George Melvin Reece and Sons - November 1959

Left to right: Wallace R. Reece, George J. Reece, Lloyd J. Reece, George M. Reece, Norman D. Reece.

This is my Grandfather, George M. Reece, my father, Lloyd J. Reece and my uncles. The picture was taken in November 1959 at the house of my father's only sister, Geraldine Federspiel, in Niagara Falls, NY.

The Reece clan (ca 1929)

Left to right: (back row) Florence Mabel Reece (nee Underhill), George Melvin Reece; (front row) George John Reece, Norman Duane Reece, Wallace Richard Reece, Lloyd Jasper Reece (my father)

This picture was taken in the backyard of the family's Niagara Falls, NY home at 2413 North Avenue some time after they moved to the USA from Canada. The house behind them is 2415 North Avenue. Many years later my Uncle Wally owned and lived at 2415, and later still, my brother Mick owned it and lived there for a number of years.

Immigration documents show that my grandfather, a carpenter, emigrated from Canada in early December 1927. He probably commuted back and forth across the Niagara River while finding and/or preparing a new home for his family. The whole family officially made the move in mid-September 1928. Although I originally thought this photo had been taken around that time, Uncle Norm has pointed out that the apparent ages of the children (himself included) would seem to indicate that it may have actually been taken the following year. Their ages in 1929 would have been (roughly): Florence 25, George 32; George 7, Lloyd 6, Wally 4, Norm 2. The youngest child, Gerry, hadn't been born yet. She arrived on the scene in April 1930.

"Niagara, The Table Rock – Winter" by Francois Regis Gignoux

"Niagara, The Table Rock – Winter" was painted in 1847 by French artist Francois Regis Gignoux. The painting was donated to the U.S. government in 1901. An interesting article regarding the artist, the painting and Niagara Falls can be found on the U.S. Senate web site.

"Niagara Falls, from the American Side" by Frederic Edwin Church

"Niagara Falls, from the American Side". This scene was painted by Frederic Edwin Church in 1867. The painting currently hangs in the National Gallery of Scotland.

The Temperance House, Niagara Falls, NY

This photo is on an unused, undated postcard. The Temperance House was located on Second Street near Falls Street in Niagara Falls, NY.

Old Falls Street, Niagara Falls, NY

Originally a black & white photo, this picture was tinted with color before being used on this old postcard. The card is unused and undated. Judging from the automobiles, I'd guess it's sometime around the 1920's. The view is looking west on Falls Street, toward Prospect Park. You can see signs for Beirs Hotel on the left and Mack's (Men's Shop?) on the right. The building on the corner to the right, next to Mack's, is the Imperial Hotel. I believe this scene was located where Falls Street intersected Second Street.

Niagara Falls High School (ca 1913)

This photo was found on a used postcard, mailed to E.G. Fluhart in Fredericksburg, Ohio, and postmarked on July 3, 1913. I believe this building was constructed in 1903. It was destroyed by fire during the process of building an addition to it in 1921-1922. A new school was built on the same site, at Pine Avenue and Portage Road, and was completed in September 1924. That building served as the high school until 2000, when classes were relocated to the new state-of-the-art N.F.H.S. building, built in 1999 on Porter Road. The building at Pine and Portage has housed the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center since 2002.

Niagara Falls Tour Bus

This colorized b&w photo was found on an old postcard. The reverse of the card states: "The Niagara Reservation Bus Service uses luxurious Pierce-Arrow observation coaches. The trip around the State Reservation at Niagara embraces the best views of the American Fall, American Rapids, Horseshoe Fall and the Upper Rapids, as well as historic Green and Goat Islands. Stop-overs at all principal points, including Prospect Point, Luna Island, Cave of the Winds, Horseshoe Fall and the Three Sister Islands." The photo and postcard are undated.

Midnight On The Water

This was my first attempt at creating a Photoshop image from scratch, beginning with a blank screen and using only the tools provided by the program. I guess you'll never see any of my work hanging in the Louvre.

1902 Niagara Falls Souvenir Book Photos

This souvenir book, titled simply "Niagara", was issued more than a century ago, in 1902. It contains 24 pages made of paper resembling construction paper. Each page has a print attached on one side, and is blank on the back. Other than the copyright info on the inside of the cover, there is not a word of text in the book. Most, if not all, of the photos were widely used on postcards and in other souvenir booklets over an extended number of years, so it's difficult to say exactly when the photos were actually taken. Suffice to say they were taken prior to 1903. Shown below are all 24 photos, plus the cover and the copyright info. Enjoy!



The cover. I cropped the ragged edges off this image so as to emphasize the artwork.



The copyright info for anyone whose interested. From the inside of the front cover.



Page 1: The American Falls, from Goat Island.



Page 2: The American Falls, left, and The Horseshoe Falls, right.



Page 3: Visitors to Prospect Point get a close look at The American Falls, left, with The Horseshoe Falls in the distance, right rear.



Page 4: The view from the base of The American Falls.



Page 5: The brink of The American Falls.



Page 6: The stone bridge over the American rapids. Photo taken from Goat Island, looking back at the American mainland. I believe the large white building on the right is the Cataract House and the building to the left of it is the International Hotel. To the far left of the photo, in the middle of the rapids, is an object I haven't yet identified. Anyone know what it is?



Page 7: The American Falls with the Upper Steel Arch Bridge in the background. In January 1938 the area was struck by a severe ice storm, causing an enormous amount of ice to build up against the bridge's abutments, which were located close the river. The tremendous pressure exerted by the ice caused the bridge to collapse on January 27, 1938. Today, its successor, the Rainbow Bridge, stands about 500 feet to the north.



Page 8: The American Falls, left, with the old Maid Of The Mist tour boat heading toward The Horseshoe Falls, background right.



Page 9: The Cave Of The Winds at the base of the Falls.



Page 10: The ice bridge at the base of The American Falls. This was a popular winter attraction until 1912, when 3 people were trapped on an ice floe when the ice bridge suddenly broke apart. Mr. & Mrs. Eldridge Stanton and Burrell Hecock were swept to their deaths in the rapids downriver, despite efforts to rescue them. Authorities responded to this tragic event by prohibiting any future activities on the ice bridge.



Page 11: The Horseshoe Falls, as seen from Goat Island. Note the sightseers on the foot bridge leading to the brink of the Falls.



Page 12: The Three Sisters Islands, accessible by foot bridge from Goat Island.



Page 13: Visitors enjoy a day on the ice bridge at the base of The American Falls.



Page 14: The American Falls, as seen from Canada. For an interesting story relating to the tower seen at the left of the Falls in this photo, click on this link.



Page 15: The dynamos at the Niagara Falls Power Plant



Page 16: Visitors at the brink of the Falls.



Page 17: The Horseshoe Falls, as seen from the Canadian Side.



Page 18: The Falls in winter.



Page 19: The rapids above the American Falls.



Page 20: The view from Table Rock, at the base of the Horseshoe Falls.



Page 21: The Whirlpool Rapids. The Lower Steel Arch Bridge is in the background with the Railway Cantilever Bridge behind that.



Page 22: The Whirlpool.



Page 23: The Niagara Gorge, with the Whirlpool in the foreground, looking north toward Lewiston, NY. Canada is to the left, the U.S. is to the right.



Page 24: A train travels along the Great Gorge Route on the American side of the river. The tracks ran from near the Falls down to the Lewiston area. The giant upright rock near the train was sometimes known as "The Sentinel".

WWII: Reece Brothers In Uniform

Lloyd J. Reece (left) and George J. Reece (right).

I don’t have a date for this, although I know that both men served during World War II. The original photo is in a cardboard frame from the Hart Studio in Niagara Falls. Lloyd was my father, George was my uncle.

The Clovers Hockey Team

Front row, left to right: Johnny Rimanosky; Chet Kaifas; Larry Snyder (not listed in program); Al Lang; Lloyd Reece; Billy Wilson.
Back row, left to right: Vic Raham (Rahm?) (manager); Wally Reece; George Reece; Frank Regan (Reagan?); Gordy Lawie (Lawley or Lawrie?); Don Snyder (not listed in program); Alex (Alec?) Lyall; Eddie Kaufman (coach).

This is one of my favorite old photos, the Clovers hockey team. The picture was probably taken sometime between 1940 and 1942. According to my Uncle Wally, the league was located in Niagara Falls, NY, but played at the arena in Niagara Falls, Ontario. I think there were 3 divisions, Junior, Intermediate and Senior. The Clovers were in the Intermediate division. Most, but not all of the players in the photo are listed on a March 1942 Clovers team roster, including all three Reece boys.

I have names for everyone in the photo. The catch is, I have more than one spelling for some, and I’m not sure which is correct. To maintain a little consistency, I’ve used the spelling from the old program first, and in parentheses I’ve put the spelling(s) as my father ( Lloyd) and his brothers, Wally and Norm had remembered them. Some further research might help to clarify the names and the correct year of the photo.