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County History this Week

June 1 — 1829 – The Barcelona Lighthouse was officially put into operation. — 1869 – The Holland Land Company legally ceased to exist. — 1871 – Railroad track was laid from Dunkirk to Sinclairville on the Dunkirk, Warren & Pittsburgh Railroad. — 1981 – Franciska Safran, later a noted SUNY librarian, arrived at the Amsterdam Archives, initiating the documentation of Holland Land Company records. June 2 — 1826 – First Baptist Church of Sinclairville was organized. June 3 — 1805 – Joseph Ellicott received permission to name Mayville after his ...

County history this week

May 26 — 1861 – The Sisters of St. Joseph monastery was established in Dunkirk. — 1913 – Three nights of rioting began in Jamestown. — 1994 – The first “Lucy-Fest” began in Jamestown, celebrating Lucille Ball’s legacy. May 27 — 1936 – The Milton J. Fletcher School was named in Jamestown. Fletcher served as Superintendent of Schools (1919–1932). — 1957 – Jamestown Municipal Golf Course officially opened near Jamestown Community College. (Now closed.) May 28 1825 – Ellington post office was established. 1898 – Augustus F. Allen’s cavalry ...

County history today

May 22 — 1875 – The Nettie Fox, the largest steamer on Chautauqua Lake, was launched. Later renamed Jamestown (not to be confused with the modern vessel). — 1954 – Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. spoke at the Viking Temple in Jamestown. — 1969 – Demolition of Brooklyn Square began under urban renewal. The Gifford Building was among the first to go (it had replaced the earlier Ford Block). — 1996 – The Ironstone Restaurant in Jamestown reopened. — 1997 – A two-headed calf was born in Russell, Pa., at 9:30 p.m.; it died the next day.

County history this week

May 5 — 1837 – Westfield Academy was officially incorporated. — 1842 – The first photographs ever taken in Jamestown were captured. — 1883 – The Erie Railroad assumed full control of the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad line, which passed through Jamestown. — 1891 (approx.) – A large meteorite reportedly fell in a Busti field. May 6 — 1806 – Chautauqua County’s first post office was established in Westfield under the name “Chataughque.” — 1869 – Bicycle riding was officially forbidden in downtown Jamestown. — 1887 – Gerry Homes was ...

County history today

April 23 1897 – John Allen was arrested in Jamestown for horse theft. 1901 – Jamestown received 6–8 inches of snow. 1901 – Steel cable replaced hemp rope on the Bemus Point ferry, improving safety and durability. 1942 – The old armory in Brooklyn Square, Jamestown, was destroyed by fire. 1950 – A new Busti Federated Church house was dedicated, replacing one lost to fire. It remains in use today. 1953 – Clymer held its first-ever Tulip Festival. 1956 – The Lady Grace became the first steamboat to reach Olean since 1837. 1976 – The inaugural Fredonia ...

County History Today

April 18 1831 – Chautauqua County Bank was chartered in Jamestown, becoming the first bank in Chautauqua County. 1876 – Third Street in Jamestown, from Prendergast east to Second Street, was officially laid out. 1900 – The Jamestown chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was organized. 1901 – A fire in Mayville destroyed St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and the east side business district. 1904 – Samuel M. Porter Camp #45 of the United Spanish War Veterans was formed in Jamestown (Camp #2 had formed in February 1899). 1968 – The Jamestown Little Theater ...