Category: Erie Canal
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Way back in March, the Pittsford Community Library asked if I would like to put together a presentation about the history of the Pittsford Community Library, and its various sites throughout time. This was to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the present-day library building, built and opened twenty years ago in 2005. Of course, I…
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Before restaurants were really called “restaurants”, there were still places to have a sit-down and some refreshments. During the early-to-mid 19th century, a type of establishment known as a “Recess” was prevalent throughout Rochester. Son of the old tavern, father of the saloon, the recess was a cozy nook of decorative hardwood and brass, easily…
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Is there a Green Street in Rochester? Once upon a time, there was! The name never made it past the 19th century, but the thoroughfare technically still exists: over the decades, it morphed into South Clinton Avenue south of Howell Street. But to start, it was a simple street laid out between Jackson Street [Capron…
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The first public timepiece in Rochester, NY was a sun-dial which stood in the yard between the Presbyterian church and the first court house, on the east side of Fitzhugh Street. A wooden upright in the shape of a Latin cross, it was affixed at a forty-five degree angle to a base made from an…
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Content Warning: This post regards manslaughter; historical sources are shared that get somewhat grisly in places. It’s Halloween, what can I say? Read at your own discretion. Our scene opens on the dusty urban corner of Market and Front Streets, in the 1870s. In a squat brick building, a small hotel and saloon is being…
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Before its annexation by the City of Rochester in 1904, the intersection of East Avenue and Winton Road [at that time known as North and South Avenues] was the center village of Brighton, the heartbeat of its folksy commercial and social life. With its close proximity to the old course of the Erie Canal, this…
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This is the story of one small area’s evolution. A busy riverfront of the Genesee, where river met canal met mill race. Eventually added to the mix subways, and railroads, and highways… It was a busy and ever-evolving area, suffice to say. The weighlock was located on the east side of the Genesee River, alongside…