Please be sure to visit
this page to see some
very old documents
from Sloan over the
years. They are
amazing to see!!
Not to worry, the page will
open in a separate window.
After the American Revolution, much of the area (including what is now the Village of
Sloan) was purchased and surveyed by the Holland Land Company. The old trail which led
from Buffalo to Batavia became well travelled and, in 1850, was transformed from a mud
path to a wooden plank road, including toll booths. This street is now known to us as
Broadway.
Five railroads were built across the area from 1850 to 1880, playing an imprtant role in the
establishment of the Village of Sloan, which was incorporated on March 17, 1896. Our
village was named in honor of Mr. Samuel Sloan, the President of the Lackawanna
Railroad.
The Lackawanna and New York Central Railroads helped employees acquire lots on which
to build homes and live close to their employer. The railroad even furnished the labor and
materials for the first Village Hall which also housed the courtroom and fire hall. This
building is now known as the John A. Piekarski Community Center located at 140 Halstead
Avenue.
Back at the turn of the 20th century, much land was either wooded or pasture lands
allowing many villagers to raise livestock and poultry. A creek ran through the center of the
village with a large wooden bridge crossing the creek on Halstead Avenue. It was common
for the creek to flood each spring. Flood waters surrounded Public School No. 9 on
Halstead Avenue and temporarily closed the school in 1911.
The “Old Wooden School” PS No. 9 was on the south corner of Halstead Avenue and
Gates Street. This building is still in use today as a private residence. These flood
conditions later were eliminated with the installation of storm sewers and, in 1933, the WPA
installed a concrete tile line and the entire creek was covered. The outlet for the water then
emptied into the storm sewer of the City of Buffalo.
Existing dirt roads were graded and made reasonalbly passable for horse-drawn wagons
and carriages. These new streets were named in honor of Lackawanna railroad officials:
Mr. William Halstead was the railroad paymaster; Mr. Gates worked in the stores and
supply department; Mr. Griffith was a master mechanic; Mr. Adam Boll operated a dairy on
Broadway and, of course, Lackawanna Avenue was named after the railroad itself.
Plank sidewalks were built on one side of these thoroughfares. Early in the Spring of each
year new planks replaced rotted timbers, thus assuring safety for pedestrians. Back in
those early days, open ditches between the dirt roads and sidewalks carried away surface
and waste waters from the homes.
We plan to continue the history of our village. If anyone has any old pictures, memories or
stories they would like to share, we would love to have them as a part of our archives as
well as a part of our “village on the web.” Please contact Trustee Doreen Spence through
Village Hall (897-1560) or via email (Doreen.Spence@VillageOfSloan.org)
Village History
©Village of Sloan, NY, 2009-2011
