Former Greece Supervisor Don Riley shares an inside look at the process of researching and writing his new book on the modern history of the Town of Greece, covering the years 1960 to the present.
In this presentation, Riley explores how community organizations have shaped the town’s growth and identity, drawing on interviews with local leaders and firsthand accounts from those involved in Greece’s civic life. The talk offers valuable insight into how recent history is documented, preserved, and interpreted.
Special Guests that also showed up featuring: Joan Korsch, The First Female appointed to the Greece Town Board and served Greece’s Third Ward, Newly elected Town Supervisor Jeffery McCann, as well as Councilmen David DiPonzio 1st Ward Councilman and Spencer Bernard, 2nd Ward Councilman.
Audience questions, comments, and discussion are encouraged, making this an engaging program for local history enthusiasts, researchers, and anyone interested in the Town of Greece’s modern story.
On January14, a devastating fire destroyed a large portion of the Morgan-Manning House Museum in Brockport. Join us as Paul Kimball, the project manager supervising the rebuilding project, discusses the fire and the progress to date to save this historic building and, we all hope, eventually reopen it.
Paul Kimball served as Clarkson Town Supervisor (1984-2017), Paul championed numerous town historical projects. Now, Paul is leading the rebuilding effort to restore the Morgan-Manning House to its former grandeur. Paul also currently serves as a member of the Clarkson Historical Committee, which oversees the historic 1854 Clarkson Academy Schoolhouse on Ridge Road.
Most Rochesterians know of Mr. Eastman but very few know of Dr. Henry Durand. Mr. Butler will explore the fascinating life of Henry Durand, his relationship with George Eastman, and the shocking twist that occurs once they donate their land to the City of Rochester. Durand Eastman Park takes on a life of its own in the years that follow. A tree museum, a beach house, a zoo, a golf course, and the “White Lady” ghost, all helped to create the Park that Dr. Durand had envisioned as “world class.”
In 2023, Jack Butler co-authored Mendon Ponds Park, Fairchild’s Dream with Diane Ham. Raised in Irondequoit, Jack decided to research the origins of Durand Eastman Park next. Its amazing history and promising future has resulted in a colorful 2024 publication, Durand Eastman Park: Yesterday and Today.
The completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 sparked one of the major tourist trends of the day, traveling the canal from New York City to Niagara Falls to see that natural wonder that still amazes people today. Come learn what it was like to travel on a packet boat in 1840, both the pros and cons, via this fictional narrative that weaves together passages from eye-witness travel journals from the early days of the Erie Canal.
Maureen Whalen, a retired librarian has been a volunteer at the Greece Historical Society since 2012, curating a number of their exhibits. In 2019 she was awarded the Greece Regional Chamber of Commerce History Award. Most recently, she chaired the Society’s Erie Canal Bicentennial Committee. Maureen is also the Seneca Park Zoo historian where she has been a docent for almost 20 years; in April 2020, she published her book, A History of Seneca Park Zoo.
Join us as Dr. John Montague from the Buffalo Maritime Center explains the community boatbuilding project to recreate the Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief and the role of the original boat in opening the Erie Canal in 1825. It will also detail what visitors can expect when the canal boat travels from Buffalo to New York City to commemorate the Erie Canal Bicentennial.
Holy Cross started in 1862 as a satellite church of Our Mother of Sorrows and served the Village of Charlotte. In celebrating the anniversary of its founding, a committee uncovered treasured items such as official documents, deeds and scrapbooks, that had been in storage for years. Come hear about the stories of early parishioners, who included fruit farmers, blast furnace workers and Ontario Beach Park concession owners. This program is offered by the Greece Historical Society in cooperation with the Greece Public Library. Marie Poinan is an active member of the Greece Historical Society whose main interests are preserving local history. She has authored several books and brochures on local history and is the co-author of Pioneer Families of Greece New York.
Mr. Richey’s presentation will explore how Joan of Arc, an illiterate teenage peasant farm girl, a nobody from nowhere, achieved the seemingly impossible. In the space of a single year, 1429, she rose up from total obscurity to take command of the defeated and demoralized French army and led that army in a series of astounding battlefield victories to free her French homeland from the English invaders.
Stephen Richey was raised in Greece, graduating from Olympia High School in 1976. He graduated from the United States Military academy at West Point in 1984. He served out his military career in various places around the world, to include four tours of duty in wartime Iraq, until his retirement in 2010. He is the author of the scholarly book Joan of Arc: The Warrior Saint. He also appeared as an expert authority in the television documentary “Saint Joan of Arc: Maid for God.”
Join Geoffrey Zeiner, creator of the award-winning Gonechester blog, on a captivating journey across Rochester’s Main Street Bridge—a structure that once housed buildings along its span, concealing the Genesee River from view until 1965 . In this immersive exploration, Zeiner delves into the bridge’s unique history, revealing how it transformed from a bustling thoroughfare lined with storefronts to the open crossing we see today.
Through a rich tapestry of archival photographs, historical maps, and personal narratives, Zeiner brings to life the stories embedded in the bridge’s stones and the river’s flow beneath. Discover how this iconic structure served not just as a physical connector but as a vibrant hub of commerce and community, reflecting the evolving identity of Rochester itself.
Join us as Mary E Corey examines the era Before Jackie. She explores the Negro Leagues, Civil Rights, and the American Dream. This is a grounded overview of the Reconstruction Era. It is seen and experienced by the pioneers of this strand of the civil rights struggle. It’s a history of struggles and defeats, but it’s also a history of bravery and persistence, yes, even glory! Everyone knows Jackie Robinson’s story. Now it’s time to hear about the players, managers, and fans who built the Negro Leagues. They laid out the playing field that would become Jackie’s own.
This program was offered by the Greece Historical Society in cooperation with the Greece Public Library.
Mary E. Corey Prof emerita American History & Social Studies at SUNY Brockport
Mary Corey is Assoc. Prof emerita American History & Social Studies at SUNY Brockport.
Audio and Video included in this Video are used for Educational references only in this Historical Talk
Gary is the Historical Asset Coordinator for Wegmans. Our discussion will cover Wegmans Food Markets’ origins in Rochester, New York. We will also discuss its growth through the early 20th century. Additionally, we’ll cover its expansion beyond Rochester, the greater Rochester area, and beyond Upstate New York. Garry Harris worked as a trainer and was an employee at Chase-Pikten. He participated in the Chase-Pikten Home Show With Mike Horne when Chase-Pikten was the sponsor.
On January 14th at 7 p.m., the Greece Historical Society will host its Second Tuesday of the Month History Talks at the Greece Arcadia Auditorium. This one will cover Wegmans Food Markets’ origins in Rochester, New York. It will also discuss its growth through the early 20th century. Additionally, it will cover its expansion beyond Rochester, the greater Rochester area, and Upstate New York. The Speaker will be Gary Harris, the Historical Asset Coordinator for Wegmans. Due to the possibility of this program’s large turnout, we ask that you reserve your seats early. The cut-off for reserving your tickets to the event will be at noon on January 14th.
This is the map of where to park, enter, and attend the program. A Section V game is set to tip off at 7:15 pm in the gym at the school. Please plan on arriving early to get a parking spot closest to the building. Note the Green Box is the Auditorium. Red Arrows indicate the two doors you will be able to enter. The Blue Information symbol marks where our registration table will be for the event.
Parking and Entrance map to the Arcadia High School Auditorium
Please reserve your tickets. The ticket reservation is live. Click the Read More button on the embedded post to reserve your tickets via the ticket engine. You can also call 585-225-7221 or email greecehistoricalsociety@yahoo.com
Elsa Von Blumen was a Rochesterian who, in the 1880s, raced high-wheeled bikes against horses, skaters, and male cyclists. She overcame challenges in a sport dominated by men. She helped inspire other women to find the courage to break social taboos. Her first professional bike race was against a horse in Rochester’s Driving Park. From Rochester, she went on to race throughout the entire Eastern United States for a decade. She was a force to be reckoned with in the cycling world. This presentation will introduce you to an Upstate New York athlete who should not be forgotten. Karen Lankeshofer is a long-time Henrietta, NY resident. She is an avid bike rider and advocates for safe cycling infrastructure. She enjoys studying history, especially if it pertains to Upstate New York. Her presentation is a tribute to a pioneering female professional athlete.
Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Co. may have started as a simple dry goods store in 1868 at 73 Main Street. Still, following a devastating fire in 1904, it was rebuilt and eventually became the largest department store between New York City and Chicago. Join us as we learn the history of this iconic store and the legacy and memories it left behind. Please share your memories of Sibley’s on either our Facebook page from the event or on the YouTube video for a sense of engagement it helps out a lot to get people to engage with us this will be one of the pages that will allow commenting on.
Rufus Adams Sibley (1841–1928) was an American businessman, best known as a founder of the Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Company department store in Rochester, New York.
Sibley, Lindsay & Curr Company, known informally as Sibley’s, was a Rochester, New York–based department store chain with stores located exclusively in the state of New York. Its flagship store, at 228 East Main Street in downtown Rochester, also housed its headquarters and featured an elegant executive dining room on the top floor.
Donovan Shilling, a native of Fairport, has written more than a dozen books about the history of Rochester. He is a retired middle school science teacher and administrator, has taught classes on local history to adults at the Rochester Museum and Science Center for more than 20 years, and is a long-time member of the Greece Historical Society.
An illustrated talk on four generations of a remarkable local family, whose lives, work, recreation, and experiences are chronicled by an extensive archive of historic photographs and documents that span 150 years and have never before been seen outside their family. Historian Cynthia Howk’s talk is in honor of Greece resident, Betty Fetter, now 102 years old, whose care of this unique archive, preserves an important American story.
Historian Cynthia Howk presents an illustrated talk about the remarkable local Fetter family, covering 150 years of their life, work, and experiences through an extensive archive of historical photographs and documents previously unseen outside the family. This tribute honors 102-year-old Betty Fetter, custodian of this unique American story.
The Stream Will Go Live at this link here https://www.youtube.com/live/scsHuvT0nz4?si=VPrQMBjQO19kdgjM at 6:45 pm to ensure the video and audio settings are working and then the program will start at 7 pm broadcasted from the Greece Central School District Transportation and Student Services building on Latta Road at Mount Read Blvd.
On April 21, 2024, from 2 pm to 4 pm, we will be hosting two of our top researchers and presenters Maureen Whalen and Marie Poinan are often the face of Local History in our town and the broader community. They both have given many informative talks at the Greece Museum, the Charlotte Branch Library, and several other sites around town. Their subjects have covered a wide range of topics from “A to Z” (ancestors to zoo!) Each has published and assisted others in numerous books and articles. Their audiences are always eager to hear their well-researched presentations.
M & M Sunday will honor them, along with other leaders of the Greece Historical Society. Come to thank Maureen and Marie along with other “behind the scenes” folks who make our historical society one of the best in New York State.
While there, enjoy M & M Sundaes, prepared by Jane Grant.
