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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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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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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The Cupola That Almost Got Away!

March 1, 2017 |
Our story begins more than sixteen years ago, at 2505 West Ridge Road near Long Pond Rd. A cupola on the ninety-year-old Greece Town Hall was about to be taken down with the rest of the abandoned building. The new Town Hall on Long Pond Road was dedicated with much...
Categories: 1900-1950 1950-2000 2000 - Present Living in Greece Stories
Tags: 1997 1999 2001 2505 West Ridge Road Cupola Project Chairman Fred Meredith Greece D.P.W. Larry Zarnsdorf Long Pond Road Lorraine Beane Richard LaCroix Supervisor John Auberger Thomas Schommer Walter Berl
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“The Main Street of Greece” – From The Historian’s Desk

September 1, 2014 |
Ridge Road in photos: 1909 -1960 Every few years, if not sooner, a news article about the Ridge being expanded or improved pops up in news­ print or other media. From what was once the eastern edge at Lake Avenue to the western edge of Greece at Manitou Road, Ridge...
Categories: 1900-1950 1950-2000 From The Historian's Files Living in Greece Stories
Tags: "The Lewiston Road" 1900s 1909 1928 1940 1955 1956 1961 20th Century Cube-Block Dewey Ave Eight Miles along the Shore Emrich Kids Greece DPW Kodak Park Lake Avenue Long Pond Road Manitou Road mid-1860s Monroe County Pure Waters System Monroe County Water Authority Native American Naum Bros. Nicholas Sparks Pepperidge Dr Ridge Road West Stone Road
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