At the thirteenth general meeting of the American Chemical Society held August 21-22, 1896, in Buffalo, New York, chemists of Western New York first expressed and interest in organizing a local section. In 1900, the Chemical Society of Western New York was founded which was chartered as the Western New York Section of the American Chemical Society on August 18, 1905. The Western New York Section includes the counties of Erie and Niagara in the State of New York and the county of Welland in the Province of Ontario. The object of the section is to increase interest in chemistry by providing opportunities for members to meet and discuss subjects of chemical interest; by encouraging the dissemination of general chemical knowledge within its boundaries; by cooperating, when desired, in a professional advisory capacity with local civil officers and civic bodies; and promoting the interests of the American Chemical Society. Membership is limited to members of the American Chemical Society residing within the territory of the section and those residing outside the territory who have made suitable arrangements for enrollment. In September 1928, the first issue of the section's magazine, the "Double Bond", was published. The name reflects the duality of chemical interests and activities centered in Niagara Falls and Buffalo. The Schoellkopf Medal was established in 1929 by Jacob F. Schoellkopf of the National Aniline Division of the Allied Chemical and Dye Corporation, who had been active in building the chemical industry of the Niagara Frontier. Schoellkopf created a trust fund, the income of which was to provide a gold medal to be awarded each year by the WNY-ACS to persons for notable achievement toward the objectives of the American Chemical Society, regardless of membership in the ACS.

The information above is taken from the "Fifty Year History" (1955) of the Western New York Section, ACS, and from the section's by-laws of 1957.