Living in Greece Stories

Stories and recollections from the people, places, and publications that document life in the Town of Greece.

These articles offer perspectives on what it was like to live in the Town of Greece in the past. Many are from the archives or newsletters of the Greece Historical Society. If you would be interested in learning more about the Town of Greece’s history, please feel free to contact us at (585) 225-7221.

(These stories are the property of the Greece Historical Society, which retains all right thereto. The contributors to these stories provide them for non-commercial, personal, educational, and/or research use only. Prior written permission from the Greece Historical Society and the individual authors must be obtained for any other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly publications, or any reproductions or redistribution of any kind.)

Share Your Stories and Memories

We love to read stories and memories by you or your organization. Submit a local history story or memory of growing up in the Town of Greece by emailing a zip file with your story and photos to greecehistoricalsociety@yahoo.com. Use the subject line: Share My Story of Local History or Memories Of Greece N.Y. plus your story title. Include a brief bio and one photo for publication.

Your story should be no more than 500 words. We can edit for continuity, grammar, and punctuation. Stories may cover one span or multiple spans: 1800-1850, 1900-1950, 1950-2000, and 2000-Present.

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Four Miles Along the Towpath: Greece’s Junction Lock Offers a Glimpse of the Old Erie Canal

June 3, 2025 |
The words “Erie Canal” often brings to mind those engineering marvels we call “locks” that raise and lower boats along the historic waterway. However, the portion of the Erie Canal that runs through the Town of Greece is part of a 60-mile “long level” between the cities of Rochester and...
Categories: 1800-1850 1850-1900 1900-1950 1950-2000 2000 - Present Guest Stories Living in Greece Stories
Tags: “Clinton’s Ditch” Albert R. Stone Negative Collection Barge Canal Broad Street Bridge Court Street Dam Elmgrove Road Enlarged Erie Canal Erie Canal Erie Canal Aqueduct Erie Canalway Trail Genesee River Governor DeWitt Clinton Henpeck Park Junction Lock Long Pond Road NYS Office of Parks and Historic Preservation old Rochester harbor Recreational Trails Program Ridgeway Avenue Rochester South Greece Syracuse Towpath Unity at Ridgeway
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Murals Brought Awareness of Greece Erie Canal History

May 28, 2025 |
At Henpeck Park in Greece, NY, three murals beneath the Elmgrove Road bridge depict the Erie Canal's evolution: its construction, expansion, and the Junction Lock era. Commissioned by the Greece Chamber of Commerce and painted by Stacey Kirby, they were unveiled in 2010 to highlight the canal's local significance.
Categories: 1800-1850 1850-1900 1872 Common School Districts 1900-1950 1950-2000 2000 - Present Living in Greece Stories
Tags: 1918-1920 Albion Cayuga Dave Pandina Elmgrove Road Erie Canal Erie Canal at 175 Erie Canal Bicentennial Greece Chamber of Commerce Henpeck Park Jodie Perry Junction Lock Mural Mania Orleans September 2010 South Greece Stacy Kirby World Canal Conference
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Family painting of their farm

Richardson Family Connection to the Erie Canal

April 8, 2025 |
In 1880, George Richardson purchased 100 acres in Greece, NY. By 1918, the Erie Canal's relocation split the farm, reducing its fields. Edward and Cora Richardson received compensation in 1907. The land was auctioned in 1939; today, it hosts Canal Ponds Business Park, townhomes, and a professional building.
Categories: 1850-1900 1900-1950 Corinthian Living in Greece Stories
Tags: 1880 1895 1907 Payment 1918 200 years of the Completion of the Canal Auction (1939) Big Ridge Road Bradford Bridge Construction Canal Ponds Business Park Central Drive-in Cora Miller Daniel Sharp David Richardson Edward Richardson Erie Canal Farming Flour City George Richardson Long Pond Road Lot 108 Mitchell Road New York State PA Pennsylvania Phelps and Gorham Purchase Ridgeway Avenue
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Area Photo showing current property lines Monroe County GIS

The City of Rochester in the Town of Greece: A legacy of the Erie Canal

February 9, 2025 |
The distinctive shape of Rochester, New York, is largely the result of various annexations over the years. Notably, in 1926, the city annexed a narrow strip of land, approximately 2 miles long and 130 feet wide, running parallel to Ridgeway Avenue in the Town of Greece. This land was part...
Categories: 1800-1850 1850-1900 1900-1950 1950-2000 2000 - Present Erie Canal Living in Greece Stories
Tags: 1825 1918 1922 1926 1938 1956 390 Camegi Companies Charlotte city Culver Road Durand Eastman Park Erie Canal Erie Canal Commons Genesee Valley Park Geographic Information System GIS Greece Irondequoit Bay Junction Lock Lake Erie Latona Road Lee Road Monroe County GIS North NY-390 old Olde Erie Trail Plat Map population density property boundaries rail Rochester State Route 390 subway town trail Tyron Park weather patterns
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Greece Press. September 25, 1952

The Fight Against Polio

January 7, 2025 |
Between 1945 and 1955, polio was one of the most feared diseases in the United States, striking thousands of children each year. Often fatal to children under 10, it left many survivors with paralysis or lasting disabilities. Communities rallied to combat the disease, with local efforts like the March of...
Categories: 1900-1950 1950-2000
Tags: 1945-1955 health crisis 1954 Polio vaccine trials Barnard Fire Department donation Bethany Presbyterian Church events Children's health in the 1950s Community fight against polio Greece Historic disease outbreaks History of polio in the US Iron lung machine Iron Lungs Jonas Salk vaccine March of Dimes campaigns Maureen Whalen Mothers March for polio NY polio history Polio Polio epidemic Polio fundraising efforts Polio in children under 10 Polio research and vaccines Polio survivors stories Polio vaccination history US medical history milestones
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Dann House prior to 1885

DANN HOUSE – from Hotel to Bowling

December 8, 2024 |
In 1885, Anthony Kleinhans purchased the Dann House, relocating it to the Long Pond outlet as a carriage house before constructing the Grand View Beach Hotel, which burned down in 1947. The Dann House later became a restaurant and bowling alley but faced competition and code violations, leading to its...
Categories: 1800-1850 1850-1900 1900-1950 Corinthian Living in Greece Stories
Tags: 1877 1885 1947 1950 1960 1972 1978 Ames Tavern and Bowling Center Anthony Kleinhans automatic pin setter Bowling Alley bowling halls Carriage house DANN HOUSE Dewey Gardens Girly Goodwin Park Grand View Beach Hotel Harry Boehm Lakeshore Long Pond Long Pond Outlet Maiden Lanes Manitou Beach Trolley McIntosh’s 1877 History of Monroe County Monroe County resort hotel Terrice Gardens Town of Greece
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Parma Greece United Church of Christ

Parma Greece United Church of Christ

November 4, 2024 |
“About the year 1830 a small number of persons, residing near the town line in Parma and Greece, feeling the necessity of religious services, met together at what was known as the old red schoolhouse, east of Parma Centre, and agreed to hold bi-weekly meetings for mutual prayers and for...
Categories: 1800-1850 1850-1900 1900-1950 1950-2000 2000 - Present Churches Corinthian Guest Stories Hamlets of Greece Living in Greece Stories North Greece UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
Tags: 1834 1835 1843 1844 1848 1861 1888 1903 Albert Dunlap Ambrose Burlingame Asa C. Morrison Christian Conference of Western New York Cobblestone Cobblestone Church Elder Crocker Elder James W. Burgdorf Elder Joel Doubleday Elias Jones Erie Canal Ezra Smith Isaac Chase Jessilou Gage Vaccarelli Jonathan Morse Jonathan S. Thompson Latta Road Madison Thomas Manitou Road Orleans County Parma Parma and Greece Christian Church Parma Greece United Church of Christ United Church Of Christ William J. Grimes
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The Ridge Road Cemetery Association, Also Known as the Falls Cemetery

October 12, 2024 |  and 
The Ridge Road Cemetery Association, also known as Falls Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Monroe County, New York. It was established in 1811 by Daniel Budd and his wife Chloe Allen, who purchased land in what is now the Town of Greece. The north section of the...
Categories: 1800-1850 1850-1900 1900-1950 1950-2000 2000 - Present Ada Ridge Falls Cemetery Greece Cemeteries Hamlets of Greece Living in Greece Stories Pioneer Families Wagner Cemetery
Tags: 16 War of 1812 Veterans 1770-1850 1787-1871 1798-1879 1800-1881 1810 1811 1827 1836 1850 1900s 1963 25 Civil War Veterans 5 Revolutionary War veterans 5 Spanish-American War Veterans Asahel Tucker Budd Hotel and Tavern Chloe Allen Civil War Claude Hare Daniel Budd David Hare Jr. David Hare Sr. Diane Hare Dutchess County Established 1813 Falls Cemetery Fetzner Frederick Rowe Gordon Hare Greece Memorial Town Hall Hannah (Hopper) Bartholf John Williams Katie Meeson Korean War Veterans Latona Road Linda Crushman Dowell M. B. Loper May 1810 Mitchell Road Monroe County Deeds Niagara Falls Ridge Road Cemetery Association Stephen Bartholf Town’s Memorial Day remembrances Vietnam Veterans West Ridge Road William Fall William Falls Hotel World War I Veterans World War II Veterans
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Greece Public Library 1958 – Present

July 1, 2024 |
The Greece Public Library, established in 1958, began with a book caravan in the 1920s and temporary locations. By 1962, it had its own building. Over the years, branches opened and closed, and in 2000, a new library building was completed. Today, it continues to evolve, meeting modern needs with...
Categories: 1900-1950 1950-2000 2000 - Present Living in Greece Stories
Tags: 1958 21st century library Barnard Crossing branch book caravan Dewey-Stone branch Greece Public Library interior remodeling library charter Lowden Point branch Mitchell Road Monroe County Traveling Library North Greece branch Olympia High School Paddy Hill branch Story Garden Town Campus Willis N. Britton School
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A House and Farm on Buckman Road

June 7, 2024 |
Jo Ann Ward Snyder has been researching pioneer families in the Town of Greece for two books. While researching the George Buckman family of Buckman Road, the author discovered that their childhood home was indeed the old Buckman homestead. George and Lucy Buckman raised their three children, James Burl, Homer,...
Categories: 1850-1900 1900-1950 1950-2000 2000 - Present Ada Ridge Hamlets of Greece Living in Greece Stories
Tags: 163 Buckman Road Alice Mitchell Bonnie Reilly Bonnie Stemen Fiser Buckman Burl Buckman Civil War Diane Newman Long George Albert Buckman George Buckman Homer J. Buchman Ione Reilly Newman J. Burl Jo Ann Ward Snyder Long Pond Lora Clarke Lucy Griffin Lucy Griffin Buckman Mary Katherine “May” Beck Reilly May Beck Reilly May Buckman May Newton Buckman Thomas Michigan Monroe County Oakland County Pioneer Families Reilly Family Veronica Reilly Ward Webster
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The Grand View Beach Club

April 2, 2024 |
In the early 20th century, Grand View Beach Club on Rochester's lakeshore was a social hub for entertainment and civic advocacy. Built in 1902, it hosted dances, movies, and raffles until membership dwindled in the 1950s. Closed and dismantled by 1964, today, only memories and the club's sign remain with...
Categories: 1850-1900 1900-1950 1950-2000 Living in Greece Stories
Tags: $3500 1882 1902 1940s 1946 1947 1949 1950 1951 1961 1963 1964 1977 2286 Old Edgemere Drive Annual field days Barb Bray Bill McCormick card parties carnivals Clambake dances Democrat & Chronicle Don Blanchard Dr. Ed Hardenbrook Dr. Joe Martin Sr Dr. Joseph W. Martin Jr. early 1950s Edmund M. Lambiase entertainment Fred McCormick Grand View Beach Grand View Beach Club Grand View Beach Hotel Grand View Fire Department Greece Press Harold D. Cross Jim Bell Joe Mahler Joseph C. Murrer Joseph Mahler kid friendly movies Lake Ontario Leonard B. Finewood Long Pond Rd Manitou Trolley meetings Mennonites minstrel shows paraphernalia Pat Martin Protestant church Robert F. Gifford Rosenbach’s slot machines Turkey Raffle Committee William L. Dibacco
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A couple of men in a field Description automatically generated

A Vineyard in Greece

December 7, 2023 |
The Fetzner family, German immigrants to Greece, originally established their reputation through making and repairing transport vehicles. Later, J.P. Fetzner ventured into the liquor business, founding several successful companies including the Rochester Liquor & Distilling Company and the Lake Ontario Wine Company. However, following J.P.'s death in 1909, his businesses...
Categories: 1850-1900 1900-1950 Guest Stories Living in Greece Stories Pioneer Families Uncategorized
Tags: Arthur Fetzner Baden Blacksmithing and Painting Bruschal Cider Mill Germany J & F Fetzner Carriage Makers Jacob Fisher Jo Ann Ward Snyder Joseph Peter “J.P”. Fetzner Josephine Neidert Lake Ontario Wine Company Long Pond Road Mary Hutte Mill Road New York Pioneer Families Podunk Road pulmonary tuberculosis Rochester Liquor & Distilling Company Untergrombach Wayne County Wendell Fetzner William Aeberli William Hutte William Kipp
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This ashtray was presented to Judson S Kenyon in 1948, in commemoration of his long-standing involvement in the Greece Republican Party.

Judson S. Kenyon

November 4, 2023 |
An ashtray artifact at the Greece Museum led to the discovery of Judson S. Kenyon, a notable personality from Greece, New York. Born in 1872, Kenyon was highly active in local politics and the Greece Baptist Church, earning a dedicated ashtray from the Greece Republican Party in 1948. He passed...
Categories: 1850-1900 1900-1950 1950-2000 Corinthian Guest Stories Living in Greece Stories
Tags: 1872 1920 1948 1963 Arthur Rickman Ashtray Barry County clerk deacon Deborah Cole Myers elephant Elizabeth L Rowe English Road Falls Cemetery Greece Baptist Church Greece Grange Greece Republican Party historian Juddy Kenyon Judson S. Kenyon Kate (Rickman) Justice Long Pond Rd Michigan Pioneer Families Rhode Island Rochester Business Institute teacher treasurer trustee Willard H Justice Williams James Kenyon
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Clay tile lined well and pump base.

Eighty Years Later- Camp Sawyer’s Well

September 1, 2023 |
In the February Corinthian, I wrote a short story, "The Stories That Find You - Camp Sawyer's The Well", about a well and its pump that Boy Scout Troop 14 (from a 2018 article called A Civic Club's Legacy,) from Barnard School used at Camp Sawyer in the late 1930s...
Categories: 1900-1950 1950-2000 2000 - Present Corinthian Living in Greece Stories
Tags: 1930s 1937 1943 1970 2018 Boy Scout Troop 14 Camp Sawyer Empire Clay Product Gilbert Holtz red sandstone Sawyer Park
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They Gave Their Talent for the Benefit of the Community

June 1, 2023 |
Deep in the back of a rather large yard at Paddy Hill, hidden among the weeds and overgrown brush, is what appears to be the foundation of an old structure. Adolescents finding this structure could easily imagine themselves as an explorer discovering the ruins of an ancient civilization. A less...
Categories: 1900-1950 1950-2000 Living in Greece Stories
Tags: "shanty" "The Cat and the Canary" 1931 1946 1947 1948 1955 1957 76 Productions Auditorium Theater comedies Common School District 5 Cornell University Democrat & Chronicle Greece Post melodramas mysteries Paddy Hill Paddy Hill Players Paddy Hill Players troupe philanthropic group premier amateur theatrical group PTA Statewide Contest Times-Union Newspaper Walter Whelehan Whelehan Whelehan Family Farm
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Longtime Agricultural Farmland Transitions

May 1, 2023 |
Back in early Greece history much of the farmland around Long Pond Road north of Maiden Lane was owned by the Britton Family. Opposite this land down at 1048 Long Pond Road stood a stone structure, the first location of the Greece school where the Greece Methodist Church organized in...
Categories: 1800-1850 1850-1900 1900-1950 1950-2000 2000 - Present Guest Stories
Tags: 1924 Maiden Lane Arc of Monroe Arc of Monroe Foundation Bill Murphy Britton Family Britton Farmstead Clarence and Adrienne Preston Earl and Anna Davis Frank and Julia Herman Gene Preston Greece Common School District #9 Greece Methodist Church Herman Farm John and Eva Easton Judge Frank Herman Kenneth Preston Preston Circle Preston Family Farm Rochester Public Market Rochester Telephone Company Town of Greece 2nd Ward Councilman Tracy Crosby Tracy Petrichick Willis N Britton
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The Stories That Find You – Camp Sawyer’s The Well

February 1, 2023 |
Every historian knows that while researching a specific subject, it is not unusual to stumble on a completely unrelated subject that sparks your interest. One day, not that long ago, while looking for an obscure fact for a story I was helping someone with, I stumbled on a 1937 Greece...
Categories: 1900-1950 Corinthian Living in Greece Stories
Tags: 1930s 1937 1943 1970 2018 Boy Scout Troop 14 Camp Sawyer Empire Clay Product Gilbert Holtz red sandstone Sawyer Park
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