Archive

Find out how the work of energetic entrepreneurs caused a Chautauqua County hamlet to become known as “The Buckle of the Grape Belt.”

Old Photo Album: Some Industrial Archaeology: A Study of the Brocton Wine Cellars

A unique look at a single Chautauqua County location through time.

The Niagara Gorge Belt Line

While the Maid of the Mist is certainly the longest-running sightseeing tour in Niagara Falls, the Great Gorge Route was the most popular for a time. John Slater dives into the international railroad line that attracted millions.

Pioneer Winemakers of Chautauqua County

Despite Chautauqua’s long-time association with Temperance and reform, the region boasts a colorful history of winemaking that has been making a comeback in recent decades. John Slater provides us with the last of our three-part look at the Chautauqua Grape Belt.

Allan Herschell: King of the Carousel

Thanks to the companies of Allan Herschell, North Tonawanda played an important part in America’s entertainment industry, and continues to honor that heritage today.

Tonawanda Harbor: The Lumber Capital of the World

In the late 1800s, piles of lumber stretched for miles as the Twin Cities of Tonawanda and North Tonawanda developed around the harbor and the surging lumber industry.

Dr. Welch’s Unfermented Wine

In a follow-up to his Fall 2010 feature, John Thomas Slater reveals how a Chautauqua County-based company developed Welch’s Grape Juice and brought it to the masses.

Before There Was Grape Juice

Before grape juice dominated the grape market, growers in Western New York and Northeast Pennsylvania produced thousands of acres worth of table grapes for a nationwide market. Related industries such as shipping and manufacturing of supplies were also fruitful for the people of the Chautauqua-Erie Grape Belt.

Western New York Heritage

The Archive