2) Setting and History

The Village of Gowanda (population 2842) is located in the central-western region of New York State. The Village lies approximately 30 miles south of the City of Buffalo and 35 miles north of the New York/Pennsylvania state line. Gowanda is bisected by Cattaraugus Creek, with the northern portion of the Village located in Erie County, N.Y. and the southern portion in Cattaraugus County, N.Y.  The Seneca Nation of Indians Cattaraugus Reservation is directly to the west of the Village. 

The Gowanda area is defined by its major natural resources, which includes Cattaraugus Creek and the Zoar Valley; as well as abundant undeveloped lands outside of the Village.  The importance of Gowanda’s natural features can be seen in the name of the Village itself, which is a Seneca name meaning “A Valley among the Hills”.

Gowanda was settled because of its strategic location near natural resources such as fertile land for agriculture, plentiful timber for logging, and Cattaraugus Creek for industrial waterpower. Several industries were built in the Village during the 1800’s to take advantage of these resources and the transportation networks that had been developed in the region - including roads, railroads and the Erie Canal. The early industries included gristmills, a furnace maker, a plow and stove manufacturer, a wagon and carriage factory, and an axe foundry.  In 1869 a tannery was opened that became the area’s largest industrial employer.  In 1904 Richard Wilhelm began construction of the Eastern Tanners Glue Company, which eventually became known as the Peter Cooper Corporation.  The company produced animal-based glue products until the early 1970’s.  The facility produced synthetic glue products until its closure in 1985.

The Peter Cooper Gowanda site is approximately 26 acres in size and is situated directly on Cattaraugus Creek, which makes up the site’s northern border.  Across the Creek from the site is a scenic bluff that signals the beginning of the Zoar Valley.  To the south of the site is Palmer Street, a Village road.  The site is bordered on the west by residences and a wetland area, and on the east by residences. The PCG site is approximately one-third mile from the historic commercial center of the Village. 

Beginning at the eastern end, the manufacturing facility took up the majority of the 2700 foot-long site. The western end of the site was used for above ground storage and landfill of a manufacturing by-product known as “cookhouse sludge”.  Cookhouse sludge was produced when fleshings and chrome-tanned hides from tanneries were put through a cooking process to extract protein ingredients for glue making.  The cookhouse sludge has been shown to contain elevated levels of chromium, arsenic, zinc, and some organic compounds.

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