Colonel Payne School Building

Colonel Payne School Building - 460 Wheatfield Street

Oldest remaining school building in North Tonawanda

This former school building was named for Colonel Lewis S. Payne. Payne moved from Tonawanda to an old farm, known as Payne Hill, on the northeast corner of Wheatfield Street and Payne Avenue in 1841. Payne and a Mr. Huntley contracted with various individuals to cut timber for use in making barrel staves and other wood products. In 1847 Payne built the first steam saw mill with a huge brick smokestack that could be seen for miles. The initials “ZT” were inlaid on the stack, for Zachary Taylor, then president of the United States. Payne owned large parcels of land north and east of Wheatfield Street also. The road from his farm, originally called Forest Street, which opened in 1854, stopped near Goundry because of the dense woods. Colonel Payne was elected Niagara County Clerk in 1854.

He formed a company of volunteers in the fall of 1861 – at his own expense, which became a part of the 100th Regiment recruited from Western New York. In April 1862 his regiment landed at Newport News, Virginia. They formed a part of Casey's Division of McClellan's Army in the famous Peninsula Campaign. His regiment took up their position on White Oak Station. Colonel Payne was in the battles of Williamsburg and Seven Pines. He became a Civil War hero. Known as the War's most famous scout, Payne's scout work in Charleston Harbor had earned him national hero status. It is said that he planned and located the famous “Swamp Angel” gun at Charleston Harbor and plotted the harbor water passages for the projected retaking of Fort Sumpter. It was those services that earned him the rank of colonel.

He was elected Niagara County Clerk in 1865, became a member of the New York State Assembly in 1869 and was elected a New York State Senator from the old 29th Senatorial District, the first Democrat ever elected in this subdivision. In 1877, he was involved in a disagreement with Commodore Vanderbilt about securing a crossing over the New York Central tracks to provide the Erie Railroad with access to Lockport, which was almost as noteworthy as his military career had been. Through his efforts, the state dug ditches and reclaimed much lowland in this area which had previously been flooded most of the year.

One of the most colorful figures in our history, this elementary school building built on the old Payne Estate still bears his name.

Photo: Colonel Payne School Building today, courtesy of Museum member & volunteer Betty Brandon
Photo: postcard, courtesy of Museum files.