DEDICATION

This initial study of the history of North Tonawanda, New York is dedicated to a truly fine person, Mr. Leon A. Philip, principal of Felton Grammar School.  One of the many nice things we could say about Mr. Philip is that he has never stopped being a good teacher.

Class 7-7

INTRODUCTION

In an attempt to study the history of the City of North Tonawanda, Class 7-7 of Felton Grammar School has found that much must be said about our sister city on the other side of the canal.  The class feels that it is impossible to write of one without considering the other.  Therefore, although this started out to be a study of North Tonawanda, it has become a study of that one unusual community, "The Tonawandas."

This report will take the form of two sections.  The first will deal with the Tonawandas up to the period of about 1899.  The second section is a summary of the composition of the two cities at the present time.

We know, as a result of our work, that there is much material which had to be left out of this report because of time limitations.  It is our expressed hope that some future class will take this "start" and use it as a foundation for further study.

(Felton Grammar School, North Tonawanda, NY)

Many hundreds of years before the first white man walked along the shores of the Niagara River, the area was the hunting ground of the Neutral and Erie Indians.  later, when the Iroquois set up their great confederacy, they gave to this place the name "Ta-Na-Wun-Da," literally meaning "swift running water."

About 1616 the area was claimed for France by the explorers Brule and Grenohle.  They were followed by a number of priests, among them Pere de al Roche Dellion and, in 1678, Father Louis H. Hennepin.  These courageous missionaries sought to spread the word of Christianity among the Iroquois.

Not too much is known about the Tonawandas area during the 120 year period which followed.  In 1800, because of friction between the British and the Americans, the colonists-turned-rulers built the Military Road to link Fort Niagara and Fort Porter.  During the construction of this route a bridge had to be built across the Tonawanda Creek.

In 1808, Niagara County was established, being made up of a section of what was then Genesee County.  Buffalo became its county seat.

George N. Burger, attracted to the area by the fertile farmland and the abundant game, settled in what is now North Tonawanda in 1809.  He built a sturdy log cabin and was followed by Joshua Pettit and Garrett Van Slyke the next year.  Pettit built a log cabin on the premises now occupied by the Tonawanda Iron Corporation beside a small stream which even today is known as Pettit Creek.  Van Slyke built a tavern on the north side of the Tonawanda Creek, one of the first in the area.

It was in 1810 that the route of the proposed waterway from the Hudson River to Lake Erie was surveyed by Dewitt Clinton.

Two years later, in June 1812, friction became so great between Great Britain and the United States that President James Madison declared war.  That same month a log blockhouse was erected on the south shore of Tonawanda Creek and was occupied by 16 colonial regulars.  A story is recorded about how, in August 1812, several hundred British and Indians captured Grand Island and appeared opposite the blockhouse.  Using much ingenuity, the officer in charge of the blockhouse ordered his well-trained regulars to march back and forth in front of the building.  After awhile he marched them back into the blockhouse.  There he ordered them to act like untrained civilian-soldiers.  Again they marched out, in very unmilitary fashion, and paraded before the eyes of the British across the river.  The British general, fearing that the blockhouse had a large force of soldiers decided not to attack it.

The next year, 1913, the British captured and burned Fort Niagara and then searched along the river, burning all of the blockhouses, including the one at Tonawanda.  On December 30, 1813, the British burned the small village of Buffalo.

(Leonard Vosburgh in Samual Adams, "The Erie Canal", pp 108-109.)

Peace was finally declared in 1815, and two years later, on July 4, 1817, the first spade of dirt was turned for the Erie Barge Canal.  At this time the entire settlement at Tonawanda consisted of a log tavern, a rope ferry across Tonawanda Creek (the Military Road bridge had fallen in) and a few log houses.

Tonawanda Island, now an industrial area, was settled in 1819 by James Carney.  Some of the old Niagara maps refer to this as Carney's Island.  Still others call it Wilkinson's Island for a General Wilkinson who later built a mansion there.

In 1821, Erie County was established.  It included that territory of the boundaries of old Niagara County south of the middle of Tonawanda Creek.

All of this time work was progressing on the Erie Canal.  By 1823 the canal has been dug as far as Pendleton and a dam had been constructed across Tonawanda Creek.  Water flowing from this dam was used to supply power for several mills in the settlement.

In 1825 William Vandervoort purchased 1700 acres of land from the Holland Land Company on the north side of the Tonawanda Creek.  Here he built and occupied the one log house on that side.  This was the year that William Williams established a ferry across the Niagara River.  It ran from the south side of Tonawanda Creek to Grand Island.  James Sweeney was given the right by the State Legislature to operate a similar ferry from the north side of the creek.

Sweeney was one of the original owners of the land which was later to become North Tonawanda.  He built the first frame building and cleared land to provide additional building lots.  He donated lots to the first Methodist church and to the first school, which was built about 1819.

The first steam railroad in Western New York, known as the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Line, was opened and ran right through the center of the settled area.  The tracks ran down what is now Main Street, Tonawanda and Webster Street, North Tonawanda.  The line was later taken over by the New York Central System.

Dr. Jesse F. Locke in 1838 became the first resident physician to locate in the Tonawandas.  He continued to be active until his death in 1860.

For a long time the residents of the Village of Tonawanda got along as well as might be expected in a "frontier" town.  Fist fights were frequent enough to be common and were regularly reported in the "Herald," a weekly newspaper.  The village was unusual, though, because it was divided into two county areas.  The first ward was in Niagara County and the second and third were in Erie County.

After awhile rivalry became so keen across the canal that disputes often centered around political issues.  One of the hottest of these was the problem of highway repair.  Residents of the first ward maintained that they were not getting their fair share of tax money for road maintenance and in 1855 their trustees attempted to get a resolution passed which would guarantee that tax money collected in the ward would be spent on ward improvements.  When this failed, the story goes, residents of the first ward "borrowed" a load of gravel from the Tonawanda side of the creek in order to patch up their roads.  The "loan," it is said, was made in the dead of night and was supposed to have angered the remainder of the village.

True or not, North Tonawanda was suddenly separated from the rest of the Village of Tonawanda in 1857.

For about eight years the old first ward was merely a part of the Village of Wheatfield, but on May 8, 1865 it was incorporated as a separate village.  This year the population of North Tonawanda was 440 and covered an area of 681 acres.  In 1848 it had seen the construction of the First Methodist Church on Tremont St. and the addition of its first police station.  This was built on the corner of Tremont St. and Main St. and was used also as a YMCA.

One hundred and ninety pupils were enrolled in the winter term of the North Tonawanda Union School in 1866.  The summer term consisted of 125.  The school was made up of four departments, taught by three teachers and a principal, who also taught.  These were Principal J.W. Brown, and teachers Libbie M. Pugsley, Hannah Densmore and Nellie Becker.

In 1869 work was begun on the St. Mark's Episcopal Church.  This building was later rebuilt in 1928.

The first newspaper published in the Tonawandas was called the "Herald" and appeared in 1880.  In size it was six by eight inches and had only one page.  The press was located on Young St. in Tonawanda and the first owner was Albert Hobbie.

During the early 1880's the people of North Tonawanda first began to discuss the need for a hospital to serve the Twin Cities.  Nothing came of this however for several years.

While still a part of Erie County, the Tonawanda Village had been serviced by a wide-ranging police constabulary which offered protection from Buffalo to what is now North Tonawanda and the Town of Wheatfield.  In addition, the village had a small local constabulary.  It was the custom in the period around 1883 to hire law enforcement officers for the warm weather months only.  Because there was considerable rivalry between the "canalers" and the "lakers," a police officer's life was quite hectic.  It generally came as a relief to the villagers when ice closed the canal and lake and the police officers could be discharged for the winter.

The lumber trade, which had begun about 1833 had grown steadily.  The greatest enemy the lumber men had, though, was fire.  Annually it destroyed millions of dollars of cut lumber and cost many lives.  A step forward in fire protection came with the incorporation of the Alert Hose Company.

The year 1884 was important to the health of the North Tonawanda residents.  This was the time when the Board of Health began an investigation into the unwholesome quality of milk being sold door to door.  It was also the year that the 2509 residents began to consider the erection of a water pumping station and a boiler house.  The next year several local citizens were given permission to form a water company.  Under their direction a wooden water main and 72 hydrants were constructed.

The first telephone made its appearance in the Tonawandas in 1886.  In April of that year the Bell Telephone Company applied for permission to erect a line of "symmetrical painted poles, 40 to 60 feet high" on the west side of Webster St.  Due to opposition the poles were erected on Manhattan St. instead.

Salaries of public officials were of concern in 1888 when the pay of the police constable soared to $144 per year.  Duty, as mentioned above, was only from spring until fall of the year.  Chief of Police that year was Charles Kohler and W. J. Wattengel was the Fire Chief.

In 1888 the first telegraph fire alarm system was installed.  It was connected with a bell at headquarters and a gong in the Council house.  There were 10 fire alarms boxes in the entire village of 3383 persons.  This year saw the coming of electric lighting when the Tonawanda Electric Company received permission to run pole wires to a number of homes.

In 1894 the first Roman Catholic Church, Ascension Church, was built.

Three years later, 1897, North Tonawanda became a city.  Village President Albert E. McKean served temporarily as mayor until the election of James V. Smeaton.

(New York State map, showing the location of the Tonawandas)

(Map showing streets in the Tonawandas area)

NOW

The cities of Tonawanda and North Tonawanda have grown largely because of their important geographical location. Midway between the cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls, they are at the center of the vast industrial Niagara Frontier.

As mentioned earlier, Tonawanda and North Tonawanda are two political entities, located in two different counties but they make up one community, economically, culturally and socially.

North Tonawanda has a population (1957) of 31,278 while Tonawanda numbers 19,555. This is a far cry from the few log cabins and a tavern of the earliest settlement.

Of the two cities, North Tonawanda has the larger land area (10.5 square miles) to Tonawanda’s 3.58 square miles.

The old village trustee system, long disappeared, has been taken over by an efficient government in each city. A mayor and seven councilmen are elected every two years. City officials in North Tonawanda during 1960 are Mayor Miles N. Joyce, and Aldermen John R. Miranto (First Ward), William E. Berhalter ( second ), Raymond P. Klimek (third), Arthur P. Lemke (fourth), W. Mason Gillespie (fifth), John F. Kukasik (sixth) and Paul A. Rumbold (seventh ward).  Mr. Lukasik serves also as Common Council President. City Judge is Catherine R. Lautz, City Attorney is Paul Stolzenfels.

North Tonawanda has a Police department of 36 paid men, including Chief Patrick Grimaldi. According to police officials the crimes that are committed most are burglary and petty larceny, and most of these are committed by men between the ages of 14 and 20. The crime rate is very low in North Tonawanda. The department operates on four shifts, each one operating eight hours each day. Supervising the patrolmen are four captains, and six sergeants.

A large group of Civil Defense police officers serve as volunteers to the regular force in case of emergency.

Tonawanda has a department of 31 paid men, including Chief Clarence Luther.

Fire protection has developed considerably since the organization of the Alert Company. Though lumbering is not the only major industry, fire protection is still very important. North Tonawanda now has 35 paid firemen, including Chief Raymond Kropp and Assistant Chiefs DeMart, Drier, and Matthias and Globe. North Tonawanda depends a lot on the 1000 volunteer firemen. From the one company the department has expanded to seven companies located at important places around the city.

Tonawanda has a fire department of 24 paid men, including William P. Schrieber and three assistant chiefs. Like North Tonawanda, Tonawanda depends on volunteers and have more than 900.

(View of the North Tonawanda section, downtown, showing the bascule bridge across the canal.)

From the days of the croaking covered wagons and muddy, rutted trails, the Tonawandas have grown transportation-wise also. In 1960 the cities are served by two public bus lines and several freight carriers which are locally based. These operate both within the state and between states. There are three railroad trunk lines (New York Central, Erie and Lehigh Valley) with freight facilities connecting to all major lines. North Tonawanda is served also by a United States highway and five New York State highways. It is within easy access to the New York State Thruway which runs from the Pennsylvania border to New York City.

From the very few sawmills and gristmills, North Tonawanda has grown to where it now has 70 factories as compared to Tonawanda's 42.

Utilities have become very important to the Tonawandas. The Iroquois Gas Company furnishes a mixture of manufactured and natural gas to homes and businesses. The wooden mains of earlier days have been replaced by an intricate system. North Tonawanda’s pumping station now can supply 10,000,000 gallons of pure water daily. Tonawanda’s capacity is 10,000,000 gallons daily. Each city has sanitary disposal plants. Electric power is furnished by the Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. from hydro-electric facilities at Niagara Falls and from a steam-generating plant in Tonawanda. From the single row of telephone poles have come an ultra-modern communication-system which serve to connect the Tonawandas with the world.

The Tonawandas are served by a retail shopping area which numbers more than 600 outlets which handle clothing, food, general merchandise and a variety of goods. Sixty percent of the stores are locally owned and sales in 1958 totaled $87,160,000.

The people of the Tonawandas are aware of their religious obligations and as the community grew, so did the number, and variety of churches. From the early Lutheran, Episcopalian end Catholic churches, the community of churches has grown to include 42 churches, These include 10 different denominations, Four are Roman Catholic and the others include 14 Lutheran, 1 Episcopalian, 3 Presbyterian, 1 Alliance, 8 Christian, 1 Reformed, 2 Baptist, 4 Methodist, 1 Nazarene, 1 Spiritualist and 1 Jehovah’s Witness.

From the North Tonawanda Union School has developed a public school system which includes 1 High School, 1 Junior High School, 1 Vocational School, and 8 elementary schools. There are also 5 parochial schools in the city.  Tonawanda has 1 High School, 1 Junior High School, 7 elementary schools and 1 parochial school. There are also two private operated nursery schools.

North Tonawanda’s schools operate under a school board. Current members are Mr. J. Everton Brauer, Mr. Robert Renza, Mrs. Donald Graf, Mr. Robert Saxon and Mr. Frank N. Schmidt. Member-elect is Mr. Edward Belbas.

The public school system is staffed by Superintendent Richard A. Jensen, Assistant Superintendent Maurice Friot, Director of Secondary Education Abraham Cutcher and Director of Elementary Education Ronald Ives. More than two hundred professional employees work for the North Tonawanda School Board.

Parochial schools are located at Ascension, Our Lady of Czestochowa and St. Joseph’s (Roman Catholic) and St. Matthew's and St. Paul’s (Lutheran). In the Catholic schools the grades range from first to eighth. Each school houses about 400 pupils and each has a staff of 8 teachers and six nuns.

(A typical North Tonawanda Church - the St. Mark's Episcopal Church.)

The educational programs of the Tonawandas are helped by two libraries, one in each city. North Tonawanda’s library contains 46,000 volumes. Tonawanda’s has 15,100 and that library is part of a county-wide library system.

Recreationally the Tonawandas have traveled a long way from the earlier days. Being sports minded, North Tonawandans make much use of their 6 parks which contain 160 acres of land. Tonawanda’s system of 6 parks have 102 acres of land. Both park systems are well-equipped. Activities for young people are especially important in the Tonawandas and there are organizations such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Boy’s Club, and many athletic leagues such as the Police Athletic League, Babe Ruth League and Lou Gehrig League. High schools are sports-minded and have excellent football, baseball, basketball and swimming teams. Both cities are fortunate in having outdoor municipal swimming pools.

The 1959 city directory listed more than 30 social clubs for adults in the Tonawandas. In addition there are service organizations which do much good for the community.

A number of newspapers bring the latest news of the world to The Tonawandas, but none give better service than the grand-child of the old “Herald” of pioneer days. The Tonawanda News has a paid circulation of 15,000 and serves the two cities, and the Township of Tonawanda. In addition to carrying local and world news the Tonawanda News often prints its own opinions on important local problems. Individual readers also write letters which often are published. The staff of the paper consists of about 100 people, not including the 250 newspaper carriers.

Business and industry need financing and the Tonawandas are now served by two commercial banks, the Marine Trust Company and the Manufacturer’s and Trader’s Trust Company. The Niagara Savings and Loan Association and a branch of the Bank of Buffalo also serve the cities.

In the “Twin Cities”, Tonawanda and North Tonawanda, the general health conditions are very good in all respects.  Although there is only one hospital, DeGraff Memorial Hospital in North Tonawanda, it is well facilitated with a lot of up to date equipment.  In fact, in 1960 the late Mr. Leland S. DGraff (the hospital was named in honor of his father, LeGrand) left the hospital board one and one half million dollars to be used for the improvement of the hospital and its facilities.

DeGraff Memorial Hospital has an interesting history. During the 1880’s people began to realize the need for a hospital, but plans did not reach the action stage until 1913. The actual founder was Mr. Leland S. DeGraff, who, with Dr. John A. Rafter led the campaign. Plans were drawn up by Mr. W. O. Johnstone,  architect, who donated his services, Ground was broken for the hospital in April, 1914, and DeGraff Memorial was completed by the end of the year.

DeGraff Memorial’s first Superintendent was Dr. Rafter. Also employed were six full-time workers compared to today’s 160. In 1915 there were thirty six registered nurses, today there are 105, and today there are 165 other employees. Also in 1915, there were no doctors (specialists) but today there are thirty-four. Altogether, there are 270 employees, (today), full-time and part-time. Besides the regular employees, the hospital also employs some specially qualified workers. There is a physical therapist on duty to administer treatments prescribed by the physician. Trained medical technologists are at work in the laboratory doing studies on blood typing, tissue pathology, etc.

Also, progress has been made concerning equipment. In the original hospital there were thirty beds (1914), where today DeGraff has 115 beds and twenty-two bassinets. Special equipment is also available. The electrocardiograph department is equipped with the most up-to-date machinery for heart analysis.

In the hospital, many services, both large and small, are given to the patient. Every year nearly 5,188 bed patients are cared for, where in 1915, 463 were treated.  In 1915 there were 17 births, where now (1959), 1,190 were handled.  Some receive the services offered by private duty nurses, directly paid by the patient himself, Treatments and medicines are also available, medicines from DeGraff’s own pharmacy.  X-ray treatments are available not only to bed patients.  The Tonawanda News is delivered daily to each patient’s courtesy of Twin-Ton Department Store.  DeGraff Memorial Hospital is a Member Hospital of the local Blue Cross Plan, the Hospital Service Corporation of Western New York.  If one is a member of this or any Blue Cross Plan, services may be obtained.

Because of the growing size of the Tonawandas, additions have been made. A Nurse’s Home and Maternity Ward were added in 1930, made possible by a legacy from Mr. James S. Thompson.  In 1942, the Federal Works Agency began an additional wing, but because of the lack of steel during the war, the plans were put aside.  However, later in the year they were resubmitted for construction without steel.

In North Tonawanda and Tonawanda there are 69 registered doctors and specialists. Also, registered in the Twin Cities are 30 dentists.

.....And the Tonawandas are not through growing. According to only a few of the possible sources these are some of the changes soon to come:

STAFF

Community Planning
Daniel Burgess
Richard Matikosh

Continuity
Frank Shepard
Alfred E. Neuman

Display
Dennis Smith
Craig Brozek
Steve Litwin

Economics
Dave Lukasavish
Al Schwartz
Walt Shipman
Paul Donner

Education
Chris Angle
Vicki Swisher
Dave Britt

Geography
Bill Lyons
Jim Emmert

Health Services
Kristine Behrns
Lynette Gosch
Sally Schoenfeldt
Donna Snyder

Illustrations
Bill Hoppe
Carla Durkee
Martha Forkel
Patty Swain

Political
Margie Miner
Nancy Spoonley
Joanne Brogan
Mary Kelley
Donna Keoskes
Debby Bull

Religion
Judy Hefner
Gary Behrns

Social
Patricia McVetty Dell Campbell

Teacher
Dr. Frank Shepard


Credit: A special report on the history of the Twin Cities, with emphasis on the history and development of North Tonawanda. Taken from A History of NT by a 7th grade Honors Class from Felton Grammar School, 1959-1960. Teacher - Dr. Frank Shepard

Donated to the museum by, Gary Behrns