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...
by Old Mentz | Mar 29, 2015 | Aholiab Buck, Beach's Mill, Bucksville, E.H. Kerns, George Perkins, Historical Society of Port Byron, John Beach, Port Byron, Port Byron Historical Society
While writing about John Beach and his Mill, I was reminded of the stories that credit Beach with changing the name of the village from Bucksville to Port Byron. Over the years, many people have chimed in on this fascinating story, the latest was as late as 2012, when...
by Old Mentz | Mar 27, 2015 | Beach's Mill, grain mill, John Beach, John Harvey Beach, Port Byron
A 1839 portrait of John Harvey Beach. Beach’s Mill (1830-1857) Port Byron Anyone who has picked up any history of Port Byron has seen the description of Beach’s Mill; “In 1828, Mr. Beach settled in the place, purchased the water power on the Outlet, and built a...
by Old Mentz | Mar 25, 2015 | Uncategorized
One of the largest remains of our village past can be found south of Port Byron, running up the valley of the Owasco Outlet. It is the old Beach Millrace, a two mile long power canal that carried water from Hayden to the village. Built in 1830 by John Beach, it...