Perinton and Fairport in the 20th Century documents the transformation of this upstate New York community into a suburban center. The change began with the arrival of a high-speed electric train in 1906. After that, the era of building and invention was under way. Pictured are some of the first housing subdivisions and period buildings-which survived most of the twentieth century but were razed for urban renewal-and the people of the time, including inventors Willis Trescott and Robert Douglas, whose patents for apple processing and Certo revolutionized the fruit industry.
In operation since 1879, Seabreeze Park is the fourth-oldest operating amusement park in the United States. Mixing old and new within its gates, the park's attractions range from a vintage 1920 Jack Rabbit roller coaster and a tree-lined midway to a kiddieland and waterpark. George Long Sr. came to the shores of Lake Ontario as a concessionaire in 1904, and his son assumed ownership of the park by the 1940s. Over the years, the Long, Norris, and Price families have propelled the park through changing times and perilous fires. In 1994, fire destroyed the heart of the park, its carousel. Recognizing the damage as an opportunity to revive the cherished ride, the family relied on more than a century of experience to inspire and hand-craft a new "antique" carousel. In an age of corporate theme parks, Seabreeze Park endures as one of the country's favorite family-owned and operated parks.