History Itineraries

• American History
• Erie Canal

History Happened Here:
Battles, A Boomtown, An Assassination and an Inauguration!

Buffalo's rich heritage makes it an exciting place for history buffs. Any tour of the many points of historical interest should start at the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, (left) located at 25 Nottingham Terrace in a beautiful neo-Classical building originally built for the 1901 Pan American Exposition. Here you can see exhibits about Buffalo's industrial heritage, view armaments from the War of 1812, and even see the actual revolver used by Leon Czolgosz to assassinate President William McKinley. The Pan-American Exposition and McKinley's unfortunate assassination at that event are also part of a special Historical Society exhibit at their Resource Center located at 459 Forest Avenue. The entrance to the Center boasts a wonderful monumental sculpture called "Dreamland" built originally for the exposition.

McKinley's assassination in Buffalo led directly to Theodore Roosevelt's inauguration here as the 26th President of the United States. The inauguration took place at the beautiful Ansley Wilcox House, which is now the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site. (641 Delaware Avenue). Tours of the site offer a glimpse into both presidential history and the lives of Buffalo's elite at the turn of the 20th century. From here it is a short walk down North Street to Main Street where you can enjoy lunch at the historic birthplace of the Buffalo chicken wing, The Anchor Bar (1047 Main Street).

The port of Buffalo was at one time the fourth largest in the world. The Erie Canal brought a boom in shipping, milling and manufacturing and was the source of Buffalo's great wealth. The Lower Lakes Marine Historical Society (66 Erie Street, right) is a small museum devoted to the history of Buffalo's waterfront and maritime industries. Exhibits include models of the different ships that used to ply Buffalo's waters and an extensive history of the Erie Canal, and its role in Buffalo's growth as a great shipping power.

Down on the waterfront at the foot of Pearl Street is the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park. It's the largest inland floating history museum in the United States and features vessels that are open to visitors. These are the USS Little Rock, the only guided missile cruiser on display in the United States, the USS Croaker, a WWII submarine, and the USS The Sullivans, a WWII-era Destroyer.

End your busy day with a stop at the Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum (263 Michigan Avenue). Here you will find a wonderful collection of antique cars and car related antiques and memorabilia from Buffalo's glory days as one of the centers of the early automotive industry.

Start your Sunday with a visit to the magnificent Forest Lawn Cemetery (1411 Delaware Avenue, left). In these 269 acres of beautiful rolling hills and wonderful vistas you will find the burial place of Millard Fillmore, America's 13th president. Also memorialized here is the great Seneca Indian Chief Red Jacket who kept his people neutral during the War of 1812. The cemetery is also the site of the exquisite Blue Sky Mausoleum, a 1928 Frank Lloyd Wright design that was built here in 2004. Tours of the cemetery can be arranged in advance and are also available every Sunday during the summer months.

Pack a picnic lunch and take the 45-minute drive up the Niagara River to Old Fort Niagara State Park in Youngstown. This is the spectacular setting of Old Fort Niagara, which has guarded the junction of the Niagara River and Lake Ontario since 1726. A National Historic Landmark and New York State Historic Site, it offers a view of the oldest buildings on the Great Lakes as well as living history events and programs, historical exhibits and collections, archaeology and reenactments.

Gateway to the West:
An Erie Canal Tour

Start from the six-acre Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park on Buffalo's waterfront, site of the original terminus of the Erie Canal. The Park features the missile cruiser USS Little Rock, the destroyer USS The Sullivans, and World War II submarine USS Croaker, along with several land-based exhibits.

From here, take I-190 north from Buffalo to the River Road exit, turn right and follow River Road to Main Street parking in Tonawanda to see the Benjamin Long Homestead, (right) an 1829 Pennsylvania Dutch style residence built of hand-hewn black walnut walls and white oak beams. From the Homestead, take the Webster Street Bridge to cross the Erie Canal and follow Webster north for five traffic signals to Thompson Street. Turn right on Thompson, right on Payne Avenue to Sweeney Street. Left on Sweeney leads you to the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum (180 Thompson Street). Here an historic 1916 carousel offers rides and wood carvers demonstrate their art in the creation of new carousel animals.

From the Carrousel Museum, turn left onto Sweeney Street and follow the Erie Canal to Robinson Road. Turn right and follow to Niagara Falls Boulevard. Turn left (Route 62) and follow to Tonawanda Creek Road. A right will take you to the Amherst Museum. This 35-acre historic park has restored 19th century buildings and an array of indoor exhibits including the Children's Discovery Room and Western New York Aviation Gallery.

Leaving the Amherst Museum continue east on Tonawanda Creek Road to Transit Road (Route 78) and turn left to Lockport. A major stopping point on the Erie Canal, Lockport is the site of the original "Famous Five" stair locks (left), an engineering marvel hewn out of rock to raise traffic 56 feet up the Niagara Escarpment (at Ontario Street). While there, take in a narrated ride on a Lockport Locks and Erie Canal Cruises' tour boat along the Erie Canal and through the locks. Located at the base of the flight of locks the Lockport Canal Museum recounts the history of the Erie Canal.

Driving out of Lockport, take Route 31 east to Middleport. This quaint village boasts a fine cobblestone church plus several enticing restaurants and shops. In Medina, board the Niagara & Western New York Railroad Co. excursion, a narrated sightseeing tour along the old Erie Canal (June - September). From Medina, take Route 31E east to Albion, turn left onto Route 98 north and continue to the Cobblestone Museum Complex at Rts. 98 and 104. Seven historic buildings feature cobblestone masonry from the 1800s including a church, house, one-room school and blacksmith, print and harness shops.

Leave the Cobblestone museum driving south on Route 98 to the NYS Thruway (I-90) and take the Thruway back to Buffalo.