I am a developer in Buffalo,NY. We are looking to redevelop an
impoverished industrial section of the city bounded by the streets
Grider,East Ferry, Fillmore and the Kensington/401 expressway(appx.170
acres). We are looking to name the development project. We would like
to have some type of historical meaning to the name, perhaps dating
back to the time  the original native americans were here. Hamlin Park
is an old name, but we would like something new without the old
baggage of an area that has failed economically. Can you give me at
least 3 historical names for this area?

---

Request for Question Clarification by scriptor-ga on 07 Jun 2004 19:01 PDT

Dear rosie45,

Since this is a matter of taste, I will not yet post the results I
found as an answer. If you like one or more of them, please let me
know.

1. I have found out that, in the original land sub-divisions of
Buffalo, today's Hamlin Park belonged to the land lots of the Holland
Land Company. On the maps, the area is labelled "Holland Land Co. Farm
Lots". I could imagine that "The Holland Lots" would be an interesting
name for the project, it sounds really historical.
http://ah.bfn.org/h/maps/subdivisions.jpg
http://ah.bfn.org/h/maps/map1901/1901map.html

2. Today's Hamlin Park is named for Cicero Jabez Hamlin who purchased
the area in 1868, when it was still the "Buffalo Driving Park", a
carriage driveway. SO "Driving Park" is an older name than "Hamlin
Park", but it's forgotten today.
http://ah.bfn.org/h/hamln/hp/
http://ah.bfn.org/h/hamln/hamlin.html

3. Subterraneous today, Scajacquada Creek originally flew through the
area, still defining some streets. This Indian name might be a good
base for an attractive name.
http://bfn.org/preservationworks/bpr/spr99/smham.html
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/buffalo_ny_1896.jpg

If this meets your needs, please let me know.
Regards,
Scriptor

---

Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 10 Jun 2004 07:27 PDT

Dear rosie45-ga:

In 1805, Buffalo New York was known simply as ?Buffalo Village?. This
would make for a very quaint name for your project.

History of the City of Buffalo and Erie County
http://ah.bfn.org/h/maps/InnerLots/InnerLots.html


The French words ?beau fleuve?, meaning beautiful river, or ?boeuf a
leau?, meaning oxen or cattle at the water are both theorized as the
mispronounced origin of the eventual name ?Buffalo? given to the
village in the early years. Some form of these names might also be
worthy of consideration.

In 1800, Dutch owners were known to have formally referred to the
village as ?New Amsterdam?. Here then is another possibility.

BUFFALO
http://lucky.phpwebhosting.com/~ah/h/bflo/origin.html

In the 1800?s 75 acres of East Buffalo was designated the largest
operating horse market in America. Perhaps the name ?The Stock Yards?
(as it was called) could be considered or maybe some name that
provides a tribute to a particular horse breed.

Joseph Ellicott, who has been called the Father of Buffalo, originally
laid out the town in 1801-1802, (it was he who first officially called
it New Amsterdam) could be considered a source for a nice historical
name. I think simply naming your project ?Ellicott? would sound very
sophisticated and would serve to memorialize an important early
Buffalo figure. (This is my personal favorite)

BUFFALO
http://91.1911encyclopedia.org/B/BU/BUFFALO.htm


Finally, just in the interest of continuity, I think the name ?Bison
Park? might also be a simple and appropriate name.

Regards;
Tutuzdad-ga

Dear rosie45,

In addition to the "Holland Lots", here are some more names from what
today is Hamlin Park:

1. "Buffalo Driving Park" or "Driving Park"
Before it was converted to a residential district and received today's
name in the 20th century, the area was named for the purpose the huge
plot in the center fulfilled - it was a popular carriage driving
ground and horse racing track. Old maps show the facility labelled as
"Driving Park", a name that was forgotten after the race track had
disappeared in favor of housing.
As an example for that old name, see the 1850 Buffalo Census map:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyerie/Wards1855-90.jpg
(Souce: NYGenWeb - Erie County Genealogy)

2. "The Fair Grounds"
The old Driving Park facility was not only a horse racing venue. Fairs
also took place on the spacious grounds. Therefore, the area was often
referred to as "Buffalo Fair Grounds" on old maps. The name "The Fair
Grounds" has the advantage of sounding not only historical (it has
something of Merry Old England), but also very positive, since "fair"
could, as an adjective, also mean "beautiful".
As an example for that former name, see this huge 1894 street plan:
http://www.erie.gov/atlases/buff_94/city_atl_90.html
(Source: Erie County - 1894 City of Buffalo Atlas)

3. "The Hager Estates"
While this is not a historical name in the strict sense, it
nevertheless reflects the actual history of the area. In the mid-19th
century, August Hager owned and farmed a large land lot between
Humboldt Parkway and Jefferson Avenue.
Fascinated by landscaping, Hager later subdivided his land into
carefully planned, landscaped, and intimate streets, and his influence
as a landscape designer is still strongly felt in the Hamlin Park
neighborhood today. "The Hager Estates" would remind of the former
farm and its influential owner.

See also:

Buffalo Architecture and History: Buffalo's Historic Naighborhoods - Hamlin Park
http://ah.bfn.org/h/hamln/hamlin.html

Buffalo Architecture and History: History of Hamlin Park
http://ah.bfn.org/h/hamln/hp/index.html



Some of the additional sources used for research:

Buffalo Architecture and History
http://ah.bfn.org/index.html

Buffalo Research: Western New York Maps
http://www.buffaloresearch.com/maps.html

Buffalo Architecture and History: Buffalo, NY Map Links
http://lucky.phpwebhosting.com/~ah/h/maps/maps.html

Buffalo Architecture and History: The History of Buffalo - Index
http://ah.bfn.org/h/histindex.html


I hope that this will be helpful for finding an adequate name for your project!
Regards,
Scriptor

I think "The Holland Lots" (or just "Holland Lots") sounds both classy and classic.

Give me at least 2 other options. I like the Holland name. Remember,
we were aware of Hamlin Park and Scajacquada Creek. The names should
not be current names of exisiting streets or areas, or projects. Great
start......