Hamlet of Bushville

Route 5 & Kelsey Road

Bushville is the hamlet where West Main Street Road crosses the Tonawanda Creek. It was started in May 1806 when William Bush built a sawmill on the creek. Two years later he added a machine shop and a carding and cloth-dressing establishment. Bush did not stop there. In 1809, he built a gristmill and a paper mill. In 1817, he added a distillery to his holdings.

About 1800, the Willow Bend Inn was built as a stopping point for pioneers heading west. The name comes from the large willow trees surrounding the building and because it was at the bend in the Tonawanda Creek.

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