Buffalo And Erie County Historical Society

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 NEARLY 200 THREE-DIMENSIONAL ITEMS TO BE ACCESSIONED, HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: 152 BUFFALO BILLS ITEMS AS PART OF THE GREG D. TRANTER DONATION; 2 OIL PAINTING PORTRAITS; A WIND-UP TOY TANK; A PAN-AM STEVENGRAPH AND CONTEMPORARY MATERIAL CULTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE PANDEMIC.

MUSEUM PROGRAM AND EXHIBITS - SINCE 1862, THE BUFFALO HISTORY MUSEUM DOCUMENTS, PRESERVES, AND SHARES THE STORIES OF THE PAST. OUR REGION IS RICH WITH HISTORY, AND WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON BEING AN INSTITUTION THAT IS A HOME TO PRESERVE OUR STORY FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. WE LIVE FOR THE "AH-HA" MOMENTS OF OUR GUESTS, AS THEY SEE AND UNDERSTAND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE PEOPLE AND EVENTS THAT CAME BEFORE THEM. BECAUSE WE SHARE STORIES AND DON'T TELL THEM, THIS CREATES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GUESTS TO DISCOVER THEIR OWN UNIQUE CONNECTION TO HISTORY TO SHARE THEIR STORIES IN A WELCOMING PLACE THAT HONORS THEIR PAST. IT IS THEN THAT HISTORY BECOMES ACCESSIBLE, AS AN ACT OF EXPLORATION AND MORE THAN JUST WORDS IN A TEXTBOOK.OUR GOAL FOR THE MUSEUM IS TO BUILD ON THOSE GUEST EXPERIENCES, AND FOSTER AN ATMOSPHERE OF STORYTELLING, CONVERSATION AND ENGAGEMENT THAT IS BUILT ON INPUT FROM OUR COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS AT THE HEART OF THE MUSEUM'S MISSION TO EXPERIENCE HISTORY WITH OUR NEIGHBORS FROM ACROSS THE REGION. OUR DESIRE TO CREATE CONTENT AND CONNECT WITH PEOPLE OF DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS SHARES DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON HISTORY, AND HOW IT CONNECTS WITH CONTEMPORARY ISSUES.DURING THE MUSEUM'S JOHN R. OISHEI FOUNDATION-FUNDED MASTER PLANNING PROCESS (FALL 2019-SUMMER 2020), GREAT FOCUS WAS PLACED ON PREPARING THE MUSEUM TO ENGAGE MORE COMMUNITIES ACROSS WESTERN NEW YORK. THIS INCLUDED CONDUCTING EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON HOW FUTURE-FOCUSED MUSEUMS ARE APPROACHING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN A CHANGING WORLD, ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE CONCEPTS OF CULTURAL COMPETENCY AND PARTICIPATORY MUSEUM PRACTICE.COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE MASTER PLAN, AND THIS WORK WILL CREATE A MORE INCLUSIVE, DIVERSE, AND ACCESSIBLE MUSEUM FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.CREATING ACCESS FOR ALL TO EXPERIENCE HISTORY:- CONTINUE VIRTUAL AND HYBRID PROGRAMMING, SEED-FUNDED THROUGH NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES RELIEF GRANTS. - OFFER VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES PROVIDING FOURTH TO SIXTH GRADE STUDENTS THE CHANCE TO DISCOVER THEIR HISTORY, SUPPORTING AND REINFORCING THE WORK OF LOCAL EDUCATORS.- AWARD-WINNING PODCAST REACHING AUDIENCES FAR BEYOND OUR WALLS WITH OVER 10,000 DOWNLOADS TO DATE AND LISTENERS IN EVERY STAT AND OVER 30 COUNTRIES.COLLECT AND PRESERVE OUR COMMUNITY'S STORIES:- OUR CHRONICLING COVID-19 COLLECTING INITIATIVE ENGAGES THE COMMUNITY IN SEEING THEMSELVES AS PART OF HISTORY AND ACTIVELY DOCUMENT THE STORY OF TODAY- WE STEWARD THE ONLY STANDING STRUCTURE FROM THE 1901 PAN AMERICAN EXPOSITION- A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK BUILDING OVERLOOKING MIRROR LAKE AND OLMSTED'S DELAWARE PARK. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS REUNITED THE LOWER LEVEL IN THE ORIGINAL VISION OF ARCHITECT GEORGE CARY. IN SUMMER 2021, WE BEGAN WELCOMING GUESTS THROUGH THE RESTORED ORIGINAL ENTRYWAY THAT GUESTS OF THE PAN-AM ENTERED.LEAD AND ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY IN ERIE COUNTY'S MILESTONE:- THE BICENTENNIAL OF ERIE COUNTY IS ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION OPPORTUNITY TO INSPIRE THE COMMUNITY IN HOW THE PEOPLE OF OUR REGION SHAPED THE COURSE FOR THE UNITED STATES AND THE WORLD.- PAY-AS-YOU-WISH ADMISSION FOSTERS ACCESS TO NEW ON-SITE EXPERIENCES LIKE "CONTINUUM: A HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY" SHARING OUR COLLECTIVE LOCAL HISTORY FROM IMMIGRATION TO INNOVATION THAT MAKE UP THE UNIQUE STORIES OF OUR REGION.- SHARING SPACE FOR LOCAL HERITAGE PARTNERS TO AMPLIFY THEIR MISSION AND WORK THROUGH COLLABORATIVE PROGRAMS, SOCIAL MEDIA, LECTURES, AND WORKSHOPS.DOUBLING OUR CAPACITY FOR YOUTH EDUCATION AND ENRICHMENT:THE "CONTINUUM" EXHIBIT IS FOUNDATIONAL TO LOCAL HISTORY EDUCATION. THE EXHIBIT EXTENDS OUR INTERPRETATIONS OF LOCAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, SETTLEMENT, IMMIGRATION, INDUSTRIALIZATION, PAN AMERICAN EXPOSITION, ARCHITECTURE, ERIE CANAL, AND THE CONTINUING EVOLUTION OF ERIE COUNTY. EXHIBIT CONTENT ALIGNS WITH SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM AND CREATES ACCESS FOR ALL STUDENTS TO HAVE ENGAGING, PERSONAL MOMENTS WITH HISTORY.THE RESTORATION OF OUR LOWER LEVEL DIRECTLY FEEDS INTO OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING. THE SPACE- WHICH SERVED AS THE ORIGINAL ENTRYWAY TO OUR BUILDING DURING THE 1901 PAN AMERICAN EXPOSITION GIVES YOUTH AN AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE UNIQUE TO OUR MUSEUM. ONE-OF-A-KIND EXPERIENCES OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM INCREASES LEARNING RETENTION. PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC, WE WERE THE ONLY CULTURAL ORGANIZATION OFFERING A FULL DAY FIELD TRIP. THE FLEXIBLE USE SPACE ON OUR LOWER LEVEL MORE THAN DOUBLES OUR CAPACITY TO SERVE MORE STUDENTS DURING EACH FIELD TRIP, PROVIDING AN AREA FOR PARTICIPANTS TO ENJOY LUNCH AND HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES.DEAI INITIATIVES FORM A PRACTICE TAKING ACTIONWE CO-CREATE EXPERIENCES TO AMPLIFY DIVERSE VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT ISSUES THAT AFFECT BUFFALO'S FUTURE. WE SUPPORT THE MISSIONS OF PARTNER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS BY SHARING OUR RESOURCES TO DELIVER COLLABORATIVE PROGRAMS. WE ARE OFFERING NEW WAYS FOR GUESTS AND PARTNERS TO PARTICIPATE THROUGH VIRTUAL AND ON-SITE FREE PROGRAMMING.LOCAL HISTORY FEEDS DEVELOPMENT AND PLACEMAKING WORK IN WESTERN NEW YORK: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.REMOVING BARRIERS TO ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION - IN 2021, NEARLY 8,000 GUESTS VISITED THE MUSEUM WITH FREE ADMISSION AND HAD MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES WITH INCREDIBLE PIECES OF OUR HISTORY. WHILE SOCIAL DISTANCING REMAINS PART OF OUR LIVES, ENSURING ACCESS TO BUFFALO'S HISTORY REMAINS A PRIORITY. WE HAVE TRANSITIONED TO A PAY-WHAT-YOU WISH APPROACH TO ADMISSION FEES, ALLOWING OUR GUESTS TO DECIDE WHAT FEELS APPROPRIATE FOR THEM. VIRTUAL PLATFORMS, SUCH AS OUR ARCHIVAL AND OBJECT RECORDS WHICH CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE, MAKE OUR STORIES AVAILABLE TO ANYONE ACROSS THE GLOBE. OUR NEW BI-WEEKLY PODCAST HAS BEEN DOWNLOADED OVER 10,182 TIMES BY LISTENERS IN EVERY US STATE AND MORE THAN 30 COUNTRIES. AFTER MAKING THE SWITCH TO VIRTUAL OFFERINGS IN 2020, WE NOW CONTINUE TO OFFER OUR TOURS & PROGRAMS BOTH IN-PERSON AND VIRTUALLY. WHILE THE LIMITS OF COVID-19 STILL PLAYED A ROLE, OUR IN-PERSON PROGRAM OFFERINGS WERE WELL ATTENDED. THROUGHOUT 21 PROGRAMS, WE HAD JUST UNDER 800 GUESTS, FOR AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 38 VISITORS PER EVENT. SCHOOL TOURS HAVE STARTED TO RETURN YET HAVE STILL BE LIMITED BY CLASSROOM DEMANDS TO OFFSET LEARNING REGRESSION BROUGHT BY PANDEMIC. OVER 1,000 STUDENTS WERE GIVEN TOURS- WITH THREE QUARTERS REMAINING VIRTUAL.

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 2021, OVER 650 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, AND SCANNED OVER DOZENS OF ARTIFACTS TO FULFILL REQUESTS.DIGITAL PRESERVATION MAKES COLLECTIONS ACCESSIBLE- 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.2021 ARCHIVAL ACQUISITIONS INCLUDE:STAFFING CAPACITY IN THE ARCHIVES REMAINED REDUCED. FROM THE GREG D. TRANTER COLLECTION, 1,000 FOOTBALL CARDS WERE REHOUSED AND NUMBERED. IN TERMS OF DONATIONS, AN ADDITIONAL 1,684 FOOTBALL CARDS FROM THE 2018-2019 SEASONS AND 5,019 PIECES OF EPHEMERA FROM THE 1960S TO THE 2000S WERE ADDED TO ARCHIVES DECEMBER.