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FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH!!!
Saturday. February 13, 2010
1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (150 min.) – “Underground Railroad,” hosted by Alfre Woodard, a new documentary from the History Channel that unveils the history, heroes, and villains of the Abolitionist movement.
Monday, February 15, 2010
7 p.m. - Genealogy Workshop, presented by Museum Trustee Randall Warblow, “Searching Other Records” - suggested donation $3.
Saturday. February 20, 2010
2 p.m. (60 min.) - “Whispers of Angels: A Story of the Underground Railroad” – winner of the Chris Award Statuette, 2002 Columbus International Film and Video Festival. Long format interview with prominent historians blend with dramatic reenactment to create a powerful story about the fight to end slavery. Actors Edward Asner and Blair Underwood portray the two most prominent abolitionists on the eastern line of the Underground Railroad, Thomas Garrett and William Still.
Saturday. February 27, 2010
2 p.m. (90 min.) - “Race to Freedom: The Story of the Underground Railroad” – a historical melodrama about the Underground Railroad. Featuring Tim Reid and Glynn Turman.
"Let's Go Out!" 2010 Elite Coupon Book Now Available At Museum!
The North Tonawanda History Museum is offering an entertainment savings book, "Let's Go Out! Elite" in time for holiday gift giving for $20 each.
The 370 page book is produced locally using green technology, such as the use of recycled paper and printed with 100% wind energy.
SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD!!!
Our latest newsletter is chock-full of upcoming events as well as an update of our status...
Please visit our Public Relations section inside for download!
Hurtubise Exhibit Being Developed at Museum!!!
Photo shows Richard L. (Joe) Zellner sharing his memories of working with Jim Hurtubise during his racing days with his sister-in-law, North Tonawanda History Museum Executive Director, Donna Zellner Neal.
MUSEUM PROUD MEMBER OF NEWLY FORMED CULTURAL ALLIANCE

Rae Proefrock, Acting Chair, and Donna Zellner Neal, Acting Secretary announce the first meeting of the Cultural Alliance of the Tonawandas took place on Monday, June 1 at the North Tonawanda History Museum. Initial participants in the new local alliance of cultural non-profit organizations were the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum/Carrousel Society of the Niagara Frontier; the North Tonawanda History Museum; the Historical Society of the Tonawandas and its Benjamin Long Homestead; the Railroad Museum of the Niagara Frontier/Niagara Frontier Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society; the Riviera Theatre, the Carnegie Art Center; Starry Night Theatre/Ghostlight Theatre; and Gateway Harbor, Inc.
The purpose of the alliance is to collaboratively address issues of importance to the individual members and issues which affect them collectively and work together toward solutions.
The Cultural Alliance of the Tonawandas normally meets on the first Monday at 7 p.m. in the North Tonawanda History Museum, 54 Webster Street, North Tonawanda.
Click the logo above to enter the new directory page for the Cultural Alliance of the Tonawandas.
NORTH TONAWANDA MAGNETS NOW AVAILABLE!!!
The North Tonawanda History Museum is pleased to announce the beginning of a line of North Tonawanda magnets. The first two in the series, a colored photographic view of Webster/Sweeney Street looking across the Canal from Tonawanda declaring "PROUD to be from...North Tonawanda, NY" and a black and white 1953 view of the west side of Webster Street from the Sugar Bowl almost to Goundry Street labeled "Historic Downtown North Tonawanda, NY" are the first in the line and are available for purchase at $2 each. An NTHS team letter magnet will also soon be available. Additional photo magnets will be designed. A trial selection of tee shirts and caps reading "Proud to be from North Tonawanda" will soon be available also.

"PROUD to be from... North Tonawanda, NY"

"Historic Downtown North Tonawanda, NY"
Call us at (716) 213-0554 for shipping rates if placing order by phone.
Museum Now Accepting Discover Card!!!

The Board of Trustees of the North Tonawanda History Museum announces that the purchase of their permanent home at 54-60 Webster (and 59-61 Manhattan Street) has been finalized, with closing occurring on March 18 in Buffalo. History Museum President Carl Tamburlin and Executive Director Donna Zellner Neal consummated the purchase on behalf of the History Museum's Board of Trustees.



Kristin Doebler and Facebook to the Rescue!

We have recently found out that our Online Forums provider (Xsorbit.com) has shut down services (without giving anyone notice at that). We were lucky enough to have a Facebook page created for us within the last few months by Kristin Doebler and would like to invite all of our old Forum guests to visit the following link to join our new online community hub via registration through Facebook. You will see that she has added the very same forum topics as with Xsorbit and encourage everyone to join and post freely.
Click here to view and register for our Facebook page
"Demonstration Edition" of the "Niagara Historic Trail" Update 2008-2009 Announced

The North Tonawanda History Museum, in cooperation with the County of Niagara and the Association of Municipal Historians of Niagara County and other County historians, the Historical Society of North German Settlements in Western New York and the Niagara County Historical Society, has produced a "Demonstration Edition" of "Niagara Historic Trail: A self-guided historic tour of Niagara County." It is an update of the original 1975 County project and the 1991 update by the County.
The 166-page spiral bound book (designed for use in driving around the County so that the pages will remain open for reference) will be available in January initially through the North Tonawanda History Museum and will also be distributed to other County cultural and tourism locations wishing to handle the sale.
Cost of the "Demonstration Edition" is $15 each and can be mailed for an additional $4. The North Tonawanda History Museum is accepting advance orders and accepts Master Card and Visa. Mail orders should be sent to the History Museum at 314 Oliver Street, North Tonawanda, NY 14120.
The new "Niagara Historic Trail" is dedicated "to our inspirations for their love of local history: Dr. H. William Feder, A. Daniel Bille, and John W. Percy."
Although the North Tonawanda History Museum is presently actively involved in moving from their three previous locations into their new home at 54 Webster Street, orders may be placed by phone at 213-0554 or email at nthistorymuseum@aol.com. A Museum representative will get back to you within 24 hours and arrange for pick up or delivery or mailing.
When the current Trail update project began in early 2008, the entire County of Niagara was enthusiastically celebrating the 200th anniversary of its establishment. The volunteer crew of municipal historians and historians from historical organizations in the County did not know what to anticipate in doing the update. A few had been involved in the earlier versions and some had never seen the printed versions of the earlier efforts. We did, however, generally conclude that, since a significant number of sites included in the previous two printed publications either no longer exist, were of current interest at the time of their original inclusion, or required new or additional descriptive material based on knowledge gained since the earlier publications, an updated version was justified.
The original intent was to have each community section updated and redone as correctly and thoroughly as possible so that the current publication would be an appropriate addition to the celebration of the County’s anniversary and provide a starting point for future updates, since technology has significantly improved in recent years and repeat printings and updated printings are much easier to facilitate. The finished product was to serve visitors to Niagara County, students of local history, and residents and become the basis for regular future updates and printing.
The plan was to fund the initial printing with grants and use the proceeds of the sale of the actual first printing for future printings. A dedicated fund was established by the North Tonawanda History Museum for this purpose, and a $5,000 grant was obtained from the Niagara County Legislature and a $2,500 Mini-Grant from the New York Council for the Humanities, a New York State affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, toward the initial printing costs. Beverly DiPalma of Quinlan Associates volunteered her services for the design of the cover. Carl Hoover of Pioneer Printers served as a consultant to the editor as plans progressed. Donna Zellner Neal, North Tonawanda History Museum Executive Director served as Editor and coordinated the project. Dr. H. William Feder made a presentation on the original Trail project at a March 2008 program of the North Tonawanda History Museum.
Because of the complications of a busy anniversary year in the County, a number of municipal historians were unable to fulfill the request for the historical descriptions, photos, and mapping data for their communities. We apologize, therefore, if their communities’ segments require future work. Without their assistance, we worked with what others were able to provide and did some of the work at the editor level so that all towns and villages and cities in Niagara County would be represented in the guidebook. The delays that resulted and the additional unanticipated work prevented us from having a completed copy at the initially planned time in September.
Our goal from the beginning, however, and the requirements of our funding of the printing, were for a book to be published in 2008 that could be easily updated and reprinted as needed.
Once the copy was as complete as we could make it, with the variety of styles provided merged into a uniform style, mapping proved to be a problem because it was not just a matter of adding available maps. Much of the material supplied, at a significant contribution of time by the historians, did not incorporate street addresses into the descriptions. In some instances, we had to totally eliminate a site which has an important history but for which siting it on a map was not possible as we passed our initial deadline and were continuing past the original schedule to complete the publication.
Locating accurate maps which would work became a problem. From the beginning, we had planned on using a uniform map, breaking it into segments. That, we found as time was running out, left us with maps which did not agree with either of the previous publications in detail. The historians who provided actual street addresses make it possible for the reader or traveler to locate their sites using the addresses. We resigned ourselves to using what we had for the first printing. John Zellner Neal of the North Tonawanda History Museum worked with the editor on this. We will appreciate input from users of the book and the contributing historians so that the first update we do may include any necessary corrections and revisions. We also will be grateful for better maps for future reprints.
We realize at this time with the initial printing that better maps are a necessity for the next printing. Good quality black and white local municipal maps of the cities, towns, and villages are desired for future updates. It is our belief that the kind historians who worked with us in getting this “demonstration edition" together will, upon seeing the initial printing, assist in locating and preparing better local maps. We also hope that other historic sites omitted from this initial printing of the publication can be incorporated into the next printing. We hope as well that street addresses can be included – or at least a description of where on the road or street, or between what other sites, a site is located.
Copies will be distributed to all participating contributors to the publication and to the Mayor of each of the three cities, the Town Supervisors of the twelve towns, and the Mayors of the five villages. City, Town and Village Clerks will also be given a copy of the "demonstration edition." The "Demonstration Edition" will be available for purchase and will be reprinted as needed until the next update. It is hoped that the publication will be updated every couple of years.
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North Tonawanda History Museum © Online!
Site Updated: DAILY!!!
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