Armistice Day 1918

On November 11, 1918, someone has the foresight to capture the Armistice Day celebration in Port Byron, here called the “Peace Day celebration Nov. 11, 1918”. Then they wrote a caption on the other; “Peace, a small gathering for songs, yells, noise,...

The Tale of the Run-away Teen

Sixty-three years ago, police departments all across the Untied States were on the lookout for a Port Byron teenager who had disappeared from the village without a trace. It’s one of those little stories that sit in the files of that Lock 52 Historical Society that...

Owl Club

I came across this photographic copy of a print or painting that showed the Port Byron’s Owl Club Roost #1. As with many items stuck on the shelves, there are no attributes, notes, who did it, no hints at all as to what it was. The print does offer clues of it’s own....

Frank W. Jacobs, the Horse Radish King

At the Lock 52 Historical Society, I have a shelf of Port Byron branded items. One of these items is a small jar that once held Pure Horse Radish made by F.W. Jacobs. Dave Thomas stopped by and said he had an article on the man, which gives us a look into the...
Beach’s Mill Race and the 1876 Feeder Map

Beach’s Mill Race and the 1876 Feeder Map

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...

A Letter to the Village Board

July 28, 2014To the Honorable Mayor and Village Trustees;Over the past week, I, acting as President of the Lock 52 Historical Society, have been dealing with the issue of a upcoming fund raiser and where to locate it. Two years ago, the Board of the Lock 52 Historical...