Category: Buffalo’s Pop Culture Heritage

By Steve Cichon
steve@buffalostories.com
@stevebuffalo

The essence of Buffalo Stories is defining and celebrating the people, places, and things that make Buffalo… Buffalo.

That’s Buffalo’s pop culture heritage-– and that’s what you’ll find as you scroll through these stories or search the collected works of one of WNY’s most prolific pop culture historians of the last decade for something specific…



July 10, 1910: North Tonawanda man dies of ‘excitement’ after his log cabin home burns

By Steve Cichon
steve@buffalostories.com
@stevebuffalo

He was living in the home built by his German ancestors in North Tonawanda — a log cabin, in fact — and when it burned to the ground, the coroner said that Ernst Wendt died of “excitement.”

The log cabin was on the land farmed by his father, Christian Martin Wendt, who came to Niagara County from Prussia in 1843. Ernst Wendt was born five years later in 1848.

The William Street landmark was destroyed after it was set ablaze by children playing with fireworks.

“Though he held many valuable acres on the outskirts of town,” reported The Tonawanda Evening News account of his death, “Wendt preferred his hermit career.”

The following night, The Tonawanda News spared few feelings in announcing Wendt’s funeral plans.

The funeral of Ernst Wendt of Martinsville, who dropped dead at the Lang Hotel on William Street on Wednesday night, will be held from the Sahr home at No. 431 Robinson street tomorrow afternoon. Burial will be in Elmlawn.

Three sons, William, Frederick and Martin, and two daughters, Mrs. Otto
Schultz and Mrs. Frederick Sahr, all of North Tonawanda, survived him.

Buffalo’s amusement parks of the 1910s

By Steve Cichon
steve@buffalostories.com
@stevebuffalo

Buffalo’s biggest and most lusted-after amusement parks were heavily advertised in the pages of The News 110 years ago.

Buffalonians older than 40 are likely to remember dreaming about Crystal Beach themselves. Buffalonians older than 70 might even remember riding the steamers Canadiana and Americana to get there.

You’d be hard pressed, however, to find a living Buffalonian who remembers the big amusement park that was within city bounds.

Carnival Court, later known as Athletic Park, was a Crystal Beach-like experience but was only a streetcar’s ride away, at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Main Street. A fire destroyed much of the park, and it was torn down and replaced by a Sears & Roebuck store. That Sears building still stands as Canisius College’s Science Hall.

Buffalo in 1910: Popular First Ward fireboat lieutenant is dead

By Steve Cichon
steve@buffalostories.com
@stevebuffalo

Lt. Simon O’Donnell, a native of Ireland, lived at 268 Elk St. — which today would be 268 South Park Ave., if it were still standing. And, if still standing, the building would be across South Park from the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino.

O’Donnell was assigned to the Ohio Street Firehouse and to the fireboat George R. Potter — one of three fireboats working in Buffalo at the time.  When he died 105 years ago this week, in July, 1910, he was one of the city’s most popular firefighters.

Buffalo in the 1910s: Not quite ‘Food Truck Tuesday,’ but visitors are welcome at Larkin Factory

By Steve Cichon
steve@buffalostories.com
@stevebuffalo

While today visits to Larkinville are made to enjoy food, music or culture, 110 years ago, visits to Larkin were all about taking in the majesty of one of the world’s largest manufacturers and retailers of personal items.

Just as Larkin Square represents what’s new and happening in Buffalo for many in 2015, in 1910, the Larkin Company revolutionized how products were bought and sold and was America’s leader in catalog and mail order retail.

Buffalo in the 1910s: Buffalo’s ‘tattoomen may have to go’

By Steve Cichon
steve@buffalostories.com
@stevebuffalo

In 1910, Buffalo’s health commissioner was not a fan of tattoos.

And while many, if not most, of the tats created 110 years ago in Buffalo were for “nautical gentleman, seaward bound from the Port of Buffalo,” the commissioner was contemplating the idea that tattooing should be considering surgery — and therefore all tattooers might be considered surgeons. All tattoo artists without medical licenses (i.e., all of them) would be forced to close up shop.

July 7, 1910 (Buffalo Stories archives)

Buffalo in the 80s: Get half-off on film developing at Fotomat

       By Steve Cichon
       steve@buffalostories.com
       @stevebuffalo

In 1980, there were 44 Fotomat locations in Buffalo. Not all had the iconic tiny stand-alone blue booth with a yellow roof, but many did.

By 1990, 23 Fotomat locations were still in operation in Buffalo, but changes in film developing technology were making the stand-alone booths — and the promise of next-day developing — obsolete.

In 1992, 13 former Fotomat kiosks became Wiper Check booths, selling and installing Buffalo-made Trico wiper blades.

Buffalo’s Fotomat locations, from the 1979-80 Buffalo Telephone Directory

Buffalo in the 80s: Looking forward to the second annual Taste of Buffalo

By Steve Cichon
steve@buffalostories.com
@stevebuffalo

With entrees from 50 cents to $3, the second Taste of Buffalo was held in “colorful tents” along Delaware Avenue between Edward and Chippewa 30 years ago this week, in July, 1985.

The event later moved to Main Street before shifting to its current location on Delaware Avenue from Niagara Square to Chippewa.