Downtown North Tonawanda

MEMORIES OF DOWNTOWN NT
BY: CORA R. GOSCH

I remember Main, Webster, Tremont and Goundry Streets as they were in the early 1900's.

Many of my growing-up years were spent with my grandparents, the Vandres, at 65 Main St. This is the home my grandfather built and where my mother, Louise Vandre, was born in 1866. Main Street was residential between the Sheldon Hotel at Goundry and Main Streets and the Methodist Church on Tremont Street.

A few of the families I remember were the Mahars—Edward, Raymond and Mildred, my earliest playmates, and the Shells and Batts.

In those years the Sheldon was a grand hotel with large glass windows across the front and side of the building. Many out-of-town salesmen stayed there when they came to North Tonawanda to buy and sell lumber.

I frequently attended services at the Methodist Church with my grandmother, although she was a member of Salem Church in Tonawanda.

A two-story brick building on the southeast corner of Main and Tremont Streets was occupied by the YMCA, the town and county hall, the jail and police station. Jack Ryan was chief of police.

Promptly each evening at 6 p.m., six or eight patrolmen carrying night sticks, headed by Sgt. William Calking, walked down past my grandmother's house to the corner of Main and Goundry Streets, where they disbanded to their various beats.

There was a small wooden waiting room on the canal side of Sweeney Street where passengers waited to board trolley cars bound for Buffalo or Niagara Falls. On the opposite side of the street there was a two-story wooden fire hall. I do not remember the name of the fire company. The streets were not paved and during the summer months were very dusty.

Train tracks ran on the east side of Webster Street through the town.

The post office occupied the triangular building at the corner of Main and Webster Streets. My aunt, Augusta Vandre, was postmistress at the time. Later the position was filled by Miss Annie Christie.

Robertson's Bank occupied the brick building at the corner of Webster and Goundry Streets, and behind the bank building, George Thompson's plant made the most delicious vanilla ice cream, which sold for 25 cents a quart.

There were many stores on Webster Street. I remember Richbarts Men's Clothing; Miss Coleman's hat shop (her hats were always very beautiful); Potter's Drug Store; Biddlecome's Barber Shop; Claus Oelker's Shoe Store; Mundies Jewelry; John Schulmeister's Dry Goods, and John Oelker's Grocery.

Elijah Smith had a men's clothing and tailor shop; Mr. Dahl a tavern (the “Sugar Bowl”);' Drew and Ficks Shoes; Cramer Hardware; Ketch and Fowler Jewelry, and a grocery store owned by Max Shroeder.

The Scanlon House, a large two-story wooden building, stood on the canal bank where the Niagara Mohawk Power Company building is now located.

The tallest building on the street was the Smith Block at the corner of Webster and Tremont Streets (five stories high, I believe). It had an elevator which was operated by a rope pulley. There was a funeral home and a clothing repair shop on the Tremont Street side of the building. Fowlers lived in the home across the street later remodeled and used by the YWCA.

Photo: NT Trolly 1893

Photo: 26 Webster Street - Circa 1870

Article: submitted by Mrs. Cora R. Gosch, 67 Niagara St., North Tonawanda, who was born in North Tonawanda and has lived here all her life. Transcribed from a collection of "Try To Remember" articles developed by the Historical Society of the Tonawandas, which appeared in the Tonawanda News from 1976 - 1978, by Melville J. Batt. This collection was provided by Melville's son, Douglas Batt.