Archive - WNY Heritage

Another Look: "Building 88": The Barracks at Fort Niagara State Park

This 1939 Army barracks bore witness to much of Fort Niagara’s colorful 20th century history. Now proposed plans may once again breathe life into this local treasure of military architecture.

Cooling the Heat of Battle: Lockport’s Largest Employer Did Its Part in World War II

When the United States entered World War II, industry across the country transformed to meet the production needs of the war effort. Lockport’s Harrison Radiator Corporation provides a single local example of this nationwide phenomenon.

No Bones About It: The Spirella Corset Company

The Spirella Corset Company provided women with a revolution in technology and unrivaled personalized service. When William Wallace Kincaid and his partners moved the corporate headquarters to Western New York, they made Niagara Falls the center of a corset empire.

Buffalo's Two-Canvas Knockout

Tony Sisti was a man as comfortable in boxing trunks as he was in a painter's smock and beret. Today lesser known than some of his contemporaries, an exhibit at the Burchfield Penney Art Center is reminding the art community of Sisti's skill.

From Russia...With Log!

During World War II, Western New York sent thousands of aircraft to the Allies through Lend-Lease. The recent return of one of them provides an opportunity to explore the larger significance of that contribution.

Cobblestone Country

While cobblestone masonry isn't unique to Western New York, about 75 percent of cobblestone buildings in the country are within 75 miles of Rochester. Not limited to one design-style, the cobblestones in Niagara and Orleans counties show impressive variety.

Flight of Five: Where Art and Science Tamed Nature

Once an uninhabitable forest full of rock ledges, the area now known as Lockport seemed like an unlikely spot for a boom town. That all changed when the Erie Canal needed a place to climb the Niagara Escarpment.

On and Off the Point

The Point, known now as Prospect Point, is where the history of photography played out against the backdrop of Niagara Falls in competition for tourist dollars.

Western New York Heritage

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