Lou's Lockport

Join a sentimental senior for a walk around town.
We'll scan the streets and stores...make stops for coffee and chat.
Relay today's "word on the street" and…
Recall yesterdays over on Memory Lane.

One of Over Hundreds of Pages of News and Features
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A Few Short Paragraphs
For A Business Long On Lockport

July 4, 2003

The editor has asked me many times to get back into writing but regretfully I have failed him.  Now he's begging me to share comments at a recent luncheon we had about the imminent demise of Lockport's Lerch & Daly Clothing Store.  So, here I am, back at the Lockport Home Page.

I went this past month to say my good-byes to Charlie Gray.  I have been doing business with Lerch & Daly all my life and that even goes back to before Charlie.  At lunch I was asked "why?"  Well, you'd have to ask Charlie. And for me, posing that question that has been repeated to him over and over, was just too distasteful.  But I can offer my observations which may differ some from the way Charlie sees it.  What I have seen goes back well over a half century.

Why is Lockport losing its only men's clothing store?  Of course, for the past decade or so it hasn't been just "Men's and Boys" but women's, too.   And that is, in my view, part of the reason for its demise. 

Dressing up, especially for men, particularly around here, has been on a steady decline since the 50's, if not before that.  When dressing up, a men's specialty store with above-average quality stock was necessary.  We had a couple such stores in Lockport in the mid 20th century.  But with the decline in the standards for men's dress, more and more business for men's clothing could be satisfied by the likes of K-Mart and other discounters.  Lerch & Daly of course carried much of the informal men's clothing but they couldn't match the prices of the discounters.   This story is repeated all over the country.  It is not special to Lockport.  Witness the departure of such regional greats such as the Kleinhans Men Store out of Buffalo.

More recently Lerch & Daily tried to offset the drop in men's business by introducing women's fashions.  Of course we already had numerous women's clothing stores plus the discounters.  I sense this was a mistake.  Now when I would go into Lerch & Daly a woman would wait on me, I couldn't find a man.  As we discussed at lunch last week, the women would "gush" about how well we looked in the clothes, they'd flirt---even with old weeds like myself---and they'd...well...just lie to make a sale.  And that's not to mention they often didn't have the expertise to sell or explain men's clothing.  Concurrent with this the quality of men's items in stock further declined.  More and more I went to Kleinhan's in Buffalo.  When they closed, fortunately for me, my life, certainly my social life, was nearing its last pages.  I don't wear ties, jackets, or suits very much anymore.  How many suits does one need to dress up for church once a week? 

More reasons?  Well, of course, the steady weight of increased taxes contribute to the demise of men's clothing business like just about every other business.   High wage costs apparently made it prohibitive for Lerch & Daly to have competent men on their staff to serve men.  Then there is the bad business atmosphere of downtown Lockport since Urban Renewal.  It's not getting any better.  And, the city, over the past fifty years, for the most part, has not been pro-active in boosting downtown.  The most recent example:  the incredible lack of attention by top city officials to a proposal by a Niagara Falls firm to redevelop the South Block.   I just can't believe the story coming out of city hall on this!  

Then, again, as we discussed, there's the reluctance of most downtown to stay open more than one night a week.  More people are working today and thus more and more retail business must stay open evenings to serve a different customer base than existed in the mid 50's.  The malls are open every night except Sunday.  A downtown retailer needs to be open at least three nights a week!  Of course the downtown snow removal problem is a bigger problem than the city officials and retails want to admit.  Sidewalks need to be shoveled consistently, perhaps a couple times a day, and snow mountains along the curb have to be removed by city trucks overnight. 

I was sad to see the city make a very expensive political appointment several months ago to a person connected to our disastrous Urban Renewal program and who still proclaims it was a success!  He is now "managing" the Richmond Avenue and presumably South Block development.  Another mistake.  We do need someone to manage our downtown business operations and developments (just like the malls have) but no, not political cronies!  Perhaps Lockport needs an experienced, non-political city manager paid well in a full-time position rather than paying the big money to a part-time political mayor.

Lerch & Daly was a good Lockport business.  I'm going to miss them and I do wish Charlie Gray the best in his future tasks, whatever they may be.   A sad but sincere good-bye to all.  I'm still rooting for Lockport to not only hold on downtown but to prosper.  We do have to do things differently and so far, I don't see even the possibility of the change we need.

The  Glenn "Red Nick" Haney Story
Finally, Closure On A Lockport Murder Case

June 2, 2001

The story I'm about to tell you happened a long time ago.  My notes go back to May 1976 but the horrible murder of Lockport cab driver "Buddy" Harris goes back to about 1940, more than 65 years ago and back into the times of another era. It's a Lockport that few but us old timers would recognize today.

In May of '76 I was visiting legendary Lockport Republican political leader, Edmund "Babe" Brown.  "Boss Brown" was one of those old-time political powers who really had what we'd call today "the juice."   Lockport and Niagara County were largely run by the Republican Party back in the first half of the 20th century and the Republican Party was largely run here by the VanDeMark family and the official City Party Chairman, Edmund Brown.  Prior to WW-2 Lockport was still lingering in the impact of the 30's Depression and jobs were hard to come by.  However, for those who were connected to "Babe" Brown, a job on the government payroll, or the payroll of a company doing business with local government, would be a strong possibility.  "Babe" was known to take care of "family" and this included not only his own family but "The (Republican) Party Faithful."

One of the many helped out over the years by Babe was his cousin, Glenn "Red Nick" Haney.  I told you a little story about "Red Nick" in my last installment but this story is of a much more serious nature.  Back in 1976 as I sat at the kitchen table in Babe's house on Summit Street, his face drew serious as he moved into relating the demise of cab driver Buddy Harris.

"Red Nick" had been out drinking that night, as was his usual custom.  With him was a drinking buddy whose name Babe could only remember as "Pete."  In their travels, and while well tanked, they called on the cab services of Buddy Harris.  "Red Nick," at least, could be one nasty man when he got drunk.  Babe Brown knew that, I knew that, and probably most of Lockport knew that.  Well, Babe relates, not surprisingly, Red Nick and Pete got into a disagreement with the cab driver and it escalated to violence.  "Red Nick" had a big knife and it was over in short order.  Buddy Harris was mortally stabbed and left to bleed to death in his cab, not far from Lockport Police Headquarters on Pine Street.  When the police found the body it wouldn't take them long to round up "the usual suspects" and for something like this, "Red Nick" would be on the list. 

So Haney was worried and trying to elude the law.  The next morning he headed over to his cousin's house and asked Babe for help.  Babe said he had Red Nick sit down and told him, "Glenn, I want an answer.  If you stay in Lockport, you're going to have a lot of people coming out to this house to investigate you, because you're the prime suspect in this Harris murder.  There's never any moratorium on murder."  It was then that the confession poured out that Haney and another fellow by the name of "Pete" were responsible.  Babe responded, "Well alright, you're my cousin, I don't want to see you go, so we'll see what happens."  

Babe then told me that he hired an attorney and they called in the District Attorney and they took Glenn around to several places and grilled him for about two days in a row (see "Squeal Room" in previous installment).  Following Babe's advice, he had a "story" and he stuck to it.  Babe told him " now you had better find that fellow Pete and make sure he tells the same story if they pick him up or you'll both wind up in the electric chair."  He left the next day.  The police were apparently unable to break Pete or Glenn Haney and the story stuck, the crime remained on the books and officially unsolved. 

Glenn Haney came back to Lockport about a year later and hung around again for a while before World War II started.  He then went into the Merchant Marines and was on the ill-fated trip to Murmansk where fifty some ships out of seventy-two were lost.   They went up over the North Sea past this placed called "Torpedo Junction." Haney was a survivor and upon returning to Lockport again, related how for three days and nights the machine guns never cooled off fighting off subs and planes.   Haney was a bowsun and got paid off, with bonuses, about $3500 for the trip.   They got the big money because they were carrying bombs.  They couldn't go in convoy because, if hit, their cargo could blow up the ship and everything near it.    When he got back to Lockport he did reappear before Babe Brown but made no effort to pay him back for "past considerations." 

I've got a bit more to tell about Red Nick and may do so in some future installment.

Old Business Cards, The Police Squeal Room,
And The Lockport Drug Problem 50 Years Ago

April 21, 2001

Old Lockport Business Cards.  John O'Stewart of Plaquemine, Louisiana writes home to Lockport of several old Lockport Business Cards he has in his possession. He sent along picture files of a couple.   Our editor would like to follow John's suggestion of publishing them and referred along the samples to me for comment.  "Great!  Let's do it!" I said, but regretfully I have none in my memory boxes to contribute.  John says his sister has many more.  Do you have any to share?  John's father, George O'Stewart used to work for A. J. Laux & Company back in the 1940's where he collected the cards.  While I spent more than a few hours in the Laux store on Pine Street, I can't pull memories of John's father out of my mental dust bins.  I'm sure we must have met, however.   We're reproducing one of the business cards John sent along below.  I don't recall the business---perhaps some of you do---so I can't give you a year.  We have one more such card from John to share with you at a future time and hopefully there will be many more sent in also.

Thanks for writing home to Lockport.  George Eckhardt enjoys our Lou's View pictorial section.  I guess many others do, too.  It's one of Top-Ten Visited Pages here at the Lockport Home Page site.  Thanks to George for writing and thanks to all of you who have contributed photographs to share!

Thank You for all the good memories.  I lived in Lockport for 20 years from 1945. I delivered newspapers between 1958 and 1963 . The pictures really bring back lots of memories. My family still lives in and around Lockport. I graduated in 1963 from LSHS. Keep up the good work.  Always a Lockportian,

George H. Eckhardt

Violation of Civil Rights?  I was really saddened to hear the story of the elderly Niagara County farmer who says he was abused, humiliated, and somewhat tortured at the hands of the Niagara County Sheriff's Department over what appears to be a civil matter. I'm told, since then, that the Sheriff may have an interest in the case through family or friendship.  This would not be the Sheriff that I know and I want to hear Tom Beilein say "it isn't so."   We'll have to wait for the lawsuit against the taxpayers of Niagara County to learn the details and the validity of the claim.  This is one matter I hope doesn't get settled out of court.  We need to know the truth here.

"The Squeal Room."  While a group of us were talking about the above incident, a couple of us couldn't help but recall what was known as "the Squeal Room" at the old Lockport Police station on Pine Street.  This is one of those pieces of "aural history" you won't find any written documentation about.  And I can't give you any first-hand testimony since I was never in the basement of the old police headquarters where this early 20th century interrogation center was said to have been located.  But I'm convinced it was there.   I talked to several who had been questioned there and, more than one of the interrogators.  This was before the days of Miranda warnings.  It's how police, back then --- before high tech science, got many of their leads and confessions.  It worked.  Perhaps there were some innocent folks who were pressurized here but for the most part I recall it was where "the usual suspects" were taken when the local police needed to solve a serious crime.  Rubber hoses were used as they apparently didn't leave tell-tale marks.  As is true even in later years, not everything about police work wound up being reported in the newspapers.  I'm going to save until my next installment the story about one time several days in the "squeal room" didn't work to bring about a confession in a famous Lockport murder case.  And I'm going to break a quarter-century plus silence in the matter to tell you, what I know of the Buddy Harris murder case.  It will be, as our Editor likes to trumpet, "A Lockport Home Page Exclusive"---albeit over a half century late. 

The Lockport Drug Scene, circa 1948.  No, nothing like the problem we have today!  My recollection of "Red Nick" was always from a distance.  He was not the kind of guy you wanted as an enemy.  Red had a drug problem, mid-20th century kind.  With the exception of perhaps one time in his life during WW-2, Red usually only had limited funds.  Thus his drug of choice was something marketed in those days as "Chericol."  This was a cherry-flavored cough syrup which had a potent percentage of codeine in it.  Many of us can attest to its effectiveness for continuing coughs from colds.  It was a favorite source of codeine for Red regardless of if he had a cough.  In fact the local pharmacists knew what Red was up to and just wouldn't sell him any of it.  His solution?  He'd go out to the County Poor House on Davison Road (where the County Welfare Office is today).  There, he'd hire a couple of the "guests" at 50-cents each to go into town and buy several bottles for which he also came up with the cash.  He'd pay the roundtrip taxi fare downtown and when the boys from The Poor House came back with the goods he'd give them their 50-cent pieces in return for the bottles of "Chericol."

LCD

Recollections Of Christmas Past

December 22, 2000

This year, a White Christmas assured. We won't have to wear out remaining copies of Bing Crosby's (I'm Dreaming Of) A White Christmas this year.  Snow has been on the ground most of December and we have a substantial accumulation on this Friday, 12/22 as I write.  The forecast is for below freezing and snow for at least another five days.

When Lockport had a Chamber of Commerce.  Back in 1948 the City of Lockport had its very own Chamber of Commerce.  (We also had our own Lockport-owned and operated newspaper and radio station).    It's focus was on the city---not Newfane, not the Town of Lockport, not Niagara Falls --- but Lockport City.  And the city was prosperous in the business district and industrial areas.  How times have changed.  

Chamber VIPs recalled.  The president was Arthur Root, who I believe, was connected with the telephone company.  We only had one telephone company  and New York Telephone had a full service office in the Lockport downtown.  Mr. Root reported through the Buffalo office directly to Ma Bell at AT&T.  Harold Swanson, from the clothing store, was Chamber VP.  Arthur Dittmer (Dittmer Gear) was 2nd-Vice-President and George Eaton (from Eaton Construction (on Exchange Street).  On the Board of Directors I recall encounters with many of gentlemen:  George F. Jammer (Superintendent of Schools), Karl Lewis, Albert A. Nodine, Marcus Pils, and Ray Cothran (Mayor).

It was a joy to shop Main Street at Christmas time.   The streets were packed with our neighbors and stores were open nightly.  My favorite for the "Love of My Life" was Harry Hamill, Jeweler on the north side of Main, about where Urban Park is today. My love is gone today and Harry was finished off as a part of Urban Renewal.  The reminder we have today is Mills Jewelers, just west of where Harry's place was.  It's the quality shop in Lockport that, just like Harry's, folks come from all over the area to shop.  Mills was around in '48, too.   I believe it was on the south side of Main. 

Cold will impact Christmas Eve observances.  I may not go to the traditional Christmas Eve church services this year.  I'm having to admit that staying up that late is not my practice any longer, at my age.  If the temperature was up above freezing I'd probably do it but the forecast predicts bitter cold for Sunday night. 

Warm Christmas, warm greetings.  My house has a full tank of oil, the fridge is full of a wonderful assortment of food, and I expect to enjoy the day, mostly inside.  To all of you...here, there, and everywhere...Best wishes for Christmas from a Lockport old timer. 

LCD

December 8, 2000

Sad story.  The announced closing of the Jubilee Market on Chestnut Street, in the former Sears store is another body blow to our city.  When we recall all the concessions the city gave to the developer of this enterprise it is especially sad.  But I'm not surprised.  It had been in the works for almost a year.  Those of us who were the customers kept hoping that management would effect a buy-out from the national Fleming Company which felt it just wasn't making enough money here.

Good location.  The location is a good one and much of the customer base is "captive."  Without a personal vehicle, they depend on this facility to meet their weekly grocery needs.  The impact will be felt most by the many seniors who live in the subsidized housing projects around downtown, the poor who populate the Crime District, and center city folks who, although able, just don't like to travel far, especially in winter. 

Bad word-of-mouth advertising.  The supermarket never seemed to enjoy the patronage it did when it first opened.  And, with good reason.  A manager there became known for false pricing on items and false advertising.  He was nasty to many customers.  Yet he hung on for enough years so that the word-of-mouth advertising against the place was quite effective.  When he was finally dismissed by the company, much community damage had been done.  A   couple ad pros at the Lockport Home Page coffee bar today remarked that the store's media advertising wasn't that good either. 

So many choices...but so long ago.  Back in the middle of the 20th Century downtown Lockport was filled with food markets.  Of course there was A&P and Loblaws.  There was The Mohican Market (in the Bewley Building) where everyone loved those hot cross buns.  And, remember the Federal Meat Market on Main at Locust?   It was complete with saw dust around on the floors which included those hexagon-shaped white tiles out in the customer area.  You may like to go over the list of them in our Downtown Destinations - Lockport Yesterday section to spark your recollection.

Greed is the cause of much trouble.  National businesses set higher and higher profit goals that become impossible to meet without resorting to unfair practices.  This is especially after the businesses have been sold a few times, each time getting marked up beyond its real intrinsic value.   Accountants make manipulations and the there are cash flow, inventory, depreciation, and tax charades for a while.  But finally, the chickens come home to roost and these big businesses become a big bust.  I was shocked to hear that for those who would like to give a gift certificate to shop at the Lockport Mall, that enterprise is now making a minimum $2.50 surcharge on each certificate.  Think about that for a while, do the math, consider how many certificates never get redeemed, and how many are unredeemed for months and one can understand why the sale of gift certificates is such a popular retail item.  But now, on top of that, putting on a surcharge?   Well, it's like the banks now charging a "maintenance fee" for you to deposit your money with them so they can use it. 

Christmastime is still wonderful in Lockport.  Our Lockport Home Page has certainly carried enough news lately that appears to put a frost on happiness.  But for those of us who don't put The Dollar into a deity position, the time can indeed be joyful.  Of course, there is the celebration of His birth, 2000 years ago.  In addition to this, however, so many folks feel more friendly and charitable.  It's a combination of causes, but if we can put the thought of money to the side, we'll find the simple things available to us during this month a wonderful treat!

Greed will shrivel up a person's soul.
Sirach 14.9

LCD

January 9, 2000

Lesson in observation. For the last couple years one of my delights has been time spent with a new friend, met through our mutual affiliation with the Lockport Home Page. This past week Peter Buckholtz had the time (and I always have the time) so we met down at Friendly’s on The Big Bridge. Peter has a strong interest in Lockport local history. He thought it would be nice to walk up and down our city Main Street and compare notes about what was and is now. We were finished with a light late lunch, gazing out those big observation windows at Friendly’s when we saw a traffic "incident" in the west-bound lane of Main Street as two vehicles stopped at the Cottage Street traffic light. The lead car apparently got a slight rear-end love tap from the vehicle behind as the lead car stopped either abruptly for a changing, or green light. Immediately the driver of the lead car appeared to be complaining of neck injuries. An ambulance was called, Police arrived. Peter and I paid our bill and walked over to see how this little drama was being acted out. Oh, it was whiplash! Yes, she absolutely required an ambulance and a hospital trip. She wanted the Police to make a complete report out (which would be available for insurance and other investigators). Not a scratch on either vehicle! It looked like a previously rehearsed scenario that had been given considerable thought by the woman driving and her male companion (witness). You can imagine as well as I how this drama will unfold. The poor chap in the second vehicle seemed so visibly shaken and helpless. It’s a lesson why car insurance rates continue to go up, even in Lockport.

Most great stores gone, Grimbles remains. It was so cold we decided to cut our Main Street walk short and crossed over at the corner of Locust to walk back down Main (west) pass the former addresses of Jay’s, Grants, Woolworth’s, Willliams Brothers, Carl Company, etc. So sad to see that big open South Block. Lockport development has been held hostage by this failure and legal matter for about a quarter of a century. We muttered among ourselves as much as the on-coming wind would permit about the present state of downtown. But to end things on a happy note we kept going on to Grimble's Hardware. Peter wanted a certain type of leather treatment for his jacket. He was confident that Grimble’s would have it. The helpful and knowledgeable clerk showed him several types, discussed the merits of each and helped Peter make the right decision. This went on for about ten minutes. All for about a $3 sale! That’s the kind of service that makes Grimble’s the best of its kind on the Niagara Frontier. While Peter was shopping I was looking over the Lionel Train collection for sale, once again, at Grimble’s. My father bought my first Lionel trains right there in that same building!

                                            ----Alfred Lord Tennyson

Summertime Around Lockport

September 10, 1999

Summer’s gone. I’ve been reminded, more than once, that I haven’t written in several months. I always respond to the Editor that one of the joys of retirement is setting priorities for the day with usually only health and weather as parameter specifications. The weather in Lockport has been great and my health quite satisfactory for my requirement soooo… I’ve been doing quite a bit of traveling. The new computer I purchased around the first of year hasn’t received much attention.

Summers yesteryear. I received a nice note from Don Clark who lives in East Aurora now. He had some wonderful comments about Castle’s Dairy and pointed out that his uncle, Eddy Clark, had been a milk "peddler" for Casey’s operation for many years. He used to juggle the milk bottles, Don reports. Of course he brought up Clark’s Drive In just east of Wright’s Corners on "the ridge." Some nights we’d get in the car and enjoy the treats at Castle’s drive-up on East Avenue but there were so many other favorite spots, too. Clark’s was certainly among them. We didn’t just stop at Clarks "on the way" someplace. It was an evening destination. We drove down to Clark’s, enjoyed the burgers, hot dogs and whatever, then made a turn on Route 104 right back to Lockport. That was our treat for the evening. Other favorites included Kenan’s Randleigh Farms diary bar, often watching the cows get milked through the large glass observation windows. The dairy bar, in sort of an English design both inside and out had a wonderful small setting of tables and chairs to enjoy Kenan’s ice cream (actually better than Castle’s because it was loaded with more cream). Mr. Kenan lost money selling his super-quality dairy products at market prices. He was, of course, in a position to do just that and Lockportians were the beneficiaries.

Memories of the 4^th of July. Bill Waple, a Lockportian-at-Large out in California sent me a wonderful e-mail message over the summer that I’d like to share:

It is the 4th of July and I want to thank you for connecting me to the place where I had so many happy 4th celebrations in my youth. I am 66 and live in Westlake Village, California. As a boy our family had a cottage north of the park in Olcott. In the 50's and 60's one of the high points of the year was the July 4th celebration at Olcott. They were something very special. Memories of our younger days are reason enough to make us smile, but I believe to have grown up in that environment, at that time was indeed a blessing. I want to thank you again for contributing to our celebration of the last 4th of July in this century,

PS That old log cabin in the park really did the trick. I was reading recently where Teddy Roosevelt gave a speech there early in the century for Pioneer Days. ---Regards, Bill Waple

Thanks, Bill, for those recollections and your gracious comments. Our website recently ran a picture of the Log Cabin today as it has been "reconstructed" out in Pendleton. It may still be in the photo collection over on our Niagara County Profile In Pictures page. Sad that it wasn’t retained at Olcott. The "reconstructed" version really doesn’t do justice to the way we remember it.

Old Lockport on cable? Clarence Ragland wrote that he’d like to see pictures of old Lockport transferred to video tape and broadcast over the local cable. His message was given to the Editor here and you’ve probably seen it reproduced elsewhere. It’s a good idea, if moderated by a knowledgeable person, and produced properly. No small undertaking to do that job right. But since I don’t subscribe to cable I don’t know much about the capabilities of the local cable outfit. What I have seen, while traveling, in motel rooms that have local cable channels, hasn’t been too encouraging. I’ve enjoyed talking to Clarence a few times and have watched him many times out at the wonderful Lockport airfield off Day Road for radio-control model flying. He’s an instructor for those who would like to take the hobby. Video (magnetic) tape, however, really isn’t too good for long-term preservation of photographic records. That’s a long story, which needs a different venue and much more space to comment on fully.

I have much more to report on. I hope to write again soon.

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