Back in Time: Orson Childs Farm House (Now the Rapids Theatre)

This is the old Orson Childs Farm House. It stood on the present (1933) site of the Bellevue Theatre on Main Street, facing Division Avenue. All about it was an orchard that occupied the entire block bounded by Lewiston Avenue, Michigan Avenue, Tenth Street and South Avenue. Rodney Durkee and family lived there at one time, and to present generation it is best known as the Witmer house, as the late A.M. Witmer and family lived there for many years. Jacob Voght, one of the Rommel boy and Mrs. Sarah Childs, wife of Orson Childs, who lived in this house, was the first woman to cross the Niagara gorge on the famous cableway of 1848. Her maiden name was Pierce. When she crossed in the iron basket she carried her four year old daughter, who later became Mrs. David Cabeen of Milwaukee, Captain John Symes told me that when he and Col. John Fisk drove into town in 1847 and were passing this farm house in the woods, Col. Fisk, observing the high columns or pillars, on the front vernada, remarked, “Well, this farmer is putting on a lot of style.”

Captain Symes also said, “There is only three houses along the road through the woods at that time. They were Gad Pierce’s, east side of Main at the corner of Main, Portage and Pierce; this Childs house, and Graves’ house on what we knew as “Bunker Hill,” between what is now Depot Avenue and the railroad tracks running to the Lower Arch Bridge.”

In the Spring of 1837, before the house shown in the picture was built, a smaller frame farm house, owned by Orson Childs, stood on this site. Orson Childs moved the farm house back when he built this house in the picture. It was all forest about the place, but was followed by an orchard. The house in the picture became known as the Witmer House, because Abe Witmer and family lived there. This house, including two lots and a barn, were sold at auction, assignee’s sale, April 25, 1885, to Jacob Vogt for $2,800. Marcus Brown bought the lot on the corner of Michigan and Main, and lot adjoining on North, for $2,300. A. Hamilton Robinson bought one lot on Michigan, rear of Brown’s lot Across the street from this house was the farm barn. When the barn was torn down, O. R. Newton built a two-story, square, frame house on the S. E. corner of Main and Division. In time, Dr. Gray bought the property, and it was known as the Gray House. When Jenss Brothers was built, that house was moved to Main beyond Michigan and occupied by William Dyxtra; it was enlarged.

The house in this photo was razed, and the Bellevue Theatre was built at this exact location. The Bellevue held its premier on September 1, 2, & 3rd, 1921.

– Orrin E. Dunlap

From the Orrin E. Dunlap Collection – Niagara Falls Public Library – Local History Department, Niagara Falls, New York.