by Old Mentz | May 4, 2019 | Uncategorized
By Anita Messina John Seamans, nine years old, finished the last of his cold cereal, listening. He listened for a nearby screen door to fling open and slam shut. That was his signal that the first of the Pine Street kids was on his bike and headed for the cemetery for...
by Old Mentz | Mar 17, 2019 | Uncategorized
It is spring and soon the crack of bats, the loud voices of the coaches, (some might call it yelling), the call of “hey batteeeer!”, and the cheers of the parents will fill the air as Little League once again returns to the Green Street fields. It is a spring time...
by Old Mentz | Jan 27, 2019 | Uncategorized
On the first weekend of January, my wife and I took a day trip to Albany. It is always a pleasant trip, and it gives me a chance to see the old home region. However, the purpose of the trip was to follow up on some research in the New York State archives, and my wife...
by Old Mentz | Dec 2, 2018 | Uncategorized
Every so often, E-Bay will offer up an interesting historical item that helps to tell a story about Port Byron. So when this ad from the Plastic Boats, Inc of Port Byron showed up, I had to purchase it. The ad must have been cut out of a motor boating magazine and a...
by Old Mentz | Nov 10, 2018 | Uncategorized
When Veterans Day comes about, I like to feature on the Lock 52 Historical Society Facebook page a couple images of a group celebrating Peace or Armistice Day. These were found in the collection of materials that came from the old Port Byron Telephone Company, and...
by Old Mentz | Aug 22, 2018 | Uncategorized
My previous post about Ruth Cushman and her son Oliver was just the beginning of a adventure of sorts that would lead to the discovery of a new unknown portrait. Yes, it’s one of those stories historians hope for as we pull the backs off frames looking for clues to...
by Old Mentz | Aug 12, 2018 | Uncategorized
It is likely you have heard, sang, or hummed the old song “Fifteen Miles of the Erie Canal”, with the famous refrain “Low bridge, everybody down; Low bridge, for we are a coming to a town.” The Thomas S. Allen tune was written around 1911 about the time when the era...
by Old Mentz | Jul 16, 2018 | Uncategorized
(This is a slightly expanded version of what will appear in the Citizen.) Last month I wrote about the death of Ethen Akin, and his possible relationship to the Mount Pleasant Cemetery. This month, I wanted to write about his life. Ethen was born in 1779 in White...
by Old Mentz | Jul 8, 2018 | Uncategorized
By Anita Messina Bill Pilgrim is remembered as Port Byron’s Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals, as president of the Port Byron School Board, as a friend with a great sense of humor. But not many knew he was the holder of nine patents, each responsible for an...
by Old Mentz | Jun 25, 2018 | Uncategorized
The name Akin is not well known when it comes to Mentz history. We tend to think of names such as King, Buck, Rooker, and many others. But Akin? The story of Ethen Akin will be the subject of a upcoming column, but for the purpose of today’s article, we look to deaths...
