External links
- Rays-Place.com - Early Massena history
- Natural Resources Canada - Earth Science Sector, Canadian Hazard Information Service
- Bridgemeister - Suspension Bridges of USA
- Holton Duncan Robinson at Structurae
Massena Center is a hamlet in the Town of Massena, in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. It is made up of 89 homes and several small businesses.
During the formation and founding of the towns of northern New York and the Macomb Purchase, it has become common practice for a settlement to be erected in the center of the town. The Town of Massena was incorporated with the county in 1802 but was reduced in size several times with the removal of land for the towns of Hopkinton in 1805, Louisville in 1810 and Brasher in 1825.
Massena Center is located two and one-half miles east of the Village of Massena on the north side of the Grasse River. This area is also known as the Grasse River Meadowlands, which surrounds the last five miles of the Grasse River to its mouth with the St. Lawrence River. The St. Lawrence Seaway is located along its northern border with the only two American Locks in the Seaway System. Eisenhower Lock with its visitor center is located in its northwestern corner and accessible by New York State Route 131 (which makes up the western border), while Snell Lock is located in the northeastern corner at the mouth of the Grasse River and is accessed by the Massena Center / Fregoe Road, but is not open to the public. Also located at the mouth of the Grasse River is the secondary emergency repair doors for the locks. Within this small bay floats a massive floating crane and the Tugboat Robinson Bay.
"The Center", as it has been dubbed by the locals, was founded by Nathaniel Kezar, Arad Smith, P. Smith, Ephraim Hyde, Samuel Dana, Thomas Dodge, Israel Rickard, Ira Goodrich, Peabody Kinney, Willard Seaton, Hiram Anderson, Hiram Fish and Moses Russell. The first Public House was opened by Ephrairn Hyde and Samson Wheeler in 1835. The first post official was opened in 1851, with Chloe Atwood as acting postal official. The first handsome school house was erected in 1871, next to the Massena Center Baptist Church, and was operated until 1958. Its students at the time were transferred to the old Harrowgate School in downtown Massena, and then to the newly built (now closed) Twin Rivers Elementary School located across the river.
The area was primarily agricultural, with its fertile meadowlands allowing for several large farms to operate in the area. The Rickard Farm located in the community was the first in the town of Massena to operate with a steam-powered milking machine. By the 1970s, there were seven major farms operating in the area, and the last one to operate closed in the late 1990s. Very few of the original barns exist.
Agriculture was the primary industry of Massena Center due to the fertile soils of the Grasse River Meadowlands, which allowed for large farms to form. With the creation of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, many of these farms disappeared. It can be noted by the 1960s there were seven major farms operating in the area, all who have ceased operations. The last farm operated until the late 1990s. Some farm activity still takes place.
The second bridge built across the Grasse River in the Town of Massena is located in Massena Center and was built in 1832, but was soon swept away in the ice flows of spring thaw. In 1862 at the cost of $4,000 a covered bridge was built across the river but was also destroyed. In 1873 an iron bridge was erected for $10,000.
Holton Duncan Robinson was born in 1863 in Massena Center and came to be a well known engineer. With David Steinmen, he formed the Engineering Firm of Robinson and Steinmen, who worked and designed bridges. Their firm designed such bridges as the Deer Isle Bridge in Maine, the Hercilio Luz Bridge in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, and the Thousand Island Bridge System on the St. Lawrence River. In 1910, Holton returned to Massena Center to design and construct the still existing suspension cable bridge across the Grasse River (bridge is closed to all traffic).
The 1944 Cornwall–Massena earthquake shook northern New York and southern Ontario on September 5 with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong). In the United States, the 5.8 Mw shock was felt from Maine to Maryland, and despite its moderate size it caused considerable effects. With several thousand chimneys collapsed, property damage was estimated at approximately $2 million.
Union Hall is a building located .87 miles from NY State Highway 131 and was used by one of the unions for workers building the Saint Lawrence Seaway. It is unknown how long this building was in use, and it is now a residential home.
The Old Community Center is located .34 miles from NY State Highway 131 and was in use for many years. The block building stood unused for many years but is now used as a custom counter top business.
The Sunset Drive-In was located on the south side of the Grasse River on the opposite side of the hamlet and is now the site of the Massena International Kampground.
The Seaway Motel (formally the Park Inn Motel) located on the corner of New York State Highway 131 and Massena Center Road was formerly the site of a children's amusement park called Kiddieland. The motel burned in January 2005 and has ceased to operate.
Louisville is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 3,145 at the 2010 census. The town is reportedly named after French king Louis XIV, but is pronounced as "Lewis-ville."
Ogdensburg is a city in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 10,436 at the 2019 census. In the late 18th century, European-American settlers named the community after American land owner and developer Samuel Ogden. The city is at the northern border of New York at the mouth of the Oswegatchie River on the south bank of the St. Lawrence River. The only formally designated city in the county, it is located between Massena, New York to the east and Brockville, Ontario to the west.
Massena is a village in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The village is named after André Masséna, one of Napoleon's generals.
Massena is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. Massena is along the county's northern border, just south of the St. Lawrence River and the Three Nations Crossing of the Canada–United States border. The population was 12,433 at the 2020 census. The town of Massena contains a village also named Massena.
Potsdam is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The town population was 14,901 at the 2020 census. When SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University are in session, the population increases by approximately 8,000 students. The town is named after the city of Potsdam in Germany.
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario, Canada, and part of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway. The canal traverses the Niagara Peninsula between Port Weller on Lake Ontario, and Port Colborne on Lake Erie, and was erected because the Niagara River—the only natural waterway connecting the lakes—was unnavigable due to Niagara Falls. The Welland Canal enables ships to ascend and descend the Niagara Escarpment, and has followed four different routes since it opened.
Robert Moses State Park – Thousand Islands is a 2,322-acre (9.40 km2) state park located on Barnhart Island in the Saint Lawrence River and the adjacent mainland in the Town of Massena in St. Lawrence County, New York. The park is north of the Village of Massena, near the Canada–US border.
The Grasse River or Grass River is a 73-mile-long (117 km) river in northern New York, in the United States. The river mainly flows northeast from the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains into the St. Lawrence Valley, making up what is known as the greater St. Lawrence River Drainage Basin along with other tributaries such as the Oswegatchie and Raquette rivers.
The Three Nations Crossing is a border crossing on the Canada–US border, connecting the city of Cornwall, Ontario in Canada to Rooseveltown, New York, a neighborhood within the Town of Massena, in the United States. The crossing is associated with the Seaway International Bridge, which crosses the two channels on each side of Cornwall Island, which is located on the St. Lawrence River. The bridge is 4.7 km (2.9 mi) in length.
The Massena Terminal Railroad is a Class III terminal railroad operating in the U.S. state of New York. It operates over 4 miles (6.4 km) of track from the CSX Transportation yard in Massena north to the Alcoa plant, the railroad's only customer. It was built in the early 20th century, beginning operations in 1900. In 2005, the railroad was purchased by holding company RailAmerica. Shortline holding company Genesee & Wyoming acquired the Massena Terminal Railroad in 2012 as part of its purchase of RailAmerica. The railroad's traffic comes mainly from aluminum and petroleum products. The MTR hauled around 4,300 carloads in 2008.
New York State Route 131 (NY 131) is a 12.45-mile (20.04 km) long state highway in St. Lawrence County, New York, in the United States. It serves as a coastal alternate route to NY 37, going around the village of Massena instead of through it. NY 131 leaves NY 37 in the town of Louisville and rejoins it in the town of Massena. Town Line Road, a county-maintained highway straddling the Louisville–Massena town line, serves as a connector between NY 131 and Massena village.
New York State Route 37B (NY 37B) is an east–west state highway located in St. Lawrence County, New York, in the United States. It serves as a business route of NY 37 through the village of Massena. While NY 37B enters the village, NY 37 bypasses it to the south. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 37 in the town of Louisville. Its eastern terminus is at a junction with NY 37 just east of the village limits in the town of Massena. NY 37B intersects North Main Street, a state-maintained northward extension of NY 420, in Massena's central district.
New York State Route 37 (NY 37) is a state highway in the North Country of New York in the United States, extending for 127.40 miles (205.03 km) on a west–east axis. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with U.S. Route 11 (US 11) in Pamelia, Jefferson County. Its eastern terminus is at a junction with US 11, NY 11B, and NY 30 in Malone, Franklin County. In between the termini, NY 37 passes through Ogdensburg and Massena. It is a two-lane, nondivided, full access roadway for most of its entire length, except for portions between Massena and western Franklin County, where the route widens to a four-lane divided highway.
The Great Lakes Seaway Trail, formerly named and commonly known as the Seaway Trail, is a 518-mile (834 km) National Scenic Byway in the northeastern United States, mostly contained in New York but with a small segment in Pennsylvania. The trail consists of a series of designated roads and highways that travel along the Saint Lawrence Seaway—specifically, Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the Saint Lawrence River. It begins at the Ohio state line in rural Erie County, Pennsylvania, and travels through several cities and villages before ending at the Seaway International Bridge northeast of the village of Massena in St. Lawrence County, New York. It is maintained by the non-profit Seaway Trail, Inc.
New York State Route 56 (NY 56) is a 51.44-mile-long (82.78 km) north–south state highway in eastern St. Lawrence County, New York, in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 3 in the town of Colton. Its northern terminus is at a junction with NY 37 southwest of Massena in the town of Louisville. NY 56 follows the Raquette River for most of its length and serves the village of Potsdam, where it passes by the campus of State University of New York at Potsdam.
The Seaway International Bridge is an international crossing connecting New York State, in the United States, Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, and the province of Ontario in Canada. It consists of the South and North Channel Bridges. The South Channel Bridge was opened in 1958, and spans the St. Lawrence Seaway. The North Channel Bridge, opened in 2014, connects the City of Cornwall in Ontario to Cornwall Island in Akwesasne Mohawk Territory.
Rooseveltown is a hamlet in the town of Massena, New York, United States located in St. Lawrence County. It is near the eastern town line, by the Raquette River.
The Saint-Laurent Railway Bridge is a Canadian Pacific railway bridge linking LaSalle to the Kahnawake Mohawk Reserve, just upstream of the Mercier Bridge. It is used by the RTM Candiac commuter train.
The Eisenhower Lock is one of the seven canal locks on the St Lawrence River leg of the St Lawrence Seaway. This lock provides a 38 foot lift for ships heading upstream. It is one of two locks located near Massena, New York.
The Massena Power Canal, which connects the Saint Lawrence River to the lower Grass River.
