You may have heard of these highlights in Lockport history.   Now, however, let's take some time
to learn more than the highlights.  In this section we're gathering stories of the major past
events, people, and places,  in Historic Lockport.  We'll be recounting  some interesting
stories and adding some pictures that may have faded from memories.
Contributions are welcome.  E-Mail: Editor@Lockport-NY.com

On This Page:

Chauncey Olcott's Lockport Link
Things That Have Gone Wrong With The Weather:  Lockport Farming Recollections
         Recollections Of An Early Settler

                                     Famed Balladeer & Irish Songwriter:

Chauncey Olcott
         Linked To Lockport & An Old Irish Shanty

By Clarence "Dutch" Adams

One very famous person with family ties to Lockport was Chancellor John Olcott, more commonly known as Chauncey Olcott. He was known throughout the music world for his contributions as a composer, singer, and actor. Honorary pallbearers at his funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City included James J. Walker---Mayor of New York City, Alfred E. Smith---Governor of New York State, and George M. Cohan, another famous person from the music world.

Chauncey Olcott's ancestors came from Ireland. His mother was born in Ireland and came to America with her family when she was eight years old. They went first to Montreal, Canada, and then came to Lockport in the 1840's. They lived in what Chauncey Olcott would later call "an Irish shanty" on the banks of the Erie Canal. The "Irish shanty" was located on the east end of West Genesee Street next to a sawmill on the Clifford Lumber Company lumberyard. The entrance to the lumberyard was on Transit Street.

Newspaper articles concerning Chauncey Olcott's early life are very contradictory. His mother is reported in some articles to be "Margaret Buckley" while other articles say his mother was "Margaret Doyle." However, Lockport city directories report both living on West Genesee Street, but the Buckleys were listed as "West Genesee near Hawley," which would not be near the lumberyard. One news article reports that his mother married Mellon Whitney Olcott in Lockport, then moved to Buffalo where Chauncey Olcott was born July 21, 1860. Other articles note Chauncey's birthplace as Lockport. Two years after Mellen Olcott died, Margaret Olcott married Patrick Brennan. Chauncey was Margaret's only surviving son, two others having died.

It would seem though that Chauncey Olcott was born in Buffalo in 1860. After his death, his widow told of his having taken great delight when they were first married in showing her his birthplace, above his father's stable in Buffalo.

His mother's second husband, Patrick Brennan, was Chief Engineer for the Buffalo Water Works for many years. They lived on West Avenue in Buffalo between Rhode Island Street and Massachusetts Avenue.

Frame Left:  Olcott, the balladeer, as shown on a picture taken by Donovan Studios of New York.

Chauncey's mother and stepfather continued to live in Buffalo, and Chauncey attended Buffalo public schools. His maternal grandmother continued to live in the "Irish shanty" on West Genesee Street where Chauncey would spend his summer vacations from school in Buffalo. Chauncey Olcott's musical career actually began when he was very young. Some Lockport residents recalled times when Chauncey, while visiting in Lockport, was hoisted onto a table at the Washington Hose firehouse on Church Street where he would sing Irish ballads. In 1879, at the age of 19, Chauncey Olcott appeared with Emerson and Hooley's Minstrel Company in Chicago. The next year he joined a group called Haverly's Mastodons at Buffalo, New York, and they opened at the Drury Lane Theatre in London, England. In October 1881, he opened with Billy Emerson's Minstrels in San Francisco. Chauncey was very successful in the minstrel shows, but because of the special quality of his light lyric tenor voice, theatre managers encouraged him to sing Irish ballads and take leading roles in plays, operas and operettas.

In March 1886, Chauncey Olcott made in New York City debut at the Union Square Theatre as Pablo in Pepita. Later he starred in The Old Homestead, Pinafore, and The Mikado. In 1890 he went to London where he made stage appearances and studied voice for three years.

Even after appearing on the stage in New York and London and touring extensively, Chauncey Olcott returned to Lockport several times for appearances at the Hodge Opera House. In 1900 he appeared in Eileen Astore, in 1903 in Sterrance; in 1907 it was Old Limerick Town, and in 1912 it was Machusla.

Who and when Chauncey Olcott married is another story that has many different versions. One source says that Chauncey Olcott married Miss Carrie Armstrong in Philadelphia in January 1884. Another newspaper article states that he married a Miss Radcliffe of Hastings-on-Hudson in 1893, but that they were divorced a year later. The only certainty is that on Sept. 28, 1897, he married Margaret O'Donovan of San Francisco, and this we know because she survived him. She died in 1949, age 70, at the LeRoy Sanitarium.

Margaret Olcott was a co-author of two plays in which her husband appeared, Ragged Robin and Lusmore. After his death in 1932, she wrote Song In His Heart, a biography of Chauncey Olcott. This later was made in a motion picture called "My Wild Irish Rose."

Things That Have Gone Wrong With The Weather
Lockport Apple Farm Recollections Of An Old-Timer

As we travel through life we learn that not everything goes our way. Some of our misfortune is of our own making and some is beyond our control. The weather impacts everyone and the following is a collection of weather related events plus some non-weather events.

1896

One hundred years ago New York State was the leading apple producing state in the Union. The Appalachian area and the western states were just starting to produce apples. The population of the United States was 75,000,000. We showed the rest of the country who was number one by producing over 54,000,000 bushels of apples - with disastrous results.

With limited transportation and cold storage facilities and a primitive sales and distribution network, the fresh markets available to us couldn't handle that many apples. Most of the crop was shaken to the ground, picked up and taken to the cider mill or dry house for 15-cents per hundred weight. This computes to 6-cents per bushel. A dollar went farther in 1897 but 6 cents didn't pay many bills.

A smaller crop in 1897 returned $1.30 per barrel containing 3 bushels. Take out 28 cents for the barrel and it left 34 cents per bushel.

1934

48 years of official weather records were broken on February 9, 1934, when temperatures of 24 degrees below zero wereregistered at the Fred Lewis greenhouses on Locust St. and 30 degrees below zero were registered at Randleigh Farm on Chestnut Ridge. The next night the temperatures were just as low.

Our house was heated with a one register, wood burning furnace. I was ten years old at the time and I remember I was very cold because the furnace couldn't keep up with the cold. The only heat that got upstairs was by the stairway, but we shut the stairway door to help heat the downstairs and that made it even colder upstairs.

There were lots of broken water pipes and damaged trees. On the farm many of the Baldwin and Greening trees were killed. When the old trees were removed they were replaced by 12 year old Macintosh trees that had survived the cold weather. This was done by digging around the Macintosh trees and lifting them out of the ground with a rig that looked like a tow truck and placing them in the hole left by the old tree. This was done in October, 1924, after the harvest, using the apple pickers to do the digging,

The 1934 crop of all fruits was very small because of tree and bud damage. These were depression years and the cold weather placed an extra burden on everyone, especially the many unemployed people.

Thursday, September 25, 1941

The tail end of a Texas hurricane entered Niagara County around noon, bringing 70 MPH winds, reaching its peak at 3:30 PM and lasting until 6 PM. One half of the Niagara County apple crop had been harvested and 75% of the remaining half ended up on the ground. This amounted to 750,000 bushels. The 25% that remained on the trees were badly damaged. The gusty southwest wind pushed the limbs to the northeast. When the wind let up the limbs snapped back and deposited most of the apples in piles on the southwest side of the tree.

Considerable damage was done in the residential sections of Lockport. Trees and wires were blown down and lots of shingles were floating around.

1945

The yearend report of the Niagara County Extension agent, published in the Union Sun and Journal, stated that "1945 will long be remembered as most disastrous for fruit growers."

In January there were 19 inches of snow. In February there were 12 inches of snow. On March 26 and 28 the temperature reached 79 degrees. This caused the leaves on the apple trees to start growing as well as the apple scale fungus. The chemical used to control apple scale was lime-sulfur. This had to be prepared and boiled at the chemical factory and because it was usually not needed until the middle of April, it wasn't available. This resulted in the apple scab getting out of control and by summer many apple trees were defoliated.

On April 10 and 13 the temperatures reached 81 degrees and all the fruit trees came into blossom. The weather then turned cold with rain and snow for the entire month that the trees were in bloom. On May 11, 1945, wet snow fell all day and all night with the temperature falling into the low 30's. The snow stopped the next day, May 12, and by noon the temperature finally got into the 50's. The bees couldn't pollinate the blossoms and the apple, pear and prune crop was a total failure. Cherries and grapes produced less than one-half a crop. Peaches were the only fruit approaching a normal crop.

We had two men working on the farm and they spent the entire fall driving through the orchard with a tractor and wagon. When they spotted an apple they stopped and picked it and then went on to the next apple. Less than 50 bushels of apples on the whole farm were harvested.

September 5, 1945, was the hottest day of the year when the temperature rose to 91 degrees. September had 6.19 inches of rain and October, 5.21 inches. November had 13.5 inches of snow and December, 6 inches. The good news was that the war in Europe and Asia came to an end.

Sunday, September 1998

Growing up on the farm I can't remember a hail storm until perhaps 25 years ago. Since then hail has been a regular visitor somewhere in Niagara County. We have had hail damage for several years but it wasn't until 3 PM , Sunday, September 1998, that we were introduced to the devastating effects of a severe hail storm.

High winds, rain and hail, originating from the west swept across our orchards. maple leaves were stuck to the side of our house and the ground was covered with marble sized hail stones. A year's work and growth were reduced to a mostly unsaleable product. As many as 30 holes appeared in one apple. We had already harvested the earlier varieties but the later varieties were still on the trees. We salvaged some by picking the east side of the tree up as high as the pickers could reach. Most of the damage to these apples were dents as opposed to holes. Other fruit farms were also badly damaged.

Y2K

Some of you may have experienced some problems with your vegetable gardens or your flowers this year. The following is what happened on our local farms.

A mild winter followed by warm temperatures in March caused the apple buds to swell and the leaves to grow. The warm weather along with some rain caused apple scale spores to spring out of their winter sanctuary and land on these little leaves. This was followed by cold weather and some growers thought this wouldn't be a problem and didn't spray. The next two months of heavy rain caused the scab to spread to the apples and resulted in a high percentage of cull apples. There are a lot of lopsided apples and small apples which may be from cold weather or poor pollination. some growers who did a good job and produced fancy fruit are faced with a weak demand and low prices.

Some Niagara County farms received heavy hail damage and their entire crop of apples will be sold for low priced juice apples.

Field corn used for cattle feed couldn't be planted, or if it was the seed rotted. By winter dairy farmers may be looking for sources of cattle feed - hay as well as corn.

In the last Farm Bureau newsletter there was a request from the Montana ranchers for hay to replace what was lost in the fires this summer. Pumpkins, squash and gourds were planted but some seed rotted while other seed produced only vines and blossoms but no fruit. Some farm markets are buying pumpkins from as far away as Baltimore. Tomatoes fared a little better, but they may seem expensive to the buyer.

The bright spot was that we could cut our grass at least twice a week and pull weeds 24 hours a day, and if that didn't keep us busy we could always swat mosquitoes.

It would have been nicer if these events had not occurred, but if we compare them with a tornado depositing your house in the next county, or a flood leaving a foot of mud and water on your living room carpet or a forest fire burning down a whole city, maybe we haven't had it so bad.

Starting with my grandparents, our family has survived all of these events and each time we end up a little tougher. Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel seems dim but as long as no one turns it off we will make it.

The text of this article originally appeared in the newsletter
of the Niagara County Historical Society.

The following selections were taken from "Recollections of an Old Settler," written by Mrs. Laura P. Colton. The adopted daughter of Dr. Isaac Smith and his wife Edna, who were among the first folks to live in Lockport. The recollections were first published in the Lockport Democrat Union on August 11, 1873. Dutch Adams has edited these articles.

One incident connected with the matter was quite amusing. Lewiston and Lockport were the most prominent rivals. Lewiston claimed the buildings, as being the largest and oldest village in the county, and the courts having been held there they did not want to give them up. Lockport asserted the right as being nearer the geographical center and from the location of the canal and locks, as likely to be the business and commercial center.

The Commissioners appointed by the state to settle the affair were so pressed by petitions and counter petitions and remonstrances they returned to Albany and threw up their hands in despair. A second set was sent on. The Lewistonians had the advantage in possessing a newspaper, by which they could send out their side of the question all over the County. Hearing the printer was not very well supported, some of the more enterprising Lockport citizens met and appointed a committee, consisting of Dr. Isaac Smith and Otis Hathaway, to go over to Lewiston and purchase the paper, press and printer. They left one afternoon with two lumber wagons, reached Lewiston just after dark, found the printer, bought the press, and engaged him to go back with them and run it. It must have been a small affair because they packed it and the household goods, himself and family, into the two wagons and were back in Lockport before morning the next day, and by noon the same day had a paper out on their side, with fiery and convincing articles, and blazing with exclamation points. They sent some over to Lewiston that night, which was the first intimation many of the inhabitants had that they were minus a paper.

When the Commissioners finally decided in favor of Lockport, I well remember Dr. Smith, who was wildly enthusiastic and public spirited, mount his sorrel Indian pony at the head of Main St. near the American, drop the bridle on the horse's neck, take the newspaper containing the intelligence of their decision in favor of Lockport in one hand, and swinging his hat in the other, spur his horse on a gallop the whole length of Main Street, across the "Big Bridge" to the Washington House, shouting the glad news at the top of his voice.

First Mill

Visit of Gen. Lafayette to Lockport

On the occasion of Gen. Lafayette's visit to Lockport in 1825, he held a reception at the Washington Hotel, which stood at the junction of Old and New Main Streets and faced east.

He received ladies and children, who thronged in from the surrounding country, in the parlors of the hotel, shaking hands and having a pleasant word for each and kissing the children, after which he showed himself on the balcony, and made a short speech, which was received with enthusiastic cheers. A dinner was given him at the hotel, with as many invited guests as could be accommodated, and the cloth being removed, the Marshal of the day, Daniel B. Washburn (afterwards member of Assembly), ordered the guests to fill their glasses for Gen. Lafayette's toast, to be drank standing. All rose.

The general said, "I give you the county of Niagara---first in the wonders of Nature, and first in the wonders of Art." Alluding to the latter clause to the ten combined Locks and the excavation of several miles of solid rock, thirty feet deep. That was before the wonders of modern engineering and seemed to have impressed him with the vast amount of labor and skill involved.

The General with his suite came into town from the west, either Buffalo or Niagara, in carriages, but the canal was open from Lockport to Rochester, and upon his leaving at about five o'clock that afternoon a flotilla of packet boats were in waiting at the foot of the locks to take him East, one fitted up elegantly for himself and suite, each drawn by six horses, gaily caparisoned. The boats decorated with flags and banners, having bands of music on board, and crowded with invited guests to escort him on his way. The banks of the ravine or basin and the locks and canal were crowded with spectators.

There was no cannon in the village, and not wishing to be behind other towns, a salute was improvised by drilling one hundred holes a few inches deep on the north side of the ravine on the edge of the bank, from the present site of the Holly works, east to the railroad bridge. In each was put a small charge of powder, and a train laid from one to the other, and just as boats started, the music struck up, the thousands of spectators cheered, and the train was fired and the hundred guns roared and reverberated from what was then the wooded and rocky shores of the glen and everything went off in a blaze of glory.