Town of Porter Historical Society

09/18/2026

🕵️‍♀️ We need your help to solve the case of the mystery firkin! 🪣

Recently, we opened the museum door and discovered… a firkin.

A lovely antique wooden firkin.

Just sitting there.

No note.
No name.
No explanation.

Just a firkin.

We’re very grateful that someone thought of the Town of Porter Historical Society and wanted to share this piece of history with us. ❤️ But there’s one little problem: we have no idea who donated it!

Museums have to properly document donations and verify ownership before an item can officially become part of the collection.

So, mystery donor, if this firkin looks familiar, we’d love to hear from you! 🪣🔎

📞 716-745-1271
📧 [email protected]
🏛️ Or stop by Wednesday or Thursday, 2–4 PM

We promise, there’s no interrogation involved. We just need a name and a little paperwork. 😉

Help us solve the mystery of the firkin!

09/15/2026

🍂 The Summer/Fall Newsletter is here!

Check out the latest from the Town of Porter Historical Society, including some upcoming events and programs for the months ahead.

Take a look below, and we hope to see you at our upcoming events! 🏛️📖

09/11/2026

📚 Our 2026–2027 Program Schedule is here! 🏛️

We’re excited to share our program schedule for the upcoming season! From September through May, we’ll be bringing you a variety of history programs, special events, and opportunities to learn more about our local community.

📅 Check out the full schedule below and mark your calendars!

We look forward to seeing you and sharing some history with our community! ❤️

09/07/2026

🎉 What a great day! 🚗📜

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate at the Labor Day Parade and gave the Town of Porter Historical Society a wave along the route! It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces and be part of such a great community tradition. ❤️

We had a great time bringing a little history along for the ride—and we thought we'd share a little more history with you, too!

📸 The first photos are from this year's parade, but keep scrolling...
The next photos take us back to 1935, 1938 and 2011, giving us a glimpse of Labor Day celebrations in Youngstown from decades past.

While some things have certainly changed, one thing remains the same:

Our community has always known how to come together and celebrate!

Thank you for helping us keep those traditions—and the stories behind them—alive.

09/06/2026

The Town of Porter Historical Society will be at the annual Youngstown Labor Day Parade tomorrow. 🎉

Did you know that Youngstown’s first fireman’s field day and parade took place on July 4, 1928?

The Niagara Falls Gazette published the below article about the event on July 5, 1928:

Title: Youngstown’s First Fireman’s Field Day and Parade

“Several hundred people attended the first annual Field Day celebration held by the Youngstown Firemen yesterday. Promptly at 10:30 in the morning the procession formed near the Fire hall and proceeded down Lockport Street to Main (Note: The firehall then was on Lockport Street). The mayor H. Otto Wagner, and the village board rode in the first car driven by Ray Haskell. The fire companies of Youngstown, Ransomville and Wilson participated in the parade with their fire engines. A new engine and chemical was in the parade which was being demonstrated for the benefit of the Youngstown firemen. The business places of the village were represented by attractively decorated floats.

Running races were held in the afternoon, followed by a ball game. Directly after the ball game, the orchestra played for street dancing which was enjoyed by all through the remainder of the afternoon and evening. After 9 o’clock fireworks were enjoyed in the village park.

The ladies of the village furnished delicious lunches throughout the day and evening.

The proceeds made during the day will be used to buy necessary equipment for fighting fire.”

We look forward to seeing everyone at the parade tomorrow!

09/04/2026

The Town of Porter Historical Society will be at the annual Youngstown Labor Day Parade on September 8!

And we're bringing a little history along for the ride. 😉

Look for us cruising down the parade route in a classic car and give us a wave when you see us! 🚗

We can’t wait to celebrate with our Youngstown and Town of Porter community!

Want to know more about this year’s parade? Check out the article from our friends at Niagara Frontier Publications.

Parade chair Kristol Stevens reports planning has been underway over past weeks. Parade applications just closed and arrangements are moving ahead with the village, Youngstown Police, Youngstown Volunteer Fire Co., and local businesses.

08/31/2026

📜 Welcome to the official page of the Town of Porter Historical Society!

We're excited to have a place to share the stories, photographs, artifacts and people that have shaped the Town of Porter and Village of Youngstown.

For more than 50 years, the Town of Porter Historical Society has helped preserve our community's history. Our museum, located on the second floor of the historic Red Brick School at 240 Lockport Street in Youngstown, is home to thousands of artifacts, photographs and documents telling the story of our area.

Inside you'll find pieces of everyday life from generations past — from local schools, farms and businesses to family histories, fishing, transportation, medicine, clothing, household items and so much more.

And for those researching their family history, the museum is also an important local resource, with genealogical materials including census, cemetery and other historical records.

But history isn't just about old things.

It's about people. It's about families. It's about the places we remember — and the stories that might otherwise be forgotten.

That's what we'd like to share here.

🏡 Do you have an old photograph of Youngstown or the Town of Porter?
👨‍👩‍👧 Have a family story that's been passed down through generations?
📍 Know something about an old building, business, farm or neighborhood?
📚 Are you researching a family that lived here?

We'd love to hear from you!

Follow along as we share "Then & Now" photographs, local history, fascinating facts, historic people and places, items from the museum's collection, genealogy discoveries and stories from our community.

And if you have something you'd like us to share or research, send us a message!

History lives here. ❤️