Session 3: Saturday September 23, 2023 meet at Erie Basin Marina
Buffalo Lighthouse
Buffalo Lighthouse
Located on the Coast Guard base across from the Erie Basin Marina, the lighthouse is a conspicuous symbol of Buffalo's past and present. Built in 1833, it is the oldest building on Buffalo's waterfront and one of the oldest lighthouses on the Great Lakes. It is the second of four lighthouses to serve as Buffalo's light. The base, up to the cornice, dates from 1833, while everything above it dates from 1857.
The light stands near the end of a long stone pier which can be called the foundation of Buffalo, originally having been laid down by Samuel Wilkeson in 1820. (The first Buffalo light stood at the shore end of the pier.) It created a sheltered harbor along the previously untamed shore.
The lighthouse is constructed of ashlar limestone and bluestone, and is one year younger than Buffalo itself (chartered as a city in 1832). The tower is 68 feet tall and tapers from a 20-foot diameter at the base, where the walls are four feet thick, to a 12-foot diameter at the top, where the walls are two feet thick.
In 1914 the lens was taken from this tower to one built just behind the outer harbor breakwater. The breakwater light then became the principal, or third, Buffalo light. A fourth light, a 71-foot white tower on the breakwater itself, has been the main light since 1963.
Unused and deteriorating, the 1833 light was almost demolished in the late 1950's. After a proper hue and cry it was saved and restored by 1961. Further restoration in the late 1980's resulted in floodlighting of the tower's shaft and illumination of the cupola.
The light stands near the end of a long stone pier which can be called the foundation of Buffalo, originally having been laid down by Samuel Wilkeson in 1820. (The first Buffalo light stood at the shore end of the pier.) It created a sheltered harbor along the previously untamed shore.
The lighthouse is constructed of ashlar limestone and bluestone, and is one year younger than Buffalo itself (chartered as a city in 1832). The tower is 68 feet tall and tapers from a 20-foot diameter at the base, where the walls are four feet thick, to a 12-foot diameter at the top, where the walls are two feet thick.
In 1914 the lens was taken from this tower to one built just behind the outer harbor breakwater. The breakwater light then became the principal, or third, Buffalo light. A fourth light, a 71-foot white tower on the breakwater itself, has been the main light since 1963.
Unused and deteriorating, the 1833 light was almost demolished in the late 1950's. After a proper hue and cry it was saved and restored by 1961. Further restoration in the late 1980's resulted in floodlighting of the tower's shaft and illumination of the cupola.
Times Beach & Seaway Piers
Times Beach along the Outer Harbor
Buffalo’s outer harbor also played a significant role in the city’s history. Located just outside of Erie Canal Harbor on the banks of Lake Erie,
this area became home to countless “heavy-manufacturers” producing cement, copper, steel, and other important materials that fueled the rapid growth of America. These factories also provided an abundance of good paying blue-collar jobs, which forged the hard-working culture and down-to-earth disposition of the region and its residents.
this area became home to countless “heavy-manufacturers” producing cement, copper, steel, and other important materials that fueled the rapid growth of America. These factories also provided an abundance of good paying blue-collar jobs, which forged the hard-working culture and down-to-earth disposition of the region and its residents.
Michigan Avenue Lift Bridges
Buffalo News Article About More Outer Harbor Development
Buffalo News Article About The Outer Harbor Devolpment
Buffalo News Article About Port of Buffalo Terminals A & B
Buffalo News Article About Freezer Queen On The Outer Harbor Development
Buffalo News Article About Times Beach Nature Preserve
Buffalo News Article About Outer Harbor Activities
Buffalo News Article About the Breakwall
Buffalo News Photo Gallery of Breakwall
Small Boat Harbor Lease Story on WIVB
Tifft Farm Nature Preserve & Gallagher Beach
Gallagher Beach Pier
Most of the outer harbor rim was owned by the city of Buffalo. In 1995, ownership was transferred to the predecessor of the NFTA, the Niagara Frontier Port Authority.
In 1998, freshman Assemblyman Brian Higgins gained funding to improve conditions at Gallagher Beach, a small unimproved tract of land at the tip of the NFTA-owned land. Improvements took place over a two-year period.
Improvements included a boardwalk, a protruding fishing pier, a separate parking and launching area for wind surfers and jet skiers, and wooden docks.
Higgins has proposed that the land be turned over to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and converted into a state park.
In 1998, freshman Assemblyman Brian Higgins gained funding to improve conditions at Gallagher Beach, a small unimproved tract of land at the tip of the NFTA-owned land. Improvements took place over a two-year period.
Improvements included a boardwalk, a protruding fishing pier, a separate parking and launching area for wind surfers and jet skiers, and wooden docks.
Higgins has proposed that the land be turned over to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and converted into a state park.
Union Ship Canal
The Union Ship Canal, technically located in Buffalo, is, for practical purposes, the boundary between Buffalo and Lackawanna.
The Canal was dug by the Goodyears for access by lake freighters to the Susquehanna Iron Company and Pennsylvania RR's ore docks. The Susquehanna plant changed hands and was owned by Hanna Furnace for some time. Bethlehem Steel operated the short section of dock from rt. 5 to the harbor.
Please Note: The Union Ship Canal should not be confused with the City Ship Canal next to Kelly Island.
The Canal was dug by the Goodyears for access by lake freighters to the Susquehanna Iron Company and Pennsylvania RR's ore docks. The Susquehanna plant changed hands and was owned by Hanna Furnace for some time. Bethlehem Steel operated the short section of dock from rt. 5 to the harbor.
Please Note: The Union Ship Canal should not be confused with the City Ship Canal next to Kelly Island.
Session Objectives
Outer Harbor North:
- Explore resources related to Buffalo Lighthouse, Times Beach, Wilkeson Pointe, Foot of Michigan Ave. & Seaway Piers
- Create “Text Based Projects” aligned with the NYS Social Studies Standards & the CCLS to use as assessments with students.
- Analyze the impact that the Outer Harbor and it’s distinct components had on WNY history, NYS history and US history.
- Use the http://btcwaterfronthistory.weebly.com/index.html website to facilitate classroom discussions
Session Objectives
Outer Harbor South:
- Explore resources related to Small Boat Harbor, Gallagher Beach, Tifft Farm Nature Preserve & Union Ship Canal
- Create “Text Based Projects” aligned with the NYS Social Studies Standards & the CCLS to use as assessments with students.
- Analyze the impact that the Outer Harbor and it’s distinct components had on WNY history, NYS history and US history.
- Use the http://btcwaterfronthistory.weebly.com/index.html website to facilitate classroom discussions