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Holland Land Office Museum

Participants wanted for museum's annual Wonderland of Trees

By Billie Owens

The Holland Land Office Museum is currently in the planning stages for this year’s fundraising event "2010 Wonderland of Trees." This is the nineth year of the event and the theme will be “Traditions.”

The museum is currently looking for schools, youth groups, service and business organizations, and groups of people to participate by decorating a Christmas tree or -- NEW this year -- a Christmas wreath (for those wishing to participate but wanting something smaller to handle).

With this year’s theme, there's a wide range of items that could be used to decorate your tree or wreath. Just FYI, you don’t have to follow the theme to participate. You could decorate your tree or wreath that represents your business or group. For example, if you own a bookstore, your ornaments could represent different book titles.

The possibilities are endless and think of all the creative fun you can have!

The Wonderland of Trees begins Friday, Nov. 19, 2010 with the gala, and runs through Saturday, Jan. 8.

Everyone is invited to participate this year. Let's make this the largest display of decorated Christmas trees or wreaths in WNY.

If you are interested or have questions, please contact Acting Director Jeff Donahue or Event Chairperson Shannon Guiste at the Holland Land Office Museum at 343-4727 between the hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, or on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Or you can contact in the Guiste in the evening at 343-2130.

Former director explains her departure from HLOM

By Howard B. Owens

The following is a statement from Marilyn Warner (Drilling) regarding her resignation from the director's position at the Holland Land Office Museum:

Several of you, my friends, have called to ask why I so abruptly submitted my resignation to the board of the Holland Land Office museum. There are many reasons, but two I would like to make public.

I was married on July 31st , moved to Wyoming County and am now raising my two college-bound daughters along with my husband’s three young children. John and my girls are my primary responsibility and I am truly looking forward to focusing on our expanded family and less time on outside work duties. As you know, the job as director of the Holland Land Office Museum included many nights and weekend engagements.

Equally as important is my dedication to the creation of the honorary International Peace Garden in Batavia and the many opportunities it brings for the financial future of the Museum and the tourism industry in Genesee County. Due to the support of the County Legislature and the Chamber of Commerce, a small core of volunteers has now developed a nonprofit group known as the Friends of the Peace Garden Legacy Genesee, which will allow us to fundraise and write grants for the project.

We are working with the International Peace Garden Foundation and the BiNational Tourism Alliance to be included in regional and cross-border marketing plans for the anniversary of the War of 1812. The current leadership of the Museum recently requested that my energies on this project be spent as a private citizen. My resignation will allow my continued involvement in this exciting venture.

I have also been offered several development consulting opportunities that I have not been able to pursue due to my work obligations and time constraints operating the Museum.

I am very proud of the many accomplishments I orchestrated during my year as the Museum Director. Working with then-assistant director Emily Conable, we took to the task of reorganizing the Museum collection and repositioning the marketing program to focus on the land Purchase and its significance to the development of New York State. This winter’s temporary exhibit highlighting rare surveying equipment and the spring women’s exhibit featuring Genesee County females “ahead of their time” attracted many new visitors from throughout the eight-county region.

The Museum interior took on a new appearance as pieces of the collection are now regularly rotated from storage to displays. New marketing pieces were created and unique low-cost marketing techniques were implemented. Most important are the many collaborative community relationships that have been built during these months, especially with Genesee Community College, the county historians and key partnerships with the Chamber, Richmond Library and GoArt.

The Holland Land Office Museum is a vibrant, exciting treasure in Genesee County and it has been my honor to serve as its director.

Civil War encampment at Holland Land Office Museum

By Daniel Crofts

The Fourth South Carolina Infantry will put on a Civil War Encampment at the Holland Land Office Museum, at 131 W. Main St. in Batavia, from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 10.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Marilyn Drilling at 343-4727.

Event Date and Time
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Peace garden efforts moving forward; Terry Anderson expected to lend support

By Howard B. Owens

With a nod of approval (no official vote could be taken) from the Legislature's Human Services Committee today, Marilyn Drilling and Barb Toal are ready to push forward with plans for a peace garden next to the Holland Land Office Museum.

They need to raise $55,000 in the next 11 months, and Drilling said a key component of the fundraising campaign will include a dinner with Terry Anderson as the keynote speaker.

Anderson, who was held captive in Lebanon for more than 6 years, from 1985 to 1991, hasn't visited his hometown of Batavia in 19 years.

He didn't want to make it 20, said Drilling, executive director of HLOM, and he agreed to support the peace garden effort at no cost to the organizers.

"Who better to talk about peace than a man who spent so much of his wonderful life behind locked doors," Drilling said.

The dinner is planned for Sept. 9.

The county owns the land next to the museum and must approve any new use of the strip of real estate hard against the Tonawanda Creek. To grant approval, the Legislature must receive a finished plan, which includes at least the potential of approvals from the City of Batavia and the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as contract language from County Attorney Charles Zambito and final engineering plans.

Without that, the Human Services Committee couldn't even poll members for consensus, but it was clear there were no objections from members for pushing forward with the project.

"Of all the people I've heard talk about it, I don't think I've heard anybody say they're not in favor of it," said Hollis Upson. "It's very interesting the amount of outpouring and number of volunteers who support it. It's been vary contagious."

Drilling is concerned that without a sense that the county supports the project, it will impede fundraising, which needs to proceed now.

There are 20 countries with official Peace Gardens, which is an international effort to promote and recognize peace among nations. The Peace Garden Foundation promotes the effort and was founded by current president Paula Savage, a resident and native of Batavia. The Batavia garden would be an honorary, not official, member. It would feature the 20 flags of the countries with official gardens.

Each country would be represented by its flag, and flag poles would be sold for donations of about $2,500 each, according to Drilling.

Drilling sees the peace garden as a natural extension of HLOM, helping to bring in tourists.

Toal, who chairs the local Peace Garden Committee, said it's a natural fit for Batavia and the strong interest in the region from War of 1812 enthusiasts.

Batavia, she said, served as a key defense in stopping the British advance after Buffalo was destroyed. Many tourists interested in the War of 1812 make the trip to Batavia, she said, and the peace garden at HLOM would be an appropriate destination point.

No county funds would be used in building and maintaining the peace garden, which is why, Drilling said, it's important to get started on fundraising now.

Wonderland of Trees opens at HLOM on Saturday

By Howard B. Owens

I happened to stop by the Holland Land Office Museum today and found a number of trees already ready for Saturday's opening of the Wonderland of Trees. Several local organizations and businesses already have their trees in place and decorated.

Emily Conable takes on key job at HLOM

By Howard B. Owens

Emily Conable, daughter of the late Barber Conable, the legendary former congressman from Batavia, has been named assistant to the director of the Holland Land Office Muesum.

Initially, Conable will be overseeing the "History's Heroes" programs, which is aimed at school children, and drama productions -- "bringing history to life," said Director Marilyn Drilling.

"She's very good at that," Drilling said. "She's done a lot of re-enactments, has great friends in New York City and just all across the globe, so we're thrilled."

Drilling said Conable has worked 21 years at Genesee Country Museum. She's also been active in producing historical programs at Alexander Central Schools.

"She's just delightful," Drilling said. "She really has a passion for history."

Weissend wraps up 11 years running HLOM

By Howard B. Owens

Patrick Weissend is leaving his post as director of the Holland Land Office Museum to become a brank manager for the Bank of Castile in Medina. Supporters of  the museum, its staff and board members gathered at the museum last night to give Pat a festive send off and to thank him for his hard work and dedication.

Weissend leaving HLOM to become branch manager for Bank of Castile in Medina

By Howard B. Owens

Patrick Weissend, after 11 years as director of the Holland Land Office Museum, is changing jobs. He is joining the Bank of Castile as branch manager in Medina.

His 11-year-term puts him well ahead of the three-year average for museum directors in New York, but said the Bank of Castile offer was a great opportunity.

"I've been here for 11 years," Weissend said. "I love it here. It's a great place to work and great place to be and a great place to grow, and this opportunity came along and it can be like the opportunity of a lifetime that I can't pass up.  It's not something I applied for -- well, I did apply for it eventually -- It kind of just fell into my lap, so I had to take advantage of it."

Weissend, a Stafford resident, said he will continue to live in Genesee County and stay involved in community activities, as well as getting more involved in the Medina community.

Prior to becoming a historian, Weissend was an accountant.

The personnel committee will meet soon to discuss finding a successor, Weissend said. Meanwhile, he has three more weeks as director with HLOM.

"I have this feeling of both sadness and this feeling of excitement," he said. "You know, the sadness at leaving this place, which has become such a part of my life. In a sense, I enjoyed being Pat from the Holland Land Office Museum. It's weird that I'm not going to be that person any more. It's kind of like gone away, that person that I was, and now I'm going to be a new person. A lot of people have been reacting, shocked, shocked that I'm leaving. Some of my board members didn't believe me. Even my own mother said, 'I thought you would be there forever.'"

Holland Land Office Museum Anounces 2009 Summer Program for Kids Lineup

By Holland Land Office Museum

The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce the line up for the 2009 Summer Program. The program, for children 7 to 13 years old, consists of sixteen different sessions based on local history. The program is sponsored by The Bank of Castile and the Kiwanis Club of Batavia.

Registration is now open and available on the Museum’s website at www.hollandlandoffice.com or a flyer is available by calling the Museum at (585) 343-4727. The class will fill up fast, so sign your child up today!

New Books for Sale at the Holland Land Office Museum

By Holland Land Office Museum

The Bright Mason: An American Mystery (About William Morgan)

 

Great Graves of Upstate New York

Mount Allegro: A Memoir of Italian American Life

Parker on the Iroquois

Skunny Wundy: Seneca Indian Tales

From Abbotts to Zurich: New York State Placenames

Seven Generations of Iroquois Leadership: The Six Nations since 1800

Conspiracy of Interests: Iroquois Dispossession and the Rise of New York State

All the proceeds from the store go to help support the Museum's mission.


Click hear for a money saving coupon!

 

HLOM Dinner and Lecture

By Holland Land Office Museum

v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} b\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} 285 7772400 10058400 259 261 257 280 262 283 1 06<8V%K2BMD22<WOG0E+0^0 5 1 0 286 False 0 0 -1 304800 243 True 128 77 255 3175 3175 70 True True True True True 282 134217728 1 1 -9999996.000000 -9999996.000000 8 Empty 32768 8421504 11776947 13421772 0 271778548 16711680 255 16777215 -1 (Custom) -87325200 -87325200 (`@````````` 267 263 5 On Tuesday, April 21st the public is invited to a special dinner program of the Holland Land Office Museum. [img_assist|nid=5516|title=Holland Land Office Museum|desc=|link=node|align=right|width=0|height=50]

 

The dinner, at the Emmanuel Baptist Church 190 Oak Street in Batavia, will feature their popular Swiss steak dinner served family style.

 

After dinner, County Historian, Susan Conklin will speak. Her program is the Spanish Flu and its Impact on Genesee County.

 

The Spanish Flu, or 1918 Flu Pandemic, spread to nearly every corner of the world. It killed an estimated 20 to 100 million people worldwide, including up to 675,000 Americans.

 

The Spanish Flu is an under researched event in world history. There are a few scholarly books about it and some novels that take place during it.

Conklin will discuss what was happening in our community during this time and how local residents reacted.

 

The cost of the dinner and program is $10 per person. Please call the museum at 343-4727 with your reservation by April 16th.

 

 

Jell-O tops HLOM list of 25 Things that Made Genesee County Famous

By Howard B. Owens

Jell-O, the jiggly treat that has delighted billions of happy childhood days, is the number one thing that helped put Genesee County on the map, according to historian and Holland Land Office Museum direct Pat Weissand.

Americans love Jell-O. In fact, Americans eat more than 300 million boxes of Jell-O every year and about 160 products are sold under the Jell-O name.   Jell-O is as much a part of Americana as baseball, apple pie and Chevrolet. By proclamation of the state governor, it is the official state snack of Utah. Residents of Utah eat more Jell-O per capita than anyone else.

Jell-O is an American icon. Since the early days of the company, Jell-O has mastered the technique of successful advertising campaigns. They used well-known artists such as Rose O'Neil, Maxfield Parrish, Cole Philips and Norman Rockwell in their print advertising; Jack Benny, Lucille Ball and Kate Smith in radio advertising and Bill Cosby in their television marketing campaigns.

Wikipedia says powered gelatin was patented 40 years before it was dubbed Jell-O in LeRoy, N.Y.

Gelatin has been well known and used for many years. It was popularized in the Victorian era with spectacular and complex "jelly moulds". Gelatin was sold in sheets and had to be purified, which was very time-consuming. It also made gelatin desserts the province of the relatively well-to-do. In 1845, industrialist Peter Cooper (who built the first American steam-powered locomotive, the Tom Thumb), obtained a patent (US Patent 4084) for powdered gelatin.

Forty years later the patent was sold to a LeRoy, New York-based carpenter and cough syrup manufacturer, Pearle B. Wait. He and his wife May added strawberry, raspberry, orange and lemon flavoring to the powder and gave the product its present name in 1897.

Whether invented in LeRoy or LeRoy was merely the launching pad for one of America's most commercially successful food products, Jell-O has contributed much to life and fame for Genesee County.

Tim Rivers disagrees.

Maybe Jell-O is famous, cute and conjures warm fuzzies about childhood (especially when dolloped with whipped cream). But Jell-O hasn't had the same long-lasting local impact as the muckland in Elba and Byron.

The muck is listed No. 21 in things that made Genesee County famous. The 7,000 acres of muck stretches into Orleans County in Barre and Clarendon. The dark, highly organic soil brought hundreds of hard-working immigrants to the community in the 1920s and 1930s.

...

Unlike Jell-O, the muck is still here, still producing crops, still creating jobs, still unleashing human potential. There are 10 farms today working the muck and those farms continue as community cornerstons. Torrey, Bezon, Yunker, Halat, Starowitz, Vigneri, Mortellaro, Panek, Smith and Shuknecht remain, tilling the soil, planting seeds and harvesting crops.

Well, nothing like a little controversy to close out a months-long instructive and entertain journey through Genesee County history. 

Though, Tom left out another key point: The local ball club ain't called the Jell-O Dogs!

If you've never visited the Jell-O Museum, it's worth the time. Here's the museum's Web site.

A few months ago, Philip produced this video:

HLOM Antique Show Starts Today at Batavia Downs!

By Holland Land Office Museum

The HLOM Antique Show and Sale begins today at 5:00 p.m. at Batavia Downs.

Over 40 dealers will be setting up booths selling all types of antiques.

Admission for this fundraiser is $4.00. ($1.00 off coupons are available at www.BataviaAntiqueShow.com

The hours of the show is today from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m and tomorrow from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

See you there!

 

 

 

 

The Holland Land Office Museum Needs Your Help!

By Holland Land Office Museum

On Sunday, March 8th, volunteers from the Museum will be traveling around town putting signs up promoting the Annual Antique Show at Batavia Downs. If you live on one of the major Batavia routes, we would love your permission to put up a sign in your yard! (See the photo of the sign)

 

The signs will go up on Sunday, March 8th and we will pick them up on Sunday, March 15th.

If you will allow us to put up a sign in your yard, please call the Museum at 343-4727.

The Fifth Annual Antique Show will be held at Batavia Downs on Friday, March 13th from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and on Saturday March 14th from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Over 40 of the best dealers in the region will be there. The admission fee for the event is $4.00 for adults and children under 12 are free.

For a $1 off admission coupon, a list of dealers and more information check out www.BataviaAntiqueShow.com

On Sunday, March 8, volunteers from the Museum will be traveling around town putting signs up promoting the Annual Antique Show at Batavia Downs. If you live on one of the major Batavia routes, we would love your permission to put up a sign in your yard! (See the photo of the sign

February Lecture at the Holland Land Office Museum

By Holland Land Office Museum

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On Wednesday, February 25th the public is invited to special program at the Holland Land Office Museum. In celebration of the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, the Museum will be hosting a lecture called, Lincoln and the Free Soil Movement.

The program will be presented by Garth Swanson. Mr. Swanson is a Professor of History at Genesee Community College. He will put Lincoln in perspective, discuss his views on slavery and dispel some of the Lincoln myths. He will also discuss some of Lincoln’s ties to Western New York.

The program will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Holland Land Office Museum. Refreshments will be served following the program. Get there early for a good seat, because there will be a full house!

 

William Morgan: No. 3 in "What Made Genesee County Famous"

By Philip Anselmo

We're nearing the end of the countdown, folks. Only two left to tick off on the list of the Holland Land Office Museum's 25 Things That Made Genesee County Famous. Taking the No. 3 spot was the disappearance of William Morgan, which remains a mystery to this day.

From Pat Weissend, museum director:

Before there was OJ, before the Lindburgh Baby Kidnapping, before Lizzie Borden there was William Morgan. William Morgan was a Batavian who was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by Free Masons in September 1826.

Morgan was a bricklayer who wanted to become a member of the Masonic Fraternity. When a Masonic lodge opened in Batavia, Morgan applied for membership, saying he was a member in the LeRoy lodge. It was discovered that Morgan lied about his membership and his application was denied.

In order to get revenge for his denial, Morgan began to write a book disclosing the secrets of the society. Members of the fraternity threatened Morgan and even set fire to David Miller’s print shop where the book was being published.

You will have to visit the museum's Web site to get the rest of the story—if you haven't already heard it. Weissend also posted the three-part video series that The Batavian put together last month on the disappearance of Morgan.

Video: William Morgan (Part Three) - Origins of the Republican Party

By Philip Anselmo

Here it is: the final installment in our three-part video series on William Morgan. Please be sure to check out part one and part two, both posted earlier today.

For more information on the story of William Morgan, visit the Holland Land Office Museum Web site, where you can find an enhanced podcast on the topic. You can also head down to the museum at 131 W. Main St. to check out the Morgan exhibit and to pick up a copy of Morgan's book, Secrets of the Masons Revealed.

Video: William Morgan (Part Two) - Theories: Masons vs. Anti-Masons

By Philip Anselmo

This is the second video in our three-part series on William Morgan. Please, check out part one, The Vanishing of William Morgan, if you have not already done so. Part three should be on its way soon.

For more information on the story of William Morgan, visit the Holland Land Office Museum Web site, where you can find an enhanced podcast on the topic. You can also head down to the museum at 131 W. Main St. to check out the Morgan exhibit and to pick up a copy of Morgan's book, Secrets of the Masons Revealed.

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