Bicentennial Snapshots

Beginning on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, and concluding on March 21st, 2023, the Greece Historical Society will be posting brief videos to help commemorate the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Town of Greece. This series will share many details about the people and events that influenced the town’s evolution. The topics in the Snapshots are researched, written, and narrated by Maureen Whalen, and all the snapshots are edited and produced by Pat Worboys. We hope that you will find these videos both interesting and informative.

We would like to thank the following people, town officials, fire departments, school districts, newspapers, and news stations for all the images and information from them that we used to compile these snapshots for you to learn more about the history of the Town of Greece.

People we would like to thank for their contributions to the snapshots are the following people: Gina DiBella, Bill Sauers, Marie Poinan, Douglas Worboys, Gene Preston, Jane Grant, Robert Bilsky, Ralph DeSptephano Sr., Alan Mueller, Joseph Vitello, Pat Worboys, Carolyn Kerheart, and many more. Some of the notes and research are from people that are longer with us we would like to give credit to Helen Slocum, Virginia Tomkiewicz, Shirley Cox Husted, William Aeberli, and especially Lorraine Kress Beane.

The organizations we like to thank for the use of the images are the following: North Greece Fire Department, Greece Ridge/Ridge Road Fire District, Barnard Fire Department, The Office of the Greece Historian, Rochester Public Library, The University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, Democrat and Chronicle, 13 Wham TV, WHEC, WROC, Spectrum News, Mother of Sorrows, Greece Baptist Church, Greece United Methodist Church, Greece Central School District, The Landmark Society of Western New York, Rochester Museum and Science Center, and others.

A blog post about the current week’s snapshot will also appear on this website each week at 9 am with a description of the video. Some of the posts will contain information that is written to explain content that was not included in the video but is related to the video so you can understand its connection to the snapshot. They may also include related articles that were written in the society’s newsletter or links to buy some of the books that the society has published over the years to enhance the subjects that are covered in the Snapshots that are put together each week.

If you have ideas or topics that you would like to see covered in this or a different future series, please let us know via our Facebook page or by submitting a request for a snapshot topic or subject.

Bicentennial Snapshot # 52 – Greece Performing Arts Society

March 14, 2023

This week we look at the Greece Performing Arts Society. Before GPAS formed in 1969 Between 1930 and 1950, people in the town of Greece had many opportunities to join in performing arts centered activities. Amateur theatrics were popular; not only was there the Paddy Hill Players troupe, but a number of churches, including St. …

Bicentennial Snapshot No. 51: Some Notable Women of Greece

March 7, 2023

This week as the country marks the beginning of National Women’s History Month, we will introduce you to some notable Greece women. Throughout the year we’ve told you stories about places, events, and people of the town of Greece. Some of the most elusive to pursue are the stories of Greece women who lived and …

Bicentennial Snapshot No. 50: Barnard and Lakeshore Fire Districts

February 28, 2023

This week we explore the history of Barnard and Lake Shore Fire Districts. Barnard Fire Department “Early in 1927, a group of civic-minded citizens of the Barnard District seeing the rapid growth of the section, decided that some form of fire protection was needed. This group set about to organize a fire department, and on …

Bicentennial Snapshot No. 49: Dewey-Stone / Barnard

February 21, 2023

Today we are talking about the Dewey-Stone neighborhood, first called Barnard’s Crossing or simply Barnard. After the annex of Charlotte by the city of Rochester in 1916, Dewey-Stone became the first and is now the oldest neighborhood in the town of Greece. It’s bounded on the south by the railroad tracks at Barnard’s Crossing, on the north by English Road, on the east by Stonewood Avenue, and on the west by Mount Read Boulevard. …

Bicentennial Snapshot No. 48: Gordon A. Howe

February 14, 2023

Today our topic is Gordon A. Howe, longtime Monroe County and Greece political leader whose career spanned 43 years. When he died in 1989, Gordon A. Howe was eulogized by US Representative Frank Horton: “He was a great leader and an unusual person in that everyone respected him. He made tremendous contributions to county government …

Bicentennial Snapshot No. 47: Childhood diseases

February 7, 2023

Today we will look back at some of the illnesses and diseases that affected the lives of many children. When we conduct walking tours of local cemeteries, we get asked about all the small tombstones. Yes, they usually indicate the grave of a child. Here in Our Mother of Sorrows Cemetery are the graves of …

Bicentennial Snapshot No. 46: Epidemics and Pandemics

January 31, 2023

Today we will talk about how past epidemics and pandemics affected the town of Greece. …

Bicentennial Snapshot No. 45: Speakeasies

January 24, 2023

Today we continue our Prohibition in Greece story with a look at the speakeasies that dotted the town. Clinton N. Howard Clinton N. Howard was a powerful, passionate, and persuasive advocate against alcohol. He was called the “Little Giant” (he was only five feet tall) and the “Apostle of Prohibition.” Widely known as a brilliant …

Bicentennial Snapshot No. 44: Rumrunners and Bootleggers

January 17, 2023

Today we are exploring the wild and lawless days of Prohibition in the town of Greece. …

Bicentennial Snapshot No. 43: Rediscovering Greece’s Historic Schoolhouses of 1872 Part 2

January 10, 2023

Today we will conclude our tour of the old district schools in Greece. Common School District in this snapshot: Common School Districts Joint Common School District Greece Central 1929 Common School District # 7 The original No. 7 schoolhouse was torn down in 1899 and replaced with this one-room wood-frame building located on the north …

Greece Historical Society and Museum

Greece, New York