Batavia Park District HISTORY TROLLEY TOURS offer glimpse into Batavia’s past

Historic structures dot Batavia’s landscape – ornate churches, old factories and stately vintage homes. Perhaps you pass by one of these gems and wonder about its story.

Hop aboard the History Trolley to learn about these sites on a guided tour through Batavia’s oldest neighborhoods. Presented by the Batavia Depot Museum, the one-hour journey into the past gives insight into residential architecture and how public spaces like churches and factories created culture and shaped the city, said Kate Garrett, Batavia Depot Museum Director.

You’ll learn about residential architectural and how to identify homes built in period styles such as Gothic, Greek Revival or Craftsman.

“There's a home built on an old burial site,” Garrett said. “We pass the home of Reverend Abraham Hall, who started Batavia’s first African American Methodist Episcopal Church. We talk about the history of Bellevue Place and Mary Todd Lincoln’s stay there.”

Churches and factories also are an important link to Batavia’s past, Garrett noted. Because religion and ethnicity were closely intertwined in the 19th century, “church members shared language, favorite foods, fashion and other cultural norms,” she said. “Churches were spaces where

Ice Cream Social

All Ages | Free | Saturday, June 17, 1-4 p.m., Batavia Riverwalk

Strike up the band and kick up your heels at the Batavia Depot Museum’s Community Ice Cream Social. Enjoy the old-fashioned charms of an afternoon on the Riverwalk, with live music from the Plank Road String Band and delicious ice cream. The Depot Museum will be open during the social.

Batavia History Trolley Tour

All Ages | $20/person

• Fridays, June 2 and Aug. 11 at 6 p.m.

• Sundays, June 11, July 16 and Aug. 20 at 1:30 p.m.

• Tour starts and ends at the Batavia Depot Museum

• Visit bataviaparks.org for details

Batavians felt comfort and safety, which was especially important for immigrant groups like the Irish and Swedish.” The industrial revolution changed social norms with the rise of factories because employees didn’t have shared interests outside the workplace. “Factory workers developed a new culture and sense of community outside their ethnic or family ties that began to define what it meant to be a Batavian,” Garrett said.