Map from the Illustrated Historical Atlas of the County of Chautauqua New-York from actual surveys and records, published by F.W. Beers & Co., New York, 1881.

1881 property owners in Stow

Alexander, J.
Bull, W. W.
Hale, Mrs. F.
Harrison, C. S.
Johnston Sisters
Pike, H.
Stowe, J.
Twitchell, B.
White, W. J.

The current Post Office building was
originally a trolley stop, early 1900s

Ferry Garage, probably 1920s-30s

Brief History 
STOW
 
The Naming of Stow
Sterling Stow told Floyd Darrow the village of Stow acquired its name sometime between 1868 when his grandfather John Stow, bought the family homestead and th establishment of the Post Office in 1880. Most likely the 1870s. Although the ferry had been in operation since early in the century, there had been no official name. For years, the constriction in the lake had been designated as the "Narrows" and the village itself simply as "The Corners."

When the Post Office was under contemplation, a community discussion was carried on to decide upon a name, and Stow was finally adopted. The mail originally came from Bemus Point, being brought across by boat twice a day.

Thomas Bemus, an early settler in the town, established the ferry in 1811 over the 1,000 feet of water space separating the two shores of the lake at that point by means of a small rough-hewn log raft, which served its purpose in those pioneer days, but is a far cry from the craft of today. For a much more comprehensive history of the Stow ferry, we recommend A Ferry Tale published in 2011 by the late Art Thomas. 

For more information, contact the
Harmony Historical Society:
1934 Open Meadows Road Ashville, New York 14710
Phone:(716) 782-3074
Website: harmonyhistoricalsociety.org 

Early post card from the Art Thomas collection