McCrackenville to Lower Falls Park
After the War of 1812 ended, three McCracken brothers moved to Rochester from Batavia. Two, Dr. Robert and Gardner, settled on the SW and SE corners of what is now the corner of Lake Avenue and Driving Park, while William ran the North American Hotel on the NW corner of Lake Avenue and Brown Street.
An 1826 map of McCrackenville from a glass plate negative in the Municipal Archives is below.
The N - S road in the middle of the map is Broadway, now Lake Avenue. The map shows a residential section on both sides of Broadway and an industrial section on the Genesee River between the Middle and Lower Falls. South of the Middle Falls is the water level bridge built by Carthage after their high bridge collapsed in May, 1820. The stream on the west and north of the settlement is Deep Hollow Creek.
1888 Plat Map
The Deep Hollow was a ravine running through northwest Rochester. It entered the Genesee River near the Lower Falls.
McCrackenville Industrial Area
Information about the industrial area at the Lower Falls can be found in two articles in Rochester History by Thomas X. Grasso.
- Geology and Industrial History of the Rochester Gorge: Part Two by Grasso, Thomas X. Vol. 55 No(s) 1 (Winter 1993)
- Geology and Industrial History of the Rochester Gorge: Part One by Grasso, Thomas X. Vol. 54 No(s) 4 (Fall 1992)
I believe the last significant building in use in McCrackenville burned on September 15, 1964.
When the Xerox Tower was built, the rubble was placed atop the McCrackenville ruins. A March, 1967 article in the D&C states,
Mayor Frank Lamb will ask City Council tomorrow night to authorize purchase of six acres for a proposed "Lower Falls Park" adjoining the Genesee River near Maplewood Park. The six-acre plot for the Lower Falls Park is used as an auto-junkyard, which neighbors have protested.
Little work was done for over 30 years. In the fall of 2000, activity started.
Marc Hare's D&C column of June 16, 2001 tells the story.
Not much has been written about McCrackenville but a local resident took two classes at the University of Rochester and wrote two papers which are linked below.
The site that was McCrackenville's Industrial Area is now Lower Falls Park with views of both falls and a walkway over middle falls dam.
Some pictures of the construction follow.
Bottom of Hastings Street Hill
Lower Falls Overlook
Shelter
Middle Falls Overlook
Lower Falls and Park