The historic area surrounding Buffalo Avenue in Niagara Falls is an outdoor exhibition hall for Tom Batt, Georgia Robinson Bradberry, and Ron Schiesser. Georgia, Ron, and Tom are guides for the “Niagara Falls Legacy Tour: Power People, Powerful Places.” They are three of the escorts/companions for Niagara Historic Tours, a public education and tourism program of the Niagara Falls Historic Preservation Society. NFHPS is headquartered at the NACC, in partnership with Preservation Buffalo Niagara. Join them for a 90 minute $10 tour as they walk along Buffalo Avenue and explore the past. View the homes and meeting places for some of America’s greatest thinkers, inventors and industrialists. Learn about the dreamers, scoundrels and visionaries who changed the shape of history in Niagara Falls, formerly known as Manchester.
Tom, NFHPS Board Vice-President, is one of the original tour guides as well as a long-time promoter of awareness of the historical, cultural, and architectural uniqueness of the Niagara region. Ironically, Tom has resided in three of the tour locations, so his perspective of the route is indeed unique. His favorite stop on the tour is something that is out of the eye range of the average tourist. Ask him about the Jozef Slawinska House and the famous cement “sgraffito” mural of the Maid of the Mist. Tom also shares some interesting facts about the actual Maid of the Mist and the Glynn family that owns the boats.
Born in Alabama, Georgia is a proud Niagara Falls resident and a graduate of Madonna and Niagara University. Recently retired from public service, she is enthusiastic about her community and eager to share her personal insights of the area. One anecdote includes the time she spent working at the now defunct Hotel Niagara with the elegant ballroom. She hopes to see it return to its original grandeur under the new owners. Her favorite part of the tour is the city block where the Shredded Wheat Company and affiliated recreation areas once stood. With a roof top garden, tennis courts, ice rink, free lunches for female employees, Georgia thinks it must have been a great place to work.
Although Ron retired from a career in finance, at one time he was employed at the Red Coach Inn that was owned by a family member at the time. He has also worked as a limousine drive/tour guide in the Falls area. Ron took the tour in the fall of 2014 and was so impressed that he signed up for the docent training the following spring. His personal experiences, as well as ongoing research, definitely make his tour memorable. Ron thinks the elegant Hillcrest Inn, a Georgian mansion on a bricked, secluded street is the most distinctive part of the tour.
All three agree that the Whitney Mansion at 335 Buffalo Avenue is the highlight of the tour. The building was constructed in 1849 after delays due to the Patriot’s War and the Panic of 1837. In 1962 General Clinton Robinson, president of Carborundum Company, (but no relation to Georgia) lived there. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and is currently occupied by the Law Offices of Gold and Gold.
The tours depart from the Niagara Visitor’s Center, 10 Rainbow Boulevard, on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm, Fridays at 4:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. Reservations are suggested, but not required, and can be made at www.nfhps.org. Free parking is available after 5 p.m. at First Street and Rainbow Boulevard just opposite the Center. For more information on the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area visit www.discoverniagara.org.
*Docent – a person who is a knowledgeable guide, especially one who conducts visitors through a museum and delivers a commentary on the exhibitions.
[From education to art, people in Niagara Falls are making fantastic things happen! “Lovin’ Niagara” is a series of articles by contributor Mary Leahy highlighting some of our outstanding citizens. Do you know someone who you feel should be featured? Contact us ]
NFHPS Treasurer, Joyce Sabin, is pictured on a carriage step on the tour route. Popular back in the horse and buggy days of the 19th century carriage steps could be seen in cities all over the U.S. These blocks of stone were placed near the edge of the street, usually in line with the front door, to help passengers as they climbed in and out of carriages. Most carriage steps have been destroyed because they became obsolete when cars took over as primary transportation.
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