Niagara Falls Railroads

Back in the days when rail travel was the norm, Niagara Falls had many railroad lines and yards, which today are easily forgotten. The city was served by the New York Central RR, Erie RR (and others) as well as the Niagara Junction RR which serviced our industries. 

Today what are left of the rail lines and yards are but a glimmer of what once was. What with the talk of a new passenger station being built in the north end of the city one might reflect on what a tourist attraction our old station at 2nd St and Falls St would have been if it had been restored, instead of torn down. One of the main rail lines came in from Buffalo along the right-of-way paralleling Buffalo Ave/Erie Ave. After discharging passengers at the station it continued alongside Falls St and hooked a right up along the gorge towards the north end basically following what is now the Robert Moses Parkway. Another rail line ran north up what is currently an empty space between 8th and 9th St to a freight yard located approximately where the Harry Abate School is located. There were bridges over the tracks on Walnut, Ferry, and Pierce Avenues.

Prior to and during urban renewal the city put a priority to eliminate and/or relocate the rail lines that ran through the city. Everyone couldn’t wait until the tracks were eliminated from downtown so we wouldn’t have to wait an hour for a long freight to clear the crossings at 3^rd St and others. The fire department even had to have fire halls only a couple blocks from each other in case there was a train blocking the streets. How many of us remember driving up Niagara St to try and find an unblocked path across the tracks?

During the 1960’s, before the tracks were removed, a “high-speed” passenger rail car was running between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, with the intention to bring rapid transit between the cities, but it never was profitable. There were industries where the Aquarium now stands which were serviced by the trains, and there was several businesses around Michigan Ave & 11^th St served by the yards there.

Railroads were a large part of making Niagara Falls a tourist and industrial giant and they still provide necessary service to our community. Of course, should we ever get the high-speed rail line between Albany and here in these days of high gasoline prices, perhaps some of the glory may return.



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Sumbitted by Jim Brunn

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Falls Street - Niagara Falls, USA 1954

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Falls Street 1954 - Submitted to iWitnessNiagara by the Thomas Jacob Family.

The Victory Grill

These photos were taken at the Victory Grill owned by Joey Sacco 1965. (In the pictures, from left to right: Emilio Giuandinico, Carl Fosseen and Bernie O'Donnell)

"The Victory Grill was a popular bar on lower Main Street two doors down from Defazio's bar and bowling ally. I was one of the first musicians to play there with various bands. The owner was Joe Sacco Sr. who also owned the Buster Brown shoe store on Falls street near 2nd. It was small but had a good following." - submitted by Carl Fosseen

"We were known as Mel & The CB's. During the summer months we played 6 nights a week, with a marathon on Sunday from 3PM to 1AM" - Submitted by Bernie O'.







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Niagara Frontier Masonic Lodge #132

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When you drive down Walnut Avenue and reach Main St. you probably don't even notice the vacant lot on the left hand corner. You might be familiar with the medical offices at 549-4th St which Drs. Brezing built and occupied until they retired. Well that vacant lot used to be occupied by a rather magnificent building that housed the Niagara Frontier Masonic Lodge #132 and was the site of many fraternal and social events. The building interior was resplendent with dark walnut paneling and woodwork. There was an old-fashioned, operate it yourself elevator in side the main door that took you to the upper floors. The first floor held offices and a wonderful game room, complete with many beautiful pool and billiard tables as well as plush leather easy chairs and couches. This was the epitome of a men's club (it was a male only fraternity).

The second floor held a large kitchen and dining hall and was the location where "House Parties" were held. House parties were special nights when the whole family was welcomed and kids could play pool and ping pong, and parents could dance the evening away to the sounds of wonderful live orchestras. Food was also on the menu those nights and some of us kids got our biggest kicks out of playing elevator operator.

The third floor held the Fraternity meeting room and we were only allowed to view it. The Masonic Order has always been thought of a "secret society," and their meetings were for members only. However, it was obvious to us kids that something wonderful must occur in the meeting room because they had giant thrones and other accoutrements signifying some mysterious goings-on must happen on the third floor.

With declining membership, the Lodge couldn't handle the upkeep of such a large building so it was sold and subsequently torn down. Another shameful loss of an historical and magnificent structure in our city. Currently, the lodge meets at a former church on Colvin Blvd. but even that is up for sale.


Submitted by Jim Brunn

Niagara Power - A HOME RUN!

Niagara and Power! Two words that go together. But did you know that there is another "Niagara Power" in Niagara Falls? The Niagara Power is an expansion team in the New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL) and is an Affiliate of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), a national, faith-based ministry. FCA partnered with Cal Kern (Grand Island, NY) and the city of Niagara Falls to establish the Niagara Power in 2007.

The Power provides opportunities for furthering baseball skills and abilities of collegiate players while also emphasizing the importance of character, integrity, and excellence in baseball and in the community.

The New York Collegiate Baseball League, founded in 1978, is a summer wood bat development league for professional baseball. Major League Baseball funds a small portion of the leagues annual budget. The league gives college players who have not yet signed a professional contract the opportunity to develop their skills at a higher level of play, gain experience with wood bats, and be evaluated by scouts. The NYCBL is located in scenic Upstate New York.

Teams play a 44 game regular season schedule with games beginning in June and ending in the last week in July. All games are 9 innings, with most doubleheaders scheduled on the weekends. The All-Star game is played in early July, and the League Championship Series concludes in the first week of August.
Niagara Power players come from all over the country and are housed in host family homes around the area. I am currently housing two fine young men, Danny Hall, from San Jose, CA, and Matt Van Slyke, of Oxford, MS. What a joy it is to have the power of youth again in the home!! (and in case you baseball fans wondered, yes, Matt is related to the famous major leaguer, Andy Van Slyke, formerly of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who coincidentally, was one of my favorite major league players).
The Niagara Power 2010 season began on June 4th at Sal Maglie stadium, where all their home games are played.

The best thing for area baseball fans is the reasonable cost to attend a game. Adult ticket prices run $3 or $4, with a dollar off for senior citizens, and youth (6-12)tickets are only $1 or $2. Concessions are available at very reasonable cost and there are many promotion nights during the season. You can check out the team rosters as well as the schedule and other interesting facts at the team's website:
http://www.niagarapower.org.

If you are a baseball fan be sure to take in a game or 10 during the next two months and if you have a spare room available next year, please consider hosting a couple of these fine young athletes. I have just made two new, wonderful friends and look forward to a winning season.


Jim Brunn

"Packard Court" by Jim Brunn

I grew up in the projects. Today, when someone says that phrase you usually think of poverty, crime, drugs, and guns. But in the 1940's and 50's, growing up in the projects was a great place to live.

Although known as the "Honeymoon Capital of the World, "Niagara Falls, New York, was a center for war-time industry. As a result of the influx of war-time workers, primarily from Pennsylvania, Alabama, and other southern states, housing was at a premium. Packard Court was built in 1941-42 and was meant to house families whose bread-winner was working in factories such as DuPont, Hooker, Carbide, Carborundum, Vanadium and others, producing material for WWII.

Due to a high school football injury, my father was deferred from military service and went to work at the Chemical Warfare Plant operated by DuPont Chemical here in Niagara Falls. Our family was the first to move in to the still-under-construction project, settling in apartment 8E right after the building was finished. The day was bleak, rainy and muddy, but the excitement of relocating from a farming community to the "big city" was palpable. And to make it even better, we were going to have our maternal grandparents in the next apartment, 8F.

Packard Court was a near-perfect community, with buildings in circles of about 6, and each center area holding a playground for the children. On the west side of the project, extending from the main road about a mile back was a dense hickory forest with a creek running through it. On the north side of the complex were fields that included wild strawberries and many areas of high brush, into which we could venture and see various wild life, as well as create our "forts." And this was in the city (long before the power authority conduits destroyed the forest)! The fields extended to Porter Road which was the site of the LeValley Stables (yes, with horses) and the SPCA. We would frequently venture there to pet the horses or spend hours in the SPCA playing with the dogs and cats. The horses were available for riding on the bridle paths that extended throughout Hyde Park.

Green space not only surrounded us on three sides but was included within the project. Many a football game (mostly tackle - and no helmets or pads!!) was played on the expansive lawns maintained by the management.

Our 2 bedroom apartment was tiny by today's standards, but we thought it was great. We had coal-fired furnaces and the outside coal bin had a slanted, hinged, cover that was the perfect angle for winter "skiing." We had both a front porch and a back porch, and our mothers would sit out on nice days with their coffee discussing the news of the day with the neighbors.

It was a friendly place. On weekends our parents would have card games around the kitchen table with their friends. Although when television came along, Friday nights were made for walking to Eli Roffle’s gas station & the Packard Diner to watch the Friday night fights. Saturdays evenings were saved for the 'Rasslin' matches watched over a freshly grilled cheeseburg and milkshake. Very few residents had a personal TV of their own. The Packard Diner became our gathering place for television and Eli’s service station was a great place to “hang out,” and Mr. Roffle was very kind to us kids.

Street lights made it possible to have evening games of kick the can, or hide and seek, with our parents simply having to hollar or whistle when it was time to come in for the night. Summer days were usually spent in the woods climbing to the highest branches of the hickories, swaying in the wind, or perhaps playing a game of "war" with sticks for our rifles and plenty of good cover. We frequently would collect hickory nuts that our parents would crack and extract the nut meats for cookies or brownies or just nibbling.

Winter provided a chance to ice skate on the frozen creek, which extended several miles north before doubling back into Hyde Park Lake, where the city would clean the snow off with a bulldozer.

It took quite a few months for the completion of construction and the filling of the apartments, but when they were occupied we had a ready supply of friends our own age, many of which were kept for years afterwards. We lived in the projects for 11 years before our parents bought their first house.

Today Packard Court is a subsidized, low-income housing facility, recently renovated, and looks better today than it ever has been. The hickories are gone, replaced by baseball and soccer fields, and a new high school sits on the strawberry fields, but the great memories of a wonderful place in which to grow up will never be forgotten.

Jim Brunn


Apt 8F – at the time was one story 3 room apt.


Children outside - note the cars in the background!


Harold and Kay Quinn sitting on their back porch – Harold was an owner of Quinn and Keller Appliances in the 300 block of Third St.


Having morning coffee on back porch of Apt. 8E – Note the coal bin


Herold Woodring (visitor) and John Brunn standing outside Apt 8F c1945


Jim Brunn hiding behind great-aunt Eva Woodring c. 1946


Judy Brunn c1944 – buildings in background are around #20-22


Mary Woodring standing by the family sedan



Bob Woodring, who was a welder at DuPont following service with the US Army during WWII built the basketball “net”. Bob was an outstanding player in the Industrial Basketball league.


Circa 2009


Circa 2009


Circa 2009

Welcome Back Polish Nook!

THE POLISH NOOK
2242 Cudaback Ave, Niagara Falls, NY
(716) 282-6712‎
Hours - Wed to Sun 3pm-9pm

Yes folks, the restaurant is once again back in business and the food is as good or better than it ever was. It has started serving customers since last Friday. There has not been any public advertising as yet, but that will began in a week or so. So far it is by word of mouth, and that is how my wife and I wound up going there this evening for an excellent dinner for two! We had their Polish Platter and Steak and Shrimp dinners.. The meal included desert & coffee. The prices are excellent! Our cost for the two delicious meals was only S23.00!

They have a good selection of both Polish and Italian foods.

John, the former owner of "Johns Flaming Hearth" is now the owner of the' POLISH NOOK.' The combination of foods served at both former restaurants, should please all the former patrons of both restaurants. It is certainly a welcome addition to this area of the city and we wish them much success. This is what the city needs, more local investment by local entrepreneurs. We, my family and I, encourage the local people to make it a point to support this local effort to re-establish a lost business in the city! You can do this and enjoy great food at the same time!

Review by Terry L. Equils

Vintage Photo: Elderfield-Hartshorn Hardware Company

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Original 8x10 photo from Hotel Niagara dinner, 1938 for Mr. Hartshorn.
The Niagara Gazette published the photo in 1938 and the newspaper clipping indicates the following. "Pictured above are employees of the Elderfield-Hartshorn Hardware company gathered about the banquet table at a birthday dinner given Wednesday night at the Hotel Niagara in honor of Eugene G. Hartshorn, vice-president of the company. Mr. Hartshorn is completing his fifty-fourth year in the hardware business and will be 75 years old on April 15. He may be seen seated at the dinner table left of the center candelabra. "

My grandfather Tom Donato, worked at Elderfield-Hartshorns for many years after returning from service in France during WWI until it closed.

Memories of Elderfields?
Submitted by S Carr


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Vintage Jenss on Main Street Memories

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Main Street Snapshots circa 1960s

east side main st looking south from ontario (click image for larger photo)



east side main st look south from niagara ave (click image for larger photo)

Rockin on Main Street - 1967

Back in 1967 when Main Street was still a vibrant business district, the Main St. Businessmen's Association sponsored a yearly "Battle of the Bands," as part of the North End Festival Days. The event attracted 13 of the local "garage bands" existing in the area. The first year the "stage" was the back of a flat bed trailer parked in front of Ruben's Discount Music Shop. The second year two stages were set up in what was then a vacant lot on the NE corner of Cleveland and Main, next to Rubens. Gerry Jaffe, of Jaffe Jewelers was the chairman of the event, assisted by Bob Goodman and Ed Riley. This writer (reader J.B) was asked to assist as the Contestant Coordinator because of my experience in the local music scene. Judges were John Pilato, music director of Lew-Port Central School, John McEwan, manager of Denton, Cottier & Daniels music store, and John Love of Rubens. The bands consisted primarily of young men between 14 and 20 years old. A large crowd of about 500 turned out for the Saturday June event and The Apaches from Niagara Falls came in first, with The Invaders, second, and The Loved Ones, third, both from Lewiston.

Here are photos from the event of 10 of the participating bands. It is interesting to note that 40 years later, a number of the musicians are back playing in retro-groups, and several have never left the music business. You may recognize many of the names in some of the groups as they are prominent citizens of our area.

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The London Fog - members unknown



The Missing Links - with Rick Elia on bass - rest unknown

The Knots - with Gerry Ketch on guitar and John Pasquantino (of the Youngstown Diner) on guitar - rest unknown

The Hocks - members unknown

The Cinders - members unknown

The Avengers - members unknown

December's Children - Frank & Tony Grizanti were key members

Benedict and the Traitors - members unknown

The Loved Ones, with Dick Lucinski on bass, Larry Elia on guitar, Wayne Dunn on guitar, Mike Franzek on drums and Yogi on vocals.

The Apaches, with Thom Rotella on guitar, Rich DelZoppo on guitar, Willie Favaro on bass and Pat Peri on drums

Perhaps some of the readers may be able to fill in some of the blanks! Recognize a name? Pass on the site's address to anyone you may recognize!

DIFFINE'S DAIRY

Diffine’s Dairy was located at 1314 Hyde Park Blvd. and was a division of the Niagara County Milk Producer’s Co-Op. These photos are circa 1957 at a time when there were several independent dairies bottling milk and making ice cream in the city. Carrigan’s on Portage Rd., Wendt’s on Buffalo Ave, Milleville Dairy on Cayuga Drive, and Diffine’s, were the four largest. Diffine’s and Wendt’s were prime competitors and both made their own brand of ice cream and bottled milk under their own name as well as for other, smaller dairies. Diffine’s also made “real” frozen custard, the only other place you could get it besides Hibbards in Lewiston. And Diffine’s ice cream was what today would be called “premium” because of the very high butterfat content. Mmmmm, good!

Being located directly across from Hyde Park, Diffine’s was a “must stop” after a ball game or a walk in the park. At times, several baseball teams would inundate the soda fountain all at once and there would be 30-40 kids in line. Note the prices on the signs in the background: 10cent cones, 30cent sundaes and milkshakes, 89cent ½ gal of ice cream.

One of the interesting things was dealing with tourists from other parts of the country where terminology was different. Someone might ask for a “soda” when they meant “soda pop,” and in the dairy a soda was ice cream, flavoring, and carbonated water. Or they might ask for a “frappe,” when they meant what we called a milk shake. For anyone who loved ice cream this was the dream job, as you could eat as much as you wanted……FREE!! If you were really lucky you got to actually make ice cream under the tutelage of a seasoned dairy employee and there is not much in life better than to taste fresh, soft ice cream, right from the freezing machine.

The first photo is of Bob Woodring serving a cone. After he became an adult he became the owner of his own dairy in Boston, NY.

The second photo shows Naomi waiting on a couple young girls. The dairy store was run by women and employed teenage boys. Naomi was very well liked by everyone as she had the sweetest personality.

The color photo shows Jim Barto handing 3 cones to awaiting hands.

The last photo is a view from behind the counter and shows Bob Woodring, John (who was also a mail carrier and worked the dairy part time) and Joe Smith on a busy evening.

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FOOTBALL in NIAGARA FALLS

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Prior to 1967 Niagara Falls didn’t have a youth football team. The Police Athletic League (PAL) wanted to begin some kind of fall sports program and football was suggested. We became members of the WNY Tyro Football League and were known as the Niagara Falls Knights. About 7 PAL members went door to door soliciting businesses to help sponsor the program, and Chuck Kenny, who owned a sporting goods store in Lockport, advanced us about $10,000 in equipment (we did eventually pay for it). There was no fee for the kids to play and we depended heavily on volunteers for our operation. Our first head coach was police officer John Gabriele (later firefighter and fire chief). Our teams were winners from the get-go. After our first season, played at LaSalle Jr. High School, complete with marching band and cheerleaders, we had a celebration dinner cooked by our volunteers in the YMCA on Portage Rd.

The second season we went “big time,” with a celebration dinner at the Como Restaurant with many dignitaries in attendance, including the Mayor E. Dent Lackey, and special guest speakers, Ernie Warlick and Al Bemiller, of the Buffalo Bills. Mayor Lackey even gave (volunteer) General Manager, Jim Brunn, the key to the city!

The first photo is of Ernie Warlick posing with running backs Gary McLaughlin and Sam Giancola (Sam is now a coach at NFHS).

The second photo is of Al Bemiller autographing programs for some of the players. Perhaps some readers might be able to identify themselves in the photo.

In later years the local program split into two divisions due to a difference in philosophy among the coaches, yet today, 40 years later, they remain an integral part of the youth sports programs in the city.

1950s Postcard of Falls Street at Night

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FALLS STREET POSTCARD circa 1950. Submitted by Ron M.

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