A Closer Look at Knox Farm State Park

A new book focuses on a regional gem that was once a working farm and a private summer retreat. "Knox Farm State Park" offers fascinating insights into this special spot located in East Aurora.

As part of our continuing effort to give readers a behind-the-scenes peek at how regional books are born, we chat with authors Gerald L. Halligan and Renee M. Oubre.

Q: Why did you decide to write the book?

Renee: Knowing that Knox Farm was in need of help and exposure, I suggested doing a video of Seymour walking Knox Farm, telling about its history and his experiences there. Then I remembered Gerry was looking for a book topic. Gerry and I met to discuss the project, then we proposed it to Seymour who said, "Why not!"

Gerald: Renee arranged for a meeting with Seymour Knox IV in January 2012. After several conversations, I was privileged to receive a personal tour of the farm by Seymour. During the several months following this first tour, I was considering writing about the famous Buffalo business leaders who interacted with the Knox family through the generations. But immediately following a second tour of the farm with Seymour in September 2012, the inspiration came that there should be a book written about the new Park. It was our intention that the book could be used as a tool by the Friends of Knox Farm to raise capital to support their efforts to preserve the Knox Farm.

Q: How did you go about researching your topic?
Renee: In our preliminary research, we were astonished to find that there were no existing books written on the accomplished Seymour H. Knox family. Being from East Aurora, I am familiar with the history of the area and its residents. Gerry was intrepid in his research efforts near and far. We traveled to Russell, NY, the birthplace of Seymour H. Knox to visit the historian there and to see the trio of Tiffany windows he dedicated to his mother and donated to the town school.

Q: What were a couple of the most interesting or surprising facts that you
unearthed?
Gerald:  Frankly, there were many. I was personally impressed with the history of Seymour Knox I. His childhood in Russell, New York, the collaboration with his cousin F. W.Woolworth in the early years of the Five & Dime industry and the deep love for his parents and community in his creation of Tiffany Stained Glass windows .These are preserved to this day in the local high school in this western Adirondack community. I had never heard of Russell NY before our first conversation with Seymour Knox IV.
Renee: Seymour H. Knox virtually saved the Mambrino King lineage with his purchase of the stock from the Hamlin Farm sale.
Helen Knox had the Shipman gardens plowed under two years before her death.

 

Q: What chapter would you consider your personal favorite and why?
Gerald: This is difficult. However, the chapter on the Shipman gardens in which I did the research at Cornell University is probably the most significant for me. It was through reading the correspondence between Ellen Biddle Shipman and Seymour Jr. & Helen Knox about the development of the gardens gave great insight into creativity of these fine people. In addition, Mr. Knox Jr. was an excellent writer. In reading his personal books in the Rare Book Collection in the Buffalo & Erie County Central Library, Mr. Knox helped us gain a sense of his love of his family, his horses and personal interests related to Knox Farm. I am truly grateful to have been given the opportunity to have been involved in this collaborative project to support this new New York State Park.
Renee:  I love the images with the Knox children and grandchildren at the farm. They are sweet images of idyllic childhood days.
Next, I adore the images of the animals - playful, smiling dogs in the Rolls Royce and the beautiful horses in the pastures.

 

Looking Back on a Century of Screams

For generations, summers in Western New York were highlighted by visits to Crystal Beach.

As part of our continuing effort to share with readers insights into the origins of our growing line of regional books, we chat with author William E. Kae about "Crystal Beach Park: A Century of Screams."

Q: Why did you decide to write Crystal Beach Park – A Century of Screams?
A: I didn’t intend to write any books. I was living in Tampa, Florida during the 1990s and I was passing through a town called Crystal Beach on the Gulf Coast just north of St. Petersburg. For the hell of it, I stopped in at their small library to find out of there was any information about the town c started or got its name. Turned out it was also founded by John Rebstock who founded Crystal Beach, Ontario. On subsequent vacations back to Buffalo I began combing through 1880s newspapers on microfilm at the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library to learn more about Rebstock and the early years of Crystal Beach Park just to satisfy my own curiosity. Then it just snowballed.

Q: How did you go about researching your topic (make you sure mention any interesting avenues that you pursued).
A: First, I began combing through newspapers on microfilm, then census records. Once I realized that I was amassing so much information I began considering writing a book. There was just too much information for a comprehensive history on Crystal Beach in one volume, so it became three volumes… Steamers of the Crystal Beach Line, Crystal Beach Live, and Crystal Beach Park - – Century of Screams.

Since each book is on a different aspect of Crystal Beach History, the research was complicated and ranged from searching through archival records of Great Lakes Maritime institutions, patent office records, archives of ride manufacturers, interviews with surviving members of the musicians that entertained at the park, amusement industry trade journals… its endless.

Q: What were a couple of the most interesting facts or "nuggets" that you unearthed that surprised you?
A: I was expecting to find information about the religious retreat that is considered to be the start of Crystal Beach in 1888. But there was nothing about this retreat or any activity on Point Abino Bay until Crystal Beach opened in 1890. All the elements of the 1888-1889 retreat perpetuated as the start of Crystal Beach are in fact elements of the Crystal Beach International Assembly that began five years after Crystal Beach was established.

Q: What chapter/section of the book would you label your personal favorite? Why?
A: I do not have a particular favorite chapter, however, I think I found development of the sites plans that illustrate how the park physically evolved with the positioning of the rides interesting. In a transcendental way, they capture the century of Crystal Beach Park history without words.

Check out "Crystal Beach Park: A Century of Screams" at www.buffalobooks.com .

The Birth of "Buffalo Treasures"

Every so often, one of our regional authors will share insights about the "birth" of a book. The author will reveal how a specific book was conceived, discuss research adventures and perhaps highlight a favorite chapter.

East Aurora resident Jan Sheridan kicks off this occasional blog series. Jan has written several books, including National Landmarks of Western New York and Frank Lloyd Wright in Buffalo and Western New York. Her first book was Buffalo Treasures: Downtown Walking Guide & Driving Tour of Frank Lloyd Wright Homes. Jan shares some thoughts about this popular book.

What spurred you to write Buffalo Treasures?

Writing the book came in stages. I was teaching Art Appreciation at Erie Community College and decided to take the students on field trips to appreciate Buffalo’s outstanding architecture. I found only one book on the subject so I started researching the background of each building. I contacted architectural historian Austin Fox and ended up contributing 14 entries to one of his books. When I told Brian about my research into downtown Buffalo architecture, we decided to write a book about it.

How did you go about researching your topic?

The libraries and archives at the Albright Knox Gallery and the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society proved to be the best sources of information about the buildings and their architects. I took all the photos myself.

What were some of your favorite nuggets that were unearthed during your research mission?

I was surprised to find more than 25 significant architectural sites in downtown Buffalo which can be seen in a short 2 hour walking tour. The variety of interesting buildings also fascinated me – from restaurants to churches and buildings redesigned to serve new purposes.

Is there a section in Buffalo Treasures that ranks as your favorite?

I am a visual person so those buildings with artistic design qualities are my favorites. In this case, they would be the City Hall, the Calumet, the Old Post Office/ ECC campus and many more.

Can you share a few significant milestone dates that are highlighted in your book?

·        In the 1880,s the entire interior of St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral blew up in a gas explosion.
·        In 1825 the French General Lafayette made a speech at what is now called Lafayette Square.
·        In 1896 the largest office building in the world was constructed in Ellicott Square.

 

"The Enduring Irishness of Buffalo's First Ward"

Timothy Bohen, author of "Against the Grain: The History of Buffalo's First Ward," wrote a fascinating piece for the March edition of the Irish Echo. We thought some folks might enjoy reading an excerpt from this article:

During the 1840s and '50s, numerous Irish-American enclaves in North America arose as a result of the Great Famine in Ireland. Some of these Irish settlements are well known such as the Bowery and Five Points in New York City, Canaryville and Bridgeport in Chicago, and Southie in both Boston and South Philadelphia.

But one of the longest enduring and most historically significant is a community called the First Ward, located in Buffalo, New York. The First Ward was a political entity along the banks of Buffalo's bustling waterfront. A small group of Irish settled in this marshy land after working on the construction of the Erie Canal in 1825, and by 1841 there was a large enough Irish neighborhood to form St. Patrick's Parish just north of the First Ward.

Around the turn of the twentieth century, many middle-class Irish would migrate from the Ward to a neighborhood called South Buffalo - the home of the
late NBC host Tim Russert and Chicago Blackhawk's hockey star Patrick Kane. But a sizable Irish contingent remained in the Ward for generations. Many Irish came to Buffalo to work in the burgeoning grain transshipment industry after Joseph Dart invented the world's first steam-powered grain elevator in 1842. By 1850, the Irish dominated the political leadership of the First Ward, and were able to take charge of their destiny.

Professor William Jenkins from York University in Toronto claims that the First Ward is one of the longest enduring blue-collar Irish neighborhoods in North
America. There are two reasons for this durability. First, the Irish controlled an entire political ward and were thus able to exchange their votes for an outsized
proportion of civil servant and government jobs.

Over time this enabled many residents to move into the middle class, so the benefits of remaining in this community were high. Second, the Irish in this
neighborhood were physically cut off from their fellow Buffalonians. Railroad tracks, canals, towering grain elevators, the Buffalo River, and Lake Erie
were the barriers that kept them isolated in place and spirit.

The Ward's physical isolation was one of the major reasons it endured while other communities in New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia integrated more
quickly with non-Irish residents.

The First Ward's contribution to the history of Buffalo, New York and our nation is noteworthy. In politics and government, First Warders made significant
contributions. The most famous was General William "Wild Bill" Donovan. Donovan, raised in the Ward, led the 1st Battalion of the famed 69th Irish brigade in
World War I and later becameits regimental commander. In 1919, Colonel "Wild Bill" earned a hero's welcome in New York City upon returning from his victories on the battlefields in France and became one of America's most decorated soldiers. He is the only soldier to have earned the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, and the National Security Medal.

In the early 1940s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt tapped Donovan to create the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the CIA, and he is known as the "Father of American Intelligence."

Other prominent First Ward politicians include John C. Sheehan and his brother William "Blue-Eyed Billy" Sheehan. John, the comptroller for the city of
Buffalo, left his hometown for New York City after he was caught embezzling city funds. After arriving in New York, he worked for Tammany
Hall and eventually became Police Commissioner of New York City. Later, John grabbed the all powerful title of Tammany Hall boss after Richard
Crocker stepped aside.

John's younger brother "Blue-Eyed Billy" was the Speaker of the New York State Assembly, New York's youngest lieutenant governor, and in 1904 an influence in U.S. presidential politics when he maneuvered to get his friend Alton B. Parker picked as the Democratic nominee to run against Teddy Roosevelt. Sheehan was also the choice to be a U.S. senator from New York in 1911 until a young New York state legislator named Franklin Delano Roosevelt stopped his inevitable nomination. Despite the setback, Billy Sheehan went on to use his political connections to become a millionaire lawyer in New York City.
                                                                                                                         * * * *
"Against the Grain" also showcases other First Ward characters, including Fingy Conners and Jimmy Griffin. Check it out at www.buffalobooks.com

 

Some "Griffinisms" for St. Patrick's Day

On this St. Patrick's Day, it's fitting that we post a few of our favorite "Griffinisms." These memorable quotes came from the late Jimmy Griffin, the man whose 16-year stint as Buffalo mayor broke an all-time record for the city.

Hundreds of these quotes are included in: "The World According to Griffin: The End of an Era," available at www.buffalobooks.com

[During a City Hall news conference in 1992:] "The only difference between a puppy and Brian Meyer is that a puppy stops whining after six weeks."

"The Buffalo News does not celebrate Christmas because they can't find three wise men in the building." [Author's note: This quote was much more humorous to me back in the days when I was competing against the newspaper. It seemed less humorous after I went to work the News!]

[On the Green Lighnting sculpture that briefly graced the Elm-Oak Arterial:] "It's a cheap bunch of junk that some kid put up."

"I'm not usually a guy who goes around telling people what to do..."

[On former Buffalo School Board members:] "They've been spending like drunken sailors, and now the chickens have come home to roost."

AND OF COURSE..... "Stay inside, grab a six-pack and watch a good football game."

Buffalo Books moves into the blogosphere

A regional publishing odyssey that began 29 years ago takes an exciting turn today as Western New York Wares Inc. moves into the blogosphere.

Since 1984, our company has been involved in either publishing and/or distributing more than 175 books that focus on the people, places and events that have shaped the Buffalo region's history. We've been overwhelmed by the positive response. Over the past three decades, we've moved about 323,000 copies of books, videos and games about Western New York into stores, homes, schools and libraries around the world.

We've been fortunate to have forged partnerships with some of the region's most creative, knowledgeable and "connected" authors.

Our goal in creating this new blog is to harness yet another tool for showcasing Western New York history, promoting our growing line of regional books and fostering dialogue between our authors and readers.

We are going to begin this new adventure in a deliberative way. In the early stages, our goal will be to post a couple entries per month from authors that highlight certain aspects of life in the Buffalo Niagara region. We're a tiny enterprise and we already have many proverbial "irons in the fire" that consume quite a bit of time. For example, check out our Facebook page and "like" us at Books on Buffalo. Our web site (www.buffalobooks.com) showcase all of our books.

But this blog will allow us to do some things that are more difficult to launch on our other Internet platforms.

We're delighted to be making our blogosphere debut, and we look forward to getting lots of feedback!

Brian Meyer
Founder and publisher
Western New York Wares Inc.    www.buffalobooks.com