Category: City of Niagara Falls

Chimes of De Veaux by Ada Elizabeth Fuller

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Ambrose Chapel at De Veaux College, where the bells were housed
Photo courtesy Big Daddy Dave blog

 

Fling out your silver peals,
‡‡Over the river’s breast.
Speak to the waters, peace,
‡‡Bid the wild Rapids rest.
Peal sweetly, high and low,
‡‡Chimes of De Veaux.

Chime to the flaming woods,
‡‡Gay in the morning sun.
Chime to the solemn pines
‡‡After the day is done.
Peal sweetly, high and low,
‡‡Chimes of De Veaux.

Ring out your silver strains,
‡‡Over Niagara’s breast.
Bid the wild waters roll,
‡‡On to their ocean-rest.
Peal sweetly, high and low,
‡‡Chimes of De Veaux.

Source:  Ada Elizabeth Fuller.  Sunshine and Shadow: Poems by Ada Elizabeth Fuller.  Niagara Falls, Ont. Ada Elizabeth Fuller, 1919

The site of DeVeaux College is now owned by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, and is now the DeVeaux Woods State Park. According to the TowerBells.org DeVeaux School had a 10-bell chime installed by Meneely/Troy in 1913, which was sold to Verdin in November 1994.  The remaining structure on the site have also been demolished.

From The Living Church, vol. 50, January 3, 1914

New Chimes at De Veaux College

On New Year’s Eve, at midnight, the new chimes at De Veaux College, Niagara Falls, N.Y. (the Rev. William Stanley Barrows, headmaster), were rung for the first time. The bells, ten in number, were made by the Meneely Company of Troy, and are known as their F Tenor chime. They are a duplicate of those recently given to Christ Church, Greenwich, Conn, and are the gift of Mr. Albert H. Lewis of Bridgeport, Conn., who attended De Veaux College from 1857 to 1862. The inscription on the great bell reads: “Fortiter, Fideliter, Feliciter.  In honor of Samuel De Veaux and as a memorial to those trustees, masters, boys, and patrons who have faithfully served and fostered De Veaux College, this chime is presented by Albert Henry Lewis, ’57-’62, Founder’s Day, A. D. 1913, the fifty-sixth anniversary of the opening of De Veaux College. Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace good will toward men.” The inscription of the other bells is: “Fortiter, Fideliter, Feliciter. De Veaux College, ex dono Albert Henry Lewis, Founder’s Day, A. D. 1913.”

View the song Thy Bells Deveaux by Thomas Vincent Welch and J. Ernest Rieger

Read more about the DeVeaux College Chimes

Visit the Big Daddy Dave blog post about DeVeaux School

Fairview Cemetery by Shie Sirianni

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Fairview Cemetery, Niagara Falls, Ontario
Image courtesy of the City of Niagara Falls

I walk alone, eyes downcast
seeking paths of fallen leaves,
to disguise the sound
of breaking armour.
Cemeteries in the fall
are good places for disguise.
I can lie there,
surrounded by stone confessors,
and speak aloud
all that is in me.
Joy, sorrow,
goodness and sin.
There is no forgiveness,
or absolution offered.

They are not my pardoners.

They are just marks left for others,
who perhaps, like me,
spent troubled times there,
before making it their home.

Source:  Shie Sirianni published this poem in Captured Essence: Niagara Poetry Anthology, vol. 11. St. Catharines: Canadian Authors Association, Niagara Branch, 1995

With thanks to Arden Phair who pointed out this poem by Shie Sirianni to the Niagara Falls Poetry Project curator.

The Eternal Blunder by Al Knobloch

 

 

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Photo of the Horseshoe Falls, Prospect Point Observation Tower, and the Rainbow Bridge, which inspired this poem. Courtesy of Al Knobloch

The river Niagara flows placidly by
With waters polluted by you and by I
By seeping landfills and chemical pits too
A bane to two countries; historically quite new
But then its pace quickens as tourists arrive
Car fumes rise up to the gulls as they fly
As over the brink suicides take the plunge
While after their cameras onlookers do lunge
In springtime, in summer, and then autumn too
Millions converge on this vast human zoo
The hotels keep rising, no zenith in sight
Parking is crazy, the prices a fright
The Falls is encircled with commercial lust
Most ways of our fathers are left in the dust
Casinos proliferate, lounge lizards croon
Ya gotta admit, it’s a commercial boon
Growth exponential, the Maids multiply
Soon to morph into an endless supply
Now worldwide attention is focused right here
Is it due to the Falls, or due to the fear
Mother Nature eclipsed by human nature alive
“Will he really make it, will he survive?”
Dollars flow in, millions will spy
Still spray reaches up to the gulls who still fly
Oh where is the peace, where is the wonder
The natives sought out before our eternal blunder

Source:  Al Knobloch. Blog post May 29, 2012.  Niagara History and Trivia Facebook Group

This poem is a revised version of a class assignment that Knobloch wrote in high school.

Al Knobloch in front of Prospect Point in Niagara Falls, before its collapse in 1954. Image courtesy of Al Knobloch

 

Have You Ever Been to Niagara? by Stephanie Vigh Nielsen

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Welcome to Niagara Falls Sign. Photo by G.R. Nielsen

Have you ever been to Niagara?
It’s such a marvelous place.
There’s something here for everyone
You can visit at your pace.

So many things to choose from
It’s difficult to decide.
Is it walking tours you prefer?
Or perhaps you’d rather ride?

If it’s horticulture you like
Then take a leisurely walk.
Enjoy the Botanical Gardens
And visit our Floral Clock.

We’ve got hotels and motels
As well as B & B’s
There are fabulous golf courses
And casino shows to see.

Enjoy our many wine tours
Check out the restaurant scene.
Italian, Greek, Indian, Chinese
We serve the finest cuisine.

If you’re looking for exciting thrills
We have a variety of rides.
We’ve got helicopters, go-karts
And even water slides.

Take a walk down Clifton Hill
Try the pizza or ice cream
Have fun in the arcade there
And take in a museum.

The ‘Horseshoe Falls’ is beautiful
What an incredible sight!
So mesmerizing during the day
And nicely lit at night.

Exotic birds at Bird Kingdom
Butterflies at the Conservatory.
Take a drive on the Parkway
There’s so much beauty to see.

We have hiking trails and picnic spots
What a way to spend the day!
Take a photo of the ‘Falls’
Just be careful of the spray.

A thrilling ride on the Hornblower
And check out the MistRider Zipline.
Spend a few hours at the Outlet Mall
You’re sure to have a good time!

Dufferin Islands is a nature park
With fish and water fowl.
And stranded on the upper river
Is an ancient damaged scow.

So many things to do here
I think you will agree.
But if you still have any doubt
Just come for yourself and see.

© 2021 Stephanie Vigh Nielsen

Visit Stephanie Vigh Nielsen’s Niagara Proud website

Stephanie’s poem has been made into a children’s book, with illustrations by Bronagh Morgan. It can be ordered by contacting vnproductions@cogeco.ca

Stamford Collegiate Memories by Stephanie Vigh Nielsen

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Stamford Collegiate 2021. Photo by G. R. Nielsen

When I was young, I would walk to school
In sun or snow or rain
I’d make a left at Montrose Road
And head up Lundy’s Lane.

As I reached the canal, I would stand and look
At the current moving fast.
Then head on quickly to Drummond Road
So I wouldn’t be late for class.

The first day I arrived at school
I was overwhelmed with fright.
Who would I know, where did I fit?
Would I ever feel all right?

But it didn’t take long before friends came along
Ones that attended my previous school.
We were delighted to find one another again
Joking around and acting like fools.

At lunch time we would congregate
In a basement room to eat.
And I would sing an Elvis song
While my best friend kept the beat.

Banging her hands on a garbage can
While the rest of us clapped along.
They were wonderful girls and precious times
Where we all felt we belonged.

Cadets marching in the back field
We enjoyed the discipline.
And the rifle range was a challenging sport
The blasts would make our ears ring.

The time has passed, I’m no longer young
But I still remember those years.
Academic classes and musical shows
Puppy love and all those tears.

I cherish the years I spent there
The memories are etched in my mind.
The friendships and learning that took place
Have sustained me throughout my lifetime.

So in ending this poem I want to give thanks
To my high school on Drummond Road.
My life has been happy – my goals attained
And that’s why I’ve written this ode.

Source: The author, 2021

Visit Stephanie Vigh Nielsen’s Niagara Proud website

Stamford Collegiate is located near the intersection of Lundy’s Lane and Drummond Road