A Short History of the Historical Society
The Lock 52 Historical Society was formed in 1979, after the committee that had worked on the 1976 Bicentennial felt that the village and town should have it's own organization working on historical matters. The funds that were left over were donated to the new organization, and it took the name of the local Erie Canal Lock that sat along the NYS Thruway, Lock 52. The group met in local halls, mostly in the village offices, and worked on preservation of local history and offering of programs. The group was very active in the saving of the Erie Canal Trail between Port Byron and Weedsport, with the group from Weedsport working west and the Lock 52 members working east. They cleared the trail and opened it to the public. It remained this way until the State cleared and widened years after.
In the early 1990s, the organization purchased the Moore house at 73 Pine Street, it's first real property purchase. This gave the group it's own home where they could collect artifacts and host programs. For years, Lock 52 held open houses as part of the Canal Days celebrations, as well as hosting school groups at Christmas time.
Over time, as people found more ways to be entertained, the role of the organization has shifted from programs to preservation and education. Using social media platforms, the group now has a couple blog posts, a YouTube channel, and a very active Facebook page. The collection of material has grown as people become aware of the role of the Society in the community.
Membership is open to anyone who has a interest in local history. A yearly membership is $ 20. Your membership helps us support the house at 73 Pine, our growing collection, our digital resources and social media outlets.
What We Do
Education
Historical societies are all about education. We would love to answer your questions or hear about your family. Our little building at 73 Pine Street is open Tuesday and Thursdays, or by request. If you can’t stop in, look for us on Facebook, YouTube, and Blogger. Our ever growing digital resources include the old village newspapers, the school newspapers, town records, the InPort Newspaper, and more. Our YouTube channel has home movies from the 1940s and ’50s, as well as current videos that will help you explore sites around the village and in Montezuma. The Blogger sites, both the Lock 52 Historical Society site and the Cayuga County Canal Tours site, will help you find and understand our past.
Collections
The Lock 52 Historical Society is a 501c3 Not-For-Profit, chartered by the New York State Educational Department to be the historical society for Port Byron and Mentz. A large part of our mission is to collect, preserve, and make available to researchers, items and artifacts that relate to the history of the town, village, and the people who have lived and worked here. In short, we like to think that part of our mission to serve as the “communities attic”, where we store all those items that people no longer want, but don’t want to throw away. Over the years, our collection of materials has grown to include family files and photos, postcards, cemetery records and maps, scrap books, tax records dating back to 1850, church and school records, and local newspapers. Donations to the collection are always welcome. If you have something that you think we might like to have, please see this post about donating.
Research
Are you doing research on a long lost family member or other historical event? There are two ways we can help. The best way would be to send us your question so we can check to see what we might have to help you. But before you do this, we ask that you use this form to ensure that you have checked the available digital resources. This way we are not repeating your work and we can focus on finding answers for you. If we determine that we have materials that can help you, then we can either arrange for a volunteer to continue to work with you by phone and messaging, or we can arrange for you to visit to our building on Pine Street in Port Byron. As we do not have regular hours, please do not stop by. You must call or email before your visit so we can arrange a time.
contact us
Street Address- 73 Pine St, Port Byron, NY 13140
Real Mail- POB 52, Port Byron, NY 13140
Phone/Text- Michael Riley, President (315) 704-8874
Email- lock52hs@gmail.com
You Can Help
There is a lot going on at the Lock 52 Historical Society. Our collection continues to grow, our newspaper committee continues to add materials to the digital collection, we continue to investigate and build family trees, and much more. The most basic way you can help is by becoming a member. We have two buildings to maintain, we have to purchase items to safely store the collection, and we have to have money on hand for matching grants. Your membership in the society also helps us show the funding agencies that people are interested in preserving our community history. You can find a membership application in our 2020 newsletter or by sending a check with your name and contact info to POB 52, Port Byron, NY 13140. Paypal also works!