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 16, 2014 | Harvey C Ware, Historical Society of Port Byron, Main Street Garage, Port Byron, Port Byron Historical Society
The caption for this photo says; “Harvey C. Ware, Main Street, PB”. Below, the ad is from 1915.Checking the papers, a couple articles are found that state that H.C. Ware and Nicholas Goss were the owners in 1915. But by 1920, Fred Clark is mentioned as the...
by Old Mentz | Apr 13, 2013 | Erie Canal, Harry King, Historical Society of Port Byron, Lock 52 Historical Society, Mentz, Port Byron, Port Byron Historical Society, Richard King
This time, I am featuring a letter I found in the files. It is a great look back at the village and what was going on in the Erie Canal times. This letter was written by the Rev. Harry King to his brother Richard T. King, who many will recall was the publisher of the...
