Off the Beaten Cyberpath:
Unexpected Buffalo Websites
Surfing for obscure local sites is one of my favorite ways to waste
large chunks of time. And you, dear reader, are the beneficiary of my
ongoing treasure hunt. To keep this mild obsession from becoming totally
tedious, I reserve the right to poke a little fun here and there.
I'm not a native, having moved here in 1992 from
Rochester. Being a transplant has its advantages; I didn't experience
Buffalo's glory days first-hand, so its current state of economic shock
doesn't continually shock me. This is a wounded city, no pretending
otherwise. A wise person (I wish I knew who) once said, "Religion is for
those who fear hell. Spirituality is for those who have been there." If
this is true, then Buffalo ought to rank as one of the most spiritual
places in the nation.
When it comes to Buffalo, my motto is
Demolish Stereotypes, Not Buildings
WNYLibraries.org is truly one of the best-kept secrets when it comes
to online Buffalo research. Click here and you can simultaneously search
the catalogs of several libraries in Western New York. Or you can select
one institution to search.
The Buffalonian--an ambitious
new website with full-text articles about a variety of major and minor
events from Buffalo's past, along with a photo gallery, forum, upcoming
events, and more
City of Buffalo Neighborhoods Map, a superb collection of 30 distinct
neighborhood histories and profiles with a huge--slow-loading--clickable
map. This wonderful site was created by the fine librarians at the bleak
and remote suburban campus of SUNY/Buffalo.
Mark Twain Room--Twain lived in Buffalo for two years, long enough to
lose money on his investment in the Buffalo Express and to donate
the original manuscript of Huck Finn to what is now the Buffalo &
Erie County Public Library.
Kenmore-Tonawanda Historical Society is starting to scan artifacts
from its collection and make them searchable from this screen. Don't be
put off by their suburban location; they have material on Buffalo, the
Erie Canal, and more.
Doing the Pan--has articles from 1901, a self-guided tour of the major
exposition buildings, this day in 1901, and more
Historical Buffalo-Related Literature--an illustrated bibliography
compiled by the law firm of Sacks & Kolken. Nicely done, you lawyers,
you. Consider this a cyberhug from the librarian.
Buffalo Folklore Etc.--A website by the late, sorely missed Nancy Piatkowski, with a description of the little-known Niagara Frontier Folklore Archives, plus advice on collecting family stories and saving family papers
Buffalo Full Text--a list compiled by yours truly. Gives links for
over 125 full text, online books about Buffalo, most from before 1927.
Political Money Line--what a hoot. Enter your zip
code and see who your neighbors give campaign contributions to.
Historic Buffalo Screensaver--ever looked for a free Buffalo screensaver? If you like the Bills or buffalo the animal, you'll find some. This is the first-ever Buffalo
screensaver to feature vintage photographs. Yours for a mere $5 donation to the Preservation Coalition of Erie County.
Lake Erie-Niagara River Ice
Boom--this site has current time lapse videos, for those of you with
fast connections. Almost as fun as watching ice melt. For those of you
who have no idea what we Buffalonians mean by "ice boom," I can tell you
that it has nothing to do with weather-related acoustics.
ePodunk.com--also has vintage e-postcards, plus a selection of Buffalo
quotes
Small Town America, a digital collection of stereoviews in the New
York Public Library, has a few dozen vintage images of Buffalo. Use the
drop-down menu provided here.
Aerial Photographs of Erie County brought to you by the Erie County
Department of Public Works, Division of Highways. Presently has black &
white pix from the 1920s and 1951. Cool, very cool.
Palmer's Views--the Kenmore-Tonawanda Historical Society is gradually
scanning all of the pictures from Palmer's Views, a souvenir book
about Buffalo published in 1910. Lots of period harbor views here.
Panoramic Maps of Buffalo, 1880 and 1902--at this page are links to
two Buffalo maps. These are pretty amazing, because you can
zoom in on your own neighborhood. Credit goes to the Library of Congress
for putting these online.
About 175 photographs of Buffalo, taken by the Detroit Publishing
Company, 1880-1920, can be seen by entering
Buffalo at the search screen provided here by the Library of
Congress.
Black Iron, 1935--a painting of some of our most fascinating
scenery, our industrial waterfront, by Buffalo's own Charles Burchfield
Buffalo: Portrait of a City--brought to you by CEPA Gallery, which in
1998 took a bunch of city kids and taught them how to do photography.
Here is the Buffalo they saw and documented.
Dear Mr. Hopkins--A 1934 memorandum to Harry Hopkins, who was (I think)
a official in FDR's cabinet, describing Depression-era conditions in Buffalo
AmericanMafia.com tells us all about organized crime families in
Buffalo
Buffalo, New York Noise Ordinance--amidst the trivia on this page, a
genuinely useful link! Buffalonians: bookmark this for the next time your
neighbors throw a raucous, all-night party.
DeTocqueville in Buffalo--wherein the great chronicler of American
democracy arrives in 1831, is appalled by the sight of drunken Indians,
and leaves town on the next boat
Men in Skirts
FAQ--if you think Buffalo is one of the last bastions of gender
rigidity, think again. Here's a real Buffalo native in the real skirts
that he really dances in.
"President McKinley and Others in the Spirit World..." were striving
to bring an end to World War I, according to this homepage.
Thanks to a nutcase with a gun, McKinley entered the "Spirit World" here
in Buffalo while visiting the Pan-American Exposition in September 1901.
Interstate 190 Buffalo--maybe pointless is a better
description. This page has blurry pictures of some of Buffalo's ugliest
scenery, the Niagara section of the NY State Thruway, which severed the
city from its waterfront.
Mark Twain's Homes: New York--Twain lived in Buffalo long enough to
lose money on his investment in the Buffalo Morning Express
newspaper. If you can bear the pop-ups marring this site, scroll down for
two Buffalo links.
The AIA Accepts Its First Woman Member--Buffalo's pioneering female
architect, Louise Blanchard Bethune (1856-1913), the designer of the
Lafayette Square Hotel and the first woman member of the American
Institute of Architects.
Emma Goldman Chronology, 1901-1919. Wonder what the famous radical
socialist thought of our capitalist extravaganza, the Pan-American
Exposition?
Mary Talbert (1866-1923), a civil rights activist, was once considered
the country's "best-known Colored woman" and she lived here in Buffalo.
There is next to nothing online by her, though I did find this essay
she published in The Crisis, August 1915.
Grover Cleveland--Oh, this is too funny. Burke's Peerage uses
Buffalo's own Grover Cleveland as a sample entry to promote their guides to nobility and royalty
Millard Fillmore Wax Head by an unidentified artist. You gotta see it
to believe it. If you ever wanted to see Fillmore's head on a
platter for signing the Fugitive Slave Act into law, here's a
bloodless approximation.
Herman Hollerith invented one of the first computers and was born in
Buffalo
The manufacture of iron in Buffalo--a paper read before
the Buffalo Historical Society, January 25, 1864, by John Wilkeson,
brought to you in full text by the Making of Americn Project, included
here because our steel industry was famous but is now almost dead.
Where A Sense of Place is Still Cast in Stone, by R.W. Apple,
originally published in the New York Times on August 28, 1998.
This appreciation of Buffalo from the nation's newspaper of record
(reproduced here minus the photographs) inspired the name for this part of
my homepage.
Virtual Tourist: zChris's Buffalo--scroll past the commercials links
for a compact, well-written essay on Buffalo, with recommendations on what
to see and do if you visit. Chris even quotes the R.W. Apple article
above.
The Larkin Building--a description of the late, lamented Frank Lloyd
Wright masterpiece. This site includes a downloadable 3-D virtual tour.
Well, the Larkin was demolished in 1950, but Buffalo still
has 6 Frank Lloyd Wright houses, more than any other place in the
world except Oak Park, IL. As you'll see below, two have their own
websites; the rest are private residences.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Graycliff--built as the summer retreat of
Darwin and Isabel Martin, this rediscovered house is the focus of a
restoration campaign.
Aerial View of Our Lady of Victory--amidst the generica of Lackawanna,
New York, a gleaming, Baroque marble basilica, sort of like a Tiffany
window in a trailer park.
uglybuilding.com--the only city
with submissions is Buffalo, and nearly all of them are our beloved grain
elevators. Brought to you by some chucklehead who apparently thinks the
whole world should resemble the Galleria Mall. Now look at James Cavanaugh's grain
elevator photographs. Feel better?
Cyclorama Building--what's a Cyclorama, you may be wondering? Click
here to find out. Buffalo has one of the last ones left.
Michigan Street Baptist Church--by Dr. Monroe Fordham. Legend has it
that this Black church was hand-built c. 1845 by its first pastor, and was
a center of abolitionist and Underground Railroad activity.
Buffalo's Faith Elevators--this webmaster seems to have discovered
what I always say about Buffalo: that there was either a church or a
tavern on every corner. Here are some pictures of surviving Buffalo
churches.
Historic American Buildings Survey--scroll down and you will see
links for over 50 Buffalo and Erie County buildings that have been
carefully documented since 1933, many prior to demolition (arrrgh!)
Olmsted Parks in Buffalo--everything you ever wanted to know about our
parks, with lots of period photographs and postcards. This one even has a
suggested reading list, which warms this librarian's heart.
Pavement Markers--And what do we see when we walk down Buffalo sidewalks?
Miniature bronze plaques advertising the concrete contractors of a century ago. I have not seen these in any other city.
Buffalo's East Side Working Group--has pictures and descriptions or
sometimes just lists of East Buffalo landmarks sorted into categories such
as schools, churches, saloons, and more
"I Choose the
City"--William Graebner's letter to the editor in 1997 really hit a
nerve. It is reproduced here with his permission. Fair warning: this
manifesto is likely to p*ss off the average suburbanite.
The Preservation Coalition of Erie County--Tired of
here-today-gone-tomorrow landmarks? Join the Coalition.
These folks really kick butt to save our architectural heritage.
Maybe they belong in my Local Heroes category.
City of Light
was the literary event of 1999. This novel, by Buffalo native
Lauren Belfer, is set in Buffalo in the summer of 1901, when the Pan
American Exposition was in full force, and is written with a powerful
sense of place. Here is an
Author Essay by Lauren Belfer.
In Arms of Undertow--handsome black and white photos of the Terminal
from the 1970s
Infiltration--the website with a cult following sneaks into the
Terminal. Now that the Terminal is in the hands of the Central Terminal
Restoration Corporation, security is improved and repairs are underway.
Please don't undermine the restoration with break-ins and
trespassing, folks. Please??
Existing Railroad Stations in Erie County--a table with addresses and
some photos (that teeny camera icon in the "city" column). The Central
Terminal isn't the only train station in town.
Women in Black--hold a silent vigil every Saturday at noon, rain or shine, to protest American invasions in the Middle East
The Colored Musicians Club is one of the oldest African-American
trade unions in the country, featured in a new online photo essay
Uncrowned Queens--African American women community builders of Western
New York
Righteous Babe Records--I have to include Buffalo's gift to the pop
music world. What's not to like about Ani DiFranco? She owns her own
label and runs it in downtown Buffalo; she has the most exquisite tattoos
in the world of skin art; and she has an equal-opportunity love life. Having seen her new video, Render, I'm starting to like the music as much as the musician.
Nickel City Coop--further proof of the Jane Jacobs dictum, "New ideas need old buildings," this adventurous group of students tooks on a long-abandoned mansion and rescued it for their housing cooperative
Sam Hoyt, 144th Assembly District, one of the good guys
The Buffalo Shipping Page--our port is not longer as active as it
was, but it isn't a 100% recreational harbor yet
Western New York Railroad Archive is not a real-world archive, because the webmaster does not possess employment or other corporate records, but he's posting vintage newspaper articles about the many rail lines criscrossing this area. Sure wish he'd turn more attention to the city of Buffalo.
Trainwatching Reports from Western New York. This guy buys tickets
for short rides in the Buffalo area, and takes pictures of Conrail
(now CSX/NS) trains along the way.
Pierce-Arrow Society--the mighty Pierce-Arrow automobile was
manufactured in Buffalo
The Great Auto Race--the only American entry and winner of the 1908 New
York-Paris race, which made headlines around the world, was the mighty Thomas Flyer and it was made in Buffalo. There has never been another around-the world automobile race.
Inside the Metro Rail Tunnels--according to the author, the NFTA tried
to censor this fascinating site. Thought it would scare away riders.
Heck, I think tour tunnels would promote ridership!
Citizens Rapid Transit Corporation--maybe you think the Peace Bridge
is the most burning transportation issue in Buffalo, that our future and
economy will collapse without that trite cable-stay bridge. Wrong.
Expanding Metro Rail would bring more benefit to Buffalo than a dozen
"signature bridges." These folks will tell you why.
Ugly Today, Beautiful Tomorrow--why I think the "signature bridge" is
trite, why it is premature to declare the Peace Bridge ugly, and why I'll
never be invited to speak before the New Millennium Group
View My GuestbookSign My Guestbook
Please don't leave an advertising message and make me go through the
trouble of deleting it. Guestbook opens in new window.
Buffalo Issue Alerts--sign up for announcements about Buffalo's
built environment, including preservation, traffic, neighborhood
issues, block club projects, city planning, economic development,
demolitions, meetings, hearings, events, and so on.
My major criterion for inclusion?
Obsessive, obscure, and preferably noncommercial Buffalo content. If
your site doesn't have any, submit
it elsewhere. Does your site have an advertising budget? Do you
represent an organization that gets a lot of press? Then your site hardly
qualifies as obscure. Is your site hopelessly competent and opinion-free?
Neutral enough for the Chamber of Commerce? Ick! Kiss of death! What can I
say? This is a personal page I play with on my own time. I never
pretended to be the Yahoo of Buffalo. To sum up: links are
added solely at my discretion.
Loyal Buffalonian or not, if you have a business, product, or service
to promote, submit your URL to any of the 60+ sites listed at my Other Pages of Buffalo Links page.
If it doesn't have my name on it, I didn't create it. I am not responsible for the content of anyone else's website.
My swipes at particular sites are not to be taken as swipes at
Buffalo.
This site is 100% free of frames, animated GIFs, sound clips, pop-ups,
chicken wings, beef-on-weck (whaddya expect from a vegetarian?), sports, and beer. Want that stuff? Go somewhere else. I do, however, have a rant about snow in Buffalo.
This site is a personal homepage and is not sponsored by my
employer, who probably prefers to remain anonymous
Note to those contemplating a move to Buffalo: I offer free relocation
advice and I am not beholden to realtors, banks, or other commercial
interests.
Drop me a line. Let's talk.
Off the Beaten Cyberpath:
Okay, Here are the Goodies
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