on the Erie Canal, Niagara County NY
The community of Middleport has been home to many different businesses throughout the years. Gin mills were very common and old maps show we had plenty of them to keep residents and canal workers well supplied. We also had several nice hotels which gave travelers a place to rest when passing through. There were plenty
The opening of the canal in 1825 was responsible for much of the growth of this little village of Middleport, New York. It wasn’t much longer before the first train came chugging through Middleport, again changing how people were able to transport goods and families to the west. The first train came through in June
Local business man and inventor Ernest B. Freeman invented a gas spraying device in his machine shop which earned a patent on July 12, 1904. It won national acclaim when the machine won a gold medal at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and soon, with the support of local investors, Mr. Freeman established the Niagara Sprayer
The name Levi Cole was associated with a log house/tavern in the early days of our history. Mr. Cole moved his business to the corner of what is now Main and State Street when he heard of the planned building of the canal. He also became known as being responsible for the first documented homicide
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.
After Batavia was made the county seat in 1802, the Holland Land Company, comprised of 6 different Dutch banking houses, opened this area to settlers with prices of $2.50 per acre of land. Some of the early names in our area were James Lyman, James Williams, John Griswold and of course Asher Freeman. Mr. Freeman bought
Many of our early settlers made their way across New York State from Vermont along the Great Central Trail, known to us today as Buffalo Road and Route 5. The early trails were only 12-18 inches wide and were gradually widened to about 10 feet to allow for the passage of wagons. The Holland Land
The art in this industrial chart produced in 1881 was attributed to two artists, Philleo who sketched the bodies and other figures and Pollard who was responsible for the faces. W.F. Pollard and Company were responsible for cartoons and commercial advertising in the local Middleport Times and the Middleport Mail who fought for newspaper supremacy
Some time ago, a question came up about the location of the old trolley station here in Middleport. We learned of the location of a Park Inn on the corner of Main and the park owned by Mr. and Mrs. Fred Dreher. It is located on the insurance maps of 1911 on the corner of
Early Middleport was often the scene of devastating fires but none as sad as the early morning fire of February 23, 1910. Firemen were called to the south side of Park Avenue near Vernon Street to the building that housed the Union Free School, which had been established in 1891 to ensure “educating our children
