History

As the Tonawanda Creek flows thru the rural Town of Pendleton, ten miles from the Niagara River the Canal Commission in the early 1800’s decided to build the Grand Erie Canal. At this place on the Tonawanda Creek the Erie Canal starts from Albany to the place where now stands the Ship n’ Shore.

In 1839 land was purchased from the Holland Land Co. by a Truman Carry, he in turn sold it to Austin Simonds. Austin started a canal store where goods came in by boats for the local people – timber, farm produce, and furs were sent east to sell. The small freightliners and packet boats would tie up to unload and to take on produce.

This continued for quite a long time. The store was made into a tavern around 1870. Several persons operated it over time. In 1905, New York State passed a law to enlarge the Canal from horse and mule drawn boats to tug boats.

The operator of the tavern at the time was Anton Roskoff. In order to make the Canal wider at this point they had to move his tavern away. After the work was done, the new tavern was built in 1917. The head carpenter was Lawrence Trafert of Kenmore, who was born in Pendleton.

The name of the place changed from time to time, as new owners operated it. In the 1960’s it got its name as the Ship n’ Shore as it is now.

Sylvester Pendleton Clarke, who the town is named for was the first inn keeper. Locals would come to the inn by horse and buggy. There was an open shed next to the place along where large apartment house is. They would tie up the horses in this shed while they ate.