by Old Mentz | Apr 29, 2017 | Anita Messina, Leona Dove, Leona Morningstar, Port Byron, Port Byron Historical Society
Leona Morningstar DoveBy Anita MessinaI was born April 8, 1915 in Athens, Pennsylvania. Now I live here near my daughter.My two earliest memories were playing house and baking a real cake in a toy cake pan. Another memory I have is when my sister Marian was taken for...
by Old Mentz | Apr 29, 2017 | Anita Messina, Port Byron, Ted Eiben
Ted EibenConservationist and Fighter Plane AviatorBy Anita MessinaTed Eiben recalls the first time he came to Port Byron to visit one of Port Byron’s gifted artists, Lindy Burke. He drove through town and noticed “the most beautiful building, the school.” A slight...
by Old Mentz | Feb 23, 2017 | Anita Messina, Frank Green, Lock 52 Historical Society, Port Byron
Keep a Good Book in Your Pocketby Anita MessinaFrank Greene doesn’t understand why people can’t sit down and calmly discuss their problems until their differences are worked out. Ongoing conflicts trouble him. They especially troubled him when he was Staff Sergeant...
by Old Mentz | Feb 11, 2017 | Anita Messina, Lock 52 Historical Society, Port Byron, Sally Smith
Nonagenarian Dynamo: A Woman to RememberBy Anita Messina Lithe and energetic Sally Smith kayaked, canoed and played a round of golf every Friday. And doing it all when she was well into her ninth decade.The links game gave her pause to consider whether she should...
by Old Mentz | Feb 5, 2017 | Anita Messina, Hellen Davies, Lock 52 Historical Society, Port Byron
Tribute to Hellen DaviesAnita MessinaSome folks give and then they give some more. Such a rare community patron is Hellen Davies, historian, benefactor, researcher, perpetual teacher, a person with unbridled curiosity and amazement for all things past and present.It’s...
by Old Mentz | Jan 30, 2017 | Anita Messina, Blake's Pharmacy, Helen Lauckarn, Port Byron
Helen Lauckarn by Anita Messina Helen Lauckarn and her husband Paul moved to Port Byron in 1951. Paul found employment at Columbia Rope Company, and they rented the upstairs apartment in one of the two houses located on the plot now used by Savannah bank. From...
by Old Mentz | Jan 29, 2017 | Anita Messina, Delvin Wilt, Port Byron, Ted Wilt, Wilt's Mill
TED WILT’S RECOLLECTIONS by Anita Messina Ted Wilt lives in a white house on a pristine lot on Green Street here in Port Byron. He and his wife Lola have lived there for most of their 70-year marriage. The large lot once held an old mill that had been in the family...
by Old Mentz | Aug 29, 2015 | Fred Thrush, Interurban railroad, motels, Octagon Cabins, Port Byron, Port Byron Historical Society, Rochester Syracuse and Eastern
Way back in 2014, I wrote a short post about the Octagon Cabins. These were small waiting rooms that were built for flag stops along the Rochester, Syracuse and Eastern. The “bible” of all study on the RS&E, written by Gordon and McFarlane, describes...
by Old Mentz | May 31, 2015 | aerial views, Port Byron
Before the invention of the airplane, someone wanting a “birdseye” view of the village had to climb to the top of a nearby hill and hope for an open view. We have posted some of these birdseye views in prior post. After planes became available, it was...
by Old Mentz | Apr 8, 2015 | canal enlargement, downtown, Erie Canal, Historical Society of Port Byron, Lock 52 Historical Society, Port Byron
In the 1850’s, a battle of wills ensued in Port Byron over the route of the canal that led to great harm in the business district of the village. What is odd is that this battle seemed to be waged by local landowners with the support of State engineers. In the 1931...
