Category Archives: news

Pioneer Association As Niagara County celebrates its Bicentennial in 2008, it’s fitting to take a look at some of the earliest efforts to preserve Niagara County’s past. That distinction probably lies at the doorstep of the original Niagara County Pioneer Association, organized in 1877. Historians credit the formation of the Pioneer Association to the early Continue Reading

Billy Sherman, The Confederate Horse From Wilson The Civil War had a major impact on the lives of citizens of Niagara County. In November 1861, a local regiment was raised in Lockport. Battery M was part of the 1st Regiment New York Light Artillery and was mustered out of Rochester and sent to Washington to Continue Reading

Niagara Steamships When we think of paddle-wheel steamships, our thoughts usually turn to the smoke-belching vessels on the Mississippi or the Hudson. Many do not realize that Niagara County was also the home port for several very successful steamships that plied the Niagara River and the Great Lakes. The Niagara Navigation Company began business in Continue Reading

The Niagara River gorge has been a popular scene for sightseers since Niagara welcomed its first wide-eyed “tourists” hundreds of years ago. Some folks may recall, but most probably do not, that the river gorge use to be the setting for a very popular tourist attraction, the Great Gorge Route Railroad. The path along the Continue Reading

When we think of paddle-wheel steamships, our thoughts usually turn to the smoke-belching vessels on the Mississippi or the Hudson. Many do not realize that Niagara County was also the home port for several very successful steamships that plied the Niagara River and the Great Lakes. The Niagara Navigation Company began business in 1878, carrying Continue Reading

Ford Gum. Many baby boomers who grew up around Lockport have fond youthful memories of standing outside or reaching inside an open window at the Ford Gum plant at the corner of Church and Niagara streets in hopes of getting their hands on a mouthful of those delicious sweet confections that were produced there. This Continue Reading

Lockport Union School The history of education in Niagara County is usually told through the lives of men and women that challenged the status quo to establish new paradigms of excellence in education. Mr. Sullivan Caverno is one of the seldom-mentioned heroes of education. Caverno received his own education at Dartmouth College and first began Continue Reading

Steam Merry-Go-Rounds got start in Lockport Located on over one-acre of prime Erie Canal real estate, an amazing business developed as a result of Lockport’s combination of cheap power and convenient transportation. The firm of Norman & Evans was located along the hollow on the north side of the canal, at the foot of the Continue Reading

Remembering the Hodge Opera House. The Hodge Opera House, a famous Lockport landmark, was devastated by fire about 1:00 PM Saturday afternoon, Feb. 25, 1928. The temperature had been 3 degrees above zero the previous night, and the weather continued windy with freezing temperatures on Saturday. The second tragic fire in the history of the Continue Reading

History Center Volunteer Writes New Book. We are pleased to feature Linda Covell’s new book entitled, “Beatties’ Tale” in our web store. Check it out under Shop.