Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Royalton, Middleport, and Hartland
    Royalton, Middleport, and Hartland
    Royalton, Middleport, and Hartland
    Ebook161 pages1 hour

    Royalton, Middleport, and Hartland

    By Frederick G. Fierch and Mayor Julia Maedl

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Nestled in the eastern end of Niagara County are the townships of Royalton and Hartland. The village of Middleport lies mostly within the town of Royalton, with a small part in the town of Hartland. When the Erie Canal was built through Royalton and opened in 1824, it connected the interior of the United States with the Atlantic Ocean, and the entire area was forever changed by the canal. The area earned a reputation as an excellent fruit-farming region and orchards appeared, along with the chemical-spraying industry. Royalton, Hartland, and especially Middleport became extraordinarily important in these two industries, and the canal was the focal point. The Erie Canal continued to be a major shipping factor for the region until the barges discontinued use in the 1950s.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439638484
    Royalton, Middleport, and Hartland
    Author

    Frederick G. Fierch

    Frederick G. Fierch is a lifelong resident of the area and holds a bachelor of arts degree and master of arts degree in history. He and his wife have been in business in the Royalton-Hartland area for more than 25 years. The vintage photographs in Royalton, Middleport, and Hartland present the memories of the distant and more recent past of these unique communities.

    Related to Royalton, Middleport, and Hartland

    Related ebooks

    United States History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Coal Mining and Toll Scrip

      Sep 5, 2023

      Coal Mining and Toll Scrip
      5 min read

    • Article

      Reinventing Cowtown

      Sep 29, 2022

      Reinventing Cowtown
      10 min read

    • Article

      Lost and Found

      Sep 19, 2019

      Lost and Found
      6 min read

    • Article

      Carolina Queen

      Dec 12, 2023

      Carolina Queen
      2 min read

    • Article

      Mapping Our Ancestors' Lives

      Sep 10, 2021

      Mapping Our Ancestors' Lives
      8 min read

    • Article

      Seeing The Best In Britain

      May 11, 2022

      Seeing The Best In Britain
      6 min read

    • Article

      Over Hill, Over Dale

      Jan 11, 2021

      Over Hill, Over Dale
      10 min read

    • Article

      Small Town Colorado Notes

      Oct 4, 2022

      Small Town Colorado Notes
      4 min read

    • Article

      Ghosts Of Many Boats

      Dec 15, 2021

      Ghosts Of Many Boats
      7 min read

    • Article

      Spirited Small Town

      Jul 27, 2021

      Spirited Small Town
      2 min read

    • Article

      Texas Bungalow Neighborhoods

      Dec 24, 2019

      Texas Bungalow Neighborhoods
      2 min read

    • Article

      48 Hours In TOTNES

      Mar 8, 2023

      48 Hours In TOTNES
      4 min read

    • Article

      Quaint Rhode Island Brings Rare Notes

      Apr 5, 2022

      This month, I thought I would take you on a visit to a state about which I have never written before: Rhode Island. It is the smallest state in our union, and one from which I own just a single national bank note, but it is a nice one, and the town i

      4 min read

    • Article

      USA Urban Escapes

      Jul 28, 2022

      USA Urban Escapes
      36 min read

    • Article

      A Spring Bonanza

      Jun 22, 2018

      I have compiled a series of short snappers to showcase the bonanza of books that have come across my desk in recent months. From a couple of big, beautiful coffee table books, to a memoir of a lumberman and the chronicles of a union local, to a clutc

      9 min read

    • Article

      Shaped By Water

      Aug 13, 2018

      Shaped By Water
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Magic Of Rollag

      Jun 26, 2020

      The Magic Of Rollag
      4 min read

    • Article

      SMALL-TOWN Getaways

      Jul 30, 2019

      SMALL-TOWN Getaways
      4 min read

    • Article

      Cast in Iron?

      Apr 2, 2020

      Cast in Iron?
      7 min read

    • Article

      Visit Doncaster

      Feb 1, 2019

      Visit Doncaster
      2 min read

    • Article

      Visit Doncaster

      Jan 4, 2019

      Visit Doncaster
      2 min read

    • Article

      Enduring Spirit

      Jul 30, 2020

      Enduring Spirit
      8 min read

    • Article

      Storied Seaside

      Mar 21, 2023

      Storied Seaside
      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Royalton, Middleport, and Hartland

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Royalton, Middleport, and Hartland - Frederick G. Fierch

      2009

      INTRODUCTION

      The area of southeastern Niagara County in New York State is composed of the towns of Royalton and Hartland, with the former being the southern boundary of the county and the latter adjoining it to the north. Within this area is one incorporated village (Middleport) and a number of hamlets. Some of those sites were prominent in years past but of minor relevance today, such as McNall’s Corners, Orangeport, Reynales Basin in Royalton, and North Hartland in the town of Hartland. Others have survived and are vital today as small centers of living—Wolcottsville, Royalton Center, Terry’s Corners and Gasport in Royalton, and Johnson Creek and Hartland Corners in the town of Hartland. Each one of these towns has a distinct history and character. One of the goals of this book is to pass the unique character of these towns on to the reader.

      There are two main themes which unite the two towns: east-west lines of communication and transportation and an agricultural past containing all of the components one would associate with farming, especially fruit production.

      During the 1700s, the main trails in the western New York area passed through Royalton and Hartland. The Military Trail entered the area along Tonawanda Creek near Wolcottsville, extended toward the northwest, passing through McNall’s Corners, continued along Chestnut Ridge into Lockport and northwest again (along the present Route 93), terminating at Fort Niagara. Originally, it was the only route through the region, the path used by the Neuter Indians and later the Holland Land Company surveyors.

      The other major land trail is today’s Route 104 or as it is commonly called, Ridge Road. It is entirely in the town of Hartland, passing through both Johnson Creek and Hartland Corners and continuing onto Wright’s Corners, where it turns to the west and continues toward Lewiston. In the early days, it too ended at Fort Niagara.

      The next east-west link, the Erie Canal, is the most famous and certainly the most important in terms of development of not only this region but also the entire United States. It gave rise to most of the towns and to their names as well: Middleport, Reynales Basin, Slayton, Gasport, and Orangeport. It opened the interior of the United States to New York City, the Atlantic Ocean, and the rest of the world. When the canal originally opened in 1825, it was 40 feet wide and 4 feet deep. It was expanded between 1836 and 1862 to a width of 70 feet and a depth of 7 feet. Finally, between 1906 and 1918 (1910–1911 in Middleport) the final expansion resulted in a canal, which is between 120 to 200 feet wide and 12 to 14 feet deep. These expansions reflect the commercial importance of the Erie Canal as time progressed.

      Royalton and Hartland have always played a major role in the agriculture industry of New York. Beyond having incredible and abundant fruit orchards, an entire peripheral set of industries developed in both Gasport and Middleport. Agricultural machinery was invented or innovated in both of those towns. The Friend Manufacturing Company in Gasport produced fruit spraying equipment. Gasport Motor Company produced tractors. In Middleport, Niagara Sprayer also perfected and manufactured spraying equipment. Later Niagara Sprayer was purchased by FMC Corporation and became an agricultural chemical production facility and easily the largest employer in the area.

      A critical need arose for a means of storing the fruit, and a trip along the railroad tracks through Royalton will yield the sightings of numerous former cold storage facilities. These held the fruit until it was either moved by barge or rail. This industry was not possible before the canal and later the railroad.

      Another facet of the town of Royalton is Belva Lockwood. She was born on Griswold Street south of Middleport in 1830. She trained to become a teacher and later a lawyer. She taught for a while in Gasport. She later became engaged in the struggle for women’s rights and eventually became the first woman to run for president of the United States, campaigning in both 1884 and 1888.

      Eventually, the transportation and agricultural aspect of the area would wane but would never die. Today the Erie Barge Canal is an important asset for the region, and the fruit farms still produce significant crops.

      It is especially rewarding to have this book published at this time, as Niagara County celebrated its bicentennial in 2008, Middleport its sesquicentennial in 2009, the town of Hartland will celebrate its bicentennial in 2012, and the town of Royalton will celebrate its bicentennial in 2017.

      One

      ROYALTON

      The town of Royalton was originally part of the town of Hartland but was separated in 1817. The original populated areas of the town were Dysinger, Gasport, Middleport, McNall’s, Orangeport, Royalton Center, and Wolcottsville.

      Joshua Slayton, who was passing through on his way from Vermont, created the first settlement in the town. He paused and decided to develop a farm in the location that is presently Orangeport. Joined a short time later by his brother Thomas, they founded a small area, which became known as Slayton Settlement.

      In 1811, Asher Freeman purchased 500 acres of land about one-half mile south of today’s Middleport. This led to the development of an area that became known, among other things, as Freeman’s Corners and Teapot Hollow. It attracted settlers as it was located astride a main east-west road.

      Wolcottsville developed around the Tonawanda Creek and an old Native American trail that passed through Royalton. Severus Swift started a farm in the area around 1818. Later the majority of the area was in the hands of a large farmer named Anson Wolcott. In 1851, Wolcott deeded the entire tract to four trustees (Messers Frederick Moll, Christian Moll, Frederick Weiland, and Carl Martins) who divided it into small lots. By 1873, seventy Prussian families (by way of Bergholz) in the town of Niagara settled the area. These Lutherans constructed the Trinity Complex in the town. Because of the origin of the settlers, the hamlet was commonly called Prushie, an obvious distortion of Prussia, and the settlers were called Dutchmen, another distortion, this

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1