Walking Tour with Bill Poray
Our 2026 walking tours will have a special focus on the impact of the railroad and the Rochester, Syracuse & Eastern Rapid Railway (trolley) on our community. Three decades after the opening of the Erie Canal, commerce and the ability to conveniently travel increased markedly with the arrival of the railroad through Perinton and Fairport in 1853. Five decades later, when the tracks were laid for the R.S. & E. Rapid Railway, early 20th century residents instantly had the ability to travel to Rochester and Syracuse, and towns and villages in-between for a very reasonable price. This accelerated the community’s transformation into a “bedroom community,” a suburb of Rochester.
Our walk will begin and end at the gazebo at Kennelley Park, just outside the Fairport Public Library. The total distance is 1.2 miles. Library staff will provide each participant with a listening earpiece for this event. Each of the four Monday walks in June will follow the same route* Sign up for one of these walks by accessing the Fairport Public Library’s interactive calendar at www.fairportlibrary.org, or call (585) 223-9091.
*Please note that this walk is the same each week. Please limit yourself to signing up for one walk to allow for all those who would like to participate. Also, one of the walks may be filmed so that a wider at-home audience can virtually enjoy the tour.
Bill Poray has been the historian for Perinton and the village of Fairport since 2013. He has had a lifelong interest in history, especially local history, sparked by school social studies teachers and his own family’s involvement in the Civil War. A retiree of General Motors, Rochester Operations, Bill helped to secure and preserve the site’s historic artifacts. He has also been a Trustee of the Perinton Historical Society for many years, and was a commissioner of the Fairport Historic Preservation Commission since its inception in 2007 to 2012. As municipal historian, he researches local history, leads tours, provides presentations on numerous topics, and meets with hundreds of school children each year on field trips and school assemblies.
Program Accommodations
We want everyone to feel welcome at our library programs and events! If you need an accommodation to participate, please fill out an accommodation request form or give us a call at (585) 223-9091 at least ten days before the event. A staff member will be in touch to confirm the details.
Event Links
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3645782-0
