber Co, North Tonawanda, level and ruler (c1940).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
lumber
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/0c958db2a9e1ef2ca39dcceec98e2c42.jpg
4cafd712bcc4496e196c3d8c20b0f7e1
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Ed Voetsch's Restaurant, 342 Oliver, matchbook (c1940).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
matchbook
restaurant
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/dfe6dd19ee54e4e7960ff5a085ca0cc8.jpg
c9d2bd362dca39b194bf8f84dd38cd3f
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Joe Saccos Restaurant, 216 Oliver, matchbook (c1940).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
matchbook
restaurant
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/833e571e2cb615b5c423f2010a973bc8.JPG
f4f7fa2cd50793d0a8cb557aa8dbe514
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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A name given to the resource
Main Hotel and Grill, 152 Main, matchbook (c1940).JPG
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
matchbook
restaurant
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/9e19905a598390ed7866b10e6e00aed8.jpg
b9df3931f4c017f8eb02da855d308f18
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Webster Grill, 112 Webster St, matchbook (c1940).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
matchbook
restaurant
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/ea697b34d39832c45722d534152acbe5.JPG
2a0d264fbb46b42f9938bce219948270
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Jesella's Liquor Store, matchbook (c1940).JPG
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
matchbook
retail
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/51145e8b0ce2bd38bd262a92eebd9e9e.jpg
521739cb1979e53b32c68f1ab3be2d41
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Nor-Ton Taxi, 526 Oliver, matchbook (c1940).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
matchbook
retail
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/69ac8f19ce2f900f95ac32ae08bfc9fa.jpg
87b5a8adeb4b368c067c85adef9d0043
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Opium and coca dispensary, 300 Payne, tax stamp (1940).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
retail
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/6d108c11962f067350abb1fc8abeab4e.jpg
a4186dcf0f7d34618b4acb337fe33edf
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Rudzinski Grocery, 653 Oliver, engraved ashtray (c1940).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
retail
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/7d0d0a3a458690bc2d08ddf8a2b30824.jpg
f16af40ff76fd2d60c1c1a43c10f6e90
https://nthistory.com/files/original/880b83ec4e429479ff53832113eb6fb2.jpg
e6306af1652a8bbc2373387d4f87e8af
https://nthistory.com/files/original/1947f421871ce84ad2db55d9efcd8a8f.jpg
ed2d9476e1433d18b2004742c3bd514f
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
A name given to the resource
Werkley's Home Made Candies, 115 Goundry, illustrated box (c1940).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
retail
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/7185c2f66a2d0061e10f820bd0c19206.jpg
1c1a56c6c32d80e6fa6e143752b51eeb
https://nthistory.com/files/original/ca6734032794dbfc997c4dab3bae8756.jpg
1f03a186dc6f2480c15d6fdd87bc0c55
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Title
A name given to the resource
Felton High School and Grammar School
Description
An account of the resource
Built in 1901, the visually striking Felton High School once stretched along Thompson Street between Bryant and Falconer streets. It was named after local leader <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/650">Benjamin F. Felton</a>, who was<span> president of North Tonawanda's Board of Education for 30 years. The building </span>would later be used as a grammar school. Although demolished in 1969, it is not entirely forgotten: we still call the field across Payne Avenue (which was a N.Y. Central train yard and later in 1919 the site of NT's first public playground) "Felton Field."
Object
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Felton Grammar School, Lunch Milk Token (c1940).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
logotype
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/8092a13a8292b2312f373530e42be0e2.jpg
0ab68899d350b3cefa11f5f17bbc5f34
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Clover Club, 367 Oliver, matchbook (c1940).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
matchbook
restaurant
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/fbe90e6559bfec938117284827a83c3b.jpg
2addcc6ef46431afc0607f2f040f946d
Dublin Core
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Title
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B. P. O. Elks Lodge 860 (Sweeney and Main)
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" src="https://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/77.jpg" alt="BPOE building" /> <span class="cover-caption">The Elks Club home c1920–2011; northeast corner of Main and Sweeney.</span>The North Tonawanda chapter of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks organizes around 1903. Early on they meet in the State National Bank building on Webster and Sweeney. By about 1920 they secure their own large red brick building at the corner of Main and Sweeney. In December 2011, this building is <a href="http://nthistory.com/items/show/1247">destroyed by fire</a>. The fraternal organization now operates out of somewhat <a href="http://nthistory.com/items/show/1249">humbler quarters</a> in Tonawanda. You may wish to drop in on their Facebook page, whose name bears eloquent witness of their exile to Main Street, Tonawanda: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BpoElksLodge860/"><span>Twin Cities Lodge # 860 formerly known as North Tonawanda Lodge</span></a>.<br /><br />The national B. P. O. Elks is founded by English comic actor Charles Vivian in New York City in 1868. According to their <a href="http://www.elks.org/history/stories.cfm">website</a>:
<blockquote>It All Began With the Jolly Corks. Starting as as a group of actors and entertainers bent on having fun AND avoiding a New York Excise tax in 1867 (Sundays were the ‘dry’ day), this convivial group called themselves the Jolly Corks (for a clever trick with corks they performed on the uninitiated to win rounds of drinks). That same year as membership grew, some members saw the vision to become more helpful in the community. Alas, two feuding factions split the group over different philosophies. Fortunately, the latter faction moved forward with their new ideals and in February of 1868, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks was chartered–and with a great new spirit and direction, began to help Veterans, Scouting, Scholarships and more–wherever Charity, Justice and Brotherly Love were needed!</blockquote>
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Elks Club, matchbook (c1940).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
matchbook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/6470486ee508bfe96513d476a3059944.jpg
f63fe4099be7f4d9be42967fc3766669
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Sikora's Hotel, 468 Oliver, matchbook (c1940).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
hotel
ironton
matchbook
oliver
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/713ca9f7d11ae2e21cfda238f68729ab.jpg
091f20690cc89f64b56d03dfc7ce5ffa
https://nthistory.com/files/original/50dc90bd399836d2acb26e8d3007f8f1.jpg
a9687718c1ef99ef0f7793bd5fa9d571
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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NT red and blue felt patch.jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/7430fd9aa03cc4cd18211f989d6d0e54.jpg
5a077edcc338fb6743b65aacf62ef783
https://nthistory.com/files/original/df82f0eeccdbb75752932c8bbe10442f.jpg
32fd47792f601bedf279c190e91507c5
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Title
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Goerss's Dairy
Description
An account of the resource
The W. C. Goerss Dairy is started in Martinsville in 1925 by Wilmer C. Goerss. It seems likely that his brother Gerhart is involved early on. By 1937 the "G. V. Goerss Dairy" at 1270 Pierce Ave is selling milk, cream, and "Dari-O Orange drink."
Wilmer passes in 1951 at 1301 Pierce. By 1952 the dairy is at 370 Oliver Street.
Gerhard V. Goerss dies in 1971, and is wife Leona in 1981. Their sons, James and Donald, carry on the business into at least the 1980s.
Object
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GV Goerss Dairy, logotype, milk bottle (c1940).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
dairy
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/feb95cedb779b260428ff2a47beb2f9d.jpg
51b272b53ab1f8c86566a2f65f140173
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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North Tonawanda, felt badge (c1940).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
logotype
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/295c5747c90293eb265a71ead23a3a92.jpg
b2c3f07c492b0d4051784beb8fb85ab3
https://nthistory.com/files/original/17bdb24cd8bb3b6523d5bcebbcac8146.jpg
5a988e998681cce261cdc513a9be4fe1
https://nthistory.com/files/original/62f8cc27dbb5a3c3c31bffd946598b58.jpg
0c320f18e4af9557b69e7742756a6c4e
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Fischers Pharmacy, 301 Payne, matchbook (c1940).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1940
logotype
matchbook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/e01f13e32aa05c4a77e503740db8a03f.jpg
3cfd0f02f2a1ded361e583bc1167dc40
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
B. P. O. Elks Lodge 860 (Sweeney and Main)
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" src="https://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/77.jpg" alt="BPOE building" /> <span class="cover-caption">The Elks Club home c1920–2011; northeast corner of Main and Sweeney.</span>The North Tonawanda chapter of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks organizes around 1903. Early on they meet in the State National Bank building on Webster and Sweeney. By about 1920 they secure their own large red brick building at the corner of Main and Sweeney. In December 2011, this building is <a href="http://nthistory.com/items/show/1247">destroyed by fire</a>. The fraternal organization now operates out of somewhat <a href="http://nthistory.com/items/show/1249">humbler quarters</a> in Tonawanda. You may wish to drop in on their Facebook page, whose name bears eloquent witness of their exile to Main Street, Tonawanda: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BpoElksLodge860/"><span>Twin Cities Lodge # 860 formerly known as North Tonawanda Lodge</span></a>.<br /><br />The national B. P. O. Elks is founded by English comic actor Charles Vivian in New York City in 1868. According to their <a href="http://www.elks.org/history/stories.cfm">website</a>:
<blockquote>It All Began With the Jolly Corks. Starting as as a group of actors and entertainers bent on having fun AND avoiding a New York Excise tax in 1867 (Sundays were the ‘dry’ day), this convivial group called themselves the Jolly Corks (for a clever trick with corks they performed on the uninitiated to win rounds of drinks). That same year as membership grew, some members saw the vision to become more helpful in the community. Alas, two feuding factions split the group over different philosophies. Fortunately, the latter faction moved forward with their new ideals and in February of 1868, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks was chartered–and with a great new spirit and direction, began to help Veterans, Scouting, Scholarships and more–wherever Charity, Justice and Brotherly Love were needed!</blockquote>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
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Elks Club, matchbook (c1945).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1945
fraternal
matchbook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/8247dada1be5eda70ddc24c4da589c16.png
8dbe33e9d4741705d2a16ff28900f8a3
https://nthistory.com/files/original/fba2e045eac8a7108dd79361be675a38.png
2874e2667546629c709dc5d121803a02
Dublin Core
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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
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Buffalo Bolt matchbook (c1945).png
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1945
collection
logotype
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/7785bea08b2578f9280cee8ad28a0ba3.jpeg
5f61ad7f26e6b731f4e091e05018453b
https://nthistory.com/files/original/96ac606cdfc5bfa8b02998a6bbf33490.jpeg
09bd482b175e4dff6fcbc8516ed20769
https://nthistory.com/files/original/06b89fe1dfae338eae7b551d72e69d4b.jpeg
7d1d5d0c25e61bc399c669cdfcbb95f3
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Creo-Dipt, Weatherbest Stained Shingles
Description
An account of the resource
In November 1929 Island Street facility nearly wiped out by a disastrous blaze that does an estimated $250,000 in damage and destroys 100 carloads of shingles.
Creo-Dipt used creosote to hold the color within the shingle.
Object
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Creo-Dipt, Shingles and Stains catalog excerpts (1946).jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1946
catalog
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/688c275fcaf4132053cd9b80d903deab.jpg
b29ddec5680bfda1ed90e08595c49678
Object
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Title
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North Tonawanda Golden Jubilee, pennant (1947).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1947
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/dfa4c982635746a271b0404d76dcd1c4.jpg
af06ff236831415e4fb16cce8bbef1e7
https://nthistory.com/files/original/1aeda9307955b370dfdde49314509f86.jpg
b151ba6b0b621cea53e655951c0d4a90
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Title
A name given to the resource
Martinsville
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" src="../../../custom/cover/56.jpg" alt="Postcard view looking north up Old Falld Blvd" /><span class="cover-caption">Old Falls Boulevard, looking north from Lockport Ave. to Niagara Falls Blvd. Postcard detail, c.1900.</span> The northeast part of North Tonawanda known as "Martinsville" is named after the father of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther. It is settled by German Lutheran farmers, beginning around 1843. They settled in narrow farms along the west bank of Tonawanda Creek. As the area developed, a "downtown" emerged along William Street, present-day Old Falls Blvd, near Lockport Rd. (pictured above). The village boasted its own post office, stores and places of entertainment. <br /><br />Most of Martinsville was incorporated into the then-booming City of North Tonawanda in 1897. The sections of Martinsville east of present-day Old Falls and Niagara Falls boulevards are considered part of Wheatfield.<br /><br />The real estate transaction that brought many of the settlers to the area, its early growth, and the contentious religious devotion of its people are described in <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/606"><em>History of Niagara County 1821-1878</em></a>:
<blockquote>In 1843 Carl Sack, Erdman Wurl and Fred Grosskopf purchased of William Vandervoote 400 acres, at $15 per acre, on the Tonawanda creek, in the southeast corner of the town, four miles east of Tonawanda village, in what is now known as the village of Martinsville. Lutheran religious antecedents caused the adoption of this name by the disciples of Martin Luther. The original purchase was divided into small lots of three acres and up- ward, as others were able to purchase, to provide for the location of thirty families the first season. They erected ten log houses in the autumn, each of which was occupied by three or four families during the winter and until joint efforts relieved the immigrants by building others. The families remained in Buffalo until the first houses were built, obtaining the best accommodations they could find. Forbidding as the prospect in the beginning must have been, it has been changed to the appearance of prosperity. The church organization is the controlling element in the government of the community, now consisting of one hundred families, connected with the two now existing, the result of divided feeling, but not an abandonment of the Lutheran faith.</blockquote>
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Martinsville Athletic Club, Crystal Bar, scorecard (1947).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1947
martinsville
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/3ecbfb30cb9aa6c7c136dc74c6cc7c41.jpg
aba6acbe31ae2271c498b357d7bd57c2
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
A name given to the resource
Corner Club wrestling, program (1949).jpg
Description
An account of the resource
100 Webster Street
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1949
sports
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/3db7c02beb657525fd157ca41693933a.jpeg
1c882f7414c8ca87f086e065d6ae9470
Dublin Core
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Title
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Rojek's Dairy, Stan Rojek and Park Manor Lanes
Description
An account of the resource
Andrew and Pauline Rojek immigrated to the US in 1905 from present-day Poland. They were were carpenters and dairy farmers, eventually establishing Rojek's Dairy at 125-129 12th Avenue. (Andrew would also continue his contractor career). Son Stan Rojek was born in 1919, and he realized the dream of many a North Tonawanda boy by being signed to play shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939. His locker, as luck would have it, was right next to color barrier-busting Jackie Robinson's locker, and it is said Stan was one of the first players in the Dodgers' clubhouse to accept the future legend. Shortly after his baseball career ended (around 1952), Stan returned to North Tonawanda to help with the family dairy. But he was not done with sports: In 1961 Stan and his brothers (Ted and Tony) purchased Manor Lanes bowling alley at 895 Payne Avenue (today the Salvation Army). Stan called in some "major league" favors for the alley's grand opening that August, snagging New York Yankee HOF manager Joe McCarthy to roll out the first ball. The brothers ran the bowling alley while continuing to operate the dairy. Today, "Rojek Field" on Walck Road pays honor to the major leaguer, just a few blocks from the 12th Avenue home that started it all.<br /><br />Some more insight into Stan's baseball career from <a href="https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/stan-rojek/">an article by Edward Veit</a>:
<blockquote>Late in the afternoon of September 22, 1942, propelled by a Lew Riggs single, pinch-runner Stan Rojek rounded third base and scored a ninth-inning run that sent the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants into extra innings. A five-feet-ten, 170 pound shortstop, appearing in his first major-league game, Rojek found himself in the midst of one of the all-time great pennant races. Three seasons would pass before Rojek got another taste of major-league baseball. <br /><br />Stanley Andrew Rojek was born on April 21, 1919, in North Tonawanda, New York, located on the Niagara River between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. His parents were Andrzej (later anglicized to Andrew) and Apolonia Rojek. Andrew, a house carpenter, a building contractor and lastly a dairy farmer, was born in Wylawa, Galicia (now part of Poland) and had immigrated in 1905. Stan was the second of three boys and had an older sister, Julia. <br /><br />After graduating from North Tonawanda High School—where he also played basketball—Rojek played semipro baseball in Western New York. He attracted the attention of Brooklyn scout Dick Fischer and subsequently signed with the Dodgers in 1939. Stan was assigned to the Class D PONY League in Olean, New York, just eighty-four miles south of his home. Rojek hit .320 in Olean, then worked his way through the Brooklyn farm system. He was with the Class C Dayton (Ohio) Wings in 1940 and the Class B Durham (North Carolina) Bulls in 1941. Promoted to Montreal, the Dodgers top farm team, in 1942, he hit .283 and was named to the International League All-Star team. He was a late September call-up to Brooklyn, but got into just the one contest. <br /><br />The next baseball game Stan Rojek played was a pick-up game in 1943 at the US Army’s Keesler Field in Mississippi. Rojek, like many major and minor leaguers, had been called to serve in World War II. Stan was prime material for the war effort, twenty-four-years-old, single, and in great physical condition. <br /><br />By July 1945 Rojek was in the Pacific, at Isley Field on Saipan, and playing for the 73rd Bomb Wing Bombers, whose roster included major leaguers Sid Hudson, Tex Hughson, and Mike McCormick. Rojek led the players on the 20th Air Force tour of the Pacific Islands with a .363 batting average and had three home runs. <br /><br />“The wars years may have retarded the chances of some young players, but I am one of the fortunate,” he told The Sporting News. “I am leaving the Army a better player because I had the experience of playing with and against seasoned major league stars. I played more than 200 games in the Army, and I didn’t do badly.”1 <br /><br />Discharged in December 1945, Rojek looked forward to returning to Brooklyn and earning the starting assignment at shortstop. Unfortunately for him, he was a member of one of the few teams where he could not compete for that role. The Dodgers had future Hall of Famer Pee Wee Reese firmly entrenched at short. Rojek served as his backup, getting into just 45 games, hitting .277 (13-for-47). <br /><br />The right-handed-hitting Rojek made his first major league hit an important one. On May 8, 1946, pinch hitting for pitcher Les Webber, Rojek singled off Reds southpaw Clyde Shoun to drive in the first run of an eventual ninth inning, four-run rally. He stayed in the game to play second base in the bottom of the ninth and had another single in the tenth. Brooklyn and St. Louis famously posted identical records in the ’46 campaign, and Rojek appeared in the first major league playoff game. Stan pinch hit for Kirby Higbe in the top of the fifth inning and drew a free pass. It was his last contribution of the season. <br /><br />Rojek played in only thirty-two games in 1947, but he started more games than the previous year, filling in for the injured Reese at short and for Eddie Stanky at second. He also played nine games at third. From August 24 through September 1, Rojek was the starting shortstop for all ten games. The Dodgers were 7-3 in that span and Stan batted .314 with six RBIs and made no errors in the field. Overall, he committed only two errors in 116 chances (.983) and hit .263 (21-for-80). He showed very little power, though, managing only one extra base hit. <br /><br />Stan did not appear in the 1947 World Series but did receive a full share, $4,081, of Brooklyn’s allotment. In November, with the winter meetings and the minor league draft looming, Branch Rickey was looking for roster flexibility. One of his first moves was to shed Rojek and first baseman Ed Stevens. The pair were sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a reported $50,000. <br /><br />Initially Rojek’s Pirates teammates called him “Reject” because he had been dumped by the Dodgers. He also was called “The Happy Rabbit” because of his projecting front teeth, his attitude, and his quickness in scurrying around shortstop. <br /><br />The way was cleared for Rojek to secure the everyday shortstop role, when three weeks after his transfer to Pittsburgh, the Pirates shortstop Billy Cox was traded to Brooklyn. With regular work, Rojek flourished. He played shortstop in all of the Pirates’ 156 games as Pittsburgh rose from last place in 1947 to fourth place in 1948. He had twenty-nine errors in 766 chances for a .962 fielding average, slightly better than the league average. He led all shortstops with 475 assists and his ninety-one double plays were second only to Reese’s ninety-three. <br /><br />New Pittsburgh manager Billy Meyer called Rojek “a pennant-winning shortstop.”2 The leadoff hitter for 153 games, Rojek, who hit .290 with twenty-seven doubles, five triples, four homers and fifty-one RBIs, led the league in plate appearances (713) and at-bats (641). He finished third in the National League in hits (186) and stolen bases (24). Impressively, he finished tenth in the vote for the National League Most Valuable Player. It was by far his best season as a major leaguer. <br /><br />Rojek probably got much satisfaction in 1948 from the Pirates defeating the Dodgers thirteen times in twenty-two games. On July 25 he had eight hits in nine at-bats as Pittsburgh and Brooklyn split a doubleheader; overall, he hit .323 against his old mates and slugged .444, each well above his season average. Yet in 1949 his offensive statistics declined sharply. On April 27, against the Cardinals, Rojek, who had two hits and scored two runs in the game, was twice hit by a pitch. The second one, in the ninth inning, was a beaning by pitcher Ken Johnson that sent Rojek to the hospital. <br /><br />Rojek said after the beaning he was never the same. He said his teammates “noted that I was just a fraction of a second hesitant in my swing. It wasn’t that I was afraid. It was just my reaction wasn’t there anymore. And you need every fraction of a second you can get in trying to hit a round ball with a round bat, especially if that ball is thrown some ninety-plus miles per hour.”3 His batting average fell to .244 for the year, and in 1950 he batted .257 in seventy-six games while being platooned with twenty-three-year-old Danny O’Connell. <br /><br />Branch Rickey, who had moved from the Dodgers to the Pirates and had cut Rojek’s salary, had promised to give the fun-loving infielder a raise if he married. Stan wed Audrey Moeller, but Rickey failed to pay up, and in May 1951 traded him to the Cardinals for outfielder Erv “Four Sack” Dusak and first baseman Rocky Nelson. <br /><br />Rojek batted .274 in fifty-one games for the Cardinals, backing up Solly Hemus. In January 1952 the Cardinals sent him on waivers to the St. Louis Browns. With the Browns he played in only nine games, the last one on May 13—his last game in the major leagues—before being sent to Toledo of the American Association. After the season, the Browns sent Rojek to the Dodgers in a deal that brought Billy Hunter to St. Louis. It was not quite full circle for Rojek—he never played for the Dodgers, and spent 1953 through 1955 as a part-time infielder for Dodgers farm clubs in Mobile, Montreal, and St. Paul. <br /><br />After the 1955 season, the thirty-six-year-old Rojek retired from baseball and joined his brothers Anthony and Theodore in the family’s dairy business in North Tonawanda. In 1961 the three brothers opened Rojek’s Park Manor Bowling Lanes. Hall of Fame manager Joe McCarthy, a resident of the area, rolled the first ball. Family members said the bowling alley idea more than likely came from Stan Musial, who visited Rojek often. “They were two Polish guys talking and laughing,” commented Rojek’s nephew, Jim Rojek. The brothers operated the bowling alley for twenty-five years. <br /><br />In June 1977 North Tonawanda renamed Payne Field, a city ballpark, Stan Rojek Field. Rojek is also enshrined in the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame. Stan and his wife were divorced during the 1980s, according to nephew Jim, and she moved to Florida. <br /><br />Rojek suffered a stroke in 1995. He died on July 9, 1997, in North Tonawanda. He was survived by a son, Bart, a daughter, Betty Valek of Southington, Connecticut, and five grandchildren. Rojek is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Tonawanda.</blockquote>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
A name given to the resource
Stan Rojek, pin (1949).jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1949
baseball
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/d6b8066b0a2a46deb9e2e5608cd3a62b.jpg
e54c8fd59ad8804dafa0a76ce360a76f
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Clover Club, North Tonawanda, matchbook (c1950).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
bar
matchbook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/4ab5e698d9259a3560b4c19d3a7dd664.jpg
7bcdb7e1a44184129d8932ef754809e2
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Victor Safe Company
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Victor Safe Co., safe (c1950).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/0313ca7b9a3472f739a03378840ef72b.jpg
46250ce1a07a808847f33f52f283fe9d
https://nthistory.com/files/original/b5896029e6564286b0f21f7e2a10bf7a.jpg
2c5a8d49ddcf6916327bae8593be221a
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Gleasons Restaurants, 1090 Niagara Falls Blvd, matchbook (c1950).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
matchbook
restaurant
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/e2411aa7f4c0b9fbfa307c5a24b3d301.jpg
3566d0a86788d67a6c3fcc24fd41483e
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Vic and Kai Delicatessen, 665 Oliver, ice cream box (c1950).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
retail
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/cf5998a2c59f4f740414a8b96cfa619b.jpg
18169a8bb7de755d25443af5d53dfcb0
Dublin Core
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Title
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Wurlitzer Common School (Head Start)
Description
An account of the resource
Built c. 1925 on land donated by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, serving Martinsville. Public School 6
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Wurlitzer School pennant (c1950).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
logotype
pennant
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/2c45fdcb6777df8b98dcf246d5b7ba0e.jpg
9e8252cc220133ed4dc08153e84a87ae
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Litwin's Trade Token, 671 Oliver (c1950).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
bar
ironton
oliver
restaurant
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/844c5ffaba4754fb8bcfa232a48a8ef7.jpg
1e81b592700f36ce3e1ef16f8105eeda
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Title
A name given to the resource
Thiele's Dairy
Description
An account of the resource
There were several Thiele's locations: The original was on Shawnee Road (the farm, out on Niagara Falls Blvd. in the Martinsville / Sawyer Creek area). There was also 401 Payne Ave., Oliver Street, and Ward Road in North Tonawanda; and a location on Broad Street in Tonawanda.
Object
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Thieles Dairy, Shawnee Rd, illustrated carton (c1950).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
dairy
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/894b4ac2a11c3d3f161107ef6304e244.jpg
5b7a9a80816b54df50ba2d6c0ba757db
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Wa-Ha-Kie Hotel, matchbook (c1950).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
hotel
matchbook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/751710848fad74c66708582714840b5a.jpg
3300630fe3a7c98baa9f726410d9e447
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Goerss's Dairy
Description
An account of the resource
The W. C. Goerss Dairy is started in Martinsville in 1925 by Wilmer C. Goerss. It seems likely that his brother Gerhart is involved early on. By 1937 the "G. V. Goerss Dairy" at 1270 Pierce Ave is selling milk, cream, and "Dari-O Orange drink."
Wilmer passes in 1951 at 1301 Pierce. By 1952 the dairy is at 370 Oliver Street.
Gerhard V. Goerss dies in 1971, and is wife Leona in 1981. Their sons, James and Donald, carry on the business into at least the 1980s.
Object
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GV Goerss Dairy milk cone (c1950).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
dairy
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/60f52949dac926ad78773dae1fd9f480.jpg
4c626e8e7a87da01dd065e253c007dc5
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Thiele, Rojeks Dairy, Whitco Fuel, calendars (1950s and 1960s).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
dairy
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/0095acdc6cf30e503db7157889f2c3b4.jpg
0b4ca4fcc66f26df1523587cf7237f9c
https://nthistory.com/files/original/d8acfc30d3aab47ef19a3d74fe7cedbc.jpg
5fad5705fb9586a169e2959080dd1319
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Jak-Ru-Mor Restaurant, Wurlitzer, token (c1950).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/c752b67b7f7081237a089a757c3f592a.jpg
75b6099a157e26169feaf5968f848226
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Twin City Dairy, milk bottle tags (c1950).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
dairy
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/f4b23a8a6b1051aa7bf240b4fa9c242f.jpg
9744a969968d5c0891cf19f5958245e1
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Motels
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
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Motel Esquire, 4390 Niagara Falls Blvd, matchbook (c1950).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
matchbook
motel
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/2e1ef15df7f528e1976bc1a7d44d8a1d.jpg
2a65ca4c48e2223ea89276f4257d7a23
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Frank's Liquors, matchbook (c1950).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
matchbook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/67903e35588e847ef20973946bd53cd4.jpg
39d4244d6f70111f10d64e7e93b99206
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Wulf Bottling Works (285 Main)
Description
An account of the resource
Started by Norman Wulf Sr. in 1921 (at 20 Minerva St., Tonawanda). His sons become partners in the business along the way. The operation has moved to 285 Main Street in North Tonawanda by 1944. Around 1959 they return to Tonawanda (a new location on Fillmore). Business closes shortly after founder's death in 1964. Distributors of Manru and Frontier Beer & Ale.
Object
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Frontier Gold Label Beer, label c1950.jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
label
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/c2283579b26b9d9c5b9fd57b57ec4e20.jpg
4b649969266c15e79591e5ec143802ae
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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City of Tonawanda meter attendant, felt badge (c1950).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/1db75cab53d0a280b17a6aa0cbafeaf6.jpg
ef527c3c08274a904f256e7b428ce4ef
https://nthistory.com/files/original/3fedc8154369708d9ec1b57e587cd696.jpg
65f04ccf4052b56f7f3a48f1fc2ae7ab
https://nthistory.com/files/original/0b7634356f3f39cef65695724b6eb68f.jpg
886ecf1f5b903cecde37819bea9e84cb
https://nthistory.com/files/original/e1c5a969eca5a10b34fbb4251fad19aa.jpg
1e8fe8664c5bae4eb8c99b0f573aa801
https://nthistory.com/files/original/ca3c47827e11b6bd632cb8a1d0de697c.jpg
0bb7ad06d9ec2c09846860afd60a897d
https://nthistory.com/files/original/9984d3446ac3e0b0283690bc4d39c330.jpg
2bcd6bf23d939713f662e961a301a923
Dublin Core
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Title
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Rojek's Dairy, Stan Rojek and Park Manor Lanes
Description
An account of the resource
Andrew and Pauline Rojek immigrated to the US in 1905 from present-day Poland. They were were carpenters and dairy farmers, eventually establishing Rojek's Dairy at 125-129 12th Avenue. (Andrew would also continue his contractor career). Son Stan Rojek was born in 1919, and he realized the dream of many a North Tonawanda boy by being signed to play shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939. His locker, as luck would have it, was right next to color barrier-busting Jackie Robinson's locker, and it is said Stan was one of the first players in the Dodgers' clubhouse to accept the future legend. Shortly after his baseball career ended (around 1952), Stan returned to North Tonawanda to help with the family dairy. But he was not done with sports: In 1961 Stan and his brothers (Ted and Tony) purchased Manor Lanes bowling alley at 895 Payne Avenue (today the Salvation Army). Stan called in some "major league" favors for the alley's grand opening that August, snagging New York Yankee HOF manager Joe McCarthy to roll out the first ball. The brothers ran the bowling alley while continuing to operate the dairy. Today, "Rojek Field" on Walck Road pays honor to the major leaguer, just a few blocks from the 12th Avenue home that started it all.<br /><br />Some more insight into Stan's baseball career from <a href="https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/stan-rojek/">an article by Edward Veit</a>:
<blockquote>Late in the afternoon of September 22, 1942, propelled by a Lew Riggs single, pinch-runner Stan Rojek rounded third base and scored a ninth-inning run that sent the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants into extra innings. A five-feet-ten, 170 pound shortstop, appearing in his first major-league game, Rojek found himself in the midst of one of the all-time great pennant races. Three seasons would pass before Rojek got another taste of major-league baseball. <br /><br />Stanley Andrew Rojek was born on April 21, 1919, in North Tonawanda, New York, located on the Niagara River between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. His parents were Andrzej (later anglicized to Andrew) and Apolonia Rojek. Andrew, a house carpenter, a building contractor and lastly a dairy farmer, was born in Wylawa, Galicia (now part of Poland) and had immigrated in 1905. Stan was the second of three boys and had an older sister, Julia. <br /><br />After graduating from North Tonawanda High School—where he also played basketball—Rojek played semipro baseball in Western New York. He attracted the attention of Brooklyn scout Dick Fischer and subsequently signed with the Dodgers in 1939. Stan was assigned to the Class D PONY League in Olean, New York, just eighty-four miles south of his home. Rojek hit .320 in Olean, then worked his way through the Brooklyn farm system. He was with the Class C Dayton (Ohio) Wings in 1940 and the Class B Durham (North Carolina) Bulls in 1941. Promoted to Montreal, the Dodgers top farm team, in 1942, he hit .283 and was named to the International League All-Star team. He was a late September call-up to Brooklyn, but got into just the one contest. <br /><br />The next baseball game Stan Rojek played was a pick-up game in 1943 at the US Army’s Keesler Field in Mississippi. Rojek, like many major and minor leaguers, had been called to serve in World War II. Stan was prime material for the war effort, twenty-four-years-old, single, and in great physical condition. <br /><br />By July 1945 Rojek was in the Pacific, at Isley Field on Saipan, and playing for the 73rd Bomb Wing Bombers, whose roster included major leaguers Sid Hudson, Tex Hughson, and Mike McCormick. Rojek led the players on the 20th Air Force tour of the Pacific Islands with a .363 batting average and had three home runs. <br /><br />“The wars years may have retarded the chances of some young players, but I am one of the fortunate,” he told The Sporting News. “I am leaving the Army a better player because I had the experience of playing with and against seasoned major league stars. I played more than 200 games in the Army, and I didn’t do badly.”1 <br /><br />Discharged in December 1945, Rojek looked forward to returning to Brooklyn and earning the starting assignment at shortstop. Unfortunately for him, he was a member of one of the few teams where he could not compete for that role. The Dodgers had future Hall of Famer Pee Wee Reese firmly entrenched at short. Rojek served as his backup, getting into just 45 games, hitting .277 (13-for-47). <br /><br />The right-handed-hitting Rojek made his first major league hit an important one. On May 8, 1946, pinch hitting for pitcher Les Webber, Rojek singled off Reds southpaw Clyde Shoun to drive in the first run of an eventual ninth inning, four-run rally. He stayed in the game to play second base in the bottom of the ninth and had another single in the tenth. Brooklyn and St. Louis famously posted identical records in the ’46 campaign, and Rojek appeared in the first major league playoff game. Stan pinch hit for Kirby Higbe in the top of the fifth inning and drew a free pass. It was his last contribution of the season. <br /><br />Rojek played in only thirty-two games in 1947, but he started more games than the previous year, filling in for the injured Reese at short and for Eddie Stanky at second. He also played nine games at third. From August 24 through September 1, Rojek was the starting shortstop for all ten games. The Dodgers were 7-3 in that span and Stan batted .314 with six RBIs and made no errors in the field. Overall, he committed only two errors in 116 chances (.983) and hit .263 (21-for-80). He showed very little power, though, managing only one extra base hit. <br /><br />Stan did not appear in the 1947 World Series but did receive a full share, $4,081, of Brooklyn’s allotment. In November, with the winter meetings and the minor league draft looming, Branch Rickey was looking for roster flexibility. One of his first moves was to shed Rojek and first baseman Ed Stevens. The pair were sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a reported $50,000. <br /><br />Initially Rojek’s Pirates teammates called him “Reject” because he had been dumped by the Dodgers. He also was called “The Happy Rabbit” because of his projecting front teeth, his attitude, and his quickness in scurrying around shortstop. <br /><br />The way was cleared for Rojek to secure the everyday shortstop role, when three weeks after his transfer to Pittsburgh, the Pirates shortstop Billy Cox was traded to Brooklyn. With regular work, Rojek flourished. He played shortstop in all of the Pirates’ 156 games as Pittsburgh rose from last place in 1947 to fourth place in 1948. He had twenty-nine errors in 766 chances for a .962 fielding average, slightly better than the league average. He led all shortstops with 475 assists and his ninety-one double plays were second only to Reese’s ninety-three. <br /><br />New Pittsburgh manager Billy Meyer called Rojek “a pennant-winning shortstop.”2 The leadoff hitter for 153 games, Rojek, who hit .290 with twenty-seven doubles, five triples, four homers and fifty-one RBIs, led the league in plate appearances (713) and at-bats (641). He finished third in the National League in hits (186) and stolen bases (24). Impressively, he finished tenth in the vote for the National League Most Valuable Player. It was by far his best season as a major leaguer. <br /><br />Rojek probably got much satisfaction in 1948 from the Pirates defeating the Dodgers thirteen times in twenty-two games. On July 25 he had eight hits in nine at-bats as Pittsburgh and Brooklyn split a doubleheader; overall, he hit .323 against his old mates and slugged .444, each well above his season average. Yet in 1949 his offensive statistics declined sharply. On April 27, against the Cardinals, Rojek, who had two hits and scored two runs in the game, was twice hit by a pitch. The second one, in the ninth inning, was a beaning by pitcher Ken Johnson that sent Rojek to the hospital. <br /><br />Rojek said after the beaning he was never the same. He said his teammates “noted that I was just a fraction of a second hesitant in my swing. It wasn’t that I was afraid. It was just my reaction wasn’t there anymore. And you need every fraction of a second you can get in trying to hit a round ball with a round bat, especially if that ball is thrown some ninety-plus miles per hour.”3 His batting average fell to .244 for the year, and in 1950 he batted .257 in seventy-six games while being platooned with twenty-three-year-old Danny O’Connell. <br /><br />Branch Rickey, who had moved from the Dodgers to the Pirates and had cut Rojek’s salary, had promised to give the fun-loving infielder a raise if he married. Stan wed Audrey Moeller, but Rickey failed to pay up, and in May 1951 traded him to the Cardinals for outfielder Erv “Four Sack” Dusak and first baseman Rocky Nelson. <br /><br />Rojek batted .274 in fifty-one games for the Cardinals, backing up Solly Hemus. In January 1952 the Cardinals sent him on waivers to the St. Louis Browns. With the Browns he played in only nine games, the last one on May 13—his last game in the major leagues—before being sent to Toledo of the American Association. After the season, the Browns sent Rojek to the Dodgers in a deal that brought Billy Hunter to St. Louis. It was not quite full circle for Rojek—he never played for the Dodgers, and spent 1953 through 1955 as a part-time infielder for Dodgers farm clubs in Mobile, Montreal, and St. Paul. <br /><br />After the 1955 season, the thirty-six-year-old Rojek retired from baseball and joined his brothers Anthony and Theodore in the family’s dairy business in North Tonawanda. In 1961 the three brothers opened Rojek’s Park Manor Bowling Lanes. Hall of Fame manager Joe McCarthy, a resident of the area, rolled the first ball. Family members said the bowling alley idea more than likely came from Stan Musial, who visited Rojek often. “They were two Polish guys talking and laughing,” commented Rojek’s nephew, Jim Rojek. The brothers operated the bowling alley for twenty-five years. <br /><br />In June 1977 North Tonawanda renamed Payne Field, a city ballpark, Stan Rojek Field. Rojek is also enshrined in the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame. Stan and his wife were divorced during the 1980s, according to nephew Jim, and she moved to Florida. <br /><br />Rojek suffered a stroke in 1995. He died on July 9, 1997, in North Tonawanda. He was survived by a son, Bart, a daughter, Betty Valek of Southington, Connecticut, and five grandchildren. Rojek is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Tonawanda.</blockquote>
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Title
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Stan Rojek, 1949, 1950, 1951 Bowman baseball cards.htm
Description
An account of the resource
1949, 1950 and 1951 Bowman
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/c210b8b3b0c8958c56ad7b8325a8a5c8.jpg
2f5681af91eb22f9b7cf7f91852d92fe
https://nthistory.com/files/original/044e7407c1043221815f605bb5dfcc16.jpg
13d5d42ab5e6e685e774735a599522f6
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
A name given to the resource
Four Corner Wrestling Club, program, cover (1950-02-03).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950-02-03
sports
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/4394b80078032bcbee77c9feca8fcbd3.jpg
f81d74ab6a8067cb65bb2c45014614a3
https://nthistory.com/files/original/7650f735ae399ca3e10d65f4725b274f.jpg
3da7271ea78fdcddff9fabb6b2793f2c
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Four Corner Wrestling Club, program, cover (1950-04-28).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950-04-28
sports
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/f7c8895506c19b9bbff1c73c9ffd972e.jpg
ae2699bd6f3e59c06a00b110dd3d4f31
https://nthistory.com/files/original/09c03b1b07958cf77b0cf77b2002ac1c.jpg
a1ddf9a0b7e43f8207a6e4f9970ea988
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
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Four Corner Wrestling Club, program, cover (1950-05-05).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950-05-05
sports
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/cd5a31418f9cf041f313a02251c062dc.jpg
e8ddd1edda29a7ae0b239be9090a7bf2
https://nthistory.com/files/original/e2509893f1456b3d1379651bcb67e0ad.jpg
f212388b53bfcb1f169edc2bcc08aa75
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
A name given to the resource
Four Corner Wrestling Club, program, cover (1950-05-12).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1950-05-12
sports
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/bb475a7712dae6c93a9af964306a345d.jpg
c522ee3bf3c6f212dd749f72f6e1ae4b
https://nthistory.com/files/original/40b65ffc6b315342a1fbe0c809ed7318.jpg
02378e9fcd58279e8753deff79837c61
https://nthistory.com/files/original/69afc60ddf959bf6adfeb3621f7f2841.jpg
74d28147d1ee80b043d83395de84a321
Dublin Core
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Title
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DeGraff Memorial Hospital
Description
An account of the resource
In 1913 business leaders in the Tonawandas including LeGrand S. DeGraff and NT Mayor Dr. John A. Rafter developed a plan to create a badly needed hospital. DeGraff funded the endeavor with a "very substantial contribution."
Architect W. O. Johnstone donated his work for the hospital. Ground was broken in April 14; dedication ceremonies took place May 30, 1914.
In 1930 an addition for a Nurses Home and Maternity Ward was made possible by a legacy grant from James S. Thompson. Another expansion was started in 1942 and completed in 1944.
In 1947, changes from a public institution to a non-profit, membership corporation.
March 14, 1953 a new addition and Maternity Wing are opened.
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Title
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DeGraff Opening of new addition and maternity wing, booklet (1953-03-14).jpg
Description
An account of the resource
Includes a history of DeGraff Memorial Hospital
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1953-03-14
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/410208692a0ef335744656d99f3cef71.jpg
9c771afb346bd0fa79ef0c71bab007c4
Object
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Title
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Ernie Green's Grill, 596 Oliver, matchbook (c1955).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1955
ironton
matchbook
oliver
restaurant
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/2e537fdb9aef7cb4eb5371b7ad4ef705.jpg
8fd9e9cf626179a4bb9e874cd87769c7
https://nthistory.com/files/original/eed46da7006eaab719f297b93384844a.jpg
ae277d37627b709616678df1b951a625
Dublin Core
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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
Object
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Title
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Buffalo Bolt, logotype, 100th anniversary matchbook (1955).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1955
matchbook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/460e0a002a52b7fcda53e84216e434d3.jpg
5b6ebd603f54031dcc005c80bb5ae5bc
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Kahns New York Store, 49 Main, Tonawanda, matchbook (c1955).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1955
matchbook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/fc96e6a1d056a2c668ebfdbd370f4869.jpg
c8b0b6e3c9b380cc05f0cb4025b108b4
https://nthistory.com/files/original/65d194a7e48d3a0a31f19fc518639eec.jpg
aa9a7be994e5b411eac85fe614b85caa
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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DeLorm Radio Service, 118 Felton, matchbook cover (c1955).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1955
matchbook
matchboook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/1cfb394d81bbc94321ea98f588085bfd.jpg
5f92f07cd09d5dd17ab6aa90d1dda55c
Dublin Core
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Title
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Village Inn (869 Oliver)
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Village Inn, matchbook cover (c1960).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
bar
logotype
matchbook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/1a96ef2a7fb54845c21bf73a1fb4a193.jpg
36c0eebaf97683d7bbc347610c654dee
Dublin Core
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Title
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Thiele's Dairy
Description
An account of the resource
There were several Thiele's locations: The original was on Shawnee Road (the farm, out on Niagara Falls Blvd. in the Martinsville / Sawyer Creek area). There was also 401 Payne Ave., Oliver Street, and Ward Road in North Tonawanda; and a location on Broad Street in Tonawanda.
Object
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Title
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Thiele's Dairy, illustrated carton (c1960).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
dairy
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/57cc63cde992ef8dd5e27cacac0fe350.jpg
5f93e297c698414d87dfe7fcf0099d23
Dublin Core
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Title
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Melody Fair
Description
An account of the resource
This little theater drew an impressive array of stars to North Tonawanda, and it saddened the hearts of many to watch it fall into disuse in the 90s before finally being torn down.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
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Melody Fair, logotype in program (c1960).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
theater
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/2842eabe904d1eaee87390ceda7d3665.jpg
5ff234ef9ae210b92d420389905bef0b
Dublin Core
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Title
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Allan Herschell Companies
Description
An account of the resource
<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>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Herschell Miniature Train, photo (c1960).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/7439f4e0b9c33cd5e61105d860fcf828.jpg
af262f884e31513072a8ca179d904474
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Felt patch from Rainbow Roller Rink (c1960).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/ec340a28a794a332e11f160a670dc978.jpg
b5987bc665927464433f017e7b605fea
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Rainbow Roller Rink, decal (c1960).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
recreation
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/3d266baf71948613d7286202f9b075b5.jpg
07b3c5be2c5ecb3fd65dcfba5a70b4ac
Dublin Core
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Title
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Friedens Church, Ghostlight Theatre (170 Schenck)
Description
An account of the resource
The current Ghostlight Theatre, as living memory will inform many residents and casual observation will inform the rest, began as a church. From <a href="https://www.starrynighttheatre.com/about">Starry Night Theatre's website</a>: <br /><br />
<blockquote>On a rainy Halloween in 1889, the cornerstone was laid for the Evangelical Friedens Church of North Tonawanda at the corner of Schenck and Vandervoort Streets. On September 1, 1890, the Church was completed. Designed by George Fischer of the Gombert & Thompson Company, the church featured an 80-foot steeple and could seat 400. The bell, purchased from the First Presbyterian Church of Buffalo, was cast by the Meenely Foundry in West Troy, New York in 1851. It weighs 2,800 pounds and the diameter at its mouth is 52 inches. In 1918, a Hope Jones organ, built by the Wurlitzer Company, was installed. In June 2000, the Frieden's United Church of Christ Congregation moved into their new home in Amherst.</blockquote>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Friedens Church, illustrated ceramic hotplate (c1960).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
church
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/23de68319eb1c1cf388905026aa59bd6.jpg
0ba7e42467826a48e9d1af53411d7fa3
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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King Bros Circus, Witner (Witmer) and River Roads, poster (c1960).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/18dc73c99f091a735d71f0c2dd0caf98.jpg
dead6ea5be6748ee97f6fdce5977d360
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
A name given to the resource
Martinsville
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" src="../../../custom/cover/56.jpg" alt="Postcard view looking north up Old Falld Blvd" /><span class="cover-caption">Old Falls Boulevard, looking north from Lockport Ave. to Niagara Falls Blvd. Postcard detail, c.1900.</span> The northeast part of North Tonawanda known as "Martinsville" is named after the father of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther. It is settled by German Lutheran farmers, beginning around 1843. They settled in narrow farms along the west bank of Tonawanda Creek. As the area developed, a "downtown" emerged along William Street, present-day Old Falls Blvd, near Lockport Rd. (pictured above). The village boasted its own post office, stores and places of entertainment. <br /><br />Most of Martinsville was incorporated into the then-booming City of North Tonawanda in 1897. The sections of Martinsville east of present-day Old Falls and Niagara Falls boulevards are considered part of Wheatfield.<br /><br />The real estate transaction that brought many of the settlers to the area, its early growth, and the contentious religious devotion of its people are described in <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/606"><em>History of Niagara County 1821-1878</em></a>:
<blockquote>In 1843 Carl Sack, Erdman Wurl and Fred Grosskopf purchased of William Vandervoote 400 acres, at $15 per acre, on the Tonawanda creek, in the southeast corner of the town, four miles east of Tonawanda village, in what is now known as the village of Martinsville. Lutheran religious antecedents caused the adoption of this name by the disciples of Martin Luther. The original purchase was divided into small lots of three acres and up- ward, as others were able to purchase, to provide for the location of thirty families the first season. They erected ten log houses in the autumn, each of which was occupied by three or four families during the winter and until joint efforts relieved the immigrants by building others. The families remained in Buffalo until the first houses were built, obtaining the best accommodations they could find. Forbidding as the prospect in the beginning must have been, it has been changed to the appearance of prosperity. The church organization is the controlling element in the government of the community, now consisting of one hundred families, connected with the two now existing, the result of divided feeling, but not an abandonment of the Lutheran faith.</blockquote>
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Nicks Inn, Ghise, Martinsville, matchbook back (c1960).jpg
Date
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1960
matchbook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/10a537402b3e082406c5bacc9f1a5fe6.jpg
b383d1f86f505ec542c0b86255db7bfb
https://nthistory.com/files/original/7a4ac63e500a3ac7bd7bf83e7c4fc7f7.jpg
a26e7cf9cb25474b5f7df0ec1652cce6
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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>
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Bennett Homes, matchbook (c1960).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
matchbook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/0647829550f4adb883603fa728256a3b.jpg
acca32fdfa9de31181de623264501020
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Bedells and others, matchbooks (c1960).jpg
Description
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Bedell's, Santora's LaStanza Ristorante, Metta's Farm Cooking, Mickey's Restaurant, Bonanza Sirloin Pits, Beachy's Grill
Date
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1960
matchbook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/4f6065fc058c5d092fa0e9df008a6d91.jpg
57cbbc68b03013941941ffa1e547dea4
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Goerss's Dairy
Description
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The W. C. Goerss Dairy is started in Martinsville in 1925 by Wilmer C. Goerss. It seems likely that his brother Gerhart is involved early on. By 1937 the "G. V. Goerss Dairy" at 1270 Pierce Ave is selling milk, cream, and "Dari-O Orange drink."
Wilmer passes in 1951 at 1301 Pierce. By 1952 the dairy is at 370 Oliver Street.
Gerhard V. Goerss dies in 1971, and is wife Leona in 1981. Their sons, James and Donald, carry on the business into at least the 1980s.
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Goerss Dairy, bottle (c1960).jpg
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1960
dairy
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/396084d192bed9b9539c554bff26c612.jpg
3bc93bed3d9f70caa9bc30747af445d0
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Pine Woods School
Description
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Public School #3, built 1892.
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Ellen Martin, Pine Woods School, Kindergarten Diploma (1959-1960).jpg
Description
An account of the resource
Ellen Marin (nee Hermann)emailed this and other Martin family material. Lived at 408 Schenck.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/61fb9189b982554d6a9a351e8c2e88b7.jpg
287abb591c53850125f5e7ebdca5cd6f
https://nthistory.com/files/original/5861174744b4a03f856cfaf5be3c766e.jpg
7166c14f53cac46e821db003accb9814
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Avenues (Neighborhood)
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/83.jpg" alt="Ironton" /> <span class="cover-caption">Looking east over the Avenues from the Niagara River. 2016 Google Earth </span> <br />In the 1880s, new industrial jobs (at <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/16">Tonawanda Iron and Steel</a>, the lumber docks and planing mills, and later Buffalo Bolt) spurred growth in the area north of Wheatfield. Poles, Hungarians and others flocked to the new area, bringing their languages and traditions (and chickens) with them. The new village becomes known as “Ironton;” today, "The Avenues."<br /><br />From the guidebook "<a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/608">North Tonawanda and Tonawanda</a>" (1891):
<blockquote>IRONTON ADDITION.— With the advent of the Niagara River Iron Works in 1873 brisk times were anticipated and quite a large tract of land was platted into lots in that vicinity. As the furnace was discontinued in about a year, developments were practically at a standstill for more than a dozen years...</blockquote>
This <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/247">1875 Wheatfield map</a> shows Ironton clearly labeled, and smattering of homes within the (unlabeled) avenues. A <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/1543">1938 article</a> claims that the influx of Polish begins in 1882 with the establishment of a John Cichoki's <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/1665">tavern on River Road</a> near Wheatfield. <br /><br />An 1884 Educational report mentions an Ironton school in a frame house half a mile from stone 1866 Goundry Street School.* In 1889, <span><a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/64">Ironton Public School #2</a> opens at the corner of 1st Ave and Oliver Street (present-day Elizabeth Harvey Apartments / Olmsted Center for Sight).</span><br /><br />Also in 1889, the big furnace on River Road near Wheatfield fires up again, and the adjacent marshes and former farms once again become valuable real estate. Investors jump. The 1891 guidebook continues:
<blockquote><br />It was purchased from Pratt & Jewett by Geo. P. Smith and A. J. Hathaway, Oct. 15, 1889, replatted, and Jan. 1st, 1890, put on the market. Within a year 500 building lots had been sold and 100 houses erected.<br /><br />With June of the present year [1891] the Ironton Land Co. was incorporated with capital of §100,000 and everything bids fair for a prosperous career, as this is the river center of North Tonawanda corporation, and being traversed by all the rail- roads it cannot fail to secure prominent manufacturing interests. <br /><br />The Ironton addition is less than a mile from the North Tonawanda City Hall. With the Iron & Steel Works, the surrounding lumber interests and the bolt and nut works of Plumb, Burdict ct Barnard, which has recently been located on the adjoining property, this section of the city will make a convenient and desirable place for mechanics and business firms. It has the water supply, electric lights, and will soon be connected by the electric street car line. <br /><br />A double two story brick block for stores has just been completed on Oliver street, making a nice addition to the mercantile conveniences there, a $15,000 brick school house was erected a couple of years since, a church dedicated in August and this section has all the modern conveniences of the older part of the city.</blockquote>
For the numerous Polish on the <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/3436">original seven avenues</a>, their church is the center of their community. OLC is established on Center Ave, exactly where the grotto is today. It is later rebuilt just south. <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/98">Pettit Creek</a> flows through the area (it will be covered).<br /><br /><a href="http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201893%20Jul-Jul%201894%20Grayscale/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201893%20Jul-Jul%201894%20Grayscale%20-%200105.pdf">The paving of Oliver Street being planned August 26, 1893.<br /></a><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=zCwdAQAAIAAJ&dq=ironton+tonawanda&source=gbs_navlinks_s"> A progress report </a><a href="http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201893%20Jul-Jul%201894%20Grayscale/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201893%20Jul-Jul%201894%20Grayscale%20-%200169.pdf">about a month later</a><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=zCwdAQAAIAAJ&dq=ironton+tonawanda&source=gbs_navlinks_s">. October 5 </a><a href="http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201893%20Jul-Jul%201894%20Grayscale/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201893%20Jul-Jul%201894%20Grayscale%20-%200235.pdf">there is labor trouble between Poles and Italians</a><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=zCwdAQAAIAAJ&dq=ironton+tonawanda&source=gbs_navlinks_s">.</a><br /><br />"Ironton" (along with the villages of <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/93">Gratwick</a> and <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/56">Martinsville</a>) is incorporated into the City of North Tonawanda in 1897. The last remnant of the old village name is in its "Ironton Street," running along the west edge of the original avenues.<br /><br />The upper avenues remain essentially woods and marshes until the 1940s, when settlement accelerates with the nationwide Baby Boom. The opening of the Memorial Pool in 1947<br /><br /><em>Notes:</em><br /><br /> * <span><em>Annual Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, of the State of New-York</em> (1884,</span> <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=EEEdAQAAIAAJ">Google Books)</a> Also has lots of details about new Goundry Street school and a brief mention of Gratwick school and enrollment figures.1890 "The village of Tonawanda is up and awake as far as educational matters are concerned. It has a progressive board of education composed of five members, all liberal men in their views. A new brick school building is nearly completed at Ironton, a suburb of the village, that would be a pride to any town."<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=zCwdAQAAIAAJ&dq=ironton+tonawanda&source=gbs_navlinks_s"><br /></a> <br />John Carr on Facebook in January 2017: "Go back to the 1800's and my great grandfather's farm, as well as several others, was there, extending from the river inland past Payne. The house was originally along the river. Eventually the lumber yards and steel mills pushed the property, and the house back from the river to Oliver (#849 or #869). In the 1890's, after his death, the property was sold off and developed into individual housing lots. At that time the area was annexed to North Tonawanda, before that the area was part of Wheatfield. Carr Street still exists by the town pool. Many of my great grand parents children and their families had homes in the area. We see the area today pretty much as it was developed then, however modernized a bit and not the capitol of industry it was then."
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Ernie Green, 155 Wheatfield, North Tonawanda, token (c1960).jpg
Date
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1960
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/8e80522bb06cd2778842d2d5bee68602.jpg
ea557ca3e2b505ffbd4efa0d7c11dbd5
https://nthistory.com/files/original/8c67e9f1942da03a499fae7fa3ff89ff.jpg
60953a51933d1bae9dba53734ff2203e
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Gleasons Home of the Hi-Burger, matchbook (c1960).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
matchbook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/7d3da713827a5040bad97831d673023a.jpg
b2313556b0d96b17b79d5db27f79a6d9
https://nthistory.com/files/original/b424497785fa2d25e29127fb350c3d59.jpg
839b593228af2031ae5065451c3de7cf
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Thiele's Dairy
Description
An account of the resource
There were several Thiele's locations: The original was on Shawnee Road (the farm, out on Niagara Falls Blvd. in the Martinsville / Sawyer Creek area). There was also 401 Payne Ave., Oliver Street, and Ward Road in North Tonawanda; and a location on Broad Street in Tonawanda.
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Thiele Dairy, bottles.jpg
Date
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1960
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/a6eec6e74af973e9a7b6d9144851f863.jpg
884d537f243c2580074eda3356da602d
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Bedells Candlelite Lounge, matchbook (c1960).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
matchbook
matchboook
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/173e20ec657b20f1596f53b3b6aee2eb.jpg
72696d0a9b01d1f1da0a7da3760bde90
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Millers Pickles, jar (c1960).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/41922ac1c92b0ed82f6d29cb3fec659f.jpeg
c017dc6ad4e014b556fcbe505e7e9a5d
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Rojek's Dairy, Stan Rojek and Park Manor Lanes
Description
An account of the resource
Andrew and Pauline Rojek immigrated to the US in 1905 from present-day Poland. They were were carpenters and dairy farmers, eventually establishing Rojek's Dairy at 125-129 12th Avenue. (Andrew would also continue his contractor career). Son Stan Rojek was born in 1919, and he realized the dream of many a North Tonawanda boy by being signed to play shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939. His locker, as luck would have it, was right next to color barrier-busting Jackie Robinson's locker, and it is said Stan was one of the first players in the Dodgers' clubhouse to accept the future legend. Shortly after his baseball career ended (around 1952), Stan returned to North Tonawanda to help with the family dairy. But he was not done with sports: In 1961 Stan and his brothers (Ted and Tony) purchased Manor Lanes bowling alley at 895 Payne Avenue (today the Salvation Army). Stan called in some "major league" favors for the alley's grand opening that August, snagging New York Yankee HOF manager Joe McCarthy to roll out the first ball. The brothers ran the bowling alley while continuing to operate the dairy. Today, "Rojek Field" on Walck Road pays honor to the major leaguer, just a few blocks from the 12th Avenue home that started it all.<br /><br />Some more insight into Stan's baseball career from <a href="https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/stan-rojek/">an article by Edward Veit</a>:
<blockquote>Late in the afternoon of September 22, 1942, propelled by a Lew Riggs single, pinch-runner Stan Rojek rounded third base and scored a ninth-inning run that sent the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants into extra innings. A five-feet-ten, 170 pound shortstop, appearing in his first major-league game, Rojek found himself in the midst of one of the all-time great pennant races. Three seasons would pass before Rojek got another taste of major-league baseball. <br /><br />Stanley Andrew Rojek was born on April 21, 1919, in North Tonawanda, New York, located on the Niagara River between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. His parents were Andrzej (later anglicized to Andrew) and Apolonia Rojek. Andrew, a house carpenter, a building contractor and lastly a dairy farmer, was born in Wylawa, Galicia (now part of Poland) and had immigrated in 1905. Stan was the second of three boys and had an older sister, Julia. <br /><br />After graduating from North Tonawanda High School—where he also played basketball—Rojek played semipro baseball in Western New York. He attracted the attention of Brooklyn scout Dick Fischer and subsequently signed with the Dodgers in 1939. Stan was assigned to the Class D PONY League in Olean, New York, just eighty-four miles south of his home. Rojek hit .320 in Olean, then worked his way through the Brooklyn farm system. He was with the Class C Dayton (Ohio) Wings in 1940 and the Class B Durham (North Carolina) Bulls in 1941. Promoted to Montreal, the Dodgers top farm team, in 1942, he hit .283 and was named to the International League All-Star team. He was a late September call-up to Brooklyn, but got into just the one contest. <br /><br />The next baseball game Stan Rojek played was a pick-up game in 1943 at the US Army’s Keesler Field in Mississippi. Rojek, like many major and minor leaguers, had been called to serve in World War II. Stan was prime material for the war effort, twenty-four-years-old, single, and in great physical condition. <br /><br />By July 1945 Rojek was in the Pacific, at Isley Field on Saipan, and playing for the 73rd Bomb Wing Bombers, whose roster included major leaguers Sid Hudson, Tex Hughson, and Mike McCormick. Rojek led the players on the 20th Air Force tour of the Pacific Islands with a .363 batting average and had three home runs. <br /><br />“The wars years may have retarded the chances of some young players, but I am one of the fortunate,” he told The Sporting News. “I am leaving the Army a better player because I had the experience of playing with and against seasoned major league stars. I played more than 200 games in the Army, and I didn’t do badly.”1 <br /><br />Discharged in December 1945, Rojek looked forward to returning to Brooklyn and earning the starting assignment at shortstop. Unfortunately for him, he was a member of one of the few teams where he could not compete for that role. The Dodgers had future Hall of Famer Pee Wee Reese firmly entrenched at short. Rojek served as his backup, getting into just 45 games, hitting .277 (13-for-47). <br /><br />The right-handed-hitting Rojek made his first major league hit an important one. On May 8, 1946, pinch hitting for pitcher Les Webber, Rojek singled off Reds southpaw Clyde Shoun to drive in the first run of an eventual ninth inning, four-run rally. He stayed in the game to play second base in the bottom of the ninth and had another single in the tenth. Brooklyn and St. Louis famously posted identical records in the ’46 campaign, and Rojek appeared in the first major league playoff game. Stan pinch hit for Kirby Higbe in the top of the fifth inning and drew a free pass. It was his last contribution of the season. <br /><br />Rojek played in only thirty-two games in 1947, but he started more games than the previous year, filling in for the injured Reese at short and for Eddie Stanky at second. He also played nine games at third. From August 24 through September 1, Rojek was the starting shortstop for all ten games. The Dodgers were 7-3 in that span and Stan batted .314 with six RBIs and made no errors in the field. Overall, he committed only two errors in 116 chances (.983) and hit .263 (21-for-80). He showed very little power, though, managing only one extra base hit. <br /><br />Stan did not appear in the 1947 World Series but did receive a full share, $4,081, of Brooklyn’s allotment. In November, with the winter meetings and the minor league draft looming, Branch Rickey was looking for roster flexibility. One of his first moves was to shed Rojek and first baseman Ed Stevens. The pair were sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a reported $50,000. <br /><br />Initially Rojek’s Pirates teammates called him “Reject” because he had been dumped by the Dodgers. He also was called “The Happy Rabbit” because of his projecting front teeth, his attitude, and his quickness in scurrying around shortstop. <br /><br />The way was cleared for Rojek to secure the everyday shortstop role, when three weeks after his transfer to Pittsburgh, the Pirates shortstop Billy Cox was traded to Brooklyn. With regular work, Rojek flourished. He played shortstop in all of the Pirates’ 156 games as Pittsburgh rose from last place in 1947 to fourth place in 1948. He had twenty-nine errors in 766 chances for a .962 fielding average, slightly better than the league average. He led all shortstops with 475 assists and his ninety-one double plays were second only to Reese’s ninety-three. <br /><br />New Pittsburgh manager Billy Meyer called Rojek “a pennant-winning shortstop.”2 The leadoff hitter for 153 games, Rojek, who hit .290 with twenty-seven doubles, five triples, four homers and fifty-one RBIs, led the league in plate appearances (713) and at-bats (641). He finished third in the National League in hits (186) and stolen bases (24). Impressively, he finished tenth in the vote for the National League Most Valuable Player. It was by far his best season as a major leaguer. <br /><br />Rojek probably got much satisfaction in 1948 from the Pirates defeating the Dodgers thirteen times in twenty-two games. On July 25 he had eight hits in nine at-bats as Pittsburgh and Brooklyn split a doubleheader; overall, he hit .323 against his old mates and slugged .444, each well above his season average. Yet in 1949 his offensive statistics declined sharply. On April 27, against the Cardinals, Rojek, who had two hits and scored two runs in the game, was twice hit by a pitch. The second one, in the ninth inning, was a beaning by pitcher Ken Johnson that sent Rojek to the hospital. <br /><br />Rojek said after the beaning he was never the same. He said his teammates “noted that I was just a fraction of a second hesitant in my swing. It wasn’t that I was afraid. It was just my reaction wasn’t there anymore. And you need every fraction of a second you can get in trying to hit a round ball with a round bat, especially if that ball is thrown some ninety-plus miles per hour.”3 His batting average fell to .244 for the year, and in 1950 he batted .257 in seventy-six games while being platooned with twenty-three-year-old Danny O’Connell. <br /><br />Branch Rickey, who had moved from the Dodgers to the Pirates and had cut Rojek’s salary, had promised to give the fun-loving infielder a raise if he married. Stan wed Audrey Moeller, but Rickey failed to pay up, and in May 1951 traded him to the Cardinals for outfielder Erv “Four Sack” Dusak and first baseman Rocky Nelson. <br /><br />Rojek batted .274 in fifty-one games for the Cardinals, backing up Solly Hemus. In January 1952 the Cardinals sent him on waivers to the St. Louis Browns. With the Browns he played in only nine games, the last one on May 13—his last game in the major leagues—before being sent to Toledo of the American Association. After the season, the Browns sent Rojek to the Dodgers in a deal that brought Billy Hunter to St. Louis. It was not quite full circle for Rojek—he never played for the Dodgers, and spent 1953 through 1955 as a part-time infielder for Dodgers farm clubs in Mobile, Montreal, and St. Paul. <br /><br />After the 1955 season, the thirty-six-year-old Rojek retired from baseball and joined his brothers Anthony and Theodore in the family’s dairy business in North Tonawanda. In 1961 the three brothers opened Rojek’s Park Manor Bowling Lanes. Hall of Fame manager Joe McCarthy, a resident of the area, rolled the first ball. Family members said the bowling alley idea more than likely came from Stan Musial, who visited Rojek often. “They were two Polish guys talking and laughing,” commented Rojek’s nephew, Jim Rojek. The brothers operated the bowling alley for twenty-five years. <br /><br />In June 1977 North Tonawanda renamed Payne Field, a city ballpark, Stan Rojek Field. Rojek is also enshrined in the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame. Stan and his wife were divorced during the 1980s, according to nephew Jim, and she moved to Florida. <br /><br />Rojek suffered a stroke in 1995. He died on July 9, 1997, in North Tonawanda. He was survived by a son, Bart, a daughter, Betty Valek of Southington, Connecticut, and five grandchildren. Rojek is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Tonawanda.</blockquote>
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Rojek's dairy, bottle (c1960).jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
logotype
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/c66d8e96e036637f98dea75a49c65908.jpeg
6c52b89b90b42983fb6d73d8709bb5b7
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
A name given to the resource
Rojek's Dairy, Stan Rojek and Park Manor Lanes
Description
An account of the resource
Andrew and Pauline Rojek immigrated to the US in 1905 from present-day Poland. They were were carpenters and dairy farmers, eventually establishing Rojek's Dairy at 125-129 12th Avenue. (Andrew would also continue his contractor career). Son Stan Rojek was born in 1919, and he realized the dream of many a North Tonawanda boy by being signed to play shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939. His locker, as luck would have it, was right next to color barrier-busting Jackie Robinson's locker, and it is said Stan was one of the first players in the Dodgers' clubhouse to accept the future legend. Shortly after his baseball career ended (around 1952), Stan returned to North Tonawanda to help with the family dairy. But he was not done with sports: In 1961 Stan and his brothers (Ted and Tony) purchased Manor Lanes bowling alley at 895 Payne Avenue (today the Salvation Army). Stan called in some "major league" favors for the alley's grand opening that August, snagging New York Yankee HOF manager Joe McCarthy to roll out the first ball. The brothers ran the bowling alley while continuing to operate the dairy. Today, "Rojek Field" on Walck Road pays honor to the major leaguer, just a few blocks from the 12th Avenue home that started it all.<br /><br />Some more insight into Stan's baseball career from <a href="https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/stan-rojek/">an article by Edward Veit</a>:
<blockquote>Late in the afternoon of September 22, 1942, propelled by a Lew Riggs single, pinch-runner Stan Rojek rounded third base and scored a ninth-inning run that sent the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants into extra innings. A five-feet-ten, 170 pound shortstop, appearing in his first major-league game, Rojek found himself in the midst of one of the all-time great pennant races. Three seasons would pass before Rojek got another taste of major-league baseball. <br /><br />Stanley Andrew Rojek was born on April 21, 1919, in North Tonawanda, New York, located on the Niagara River between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. His parents were Andrzej (later anglicized to Andrew) and Apolonia Rojek. Andrew, a house carpenter, a building contractor and lastly a dairy farmer, was born in Wylawa, Galicia (now part of Poland) and had immigrated in 1905. Stan was the second of three boys and had an older sister, Julia. <br /><br />After graduating from North Tonawanda High School—where he also played basketball—Rojek played semipro baseball in Western New York. He attracted the attention of Brooklyn scout Dick Fischer and subsequently signed with the Dodgers in 1939. Stan was assigned to the Class D PONY League in Olean, New York, just eighty-four miles south of his home. Rojek hit .320 in Olean, then worked his way through the Brooklyn farm system. He was with the Class C Dayton (Ohio) Wings in 1940 and the Class B Durham (North Carolina) Bulls in 1941. Promoted to Montreal, the Dodgers top farm team, in 1942, he hit .283 and was named to the International League All-Star team. He was a late September call-up to Brooklyn, but got into just the one contest. <br /><br />The next baseball game Stan Rojek played was a pick-up game in 1943 at the US Army’s Keesler Field in Mississippi. Rojek, like many major and minor leaguers, had been called to serve in World War II. Stan was prime material for the war effort, twenty-four-years-old, single, and in great physical condition. <br /><br />By July 1945 Rojek was in the Pacific, at Isley Field on Saipan, and playing for the 73rd Bomb Wing Bombers, whose roster included major leaguers Sid Hudson, Tex Hughson, and Mike McCormick. Rojek led the players on the 20th Air Force tour of the Pacific Islands with a .363 batting average and had three home runs. <br /><br />“The wars years may have retarded the chances of some young players, but I am one of the fortunate,” he told The Sporting News. “I am leaving the Army a better player because I had the experience of playing with and against seasoned major league stars. I played more than 200 games in the Army, and I didn’t do badly.”1 <br /><br />Discharged in December 1945, Rojek looked forward to returning to Brooklyn and earning the starting assignment at shortstop. Unfortunately for him, he was a member of one of the few teams where he could not compete for that role. The Dodgers had future Hall of Famer Pee Wee Reese firmly entrenched at short. Rojek served as his backup, getting into just 45 games, hitting .277 (13-for-47). <br /><br />The right-handed-hitting Rojek made his first major league hit an important one. On May 8, 1946, pinch hitting for pitcher Les Webber, Rojek singled off Reds southpaw Clyde Shoun to drive in the first run of an eventual ninth inning, four-run rally. He stayed in the game to play second base in the bottom of the ninth and had another single in the tenth. Brooklyn and St. Louis famously posted identical records in the ’46 campaign, and Rojek appeared in the first major league playoff game. Stan pinch hit for Kirby Higbe in the top of the fifth inning and drew a free pass. It was his last contribution of the season. <br /><br />Rojek played in only thirty-two games in 1947, but he started more games than the previous year, filling in for the injured Reese at short and for Eddie Stanky at second. He also played nine games at third. From August 24 through September 1, Rojek was the starting shortstop for all ten games. The Dodgers were 7-3 in that span and Stan batted .314 with six RBIs and made no errors in the field. Overall, he committed only two errors in 116 chances (.983) and hit .263 (21-for-80). He showed very little power, though, managing only one extra base hit. <br /><br />Stan did not appear in the 1947 World Series but did receive a full share, $4,081, of Brooklyn’s allotment. In November, with the winter meetings and the minor league draft looming, Branch Rickey was looking for roster flexibility. One of his first moves was to shed Rojek and first baseman Ed Stevens. The pair were sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a reported $50,000. <br /><br />Initially Rojek’s Pirates teammates called him “Reject” because he had been dumped by the Dodgers. He also was called “The Happy Rabbit” because of his projecting front teeth, his attitude, and his quickness in scurrying around shortstop. <br /><br />The way was cleared for Rojek to secure the everyday shortstop role, when three weeks after his transfer to Pittsburgh, the Pirates shortstop Billy Cox was traded to Brooklyn. With regular work, Rojek flourished. He played shortstop in all of the Pirates’ 156 games as Pittsburgh rose from last place in 1947 to fourth place in 1948. He had twenty-nine errors in 766 chances for a .962 fielding average, slightly better than the league average. He led all shortstops with 475 assists and his ninety-one double plays were second only to Reese’s ninety-three. <br /><br />New Pittsburgh manager Billy Meyer called Rojek “a pennant-winning shortstop.”2 The leadoff hitter for 153 games, Rojek, who hit .290 with twenty-seven doubles, five triples, four homers and fifty-one RBIs, led the league in plate appearances (713) and at-bats (641). He finished third in the National League in hits (186) and stolen bases (24). Impressively, he finished tenth in the vote for the National League Most Valuable Player. It was by far his best season as a major leaguer. <br /><br />Rojek probably got much satisfaction in 1948 from the Pirates defeating the Dodgers thirteen times in twenty-two games. On July 25 he had eight hits in nine at-bats as Pittsburgh and Brooklyn split a doubleheader; overall, he hit .323 against his old mates and slugged .444, each well above his season average. Yet in 1949 his offensive statistics declined sharply. On April 27, against the Cardinals, Rojek, who had two hits and scored two runs in the game, was twice hit by a pitch. The second one, in the ninth inning, was a beaning by pitcher Ken Johnson that sent Rojek to the hospital. <br /><br />Rojek said after the beaning he was never the same. He said his teammates “noted that I was just a fraction of a second hesitant in my swing. It wasn’t that I was afraid. It was just my reaction wasn’t there anymore. And you need every fraction of a second you can get in trying to hit a round ball with a round bat, especially if that ball is thrown some ninety-plus miles per hour.”3 His batting average fell to .244 for the year, and in 1950 he batted .257 in seventy-six games while being platooned with twenty-three-year-old Danny O’Connell. <br /><br />Branch Rickey, who had moved from the Dodgers to the Pirates and had cut Rojek’s salary, had promised to give the fun-loving infielder a raise if he married. Stan wed Audrey Moeller, but Rickey failed to pay up, and in May 1951 traded him to the Cardinals for outfielder Erv “Four Sack” Dusak and first baseman Rocky Nelson. <br /><br />Rojek batted .274 in fifty-one games for the Cardinals, backing up Solly Hemus. In January 1952 the Cardinals sent him on waivers to the St. Louis Browns. With the Browns he played in only nine games, the last one on May 13—his last game in the major leagues—before being sent to Toledo of the American Association. After the season, the Browns sent Rojek to the Dodgers in a deal that brought Billy Hunter to St. Louis. It was not quite full circle for Rojek—he never played for the Dodgers, and spent 1953 through 1955 as a part-time infielder for Dodgers farm clubs in Mobile, Montreal, and St. Paul. <br /><br />After the 1955 season, the thirty-six-year-old Rojek retired from baseball and joined his brothers Anthony and Theodore in the family’s dairy business in North Tonawanda. In 1961 the three brothers opened Rojek’s Park Manor Bowling Lanes. Hall of Fame manager Joe McCarthy, a resident of the area, rolled the first ball. Family members said the bowling alley idea more than likely came from Stan Musial, who visited Rojek often. “They were two Polish guys talking and laughing,” commented Rojek’s nephew, Jim Rojek. The brothers operated the bowling alley for twenty-five years. <br /><br />In June 1977 North Tonawanda renamed Payne Field, a city ballpark, Stan Rojek Field. Rojek is also enshrined in the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame. Stan and his wife were divorced during the 1980s, according to nephew Jim, and she moved to Florida. <br /><br />Rojek suffered a stroke in 1995. He died on July 9, 1997, in North Tonawanda. He was survived by a son, Bart, a daughter, Betty Valek of Southington, Connecticut, and five grandchildren. Rojek is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Tonawanda.</blockquote>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Rojek's delicious sour cream, bottle (c1960).jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
logotype
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/f391651b93b155a4e27d3ddb811182e7.jpeg
e75b5e50ff5b69670fcd91683cc73f89
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
A name given to the resource
Rojek's Dairy, Stan Rojek and Park Manor Lanes
Description
An account of the resource
Andrew and Pauline Rojek immigrated to the US in 1905 from present-day Poland. They were were carpenters and dairy farmers, eventually establishing Rojek's Dairy at 125-129 12th Avenue. (Andrew would also continue his contractor career). Son Stan Rojek was born in 1919, and he realized the dream of many a North Tonawanda boy by being signed to play shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939. His locker, as luck would have it, was right next to color barrier-busting Jackie Robinson's locker, and it is said Stan was one of the first players in the Dodgers' clubhouse to accept the future legend. Shortly after his baseball career ended (around 1952), Stan returned to North Tonawanda to help with the family dairy. But he was not done with sports: In 1961 Stan and his brothers (Ted and Tony) purchased Manor Lanes bowling alley at 895 Payne Avenue (today the Salvation Army). Stan called in some "major league" favors for the alley's grand opening that August, snagging New York Yankee HOF manager Joe McCarthy to roll out the first ball. The brothers ran the bowling alley while continuing to operate the dairy. Today, "Rojek Field" on Walck Road pays honor to the major leaguer, just a few blocks from the 12th Avenue home that started it all.<br /><br />Some more insight into Stan's baseball career from <a href="https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/stan-rojek/">an article by Edward Veit</a>:
<blockquote>Late in the afternoon of September 22, 1942, propelled by a Lew Riggs single, pinch-runner Stan Rojek rounded third base and scored a ninth-inning run that sent the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants into extra innings. A five-feet-ten, 170 pound shortstop, appearing in his first major-league game, Rojek found himself in the midst of one of the all-time great pennant races. Three seasons would pass before Rojek got another taste of major-league baseball. <br /><br />Stanley Andrew Rojek was born on April 21, 1919, in North Tonawanda, New York, located on the Niagara River between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. His parents were Andrzej (later anglicized to Andrew) and Apolonia Rojek. Andrew, a house carpenter, a building contractor and lastly a dairy farmer, was born in Wylawa, Galicia (now part of Poland) and had immigrated in 1905. Stan was the second of three boys and had an older sister, Julia. <br /><br />After graduating from North Tonawanda High School—where he also played basketball—Rojek played semipro baseball in Western New York. He attracted the attention of Brooklyn scout Dick Fischer and subsequently signed with the Dodgers in 1939. Stan was assigned to the Class D PONY League in Olean, New York, just eighty-four miles south of his home. Rojek hit .320 in Olean, then worked his way through the Brooklyn farm system. He was with the Class C Dayton (Ohio) Wings in 1940 and the Class B Durham (North Carolina) Bulls in 1941. Promoted to Montreal, the Dodgers top farm team, in 1942, he hit .283 and was named to the International League All-Star team. He was a late September call-up to Brooklyn, but got into just the one contest. <br /><br />The next baseball game Stan Rojek played was a pick-up game in 1943 at the US Army’s Keesler Field in Mississippi. Rojek, like many major and minor leaguers, had been called to serve in World War II. Stan was prime material for the war effort, twenty-four-years-old, single, and in great physical condition. <br /><br />By July 1945 Rojek was in the Pacific, at Isley Field on Saipan, and playing for the 73rd Bomb Wing Bombers, whose roster included major leaguers Sid Hudson, Tex Hughson, and Mike McCormick. Rojek led the players on the 20th Air Force tour of the Pacific Islands with a .363 batting average and had three home runs. <br /><br />“The wars years may have retarded the chances of some young players, but I am one of the fortunate,” he told The Sporting News. “I am leaving the Army a better player because I had the experience of playing with and against seasoned major league stars. I played more than 200 games in the Army, and I didn’t do badly.”1 <br /><br />Discharged in December 1945, Rojek looked forward to returning to Brooklyn and earning the starting assignment at shortstop. Unfortunately for him, he was a member of one of the few teams where he could not compete for that role. The Dodgers had future Hall of Famer Pee Wee Reese firmly entrenched at short. Rojek served as his backup, getting into just 45 games, hitting .277 (13-for-47). <br /><br />The right-handed-hitting Rojek made his first major league hit an important one. On May 8, 1946, pinch hitting for pitcher Les Webber, Rojek singled off Reds southpaw Clyde Shoun to drive in the first run of an eventual ninth inning, four-run rally. He stayed in the game to play second base in the bottom of the ninth and had another single in the tenth. Brooklyn and St. Louis famously posted identical records in the ’46 campaign, and Rojek appeared in the first major league playoff game. Stan pinch hit for Kirby Higbe in the top of the fifth inning and drew a free pass. It was his last contribution of the season. <br /><br />Rojek played in only thirty-two games in 1947, but he started more games than the previous year, filling in for the injured Reese at short and for Eddie Stanky at second. He also played nine games at third. From August 24 through September 1, Rojek was the starting shortstop for all ten games. The Dodgers were 7-3 in that span and Stan batted .314 with six RBIs and made no errors in the field. Overall, he committed only two errors in 116 chances (.983) and hit .263 (21-for-80). He showed very little power, though, managing only one extra base hit. <br /><br />Stan did not appear in the 1947 World Series but did receive a full share, $4,081, of Brooklyn’s allotment. In November, with the winter meetings and the minor league draft looming, Branch Rickey was looking for roster flexibility. One of his first moves was to shed Rojek and first baseman Ed Stevens. The pair were sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a reported $50,000. <br /><br />Initially Rojek’s Pirates teammates called him “Reject” because he had been dumped by the Dodgers. He also was called “The Happy Rabbit” because of his projecting front teeth, his attitude, and his quickness in scurrying around shortstop. <br /><br />The way was cleared for Rojek to secure the everyday shortstop role, when three weeks after his transfer to Pittsburgh, the Pirates shortstop Billy Cox was traded to Brooklyn. With regular work, Rojek flourished. He played shortstop in all of the Pirates’ 156 games as Pittsburgh rose from last place in 1947 to fourth place in 1948. He had twenty-nine errors in 766 chances for a .962 fielding average, slightly better than the league average. He led all shortstops with 475 assists and his ninety-one double plays were second only to Reese’s ninety-three. <br /><br />New Pittsburgh manager Billy Meyer called Rojek “a pennant-winning shortstop.”2 The leadoff hitter for 153 games, Rojek, who hit .290 with twenty-seven doubles, five triples, four homers and fifty-one RBIs, led the league in plate appearances (713) and at-bats (641). He finished third in the National League in hits (186) and stolen bases (24). Impressively, he finished tenth in the vote for the National League Most Valuable Player. It was by far his best season as a major leaguer. <br /><br />Rojek probably got much satisfaction in 1948 from the Pirates defeating the Dodgers thirteen times in twenty-two games. On July 25 he had eight hits in nine at-bats as Pittsburgh and Brooklyn split a doubleheader; overall, he hit .323 against his old mates and slugged .444, each well above his season average. Yet in 1949 his offensive statistics declined sharply. On April 27, against the Cardinals, Rojek, who had two hits and scored two runs in the game, was twice hit by a pitch. The second one, in the ninth inning, was a beaning by pitcher Ken Johnson that sent Rojek to the hospital. <br /><br />Rojek said after the beaning he was never the same. He said his teammates “noted that I was just a fraction of a second hesitant in my swing. It wasn’t that I was afraid. It was just my reaction wasn’t there anymore. And you need every fraction of a second you can get in trying to hit a round ball with a round bat, especially if that ball is thrown some ninety-plus miles per hour.”3 His batting average fell to .244 for the year, and in 1950 he batted .257 in seventy-six games while being platooned with twenty-three-year-old Danny O’Connell. <br /><br />Branch Rickey, who had moved from the Dodgers to the Pirates and had cut Rojek’s salary, had promised to give the fun-loving infielder a raise if he married. Stan wed Audrey Moeller, but Rickey failed to pay up, and in May 1951 traded him to the Cardinals for outfielder Erv “Four Sack” Dusak and first baseman Rocky Nelson. <br /><br />Rojek batted .274 in fifty-one games for the Cardinals, backing up Solly Hemus. In January 1952 the Cardinals sent him on waivers to the St. Louis Browns. With the Browns he played in only nine games, the last one on May 13—his last game in the major leagues—before being sent to Toledo of the American Association. After the season, the Browns sent Rojek to the Dodgers in a deal that brought Billy Hunter to St. Louis. It was not quite full circle for Rojek—he never played for the Dodgers, and spent 1953 through 1955 as a part-time infielder for Dodgers farm clubs in Mobile, Montreal, and St. Paul. <br /><br />After the 1955 season, the thirty-six-year-old Rojek retired from baseball and joined his brothers Anthony and Theodore in the family’s dairy business in North Tonawanda. In 1961 the three brothers opened Rojek’s Park Manor Bowling Lanes. Hall of Fame manager Joe McCarthy, a resident of the area, rolled the first ball. Family members said the bowling alley idea more than likely came from Stan Musial, who visited Rojek often. “They were two Polish guys talking and laughing,” commented Rojek’s nephew, Jim Rojek. The brothers operated the bowling alley for twenty-five years. <br /><br />In June 1977 North Tonawanda renamed Payne Field, a city ballpark, Stan Rojek Field. Rojek is also enshrined in the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame. Stan and his wife were divorced during the 1980s, according to nephew Jim, and she moved to Florida. <br /><br />Rojek suffered a stroke in 1995. He died on July 9, 1997, in North Tonawanda. He was survived by a son, Bart, a daughter, Betty Valek of Southington, Connecticut, and five grandchildren. Rojek is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Tonawanda.</blockquote>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Rojek's Dairy, bottle (c1960).jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/c511fdc6cb247c71984fea51a9f38dca.jpg
a00d950db1ebc9bccbc853288eaa94b0
https://nthistory.com/files/original/5493ac92b9d25f631b99d18991e77f3d.jpg
c50be579f07f386469933402e955c9e0
https://nthistory.com/files/original/2e1e39975f8cd20cad467562f9fe93e9.jpg
caef2f073a956f4373414712eabf74de
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Trophies catalog, Double Kay Sport Shop (c1960).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1960
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/0bc071a00d0e468bca31d2236a81c485.jpg
10d9a92eec4f6d069a5b49898f40904c
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
A name given to the resource
Rojek's Dairy, Stan Rojek and Park Manor Lanes
Description
An account of the resource
Andrew and Pauline Rojek immigrated to the US in 1905 from present-day Poland. They were were carpenters and dairy farmers, eventually establishing Rojek's Dairy at 125-129 12th Avenue. (Andrew would also continue his contractor career). Son Stan Rojek was born in 1919, and he realized the dream of many a North Tonawanda boy by being signed to play shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939. His locker, as luck would have it, was right next to color barrier-busting Jackie Robinson's locker, and it is said Stan was one of the first players in the Dodgers' clubhouse to accept the future legend. Shortly after his baseball career ended (around 1952), Stan returned to North Tonawanda to help with the family dairy. But he was not done with sports: In 1961 Stan and his brothers (Ted and Tony) purchased Manor Lanes bowling alley at 895 Payne Avenue (today the Salvation Army). Stan called in some "major league" favors for the alley's grand opening that August, snagging New York Yankee HOF manager Joe McCarthy to roll out the first ball. The brothers ran the bowling alley while continuing to operate the dairy. Today, "Rojek Field" on Walck Road pays honor to the major leaguer, just a few blocks from the 12th Avenue home that started it all.<br /><br />Some more insight into Stan's baseball career from <a href="https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/stan-rojek/">an article by Edward Veit</a>:
<blockquote>Late in the afternoon of September 22, 1942, propelled by a Lew Riggs single, pinch-runner Stan Rojek rounded third base and scored a ninth-inning run that sent the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants into extra innings. A five-feet-ten, 170 pound shortstop, appearing in his first major-league game, Rojek found himself in the midst of one of the all-time great pennant races. Three seasons would pass before Rojek got another taste of major-league baseball. <br /><br />Stanley Andrew Rojek was born on April 21, 1919, in North Tonawanda, New York, located on the Niagara River between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. His parents were Andrzej (later anglicized to Andrew) and Apolonia Rojek. Andrew, a house carpenter, a building contractor and lastly a dairy farmer, was born in Wylawa, Galicia (now part of Poland) and had immigrated in 1905. Stan was the second of three boys and had an older sister, Julia. <br /><br />After graduating from North Tonawanda High School—where he also played basketball—Rojek played semipro baseball in Western New York. He attracted the attention of Brooklyn scout Dick Fischer and subsequently signed with the Dodgers in 1939. Stan was assigned to the Class D PONY League in Olean, New York, just eighty-four miles south of his home. Rojek hit .320 in Olean, then worked his way through the Brooklyn farm system. He was with the Class C Dayton (Ohio) Wings in 1940 and the Class B Durham (North Carolina) Bulls in 1941. Promoted to Montreal, the Dodgers top farm team, in 1942, he hit .283 and was named to the International League All-Star team. He was a late September call-up to Brooklyn, but got into just the one contest. <br /><br />The next baseball game Stan Rojek played was a pick-up game in 1943 at the US Army’s Keesler Field in Mississippi. Rojek, like many major and minor leaguers, had been called to serve in World War II. Stan was prime material for the war effort, twenty-four-years-old, single, and in great physical condition. <br /><br />By July 1945 Rojek was in the Pacific, at Isley Field on Saipan, and playing for the 73rd Bomb Wing Bombers, whose roster included major leaguers Sid Hudson, Tex Hughson, and Mike McCormick. Rojek led the players on the 20th Air Force tour of the Pacific Islands with a .363 batting average and had three home runs. <br /><br />“The wars years may have retarded the chances of some young players, but I am one of the fortunate,” he told The Sporting News. “I am leaving the Army a better player because I had the experience of playing with and against seasoned major league stars. I played more than 200 games in the Army, and I didn’t do badly.”1 <br /><br />Discharged in December 1945, Rojek looked forward to returning to Brooklyn and earning the starting assignment at shortstop. Unfortunately for him, he was a member of one of the few teams where he could not compete for that role. The Dodgers had future Hall of Famer Pee Wee Reese firmly entrenched at short. Rojek served as his backup, getting into just 45 games, hitting .277 (13-for-47). <br /><br />The right-handed-hitting Rojek made his first major league hit an important one. On May 8, 1946, pinch hitting for pitcher Les Webber, Rojek singled off Reds southpaw Clyde Shoun to drive in the first run of an eventual ninth inning, four-run rally. He stayed in the game to play second base in the bottom of the ninth and had another single in the tenth. Brooklyn and St. Louis famously posted identical records in the ’46 campaign, and Rojek appeared in the first major league playoff game. Stan pinch hit for Kirby Higbe in the top of the fifth inning and drew a free pass. It was his last contribution of the season. <br /><br />Rojek played in only thirty-two games in 1947, but he started more games than the previous year, filling in for the injured Reese at short and for Eddie Stanky at second. He also played nine games at third. From August 24 through September 1, Rojek was the starting shortstop for all ten games. The Dodgers were 7-3 in that span and Stan batted .314 with six RBIs and made no errors in the field. Overall, he committed only two errors in 116 chances (.983) and hit .263 (21-for-80). He showed very little power, though, managing only one extra base hit. <br /><br />Stan did not appear in the 1947 World Series but did receive a full share, $4,081, of Brooklyn’s allotment. In November, with the winter meetings and the minor league draft looming, Branch Rickey was looking for roster flexibility. One of his first moves was to shed Rojek and first baseman Ed Stevens. The pair were sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a reported $50,000. <br /><br />Initially Rojek’s Pirates teammates called him “Reject” because he had been dumped by the Dodgers. He also was called “The Happy Rabbit” because of his projecting front teeth, his attitude, and his quickness in scurrying around shortstop. <br /><br />The way was cleared for Rojek to secure the everyday shortstop role, when three weeks after his transfer to Pittsburgh, the Pirates shortstop Billy Cox was traded to Brooklyn. With regular work, Rojek flourished. He played shortstop in all of the Pirates’ 156 games as Pittsburgh rose from last place in 1947 to fourth place in 1948. He had twenty-nine errors in 766 chances for a .962 fielding average, slightly better than the league average. He led all shortstops with 475 assists and his ninety-one double plays were second only to Reese’s ninety-three. <br /><br />New Pittsburgh manager Billy Meyer called Rojek “a pennant-winning shortstop.”2 The leadoff hitter for 153 games, Rojek, who hit .290 with twenty-seven doubles, five triples, four homers and fifty-one RBIs, led the league in plate appearances (713) and at-bats (641). He finished third in the National League in hits (186) and stolen bases (24). Impressively, he finished tenth in the vote for the National League Most Valuable Player. It was by far his best season as a major leaguer. <br /><br />Rojek probably got much satisfaction in 1948 from the Pirates defeating the Dodgers thirteen times in twenty-two games. On July 25 he had eight hits in nine at-bats as Pittsburgh and Brooklyn split a doubleheader; overall, he hit .323 against his old mates and slugged .444, each well above his season average. Yet in 1949 his offensive statistics declined sharply. On April 27, against the Cardinals, Rojek, who had two hits and scored two runs in the game, was twice hit by a pitch. The second one, in the ninth inning, was a beaning by pitcher Ken Johnson that sent Rojek to the hospital. <br /><br />Rojek said after the beaning he was never the same. He said his teammates “noted that I was just a fraction of a second hesitant in my swing. It wasn’t that I was afraid. It was just my reaction wasn’t there anymore. And you need every fraction of a second you can get in trying to hit a round ball with a round bat, especially if that ball is thrown some ninety-plus miles per hour.”3 His batting average fell to .244 for the year, and in 1950 he batted .257 in seventy-six games while being platooned with twenty-three-year-old Danny O’Connell. <br /><br />Branch Rickey, who had moved from the Dodgers to the Pirates and had cut Rojek’s salary, had promised to give the fun-loving infielder a raise if he married. Stan wed Audrey Moeller, but Rickey failed to pay up, and in May 1951 traded him to the Cardinals for outfielder Erv “Four Sack” Dusak and first baseman Rocky Nelson. <br /><br />Rojek batted .274 in fifty-one games for the Cardinals, backing up Solly Hemus. In January 1952 the Cardinals sent him on waivers to the St. Louis Browns. With the Browns he played in only nine games, the last one on May 13—his last game in the major leagues—before being sent to Toledo of the American Association. After the season, the Browns sent Rojek to the Dodgers in a deal that brought Billy Hunter to St. Louis. It was not quite full circle for Rojek—he never played for the Dodgers, and spent 1953 through 1955 as a part-time infielder for Dodgers farm clubs in Mobile, Montreal, and St. Paul. <br /><br />After the 1955 season, the thirty-six-year-old Rojek retired from baseball and joined his brothers Anthony and Theodore in the family’s dairy business in North Tonawanda. In 1961 the three brothers opened Rojek’s Park Manor Bowling Lanes. Hall of Fame manager Joe McCarthy, a resident of the area, rolled the first ball. Family members said the bowling alley idea more than likely came from Stan Musial, who visited Rojek often. “They were two Polish guys talking and laughing,” commented Rojek’s nephew, Jim Rojek. The brothers operated the bowling alley for twenty-five years. <br /><br />In June 1977 North Tonawanda renamed Payne Field, a city ballpark, Stan Rojek Field. Rojek is also enshrined in the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame. Stan and his wife were divorced during the 1980s, according to nephew Jim, and she moved to Florida. <br /><br />Rojek suffered a stroke in 1995. He died on July 9, 1997, in North Tonawanda. He was survived by a son, Bart, a daughter, Betty Valek of Southington, Connecticut, and five grandchildren. Rojek is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Tonawanda.</blockquote>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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Title
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Rojek's Dairy, milk bottle (c1961).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1961
Description
An account of the resource
Rojek's Dairy was at 129 12th Avenue.
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/925318cdcfae4abb3bdbc3f5c9b5c46a.jpg
6a378d1004fb93d4da13beb3f0f79958
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Bicycle license, North Tonawanda, 1961.jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1961
bicycle
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/aa98221e5c636809eb643f71d8b6f419.jpg
15988fbc01b5ebbc4cef951804974b22
https://nthistory.com/files/original/b01d60ea35b526fd374fce25dadd8dda.jpg
f89245b8d4f579f52a4dfbc82ae0d24e
https://nthistory.com/files/original/aa356b2c6b64357004d3b44246c3873b.jpg
88bf4391e07f4e75c6585ad52ab1ee7c
https://nthistory.com/files/original/f4299e85cb88ebf6ff5f759f3f4894b2.jpg
f451560a32075e9d44c5eb4d8f7282f4
https://nthistory.com/files/original/a44b3dfd545e30f41eba07ac1d5ffcdd.jpg
4c5a3e5f24bb06638a88bd6fae91bf2d
Dublin Core
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Title
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Meadow Drive High School
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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This Is Our High School, photo booklet excerpts (1962).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1962
school
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/56c61699789a00d06e2abfa1a76a0b91.jpg
3adfd733d55383b41274f4ebb3842c2a
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Pee Wee's Pizzeria, 281 Oliver, ashtray (1962-06-01).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1962-06-01
oliver
restaurant
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/11ef2a2d29570580369fd2ab10268d9c.jpg
08d513e35dbc27de483ce47c574ac5b7
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Bicycle license, North Tonawanda, 1964-1965.jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1965
bicycle
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/03ce035a57ff340667b1b016066fdb71.jpg
e9a584031cd8f042e76d3dfac7a81deb
https://nthistory.com/files/original/42ea69baef519346e59929096c7a9bbc.jpg
dea47c0a05671a15a8b36386d00f5df9
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Pepsi Truck of Lou Winter, photo (1966).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1966
Description
An account of the resource
"Photos of one of my Pepsi trucks at my house at 913 Ruie and another at a customer-stop in Niagara Falls. That day I stopped home to show Pat the brand new 1966 Ford truck I used to keep at Fritz's Sunoco at Ruie and Nash, another at Felton Amoco at Felton and Oliver, another at Ken's Sunoco on Ward near Ruie and one at a place on Ward Road past the Boulevard. I also gave Hi Adams' Texaco at Ruie and North some business, the closest service station to my house."
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/9aaac3c8db2878da1a1202a8b36a173d.jpg
dc7818d5ec8f967983cc31cfb04c29cc
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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North Tonawanda High School, class of 1969, pennant.jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1969
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/ca8b049c61f93c30b348769166e5971e.jpg
c501a32fc366658d1da81e8e53b44daf
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Thiele's Dairy
Description
An account of the resource
There were several Thiele's locations: The original was on Shawnee Road (the farm, out on Niagara Falls Blvd. in the Martinsville / Sawyer Creek area). There was also 401 Payne Ave., Oliver Street, and Ward Road in North Tonawanda; and a location on Broad Street in Tonawanda.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Thiele's Dairy, pot holder (c1970).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1970
dairy
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/59da8cd89946b95c515a5288b944e6f6.jpg
a2fa7996adbf521d6b3634d0cce85710
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
A name given to the resource
Thiele's Dairy
Description
An account of the resource
There were several Thiele's locations: The original was on Shawnee Road (the farm, out on Niagara Falls Blvd. in the Martinsville / Sawyer Creek area). There was also 401 Payne Ave., Oliver Street, and Ward Road in North Tonawanda; and a location on Broad Street in Tonawanda.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Thiele Dairy, milk bottle (c1970).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1970
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/cd55b81b44b433d679b9bdd06ee9a7e9.jpg
56d28bb85bec55f38fdad69df9218b24
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
A name given to the resource
Colonel Payne School
Description
An account of the resource
Public School #5
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Colonel Payne School, Safety Guides badge (c1970).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1970
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/dd66947908d761d2f09995899fd28ca0.jpg
ca8ad7108585d972727e7c1c289cc0eb
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Thiele Dairy, bottle (c1970).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1970
dairy
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/5dce3e98608229cfe791082d86a3f0ab.jpg
28f33b00a070910c788dee85f838839f
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
A name given to the resource
Thiele's Dairy
Description
An account of the resource
There were several Thiele's locations: The original was on Shawnee Road (the farm, out on Niagara Falls Blvd. in the Martinsville / Sawyer Creek area). There was also 401 Payne Ave., Oliver Street, and Ward Road in North Tonawanda; and a location on Broad Street in Tonawanda.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Thiele's Dairy, bottle, detail (c1970).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1970
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/92f20f97ba23fa1545656ea1243cd6db.png
b64c0a4cd2e617f65b920134a612ff94
https://nthistory.com/files/original/671e318a5422460dd4f7553520fb2c26.png
904b6852a595c182379bd709da3f71bd
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Buffalo Norsemen Hockey Club
Description
An account of the resource
This hockey team played <a href="https://funwhileitlasted.net/2012/05/05/1975-1976-buffalo-norsemen-hockey/">a single season</a> (1975-1976) in the NAHL at the Tonawanda Sports Center in North Tonawanda.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<ul>
<li><a href="https://buffalonews.com/news/local/history/bn-chronicles-slap-shot-scenes-inspired-by-north-tonawanda-based-team/article_b6c9faf6-3f3d-11ec-bbbb-bf0006e5d7bb.html">[BN] Chronicles: 'Slap Shot' scenes inspired by North Tonawanda-based team</a></li>
</ul>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Buffalo Norsemen schedule card (1974).png
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1974
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/67f22d1f184398f54996ff77400684fe.jpg
e44a36b978fcb150fc1cdf3baa920c7d
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
A name given to the resource
Buffalo Norsemen Hockey Club
Description
An account of the resource
This hockey team played <a href="https://funwhileitlasted.net/2012/05/05/1975-1976-buffalo-norsemen-hockey/">a single season</a> (1975-1976) in the NAHL at the Tonawanda Sports Center in North Tonawanda.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<ul>
<li><a href="https://buffalonews.com/news/local/history/bn-chronicles-slap-shot-scenes-inspired-by-north-tonawanda-based-team/article_b6c9faf6-3f3d-11ec-bbbb-bf0006e5d7bb.html">[BN] Chronicles: 'Slap Shot' scenes inspired by North Tonawanda-based team</a></li>
</ul>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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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Buffalo Norsemen, button (1975).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1975
logotype
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/954de3f91d8a1e705b5dac4d8b905596.jpg
d439f129646bff923038cb47ee1f1a0d
https://nthistory.com/files/original/a7d014ba8017ac804f9d2ade722ed576.jpg
f4c18e13f8ac526074127d84ce1d4c53
https://nthistory.com/files/original/155bec63adac9f1f13efae7557794bcc.jpg
cf27394c78471352e440a7d75c40ada5
https://nthistory.com/files/original/b0c0502fa1b90cd8d8d40e6c578952b4.jpg
38a36d9b5a9cf87d49c5f054590ba396
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
A name given to the resource
Buffalo Norsemen Hockey Club
Description
An account of the resource
This hockey team played <a href="https://funwhileitlasted.net/2012/05/05/1975-1976-buffalo-norsemen-hockey/">a single season</a> (1975-1976) in the NAHL at the Tonawanda Sports Center in North Tonawanda.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<ul>
<li><a href="https://buffalonews.com/news/local/history/bn-chronicles-slap-shot-scenes-inspired-by-north-tonawanda-based-team/article_b6c9faf6-3f3d-11ec-bbbb-bf0006e5d7bb.html">[BN] Chronicles: 'Slap Shot' scenes inspired by North Tonawanda-based team</a></li>
</ul>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Buffalo Norsemen Magazine, game program vs Johnstown Jets, excerpts (1975-10).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1975
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/447ef99432f6533887b9ac24d0562b08.jpg
841140484efbfd81a579ff9ecf790878
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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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Tondas hockey school pennant (c1975).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1975
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/f31da8aa1da31a7ce73161fd4a714576.jpeg
ce2434f8440afd6ab94cfbd19db99f44
https://nthistory.com/files/original/50140db008f2b10ba5bb61c339f9d7e8.jpeg
6fe1972a025bd79c10b6cf05e4ae35e1
https://nthistory.com/files/original/6da07317cc56109076c60302a01fa84a.jpeg
a4ff392e8f591ba6031cbeb807813f67
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
A name given to the resource
Buffalo Norsemen Hockey Club
Description
An account of the resource
This hockey team played <a href="https://funwhileitlasted.net/2012/05/05/1975-1976-buffalo-norsemen-hockey/">a single season</a> (1975-1976) in the NAHL at the Tonawanda Sports Center in North Tonawanda.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<ul>
<li><a href="https://buffalonews.com/news/local/history/bn-chronicles-slap-shot-scenes-inspired-by-north-tonawanda-based-team/article_b6c9faf6-3f3d-11ec-bbbb-bf0006e5d7bb.html">[BN] Chronicles: 'Slap Shot' scenes inspired by North Tonawanda-based team</a></li>
</ul>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Buffalo Norsemen, sweatshirt (c1975).jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1975
logotype
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/59471cf7ad3726fd594b6b22907ce004.jpeg
ef10ff5a242c0cc903b60be485629403
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
A name given to the resource
Melody Fair
Description
An account of the resource
This little theater drew an impressive array of stars to North Tonawanda, and it saddened the hearts of many to watch it fall into disuse in the 90s before finally being torn down.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Liberace poster, Melody Fair, poster (c1975).jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1975
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/27228d74819378c863f941973ed62b28.jpeg
d1522ba108f5b0843d113a0cd477bb7f
https://nthistory.com/files/original/cb26fe665b9033af244af4456483b46e.jpeg
3df02e9f50163c498795252a51da9509
https://nthistory.com/files/original/7ba8b1aeae00b02d4cd708e4b5ee729d.jpeg
63ccf710527f25d759274545359676d0
https://nthistory.com/files/original/25d35c51f50e55d0ee14d857cef06e4c.jpeg
4ab30a9e68a46e28a8e410415cbf8dcd
https://nthistory.com/files/original/5c8a50134eb862d4399ff4e052d269a3.jpeg
9367e3303a76601536b4886b10869724
https://nthistory.com/files/original/a3e694694153a9a01e21105acf2c8927.jpeg
176ea062a09679fca39de42ca7acdcf9
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
A name given to the resource
Buffalo Norsemen Hockey Club
Description
An account of the resource
This hockey team played <a href="https://funwhileitlasted.net/2012/05/05/1975-1976-buffalo-norsemen-hockey/">a single season</a> (1975-1976) in the NAHL at the Tonawanda Sports Center in North Tonawanda.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<ul>
<li><a href="https://buffalonews.com/news/local/history/bn-chronicles-slap-shot-scenes-inspired-by-north-tonawanda-based-team/article_b6c9faf6-3f3d-11ec-bbbb-bf0006e5d7bb.html">[BN] Chronicles: 'Slap Shot' scenes inspired by North Tonawanda-based team</a></li>
</ul>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Buffalo Norsemen Magazine, game program vs Maine Nordiques, excerpts (1975-11).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1975-11
Description
An account of the resource
Profile on Larry Gould
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/9542c6de17d2a31c3405d9956e7a8214.jpeg
91ac4dcc815187e1e92d3244979e825b
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
A name given to the resource
Buffalo Norsemen Hockey Club
Description
An account of the resource
This hockey team played <a href="https://funwhileitlasted.net/2012/05/05/1975-1976-buffalo-norsemen-hockey/">a single season</a> (1975-1976) in the NAHL at the Tonawanda Sports Center in North Tonawanda.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<ul>
<li><a href="https://buffalonews.com/news/local/history/bn-chronicles-slap-shot-scenes-inspired-by-north-tonawanda-based-team/article_b6c9faf6-3f3d-11ec-bbbb-bf0006e5d7bb.html">[BN] Chronicles: 'Slap Shot' scenes inspired by North Tonawanda-based team</a></li>
</ul>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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
A name given to the resource
Buffalo Norsemen, NAHL pennant (c1976).jpeg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1976
logotype
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/14041e8621767afe04fb19ca674c70fc.jpeg
de6589b1e10bb6090d310859b04ee9e1
https://nthistory.com/files/original/677f89af038ab187e0d6b6be571c7913.jpeg
893fca23215f0678fff3e9c55da73cb7
https://nthistory.com/files/original/d922fa4413818b97f462a4a384cc9ff9.jpeg
454608fb9bfc6eee2fd02abb36cf0151
https://nthistory.com/files/original/53045df296a2332c424f410a4e7a1a66.jpeg
1889b1085e0869e6166fe2f2f478265e
https://nthistory.com/files/original/782fc83ae583c772a2fd3f7d8d6f6845.jpeg
ce793d5b7ab6a091c00cedac4bc029a8
https://nthistory.com/files/original/65ae2f610a6b3d60a101eeed1fd71159.jpeg
07c517941be96a2777ad75a014ea0876
Dublin Core
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Title
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Buffalo Norsemen Hockey Club
Description
An account of the resource
This hockey team played <a href="https://funwhileitlasted.net/2012/05/05/1975-1976-buffalo-norsemen-hockey/">a single season</a> (1975-1976) in the NAHL at the Tonawanda Sports Center in North Tonawanda.
Source
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://buffalonews.com/news/local/history/bn-chronicles-slap-shot-scenes-inspired-by-north-tonawanda-based-team/article_b6c9faf6-3f3d-11ec-bbbb-bf0006e5d7bb.html">[BN] Chronicles: 'Slap Shot' scenes inspired by North Tonawanda-based team</a></li>
</ul>
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Buffalo Norsemen Magazine, game program vs Erie Blades, excerpts (1976-02).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1976-02
Description
An account of the resource
Paul Crowley profile
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/40b6f5bb90e8f387f16802d443d9955f.jpg
5200aceac980885548d177828b9e79c6
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
A name given to the resource
Buffalo Norsemen Hockey Club
Description
An account of the resource
This hockey team played <a href="https://funwhileitlasted.net/2012/05/05/1975-1976-buffalo-norsemen-hockey/">a single season</a> (1975-1976) in the NAHL at the Tonawanda Sports Center in North Tonawanda.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<ul>
<li><a href="https://buffalonews.com/news/local/history/bn-chronicles-slap-shot-scenes-inspired-by-north-tonawanda-based-team/article_b6c9faf6-3f3d-11ec-bbbb-bf0006e5d7bb.html">[BN] Chronicles: 'Slap Shot' scenes inspired by North Tonawanda-based team</a></li>
</ul>
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
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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Tonawanda Sports Center tickets (buffalosportsmuseum, 1976-02-06).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1976-02-06
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/b1e877e23ae3d4d5d316317c5039cd86.jpg
3fa0a3b6d8f6855784806100d60d502c
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Youth Hoop Shoot, 76-77, NT Elks, patch (c.1977).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1977
recreation
sports
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/0efb87e883a8f55ded329b0e5c55f9ab.jpg
fcf04297b16bc32940c6e06f75b6c595
Dublin Core
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Title
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Melody Fair
Description
An account of the resource
This little theater drew an impressive array of stars to North Tonawanda, and it saddened the hearts of many to watch it fall into disuse in the 90s before finally being torn down.
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Melody Fair autographed poster for 4 Girls 4 (c1979).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1979
Description
An account of the resource
4 GIRLS 4 poster: : Starring Rosemary Clooney, Rose Marie, Margaret Whiting, Helen O'Connell [signed by three].
Author: Clooney, Rosemary and others
theater
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/a1e824b9ba84e82a1065f82ae7905d9c.jpg
d0342bd4fe96fe71a57dad94953a9fe4
Dublin Core
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Title
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Gratwick School
Description
An account of the resource
Opens in 1894, two years after Pine Woods school, and five years after the second public school, Ironton (According to a 1979 News article).
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Gratwick Landmarkers, sweatshirt (1979).jpg
Description
An account of the resource
85th anniversary
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1979
gratwick
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/650b0748d7ec9d3641138045dbda0b34
1af9426dda0d312eb36fc6d12f26f6f1
Dublin Core
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Thiele's Dairy
Description
An account of the resource
There were several Thiele's locations: The original was on Shawnee Road (the farm, out on Niagara Falls Blvd. in the Martinsville / Sawyer Creek area). There was also 401 Payne Ave., Oliver Street, and Ward Road in North Tonawanda; and a location on Broad Street in Tonawanda.
Object
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Thiele Heating and Cooling, jar lid gripper (c1980).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1980
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/04bf38184368d35c7bd77c80ed405dae.jpg
534efcd99786b5ee9a46eac225fe2b56
Dublin Core
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Avenues (Neighborhood)
Description
An account of the resource
<img class="cover" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/83.jpg" alt="Ironton" /> <span class="cover-caption">Looking east over the Avenues from the Niagara River. 2016 Google Earth </span> <br />In the 1880s, new industrial jobs (at <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/16">Tonawanda Iron and Steel</a>, the lumber docks and planing mills, and later Buffalo Bolt) spurred growth in the area north of Wheatfield. Poles, Hungarians and others flocked to the new area, bringing their languages and traditions (and chickens) with them. The new village becomes known as “Ironton;” today, "The Avenues."<br /><br />From the guidebook "<a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/608">North Tonawanda and Tonawanda</a>" (1891):
<blockquote>IRONTON ADDITION.— With the advent of the Niagara River Iron Works in 1873 brisk times were anticipated and quite a large tract of land was platted into lots in that vicinity. As the furnace was discontinued in about a year, developments were practically at a standstill for more than a dozen years...</blockquote>
This <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/247">1875 Wheatfield map</a> shows Ironton clearly labeled, and smattering of homes within the (unlabeled) avenues. A <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/1543">1938 article</a> claims that the influx of Polish begins in 1882 with the establishment of a John Cichoki's <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/1665">tavern on River Road</a> near Wheatfield. <br /><br />An 1884 Educational report mentions an Ironton school in a frame house half a mile from stone 1866 Goundry Street School.* In 1889, <span><a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/64">Ironton Public School #2</a> opens at the corner of 1st Ave and Oliver Street (present-day Elizabeth Harvey Apartments / Olmsted Center for Sight).</span><br /><br />Also in 1889, the big furnace on River Road near Wheatfield fires up again, and the adjacent marshes and former farms once again become valuable real estate. Investors jump. The 1891 guidebook continues:
<blockquote><br />It was purchased from Pratt & Jewett by Geo. P. Smith and A. J. Hathaway, Oct. 15, 1889, replatted, and Jan. 1st, 1890, put on the market. Within a year 500 building lots had been sold and 100 houses erected.<br /><br />With June of the present year [1891] the Ironton Land Co. was incorporated with capital of §100,000 and everything bids fair for a prosperous career, as this is the river center of North Tonawanda corporation, and being traversed by all the rail- roads it cannot fail to secure prominent manufacturing interests. <br /><br />The Ironton addition is less than a mile from the North Tonawanda City Hall. With the Iron & Steel Works, the surrounding lumber interests and the bolt and nut works of Plumb, Burdict ct Barnard, which has recently been located on the adjoining property, this section of the city will make a convenient and desirable place for mechanics and business firms. It has the water supply, electric lights, and will soon be connected by the electric street car line. <br /><br />A double two story brick block for stores has just been completed on Oliver street, making a nice addition to the mercantile conveniences there, a $15,000 brick school house was erected a couple of years since, a church dedicated in August and this section has all the modern conveniences of the older part of the city.</blockquote>
For the numerous Polish on the <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/3436">original seven avenues</a>, their church is the center of their community. OLC is established on Center Ave, exactly where the grotto is today. It is later rebuilt just south. <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/98">Pettit Creek</a> flows through the area (it will be covered).<br /><br /><a href="http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201893%20Jul-Jul%201894%20Grayscale/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201893%20Jul-Jul%201894%20Grayscale%20-%200105.pdf">The paving of Oliver Street being planned August 26, 1893.<br /></a><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=zCwdAQAAIAAJ&dq=ironton+tonawanda&source=gbs_navlinks_s"> A progress report </a><a href="http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201893%20Jul-Jul%201894%20Grayscale/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201893%20Jul-Jul%201894%20Grayscale%20-%200169.pdf">about a month later</a><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=zCwdAQAAIAAJ&dq=ironton+tonawanda&source=gbs_navlinks_s">. October 5 </a><a href="http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201893%20Jul-Jul%201894%20Grayscale/North%20Tonawanda%20NY%20Evening%20News%201893%20Jul-Jul%201894%20Grayscale%20-%200235.pdf">there is labor trouble between Poles and Italians</a><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=zCwdAQAAIAAJ&dq=ironton+tonawanda&source=gbs_navlinks_s">.</a><br /><br />"Ironton" (along with the villages of <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/93">Gratwick</a> and <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/56">Martinsville</a>) is incorporated into the City of North Tonawanda in 1897. The last remnant of the old village name is in its "Ironton Street," running along the west edge of the original avenues.<br /><br />The upper avenues remain essentially woods and marshes until the 1940s, when settlement accelerates with the nationwide Baby Boom. The opening of the Memorial Pool in 1947<br /><br /><em>Notes:</em><br /><br /> * <span><em>Annual Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, of the State of New-York</em> (1884,</span> <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=EEEdAQAAIAAJ">Google Books)</a> Also has lots of details about new Goundry Street school and a brief mention of Gratwick school and enrollment figures.1890 "The village of Tonawanda is up and awake as far as educational matters are concerned. It has a progressive board of education composed of five members, all liberal men in their views. A new brick school building is nearly completed at Ironton, a suburb of the village, that would be a pride to any town."<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=zCwdAQAAIAAJ&dq=ironton+tonawanda&source=gbs_navlinks_s"><br /></a> <br />John Carr on Facebook in January 2017: "Go back to the 1800's and my great grandfather's farm, as well as several others, was there, extending from the river inland past Payne. The house was originally along the river. Eventually the lumber yards and steel mills pushed the property, and the house back from the river to Oliver (#849 or #869). In the 1890's, after his death, the property was sold off and developed into individual housing lots. At that time the area was annexed to North Tonawanda, before that the area was part of Wheatfield. Carr Street still exists by the town pool. Many of my great grand parents children and their families had homes in the area. We see the area today pretty much as it was developed then, however modernized a bit and not the capitol of industry it was then."
Object
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Title
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Deluxe Lanes, T-shirt (c1980).jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1980
bowling
ironton
recreation
-
https://nthistory.com/files/original/997ac9003afc64964a81a370207f4b19.jpg
c8c3ca76306dbcbd168b43573aa56048
Object
Photos or illustrations of artifacts of an entity.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Your Host salt packets.jpg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1980
restaurant