Local History Room Resources

The Local History collection includes mainly information on Niagara County and Lockport; the Erie Canal; famous persons, industries, schools, events, and historic buildings.

Limited staff time does not allow us to do in-depth research. We will look in standard indexed sources (this does not include the New York State Census) in the Library's collection, as well as in the newspapers listed below to locate obituaries if you provide us with a date of death. Monetary donations are always appreciated. Photocopy charges are $0.15 per page. If you wish to send us a local history or genealogy related reference question, please go to our Ask-A-Librarian page.

Some of our resources may be useful for genealogical research, such as:

* There are gaps in the newspaper collection. The newspapers have no index; therefore, knowing the dates of the events you are researching will expedite your search. We are, however, slowly creating an obituary index for the Union Sun & Journal. The years 1900, 1901, 1902, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 are complete and are available in this Microsoft Excel file.

Check out the genealogy web sites presented by Lou Omel, MLS, at a workshop at the library.

Access to Ancestry Library Edition database is available from the library's public-access computers.

Photograph Collections
We have two photograph collections in the Local History Room--the Polster Photo Collection and the Sand Photo Collection . Photocopies of the items in each collection may be viewed during library hours. Polster Photo Collection: Request for Photo Duplication form ; Sand Photo Collection: Request for Photo Duplication form .

The Polster photograph collection is available online as part of the New York Heritage Digital Collections. Mr. Edwin Polster (1910-1996) was for many years the chief photographer at Harrison Radiator Division (later known as Delphi Harrison Radiator Division, then Delphi Thermal Systems), Lockport, NY, and it was his hobby to record the architectural history of Lockport. This collection contains over 500 photographs of Lockport, NY, with concentrations on downtown and the businesses there during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s; shots of the Erie Canal from various vantage points and at differing times of the year; and pictures of most of Lockport's schools, churches, civil buildings, and industries.

Search the Polster photographs of Lockport, NY:

Visiting Us
If you are planning to visit us, note that the Local History Room on Floor 3 can be accessed any time the library is open. We have 2 microfilm scanners (purchased through the Charles A. Upson Fund) for public use. Printouts are $0.15 each. Text and images from microfilm and microfiche can also be saved to disk, USB drive, or sent as an email attachment. Availability is on a first come, first served basis. Time is limited to 30 minutes if others are waiting to use the readers. Your library card is needed to log in to the microfilm machines. Guest passes are available for out-of-towners.

Other Local Resources
We are not a specialized historical library, although the local history collection is important to us. We recommend that you also consider consulting other resources such as:

The following books about the history of Niagara County, which are available onlline, may be of interest:

History of Niagara County, N.Y.  (1878)

Landmarks of Niagara County, New York (1897)

Lockport Public Library, 23 East Avenue, Lockport, NY 14094 - (716) 433-5935
Doors open: Monday-Thursday, 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM; Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM; Saturday, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
Last updated 04/05/2013