North Tonawanda History Museum © Tonawanda Island

James Carney was born in 1819 on the island now known as Tonawanda Island. Over the years, this tiny island has at varying times been known as Carney’s Island, Little Island, White’s Island, Small Island, Legatte’s Island, Wilkeson’s Island, and in more recent time, Tonawanda Island.

There are over forty islands in the Niagara River, all in the upper river above Niagara Falls. These islands range in size from a mere resting place for sea gulls to Grand Island, which is five square miles larger than Manhattan. Tonawanda Island is the island closest to North Tonawanda.. The original owners of Tonawanda Island, the Seneca Indians, gave it the name “Ni-ga-we-nah-a-ah” or “The Small Island.”

The first white man to own Tonawanda Island was Sir William Johnson, who was given all the islands in the river by the Seneca Indians as his personal property in partial reparation for the Devil’s Hole massacre in 1763.

In 1815, James Carney’ father, Edward, settled on the island and it became known as “Carney’s Island.” Carney’s intention was to gain pre-emption rights if the disputed boundary settlement with the British should leave this land in the United States.

In 1822, Tonawanda Island did fell within New York State’s boundaries. The State sold it at auction to Samuel Leggate in 1824 for $23 an acre, and it was renamed “Leggate’s Island.”

The lumber business began on the island in 1833 when the East Boston Timber Company purchased the timber rights to the larger Grand Island, on the side facing the Goose Island section of Tonawanda. Stephen White, representing East Boston Timber Company established its headquarters on what was then called Leggate’s Island and at times, Carney’s Island.

North Tonawanda developed as an industrial center because of its unique location at the confluence of the Niagara River, Tonawanda Creek, and the Erie Canal, which provided accessibility to the necessary raw materials, cheap immigrant labor, and an economical transportation system to distribute lumber and other products throughout the world. This same location also provided a cool prevailing westerly wind which acted as a natural drying kiln for curing the lumber.

In 1834, the East Boston Timber Company sent representatives to the area and erected a saw mill on Grand Island to cut the white oak trees growing on the island. East Boston Timber Company shipped the white oak they logged to markets on the eastern seaboard, primarily for the ship-building industry. Stephen White, as president of East Boston Timber Company, was in charge of the purchase of Leggate’s Island.

In 1835, White built a beautiful mansion on the south end of the island as headquarters for the company. The architect was Samuel Perkins, Esq., of the Winthrop House, a Bostonian. The original cost of the home was $18,000.

Beechwater was a magnificent mansion, resplendent with solid cherry and black walnut furnishings brought from Boston and a beautiful Carrara marble mantle, imported from Italy. Although White called his home “Beechwater,” it soon became known generally as “White’s Mansion.”

Mr. White’s daughter, Caroline, met and married Fletcher Webster in this house. He was the son of the orator and statesman Daniel Webster. U. S. Senator Daniel Webster was a partner in the timber company and visited Beechwater often. Webster Street is named for Webster and was originally named Main Street. Sometime after North Tonawanda’s separation from the three wards in Erie County in 1857, the names of the two streets, Webster and Main, were switched, and our “main” street became Webster Street in Daniel Webster’s honor.

By 1840, the oak trees on Grand Island were all cut down, and the East Boston Timber Company and Stephen White left the area. Stephen White left the area and the mansion was empty. It became a landmark and its foreboding appearance caused it to be pointed out to passers-by as the “haunted house.”

In an article in the Tonawanda News in years gone by, Frank Stephan wrote, “This house stood alone at the head of the “Little Island” for a number of years and soon became the terror of the boys of the Tonawandas who fished and played on the Island. Only the braver lads would dare approach it.

“Owen Doody of 296 Falconer Street tells a story of one such adventure. “One day on the Island,” related Mr. Doody, “one of our gang suggested entering the old house. It took plenty of nerve, but finally we managed to crawl through a little window about eight feet from the ground. We proceeded slowly up the stairs, talking in whispers and keeping our eyes open for ghosts. No haunts appearing, we investigated several of the upstairs rooms and here we found several bales of raw silk, several cases of nutmegs, and ten cases of whiskey. We later discovered that the old house was the treasure spot of a gang of smugglers who used to bring their goods across from Canada to Grand Island, have it carried across by the farmers, and cached in the old house until the time of its disposal.”

White died in 1841 and the island was left to heirs who sold it to William Wilkeson in 1869. Wilkeson was from Buffalo. By this time, the original stateliness and elegant beauty of the island had been lost. Wilkeson, however, turned the island into a bit of Eden by planting orchards and vineyards. The island became known as “Wilkeson’s Island.”

In an 1853 newspaper article about the history of the island, the following quote was included: “There is upon it a large Indian mound, which is said to be the farthest one north. From this ancient cemetery have been taken by the hands of Mrs. White, the skull and bones of a human body, supposed to be that of an Indian chief, which according to the judgment of several scientific men, could not have been less than eight feet in stature.” The article continued, “Public attention has, within a few years past, been drawn to the fact that Tonawanda presents some of the greatest natural facilities for commerce that can be found away from the sea coast; and already, men of capital are concentrating here. Warehouses are arising as if by magic, and the harbor is whitened with the sails of the finest vessels that ride the lake.”

By 1870, the island was officially known as “ Tonawanda Island.” William Wilkeson sold the Island to Smith & Fassett in 1882 for $45,000. The Island remained unused until 1888 when it was wholly docked except along the frontage of the then Tonawanda City Water Co. and a short distance at the head of the island.

In the April 6, 1882, Tonawanda Herald, the following article appeared. “In sawing the pillars of the mansion on Tonawanda Island last week, Wm. Clarke, carpenter, found a big hole in the top of one or two of them, made by squirrels years ago. These cavities had been inhabited season after season by birds

about the size of robins, with yellow wings and there they reared their young. The fledglings had dropped down year after year, until about a bushel of skeletons were taken from each. The noise and fluttering of the birds, living and dying in such numbers, may account for some of the strange noises often heard in these premises, and which gave the house the name of being haunted.”

In 1882, another lumber company, Smith, Fassett and Co., purchased the island from Wilkeson. Their lumber company had been established ten years earlier in 1872.

The beautiful home had long been surrounded by lumber piles and reputedly was home to stolen contraband, tramps, “ghosts” and pigeons. It was torn down in 1906 to make room for the expanding lumber industry on the island.

In the 20 th century, many local residents also referred to it as “Little Island.” Tonawanda Island is 85 acres in size. Over the years several large industries, including the R. T. Jones Lumber Co., International Paper Co., Bison Shipyard, Hill-Manning Boat Co. (aka Hill-Madden),and the North Tonawanda pumping station were located there. Taylor Devices, which is presently located on the island, is a business of international repute.

“Remembering Yesteryear” is produced under the auspices of the North Tonawanda History Museum. We invite individuals with stories or news of local history to tell to write nthistorymuseum@aol.com or call 213-0554.

There are over forty islands in the Niagara River, every one of which is in the upper river above Niagara Falls. They range in size from a resting place for sea gulls to Grand Island, which is five square miles larger than Manhattan. The island closest to North Tonawanda is Tonawanda Island. The original owners of Tonawanda Island were the Seneca Indians who gave it the name “Ni-ga-we-nah-a-ah” or “The Small Island.”

The first white man to own Tonawanda Island was Sir William Johnson. He was given all the islands in the river by the Seneca Indians as his personal property in partial reparation for the Devil's Hole massacre in 1763. In 1829, James Carney and his father Edward settled on the island and it became known as “Carney's Island.” Carney's intention was to gain pre-emptive rights if the disputed boundary settlement with the British should leave this land in the United States.

In 1822, it did fall within the national boundary of New York State. The State than sold it at auction to Samuel Leggett for $23 an acre, and it was renamed “Leggett's Island.”

In 1834, the East Boston Timber Company arrived in the area and erected a saw mill on Grand Island to cut the white oak trees growing on the island. Stephen White, president of East Boston Timber Company, purchased Leggett's Island and in 1835 built a beautiful mansion thereon as headquarters for the company. He named his mansion “Beechwater” but it was commonly known as the “White's Mansion.” The architect was Samuel Perkins, Esq., of the Winthrop House, a Bostonian. The original cost of the home was $18,000. It was a magnificent mansion, resplendent with solid cherry and black walnut furnishings brought from Boston and a beautiful Carrara marble mantle, imported from Italy. It was torn down in 1906 to make room for the expanding lumber industry on the island.

The Island became known as “White's Island.” By 1840, the oak trees were all cut down, and East Boston Timber Company - and Stephen White - left the area. White died in 1841 and the island was left to heirs who sold it to William Wilkeson in 1869. Wilkeson was from Buffalo. By this time, the original stateliness and elegant beauty of the island had been lost. Wilkeson, however, turned the island into a bit of Eden by planting orchards and vineyards. The island became known as “Wilkeson's Island.”

By 1870, the island was officially known as “Tonawanda Island.” In the 20th century, many local residents also referred to it as “Little Island.”

In 1882, another lumber company, Smith, Fassett and Company, purchased the island from Wilkeson. Their lumber company had been established ten years earlier in 1872.

Tonawanda Island is 85 acres in size. Over the years several large industries and North Toanwanda's pumping station were located there.

Excerpts from an Archaeological Survey performed for the Placid Harbour Marina Development on Tonawanda Island:

TOPOGRAPHY: The Placid Harbour Marina Development is situated within the Huron Lake Plain physiographic province. The level, relatively featureless lake plain is bounded by two scarps of hard limestone. Lake Tonawanda, a shallow extension of the Niagara River, once occupied this 16-24 km (10-15 mi) wide trough between the Niagara Escarpment to the north and the Onondaga Escarpment to the south. Lake Tonawanda was formed in post glacial times before the drainage patterns of the Niagara River had sufficiently matured to empty the water flowing into it. The excess flow created a 96 km (60 mi) long extension of the river that had a maximum depth of about 10 m (33 ft). Much of this former lake bed is now drained by Tonawanda Creek (Erie Canal) which empties into the Niagara River only 200 m (656 ft) east of the project area (Figure 2). Fine-grained sands, silts and clays discharged into the lake influenced the resulting topography and soils (Buehler and Tesmer 1963:9, Owens et al. 1986:2). Historic Context Historic Trends and Themes. The project area is located in the City of North Tonawanda at the south end of Tonawanda Island. This section discusses the area's historical context, the results of the site file search, and historical map documentation of the project area.

    A search was performed of the site files at the Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), Field Services Bureau and the Archaeological Survey, SUNY at Buffalo (UB) indicated that only one historic site is recorded within a 3.2 km (2 mi) radius of the project area. The Long Homestead (UB 2875) is a residence built in 1829 on the banks of the Erie Canal. It lies well outside the project area limits.

    The City of Tonawanda lies within the Mile Strip, a mile wide area on the eastern shore of the Niagara River, from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. This land was held by the Native Americans until it was ceded to the British. The land was occupied by the British after the Revolutionary War until 1796 in an effort to secure repayment of American debts until the issue was settled by the Jay Treaty. During this time there was also a dispute between Massachusetts and New York about the ownership of the Western New York region. Massachusetts claimed ownership as a result of two colonial charters and New York's claim was based on Indian treaties. The dispute was settled by allowing Massachusetts preemption rights for the area excluding the Mile Strip and giving New York jurisdiction over the area. The land was sold to the Holland Land Company which surveyed the land for sale beginning in 1798 and the land was offered for sale beginning in 1805 (Campbell 1962: 35).

    The Tonawanda area was first settled in 1805 by Alexander Logan, John King, and John Hershey. Until this time the Tonawanda area had been virtually unsettled and was part of Niagara County which, at that time, reached from the Pennsylvania border to Lake Ontario.

    The War of 1812 had a tremendous effect on the development of the Tonawanda area which was described as creating an atmosphere where "the early settlers in the Tonawandas were in a constant state of excitement by threatened attacks from Canada and development was retarded (Parkhurst 1929:7). Every log cabin along the Niagara River between Manchester (now Niagara Falls) and Buffalo was burned. The only surviving structure in Tonawanda was a house occupied by Mrs. Francis who was too ill to flee the approaching British troops and who put out the fire each of the three times the British attempted to set fire to the house (Dittmar 1971 :2). After the war was over in 1815 the new settlers began buying land in Tonawanda.

    The earliest recorded settlement on Tonawanda Island was in 1819 by James Carney and his father Edward (Sanford 1878: 377). There is no documentation as to the location or extent of his residence. Carney's goal was to obtain the pre-emption rights once title to the area had been determined. In 1824 the State of New York assessed the value of the land at $4.50 per acre and ordered to be sold at public auction in Albany. Carney attempted to purchase the island with the aid of Judge Samuel Wilkenson but was outbid by a New York City speculator who purchased it at $23 per acre. Carney went on to become both the Wheatfield and Tonawanda town supervisor as well as justice of the peace in the latter (Sanford 1878: 380). Historic Map Overview The following historic maps were examined for evidence of historic locations: 1852 Gifford and Geil Map of Niagara County (Figure 3), 1860 Dawson Map of Niagara County (Figure 4), 1875 Beers Atlas Map of the Village of North Tonawanda (Figure 5), and 1908 New Century Atlas of the City of North Tonawanda (Figure 6). Results of the historic map research are summarized below in Table 3.

    The 1852 Gifford and Geil wall map (Figure 3) does not depict any development on Tonawanda Island which is labeled with same name it currently has. The nearby shoreline of the Niagara River depicts only scattered residential structures along its banks and a small village along Tonawanda Creek.

    The 1860 Dawson wall map (Figure 4) shows the island on which the project area is located labeled as Carney's Island (r), after James Carney the early settler there. Only one structure is shown on the island. Presumably a residence, it is owned by Mrs. Bloodgood and located at the south end of the island. The building lies set back from the water's edge and would appear to lie outside the project area limits to the northwest. The nearby shoreline of the Niagara River continues to depict scattered residential structures along its banks. The Villages of North Tonawanda and Tonawanda are shown along Tonawanda Creek.

    The 1875 Beers Atlas map (Figure 5) shows several buildings on Tonawanda Island. The southernmost is owned by W. Wilkenson, it appears to correspond with the Bloodgood residence shown at the same location on the 1860 map. This map shows the structure to be located west of the project area and was part of an 82 acre farm. Another house, a barn, and a vineyard are shown north of the project limits. The nearby mainland shows an urbanized area at the mouth of Tonawanda Creek.

    The 1908 New Century Atlas map shows Tonawanda Island in detail (Figure 6). Detroit Street is shown on the same alignment it presently follows. No buildings are shown near the project limits although industrial development is shown further to the north. A railroad siding is depicted on the same alignment as the street. Note that the project area includes a part of the river that has since been filled in.

Historic Sensitivity. Based on the background research the project area appears to have a moderate historic site sensitivity. This assessment is assigned on the basis of mid-nineteenth century residential building outside the project area limits to the northwest. It was built 1852-1860 and was removed 1875-1908.

Credit: Excerpts from an Archaeological Survey performed for the Placid Harbour Marina Development on Tonawanda Island, a copy of the full study having been donated to the North Tonawanda History Museum by Douglas Taylor, President, Taylor Devices. You can view the letter we received from Mr. Taylor by entering the Letters & Notes section on this very page.

    While looking through my archives I discovered some items related to the history of Tonawanda Island. In 1825, Tonawanda Island was purchased from the State of New York by Samuel Leggett for the sum of $175 down with a balance due of $1,225 payable over four years in equal installments with 6% interest. A surveyor's certificate was issued by Simeon De Witt, Surveyor General of New York State, which served as a form of deed until the payments were complete.
    Due to a lawsuit in the 1840's over who owned the island, a formal letter deed was issued by the Governor of New York and filed at Lockport in 1841. A copy of the letter is enclosed, duly signed by Governor William Seward. Seward went on to become U. S. Secretary of State under President Lincoln and subsequently became famous for "Seward's Folly," known today as the Alaskan Purchase.
    Several years ago the Seneca Indians filed a lawsuit to take back all the islands in the Niagara River.
    Strangely, Tonawanda Island was listed as one of the islands in the river, but was not specifically named in the lawsuit. I was curious as to why this occurred and I checked with the State to verify the existence of the old 1825 surveyor's certificates. The State claimed that all of these were lost in a fire in Albany on 1906, and therefore the State had no record that it had ever sold those islands to landowners. Thus, the Indians could sue individual landowners - except for Tonawanda Island.
    In the case of the Tonawanda Island, the landowners had the 1841 letter deed, thus making the State responsible as the original landowner.
    Also enclosed is an archeological survey of the island's early history.
Sincerely,
TAYLOR DEVICES, INC.
Douglas P. Taylor
President

For more information on Mr. Doug Taylor, please click HERE. For more information on Taylor Devices, Inc., please click HERE.