on the Erie Canal, Niagara County NY
A large four story building that stood on the northwest side of the canal had a rich history and several different names. It started as a flour mill which was destroyed in 1859 and came back to life in 1883 as the Ontario Preserving Company. The property was leased to the company by Buel P.
In a moving ceremony attended by many of our local residents, the Fire Bell Memorial was rededicated this past Memorial Day 2016. The Middleport Fire Department first dedicated their bell memorial in the park on Memorial Day of 1952 in honor of the deceased members of the department. The bell used to hang in a tower
It was back in April of 1841 that the Middleport Universalists organized their church on a piece of land donated by John Craig. The building of the church was accomplished with smooth, egg shaped stones gathered by the congregation from the shore of Lake Ontario and under the supervision of stone mason Emery Smith. Reverend
As early as 1825, the corner of Main and State Street in Middleport was known for its stately hotel, then called the Pierce House. One of the finest establishments in the area, it provided a home away from home for many a traveler who passed through this area. After a fire in 1883, the original
The corner of Main and State Street in Middleport started with its first hotel in 1825 when Horace Pierce built what was then known as the Pierce House. In 1883 it burned to the ground and the property was purchased by Asa Rich, who replaced it with a brick structure known as the Hotel Rich.
by Anna Wallace, Former Village Historian 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
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
A Saturday evening in July 1999 brought eight fire companies and 100 firefighters to Main and State Streets to fight what would become a seven hour long battle. The fire, which started 2 State Street, quickly spread through 4 State Street and then to an adjacent building at 17 Main Street. Heavy smoke billowed from
