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Argus Street: Found a Library, Get a Street Named After You

Posted in Riverside, tagged Black Rock, Jubilee Library, Jubilee Water Works, Riverside, Riverside Park on July 26, 2021| 2 Comments »

Screenshot (9) Argus Street is a short street in the Riverside Neighborhood of Buffalo. The street runs two blocks, between Esser Avenue and Vulcan Street. The street is named after Francis (Frank) X Argus, one of the original owners of the land that is now Riverside Park.

Jubilee Water Works at Delaware and Auburn. Source: Picture Book of Earlier Buffalo

George Argus, Frank’s father, came to Black Rock from Bavaria. George worked as a teacher in a parochial school and then went into the grocery business. Frank was born in Black Rock in 1854. Frank Argus was a commissioner of the old Jubilee Reservoir at the corner of Delaware Avenue and Auburn Avenue. It was located on the west side of the street between Auburn and Lancaster Avenues. The Jubilee Spring is the spring that gives the Cold Spring neighborhood it’s name – the spring ran through the basement of the Cold Spring tavern on Main Street at Ferry. The spring also feeds the lake at Forest Lawn Cemetery. The Jubilee Water Works was incorporated in 1827 by John G. Camp, Reuben Heacock, and Frederick Merrill to supply Buffalo and Black Rock with water. They built a system to serve Black Rock and began to expand to serve parts of Buffalo, but the Jubilee Springs could not provide enough water to keep up with the demand, so the system could not expand further. When Black Rock was annexed by the City of Buffalo in 1853, the City of Buffalo acquired the system, which was abandoned by 1890.

Jubilee Library. Photo by Author

After the reservoir was abandoned, the site was purchased by Albert F. Laub. Mr. Argus insisted that the property not be sold unless it was agreed that the funds used for the sale would be used to build a branch library. The Water Works property was sold in 1899, but it took years before the proceeds were released and a new location was selected. The Jubilee Branch library opened on December 20, 1915 at 1930 Niagara Street. The Jubilee Library was the first non-rented library space in Buffalo. It was designed to have a children’s side, an adult side and an auditorium in the basement. The site was constructed next door to a city-owned community center that also had a gym, creating a cohesive community oriented space. the site was selected by the City and there were concerns about the safety of children crossing the railroad tracks to get to the library, as well as its location along the water rather than in a neighborhood. The continued development of Black Rock proved that the Jubilee Branch was well suited to serve the community. It was particularly used by nearby industrial businesses for technical reference material. The success of the Jubilee Branch Library encouraged the library to pursue creating additional library branches built to be libraries, rather than using available existing spaces which they rented.

1916-1918 Niagara Street. Photo by Author

Mr. Argus married Mary Heims. They had two sons and two daughters- Francis, Clarence, Maud Argus Haley and Olive Argus Walsh. The family lived at 1916 Niagara Street (corner of Hamilton). For 40 years, Mr. Argus operated a hardware store in the same building where they lived. The store’s address was 1918 Niagara Street. The store sold hardware, cutlery and stoves. The building appears to still be standing today, and the store appears to be converted into apartments. The building would have had the Erie Canal flowing through it’s backyard, but now abuts the I-190. The children oriented towards medicine – Dr. Francis Argus became a nose and throat specialist after serving as a major in the Army Medical Corps during WWI, Dr. Clarence Argus became a dentist, and the daughters both married doctors. The daughters were graduates of Holy Angels Academy and accomplished pianists/organists.

When Mr. Argus, Mr. Esser and Mr. Hertel sold the Riverside Park property to the city, Mr. Argus insisted that the riparian rights allowing the building of a dock were relinquished to the city. This ensured that the public had access to the water. Mr. Argus was a boater and a charter member of the Buffalo Launch Club. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus.

After retirement, Mr. Argus traveled throughout the United States. He spent winters in Florida, California or Cuba. He enjoyed returning for summers in Buffalo. He lived with his son in a house at 237 Lafayette Avenue. The house was known around town for Frank’s beautiful garden, which son Clarence continued after his father’s death. While Frank was gardening long before Garden Walk existed, Buffalonians still take pride in our gardens today – perhaps you even may have seen a house near Frank’s former house this weekend on Garden Walk?

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Sources:

“An Act to provide a mode for ultimate disposition of property belonging to the Jubilee water system in the City of Buffalo and investment of the proceeds.” Laws of the State of New York Passed at the One Hundred and Thirteenth Session. Chapter 154. Banks & Brothers Publishers, Albany, 1890.
Pierce, Morris. “Documentary History of American Water-Works: Buffalo, New York”. http://www.waterworkshistory.us/
Severance, Frank Ed. Picture Book of Earlier Buffalo. Buffalo Historical Society. 1912.
Smith, H. Katherine. “Argus Street Reminds of Founder of Jubilee Library”. Buffalo Courier Express. June 21, 1941.

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Austin Street: Get a Street Named After You, but the Real Story might be your Wife, Daughter and Granddaughter

Posted in Black Rock, West Side, tagged austin, avery, Black Rock, Buffalo Athletic Club, Buffalo Seminary, buffalo streets, ellicott club, heacock, Kleinhans, rathbun on December 10, 2019| 6 Comments »

austinst Austin Street is a street in the Black Rock neighborhood of Buffalo, running between the Niagara River and Military Road. The road is about one mile long because the land it originally ran through was the State Reservation, which was a one mile strip of land from the river inland. When the Village of Black Rock was incorporated in 1813, Austin Street was the northern boundary of the Village. The part of Black Rock north of the Scajaquada was often referred to as “Lower Black Rock”, as opposed to Upper Black Rock which Peter Porter originally laid out. Austin Street is named after S.G. Austin, an early Buffalo lawyer.

lyjGdRx6 Stephen Goodwin Austin was born in West Suffield, Connecticut to Joseph Austin, a farmer, and Sarah Goodwin, a sea captain’s daughter, in October 1791. He studied at the academy in Westfield, Massachusetts. In 1811, he began his studies at Yale College and graduated with honor in 1815.

After graduation, he began his study of law in the office of Daniel W. Lewis in Geneva. In 1819, he received a license to practice in the State of New York. He then left Geneva and came to Buffalo at the end of 1819.

When he came to Buffalo, the project of creating the harbor for the port was the biggest issue of the day. Mr. Austin saw the future happening here in Buffalo and decided to make the city his home, despite it being a small town of only about 2,000 residents at the time. He boarded at the Eagle Tavern with Millard Fillmore and Joseph Doat. The Eagle Tavern was located at Main and Court Street, the current location of the Liberty Building.

He was often considered as someone who possessed the knowledge, ability, integrity and qualifications for public service, but Mr. Austin never wanted political or other public office. He declined it over the years, time and again. The only office he held was Justice of the Peace for one year, in 1821.

While serving as Justice of the Peace, an important trail came under his jurisdiction. Tommy Jimmy, also known by Tommy Jemmy or his Native American name of So-on-on-gise, was accused of murder. The woman killed, Chaughquawtaugh (or Kauquatau), was a Seneca woman who was accused of bringing about the death of a man using witchcraft. She had fled to Canada. Tommy Jimmy, at the Chief’s request, brought her back home. Once they crossed back into Indian Territory, he killed her. Chief Red Jacket and other Native Americans testified that the act was in accordance with tribal law. Since the land was sovereign land, Justice Austin’s Erie County Court of Oyer and Terminer could not reach a decision in the case. The jury found that the woman was executed in accordance with tribal law. The case was moved up to the Supreme Court. The Court did not render a decision, as the Native Americans had sovereignty over their land.

In the legal field, Mr. Austin was considered a man of clear insight, thorough knowledge and careful judgement. He was perceptive and intellectual. He was sought after as a legal representative and was able to grow a lucrative business. As his business grew, he accumulated a large estate. He had invested much of his savings in real estate from the time he first arrived in Buffalo. Buffalo’s growth rewarded him, as he was able to retire from legal practice at age 52 with a large fortune.

Stephen purchased land on the southeast side of Niagara Square in 1828. Mr. Austin Married Lavinia Hurd in October 1829. They had four daughters, two of which, Adeline and Frances, died in childhood. A third daughter, Lavinia Hurd Austin was born in 1833 and married George P. Russell of Philadelphia. Lavinia Russell died in 1874. The final daughter, Mrs. Truman Avery, aka Delia was born in 1842. (Note from Angela: how annoying is it when women in history books are only listed as “Mrs. Husband’s Name”? Sometimes it’s so hard to find out their first name!! Delia is almost always referred to as “Mrs. Truman Avery” in history books and newspaper articles. I will refer to her Delia from here on out!)

Niagara Square in the days of the Austin Family. Their home is shown to the right of the monument. Erie County Hall can be seen behind the home.

The Austin family lived at 11 Niagara Square, where the Buffalo Athletic Club (also known as the Athletic Club Building) is now. The house was built by Benjamin Rathbun. Mr. Rathbun was one of the early builders of Buffalo and was especially prominent during the 1830s. In 1835 alone, Rathbun built 99 buildings. The Austin house was completed in 1836. The house was the site of lots of entertaining. At the time, Niagara Square was home to homes of many prominent Buffalonians. The square itself was composed of eight triangular fenced in parks and was the most fashionable part of town. The postcard view here would be from after 1914, because the Telephone Building can be seen just beyond Old County Hall. Newspapers report that Mrs. Austin and her daughters were “most accomplished” and they “presided with grace, dignity and charm” over entertainment at the Austin House. After the Austin family left the house in the 1890s, the house was converted for business purposes.

In 1851, a meeting of some of the leading citizens of Buffalo took place at the Austin House. This meeting was the start of the Buffalo Female Academy (now Buffalo Seminary). Both of the Austin daughters attended the Academy.

The Niagara Square house was demolished in 1922 to become the new clubhouse for the Ellicott Club. The Ellicott Club was founded in 1895 and its first home was the top floor of the Ellicott Square Building. On May 22, 1922, the members of the Ellicott Club held a ceremony to celebrate the underwriting of and groundbreaking for their new building. They had a band and marched from Ellicott Square to Niagara Square. The new clubhouse was to be called “The Buffalo Athletic Club” and a new organization was created. The Ellicott Club officially disbanded on March 31, 1923. By 1938, the Buffalo Athletic Club had more than 2,700 members.

The family were members of First Presbyterian Church when it was located on Main Street at Church Street. The Austin Family also gave to many other organizations, but their donations tended to be off the radar because, as a friend was reported saying after Stephen’s death “Little is known of his gifts because of his conviction that charity should not be seen or talked about.”

Lavinia Hurd Austin

Lavinia Austin was a founder of the Buffalo Orphan Asylum. Organizational meetings for the development of the asylum were often held at the Austin house on Niagara Square. Stephen Austin served as the 2nd president of the Orphan Asylum. Lavinia also donated $10,000 to the organization, which allowed for Infant ward addition to be built in 1877. She also left $9,000 to Ingleside Home (a home for unwed mothers and wayward girls) and $5,000 to the YMCA in her will after her death in 1884.

Stephen Austin had significant land holdings in Buffalo. He owned the land northwest of Niagara Square, where several prominent Buffalonians lived, such as Henry Sizer, Darrow Noyes, and Stephen Parrish. The houses were demolished in the 1950s for the Federal Reserve Bank (now New Era Cap) Building.

In 1868, when the National Savings Bank organized, Stephen was voted President. He worked full time at the bank until his death, a position for which he refused to take any salary. He also served as President of the Buffalo Scale Works and owner of the Bennett Elevator, the elevator which replaced Joseph Dart’s original grain elevator in 1863 after the Dart Elevator suffered a fire. It was said after he died that it was rare to see Mr. Austin on the street, because he spent so much time in his work pursuits.

The Austin Family monument in Forest Lawn Cemetery

Stephen Austin died in 1872 and is buried in the Austin family plot in Forest Lawn Cemetery. At the time of his death, his estate was estimated at $2 Million (about $42 Million today). After Mr. Austin’s death, the Niagara Square house was occupied by his wife, along with Delia and her husband, Truman G. Avery. The family lived there until the 1890s.

Lavinia Austin purchased the Universalist Church building at 110 Franklin Street in 1880. Like their home on Niagara Square, the church was built by Benjamin Rathbun. The former church was expanded it and significantly altered. The remodeled building was referred to Austin Building or the Austin Block over the years. This remodel is often credited to her husband in modern local history sources, however it occurred well after Mr. Austin’s death. Newspapers of the time indicate that the purchase and construction/remodeling of the Austin Building was completed by Mrs. S.G. Austin. After its conversion to offices, the building was said to be one of the finest in the city. The offices were elegantly styled and decorated and were occupied by F.W. Caulkins (the architect who designed the remodel), the Buffalo Cement Company, Lee & Zink (a real estate firm), Green & Wicks Architects and other companies over the years. The upper floor consisted of a grand hall, which was occupied by the Academy of Fine Arts (now the Albright Knox). The Academy, as it was known in those days, occupied the entire third floor, one room in the second story and one room in the basement. The hall was lit by skylights from the ceiling to allow as much light into the hall as possible (this was before electricity). The Academy was located here for five years, after which they moved into the Young Men’s Associations new building on Lafayette Square (the old Buffalo Library). Stephen G. Austin, Delia Austin Avery, Truman G. Avery, as well as Delia & Truman’s daughter Lavinia Austin Avery were all life members of the Academy of Fine Arts. The building is currently owned by Erie County.

Delia Austin Avery’s building at 77 Pearl Street Source: Preservation Ready Sites

Stephen Austin owned 204-206 Main Street (often called the Granite Block). Delia took over management of the building after her father’s death. The Granite Block was taken down in 1905 for the Merchant’s Exchange/Chamber of Commerce building. Mr. Austin also owned the building at 302-304 Main Street (now 300 Main Street). The family is shown as owning the 300 Main Street building until at least 1891, so it was likely managed by his wife and daughter after his death. Delia continued in her father’s real estate pursuits, purchasing several properties in her own name. Delia also built a building in 1891 at 77 Pearl Street, adjoining the Merchant’s Exchange building. The Heacock Homestead, home of Reuben Heacock was demolished to build the building. The Austins had purchased the former house in 1876. The last tenant in the home before it was demolished was the Union Veteran Legion. Over the years, Delia’s building on Pearl Street was home to William H. Walker wholesale shoes, Rugby Knitting Mills, the Board of Trade Cafe, and other businesses.

Delia Stewart Austin married Truman Gardner Avery, in 1868. Truman Avery was a lawyer who came to Buffalo from eastern New York State in the 1860s. When he came to Buffalo, he gave up law to work as a grain merchant. Delia had a hard year in 1872, she lost both her father and her first child, Jessie, at 10 months old. Two years later, her sister died. The Austin family owned much of the land where Symphony Circle is located. In 1887, Delia Avery donated the parcel of land at the Circle for First Presbyterian Church in honor of her parents. The church was then able to sell their downtown property for the construction of Erie County Savings Bank and build their current building on the Circle.

The Avery Mansion on Symphony Circle

After leaving Niagara Square, Delia and her family lived on The Circle (now Symphony Circle) in a large mansion. The mansion was constructed in 1892. Delia served on the board of the Ladies’ Hospital Association at Buffalo General Hospital, the 20th Century Club, and the Home for the Friendless. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Delia died in 1922 and is buried in the family plot. Delia followed in her parents charitable footsteps. After her death, it was said that “no worthy cause ever appealed to her in vain”.

Delia’s daughter, Lavinia Austin Avery, was born in 1876 when the family still lived at Niagara Square. Lavinia attended Buffalo Female Academy and the University of Buffalo Teacher’s College and married James McCormick Mitchell in 1907. James Mitchell was the son of Reverend Samuel Mitchell, the pastor at First Presbyterian Church. James worked as a lawyer at the firm of Kenefick, Cooke, Michell and Bass.

After her parents died, Lavinia Mitchell no longer wanted the Avery mansion on The Circle, and offered the 4 acres of land to the Buffalo committee that was working to build a new music hall. Money had been left in the wills of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Kleinhans to create a Buffalo Foundation to be used to build a new music hall. Several locations were looked at for the music hall, including Humboldt Park near the science museum and Delaware Park near the Rose Garden. Architect E. B. Green had even designed plans for an addition to the science museum that would function as a music hall. Residents near Delaware Park opposed the Rose Garden site because they did not want to use park lands for this purpose. The Buffalo Foundation upheld that public parks should be preserved for its natural beauty for recreation and not further encroached upon by public buildings. This stance followed the lead of State Parks Commissioner, Robert Moses, who had also resisted numerous proposals to erect additional buildings in Central Park in New York City. The Buffalo City Planning Board also took a stance to oppose further use of parks for such buildings. The land at The Circle was offered for $50,000 by Lavinia Mitchell, less than half of it’s assessed value. The site offered the spaciousness and beauty of a park location, while allowing for parking but also was bordered by magnificent elm trees, and direct access into the park system via the circle and parkways. It also was on both east-west and north-south bus lines, and had easy access to tourist traffic from the Peace Bridge. The property was officially sold on July 19, 1938 after a large public hearing, at which the public were overwhelmingly in support of the location. The mansion was demolished in 1938 and Kleinhans Music Hall was built. The Circle was renamed Symphony Circle.

Pomeroy House on Oakland Place

Lavinia and her family first lived on Summer Street, on a house where the Richmond-Summer Recreation Center is now located. In 1911, Lavinia Mitchell purchased the home at 70 Oakland Place (often referred to as the Pomeroy house) from the Pomeroys. Mr. Mitchell died in the 1940s. Lavinia sold the Oakland Place house in 1967 to a developer who subdivided it into three units. Lavinia had been a president of the Garret Club and was on the board of directors of the Twentieth Century Club. She died in 1968 and is buried in Forest Lawn in the family plot.

Want to learn about more streets? Check out the Street Index. Coming in the new year will be a multi-part series about the Fruit Belt on which I have been working hard. Stay tuned! You can subscribe on the home page and new articles will be emailed to you directly.

Sources:

H.B. Hall & Sons, “Stephen G. Austin,” Digital Collections – University at Buffalo Libraries, accessed November 17, 2019, https://digital.lib.buffalo.edu/items/show/80993.
Smith, Katherine. “Austin Street Honors Justice Who Presided at Indian Trial”. Buffalo Courier Express, Sunday May 26, ~~1940,~~ p W8
Meeting Notices. Daily Courier, April 29, 1851.
Myszka, Dawn. “Kleinhans Music Hall and its Polish Connection”. Am-Pol Eagle. http://ampoleagle.com/
“Kleinhans Music Hall: Before the Music”. http://archives.bpo.org/kmh-letc.htm (accessed November 2019)
Wachadlo, Martin. “Oakland Place: Gracious Living in Buffalo. 2006. https://buffaloah.com/a/oakland/70/wach.html (accessed November 2019)
H. Perry Smith, editor. History of the City of Buffalo and Erie County. D. Mason & Co Publishers, Syracuse NY. 1884.
“The Old Church: No Longer in God’s Service, but Used for Business Purposes”. Buffalo Evening News.
“The Groton Avery Clan”. North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2016.
“The Art Gallery”. Buffalo Express. June 11, 1881.
Brown, Christopher. Historic Plymouth Avenue in the Kleinhans Neighborhood. Kleinhans Community Association, 2006.
“A Seven-Story Fire-Proof Is to be on Pearl Street and Will Be a Credit to Buffalo”. Buffalo Evening News. June 4, 1891.
“Buffalo Orphan Asylum.” Buffalo Express. August 2, 1924.
“To Break Ground Monday for New B.A.C. Clubhouse”. Buffalo Courier. May 21, 1922.
Burr, Kate. “Picturing Some Buffalonians as They Were”. Buffalo Times. July 1, 1928.
“Ellicott Club to Observe Demise with Celebration”. Buffalo Courier. March 31, 1923. p. 14.
“Death of Stephen G. Austin”. Buffalo Courier. June 20, 1872. p.1.
Ball, Charles. “History of Niagara Square”. Buffalo News. May 17, 1921.
Reports of the President and Secretary, submitted at the Annual Meeting. Buffalo Historical Society. January 9, 1923.
Chapin, Willis. The Buffalo Fine Arts Academy: A Historical Sketch. Published by the Academy, January 1899.

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Military Road: The Road that Soldiers Built

Posted in Black Rock, Uncategorized, tagged beltline, Black Rock, Buffalo, fort niagara, fort tompkins, History, Holland Land Company, Joseph Ellicott, kenmore, military road, Niagara Falls, Peter Porter, tonawanda, War of 1812 on August 12, 2018| 3 Comments »

Military Road’s modern alignment through the City of Buffalo and Town of Tonawanda

Military Road is a part of NYS Route 265, a 19.75 mile long state road that runs between Niagara Falls and Buffalo. The portions called Military Road are located in the City of Buffalo/Town of Tonawanda and then again in Niagara Falls, NY. The road dates back to 1801, when it was laid out as a road to connect Black Rock with Fort Niagara, near Lake Ontario. The route begins at the intersection of Niagara Street and the Scajaquada Expressway. It runs along Tonawanda Street through Black Rock, Amherst Street, then turns into Military Road where it runs for 4.3 miles until the City of Tonawanda border. In the City of Tonawanda it is Main Street, in North Tonawanda it is River Road, in Niagara Falls it is Buffalo Ave before it turns back into Military Road through most of Niagara Falls where it ends at a junction with NY 104 (Lewiston Road) in Lewiston. From Lewiston to Youngstown, the River Road that ran up to the Fort was already built, so that was used to connect the Military built road to Fort Niagara.

map of military road - from buffalo history gazette

Historic Map showing the route of Military Road Source: Buffalo History Gazette

Military Road was one of the first roads in the country planned for military purposes. Roads for defense have been around for a long time and are still around in modern times – much of the United States Highway System was built as the “Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways”, designed for defense and modeled partly after the German Autobahn network that Eisenhower saw in Germany during WWII. After the Revolutionary War, the federal government realized they needed a highway extending from the town of the Lewiston Escarpment to the bluff at Black Rock. At the time, they were planning a large fort on the Black Rock bluff to guard the entrance to the Niagara River. Most of WNY’s roads at the time were based on Native American trails and the trails of the earliest settlers. These trails typically took the path of least resistance, to avoid things like creeks, marshes, or heavily wooded areas. The highway would replace the old Portage Road, which was too winding, as it followed closely to the course of the river, rather than in a more direct line. The Historic Map shows both the routes of the Military Road, which has a smoother path than the Portage route, which curves further to the west towards the Falls.

After the Revolutionary War, there were boundary disputes between New York and Massachusetts. An agreement signed in Hartford, Connecticut in 1786 deeded the land once occupied by the Haudenosaunee to New York State, but Massachusetts maintained that they had a right to the area west of Seneca Lake once the Native American title was extinguished, except for a one-mile strip, which New York State reserved for itself. The strip ran one mile inland along the Niagara River, from Buffalo to Stedman’s Farm (also known as Fort Schlosser, near where the water intakes are currently located along the Niagara Scenic Parkway/Robert Moses Parkway in Niagara Falls). Despite the State’s reservation of the parcel, the Seneca maintained that they retained the title to the Mile Strip, which was affirmed in the 1794 Pickering Treaty. Massachusetts sold the rights to the surveyed portion of the land to Robert Morris in 1791. Keeping a portion of the land for his own purposes, Robert Morris sold the rest of the land (which the exception of Grand Island and the Mile Strip) to the Holland Land Company, the company which Joseph Ellicott was the land agent. You can read more about Joseph Ellicott and the Holland Land Company by clicking these links for Part One, Part Two and Part Three. In 1798, Seth Pease surveyed the Mile Line for the Holland Land Company. In 1802, the Seneca claim to the Mile Strip was extinguished by a treaty signed in Albany. There had been little settlement in the area by the Seneca, only two Seneca families lived there year-round. The treaty was initiated because the government wanted to construct a fort at Black Rock (also known as Upper Black Rock). In 1803, the Deputy State Surveyor, Joseph Annin began to survey the Mile Strip into lots. Fort Niagara was given 716 acres which were set aside for the Federal government. The Stedman’s Farm/Fort Schlosser farm lot was set aside at 680 acres. The Jones and Parrish tracts, which were each 640 acres, were also set aside and were given to Mr. Jones and Mr. Parrish who had been Haudenosaunee captives during the war. The Jones and Parrish lots were near the Scajaquada Creek. A total of 111 lots were laid out within the remainder of the Mile Strip, the majority of which were 160 acres in size, but due to the curve of the river, many were slightly larger. One square mile was set aside at the southern end for the Village of Black Rock. For more on the laying out of Black Rock, you can read about Peter Porter, the streets named after states, and the numbered streets.

In 1801, General Moses Porter, commander at Fort Niagara, was ordered by the War Department to use his troops to build the road. I was unable to find out if General Porter was related to Mr. Porter of Black Rock during my research. They called the road Military Road because it was built by the soldiers. Between 1802 and 1805, the right of way for the road was cleared. At the time, road building typically consisted of cutting trees and brush wide enough to bring an oxcart. Military Road was built in a strip 100-feet wide. Marshy areas were made passable by laying logs down, which was often referred to as a “corduroy road”. It was a tough task, as the road was built through forests and over swamp lands to cut a straight path. Bridges were built in Tonawanda, but work was stopped and the road surface was not finished for seven years, due to disagreements between the State and the Federal Governments. In 1808-1809, New York State gave $1,500 (about $30,000 in 2018 dollars) to the project and the road was complete.

fort tompkins sign The large fort planned for Black Rock was never built, but a smaller one was built in 1807 and became Fort Tompkins in August 1812. Fort Tompkins was also known as Fort Adams. The fort was actually large mounds which were mounting points for seven guns. It was technically a battery, which is a cluster of cannons in action as a group put into position during a battle of a fort or city. Fort Tompkins was the largest of eight batteries that were built during the war. It was located at the top of the bluff at the bend in Niagara Street. The escarpment here allowed them to overlook the river, giving advantages over the attacks from the water. The location was later the sight of railway barns. A plaque was hung on the railway barn and still hangs on the building located at 1010 Niagara Street. The more famous Fort Tompkins was located on Staten Island and was built in 1663. They were both likely named for Governor Daniel Tompkins, Governor of New York from 1807 to 1817. Fun fact for if you’re ever on Jeopardy: Daniel Tompkins was later President Monroe’s Vice President and the only VP in the 19th century to serve two full terms.

Historic Marker near Amherst Street and Military Road

One of the only military uses of the road was during the War of 1812. American General McClure lost Fort George after a significant battle. General McClure then gave the notice to burn Fort George and the Village of Newark (now Niagara on the Lake) to deny shelter to the British. The Americans then retreated to Fort Niagara. The British reoccupied Fort George and planned an assault on Fort Niagara in retaliation for the burning of Newark. General McClure claimed he had acted on Secretary of War’s order in the burning of Newark. He had been told earlier in the year to destroy Newark if necessary but to give the residents several days notice to ensure they were not left destitute. McClure had only given two hours notice, leaving residents without shelter or possessions during a heavy snowstorm. This was against war conventions at the time. McClure’s superiors disavowed his orders and McClure never again held command.

On December 19th, 1813, more than 500 soldiers crossed the Niagara River at a location known as Five Mile Meadows. They turned towards Youngstown and the Americans were taken by surprise and the story goes that they obtained the password to get into the fort by using a fake southern accent. The British gained control of Fort Niagara and the British and their Native American allies marched upriver. With the American Army gone, there were only civilian militias left to defend their land. The British marched south, destroying farms and villages between Youngstown and Manchester (now Niagara Falls, NY). The second British raid happened a few weeks later, December 31, 1813, which burned as far south as Black Rock and Buffalo. General McClure retreated from Fort Niagara to Buffalo via Military Road after losing Fort Niagara.

The road fell into disuse and became overgrown, partly due to a debate between the state and federal governments as to who was supposed to maintain it. Sections of it were used by local farmers. Niagara County took over the road in 1820 and reconditioned it (at the time present day Erie County was part of Niagara County). By 1832, it was cleared and repaired and became a state highway.

The idea behind the road was to facilitate travel of troops and munitions of war from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. Though the road was built for military function, it also helped to allow for commercial development of the area, with settlements occurring all along the Military Road.

In 1891, trolley service was extended along Military Road into the fledgling Village of Kenmore, allowing residents of Kenmore to arrive at the Military Road Station of the Belt Line, which would take them downtown for work.

miliatry marker sheridan drive

Installation of the Boulder on Sheridan Drive, 1926. Source: Buffalo Courier Express

A boulder with a plaque honoring the Military Road was placed in Sheridan Drive by the Buffalo Chapter of the DAR in 1936. It was part of a celebration of the centennial of the Town of Tonawanda. The Centennial was held on exhibition grounds at the corner of Delaware Avenue and Sheridan Drive. The dedication occurred on what was referred to as “Pioneer Day”. New York State Historian, Dr. Alexander Flick, was on hand to give a speech and celebrate some of the oldest residents of Tonawanda. Between 1906 and 1936, the Town had grown from 2,000 residents to 30,000. Prizes were given to some of the residents including the oldest married couple present, the oldest school teacher present, and the oldest male and female present. Mrs. John Walters was unable to be present at the awards ceremony, but she had been a resident of Tonawanda for 93 years!

So the next time you drive along Military Road, think about the military history of WNY and remember the war fought right in our backyard, and the people who were determined enough to stay after their villages were burned to the ground.

Source:

“Town Pioneers honor Guests and Centennial”. Buffalo Courier Express, July 3 1936. p8.
“Military Highway Will be Scene of Ceremonies” Buffalo Courier Express. June 13, 1936, p13.
Clinton Brown Architecture, pc. Reconnaissance Level Historic Resources Survey: Black Rock Planning Neighborhood. November 2010.
History of Old Fort Niagara. https://www.oldfortniagara.org
Lewis, Clarence. “Evolution of Roadways in County Linked with Important Historical Happenings”. Niagara Falls Gazette, July 29, 1954.
Malloy, Jerry. “Why is it Called Military Road?” Buffalo History Gazette. August 8, 2010. http://www.buffalohistorygazette.net
Percy, John & Graham Miller. Images of America: Kenmore, New York. Arcadia Publishing: Charleston, South Carolina, 1998.

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Which is your favorite street named after a state?

Posted in Black Rock, tagged Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Black Rock, Buffalo, California, Carolina, City of Buffalo, Colorado, Connecticut, Dakota, DC, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hampshire, History, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Jersey, Joseph Ellicott, Kentucky, Lemuel Forester, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mile Strip, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New York, New York State, New York State Archives, New York State Reservation, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Peter Porter, Rhode Island, South Black Rock, street names, Streets, Streets named after states, surveyor, Tennessee, Texas, Upper Black Rock, Vermont, Village of Black Rock, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, York on August 11, 2014| 6 Comments »

Often a group of streets will be named after a theme. This is often seen when a developer may name a bunch of streets after his family members or friends. Many people know that Washington, DC has streets named after all 50 states to form the City’s grid (crossed by alphabetic and numbered streets). The City of Buffalo has streets named after 32 of the 50 states. Many of these state street names originated in one of Buffalo’s original street grids.

Map of Village of Black Rock, 1816
Source: New York State Archives

Many of the streets named after streets are located in what was the original development of the Village of Black Rock. The Black Rock streets were originally laid out two years before Joseph Ellicott came to Buffalo! New York State purchased a one mile strip of land along the Niagara River known as the New York State Reservation in 1802. The State laid out the streets of the Village of Black Rock. For 20 years, Black Rock would serve as Buffalo’s rival. In 1825, Buffalo won its fight to be the terminus of the Erie Canal, became a booming city, and annexed the Village of Black Rock in 1854.

State named streets in Black Rock include Georgia, Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Jersey, York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Hampshire. All of the original 13 colonies are represented by these streets, other than Delaware, which was originally located where Hudson Street is today. When Buffalo and Black Rock merged, duplicate street names were changed to prevent confusion. These streets all lay parallel to each other in what is now the West Side of the City of Buffalo, but was originally known as the South Village of Black Rock or Upper Black Rock. When originally laid out, these streets formed a grid with numbered streets. The streets were laid out by Lemuel Forester, a Surveyor for New York State. You can read about the numbered streets in Buffalo by clicking here. These streets form what was known as Upper Black Rock. Peter Porter was an important person in the early days of Black Rock.

It is important to note that it is difficult to differentiate between states such as North and South Carolina or Virginia and West Virginia, as the cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) are used in street naming conventions. Early maps of Black Rock show Jersey, York and Hampshire as New Jersey, New York and New Hampshire, but as time elapsed, the convention to name streets “New” to differentiate between different alignments of a street which changed over time, of which the alignment’s name may be “New _____ Street” or “Old ______ Street”.

Streets in Buffalo Named After States (click to view larger image)

The City also has streets named after the following states:

Alabama
Arkansas
California
Colorado
North and South Dakota (as Dakota Street)
Delaware
Florida
Illinois
Kentucky
Louisiana
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Montana
Nevada
Ohio
Oregon
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming

There are several streets named after states that used to be located in Buffalo. These streets names have been removed for various reasons:

Portion of 1900 Sanborn Map depicting locations of Idaho and Arizona Streets.

Idaho Street and Arizona Streets– were located in North Buffalo off Military Road, north of Sayre Street. The Buffalo Foundry was located here, and industrial facilities eventually absorbed the streets.

1951 Sanborn Map showing the former location of Indiana Street

Indiana Street was located near the foot of Main Street. The street was eliminated when Crossroads Arena (aka Marine Midland, aka HSBC, aka First Niagara Center) was built. The street is currently buried under First Niagara Center.

1925 Sanborn Map Showing Alaska Alley

Alaska Alley – was closed on February 24, 1960. This was a small alley off of Chippewa near Genesee and Washington. The block where Alaska and Seward Alleys were located is now parking for the Electric Tower building.

Iowa – used to be the part of LaSalle Avenue from Bailey to Eggert (near Minnesota Avenue). However, they changed the name when they wanted to rename Perry Street to Iowa Street. They then decided that Perry was too important to change the name of the street. At this time, they also tried to change the name of Fulton Street to Oklahoma, but also decided that Fulton was too important of a person to change the name of the street.

In 1901, the City wanted to rename Indian Church, Hudson or South Division Street to Missouri. Residents complained because it sounded like “Misery” to them, and they did not want to live on “Misery Street”.

There is no Maine Street, because it would be confusing because it sounds like Main Street.

I was unable to find evidence of streets in Buffalo named after the following five states:

Kansas
Nebraska
New Mexico
Utah
Hawaii

Buffalo Ex-Pats living in the Washington, DC area will be happy to know that Columbia Street, in the Cobblestone District near the arena, is named after the District of Columbia.

To answer the “which street named after a state is your favorite?” question – mine is York Street. My dad moved to Buffalo (from Central New York….and after time spent in the Navy) in 1978 and his first apartment here was on York Street. My parents lived there when the first got married. This is where my branch of the Keppel family started in Buffalo. 🙂

To read about other streets, click the Street Index.

Sources:

“Many Changes Made in Names of Streets Here” Courier Express, August 26, 1928
“New Names for Streets” Buffalo Express Oct 7, 1901
“Council Closes Alaska Alley” Buffalo Courier Express, February 24, 1960.

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Try to Build a City to Rival Buffalo, Get a Street Named After You

Posted in Allentown, West Side, tagged Augustus Porter, Black Rock, Buffalo, Fort Porter, Frederick Law Olmsted, Front Park, Guide Board Road, Joseph Ellicott, Niagara Falls, Peter Buell Porter, Porter Avenue, Samuel Wilkeson, War of 1812 on October 8, 2013| 9 Comments »

The Porter family was very influential in Buffalo/Niagara during its formation and early years of settlement. There is Porter Ave in Buffalo, Porter Road in Niagara Falls, a Town of Porter in Niagara County and the Porter Quadrangle complex at University of Buffalo. Porter Avenue is located in the Front Park neighborhood on the West Side of Buffalo and is an Olmsted Parkway. The street was originally known as Guide Board Road and predates Joseph Ellicott’s time in Buffalo. It was an Indian Trail used during the Revolutionary War to a ferry which led to Canada.

Guide Board Road sign, on North Street near Franklin Street

The original street alignment went straight west towards the Niagara River. When Frederick Law Olmsted designed the City’s parkway system, he decided to turn a portion of York Street into Porter Avenue, in order to connect to Front Park and Fort Porter. This allowed the connections between parks that completes our parks system.

Castle at Fort Porter Postcard

The former Fort Porter was located on the Lake Erie shoreline just north of Front Park. Olmsted included the Fort’s grounds into his original plans for Front Park. The Fort was torn down to build the Peace Bridge. The Porter Family included Augustus and Peter Porter. Augustus was prominent in Niagara Falls, living on and owning Goat Island His brother Peter Porter was prominent in Black Rock/Buffalo.

Peter Porter

Peter Buell Porter was born on August 14, 1773 and was raised in Connecticut. He attended Yale and Litchfield Law School. He moved west to Canandaigua for his law practice in 1793. He served as Clerk of Ontario County from 1797 to 1804 and was elected to the New York State Assembly, representing Ontario and Steuben Counties in 1802.

While in the Assembly, Peter Porter was influential in working with Joseph Ellicott to promote road construction in Buffalo. However, shortly thereafter, Peter Porter began to develop a community two miles north of Buffalo called Black Rock. At Black Rock, there was what was called a “safe and commodious” natural harbor, and the land was owned by New York State, unlike the majority of Western New York which was owned by the Holland Land Company. Peter purchased land with his brother Augustus and Benjamin Baron to form Porter, Barton and Company. New York State gave their trading firm a monopoly of the transportation business on the portage around Niagara Falls and it handled much of the trade on the Upper Great Lakes.

Around 1797, Joseph Ellicott tried to convince Porter and his friends to purchase property from the Holland Land Company. Instead, they bought state lands along the Niagara River. The laid out a town site, built warehouses and other trading facilities, establishing Black Rock. This angered Paul Busti and other Holland Land Company agents, who then tried to purchased land from the State for the Holland Land Company in order to sabotage Porter’s plans. As the town of Black Rock developed, the Holland Land Company tried hard to push Buffalo’s interests by using political influence in Albany. However, Porter was equally determined to make Black Rock successful and had his own power in Albany.

Peter Porter moved to Black Rock in 1809 and was elected to the US House of Representatives, furthering his influence from Albany down to Washington, D.C. He was so influential as a congressman that he convinced President Madison to move the customs house from Buffalo to the smaller Black Rock during summer (the more active) months.

Map of Black Rock prior to the War of 1812

During the War of 1812, General Porter served in the New York State Militia. In congress, Porter was labelled a War Hawk as he fought for security of the Niagara Frontier as the conflict leading up to the war became heated. He found strong allies in Henry Clay and John Calhoun and was named chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Porter was presented a gold medal from Congress on November 3, 1814 for “gallantry and good conduct” during the Battle of Chippewa, Battle of Niagara and Battle of Erie.

Following the War of 1812, Porter was able to assist in getting the War Department to use federal troops to repair and improve roads between Fort Niagara and Black Rock which were damaged during the war. Porter also brought federal funds to the area to build roads and canals. Porter and his supporters also wanted the federal government to build roads from the “Buffalo Frontier” to Washington to foster trade between the federal capital, the Atlantic Coast and the Great Lakes. This led to conflicts between Black Rock (which was Peter Porter, because of his vast real estate holdings and commercial enterprises) and Buffalo’s leaders – including Samuel Wilkeson, Albert Tracy, David Day and Oliver Forward. Buffalo’s leaders were on the side of Dewitt Clinton, Mayor of New York City at the time. Porter and his friends were on the anti-Clinton political faction.

General Peter served as Secretary of State of New York from 1815 to 1816. During a special election after the resignation of Governor Tompkins, Tammany Hall printed ballots with Porter’s name on them. Porter received 1300 votes, despite not running for office. Governor Dewitt Clinton won that election, despite Tammany Hall’s efforts.

General Porter was appointed to the Canal Commission created to examine possible canal routes. Governor Clinton opted for a Hudson River to Lake Erie straight across the state. General Porter preferred two canals, one joining the Hudson River with Lake Ontario and one around Niagara Falls, joining Lake Erie and Ontario. Buffalo Leaders and Joseph Ellicott preferred Clinton’s ideas, but in 1814, it seemed that the Canal Commission might adopt Porter’s suggestions. By 1816, Porter had not been reappointed to the Canal Commission as he had accepted the office of boundary commissioner to clarify the disputed sections of the US-Canada Border. Joseph Ellicott replaced Porter on the Commission, Dewitt Clinton had been elected Governor, and the Erie Canal took the alignment we are familiar with today.

The rivalry then shifted to whether Buffalo or Black Rock would be the western terminus for the Erie Canal. Black Rock had a large, natural harbor which would be easy to expand and for years it had been the center of east-west trade and was used even by the merchants in Buffalo. Black Rock also provided an escape from the turbulent winds and swells coming across Lake Erie. It also would shorten the canal a few miles, lowering construction costs. Buffalo had advantages too: it was out of the range of British canons on the Canadian Shore (which was important given the recent War with Great Britain). Higher water levels meant the canal would feed better in Buffalo. Samuel Wilkeson led the charge, along with a group of enterprising men, determined to make Buffalo the canal terminus. A report by engineers stated that the terminus should be located in Buffalo as the Black Rock harbor was too vulnerable to British attack, too exposed to ice damage and too expensive to develop. While several later reports supported Black Rock, the Canal Commission designated Buffalo as the canal terminus in 1822, on the advice of four out of five of its engineers. Efforts by Porter and his friends to alter the decision were fruitless, and bills were passed in the legislature for a canal link from Tonawanda to Buffalo, completely bypassing Black Rock.

Porter House facing Niagara Street circa 1880s when Lewis Allen owned the house

General Porter built a house at 1192 Niagara Street (between Breckenridge and Ferry) in 1816. He Porter married Letitia Breckenridge of the prominent Breckenridge family. Breckenridge Street, which was originally called Commerce Street, is named after her. When Grover Cleveland moved here to Buffalo, he lived in the Porter house, with his Aunt and Uncle, the Allens. Peter and Letitia’s son Peter A. Porter went on to become a Civil War Colonel, killed in the Battle of Cold Harbor in 1864.

General Porter donated the land for the Union Meeting House Church across the street from his house. The church is located at 44 Breckenridge and is also known as the Breckenridge Street Church.

Peter Porter was also President of Jubilee Water Works, the first company to bring water into people’s homes. The water came from the jubilee spring (located in present day Forest Lawn…Crystal Lake is formed from waters from the spring) and was pumped through wooden pipes. Some of Buffalo’s wooden water pipes still exist.

Peter Porter’s Grave

In 1837, Black Rock was dealt another blow when General Porter sold his interests there and moved to Niagara Falls where he built a new home. Peter Porter died in 1844, and Fort Porter was named in honor of the businessman-politician-soldier. Peter and Augustus Porter are both buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Niagara Falls. Nine years after his death, Porter’s beloved Black Rock was annexed to a thriving, expanding Buffalo. Black Rock became a neighborhood in the City of Buffalo.

The next time you’re driving down the 190 along the Niagara River or driving through Black Rock, think about Peter Porter and what our region might look like if we lived in the City of Black Rock and the Erie Canal went from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario!

Learn about other streets by checking out the street index.

Sources:

Courier Express, July 24 1938, sec 6, p.4.
Grande, Joseph. Peter B. Porter and the Buffalo Black-Rock Rivalry. Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society Publications.

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Grow the First Wheat in Western New York, Get TWO Streets Named After You

Posted in South Buffalo, tagged Battle of Buffalo, Black Rock, Buffalo, Cayuga Street schoolhouse, Hopkins Street, Nelson Hopkins, Timothy Hopkins, Town of Amherst, War of 1812 on September 6, 2013| 4 Comments »

Hopkins Street in South Buffalo

Hopkins Street is a north-south thoroughfare in South Buffalo. The road leads from South Park north towards the Buffalo River. Historically this area was a mix of commercial and industrial uses, connecting the steel mills to the adjacent South Buffalo neighborhoods.

Hopkins Street is named for Brigadier General Timothy S. Hopkins, a War of 1812 general. Hopkins Road in Amherst is also named General Hopkins.

The Hopkins family descended from Stephen Hopkins, who came over on the Mayflower. Oceanus Hopkins was born aboard the Mayflower. Most history books list Oceanus as a son; however, Hopkins family lore indicates that the family was bad at latin, she was a girl and should have been thus named Oceana. A second Stephen Hopkins signed the Declaration of Independence and Ichabod Hopkins signed the Constitution in Philadelphia on behalf of Massachusetts Ichabod Hopkins had a son, Timothy Soveral Hopkins.

Timothy S. Hopkins

Timothy S. Hopkins was born in Massachusetts in 1776. He arrived in Clarence at the age of 22, arriving by foot. He then purchased land in 1804 from the Holland Land Company. Mr. Hopkins is said to have grown the first wheat on the Holland Purchase, on a farm in Clarence Hollow. When it was ready to be ground, he had to travel to Street’s mill at Chippewa, a village that became a part of the City of Niagara Falls, Ontario. This was a distance of 40 miles! The trip took four days and included a ferry ride from Black Rock, where only one family resided – the family of the ferry owner! Timothy married his wife Nancy Kerr in Williamsville; their marriage was the first recorded marriage in Erie County. They settled on Main Street on a farm in Snyder, near where Amherst Central High School is currently located.

Burning of Black Rock, December 1813

During the War of 1812, Mr. Hopkins rose through the rank to Brigadier General. He was an important part of the Battle Of Buffalo (also known as Battle of Black Rock), where he was stationed in Black Rock. Following the war, he resigned from his post.

In 1819, he became the first Supervisor of the Town of Amherst and later served as Justice of the Peace. His reputation spread through the area, and he was elected Sheriff of Erie County. He was later elected to the New York State Assembly.

The Cayuga Street Stone School

The Cayuga Street stone school-house in Williamsville was built by Timothy S. Hopkins in 1840 and still stands in Williamsville at 72 Cayuga. He died January 23, 1853.

Nelson Hopkins grave

Nelson Kerr Hopkins, Timothy’s son, owned much of the land which included Hopkins Street. Nelson subdivided the land into building lots and named the street after his father. Nelson served as President of the Common Council of Buffalo and was New York State Comptroller from 1872 to 1875. Nelson also organized the City’s first paid fire department and served as fire commissioner for ten years. Nelson died in 1904 and is buried in Forest Lawn.

Timothy A. Hopkins

Nelson’s brother, Timothy Augustus Hopkins owned the Eagle Hotel in Williamsville, which is now known as the Eagle House. He also operated a mill near the Eagle House, served as Justice of the Peace and Erie County Sheriff. Timothy A. Hopkins is responsible for building a bridge over the Erie Canal in the Tonawanda Creek area, and constructing drainage ditches in the northern part of Amherst to reclaim thousands of acres of land that were often covered by spring floods after a dam was placed near the mouth of Tonawanda Creek for canal purpose. Timothy A. Hopkins passed away in 1894 and is buried in Williamsville Cemetery.

The Hopkins Street area is currently a part of the City of Buffalo South Buffalo Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA). This study being done by New York State is working to revitalize the neighborhood by cleaning up vacant industrial sites and marketing properties for redevelopment. More information about the South Buffalo BOA can be found through Buffalo Urban Development Corporation.

Be sure to check out the Street Index to learn about other streets!

Sources:

“Hopkins Street named for 1812 General” Courier Express. Oct 30 1939, sec 6 p 4.
Larned, Josephus Nelson. The Progress of the Empire State: the History of Buffalo. Published by The Progress of the Empire State Company, New York: 1913.
Smith, Henry Perry. History of the City of Buffalo and Erie County, Volume 1: 1620-1884. D. Mason & Co Publishers, Syracuse NY: 1884.

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Sell Land to City of Buffalo to Create Riverside Park, Get a Street Named After You

Posted in North Buffalo, Riverside, tagged Argus Street, Black Rock, Buffalo, Cornelius Creek, Esser Avenue, Hartman Place, Hartman Street, Hertel Avenue, History, Olmsted, Riverside, Riverside Park, Roesch Avenue, Ullman Street on August 29, 2013| 8 Comments »

Hertel Avenue is a major east-west thoroughfare in North Buffalo running from Main Street to the Niagara River. The street was previously known as Cornelius Creek Road, named after the creek, which ran near the street. Hertel Avenue was named for John Stephen Hertel, former County Supervisor.

Hertel Avenue and others Named After Black Rock Land Company Associates

Hertel Avenue and other streets named after Black Rock Land Company associates

Mr. Hertel was one of three owners of the land that is now Riverside Park and was a founder of the Black Rock Land Company, the first land development company in Buffalo. The Black Rock Land Company was founded in 1888 and consisted of John Hertel, John Esser, Frank Argus, Louis Roesch and Frederick Ullman. You’ll notice that several other streets in the Black Rock/Riverside neighborhoods are named after these men.

John Stephen Hertel came to Black Rock with his parents at the age of two, immigrating from Edesheim Germany. Mr. Hertel attended St. Francis School and learned the cooper trade, making barrels for brewers and distillers. He then became involved in the hotel business. He opened a hotel at the corner of what would become Hertel Avenue and Niagara Street. Before the 1890s, the Riverside area was primarily rural countryside. At the time, the street that would become Hertel Avenue only extended from Niagara Street to Military Road. When the Niagara Horse Car Line was extended to Hertel Avenue, the legend says that Mr. Hertel was so excited, he ran out of the hotel without a coat to be the first to ride on the first horse-car to pass the hotel.

John S. Hertel, 1899

Mr. Hertel was also the director of the Erie Fire Insurance Company and had extensive real estate holdings. The Black Rock Land Company was formed in 1888 and was one of the first development companyies in the City of Buffalo. The Land Company included Mr. Hertel, Mr. Esser, Mr. Argus, Mr. Roesch and Mr. Ullman. Mr. Hertel’s property included most of the land occupied by Peoria Street and Hartman Place. He subdivided the streets and named the latter for the family of his wife, the former Anna S. Hartman of Rochester. The hotel was successful for Mr. Hertel. He then went into business with John J. Esser and Frank Argus to purchase what was known as Germania Park, which at the time was a private picnic grounds with a boat launch. They built a hotel at Germania Park. The City of Buffalo offered to purchase their property. The City of Buffalo used this site to create Riverside Park.

Riverside Park, about 1910

At the time, there was great support for the City to buy Germania Park, to give the public a place to enjoy the river “where any resident of Buffalo could go with his whole family and be free from beer saloons and drunken men”. Riverside Park was the final park designed for Buffalo by the Olmsted Architecture Firm, following Frederick Law Olmsted’s retirement. The park was designed in 1898, at the time the Erie Canal traversed the park, separating the shoreline from the main part of the park. The original 22-acre park included a boat dock and canal overpass. The New York State Thruway I-190 currently runs along the Erie Canal alignment. The park was expanded in 1912 to include an additional 17 acres on the south side of the park. The original southern boundary was a line extending from Esser Avenue to the Niagara River.

After selling Germania Park, Mr. Hertel and Mr. Esser left the hotel business. They entered into the coal and wood business, establishing the business near the corner of Niagara and Farmer Streets. They also established the Tonawanda Street Planing Mill at Tonawanda and Arthur Streets.

John Hertel and his wife Anna lived with their family at 362 Dearborn Street. The Hertel family lived in the house for several generations, his son John Stephen Hertel II, his daughter Mrs. Franscis Healy and his grandson John Hertel Healy all lived in the Dearborn house.

John Stephen Hertel was a life long democrat and was active in local politics. He was unsuccessful in a campaign for congress. For 27 years, he was a lieutenant colonel of the Knights of St. John. He was a member of St. Mary’s Commandery and an organizer of the commendary at St. Francis Church. St. Francis Church is now the Buffalo Religious Arts Center. He was active in the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Men’s Benevolent Association, the Foresters of America and the Black Rock Businessmen’s Association. He died in 1917 and is buried at the United German and French Cemetery in Cheektowaga

To learn about other streets, check out the Street Index.

Sources:

“Hertel Avenue Honors Civic Leader’s Memory” Courier Express Feb 26, 1939, sec. 7 p 3
http://www.buffalohistorygazette.com/2011/07/so-who-was-hertel-avenue.html
Black Rock-Riverside Good Neighbors Planning Alliance Neighborhood Plan. January 2007.
“Down at the Rock” The Buffalo Courier, Jan 22, 1894.

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Did the pioneers know how to count?

Posted in West Side, tagged Black Rock, Buffalo, erie canal, History, maps, New York, Street Numbers, Streets on August 10, 2011| 7 Comments »

Numbered Streets in Buffalo

One thing many people don’t understand is Buffalo’s numbered streets. Sure, we don’t have a perfect numbered grid like New York City, but our radial street pattern and unique street names are important to the City of Buffalo’s identity. (Also, it gives me a reason to blog).

While Buffalo does have some numbered streets, the numbered streets seem not to make any sense at all. They are scattered throughout the west side of Buffalo in a seemingly random fashion. We have the following numbered streets:

4^th
7^th
10^th
14^th
15^th
16^th
17^th
18^th
19^th

Why do they start with number 4? Why do they skip numbers? Why don’t they make any sense?

(more…)

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Angela Keppel

Angela Keppel is a Buffalo, NY history enthusiast and urban planner. She spent her childhood in the Grosvenor Room at the downtown library and the Buffalo History Museum. "Talking Proud" is her anthem.

For more information and to contact Angela, please see the about me tab at the top of the page.

A complete list of streets which have been written about can also be found at the top of the page under the Street Index tab.

All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. Any photographs displayed on the blog are for information purposes only. Attempts have been made to source to original image content wherever possible. If you own a specific image on this site and want it removed, please email me at buffalostreets (at) gmail.com and I will remove it.
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