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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The Ridgeway Air Park

January 1, 2022 |
For years during the 20th century, many communities in our area had their own airports ranging from grassy fields to paved run­ ways with hangers to store airplanes. Hilton had the Hilton Airport on Burritt Road. The Brizee airport in Pittsford was on Marsh Road. In Henrietta, there was the...
Categories: 1900-1950 Living in Greece Stories
Tags: "Power Puff Derby" 1947 1948 1955 1956 Army Air Corps veteran Britton Field Brizee airport Burritt Road Erie Canal Genesee Airfield Greece Aero Club Greenleaf Flying Club Henrietta Hilton Hilton Airport Honeoye Falls Hylan Airport Jim Earl Koda Vista Kuhn Road Latona Tract Lee Roads Leroy Marsh Road Monroe County Pittsford Richard (Dick) Kaiser Ridgeway Air Park Ridgeway Avenue Roy DeVal Salt Lake City Scottsville Road Shoremont The Greece Press Town of Greece Woodward Field World War I World War II WWI WWII
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Briarcliff Club Memories

July 1, 2021 |
Ration coupons, victory gardens, salvage drives, saving cooking fat, "buy bonds today." All familiar words to a home front generation during World War II. Unlike our wars since, World War II affected every single person in this country, and no matter what your occupation or financial status, everyone had to...
Categories: 1900-1950 Dewey-Stone Area Hamlets of Greece Living in Greece Stories
Tags: Barnard Except Home Barnard Exempts Boxart Street Briarcliff Club Briarcliff Rd clam bake Dewey-Stone Strathmore Drive Strathmore Drive Athletic Club Valleywood Club Victory Gardens World War II
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Greece “Roadhouse”

September 1, 2019 |
A Roadhouse (United States, Australia) or stopping house (Canada) according to a recent dictionary is Roadhouse: a tavern or inn along a country road, as in the 1920s. John Frank Maier was born and grew up along with his siblings on Hague St. in Dutch (Deutsch) town. Both his parents were immigrants from...
Categories: 1900-1950 Dewey-Latta area From The Historian's Files Hamlets of Greece Living in Greece Stories
Tags: 18th Amendment 1919 1920 1923 1958 1965 1968 Bar Canada Canadian Canadian Liquor Deutsch Dewey Ave Dewey/Latta Dodge Brothers Dutch Eddie Surridge George Maier Germany Hague St Henry Ford Island Cottage Hotel Jim Davis John Frank Maier John Frank Maier III Juke Box Kirkwood Rd Lake Lake Ontario Latta Road Long Pond Pond Midge Neon Signs Olive Hager Prohibition Restaurant & Residence Roadhouse Round Pond Rum Runners T.W. Beatty and Son. T.W. Beatty and Son. Island Cottage Hotel The Maier Family two-and-a-half-story Volstead Act Wenzel Maier World War II
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“From tractors to tracts!” – From The Historian’s Desk

October 1, 2016 |
It is not quite a century since rural Greece slowly and sometimes not so slowly started to turn from an almost com­pletely agricultural community to street after street of home developments. After World War II the pace quickened so fast that the DPW couldn't keep up with all the new...
Categories: 1800-1850 1850-1900 1900-1950 From The Historian's Files Pioneer Families
Tags: DeConinck Kirk Road Latta Road Mitchell Pioneer Families Preston World War II Yarker
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Manitou Beach Hotel – “From the Historian’s Files”

May 5, 2015 |
By far the largest and the most elegant of all the late 19th and early 20th century hotels along Lake Ontario in Greece was the Odenbach Manitou Beach Hotel. It was located at the far western end of the Manitou Beach Trolley. Built in 1888 by the Matthew and Servis...
Categories: 1850-1900 Corinthian From The Historian's Files Living in Greece Stories
Tags: Braddock Bay Charles P. Odenbach Charlotte Charlotte Beach Damon's Orchestra Fred J. Odenbach Fred Odenbach Frederick S. Odenbach John H Odenbach Manitou Beach Hotel Manitou Road Manitou Trolley Marie Villone Poinan Matthew P Odenbach Olcott Beach Sax Smith Tommy Tucker Vincent Lopez World War II
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Post Mark North Greece, N.Y. – From The Historians Desk

March 1, 2013 |
After turning the corner at Latta Road to go south on North Greece Road, one might quickly pass a plain red brick building at the rear of a small parking lot. Across the right front of the building are the letters, United States Post Office. If you aren't from the...
Categories: 1850-1900 From The Historian's Files Living in Greece Stories North Greece
Tags: 14515 1880 1900s 1945 1963 New Construction of North Greece Station 1 1964 1967 Alfred Phelps Ann Piazza Cracker Barrels Doris Cutter Florence Germeroth George Germeroth Jr. Greece H. C. Phelps Kerosene Latta Road Melinda Germeroth Molasses North Greece North Greece Fire Department North Greece Road Phelps General Store Pickles Post Office Trailer United States Post Office William Aeberli William T. Filer World War II zip code
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A German field gun helps win the war

November 13, 2008 |
A German field gun helps win the war. Veterans Day and Memorial Day are special days for Americans. especially for our veterans. On these special days all across America, we gather 'round our war memorials to pay tribute to our men and women who have served and to those who...
Categories: 1900-1950 Corinthian Living in Greece Stories
Tags: 105 mm German Howitzer 1941 American Legion Post Canon Commander Cyrille Ver Weire Cyrille Ver Weire Dewey Avenue Presbyterian Church Falls Church German Howitzer Gordon A Howe Gordon Howe Greece Legionnaires James Whitley Legionnaires Memorial DAy Milton Cater Rev. Alfred Wangman Tin Cans Veterans Veterans Day World War II
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