Newfane & Olcott
Sites and Sights

Photographs and Background On The Spots That Are Unique To The Town of Newfane, NY

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Oldest Church In Newfane

First_Baptist_1999.jpg (61620 bytes) The First Baptist Church in Newfane remains a village landmark. It is the oldest church in the hamlet of Newfane, built from cobblestone in 1843.

Actual services began before this church was built, in 1829. There were 25 members in the congregation and Niagara County had a population of just under 15,000.

The stained glass windows were added in 1907. It remains in service with congregational meetings weekly.

The church is located at 6047 East Avenue, just east of Route 78 in the heart of the village.

The church has an addition to the right and not visible in this view (on purpose). "Memorial Hall" was built on to the church at the end of World War One. Back in the 40's the church building had ivy growing on the side which is gone in this May 1999 view. A gala 170th anniversary celebration is scheduled for October 2, 1999.

The Van Horn Mansion At Burt

Built by James Van Horn in 1823, this mansion, is located along Route 78 at Burt, New York. It is at the south side of the entrance to Akzo Chemical. The building and grounds were donated to the Newfane Historical Society by the chemical company in 1987 and has been under restoration ever since.

VanHorn Mansion.jpg (109265 bytes) The first Newfane Town Meeting was held here. The home was damaged by fire and rebuilt in 1839 then remodeled and expanded as late as 1900.

The Van Horn family operated the first grist mill in the town along 18-Mile Creek very close to directly across Route 78 from this site where the Burt Dam Hydro facility is today. The estate once consisted of a fruit farm on 344 acres.

Since the Van Horn family, the property has moved through many owners, even being used as a restaurant (Green Acres) in 1949. Some of the period in the 60's and 70's it was used for apartments and then was vacant and the target of vandalism. Much of its former grandeur has been restored thanks to volunteer help from the Historical Society. The showplace is open to the public on an irregular schedule. A sign in front indicates it is open on "Sundays 2 to 4 p.m." for tours. But don't count on it. It's a volunteer group and folks to open the building are not always there.