Love Canal StoryMap

Explore historic images of the Love Canal neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York

Introduction

Among the thousands of boxes of records that document the history of the University at Buffalo, the  University Archives  collects manuscripts, photographs, and documentation of significant events, organizations, and topics that have shaped the communities, landscapes and peoples of Western New York. The Love Canal environmental disaster is one of those subjects.

In 1977, Penelope Ploughman was a member of the University at Buffalo's Sociology Department and Dr. Adeline Levine's "Love Canal Research Group." Building on her work as part of the group, Ploughman wrote her dissertation on the news coverage of Love Canal. She undertook extensive research, conducted numerous interviews, and took hundreds of photographs of the Love Canal neighborhood, its residents, homes, the 99th Street elementary school, the Love Canal Homeowner's Association, and demolition and remediation work at the Love Canal site.

 The Penelope Ploughman Love Canal Collection  was donated to University Archives in February 2008 by Dr. Penelope Ploughman. In 2008, a portion of slides from the Penelope Ploughman Love Canal Collection, 1978-1994, were digitized for inclusion in the  Love Canal digital image collection .


About Love Canal

The following text is taken from the exhibit Love Canal @25, created by Fred Stoss and Carole Ann Fabian, August 1998

Love Canal is probably the country's most notorious and infamous hazardous waste site. It wasn't the first. It wasn't the worst. But it did grab headlines, draw attention, and stimulate scientists, industrial leaders, politicians, government officials, and grassroots activists.

The Love Canal neighborhood is in the southeast section of the La Salle area of Niagara Falls, New York. William T. Love, an 1890's visionary and entrepreneur, sought to develop a planned industrial community, Model City, in the area. Waters from the Niagara River were to be routed around the Niagara escarpment (the other famous attraction of the region, Niagara Falls) to produce cheap hydroelectric power.

Model City never happened, but work on the canal to transport waters from the Niagara River did. In 1942, Hooker Chemicals and Plastics Corporation purchased the site of the Love Canal. Between 1942 and 1953 Hooker Chemical disposed of about 22,000 tons of mixed chemical wastes into the Love Canal. Shortly after Hooker ceased use of the site, the land was sold to the Niagara Falls School Board for a price of $1.00. In 1955, the 99th Street Elementary School was constructed on the Love Canal property and opened its doors to students. Subsequent development of the area would see hundreds of families take up residence in the suburban, blue-collar neighborhood of the Love Canal.

Unusually heavy rain and snowfalls in 1975 and 1976 provided high groundwater levels in the Love Canal area. Portions of the Hooker landfill subsided, 55-gallon drums surfaced, ponds and other surface water area became contaminated, basements began to ooze an oily residue, and noxious chemical odors permeated the area. Physical evidence of chemical corrosion of sump pumps and infiltration of basement cinderblock walls was apparent. Subsequent studies by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry would reveal a laundry list of 421 chemical records for air, water, and soil samples in and around the Love Canal area.

In April of 1978 the New York Department of Health Commissioner, Robert Whalen, declared the Love Canal area a threat to human health and ordered the fencing of the area near the actual old landfill site. In August, the Health Commissioner declared a health emergency at the Love Canal, closed the 99th Street School, and recommended temporary evacuation of pregnant women and young children from the first two rings of houses around the site. Within a week, Governor Hugh Carey announced the intended purchase of all "Ring 1" houses (later expanded to 238 houses in Rings 1 and 2). President Jimmy Carter simultaneously announced the allocation of federal funds and ordered the Federal Disaster Assistance Agency to assist the City of Niagara Falls to remedy the Love Canal site.

Amid this setting, individuals (most notably Lois Gibbs, Dr. Beverly Paigen, and Sister Margeen Hoffmann, OSF) and local neighborhood (such as the Love Canal Homeowners Association) and community groups (such as the Ecumenical Task Force of the Niagara Frontier) became concerned about the situation. Their primary concern was the actual extent of the chemical contamination and its impact on the health of Love Canal residents. Second, and perhaps more important, was the lack of readily available information to explain the science: the levels of uncertainty, political and corporate agendas, manipulation of the media -- in general an overall paucity of reliable information that would answer the simple question, "Is it safe?"


Explore

Explore historic images using the map below. Use the zoom buttons to see parcels and street addresses. Select points on the map to view photographs of residences in ring 1 and 2 of the Love Canal Containment Area (red line) and the Emergency Declaration Area (green line). Information about each image is highlighted to the left of the map. Alternatively, select an image from the list below.

Frontier Avenue between 97th and 99th Street

Frontier Avenue between 97th and 99th Street. Click to expand.

Love Canal between 97th and 99th Street with chain link fence in foreground, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1982

Frontier Avenue between 97th and 99th Street

Frontier Avenue between 97th and 99th Street. Click to expand.

Remediation work area behind a chain link fence with view of clay capping in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1979

Frontier Avenue between 97th and 99th Street

Frontier Avenue between 97th and 99th Street. Click to expand.

Clay capping of Love Canal as viewed through a chain link fence from Frontier Avenue, fall 1978

Frontier Avenue between 97th and 99th Street

Frontier Avenue between 97th and 99th Street. Click to expand.

Clay capping and laying of leachate collection piping with 97th Street residences at left, a crane at center, and the 99th Street Elementary School in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, December 12, 1978

Frontier Avenue and 99th Street

Frontier Avenue and 99th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residences behind a chain link fence, Frontier Avenue and 99th Street, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, January 1981

Frontier Avenue and 99th Street

Frontier Avenue and 99th Street. Click to expand.

Demolition of residences on 99th Street as viewed from Frontier Avenue looking north, 1982

97th Street and Frontier Avenue

97th Street and Frontier Avenue. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residences behind a chain link fence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, September 1978

Frontier Avenue and 97th Street

Frontier Avenue and 97th Street. Click to expand.

Protesters blocking truck access to remediation site, 97th Street and Frontier Avenue, in winter after dioxin is discovered on the site, December 12, 1978

707-733 97th Street

707-733 97th Street. Click to expand.

Clay capping and remediation work with 97th Street residences in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, February 1979

707-749 97th Street

707-749 97th Street. Click to expand.

Clap capping and remediation work with ring 1 residences in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, February 1979

710-726 97th Street

710-726 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

725-733 97th Street

725-733 97th Street. Click to expand.

Pooled water behind ring 1 residences, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

730-738 97th Street

730-738 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residences, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1979

746 97th Street

746 97th Street. Click to expand.

A "NO TRESPASSING" sign on a ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, December 12, 1978

749 97th Street

749 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence with preparation for clay capping in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1979

745-753 97th Street

745-753 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residences, including Deborah Cerrillo's home (center), Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

749 97th Street

749 97th Street. Click to expand.

Rising toxic waste on the ground surface of the Love Canal, Deborah Cerrillo's yard and house on south 97th Street in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, July 1978

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street. Click to expand.

Barrels containing toxic waste that have risen to the surface of the ground behind 749 97th Street, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street. Click to expand.

Barrels containing toxic waste that have risen to the surface of the ground behind 749 97th Street, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street. Click to expand.

Toxic waste residue that has risen to the surface of the ground behind 749 97th Street, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street. Click to expand.

Toxic waste residue that has risen to the surface of the ground behind 749 97th Street, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street. Click to expand.

Collapsed barrel head and toxic waste residue that has risen to the surface of the ground behind 97th Street, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street. Click to expand.

Barrels containing toxic waste that have risen to the surface of the ground behind 97th Street, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street. Click to expand.

Barrels containing toxic waste that have risen to the surface of the ground behind 97th Street, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

753 97th Street

753 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence with large crane in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, December 12, 1978

791 97th Street

791 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal Neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

783-795 97th Street and Wheatfield Avenue

783-795 97th Street and Wheatfield Avenue. Click to expand.

Clay capping and heavy machinery with a barrel in the foreground and 97th Street residences in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, November 10, 1978

799 97th Street

799 97th Street. Click to expand.

Newco Chemical Waste Systems Water Treatment Facility and ring 1 residence in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY

97th Street and Wheatfield Avenue

97th Street and Wheatfield Avenue. Click to expand.

Environmental Protection Agency treatment facility and 99th Street Elementary School in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1982

842-856 97th Street and 903 97th Street

842-856 97th Street and 903 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residences at 97th Street and Read Avenue with Griffon Manor apartments in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

902-906 97th Street

902-906 97th Street. Click to expand.

Residences on 97th Street with Griffon Manor apartments in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

902 97th Street

902 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, 1979

903-907 97th Street

903-907 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residences, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

911 97th Street

911 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence with view of clay capping in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

920 97th Street

920 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1978

921 97th Street

921 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence with view of clay capping in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

928 97th Street

928 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence with environmental monitoring unit in foreground, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, 1979

925-929 97th Street

925-929 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residences, Love Canal Neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

929 97th Street

929 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence with child's tricycle in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

953 97th Street

953 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1979

949-961 97th Street

949-961 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residences, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

982 97th Street

982 97th Street. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, 1979

95th Street

95th Street. Click to expand.

Griffon Manor apartments with backyards of residences on 97th Street in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

95th Street

95th Street. Click to expand.

Griffon Manor apartments with a "Emergency Evacuation Pick Up" sign at left, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, November 10, 1978

95th Street and Read Avenue

95th Street and Read Avenue. Click to expand.

Griffon Manor apartments with a chain link fence in foreground, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

95th Street and Read Avenue

95th Street and Read Avenue. Click to expand.

Emergency evacuee buses on Read Avenue and 95th Street and residences and 99th Street Elementary School in background, November 10, 1978

95th Street

95th Street. Click to expand.

Griffon Manor apartments, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, November 10, 1978

9711 Colvin Boulevard

9711 Colvin Boulevard. Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence at 97th Street and Colvin Boulevard, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

9820-9826 Colvin Boulevard

9820-9826 Colvin Boulevard. Click to expand.

Occupied residences at the intersection of 99th Street and Colvin Boulevard, August 1978

9906 Colvin Boulevard

9906 Colvin Boulevard . Click to expand.

A cameraman standing in front of a residence on Colvin Boulevard, a sign in the background lists four things Hooker Chemical Company is responsible for, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 19, 1980

9905 Colvin Boulevard

9905 Colvin Boulevard. Click to expand.

People gathering outside the Colvin Boulevard Love Canal Homeowners Association offices on the day of the Environmental Protection Agency officials 'hostage-taking,' Dr. Adeline Levine (far right) , Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 19, 1980

9905 Colvin Boulevard

9905 Colvin Boulevard . Click to expand.

Lois Gibbs (back row left) speaking to residents at the Love Canal Homeowners' Association offices about the Environmental Protection Agency's announcement regarding the chromosome damage study, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 17, 1980

10002 Colvin Boulevard

10002 Colvin Boulevard . Click to expand.

Love Canal resident Marie Posniak evacuates her Colvin Avenue residence that bears sign: '4 Sale Buy 1, Get 1 Free', husband Al Posniak in background, July 3, 1980

10002 Colvin Boulevard

10002 Colvin Boulevard . Click to expand.

Love Canal residents Al and Marie Posniak evacuate their Colvin Avenue home as a local television film crew covers the story, July 3, 1980

10002 Colvin Boulevard

10002 Colvin Boulevard . Click to expand.

Love Canal resident Marie Posniak receives assistance evacuating her Colvin Avenue residence as local television film crew covers the story, July 3, 1980

10002 Colvin Boulevard

10002 Colvin Boulevard. Click to expand.

The Posniak family receives assistance evacuating their Colvin Avenue residence, July 3, 1980

99th Street and Colvin Boulevard

99th Street and Colvin Boulevard . Click to expand.

Handmade sign reading, "DANGER CONTAINS DIOXIN" at the entrance gate, 99th Street and Colvin Boulevard, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, December 12, 1978

99th Street and Colvin Boulevard

99th Street and Colvin Boulevard. Click to expand.

Protesters blocking truck access to remediation site, 99th Street and Colvin Boulevard, after dioxin is discovered on the site, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, December 12, 1978

99th Street and Colvin Boulevard

99th Street and Colvin Boulevard. Click to expand.

Fenced-in containment zone at 99th Street and Colvin Avenue with sign 'Admittance by permit only,' Spring 1979

684 99th Street

684 99th Street . Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

680-684 99th Street

680-684 99th Street . Click to expand.

Ring 1 residences at 99th Street and Read Avenue, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

673 99th Street and Read Avenue

673 99th Street and Read Avenue. Click to expand.

Ring 2 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, October 1978

627 99th Street

627 99th Street . Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence with defoliated bush in foreground, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY May 1982

Wheatfield Avenue and 99th Street

Wheatfield Avenue and 99th Street . Click to expand.

An Environmental Protection Agency tanker truck and hazardous waste treatment facility on Wheatfield Avenue and 97th Street, 97th Street residences in the background, playground equipment in the foreground, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, February 1979

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School . Click to expand.

Playground equipment at the 99th Street Elementary School with 97th Street residences and Griffon Manor apartments in background, August 1978

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School . Click to expand.

Playground equipment at the 99th Street Elementary School with 97th Street residences in background, August 1978

99th Street Elementary School and Wheatfield Avenue

99th Street Elementary School and Wheatfield Avenue . Click to expand.

99th Street Elementary School with playground equipment in foreground and wire fence with sign that reads, "DANGER KEEP OUT," June 1979

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School. Click to expand.

Playground equipment at the 99th Street Elementary School with wire fence in foreground and residences in background, July 1979

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School . Click to expand.

Playground equipment at the 99th Street Elementary School with wire fence in foreground and sign that reads, "DANGER KEEP OUT," clay cap in background, July 1979

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School . Click to expand.

99th Street Elementary School with playground equipment at left and wire fence in foreground with a sign that reads, "DANGER KEEP OUT," July 1979

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School . Click to expand.

99th Street Elementary School athletic field with 97th Street residences in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

99th Street Elementary School and Read Avenue

99th Street Elementary School and Read Avenue . Click to expand.

Clay cap behind 99th Street Elementary School, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School. Click to expand.

A large crane sits at the 99th Street Elementary School, a wire fence in the foreground and a sign that reads, "DANGER KEEP OUT," Niagara Falls, NY, July 1979

Read Avenue

Read Avenue. Click to expand.

Toxic waste barrels and other debris, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, October 1978

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School . Click to expand.

Remediation work behind the 99th Street Elementary School with a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation mobile laboratory and heavy machinery in foreground, Niagara Falls, NY, September 1978

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School . Click to expand.

Love Canal Bulletin Board inside the 99th Street Elementary School, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, 1978

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School. Click to expand.

Love Canal Homeowners Association office inside the 99th Street Elementary School with a sign that reads, "In our city you don't live you die from chemical abuse," Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, fall 1978

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School. Click to expand.

Security Guard standing in the Voucher and etc. office in the 99th Street Elementary School, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, 1978

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School . Click to expand.

Marie Posniak, Lois Gibbs, and Adeline Levine (left to right) working in the Love Canal Homeowners Association offices in the 99th Street Elementary School, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, October 1978

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School . Click to expand.

Debbie Cerrillo in the Love Canal Homeowners Association offices with banner reading, "Love Canal Victims, Niagara Falls, New York, Created by Hooker's chemical negligence," January 1981

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School . Click to expand.

Rubber boots contaminated with toxic mud left on cardboard inside 99th Street Elementary School, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, fall 1978

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School . Click to expand.

Niagara Falls Mayor Michael C. O'Laughlin addresses Love Canal residents at the 99th Street Elementary School (protest signs and placards in background), October 1978

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School . Click to expand.

Demolition of homes along 99th Street with the elementary school in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1982

506-514 99th Street and Wheatfield Avenue

506-514 99th Street and Wheatfield Avenue . Click to expand.

Ring 1 residences, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

503-515 99th Street

503-515 99th Street . Click to expand.

Ring 1 residences, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

502-510 99th Street

502-510 99th Street . Click to expand.

Backyards of ring 1 residences with heavy equipment and playground equipment in foreground, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, November 10, 1978

493-503 99th Street

493-503 99th Street . Click to expand.

Ring 1 residences, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

479 99th Street

479 99th Street . Click to expand.

Paint peeling from the interior of a ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

479 99th Street

479 99th Street . Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

South 99th Street

South 99th Street. Click to expand.

Toxic waste seepage in the basement of a south 99th Street residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

South 99th Street

South 99th Street. Click to expand.

Toxic waste seepage in the basement of a south 99th Street residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

South 99th Street

South 99th Street . Click to expand.

Toxic waste seepage ('bathtub effect') in the basement walls of a south 99th Street residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

South 99th Street

South 99th Street. Click to expand.

Toxic waste seepage ('bathtub effect') in the basement walls of a south 99th Street residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

South 99th Street

South 99th Street. Click to expand.

Toxic waste seepage ('bathtub effect') in the basement walls of a south 99th Street residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

440 99th Street

440 99th Street . Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1979

429 99th Street

429 99th Street . Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1979

99th Street and Frontier Avenue

99th Street and Frontier Avenue . Click to expand.

School bus stop at 99th Street and Frontier Avenue, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

410 99th Street

410 99th Street . Click to expand.

Toxic waste seepage in the basement of 410 99th Street showing sump pump and leachate, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

410 99th Street

410 99th Street . Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

389 99th Street

389 99th Street . Click to expand.

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1979

Frontier Avenue between 97th and 99th Street

Love Canal between 97th and 99th Street with chain link fence in foreground, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier MS100.584

Frontier Avenue between 97th and 99th Street

Remediation work area behind a chain link fence with view of clay capping in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier MS100.157

Frontier Avenue between 97th and 99th Street

Clay capping of Love Canal as viewed through a chain link fence from Frontier Avenue, fall 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.336

Frontier Avenue between 97th and 99th Street

Clay capping and laying of leachate collection piping with 97th Street residences at left, a crane at center, and the 99th Street Elementary School in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, December 12, 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier MS100.69

Frontier Avenue and 99th Street

Ring 1 residences behind a chain link fence, Frontier Avenue and 99th Street, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, January 1981

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.504

Frontier Avenue and 99th Street

Demolition of residences on 99th Street as viewed from Frontier Avenue looking north, 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.147

97th Street and Frontier Avenue

Ring 1 residences behind a chain link fence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, September 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.271

Frontier Avenue and 97th Street

Protesters blocking truck access to remediation site, 97th Street and Frontier Avenue, in winter after dioxin is discovered on the site, December 12, 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.76a

707-733 97th Street

Clay capping and remediation work with 97th Street residences in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, February 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.26

707-749 97th Street

Clap capping and remediation work with ring 1 residences in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, February 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.88

710-726 97th Street

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.32

725-733 97th Street

Pooled water behind ring 1 residences, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.7

730-738 97th Street

Ring 1 residences, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.145

746 97th Street

A "NO TRESPASSING" sign on a ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, December 12, 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.71

749 97th Street

Ring 1 residence with preparation for clay capping in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.146

745-753 97th Street

Ring 1 residences, including Deborah Cerrillo's home (center), Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.593

749 97th Street

Rising toxic waste on the ground surface of the Love Canal, Deborah Cerrillo's yard and house on south 97th Street in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, July 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.23

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street

Barrels containing toxic waste that have risen to the surface of the ground behind 749 97th Street, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.10

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street

Barrels containing toxic waste that have risen to the surface of the ground behind 749 97th Street, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.11

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street

Toxic waste residue that has risen to the surface of the ground behind 749 97th Street, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.12

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street

Toxic waste residue that has risen to the surface of the ground behind 749 97th Street, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.13

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street

Collapsed barrel head and toxic waste residue that has risen to the surface of the ground behind 97th Street, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.14

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street

Barrels containing toxic waste that have risen to the surface of the ground behind 97th Street, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.15

South 97th Street behind 749 97th Street

Barrels containing toxic waste that have risen to the surface of the ground behind 97th Street, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.9

753 97th Street

Ring 1 residence with large crane in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, December 12, 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.311

791 97th Street

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal Neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier MS100.512

783-795 97th Street and Wheatfield Avenue

Clay capping and heavy machinery with a barrel in the foreground and 97th Street residences in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, November 10, 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.64

799 97th Street

Newco Chemical Waste Systems Water Treatment Facility and ring 1 residence in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.144

97th Street and Wheatfield Avenue

Environmental Protection Agency treatment facility and 99th Street Elementary School in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.595

842-856 97th Street and 903 97th Street

Ring 1 residences at 97th Street and Read Avenue with Griffon Manor apartments in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identified: MS100.527

902-906 97th Street

Residences on 97th Street with Griffon Manor apartments in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.523

902 97th Street

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.270

903-907 97th Street

Ring 1 residences, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.521

911 97th Street

Ring 1 residence with view of clay capping in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identified MS100.522

920 97th Street

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.164

921 97th Street

Ring 1 residence with view of clay capping in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.524

928 97th Street

Ring 1 residence with environmental monitoring unit in foreground, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.163

925-929 97th Street

Ring 1 residences, Love Canal Neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier MS100.526

929 97th Street

Ring 1 residence with child's tricycle in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.195

953 97th Street

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.159

949-961 97th Street

Ring 1 residences, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.514

982 97th Street

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.243

95th Street

Griffon Manor apartments with backyards of residences on 97th Street in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.15

95th Street

Griffon Manor apartments with a "Emergency Evacuation Pick Up" sign at left, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, November 10, 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.127

95th Street and Read Avenue

Griffon Manor apartments with a chain link fence in foreground, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.14

95th Street and Read Avenue

Emergency evacuee buses on Read Avenue and 95th Street and residences and 99th Street Elementary School in background, November 10, 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.126

95th Street

Griffon Manor apartments, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, November 10, 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.123

9711 Colvin Boulevard

Ring 1 residence at 97th Street and Colvin Boulevard, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.6

9820-9826 Colvin Boulevard

Occupied residences at the intersection of 99th Street and Colvin Boulevard, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.266

9906 Colvin Boulevard

A cameraman standing in front of a residence on Colvin Boulevard, a sign in the background lists four things Hooker Chemical Company is responsible for, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 19, 1980

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.359

9905 Colvin Boulevard

People gathering outside the Colvin Boulevard Love Canal Homeowners Association offices on the day of the Environmental Protection Agency officials 'hostage-taking,' Dr. Adeline Levine (far right) , Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 19, 1980

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.363

9905 Colvin Boulevard

Lois Gibbs (back row left) speaking to residents at the Love Canal Homeowners' Association offices about the Environmental Protection Agency's announcement regarding the chromosome damage study, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 17, 1980

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.29

10002 Colvin Boulevard

Love Canal resident Marie Posniak evacuates her Colvin Avenue residence that bears sign: '4 Sale Buy 1, Get 1 Free', husband Al Posniak in background, July 3, 1980

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.442

10002 Colvin Boulevard

Love Canal residents Al and Marie Posniak evacuate their Colvin Avenue home as a local television film crew covers the story, July 3, 1980

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.441

10002 Colvin Boulevard

Love Canal resident Marie Posniak receives assistance evacuating her Colvin Avenue residence as local television film crew covers the story, July 3, 1980

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.453

10002 Colvin Boulevard

The Posniak family receives assistance evacuating their Colvin Avenue residence, July 3, 1980

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.237

99th Street and Colvin Boulevard

Handmade sign reading, "DANGER CONTAINS DIOXIN" at the entrance gate, 99th Street and Colvin Boulevard, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, December 12, 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.72

99th Street and Colvin Boulevard

Protesters blocking truck access to remediation site, 99th Street and Colvin Boulevard, after dioxin is discovered on the site, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, December 12, 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.74

99th Street and Colvin Boulevard

Fenced-in containment zone at 99th Street and Colvin Avenue with sign 'Admittance by permit only,' Spring 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.241

684 99th Street

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.184

680-684 99th Street

Ring 1 residences at 99th Street and Read Avenue, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.531

673 99th Street and Read Avenue

Ring 2 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, October 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.274

627 99th Street

Ring 1 residence with defoliated bush in foreground, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.188

Wheatfield Avenue and 99th Street

An Environmental Protection Agency tanker truck and hazardous waste treatment facility on Wheatfield Avenue and 97th Street, 97th Street residences in the background, playground equipment in the foreground, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, February 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.86

99th Street Elementary School

Playground equipment at the 99th Street Elementary School with 97th Street residences and Griffon Manor apartments in background, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.10

99th Street Elementary School

Playground equipment at the 99th Street Elementary School with 97th Street residences in background, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.11

99th Street Elementary School and Wheatfield Avenue

99th Street Elementary School with playground equipment in foreground and wire fence with sign that reads, "DANGER KEEP OUT," June 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.152

99th Street Elementary School

Playground equipment at the 99th Street Elementary School with wire fence in foreground and residences in background, July 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.183

99th Street Elementary School

Playground equipment at the 99th Street Elementary School with wire fence in foreground and sign that reads, "DANGER KEEP OUT," clay cap in background, July 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.190

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School with playground equipment at left and wire fence in foreground with a sign that reads, "DANGER KEEP OUT," July 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.185

99th Street Elementary School

99th Street Elementary School athletic field with 97th Street residences in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.13

99th Street Elementary School and Read Avenue

Clay cap behind 99th Street Elementary School, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.48

99th Street Elementary School

A large crane sits at the 99th Street Elementary School, a wire fence in the foreground and a sign that reads, "DANGER KEEP OUT," Niagara Falls, NY, July 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.181

Read Avenue

Toxic waste barrels and other debris, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, October 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

99th Street Elementary School

Remediation work behind the 99th Street Elementary School with a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation mobile laboratory and heavy machinery in foreground, Niagara Falls, NY, September 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.168

99th Street Elementary School

Love Canal Bulletin Board inside the 99th Street Elementary School, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.100

99th Street Elementary School

Love Canal Homeowners Association office inside the 99th Street Elementary School with a sign that reads, "In our city you don't live you die from chemical abuse," Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, fall 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.93

99th Street Elementary School

Security Guard standing in the Voucher and etc. office in the 99th Street Elementary School, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.101

99th Street Elementary School

Marie Posniak, Lois Gibbs, and Adeline Levine (left to right) working in the Love Canal Homeowners Association offices in the 99th Street Elementary School, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, October 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.78

99th Street Elementary School

Debbie Cerrillo in the Love Canal Homeowners Association offices with banner reading, "Love Canal Victims, Niagara Falls, New York, Created by Hooker's chemical negligence," January 1981

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.508

99th Street Elementary School

Rubber boots contaminated with toxic mud left on cardboard inside 99th Street Elementary School, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, fall 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.92

99th Street Elementary School

Niagara Falls Mayor Michael C. O'Laughlin addresses Love Canal residents at the 99th Street Elementary School (protest signs and placards in background), October 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.284

99th Street Elementary School

Demolition of homes along 99th Street with the elementary school in background, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.578

506-514 99th Street and Wheatfield Avenue

Ring 1 residences, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.549

503-515 99th Street

Ring 1 residences, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.547

502-510 99th Street

Backyards of ring 1 residences with heavy equipment and playground equipment in foreground, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, November 10, 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.67

493-503 99th Street

Ring 1 residences, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.552

479 99th Street

Paint peeling from the interior of a ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.22

479 99th Street

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.47

South 99th Street

Toxic waste seepage in the basement of a south 99th Street residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.16

South 99th Street

Toxic waste seepage in the basement of a south 99th Street residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.30

South 99th Street

Toxic waste seepage ('bathtub effect') in the basement walls of a south 99th Street residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.40

South 99th Street

Toxic waste seepage ('bathtub effect') in the basement walls of a south 99th Street residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.39

South 99th Street

Toxic waste seepage ('bathtub effect') in the basement walls of a south 99th Street residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.45

440 99th Street

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.149

429 99th Street

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.148

99th Street and Frontier Avenue

School bus stop at 99th Street and Frontier Avenue, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, August 1978

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.239

410 99th Street

Toxic waste seepage in the basement of 410 99th Street showing sump pump and leachate, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.570

410 99th Street

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, May 1982

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.D.46

389 99th Street

Ring 1 residence, Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, June 1979

Photograph by Penelope Ploughman

Identifier: MS100.156


Aerial Photographs

Analysis of historic aerial photographs can provide unique information regarding leachate migration, especially where the landfill and surrounding area have undergone substantial change.

Erb, T. & Philipson, W. & Teng, William & Liang, T.. (1981). Analysis of landfills with historic airphotos. Photogram. Eng. & Rem. Sens. 47.

Use the swipe bar to expose aerial images of modern day Love Canal and the neighborhood as it appeared through color-infrared photography in 1979. In infrared imaging, white often indicates the hottest part of an image. Bare soil also often appears as white. Vegetation appears as red.

Aerial infrared photograph of the Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, taken by Warren Philipson/New York State Department of Health and the United States Geological Survey, June 4, 1979.

View side by side color infrared aerial photographs of the Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, taken by Dr. Warren Philipson and the New York State Department of Health, August 1978.

Aerial infrared photographs of the Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY, taken by Warren Philipson and the New York State Department of Health, August 4, 1978.

Select the highlighted areas to explore color aerial photographs taken by Dr. Warren Philipson and the New York State Department of Health in August 1978.

Aerial photographs of the Love Canal neighborhood, Niagara Falls, NY overlaid on a modern day street map.

Resources

The University Archives has numerous resources to assist researchers seeking information about the environmental and public health crisis in the Love Canal neighborhood of Niagara Falls, New York. The  Love Canal Research Guide  offers a  timeline of events  and links to other relevant  archival collections  including  photograph collections ,  manuscripts , and  newspaper clippings .


Project information

This StoryMap was created as a project for "Implementing Digital Curation in the Workplace," the third course in a certificate program in  Digital Curation for Information Professionals  offered by the University of Maryland's College of Information.

The project addresses different aspects of digital curation including design and implementation for long-term digital curation of a discrete project; application of technologies and standards for description of digital assets; implementation of strategies to provide access to a digital collection.

The vision for this project was to bring together maps and photographs in a digital space, placing the photographs in their geographical context using residential street addresses, and offering these unique primary resources side by side, or in this case superimposed on one another. A StoryMap was envisioned that would provide researchers a space to navigate geographically through historical photographs; an alternative to static digital collections, but also including enhanced description about the photographs.

Tools

  • ArcGis
  • ArcGis StoryMaps
  • Omeka Classic
  • Microsoft Excel
  • IrfanView
  • Adobe Bridge and Photoshop

Future development

  • Explore ways to overlay historical aerial photographs onto the map
  • Further metadata remediation in the  digital collection of origin 
  • Over the next two years, the UB University Archives plans to partner with other regional cultural and community organizations to create programming (lectures, exhibits, artwork) about the Love Canal environmental disaster. This project could be utilized in the programming and expanded beyond its current focus to include additional historical images, maps, newspaper clippings, audiovisual content, and data.

About the creator

 Sarah Cogley  is the Digital Collections and Repositories Librarian at the  University at Buffalo Libraries . She spent ten years as a processing archivist and digital archivist in academic libraries before moving into the (adjacent) world of digital collections and repositories.