Bowmansville, New York


Bowmansville is a hamlet located in the town of Lancaster in Erie County, New York, United States. It is named after Benjamin Bowman, the owner of sawmills on Ellicott Creek in the center of the hamlet.

Geography

Bowmansville is located at . Bowmansville is in the northwest corner of the town and is centered on the Genesee Street Bridge over a cataract in Ellicott Creek. Downstream from Bowmansville, in the town of Cheektowaga, bordered by Ellicott Creek, is the Pfohl Brothers Landfill, a Superfund site.

History

The first settlers of the town of Lancaster, as near as can be ascertained, were James and Asa Woodward, in 1803, in Bowmansville. In 1808 a road was cut from Buffalo through Lancaster village eastward, and in the same year Daniel Robinson built the first sawmill in town at Bowmansville. In about 1810 Benjamin Bowman purchased this mill and built another, and ever since then the place has been designated by his name. The gristmills were owned by the Bowman family for about fifty years; the gristmill passed to John Pentelow and is now abandoned. Bowmansville also had a train station for the West Shore Railroad just off Maple Drive north of the hamlet.

Economy

Significant businesses in the area include Audi Buffalo, founded in 1921, on Genesee Street, Salvatore's Italian Gardens Restaurant on Transit Road, the former Harris Hill Golf Center, and the offices of Dr. Philip Penepent.

Services

Bowmansville contains the Bowmansville Volunteer Fire Department, located at 36 Main Street.

Major highways