by Old Mentz | Aug 9, 2021 | Uncategorized
Fire was a way of life for our early village and town residents. It was used to cook, heat, power steam engines, run a forge and so much more. And there were times when these utilitarian fires became destructive. A flames and burning embers would spread the fire to...
by Old Mentz | Jul 19, 2021 | Uncategorized
By Anita Messina To most people Inez Shotz was the lady on the phone. Helen Lauckarn said they were next door neighbors on Main Street but they didn’t know her well, except she frequently called. Barbara Jean Van Ditto remembers Inez Shotz only as the woman who called...
by Old Mentz | Jun 26, 2021 | Uncategorized
editor- This was written by Burdett Ray in 1998 shortly before his death. His obituary states that; “He was happy to share his knowledge of things and people with whom he came in contact.” These personal recollections help to bring the past to life. This...
by Old Mentz | Jun 13, 2021 | Uncategorized
In the year 1900 the Erie Canal was eighty-years-old, and it was showing it’s age. The state of New York was investigating whether to construct a new Barge Canal, fix up the old and worn canal, or get out of the canal business altogether. In November 1903, the voters...
by Old Mentz | May 29, 2021 | Uncategorized
The warmer weather certainly slows down research, but we have added a couple new groups to the Port Byron Family Tree project. As we were preparing the spring issue of the Lock 52 Chronicle newsletter, we had a question about the Tatgenhorst Block and where it was...
by Old Mentz | May 8, 2021 | Uncategorized
Front row, seated left to right: Charles Howell Sam Roney Jack Graham John Corfield Eugene Lyons Dan Elliot John Caveny/Ware/Hearn (?) (children) Charlie Blass Mr. ________ Dan Baldwin Mr. Newkirk J T Dixon Dolly Vosburg Lew Jones Earl Elliot Glen Clarke Bob Beach Gus...
by Old Mentz | May 7, 2021 | Uncategorized
by Anita Messina On a walk through a small woodland off Trumbull Road, Cato Town Historian Eva Sholes and her daughter Amy came upon a large granite boulder, four feet in diameter, lying on the west bank of a slender creek off Trumbull Road and Route 31. Imbedded in...
by Old Mentz | Apr 20, 2021 | Uncategorized
The construction and opening of the New York State Barge Canal in 1918 ended the canal era in Port Byron. The original Erie Canal had been built through the young village in 1819 and had opened for business in 1820. Ninety-eight years later the old Erie was abandoned,...
by Old Mentz | Apr 1, 2021 | Uncategorized
We were given the chance to borrow and scan a few of the older yearbooks, however the binding made it difficult to get a good scan without beating up the book too much, so we opted for a few scans of the students. We start with the yearbook staff, a mix of fourteen...
by Old Mentz | Mar 20, 2021 | Uncategorized
Do you remember the InPort? In May of 1992, Louis Ryan, who was the founder and editor of the paper, introduced the first issue by writing; “This monthly news magazine is undertaken with the intent to bridge the gap in communications between segments of our...
