Local History & Genealogy: Local Historical Agencies

The Niagara County Historian’s Office is part of New York State’s network of officially appointed local government historians. The purpose of this office is to be a resource in the community, to research and write on the county’s history, and to help interpret community history by assisting teachers, schools, and civic organizations.

The role of the Niagara County Historical Society, also known as the History Center, is to promote the cultural heritage related to the Erie Canal and the rich history of Niagara County. The Society provides educational opportunities, written publications, and museum tours while maintaining an archives and artifact collection. The History Center Complex includes: the Outwater Memorial Building, The Erie Canal Discovery Center, and the Bond House.

The Sanborn Area Historical Society collects and interprets the rich history of Sanborn. There is a Schoolhouse Museum and Farm Museum on the premises. The numerous exhibits include artifacts from the life and times of early settlers, dating from the early 1800s.

The history of Old Fort Niagara spans more than 300 years. The fort was occupied by three nations: France, Great Britain, and the United States. Old Fort Niagara, located at the mouth of the Niagara River, controlled access to the Great Lakes and the westward route to the heartland of the continent. Visitors to the fort today will see the oldest buildings in the Great Lakes region, living history programs, exhibits, and special events.

Although located in Erie County, The Buffalo History Museum's Research Library is a mecca of local history materials, including resources for all of Western New York.

The BECPL contains over 4,000 volumes, extensive local history files, and maps relating to Western New York history, particularly Erie County.

The Family History Center located at 1424 Maple Road in Williamsville, New York is open to the public to assist in free family history research. This center has access to the Family History Center Portal page which gives free access in the center to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions.

The Local History Room is located on the third floor of the Library. The collection includes mainly information on Niagara County and Lockport; the Erie Canal; famous persons, industries, schools, events, and historic buildings.

The Niagara Falls Local History Department is located on the third floor of the Main Library. They house extensive collections of books, photographs, maps, newspapers, videotapes, scrapbooks, and clipping files about Niagara Falls.

The Local History Department preserves materials relevant to the history of North Tonawanda. The collection contains books, maps, photographs and newspaper clippings detailing the rich history of North Tonawanda, and the Erie Canal in the Tonawandas.

The Newfane Library has a Local History collection including books about local history and genealogy. The collection features the Freda Ruff Notebooks, Judson Heck, Sr. Notebooks and the Newfane School yearbooks.

The Lewiston Public Library maintains the Jon F. Popkey Genealogy Room and Frieda C. Bourgon Local History Room; patrons may access these rooms during Library hours. Collections include: city directories, obituaries of Lewiston citizens, the village cemetery census, histories of Niagara County towns and villages, and comprehensive subject files.