History of the Museum / News Release Archive - February 2005 * Represents newest additions to our Archive
Telling the Story of Our City's Rich Ethnic & Industrial Heritage As a City Located on the Historic Erie Canal & Mighty Niagara River Administrative Office: 314 Oliver Street - Mailing Address: 195 Goundry Street North Tonawanda , New York 14120 (716) 213-0554 or 692-2681 - e-mail: nthistorymuseum@aol.com website: www.nthistorymuseum.org A new museum of the rich immigrant heritage of North Tonawanda and its role as an important shipping and manufacturing center on the Historic Erie Canal and the Mighty Niagara River in the 19 th and early 20 th centuries. Known as the “Lumber Capital of the World” in the late 19 th century. 2005 Office Hours: Mondays 5 to 9 p.m. , Tuesdays 1 to 9 p.m. , Thursdays 9 to 5 p.m. , Fridays 9 to noon Also open by appointment For Immediate Release NT Football Hall of Fame to host North Tonawanda History Museum meeting on 17th The North Tonawanda History Museum 's February meeting will be on Thursday, February 17, at the NT Football Hall of Fame at 240-1/2 Goundry Street , beginning at 6:30 . The NT Football Hall of Fame is directly behind the Carnegie Art Center . A tour of the facility will be included. Paul Frys, President of the NT Football Hall of Fame, and Dennis Grinnell will be available following the tour to answer questions and share the organization's history. The meeting is open to the public. Refreshments will be provided, including paczki and chryzicki, Polish pre-Lenten and Lenten treats. Museum representatives will be featured on the February 18 “Iney Wallens Program” on WHLD (1270 AM) radio. Museum staff and volunteers will be accompanied by Donna Burgio, representing Mayor Burgio and Project Pride of North Tonawanda, and Adam Tabelski, representing Senator George Maziarz. Advance notice is given also of Irish Heritage Night, Thursday, March 17, which will be held in the DeGraff Community Center , 139 Division Street , North Tonawanda , beginning at 6:30 p.m. The program will begin with a performance of Irish heritage dancing by the Woodgate-Lachut School of Irish Dancers. Daniel Killian, former North Tonawanda Public Library Director, will present: “Old Irish History. How the Irish Saved Civilization.” Refreshments will have an Irish flavor. As part of its educational programming and in keeping with its efforts to collaborate with other historical and cultural venues, the North Tonawanda History Museum 's Community Relations Committee is planning a day trip to the Niagara County Historical Society campus of five historic buildings in Lockport on Saturday, May 21, 2005 . Stephen Ash and Judith Mittiga are planning the trip. The day will begin with a bus trip, picking up passengers at the Museum offices at 314 Oliver Street , at 9:30 a.m. Following a guided tour of the historical society structures and a visit to the Outwater Emporium gift shop, the group will return to North Tonawanda for a luncheon at Pane's Restaurant at 1:15 p.m. The bus will return passengers to 314 Oliver following the luncheon. Total cost is $25 per person. To register for the day trip, send a check or money order for $25 each to the North Tonawanda History Museum , 314 Oliver Street , North Tonawanda , NY 14120 . Reservations are limited. Early registration is recommended. Call 213-0554 or 692-2681 or email to nthistorymuseum@aol.com for additional information. NORTH TONAWANDA HISTORY MUSEUM Telling the Story of Our City's Rich Ethnic & Industrial Heritage As a City Located on the Historic Erie Canal & Mighty Niagara River Administrative Office: 314 Oliver Street - Mailing Address: 195 Goundry Street North Tonawanda , New York 14120 (716) 213-0554 or 692-2681 - e-mail: nthistorymuseum@aol.com website: www.nthistorymuseum.org A new museum of the rich immigrant heritage of North Tonawanda and its role as an important shipping and manufacturing center on the Historic Erie Canal and the Mighty Niagara River in the 19 th and early 20 th centuries. Known as the “Lumber Capital of the World” in the late 19 th century. 2005 Office Hours: Mondays 5 to 9 p.m. , Tuesdays 1 to 9 p.m. , Thursdays 9 to 5 p.m. , Fridays 9 to noon Also open by appointment For Immediate Release “We have a vision for North Tonawanda : "The Future of Our Past!"”, says Museum Board Donations arriving for capital campaign The Board of Trustees of the North Tonawanda History Museum announced its long-term objective for the Museum's future home at a location yet to be determined following the January 6 meeting of the Board of Trustees in the Museum's temporary offices at 314 Oliver Street . Museum officials are presently working with an architect, a museum design firm, a potential developer and funding sources to make their vision for a permanent home for the Museum a reality. A capital campaign to begin efforts to facilitate the project was also announced and was named, “The Future of Our Past!” “Come join us in creating “The Future of Our Past,” said Donna Zellner Neal, Director and a founding member of the Board of Trustees. “We have developed a solid format for educational programming initiatives directed at “students” of all ages. Our Museum focus has been built around the suggestions and responses from North Tonawanda residents and former residents since our grassroots effort began in September 2003 to create a museum of North Tonawanda 's history. The theme for the campaign comes from North Tonawanda 's children, a result of the concepts presented in the 79 entries received in our 2004 logo design contest for the City's school students. ” “The students, residents, and former residents have given us the “spirit of North Tonawanda ” they wish us to focus on,” said Cynthia Fredricks, President and Community Relations Chair. “To be a permanent and successful museum in the 21 st century, we need to create a venue that will be self-supporting—and which will also add to the economic development of the City. Our objective from the beginning has been to create a tourist attraction combined with solid educational programming that will enable the Museum to preserve the rich ethnic and industrial heritage of our City for present and future generations of North Tonawanda residents—and to do so by making it a modern tourist attraction as well as a resource on the City's history.” Sarah E. Walter, Education Curator and a Trustee, said, “We are seeking the ideal permanent home in which to create a history center which will benefit our community for generations to come. The Board of Trustees has made a commitment to the residents and former residents of North Tonawanda —and to the memory of those who lived their lives here since the first settler arrived.” Betty Brandon, Treasurer, announced, “Those individuals, businesses, organizations, or other funding sources making donations of any amount to this capital campaign will be permanently listed on a plaque in the permanent museum as “Those Who Shared Our Vision for North Tonawanda—“The Future of Our Past!” We have gathered together a competent team of advisors, including an architect/preservationist, museum concept development experts, our attorneys, our accountant, and our insurance advisor. Our target goal is to raise at least $50,000 in donations or pledges toward the project to show community support. The entire project will entail a minimum of several million dollars over a two to three year period. Our advisory team believes we can fund the balance of this project total from sources already identified. Raising the local $50,000 will also show our developer and potential funding sources that the community supports the project.” The vision:
Invitations to the public/How you may help make the vision a reality:
Museum Board accepts hefty challenges to make their vision for the future a reality
Operating out of donated facilities owned by North Tonawanda businessman, David Zobrist, since August, the new North Tonawanda History Museum has excited the imagination of visitors who have enjoyed their visit to the startup facilities and have learned of the Board of Trustees' vision for the future. “We are operating on a minimal budget at this time,” said Treasurer Betty Brandon. “We have accomplished an amazing number of projects and gone from non-existence to being a functioning museum with exciting programming in a little over a year. We are all volunteers, devoting countless hours to creating a permanent museum of the history of our city and planning a much larger interactive museum which will be a self-supporting tourist attraction, which along with our programming, will draw many visitors to our city. We presently pay for our heat, telephone and internet connection, and have fairly large outstanding legal expenses from our startup. We have all worked very hard to raise funds to create a museum. Most of our support in the first year has been from in-kind donations and memberships and the numerous fundraising efforts throughout the year, with a few small grants for specific needs.” Our long-term plans envision several satellite locations throughout the city in addition to the primary history center which is the centerpiece of our planning. Having a permanent presence on Oliver Street has always been part of our long-range concept. Our primary history center requirements demand far more space, parking capabilities, and a location which will support the tourist attraction we envision and add to the visitors to our wonderful historic downtown shopping district. The 314 Oliver Street facility, fits in well with our present and potentially long-range plans for an Oliver Street satellite location. We have been delighted with the steady stream of visitors who have stopped in to see what we are all about. Their praise and encouragement has been our reward for all the volunteer hours we have put in to bring the museum this far.” Kay Learned, co-owner of Hodgepodge, a former President and founding Trustee of the North Tonawanda History Museum, who is now Trustee Emeritus, noted, “The grassroots effort to create a museum which began in September 2003 has been fascinating to watch. The commitment of our many tireless volunteers and the time they put into planning, creating, and putting into action their plans is beyond the comprehension of those who haven't been part of the effort. The amount of effort and time and donated materials they put into setting up the museum offices at 314 Oliver Street alone is something you rarely see done by volunteers. This wonderful team has a vision for a project which will be a tourist attraction and an educational resource for our residents and what we call “students” of all ages. They haven't ignored any comments or suggestions from the general public, always discussing many ideas and maintaining records of those not appropriate at this time. The entire museum history center concept has come from the suggestions of North Tonawanda residents and former residents. They have members and volunteers all over the country and hear regularly from former residents or descendents of former residents living in many other countries.” “One of our goals,” said Donna Zellner Neal, “is to one day make a long distance phone call or even a regional call beyond the city limits about our project and not have to tell people where North Tonawanda is! We believe our vision for telling the history of our city will have a positive impact on the economic development of our city. Somewhere in the last century, the city lost its sense of identity. We believe its identity still lies in its wonderful history. The Board of Trustees and our corps of volunteers believe that once we have our permanent home up and running, it will serve as a catalyst to draw visitors to our city who appreciate history and learning about different cultures and traditions. We envision our permanent Museum serving as a means of bringing people to North Tonawanda as a cultural destination—with us perhaps having smaller satellite locations on Oliver Street and in the historic Wurlitzer building for specific exhibits. We wish to promote the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum , the historic Riviera Theatre, the Carnegie Arts Center in its historic building, Ghostlight Theatre in its historic church building, the Railroad Museum , and our historic downtown shopping district. We hope to be able to offer space in our permanent home for rotating exhibits by the Historical Society of the Tonawandas as well.” “We are developing long-range plans for programming we will offer to the North Tonawanda , and other, school districts,” said Sarah Walter, Education Curator and a Trustee. “This includes history walks as field trips (already available), a WebQuest program for fifth graders, and an oral history program to involve high school and possibly middle school students. We are working also on the development of a format for collaboration with the North Tonawanda Public Library, the North Tonawanda School District , and the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum , and other research venues, for making the recorded history of our city as widely accessible as possible.” “We believe our vision for the future will bring in visitors—and potential future residents or businesses—to the entire city, ” said Cynthia Fredricks. “and in so doing, will prove of inestimable value to the residents and businesses who have already made a commitment to the city.” Call the Museum at 213-0554 or 692-2681 or email to nthistorymuseum@aol.com or visit Mondays 5 to 9 p.m. ; Tuesdays, 1 to 9 p.m. ; Thursdays 9 to 5 p.m. , or Fridays 9 to noon.NORTH TONAWANDA HISTORY MUSEUM Telling the Story of Our City's Rich Ethnic & Industrial Heritage As a City Located on the Historic Erie Canal & Mighty Niagara River Administrative Office: 314 Oliver Street - Mailing Address: 195 Goundry Street North Tonawanda , New York 14120 website: www.nthistorymuseum.org A new museum of the rich immigrant heritage of North Tonawanda and its role as an important shipping and manufacturing center on the Historic Erie Canal and the Mighty Niagara River in the 19 th and early 20 th centuries. Known as the “Lumber Capital of the World” in the late 19 th century. 2005 Office Hours: Mondays 5 to 9 p.m. , Tuesdays 1 to 9 p.m. , Thursdays 9 to 5 p.m. , Fridays 9 to noon Also open by appointment HSBC Bank Makes Grant to Museum; RealtyUSA becomes Major Event Sponsor HSBC Bank N.A. has awarded a $350 grant to the North Tonawanda History Museum in recognition of HSBC Bank employee Judith Mittiga's volunteer service with the Museum. Mittiga, a North Tonawanda resident, is a member of the Board of Trustees and chair of the Lumber City Scavenger Hunt. She is Personnel Committee chairman, which includes the volunteer operations of the all-volunteer museum, and also serves on the Community Relations Committee. RealtyUSA has made a $1,000 grant to the Museum as Major Sponsor of the Historic Treasures Tour 2005. The July 31 event will include a 2-1/2 mile walking and/or driving tour of historic homes and other historic structures in the city. Ten of North Tonawanda 's most fabulously interesting homes, five historical church buildings, two registered historic sites (the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum and the Carnegie Arts Center building), the Riviera Theatre, and the Railroad Museum will be included. Vintage automobiles will be placed in front of each location to facilitate location of the sites by attendees. Horse-drawn Cinderella carriage rides, similar to those used by the wealthy residents of the City in the late 1800's and early 1900's, will be available during the event from Pinewoods Park to the Goundry Street homes and back to the park. Photos of those taking carriage rides may also be purchased as mementos. Rides will be provided by Double T Ranch of East Bethany and will be open to the public during the event, but those holding tickets to the Historic Treasures Tour will be given precedence. Non-ticket holders' ride fees will be $5 for adults, $3 for children, $10 for a family of 4 plus $1 for each additional family member. The Shawnee Country Barns Co-Op will provide antiques for the event. Items to be displayed by Co-Op members in the historic homes included in the Tour may be purchased by attendees. Décor items from Hodgepodge and personal photography by Michael Mroczka will also be displayed in some of the homes. Martin Wachadlo, an architectural historian, is assisting Museum event planners in detailing the architectural histories of the homes. The event will also include a Towpath Tea in the pavilion in historic Pinewoods Park , presented by Mr.& Mrs. Catering. The tea is not included in the ticket price for the Tour, and it will be open to the public as well as to ticket holders. The tea will include a sampling of typical fare from the late 1800's to early 1900's as well as more modern fare. Attendees will pay for their individual choice of food and beverage purchases. A courtesy shuttle for elderly or others who find walking between sites a problem and for those not wishing to park and re-park their cars, will also be available, with two special new vans and drivers provided by Skill Buick of Tonawanda for the day's event. Tickets may be ordered for $18 each or $15 for members of the North Tonawanda History Museum . To include a prepaid a carriage ride with the tour ticket, an additional $5 should be included. A maximum of 500 tickets will be sold for the tour. A keepsake guidebook will be included in the ticket price. The guidebooks will be distributed to ticket holders at a registration table in Pinewoods Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. the day of the event. Tickets are available at the Museum offices at 314 Oliver Street, open Mondays 5 to 9 p.m., Tuesdays 1 to 5 p.m. , Thursdays 9 to 5 p.m. , and Fridays 9 to noon; or at Hodgepodge at 72 Webster Street, Barb's Sweet Treats at 238 Oliver Street, Lovin' Life, 305 Robinson Street, the Mayor's Office at City Hall, 216 Payne Avenue, or the offices of the Chamber of Commerce of the Tonawandas at 15 Webster Street. To order tickets by mail, send check or money order to the North Tonawanda History Museum , 314 Oliver Street , North Tonawanda , NY 14120 . For information, call 213-0554 or 692-2681 or email at nthistorymuseum@aol.com . Betty Brandon is chairing this event. Today's photo: The “Wurlitzer” mansion at 373 Goundry Street is one of the ten homes included in the tour. It is hoped that the tour will promote North Tonawanda as a wonderful place to live. NORTH TONAWANDA HISTORY MUSEUM Telling the Story of Our City's Rich Ethnic & Industrial Heritage As a City Located on the Historic Erie Canal & Mighty Niagara River Administrative Office: 314 Oliver Street - Mailing Address: 195 Goundry Street North Tonawanda , New York 14120 (716) 213-0554 or 692-2681 - e-mail: nthistorymuseum@aol.com website: www.nthistorymuseum.org A new museum of the rich immigrant heritage of North Tonawanda and its role as an important shipping and manufacturing center on the Historic Erie Canal and the Mighty Niagara River in the 19 th and early 20 th centuries. Known as the “Lumber Capital of the World” in the late 19 th century. 2005 Office Hours: Mondays 5 to 9 p.m. , Tuesdays 1 to 9 p.m. , Thursdays 9 to 5 p.m. , Fridays 9 to noon Also open by appointment Betty A. Brandon and Judith M. Mittiga Chair Summer Events for Museum Betty A. Brandon, a North Tonawanda resident, is chair of the Historic Treasures Tour 2005 sponsored by the North Tonawanda History Museum . The event, to be held Sunday, July 31, will include a walking/driving tour of ten historic homes, five historic church buildings, and four other historic North Tonawanda buildings. A Cinderella carriage ride, free shuttle vans provided by Skill Buick, and a Towpath Tea in historic Pinewoods Park will complete the day's events. Brandon is a member of the Museum's Board of Trustees, serving as Treasurer. She also is chair of the Finance Committee and a member of the Community Relations Committee. She has recently retired after 39 years with National Fuel Gas. Judith M. Mittiga, also a North Tonawanda resident, is chair of the Lumber City Scavenger Hunt, a contest wherein people must visit participating North Tonawanda businesses to obtain the answer to a question supplied by each business. A Museum Trustee, she is also chair of the Personnel Committee, which has oversight over the volunteer program in the all-volunteer organization. In addition, she is a member of the Community Relations Committee. She is an operations assistant with HSBC Bank. HSBC Bank N.A. has recently awarded a $350 grant to the North Tonawanda History Museum in recognition of HSBC Bank Mittiga's volunteer service with the Museum.NORTH TONAWANDA HISTORY MUSEUM Telling the Story of Our City's Rich Ethnic & Industrial Heritage As a City Located on the Historic Erie Canal & Mighty Niagara River Administrative Office: 314 Oliver Street North Tonawanda , New York 14120 (716) 213-0554 - e-mail: nthistorymuseum@aol.com website: www.nthistorymuseum.org A new museum of the rich immigrant heritage of North Tonawanda and its role as an important shipping and manufacturing center on the Historic Erie Canal and the Mighty Niagara River in the 19 th and early 20 th centuries. Known as the “Lumber Capital of the World” in the late 19 th century. 2005 Office Hours: Mondays 5 to 9 p.m. , Tuesdays 1 to 9 p.m. , Thursdays 9 to 5 p.m. , Fridays 9 to noon Also open by appointment For Immediate Release The North Tonawanda History Museum has been approved for a Speakers in the Humanities Award from the New York Council for the Humanities. The award will make it possible for the museum to feature Dr. Emilese Aleandri in its December 17 th Italian Christmas program. Dr. Aleandri will tell the story of “the Legend of LaBefana and the Feast of the Epiphany.” This program will be free and open to the general public and will be of interest to all age groups. It will be held in the DeGraff Community Center , 139 Division Street, North Tonawanda , beginning at 1 p.m. The event will be North Tonawanda History Museum 's second Ethnic Christmas program. The new museum presented a Polish Christmas program in December 2004. Dr. Aleandri is Artisitc Director of Frizzi & Lazzi The Olde Time Italian-American Music & Theatre Company in New York City. NORTH TONAWANDA HISTORY MUSEUM Telling the Story of Our City's Rich Ethnic & Industrial Heritage As a City Located on the Historic Erie Canal & Mighty Niagara River 314 Oliver Street North Tonawanda , New York 14120 (716) 213-0554 or 692-2681 - e-mail: nthistorymuseum@aol.com website: www.nthistorymuseum.org A new museum of the rich immigrant heritage of North Tonawanda and its role as an important shipping and manufacturing center on the Historic Erie Canal and the Mighty Niagara River in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Known as the “Lumber Capital of the World” in the late 19th century. 2005 Office Hours: Mondays 5 to 9 p.m. , Tuesdays 1 to 9 p.m. , Thursdays 9 to 5 p.m. , Fridays 9 to noon Also open by appointment Cynthia Fredricks, Manager of Volunteer & Community Services for DeGraff Memorial Hospital , a North Tonawanda resident, has coordinated the creation and compilation of the “ North Tonawanda Ethnic Heritage Cookbook,” which was released for sale on January 6, and has gone into a second printing, reported Museum Director Donna Zellner Neal. “Response has far exceeded our expectations,” she noted. “We took advance orders for some, but our office was humming when the cookbooks arrived and Hodgepodge and Barb's Sweet Treats sold out their starter supply the first day and called for replenishment,” she continued. “We have added additional outlets for this new supply.” Fredricks is President of the Museum's Board of Trustees and chairs the Community Relations Committee. The cookbook is the first in a series of heritage cookbooks to be published by the Museum. Recipes have already come in for inclusion in the second cookbook, “ North Tonawanda Families & Their Favorite Recipes.” Museum representatives request additional recipes from North Tonawanda residents and former residents, each including a brief biographical or historical note about the contributing family or individual. Cookbooks are now available at the Museum offices at 314 Oliver Street , at Hodgepodge, 72 Webster Street , Barb's Sweet Treats, 238 Oliver Street , in the Mayor's office at City Hall, 216 Payne Avenue , and at the Chamber of Commerce of the Tonawandas, 15 Webster Street . The cookbooks are for sale at $6.69 including tax. Cookbooks are also available by mail from the Museum (include $3 for shipping and handling per cookbook). Tickets to the Historic Treasures Tour may be ordered by mail or be purchased at the Museum, at Hodgepodge, Barb's Sweet Treats, the Mayor's office, the Chamber of Commerce of the Tonawandas, and at Lovin' Life, 305 Robinson Street . Call 213-0554 or 692-2681 or email to nthistorymuseum@aol.com . Museum hours for 2005 are Mondays 5 to 9 p.m. ; Tuesdays 1 to 9 p.m. ; Thursdays 9 to 5 p.m. ; and Fridays 9 to noon. |
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