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Learn about Middleport's history from our Village Historian Anna Wallace
with her varied and interesting stories taken right from Middleport's past listed below.
And since our residents love to share their memories about Middleport, click on these
additional links for more about everyday life in Middleport and the role of the Erie Canal
in the Village's rich history.
Residents' Recollections
Enjoy memories of growing up in the Village, school days and special times in "The Friendly Community."
Click here to read more.
On the Erie Canal
Village Historian Anna Wallace shares some history and background of the canal and its role in the
development of Middleport. Click here to read more.
More from Village Historian Anna Wallace
Delivering to the Basket Factory
This is how the Basket Factory look in about 1908. Seated on the delivery wagon
is Paul McClew of Watson Ave. how is about to leave to deliver 5,000 four-quart
baskets to some farmers.
Standing beside the wagon are Ray Harrington, John O'Shaughnessey and J.C. Jackson.
Mr. O'Shaughnessey and his brother, Tim, ran the factory at that time.
McClew tells of how often he left the factory at 7 a.m. to deliver baskets and
didn't return until 9 or 10 p.m. Sometimes when he got sleepy, if he was close
enough to home, he would lay at the bottom of the empty wagon and let his team or
horses bring him home to Middleport.
Flour Mill
The four-story stone flour mill stood at the southwest corner of
Hartland Street and Sherman Road for 132 years. The mill,
built by Buel Barnes and powered by a water wheel, was
demolished in 1988.
Buel Barnes had owned a flourmill on the canal towpath, and in 1856
built the "Lower Mills", or the "Hartland Mills", dealing
in wholesale and retail sales.
In 1887 he began shipping his flour in barrels, as cooper George Smith
was making a very tight, smooth barrel, fastened with a
locking rack-hoop, requiring no nails. Barnes was one of the
oldest millers in the state, having been in business since
1842, making a high grade of family flour.
After Barnes died in 1896 the mill was operated by John F. Little & Son,
and was later purchased by the Thompson Milling Company of
Lockport, advertising Angelus and Pride of Niagara flours,
and Snow White Pastry flour.
With the advent of new technology and new methods of milling, the mill had
been closed for about 40 years. The roof was allowed to
deteriorate and eventually the rest of the building started
falling apart. Demolition was requested by neighbors for fear of
safety of the children, which was done in 1988.
Where did Park Avenue get its name?
Why is that small nude statue in the Village Hall?
On the 1860 map of the Village, the first after incorporation, the area
between Main Street and Vernon Street, now "the park", was "Common Hall".
Possibly developed in a way similar to the old New England villages where
the public buildings surrounded the village square, in that in 1827 the
Methodist Episcopal Church was built on the southwest corner of the Common
in 1841 the Universalist Church was erected on Main Street at the end of
the Common, and in 1843 the Academy was built across from the Methodist
Church.
At the southeast end of the Common, District #1 school was built in 1846
with the third addition in 1898. Across the corner the Vernon Hotel was
erected by 1874, becoming the Grove House by 1886 and burning in 1899. In
1889 the Presbyterian Church was built at the east end of the Common on
Vernon Street. The new Methodist Church was built on its site in 1899.
Trees on either side of the park were planted between 1878-1884.
The coming of the trolley in 1908 created a furor as the route was planned
to come down Liberty Street (presently the east end of Park Avenue), go
across the park and out Church Street. After litigation, the tracks did go
through the park. Possibly to appease those people opposed, the whole
street was named Park Avenue. It officially became a street in 1915. Curbing
was laid in the early 1920s. Park Avenue was repaved and newly curbed in the
summer of 2003 and remnants of the old trolley tracks were removed.
The original buildings in the park burned: The hotel in 1896, the church
and school in 1910 and the Common became a park. $1000 was received from
the estate of Truman Jennings, Mayor of the Village (1907-1910) for a
fountain to be placed in the park. The next year, a $500 memorial was
donated by the wife of R. S. Hawkins, Village Clerk from 1907-1910, to
beautify the park.
In 1930 a pond was put in near the southeast end of Park Avenue to surround
the memorial fountain, and the addition of shrubbery and benches created a
small park that became a popular spot for the citizenry to relax and "watch
the world go by". The fountain statue chosen for the pond was Berge's "Duck
Mother".
The park was abused and in 1950 the bronze statue was removed and placed in
the Village Public Works Garage. About 30 years later, the head of the
Department found it and cleaned it. It now graces the hallway as one enters
the Village Board room. Because of a complaint about the small nude statue
where "everyone could see it," for several years it was draped with a
beige crocheted shawl. It now stands as it was intended.
The area of the fountain pond now blossoms with flowering bulbs in the spring and
impatiens in the summer.
Middleport's Opera House
The early Opera Houses were the major activity and entertainment centers for their communities. The
first one here was Compton's Opera House on Main Street, where the old theater, as and where the
dentist office is located now. It burned in 1876.
I've not learned just when the Opera House on State Street was built. In 1886 it was known as the
VanDyke Opera House, owned by Robert Davison and managed by J. VanDyke. The following year
management, as by J. E. Cooper, who later established the Middleport Herald (newspaper) and Myron S.
Pike. More dressing rooms were added, more chairs purchased, and the box office was relocated at the
head of the stairs.
From an early post card picture, it looks as though the box office might have been a small "room"
located on ground level at the east front corner of the building. Max Harpuder moved to Middleport
from Wilcox, PA, in 1895 to opera business, and the Opera House was the only building available for
purchase. He had his business on the street level, and managed the music house for two years,
featuring the Guy Brothers Minstrel Shows and other troupes, and medicine shows. In 1897 he moved his
clothing business to the Linus Spalding store on Main Street. There he always remained.
Many parties were held at the Opera House; Mrs. Ella Taylor Bennett directed many plays as she
had a wide experience in theater before coming to Middleport. A skating rink was opened in
1908, skating two nights per week with a 7-piece orchestra furnishing music;
15 cents included the rental of skates. A series of dances were held in 1914, and a banquet
was held in honor of George F. Thompson, possibly when he was elected NYS Senator. In 1924
the high school Senior Ball was held there.
Automobile agencies used the building from the time of the Sears Motor Sales in the early
1920s, and dances were held upstairs at "Sears Hall". When Hollinger & Shaw purchased the
building in 1932 they displayed their new" cars in the show room on the first floor, and
warehoused their used autos in the upstairs. A wide, steep ramp came down to the street
level, and when an employee was bringing a car down, its brakes failed. He went straight
across the street, into a door yard, between a tree and a telepphone pole — no damage done! No
traffic coming!
Photo — Inside the Opera House in Middleport. The opera house was the scene of many
gay parties during the early two decades of the 1900. This photo was taken at a "hard time"
party around 1910. During this period Ella Bennett produced and directed many home-talent
plays.
CALLING MIDDLEPORT!
The first dial telephones in the area were installed in 1938 at Middleport and Gasport, apparently
as a "trial run".
Lockport, with 10,000 customers, received their dial system in 1951. In 1950,
New York Telephone Company was granted the first rate increase in 20 years.
Middleport residence private lines cost $3.25; 4-party
lines and rural, $2.50. Business private, $5.50; 2-party lines $4.75, rural $3.75. There were 1385
phones in Middleport and Gasport. In 1930, Middleport could call only 1050 phones toll-free; now Middleport
subscribers could reach 1550 without toll.
All Middleport numbers received 5 digits, beginning with the office designation "6" in
1951, the first step in the program, which in the future would make it possible for direct dialing
over a wider area.
The Middleport Central Office building on Vernon Street was enlarged to increase their facilities
by 70%, as their daily volume of calls had increased from 2000 to 4000 in five years.
The public was invited to attend an informal Open House to see how the dial system works. Fees of
5 cents per minute were cancelled for Middleport-Medina calls.
A few years later all NY Telephone numbers were changed to a 2-letter, 5-numeral plan to prepare
for eventual nation-wide dialing by all customers. The Middleport Central Office name assigned was
Republic-5 — now "735".
Those strange looking radio relay antenna towers like the one on Mountain Road, are spaced about
30 miles apart and speed travel of the long distance calls and television programs. In 1963, Direct
Distance Dialing connected 83 million telephones across the country.
A Case for Stolen Identity — Giving Middleport A Bad Name
On occasion one hears about "stolen identity", and usually it comes through stolen
credit cards or social security numbers. But this one was different.
In 1975, the minister at the First Baptist Church near Binghamton, NY, Donald LaRose, 34, disappeared
after reportedly receiving threatening letters and calls from Satanists because he was teaching a
course on Satan. At least two other fundamental Baptist ministers in that area received similar
letters. Three months later LaRose turned up in Minneapolis, and said that his name was Bruce Kent
Williams, the son of Dr. and Mrs. Kent Williams of Middleport, NY.
He gave the correct birth date, parents' full names and the two addresses where the family had lived.
All were right. But he didn't ;say that the real Bruce Williams was killed in an auto accident at
Norwich, NY, on January 11, 1958, when he was only 19 and a sophomore at Colgate University.
LaRose, who disappeared on November 4, 1976, was last seen outside his church. He was found in
mid-February by a man attending a religious gathering in Minneapolis, who recognized him from a
photo in a Christian magazine; he reported that he had met a "Bruce Williams" who resembled
the photo of LaRose.
When he was first "found" he claimed to have been taken to Chicago first, where he met a
Donald Fragano. Then he said that he was a salesman for the Kent Williams and Donald Fragano companies.
Fragano was the other young man who was killed in the same accident as the real Williams.
Later, LaRose's explanation was that he had been kidnapped, confined in the back of a
van, and brainwashed with an electric machine into forgetting the past and believing that he was Williams.
He told a reporter that be learned who he really was after treatment with sodium penethal, a truth serum.
He and his wife and daughters bought a house in Chicago where he worked for a food service company,
and was working on a book about his experiences as "Bruce Williams".
Many wanted to know how he could learn enough about Bruce Williams to assume his "identity",
but from the various newspaper accounts one could glean enough information about him to request the
copy of a birth certificate from Albany. The State Police and FBI had worked diligently seeking
answers to the many questions that were raised during the long investigation, where the Rev. Mr.
LaRose had been referred to as a stable man and a man of high reputation.
Middleport Band and Bullfrog Concerts
The first reference to the Middleport Band was in 1840 at a Presidential Rally in the Town of Royalton
and a Temperance Rally in Lockport. We don't read of much activity again for about 20 years when the
Middleport Cornet Band was organized with 16 members. Over the years, they were referred to as the
Brass Band and the Saxophone Horn Band.
The Middleport Band played at the "pole raising" in Gasport in 1860, which was attended by
about 2,000 people. Streamers with the names of Lincoln and Hamlin were run up the 140 ft. pole. In
September 1861, the Middleport Brass Band provided soul stirring music at a meeting in the Pierce
Hotel for the purpose of raising volunteers for the Cavalry Company that was being organized. Five
young men responded to the call and a bounty of $25 was offered by the citizens, to be paid when they
were mustered into the service.
Toward the end of the century the Band was active socially, possibly to raise money for the new
instruments that were purchased. The following account is from an old newspaper article entitled
"The New Year and Century Welcomed in a Blaze of Glory."
"The 20th Century was ushered in by our citizens at midnight Monday in a blaze of fireworks,
booming cannon, ringing of church bells, blowing of whistles and general bedlam reigned supreme for a
short period.
The parade formed at the fire building and was headed by the Middleport Cornet Band. Next came the
float representing a house in which there sat an old woman holding an infant, symbolic of the new
century; following thereafter came the general participants dressed in grotesque costumes. Those in
the procession were well supplied with fireworks.
The parade moved exactly at midnight, and passed over the following streets: Main, South Vernon,
State and Main to the fire building.
Red fire was burned on every corner and the Roman candles illuminated the heavens.
The celebration was a success in every respect and everyone was satisfied. The
Century had been ushered in with a "hurrah" in case anyone has an idea they could improve on
the celebration of Monday evening, the opportunity is theirs at the dawn of the 21st Century, but we are
quite satisfied with the present one."
After they led the New Century Parade through the Village at midnight on January 2, 1901, there is no
further mention of them.
Wild Cat Creek — Powering Middleport's Growing Businesses
In most of the printed material we read, the growth of Middleport is attributed to the Erie Canal. But
some time ago, Elmer Vary, then our native and most senior citizen, felt that a great deal of credit
should be given to Jeddo Creek or "Wild Cat Creek" as it was known.
This creek and its four ponds furnished the employment for more than 400 at the 16 manufacturing firms
who used the water to power their steam engines, water wheels or both. At one time, the creek flowed
all year around, and was a fisherman's paradise. All kinds of fish were caught.
In 1872, about halfway between the railroad and Route 31, the R.T. Chase Cheese Factory made 400 lbs.
of cheese per day, the milk furnished by 130 cows. Just north of the Church St. bridge, the first pond
was located behind the houses on Orchard St. although it has been filled in for years except for the
creek bed. At the corner of Church and Orchard Streets, there was a broom factory, taken over by
Dr. E.L. Downey for the bottling of his "Downeyside" liquid insecticide.
The dry docks were on the west side of the pond at the canal; west of the docks a bay opened directly
into the canal so that the boats could be floated in and out of the docks. On the east side of the
pond was Monroe Woodworth's stave mill.
The next pond downstream was the grist mill pond, extending along N. Hartland St. from Mechanic St. t
Sherman Rd. On the southwest corner, the Carey Bothers Ice House stored 12'- 14' blocks of ice cut
from the pond. On the east side, a small culvert ran under Hartland St. to a small pond at the Gould
Greenhouse for their water supply. At the northeast corner at Sherman Rd., a 4-storey stone flour mill
operated for about 80 years. This pond was nearly square in shape and a waterfall flooded the area
that is now Trail Home Estates.
The third pond, or paper millpond, extended from Sherman Rd. to Chase Rd. along Hartland St. At the
northeast corner of this pond at Chase Road was the Sterritt Paper Mill, operating two 12-hour shifts
per day. This mill was taken over by the Middleport Electric Company about 1903, and supplied the
village with its first electric arc streetlights.
The fourth pond ran between Hartland Street and Chase Road, north of the Chase Road bridge. On the
northeast corner was the heading mill of George Smith. There were several heading mills, cooper shops
and stave yards along this creek, but when the bushel baskets and other small containers began to be
widely used in the shipping market, they faded out of the picture.
In 1902, a flash flood washed out the northern banks of all the ponds, and they were never fully
replaced. In the early 1930's, the upper gristmill pond was filled for swimming and skating, and was a
popular spot for a short time. About that time, the paper millpond was restocked with fish. There is
practically no evidence of these ponds today.
Mr. Vary recalled that this beautiful stream of water and the four waterfalls with the rapids between
the ponds, made a beautiful picture. The natural beauty in the abundance of blossoming aquatic plants
and the variety of water birds, the busy muskrats, and the evening bullfrog concerts were not to be
forgotten.
First Times in Middleport
By Anna Wallace, Village Historian
Middleport's First Mention...
The earliest mention of Middleport found in print is in a diary of Asa Fitch,
who with a group of others founded Rensslelear Polytechnic Institute.
Fitch was traveling the canal for he purpose of collecting specimens for natural
history.
On Wednesday, May 17, 1826, he wrote that , "The party spent the night at
Middleport." The journal reported that "At Middleport the buildings are chiefly logs, a bit
grotesque but not uninteresting. However, happiness might swell here."
Also, "The new hotel nearing completion will be one of the finest in the
area."
This would have been the Pierce Hotel, at the present location of the Credit
Union, and the old Fenton Hotel.
A Wild One...
When the settlers first arrived here, the area that is now Middleport was just
a wilderness. After the location of the canal had been decided, business began to spring up so as to
be "where the action" would be.
Around 1820, Levi Cole opened a hotel in a little log house at the southeast
corner of Main and State Streets. That was the beginning of Middleport village.
Later, he changed locations and built a frame house on the opposite corner.
The First Murder...
Don't Use Bad Words in Middleport
The first homicide in Middleport was committed by Levi Cole, keeper of the
log tavern.
It all started when a party of canal builders were in his tavern one evening.
They became somewhat noisy from the free use of firewater. They indulged in language not generally
used by sober men and Mrs. Cole was insulted.
The brewing fight was carried out into the street, and as Mr. Cole was being
chased, he picked up a club. He killed the man pursuing him with the club and seriously injured
another.
Cole was sent to State Prison for a short time for the deed.
First in Business...
The first merchant was James Northam who began his business in
1822 where Main St. crosses the canal. The canal hadn't been dug yet, but the trees
along the route had been cut down and the brush was piled up to be burned.
Northam's store was undoubtedly the site of the first Post Office
too. Records show that a Post Office was established by Postmaster James Northam on
March 25, 1825. His clerk was A.S. Baker, and he became the second Postmaster in 1829.
T'was Two Nights Before Christmas — A Big Heist...
In 1897, the Post Office was in the rear of the W. D. Hoyt
candy store at 31 Main Street. Two nights before Christmas, neighbors on Vernon
Street heard what sounded like an explosion and saw three men running down the street.
Nothing seemed amiss, and they went back to bed.
In the morning, it was discovered that the glass in the front door
of the store was broken. Thieves drilled a hole through the door into the Post Office.
The safe door was blown off and was driven clear through the wall.
They had stolen $600 in stamps and $15 in cash. The inventory was larger than
usual because of the Christmas mail rush to folks prospecting in the Klondike.
A team and sleigh had been stolen just outside the Village that night — the sleigh
was found in Erie County, but the thieves were never located.
Final Resting Place...
On the Historic Register
The Post Office was located at 20 Main Street for many years, until the
present one was built in 1940 at 42 Main Street as a WPA project.
The new Post Office replaced the Universalist Church Social Hall, the
trolley depot and a small home that at one time been the parsonage of the Methodist Church.
The present day Middleport Post Office was placed on the National
Historic Register in 1989.
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