1 200 633 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/d304a012c43f13ee7db05b0e36566f9e.JPG d52d426fb6d41a84aba310330b1ff251 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Men camping by Niagara River, stereogram detail (c1870s, RJ Clench).JPG Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1870 clench person recreation river https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/45794773dc070d791e2f6bf558a8e287.jpg e0db58c6c6291bef6dc15f116b4cf1a4 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 Photographers and Photographic Portraits Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Girl, R.J. Clench, cabinet card (c1880).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1880 cabinet card clench https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/64a47eac5e39872f7722d720e9707de3.jpg 795e56d5ebbf4dedc56f9b51b2ebffc8 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/c32e5fa050e413971fb9dcd42561dea6.jpg ec8b4e7886b96ef4354f3ac205c9f97e https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/c0d5edd94e71496c8b0b512ba26b1c9c.jpg 3e66d5176e009a562ca1c973fbbc3b30 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/b4e719b4862359fd8c4e0774475e7f61.jpg 4a6ddaea6dddb3e409d90cd1a64988d2 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/0d7d7b518d98d504ab1786404a6fe343.jpg 39a760133ccfa0aa59fb577fb488619d 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 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" />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>. 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. 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. 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. As the forests of the midwest were depleted and shipping routes and technology changed, the lumber heyday of the Tonawandas receded into the past. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 William H. Gratwick vessels, photos (c.1882-1900).jpg Description An account of the resource Wooden steam barge, bulk freighter, package freighter and tugboats. The <a href="https://images.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/58709/data?n=14">tugboat would sink</a> in the Niagara River on July 16, 1900, killing the two men aboard. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1882 ship https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/9841782673e0f1720c8f5b0f5ecb917d.jpg e8f92f03ca0fe2ef5b744c43b40e67ed 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 Hotel Sheldon Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="../../../custom/cover/51.jpg" alt="Hotel Sheldon" /> Postcard, c1890This massive hotel once occupied the southeast corner of Goundry and Main. A general description from <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/608">Lumber City</a> (1891): <blockquote>Nothing is more needed for the general prosperity of a city than a first-class hotel, and in this particular the Lumber City is especially fortunate, as outside of metropolitan places it would be difficult to find a house more complete in all its appointments than the Sheldon. It is fitted in attractive and elegant style throughout and contains all the modern improvements and appurtenances of a first-class hotel. It is an imposing four-story brick, with eighty rooms.</blockquote> An Internet search rears up <a href="https://www.geni.com/people/William-Truman-Godard/5494628848530068480">this pithy account</a> of one of the hotel's managers: <blockquote>Hope said that he (William Truman Godard, 1870-1937) earned his living in Altoona, Penn as a Pillsbury flour representative and she wrote that he earned his living in as the manager of the Hotel Sheldon in North Tonawanda, New York where Hope was born in 1905. She said he had very black hair and never seemed to have a well day. He went back East to his people after his wife died.</blockquote> The hotel is destroyed by fire in 1940. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Hotel Lincoln (later Sheldon), photo (Wittkowsky Collection, c1885).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1885 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived William C. Wittkowsky Collection, via <a href="http://www.nthistorymuseum.org/Collections/hotellincolnsheldon.html">North Tonawanda History Museum</a> https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/5446b9c4bff8635314304e061b1383b2.jpg 7c2992d0a2ed4c0a12864fa996f758e4 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 Goundry Street School Description An account of the resource The Goundry Street School was a stone building constructed in 1866. From <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/606">History of Niagara County 1821-1878</a> (1878): <blockquote>The North Tonawanda Union School has four departments and four teachers. The last winter term averaged 190 scholars and the summer term 125, J. W. Brown is principal, with Libbie M. Pugsley, Hannah Densmore, and Nellie Becker as assistants. The whole number of scholars of school age is 674. The school-house was erected in 1866. The board of education consists of Benjamin F. Felton, president; H. O. Nightingale, clerk; Dr. C. Backer, Giles Schell and John Chadwick. The school building is a substantial stone edifice, located at one of the most pleasant points in the village. The yards in front and play grounds are kept in good condition.</blockquote> In late 1882 a new addition is built in front of and connected to the original schoolhouse. Another addition is made in 1892. In 1955, after 89 years of educating students, the "bell atop Goundry School...sounds the call to classes for the last time." After some time as a school administration building, the historic old structure is scheduled to be razed on October 27, 1975. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Union Free School No 1 (Goundry), class photo (1887).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1887 school https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/b831ecf3fbf61b85b11dd0ba844dbf51.jpg b6cc06e99e317a3afc7aaaafb34baf63 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Unknown (Erie Canal in Tonawanda?), photo (c1890).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890 Description An account of the resource Seen on eBay labeled as "Erie Canal in Tonawanda," but there is no corroboration for the claim. <a href="mailto:me@denisreedjr.com">Please email us</a> if you know more! canal erie-canal railroad https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/bb2c11d22d0eae6954ce2cf7e83d6c8f.jpg e1a2f2e63938b8cd305abb1412b85b2a 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 Firefighting in the Tonawandas Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="https://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/80.jpg" alt="Gratwick Hose No.6, Felton Street, c.1929" />Gratwick Hose No.6, Felton Street, c.1929 <blockquote>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. North Tonawanda depended heavily on Volunteer Firemen and quickly grew to seven companies located at important places around the city.</blockquote> - Sarah E. Walter's thesis (nthistorymuseum.org). Allan Herschell "helped to organize the first fire company of North Tonawanda" (Biographical and portrait cyclopedia of Niagara County, New York, p.361). <table border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td>Started</td> <td>Name</td> <td>Notes</td> </tr> <tr> <td>May 7, 1876</td> <td>North Tonawanda Bucket Company / Columbia Hook and Ladder Company No.1</td> <td>Thompson in 1893 directory</td> </tr> <tr> <td>March 1, 1886</td> <td>Active Hose Company No.2</td> <td>"Ironton Boys", Robinson south of Marion in 1893</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1886-1909</td> <td>Hydrant Hose Company No.3</td> <td>Sweeney and Main at bridge</td> </tr> <tr> <td>April 1887</td> <td>Live Active Hose Co. No.4</td> <td> Thompson St (1893), now Goundry and Vandervoort</td> </tr> <tr> <td>January 26, 1891</td> <td>Rescue Fire Company No.5</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>1886?</td> <td><a href="https://yellow.place/en/gratwick-hose-fire-company-6-north-tonawanda-usa">Gratwick Hose Company No.6</a></td> <td>Felton until 1962.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1894</td> <td>Sweeney Hose No.7</td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Of Hydrant Hose Co. No. 3, it was said somewhere: <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> According to Harry Dorn in an article in this set, <blockquote>The Tonawanda Fire Dept. was organized in the early 1860s when the Village of Tonawanda had a population of 2,000...One of the frst companies was the Shepard Hose Company which after several years was known as the DeGraff Hose, Hydrant Hose Company and thewn on Aug 25, 1898 became National Hose No.1 [Ed. Hydrant Hose appears in newspaper record until at least early 1900s].</blockquote> Columbia Hook & Ladder in The Tonawanda News, May 9, 1896: <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. 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. The parent company of North Tonawanda was the Columbia Hook and Ladder Company; 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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Early firemen, horse and buggy, photos c1890 (From 100 Years, 1965).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890 carriage horse https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/2fbd5275115bd879f754b77357316fc2.jpg 35ced029660a1160ceccd70146ecb85b https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/cd3a5b8b1620d528a6f9c455f44ae9cb.jpeg a3762761473867a8b53073767375df1c Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Fred Pfanner Jr., Flour Feed Grain and Seeds, 46-50 Young Street, photo (c 1890).jpg Description An account of the resource 1863-1929. Obituary from <a href="http://haseleyfamily.com/getperson.php?personID=I17586&tree=FWHCED">Haseley Family Pages:</a> <blockquote>Tonawanda Business Man Drops Dead In His Store While displaying some of the new currency, which he had just drawn from the bank, to clerks in his flour, feed and seed store at 48-50 Young street shortly before 11 o'clock this morning Fred Pfanner, Jr., dropped dead. Several physicians were called but Mr. Pfanner died within a few minutes after being stricken. Born in Tonawanda 66 years ago, Mr. Pfanner had resided here all his life. He had been in business in the store where he died since 1884, first in partnership with his brother, Alderman George Pfanner, later alone and for the past ten years with his son, Richard Pfanner, under the firm name of Pfanner and Son. Mr. Pfanner was stricken with paralysis six weeks ago but recovered sufficiently three weeks later to walk to his place of business where he visited two or three times a week. He walked to the bank of the First Trust company this morning and returned to the store. Physicians expressed the belief that the effort proved too much for him. Surviving are a wife, Lena; a son, Richard; a daughter, Mrs. Mortimer Davis of Rochester; four brothers, George, Jacob, Philip and Henry Pfanner, and three sisters, Mrs. Margaret Guenther, Mrs. George May and Mrs. George Bloomstein, all of Tonawanda.</blockquote> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Courtesy of Beth Proefrock Patterson Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890 carriage horse person tonawanda https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/e19e30cc5f6b26da99b75995225d98ff.jpg db445307e4cdce8275770deacbfba220 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/dddd8267ba34bc2e9801e48d14bedf65.jpg 9a5a4db8ad68ee54579207696834d553 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/fdd792c439e563dabeb21b9fb3229379.jpeg 0147c9fc4ac8defc00196b877a3f022d 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 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. A lock was also built to permit passage between the Niagara River (and Great Lakes) and the canal. Early documents also mention a guard lock just east of the lock. After the Civil War, the depth of the entire canal was increased to accomodate larger boats. Starting around 1909 work was done on our section of the canal as part of Contract 19 to improve the prism, or bottom shape (see <a href="https://nthistory.com/collections/show/152">photos of Contract 19</a>) In 1918 the 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Erie Canal lock into the Niagara River, Tonawanda.jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890 Description An account of the resource The lock in this first (c. 1890) photo allowed canal boats to pass from the canal in Tonawanda over into the Niagara River. The non-canal part of the Tonawanda Creek is straight ahead, leading into the Niagara River. Notice the tugboats waiting on the far side of the lock. They could tow canal boats through the river to be loaded up with lumber on Tonawanda Island, or at another dock along the river, and return them to lock back into the canal. In other photos, a weather tower can be seen at right, hung with flags that alerted boaters to the weather conditions outside the safe confines of the canal walls. Today, if you walk alongside Urban Paint on Niagara Street in Tonawanda, in its parking lot you can see a little sign commemorating the lock. canal lock map river swingbridge tonawanda https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7056bdbd6749c4ee72210004623faa8e.jpg ad7657b41914610d02ce16b29b66ba01 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Train depot, Tonawanda, photo postcard (c1890).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890 tonawanda train https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/83b09483f9d6952c3c8e90debd587002.jpg 480bbc9223b2fbd3b9900023c64ed6ce Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Wattengel livery, photo (c1890).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Joe Mantione https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7d0260eed194300a1d05377012b064b9.png 48dc250dccd7383eca70bb533beaaaf9 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/296c495729de0b08b5114be88384408d.jpeg 3fff3631c63d75cc9b92f1d2336b8f58 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Deacon Dubbs, Masonic play, cast photo (Stumpf, c1890).png Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/1a5286ce81f2e5346eed4d64ddf758ff.jpeg 5f2515190568d94a2372d41859e65773 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 Photographers and Photographic Portraits Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Girl with bible, cabinet card (Torrey's Photographic Rooms, c1890).jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890 cabinet card https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/2ae9f750dfdc8fcb0720ebca2d0b8696.jpg 6578b2ceaad70590c4be6b738eb098cf Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Early barges in the river, North Tonawanda, cabinet card (c.1890).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890 barge boat cabinet card river https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/3f01fd5f050846a1833df6e4763d8c75.png ee8bf3e07d510f47be910fd4b322546b Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 The Schooner Tonawanda, photo (c1890).png Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890 boat https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/bd02fc3bd0919c49dc7e5d53fe6268e9.jpeg a19cfaebf11d6b50e48fc06b1333aae1 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 The Schooner Tonawanda, postcard (c1890).jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1890 boat https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/b86048618301226c33cf18fbc74d8985.jpg 5d30e29eeb4b2c765aa3d59ce92a18f3 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/d18bb9c2dd9bd50ba6271cd6c97af945.jpeg a949126e1abea954cb1874437108cdb8 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/9e895105db45290cbb02ff7324cc6e5b.jpg 6f81993e6d529f8dfe1fe38e24710f11 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/459342c3733bbb911e805f36d66dcc03.jpeg 64ad89a2011513c18b06c0cddea3e9c5 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/02735a7f6cc5d2eacfb510bf2ad6c8b5.jpeg f9b662691cba8fc4e79c7edd0c61f1b4 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 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" />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>. 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. 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. 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. As the forests of the midwest were depleted and shipping routes and technology changed, the lumber heyday of the Tonawandas receded into the past. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 42nd Separate Company of Niagara Falls, stationed in Tonawandas, photos (c.1892-1893).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1892 Description An account of the resource This company, formed in 1885 at the establishment of the Niagara Falls State Reservation, came out to the Tonawandas to protect private property twice as lumber shovers attempted to unionize (June of 1892 and 1893). Learn more about these labor troubles and the use of the Guard in the Tonawandas in "<a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/3477">Fixed Bayonets: The New York State National Guard during the era of industrial unrest, 1877-1898</a>," an excellent thesis in history by Ronald Kotlik. military person tent https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/90d98ab39e678165a708d5f5cefcc5fe.jpg b126b01cbea6da31cf67ee1f7ba959aa https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/73c9d8e889ce58d8190800f006a96fe3.jpg adf21ecd226938e2d3f8ebc006645dcb 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 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)" />Nucleus of Wurlitzer: The North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory in 1893. It still stands in 2023. 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." <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> Portable music of another era 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. 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. Meet the Wurlitzers 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>). 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. The de Kleist Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company 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>. 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. 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. 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Barrel Organ Factory, photo (1893).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1893 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/c30d74393a90e3a716c977d2d82e1313.jpg 6bd505a5b7bd3278e4fe12f63a4a904d 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 Tonawanda Island Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="1853 illustration of Tonawanda Island, showing the Beechwater residence, and a ferry The Saratoga plying the waters of the Niagara River." src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/55e.jpg" />1860 illustration showing the southern tip of Tonawanda Island. The lavish Beechwater residence and a smaller building are seen to the left of a  mysterious mound (Harper's Monthly Magazine, May 1860) This small island in the Niagara River is today home to the N.T. (Water) Pumping Station, Taylor Devices, a booming feral cat population and (we expect) a very few skillful mice. But a mysterious structure at the south end of the island drew some of the earliest widespread attention to our area. Early explorers encounter burial mounds left by Native Americans. Or giants. Early European explorers notice a roughly 15 foot-high mound of earth near the southeastern end of the island. One explorer dates the peculiarity to the Native American Squawkie Hill phase (100-400 A.D.), which "included a religious aspect involving the burial of high-status individuals" (John Percy). Indeed, human remains are discovered within, though there is little consensus on who (or what) they were. In 1853, <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/557">Gleason's Pictorial reports</a> that resident Mrs. White (more on the Whites below) personally unearthed "the skull and bones of a human body, supposed to be an Indian chief...not...less than eight feet in stature." (The article adds vaguely that "Many other curiosities are found on the island.") An 1860 article in <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/2980">Harper's tells</a> of "several heaps of bones, each comprising three or four skeletons" found just under a circle of stones with indications of fire. Modern mysteriophile Mason Winfield points to sensational accounts in frontier newspapers claiming at least two "very bizarre skulls" were excavated from the enclosure, with a "portentous, protruding lower jaw and canine forehead," and buried in a way inconsistent with the traditions of the locals. An 1865 presentation before the Buffalo Historical Society claims the mounds are of Neutral Nation origin: <blockquote>Once in every ten years the survivors of each family gathered the remains of their deceased ancestors from the platforms on which they had been deposited, and buried them in heaps, with many superstitious ceremonies. This was called the " Feast of the Dead." Many of the mounds thus raised may still be seen in this vicinity. A conspicuous one on Tonawanda Island, is affirmed by the old Senecas to have had such an origin.</blockquote> The skeletons are not confined to the great mound, either. Yet more human remains are found while digging the foundations for the Beechwater mansion, the <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/2326">Tonawanda News reports</a> in 1906. Across the Little River, on the mainland, <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/1565">evidence of</a> a Native American armory is discovered, with numerous broken flints and arrows. Earliest birth on the island? (From The Niagara Frontier, p. 29) <blockquote>The Senecas have a different name for Tonawanda Is land. They call it Ni-ga -we-na/i--a-ah, signifying The Small Island. It contains less than one hundred acres. Its upper end having a fine elevation above the surface of the river, was an occasional camping ground of the Senecas, before their final settlement in this region. Philip Kenjockety (hereafter more particularly noticed), claims to have been born there, while his father s family, then residing on the Genesee, were on one of their annual hunting expeditions.</blockquote> Carney's Island (1791) The island's first European inhabitant arrives as early as 1791, one <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/1070">Edward Carney</a>, who hopes to "squat" his way into possession of the island. The property's value skyrockets however when <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/2352">Mordecai Noah's plan</a> to turn nearby Grand Island into a refuge for the world's displaced Jews gets underway around 1825, and the land is purchased at auction from the state by Samuel Leggate of New York City (<a href="https://www.lockportjournal.com/news/lifestyles/niagara-discoveries-tonawanda-island-stephen-white-and-his-magnificent-mansion/article_657aa96e-c9eb-54ca-8237-dc7dcc2e0afb.html">Lockport Union-Sun & Journal</a>). Stephen White's Island and the Beechwater mansion (1833) The next speculators to turn their eyes to our area are the moneyed men of the East Boston Timber Company in 1833. They harvest the white oak of Grand Island to build ships in New England. President Stephen White purchases Tonawanda Island as a headquarters and residence, and it becomes known as "White's Island."  <blockquote>To cement his claim, White built a magnificent mansion at the southern end of the island. “Beechwater,” as White called it, was designed by Boston architect Samuel Perkins in 1835 for $18,000. The interior contained cherry, black walnut and marble embellishments (<a href="https://www.lockportjournal.com/news/lifestyles/niagara-discoveries-tonawanda-island-stephen-white-and-his-magnificent-mansion/article_657aa96e-c9eb-54ca-8237-dc7dcc2e0afb.html">Lockport Union-Sun & Journal)</a></blockquote> The Beechwater mansion <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/1565">boasts</a> "chimney pieces from Italy," surrounding pleasure grounds with "choice fruits, ornamental shrubbery and graveled walks," and was called the finest residence in Western New York at the time. Famous American lawyer and politician Daniel Webster (after whom Webster Street is named) <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/2326">visits  Beechwater</a> on several occasions. Webster's son Fletcher is married to White's daughter Caroline there in 1836. Further plans of the East Boston Timber Company are thwarted by a poor economy. By 1840 the white oak of Grand Island has been cut down and floated away to New England. Stephen White dies, and his widow stays on. Summer resort and pleasure grounds Beechwater is offered as a summer resort beginning around this time. Local organizations come to Tonawanda Island for picnics by the hundreds, brass band blaring away as the tugs pull their boats to the platforms. Writer N.P. Willis <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/4002">extols its beauty</a> in an item in this collection. Some propose turing the island into a <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/4038">sportsmen's paradise</a>: other a military training ground. William Wilkeson purchases the property from the White family in 1869, planting orchards and vineyards. There are some rumors the old mansion is haunted. Lumber and industrial era In 1881, William Wilkeson sells the property to Smith, Fassett & Company, one of the many lumber concerns flocking to the Tonawandas. The natural harbor of the Little River make the island and opposite shore perfect for stacking, processing and shipping immense quantities of lumber, and North Tonawanda has become a major lumber market. The ferry that operated will no longer be adequate. Apr 21 1883 "An act to incorporate the Tonawanda Island Bridge Company, for the purpose of constructing and operating a bridge from Tonawanda island to North Tonawanda [passed]" - <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=IYJZAAAAYAAJ">Gen Statutes of State of New York</a>.  Beechwater, Stephen White's mansion, coexists for a while with the lumber around it: "The mansion is now [1887] the home of Mr. and Mrs. Theodore S. Fassett, who have renovated it and thoroughly restored its decaying beauties." <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/3942">1891 Buffalo Express Pictorial:</a>  "The Tonawanda Island Lumber District, which is shown in our largest illustration, is rapidly becoming famous as the *ne plus ultra* of all lumber plants. Being an island docked and navigable all around, it allows a compactness in the arrangement of the yards, which on any mainland would be impossible. Visiting buyers appreciate this feature of the district. They are able to get quickly into the midst of 100,000,000 feet of lumber without the usual long tramp to accomplish the same result, in a five-minute walk from North Tonawanda railroad station, they find lumber in front of them, lumber behind them, lumber on each side of them. In every direction millions of white pine are in sight, bright and clean, the gangways all planked, and an air of perfect neatness and cleanliness everywhere. "This property, when nothing but forest, fruit farms, and swamps, was purchased of our deceased townsman, William Wilkeson, by James R. Smith and Theodore S. Fassett with its development into a lumber district solely in view. This meant a very large operation for industrial development, requiring a heavy outlay of money to put the island into any shape for business also of $1,000,000, Mr. Lewis A. Hall becoming a director in the company, with a large holding of the stock. Railroad switch tracks ran into every yard, and while these tracks are owned by the N.Y.C. & H.R.R.R., all other roads have equal privileges on the Island by the provisions of the Bridge Charter. "The Tonawanda and Wheatfield Electric Co. are now building a $40,000 plant near the north end, to furnish power for an electric street railroad. These facilities, with a telephone service and telegraph office, leave but little to be desired. The docked frontage on the property is now nearly two miles in length. The Tonawanda City Water Works, located on the west side of the island, are fully described elsewhere. "The discouragements met by Messrs. Smith & Fassett in reaching the present grand development of the property are said to have been many and great, but the work is done, and the hurry and bustle of wheeling lumber from every direction, into planing mills or direct into cars, gives no outward evidence that but one year ago orchard and forest and swamp would have seen the sight where now three mammoth planing mills are throwing off their smoke high in air, and millions of lumber loom up in regular piles over 100 acres of level well-drained ground." National Guard billets there during a labor uprising. Although said to still be largely structurally sound, the mansion is <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/2326">torn down in 1906</a>, as the "demand for lumber yardage makes its razing imperative." It was long been rumored to be haunted. A section of its fireplace is preserved and cared for by the Historical Society of the Tonawandas. Later significant occupants of Tonawanda Island include the International Paper Company and the R. T. Jones Lumber company. Emile Durkee Bridge. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <ul> <li><a href="http://www.lockportjournal.com/news/lifestyles/niagara-discoveries-tonawanda-island-stephen-white-and-his-magnificent-mansion/article_657aa96e-c9eb-54ca-8237-dc7dcc2e0afb.html">NIAGARA DISCOVERIES: Tonawanda Island, Stephen White and His Magnificent Mansion, Ann Marie Linnabery</a></li> <li><a href="https://archive.org/details/pioneerhistoryof00turne/page/n6">Pioneer History of the Holland Purchase of Western New York, 1849</a></li> <li>Percy, John. <a href="https://www.wnyheritage.org/product/buffalo-niagara_connections_a_new_regional_history_of_the_niagar/index.html">Buffalo-Niagara Connections: A New Regional History of the Niagara Link.</a> Western New York Heritage Inc. 2001</li> </ul> Relation A related resource <ul> <li><a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/92">International Paper Company</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/48">Lumber Scenes</a></li> </ul> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Beechwater, "The Haunted Camp," with 65th regiment, photo article detail (Buffalo Morning Express, 1893-06-25).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1893-06-25 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/0e84242c595a0697ce4bac075309bd02.jpg 684b33e10e62f2999ea16537c4323fb9 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 Firefighting in the Tonawandas Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="https://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/80.jpg" alt="Gratwick Hose No.6, Felton Street, c.1929" />Gratwick Hose No.6, Felton Street, c.1929 <blockquote>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. North Tonawanda depended heavily on Volunteer Firemen and quickly grew to seven companies located at important places around the city.</blockquote> - Sarah E. Walter's thesis (nthistorymuseum.org). Allan Herschell "helped to organize the first fire company of North Tonawanda" (Biographical and portrait cyclopedia of Niagara County, New York, p.361). <table border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td>Started</td> <td>Name</td> <td>Notes</td> </tr> <tr> <td>May 7, 1876</td> <td>North Tonawanda Bucket Company / Columbia Hook and Ladder Company No.1</td> <td>Thompson in 1893 directory</td> </tr> <tr> <td>March 1, 1886</td> <td>Active Hose Company No.2</td> <td>"Ironton Boys", Robinson south of Marion in 1893</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1886-1909</td> <td>Hydrant Hose Company No.3</td> <td>Sweeney and Main at bridge</td> </tr> <tr> <td>April 1887</td> <td>Live Active Hose Co. No.4</td> <td> Thompson St (1893), now Goundry and Vandervoort</td> </tr> <tr> <td>January 26, 1891</td> <td>Rescue Fire Company No.5</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>1886?</td> <td><a href="https://yellow.place/en/gratwick-hose-fire-company-6-north-tonawanda-usa">Gratwick Hose Company No.6</a></td> <td>Felton until 1962.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1894</td> <td>Sweeney Hose No.7</td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Of Hydrant Hose Co. No. 3, it was said somewhere: <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> According to Harry Dorn in an article in this set, <blockquote>The Tonawanda Fire Dept. was organized in the early 1860s when the Village of Tonawanda had a population of 2,000...One of the frst companies was the Shepard Hose Company which after several years was known as the DeGraff Hose, Hydrant Hose Company and thewn on Aug 25, 1898 became National Hose No.1 [Ed. Hydrant Hose appears in newspaper record until at least early 1900s].</blockquote> Columbia Hook & Ladder in The Tonawanda News, May 9, 1896: <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. 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. The parent company of North Tonawanda was the Columbia Hook and Ladder Company; 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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Rescue Fire Company, photo (c1895).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1895 firefighter martinsville https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/6fa47b85c99840f105456aab322b62db.jpg 7400ae1a2e5b175a7511b411702cb0a9 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 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)" />Nucleus of Wurlitzer: The North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory in 1893. It still stands in 2023. 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." <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> Portable music of another era 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. 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. Meet the Wurlitzers 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>). 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. The de Kleist Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company 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>. 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. 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. 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tonwanda Barrel Organ Factory employees, photo (c.1895).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1895 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived From Historical Society of the Tonawandas employees factory https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/94cc7558003a1019a896be1c801b5824.jpeg 533c4835f60c63935f0b73d841e23bfe https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/b33d33e903d1509d5945fd4b6ee8497b.png 0e5000edee51f7afe3af6d15d139cb77 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 Tonawanda & Wheatfield Electric Co., Tonawanda Power Co., National Grid 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." /> The Robinson Street "transformer building" is built by the Niagara Falls Power Company in 1895 as part of their unprecedented 23-mile transmission sending current from Nigara Falls to Buffalo. The building is later operated by the Tonawanda Power Company, who distribute the hyrdo-electricity locally. Today the historic building is owned by National Grid. Photo by Dennis Reed Jr., 2023. <h2>Motive power before the grid</h2> In the 1800s, in North Tonawanda and elsewhere, mills are powered primarily by waterwheels, while factories rely on stationary steam engines fueled by coal or wood to drive machinery and reduce human and animal labor. Beginning in the 1870s, electric dynamos appear, typically driven by steam engines, producing electricity mainly for lighting. There is no interconnected electrical grid. Electricity is generated locally, on site, by individual factories, private companies, or municipalities for their own use or a limited number of nearby customers. <h2>Tonawanda & Wheatfield Electric Light Company first located on Tonawanda Island</h2> In 1889, the Tonawanda & Wheatfield Electric Light Company operates a dynamo on the north end of Tonawanda Island. The dynamo is fed by wood shavings from the Doebler Planing Mill. The company supplies electricity to a small number of North Tonawanda subscribers. Arc lights on a few streets are run. Their office is at the northeast corner of Main and Goundry in an old frame building. <a href="http://nthistory.com/items/show/3942">1891 Buffalo Express Pictorial</a>: "The Tonawanda and Wheatfield Electric Co. are now building a $40,000 plant near the north end, to furnish power for an electric street railroad. These facilities, with a telephone service and telegraph office, leave but little to be desired. The docked frontage on the property is now nearly two miles in length. The Tonawanda City Water Works, located on the west side of the island, are fully described elsewhere." The Niagara Falls Power Company builds transmission line and transformer house at Robinson Street Meanwhile, electrical experts at the Niagara Falls Power Company and others have been convening for a few years about how to best harness Niagara Falls's tremendous kinetic energy for the electrical age, and what to do with all that energy, which would be far more than could be used locally. The answer: send it to the much larger city of Buffalo, 23 miles south.  In late 1895, the Niagara Falls Power Company begins building an unprecedented long-distance power line to Buffalo (mostly along the boundary of the old Mile Reserve). "This transmission line will run over a private right of way from the Niagara Falls Power Company's station at Niagara Falls to Tonawanda, and thence down one bank of the Erie Canal to Buffalo. The entire line will be fenced in" (<a href="https://reference.insulators.info/publications/view/?id=205&h0=tonawanda">Electrical Review</a>, August 5, 1896). It is operational by November 1896. (Amazing <a href="https://digital.hagley.org/AVD_1990_265">images of line construction</a> from Hagley Archives). The long distance line uses alternating current (AC) transmitted at high voltages, which could travel long distances 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.  Tonawanda Lighting and Power Company incorporated Landmarks of Niagara County: "The Tonawanda Lighting and Power Company was incorporated February 23, 1897, with a capital of $150,000, and is the successor of the Tonawanda and Wheatfield Electric Light Company, which was organized in 1890 The company supplies both Tonawanda and North Tonawanda, and operates in all about 290 arc and 2,400 incandescent lamps. Frank M. Gordon is local manager." They will step down power for local distribution in a yard north of the Niagara Falls Power Company's Robinson Street transformer house.  1900: "At Tonawanda, 10 miles from Buffalo and 14 miles from Niagara Falls, the transmission line from the falls to Buffalo is tapped and power from it is transformed, converted and regenerated into the various kinds and voltages of current desired tor traction, arc and incandescent lighting and distribution to motors. There is no electrical generating plant driven by steam power in Tonawanda or North Tonawanda either for street railway or central station loads. The work at Tonawanda is carried on by the Tonawanda Power Company, which is closely allied financially with the other Niagara power interests, such as the Niagara Palls Power Company and the Cataract Power and Conduit Company. The Tonawanda Power Company consists of the consolidation of the Tonawanda Light and Power Company, which formerly operated a steam-driven central station of the usual type in Tonawanda, and the Tonawanda Cataract Power Company, which previous to the consolidation was formed for advancing the Niagara power interests in Tonawanda. The consolidated company has erected a transforming station immediatey beside the right of way of the transmission line at a convenient point in North Tonawanda about a mile east of the business center and just a short distance south of the branch of the Erie running to Lockport, which branch is operated by electric power from this transforming station." Former switching tower Where the new pocket park is now, on the Twin City Highway side, was once a two-story “switching tower” which was wired to the transformer house. Added around 1902, this adjunct 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. In 1920, a horrific explosion kills 13 men early Halloween morning (read our blog post, <a href="https://www.nthistory.com/articles/tonawanda-power-company-disaster/">The Tonawanda Power Company Disaster</a>). 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 Safety News and Comment. The January 1921 Safety Bulletin <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). Fault is ultimately found to be with the equipment provider, who left no instruction to remove the wood blocks used in shipping. In 1925 the company become "associated with" Buffalo General Electric, Niagara Falls Power Co. and others. In 1929, they open a new headquarters on Sweeney and Webster, today Buffalo Suzuki Strings. The Robinson street transformer house and environs is now owned and operated by National Grid. This <a href="https://reference.insulators.info/publications/search/?query=tonawanda&submit=Search%20https://reference.insulators.info/publications/view/?id=5168&h0=tonawanda%C2%A0">collection of electric literature</a> has many fine details and photos of the 1896 construction of the line. <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/ja/collections/archival-item/sova-nmah-ac-0949-ref88">Photo archive at the Smithsonian</a>. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Robinson Street transformer house, photo (c. 1895).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1895 ai building https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7adf9512f422c39abe2356a51a747086.jpg ebbb1f34341ae45c59a41a9f2ed7251d 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 School Description An account of the resource The first schoolhouse in the village of Gratwick is a one-room frame building put up by the education-minded Germans in 1885 (Crosbie). Built in 1892, Public School Number 4 opens at Payne and Stenzil in 1894. It is enlarged in 1924, and at least once thereafter. In area known as <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Report_of_the_Superintendent_of_Public_I/h0A_AAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=wheatfield%20niagara%20school&pg=PA144&printsec=frontcover">Kohl's Woods</a>? Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 School before additions, photo c. 1895 (Marjorie Crosby thesis, 1949).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1895 gratwick school https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/6dee90e3254729a8f27bc1b338ac7269.jpg 81e2b458b30dc5ce684497ed32fff3f0 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/b2dc6b8261f13bc3776b4e34a47eea83.jpg 6db9e460cc2a029dcbe76cf0d95cc543 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 Goose Island (Tonawanda) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/26.jpg" alt="Goose Island as seen from Tonawanda Island, postcard detail, ca 1913" />Goose Island as seen from Tonawanda Island, postcard detail, ca 1913. "Goose Island" was the name of a triangular piece of land in Tonawanda formerly cut off from the mainland by the Erie Canal. The island was first settled by Tonawanda's well-to-do, its shady trees giving "Chestnut Street" its name. It had a cemetery (whose graves were moved to Sweeney Cemetery) and a schoolhouse. As the lumber industry picked up in the 1860s, the character of the island changed dramatically, and it would soon be known all over the country by canawlers and sailors as a "red-light" district. The canal from Tonawanda to Buffalo is filled in around 1927, effectively reconnecting the recalcitrant island to its parent. In 1966 the remaining buildings that housed the old saloons, bordellos and dwellings were razed as part of broader "Urban Renewal" efforts. Today, the only trace of old Goose Island is the old path of Chestnut Street, which is followed by the north edge of Tops parking lot and the southern part of Niagara Shore Drive. 1937 Coppola indictment dismissed. 1951 several of the old buildings, slated for demolition anyway by the State Housing Commission as part of their postwar plan, <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%25201951%2520%2520Grayscale%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%25201951%2520%2520Grayscale%2520-%25201604.pdf%23xml%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3Dffffffffffbb5d89%26DocId%3D2065199%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cDISK%2520U%26HitCount%3D19%26hits%3D49%2B4a%2B90%2B91%2B1a8%2B2c7%2B395%2B3cc%2B409%2B422%2B42a%2B458%2B627%2B744%2Bfee%2B1119%2B115a%2B115f%2B1166%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%25201951%2520%2520Grayscale%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%25201951%2520%2520Grayscale%2520-%25201604.pdf&xml=https%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3Dffffffffffbb5d89%26DocId%3D2065199%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cDISK%2520U%26HitCount%3D19%26hits%3D49%2B4a%2B90%2B91%2B1a8%2B2c7%2B395%2B3cc%2B409%2B422%2B42a%2B458%2B627%2B744%2Bfee%2B1119%2B115a%2B115f%2B1166%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&openFirstHlPage=false">are set on fire</a> by an arson.  A 1923 article claims an 1886 fire "totally destroyed" Goose Island. First mention 1897 (Frank Alliger's novelty concern) Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tied up for winter, canal boats on the Erie Canal, Goose Island, photo (Historical Society of the Tonawandas, c. 1895).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1895 Description An account of the resource ON BACK: CANAL BOATS ON THE ERIE CANAL, TONAWANDA NEW YORK - c. 1895 The photographer is looking east from the Bouck Street canal bridge toward the Seymour Street canal bridge in the background at the right. North Canal Street on Goose Island is on the far side of the boats. At the right is the towpath which ran parallel to South Canal Street. (Article Tonawanda News, 1967-07-01). canal gooseisland https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/fb58e13e4fcbcff2ad3b144f2cb2d203.jpeg 4e068af8c50571c24d2f8bb22565bc92 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/28a369b2f7f0863745f6998e96ca2e6d.jpeg 3440f666859ceacec594375ad42b95f2 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 Trains and Trolleys Description An account of the resource Trains Soon after the Erie Canal is completed, railroads begin to compete for business. From <a href="https://researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/collection/data/930152959">researchworks.oclc.org</a>: <blockquote>In 1834 the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad Company was incorporated to take over the Buffalo and Black Rock Company. It extended the lines to Niagara Falls and into Tonawanda. In 1853 the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad Company was leased by New York Central Railroad and was merged in 1855.</blockquote> From <a href="https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-municipal-history/railroads-of-niagara-falls/the-buffalo-niagara-falls-railroad/">niagarafallsinfo.com</a>: <blockquote>The Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad was incorporated on May 3rd, 1834. The Legislature of the State of New York passed a law to empower the railroad to construct a single or double track railroad between the City of Buffalo and the <a href="https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-municipal-history/the-city-of-the-falls-plan/the-idea-for-the-city-of-the-falls/">Village at Niagara Falls</a>. The railroad had a mandate to operate for a 50 year term and was empowered to absorb all rights, privileges and franchises belonging to the Buffalo and Black Rock Railroad Company, which had been built and was being operated by horse power. The Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad began operating in 1845. The 28 mile trip from Buffalo to Niagara Falls was a three hour journey being pulled by a wood stoked steam locomotive.... In 1852, the Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad relocated their tracks to the west side of the Erie Canal. On December 22nd 1853, the Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad was leased to the New York Central Railroad. On April 23rd 1869, the New York Central Railroad began operations within the Niagara escarpment.</blockquote> From <a href="https://buffalohistory.org/Explore/Exhibits/virtual_exhibits/buffalo_anniversary/175th/page_e1.htm">buffalohistory.org</a>: <blockquote>The Buffalo and Niagara Falls Rail Road was the first in Erie County to use steam locomotives. Service from Black Rock to Tonawanda began in August, 1836; from Buffalo to Tonawanda in September; and by November, 1836, the train ran on a regular schedule between Buffalo & Niagara Falls.</blockquote> Railroads on the maps The <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/3974">1837 Tonawanda/Whitehaven map</a> shows the B&NF railroad already established on Webster. It also shows a "Road to Lockport" and a "Proposed railroad to Lockport" heading out "Detroit Street" (later, Goundry Street). In <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/1258">this 1838 map</a>, it appears the former "road" hosts a new "Tonawanda & Lockport Railroad." Some more info from <a href="https://www.newyorkcentraltrainstation.org/history-new-york-central-train-station">newyorkcentraltrainstattion.org.</a> By <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/3560">1852</a>, a third line, "The Canandaigua and Niagara Falls," is added. From <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmira_and_Lake_Ontario_Railroad">Wikipedia</a>: <blockquote>On July 1, 1853, the Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad opened between Canandaigua and North Tonawanda. It was also 6 ft (1,829 mm) broad gauge, and was leased by the Canandaigua & Elmira RR, giving it access to the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge.</blockquote> In <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/1664">this 1854 map</a>, The Canandaigua route has changed to run south of the Erie Canal and then be carried over the canal into North Tonawanda at the foot of Oliver street. The cantilever bridge will later be built here. By the time of <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/240">this 1875 map</a>, a third railroad crosses the canal into North Tonawanda: The Erie, at the foot of Vandervoort street. As late as 1908, there are still tracks on the east side of Webster street. Looks like the railroad agrees to remove them in December 1921, not sure when it happens. Trolleys Before everybody in North Tonawanda could afford their very own muffler-less Honda Civic to run up and down Oliver Street, trolleys 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Street Railroad trolley car outside Hotel Sheldon, photo (c1896).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1896 goundry hotel person trolley village https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/c0b2a5cb5226dacd4607a5ddd7f0f3e6.jpg 58d0d65f6253cb7d6f2513489c003e72 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 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. A lock was also built to permit passage between the Niagara River (and Great Lakes) and the canal. Early documents also mention a guard lock just east of the lock. After the Civil War, the depth of the entire canal was increased to accomodate larger boats. Starting around 1909 work was done on our section of the canal as part of Contract 19 to improve the prism, or bottom shape (see <a href="https://nthistory.com/collections/show/152">photos of Contract 19</a>) In 1918 the 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Trolley-Traction Canal Boat, Niagara Street, photo (1896).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1896 boat canal electricity trolley https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/a22cad14c0233788cca34009794e528c.jpeg e0a06cff931a2c54df849f37db3c5a8a 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 Tonawanda Iron and Steel (Niagara River Iron Company) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Tonawanda Iron and Steel, illustration" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/16.jpg" />Illustration: Dennis Reed Jr., 2025. For a century, a massive riverfront iron works dominates the skyline of North Tonawanda near Wheatfield Street and present-day Fisherman's Park. The furnaces cast a ruddy glow over the west, and power the birth of the village of "Ironton," later known as "The Avenues." From <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/2891">History of Niagara County (1878)</a>: <blockquote>The Niagara River Iron Company was formed in pursuance of the general manufacturing law, in 1872, with a paid-up capital of $400,000. The first purchase of real estate was of 165 acres from M. Bush. The buildings were erected in 1873, and manufacturing operations commenced the same year. The engine house stands in a prominent position, and by one not knowing its design might be taken for an elegant mansion or villa; the building is 68 by 74 feet, with a proportionate elevation, and finished in tasteful style. The boiler house, judiciously separated, located 45 feet by 70, contains ten ponderous boilers, four feet in diameter and sixty feet long; an octagon chimney eighty feet high rises in front. The blast furnace was constructed to run out fifty tons of pig iron per day, and is 60 by 200 feet and two stories high; a tower rising above the rounded kert contains the machinery for elevating ore and brick by steam power. The oven is 30 by 41 feet, with iron-bound exterior. The buildings named are massive and substantial brick erections, upon stone foundations. The stock house is a frame building, 72 by 500 feet and two stories high. The dock fronting on the river is 500 feet in length, reaching ten feet depth of water. Located upon the dock is an engine for raising freight from the vessels. Two branch tracks of the Central railroad pass over the docks and into the stock house, to deposit and remove material. The buildings cover an area of four acres. The trustees are P. P. Pratt, president; Josiah Jewett, vice-president; S. S. Jewett, H. H. Glenny, George B. Hays, F. L. Danforth and B. F. Felton. During the present general depression in business the works are not operated; but as they are controlled by men of permanent wealth, willing to use it and able to hold their own until the day dawns upon brighter prospects, the advantages of this great concern will yet be felt by the community that has clustered about it in anticipation. The premises and machinery are kept in the most perfect order and neatness under the care of Alexander Reid.</blockquote> Pascal P. Pratt, a "hardware man" from Buffalo, is president and principal stockholder.  <blockquote>Mr. [Pascal P.] Pratt also helped to organize the Niagara River Iron Company in 1872. That company operated a blast furnace in North Tonawanda capable of turning out fifty tons of pig iron daily. Pascal Pratt was President of the firm, and among the other principals was S. S. Jewett. This company was later succeeded by the Tonawanda Iron and Steel Company, with William A. Rogers as President.</blockquote> <blockquote>- <a href="https://www.olmstedinbuffalo.com/pascal-p-pratt/#:~:text=city%20of%20Buffalo.-,Mr.,and%20the%20Bank%20of%20Attica.">Olmsted in Buffalo</a></blockquote> By 1875, in the midst of a general depression in the iron industry, the works are stopped, and lie dormant for years, possibly the next 14. In January 1889 it is reported that the Baird Bros. of Ohio will buy the plant and resume operations. It will require about $50K. 30 workers are expected in March. Ore begins arriving in great quantities in June, and on August 28 the furnace roars again. 100 men work the facility, day and night. The production of 100 tons of iron and steel a day is planned. <a href="https://archive.org/details/historyofcityofb00buff">Seemingly owned</a> at one point by "Rogers, Brown and Company, one of the largest iron companies in the country." The iron plant draws workers to the area, many Hungarian and Polish, who settle in a village called "<a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/83">Ironton</a>," just north of North Tonawanda proper. Frank Burkett Baird (b.1852 d.11/15/1939) organizes the Tonawanda Iron & Steel Co, in 1899. (Baird's singular accomplishment is as "Father of the Peace Bridge" - <a href="https://buffaloah.com/h/panam/forestL.html">Buffalo Architecture & History</a>). The new venture is a success, and expanding. President Rogers. New "monster" engine in June 1896. President McKinley fires up its mighty Furnace B with great ceremony and the flip of a switch from his home in Ohio in November 1896.  Somewhere around 1912 poor management and a poor economy stop the furnaces again. The plant lies unused until purchased by Tonawanda Iron Corp. in 1922. Gilmore. By 2017, the site has been cleared and converted into a small medical park and Fisherman's Park. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "Tonawanda Iron Corp., Is One of Largest Manufacturers of Pig Iron." Tonawanda News, 1929 (in this collection). Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tonawanda Iron & Steel, photo (1896, HST).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1896 factory ironton https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/877d8ec9df8b7bd3275831f410f28d06.jpg 5baf7e50d91b3bb096b986f089b5c30b https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/ce73c7656a5148176d0cada1ec810752.jpg 6e4ddfad30dd636b212a8f1982c3c832 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/66ff96b3cf77ac31d63cfab357fffc51.jpg b30a6d654b1ed4afee70e8ec6889e23e 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 Tonawanda & Wheatfield Electric Co., Tonawanda Power Co., National Grid 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." /> The Robinson Street "transformer building" is built by the Niagara Falls Power Company in 1895 as part of their unprecedented 23-mile transmission sending current from Nigara Falls to Buffalo. The building is later operated by the Tonawanda Power Company, who distribute the hyrdo-electricity locally. Today the historic building is owned by National Grid. Photo by Dennis Reed Jr., 2023. <h2>Motive power before the grid</h2> In the 1800s, in North Tonawanda and elsewhere, mills are powered primarily by waterwheels, while factories rely on stationary steam engines fueled by coal or wood to drive machinery and reduce human and animal labor. Beginning in the 1870s, electric dynamos appear, typically driven by steam engines, producing electricity mainly for lighting. There is no interconnected electrical grid. Electricity is generated locally, on site, by individual factories, private companies, or municipalities for their own use or a limited number of nearby customers. <h2>Tonawanda & Wheatfield Electric Light Company first located on Tonawanda Island</h2> In 1889, the Tonawanda & Wheatfield Electric Light Company operates a dynamo on the north end of Tonawanda Island. The dynamo is fed by wood shavings from the Doebler Planing Mill. The company supplies electricity to a small number of North Tonawanda subscribers. Arc lights on a few streets are run. Their office is at the northeast corner of Main and Goundry in an old frame building. <a href="http://nthistory.com/items/show/3942">1891 Buffalo Express Pictorial</a>: "The Tonawanda and Wheatfield Electric Co. are now building a $40,000 plant near the north end, to furnish power for an electric street railroad. These facilities, with a telephone service and telegraph office, leave but little to be desired. The docked frontage on the property is now nearly two miles in length. The Tonawanda City Water Works, located on the west side of the island, are fully described elsewhere." The Niagara Falls Power Company builds transmission line and transformer house at Robinson Street Meanwhile, electrical experts at the Niagara Falls Power Company and others have been convening for a few years about how to best harness Niagara Falls's tremendous kinetic energy for the electrical age, and what to do with all that energy, which would be far more than could be used locally. The answer: send it to the much larger city of Buffalo, 23 miles south.  In late 1895, the Niagara Falls Power Company begins building an unprecedented long-distance power line to Buffalo (mostly along the boundary of the old Mile Reserve). "This transmission line will run over a private right of way from the Niagara Falls Power Company's station at Niagara Falls to Tonawanda, and thence down one bank of the Erie Canal to Buffalo. The entire line will be fenced in" (<a href="https://reference.insulators.info/publications/view/?id=205&h0=tonawanda">Electrical Review</a>, August 5, 1896). It is operational by November 1896. (Amazing <a href="https://digital.hagley.org/AVD_1990_265">images of line construction</a> from Hagley Archives). The long distance line uses alternating current (AC) transmitted at high voltages, which could travel long distances 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.  Tonawanda Lighting and Power Company incorporated Landmarks of Niagara County: "The Tonawanda Lighting and Power Company was incorporated February 23, 1897, with a capital of $150,000, and is the successor of the Tonawanda and Wheatfield Electric Light Company, which was organized in 1890 The company supplies both Tonawanda and North Tonawanda, and operates in all about 290 arc and 2,400 incandescent lamps. Frank M. Gordon is local manager." They will step down power for local distribution in a yard north of the Niagara Falls Power Company's Robinson Street transformer house.  1900: "At Tonawanda, 10 miles from Buffalo and 14 miles from Niagara Falls, the transmission line from the falls to Buffalo is tapped and power from it is transformed, converted and regenerated into the various kinds and voltages of current desired tor traction, arc and incandescent lighting and distribution to motors. There is no electrical generating plant driven by steam power in Tonawanda or North Tonawanda either for street railway or central station loads. The work at Tonawanda is carried on by the Tonawanda Power Company, which is closely allied financially with the other Niagara power interests, such as the Niagara Palls Power Company and the Cataract Power and Conduit Company. The Tonawanda Power Company consists of the consolidation of the Tonawanda Light and Power Company, which formerly operated a steam-driven central station of the usual type in Tonawanda, and the Tonawanda Cataract Power Company, which previous to the consolidation was formed for advancing the Niagara power interests in Tonawanda. The consolidated company has erected a transforming station immediatey beside the right of way of the transmission line at a convenient point in North Tonawanda about a mile east of the business center and just a short distance south of the branch of the Erie running to Lockport, which branch is operated by electric power from this transforming station." Former switching tower Where the new pocket park is now, on the Twin City Highway side, was once a two-story “switching tower” which was wired to the transformer house. Added around 1902, this adjunct 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. In 1920, a horrific explosion kills 13 men early Halloween morning (read our blog post, <a href="https://www.nthistory.com/articles/tonawanda-power-company-disaster/">The Tonawanda Power Company Disaster</a>). 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 Safety News and Comment. The January 1921 Safety Bulletin <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). Fault is ultimately found to be with the equipment provider, who left no instruction to remove the wood blocks used in shipping. In 1925 the company become "associated with" Buffalo General Electric, Niagara Falls Power Co. and others. In 1929, they open a new headquarters on Sweeney and Webster, today Buffalo Suzuki Strings. The Robinson street transformer house and environs is now owned and operated by National Grid. This <a href="https://reference.insulators.info/publications/search/?query=tonawanda&submit=Search%20https://reference.insulators.info/publications/view/?id=5168&h0=tonawanda%C2%A0">collection of electric literature</a> has many fine details and photos of the 1896 construction of the line. <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/ja/collections/archival-item/sova-nmah-ac-0949-ref88">Photo archive at the Smithsonian</a>. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 falls Power Co wagon and horse, photo (c.1896).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1896 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/1ef75687f5e5c8520ad5987b5aace556.jpg caf183fda2574c87ebaaeaf235a7d820 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 NT Football Hall of Fame Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 1897 NT Football Team photo, North Tonawanda Football Hall of Fame (2017).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1897 football https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/dca47e1e9a6317549bf07845b1b76032.jpg 8d04dd51e54725c6a6b99606fd733af2 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 NT Football Hall of Fame Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 The Beginning of the NT Tradition, display at North Tonawanda Football Hall of Fame (2017).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1897 football https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/334f08f0a8a0fc5e261167de4150c79a.jpg f5796172112b1ae90ae0d682f94bb43c https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/e5085d4a771f19b3e8ad442cbcd93482.jpg 935c1d93ecf61af4926425c92f445208 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 River houseboat, Sour Spring Grove, Grand Island, photo (1897).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1897 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/cccb46b1899e5f39875c1d3b523a449d.jpg a97a979810a857bc839b3f07aab837e3 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 Tonawanda Iron and Steel (Niagara River Iron Company) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Tonawanda Iron and Steel, illustration" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/16.jpg" />Illustration: Dennis Reed Jr., 2025. For a century, a massive riverfront iron works dominates the skyline of North Tonawanda near Wheatfield Street and present-day Fisherman's Park. The furnaces cast a ruddy glow over the west, and power the birth of the village of "Ironton," later known as "The Avenues." From <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/2891">History of Niagara County (1878)</a>: <blockquote>The Niagara River Iron Company was formed in pursuance of the general manufacturing law, in 1872, with a paid-up capital of $400,000. The first purchase of real estate was of 165 acres from M. Bush. The buildings were erected in 1873, and manufacturing operations commenced the same year. The engine house stands in a prominent position, and by one not knowing its design might be taken for an elegant mansion or villa; the building is 68 by 74 feet, with a proportionate elevation, and finished in tasteful style. The boiler house, judiciously separated, located 45 feet by 70, contains ten ponderous boilers, four feet in diameter and sixty feet long; an octagon chimney eighty feet high rises in front. The blast furnace was constructed to run out fifty tons of pig iron per day, and is 60 by 200 feet and two stories high; a tower rising above the rounded kert contains the machinery for elevating ore and brick by steam power. The oven is 30 by 41 feet, with iron-bound exterior. The buildings named are massive and substantial brick erections, upon stone foundations. The stock house is a frame building, 72 by 500 feet and two stories high. The dock fronting on the river is 500 feet in length, reaching ten feet depth of water. Located upon the dock is an engine for raising freight from the vessels. Two branch tracks of the Central railroad pass over the docks and into the stock house, to deposit and remove material. The buildings cover an area of four acres. The trustees are P. P. Pratt, president; Josiah Jewett, vice-president; S. S. Jewett, H. H. Glenny, George B. Hays, F. L. Danforth and B. F. Felton. During the present general depression in business the works are not operated; but as they are controlled by men of permanent wealth, willing to use it and able to hold their own until the day dawns upon brighter prospects, the advantages of this great concern will yet be felt by the community that has clustered about it in anticipation. The premises and machinery are kept in the most perfect order and neatness under the care of Alexander Reid.</blockquote> Pascal P. Pratt, a "hardware man" from Buffalo, is president and principal stockholder.  <blockquote>Mr. [Pascal P.] Pratt also helped to organize the Niagara River Iron Company in 1872. That company operated a blast furnace in North Tonawanda capable of turning out fifty tons of pig iron daily. Pascal Pratt was President of the firm, and among the other principals was S. S. Jewett. This company was later succeeded by the Tonawanda Iron and Steel Company, with William A. Rogers as President.</blockquote> <blockquote>- <a href="https://www.olmstedinbuffalo.com/pascal-p-pratt/#:~:text=city%20of%20Buffalo.-,Mr.,and%20the%20Bank%20of%20Attica.">Olmsted in Buffalo</a></blockquote> By 1875, in the midst of a general depression in the iron industry, the works are stopped, and lie dormant for years, possibly the next 14. In January 1889 it is reported that the Baird Bros. of Ohio will buy the plant and resume operations. It will require about $50K. 30 workers are expected in March. Ore begins arriving in great quantities in June, and on August 28 the furnace roars again. 100 men work the facility, day and night. The production of 100 tons of iron and steel a day is planned. <a href="https://archive.org/details/historyofcityofb00buff">Seemingly owned</a> at one point by "Rogers, Brown and Company, one of the largest iron companies in the country." The iron plant draws workers to the area, many Hungarian and Polish, who settle in a village called "<a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/83">Ironton</a>," just north of North Tonawanda proper. Frank Burkett Baird (b.1852 d.11/15/1939) organizes the Tonawanda Iron & Steel Co, in 1899. (Baird's singular accomplishment is as "Father of the Peace Bridge" - <a href="https://buffaloah.com/h/panam/forestL.html">Buffalo Architecture & History</a>). The new venture is a success, and expanding. President Rogers. New "monster" engine in June 1896. President McKinley fires up its mighty Furnace B with great ceremony and the flip of a switch from his home in Ohio in November 1896.  Somewhere around 1912 poor management and a poor economy stop the furnaces again. The plant lies unused until purchased by Tonawanda Iron Corp. in 1922. Gilmore. By 2017, the site has been cleared and converted into a small medical park and Fisherman's Park. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "Tonawanda Iron Corp., Is One of Largest Manufacturers of Pig Iron." Tonawanda News, 1929 (in this collection). Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 furnaces of Tonawanda Iron and Steel, photo (Tonawanda Herald, 1897 Insdustrial Edition).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1897 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/f51c6369bf784c360173fc7d57e4723e.jpg 66ea3c8f1e618b8ad77bc23d8f0562dd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/4f27143d61e95d9510495c0e6166a5d7.png 08575e4742412876f61c439eb7384daa 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 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. A lock was also built to permit passage between the Niagara River (and Great Lakes) and the canal. Early documents also mention a guard lock just east of the lock. After the Civil War, the depth of the entire canal was increased to accomodate larger boats. Starting around 1909 work was done on our section of the canal as part of Contract 19 to improve the prism, or bottom shape (see <a href="https://nthistory.com/collections/show/152">photos of Contract 19</a>) In 1918 the 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Canal boats at Tonawanda, cabinet card (1897-05-15).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1897-05-15 cabinet card canal tonawanda https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/4f026da2e7b75c54be52e94eb6de6084.jpg ac369df787c93cd264992bf065319c73 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/60927c42aca57ff727be5f85f3a22482.jpg 14e48cd9aab15cd200628eaf375a2f89 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Canal boats not in commission, cabinet card (1897-05-15).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1897-05-15 Description An account of the resource Tonawanda Island White mansion visible? canal creek river swingbridge tonawandaisland https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/e122676858da8fde0d719528a7b907ca.jpg b9e7b380f21d2b40b571e5a4b30dd993 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 Tonawanda Iron and Steel (Niagara River Iron Company) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Tonawanda Iron and Steel, illustration" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/16.jpg" />Illustration: Dennis Reed Jr., 2025. For a century, a massive riverfront iron works dominates the skyline of North Tonawanda near Wheatfield Street and present-day Fisherman's Park. The furnaces cast a ruddy glow over the west, and power the birth of the village of "Ironton," later known as "The Avenues." From <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/2891">History of Niagara County (1878)</a>: <blockquote>The Niagara River Iron Company was formed in pursuance of the general manufacturing law, in 1872, with a paid-up capital of $400,000. The first purchase of real estate was of 165 acres from M. Bush. The buildings were erected in 1873, and manufacturing operations commenced the same year. The engine house stands in a prominent position, and by one not knowing its design might be taken for an elegant mansion or villa; the building is 68 by 74 feet, with a proportionate elevation, and finished in tasteful style. The boiler house, judiciously separated, located 45 feet by 70, contains ten ponderous boilers, four feet in diameter and sixty feet long; an octagon chimney eighty feet high rises in front. The blast furnace was constructed to run out fifty tons of pig iron per day, and is 60 by 200 feet and two stories high; a tower rising above the rounded kert contains the machinery for elevating ore and brick by steam power. The oven is 30 by 41 feet, with iron-bound exterior. The buildings named are massive and substantial brick erections, upon stone foundations. The stock house is a frame building, 72 by 500 feet and two stories high. The dock fronting on the river is 500 feet in length, reaching ten feet depth of water. Located upon the dock is an engine for raising freight from the vessels. Two branch tracks of the Central railroad pass over the docks and into the stock house, to deposit and remove material. The buildings cover an area of four acres. The trustees are P. P. Pratt, president; Josiah Jewett, vice-president; S. S. Jewett, H. H. Glenny, George B. Hays, F. L. Danforth and B. F. Felton. During the present general depression in business the works are not operated; but as they are controlled by men of permanent wealth, willing to use it and able to hold their own until the day dawns upon brighter prospects, the advantages of this great concern will yet be felt by the community that has clustered about it in anticipation. The premises and machinery are kept in the most perfect order and neatness under the care of Alexander Reid.</blockquote> Pascal P. Pratt, a "hardware man" from Buffalo, is president and principal stockholder.  <blockquote>Mr. [Pascal P.] Pratt also helped to organize the Niagara River Iron Company in 1872. That company operated a blast furnace in North Tonawanda capable of turning out fifty tons of pig iron daily. Pascal Pratt was President of the firm, and among the other principals was S. S. Jewett. This company was later succeeded by the Tonawanda Iron and Steel Company, with William A. Rogers as President.</blockquote> <blockquote>- <a href="https://www.olmstedinbuffalo.com/pascal-p-pratt/#:~:text=city%20of%20Buffalo.-,Mr.,and%20the%20Bank%20of%20Attica.">Olmsted in Buffalo</a></blockquote> By 1875, in the midst of a general depression in the iron industry, the works are stopped, and lie dormant for years, possibly the next 14. In January 1889 it is reported that the Baird Bros. of Ohio will buy the plant and resume operations. It will require about $50K. 30 workers are expected in March. Ore begins arriving in great quantities in June, and on August 28 the furnace roars again. 100 men work the facility, day and night. The production of 100 tons of iron and steel a day is planned. <a href="https://archive.org/details/historyofcityofb00buff">Seemingly owned</a> at one point by "Rogers, Brown and Company, one of the largest iron companies in the country." The iron plant draws workers to the area, many Hungarian and Polish, who settle in a village called "<a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/83">Ironton</a>," just north of North Tonawanda proper. Frank Burkett Baird (b.1852 d.11/15/1939) organizes the Tonawanda Iron & Steel Co, in 1899. (Baird's singular accomplishment is as "Father of the Peace Bridge" - <a href="https://buffaloah.com/h/panam/forestL.html">Buffalo Architecture & History</a>). The new venture is a success, and expanding. President Rogers. New "monster" engine in June 1896. President McKinley fires up its mighty Furnace B with great ceremony and the flip of a switch from his home in Ohio in November 1896.  Somewhere around 1912 poor management and a poor economy stop the furnaces again. The plant lies unused until purchased by Tonawanda Iron Corp. in 1922. Gilmore. By 2017, the site has been cleared and converted into a small medical park and Fisherman's Park. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "Tonawanda Iron Corp., Is One of Largest Manufacturers of Pig Iron." Tonawanda News, 1929 (in this collection). Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tonawanda Iron and Steel, views of plant (c1900).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 iron https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/6319f4abc4f2ba2d3ddbc3bb54ef83e9.jpg 063929de9514b5c12679cb5243bfc6b3 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 Tonawanda Iron and Steel (Niagara River Iron Company) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Tonawanda Iron and Steel, illustration" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/16.jpg" />Illustration: Dennis Reed Jr., 2025. For a century, a massive riverfront iron works dominates the skyline of North Tonawanda near Wheatfield Street and present-day Fisherman's Park. The furnaces cast a ruddy glow over the west, and power the birth of the village of "Ironton," later known as "The Avenues." From <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/2891">History of Niagara County (1878)</a>: <blockquote>The Niagara River Iron Company was formed in pursuance of the general manufacturing law, in 1872, with a paid-up capital of $400,000. The first purchase of real estate was of 165 acres from M. Bush. The buildings were erected in 1873, and manufacturing operations commenced the same year. The engine house stands in a prominent position, and by one not knowing its design might be taken for an elegant mansion or villa; the building is 68 by 74 feet, with a proportionate elevation, and finished in tasteful style. The boiler house, judiciously separated, located 45 feet by 70, contains ten ponderous boilers, four feet in diameter and sixty feet long; an octagon chimney eighty feet high rises in front. The blast furnace was constructed to run out fifty tons of pig iron per day, and is 60 by 200 feet and two stories high; a tower rising above the rounded kert contains the machinery for elevating ore and brick by steam power. The oven is 30 by 41 feet, with iron-bound exterior. The buildings named are massive and substantial brick erections, upon stone foundations. The stock house is a frame building, 72 by 500 feet and two stories high. The dock fronting on the river is 500 feet in length, reaching ten feet depth of water. Located upon the dock is an engine for raising freight from the vessels. Two branch tracks of the Central railroad pass over the docks and into the stock house, to deposit and remove material. The buildings cover an area of four acres. The trustees are P. P. Pratt, president; Josiah Jewett, vice-president; S. S. Jewett, H. H. Glenny, George B. Hays, F. L. Danforth and B. F. Felton. During the present general depression in business the works are not operated; but as they are controlled by men of permanent wealth, willing to use it and able to hold their own until the day dawns upon brighter prospects, the advantages of this great concern will yet be felt by the community that has clustered about it in anticipation. The premises and machinery are kept in the most perfect order and neatness under the care of Alexander Reid.</blockquote> Pascal P. Pratt, a "hardware man" from Buffalo, is president and principal stockholder.  <blockquote>Mr. [Pascal P.] Pratt also helped to organize the Niagara River Iron Company in 1872. That company operated a blast furnace in North Tonawanda capable of turning out fifty tons of pig iron daily. Pascal Pratt was President of the firm, and among the other principals was S. S. Jewett. This company was later succeeded by the Tonawanda Iron and Steel Company, with William A. Rogers as President.</blockquote> <blockquote>- <a href="https://www.olmstedinbuffalo.com/pascal-p-pratt/#:~:text=city%20of%20Buffalo.-,Mr.,and%20the%20Bank%20of%20Attica.">Olmsted in Buffalo</a></blockquote> By 1875, in the midst of a general depression in the iron industry, the works are stopped, and lie dormant for years, possibly the next 14. In January 1889 it is reported that the Baird Bros. of Ohio will buy the plant and resume operations. It will require about $50K. 30 workers are expected in March. Ore begins arriving in great quantities in June, and on August 28 the furnace roars again. 100 men work the facility, day and night. The production of 100 tons of iron and steel a day is planned. <a href="https://archive.org/details/historyofcityofb00buff">Seemingly owned</a> at one point by "Rogers, Brown and Company, one of the largest iron companies in the country." The iron plant draws workers to the area, many Hungarian and Polish, who settle in a village called "<a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/83">Ironton</a>," just north of North Tonawanda proper. Frank Burkett Baird (b.1852 d.11/15/1939) organizes the Tonawanda Iron & Steel Co, in 1899. (Baird's singular accomplishment is as "Father of the Peace Bridge" - <a href="https://buffaloah.com/h/panam/forestL.html">Buffalo Architecture & History</a>). The new venture is a success, and expanding. President Rogers. New "monster" engine in June 1896. President McKinley fires up its mighty Furnace B with great ceremony and the flip of a switch from his home in Ohio in November 1896.  Somewhere around 1912 poor management and a poor economy stop the furnaces again. The plant lies unused until purchased by Tonawanda Iron Corp. in 1922. Gilmore. By 2017, the site has been cleared and converted into a small medical park and Fisherman's Park. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "Tonawanda Iron Corp., Is One of Largest Manufacturers of Pig Iron." Tonawanda News, 1929 (in this collection). Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tonawanda Iron and Steel Company locomotive, photo (1900s?).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 iron railroad https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/6fd3ce0ec1412841b70ef3bb0c5609b2.jpg cf5f4e54e3d2b81b8c45482fbaee4935 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 Tonawanda Iron and Steel (Niagara River Iron Company) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Tonawanda Iron and Steel, illustration" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/16.jpg" />Illustration: Dennis Reed Jr., 2025. For a century, a massive riverfront iron works dominates the skyline of North Tonawanda near Wheatfield Street and present-day Fisherman's Park. The furnaces cast a ruddy glow over the west, and power the birth of the village of "Ironton," later known as "The Avenues." From <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/2891">History of Niagara County (1878)</a>: <blockquote>The Niagara River Iron Company was formed in pursuance of the general manufacturing law, in 1872, with a paid-up capital of $400,000. The first purchase of real estate was of 165 acres from M. Bush. The buildings were erected in 1873, and manufacturing operations commenced the same year. The engine house stands in a prominent position, and by one not knowing its design might be taken for an elegant mansion or villa; the building is 68 by 74 feet, with a proportionate elevation, and finished in tasteful style. The boiler house, judiciously separated, located 45 feet by 70, contains ten ponderous boilers, four feet in diameter and sixty feet long; an octagon chimney eighty feet high rises in front. The blast furnace was constructed to run out fifty tons of pig iron per day, and is 60 by 200 feet and two stories high; a tower rising above the rounded kert contains the machinery for elevating ore and brick by steam power. The oven is 30 by 41 feet, with iron-bound exterior. The buildings named are massive and substantial brick erections, upon stone foundations. The stock house is a frame building, 72 by 500 feet and two stories high. The dock fronting on the river is 500 feet in length, reaching ten feet depth of water. Located upon the dock is an engine for raising freight from the vessels. Two branch tracks of the Central railroad pass over the docks and into the stock house, to deposit and remove material. The buildings cover an area of four acres. The trustees are P. P. Pratt, president; Josiah Jewett, vice-president; S. S. Jewett, H. H. Glenny, George B. Hays, F. L. Danforth and B. F. Felton. During the present general depression in business the works are not operated; but as they are controlled by men of permanent wealth, willing to use it and able to hold their own until the day dawns upon brighter prospects, the advantages of this great concern will yet be felt by the community that has clustered about it in anticipation. The premises and machinery are kept in the most perfect order and neatness under the care of Alexander Reid.</blockquote> Pascal P. Pratt, a "hardware man" from Buffalo, is president and principal stockholder.  <blockquote>Mr. [Pascal P.] Pratt also helped to organize the Niagara River Iron Company in 1872. That company operated a blast furnace in North Tonawanda capable of turning out fifty tons of pig iron daily. Pascal Pratt was President of the firm, and among the other principals was S. S. Jewett. This company was later succeeded by the Tonawanda Iron and Steel Company, with William A. Rogers as President.</blockquote> <blockquote>- <a href="https://www.olmstedinbuffalo.com/pascal-p-pratt/#:~:text=city%20of%20Buffalo.-,Mr.,and%20the%20Bank%20of%20Attica.">Olmsted in Buffalo</a></blockquote> By 1875, in the midst of a general depression in the iron industry, the works are stopped, and lie dormant for years, possibly the next 14. In January 1889 it is reported that the Baird Bros. of Ohio will buy the plant and resume operations. It will require about $50K. 30 workers are expected in March. Ore begins arriving in great quantities in June, and on August 28 the furnace roars again. 100 men work the facility, day and night. The production of 100 tons of iron and steel a day is planned. <a href="https://archive.org/details/historyofcityofb00buff">Seemingly owned</a> at one point by "Rogers, Brown and Company, one of the largest iron companies in the country." The iron plant draws workers to the area, many Hungarian and Polish, who settle in a village called "<a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/83">Ironton</a>," just north of North Tonawanda proper. Frank Burkett Baird (b.1852 d.11/15/1939) organizes the Tonawanda Iron & Steel Co, in 1899. (Baird's singular accomplishment is as "Father of the Peace Bridge" - <a href="https://buffaloah.com/h/panam/forestL.html">Buffalo Architecture & History</a>). The new venture is a success, and expanding. President Rogers. New "monster" engine in June 1896. President McKinley fires up its mighty Furnace B with great ceremony and the flip of a switch from his home in Ohio in November 1896.  Somewhere around 1912 poor management and a poor economy stop the furnaces again. The plant lies unused until purchased by Tonawanda Iron Corp. in 1922. Gilmore. By 2017, the site has been cleared and converted into a small medical park and Fisherman's Park. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "Tonawanda Iron Corp., Is One of Largest Manufacturers of Pig Iron." Tonawanda News, 1929 (in this collection). Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tonawanda Iron and Steel Company locomotive, photo detail (1900s?).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 iron railroad https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/198bed39c6d29cb382818f44e237e7d9.jpg 93d322dcd9c2de11185d885f04cf3805 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/d3629353c395b8bae941fd089737f4a2.jpg b3c7de89f6d8a5aecd49b8632e573b5e 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 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" />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>. 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. 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. 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. As the forests of the midwest were depleted and shipping routes and technology changed, the lumber heyday of the Tonawandas receded into the past. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Along the Lumber Docks, photo (Buffalo Morning Express, c1900).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 boat lumber https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/1a271c87efa9cf1f49ab9d54ecdf6f9c.jpg 11d13ec658e47b4256e16d47daf7c548 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 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)" />Nucleus of Wurlitzer: The North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory in 1893. It still stands in 2023. 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." <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> Portable music of another era 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. 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. Meet the Wurlitzers 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>). 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. The de Kleist Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company 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>. 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. 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. 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Barrel Organ Factory arranger, photo (c1900).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="http://www.timtrager.com">timtrager.com</a> https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/8f7b69166bee6b0e77d328f0b3396f8a.jpg 9d742a3cf787b96e2c15c88dad91b4e5 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 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)" />Nucleus of Wurlitzer: The North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory in 1893. It still stands in 2023. 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." <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> Portable music of another era 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. 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. Meet the Wurlitzers 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>). 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. The de Kleist Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company 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>. 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. 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. 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Barrel Organ Factory barrel-pinning, photo (c1900).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="http://www.timtrager.com">timtrager.com</a> labor https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/34d0a701829bd6845ac7b1013eb5439b.jpg 0ff17625bac7d5c682ae16fc5c4c0780 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." /> North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works factory at 435 Payne Avenue, c1913; photo colorized by the webmaster. <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). 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">All of Us</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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 A. B. Williams Planing Mill, original NTMIW site, photo (HST c1900).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 factory horse lumber https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/dd4d308e2302415ce32863de69c3a613.jpg ddadab021fb5f2f8baa26822baca5ebc 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 First Baptist Church Description An account of the resource The First Baptist Church of North Tonawanda is built in 1888 at 190 Vandervoort Street. On May 30, 1965 the congregation commences worship at their expansive new 530 Meadow Drive location. The Vandervoort building is now operated as the "Chapel Vandervoort," a wedding and event facility. The founding of the First Baptist Church, and its activities before 1888, are described in <a href="http://www.nthistorymuseum.org/Collections/fbc-100th-1.html">its 1985 newsletter</a>: <blockquote>Early in 1885, while supplying the pulpit at the First Presbyterian Church in Tonawanda, Martin W. Twing, then a seminary student at Rochester, became concerned about those with Baptist Convictions who were attending other churches. At that time the Tonawandas were fast becoming the largest lumber center in the country, and many families were moving into the area. Mr. Twing began visiting those who were known to be Baptists. As a Result of the prelimanary work done by Mr. Twing, two baptist pastors from Buffalo, Dr. John Gordon of Washington Street Baptist Church and Rev George Whitman of Cedar Street Baptist Church, came to the Tonawandas in April to further survey the area.The afternoon was spent in calling, and that evening a prayer meeting was held in the home of Mr. Peter Hittel. A decision was made to begin meetings, and Good Templar's Hall on the third floor over the State Bank and Cramer's Hardware on Webster Street [was selected as the site]. Mr. McCutcheon, a seminary student from Rochester, preached the first sermon, followed on subsequent Sundays by Mr. Munger and Mr. James Grant, also from Rochester. Enough interest was shown to rent the hall and continue services for the summer with Mr. James Grant acting as minister until seminary resumed in the fall. Mr. Grant was zealous in his ministry, and attendance grew from twenty-five to seventy-five on some sundays. After much prayer, this small company of believers determined it was God's will that an English-speaking Baptist church be established in North Tonawanda. Thus, on September 6, 1885, a meeting was called for the purpose of organizing First Baptist Church. There were eighteen Charter members. The Articles of Faith and Church Covenant, as used by the Cranston Street Baptist Church of Providence, Rhode Island, were adopted.On December 1, 1885, delegated from several Baptist churches gathered to examine and recognized the new assembly as a regular Baptist Church. Appropriately, Martin W. Twing was called as the first pastor of First Baptist Church.In summary, a very evident need for a gospel testimony in the community, the burden of one man who inspired others, an area survey, and much prayer all played a vital part in the birth of First Baptist Church one hundred twenty years ago.</blockquote> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived http://www.nthistorymuseum.org/Collections/firstbaptist.html http://www.chapelvandervoort.net Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 First Baptist Church, photo (c1900).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/76776d19fd567549144dc7f7007f4237.jpg fbddd542f02a8422160a4daa658cb385 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 Philip Perew, inventor Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="../../../custom/cover/106b.jpg" alt="The Electric Man appears to draw a car" />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: Historical Society of the Tonawandas. 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>.  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 at least attempting to develop anti-torpedo technology, a <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/867">canal electric trolley system</a>, and a cigar lighter. He was associated with local merry-go-round makers <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/100">Gillie, Goddard and Company</a>. He files at least one patent for a <a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US499800?oq=499800">new merry-go-round system</a>. From Tonawanda Herald of Thursday, November 26, 1891: “Philip Perew, of South Canal street, has put on his thinking cap and set out in earnest to make some money. He is about to introduce a new style of merry-go-round, which in addition to hobbie horses, will have a revolving panorama and stationary stage for a variety performance. Each machine will be 45 feet in diameter, have 4 chariots, 24 horses, and 50 chairs. There will be 100 pictures magnified many times, and 8 performers on the stage. The fare will be 5 cents, as on the ordinary riding gallery, with the additional attractions mentioned. It would seem as if this apparatus, if successful, would prove a formidable rival over the original machines. The motive power will be steam, with electric possibilities in the future. Sample outfits will be made at Gillie’s machine shops. This enterprise will be watched with considerable interest, in view of the success which has attended a similar undertaking in our midst, which has made Tonawanda famous as headquarters for the nation in this line of production." He and Goddard were associated 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. 1900 Census Louis P. Perew is at 49 First Street, Goose Island, with Wife Helen A. Perew (whome he married in 1884) and an adopted son. Occupation: Automobile manufacturing. 1905 Census <a href="https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29212185?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a224c477144566b504a77575356524479787649643235354e7557395a773277673731724c7269516575492b673d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d">he is in Tonawanda</a> at his brother Thomas's 67 Tonawanda street "People's Hotel" (on Goose Island). Brother's occupation "saloon," Phillip's is blank. Both been in country 27 years, French Canadian. In 1909 he is proprietor of the White Star Hotel (1892 NY Census <a href="https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29211225?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a225774774c696536637a4e6954427136376444374965487661634d68654433614e64457235326c6d666139733d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d">has his occupation as</a> "Hotel Keeper". Perew was an avid boat racer and builder, and owned a gasoline cruiser and a yacht in 1910s. 1915 NY Census <a href="https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29211406?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a2261436f39374d6f4f5a36474a4b694d78624c334936594b5237737331686c4856465245346d534971334d593d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d">has him</a> living at 46 Sweeney Street with wife Stella Perew and son Joseph, and gives his occupation as "Boat Captain". 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." 1930 Census says he is still with wife Stella, has a radio set, and owns his own home (lives at 46 Sweeney), is retired, and speaks French. 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">Robots in American Popular Culture (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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Walking Automaton, photo (Granger Collection, c1900).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/4574e8e6b8d003ff62422993b404f91f.jpg a123ba7be8460f6bb9769b01dad65743 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 Scenic Family Theatre (40 Webster) Description An account of the resource In a 1913 map, the theater is shown in the north half of the Fowler Block, at the southwest corner of Webster and Tremont, or 40 Webster: though a later article suggests the theater occupied 38 or perhaps even further south. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Remember the Scenic Theatre, photo from 1900 (Tonawanda News, 1968-10-26).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 theater https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/c33fa11abff4ba7c83aac3594957485a.jpg 27084c7276c59a5e779a2aa2f9b0cdb0 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Horse-drawn hearse, Wattengel Funeral Home, photo (Shared by Joe Mantione).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/163c4e923c80e465a338de4a7c72651c.jpg 73cc47895c827a081b65c2eee7e2a9ba https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/90ff91f6843122a3d592fe8c818a0749.jpg 3f06960261808c9493959838fac40420 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/8244500fb8800ff2bb5e59733d2e6415.jpg 2671c59b265a5d65709fb6144f2cd419 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Twin City Band of Tonawanda, photo (c1900).jpg Description An account of the resource FRONT ROW: John Simson, * Miller, Emil Wein (instructor), Alfred Luther?, Carl Kepple; SECOND ROW: Gus Conrad, Henry Tussing, John W. Tussing (trumpet), Henry Cliesterhaut?, **, **, * Harmin, * Luther; BACK ROW: -- Bernhardt, Fred Loindusky?, Ed. Tussing, John Tussin, Henry Hacker Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7948713b5dbc7f67c117e614a9f3a3f6.jpg 80af5cb8e1453eb10e50dd4ec1ff9858 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tussing family home, Simpson St., Tonawanda (c1900).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/a083c26643048bfca2941d26ca205e31.jpg 39579d844e38146f77147dbfbf0d30af 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 Firefighting in the Tonawandas Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="https://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/80.jpg" alt="Gratwick Hose No.6, Felton Street, c.1929" />Gratwick Hose No.6, Felton Street, c.1929 <blockquote>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. North Tonawanda depended heavily on Volunteer Firemen and quickly grew to seven companies located at important places around the city.</blockquote> - Sarah E. Walter's thesis (nthistorymuseum.org). Allan Herschell "helped to organize the first fire company of North Tonawanda" (Biographical and portrait cyclopedia of Niagara County, New York, p.361). <table border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td>Started</td> <td>Name</td> <td>Notes</td> </tr> <tr> <td>May 7, 1876</td> <td>North Tonawanda Bucket Company / Columbia Hook and Ladder Company No.1</td> <td>Thompson in 1893 directory</td> </tr> <tr> <td>March 1, 1886</td> <td>Active Hose Company No.2</td> <td>"Ironton Boys", Robinson south of Marion in 1893</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1886-1909</td> <td>Hydrant Hose Company No.3</td> <td>Sweeney and Main at bridge</td> </tr> <tr> <td>April 1887</td> <td>Live Active Hose Co. No.4</td> <td> Thompson St (1893), now Goundry and Vandervoort</td> </tr> <tr> <td>January 26, 1891</td> <td>Rescue Fire Company No.5</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>1886?</td> <td><a href="https://yellow.place/en/gratwick-hose-fire-company-6-north-tonawanda-usa">Gratwick Hose Company No.6</a></td> <td>Felton until 1962.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1894</td> <td>Sweeney Hose No.7</td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Of Hydrant Hose Co. No. 3, it was said somewhere: <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> According to Harry Dorn in an article in this set, <blockquote>The Tonawanda Fire Dept. was organized in the early 1860s when the Village of Tonawanda had a population of 2,000...One of the frst companies was the Shepard Hose Company which after several years was known as the DeGraff Hose, Hydrant Hose Company and thewn on Aug 25, 1898 became National Hose No.1 [Ed. Hydrant Hose appears in newspaper record until at least early 1900s].</blockquote> Columbia Hook & Ladder in The Tonawanda News, May 9, 1896: <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. 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. The parent company of North Tonawanda was the Columbia Hook and Ladder Company; 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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Live Hose No.4, photo (c.1900).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 firefighter hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/8a4aecea3889e79a08bdd67d6aa93448.jpg d4805acc69bf5bce313db26e6ea180ca 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 DeGraff Mansion (273 Goundry Street) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="DeGraff Mansion c1950" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/115.jpg" />DeGraff Mansion c.1970, from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DegraffMansion">DeGraff Mansion Memoirs</a> Few residences are as striking--or ancient--in North Tonawanda as the stately Queen Anne red brick that has presided over the southwest corner of Payne Avenue and Goundry Street since about 1883. Built for prominent early residents James H. DeGraff and Mary Simson, the home has hosted everything from Methodist prayer meetings to alleged LSD and celebrity-fueled bacchanals. The DeGraffs On April 30, 1885, banker, engineer and lumber businessman James H. DeGraff and his family move into their new home (the couple has been married some 26 years). James has served as Town Supervisor for both Tonawanda (1875-1876) and Wheatfield (1881-1882). It is one of the first residences in North Tonawanda to boast the luxuries of running water and a "water closet"--before the city waterworks is even completed. This is accomplished by a special reservoir tank on the third floor, to which well water is piped.  Son LeGrand Simson DeGraff carries on his father's lumber trade with A. Weston & Son, as well as his father's compulsive bankering. He lives at 273, and installs an elevator for his elderly wife (the first in the city, according to legend). He remains in the DeGraff family home until the 1950s. He lives his final few years in DeGraff hospital (which he founded for the benefit of the Tonawandas). The irony and harmony of such an ending almost defy description. He dies April 2, 1960. An undated item in this collection purports that a Robert Cleveland obtained the mansion from the estate of the DeGraffs. The Aurigemas In the 1960s, Norton Jr. (Jay) and Brigitte Aurigema take ownership, run a pizza restaurant out of the home, and host lavish parties for celebrities playing Melody Fair. One notorious soiree (with visiting stars from a touring production of Cabaret) is raided by police in the summer of 1972. LSD and narcotics are recovered, and police say there were 150 people roaming all over the house. Jay and a few others are charged, but the charges are dropped due to technical deficiencies in the search warrant.  Many amazing family photographs of some of their heady hijinks are on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DegraffMansion">DeGraff Mansion Memoirs</a> Facebook page. After the Aurigemas In 1978 the current owners take charge of the historic property and go to extraordinary lengths to restore it. Their son writes on Facebook in 2023: <blockquote>We had a skylift working on the house an entire summer reworking all the eves. My father used to be on the roof in his harness and scaffolding tuckpointing the chimneys. My mother recreated all the stencils for the interior walls and made new jigs for the plaster crown molding. THEY absolutely LOVED that house and cared for it immensely.</blockquote> Their son is currently working on a plan to restore the ancient beauty once again, and is winning community support. Learn more at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550795452281">DeGraff Mansion Restoration Page</a>. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <ul> <li>Historic Treasures Volume I - Ed. Donna Zellner Neal (2011)</li> <li>NT Library Genealogy Club Newsletter, May 2011</li> </ul> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 DeGraff mansion, photo (DeGraff Mansion Memoir, c1900).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 residence https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/bd2bacf7f5eb31ae2aa15196343544e8.jpg 35f2c98aea61e27fbd92e75494f5f9f6 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 Trains and Trolleys Description An account of the resource Trains Soon after the Erie Canal is completed, railroads begin to compete for business. From <a href="https://researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/collection/data/930152959">researchworks.oclc.org</a>: <blockquote>In 1834 the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad Company was incorporated to take over the Buffalo and Black Rock Company. It extended the lines to Niagara Falls and into Tonawanda. In 1853 the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad Company was leased by New York Central Railroad and was merged in 1855.</blockquote> From <a href="https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-municipal-history/railroads-of-niagara-falls/the-buffalo-niagara-falls-railroad/">niagarafallsinfo.com</a>: <blockquote>The Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad was incorporated on May 3rd, 1834. The Legislature of the State of New York passed a law to empower the railroad to construct a single or double track railroad between the City of Buffalo and the <a href="https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-municipal-history/the-city-of-the-falls-plan/the-idea-for-the-city-of-the-falls/">Village at Niagara Falls</a>. The railroad had a mandate to operate for a 50 year term and was empowered to absorb all rights, privileges and franchises belonging to the Buffalo and Black Rock Railroad Company, which had been built and was being operated by horse power. The Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad began operating in 1845. The 28 mile trip from Buffalo to Niagara Falls was a three hour journey being pulled by a wood stoked steam locomotive.... In 1852, the Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad relocated their tracks to the west side of the Erie Canal. On December 22nd 1853, the Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad was leased to the New York Central Railroad. On April 23rd 1869, the New York Central Railroad began operations within the Niagara escarpment.</blockquote> From <a href="https://buffalohistory.org/Explore/Exhibits/virtual_exhibits/buffalo_anniversary/175th/page_e1.htm">buffalohistory.org</a>: <blockquote>The Buffalo and Niagara Falls Rail Road was the first in Erie County to use steam locomotives. Service from Black Rock to Tonawanda began in August, 1836; from Buffalo to Tonawanda in September; and by November, 1836, the train ran on a regular schedule between Buffalo & Niagara Falls.</blockquote> Railroads on the maps The <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/3974">1837 Tonawanda/Whitehaven map</a> shows the B&NF railroad already established on Webster. It also shows a "Road to Lockport" and a "Proposed railroad to Lockport" heading out "Detroit Street" (later, Goundry Street). In <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/1258">this 1838 map</a>, it appears the former "road" hosts a new "Tonawanda & Lockport Railroad." Some more info from <a href="https://www.newyorkcentraltrainstation.org/history-new-york-central-train-station">newyorkcentraltrainstattion.org.</a> By <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/3560">1852</a>, a third line, "The Canandaigua and Niagara Falls," is added. From <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmira_and_Lake_Ontario_Railroad">Wikipedia</a>: <blockquote>On July 1, 1853, the Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad opened between Canandaigua and North Tonawanda. It was also 6 ft (1,829 mm) broad gauge, and was leased by the Canandaigua & Elmira RR, giving it access to the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge.</blockquote> In <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/1664">this 1854 map</a>, The Canandaigua route has changed to run south of the Erie Canal and then be carried over the canal into North Tonawanda at the foot of Oliver street. The cantilever bridge will later be built here. By the time of <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/240">this 1875 map</a>, a third railroad crosses the canal into North Tonawanda: The Erie, at the foot of Vandervoort street. As late as 1908, there are still tracks on the east side of Webster street. Looks like the railroad agrees to remove them in December 1921, not sure when it happens. Trolleys Before everybody in North Tonawanda could afford their very own muffler-less Honda Civic to run up and down Oliver Street, trolleys 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Erie Railroad (Buffalo Division) Depot at North Tonawanda, photo (c1900).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/9d58bcd81ea506e270236c84c5414e1c.jpg 7a3527bc8e47acd698d38a1a23fc24ae https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/dd4e4201ae550b2c82d71ff76542b3e2.jpg 14a364ae37b8fa08fd0e3a0210d11571 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 Philip Perew, inventor Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="../../../custom/cover/106b.jpg" alt="The Electric Man appears to draw a car" />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: Historical Society of the Tonawandas. 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>.  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 at least attempting to develop anti-torpedo technology, a <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/867">canal electric trolley system</a>, and a cigar lighter. He was associated with local merry-go-round makers <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/100">Gillie, Goddard and Company</a>. He files at least one patent for a <a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US499800?oq=499800">new merry-go-round system</a>. From Tonawanda Herald of Thursday, November 26, 1891: “Philip Perew, of South Canal street, has put on his thinking cap and set out in earnest to make some money. He is about to introduce a new style of merry-go-round, which in addition to hobbie horses, will have a revolving panorama and stationary stage for a variety performance. Each machine will be 45 feet in diameter, have 4 chariots, 24 horses, and 50 chairs. There will be 100 pictures magnified many times, and 8 performers on the stage. The fare will be 5 cents, as on the ordinary riding gallery, with the additional attractions mentioned. It would seem as if this apparatus, if successful, would prove a formidable rival over the original machines. The motive power will be steam, with electric possibilities in the future. Sample outfits will be made at Gillie’s machine shops. This enterprise will be watched with considerable interest, in view of the success which has attended a similar undertaking in our midst, which has made Tonawanda famous as headquarters for the nation in this line of production." He and Goddard were associated 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. 1900 Census Louis P. Perew is at 49 First Street, Goose Island, with Wife Helen A. Perew (whome he married in 1884) and an adopted son. Occupation: Automobile manufacturing. 1905 Census <a href="https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29212185?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a224c477144566b504a77575356524479787649643235354e7557395a773277673731724c7269516575492b673d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d">he is in Tonawanda</a> at his brother Thomas's 67 Tonawanda street "People's Hotel" (on Goose Island). Brother's occupation "saloon," Phillip's is blank. Both been in country 27 years, French Canadian. In 1909 he is proprietor of the White Star Hotel (1892 NY Census <a href="https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29211225?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a225774774c696536637a4e6954427136376444374965487661634d68654433614e64457235326c6d666139733d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d">has his occupation as</a> "Hotel Keeper". Perew was an avid boat racer and builder, and owned a gasoline cruiser and a yacht in 1910s. 1915 NY Census <a href="https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29211406?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a2261436f39374d6f4f5a36474a4b694d78624c334936594b5237737331686c4856465245346d534971334d593d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d">has him</a> living at 46 Sweeney Street with wife Stella Perew and son Joseph, and gives his occupation as "Boat Captain". 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." 1930 Census says he is still with wife Stella, has a radio set, and owns his own home (lives at 46 Sweeney), is retired, and speaks French. 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">Robots in American Popular Culture (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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 The Automatic Man, two photos (New York Public Library Photography Collection, c1900).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/a477101232f7fa02b7d6e3c5286a3f00.jpeg 6c8a65723e1e1e05d7b88147e12f1ca7 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/b0f6d28c2aace76da3a59245c5e46483.jpeg 537f67e41a008a05bf212f4a5ae25264 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 Photographers and Photographic Portraits Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Toddler, Arch cabinet card (c1900).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 cabinet card person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/732f6ab8861c5c069e840b3421f6b240.jpeg aaea57ebdfcb06df050239b56e4f08cd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/ecae929f319c2a40f18d0f202027a9d5.jpeg c2ca93e81c1ab199ad2e19daa4608f85 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7e127c9ff8d98a386841b7d0c18cc059.jpeg 2bfd500c263b8da3cc4e06aecd9dff87 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/2e71a93d4fd0f210a00877d1dd95cb4e.jpeg c00787e1e0dd50d3d0c9f155728c1600 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 Photographers and Photographic Portraits Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Hunting camp, photos (c.1900, O.L. Zimmerman photographer, 276 Vandervoort Street).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 cabinet card camp hunting person photo https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/65513a2f097909d15412762fa59bdcdb.jpg d4036b7326e798519a4e83f486791790 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 1099 Oliver (J. T. Schmidt) Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 J. T. Schmidt's Cafe, Oliver Street, postcard (c.1900).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/9ba662c0dccb57083ff2b9d6a28ec6e6.jpg 095049c59440497a8f4170a7f20fb1ca 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 Photographers and Photographic Portraits Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Man with badge, cabinet card (Torrey, c.1900).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900 cabinet card clench https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/fb7c9c24d3cc5b30d5244f35c4effe7c.jpeg cdadd6efb55689c83a1161320d18ab94 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/2b666166a92aaf3f82b3e9b6638cb195.jpeg 001347f40fd3b3c85c233d062931177b https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/84ecdea2c51e7b95d5b9002d0953db6d.jpg e4b9d342b1f198617f1bf4b1d5673b7e https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/19e033f53a3663c83647693da02cd68a.jpeg b351eeaede7f052f6106e4d9ccfe5e49 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 Philip Perew, inventor Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="../../../custom/cover/106b.jpg" alt="The Electric Man appears to draw a car" />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: Historical Society of the Tonawandas. 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>.  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 at least attempting to develop anti-torpedo technology, a <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/867">canal electric trolley system</a>, and a cigar lighter. He was associated with local merry-go-round makers <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/100">Gillie, Goddard and Company</a>. He files at least one patent for a <a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US499800?oq=499800">new merry-go-round system</a>. From Tonawanda Herald of Thursday, November 26, 1891: “Philip Perew, of South Canal street, has put on his thinking cap and set out in earnest to make some money. He is about to introduce a new style of merry-go-round, which in addition to hobbie horses, will have a revolving panorama and stationary stage for a variety performance. Each machine will be 45 feet in diameter, have 4 chariots, 24 horses, and 50 chairs. There will be 100 pictures magnified many times, and 8 performers on the stage. The fare will be 5 cents, as on the ordinary riding gallery, with the additional attractions mentioned. It would seem as if this apparatus, if successful, would prove a formidable rival over the original machines. The motive power will be steam, with electric possibilities in the future. Sample outfits will be made at Gillie’s machine shops. This enterprise will be watched with considerable interest, in view of the success which has attended a similar undertaking in our midst, which has made Tonawanda famous as headquarters for the nation in this line of production." He and Goddard were associated 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. 1900 Census Louis P. Perew is at 49 First Street, Goose Island, with Wife Helen A. Perew (whome he married in 1884) and an adopted son. Occupation: Automobile manufacturing. 1905 Census <a href="https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29212185?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a224c477144566b504a77575356524479787649643235354e7557395a773277673731724c7269516575492b673d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d">he is in Tonawanda</a> at his brother Thomas's 67 Tonawanda street "People's Hotel" (on Goose Island). Brother's occupation "saloon," Phillip's is blank. Both been in country 27 years, French Canadian. In 1909 he is proprietor of the White Star Hotel (1892 NY Census <a href="https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29211225?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a225774774c696536637a4e6954427136376444374965487661634d68654433614e64457235326c6d666139733d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d">has his occupation as</a> "Hotel Keeper". Perew was an avid boat racer and builder, and owned a gasoline cruiser and a yacht in 1910s. 1915 NY Census <a href="https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29211406?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a2261436f39374d6f4f5a36474a4b694d78624c334936594b5237737331686c4856465245346d534971334d593d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d">has him</a> living at 46 Sweeney Street with wife Stella Perew and son Joseph, and gives his occupation as "Boat Captain". 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." 1930 Census says he is still with wife Stella, has a radio set, and owns his own home (lives at 46 Sweeney), is retired, and speaks French. 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">Robots in American Popular Culture (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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 An Electric Man, photos from article (Strand Magazine, Vol. 20, 1900-02ish).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1900-02 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/1435cdc2c72d39be1411b5ec173fcb99.jpg bb901c74529ba93bb34c85a4b2d8a591 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 Philip Perew, inventor Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="../../../custom/cover/106b.jpg" alt="The Electric Man appears to draw a car" />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: Historical Society of the Tonawandas. 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>.  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 at least attempting to develop anti-torpedo technology, a <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/867">canal electric trolley system</a>, and a cigar lighter. He was associated with local merry-go-round makers <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/100">Gillie, Goddard and Company</a>. He files at least one patent for a <a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US499800?oq=499800">new merry-go-round system</a>. From Tonawanda Herald of Thursday, November 26, 1891: “Philip Perew, of South Canal street, has put on his thinking cap and set out in earnest to make some money. He is about to introduce a new style of merry-go-round, which in addition to hobbie horses, will have a revolving panorama and stationary stage for a variety performance. Each machine will be 45 feet in diameter, have 4 chariots, 24 horses, and 50 chairs. There will be 100 pictures magnified many times, and 8 performers on the stage. The fare will be 5 cents, as on the ordinary riding gallery, with the additional attractions mentioned. It would seem as if this apparatus, if successful, would prove a formidable rival over the original machines. The motive power will be steam, with electric possibilities in the future. Sample outfits will be made at Gillie’s machine shops. This enterprise will be watched with considerable interest, in view of the success which has attended a similar undertaking in our midst, which has made Tonawanda famous as headquarters for the nation in this line of production." He and Goddard were associated 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. 1900 Census Louis P. Perew is at 49 First Street, Goose Island, with Wife Helen A. Perew (whome he married in 1884) and an adopted son. Occupation: Automobile manufacturing. 1905 Census <a href="https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29212185?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a224c477144566b504a77575356524479787649643235354e7557395a773277673731724c7269516575492b673d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d">he is in Tonawanda</a> at his brother Thomas's 67 Tonawanda street "People's Hotel" (on Goose Island). Brother's occupation "saloon," Phillip's is blank. Both been in country 27 years, French Canadian. In 1909 he is proprietor of the White Star Hotel (1892 NY Census <a href="https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29211225?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a225774774c696536637a4e6954427136376444374965487661634d68654433614e64457235326c6d666139733d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d">has his occupation as</a> "Hotel Keeper". Perew was an avid boat racer and builder, and owned a gasoline cruiser and a yacht in 1910s. 1915 NY Census <a href="https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29211406?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a2261436f39374d6f4f5a36474a4b694d78624c334936594b5237737331686c4856465245346d534971334d593d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d">has him</a> living at 46 Sweeney Street with wife Stella Perew and son Joseph, and gives his occupation as "Boat Captain". 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." 1930 Census says he is still with wife Stella, has a radio set, and owns his own home (lives at 46 Sweeney), is retired, and speaks French. 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">Robots in American Popular Culture (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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Steam man, photo (1901).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1901 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/ad3fe1d83758b2cd81d32545a06261de.jpg 7c6a0d4eb96f1ddde866dfa169347c17 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="" /> 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. <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 invented 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. </div> In 1872 (Landmarks 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. 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. 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">Landmarks of Niagara County (1897)</a></li> <li>“<a href="http://carrouselmuseum.org/site/about/allan-herschell">Allen Herschell History</a>.” Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum, 2014.</li> </ul> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 2nd Annual Outing of Herschell-Spillman, photo (Olver Family of Gratwick and Ward R. Bray, 1902-07-03).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1902-07-03 Description An account of the resource <a href="mailto:me@dennisreedjr.com">Email us</a> if you can identify anyone! <ul> <li>Ward Olver – back row, fourth from the right</li> <li>Fred Brandt – 2nd row from top, 6th from right</li> <li>Wallace Olver – 2nd row from bottom, 2nd person from the right (excluding the band members)</li> <li>Tussing's band at right</li> </ul> factory group hd photo https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/ed3c6316c81b3055114dc08294db89b8.jpeg 28b118534babf2c1487f002ab9496035 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/e2cc0912363331929b3667447ce7ac23.jpeg 8ac0e8a3908eaf5b122a6123f2b9af01 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/adfc8baaab55cdfc4472f7a3ab48eaf0.jpg affdd669f08e20c6e2dfe08f07241f27 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tussing's Band of Tonawanda, photo (1902-09-01).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1902-09-01 collection https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/342b702475567debb9de4fe4a1ec4658.jpg 6de17c07e7d98760b9151fa64967d718 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 <img class="cover" alt="The former Niagara Musical Instrument Mfg. Co. on Thompson Street in North Tonawanda, as it may have appeared in 1930, thirteen years after closing. AI rendering of a still frame from a video in the Hamp collection of the Histoerical Society of the Tonawandas." src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/75.jpg" />The former Niagara Musical Instrument Mfg. Co. on Thompson Street in North Tonawanda, as it may have appeared in 1930, thirteen years after closing. Artificial Intelligence rendering of a <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/1674">still frame from a video</a> in the Hamp collection of the Historical Society of the Tonawandas. The conspicuous depression of Felton Field (a former quarry and later train yard) is in the foreground. (1905-1917) The carousels being made in North Tonawanda open another, related market: automatic musical instruments such as band organs to accompany the rides. The Niagara Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company enters this business in early 1905. In early 1905, "articles of partnership" are submitted to the Niagara County Clerk: <blockquote>TO MAKE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Articles of partnership of the Niagara Musical Instrument Manufacturing company were filed today with the county clerk. The object of the company is to manufacture barrel organs and other musical instruments, and $1,500 is to be used to carry on this business. The directors, who are all from North Tonawanda, are as follows: Frank Morganti, Louis Schultz, George Schultz, William Herschell and Duncan Sinclair. Lockport Journal, February 17, 1905.</blockquote> The company is incorporated on September 30, 1905, with $25,000 capital. Its president, Frank Morganti, is a longtime former employee of Eugene de Kleist's <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/24">North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory</a>. Signatures on the company's 1905 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. 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> Niagara produces Niagara Military Band Organs ("The Organ That Is Different," one ad insists) for carousels, dance halls, roller rinks and sideshows. 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. They target the silent film theatre market that year with their "En-Symphonie" orchestrion. The "Midget Orchestra" and similar instruments follow. Business appears to be booming in 1914, as the company pays out a dividend of 10% to its stockholders that January. 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. Reader Andrew Barrett contributes the names C. E. Phillips and J. F. Preston as probable Niagara sales people in 1909 and probably thru 1910. <a href="http://nthistory.com/niagara">PHOTO SEARCH: Learn about the search for a photograph of Niagara! </a> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Walmore Military Band, Fred and William Schultz, photo (Niagara Gazette, 1903-04-30).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1903-04-30 person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/fdfdb3d00e79f1f70538ff4036214475.jpg b41d404eb2c9cc04f5357d556853189d https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7a1efebafc8cb6de290f807368b9cfa3.jpg a8edab5962c5e6d6b2827857c21e62c4 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 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. A lock was also built to permit passage between the Niagara River (and Great Lakes) and the canal. Early documents also mention a guard lock just east of the lock. After the Civil War, the depth of the entire canal was increased to accomodate larger boats. Starting around 1909 work was done on our section of the canal as part of Contract 19 to improve the prism, or bottom shape (see <a href="https://nthistory.com/collections/show/152">photos of Contract 19</a>) In 1918 the 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Erie Canal, Sweeney Street on left, former Main Street bridge in center, hi-res photo (LOC, c 1905).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1905 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Library of Congress Description An account of the resource Facing east along the Erie Canal, with Sweeney Street (at present-day Gateway Park) on the left bank. It would seem we are looking at three different bridges in this photo: The near bridge appears to be the "iron bridge" at the foot of NT's Main street depicted on an 1893 map. The same map shows a "covered bridge" at Oliver (where the "jack-knife" train bridge is today) and another "iron bridge" further east, at Vandervoort (there is no bridge there today). Also pictured: Fire Engine House (at least on 1893 map) overhanging the canal, just before the first iron bridge; possible Stevens & McIntyre Wagon Shop beyond; "Merry Go Rounds" signage is visible beyond that. bridge canal carriage horse towpath https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/5b1e1fbd5e72e4bbfa323767f7be2c56.jpg 309b291b7aacb2ee9e384e621c192b88 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 Trains and Trolleys Description An account of the resource Trains Soon after the Erie Canal is completed, railroads begin to compete for business. From <a href="https://researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/collection/data/930152959">researchworks.oclc.org</a>: <blockquote>In 1834 the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad Company was incorporated to take over the Buffalo and Black Rock Company. It extended the lines to Niagara Falls and into Tonawanda. In 1853 the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad Company was leased by New York Central Railroad and was merged in 1855.</blockquote> From <a href="https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-municipal-history/railroads-of-niagara-falls/the-buffalo-niagara-falls-railroad/">niagarafallsinfo.com</a>: <blockquote>The Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad was incorporated on May 3rd, 1834. The Legislature of the State of New York passed a law to empower the railroad to construct a single or double track railroad between the City of Buffalo and the <a href="https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-municipal-history/the-city-of-the-falls-plan/the-idea-for-the-city-of-the-falls/">Village at Niagara Falls</a>. The railroad had a mandate to operate for a 50 year term and was empowered to absorb all rights, privileges and franchises belonging to the Buffalo and Black Rock Railroad Company, which had been built and was being operated by horse power. The Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad began operating in 1845. The 28 mile trip from Buffalo to Niagara Falls was a three hour journey being pulled by a wood stoked steam locomotive.... In 1852, the Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad relocated their tracks to the west side of the Erie Canal. On December 22nd 1853, the Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad was leased to the New York Central Railroad. On April 23rd 1869, the New York Central Railroad began operations within the Niagara escarpment.</blockquote> From <a href="https://buffalohistory.org/Explore/Exhibits/virtual_exhibits/buffalo_anniversary/175th/page_e1.htm">buffalohistory.org</a>: <blockquote>The Buffalo and Niagara Falls Rail Road was the first in Erie County to use steam locomotives. Service from Black Rock to Tonawanda began in August, 1836; from Buffalo to Tonawanda in September; and by November, 1836, the train ran on a regular schedule between Buffalo & Niagara Falls.</blockquote> Railroads on the maps The <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/3974">1837 Tonawanda/Whitehaven map</a> shows the B&NF railroad already established on Webster. It also shows a "Road to Lockport" and a "Proposed railroad to Lockport" heading out "Detroit Street" (later, Goundry Street). In <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/1258">this 1838 map</a>, it appears the former "road" hosts a new "Tonawanda & Lockport Railroad." Some more info from <a href="https://www.newyorkcentraltrainstation.org/history-new-york-central-train-station">newyorkcentraltrainstattion.org.</a> By <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/3560">1852</a>, a third line, "The Canandaigua and Niagara Falls," is added. From <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmira_and_Lake_Ontario_Railroad">Wikipedia</a>: <blockquote>On July 1, 1853, the Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad opened between Canandaigua and North Tonawanda. It was also 6 ft (1,829 mm) broad gauge, and was leased by the Canandaigua & Elmira RR, giving it access to the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge.</blockquote> In <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/1664">this 1854 map</a>, The Canandaigua route has changed to run south of the Erie Canal and then be carried over the canal into North Tonawanda at the foot of Oliver street. The cantilever bridge will later be built here. By the time of <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/240">this 1875 map</a>, a third railroad crosses the canal into North Tonawanda: The Erie, at the foot of Vandervoort street. As late as 1908, there are still tracks on the east side of Webster street. Looks like the railroad agrees to remove them in December 1921, not sure when it happens. Trolleys Before everybody in North Tonawanda could afford their very own muffler-less Honda Civic to run up and down Oliver Street, trolleys 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Station, photo (c.1905).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1905 bridge martinsville station train trolley https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/3fa3f11566773752bd512d4f3645a47d.jpg 63383d229a2a023fd7bbc6b8ef0f6643 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Prominent Tonawandas residences, photos (The Tonawandas of To-Day, c1905).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1905 Description An account of the resource Showing the homes of Eugene de Kleist, Guy White, A.C. Tuxbury, W. G. Palmer, J. S. Thompson, H. J. Knapp, Frederick Robertson, A Cluster, S. C. Peuchen, R. T. Jones, L. A. Kelsey, W. B. Kerr. https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/5b8eb7ce7635c606f5c1798b72140120.jpg 49fa7ac7ba6d0c302b692590d76c7ef9 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 Family: Cumming Photo Collection (c. 1905) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Boathouse Gang" src="http://nthistory.com/custom/cover/139.jpg" /> The "Boat House Gang," probably photographed at the Gratwick slip. Colorized by Dennis Reed Jr. In 2018, I was asked by a local woman and family friend  if I could help her scan some c. 1905 glass negatives she inherited from her grandfather William Herbert Cumming, an amateur photographer who marries Treassa E. King January 31, 1905. The amazing and intimate images we found on the long-unseen negatives mostly depict life in the Gratwick section of North Tonawanda, centered around the family home at 130 Fredericka Street. The photos feature New Year's Eve dinners, friends playing croquet, neighborhood kids asked to hold still for the six seconds most exposures took, and Albert posing with his gun and dog. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Boathouse Gang - Bert + Treassa? in solid? suit standing up -_72A6377_.jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1905 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/833349f3148aca55a9024937277b2514.jpg 65e658dacec37df3b6dcfd538a008efe 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 Family: Cumming Photo Collection (c. 1905) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Boathouse Gang" src="http://nthistory.com/custom/cover/139.jpg" /> The "Boat House Gang," probably photographed at the Gratwick slip. Colorized by Dennis Reed Jr. In 2018, I was asked by a local woman and family friend  if I could help her scan some c. 1905 glass negatives she inherited from her grandfather William Herbert Cumming, an amateur photographer who marries Treassa E. King January 31, 1905. The amazing and intimate images we found on the long-unseen negatives mostly depict life in the Gratwick section of North Tonawanda, centered around the family home at 130 Fredericka Street. The photos feature New Year's Eve dinners, friends playing croquet, neighborhood kids asked to hold still for the six seconds most exposures took, and Albert posing with his gun and dog. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Boat house gang, Ora draped -_72A6373_.jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1905 Description An account of the resource An Ora Kaing (b.1887) lives at 1035 Oliver in 1910 census. https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/a99fd3d42be44ce3bca6114cfeb49ba1.jpg fe06848100eb04eba2231dcc0efba21c 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 Family: Cumming Photo Collection (c. 1905) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Boathouse Gang" src="http://nthistory.com/custom/cover/139.jpg" /> The "Boat House Gang," probably photographed at the Gratwick slip. Colorized by Dennis Reed Jr. In 2018, I was asked by a local woman and family friend  if I could help her scan some c. 1905 glass negatives she inherited from her grandfather William Herbert Cumming, an amateur photographer who marries Treassa E. King January 31, 1905. The amazing and intimate images we found on the long-unseen negatives mostly depict life in the Gratwick section of North Tonawanda, centered around the family home at 130 Fredericka Street. The photos feature New Year's Eve dinners, friends playing croquet, neighborhood kids asked to hold still for the six seconds most exposures took, and Albert posing with his gun and dog. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 croquet grounds, July -_72A6393_.jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1905 gratwick person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/b29f5e3db67010dbfc648755f0a26508.jpg 0176798b9612fd3e3c73f08b454f33b5 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 Family: Cumming Photo Collection (c. 1905) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Boathouse Gang" src="http://nthistory.com/custom/cover/139.jpg" /> The "Boat House Gang," probably photographed at the Gratwick slip. Colorized by Dennis Reed Jr. In 2018, I was asked by a local woman and family friend  if I could help her scan some c. 1905 glass negatives she inherited from her grandfather William Herbert Cumming, an amateur photographer who marries Treassa E. King January 31, 1905. The amazing and intimate images we found on the long-unseen negatives mostly depict life in the Gratwick section of North Tonawanda, centered around the family home at 130 Fredericka Street. The photos feature New Year's Eve dinners, friends playing croquet, neighborhood kids asked to hold still for the six seconds most exposures took, and Albert posing with his gun and dog. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Cummings house (130 Fredericka Street)-_72A6360_.jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1905 gratwick https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7fde8e570167e0cb30cc877381c622d6.jpg a98ca2c4fdff50395654256da2288d05 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 Family: Cumming Photo Collection (c. 1905) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Boathouse Gang" src="http://nthistory.com/custom/cover/139.jpg" /> The "Boat House Gang," probably photographed at the Gratwick slip. Colorized by Dennis Reed Jr. In 2018, I was asked by a local woman and family friend  if I could help her scan some c. 1905 glass negatives she inherited from her grandfather William Herbert Cumming, an amateur photographer who marries Treassa E. King January 31, 1905. The amazing and intimate images we found on the long-unseen negatives mostly depict life in the Gratwick section of North Tonawanda, centered around the family home at 130 Fredericka Street. The photos feature New Year's Eve dinners, friends playing croquet, neighborhood kids asked to hold still for the six seconds most exposures took, and Albert posing with his gun and dog. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Side view house, mother and father standing -_72A6382_.jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1905 gratwick https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/c7e443ff0fe34f907bcab58d4ddb2f27.jpg a49b318f85d09dbe3026a757581f86e7 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 Family: Cumming Photo Collection (c. 1905) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Boathouse Gang" src="http://nthistory.com/custom/cover/139.jpg" /> The "Boat House Gang," probably photographed at the Gratwick slip. Colorized by Dennis Reed Jr. In 2018, I was asked by a local woman and family friend  if I could help her scan some c. 1905 glass negatives she inherited from her grandfather William Herbert Cumming, an amateur photographer who marries Treassa E. King January 31, 1905. The amazing and intimate images we found on the long-unseen negatives mostly depict life in the Gratwick section of North Tonawanda, centered around the family home at 130 Fredericka Street. The photos feature New Year's Eve dinners, friends playing croquet, neighborhood kids asked to hold still for the six seconds most exposures took, and Albert posing with his gun and dog. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 side view of house, Mable standing - Mable moved -_72A6395_.jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1905 gratwick https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/5ea0ba7b6d8755a8a6893b0942e19003.png 821dec62897416f50925431e426754cf https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/feea05de7c59bb156769d8c54786e546.jpg f6dd346e016018812b50993a2dd7c3a4 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 Family: Cumming Photo Collection (c. 1905) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Boathouse Gang" src="http://nthistory.com/custom/cover/139.jpg" /> The "Boat House Gang," probably photographed at the Gratwick slip. Colorized by Dennis Reed Jr. In 2018, I was asked by a local woman and family friend  if I could help her scan some c. 1905 glass negatives she inherited from her grandfather William Herbert Cumming, an amateur photographer who marries Treassa E. King January 31, 1905. The amazing and intimate images we found on the long-unseen negatives mostly depict life in the Gratwick section of North Tonawanda, centered around the family home at 130 Fredericka Street. The photos feature New Year's Eve dinners, friends playing croquet, neighborhood kids asked to hold still for the six seconds most exposures took, and Albert posing with his gun and dog. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Boathouse gang, Gratwick slip, colorized (1905).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1905 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/2591bfced9fe5e995575e3fcf61059e6.jpg 09d7f0f80af7b22ad087e102e40fa97d https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/a597f9ad14e9c259bc111a9c892df1da.jpg f1e403a1dfe08d28faf4d9a0d669b6c9 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/fb0f4e8d30202fc953e956e2130e21f4.jpg 2ef07ba7536d7ee9b2cb36bd5e928afe Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Delaware Hose, Tonawanda (1905).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1905 firefighter horse person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/203f136f5bad9a25481255284bad0a1a.jpg 4c5662590854d9066266dec34a76ffe9 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 Goose Island (Tonawanda) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/26.jpg" alt="Goose Island as seen from Tonawanda Island, postcard detail, ca 1913" />Goose Island as seen from Tonawanda Island, postcard detail, ca 1913. "Goose Island" was the name of a triangular piece of land in Tonawanda formerly cut off from the mainland by the Erie Canal. The island was first settled by Tonawanda's well-to-do, its shady trees giving "Chestnut Street" its name. It had a cemetery (whose graves were moved to Sweeney Cemetery) and a schoolhouse. As the lumber industry picked up in the 1860s, the character of the island changed dramatically, and it would soon be known all over the country by canawlers and sailors as a "red-light" district. The canal from Tonawanda to Buffalo is filled in around 1927, effectively reconnecting the recalcitrant island to its parent. In 1966 the remaining buildings that housed the old saloons, bordellos and dwellings were razed as part of broader "Urban Renewal" efforts. Today, the only trace of old Goose Island is the old path of Chestnut Street, which is followed by the north edge of Tops parking lot and the southern part of Niagara Shore Drive. 1937 Coppola indictment dismissed. 1951 several of the old buildings, slated for demolition anyway by the State Housing Commission as part of their postwar plan, <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%25201951%2520%2520Grayscale%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%25201951%2520%2520Grayscale%2520-%25201604.pdf%23xml%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3Dffffffffffbb5d89%26DocId%3D2065199%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cDISK%2520U%26HitCount%3D19%26hits%3D49%2B4a%2B90%2B91%2B1a8%2B2c7%2B395%2B3cc%2B409%2B422%2B42a%2B458%2B627%2B744%2Bfee%2B1119%2B115a%2B115f%2B1166%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%25201951%2520%2520Grayscale%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%25201951%2520%2520Grayscale%2520-%25201604.pdf&xml=https%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3Dffffffffffbb5d89%26DocId%3D2065199%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cDISK%2520U%26HitCount%3D19%26hits%3D49%2B4a%2B90%2B91%2B1a8%2B2c7%2B395%2B3cc%2B409%2B422%2B42a%2B458%2B627%2B744%2Bfee%2B1119%2B115a%2B115f%2B1166%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&openFirstHlPage=false">are set on fire</a> by an arson.  A 1923 article claims an 1886 fire "totally destroyed" Goose Island. First mention 1897 (Frank Alliger's novelty concern) Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Location of cut-off at Tonawanda, swing bridge, Goose island? photo (1905-03-14).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1905-03-14 canal swingbridge https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/1098a487344a8680df6d8e6054acaada.jpg 2c09981e400649254b4b0bacad9cbcb7 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 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. A lock was also built to permit passage between the Niagara River (and Great Lakes) and the canal. Early documents also mention a guard lock just east of the lock. After the Civil War, the depth of the entire canal was increased to accomodate larger boats. Starting around 1909 work was done on our section of the canal as part of Contract 19 to improve the prism, or bottom shape (see <a href="https://nthistory.com/collections/show/152">photos of Contract 19</a>) In 1918 the 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Main and Delaware Street Bridge, Tonawanda, photo (NYSA, 1905-05-12).jpg Description An account of the resource Harvey H. Quinn of Buffalo boat. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1905-05-12 bridge canal tonawanda https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/d0c3e85b5bda7259da3a7a69ce96ce7a.jpg 95bdfe5419643c5cd95409e0a3ed7002 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." /> North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works factory at 435 Payne Avenue, c1913; photo colorized by the webmaster. <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). 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">All of Us</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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Frank and Amanada Morganti, wedding photo (1906).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1906 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/dba023c56da67c0841361150d2555a8e.jpg 88fa58134549f5c862da3734eea6256f https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/305bce3e2a68556e26e40c147a28b972.jpg df04395d79ca6afee8e749ef8f0c1911 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." /> North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works factory at 435 Payne Avenue, c1913; photo colorized by the webmaster. <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). 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">All of Us</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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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, junction, photo(c1906).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1906 factory https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/175ecf432eeedf59d5cb39c55f4913da.jpg 0bd68b2cd692a5645a8e6c4d50002161 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 School Description An account of the resource The first schoolhouse in the village of Gratwick is a one-room frame building put up by the education-minded Germans in 1885 (Crosbie). Built in 1892, Public School Number 4 opens at Payne and Stenzil in 1894. It is enlarged in 1924, and at least once thereafter. In area known as <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Report_of_the_Superintendent_of_Public_I/h0A_AAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=wheatfield%20niagara%20school&pg=PA144&printsec=frontcover">Kohl's Woods</a>? Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 School History, faculty (1906).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1906 gratwick https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/0ccf9e8859d6bed0a9d8e206b560302e.jpg bdae4f86a861400dcb611bee55cf3da6 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 Silk Mills Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Niagara Silk Mills postcard" src="http://nthistory.com/custom/cover/44.jpg" /> Postcard c. 1913. According to a c.1913 news article, "The Niagara Silk Mills began business in an old wooden building on Sweeney street [around 1898] with thirty operatives." By 1913 the concern dominates Sweeney Street, standing where the old Vandervoort "mansion" on Sweeney was, and where Gateway Center is today. The Niagara Silk Mills (Van Raalte Silk Mills after 1917) produces ladies' undergarments, gloves, and similar fineries. They marketed their materials with the iconography of Niagara Falls (reminiscent of the Pan Am Exposition imagery), and with appearances by silent film sirens. By 1937 there are locations in Saratoga Springs, Dunkirk, Paterson and Boonton, N.J. Closed in 1963, the building along Sweeney was converted into the Downtowner Hotel in 1964 and later became the Packet Inn / Woodshed. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Van Raalte grounds and workers, 1907 photo (Images of America, Historical Society of the Tonawandas).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1907 labor https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/c7027084d3ad1d45ba1525fae15d3e73.jpg eef9f2b3b7048181631515b77bfb662b 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 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 president of North Tonawanda's Board of Education for 30 years. The first day of classes was Tuesday, 9/6/1904. The building 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 (from which was quarried the gravel that led to the infamous dispute that split the Tonawandas, and which was a N.Y. Central train yard and later in 1919 the site of NT's first public playground) "Felton Field." Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 High School football team, newspaper photo (1907).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1907 school sports https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/6f8934c7d8eb11f7493399eafdaa970d.jpg a2d2f138b69de11d39e48aa29acd2039 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 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)" />Nucleus of Wurlitzer: The North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory in 1893. It still stands in 2023. 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." <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> Portable music of another era 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. 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. Meet the Wurlitzers 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>). 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. The de Kleist Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company 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>. 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. 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. 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 de Kleist Musical Inst Mfg. Co. factory, photo detail (HST, 1907).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1907 factory https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/8df3a205022a25e21b670414f5a19fa3.jpg abb9e9e87bd9077f135107cc7fc17c8c 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 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)" />Nucleus of Wurlitzer: The North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory in 1893. It still stands in 2023. 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." <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> Portable music of another era 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. 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. Meet the Wurlitzers 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>). 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. The de Kleist Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company 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>. 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. 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. 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 de Kleist Musical Inst Mfg. Co. office at Hotel Sheldon, photo (HST, 1907).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1907 hotel https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/ec660280ed1f7397ea7adc7ec839d1f3.jpg 486b5e4923992c3fbc0944c248c8d0ed https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/5e28349411fd061a28b17bf3856f8098.jpg d1232ad0fa2c7a06a7bfc3c206d9cdf1 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/ec38e12c28a64766143537ccdd8c7381.jpg 7fda38d6f349f12689c5e7eb6399025d Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Wickwire Steel Plant construction, Tonawanda, photo set (1907).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1907 factory tonawanda https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/d47c6098c5577b137ad66b257e9c5546.jpeg 14b1736891c5b8b01930cf380dcd424d 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 Ironton School Description An account of the resource Designed by architects Johnstone & Eggert, Ironton Public School #2 opens in 1889 at the corner of 1st Ave and Oliver Street (present-day Elizabeth Harvey Apartments / Olmsted Center for Sight). From <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/608">Tonawanda and North Tonawanda: The Lumber City</a> (1891): <blockquote>The rapid growth of North Tonawanda in the Ironton district, together with the crowded condition for the union school, demanded increased facilities, and on November 15, 1888, $10,000 was voted to build an edifice in that locality. The amount was increased to $15,000 and the building erected in 1889 is of modern design, and well adapted to school use.</blockquote> By 1915 the school is overcrowded, and forced to rent rooms across the street to hold kindergarten. In 1926 Ironton Public School #7 (later known as <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/7">Gil</a><a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/7">more School</a>) is built to accomodate demand. The Ironton School building is later used as a vocational school (its students and equipment were moved to the new BOCES on Saunders Settlement Rd c.1970). It is briefly considered for the NiaCAP Headstart before being privately purchased to store cars. After years of neglect it is demolished.  Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Ironton School second grade class in 1907, article (Courier Express, 1968-04-21).jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1907 child ironton person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/c263b38b5c17f16944c05414d040d089.jpg 7a0714467c40bd948db10301d4351dc8 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/cc7b2a3242f7f05e3ee555c7d53bd5eb.jpeg 28000d57d7c26e3acb24f31a46eb315d https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/c39b3dde3ac26b613b0c63af7981b74e.jpg 392aebab3153d6361587764954818c43 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." /> North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works factory at 435 Payne Avenue, c1913; photo colorized by the webmaster. <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). 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">All of Us</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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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, employee photo (c1908).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1908 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Courtesy of Barbara Tussing Lipps Description An account of the resource Second from left identified as Ed Tussing. factory labor https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/71a34b55804ec042ec415aa33bd5372f.jpg dab9c437a2d639ee84d820770a4b0aa5 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 Pine Woods School Description An account of the resource Public School #3, built 1892. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Richard H. Martin at Pine Woods Elementary, photo (c1908).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1908 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/896eba5cf59c13086d96513e38c08434.jpg 620105c5091147ac04152af0d84781ca https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/061d796e0636bfd5fb9cb67301be9de0.jpg b150e2581e1400a563e2805244eb8c87 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/44ef6019ff716145dd06a0255be7d075.jpg 88025b346bfd87ecdb40fff2fdc70cd1 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Ellicott Creek boaters, photo (1909).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909 boat https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7c36263de908fce57342d364fe757a1b.jpg 0cb848861f36dfa27c1407a7a73cc621 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 A view of cofferdam B.L. at Station 6805+50, photo (NYSA, 1909-01-13).jpg Description An account of the resource Long Homestead Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909-01-13 canal tonawanda https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7b128e5aeaf83f056115f0568738ca1f.jpg 1efd51842888095b3fa48c56f78f8a98 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 View of cofferdam, B L Sta, photo (1909-01-13).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909-01-13 hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/da538f1002b1d615cd824e858655378a.jpg ee43ee508e644b3edcd3fc1268e0a1e8 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 View of cofferdam B L Sta, photo (1909-01-13).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909-01-13 hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/93a54666ebd3f90f920e46bc0dc23f49.jpg 57cd0c9a315af170ca19a635756c7c79 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 View of cofferdam B L Sta, photo 3 (1909-01-13).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909-01-13 Description An account of the resource Long Homestead in background hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/35f31f2c0bbc5f4dce82ae2970db708f.jpg e16b7da17f6adc426f9dc431761fb25e 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Excavating and placing form ? section of coffer-dam...form in background, photo (1909-02-09).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909-02-09 hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/c22ff8290600ee44ac0dc808e1668d9d.jpg aa567455b1b2b9ec0c081816b4c712b1 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 View of concrete mixer delivering concrete to form shown in 5969, photo (1909-02-09).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909-02-09 hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/6c502b1c517764d962a884e60479cc17.jpg d9965d461ba3f005f2cc791f6b7365d7 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 side of canal looking east from the Main Street Bridge in Tonawanda, photo (NYSA, 1909-03-09).jpg Description An account of the resource Canal boats, bridge at Oliver before cantilever, Herschell merry-go-rounds on Sweeney. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909-03-09 bridge canal https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/5bb764a0ef20fcf1a22d03d282b7c080.jpg 976c1c1bb51d988e5ff231644a3dce65 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Cofferdam N side of canal looking E from Main Street bridge, Herschell-Spillman, photo (1909-03-09).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909-03-09 hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/584af8eeee3bfa7726dfdc82bd47add7.jpg a54cbe58954d79b2b9c8387035d083c4 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 View of coffer-dam, south side of Main St. bridge at Tonawanda (looking west), photo (1909-05-05).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909-05-05 hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/47add9c2dc61d8277cf757b217ace3b8.png e8f2951a4160c2e90826a51d7bf22793 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/33ee0cea1cae16c89309acb7d2bed581.png 16115ba0c154d8286643f371cf9aea42 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/ad9835a1f81b954eef858d600b2fafee.png 0b20928ff02119e76b24a20053c1bc52 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/0c07e2891717a3552e6d3b2c2aadc782.png d5d3ebbf854f85ff555155236c6b5391 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/3cb503b95e4e1ee0fea73fb841fe3c20.png 762be8172453b54252d7051c804630c3 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Post's Band, Blue House Bunch, Tonawanda, photo (1909).png Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909-06-27 Description An account of the resource Brass band with scarves in field. R. W. King photographer, 316 14th Street, Buffalo, N. Y. band group musician https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/bd0d1c27675d17b42e399ea0efa41133.jpg 08c3e04663b74998d81aac234413125f 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Break in cofferdam near Erie R.R., Sweeney Street, Scanlon, photo (1909-07-06).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909-07-06 hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/8ea04dd6ef72f9c6460a71506816e1e5.jpg f0066dc4e6de7d86ec27a309a58c0594 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 View of dredge and scow at Pendleton (1909-07-06).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909-07-06 hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/9c38fedf7bb0b9abf3d66b80bf54e91e.jpg 32d7985613268b5ac90a2f7bf1c6792a https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/827eb5f6f34a15ed4a32bb4a2a7384ed.jpeg 8c2cf1b420ef7fbb86bcd4985d4dd31a Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Retail Merchants Association outing on Grand Island, photo (1909-08-19).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909-08-19 person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/e5855c22fa3a65267994408207c210fa.jpg 01678540225b83549054e75c87d904a4 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="" /> 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. <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 invented 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. </div> In 1872 (Landmarks 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. 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. 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">Landmarks of Niagara County (1897)</a></li> <li>“<a href="http://carrouselmuseum.org/site/about/allan-herschell">Allen Herschell History</a>.” Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum, 2014.</li> </ul> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Co. Buildings, Sweeney Street, photo (c1910).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910 automobile https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/1becd76f05d98c08f8ecac4ef4b27d84.jpg 2289aecb1043b5f8b21137e66d31546a 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." /> North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works factory at 435 Payne Avenue, c1913; photo colorized by the webmaster. <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). 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">All of Us</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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Frank Morganti inside North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works (c1910).jpg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Douglas Hershberger Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910 labor https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/8b6f0008e8c119cc9d4e21b0d32b6795.jpg e58d2c7a8e5f94fb36d93e863d119c70 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." /> North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works factory at 435 Payne Avenue, c1913; photo colorized by the webmaster. <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). 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">All of Us</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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 employees, photo (c1910).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Douglas Hershberger labor person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/069b6b2ee43f93f28bddf1179d19caf0.jpg dd678146f18f1e250dfef43f0191ca96 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 Downtown Description An account of the resource Most of North Tonawanda's downtown area developed between 1875 and 1900. In this collection are preserved views of many vanished buildings: The YMCA and City Hall at the southeast corner of Tremont and Main; the 6-story 1891 Smith building (Real Estate Exchange) at the northeast corner of Tremont and Webster, the gothic stone State National Bank at the northwest corner of Sweeney and Webster, and Scanlon's Hall on the southwest corner of the same intersection, to name a few. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Webster and Sweeney, Scanlons Hall c.1910 (Tonawanda News, 1978-03-23).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/ab53958d96a57bf8234cdd5c79c49707.jpg 7ea485678b489a681edaeeed4a76c0e1 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 Hotel Sheldon Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="../../../custom/cover/51.jpg" alt="Hotel Sheldon" /> Postcard, c1890This massive hotel once occupied the southeast corner of Goundry and Main. A general description from <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/608">Lumber City</a> (1891): <blockquote>Nothing is more needed for the general prosperity of a city than a first-class hotel, and in this particular the Lumber City is especially fortunate, as outside of metropolitan places it would be difficult to find a house more complete in all its appointments than the Sheldon. It is fitted in attractive and elegant style throughout and contains all the modern improvements and appurtenances of a first-class hotel. It is an imposing four-story brick, with eighty rooms.</blockquote> An Internet search rears up <a href="https://www.geni.com/people/William-Truman-Godard/5494628848530068480">this pithy account</a> of one of the hotel's managers: <blockquote>Hope said that he (William Truman Godard, 1870-1937) earned his living in Altoona, Penn as a Pillsbury flour representative and she wrote that he earned his living in as the manager of the Hotel Sheldon in North Tonawanda, New York where Hope was born in 1905. She said he had very black hair and never seemed to have a well day. He went back East to his people after his wife died.</blockquote> The hotel is destroyed by fire in 1940. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Hotel Sheldon during a parade, photo (Historical Society of the Tonawandas, c1910).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Historical Society of the Tonawandas https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/ba494e0d992d81f65d2e6c1e139f2537.jpg 0683a95008420e8ed6d04e7e971f23e0 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 Trains and Trolleys Description An account of the resource Trains Soon after the Erie Canal is completed, railroads begin to compete for business. From <a href="https://researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/collection/data/930152959">researchworks.oclc.org</a>: <blockquote>In 1834 the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad Company was incorporated to take over the Buffalo and Black Rock Company. It extended the lines to Niagara Falls and into Tonawanda. In 1853 the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad Company was leased by New York Central Railroad and was merged in 1855.</blockquote> From <a href="https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-municipal-history/railroads-of-niagara-falls/the-buffalo-niagara-falls-railroad/">niagarafallsinfo.com</a>: <blockquote>The Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad was incorporated on May 3rd, 1834. The Legislature of the State of New York passed a law to empower the railroad to construct a single or double track railroad between the City of Buffalo and the <a href="https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-municipal-history/the-city-of-the-falls-plan/the-idea-for-the-city-of-the-falls/">Village at Niagara Falls</a>. The railroad had a mandate to operate for a 50 year term and was empowered to absorb all rights, privileges and franchises belonging to the Buffalo and Black Rock Railroad Company, which had been built and was being operated by horse power. The Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad began operating in 1845. The 28 mile trip from Buffalo to Niagara Falls was a three hour journey being pulled by a wood stoked steam locomotive.... In 1852, the Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad relocated their tracks to the west side of the Erie Canal. On December 22nd 1853, the Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad was leased to the New York Central Railroad. On April 23rd 1869, the New York Central Railroad began operations within the Niagara escarpment.</blockquote> From <a href="https://buffalohistory.org/Explore/Exhibits/virtual_exhibits/buffalo_anniversary/175th/page_e1.htm">buffalohistory.org</a>: <blockquote>The Buffalo and Niagara Falls Rail Road was the first in Erie County to use steam locomotives. Service from Black Rock to Tonawanda began in August, 1836; from Buffalo to Tonawanda in September; and by November, 1836, the train ran on a regular schedule between Buffalo & Niagara Falls.</blockquote> Railroads on the maps The <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/3974">1837 Tonawanda/Whitehaven map</a> shows the B&NF railroad already established on Webster. It also shows a "Road to Lockport" and a "Proposed railroad to Lockport" heading out "Detroit Street" (later, Goundry Street). In <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/1258">this 1838 map</a>, it appears the former "road" hosts a new "Tonawanda & Lockport Railroad." Some more info from <a href="https://www.newyorkcentraltrainstation.org/history-new-york-central-train-station">newyorkcentraltrainstattion.org.</a> By <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/3560">1852</a>, a third line, "The Canandaigua and Niagara Falls," is added. From <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmira_and_Lake_Ontario_Railroad">Wikipedia</a>: <blockquote>On July 1, 1853, the Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad opened between Canandaigua and North Tonawanda. It was also 6 ft (1,829 mm) broad gauge, and was leased by the Canandaigua & Elmira RR, giving it access to the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge.</blockquote> In <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/1664">this 1854 map</a>, The Canandaigua route has changed to run south of the Erie Canal and then be carried over the canal into North Tonawanda at the foot of Oliver street. The cantilever bridge will later be built here. By the time of <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/240">this 1875 map</a>, a third railroad crosses the canal into North Tonawanda: The Erie, at the foot of Vandervoort street. As late as 1908, there are still tracks on the east side of Webster street. Looks like the railroad agrees to remove them in December 1921, not sure when it happens. Trolleys Before everybody in North Tonawanda could afford their very own muffler-less Honda Civic to run up and down Oliver Street, trolleys 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Erie Railway, North Tonawanda Station, hi-res photo (Survey HAER NY-94, LOC, c1910).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910 Description An account of the resource Thompson Street. Spillman Company Engineers (present-day Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum) in the background. bicycle depot station https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/8cab793704c35042c3a0decefe1963cb.jpg da98885b2b915a409c74dc89a423f0b3 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 Hope-Jones Organ Co. (of Elmira) Description An account of the resource The inventor of the Mighty Wurlitzer organ which catapulted the company to worldwide recognition was a brilliant (if troubled) Englishman named Robert Hope-Jones. Hope-Jones came to the U.S. in 1903. In 1907 he formed the Hope-Jones Organ Co. in Elmira, N.Y. (Mark Twain is a large shareholder) at the corner of East 5th and Madison. After three years of struggles (and under a "cloud" of suspicion in Elmira for his "actions with small boys"), the company and patents were purchased by Wurlitzer in 1910, whereupon Robert Hope-Jones moved to Wurlitzer's North Tonawanda plant to oversee production of a new line of organ. The relationship is said to have been a strained one, with the old inventor constantly tweaking and refining his instruments, and never willing to relinquish control so that they could go into production. He would be barred from the factory he led. At least six months before his death he had cut ties with Wurlitzer. The Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ and pipe organs are based on his breakthroughs, and sustained Wurlitzer between the mechanical music era and the jukebox era (and beyond). Hope-Jones committed suicide on September 12 or 13, 1914, while traveling in Rochester. A report says August de Kleist brought his body back to North Tonawanda. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Hope-Jones Organ Company, group photo (PSTOS-Pipeline-2012-10-4).jpg Description An account of the resource Elmira, NY Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910 employees factory https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/2f7e028fb3f23dbb11dbcddcb52eabba.jpg cd6a46b1143351070f23a3c9d73ba0ac Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tonawanda footballer, photo (c1910).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910 football sports https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/9d7822b63a6ef8d06697a6eae52ab49d.jpg 027e3297652536cbe193edd5725ce66d 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, Buffalo Sled Company (Schenck St.) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="https://nthistory.com/custom/cover/14d.jpg" style="border: 0px;" alt="The Buffalo Sled company building at Schenck and Marion, c.1917" />The Buffalo Sled company building at Schenck and Marion, as depicted in a 1917 catalog. It burns in a disastrous 1972 fire. The Buffalo Sled Co. starts business in 1899, apparently in Buffalo,  and organizes around 1905. It is led by John J. Schneider and Henry J. Tiedt. In 1909, the firm purchases the the Orient Novelty Company* of North Tonawanda, and moves into their large, 3-story factory (pictured above). The Buffalo Sled Company originally makes 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." At times they also have operations in Buffalo, on Ellicott Creek in the old A. B. Williams plant, and in Preston, Ontario.  From the Internet's <a href="http://www.harryrinker.com/col-1117.html">Harry Rinker</a>: <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. * Orient when relocated here from Dayton, OH in 1903. They manufactured novelties, were led by D.W. Hyman, and had a modest subscription for electric power from Niagara Falls. In 1905 locals complain about the nuisance of smoke from the works. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 and girl, photo postcard (c1910).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910 person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/ae8d7d9f37f468429c468ba23b22924f.jpeg a5642883340fc9474603d40f8da2c0a2 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/4bf7c4fc52d4a03d1c0d2efa7e8bab14.png 588a564867072ebe04333246afd7d1a4 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 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" />Avondale Theatre as it appeared in 1924 (Dennis Reed Jr) 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. Oliver Theater (1910-1921) 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. 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. 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. 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>). 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. The Avondale Theater (1921-1955) 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. 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. 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. 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. Evangelistic Center of the Tonawandas (1956-1979) 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. 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. 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 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." Final years By December 1979 the "Oliver Auction House" <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/3346">is doing business</a> at that address. 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). The theater is razed in the late 1980s. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Oliver Theatre, photo (c1910).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910 ai oliver theater https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/d080f0cf455c6d3230c2c29e8aa2c835.png 4b229033dc11e68e94cfe29a24002820 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/0d3f9c135cb7b14e71a690f553c065b0.png 203fc55a5893374040e03f52e102ef5f 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 King Construction Company Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 King Construction Co., mill wood workers, photo (c1910).png Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910 person photo https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/86e53819be2de352184f4b53e7a85148.jpg 084e3b16279fd05f1b429786dd89234e 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 Firefighting in the Tonawandas Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="https://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/80.jpg" alt="Gratwick Hose No.6, Felton Street, c.1929" />Gratwick Hose No.6, Felton Street, c.1929 <blockquote>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. North Tonawanda depended heavily on Volunteer Firemen and quickly grew to seven companies located at important places around the city.</blockquote> - Sarah E. Walter's thesis (nthistorymuseum.org). Allan Herschell "helped to organize the first fire company of North Tonawanda" (Biographical and portrait cyclopedia of Niagara County, New York, p.361). <table border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td>Started</td> <td>Name</td> <td>Notes</td> </tr> <tr> <td>May 7, 1876</td> <td>North Tonawanda Bucket Company / Columbia Hook and Ladder Company No.1</td> <td>Thompson in 1893 directory</td> </tr> <tr> <td>March 1, 1886</td> <td>Active Hose Company No.2</td> <td>"Ironton Boys", Robinson south of Marion in 1893</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1886-1909</td> <td>Hydrant Hose Company No.3</td> <td>Sweeney and Main at bridge</td> </tr> <tr> <td>April 1887</td> <td>Live Active Hose Co. No.4</td> <td> Thompson St (1893), now Goundry and Vandervoort</td> </tr> <tr> <td>January 26, 1891</td> <td>Rescue Fire Company No.5</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>1886?</td> <td><a href="https://yellow.place/en/gratwick-hose-fire-company-6-north-tonawanda-usa">Gratwick Hose Company No.6</a></td> <td>Felton until 1962.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1894</td> <td>Sweeney Hose No.7</td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Of Hydrant Hose Co. No. 3, it was said somewhere: <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> According to Harry Dorn in an article in this set, <blockquote>The Tonawanda Fire Dept. was organized in the early 1860s when the Village of Tonawanda had a population of 2,000...One of the frst companies was the Shepard Hose Company which after several years was known as the DeGraff Hose, Hydrant Hose Company and thewn on Aug 25, 1898 became National Hose No.1 [Ed. Hydrant Hose appears in newspaper record until at least early 1900s].</blockquote> Columbia Hook & Ladder in The Tonawanda News, May 9, 1896: <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. 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. The parent company of North Tonawanda was the Columbia Hook and Ladder Company; 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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Hydrant Hose Company, Sweeney and Main, photo (c1910).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910 Description An account of the resource Identified as "Columbia Hook & Ladder" when collected, though from location and banner looks like Hydrant Hose to me. bridge firefighter person village https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/0ac4c8997a0b4372ced31fdad49f42b2.jpeg 572a06d34f2652899e22141e4e3669ca 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 Public Market Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="The market, c.1909" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/147.jpg" />The North Tonawanda Public Market brought thousands of customers on its first day of operation. Photo date unknown. The first official date of operation of the market near the corner of Robinson and Payne is August 23, 1908 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 NT Farmers Market (NTmarket.org, c.1911).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/67b7afc7490c4f60575822a96582bf12.png 0704f733bbdd7a0d51c9d17e85c6795a 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 Tonawanda Iron and Steel (Niagara River Iron Company) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Tonawanda Iron and Steel, illustration" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/16.jpg" />Illustration: Dennis Reed Jr., 2025. For a century, a massive riverfront iron works dominates the skyline of North Tonawanda near Wheatfield Street and present-day Fisherman's Park. The furnaces cast a ruddy glow over the west, and power the birth of the village of "Ironton," later known as "The Avenues." From <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/2891">History of Niagara County (1878)</a>: <blockquote>The Niagara River Iron Company was formed in pursuance of the general manufacturing law, in 1872, with a paid-up capital of $400,000. The first purchase of real estate was of 165 acres from M. Bush. The buildings were erected in 1873, and manufacturing operations commenced the same year. The engine house stands in a prominent position, and by one not knowing its design might be taken for an elegant mansion or villa; the building is 68 by 74 feet, with a proportionate elevation, and finished in tasteful style. The boiler house, judiciously separated, located 45 feet by 70, contains ten ponderous boilers, four feet in diameter and sixty feet long; an octagon chimney eighty feet high rises in front. The blast furnace was constructed to run out fifty tons of pig iron per day, and is 60 by 200 feet and two stories high; a tower rising above the rounded kert contains the machinery for elevating ore and brick by steam power. The oven is 30 by 41 feet, with iron-bound exterior. The buildings named are massive and substantial brick erections, upon stone foundations. The stock house is a frame building, 72 by 500 feet and two stories high. The dock fronting on the river is 500 feet in length, reaching ten feet depth of water. Located upon the dock is an engine for raising freight from the vessels. Two branch tracks of the Central railroad pass over the docks and into the stock house, to deposit and remove material. The buildings cover an area of four acres. The trustees are P. P. Pratt, president; Josiah Jewett, vice-president; S. S. Jewett, H. H. Glenny, George B. Hays, F. L. Danforth and B. F. Felton. During the present general depression in business the works are not operated; but as they are controlled by men of permanent wealth, willing to use it and able to hold their own until the day dawns upon brighter prospects, the advantages of this great concern will yet be felt by the community that has clustered about it in anticipation. The premises and machinery are kept in the most perfect order and neatness under the care of Alexander Reid.</blockquote> Pascal P. Pratt, a "hardware man" from Buffalo, is president and principal stockholder.  <blockquote>Mr. [Pascal P.] Pratt also helped to organize the Niagara River Iron Company in 1872. That company operated a blast furnace in North Tonawanda capable of turning out fifty tons of pig iron daily. Pascal Pratt was President of the firm, and among the other principals was S. S. Jewett. This company was later succeeded by the Tonawanda Iron and Steel Company, with William A. Rogers as President.</blockquote> <blockquote>- <a href="https://www.olmstedinbuffalo.com/pascal-p-pratt/#:~:text=city%20of%20Buffalo.-,Mr.,and%20the%20Bank%20of%20Attica.">Olmsted in Buffalo</a></blockquote> By 1875, in the midst of a general depression in the iron industry, the works are stopped, and lie dormant for years, possibly the next 14. In January 1889 it is reported that the Baird Bros. of Ohio will buy the plant and resume operations. It will require about $50K. 30 workers are expected in March. Ore begins arriving in great quantities in June, and on August 28 the furnace roars again. 100 men work the facility, day and night. The production of 100 tons of iron and steel a day is planned. <a href="https://archive.org/details/historyofcityofb00buff">Seemingly owned</a> at one point by "Rogers, Brown and Company, one of the largest iron companies in the country." The iron plant draws workers to the area, many Hungarian and Polish, who settle in a village called "<a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/83">Ironton</a>," just north of North Tonawanda proper. Frank Burkett Baird (b.1852 d.11/15/1939) organizes the Tonawanda Iron & Steel Co, in 1899. (Baird's singular accomplishment is as "Father of the Peace Bridge" - <a href="https://buffaloah.com/h/panam/forestL.html">Buffalo Architecture & History</a>). The new venture is a success, and expanding. President Rogers. New "monster" engine in June 1896. President McKinley fires up its mighty Furnace B with great ceremony and the flip of a switch from his home in Ohio in November 1896.  Somewhere around 1912 poor management and a poor economy stop the furnaces again. The plant lies unused until purchased by Tonawanda Iron Corp. in 1922. Gilmore. By 2017, the site has been cleared and converted into a small medical park and Fisherman's Park. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "Tonawanda Iron Corp., Is One of Largest Manufacturers of Pig Iron." Tonawanda News, 1929 (in this collection). Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 L.A. Fisher's Romana, Tonawanda Iron and Steel in background, photo (c.1910).png Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/b8059f289ab0aaea99f391daccdc2311.png 43c1ae3e23c21b597cf7ff96272c4c06 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 family photos Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Ray Kolb Sr in boat, photo (c1910).png Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/d082ad4573e8ea4275361513bd95aa47.jpg b1bae4970eeecdb64578cc445e1dd9fd 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Vertical wall south side, east of Main St. bridge, Tonawanda, photo (1910-04-04).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910-04-04 hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/84bf766557f4fc715e9a545242a1919e.jpg 714c5b84ef912ad814d8dcbe86d91ce5 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Vertical wall, south side west, photo (1910-05-20).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910-05-20 hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/f27ba6df92745c1020d5b97f057f70f6.jpg 09854c78175d75992d38da2b8ddde416 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Cofferdam, advertising, photo (1910-06-07).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910-06-07 hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/fe69f49805c2e197cf867acbf1c2d468.jpg fa1620ebf570bb670135bb0dc8ae9b62 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 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. A lock was also built to permit passage between the Niagara River (and Great Lakes) and the canal. Early documents also mention a guard lock just east of the lock. After the Civil War, the depth of the entire canal was increased to accomodate larger boats. Starting around 1909 work was done on our section of the canal as part of Contract 19 to improve the prism, or bottom shape (see <a href="https://nthistory.com/collections/show/152">photos of Contract 19</a>) In 1918 the 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Looking south along the crest of the dam in Tonawanda, photo (NYSA, 1910-07-19).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910-07-19 canal dam tonawanda https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7cb76f769f6eaa3308eedf2dcadfb0c4.jpg 442db65d0d486ecc08f8613e41c5087e https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/9bc70dc436a5f5fb35385edda391b21e.jpeg 2b54c5b11c1bf40bed0fdd156f55aaef https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/a90324a8154c897b88929a4777bafadc.png 7c7e03bc0d2fcc8f6d46f480abde91a5 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 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. A lock was also built to permit passage between the Niagara River (and Great Lakes) and the canal. Early documents also mention a guard lock just east of the lock. After the Civil War, the depth of the entire canal was increased to accomodate larger boats. Starting around 1909 work was done on our section of the canal as part of Contract 19 to improve the prism, or bottom shape (see <a href="https://nthistory.com/collections/show/152">photos of Contract 19</a>) In 1918 the 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 A view looking west along the crest of the dam in Tonawanda, photo (NYSA, 1910-07-19).jpg Description An account of the resource Real Estate Exchange, Niagara Silk Mills, little Webster, Vandervoort house in background Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910-07-19 canal dam https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/a0ff572bb182fb38ebb9efaae4935b9e.jpg cde4b9dffc1867b98accc7063a12855e 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Head gate at Tonawanda Dam, photo (1910-07-19).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910-07-19 hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/92e344774c89c805a77bdbc7845b936f.jpg 803782ff4874419cf0e12f4b6daceea9 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Vertical wall in cofferdam, advertising, photo (1910-07-19).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910-07-19 hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/3aada1147d49ec6c6696aece4bde2572.jpg ba059852fdca5fd5f07db9384a167042 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 View looking south along crest of dam, Tonawanda (1910-07-19).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910-07-19 hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/6831cc2cd3083809a6b0cd8cee634a45.jpg 9878b44cf9e6abc2b9f818f11fb38b45 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 View looking west along crest of dam, North Tonawanda (1910-07-19).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910-07-19 Description An account of the resource Vandervoort house in background? hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/785adc1a82bb6670d1536a58590618ef.jpg 5924898d8ad306ec0bb0379ca39b101c 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Vertical wall in cofferdam, advertising, photo (1910-08-10).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910-08-10 hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/60c7cdf6917d91b7c51300a592c46c00.jpg 090010e00c3b92aea7fc9ba3fd354fe4 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 span removed and located on scow. Pickard's bridge (1910-11-15).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1910-11-15 hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/4067d7156320f7c40935275d2adec3fb.jpg abe114b63a081bbf463a562a5f6ac834 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/f552037bd0d7f5c0bdecb585da5bff4b.jpg 4b2b1f8b7b3fcaae676d930656eb4ebc https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/f2fcab5236a975cb23283973fae4ccdc.jpg 8db4333e108e7212e7ce3768a5343dd1 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/a6b2651d6238192cd7a40a341fb012c7.jpg ff90524195d1896dcaa2ec922306495a https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/794dbc5a6efdfca8fa68949e75be7f81.jpg b1d588d9d340c7287220601e00957cc3 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 The Nationals Twin City baseball team, Amateur Niagara County, team photo (1911).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1911 baseball person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/e9855634677479ffeab24c0512a1cce3.jpg 3b22e24f10bfd8da5a2e75fa2ee43af6 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 Wurlitzer Manufacturing Company Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wurlitzer: 100 Years of Musical Achievement. Rudolph Wurlitzer Company. Chicago, Illinois. 1956. Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="../../../custom/cover/52.jpg" alt="The signature tower of the North Tonawanda plant and occasional headquarters." /> The signature tower of the North Tonawanda plant and occasional headquarters. Postcard, c.1940. Its iconic tower has presided over Sawyer's Creek and Martinsville for over 100 years. The sprawling industrial campus left behind by the world-famous Wurlitzer Manufacturing Company produced merry-go-round organs, band organs, church organs, theater organs and jukeboxes that have left an indelible mark on the world, and on generations of North Tonawandans. Wurlitzer founder Rudolph Wurlitzer (1831-1914) was a German immigrant who (after stops in New Jersey and Philadelphia) landed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1854 at the age of 23. He worked for a bank, and down the street was a musical retail store. His father, Christian, was a successful music retailer in Germany, and Rudolph's experience told him the Ohio store's instruments were of poor quality, and priced too high. In 1856 he begins importing quality musical instruments from his family in Germany to sell at a profit in American retail stores. The business grows; Wurlitzer begins making instruments themselves for the U. S. military and for retail. The company branches out into "automatic" musical instruments, such as music boxes and player-pianos. Rudolph's three sons, Howard, Rudolph H., and Farny become involved along the way, and take on aspects of the growing family business. The youngest son, Farny, is sent to North Tonawanda to run the former <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/24">de Kleist Musical Instrument Mfg. Co.</a> shortly after it is purchased by Wurlitzer in 1908. (de Kleist was building player pianos and band organs for Wurlitzer and others since 1893). Farny brings eccentric English inventor Robert Hope-Jones to the plant in 1910, initiating the worldwide success of the "Mighty Wurlitzer" theater organ, which provides sound for the silent films of the day, and entertainment in its own right. This business evaporates when sound comes to movies, and electrical sound amplification permits musical entertainment to be furnished to venues of all types much less expensively. When the Wurlitzer company finds itself overextended in the wake of the Great Depression, Farny fights to keep the North Tonawanda facility open. In 1934 he strikes a deal with Homer Capehart to manufacture his automatic phonograph, which becomes the iconic Wurlitzer jukebox. Under his leadership the company also produces a successful line of electronic organs for home use, and the North Tonawanda plant becomes the flagship of the Wurlitzer factories, with 3,000 employees. After his death in 1972, jukebox and organ production are phased out, leaving 200 employees in 1974. By 1975, all manufacturing at the North Tonawanda plant is stopped, and by August 1976, all company activities are removed to other locations. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Wurlitzer alternate front, photo (THS P-5846, 1912).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1912 factory https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/56cb0442fafb4609b51f22f7927db0c8.jpg d494f871f9ed03a7563f575489b51195 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 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" />Avondale Theatre as it appeared in 1924 (Dennis Reed Jr) 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. Oliver Theater (1910-1921) 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. 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. 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. 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>). 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. The Avondale Theater (1921-1955) 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. 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. 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. 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. Evangelistic Center of the Tonawandas (1956-1979) 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. 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. 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 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." Final years By December 1979 the "Oliver Auction House" <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/3346">is doing business</a> at that address. 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). The theater is razed in the late 1980s. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Avondale baseball team active 1910-1915, photo (c. 1910).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1912 baseball person sports https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/9864f1404fed6ef58ec48bcb1f8d05da.jpg 905f7456fe9317ca9abffd993739885d 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 A Martinsville dock, looking west, photo (NYSA, 1912-07-19).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1912-07-19 canal martinsville https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/ba8e9b87fedaf5be14decabe6ebcfb28.jpg 14125e9b7b37e8f24c747f519fd704f5 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/b39b77f82cda6c8828bc4e0211dfdc3e.jpg adcb8a73251030282c7cdfb910ab3d5b https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/c08e6946be7c35bd26582fb3b2ac82aa.jpg 90184eff1b8cc23a84b5c285910cb789 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7496410124ac99527520fc490f557730.jpg fb510e1b471dba4f587feac39fb03578 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/896ebf6e9495b69ab68196af382b1351.jpg 61bac6ba2669bb1abe648f4f08aa9563 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/3a25a6f5aac487f5410a4e7f72fc42d5.jpg ad282c0a6c71001ea73e27b574ec9200 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/4d96633606b55b924db5dc641c9afd96.jpg e1cea1004c645c1bcb16e7e9cb1427cc 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 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)" />Nucleus of Wurlitzer: The North Tonawanda Barrel Organ Factory in 1893. It still stands in 2023. 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." <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> Portable music of another era 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. 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. Meet the Wurlitzers 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>). 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. The de Kleist Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company 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>. 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. 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. 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Eugene de Kleist's Berlin apartment, Kurfürstendamm street, photo set (c1913).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1913 Description An account of the resource Contributed by a de Kleist descendant. https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/15f0ce32c4b92c20749c1da6ddd3f525.jpg 9a23caf9b629b1bf4512d29c1e210aa0 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." /> North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works factory at 435 Payne Avenue, c1913; photo colorized by the webmaster. <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). 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">All of Us</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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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, organ and truck, photo (c1913).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1913 automobile organ https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/af93704fe2f2ffb861380766046309d4.jpg 89d12a5a1c97b22fed4a3d3e5fa19d3f 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." /> North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works factory at 435 Payne Avenue, c1913; photo colorized by the webmaster. <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). 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">All of Us</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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 factory, colorized photo (Automatic Military Bands, c1913).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1913 factory trolley https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/d426c2e7a065d32315d211074adabaad.jpg 3387b52e4471af763eebfb0bf8047b58 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." /> North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works factory at 435 Payne Avenue, c1913; photo colorized by the webmaster. <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). 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">All of Us</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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 factory, horse-drawn cart, photo (c1913).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1913 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="http://www.tonawandashistory.org">Historical Society of the Tonawandas</a> factory horse person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/f10630c0a68525f40bfe7deceb5d0c2c.JPG 50b63facf5dc6a13e5ce1ad839b879cb https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/4198d92a0e2977d2d5c3e725d2960b9e.jpg 3f494c55aaa4746463be688177d5a1a9 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/35601e7c00d57b56a47d80d2da27c27e.jpg 129718020e8220fe24a341a644e3ce7c https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/4535f00590d80e7ee5ce18b9d2353ee9.jpg 265cfdfb27f69796bbe1565e69f1ecaa https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/8f40afc5262d3091a142e6f039f34dd4.jpg 8674c42d85c111d95e3985b58f365e80 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 Scenic Family Theatre (40 Webster) Description An account of the resource In a 1913 map, the theater is shown in the north half of the Fowler Block, at the southwest corner of Webster and Tremont, or 40 Webster: though a later article suggests the theater occupied 38 or perhaps even further south. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Princess Suzanne, souvenir photo for Scenic Family Theatre and related notices (c.1913).JPG Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1913 Description An account of the resource A vaudeville curiosity, this small wire-walker is purported to hail from Hungary and tours (at least) upstate New York in the early 1900s. Appears in papers as early as 1909, described as "bright and interesting," "The Royal Doll Lady," "The Tiniest Star in Vaudeville," "highly educated and cultured," an "actress," "perfectly formed," "32 inches tall" and "34 pounds." In 1911 Billboard calls her the "Human Atom," touting "character change, singing and tight wire novelty act" with a "beautiful wardrobe" who was just finishing a tour of the "Pacific Coast." A 1930 Billboard item under "Sparks Circus" notes that she went in a big seaplane at Pensacola. By 1938 the Forest Parkway Leader-Observer lists her in a little person program as "the butterfly dancer." https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/5b462b1e3326de2895e150f60f01a4df.jpeg 56b8e5284f6239e139afb35dbbcb193a Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Hungarian group, Emily Borko far left, Wittkowsky photo (HST, c.1913).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1913 person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/c6528105e189e783ff2d1bd2a69c854c.jpeg ef247763a8938e7f2068d8429690f3d2 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/b4913711afda1cd58ee1b7faaa325025.jpeg eacb3d1271149f49fef491d5e61b38b3 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Hungarian group, funeral, Wittkowsky photo (HST, c.1913).jpg Description An account of the resource Location unknown, presumed Tonawandas. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1913 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/d01909a99e4f62770edc79ff31d33fa4.jpg 1a08b7e8265703d4a4013c60926e6d65 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/347f231b5515d0b187a73ffae94aa2b3.jpg bfce03c756a341e5872205fea7c4bc2d 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." /> North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works factory at 435 Payne Avenue, c1913; photo colorized by the webmaster. <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). 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">All of Us</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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 employees, photo (HST 1913-05-03).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1913-05-03 factory labor person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/96d0273bb5033eb3dbf8cd56089350f6.jpg fe8bfd421052012ce4c58c088ed5ee53 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 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 president of North Tonawanda's Board of Education for 30 years. The first day of classes was Tuesday, 9/6/1904. The building 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 (from which was quarried the gravel that led to the infamous dispute that split the Tonawandas, and which was a N.Y. Central train yard and later in 1919 the site of NT's first public playground) "Felton Field." Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 High School, Felton, photo (1913-12 Tonawanda News).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1913-12 school https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7200be93af4bd5211711f1102c27871b.jpg 8822213c4d7ba916cc12b86efb6f6bd3 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." /> North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works factory at 435 Payne Avenue, c1913; photo colorized by the webmaster. <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). 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">All of Us</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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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, photo (HST p1904 c1914).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1914 factory labor https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/0cd792f62c5ba72bc999a269fa57ca15.jpg a657660c776336eb8ba0b2ab8a23afd8 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/2523e0bd0bf30f709886a366f9741638.jpg c6e35815bcb4d12801bc8043941fcaa4 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" />Old Falls Boulevard, looking north from Lockport Ave. to Niagara Falls Blvd. Postcard detail, c.1900. 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.  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. 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">History of Niagara County 1821-1878</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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Erie Canal looking South, Martinsville, Buschs Bridge, photo (1914).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1914 bridge canal martinsville https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/8d9a21863f3e808157dabb84b6aeb434.jpg 4ec61fc0a0329d8d01079b32f977706b 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 Tonawanda Iron and Steel (Niagara River Iron Company) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Tonawanda Iron and Steel, illustration" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/16.jpg" />Illustration: Dennis Reed Jr., 2025. For a century, a massive riverfront iron works dominates the skyline of North Tonawanda near Wheatfield Street and present-day Fisherman's Park. The furnaces cast a ruddy glow over the west, and power the birth of the village of "Ironton," later known as "The Avenues." From <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/2891">History of Niagara County (1878)</a>: <blockquote>The Niagara River Iron Company was formed in pursuance of the general manufacturing law, in 1872, with a paid-up capital of $400,000. The first purchase of real estate was of 165 acres from M. Bush. The buildings were erected in 1873, and manufacturing operations commenced the same year. The engine house stands in a prominent position, and by one not knowing its design might be taken for an elegant mansion or villa; the building is 68 by 74 feet, with a proportionate elevation, and finished in tasteful style. The boiler house, judiciously separated, located 45 feet by 70, contains ten ponderous boilers, four feet in diameter and sixty feet long; an octagon chimney eighty feet high rises in front. The blast furnace was constructed to run out fifty tons of pig iron per day, and is 60 by 200 feet and two stories high; a tower rising above the rounded kert contains the machinery for elevating ore and brick by steam power. The oven is 30 by 41 feet, with iron-bound exterior. The buildings named are massive and substantial brick erections, upon stone foundations. The stock house is a frame building, 72 by 500 feet and two stories high. The dock fronting on the river is 500 feet in length, reaching ten feet depth of water. Located upon the dock is an engine for raising freight from the vessels. Two branch tracks of the Central railroad pass over the docks and into the stock house, to deposit and remove material. The buildings cover an area of four acres. The trustees are P. P. Pratt, president; Josiah Jewett, vice-president; S. S. Jewett, H. H. Glenny, George B. Hays, F. L. Danforth and B. F. Felton. During the present general depression in business the works are not operated; but as they are controlled by men of permanent wealth, willing to use it and able to hold their own until the day dawns upon brighter prospects, the advantages of this great concern will yet be felt by the community that has clustered about it in anticipation. The premises and machinery are kept in the most perfect order and neatness under the care of Alexander Reid.</blockquote> Pascal P. Pratt, a "hardware man" from Buffalo, is president and principal stockholder.  <blockquote>Mr. [Pascal P.] Pratt also helped to organize the Niagara River Iron Company in 1872. That company operated a blast furnace in North Tonawanda capable of turning out fifty tons of pig iron daily. Pascal Pratt was President of the firm, and among the other principals was S. S. Jewett. This company was later succeeded by the Tonawanda Iron and Steel Company, with William A. Rogers as President.</blockquote> <blockquote>- <a href="https://www.olmstedinbuffalo.com/pascal-p-pratt/#:~:text=city%20of%20Buffalo.-,Mr.,and%20the%20Bank%20of%20Attica.">Olmsted in Buffalo</a></blockquote> By 1875, in the midst of a general depression in the iron industry, the works are stopped, and lie dormant for years, possibly the next 14. In January 1889 it is reported that the Baird Bros. of Ohio will buy the plant and resume operations. It will require about $50K. 30 workers are expected in March. Ore begins arriving in great quantities in June, and on August 28 the furnace roars again. 100 men work the facility, day and night. The production of 100 tons of iron and steel a day is planned. <a href="https://archive.org/details/historyofcityofb00buff">Seemingly owned</a> at one point by "Rogers, Brown and Company, one of the largest iron companies in the country." The iron plant draws workers to the area, many Hungarian and Polish, who settle in a village called "<a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/83">Ironton</a>," just north of North Tonawanda proper. Frank Burkett Baird (b.1852 d.11/15/1939) organizes the Tonawanda Iron & Steel Co, in 1899. (Baird's singular accomplishment is as "Father of the Peace Bridge" - <a href="https://buffaloah.com/h/panam/forestL.html">Buffalo Architecture & History</a>). The new venture is a success, and expanding. President Rogers. New "monster" engine in June 1896. President McKinley fires up its mighty Furnace B with great ceremony and the flip of a switch from his home in Ohio in November 1896.  Somewhere around 1912 poor management and a poor economy stop the furnaces again. The plant lies unused until purchased by Tonawanda Iron Corp. in 1922. Gilmore. By 2017, the site has been cleared and converted into a small medical park and Fisherman's Park. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "Tonawanda Iron Corp., Is One of Largest Manufacturers of Pig Iron." Tonawanda News, 1929 (in this collection). Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tonawanda Iron and Steel, photos (Greater Buffalo & Niagara frontier, Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, 1914).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1914 factory river https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/01a013a0287b6f9326eaf33bcdd01448.jpg 804d6d3bc3821c2e5b53a10be836414a 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 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: <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> by W. R. Wilbur Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Works of the Buffalo Bolt Company, photo (Greater Buffalo & Niagara frontier, Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, 1914).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1914 factory https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/56535e3ba90569a72b24e57dfeb8510f.jpg cec8217baae42c424d126c35d677411f 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 Tonawanda & Wheatfield Electric Co., Tonawanda Power Co., National Grid 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." /> The Robinson Street "transformer building" is built by the Niagara Falls Power Company in 1895 as part of their unprecedented 23-mile transmission sending current from Nigara Falls to Buffalo. The building is later operated by the Tonawanda Power Company, who distribute the hyrdo-electricity locally. Today the historic building is owned by National Grid. Photo by Dennis Reed Jr., 2023. <h2>Motive power before the grid</h2> In the 1800s, in North Tonawanda and elsewhere, mills are powered primarily by waterwheels, while factories rely on stationary steam engines fueled by coal or wood to drive machinery and reduce human and animal labor. Beginning in the 1870s, electric dynamos appear, typically driven by steam engines, producing electricity mainly for lighting. There is no interconnected electrical grid. Electricity is generated locally, on site, by individual factories, private companies, or municipalities for their own use or a limited number of nearby customers. <h2>Tonawanda & Wheatfield Electric Light Company first located on Tonawanda Island</h2> In 1889, the Tonawanda & Wheatfield Electric Light Company operates a dynamo on the north end of Tonawanda Island. The dynamo is fed by wood shavings from the Doebler Planing Mill. The company supplies electricity to a small number of North Tonawanda subscribers. Arc lights on a few streets are run. Their office is at the northeast corner of Main and Goundry in an old frame building. <a href="http://nthistory.com/items/show/3942">1891 Buffalo Express Pictorial</a>: "The Tonawanda and Wheatfield Electric Co. are now building a $40,000 plant near the north end, to furnish power for an electric street railroad. These facilities, with a telephone service and telegraph office, leave but little to be desired. The docked frontage on the property is now nearly two miles in length. The Tonawanda City Water Works, located on the west side of the island, are fully described elsewhere." The Niagara Falls Power Company builds transmission line and transformer house at Robinson Street Meanwhile, electrical experts at the Niagara Falls Power Company and others have been convening for a few years about how to best harness Niagara Falls's tremendous kinetic energy for the electrical age, and what to do with all that energy, which would be far more than could be used locally. The answer: send it to the much larger city of Buffalo, 23 miles south.  In late 1895, the Niagara Falls Power Company begins building an unprecedented long-distance power line to Buffalo (mostly along the boundary of the old Mile Reserve). "This transmission line will run over a private right of way from the Niagara Falls Power Company's station at Niagara Falls to Tonawanda, and thence down one bank of the Erie Canal to Buffalo. The entire line will be fenced in" (<a href="https://reference.insulators.info/publications/view/?id=205&h0=tonawanda">Electrical Review</a>, August 5, 1896). It is operational by November 1896. (Amazing <a href="https://digital.hagley.org/AVD_1990_265">images of line construction</a> from Hagley Archives). The long distance line uses alternating current (AC) transmitted at high voltages, which could travel long distances 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.  Tonawanda Lighting and Power Company incorporated Landmarks of Niagara County: "The Tonawanda Lighting and Power Company was incorporated February 23, 1897, with a capital of $150,000, and is the successor of the Tonawanda and Wheatfield Electric Light Company, which was organized in 1890 The company supplies both Tonawanda and North Tonawanda, and operates in all about 290 arc and 2,400 incandescent lamps. Frank M. Gordon is local manager." They will step down power for local distribution in a yard north of the Niagara Falls Power Company's Robinson Street transformer house.  1900: "At Tonawanda, 10 miles from Buffalo and 14 miles from Niagara Falls, the transmission line from the falls to Buffalo is tapped and power from it is transformed, converted and regenerated into the various kinds and voltages of current desired tor traction, arc and incandescent lighting and distribution to motors. There is no electrical generating plant driven by steam power in Tonawanda or North Tonawanda either for street railway or central station loads. The work at Tonawanda is carried on by the Tonawanda Power Company, which is closely allied financially with the other Niagara power interests, such as the Niagara Palls Power Company and the Cataract Power and Conduit Company. The Tonawanda Power Company consists of the consolidation of the Tonawanda Light and Power Company, which formerly operated a steam-driven central station of the usual type in Tonawanda, and the Tonawanda Cataract Power Company, which previous to the consolidation was formed for advancing the Niagara power interests in Tonawanda. The consolidated company has erected a transforming station immediatey beside the right of way of the transmission line at a convenient point in North Tonawanda about a mile east of the business center and just a short distance south of the branch of the Erie running to Lockport, which branch is operated by electric power from this transforming station." Former switching tower Where the new pocket park is now, on the Twin City Highway side, was once a two-story “switching tower” which was wired to the transformer house. Added around 1902, this adjunct 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. In 1920, a horrific explosion kills 13 men early Halloween morning (read our blog post, <a href="https://www.nthistory.com/articles/tonawanda-power-company-disaster/">The Tonawanda Power Company Disaster</a>). 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 Safety News and Comment. The January 1921 Safety Bulletin <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). Fault is ultimately found to be with the equipment provider, who left no instruction to remove the wood blocks used in shipping. In 1925 the company become "associated with" Buffalo General Electric, Niagara Falls Power Co. and others. In 1929, they open a new headquarters on Sweeney and Webster, today Buffalo Suzuki Strings. The Robinson street transformer house and environs is now owned and operated by National Grid. This <a href="https://reference.insulators.info/publications/search/?query=tonawanda&submit=Search%20https://reference.insulators.info/publications/view/?id=5168&h0=tonawanda%C2%A0">collection of electric literature</a> has many fine details and photos of the 1896 construction of the line. <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/ja/collections/archival-item/sova-nmah-ac-0949-ref88">Photo archive at the Smithsonian</a>. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Powerhouse - Niagara Falls Power Co.. illustration (Greater Buffalo NY Undustrial Commercial, 1914).jpg Description An account of the resource The architecture in these Niagara Falls buildings is echoed by the Robinson Street power house in North Tonawanda. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1914 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/44594e0a3feb4b0544535442ee286523.png f9f00dcfa64062de7db5ab813578911e 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 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" />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>. 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. 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. 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. As the forests of the midwest were depleted and shipping routes and technology changed, the lumber heyday of the Tonawandas receded into the past. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Birds-Eye View of the Tonawandas, Showing Portions of Lumber Interests, photo (Greater Buffalo NY Industrial Commercial, 1914).png Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1914 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/0f708a95a6f64225b762681e4f7c27a3.jpg f8cd8a563a29ee1682c8553f8093aba9 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 Tonawanda Iron and Steel (Niagara River Iron Company) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Tonawanda Iron and Steel, illustration" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/16.jpg" />Illustration: Dennis Reed Jr., 2025. For a century, a massive riverfront iron works dominates the skyline of North Tonawanda near Wheatfield Street and present-day Fisherman's Park. The furnaces cast a ruddy glow over the west, and power the birth of the village of "Ironton," later known as "The Avenues." From <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/2891">History of Niagara County (1878)</a>: <blockquote>The Niagara River Iron Company was formed in pursuance of the general manufacturing law, in 1872, with a paid-up capital of $400,000. The first purchase of real estate was of 165 acres from M. Bush. The buildings were erected in 1873, and manufacturing operations commenced the same year. The engine house stands in a prominent position, and by one not knowing its design might be taken for an elegant mansion or villa; the building is 68 by 74 feet, with a proportionate elevation, and finished in tasteful style. The boiler house, judiciously separated, located 45 feet by 70, contains ten ponderous boilers, four feet in diameter and sixty feet long; an octagon chimney eighty feet high rises in front. The blast furnace was constructed to run out fifty tons of pig iron per day, and is 60 by 200 feet and two stories high; a tower rising above the rounded kert contains the machinery for elevating ore and brick by steam power. The oven is 30 by 41 feet, with iron-bound exterior. The buildings named are massive and substantial brick erections, upon stone foundations. The stock house is a frame building, 72 by 500 feet and two stories high. The dock fronting on the river is 500 feet in length, reaching ten feet depth of water. Located upon the dock is an engine for raising freight from the vessels. Two branch tracks of the Central railroad pass over the docks and into the stock house, to deposit and remove material. The buildings cover an area of four acres. The trustees are P. P. Pratt, president; Josiah Jewett, vice-president; S. S. Jewett, H. H. Glenny, George B. Hays, F. L. Danforth and B. F. Felton. During the present general depression in business the works are not operated; but as they are controlled by men of permanent wealth, willing to use it and able to hold their own until the day dawns upon brighter prospects, the advantages of this great concern will yet be felt by the community that has clustered about it in anticipation. The premises and machinery are kept in the most perfect order and neatness under the care of Alexander Reid.</blockquote> Pascal P. Pratt, a "hardware man" from Buffalo, is president and principal stockholder.  <blockquote>Mr. [Pascal P.] Pratt also helped to organize the Niagara River Iron Company in 1872. That company operated a blast furnace in North Tonawanda capable of turning out fifty tons of pig iron daily. Pascal Pratt was President of the firm, and among the other principals was S. S. Jewett. This company was later succeeded by the Tonawanda Iron and Steel Company, with William A. Rogers as President.</blockquote> <blockquote>- <a href="https://www.olmstedinbuffalo.com/pascal-p-pratt/#:~:text=city%20of%20Buffalo.-,Mr.,and%20the%20Bank%20of%20Attica.">Olmsted in Buffalo</a></blockquote> By 1875, in the midst of a general depression in the iron industry, the works are stopped, and lie dormant for years, possibly the next 14. In January 1889 it is reported that the Baird Bros. of Ohio will buy the plant and resume operations. It will require about $50K. 30 workers are expected in March. Ore begins arriving in great quantities in June, and on August 28 the furnace roars again. 100 men work the facility, day and night. The production of 100 tons of iron and steel a day is planned. <a href="https://archive.org/details/historyofcityofb00buff">Seemingly owned</a> at one point by "Rogers, Brown and Company, one of the largest iron companies in the country." The iron plant draws workers to the area, many Hungarian and Polish, who settle in a village called "<a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/83">Ironton</a>," just north of North Tonawanda proper. Frank Burkett Baird (b.1852 d.11/15/1939) organizes the Tonawanda Iron & Steel Co, in 1899. (Baird's singular accomplishment is as "Father of the Peace Bridge" - <a href="https://buffaloah.com/h/panam/forestL.html">Buffalo Architecture & History</a>). The new venture is a success, and expanding. President Rogers. New "monster" engine in June 1896. President McKinley fires up its mighty Furnace B with great ceremony and the flip of a switch from his home in Ohio in November 1896.  Somewhere around 1912 poor management and a poor economy stop the furnaces again. The plant lies unused until purchased by Tonawanda Iron Corp. in 1922. Gilmore. By 2017, the site has been cleared and converted into a small medical park and Fisherman's Park. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "Tonawanda Iron Corp., Is One of Largest Manufacturers of Pig Iron." Tonawanda News, 1929 (in this collection). Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tonawanda Iron and Steel, photos (Greater Buffalo NY Industrial Commercial, 1914).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1914 factory https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/2467a9fe2aa8e0a3ffbd55102ef977b7.jpg 43d0f775b6076dddfe8e8b92eb27bbe8 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/991494d08214d8c3cc2d3afae36802dd.jpg 825f739ce2dacf906b7371def7faa593 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/b37cf4f58ae88aa1ac570466428c7df8.jpg 4a862e565a1776b66b7139ae0cedc488 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Bach's Cornet Band, N. Tonawanda, photo (1914).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1914 Description An account of the resource According to the 1973 Flashback item, this 1914 photo shows Bach's Cornet Band "standing in front of the restaurant and saloon formerly operated by Julius Bach at Schenck and Bryant Streets." Others identified include Michael Lawlor, Herman Miller, Ed Kowsky and William Runde Jr. In 1894, Julius Bach is moved to take out ads in local papers advising "All persons are hereby notified not to trust my son, Ferdinand Bach, as I will pay no debts contracted by him." music person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/94afb996d371807bf4f136c5c9739b5c.JPG ccf16467c505837d244b1566e1a1ddea https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/1867f011f8cde44426b44d7dba16793b.JPG ac56c4245d2982d45f62f8833f6e9e60 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/bd99aec144ebfef0a97f134a9344996d.jpg afc36e931d4569da0720a39d60b53cd2 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7e60dfa86aebf0486b726d7192a057ed.JPG 27bbd4da1eebe2742f9b5b85775eec7b https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/b87c6cdf5193e844ffe9b42d5504b2f0.JPG 4ede13d762f2bd0f89eaa3dfd65b52bc https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/1ee19a67253e47c7475c81a9a87552e2.JPG 78cb85ce285d2c963b156339e96692ba https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/ed5b515bc6668ce7195cbc7a31a92fbd.JPG 25ceece3273295731d409632815dd910 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/1d6381b11b402d1f3d0233007b9cde7d.JPG 175a86527663ebc2ae71cd573f77740f https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/ba4c0e0be3e5c89090609b43a728c37f.JPG 89b163f9248e72350393961497396c75 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/86489cac78112d36db9cdf5d3ed37eb3.JPG 915061aca514ab07f69cb40e07d0c61d https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/f7dbbeee447cfdf7475b38f04726a4e0.JPG 0823570a667f019a5b14bed46cab6f01 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/1cc413c445c2d9a404e18b0bd86b2ef4.JPG 759e3b4f3d6b80b7355a17d116b55eff https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/cb86e3ad1e4e41cb1d18f12e4cd15097.JPG ab9d413e3504db950a52b55057730096 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/ec3cd8c78c9170ccd63d519985820922.JPG 383e4f817e90ad8e36815ed42d10de19 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/37de4db9e0ab93417eaab46802c2620c.JPG b04f617d5f617058d3b499c48706eb78 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/d91776c3de3763f3918e92935297f03e.JPG f3acaf0bc9c517d0a7d1be7722ff6e3f https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/655bb0e5f26acb9407352baffb37c9be.JPG 747a284477facb657df4cce3d8b9c7ea 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 Wurlitzer Manufacturing Company Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wurlitzer: 100 Years of Musical Achievement. Rudolph Wurlitzer Company. Chicago, Illinois. 1956. Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="../../../custom/cover/52.jpg" alt="The signature tower of the North Tonawanda plant and occasional headquarters." /> The signature tower of the North Tonawanda plant and occasional headquarters. Postcard, c.1940. Its iconic tower has presided over Sawyer's Creek and Martinsville for over 100 years. The sprawling industrial campus left behind by the world-famous Wurlitzer Manufacturing Company produced merry-go-round organs, band organs, church organs, theater organs and jukeboxes that have left an indelible mark on the world, and on generations of North Tonawandans. Wurlitzer founder Rudolph Wurlitzer (1831-1914) was a German immigrant who (after stops in New Jersey and Philadelphia) landed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1854 at the age of 23. He worked for a bank, and down the street was a musical retail store. His father, Christian, was a successful music retailer in Germany, and Rudolph's experience told him the Ohio store's instruments were of poor quality, and priced too high. In 1856 he begins importing quality musical instruments from his family in Germany to sell at a profit in American retail stores. The business grows; Wurlitzer begins making instruments themselves for the U. S. military and for retail. The company branches out into "automatic" musical instruments, such as music boxes and player-pianos. Rudolph's three sons, Howard, Rudolph H., and Farny become involved along the way, and take on aspects of the growing family business. The youngest son, Farny, is sent to North Tonawanda to run the former <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/24">de Kleist Musical Instrument Mfg. Co.</a> shortly after it is purchased by Wurlitzer in 1908. (de Kleist was building player pianos and band organs for Wurlitzer and others since 1893). Farny brings eccentric English inventor Robert Hope-Jones to the plant in 1910, initiating the worldwide success of the "Mighty Wurlitzer" theater organ, which provides sound for the silent films of the day, and entertainment in its own right. This business evaporates when sound comes to movies, and electrical sound amplification permits musical entertainment to be furnished to venues of all types much less expensively. When the Wurlitzer company finds itself overextended in the wake of the Great Depression, Farny fights to keep the North Tonawanda facility open. In 1934 he strikes a deal with Homer Capehart to manufacture his automatic phonograph, which becomes the iconic Wurlitzer jukebox. Under his leadership the company also produces a successful line of electronic organs for home use, and the North Tonawanda plant becomes the flagship of the Wurlitzer factories, with 3,000 employees. After his death in 1972, jukebox and organ production are phased out, leaving 200 employees in 1974. By 1975, all manufacturing at the North Tonawanda plant is stopped, and by August 1976, all company activities are removed to other locations. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Wurlitzer Unit Orchestra Photo Album (Vestal Press reprint, c1975).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1914 collection https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/ecc24bc7eebc95a2f4f01dbd0984ed33.jpg 5f32da7854fdc2bcb14fcecc96fc754e 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 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" /> The Elks Club home c1920–2011; northeast corner of Main and Sweeney.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/">Twin Cities Lodge # 860 formerly known as North Tonawanda Lodge</a>. 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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Elks Lodge 860 ladies on truck in Niagara Falls parade, photo (Buffalo Courier, 1914-06-21).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1914-06-21 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/64bedc96bbd26d5d133d8b32ede3f7a4.jpg 9aa615f3096e3758e23f43f9fd273952 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 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" /> The Elks Club home c1920–2011; northeast corner of Main and Sweeney.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/">Twin Cities Lodge # 860 formerly known as North Tonawanda Lodge</a>. 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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Elks Lodge 860 make creditable showing in Niagara Falls parade, photo (Buffalo Courier, 1914-06-21).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1914-06-21 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/6db2ac95b4fc3bb2cecac41433072ab5.jpg 87c8bea26b48f382df64007931401bc2 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 Erie Canal Contract No.19 Description An account of the resource The Erie Canal was always a work in progress. These photos show work done along the western portion of the Erie Canal starting in 1910, from Sulphur Springs to Tonawanda. This "Contract 19" was awarded to the Great Lakes Construction Co., cost $825,083, and was for the "canal prism" (the integrity of the shape of the canal, wide at the top and narrower toward the bottom). <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Source</a> From the <a href="https://americancanalsociety.org/a-dredge-roll-call-contracts-15-and-19/">American Canal Society</a>: <blockquote>Contract 19 – The Niagara, Buffalo, Lawton, and Teddy Great Lakes Construction was the contractor for contract 19, and they had four dredges at work; one hydraulic, one dipper and two clam shells. [Also features photos of some of the machinery in action].</blockquote> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Vertical wall on south side, east of towpath bridge at entrance to Ellicott Creek, photo (1914-10-05).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1914-10-05 hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/f233524ba766ed5da8d6fcc8e2844b65.jpg 738b002ff3aaaed0314e960c2be44a6f 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 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>: <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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Former Friedens church, Vandervoort and Schenck, photo (c1915).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1915 Description An account of the resource Current Ghostlight Theatre. Today's Scalise's Deli at 158 Schenck St. church hd https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/5d5168ea78d10914c16b434978ff2f72.jpg 5166c9840785487ac2f40757792033e2 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/619471c034d2cd15fcd6d618c4a48a6b.jpg 48f5a488d83b664c99bd1de9bc831978 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tussing family in a band, photo (1915).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1915 music https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/40bee2a88d0aeefb876ca0f13c3d321f.jpg b0efbf6c8dcf5035cda492b836b7ce6e 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 Herman P. Schroeder tavern (870 Oliver Street) Description An account of the resource The son of a German immigrant, Herman P. Schroeder came to North Tonawanda in the mid-1890s in the employ of Buffalo Bolt. He first lives in Gratwick, and later moves to 870 Oliver Street (near the entrance to the Buffalo Bolt plant). He opens a tavern there about 1902, operating it until Prohibition. In the 1920s he opens an ice cream and candy store across from the Oliver / Avondale Theater at the corner of Robinson and Oliver. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Herman P. Schroeder saloon, 870 Oliver Street, photo (Kearns, Bille, c1915).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1915 avenues photo tavern https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/a4e0b1aad2d6d3fe0e01296c99841508.jpeg ad25959643b0b34c9f32b83da48576ef 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 Wurlitzer Manufacturing Company Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wurlitzer: 100 Years of Musical Achievement. Rudolph Wurlitzer Company. Chicago, Illinois. 1956. Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="../../../custom/cover/52.jpg" alt="The signature tower of the North Tonawanda plant and occasional headquarters." /> The signature tower of the North Tonawanda plant and occasional headquarters. Postcard, c.1940. Its iconic tower has presided over Sawyer's Creek and Martinsville for over 100 years. The sprawling industrial campus left behind by the world-famous Wurlitzer Manufacturing Company produced merry-go-round organs, band organs, church organs, theater organs and jukeboxes that have left an indelible mark on the world, and on generations of North Tonawandans. Wurlitzer founder Rudolph Wurlitzer (1831-1914) was a German immigrant who (after stops in New Jersey and Philadelphia) landed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1854 at the age of 23. He worked for a bank, and down the street was a musical retail store. His father, Christian, was a successful music retailer in Germany, and Rudolph's experience told him the Ohio store's instruments were of poor quality, and priced too high. In 1856 he begins importing quality musical instruments from his family in Germany to sell at a profit in American retail stores. The business grows; Wurlitzer begins making instruments themselves for the U. S. military and for retail. The company branches out into "automatic" musical instruments, such as music boxes and player-pianos. Rudolph's three sons, Howard, Rudolph H., and Farny become involved along the way, and take on aspects of the growing family business. The youngest son, Farny, is sent to North Tonawanda to run the former <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/24">de Kleist Musical Instrument Mfg. Co.</a> shortly after it is purchased by Wurlitzer in 1908. (de Kleist was building player pianos and band organs for Wurlitzer and others since 1893). Farny brings eccentric English inventor Robert Hope-Jones to the plant in 1910, initiating the worldwide success of the "Mighty Wurlitzer" theater organ, which provides sound for the silent films of the day, and entertainment in its own right. This business evaporates when sound comes to movies, and electrical sound amplification permits musical entertainment to be furnished to venues of all types much less expensively. When the Wurlitzer company finds itself overextended in the wake of the Great Depression, Farny fights to keep the North Tonawanda facility open. In 1934 he strikes a deal with Homer Capehart to manufacture his automatic phonograph, which becomes the iconic Wurlitzer jukebox. Under his leadership the company also produces a successful line of electronic organs for home use, and the North Tonawanda plant becomes the flagship of the Wurlitzer factories, with 3,000 employees. After his death in 1972, jukebox and organ production are phased out, leaving 200 employees in 1974. By 1975, all manufacturing at the North Tonawanda plant is stopped, and by August 1976, all company activities are removed to other locations. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Hugo with player piano at Wurlitzer factory, photo (c.1915).jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1915 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/8caddc761614a6211aff84306b778e0f.jpeg 526351dbeb905609e4f422ed1ab7992e https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/27f7a9a7eefccf74c1f57884739ee861.jpeg 9a8b3ea2567075e9d3fd9a8cff0e19ea 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 Wurlitzer Manufacturing Company Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wurlitzer: 100 Years of Musical Achievement. Rudolph Wurlitzer Company. Chicago, Illinois. 1956. Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="../../../custom/cover/52.jpg" alt="The signature tower of the North Tonawanda plant and occasional headquarters." /> The signature tower of the North Tonawanda plant and occasional headquarters. Postcard, c.1940. Its iconic tower has presided over Sawyer's Creek and Martinsville for over 100 years. The sprawling industrial campus left behind by the world-famous Wurlitzer Manufacturing Company produced merry-go-round organs, band organs, church organs, theater organs and jukeboxes that have left an indelible mark on the world, and on generations of North Tonawandans. Wurlitzer founder Rudolph Wurlitzer (1831-1914) was a German immigrant who (after stops in New Jersey and Philadelphia) landed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1854 at the age of 23. He worked for a bank, and down the street was a musical retail store. His father, Christian, was a successful music retailer in Germany, and Rudolph's experience told him the Ohio store's instruments were of poor quality, and priced too high. In 1856 he begins importing quality musical instruments from his family in Germany to sell at a profit in American retail stores. The business grows; Wurlitzer begins making instruments themselves for the U. S. military and for retail. The company branches out into "automatic" musical instruments, such as music boxes and player-pianos. Rudolph's three sons, Howard, Rudolph H., and Farny become involved along the way, and take on aspects of the growing family business. The youngest son, Farny, is sent to North Tonawanda to run the former <a href="http://nthistory.com/collections/show/24">de Kleist Musical Instrument Mfg. Co.</a> shortly after it is purchased by Wurlitzer in 1908. (de Kleist was building player pianos and band organs for Wurlitzer and others since 1893). Farny brings eccentric English inventor Robert Hope-Jones to the plant in 1910, initiating the worldwide success of the "Mighty Wurlitzer" theater organ, which provides sound for the silent films of the day, and entertainment in its own right. This business evaporates when sound comes to movies, and electrical sound amplification permits musical entertainment to be furnished to venues of all types much less expensively. When the Wurlitzer company finds itself overextended in the wake of the Great Depression, Farny fights to keep the North Tonawanda facility open. In 1934 he strikes a deal with Homer Capehart to manufacture his automatic phonograph, which becomes the iconic Wurlitzer jukebox. Under his leadership the company also produces a successful line of electronic organs for home use, and the North Tonawanda plant becomes the flagship of the Wurlitzer factories, with 3,000 employees. After his death in 1972, jukebox and organ production are phased out, leaving 200 employees in 1974. By 1975, all manufacturing at the North Tonawanda plant is stopped, and by August 1976, all company activities are removed to other locations. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Charles Douglas Miller with Wurlitzer player piano, photo (c.1915).jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1915 person wurlitzer https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/f652a77c66a7c11e2f882791f6fc6e58.jpg 60f78f8683b1f993db4a300af426adb8 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 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Andrew Dorn, Board and Rooms, 142 Oliver Street, photo (c. 1915).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1915 person village https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/54042243bddd41ad0e8cbf4699e718d6.jpg d5844e839ca5db1bae1faf44739835e1 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 family photos Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Rosebrock w Auto-Kart on Payne Ave, photo (Ancestry c1915).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1915 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/49ce30445fb2149d44e522e5c49a25c4.jpg ad6cf28d685bcafb85e4af923b7c4932 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 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. A lock was also built to permit passage between the Niagara River (and Great Lakes) and the canal. Early documents also mention a guard lock just east of the lock. After the Civil War, the depth of the entire canal was increased to accomodate larger boats. Starting around 1909 work was done on our section of the canal as part of Contract 19 to improve the prism, or bottom shape (see <a href="https://nthistory.com/collections/show/152">photos of Contract 19</a>) In 1918 the 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Barge Canal Terminal at North Tonawanda, photo (1916).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1916 boat bridge canal erie-canal https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/8f0007375977fd6b8987055d76f0fb0e.jpg d98febb711cb72532104ed2688d04c5d https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/72fdc2fa81686f19119af4e5365d306b.jpg 4f8b5182df3bae0c0ea32e9009fda388 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Ascension School, 1st Grade class photo (1916).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1916 children person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/5c925a708d61db6fb540fde4033a6d54.jpg 182b277a1ced3220eb79784886aed7ab https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/aed7f688dfb820cf3616068ba430df2e.jpg d956ffc24c3a862d085a379e9342e4f4 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/5a498a4f071ffbaa9873a0445a7dddb9.jpg cad84e3235ed5a3f9f69cdad17700d9a https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7aeb7a51d253e6c6e872e3feddc92d40.jpg f3766d34f202982b88845c73a7a72ba9 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 & Niagara High Speed Line (1918-1937) Description An account of the resource The electric High Speed Line is an electric streetcar (trolley)  passenger train operated by the International Railway Company from June 9, 1918 to August 20, 1937. It carries passengers from Buffalo to Niagara Falls in about an hour.  For its NT stretch, <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/636">as shown in this 1935 map</a>, the line follows present-day Twin-City Highway. At Nash, it bends into the field east of the county building (its path is still clearly visible today), continues across Walck Road, and then proceeds northwesterly through 15th Avenue near Payne (before homes or the Mid-City Plaza were built), through Gratwick, across Oliver Street just south of Delmar Terrace and north of Ward Road, continuing west out to River Road and then on to Niagara Falls. For much of its course through NT, it is carried over east-west streets on a high earthen embankment (referred to in a 1948 article as our "Chinese wall"). Fill for the massive embankment was taken from Payne's Hill, near present-day Stanley Street. The High Speed line closes as buses and personal vehicles become more prevalent. The embankment is dismantled sometime later. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Equipment & Construction Co., photo set (c. 1916).png Description An account of the resource Contracted to build the embankment for the High Speed Line. Corner of Robinson and Division. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1916 car factory person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/d07217c44dcbe69d882214f1a413cec3.jpg c7111c99ea4468c80ed3e5ac152918d8 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 James S Thompson pose with camera (1916-02-21).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1916-02-21 person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/22c562d6865f9e1e435a1fff3161c262.jpg 56325e684107bff846f1181db1256315 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 Webster to Main Street Bridges Description An account of the resource ? - 1916: The Long Bridge - Engineers were already discussing the replacement of the Long Bridge when weeks of heavy spring flooding and a collision with an out-of-control scow compromise the middle support pier on the evening of March 28th, 1916. Around 10 p.m. that evening, bridge pedestrians hear a great crash and feel vibrations. "Several of the women on the structure became so weak from fright they had to be assisted from the bridge by their escorts" (Tonawanda News, March 29, 1916). The police quickly close the bridge traffic. But the worst is not over. The bridge begins slowly sinking into the creek and is soon impassable. The New York Telephone Company (whose main cable crossed the bridge) warns connectivity between the halves of the Niagara Frontier might be cut off. More canal boats are carried by the current over the dam and into the bridges, as is the body of a North Tonawanda schoolteacher, Miss Mary Hill, who was missing since January. It is presumed a suicide, though "no cause has been assigned for her act" (Ibid). 1920-1978: The bascule (lift) bridge - The replacement bridge was engineered to open and let masted boats to pass on the south side. According to a plaque on the site, it was built by the Bethlehem Steel Bridge Corporation. The <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Whitford book on eriecanal.org</a> gives the following contract information: <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>Contract No.</td> <td>Work</td> <td>Contractor</td> <td>Date</td> <td>Cost</td> </tr> <tr> <td>147</td> <td>Bascule bridge, Main and Webster Sts., Tonawanda</td> <td>Lathrop, Shea & Henwood Co.</td> <td>9/10/17</td> <td>$254,019</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> This collection features photos of the bascule bridge in its heyday, as well as a black-and-white series depicting its 1978 demolition, and the rerouting of the Main and Young street approaches. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Long bridge damaged, train crossing canal, photo (1916-03-30).jpg Description An account of the resource From <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%25201916%2520Jan-Sep%2520Grayscale%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%25201916%2520Jan-Sep%2520Grayscale%2520-%25201258.pdf%23xml%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3Dffffffffd10f52cb%26DocId%3D1961679%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cDISK%2520U%26HitCount%3D47%26hits%3D23%2B89%2Bd7%2Bd8%2Bf1%2B102%2B1b4%2B202%2B215%2B217%2B442%2B492%2B4a6%2B595%2B5c4%2B64e%2B69e%2B88f%2B890%2B8bc%2B8da%2B8fe%2B928%2B92e%2B9d9%2Ba50%2Ba74%2Ba8b%2Bab8%2Bb23%2Bb9f%2Bbe8%2Bc44%2Bc5b%2Bc7d%2Bcaf%2Bcb7%2Bd39%2B1083%2B1128%2B112b%2B11e4%2B120f%2B12b0%2B12d5%2B12da%2B12e3%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%25201916%2520Jan-Sep%2520Grayscale%2FNorth%2520Tonawanda%2520NY%2520Evening%2520News%25201916%2520Jan-Sep%2520Grayscale%2520-%25201258.pdf&xml=https%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FdtSearch%2Fdtisapi6.dll%3Fcmd%3Dgetpdfhits%26u%3Dffffffffd10f52cb%26DocId%3D1961679%26Index%3DZ%253a%255cDISK%2520U%26HitCount%3D47%26hits%3D23%2B89%2Bd7%2Bd8%2Bf1%2B102%2B1b4%2B202%2B215%2B217%2B442%2B492%2B4a6%2B595%2B5c4%2B64e%2B69e%2B88f%2B890%2B8bc%2B8da%2B8fe%2B928%2B92e%2B9d9%2Ba50%2Ba74%2Ba8b%2Bab8%2Bb23%2Bb9f%2Bbe8%2Bc44%2Bc5b%2Bc7d%2Bcaf%2Bcb7%2Bd39%2B1083%2B1128%2B112b%2B11e4%2B120f%2B12b0%2B12d5%2B12da%2B12e3%2B%26SearchForm%3D%252fFulton%255fform%252ehtml%26.pdf&openFirstHlPage=false">Tonawanda News</a>: <blockquote>WATERLOGGED BOAT SWEPT OVER THE DAM A waterlogged canal boat came down the Tonawanda creek late last night and went over the old dam. It became lodged underneath the bridges at Webster street. The wrecking crew of the New York Central came here today to release the craft, fearyig that damage might result to the railroad bridge. A boat house was also swept over the dam last night. It piled up against one of the abutments of the Central's bridge and was broken to pieces.</blockquote> Also pictured: Scanlon's Hall, State National Bank, Elks, Sweeney Building. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1916-03-30 bridge canal downtown train webster https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/0da449b6d05eb7ef7cc29737692bee62.jpg 92dc3d873c5a195fd71071cf110f6b12 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 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. A lock was also built to permit passage between the Niagara River (and Great Lakes) and the canal. Early documents also mention a guard lock just east of the lock. After the Civil War, the depth of the entire canal was increased to accomodate larger boats. Starting around 1909 work was done on our section of the canal as part of Contract 19 to improve the prism, or bottom shape (see <a href="https://nthistory.com/collections/show/152">photos of Contract 19</a>) In 1918 the 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tonawanda Dam, looking S, photo (1916-04-10).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1916-04-10 bridge canal dam long https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/21b19e7c3bc554d7eaa6cc4f97f92eab.jpg 4f999814301fb3fd0fe67d3d1d35a520 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 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. A lock was also built to permit passage between the Niagara River (and Great Lakes) and the canal. Early documents also mention a guard lock just east of the lock. After the Civil War, the depth of the entire canal was increased to accomodate larger boats. Starting around 1909 work was done on our section of the canal as part of Contract 19 to improve the prism, or bottom shape (see <a href="https://nthistory.com/collections/show/152">photos of Contract 19</a>) In 1918 the 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tonawanda Dam, looking NE, photo (1916-04-21).jpg Description An account of the resource Also pictured: Niagara Maid Silk Mills, Sweeney Building Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1916-04-21 canal https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/9888865d818fdfd3b95d2c1666da18b3.jpg 89772e3e78806dafc2ddc25458599294 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tonawanda Terminal completed, photo (NYSA, 1916-08-29).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1916-08-29 bridge canal https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7d115983941059a4927299c6ff60db23.jpg 72637c77eabfa6349cc91d739b7d6be4 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 Firefighting in the Tonawandas Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="https://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/80.jpg" alt="Gratwick Hose No.6, Felton Street, c.1929" />Gratwick Hose No.6, Felton Street, c.1929 <blockquote>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. North Tonawanda depended heavily on Volunteer Firemen and quickly grew to seven companies located at important places around the city.</blockquote> - Sarah E. Walter's thesis (nthistorymuseum.org). Allan Herschell "helped to organize the first fire company of North Tonawanda" (Biographical and portrait cyclopedia of Niagara County, New York, p.361). <table border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td>Started</td> <td>Name</td> <td>Notes</td> </tr> <tr> <td>May 7, 1876</td> <td>North Tonawanda Bucket Company / Columbia Hook and Ladder Company No.1</td> <td>Thompson in 1893 directory</td> </tr> <tr> <td>March 1, 1886</td> <td>Active Hose Company No.2</td> <td>"Ironton Boys", Robinson south of Marion in 1893</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1886-1909</td> <td>Hydrant Hose Company No.3</td> <td>Sweeney and Main at bridge</td> </tr> <tr> <td>April 1887</td> <td>Live Active Hose Co. No.4</td> <td> Thompson St (1893), now Goundry and Vandervoort</td> </tr> <tr> <td>January 26, 1891</td> <td>Rescue Fire Company No.5</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>1886?</td> <td><a href="https://yellow.place/en/gratwick-hose-fire-company-6-north-tonawanda-usa">Gratwick Hose Company No.6</a></td> <td>Felton until 1962.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1894</td> <td>Sweeney Hose No.7</td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Of Hydrant Hose Co. No. 3, it was said somewhere: <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> According to Harry Dorn in an article in this set, <blockquote>The Tonawanda Fire Dept. was organized in the early 1860s when the Village of Tonawanda had a population of 2,000...One of the frst companies was the Shepard Hose Company which after several years was known as the DeGraff Hose, Hydrant Hose Company and thewn on Aug 25, 1898 became National Hose No.1 [Ed. Hydrant Hose appears in newspaper record until at least early 1900s].</blockquote> Columbia Hook & Ladder in The Tonawanda News, May 9, 1896: <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. 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. The parent company of North Tonawanda was the Columbia Hook and Ladder Company; 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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 First Fire Truck in 1917, Fred Knight, Charles Doebler (From 100 Years, 1965).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1917 automobile firefighter https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/879fd1f99045152251b31c3469e51dda.jpg 17ef94a8787041fba4a4e62259d52ac5 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, Buffalo Sled Company (Schenck St.) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="https://nthistory.com/custom/cover/14d.jpg" style="border: 0px;" alt="The Buffalo Sled company building at Schenck and Marion, c.1917" />The Buffalo Sled company building at Schenck and Marion, as depicted in a 1917 catalog. It burns in a disastrous 1972 fire. The Buffalo Sled Co. starts business in 1899, apparently in Buffalo,  and organizes around 1905. It is led by John J. Schneider and Henry J. Tiedt. In 1909, the firm purchases the the Orient Novelty Company* of North Tonawanda, and moves into their large, 3-story factory (pictured above). The Buffalo Sled Company originally makes 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." At times they also have operations in Buffalo, on Ellicott Creek in the old A. B. Williams plant, and in Preston, Ontario.  From the Internet's <a href="http://www.harryrinker.com/col-1117.html">Harry Rinker</a>: <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. * Orient when relocated here from Dayton, OH in 1903. They manufactured novelties, were led by D.W. Hyman, and had a modest subscription for electric power from Niagara Falls. In 1905 locals complain about the nuisance of smoke from the works. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Co., employees, photo (NTHM, 1917).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1917 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/813f9511f508331d06b3763069a87d2b.jpg 77dbd3f60ffe2bab3e67c3c4589fe801 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, Buffalo Sled Company (Schenck St.) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="https://nthistory.com/custom/cover/14d.jpg" style="border: 0px;" alt="The Buffalo Sled company building at Schenck and Marion, c.1917" />The Buffalo Sled company building at Schenck and Marion, as depicted in a 1917 catalog. It burns in a disastrous 1972 fire. The Buffalo Sled Co. starts business in 1899, apparently in Buffalo,  and organizes around 1905. It is led by John J. Schneider and Henry J. Tiedt. In 1909, the firm purchases the the Orient Novelty Company* of North Tonawanda, and moves into their large, 3-story factory (pictured above). The Buffalo Sled Company originally makes 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." At times they also have operations in Buffalo, on Ellicott Creek in the old A. B. Williams plant, and in Preston, Ontario.  From the Internet's <a href="http://www.harryrinker.com/col-1117.html">Harry Rinker</a>: <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. * Orient when relocated here from Dayton, OH in 1903. They manufactured novelties, were led by D.W. Hyman, and had a modest subscription for electric power from Niagara Falls. In 1905 locals complain about the nuisance of smoke from the works. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Co., interior, photo (NTHM, 1917).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1917 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/13df86f3200f100810f0a1cb695c635e.jpg 40255c85a08eab897722aa75e40cf2eb https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/23c1bd30180e61229cf142e306f17e21.jpg 32d44849deadd4f5fff880e9b3b7b6c9 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/88d4289c8a806ef10fd038c56d9a991c.jpg 3c5e6890ed43e1831ebaef10193f1885 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/6da82479665aae7d98e56ee09f37c7c8.jpg 6c0cc10b7b4e176ba70cfae5ac69603f 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 Trains and Trolleys Description An account of the resource Trains Soon after the Erie Canal is completed, railroads begin to compete for business. From <a href="https://researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/collection/data/930152959">researchworks.oclc.org</a>: <blockquote>In 1834 the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad Company was incorporated to take over the Buffalo and Black Rock Company. It extended the lines to Niagara Falls and into Tonawanda. In 1853 the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad Company was leased by New York Central Railroad and was merged in 1855.</blockquote> From <a href="https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-municipal-history/railroads-of-niagara-falls/the-buffalo-niagara-falls-railroad/">niagarafallsinfo.com</a>: <blockquote>The Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad was incorporated on May 3rd, 1834. The Legislature of the State of New York passed a law to empower the railroad to construct a single or double track railroad between the City of Buffalo and the <a href="https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-municipal-history/the-city-of-the-falls-plan/the-idea-for-the-city-of-the-falls/">Village at Niagara Falls</a>. The railroad had a mandate to operate for a 50 year term and was empowered to absorb all rights, privileges and franchises belonging to the Buffalo and Black Rock Railroad Company, which had been built and was being operated by horse power. The Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad began operating in 1845. The 28 mile trip from Buffalo to Niagara Falls was a three hour journey being pulled by a wood stoked steam locomotive.... In 1852, the Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad relocated their tracks to the west side of the Erie Canal. On December 22nd 1853, the Buffalo & Niagara Falls Railroad was leased to the New York Central Railroad. On April 23rd 1869, the New York Central Railroad began operations within the Niagara escarpment.</blockquote> From <a href="https://buffalohistory.org/Explore/Exhibits/virtual_exhibits/buffalo_anniversary/175th/page_e1.htm">buffalohistory.org</a>: <blockquote>The Buffalo and Niagara Falls Rail Road was the first in Erie County to use steam locomotives. Service from Black Rock to Tonawanda began in August, 1836; from Buffalo to Tonawanda in September; and by November, 1836, the train ran on a regular schedule between Buffalo & Niagara Falls.</blockquote> Railroads on the maps The <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/3974">1837 Tonawanda/Whitehaven map</a> shows the B&NF railroad already established on Webster. It also shows a "Road to Lockport" and a "Proposed railroad to Lockport" heading out "Detroit Street" (later, Goundry Street). In <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/1258">this 1838 map</a>, it appears the former "road" hosts a new "Tonawanda & Lockport Railroad." Some more info from <a href="https://www.newyorkcentraltrainstation.org/history-new-york-central-train-station">newyorkcentraltrainstattion.org.</a> By <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/3560">1852</a>, a third line, "The Canandaigua and Niagara Falls," is added. From <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmira_and_Lake_Ontario_Railroad">Wikipedia</a>: <blockquote>On July 1, 1853, the Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad opened between Canandaigua and North Tonawanda. It was also 6 ft (1,829 mm) broad gauge, and was leased by the Canandaigua & Elmira RR, giving it access to the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge.</blockquote> In <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/1664">this 1854 map</a>, The Canandaigua route has changed to run south of the Erie Canal and then be carried over the canal into North Tonawanda at the foot of Oliver street. The cantilever bridge will later be built here. By the time of <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/240">this 1875 map</a>, a third railroad crosses the canal into North Tonawanda: The Erie, at the foot of Vandervoort street. As late as 1908, there are still tracks on the east side of Webster street. Looks like the railroad agrees to remove them in December 1921, not sure when it happens. Trolleys Before everybody in North Tonawanda could afford their very own muffler-less Honda Civic to run up and down Oliver Street, trolleys 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Electric Railway, Stumpf cabinet photo (1917-09-29).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1917-09-29 automobile bridge carriage photo https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/f5a0f6ff56ee6d9934c2709f8e4f60d0.jpg 2758bd964b5a4c681361ab343b77c5b4 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 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. A November 22, 1932 item in the Buffalo Evening News 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." 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Scanlon Building, pontoon bridge, North Tonawanda, photo (NYSA, 1917-11-24).jpg Description An account of the resource Also shows State National bank, lumber near Manhattan and Front Streets. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1917-11-24 webster https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/183b9f076c8cf8e9cdd89d5b57abf555.jpg 7566168e7433f25194ea430d9dc9eb1c 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 Downtown Description An account of the resource Most of North Tonawanda's downtown area developed between 1875 and 1900. In this collection are preserved views of many vanished buildings: The YMCA and City Hall at the southeast corner of Tremont and Main; the 6-story 1891 Smith building (Real Estate Exchange) at the northeast corner of Tremont and Webster, the gothic stone State National Bank at the northwest corner of Sweeney and Webster, and Scanlon's Hall on the southwest corner of the same intersection, to name a few. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Sweeney Building, photo (NYSA, 1917-11-24).jpg Description An account of the resource Train tracks across canal, Webster Street Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1917-11-24 webster https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/9f13fff1fa2ab74a6d6ba03cd668943b.jpg 130f251205d0e091177b48b9211fe728 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 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" />People outside the Tonawanda Brewing Company. Colorized by the webmaster. The northeast corner of Hinds and Niagara Streets in Tonawanda hosts a succession of breweries <a href="#1">[1]</a>: <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. Local historian John Olszowka shares some of his unpublished research regarding Bernhard Voelcker, the German owner of the Tonawanda Brewing Company between 1903 and 1921, and the rising tensions between German-Americans and other citizens during WWI: <blockquote>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. 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. 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. 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. 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.</blockquote> <a name="1"></a> References <ol> <li><a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/1726">The History of Brewing in Tonawanda, New York (1867-1948)</a>. John P. Eiss</li> </ol> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tonawanda Brewing Co., photo (c1918).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1918 factory https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7b26452221f21ea2e4db16f6cf03d14a.jpg 5c941f8b81f994ee42609a01f435aa26 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/4f557773d3505aba481d75e27c89e2d8.jpg 24a1568bd0f519626ef9207cd6f4d324 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/6971047a9050445fe9febcf345dd1d94.jpg f6a05a689bf0e2cd586034c5afc7cbd5 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/b7eb6e40a6e55d92615f7480688651e7.jpg f6e224669e00b351e81965b72ba4afce 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 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" />People outside the Tonawanda Brewing Company. Colorized by the webmaster. The northeast corner of Hinds and Niagara Streets in Tonawanda hosts a succession of breweries <a href="#1">[1]</a>: <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. Local historian John Olszowka shares some of his unpublished research regarding Bernhard Voelcker, the German owner of the Tonawanda Brewing Company between 1903 and 1921, and the rising tensions between German-Americans and other citizens during WWI: <blockquote>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. 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. 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. 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. 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.</blockquote> <a name="1"></a> References <ol> <li><a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/1726">The History of Brewing in Tonawanda, New York (1867-1948)</a>. John P. Eiss</li> </ol> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 People outside Tonawanda Brewing Company, colorized photo (c1918).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1918 factory person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/1c968fa20ea176b0468f3da3cd466837.jpg 157057aec99d26c26ab3a794aa572876 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/ba3147e1156db43b337acba4a619dcd4.jpg 345ccc530dda6a368d15af55a99a3c76 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/c9eadd9fb95351e7dddf257c0cfa3345.jpg e39aed2f8b980e151af4cd364fc2b35e https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/803181f1b734974827673641dd3d3ae4.jpg 071e64dccb6c325903d58b76f6f1c696 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 Ziehl's Groceries (356 Old Falls Blvd) Description An account of the resource Ferdinand Ziehl (far right in the colorized 1918 photo) has a general store in Martinsville as early as 1903. Delivery of fresh meat and produce was also offered via his horse-drawn wagon. His son Louis A. Ziehl (second from right in the colorized photo) stays in the family business, and later has a store at 356 (Old) Falls Boulevard, where Schwartz's Deli will be. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 F. Ziehl & Son Groceries, Martinsville, photos (August 1918).jpg Description An account of the resource Courtesy of Scott Ensminger, who writes: "Someone gave me this photo many years ago. I was told F. Ziehl & Son Groceries was in Martinsville. Person 6 is my grandmother." In the undated family photo, she is second from right. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1918 martinsville https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/9e850104b7c3bb4f842f7eed1d770007.jpg 345ccc530dda6a368d15af55a99a3c76 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 Ziehl's Groceries (356 Old Falls Blvd) Description An account of the resource Ferdinand Ziehl (far right in the colorized 1918 photo) has a general store in Martinsville as early as 1903. Delivery of fresh meat and produce was also offered via his horse-drawn wagon. His son Louis A. Ziehl (second from right in the colorized photo) stays in the family business, and later has a store at 356 (Old) Falls Boulevard, where Schwartz's Deli will be. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Ziehl family, photo (c.1918).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1918 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/4526add5d0bd2700cc697192b5de5fa1.jpg 91107a5dd8aa1ffdbadb98538473e96b 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 Webster to Main Street Bridges Description An account of the resource ? - 1916: The Long Bridge - Engineers were already discussing the replacement of the Long Bridge when weeks of heavy spring flooding and a collision with an out-of-control scow compromise the middle support pier on the evening of March 28th, 1916. Around 10 p.m. that evening, bridge pedestrians hear a great crash and feel vibrations. "Several of the women on the structure became so weak from fright they had to be assisted from the bridge by their escorts" (Tonawanda News, March 29, 1916). The police quickly close the bridge traffic. But the worst is not over. The bridge begins slowly sinking into the creek and is soon impassable. The New York Telephone Company (whose main cable crossed the bridge) warns connectivity between the halves of the Niagara Frontier might be cut off. More canal boats are carried by the current over the dam and into the bridges, as is the body of a North Tonawanda schoolteacher, Miss Mary Hill, who was missing since January. It is presumed a suicide, though "no cause has been assigned for her act" (Ibid). 1920-1978: The bascule (lift) bridge - The replacement bridge was engineered to open and let masted boats to pass on the south side. According to a plaque on the site, it was built by the Bethlehem Steel Bridge Corporation. The <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Whitford book on eriecanal.org</a> gives the following contract information: <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>Contract No.</td> <td>Work</td> <td>Contractor</td> <td>Date</td> <td>Cost</td> </tr> <tr> <td>147</td> <td>Bascule bridge, Main and Webster Sts., Tonawanda</td> <td>Lathrop, Shea & Henwood Co.</td> <td>9/10/17</td> <td>$254,019</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> This collection features photos of the bascule bridge in its heyday, as well as a black-and-white series depicting its 1978 demolition, and the rerouting of the Main and Young street approaches. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Bascule bridge construction, coffer dam, railroad bridge in use, photo (Annual canal report, c1918).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1918 bridge https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/19fdc6490aa76c4c88a8f9ddc8422785.jpg 670faf0ac717036c9c8e12b76628df59 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 Webster to Main Street Bridges Description An account of the resource ? - 1916: The Long Bridge - Engineers were already discussing the replacement of the Long Bridge when weeks of heavy spring flooding and a collision with an out-of-control scow compromise the middle support pier on the evening of March 28th, 1916. Around 10 p.m. that evening, bridge pedestrians hear a great crash and feel vibrations. "Several of the women on the structure became so weak from fright they had to be assisted from the bridge by their escorts" (Tonawanda News, March 29, 1916). The police quickly close the bridge traffic. But the worst is not over. The bridge begins slowly sinking into the creek and is soon impassable. The New York Telephone Company (whose main cable crossed the bridge) warns connectivity between the halves of the Niagara Frontier might be cut off. More canal boats are carried by the current over the dam and into the bridges, as is the body of a North Tonawanda schoolteacher, Miss Mary Hill, who was missing since January. It is presumed a suicide, though "no cause has been assigned for her act" (Ibid). 1920-1978: The bascule (lift) bridge - The replacement bridge was engineered to open and let masted boats to pass on the south side. According to a plaque on the site, it was built by the Bethlehem Steel Bridge Corporation. The <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Whitford book on eriecanal.org</a> gives the following contract information: <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>Contract No.</td> <td>Work</td> <td>Contractor</td> <td>Date</td> <td>Cost</td> </tr> <tr> <td>147</td> <td>Bascule bridge, Main and Webster Sts., Tonawanda</td> <td>Lathrop, Shea & Henwood Co.</td> <td>9/10/17</td> <td>$254,019</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> This collection features photos of the bascule bridge in its heyday, as well as a black-and-white series depicting its 1978 demolition, and the rerouting of the Main and Young street approaches. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Bascule bridge south abutment construction, railroad bridge in use just east, photo (Annual canal report, c1918).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1918 Description An account of the resource Clear view of old train bridge with pediments bridge https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/28acb388297d74f39d562a5613617ad5.jpg 93dd2df91ce5384efff2aad148ba4eac Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Temporary Webster Street bridge from the North Tonawanda side, photo (NYSA, 1918-02-14).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1918-02-14 canal https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/423e8716bbda7f8d6b0080e4898484df.jpg 237a03f365e6c5356248a333b301f339 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 Silk Mills Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Niagara Silk Mills postcard" src="http://nthistory.com/custom/cover/44.jpg" /> Postcard c. 1913. According to a c.1913 news article, "The Niagara Silk Mills began business in an old wooden building on Sweeney street [around 1898] with thirty operatives." By 1913 the concern dominates Sweeney Street, standing where the old Vandervoort "mansion" on Sweeney was, and where Gateway Center is today. The Niagara Silk Mills (Van Raalte Silk Mills after 1917) produces ladies' undergarments, gloves, and similar fineries. They marketed their materials with the iconography of Niagara Falls (reminiscent of the Pan Am Exposition imagery), and with appearances by silent film sirens. By 1937 there are locations in Saratoga Springs, Dunkirk, Paterson and Boonton, N.J. Closed in 1963, the building along Sweeney was converted into the Downtowner Hotel in 1964 and later became the Packet Inn / Woodshed. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tonawanda dam. Looking north from the Tonawanda side, photo (NYSA, 1918-02-14).jpg Description An account of the resource Dam, canal, Webster Street, Sweeney power building, Niagara Silk Mills Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1918-02-14 canal dam https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/8f7eae387a89f210dbf6aff50a0a7e28.jpg e39aed2f8b980e151af4cd364fc2b35e https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/ebf4fbc6b946600da6dd8ddc4658e840.jpg 071e64dccb6c325903d58b76f6f1c696 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 Ziehl's Groceries (356 Old Falls Blvd) Description An account of the resource Ferdinand Ziehl (far right in the colorized 1918 photo) has a general store in Martinsville as early as 1903. Delivery of fresh meat and produce was also offered via his horse-drawn wagon. His son Louis A. Ziehl (second from right in the colorized photo) stays in the family business, and later has a store at 356 (Old) Falls Boulevard, where Schwartz's Deli will be. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 F. Ziehl & Son Groceries, unlabeled photo (August 1918).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1918-08 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/80ea2bebcfd63ba56f5b4466801c80a5.jpg 180a0fe6cdc84de3ebd951313b277e28 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 Webster to Main Street Bridges Description An account of the resource ? - 1916: The Long Bridge - Engineers were already discussing the replacement of the Long Bridge when weeks of heavy spring flooding and a collision with an out-of-control scow compromise the middle support pier on the evening of March 28th, 1916. Around 10 p.m. that evening, bridge pedestrians hear a great crash and feel vibrations. "Several of the women on the structure became so weak from fright they had to be assisted from the bridge by their escorts" (Tonawanda News, March 29, 1916). The police quickly close the bridge traffic. But the worst is not over. The bridge begins slowly sinking into the creek and is soon impassable. The New York Telephone Company (whose main cable crossed the bridge) warns connectivity between the halves of the Niagara Frontier might be cut off. More canal boats are carried by the current over the dam and into the bridges, as is the body of a North Tonawanda schoolteacher, Miss Mary Hill, who was missing since January. It is presumed a suicide, though "no cause has been assigned for her act" (Ibid). 1920-1978: The bascule (lift) bridge - The replacement bridge was engineered to open and let masted boats to pass on the south side. According to a plaque on the site, it was built by the Bethlehem Steel Bridge Corporation. The <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Whitford book on eriecanal.org</a> gives the following contract information: <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>Contract No.</td> <td>Work</td> <td>Contractor</td> <td>Date</td> <td>Cost</td> </tr> <tr> <td>147</td> <td>Bascule bridge, Main and Webster Sts., Tonawanda</td> <td>Lathrop, Shea & Henwood Co.</td> <td>9/10/17</td> <td>$254,019</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> This collection features photos of the bascule bridge in its heyday, as well as a black-and-white series depicting its 1978 demolition, and the rerouting of the Main and Young street approaches. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 South abutment. Webster Street bridge, photo (NYSA, 1918-10-15).jpg Description An account of the resource First Trust of Tonawanda. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1918-10-15 bridge canal tonawanda https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/f789c7e31e512cdc9f4b7be3bf84fd14.jpg 23c9f53759ecd849441c50d0bcaae502 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 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). Wikiepdia, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remington_Rand_strike_of_1936%E2%80%931937">Remington Rand Strike of 1937-1937</a>: <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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 James H. Rand Jr, portrait (Tonawanda News, 1919-04-19).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1919-04-19 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/20bbd1b69a0a7205f8e2e587d6a9083f.jpg 1e3dba86cc603f85e0331352df58a67e 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." /> North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works factory at 435 Payne Avenue, c1913; photo colorized by the webmaster. <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). 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">All of Us</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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Rand - North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works employee hi-res photo (All of Us, 1919-11).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1919-11 factory labor person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/b184399c0623d2055d82a54ca58df6d1.jpg 47d0210a2112c1eb79d33481126b695e 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 Webster to Main Street Bridges Description An account of the resource ? - 1916: The Long Bridge - Engineers were already discussing the replacement of the Long Bridge when weeks of heavy spring flooding and a collision with an out-of-control scow compromise the middle support pier on the evening of March 28th, 1916. Around 10 p.m. that evening, bridge pedestrians hear a great crash and feel vibrations. "Several of the women on the structure became so weak from fright they had to be assisted from the bridge by their escorts" (Tonawanda News, March 29, 1916). The police quickly close the bridge traffic. But the worst is not over. The bridge begins slowly sinking into the creek and is soon impassable. The New York Telephone Company (whose main cable crossed the bridge) warns connectivity between the halves of the Niagara Frontier might be cut off. More canal boats are carried by the current over the dam and into the bridges, as is the body of a North Tonawanda schoolteacher, Miss Mary Hill, who was missing since January. It is presumed a suicide, though "no cause has been assigned for her act" (Ibid). 1920-1978: The bascule (lift) bridge - The replacement bridge was engineered to open and let masted boats to pass on the south side. According to a plaque on the site, it was built by the Bethlehem Steel Bridge Corporation. The <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Whitford book on eriecanal.org</a> gives the following contract information: <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>Contract No.</td> <td>Work</td> <td>Contractor</td> <td>Date</td> <td>Cost</td> </tr> <tr> <td>147</td> <td>Bascule bridge, Main and Webster Sts., Tonawanda</td> <td>Lathrop, Shea & Henwood Co.</td> <td>9/10/17</td> <td>$254,019</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> This collection features photos of the bascule bridge in its heyday, as well as a black-and-white series depicting its 1978 demolition, and the rerouting of the Main and Young street approaches. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Main-Webster Street Bridge, Tonawanda; pier built. Erecting steel, photo (1919-11-10).jpg Description An account of the resource Sweeney building, Van Raalte silk Mills Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1919-11-10 bridge canal https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/818c48ae29a85e94707628aef9478af2.jpg 164040528509695ed4ae903000b50a02 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 Tonawanda Iron and Steel (Niagara River Iron Company) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" alt="Tonawanda Iron and Steel, illustration" src="http://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/16.jpg" />Illustration: Dennis Reed Jr., 2025. For a century, a massive riverfront iron works dominates the skyline of North Tonawanda near Wheatfield Street and present-day Fisherman's Park. The furnaces cast a ruddy glow over the west, and power the birth of the village of "Ironton," later known as "The Avenues." From <a href="https://nthistory.com/items/show/2891">History of Niagara County (1878)</a>: <blockquote>The Niagara River Iron Company was formed in pursuance of the general manufacturing law, in 1872, with a paid-up capital of $400,000. The first purchase of real estate was of 165 acres from M. Bush. The buildings were erected in 1873, and manufacturing operations commenced the same year. The engine house stands in a prominent position, and by one not knowing its design might be taken for an elegant mansion or villa; the building is 68 by 74 feet, with a proportionate elevation, and finished in tasteful style. The boiler house, judiciously separated, located 45 feet by 70, contains ten ponderous boilers, four feet in diameter and sixty feet long; an octagon chimney eighty feet high rises in front. The blast furnace was constructed to run out fifty tons of pig iron per day, and is 60 by 200 feet and two stories high; a tower rising above the rounded kert contains the machinery for elevating ore and brick by steam power. The oven is 30 by 41 feet, with iron-bound exterior. The buildings named are massive and substantial brick erections, upon stone foundations. The stock house is a frame building, 72 by 500 feet and two stories high. The dock fronting on the river is 500 feet in length, reaching ten feet depth of water. Located upon the dock is an engine for raising freight from the vessels. Two branch tracks of the Central railroad pass over the docks and into the stock house, to deposit and remove material. The buildings cover an area of four acres. The trustees are P. P. Pratt, president; Josiah Jewett, vice-president; S. S. Jewett, H. H. Glenny, George B. Hays, F. L. Danforth and B. F. Felton. During the present general depression in business the works are not operated; but as they are controlled by men of permanent wealth, willing to use it and able to hold their own until the day dawns upon brighter prospects, the advantages of this great concern will yet be felt by the community that has clustered about it in anticipation. The premises and machinery are kept in the most perfect order and neatness under the care of Alexander Reid.</blockquote> Pascal P. Pratt, a "hardware man" from Buffalo, is president and principal stockholder.  <blockquote>Mr. [Pascal P.] Pratt also helped to organize the Niagara River Iron Company in 1872. That company operated a blast furnace in North Tonawanda capable of turning out fifty tons of pig iron daily. Pascal Pratt was President of the firm, and among the other principals was S. S. Jewett. This company was later succeeded by the Tonawanda Iron and Steel Company, with William A. Rogers as President.</blockquote> <blockquote>- <a href="https://www.olmstedinbuffalo.com/pascal-p-pratt/#:~:text=city%20of%20Buffalo.-,Mr.,and%20the%20Bank%20of%20Attica.">Olmsted in Buffalo</a></blockquote> By 1875, in the midst of a general depression in the iron industry, the works are stopped, and lie dormant for years, possibly the next 14. In January 1889 it is reported that the Baird Bros. of Ohio will buy the plant and resume operations. It will require about $50K. 30 workers are expected in March. Ore begins arriving in great quantities in June, and on August 28 the furnace roars again. 100 men work the facility, day and night. The production of 100 tons of iron and steel a day is planned. <a href="https://archive.org/details/historyofcityofb00buff">Seemingly owned</a> at one point by "Rogers, Brown and Company, one of the largest iron companies in the country." The iron plant draws workers to the area, many Hungarian and Polish, who settle in a village called "<a href="http://www.nthistory.com/collections/show/83">Ironton</a>," just north of North Tonawanda proper. Frank Burkett Baird (b.1852 d.11/15/1939) organizes the Tonawanda Iron & Steel Co, in 1899. (Baird's singular accomplishment is as "Father of the Peace Bridge" - <a href="https://buffaloah.com/h/panam/forestL.html">Buffalo Architecture & History</a>). The new venture is a success, and expanding. President Rogers. New "monster" engine in June 1896. President McKinley fires up its mighty Furnace B with great ceremony and the flip of a switch from his home in Ohio in November 1896.  Somewhere around 1912 poor management and a poor economy stop the furnaces again. The plant lies unused until purchased by Tonawanda Iron Corp. in 1922. Gilmore. By 2017, the site has been cleared and converted into a small medical park and Fisherman's Park. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "Tonawanda Iron Corp., Is One of Largest Manufacturers of Pig Iron." Tonawanda News, 1929 (in this collection). Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Tonawanda Iron Corp train, photo (c1920).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920 iron railroad https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/068879e9ea26d867c2ee816eca92e950.jpg 886d6fdd4ae36391b79aeeebd5bdb907 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Boy Scout Troop 5 in Hannah's Woods, photo (c1920).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/0a2afae0826227c5002ccdef2caf825a.jpg e19529f253f72bee364630da1ba8b44f 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 & Niagara High Speed Line (1918-1937) Description An account of the resource The electric High Speed Line is an electric streetcar (trolley)  passenger train operated by the International Railway Company from June 9, 1918 to August 20, 1937. It carries passengers from Buffalo to Niagara Falls in about an hour.  For its NT stretch, <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/636">as shown in this 1935 map</a>, the line follows present-day Twin-City Highway. At Nash, it bends into the field east of the county building (its path is still clearly visible today), continues across Walck Road, and then proceeds northwesterly through 15th Avenue near Payne (before homes or the Mid-City Plaza were built), through Gratwick, across Oliver Street just south of Delmar Terrace and north of Ward Road, continuing west out to River Road and then on to Niagara Falls. For much of its course through NT, it is carried over east-west streets on a high earthen embankment (referred to in a 1948 article as our "Chinese wall"). Fill for the massive embankment was taken from Payne's Hill, near present-day Stanley Street. The High Speed line closes as buses and personal vehicles become more prevalent. The embankment is dismantled sometime later. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Rand Company, baseball players, Hi-Speed line in distance (All of Us, 1920).jpg Description An account of the resource This is likely at present-day Wheatfield Street and Erie, with the elevated mound being the Nash Road course of the Buffalo to Niagara Falls Hi-Speed line. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920 baseball labor recreation sports trolley https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7cc2fa0761da3edf2cf6a7f06805d302.jpg 7be14d92ce355ee75516400718b068f0 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/fb634e9c56acdc2ea24c5acbbca7dfaf.jpg aae0c40f5343cd5ea36ec9da1ba5c59b https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/0c3c0a2d5821fd92c5a231e222a4e44c.jpg 7e57d3af3ca317b21d0701cce2f0171a https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/6504dda205f5144519173612e26cef96.jpg 32540f51ae8de2fb65df5a4862126176 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/694041db9dd12b90ec9647dffab99943.jpg 4e8ebc9ba4b9fda194f36478ed1a9038 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, Buffalo Sled Company (Schenck St.) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="https://nthistory.com/custom/cover/14d.jpg" style="border: 0px;" alt="The Buffalo Sled company building at Schenck and Marion, c.1917" />The Buffalo Sled company building at Schenck and Marion, as depicted in a 1917 catalog. It burns in a disastrous 1972 fire. The Buffalo Sled Co. starts business in 1899, apparently in Buffalo,  and organizes around 1905. It is led by John J. Schneider and Henry J. Tiedt. In 1909, the firm purchases the the Orient Novelty Company* of North Tonawanda, and moves into their large, 3-story factory (pictured above). The Buffalo Sled Company originally makes 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." At times they also have operations in Buffalo, on Ellicott Creek in the old A. B. Williams plant, and in Preston, Ontario.  From the Internet's <a href="http://www.harryrinker.com/col-1117.html">Harry Rinker</a>: <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. * Orient when relocated here from Dayton, OH in 1903. They manufactured novelties, were led by D.W. Hyman, and had a modest subscription for electric power from Niagara Falls. In 1905 locals complain about the nuisance of smoke from the works. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Girls in Auto-Wheel Coaster, magic lantern slide (c.1920).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920 person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/501f78ed6826be347f485999150d7ded.jpeg 34b7173a4fbe3a52849a904a3772444f https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/0d48583023b6f46fe48fece514ef3e7a.jpeg 79881eb0a7141f489e175b7bf1ef4418 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/01ab8ff87fbbbcada61cdb0770106a6e.jpg 18eb5811633dd5e63fb10932f39097c5 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7e136550549256af1f4716de506b58b1.jpg f140cb2258df4a1746c148b011de97eb Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Victory V Novelty Entertainers, orchestra (c. 1920-1921).jpg Description An account of the resource This instrumental musical group consisted of John W. Tussing, Louis Weitz, James Pett, Gerald Barrows, Lloyd Pettit. Said to play the "latest Broadway hits"and "latest numbers." Called a "big orchestra." Newspaper notices show gigs in Niagara Falls at the Lyceum and in North Tonawanda at the "new" Rand building, both in 1920. Involved in Battles of Music with Whiting's Jazz Band of Buffalo," the "Browning Jazz Band" and others. Lots of dancing alleged. 1920-05-28 Flower Dance ad. 1921-01-18 article with them at the Lyceum with the Browning Clown Band of Tonawanda Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920 collection https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/c5f75a154c2569824ef698a03af19196.jpg cade3efa6447b9458c49fb3d10a62436 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/5108088c1aa9623794a48d7853d841f1.jpg 92b10ddb89fd5e28c8a1d624813f688a 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" />Old Falls Boulevard, looking north from Lockport Ave. to Niagara Falls Blvd. Postcard detail, c.1900. 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.  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. 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">History of Niagara County 1821-1878</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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Bushes Bridge across Erie Canal, Martinsville, postcard (c1920).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920 bridge canal martinsville https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/4603107c664626ab806bd46d6a82dc1d.jpg ffb55c10c137da05b9769a53ab13bc86 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 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: <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> by W. R. Wilbur Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Bolt first aid, photo (c1920, Guy William Gane III).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/2b2661e44a7a4cce8cecbc87d4a1987d.jpg b0639cc1927c3808996e05669e864872 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, Buffalo Sled Company (Schenck St.) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="https://nthistory.com/custom/cover/14d.jpg" style="border: 0px;" alt="The Buffalo Sled company building at Schenck and Marion, c.1917" />The Buffalo Sled company building at Schenck and Marion, as depicted in a 1917 catalog. It burns in a disastrous 1972 fire. The Buffalo Sled Co. starts business in 1899, apparently in Buffalo,  and organizes around 1905. It is led by John J. Schneider and Henry J. Tiedt. In 1909, the firm purchases the the Orient Novelty Company* of North Tonawanda, and moves into their large, 3-story factory (pictured above). The Buffalo Sled Company originally makes 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." At times they also have operations in Buffalo, on Ellicott Creek in the old A. B. Williams plant, and in Preston, Ontario.  From the Internet's <a href="http://www.harryrinker.com/col-1117.html">Harry Rinker</a>: <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. * Orient when relocated here from Dayton, OH in 1903. They manufactured novelties, were led by D.W. Hyman, and had a modest subscription for electric power from Niagara Falls. In 1905 locals complain about the nuisance of smoke from the works. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 and boys, photo (c1920).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920 person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/9834645a51e55f995b0de4e6a060ae29.jpg 0e1a93e7abe6a52a327c09762524f356 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/368c9ab118883a1ea2be3b20f3a15a61.jpg 11b9e8fce70a32869eefff6ef9b05189 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, Buffalo Sled Company (Schenck St.) Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="https://nthistory.com/custom/cover/14d.jpg" style="border: 0px;" alt="The Buffalo Sled company building at Schenck and Marion, c.1917" />The Buffalo Sled company building at Schenck and Marion, as depicted in a 1917 catalog. It burns in a disastrous 1972 fire. The Buffalo Sled Co. starts business in 1899, apparently in Buffalo,  and organizes around 1905. It is led by John J. Schneider and Henry J. Tiedt. In 1909, the firm purchases the the Orient Novelty Company* of North Tonawanda, and moves into their large, 3-story factory (pictured above). The Buffalo Sled Company originally makes 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." At times they also have operations in Buffalo, on Ellicott Creek in the old A. B. Williams plant, and in Preston, Ontario.  From the Internet's <a href="http://www.harryrinker.com/col-1117.html">Harry Rinker</a>: <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. * Orient when relocated here from Dayton, OH in 1903. They manufactured novelties, were led by D.W. Hyman, and had a modest subscription for electric power from Niagara Falls. In 1905 locals complain about the nuisance of smoke from the works. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 and children, photo (c1920).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920 person https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/21385835a576ea99e2360755750d2f66.jpg 53c7e154244f5b19fe845c5b5fa754f5 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/bcf4ae4d9be5335f6ea724a79a73e2ec.jpg d85d5b84085123ab72ec1b91650e1d78 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/23c1e8499991741a89e11355c585a76c.jpg 928fa7c398801e7e1fa2e3e3a094fca3 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/e94c71bb7df137c24e516626910e310a.jpg 42c141cb0fac82c5f52b438a7aa4a5cf https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/9c239ea137685439f57a0f4880d2f425.jpg 168dbaf3931ecd0c7c93eeabcf3bb6a7 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/54b4472f03fe09899015e347502a377e.jpg aab6cfbc2a53f11de4f40d02515a5833 Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 305 Schenck, photos (Al Moser, c1920).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920 building oliver village https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/d15f5ac963009944c33a3912d21324a2.jpg a735fdfaafa700c4685cb11f485c8fc9 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/3e61dbce2472dc96bbd7323d546d512c.png 82585124810bdcca0986ae316aedfa99 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 & Niagara High Speed Line (1918-1937) Description An account of the resource The electric High Speed Line is an electric streetcar (trolley)  passenger train operated by the International Railway Company from June 9, 1918 to August 20, 1937. It carries passengers from Buffalo to Niagara Falls in about an hour.  For its NT stretch, <a href="http://www.nthistory.com/items/show/636">as shown in this 1935 map</a>, the line follows present-day Twin-City Highway. At Nash, it bends into the field east of the county building (its path is still clearly visible today), continues across Walck Road, and then proceeds northwesterly through 15th Avenue near Payne (before homes or the Mid-City Plaza were built), through Gratwick, across Oliver Street just south of Delmar Terrace and north of Ward Road, continuing west out to River Road and then on to Niagara Falls. For much of its course through NT, it is carried over east-west streets on a high earthen embankment (referred to in a 1948 article as our "Chinese wall"). Fill for the massive embankment was taken from Payne's Hill, near present-day Stanley Street. The High Speed line closes as buses and personal vehicles become more prevalent. The embankment is dismantled sometime later. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 IRC High Speed Train, Facebook, photo (c1920).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920 train trolley https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/be70a371b0ca7839de202423bdda86e9.jpeg 417e10587753e6b466ec75bfff242e58 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 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. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Dorn’s Buffet and Rooming House, 142 Oliver, interior photo (c1920).jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/d7860c66c4001261e08198ed86dc73bb.jpg 13c0799720a86937e65eb3dcc906c31b 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="" /> 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. <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 invented 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. </div> In 1872 (Landmarks 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. 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. 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">Landmarks of Niagara County (1897)</a></li> <li>“<a href="http://carrouselmuseum.org/site/about/allan-herschell">Allen Herschell History</a>.” Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum, 2014.</li> </ul> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Motors, ad w view of factory and logotype (Motor Age, 1920-02-12.jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920-02-12 factory logotype https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/7207e6999f1c268b5729cbef8a6e7414.jpg 0f52e250937b54f0da28b29b0cdf22df 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 Webster to Main Street Bridges Description An account of the resource ? - 1916: The Long Bridge - Engineers were already discussing the replacement of the Long Bridge when weeks of heavy spring flooding and a collision with an out-of-control scow compromise the middle support pier on the evening of March 28th, 1916. Around 10 p.m. that evening, bridge pedestrians hear a great crash and feel vibrations. "Several of the women on the structure became so weak from fright they had to be assisted from the bridge by their escorts" (Tonawanda News, March 29, 1916). The police quickly close the bridge traffic. But the worst is not over. The bridge begins slowly sinking into the creek and is soon impassable. The New York Telephone Company (whose main cable crossed the bridge) warns connectivity between the halves of the Niagara Frontier might be cut off. More canal boats are carried by the current over the dam and into the bridges, as is the body of a North Tonawanda schoolteacher, Miss Mary Hill, who was missing since January. It is presumed a suicide, though "no cause has been assigned for her act" (Ibid). 1920-1978: The bascule (lift) bridge - The replacement bridge was engineered to open and let masted boats to pass on the south side. According to a plaque on the site, it was built by the Bethlehem Steel Bridge Corporation. The <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Whitford book on eriecanal.org</a> gives the following contract information: <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>Contract No.</td> <td>Work</td> <td>Contractor</td> <td>Date</td> <td>Cost</td> </tr> <tr> <td>147</td> <td>Bascule bridge, Main and Webster Sts., Tonawanda</td> <td>Lathrop, Shea & Henwood Co.</td> <td>9/10/17</td> <td>$254,019</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> This collection features photos of the bascule bridge in its heyday, as well as a black-and-white series depicting its 1978 demolition, and the rerouting of the Main and Young street approaches. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Bascule bridge, looking east, photo (NYSA, 1920-05-11).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920-05-11 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/446806d89b1f90560e437eb6f9c2e7df.jpg 51e4b6e1d86f043cc826e3c9c5096b5e 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 Webster to Main Street Bridges Description An account of the resource ? - 1916: The Long Bridge - Engineers were already discussing the replacement of the Long Bridge when weeks of heavy spring flooding and a collision with an out-of-control scow compromise the middle support pier on the evening of March 28th, 1916. Around 10 p.m. that evening, bridge pedestrians hear a great crash and feel vibrations. "Several of the women on the structure became so weak from fright they had to be assisted from the bridge by their escorts" (Tonawanda News, March 29, 1916). The police quickly close the bridge traffic. But the worst is not over. The bridge begins slowly sinking into the creek and is soon impassable. The New York Telephone Company (whose main cable crossed the bridge) warns connectivity between the halves of the Niagara Frontier might be cut off. More canal boats are carried by the current over the dam and into the bridges, as is the body of a North Tonawanda schoolteacher, Miss Mary Hill, who was missing since January. It is presumed a suicide, though "no cause has been assigned for her act" (Ibid). 1920-1978: The bascule (lift) bridge - The replacement bridge was engineered to open and let masted boats to pass on the south side. According to a plaque on the site, it was built by the Bethlehem Steel Bridge Corporation. The <a href="https://www.eriecanal.org/texts/Whitford/1921/chap32.html">Whitford book on eriecanal.org</a> gives the following contract information: <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>Contract No.</td> <td>Work</td> <td>Contractor</td> <td>Date</td> <td>Cost</td> </tr> <tr> <td>147</td> <td>Bascule bridge, Main and Webster Sts., Tonawanda</td> <td>Lathrop, Shea & Henwood Co.</td> <td>9/10/17</td> <td>$254,019</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> This collection features photos of the bascule bridge in its heyday, as well as a black-and-white series depicting its 1978 demolition, and the rerouting of the Main and Young street approaches. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Main-Webster Street Bridge; north span, looking north, photo (NYSA, 1920-06-07).jpg Description An account of the resource Scanlon, Sweeney Building, Real Estate Exchange, National Bank Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920-06-07 bridge webster https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/243bc2313b33b0e921fa325b9b72e6bd.jpg 252753ba142875b74ca79d0cc4621be2 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 Firefighting in the Tonawandas Description An account of the resource <img class="cover" src="https://www.nthistory.com/custom/cover/80.jpg" alt="Gratwick Hose No.6, Felton Street, c.1929" />Gratwick Hose No.6, Felton Street, c.1929 <blockquote>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. North Tonawanda depended heavily on Volunteer Firemen and quickly grew to seven companies located at important places around the city.</blockquote> - Sarah E. Walter's thesis (nthistorymuseum.org). Allan Herschell "helped to organize the first fire company of North Tonawanda" (Biographical and portrait cyclopedia of Niagara County, New York, p.361). <table border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td>Started</td> <td>Name</td> <td>Notes</td> </tr> <tr> <td>May 7, 1876</td> <td>North Tonawanda Bucket Company / Columbia Hook and Ladder Company No.1</td> <td>Thompson in 1893 directory</td> </tr> <tr> <td>March 1, 1886</td> <td>Active Hose Company No.2</td> <td>"Ironton Boys", Robinson south of Marion in 1893</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1886-1909</td> <td>Hydrant Hose Company No.3</td> <td>Sweeney and Main at bridge</td> </tr> <tr> <td>April 1887</td> <td>Live Active Hose Co. No.4</td> <td> Thompson St (1893), now Goundry and Vandervoort</td> </tr> <tr> <td>January 26, 1891</td> <td>Rescue Fire Company No.5</td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>1886?</td> <td><a href="https://yellow.place/en/gratwick-hose-fire-company-6-north-tonawanda-usa">Gratwick Hose Company No.6</a></td> <td>Felton until 1962.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1894</td> <td>Sweeney Hose No.7</td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Of Hydrant Hose Co. No. 3, it was said somewhere: <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> According to Harry Dorn in an article in this set, <blockquote>The Tonawanda Fire Dept. was organized in the early 1860s when the Village of Tonawanda had a population of 2,000...One of the frst companies was the Shepard Hose Company which after several years was known as the DeGraff Hose, Hydrant Hose Company and thewn on Aug 25, 1898 became National Hose No.1 [Ed. Hydrant Hose appears in newspaper record until at least early 1900s].</blockquote> Columbia Hook & Ladder in The Tonawanda News, May 9, 1896: <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. 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. The parent company of North Tonawanda was the Columbia Hook and Ladder Company; 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> Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Richard H. Martin, Columbia Hook & Ladder No. 1, Firemen's Day Parade, photo (1920-06-20).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920-06-20 https://www.nthistory.com/files/original/173e1c57f2507a145a806356771589f0.jpg 6f9424e4198c38fc0876b52e1b0c9dd3 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 Downtown Description An account of the resource Most of North Tonawanda's downtown area developed between 1875 and 1900. In this collection are preserved views of many vanished buildings: The YMCA and City Hall at the southeast corner of Tremont and Main; the 6-story 1891 Smith building (Real Estate Exchange) at the northeast corner of Tremont and Webster, the gothic stone State National Bank at the northwest corner of Sweeney and Webster, and Scanlon's Hall on the southwest corner of the same intersection, to name a few. Photo A photographic depiction of a person or place. 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 Webster Street, photo (Erie Canal Museum, 1920-08-03).jpg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1920-08-03 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://cdm16694.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/srr_ecm/id/1874/rec/24 (used) Description An account of the resource Niagara Savings and Loan, White Star Hotel, Scanlon, State National Bank, Sweeney Building. bridge downtown webster