The original lighthouse was constructed here in 1873, a wooden pyramid-shaped tower at the end of a…read morepier that extended 880 feet into Lake Ontario. It was 32 feet tall and was topped by a lantern. An old photograph shows it had a black base and white upper half. In 1930 or so, with not much commerce here to protect, the lighthouse was relocated to the grounds of the Olcott Yacht Club. It remained there until 1963 when it was dismantled. This new replica was constructed in 2003 based on those photographs. A full scale replica, it remains today on the shore and not on a pier. The interior is open with the ground floor a bunch of displays with some historic photos and a lot of brochures of Olcott area accommodations and attractions. [Review 1416 of 2024 - 420 in New York - 22439 overall]

This monument near the Olcott Lighthouse commemorates the residents of Olcott beach who served in…read morethe Union and gave their lives in the Civil War. The monument was restored in 2018 and is in excellent condition. Originally erected in 1899 by the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic, it lists 74 names and several battles including Gettysburg, Appomattox, Chickamauga and Stone Mountain. Like most, it depicts a Union soldier in uniform, leaning on his upturned rifle. He is looking south. [Review 1415 of 2024 - 419 in New York - 22438 overall]

love this place! So cool. They let you really see how things used to be. I'm proud to have this…read moreplace as a part of my region. Worth the visit. Make sure you check out the pond in the back and visit the upper floors of the mill. I think its worth buying some of their food items, they let you visit everything for free. They have the best fresh deep fried donuts in Durham Region. We've been sooo lucky. Every time we've had them they were made to order. *We visited the Tyrone mills again today - Aug. 18, 2018. Mainly just to buy donut (our favorite). We bought plain donut and cinnamon sugar donuts. We decided to try other baked goods like apple fritters and raspberry coconut butter tarts and oh boy it was so delicious. And also bought a jar of raw honey. This place is a gem.

From the owner: The Tradition Continues...Operating Since 1846.read more

Recently I was at Niagara Falls State park and I stopped at a placard I have driven by hundreds of…read moretimes. You may have as well. This is what is said: "First House Built By Judge Porter In 1808. Many Notable Visitors And Friendly Indians Were Received Within Its Walls." Its standing in a open lot, so the house is long gone. Judge Augustus Porter was a chief land surveyor for the Connecticut Land Company in the late 1790's. He is thought to be one of the first white settlers to the area (still occupied by various Indian tribes at the time). He bought this land near Niagara Falls, and built a sawmill (using the water power) and some other things. He was also a politician at the time, and was the State Assembly man for the Genesee and Ontario District at some point. He and his brother understood the value of the Falls as a tourist attraction and were able to make that happen. They built a bridge to Goat Island, got a ferry to cross the river, and planned gardens for people to come and enjoy. He was a busy man, and had a general store in the area, and then was a judge (the first for Niagara County) and postmaster (the first for Niagara Falls). A man of many talents. This was the site of the first home he built in the area. He had 5 children. Worth a quick stop along the road.

Thank's to Will Smith and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for the following street poem which I found…read morefitting to modify to talk about this Stouffville monument and town center piece! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upniIg29Tcc Tick Tock Clock The Clock is ticking for you (Stouffville) Cuz the time you said you'd give Came up wayyy past due so dance to the clock rock stay on the floor Cuz when the ticks turn to tocks I'll be knocking at ya door Reading this now, it makes absolutely no sense. But a lil' Willi (Smith) makes everything fresh! If you're walking around WS this summer, it's certainly something to stop and see. Erected (he he) in 1967 to mark the 100th anniversary of Canada's Confederation, it stands now as the tallest building in this small town north east of Toronto.

Recent day trip to Lockport from Rochester to check this out, an hour each way, and 2 hours in…read moreLockport so easy day trip. Tour is 1 1/2 hours, first an outdoor walking tour of the lock and the history, then a 1/2 hour walking in the tunnel/cave and then a 1/2 hour boat ride. Wear sneaks cause you're on your feet most of the time. Priced fair, tour guide was great, definitely a fun way to spend a morning or afternoon if you're in Western New York, If you've been to Howe Cavern's this is the same thing, only mini or light version, lol

Lockport Caves are a fantastic experience. If you haven't visited or heard of Lockport Caves, THEN…read moreyou must be living in a cave. I like to watch tv

Wow! This house is a hidden gem. Built in the 1850s, the house features three floors of exhibits…read moreand a cupola. The furniture and decor was intentionally acquired to only feature pieces from the late nineteenth century, including East Lake furniture and a few other pieces original to the home. The volunteers were friendly and knowledgeable, and led guided tours throughout the house. The tour is 1 hour and costs $8/adult. I highly recommend visiting the house!

I love octagon houses and this is a rare opportunity-- Newstead Historical Society, 1870 Octagon…read moreHouse, leave message 716-542-7022. Gift Shop. Trolley car ride available between the Octagon and Knight-Sutton Historic House Museum. Director_RTOH@newsteadhistoricalsociety.org $12 a person - group of one to five people $10 a person - group of 6 or more people. In depth tours available. membership@newsteadhistoricalsociety.org * collections@newsteadhistoricalsociety.org * https://newsteadhistoricalsociety.org/rich-twinn-octagon-house/ Another is the 1856, Camillus Octagon House (5420 West Genesee Street, 13031, near Syracuse, Rte 5, 315-488-7800, https://octagonhouseofcamillus.org/special-events/ https://octagonhouseofcamillus.org; octagonhouseofcamillus@gmx.com), FREE! donations welcome! 5 floors, great views from cupola, open FREE on Sundays 1-5 PM (OR by app't) for guided tours in Spring-Fall or, rent for your family functions! rest room off 1st floor kitchen, informative website (floor plans, info on Fowlers, phrenology, listing of FREE events (special FREE event in Nov--inc great chances on specially, often themed, decorated, lighted, 3 ft trees, 2nd weekend of Nov; home made food available (pie by the slice, 6 sugar cookies, coffee, hot chocolate to eat at Grandma's table!), stories, with live music inc choirs & pump organist (moi!), gold octagon ornaments $6) Not to be missed! Near the Camilus Erie Canal Park, http://eriecanalcamillus.com/boat.htm, (680) 800-5298, 5750 Devoe Road, Camillus, NY 13031. Open Sundays, 1, 2, 3 PM, Wed's, 1, 2, 3PM precisely for inexpensive historic, narrated vintage boat rides (45 min) with music over aqueduct (wheel chairs accomodated!), special cruises upon request for your family gatherings! with walk/bicycle paved way (Adult $5, 5-12 aged $3PM, under 5 FREE, max $15.00 per family!); historic fully stocked air conditioned Sims General Store, exhibits, costumes for kids' dress up, quaint inexpensive gift shop, original Canal big tools, wonderful doll house!, lock keeper's house, bugle, and original wooden lock from the Canal, school tours, please ask for the small, water recreation of how a lock works without electricity!, map of 362 mile Canal (365 days in a year! easy way to remember!mo, the original Erie Canal w/ path (there were 3 Erie Canals!), the new walk/bicycle way, FREE Towpath Day in August!, modern rest rooms ! Also see the Camillus Martisco Station Railway Museum, http://www.townofcamillus.com/default.aspx?PageID=85 MAKE A DAY OF IT

A few years ago, when I started to hunt landmarks to shoot and mount on a historic landmark…read morewebsite, I came upon a farmhouse in southern Wisconsin that was built of cobblestones. I had never seen anything like that before and just shrugged it off as something unique. And then I found a few more, A cobblestone stage stop in East Troy, an office in Port Washington, a subdivision in Waukesha with several cobblestone houses including the sales office, a three story home in the middle of Green Lake County and a spectacular home in Eau Claire. With each find, I became even more intrigued by the construction method. The Wisconsin Historical Society says the methodology came out of New England, but the owner of a Wisconsin cobblestone structure told me the masons who crafted these structures were from New York. In 2020, I found myself in Western New York for an extended stay. When I went out to hunt landmarks, I kept finding cobblestone houses that were on the National Register of Historic Places plus plenty more cobblestone sheds, barns, schools, churches and houses. Some were on the NRHP and many weren't. Coincidentally, many of these structures are in the proximity of the Erie Canal and Lake Ontario. An owner told me that the majority of cobblestone structures in America are within a 75 mile radius of Rochester. Another owner of a large cobblestone farmhouse told me I should go to the cobblestone museum in Albion - and here we are. The museum is on Ridge Road, itself a historic thoroughfare that runs the length of four counties in Western New York. There are several structures located on the museum campus, not all are cobblestone but of interest to the history of the community. The cobblestone structures (a church, a house, and a school) are great examples of how the craftsmen that built these structures refined their methods over the years when this method of construction remainded popular. (The popularity of cobblestone construction essentially ended with the Civil War.) When you visit the museum, the docents explain all this in great detail, along with what life was like in Western New York in the first half of the 19th Century. You start your tour in basement of the church, where you'll see examples of other cobblestone structures in New York. You'll learn how the stones were selected, sorted for size and color, and how the selection process was refined over the years. In visiting the church, you'll see a unique heating system and learn more about 19th Century life. In the schoolhouse, you'll experience what life was like for kids in a one room school, and other buildings preserve rural New York life in the past. There are probably 1,000 or more cobblestone structures around Rochester, New York while there may be two dozen in Wisconsin. Relatively few are on the National Register of Historic Places although there are many listed for one reason or another. Beside those, there are many cobblestone schoolhouses, outbuildings, barn foundations, and many small cobblestone houses in Western New York. Many have been expanded and modernized, which excludes those structures from the NRHP. The Cobblestone Museum is an educational stop for anyone interested in the history of Western New York, life in the 19th Century and, of course, cobblestone construction. I highly recommend it!

We recently stumbled on the Cobblestone Society & Museum while randomly driving by; the "Book Shop…read moreOpen in Rear" sign on the side of the road caught our eye. On a whim we pulled a U'ey, and pulled into the museum's lot. On that day the museum was closed, but we still walked the grounds to explore what we could. There is some information outside that indicates cobblestone architecture originated in the Rochester NY area, with the oldest structures remaining in the Albion area. There are two cobblestone structures here on the museum site, one being the oldest cobblestone church still standing in North America. We definitely want to return to go into the museum itself on a day it is open--but OH BOY were we happy we stopped for the book shop! This family of bibliophiles was elated to find such a sweet little shop in the country. The bookshop building has a historic marker that it was originally used as a polling station in the early 1800s. But now it is a quaint used bookstore. Used books are fifty cents for paperback and a dollar for hardcover, with on-your-honor cash payments only. There are about a half dozen well-organized short aisles with a surprisingly good assortment for such a small space. There were sections for popular authors, classics, nonfiction, cookbooks, fantasy and sci-fi, how-to, biographies, large-print, childrens, new arrivals, and more. There are bins outside to leave book donations. We each left with a few finds, me with a couple short story collections to leave at our nearby camp, and a couple older novels. I look forward to coming back to peruse the bookshop again, as well as catch the museum at an open time--a great local history gem here!

The last time I toured Graycliff it was almost 10 years ago and the house was under significant…read morerenovations. When I went back today for the tour, I was impressed to see every room restored! Our tour group only had 4 people total and took us about an hour and 20 mins to go through both floors of the house, and view the grounds. We really enjoyed everything, especially our knowledgeable tour guide and friendly gift shop attendant, Hannah! We'd love to come back again for a special event once the new visitor center opens in February.

I've never been to this museum, but still think a museum membership here is an amazing deal…read more Then why post a review... Reciprocal benefits. This has been one of the most useful museum passes that we have ever purchased. The card allows admission to over a thousand museums, art galleries, historic homes, including Frank Lloyd Wright masterpieces, and cultural centers both in the US and abroad. The Martins Pass is a fantastic deal at $100 for 2 adults and children under 18 in a household. It includes five reciprocal benefit programs: the Time Travelers Reciprocal Program, the Empire State Museums Reciprocal Program, the Frank Lloyd Wright National Reciprocal Sites Membership Program, the North American Reciprocal Museums Program (NARM) and the Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums Program (ROAM). They also have occasional discounts off their membership passes. Some of the museums that we have visited via the North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM) include, but are definitely not limited to, the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, Canada, the High Museum and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia, the Richard Driehaus Museum in Chicago, and the Cabildo, the Beauregard-Keyes House and Presbytere in New Orleans. The ROAM (Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums) has also been useful. Favorite museums include the Atlanta History Center and Swan House in Atlanta, the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Sculpture Garden, and the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. The Oscar statuettes for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are so cute. Nice to be able to visit The Guggenheim in Manhattan by reserving online with the FLW benefits. We've also been able to visit the grand mansions in Newport, the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, and the Honolulu Museum of Art. The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco houses one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian art in the world. Simply stunning. And of course, the annual pass will give you unlimited access to Graycliff. Found this museum and museum pass while looking at museums near Buffalo, NY, for my friend Linda M. Make a donation at the museum or buy a souvenir at the gift shop. Special thanks to Ryan in the museum membership office. It has been a great membership for our family and a nice gift for our friends.