A Gowanda Timeline - Snippets from History

1816 - Ahaz Allen builds the first bridge across the Cattaraugus Creek in Hidi. It stands until 1830, when it was condemned and torn down.

1816 - Dan Allen, brother of Ahaz, comes to Hidi from Cayuga County.

1817 - First frame building built in Hidi.

1819 - "Uncle Dan" Allen elected supervisor of Perrysburg.

1820s - The first lawyer to practice in Lodi is Albert G. Burke.

1820 - The first cemetery in Gowanda is established. Ruth Aldrich, mother of Turner Aldrich, dies and is buried on a knoll west of Buffalo Street, near Seneca Street. Second to be buried is Noble Weller, a young schoolmaster fatally stricken with typhoid.

1824 - Alvah “Lord Plumb” Plumb moves to Hidi. A blacksmith by trade, he hammers out his iron on a large hard stone. Later on he purchases an anvil and supplies his customers with hand-forged hardware, nails, hoes, knives, traps and chains, etc.

1824 - The first schoolhouse is built. On Sundays it is used for religious meetings by different denominations.

1827 - The Methodists and Presbyterians organize separate churches.

1828 - E.W. Henry comes to Lodi and sells goods in a store near the creek and close to the bridge on the south side of Main Street.

1829 - A lot is purchased from Alvin Bugbee for $25; Asahel Camp and Stephen Green, as a committee, build a frame house 22 feet by 26 feet at a cost of $125.

1829-1830 - The first school in Lodi, with 57 students, employs Mr. Leland to teach a five-month term at $13 per month. The next term of three months is taught by Chester Howe at $6 per month.

1830 - The bridge built at Hidi by Ahaz Allen in 1816 is condemned as unsafe and is torn down; never to be rebuilt.

1830 - Ahaz Allen is commissioned to build a road to Otto.

1830s - Amasa Chaffee sells his interest in the Chaffee & Camp Wool Carding Factory to Ralph Plumb. Plumb & Camp construct a three-story woolen factory, the largest business in town at that time.

1833 - Phineas Spencer buys the sawmills and grist mill of Ahaz Allen in Hidi.

1835 - Married in Perrysburg: Charles Near of Hanover to Maranda Nash.

1835 - Judge Chester Howe opens his law office.

1840 - Lodi population of about 200.

1842-1843 - Gowanda Postmaster - Ralph Plumb.

1844 - A report of the Cattaraugus County Board of Supervisors contains, among other items, $85 in wolf bounties.

1844 - Esek B. Nash is elected Persia town supervisor, Amasa L. Chaffee is elected town clerk and D.C. McMillen is elected justice.

1841 - Marriages: Esq. Stephen D. Foster and Miranda Dailey, Carver J. Goss and Betsey Shepard.

1842 - Marriages: Lemuel Steward and Aurilla McCullough.

1843 - Marriages: William Kingsley and Janet Raymond, Walter Strickland and Statira Allen, daughter of Dan Allen, Esq.

1845 - K. Webster establishes a tannery at the corner of Jamestown and Hill streets.

1848 - The Village of Gowanda encompasses 746 acres; the population is 844 with 187 families.

1850 - Carl Averill transfers his interest in the Mansion House to P. Pemberton, formerly of the Lodi House. P. Harder then succeeds Pemberton the following year as Mansion House landlord.

1850 - James T. Henry establishes The Gowanda Whig newspaper.

1850 news items:

• Oct. 9: “The directors of the New York & Erie Railroad have presented Ebenezer Atwater (given as Henry heretofore) with $250, out of sympathy for his injuries at the celebration at the Summit on the opening of the road.”                               
• Oct. 23: “Ebenezer Atwater (Henry), who was so severely injured at Dayton last summer, has recovered, but with the loss of both arms about four inches below the shoulder, and of one eye.”

1850s - Porter Welch opens a new road through the Dayton Valley to Dayton Summit. A stagecoach makes daily trips from Gowanda to the railroad station at Dayton.

1851 - The site of the Dayton Post Office is changed to the depot; James Rice is appointed postmaster.

1851 - Marriages: Leonard Bartlett and Sally Lumbard; John Bartlett and Mary B. Kelly; Julius A. Parsons and Louisa Wheeler; John J. Gurnsey and Eunice N. Palmerton, daughter of Joshua Palmerton; Chauncey M. Grannis and Mary J. Neal.

1851, 1852, 1853 - Postmaster is William Woodbury.

1852 - The new block on the corner of East Main and Buffalo Streets is nearly complete. R. Plumb and Son are the owners and J.G. Van Ostrand is the architect and builder.

June 26, 1852 - The Independent Chronicle established. H.M. Morgan, publisher; L.S. Morgan, editor.

1854 death - Mrs. Lois Howe, 79, mother of the Hon. C. Howe and Zimri Howe.

1859 - Gowanda Village Board of Trustees - C.C. Torrance, Orlando Allen, William W. Welch, William Peacock, G.W. Hanford.

1860 - Gowanda Lyceum, a debating society, names the Hon. Levi Strope as its first president. Well-known members included JudgeWoodbury, the Rev. Dr. Lord, C.C. Torrance, Elisha Henry, A.C. Tefft, Samuel and William Stuart, Col. Hickox, D.W. Huntley, Alonzo Olcutt, Charles Benton and Leonard Allison.

1860 - The law partnership of County Judge Woodbury and Henry Allen is formed.

1861 - Marriages: Charles W. Woodruff and Lorenza Bement, Henry F. Allen and Lucy E. Woodbury, Albert C. Taft and Maria I. Brown, Frank G. Stebbins and Mary M. Holmes, Joseph Savage and M.E. Wadsworth, William F. Munger and Rachael Sisson, E.S. Griswold and Rebecca Rollinson, Silas H. Arnold and Hattie Davis, George Dailey and Rachael Bastedo, Harvey Foster and Emily Newcomb.

1861 - First minister of Free Methodist Church in Gowanda is Charles Hudson.

1861 - Gowanda's newspaper, The New Yorker, devotes seven columns to the Civil War situation in its April 19 edition, after Fort Sumter is fired on, Colonel Thomas Parker's regiment is accepted by the War department on Aug. 23 and surgeon G.W. Barr opens a recruiting office in the Barker Block.

September 14, 1861 - Company A of the 64th Regiment, New York Volumteers, is recruited and known as Gowanda Company throughout the Civil War; 115 men are in the company when it marches away to war.

February 1862 - Sgt. W.W. Roller, recruiting officer, advertises for a few able-bodied men to join Col. T.J. Parker’s 64th Regiment. Pay is from $13 to $21 per month and a bounty of $100 in gold.

1862 - The Gowanda Express between Gowanda and Evans Center on the B&SLRR costs 75 cents each way.

Aug. 27, 1862 - “The Gowanda Union School will open a week from next Monday. The trustees have engaged Prof. Powers for principal.”

1865 - The Gowanda Agricultural, Horticultural and Mechanical Society purchases 20 acres west of lower Broadway Road for "The Fair Grounds." Annual fairs are held there until 1875 and horse races are a big draw.

April 1865 - John H. Melvin establishes The Gowanda Weekly Bulletin in a brick office on Main Street.

1867 - Pine Hill Cemetery is incorporated.

1868 - The post office relocates to the F.E. Redfield store.

1872 deaths - John Vosburgh, 73; Joseph Seitz, 48; Anna Mary Fisk, 66, widow of the late Rev. Henry Fisk and sister of the late Joseph and Ralph Plumb; Peter Wilson, M.D., 57; Smith Stocker, 49.

1872 - Marriages: C.B. Grannis and Amanda Blinn, Orlando Ballou and Louisa Feigel, Julius Perrin and Helen Newcomb, G. Frank Sisson and Clara S. Healy, Charles A. Fleming and Laura Springer, Norman Allen and Ella Springer, George Lanxon and Luzette Blackney, George H. Brown and Kate L. Brown.

1873 - Gowanda Village Board of Trustees - Lemuel S. Jenks, John Kammerer, Jacob G. VanOstrand, George L. Vosburgh, Byron L. Kimble.

1874 - The Rev. J.C.V. Nellis is named new pastor at the Presbyterian Curch.

Aug. 9, 1874 - The Gowanda Union Free School burns.

1874 Marriages - H.W. Ribble and Miss C.B. Ford, George Grant and Emma Hoyt, Adin J. Gibbs and Ida Styles, Edgar A. Shaw and Bertha Kimble, Montgomery Hussey and Delia Maltbie, George Stowe and Helen Locke, and James C. Brooks and Delora Maltbie.

1875 - Marriages: W.E. Kenyon and Mary E. Springer, Mark Stock and Jennie Cherry, J.H. Selden and Lora Blackney, J.E. VanDeusen and Ella M. Hooker, Dwight J. Norton Jr. and Ellen F. Brown.

1876 - A new school, Gowanda Academy, is built. Prior to completion, classes are held in the Welch Block. The cost to build the new school, a brick building, is $18,000.

Jan. 1, 1876 - Summer-like weather has Gowanda organizing a celebration parade, and a baseball game is played in Cherry Creek. The Gowanda Cornet Band, in costume, rides in a hayrack drawn by two teams of oxen, followed by 50 men on horseback. It is so warm, the ladies carry their summer parasols.

May 1877 - The Murphy temperance movement "strikes" Gowanda.

1878 - Hidi is officially made part of the Village of Gowanda.

1879 - Gowanda Village Board president is Frank W. Taylor, trustees are Amand Fischer, F.C. Vinton and John Kammerer.

1880 - Gowanda Village Board: J.E. Van Deusen, president; John Kammerer, Amand Fischer, F.C. Vinton, trustees.

1882 - Gowanda Village Board: B.L. Kimble, president; John P. Romer, A.C. Stafford, M.T. Hill, trustees.

1883 - The Lutheran Church on Erie Avenue is dedicated.

1888 - William Smallwood installs the first telephone line in the village, connecting his jewelry store to his residence.

1890 - Gaensslen Brothers purchase the Owens Tannery.

1890 - Gowanda Fire Chief - J. Peter Brueck.

1896 - Gaenssler, Fisher & Co. Tannery begins construction of a factory on the flat land next to Cattaraugus Creek in Hidi after receiving a guarantee of rail connection to the plant.

c. 1896 - Gaensslen, Fisher & Co, (tanning firm and successors to Gaensslen Brothers) express a desire to locate their enlarged plant at Hidi, on the condition that they are furnished with switch accommodations connecting their plant with the railroad.

1897 - E.C. Countryman purchases The Gowanda Leader newspaper.

1898 ad - John Kammerer, Hardware and Builders’ Supplies. [Since 1867]. Sanitary Plumbing. Long distance and local telephone. Gowanda, NY. Shelf and heavy hardware. Tinware and cutlery, hot-air, water and steam heating, paints, oils, stoves and ranges, varnishes and brushes, steel and tin roofing, agricultural implements, etc.

1898 ad - S.M. Trademark Pocket Knives. The best in the world. Write for catalogue. New York Cutlery Co., Gowanda, NY.

May 1, 1898 - Frank H. Bailey of Gowanda and graduate of the Annapolis, MD Naval Academy, is the chief engineer of the "Raleigh," one of the Asiatic squadron vessels that captured the Spanish fleet at Manila, in Phillippine Islands during the war with Spain.

1898 - Doctors practicing in Gowanda: Horace Babcock, Corydon C. Johnson, J.G. Rugg, Albert D. Lake, John D. Zwetsch, Burnell R. Johnson, Walter Vosburgh.

1898 - Gowanda Village Board members: Henry R. Gaensslen, president; Samuel lnskip, E.A. Shaw, Charles J. Straub, Frank M. Davis, trustees; Fred E. Place, clerk; R.A. Noblett, street commissioner.

April 19, 1898 - The Dankert Engine Company disbands.

1904 - The Iroquois Press Building is built on Water Street. It subsequently is known as The Frontier Publishing Company, one of the most successful printing establishments in Western New York.

1907 - The Lutheran Church celebrates its 20th anniversary.

1908 - Mrs. Etta Hill is elected president of the Monday Evening Literary Club.

1908 - Commencement exercises held at Gowanda High School. Graduates are Stewart Ball, Leska E. Bump, Ella M. Eaton, Edith C. Johnson, Edna L. Mattocks, Clyde Ryder and Helen Smith.

1908 - Annual report of village treasurer — Revenues: $9,943.18; Disbursements: $9,295.43.

1908 Deaths - Frank E. Redfield, 59, optician and jeweler; Eliza A. Clark Stickney, 87; Lydia Elster Syndney Martin Grannis, 80; Bula Lincoln Grattan, 27; Archibald M. Collings, 18; William H. Bamhart, 79; Cora Grantier Foster.

1908 - C.A. Lambert opens a barber shop in the basement of the Armes store.

1909 - Carnival of Flowers Best Begonia, any variety - first-place prize: wastepaper basket from Arnold and Wallace; second-place prize: 25 choice gladioli bulbs from Mrs. J. D. Hallock.

1909 recipe from Mrs. W. Theon - White Cake - whites of seven eggs, two cups of sugar scant, two-thirds cup butter, one cup sweet milk, three cups flour scant, two teaspoons baking powder.

1909 ad - TEETH. For over 12 years we have been doing the leading dental business of Buffalo! Sometimes waiting on 200 patients in one day, and all because we have treated people honestly, and done our work well. Our large practice today comes from the thousands of satisfied patients! You can rely on any work done at the White Dental Parlors. It is in a class by itself. Dr. Arthur Cobb personally does all the extracting and guarantees to do it painlessly. For the summer season we are selling: Plates worth $20 for $12.50; plates worth $15 for $10; plates worth $10 for $7.50; plates worth $7.50 for $5; plates worth $6 for $4. All guaranteed to fit perfectly. White Dental Parlors. 368 Main Street. Always closed on Sunday. Dr. Arthur B. Cobb, Prop.

1909 Deaths - John K. Kammerer, 76, hardware store owner; Joseph Bump, 81; Mrs. Michael Pfitzinger, 76; Pearl S. Allen, 71; Frank Wells, 48; Mrs. Carrie Peterson, 53.

1909 - Mayor Adam of Buffalo announces that the Perrysburg site for a municipal tuberculosis hospital would be purchased.

1909 - Recipe from Ruth Smallwood: Fudge - Four cups sugar, one cup milk, butter the size of an egg, cocoa to suit. Boil until it forms a soft ball when dropped in water. Add one teaspoon vanilla; stir until it thickens. Pour onto buttered plate and mark off in squares.

1909 Ad - Burt H. Graves, dealer in general merchandise and shipper of farm produce. Perrysburg, NY.

1909 - J.E. VanDeusen is elected president of the Gowanda Club.

1909 - Announcement that Eastern Tanners Glue Co. will double its capacity, making it the largest glue factory in the world.

1909 - Burglars enter J.H. Schaack’s clothing store, stealing clothing and cash.

1909 recipe from Mrs. R.E. Congdon: Tomatoes and Eggs - Three eggs, butter size of a walnut, one-half can tomatoes, one half of a small onion cut in fine pieces, small tablespoonful of flour, salt and red pepper to taste. Stir the tomatoes and onions together for five minutes, then stir in the butter and flour made into a paste. Add eggs that have been broken into a bowl and stirred lightly with a fork. Add seasoning, then stir constantly until rather thick and take away from fire and serve at once. Serve on hot buttered toast.

1909 ad - Fred E. Place sells the best Accident Insurance on the market.

1909 ad - Bryant & Stratton College, 95 West Genesee St., Buffalo, N.Y. Are you qualified? Is your training sufficient to secure for you a profitable position in the business world? Such a training is the means by which the Bryant & Stratton students earn success. They are qualified for business. They can obtain and hold advantageous business positions. They are qualified because they know how to do well those things that businessmen want done. Our catalog will show you how to become qualified. Write for it today. English, Business, Shorthand and Electrical Departments.

1909 ad - The Moats Hotel, Gowanda, NY. Opposite Erie Depot. A.E. Moats, proprietor. Best of accommodations for transients and steady boarders. Rates reasonable. Both phones.

1909 ad - No saw edges on collars laundered at the Gowanda Laundry,"The Laundry that knows how," as special machinery is used to make them smooth. If you have ever worn a collar with a saw edge, you will appreciate this.

1909 - Recipe from Mrs. J.E. VanDeusen: Smothered Potatoes - Put 1/4 cup chopped onions and celery in a teaspoon of butter. When a little brown, add one pint cubed potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup meat stock or tomato. Cook until all is absorbed.

1909 ad - Buggy tires set while you wait. F.M. Davis, horseshoer.

1909 ad - Commencing July 8th, we inaugurated a 15-cent rate to Buffalo. Three-minute conversation. Federal Telephone & Telegraph Co. operating Warner Telephone Co.

1910 - The Village of Cottage celebrates the 100th anniversary of the first settlement. Nelson Bunce and Silas Nash were the first to purchase farms in this territory. Over 200 people attend the celebration.

1910 - Village votes to lay 4,000 feet of cement sidewalk on Water Street and Hidi section upon the urgent request of Henry Moench and Hidi residents.

1910 Deaths - Albert E. Harris, 60; Grant Hawkins, 45; Alice Lay, 30; Ada F. Jimerson, 17; Eldridge I. Briggs, 53; Charles H. Schlotzer, 55.

1910 - Halley’s Comet is visible to the naked eye.

1910 - H.W. Hooker succeeds Henry Gaensslen as street commissioner.

1911 - Village election results: Richard Wilhelm, president; Henry Moench and Burt J. Crawford, trustees.

1911 - The Persia Town Picnic is held at Allen’s Grove.

1911 - Winners of the Gowanda News Educational Contest: Christine Colvenbach, first place, $100; Otto Wendel, second place, $75; and Leonard Witherell, third place, $50. Each prize amount will be applied toward a scholarship to Bryant & Stratton Business School.

1911 - The cornerstone of the new Masonic Temple is laid.

Nov. 1 1912 - The J.N. Adam Memorial Hospital - named for the famous Buffalo mayor - opens in Perrysburg. Dr. Horace LoGrasso is appointed superintendent. The institution is built by the City of Buffalo for the treatment of incipient pulmonary patients.

1912 - Gowanda High School graduates: George L. Mentley, Ellis Ball, Frank Schultz, Walter Cain, Otto Wendel, Raymond Gaffney, Albert Anderson, Herbert Cohen, Helen Hooker, Helen Wells, Helen Keyes and Florence Wells. Rachael Southwick, who died in May, was to graduate with this class.

1912 - Phoenix Lodge moves into newly completed F & AM Temple.

1912 - Ralph Schaack and Alfred Hawkins purchase the clothing store of Joseph Schaack.

1912 - Clayton Witherell is appointed manager of the local Bell Telephone Company office.

1913 - The Cattaraugus Creek is reported the highest in its history, the result of heavy rains. A portion of the wooden dam is carried downstream along with fences, trees, etc.

1913 - Main Street and Jamestown Street paved with bricks.

1914 - B.L. Dalrymple publishes the first issue of “The Gowanda Enterprise.”

1914 - Robinson’s Circus visits town.

1914 - J.W. Besch purchases the Peck bus line.

1914 - Armes Drug Store installs a soda fountain.

1915 - South Dayton votes to build $27,000 schoolhouse.

1916 - Collins Community House opens to the public.

1916 Births - A son to Mr. and Mrs. Albert Libbey, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Rudd, a son to Mr. and Mrs. R.N. Schaack, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Harry Armes, a son to Mr. and Mrs. LaRue C. Boller, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Wells, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Martin Plotz, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Carl Emke, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Valentine, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Eddy, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Reichert, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. James Colburn, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. George Uhlinger, a son to the Rev, and Mrs. A.G. Lawson, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Pine, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Graves, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Harry Rappaport.

1916 - A fire in Shults Steel Furniture factory is quickly extinguished by the fire department.

1916 - A. & B. Amusement Enterprise purchases the Gowanda Opera House.

1917 - Gowanda High School Declamatory Contest is won by Josephine Rickard and Marshall Southwick.

1917 - Levant Himelein leaves to join Naval Reserves at Brooklyn.

1917 - Collins school house totally destroyed by fire.

1917 - John Schatt buys the Opera House from Emmet Baird.

1918 - Alfred Hawkins sells his interest in the clothing store to his partner, Ralph N. Schaack.

1918 - After being closed three weeks and three days due to influenza, the public school reopens and regular church services resume.

1918 - Gowanda adopts Daylight Savings Time.

1919 - Gowanda Post 409 of the American Legion forms with nearly 100 members.

1919 - Babinger Shoe Store opens on Jamestown Street.

1919 - Shults Steel Furniture plant burns. The total loss of buildings and equipment is estimated a! $125,000.

1919 - Postage for first-class mail is 2 cents.

1919 - An operetta, "A Nautical Knot," is presented by Gowanda High School pupils; the show is a big hit.

1919 Deaths - Mrs. Henry B. Grey, 75; Mrs. Myrtle K. Mowry; Mrs. Mary J. Randall, 85; Mrs. A. Marcia Chaffee, 86; Mrs. Rarol Rozyum; Mrs. Caroline E. Smith, 89.

1920 - The housing proposition is serious. There is much discussion as to a remedy, and an effort is made to reorganize a realty corporation to build homes for Gowanda’s growing population.

1930 Ad - E.C. Mugridge Dry Goods, Notions, Everfast line, Main Street and Sisson Highway, Collins Center, NY. Merchandise of Quality, The Red and White line, Shoes, Groceries, Drugs.

March 15, 1940 - Eaton Furniture Stores burns.

1940s - The Lodi School for Young Ladies is organized under the supervision of Mrs. M.H. Cowles and A.M. Fish. Tuition is $3 per quarter and the curriculum includes chemistry, astronomy, geology, Latin, French and "mathematical sciences." There was an extra charge for music, drawing and French.

1957 - A senior high school is built on Prospect Street.

1959 - Chautauqua County Fair ad: Tuesday is Student's Day. Midway rides and shows are 10 cents.

1959 - Boy Scouts offer Christmas trees for sale on the corner of Jamestown and Chapel streets for $2 - $2.50.

1960 - Mrs. Norman Hogle is installed as Tri-County Memorial Hospital Auxiliary president.

1960 - Charles Twichell is elected Gowanda Central School Board of Education president.

1960 - A. Walter McCubbin is elected Gowanda Village trustee; Charles Sage is re-elected.

1960 - Gowanda Village Board agrees to buy a hi-lift Ford tractor from Armes Company of Little Valley for $6,499.19.

1960 - A railroad gondola car, loaded with metal, catches fire at the Gowanda Depot.

1961 - Becky's opens on West Main Street.

1961 - Eugene Brown appointed Gowanda Central School principal.

1961 - Deer Lick Sanctuary dedicated.

1961 - Robin Hood appears at Ragona's Bell's IGA Supermarket.

December 1961 classified ad - For Sale: 1954 Buick Hardtop $200.

1961 Ad - Himelein & Co.: For men — Wash-n-Wear Pajamas — Broadcloth or Flannelette $2.95 - $3.95, Ski Pajamas (by Hanes) $4.75, Dress Gloves Lined $2.95 - $3.95 - $4.95, Unlined Pigskin $4.95, Wool with Leather Face $2.95.

1961 Ad - Gowanda Builders Supply & Coal Co. Phone LF2-2702. Christmas patterns: reindeer, sleigh, angels, choir boys and Santa Claus. Easy to use. Full-color paste and cutout pattern. For use on 4x8 exterior-type plywood.

1961 ad - Robert W. Wells Realty: Collins - 2bedroom ranch, garage, carpeting, 10 years old, $10,500.

1961 ad - Farner & Parker Dairy Bar: Egg Nog, 70 cents/quart - From your milkman or your favorite food store.

1962 - Available at Vogtli Builders Supply - Republic Steel underground fallout shelter

1962 - Tin cans are rivaling pop bottles.

1962 - New phone system LF2 changes to 532.

1962 - Gowanda Ambulance Service Inc. forms.

1962 - New decorating craze - smocked pillows.

1962 - Roasted peanuts, 65 cents/pound at Hartman's Bakery.

1962 - Model Railroad holds its first open house.

1963 - Blue Bird Coach Lines begins bus service route through Gowanda.

1963 - Ben Franklin Store opens at 15 West Main Street

1963 - Chrysler Newport 4-door sedan, V8, $2,964 at Superior Motors Inc.

1963 - Zip code 14070 assigned to Gowanda.

1965 - U.S. Public Health Service reports that the Village of Gowanda and two local industries contribute to Lake Erie pollution.

1965 - Spring fashions: Women - Dress/Matching Coat Ensemble, Jacket with Skirt Suits, Reptile-look gloves. For the Young Miss - Party Ruffles.

1965 - Tri-County Memorial Hospital robbed. A safe is taken containing $423 in cash and $2,100 in checks.

1965 - The largest class in Gowanda's history - 141 - graduate.

1965 - Katherine Casey and Nancy Sage are recipients of the Research Participation in Science Program conducted by Roswell Par Memorial Institute.

1965 - Hamot Hospital School of Nursing in Erie, PA, and Gowanda State Hospital sign an affiliation agreement, Hamot nursing students will attend a 12-week course of study in psychiatric nursing.

1965 - The Gowanda School Board considers installing a tennis court.

1965 - The Hollywood Theater pipe organ is restored by members of the Association of Theater Organ Enthusiasts.

1966 - Police Officer Raymond Pilon is attacked at Vogtli Construction while patrolling.

1966 - A public hearing is held on water classification for Cattaraugus Creek. Opposition to upgrade is expressed by village officials, chamber of commerce and industries Moench Tanning and Eastern Tanners Glue Division, and Peter Cooper Corporation. A New York State Conservation Council representative states, "The water should be pure enough for migrating trout to come up creek." At that time classified "special class" - "any usages EXCEPT agricultural, fishing, bathing, or source water for drinking, culinary or food-processing purposes."

1967 - Gowanda Class of 1967 Valedictorian is Michael Zawadzki; Salutatorian is David Markell.

1969 - Campbell's Furniture ad: Lee's 21st Century DuPont nylon carpets - special introductory price: $5.99 sq. yd. Choice of Grecian Olive or Brass.

1969 - Hogle’s Drug Store “Rexall Sale” ad: Goldfish special - Buy 2 lively goldfish in glass aquarium with water foliage and pearl-colored chips for only 35 cents with purchase of $1 or more of any Rexall cut-cost-of-living sale merchandise. Rexall electric heating pads, $2.19. Seamless nylons, 39 cents a pair or three-pair pack $1. Minute- man chewable multiple vitamins, $1.69. Cookware - Popular colors include pimiento, avocado, nutmeg, orange blaze, turquoise, coppertone, desert sand, dancing ‘flame, harvest gold, charcoal grey and apple green.

1969 - William Gilray is appointed superintendent of the wet department at Moench Tanning Co.

1969 - Col. William Murphy Jr. is presented with the Legion of Merit Award for outstanding service to the U.S. while in Vietnam.

1969 - Gowanda faces the possibility of a fresh-water shortage. The Point Peter dam is eroding and production is down to 400,000 gallons a day; the village uses 600,000 a day. The Lane Well on Hill Street is also producing less water. A Springville firm is hired by the village to do test drillings.

1969 - Boy Scouts Michael Sheehan, David Duncan, Robert Hamilton, Daniel Moyer and Gary Weimer attend the national jamboree at Farragut State Park, ID.

1969 - Patty Bartlett is named Little Miss Playground while Tommy Wilber is named Little Mister Playground.

1969 - Farner & Parker ad: Mexican sundae, 39 cents.

1969 - Lucas Cab Co. ad: Special out-of-town rates: Three get to ride for the price of one. Unescorted women or children shown safely to their door.

1969 - Gowanda Village Board approves a police pay hike for five part-time patrolmen at $2.50 an hour, up from $2.09 and $2.19.

1969 - Supervising Principal Lawrence Scura submits his retirement resignation.

1969 - Michael Benton is the Gowanda American Legion Oratorical Contest winner.

1969 - The village leases part of the old fire hall to house the ambulances. Renovations will be made.

1973 - Mrs. J. LaVerne Buckley of Collins and Mrs. Walter Velzy of Lawtons are finalists in the Pillsbury Bake-Off to be held in Phoenix, AZ.

1974 - Helen Kelley and Willis Marvin are elected to the Board of Education.

1974 - Gowanda Library Board of Trustees Officers: Elliot Fraser, president; Frederic Weyand, vice president; Mary Dorothy Hubbard, secretary; Bob Colburn, treasurer.

1974 - Twelve Gowanda Central School students tour Germany: Ross Lawton, Sylvia Heath, Robin Cole, Mary Ann Paul, Laurie Schindler, Pat Mentley, Nancy Stitzel, Tammy Goochee, Debbie Goodwill, and Karen, Kevin and Bruce Bollinger. Mr. and Mrs. Donald Bollinger accompany the group.

1975 - Bob Zeman presented with Most Valuable Player trophy and Carl Abrams receives Most Improved Player trophy at Gowanda Central School Sports Banquet.

1975 - Four Gowanda Central (football) Panthers named to Division VII All-Star team: Mike Clabeaux, Adrian Stevens, Dan Harrington and Gary Denea.

1975 - Four Buffalo residents are arrested for burglary of a Gowanda-Zoar Road home. Sheriffs deputies stop a car at Jennings and Route 39, recover stolen antiques and silverware valued at $1,912.

1975 - Charisse Moritz wins "Miss Silver Creek" title at the Grape Festival twirling competition.

1979 - Easter Egg Hunt winners: Andria Soto, Jonathan Tharnish, Charles Babcock, Gary Krenzer, Mary Lou Sweet, Shane Henderson.

1980 - The Slovenian Club sets an all-time team bowling record at K&L Lanes with 3,071. Team members are John Hebner, George Smith, Don Veloski, Robert Fetterick and John Reith.

1980 - The Perrysburg Fire Department team wins the Little League Playoffs, defeating the American Legion 409 team in the finals. Team members: Matt Nash, Danny Smith, Robbie Mesch, Ed White, Mark Nash, Keith Usiak, Tim Berg, Harvey Osterstuck, David Forthman, John Herman, Lee Halftown, Pat Burns, Patty Sager, Scott Christopher, Scott Van Slyke. Coaches: John Herman and Gary Nash.

1980 - A 4-pin costs the Rev. Carey Mumford of Collins a perfect game (300) at the Gowanda Firemen’s Auxiliary Mixed Doubles Tournament at K&L Lanes.

1980 - George Trombley and Louis Pais are elected to Gowanda Central School Board of Education. Helen DeCarlo is named president.

*Source GowandaOnline - Penny Saver Archives

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