Summer 2014 - The Album

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Greetings, friends,

Melissa Brown Constance Caldwell Jennifer LaBella Robie Carmina, Rebecca Justinger, Tara Lyons, Kimberly Luangpakdy, Cynthia Van Ness Tuesday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Wednesday 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Thursday - Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sunday - 12:00 Noon - 5:00 p.m. Closed Mondays. Wednesday - Saturday 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Closed Sunday, Monday, Tuesday Members: FREE Children Under 7: FREE Veterans: FREE Children (7-12): $2.50 Adults: $7 Students & Seniors : $5

Found at the bottom of an old stack of old newspapers, in the familiar story of a longtime friend, tucked away in the attic, in a box saved snapshots…

I delighted in reuniting Margaret with the gown as she exclaimed, “It’s fancier than I remember!”

Another enjoyable part of the work TBHM does is connecting with our members. A recent membership survey tells us you want to see more – more programs, more lectures, more walking tours. We are happy to reply that two new exhibits will open this summer – a new Buffalo State College Museum Studies Program exhibit themed on African American communities Discovering stories and in Buffalo; and, a new Community Gallery exhibit hosted by sharing quiet legacies may Tapestry Charter School. Be sure to check the list of summer arguably be the best part of working at a history museum. One happenings on page 8. recent example came in a lively conversation with Margaret Metzger Keane at our 2013 Also, we will be traveling to the Newseum Red Jacket Awards Dinner. Her memory in Washington, D.C. in June to bring the of sketching fashions “from the olden days” premiere exhibit of Tim Russert’s life and in TBHM's Hall of Gowns, an assignment work, “Inside Tim Russert’s Office” to she had while attending the Albright Art TBHM this fall. School, captivated me. I trust you will enjoy this season’s newsletter She thought she might still have the sketch… that honors Julia Boyer Reinstein. from February, 1940! All my best, A couple weeks later, the sketch was Melissa N. Brown delivered to The Museum as a donation. P.S. Hope to catch up at Party on the Where the collections staff then matched it Portico this summer! The happy hour and to one of our couture gowns, right down to concert series opens on Friday, June 20 the ermine muff, which drew Margaret’s eye on that day seven decades ago. with the George Caldwell Sextet.

Steven McCarville - President Peter Ahrens - Vice President Alisa A. Lukasiewicz - Vice President Mark L. Martin- Vice President Heidi A. Raphael - Vice President Mark V. Taylor- Vice President Catherine Schweitzer - Secretary Philip C. Kadet - Treasurer Scott Fisher Cassie Irish William J. O'Donnell Ken Friedman Allan Jamieson Kristin Saperston Carley Jean Hill Cheryl Lyles Mark Severson John L. Hurley, Jr. Vincent Mancuso Greg D. Tranter Cover: Reinstein Woods Park, Depew, NY, 1984. Picture from the collection of The Buffalo History Museum. The Buffalo History Museum is a private not-for-profit organization tax exempt under Sec. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It receives operating support from the County of Erie, the City of Buffalo, the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA, a state agency), and from members and friends. The Buffalo History Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

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The Buffalo History Museum Board of Managers, 2014. Top row: Cassie Irish, Greg D. Tranter, Peter Ahrens, Philip C. Kadet, Alisa A. Lukasiewicz, William J. O'Donnell,Scott Fisher, Heidi A. Raphael, Vincent Mancuso, Cheryl Lyles, Mark L. Martin,John L. Hurley,Jr., Mark V. Taylor, Sitting: Ken Friedman, Kristin Saperston, Steven McCarville, Catherine Schweitzer (not in photo: Allan Jamieson, Carley Jean Hill, Mark Severson) Photo by Cheryl Gorski

Thank You for generous donation: Shelly’s Florist • Yancey’s Fancy: New York’s Artisan Cheese


Something Old, Something New was held on Sunday, March 2, themed Always a Bridesmaid… The event centered on a contest to accession a new bridesmaid dress and story into our collection. Among the ten contest entries we received, the three contest finalists were Virginia Barone, Nancy Lucow, and Wilma Nankta. WBFO 88.7-FM’s Eileen Buckley presented the bridesmaid dresses and read their accompanying stories. Following the reading, guests voted on the dress and story they felt most worthy of going down in history. The event attracted over 100 guests from Western New York and beyond. The Lucow family had an impromptu family reunion surrounding the event, welcoming their family as far as California to see their mother’s bridesmaid dress, which was hand woven by their grandmother, on display. Ms. Virginia Barone was the selected contest winner. Her story warmed the hearts of our audience:

Eliza Jane Graves Pickett, c. 1890s

Quilt Eliza Jane Graves Perry, NY Pieced Chimney Sweep Quilt 80”x73” 1852-1854

Rebecca Justinger Registrar In 1987, Julia Boyer Reinstein, historian and architectural preservationist, donated over 80 quilts and bed coverings to The Buffalo History Museum. Early on in her life, Julia became fascinated with quilts and believed in the importance of documenting their histories. She received a Bachelor’s degree in History from Elmira College for Women in 1928, writing her senior thesis on early American quilts. Beginning her collection with family quilts, she focused her collecting goals on quilts made west of the Genesee River. Remarkably, only twelve of the quilts in her collection were purchased, the rest were given to her as gifts or through inheritance. Pictured above is a red and white Chimney Sweep quilt from Julia Boyer Reinstein’s quilt collection, also known as an Album or Autograph quilt. It was pieced together by Eliza Graves (later Pickett) between 1852 and 1853, and was assembled and completed in 1854, in Perry, NY. Eliza Graves, pictured above, was Julia Boyer Reinstein’s great grandmother. The Chimney Sweep pattern was very popular for Album quilts in the mid-19th century because a name or inscription could be written on the central cross of each block. According to oral histories from the family, the blocks of this quilt were originally autographed, in pencil, by the young men of Castile, NY. Before Eliza could embroider the names, she became engaged to Daniel Pickett. Once she assembled the quilt, she chose to wash out all of the names, eliminating the memory of her previous suitors. The quilt is backed with her own handspun and hand-loomed cotton.

In 1955, my sister asked me to be her maid of honor – I was thrilled! She died in 2010 and I feel that this dress needs to be seen in honor of her. The wedding was in July and I was entering my senior year in college in September at SUNY Fredonia. The day of the wedding arrived and my sister looked so gorgeous. Everything was fine, and

I danced all day with an usher named Chuck. I returned to Fredonia in September and Chuck asked my dad if he could drive me. My father was thrilled – he was a little sick of dragging all this “stuff” back and forth to the dorms. That fall, Chuck drove to Fredonia to see me many times. He was so nice! On the 18th of September he asked me to wear his fraternity pin and I said, yes. Chuck loved my Maid of Honor dress. I wore it again to my college senior prom and I still felt pretty in “the dress.” My sister was thrilled that I was able to wear it again. I got so many compliments because “the dress” is so unique and beautiful. I graduated from college in June and we married in August, just 13 months after he had seen me in “the dress.” This year, Chuck and I will celebrate our 58th wedding anniversary – all because of “the dress.” I’m so glad it now has a permanent home at The Buffalo History Museum. My father in-law was born in 1901 and always felt that the PanAmerican Expo was held in his honor! Next winter, stay tuned for a program series themed, “History of Weddings,” at The Buffalo History Museum.

Uniquely Buffalo Gifts Set of 8 Pan-Am plates (black and white) Only 8 complete sets available! When they are gone, they are gone!

Members receive a 10% discount in the museum shop.

Ways to share your support & experience Retweet on twitter @buffalohistory • Share Facebook posts. Write an online review on Yelp, TripAdvsior, Google, etc. Subscribe to our blog: buffalohistorymuseum.wordpress.com Drop us a line: info@buffalohistory.org #buffalohistory

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1. Lucow Family wears Nancy's mother's textiles 2. Guy Boleri taking requests 3 Wilma Nanka, Virginia Barone, Nancy Lucow 4. Eileen Buckley 5. Keith Radford, Rick Azar, Tom Jolls, Bob Koshinski, Irv Weinstein 6.Steve Brown & Susan Banks 7. Steve Chichon & Fran & Jane Lucca 8. Laurie Lisowski Frey 9. Dan Herbeck, Eileen Buckley, & Lou Michel 10. Derek Gee & Steve Watson 11. Brendan McCaffery & Sharon Bailey 12. Bob McCarthy & Lee Coppola


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13. Ruth Gourlay, Volunteer of the Year 14. George Winfield & Guy Latona 15. George & Diane Gayles 16. Bill O'Donnell, Joyce Bruyere, Mary Louise Stanley, & Walt Mayer 17. Niagara 1812 Bicentennial Legacy Council Press Conference 18. Mason visiting The Museum 19. The Solomon's from Australia visit heriloom carvings 20. DPW Commissioner, Steve Stepniak, Catherine Gillespie of the Buffalo Arts Commission, Mayor Byron Brown, TBHM Executive Director Melissa Brown 21. Olmsted Wise Scholastic Chess Championships 22. Jen LaBella & Alexis Greinert

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Cynthia Van Ness, MLS Director of Library & Archives Julia Boyer Reinstein's legacy continues to benefit TBHM Research Library today. The most significant of her publications is the Town of Cheektowaga Historical Atlas (1955), which is a wider-ranging work than its title suggests. Julia compiled a large atlas of maps from 1720-1950, showing the geographic evolution of Western New York, Erie County, and eventually zooming in on Cheektowaga. Interspersed with the reproductions of maps are reproductions of historical documents related to land ownership in Western New York. I turn to it for its detailed map of the Buffalo Creek Reservation, which was dissolved in 1842, a time when local mapping was infrequent and primitive. A pioneer in the field of architectural tourism, Julia • The Reinstein Center is on the National Register of organized Buffalo’s first known walking tour in 1961. Julia showed off Buffalo’s most important religious architecture Historical Places. to her fellow town historians of New York State, renting a • Built in 1920 for Leonard Adams. Mr. Adams helped to design bus and compiling a brochure with a map and annotated the house, which he used as both a residence and a music studio photographs of the churches from this Library’s collection. Some of the before his death in 1984. churches have since been demolished or lost to fire. • Purchased in 1989 by The Buffalo History Museum as a project Julia’s role as a donor is significant, too. Among the items that she of the “History Lives here” capital campaign to serve as office/ donated are: Mss. A71-37 meeting space. Louis Babcock’s scrapbook • The Historical Rehabilitation project was completed August 1, 1992, by Hamilton Houston and Lownie Architects, P.C. • The building was named after Julia Boyer Reinstein. Dedicated to both history and libraries, Julia Boyer Reinstein served as the Cheektowaga town historian for many years and was active in the creation of numerous town historical societies across WNY.

• A full-length portrait of Julia Boyer Reinstein painted by local artist Mary Smith hangs on the landing of the split staircase.

Visit www.buffalohistory.org for more details about upcoming exhibits and events

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Oversized photo of students in front of Masten Park High School after the fire of 1912. Victor Reinstein, the man Julia eventually married, is in the picture. The boys in the photo were sent into the school library to rescue books during the fire. Masten Park High School was rebuilt and is known today as City Honors. Interestingly, the photograph is described as “scorched,” and is indeed darkened in places, as though it survived this fire. But the astute reader will realize that a photograph taken after a fire cannot have been present during that fire. The darkened areas are probably the result of darkroom processing errors. These and other Julia Boyer Reinstein items can be viewed during Library hours, which are Wednesdays through Saturdays, 1-5 pm. No appointments are necessary. Questions? Contact us at library @ buffalohistory.org or call (716) 873-9644 x 306 during Library hours.

“Inside Tim Russert’s Office” Premiere exhibit of Tim Russert's life and work.

• In 1994, the Landmark Society of the Niagara Frontier awarded the Pewter Plate Award to The Buffalo History Museum in the recognition of the Julia Boyer Reinstein Center as an exemplary restoration and adaptive re-use project.

Mss. A68-62 Mrs. Fred Norris’ diary of her trip to New York City from Warsaw, NY, 1898. Mrs. Norris was Julia’s aunt.

Homecoming this fall - 2014

• The contributions of Julia Boyer Reinstein and others throughout the community made the purchase and historical rehabilitation of the building possible.

• The Reinstein Center features two meeting rooms (40 people/15 people). The larger room is graced by an arched window measuring approximately 12’x 12’. The window sits in an “Architectural Frame” that centers the window both in the main room and across the outside of the building.

Babcock was an attorney, War of 1812 historian, a Grand Marshal at the Pan-American Exposition, and an authority on the McKinley assassination.

Photo courtesy of Newseum

Now Open! Shop for museum-quality reproductions from our collection. Perfect for gifts and home décor!

buffalohistorystore.org

Antique & Classic Car Show Sun day, August 3, 2014 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

(Registration 9 a.m. - 11:30 a.m) Call 818-8143 for more information. Held in The Buffalo History Museum Parking Lot One Museum Court, Buffalo 14216


1 Sunday

1 Tuesday

3 Sunday

Toddler Story Time: Happy 4th of July, 10-11am Members free, Museum admission. Storytelling, craft, and museum mini tour.

Antique and Classic Car Show, Noon-4pm FREE. Antique and classic cars, raffles, live music. See web site for registration details for cars www.buffalohistory.org

2 Wednesday

Toddler Story Time: Japanese Gardens, 10-11am Members free, Museum admission. Storytelling, craft, mini tour of Japanese Gardens.

Food Truck Rodeo, 5:00-8:30pm Museum is free and open until 8pm with guided tours and artifact scavenger hunts.

Pan Am Walking Tour, 1pm $10. Pre-registration required. Meet at admissions desk for an hour walking tour of the Pan Am grounds. Map with historic photos is included.

4 Wednesday

6 Sunday

5 Tuesday Toddler Story Time: Pioneer Life, 10-11am Members free, Museum admission. Storytelling, craft, and museum mini tour of the Pioneer Life Gallery.

Pan Am Walking Tour, 1 pm $10. Pre-registration required. Meet at admissions desk for an hour walking tour of the Pan Am grounds. Map with historic photos is included.

3 Tuesday

Food Truck Rodeo, 5:00-8:30pm Museum is free and open until 8pm with guided tours and artifact scavenger hunts. Tapestry Charter School: Community Gallery exhibit opening, 6-8pm “Tapestry’s Making History: One Thread at a Time,” Community Gallery exhibit opening. Multimedia student curated exhibit by Tapestry Charter School’s Museum Studies students in grades five and six.

11 Wednesday

War of 1812 lecture: “Peter Porter & the Battle for Buffalo,”6-8pm Members free, Museum admission. Speaker Chris Brown. This is a collaborative program with the Blackrock Riverside Good Neighbors Planning Alliance and Historic Preservation Committee.

18 Wednesday

Passage, Patrick Willet watercolor exhibit opening, 5-8pm, Free

20 Friday

*M&T Third Fridays: Free admission from 10am-5pm, Including Resource Center at 459 Forest Ave. 10am-Noon: Free family activities. 1-3pm: Free guided tours at Museum and Resource Center. Party on the Portico, George Caldwell Sextet, 5:30-8:30pm Members $5, General Public $10.The happiest Happy Hour in Buffalo. Enjoy a cash bar, light snacks, live music, and free museum mini-tours.

28 Saturday

Pan Am Trolley Tour, 10am-3pm $60 members, $65 general, reservations required Guided tour of Forest Lawn Cemetery on vintage trolley, tour of the Hotel @ The Lafayette, lunch is included at the Pan American Grill and Brewery, guided tour of The Buffalo History Museum’s Resource Center and “The Spirit Still Lives” Pan Am exhibit. Visitors will return to Forest Lawn at 3pm.

Party on the Portico 2014 Sponsors

Pan Am Walking Tour, 1pm $10. Pre-registration required. Meet at admissions desk for an hour walking tour of the Pan Am grounds. Map with historic photos is included.

9 Wednesday

War of 1812 lecture: “Women of the War of 1812,” 6-8pm Members free, Museum admission. Speaker Sarah Maloney. This is a collaborative program with the Blackrock Riverside Good Neighbors Planning Alliance and Historic Preservation Committee.

18 Friday

*M&T Third Fridays: Free admission from 10am-5pm, Including Resource Center at 459 Forest Ave. 10am-Noon: Free family activities. 1-3pm: Free guided tours at Museum and Resource Center. Party on the Portico, Nelson Starr and The Benjamin’s, 5:30-8:30pm Members $5, General Public $10.The happiest Happy Hour in Buffalo. Enjoy a cash bar, light snacks, live music, and free museum mini-tours.

26 Saturday

Pan Am Trolley Tour, 10am-3pm $60 members, $65 general, reservations required Guided tour of Forest Lawn Cemetery on vintage trolley, tour of the Hotel @ The Lafayette, lunch is included at the Pan American Grill and Brewery, guided tour of The Buffalo History Museum’s Resource Center and “The Spirit Still Lives” Pan Am exhibit. Visitors will return to Forest Lawn at 3pm.

6 Wednesday Food Truck Rodeo, 5:00-8:30pm Museum is free and open until 8pm with guided tours and artifact scavenger hunts.

13 Wednesday

War of 1812 lecture: “The World Turned Upside Down,” 6p.m. Members free, Museum admission. Speaker Raya Lee, reference librarian at Medaille College, will discuss inventions from the War of 1812 period. This is a collaborative lecture with the Blackrock Riverside Good Neighbors Planning Alliance & Historic Preservation Committee.

15 Friday

*M&T Third Fridays: Free admission from 10am-5pm, Including Resource Center at 459 Forest Ave. 10am-Noon: Free family activities. 1-3pm: Free guided tours at Museum and Resource Center. Party on the Portico, Patti Parks Band, 5:30-8:30pm Members $5, General Public $10.The happiest Happy Hour in Buffalo. Enjoy a cash bar, light snacks, live music, and free museum mini-tours.

23 Saturday

Pan Am Trolley Tour, 10am-3pm $60 members, $65 general, reservations required Guided tour of Forest Lawn Cemetery on vintage trolley, tour of the Hotel @ The Lafayette, lunch is included at the Pan American Grill and Brewery, guided tour of The Buffalo History Museum’s Resource Center and “The Spirit Still Lives” Pan Am exhibit. Visitors will return to Forest Lawn at 3pm.

*M&T THIRD FRIDAYs event

On the third Friday of every month, admission to The Buffalo History Museum, Resource Center, and select events are free for everyone from 10 a.m. – 5p.m.

Dates and times subject to change

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Evening Hours on Wednesday until 8 p.m. • Free Parking

NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

BUFFALO, NY PERMIT No. 3626

June 20 • July 18 • August 15 5:30- 8:30 pm • 21 & over Members $5, General Public $10. The happiest Happy Hour in Buffalo!


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