BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
ONE MUSEUM COURT, BUFFALO, NY 14216 www.buffalohistory.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: EXPERIENCING HISTORY WITH YOU, BY, REMEMBERING, DISCOVERING, SAFEKEEPING, AND SHARING OUR STORIES; LEARNING AND EXPLORING TOGETHER; SPARKING EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL CONNECTIONS WITHIN OUR UNIQUE COMMUNITY.

COLLECT & PRESERVE ARTIFACTS; SHARE LOCAL STORIES; CREATE EXHIBITS & PROGRAMS; EDUCATE & ENTERTAIN

MUSEUM COLLECTIONS-CATALOGUE AND SAFEGUARD A VAST ARRAY OF TREASURES. MORE THAN 100,000 PHYSICAL OBJECTS AND OVER 220,000 ARCHIVAL ITEMS COMPRISE OUR COLLECTION AND SHAPE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WNY'S STORY. CUSTOMIZED ARTIFACT STORAGE UNITS AND CLIMATE CONTROLLED STORAGE AREAS ARE FEATURES OF OUR OFF-SITE COLLECTIONS FACILITY. THREE FULL-TIME STAFF MEMBERS, TOGETHER WITH SPECIALLY TRAINED INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS, CARE FOR THE COLLECTIONS. THEY PROCESS NEW DONATIONS AND CONDUCT INVENTORY WORK IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT POLICY AND PROCESSING MANUAL. COLLECTIONS STAFF ALSO PRIORITIZE AND RECOMMEND ARTIFACTS FOR CONSERVATION TREATMENT. ANNUALLY, WE SPEND AT LEAST $20,000 ON ARTIFACT CONSERVATION FROM A FUND RESTRICTED FOR COLLECTIONS CARE-AUGMENTED BY SPECIAL GRANTS AND DESIGNATED GIFTS. ACCEPTED OVER 150 THREE-DIMENSIONAL ITEMS TO BE ACCESSIONED, HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: 48 BUFFALO BILLS ITEMS AS PART OF THE GREG D. TRANTER DONATION, 6 ITEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DAUGHTERS OF REBEKAH, 4 PIECES OF BUFFALO'S SIKES COMPANY FURNITURE, AND 25 LOCAL POLITICAL CAMPAIGN ITEMS.

LOCAL HISTORY FEEDS DEVELOPMENT AND PLACEMAKING WORK IN WESTERN NEW YORK, WITH A PUBLIC THIRSTY FOR AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES - LOCAL HISTORY SHAPES AND CONTRIBUTES TO THE REVITALIZATION OF WESTERN NEW YORK. MANY RECENT DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS ARE DISTINCTIVE BECAUSE THEY CELEBRATE OUR LOCAL STORY- I.E., CANALSIDE, LARKINVILLE, RICHARDSON OLMSTED COMPLEX, AND BUFFALO RIVERWORKS. TBHM IS THE TRUSTED SOURCE FOR AUTHENTIC, UNIQUE RESOURCES. POTENTIAL AUDIENCES INCLUDE THE GROWING COMMUNITY OF PRESERVATIONISTS, GENEALOGISTS AND CASUAL RESEARCHERS.EXHIBITS FEED STATEWIDE TOURISM EFFORTS AND HONOR LOCAL MILESTONES IN HISTORY - "EMBLEM OF EQUALITY: WINNING SUFFRAGE IN WESTERN NEW YORK" OPENS IN FALL 2019. CONTENT AREAS INCLUDE AN OVERVIEW OF US SUFFRAGE BEFORE 1885, 20TH CENTURY ACCELERATION AND PRO-SUFFRAGE WOMEN, ANTI-SUFFRAGE SENTIMENT, WWI AND SUFFRAGE, LEADING UP TO NEW YORK STATE WOMEN GAINING SUFFRAGE THREE YEARS BEFORE THE 19TH AMENDMENT WAS PASSED IN 1920. COLLABORATORS INCLUDE THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS-BUFFALO/NIAGARA AND LOCAL HISTORIAN SUSAN ECK. PLANNING IS UNDERWAY FOR A SIGNATURE EXHIBIT, "TIMELINE: THE BICENTENNIAL STORY OF ERIE COUNTY," DEBUTING IN 2021. WE ARE CREATING THIS EXHIBIT FOR THE PEOPLE OF ERIE COUNTY, AND DESIGNING AN INCLUSIVE EXHIBIT REQUIRES VOICES FROM A DIVERSE CROSS-SECTION OF THE COMMUNITY. BEGINNING NOW THROUGH 2020, WE ARE WORKING WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO INFORM EXHIBIT CONTENT.RESTORATION OF PARK AND LAKE SIDE ENTRYWAY REACTIVATES 2,600 SQ. FT. OF SPACE - IN THE NEXT 18 MONTHS, CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON RESTORING THE SPACE UNDERNEATH OUR ICONIC PORTICO, WHICH HAS BEEN CLOSED FOR A GENERATION DUE TO DAMAGE FROM WATER INFILTRATION. FOCUS GROUPS INFORM US THAT FLEXIBLE SPACE IS A PRIORITY. ONCE REACTIVATED, PARK GOERS, TOURISTS AND THE 50,000 GUESTS WHO VISIT US ANNUALLY WILL HAVE NEW ACCESS THROUGH OUR PARK SIDE ENTRYWAY, STRENGTHENING LINKS BETWEEN RECREATION AND HISTORY.EXPANDING EDUCATION PROGRAMS ENGAGE THE NEXT GENERATION- "A TRIP THROUGH HISTORY" WITH THE BUFFALO PUBLIC SCHOOLS (BPS), WELCOMES ALL FOURTH-GRADE STUDENTS FROM 8 SCHOOLS TO THE MUSEUM FOR A FULL DAY EXPERIENCE. THE PROGRAM ACTIVATES, FRAMES AND DEEPENS STUDENTS' UNDERSTANDING OF OUR REGIONAL STORY, CONNECTING THEIR INDIVIDUAL STORIES TO OUR SHARED HISTORY. THE FIELD TRIP FEATURES SESSIONS BOTH IN OUR 1901 PAN-AM BUILDING AND OUR RESOURCE CENTER. IN THE SPRING, OUR EDUCATORS FOLLOW UP WITH A CLASSROOM VISIT FOR A CONVERSATION INSPIRED BY ARTIFACTS AND ACTIVITIES. STUDENTS AND TEACHERS COMPLETE SURVEYS TO ASSESS TAKEAWAYS FROM THE FIELD TRIP EXPERIENCE. OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTER CONTINUES, OFFERING AFTER-SCHOOL HISTORY AND INQUIRY-BASED OUTREACH PROGRAMS AND MUSEUM VISITS ALIGNED TO THE SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM AND STANDARDS.PROGRAMS BRING NEW VISITORS AND ENCOURAGE REPEAT VISITATION FROM LOYAL USERS. SPEARHEADED BY THE BUFFALO JAZZ COLLECTIVE VIA THE BUFFALO STATE COLLEGE MUSIC DEPARTMENT, OUR PROGRAM "JAZZ ON SECOND SUNDAYS" CONTINUES WITH WELL-ATTENDED PERFORMANCES. AS PARTNERSHIPS EXPAND, USE OF OUR FACILITIES AND CAMPUS HOLD STRONG. IN 2019, DOZENS OF ENTITIES EXPERIENCED OUR FACILITIES DURING THEIR VARIOUS EVENTS- LECTURES, WEDDINGS, CORPORATE EVENTS, OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES.FREE ADMISSION DAYS WELCOME UNDERSERVED AUDIENCES- WE PARTICIPATE IN LOCAL AND NATIONAL FREE ADMISSION PROGRAMS. WE ARE A BENEFICIARY OF M&T BANK'S "FREE FRIDAY" PROGRAM, OPENING OUR DOORS WITH FREE ADMISSION TO OUR MUSEUM, RESOURCE CENTER AND LIBRARY EVERY THIRD FRIDAY. TBHM IS ALSO A PARTNER OF ARTS SERVICES INITIATIVE'S ARTS ACCESS PROGRAM. AS A BLUE STAR MUSEUM PARTICIPANT, FREE ADMISSION IS OFFERED TO ACTIVE-DUTY MILITARY PERSONNEL AND THEIR FAMILIES, INCLUDING NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE, FROM MEMORIAL DAY THROUGH LABOR DAY. SINCE 2011, ADMISSION FOR VETERANS IS FREE YEAR-ROUND. ADDITIONAL MUSEUM COMMUNITY EVENTS WITH NO CHARGE: PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S BIRTHDAY, MARTIN LUTHER KING CELEBRATION, CHERRY BLOSSOM FAMILY DAY, JAPAN CULTURE DAY, ANTIQUE & CLASSIC CAR SHOW, AND SUMMER MONTHLY FOOD TRUCK RODEOS.

LIBRARY-RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL TWO-DIMENSIONAL ITEMS IN THE COLLECTION: BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, LETTERS, DIARIES, PERSONAL PAPERS, ORGANIZATIONAL & BUSINESS RECORDS, PERIODICALS, NEWSPAPERS, SCRAPBOOKS, PHOTOGRAPHS, POSTCARDS, PRINTS, DRAWINGS, POSTERS, MAPS, ATLASES, MICROFILMS, AND EVEN SOME DVDS. IN 2019, OVER 1700 PATRONS USED OUR LIBRARY'S RESOURCES FOR ON-SITE RESEARCH, MANY OF THEM ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE DIRECTOR OF THE LIBRARY, 1 FULLTIME AND 1 PART-TIME ASSISTANT SERVICED THESE GUESTS AND TOURS; ANSWERED THOUSANDS TELEPHONE AND EMAIL QUERIES, CATALOGED 1059 OBJECTS, AND SCANNED OVER DOZENS OF ARTIFACTS TO FULFILL REQUESTS.DIGITAL PRESERVATION MAKES COLLECTIONS ACCESSIBLE-COMPLETED NEWSPAPERS.COM DIGITAL PRESERVATION PROJECT, CREATING ACCESS TO NEWSPAPERS IN OUR COLLECTION. TBHM WAS SELECTED BECAUSE OF OUR COMPREHENSIVE REGIONAL REPOSITORY. TODAY, MOST OF BUFFALO'S ENGLISH-LANGUAGE, PUBLIC DOMAIN NEWSPAPERS FROM 1811-1923 ARE SEARCHABLE ONLINE AT NEWSPAPERS.COM. THIS PARTNERSHIP PROVIDES ACCESS- OTHERWISE COST-PROHIBITIVE- FOR MUSEUM/RESEARCH LIBRARY USERS.2019 ARCHIVAL ACQUISITIONS INCLUDE: FORMER BUFFALO FORGE: WILLIS CARRIER'S FOUR ORIGINAL 1904 PATENT DRAWINGS FOR THE INVENTION WE NOW CALL THE AIR CONDITIONER; LEATHER-BOUND ALBUM OF HOWARD BEACH'S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHS; ALBUM, CA. 2005, OF PICTURES TAKEN BY A RESIDENT AT THE BUFFALO PSYCHIATRIC CENTER OF PLACES AROUND TONAWANDA & N. TONAWANDA THAT WERE IMPORTANT TO HIM; CORNELL UNIVERSITY DONATED A PRINTED PROMOTIONAL RECIPE CARD FROM A BUFFALO MALT DEALER DURING PROHIBITION; THE FIRST COOKBOOK DEVOTED ENTIRELY TO CHICKEN WINGS (1985), WITH THE BUFFALO RECIPE PROMOTED ON THE COVER, PLUS SOME 1980S PRESS PHOTOS OF PEOPLE EATING CHICKEN WINGS.

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