by portbyro | Jan 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
When we at Old Mentz Heritage Center take in photograghs. we scan them as 2400 dpi tiff files. The .tiff format is stable but dense and a typical cabinet card scan will be well over 100 mb in size. When I use in social media, I will run them through a image editor,...
by portbyro | Jan 26, 2026 | Uncategorized
We have thousands of photos in our collection, and if I were to guess, less than 25 percent are labeled or identified. Finding a labeled photo is certainly a treat, but most often, we are left guessing at who the person might be. If the photo is in a collection, that...
by portbyro | Jan 23, 2026 | Uncategorized
Well maybe. But first, I would like to introduce you to Mrs. Frances “Fanny” Preston Root. She was the wife of Samuel Root and, like many of our central New York early settlers, she was born in Connecticut before moving to Port Byron, back in the days when it was...
by portbyro | Jan 22, 2026 | Uncategorized
Over the past few months, I have been taking a deep dive into how, and how not to, use AI for my research into my family history. It really is an immersive learning curve where you jump in the deep end and try to swim. In our January, 2026 Genealogical Gatherings at...
by portbyro | Oct 20, 2025 | Uncategorized
Bernie Corcoran, Cayuga County GenWeb Co-coordinator will give a talk on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at 2 PM. The program is being sponsored by the Old Mentz Heritage Center and will be held at the Samuel Center...
by portbyro | Oct 17, 2025 | Uncategorized
The Seneca Chief Replica arrives on the Seneca River Barge Canal waters in Montezuma The Seneca Chief Replica Voyage on the Erie Canal commemorates one of the most iconic moments in New York State and American transportation history — the “Wedding of the Waters” in...
by portbyro | Oct 17, 2025 | Uncategorized
Bernie Cocoran, Cayuga County GenWeb Co-coordinator will give a talk on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at 2 PM. The program is being sponsored by the Old Mentz Heritage Center and will be held at the Samuel Center for Canal History, 38 Rochester Street in Port Byron....
by portbyro | Oct 17, 2025 | Uncategorized
In celebration of the Bicentennial of the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, “Clinton’s Ditch: The Story of Building of the Erie Canal,” an original historical drama was performed under the direction of Joni Lincoln chronicling America’s grandest and...
by portbyro | Oct 17, 2025 | Uncategorized
The month of May is National Preservation Month and 2025 marked a period to acknowledge its importance in American and local history. 2025 also was marked in time by the completion of Erie Canal and development of patriotism following the Revolutionary War and the...
by portbyro | Aug 9, 2025 | Uncategorized
This kind of fits with our yearlong look at all things canals, I hope. In past articles, I have written about how the route of the Erie Canal was changed in the village of Port Byron in 1857/58 during the canal enlargement of 1836-1862. For the village businesses that...