Watch for
tioGnOoInNG
rm
foE
inW
’RaE
our returning
reenactments!
New Exhibit!
Research has begun for BNHV’s newest
exhibit, Vice and Virtue: The Rise and
Fall of Prohibition, to be installed next
spring. This exhibit will explore how the
18th Amendment sought to bring on
an age of temperance and virtue but
instead resulted in an increase in excess,
indulgence, and vice as Americans began
to test the limits of one of the most unpopular pieces of legislature in American
history. We hope you will join us on
Friday, April 24th from 6 to 9PM for the
opening of this exhibit!
We will be looking for Prohibition era
related items to be put on display to
supplement our existing exhibition
items. These items would be considered
on loan and would be on display for the
duration of the exhibit, three years. In
particular, we are interested in:
-Photos, correspondence, permits or
other documents relating to Prohibition
Halloween Fun was
had by All at BNHV!
Families from all around the community
came to celebrate Halloween here at
Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village and what
a sight it was! The Village was decked out
in all its gently-spooky galore and children
and families in costumes visited each
home and left with bags full of treats.
New additions to the Trick-or-Treat were a
hit including a photo booth that gave children and families a lovely photo keepsake
of the evening!
This Halloween wasn’t all about the kids;
adults got to partake in some of the
festivities with BNHV’s two new events:
the Victorian Séance Series and Tales
of Terror. The Victorian Séance allowed
guests to learn the history of séances and
partake in one themselves! The Tales of
Terror took a look at the dark history of
the Niagara Frontier and left guests looking at the Village with newfound knowledge afterwards. The reviews of both
events were rousing and many can’t wait
to go again next year.
It was certainly a successful Halloween
season here at Buffalo Niagara Heritage
Village. Thank you to all of those who attended and we can’t wait to see you again
next year!
PAID
GETZVILLE, NY
PERMIT NO. 7
GREEN!
-Items used to smuggle alcohol or
evade authorities (i.e. hollowed canes,
hip flasks, false books)
-Newspaper articles
-Home distillery items
-Bottles, kegs, and barrels
-Oral histories from members of the
community who might have lived during
Prohibition or members of the community who were told interesting stories
from older relatives who lived during
Prohibition
So mark your calendars for the opening of this new exhibit on April 24th!
This exhibit will be replacing the current
exhibit, Body Beautiful. If you haven’t
made it out to see Body
Beautiful, don’t miss it in its final months
on display! If you are interested in sponsoring Vice and Virtue: The Rise and Fall
of Prohibition or donating artifacts or
oral histories, please email the Curator
at [email protected] or call 716-689440 ext. 7720.
3755 Tonawanda Creek Road
Amherst, NY 14228-1599
Member’s Corner
We are striving to go green
and cut our costs! Would you like
to receive your newsletter
digitally?
Please send an email to
[email protected].
THANK YOU!
Volunteer of the Year
On Saturday, November 15th Buffalo
Niagara Heritage Village hosted its annual
Volunteer Brunch. BNHV is very fortunate
to have such a large and diverse group of
volunteers. Each volunteer brings their
own special talents to BNHV to help support the museum’s mission to educate
and inspire the public.
This year BNHV recognized Rosalind Rivers
as the 2014 Volunteer of the Year. She has
put in countless hours in the rain, snow,
and sleet to keep our grounds looking
beautiful. Rosalind is a great asset to the
museum and her knowledge of historic
grounds and landscaping are without compare. She took over command of BNHV’s
garden project this year and has led the
charge in sustaining our historic gardens
and landscaping. Without her tireless
leadership, and the many hours of work
put in by the Master Gardeners, we would
not have the man power to
maintain all of BNHV’s 35 acres.
Stay tuned for the next phase of BNHV’s
Garden Project coming this spring!
For more information on volunteering or
getting more involved at Buffalo Niagara
Heritage Village please contact Rachel
Ravago, Guest Services Coordinator, at
[email protected].
bnhv.org
Buffalo Niagara
Heritage Village
Leadership
REGENTS BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Karen Vilonen, President
Paul Bowers, Vice President
David Mischler, Treasurer
Beth Roehling-Flynn, Secretary
TRUSTEES
Sharon Daniels
Dawn Hutsebaut
Carol Pyne
Janet Reilly
Erik Ticen
Michael J. Tyrpak
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Hon. Geoffrey Klein
Mary Maiorano
David Sherman
Diane Wojtowicz
Richard Wojtowicz
Sarah Anderson
Karen Eckert
David Flynn
Katherine Hewlings
Phyllis Hanlon
Upcoming Events
January 22nd, 2015
Stained Glass with Greg Witul
7:00pm-9:00pm
Transit Road Church at BNHV
January 22nd, 2015
BNHV Book Club Meeting
7:00pm-9:00pm
Niederlander Reseach Library at BNHV
TRUSTEE EMERITUS
Susan Grelick
Dolores Sapienza
Pat Lucey
Patricia Lucey
Dr. Joseph Grande
Jim Nesper, Esq.
Phillip Thielman, Esq.
January 29th, 2015
Annual Members Meeting
7:00pm-9:00pm
BNHV Ball Room
February 12th, 2015
Special Lecture
7:00pm-9:00pm
BNHV Ball Room
STAFF
Herbert Schmidt, Executive Director
Spencer Morgan, Director of Development & Marketing
Kayla Shypski, Curator of Collections
Chelsea Giannantonio, Events Coordinator
Kathy Slade, Education Coordinator
Tim Lewis, Maintenance Supervisor
Lee Leiser, Maintenance
Scott Schots, Historic Buildings & Grounds Manager
Andrew Donohue, Staff Accountant
Rachel Ravago, Guest Services Coordinator
Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village is gratefully
supported in part by funds received from the
Town of Amherst and Erie County.
Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village is a 501-c3,
not-for-profit institution.
Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village | 3755 Tonawanda Creek Road | Amherst, NY 14228 | P: 716-689-1440
E
C
I
VO
VILLAGE
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
March 12th, 2015
A Night with Elizabeth Cady Stanton
7:00pm-9:00pm
BNHV Ball Room
April 9th-11th, 2015
Pine Grove Quilt Seminar
April 9th, 2015
Special Lecture
7:00pm-9:00pm
BNVH Ball Room
April 23rd, 2015
BNHV Book Club Meeting
7:00pm-9:00pm
Niederlander Research Library at BNHV
April 24th, 2015
Exhibit Opening
Vice and Virtue:
The Rise and Fall of Prohibition
6:00pm-9:00pm
bnhv.org
The Director’s Moment
On behalf of the Board, Trustees and staff
we would like to say a huge thank you from
the bottom of our hearts
to our donors, our members, our friends and to
the volunteers for their
hundreds of hours of
service to Buffalo Niagara
Heritage Village!
We could not exist without any of you! This has
been a whirlwind year for
all of us. We have seen
many changes during
the 2014 year. BNHV
hired several new staff
members! They include:
Executive Director Herbert Schmidt, Director of Marketing and
Development Spencer Morgan, Historic
Buildings and Grounds Manager Scott
Schotz, Staff Accountant Andrew Donohue,
Special Events Coordinator Chelsea
Giannantonio, and Guest Services
Coordinator Rachel Ravago.
Of course, we cannot forget the rest of our
staff team: Curator Kayla Shypski, Historic
Education Coordinator Kathy Slade, Facilities Manager Tim Lewis and Exhibit and
Facilities Technician Lee Leiser. The team is
now complete and ready to take us into a
Winter 2014-2015
Iss. II; Vol. 4
new era of success and excitement for our
village and museum!
We have seen dynamic new improvements
on some of our most successful events:
German Sommerfest, Scottish Fest,
Halloween Trick-or-Treat, and the entire
Home for the Holidays Weekend! Get ready
for even more events next year to include a
Civil War Encampment!
Our educational programs also debuted a
School of the Soldier for
youths and continued
with the very popular
Behind-the-Scenes Tours.
Look for our Lecture
Series and Book Clubs in
2015! We are now open
on Thursday evenings so
make sure to stop by and
visit us. Stay tuned for
more special programs.
We have seen exciting
new exhibits including
“Suiting Up: American
Uniforms” and the “Canal
Room” facelift. Are you
ready for the new exhibit debuting in 2015
called “Vice & Virtue: The Rise and Fall of
Prohibition”? Was Prohibition a good idea
or not? You will probably find out!
Our funding is increasing with a recent grant
approved from Erie County. The Town of
Amherst continues to be our largest benefactor and we are very grateful to the Town
Board for their steadfast support of our
regional museum. Statistics show that for
every $1 invested in arts and culture, $7 is
returned to the economy through tourism.
Meanwhile our admissions, school tours,
Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village | 3755 Tonawanda Creek Road | Amherst, NY 14228 | P: 716-689-1440
bnhv.org
bnhv.org
Director’s Moment (cnt’d)
rentals, and other income sources are continuing to grow to allow us to get closer to
becoming self-sustaining one day.
The future is indeed bright! Next summer
you will see a new barn as part of our upcoming farmstead project. Right now you
can see new roofs on the Hoover House,
the workshop and, coming soon, a metal
roof on the Rotary pavilion thanks to our
local Rotary Clubs. Not to mention all of
the new additions to the historic buildings
including smell and sound interpretation.
In closing I would like to leave you with an
important word. ADVOCACY! We must tell
everyone why BNHV is so important!
Hoover House’s Free
Standing Chimneys
Chimneys are usually associated with fireplaces, a long brick structure that travels
from the roof to the structures main floor,
ending at the fireplace or hearth. A common
practice in the 19th century was to construct
a “free standing” chimney to be used to
connect stove pipe and a coal or wood burning stove. These types of chimneys were
practical and economical, using fewer bricks,
and there was no need to build a fireplace
foundation.
The chimney was braced and framed at a
convenient spot alongside a wall. The outer
support would be sturdy wood, the interior
would be brick with a possible clay liner.
Since the damper would be on the exposed
stove pipe, no interior damper was necessary. Once framed in, the wood frame would
be lathe and plastered just like adjacent and
connecting walls. When not being used, the
pipe would be capped at the thimble area.
The Hoover House has three of these such
chimneys. The modern building codes have
long abolished this style, but for their time
the free standing chimney was economical,
blended into the room design, and added
much needed warmth for the owners.
On a daily basis, we get multiple requests
from members of the community wishing to
donate items that they have in their
possession to the museum. More often than
not, the items they wish to donate do not
relate to our mission or they are duplicates
of items we already have or they are too
large and we do not have sufficient space
to house them. However, every once in a
while, we come across a real gem something different and uniquely interesting
- with a story to match.
In mid-October, a gravestone was donated
to us. It was a little over two feet high, a
few inches thick and about a foot wide. The
story that came along with it was
simple - it was found along Ellicott Creek
near Brookside Drive in Williamsville. At
first glance, the date on the gravestone appeared to be 1815 so it was quite exciting!
The inscription on the stone was slightly
visible. The gravestone made its way back
to the collections storage area and sat, waiting to be cleaned...waiting to tell its story.
Weeks came and went while other artifacts
were processed and the museum was busy
with special events. But one day this week,
its time had finally come.
Our Faithful Stewards
We cannot take our organization to the next
level without YOU. You all have priceless
Time, Talent, and Treasure. Imagine if you
volunteered just one more time than you do
now. Think of the successes we could then
have in garnering much needed funding,
providing better programs, offering further
opportunities to learn about history, and
creating greater opportunities for families
to engage in wholesome educational and
recreational activities. Executive Director,
Herbert Schmidt III, Board President, Karen
Vilonen, and Guest Services Coordinator,
Rachel Ravago, are currently forming a group
known as “The Stewards.” This elite group
of volunteers is comprised of people just like
you, who want to take their volunteerism to
the next level. These Stewards will volunteer
weekly and contribute their much needed
skills to our mission for progress and growth
as an educational entity. As a token of our
deeply felt appreciation, light refreshments
will be served. Perhaps you are a carpenter,
a tailor, a mechanic, or a gardener; a social
butterfly who enjoys the thrill of interacting with donors or putting on spectacular
events; or one with a knack for leading engaging tours or participating in historical interpretation. We have numerous committee
openings as well for those with a desire for
greater responsibility and leadership in Special Events, Collections, Exhibits, Fundraising
and Development, Marketing, and Facilities
and Technology. There is always so much
to do around here that having a dedicated
corps of volunteers at the ready will make all
the difference in the world in achieving our
goals. Please contact us to discuss your interest in joining in! Call 716-689-1440 or email
[email protected].
There and Back Again:
A Gravestone’s Journey
BNHV Announces
2015 Events!
As the year comes to an end, we here at
BNHV can’t help but look forward. We are
proud to announce the 2015 event line-up!
announce the 31st Scottish Festival at
BNHV! Haggis, meat pies, and the Highland Games area small fraction of the fun
to be had at this year’s festival!
Keep a look out for our annual Halloween
Trick-or-Treat on October 23rd, 2015 and
October 24th, 2015. A family favorite full
On May 2nd, 2015 we will host the Amherst
of costumes, candy and boo-tiful decoraWomen’s Interclub Council’s Kentucky Derby
tions. This year’s Trick-or-Treat is one you
Luncheon and Hat Show. Join us for an afterwon’t want to miss!
noon full of your best hats and a huge raffle!
What better way to celebrate than at BNHV? Make sure to mark your calendars and join
us for these fun events! We’ll see you next
German Sommerfest will be on June 20th,
year.
2015. It is one of our most popular events
that focuses on German-American culture!
Stay tuned for updates on the exciting
activities and delicious offerings that will be
available.
And of course, our 31st Annual Scottish Festival is scheduled for August 15th, 2015. By
far our largest event, we’re happy to
Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village | 3755 Tonawanda Creek Road | Amherst, NY 14228 | P: 716-689-1440
After researching the safest ways to clean
gravestones (it was determined that this
particular one was probably marble), work
began on clearing away as much as the
algae and debris on its surface as possible.
The gravestone was placed in a large tub of
lukewarm water and submerged. Research
revealed that by submerging the gravestone
for an extended period of time, the stone
would soak up the water and thus, if any
detergent was used, the detergent would
not soak in and stain the stone. The first
step was to simply try to clear away the
debris just using the water and a soft bristle
brush. The bristles had to be soft in order to
prevent any further abrasion on the stone.
Some progress was made but eventually, a
gentle detergent was introduced into the
equation and we succeeded in clearing away
most of the debris that was keeping the
inscription from becoming legible.
Hier ruht in Gott
JOHANN PHILLIP
sohn von
Wilhelm Helwig
geboren den 22nd Jan
1845
gestorben den 2nd Feb
1845
Here rests in God
JOHANN PHILLIP
son of
Wilhelm Helwig
born on 22nd of January
1845
died on 2nd of February
1845
Further research (to be honest, just a simple
Google search), revealed a reference to
Johann Phillip in the Stutter Cemetery in
Lancaster, NY. As well, his mother was listed as
also being buried there! So it was finished...
the gravestone had finally revealed its secret
and what a journey it had made! However, its
true home could not be at BNHV. It belonged
back at Stutter Cemetery, marking the grave
of little Johann next to his mother. After
calling the Town of Lancaster, who maintains
the small cemetery, a member of the Highway
Department came to the museum and carefully loaded the gravestone into his front seat.
Armed with the information on where Catharina was buried, he made his way back to
Lancaster to reunite gravestone with grave...
the final trip in the gravestone’s long journey
away from the cemetery and back again.
Now that we had a name, we could commence with the research! Originally, we
had misjudged the birth year to be 1815
so thought we were dealing with a young
man’s gravestone, aged 30. However, when
looking at ancestry.com, we learned that
Johann Phillip Helwig was born to
William Wilhem Helwig and Catharina
Knoche Helwig - Catharina’s birth date was
1821. Strange...how could the son be born
before the mother?! Upon closer inspection, the birth date was seen to be 1845,
the same as the death year. Catharina’s
date of death was January 1845. Now the
pieces were coming together! Catharina was
about 24 years old when she gave birth to
Johann. She died, probably as a result of the
childbirth, and Johann survived for not long
afterwards. A sad story, but not an
uncommon one in the 19th century.
From the Stutter Cemetery in Lancaster to
Brookside Drive in Williamsville to
Tonawanda Creek Road in Amherst, this
humble gravestone had made quite a trek close to 15 miles from its original place in the
cemetery. It is almost five miles along Ellicott
Creek Road from the cemetery to where the
gravestone was supposedly found. How did
the gravestone end up in the creek in the first
place? How long did it take for it to make its
way to Williamsville? If someone had not noticed it and recognized it for what it was, how
long would it have rotted away on the banks
of Ellicott Creek, separated from the grave it
was supposed to be marking? Unfortunately,
there are no clear answers to these questions.
All we can do is be happy that the gravestone
has made it back to where it is supposed to
be...and be thankful that we were able to play
a small role in its overall journey.
Translated to:
Educational Programming
This fall Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village offered
some new adult programs through the Education
Department. There were two new Halloween
events, The Victorian Séance Series, and the
Tales of Terror tours. These events were a fun,
adult alternative to our wildly popular
Halloween Trick-or-Treat for kids. These
programs were created by Joel Dombrowski of
Buffalo History Tours.
The Victorian Séance series was an
educational experience that explored the
Spiritualist religion and its roots in WNY. Joel
also talked about post mortem photography, the
Spiritualism craze and he explored some of the
parlor tricks used during Victorian Séances. After
Joel’s lecture guests were invited to partake in
an actual séance led by Glenn White, a local
medium. Some séances were more active than
others, but all in all visitors certainly got their
money’s worth!
The Tales of Terror tours were held outside in the
village. Joel discussed many shocking, terrifying,
and gruesome stories that have been researched
and reported on in WNY. He also played some
EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon) that were
recorded and various sites across WNY that are
supposedly haunted. After the EVPs got everyone’s blood pumping, Joel gave visitors a look inside the Hoover House and the Smith Log House.
Aside from these two fun and spooky events,
BNHV also held an event in November, In a
Pickle. In a Pickle was a fall themed event on the
village focused on canning and preserving food
for the winter. We had a blacksmith demonstrating, a cook canning beets and green beans in
Elliott, a woodworker, and even our Education
Coordinator partook and made apple butter
outside over an open fire.
Stay tuned for more adult educational programming coming in 2015, including a monthly
lecture series!
BNHV Book Club!
With the inscription now clearly visible, we
could see that it was in German:
Before
After
Beginning this upcoming January, BNHV will be
hosting a quarterly book club! Join us as we snack
and chat about the chosen book of the month.
Topics will span 19th century historical fiction. And
don’t think we’ve forgotten about the little ones!
Children are welcome to enjoy story time and educational games designed to exercise their growing
minds. Attendance to all four book club dates will
be $30 for individuals and $50 for families, and
includes a complimentary yearlong membership
to BNHV. Don’t hesitate; come along with us on
our literary journey from 7 pm to 9 pm on January
22nd, April 23rd, July 23rd, and October 29th!
Rent the Village!
Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village is available
for your special event! Weddings, showers,
private parties, seminars and much more!
Visit our 35-acre campus and treat your
guests to a unique experience in our historic
village. Utilize our Tea Room for a conference
or create a special evening in our Banquet
Room.
Custom rental packages available!
Contact: Chelsea Giannantonio,
Events Coordinator
716-689-1440, ext. 7726
[email protected]
Experience
our Guilds!
Want to learn something new?
BNHV’s Guilds may offer
what you’re looking for! Take
a class, or come see them
perform their crafts.
Victorian Dance
Maurine Beechler
[email protected]
Lace Guild
Barbara Walsh
[email protected]
Joan Brash
[email protected]
Weavers Guild
Peggy Kresovish
poodlesbytheoodles@
yahoo.com
Quilters Guild
Mary Ann Krafft
[email protected]
Blacksmiths
Peter Parry
[email protected]
bnhv.org