The first Europeans to visit Westfield were French explorers interested in finding a water route between the Great Lakes and Ohio River systems. None exists, but in 1615 Etienne Brule found the next best thing when he discovered that only a short eight miles separate Lake Erie and Chautauqua Lake between the present towns of Westfield and Mayville. Indians had used the same path for centuries, but the French soon established their own trail that started in Barcelona Harbor, followed Chautauqua Creek for several miles, then ran over an escarpment to current-day Mayville. This trail remained in use more than 130 years, and today is known as the Old French Trail or, more commonly, the Portage Trail.
The first European settlers came to Westfield in 1802 with the arrival of the McMahan family, and more followed on their heels. The early village was known as the “Cross Roads” because it lay at the intersection of the Portage Trail and the road between Buffalo, New York and Erie, Pennsylvania.
The most important agricultural product in Westfield’s history arrived in 1859 in the form of the Concord grape. Though it was popular as a table grape, the production of the Concord rose to new heights when Dr. Charles Welch popularized the consumption of pasteurized grape juice. This product was introduced to a wide audience at the World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893, and it quickly became a popular drink across the nation. In 1897 Dr. Welch built the world’s first large grape juice plant in Westfield and Westfield quickly became known as “The Grape Juice Capital of the World.” Today, Chautauqua County is the largest grape growing county outside of California, with approximately 20,000 acres devoted to vineyards.
The First Natural Gas Lighthouse. Finished in 1829, the 40-foot tall Barcelona Lighthouse (Portland Harbor) was the very first natural gas lighthouse in the country. It was in Federal Lighthouse Service until 1859. At that time it became privately held through various owners until 2008, when New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation acquired it. Though it no longer has the original lens, nor is used for navigational purposes, it is still lit and visible today through an agreement with the Town of Westfield. The lighthouse is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historical Places.
コメント