History of the Museum / News Release Archive - August 2006 * Represents newest additions to our Archive
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 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 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays 9 a.m. to noon Also open by appointment; admission free; donations accepted Proud to be a member of/affiliated with:
Cultural
Advance Sale Tickets Available for Festival “North Tonawanda: A Celebration of our Ethnic Diversity!” set for Saturday, October 7, 2006, will be the first bi-annual ethnic heritage festival of the North Tonawanda History Museum. It will be held in the Sportsplex Family Entertainment Complex at 90 Ridge Road from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Intended as an all day family event, the festival will include entertainment, educational programming, displays and exhibits, and ethnic foods. Some of the confirmed participants for this first event are the 55-member choir, the German Schwabenchor, the Polish Heritage Dancers, “Step in Time” Scottish Music Presentations, the Woodgate-Lachut School of Irish Dance, St. Stephen’s (Serbian) Tamburitzans & Dancers, the Bergholz Blashapelle (German Brass Band), the Latin American Institute, and North Tonawanda’s own Matt Piorkowski. Presented courtesy of funding by the New York Council for the Humanities Speakers in the Humanities program are “Traditional & Historical Songs of New York State” by Dave Ruch; Ciudad & Suburbia: The Changing Nature of Latino Immigration” by Dr. Sherrie Baver; and “Linguine and Lust: Food and Sex in Italian-American Culture” by Dr. Fred Gardaphe. There will be occupational and ethnic demonstrations, book signings, exhibits, ethnic and historical items for sale, and the Ethnic Food Court will include German food prepared by the German Schwabenchor, Polish pierogi by North Tonawanda’s Our Lady of Czestochowa Church, and Greek food by Niko’s “Big Fat Greek” Restaurant. The German Schwabenchor is coordinating the food court for the event. A festival souvenir book, “ North Tonawanda: A Celebration of Our Diversity!”, is being prepared and will contain a variety of ethnic cultural and historical information, much of it created for the museum by college student volunteers, with typing assistance by museum volunteers and high school students. The souvenir book, as with all publications created by the North Tonawanda History Museum, will become part of its regular gift shop product line. Printing is by North Tonawanda’s Pioneer Printers. Advance sale tickets may be ordered at the Museum or through its online gift shop. Discounted adult tickets for the all-day event are $8, children 5-16 are $2. Children 4 or under are FREE but tickets are required. Admission at the door will be $10 for adults, $3 for children ages 5-16. The deadline for discounted ticket purchases is October 6. Museum representatives plan the celebration to be a bi-annual event. As with all Museum programming, their educational responsibility to the community is a central focus of this project. The North Tonawanda History Museum hopes to develop the bi-annual festivals in celebration of the rich ethnic heritage of North Tonawanda. The earliest settlers in what is now the City of North Tonawanda were primarily of German heritage. Present day North Tonawanda has a population of over 33,000, 37% of which claim German heritage, 19% Polish heritage, 11% Italian, 11% Irish, and then smaller groups of other nationalities. While the City’s early historical heritage was primarily built around the lives of the North German or Prussian, Polish, Italian, Irish, Hungarian, Ukrianian, Lebanese, and Slovakian immigrants of the 1800’s through the 1920’s, over the years additional ethnic groups have come to call North Tonawanda home, including those of Russian heritage, Native Americans, Latin Americans, and others. North Tonawanda was and continues to be a melting pot of nationalities, each with a rich individual cultural heritage and identity. The Polish migration to North Tonawanda was part of the influx of what historians call “the new immigration to” the United States. The period from the 1880’s through the 1920’s was a period in which new ethnic groups entered the United States in increasing numbers. They were described as “new” because they came from Italy, Russia, Greece, Slovakia, China, Poland, and other countries, rather than from the traditional areas of U.S. migration to that point from England, Germany, and Ireland. The original groups continued to arrive but the newer groups became the most numerous. The Polish migration, for example, generally began in the 1890’s and continued until the period following World War I. The Polish immigration to North Tonawanda began in earnest when the Buffalo Bolt Co. set up shop and paid the passage for many Polish and Slovakian immigrants.
Individuals or groups who are interested in participating should call the Museum as soon as possible. Event planners and workers, coordinators, and other participants are presently being interviewed. A limited number of openings still exist for individuals or groups willing to perform or present demonstrations of ethnic and occupational skills and crafts, narrators to explain various ethnic traditions with which they are familiar; providers of ethnic foods, individuals/businesses/groups with ethnic items to sell. 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 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 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays 9 a.m. to noon Also open by appointment; admission free; donations accepted Proud to be a member of/affiliated with:
Cultural
The North Tonawanda History Museum Historic Treasures Tour Committee has begun plans for the 2007 event, tentatively scheduled for Sunday, August 5, 2007, from noon to 6 p.m. Marilyn P. Lasky is Chair of the 2007 event, and will be assisted by the 2005 Chair Betty A. Brandon, and Paula Belair, Margaret Cheeley, David Walders, Peter Trinkwalder, Diane Meholick, Barbara Wickman, and Museum Director Donna Zellner Neal. Lasky is a life-long and 4 th generation resident of North Tonawanda and a Trustee of the North Tonawanda History Museum. Presently a customer service representative for Impressive Imprints, she served previously as Senior Buyer for the Catholic Health System, and as Purchasing Director for Kenmore Mercy Hospital and was a 24-year employee of the hospital. It is anticipated that advance sale tickets will be available in early December in time for Christmas giving as was done with the first tour. Ticket prices are expected to be $18 each for the tour of between ten and fifteen homes. A Cinderella carriage ride is expected to be repeated also, at a charge of $5 per person. The Western New York Association of Historical Agencies awarded the North Tonawanda History Museum an Organizational Award of Merit for excellence in presenting the 2005 tour and the 65-page guidebook created as the passport to the tour which has continued to be purchased by people from all over the country. RealtyUSA was the event’s major sponsor in 2005. Museum representatives are presently initiating the screening process for candidate homes for inclusion in the 2007 tour. Homeowners interested in discussing having their home featured in the tour are invited to contact the Museum. Realtors and mortgage companies interested in serving as event sponsors are also invited to contact the Museum. The event’s primary purpose is to present and promote North Tonawanda as a wonderful city in which to live. North Tonawanda is described by Museum representatives as “the best little city in New York State, with a small town atmosphere and a rich and unique history.” In conjunction with the bi-annual tours, the Museum has established a North Tonawanda History Museum Historic Treasures Recognition Plaque program. Cast bronze plaques may be purchased through the Museum for installation on historic homes and buildings in the City. Contact the Museum at 213-0554 for further information or email to nthistorymuseum@aol.com. 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 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 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays 9 a.m. to noon Also open by appointment; admission free; donations accepted Proud to be a member of/affiliated with:
Cultural
Advance Sale Discounted Tickets Available for Ethnic Heritage Festival and Haunted Gardens Many opportunities for volunteers, including community service projects for students of all ages in both events Advance sale discounted tickets are now available at the North Tonawanda History Museum at 314 Oliver Street or by mail upon receipt of a check or money order for the Museum’s two October events, the first bi-annual ethnic heritage festival and the 2 nd annual 3-Friday Haunted Gardens on the EEEErie Canal. “North Tonawanda: A Celebration of our Ethnic Diversity!” set for Saturday, October 7, 2006, will be the first bi-annual ethnic heritage festival of the North Tonawanda History Museum. It will be held in the Sportsplex Family Entertainment Complex at 90 Ridge Road from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Intended as an all day family event, the festival will include entertainment, educational programming, displays and exhibits, and ethnic foods. Some of the confirmed participants for this first event are the 55-member choir, the German Schwabenchor, the Polish Heritage Dancers, “Step in Time” Scottish Music Presentations, the Woodgate-Lachut School of Irish Dance, St. Stephen’s (Serbian) Tamburitzans & Dancers, the Bergholz Blashapelle (German Brass Band), the Latin American Institute, and North Tonawanda’s own Matt Piorkowski. Presented courtesy of funding by the New York Council for the Humanities Speakers in the Humanities program are “Traditional & Historical Songs of New York State” by Dave Ruch; Ciudad & Suburbia: The Changing Nature of Latino Immigration” by Dr. Sherrie Baver; and “Linguine and Lust: Food and Sex in Italian-American Culture” by Dr. Fred Gardaphe. There will be occupational and ethnic demonstrations, book signings, exhibits, ethnic and historical items for sale, and the Ethnic Food Court will include German food prepared by the German Schwabenchor, Polish pierogi by North Tonawanda’s Our Lady of Czestochowa Church, and Greek food by Niko’s “Big Fat Greek” Restaurant. The German Schwabenchor is coordinating the food court for the event. A festival souvenir book, “ North Tonawanda: A Celebration of Our Diversity!”, is being prepared and will contain a variety of ethnic cultural and historical information, much of it created for the museum by college student volunteers, with typing assistance by museum volunteers and high school students. The souvenir book, as with all publications created by the North Tonawanda History Museum, will become part of its regular gift shop product line. Printing is by North Tonawanda’s Pioneer Printers. Advance sale tickets may be ordered at the Museum or through its online gift shop. Discounted adult tickets for the all-day event are $8, children 5-16 are $2. Children 4 or under are FREE but tickets are required. Admission at the door will be $10 for adults, $3 for children ages 5-16. The deadline for discounted ticket purchases is October 6. Museum representatives plan the celebration to be a bi-annual event. As with all Museum programming, their educational responsibility to the community is a central focus of this project. The North Tonawanda History Museum hopes to develop the bi-annual festivals in celebration of the rich ethnic heritage of North Tonawanda. The earliest settlers in what is now the City of North Tonawanda were primarily of German heritage. Present day North Tonawanda has a population of over 33,000, 37% of which claim German heritage, 19% Polish heritage, 11% Italian, 11% Irish, and then smaller groups of other nationalities. While the City’s early historical heritage was primarily built around the lives of the North German or Prussian, Polish, Italian, Irish, Hungarian, Ukrianian, Lebanese, and Slovakian immigrants of the 1800’s through the 1920’s, over the years additional ethnic groups have come to call North Tonawanda home, including those of Russian heritage, Native Americans, Latin Americans, and others. North Tonawanda was and continues to be a melting pot of nationalities, each with a rich individual cultural heritage and identity. The Polish migration to North Tonawanda was part of the influx of what historians call “the new immigration to” the United States. The period from the 1880’s through the 1920’s was a period in which new ethnic groups entered the United States in increasing numbers. They were described as “new” because they came from Italy, Russia, Greece, Slovakia, China, Poland, and other countries, rather than from the traditional areas of U.S. migration to that point from England, Germany, and Ireland. The original groups continued to arrive but the newer groups became the most numerous. The Polish migration, for example, generally began in the 1890’s and continued until the period following World War I. The Polish immigration to North Tonawanda began in earnest when the Buffalo Bolt Co. set up shop and paid the passage for many Polish and Slovakian immigrants. Individuals or groups who are interested in participating should call the Museum as soon as possible. Event planners and workers, coordinators, and other participants are presently being interviewed. A limited number of openings still exist for individuals or groups willing to perform or present demonstrations of ethnic and occupational skills and crafts, narrators to explain various ethnic traditions with which they are familiar; providers of ethnic foods, individuals/businesses/groups with ethnic items to sell. The North Tonawanda History Museum will host its second annual series of three Fridays in the North Tonawanda Botanical Gardens at 1825 Sweeney Street. Originally named the Adam Gondek Botanical Gardens, it was the site of last year’s “13 Historic Ghosts of the Niagara Frontier.” The event has been given a permanent name and format for this year’s and future years. The HAUNTED GARDENS ON THE EEEErie CANAL will take place this year on October 13, 20, and 27 from 7 to 10 p.m. This year’s event will bring back the popular Haunted Hayride presented by Hartland Carriages, the Haunted Greenhouse with refreshments and gift items for sale, and a new guided Spooky Stroll through the Haunted Gardens. Advisors to this year’s event will be Joann Mis and Carl Tamburlin, who created the scripts, sets, costuming and props for last year’s events and produced the guided stroll portion. Coordinating the guided stroll for the North Tonawanda History Museum will be Danielle Oney. Coordinating the Haunted Hayride and Haunted Greenhouse is Donna Zellner Neal. Advance sale tickets are available at the Museum or by mail upon receipt of a check or money order and may be used on your choice of the three nights. Discounted tickets may be purchased through October 6 only from the Museum or through the Museum’s online gift shop. Advance purchase fees are $9 for adults for BOTH the stroll and hayride; $4.50 for children 5 -16 for BOTH the stroll and hayride. Admission at the event will be charged separately and will be $5 for adults for the guided Spooky Stroll and $ for the Haunted Hayride; $2.50 for children ages 5-16 for the Spooky Stroll and $2.50 for the Haunted Hayride. Both events are free for ages 4 and under and free admission is included for all to the Haunted Greenhouse where light seasonal refreshments will be on sale as well as ethnic and historical gift items. Discounted tickets are only available for the combination of stroll and hayride. However, they participation is allowed on different nights if preferred by the purchaser. Advance purchase will save time the evening of the event by eliminating the need to stand in line to purchase tickets. Youth groups and classes are still needed to create haunted hayride tableaus. Last year’s event included 150 area youngsters who, using their imaginations and creative talents, haunted the hayride route, including such things as a witches’ cauldron, haunted graveyard, and even a dancing ghost. The earliest groups to volunteer will have first choice of locations in which to create their part of the haunted hayride—and the first choice on subject matter or focus of their part of the project. Teachers and youth group leaders are invited to contact the Museum at 213-0554 or by email at nthistorymuseum@aol.com before September 1 expressing interest in participation. Participants will be required to attend two full rehearsals prior to the October 13 event and may also be required to participate in several additional practice sessions and walk throughs of their own parts. Individuals wishing to participate who are not part of an organized group are also invited to register with the Museum. All efforts will be made to include everyone who is interested in participating in some form in the event. Community service credit is given to all who participate who have need of such projects. 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 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 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays 9 a.m. to noon Also open by appointment; admission free; donations accepted Proud to be a member of/affiliated with:
Cultural
The The exhibit is a traveling exhibit developed by the Upstate History Alliance with the support of the Documentary Heritage Program. Archives and repositories hold a wealth of information, often caring for pieces of history that, if destroyed, would be lost forever. The exhibit explores the meaning, use and preservation of archives and historical records, using images of historical records from repositories throughout upstate 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 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 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays 9 a.m. to noon Also open by appointment; admission free; donations accepted Proud to be a member of/affiliated with:
Cultural
The North Tonawanda History Museum invites area art teachers to participate with their classes in the 2nd Annual Haunted Gardens on the EEEErie Canal and the 1st Bi-Annual Ethnic Heritage Festival.
Halloween type artwork and creative decorations are needed for the Haunted Greenhouse in the Haunted Gardens and could also be used for props for the Haunted Hayride and Spooky Stroll components of the October 13, 20, and 27 events.
Ethnic heritage artwork (any nationality or heritage is acceptable) would be used in a display at the ethnic festival. All artwork for this event and exhibit should be clearly labeled as to the creator and an easel provided for display. Cork board or other display boards are acceptable for multiple pieces also.
All education levels are acceptable for either project. Call the Museum to discuss ideas.
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 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 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays 9 a.m. to noon Also open by appointment; admission free; donations accepted Proud to be a member of/affiliated with:
Cultural
The North Tonawanda History Museum will host an Industrial Heritage Night on Thursday, September 21, at the North Tonawanda Senior Center, 110 Goundry Street, beginning at 6:30 p.m. A presentation, including some of the hundreds of photos of Richardson Boat Co. gathered by Tom Frauenheim, of Thomas Frauenheim, Inc., will be featured. Refreshments will be served. The public is invited. Admission is free. The winners of the Museum’s 2nd Annual Historic Gardens Contest will be announced at the event as well and prizes will be awarded. Available for purchase at the event will be copies of “The Richardson Story” by William C. Lindquist on CD-ROM and “The Bison Shipyard Story” by Allen C. Gademsky on CD-ROM. Museum representatives will also participate in the Niagara Frontier Antique & Classic Boats 29th Annual Antique & Classic Boat Show, “Shuffle Off to Buffalo,” with an exhibit on North Tonawanda’s boating industry on Saturday, September 9 at the Buffalo Launch Club on Grand Island. The Museum will also prepare its second annual September exhibit on North Tonawanda’s industrial and ethnic heritage at the North Tonawanda Public Library. The exhibit will be on display for the month of September. 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 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 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays 9 a.m. to noon Also open by appointment; admission free; donations accepted Proud to be a member of/affiliated with:
Cultural
Advance Sale Discounted Tickets Available for Festival through October 3 only – 1st bi-annual all day event to be held in North Tonawanda’s Sportsplex Family Entertainment Complex “North Tonawanda: A Celebration of our Ethnic Diversity!” set for Saturday, October 7, 2006, will be the first bi-annual ethnic heritage festival of the North Tonawanda History Museum. It will be held in the Sportsplex Family Entertainment Complex at 90 Ridge Road from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Intended as an all day family event, the festival will include entertainment, educational programming, displays and exhibits, and ethnic foods. Some of the confirmed participants for this first event are the 55-member choir, the Buffalo Schwaben Chor (Buffalo’s oldest German-American singing society—126 years old!), the Polish Heritage Dancers, “Step in Time-CelticEclectic” Scottish Music Presentations, the Woodgate-Lachut School of Irish Dance (the longest established school of Irish dance in Western New York—over 25 years!), St. Stephen’s (Serbian) Tamburitzans & Dancers, the Bergholz Blashapelle (German Brass Band), The Swedish Heritage Festival Committee of Augustana Lutheran Church, and North Tonawanda’s own Matt Piorkowski. Lisa Alzo, a renowned instructor, lecturer, researcher, and writer will speak on “Identifying immigrant cluster communities and their role in preserving ethnic customs and traditions. Presented courtesy of funding by the New York Council for the Humanities Speakers in the Humanities program are “Traditional & Historical Songs of New York State” by Dave Ruch; Ciudad & Suburbia: The Changing Nature of Latino Immigration” by Dr. Sherrie Baver; and “Linguine and Lust: Food and Sex in Italian-American Culture” by Dr. Fred Gardaphe. There will be occupational and ethnic demonstrations, book signings, exhibits, ethnic and historical items for sale, and the Ethnic Food Court will include German food prepared by the German Schwabenchor, Polish pierogi by North Tonawanda’s Our Lady of Czestochowa Church (for dining in or frozen to take home), Italian foods by Gullo’s Macaroni Grill, and Greek food by Niko’s “Big Fat Greek” Restaurant. The Buffalo Schwaben Chor is coordinating the food court for the event. A festival souvenir book, “ North Tonawanda: A Celebration of Our Diversity!”, is being prepared and will contain a variety of ethnic cultural and historical information, much of it created for the museum by college student volunteers, with typing assistance by museum volunteers and high school students. The souvenir book, as with all publications created by the North Tonawanda History Museum, will become part of its regular gift shop product line. Printing is by North Tonawanda’s Pioneer Printers. Advance orders may be placed for the book as well at $10 each. Advance sale tickets may be ordered at the Museum or through its online gift shop. Discounted adult tickets for the all-day event are $8, children 5-16 are $2. Children 4 or under are FREE but tickets are required. Admission at the door will be $10 for adults, $3 for children ages 5-16. The deadline for discounted ticket purchases is October 6. Museum representatives plan the celebration to be a bi-annual event. As with all Museum programming, their educational responsibility to the community is a central focus of this project. The North Tonawanda History Museum hopes to develop the bi-annual festivals in celebration of the rich ethnic heritage of North Tonawanda. The earliest settlers in what is now the City of North Tonawanda were primarily of German heritage. Present day North Tonawanda has a population of over 33,000, 37% of which claim German heritage, 19% Polish heritage, 11% Italian, 11% Irish, and then smaller groups of other nationalities. While the City’s early historical heritage was primarily built around the lives of the North German or Prussian, Polish, Italian, Irish, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Lebanese, and Slovakian immigrants of the 1800’s through the 1920’s, over the years additional ethnic groups have come to call North Tonawanda home, including those of Russian heritage, Native Americans, Latin Americans, and others. North Tonawanda was and continues to be a melting pot of nationalities, each with a rich individual cultural heritage and identity. The Polish migration to North Tonawanda was part of the influx of what historians call “the new immigration to” the United States. The period from the 1880’s through the 1920’s was a period in which new ethnic groups entered the United States in increasing numbers. They were described as “new” because they came from Italy, Russia, Greece, Slovakia, China, Poland, and other countries, rather than from the traditional areas of U.S. migration to that point from England, Germany, and Ireland. The original groups continued to arrive but the newer groups became the most numerous. The Polish migration, for example, generally began in the 1890’s and continued until the period following World War I. The Polish immigration to North Tonawanda began in earnest when the Buffalo Bolt Co. set up shop and paid the passage for many Polish and Slovakian immigrants. Individuals or groups who are interested in participating should call the Museum as soon as possible. Event planners and workers, coordinators, and other participants are presently being interviewed. A limited number of openings still exist for individuals or groups willing to present demonstrations of ethnic and occupational skills and crafts, narrators to explain various ethnic traditions with which they are familiar; providers of ethnic foods, individuals/businesses/groups with ethnic items to sell.
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 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 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays 9 a.m. to noon Also open by appointment; admission free; donations accepted Proud to be a member of/affiliated with:
Cultural
Call for individual actors and groups or classes to create haunted tableaus. Must be available for three evening performances, October 13, 20, and 27 and for necessary practices prior. 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 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 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays 9 a.m. to noon Also open by appointment; admission free; donations accepted Proud to be a member of/affiliated with:
Cultural
Museum Board Seeks Helpers for Move and Announces Raffle The Board of Trustees of the North Tonawanda History Museum is preparing to advance from Phase One, the startup phase, of its 2-1/2 year old museum of the history of North Tonawanda to Phase Two of an eventual Three-Phase Plan. To kick off the campaign for the project, the 1 st Annual Fall Raffle has been announced. The following wonderful prizes have been donated for this raffle by some of the Museum’s loyal and dedicated members: A CASIO handheld color TV from the North Tonawanda office of Greater Buffalo Savings Bank; a GOOSE WEATHERVANE PLANTER from Hodgepodge Café & Gifts in our historic DowNTown Shopping District; an autographed copy of the newly released collection of short stories, “BUFFALO STORIES” by North Tonawanda native Diane M. Meholick, the latest of her three published books; and a set of two ANTIQUE STONEWARE CROCKS (10 gal. & 3 gal.) from Humphrey House Antiques. The donation for individual tickets is $1 and a book of 6 is $5. The drawing will take place during the Museum’s 3rd Annual Military Heritage Night program on Thursday, November 16 at the North Tonawanda Senior Center. The evening’s festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. and include, as always, free refreshments created by Barbara Wickman of Barb’s Sweet Treats. The program for the evening is a New York State History Month event. Scott Scanlon, current Niagara Bureau Chief for the Buffalo News, will share his experiences as President during the 1990’s of Safe Haven, Inc., a non-profit group devoted to recounting the story of the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter in Oswego, the only spot on American soil to house Holocaust survivors during World War II. The public is invited. There is no admission charge. It is likely that the Museum will soon be able to move to larger and more appropriate quarters. It is hoped that raffle ticket sales will help us cover expenses for the new location’s first couple of months as they make the transition from their cramped startup headquarters to more adequate facilities. The Board of Trustees is also asking for volunteers willing to assist with moving or to donate the use of vehicles for the move. Assistance will be needed for packing and unpacking, cleaning, painting, and minor renovations. Contact the Museum at 213-0554 to express an interest in helping with any part of the project. 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 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 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays 9 a.m. to noon Also open by appointment; admission free; donations accepted Proud to be a member of/affiliated with:
Cultural
Museum announces tour committee chair and advance sale tickets for holiday giving The North Tonawanda History Museum Historic Treasures Tour Committee has begun plans for the 2007 event, tentatively scheduled for Sunday, August 5, 2007, from noon to 6 p.m. Marilyn P. Lasky is Chair of the 2007 event, and will be assisted by the 2005 Chair Betty A. Brandon, and Paula Belair, Margaret Cheeley, David Walders, Peter Trinkwalder, Diane Meholick, Barbara Wickman, and Museum Director Donna Zellner Neal. Lasky is a life-long and 4 th generation resident of North Tonawanda and a Trustee of the North Tonawanda History Museum. Presently a customer service representative for Impressive Imprints, she served previously as Senior Buyer for the Catholic Health System, and as Purchasing Director for Kenmore Mercy Hospital and was a 24-year employee of the hospital. It is anticipated that advance sale tickets will be available in early December in time for Christmas giving as was done with the first tour. Ticket prices are expected to be $18 each for the tour of between ten and fifteen homes. A Cinderella carriage ride is expected to be repeated also, at a charge of $5 per person. The North Tonawanda History Museum’s first award-winning historic homes tour, “Historic Treasures Tour 2005,”on July 31, was attended by visitors from five states, Canada, and all over New York State, with a significant number of visitors expressing serious interest in relocating to North Tonawanda if the appropriate historic home were available for purchase in the future. The 2005 tour was the first of what is expected to be a bi-annual event in odd-numbered years, rotating with an ethnic heritage festival in even-numbered years. The Western New York Association of Historical Agencies awarded the North Tonawanda History Museum an Organizational Award of Merit for excellence in presenting the 2005 tour and the 65-page guidebook created as the passport to the tour which has continued to be purchased by people from all over the country. RealtyUSA was the event’s major sponsor in 2005. Museum representatives are presently initiating the screening process for candidate homes for inclusion in the 2007 tour. Homeowners interested in discussing having their home featured in the tour are invited to contact the Museum. Realtors and mortgage companies interested in serving as event sponsors are also invited to contact the Museum. The event’s primary purpose is to present and promote North Tonawanda as a wonderful city in which to live. North Tonawanda is described by Museum representatives as “the best little city in New York State, with a small town atmosphere and a rich and unique history.” In conjunction with the bi-annual tours, the Museum has established a North Tonawanda History Museum Historic Treasures Recognition Plaque program. Cast bronze plaques may be purchased through the Museum for installation on historic homes and buildings in the City. Contact the Museum for an order blank. Advance sale tickets are in and available for purchase for holiday giving. Tour tickets are $18 ($15 for Museum members). For an additional $5 each, a two-way ride in a Cinderella carriage by Hartland Carriages may be reserved as an additional touch for the event, a popular part of the 2005 event. A limited number of tickets will be sold. Last year’s tickets sold quickly; those wishing to participate in the 2007 tour are advised to order their tickets early. Payment may be made by cash, check, money order, or by Master Card or Visa. Contact the Museum at 213-0554 for further information or email to nthistorymuseum@aol.com. 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 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 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays 9 a.m. to noon Also open by appointment; admission free; donations accepted Proud to be a member of/affiliated with:
Cultural
Advance Sale Discounted tickets available only to October 6 for Haunted Gardens; Some additional youth groups and actors can still be included in event The HAUNTED GARDENS ON THE EEEErie CANAL will take place this year on October 13, 20, and 27 from 7 to 10 p.m. This year’s event will bring back the popular Haunted Hayride presented by Hartland Carriages, the Haunted Greenhouse with refreshments and gift items for sale, and a new guided Spooky Stroll through the Haunted Gardens. This is the North Tonawanda History Museum’s second annual series of three Fridays in the North Tonawanda Botanical Gardens at 1825 Sweeney Street. Originally named the Adam Gondek Botanical Gardens, it was the site of last year’s “13 Historic Ghosts of the Niagara Frontier.” The event has been given a permanent name and format for this year’s events and for future years. Coordinating the guided stroll for the North Tonawanda History Museum will be Danielle Oney. Coordinating the Haunted Hayride and Haunted Greenhouse is Donna Zellner Neal. Advisors to this year’s event will be Joann Mis and Carl Tamburlin, who created the scripts, sets, costuming and props for last year’s events and produced the guided stroll portion. Advance sale tickets are now available at the Museum and may be used on your choice of the three nights. Discounted tickets may be purchased through October 6 only from the Museum or through the Museum’s online gift shop. Advance purchase fees are $9 for adults for BOTH the stroll and hayride; $4.50 for children 5 -16 for BOTH the stroll and hayride. Admission at the event will be charged separately and will be $5 for adults for the guided Spooky Stroll and $ for the Haunted Hayride; $2.50 for children ages 5-16 for the Spooky Stroll and $2.50 for the Haunted Hayride. Both events are free for ages 4 and under and free admission is included for all to the Haunted Greenhouse where light seasonal refreshments will be on sale as well as ethnic and historical gift items. Discounted tickets are only available for the combination of stroll and hayride. However, participation is allowed on different nights if preferred by the purchaser. Advance purchase will save time the evening of the event by eliminating the need to stand in line to purchase tickets. A number of additional youth groups and classes are still needed to create haunted hayride tableaus. Last year’s event included 150 area youngsters who, using their imaginations and creative talents, haunted the hayride route, including such things as a witches’ cauldron, haunted graveyard, and even a dancing ghost. The earliest groups to volunteer will have first choice of locations in which to create their part of the haunted hayride—and the first choice on subject matter or focus of their part of the project. Teachers and youth group leaders are invited to contact the Museum at 213-0554 or by email at nthistorymuseum@aol.com before September 1 expressing interest in participation. Participants will be required to attend two full rehearsals prior to the October 13 event and may also be required to participate in several additional practice sessions and walk-throughs of their own parts. Individuals wishing to participate who are not part of an organized group are also invited to register with the Museum. All efforts will be made to include everyone who is interested in participating in some form in the event. Community service credit is given to all who participate who have need of such projects. 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 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 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays 9 a.m. to noon Also open by appointment; admission free; donations accepted Proud to be a member of/affiliated with:
Cultural
LAST CALL: MUSEUM SELLING FLOWER BULBS FOR FALL PLANTING The North Tonawanda History Museum, in conjunction with its 2 nd annual Historic Gardens Contest and Tour, which ends August 31, and the planned 3rd annual contest and tour for 2007, is accepting orders for flower bulbs from Dutch Gardens for fall planting of spring flowers. Bulb orders will be accepted through September 15 and will delivered in October. Bulbs are endorsed by the National Gardening Association. This is the third year the Museum has offered the bulbs. Orders may be placed with museum volunteers or at the Museum at 314 Oliver Street or through the Museum’s online gift shop at www.nthistorymuseum.org. Photos of the flowers are available for viewing on the online gift shop. Call 213-0554 for further information. Payment may be made by cash, check, money order or Master Card or Visa. Winners of the 2 nd Annual Historic Gardens Contest will be announced at the Museum’s September 21 Industrial Heritage Night program at the North Tonawanda Senior Center, 110 Goundry Street. The program, which is free and open to the public, will feature part of the photograph collection on Richardson Boat accumulated by Thomas Frauenheim. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. |
|---|
© 2005 North Tonawanda History Museum |
|---|