"Discover Greece, New York's Past, Preserve its Future."
Tuesday Programs
These are our second Tuesday of the Month Programs from September to June each year and start at 7 pm at the Greece Public Library and are uploaded and able to view the following week here.
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.
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.
BY Dan Schneiderman Greece Central School District’s Transportation & Support Service Facility, 1790 Latta Road
On Monday, April 8, 2024, The Rochester area will be in the direct path of a total solar eclipse for the first time in almost a century. A total solar eclipse occurs when a portion of Earth is engulfed in a shadow cast by the moon which fully blocks sunlight.
Dan Schneiderman
Eclipse Partnership Coordinator at the Rochester Museum & Science Center,
Join us as Dan Schneiderman, the Eclipse Partnership Coordinator at the Rochester Museum & Science Center, discusses the science and history of solar eclipses, the impact the eclipse will have on our region, and how to prepare for this extraordinary astronomical opportunity.
Join Us on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, at 7 PM, at the Greece Central School District’s Transportation & Support Services Building, 1790 Latta Road, for a program on the History of WDKX the first and only African-American-owned station in Rochester, New York. The station was founded by Andrew Langston. Andre Langston & Andria B. Langston are the current owners of the radio station. The reason they chose the call sign WDKX is an acronym for and keeping with its urban contemporary format used the call letters to honor African-American Heros and one of them was a Rochesterian at the time of their death;
Wstands for radio stations located east of the Mississippi River
Dstands for Frederick Douglass
Kstands for Martin Luther King, Jr.
Xstands for Malcolm X
WDKX uses an 800-watt transmitter to broadcast its radio station. The station went live on April 6, 1974, at 5:30 AM and has been broadcasting 24/7 ever since. WDKX is one of only two remaining Urban stations in New York State.
The Station received the first-ever Pioneer Award from the Rochester Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame, Andrew A. Langston, founder, owner, and general manager of 103.9 WDKX FM, was among the inaugural inductees into the New York State Broadcasters Associations Hall of Fame in June 2014.
Andrew A. Langston, Founder, Owner, and General Manager of 103.9 WDKX
Andrew Langston died in 2010 at the age of 82. His son, Andre Langston, continues to operate the station as the current general manager and is our scheduled speaker.
Other Locations WDKX was featured or mentioned in:
mentioned on “Super Hoe” Boogie Down Productions Criminal Minded 1987
VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2005
Hart of the City in 2019 (Season 3, Episode 5) which was produced by Kevin Hart and Joey Wells in Episode 5 of Season 3 featured three African-American comedians from Rochester, New York, Joel Jones, Travis Blunt, and Zack Johnson, and was filmed at Photo City Improv & Comedy Club / Photo City Music Hall on the corner of Atlantic Ave and Culver Road.
The station has a wide-ranging playlist, from classic soul to current hip hop/R&B.
Join Us on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, at 7 PM, at the Greece Central School District’s Transportation & Support Services Building, 1790 Latta Road, for a program on the History of WDKX the first and only African-American-owned station in Rochester, New York. The station was founded by Andrew Langston. Andre Langston & Andria B. Langston are the current owners of the radio station. The reason they chose the call sign WDKX is an acronym for and keeping with its urban contemporary format used the call letters to honor African-American Heros and one of them was a Rochesterian at the time of their death;
Wstands for radio stations located east of the Mississippi River
Dstands for Frederick Douglass
Kstands for Martin Luther King, Jr.
Xstands for Malcolm X
WDKX uses an 800-watt transmitter to broadcast its radio station. The station went live on April 6, 1974, at 5:30 AM and has been broadcasting 24/7 ever since. WDKX is one of only two remaining Urban stations in New York State.
The Station received the first-ever Pioneer Award from the Rochester Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame, Andrew A. Langston, founder, owner, and general manager of 103.9 WDKX FM, was among the inaugural inductees into the New York State Broadcasters Associations Hall of Fame in June 2014.
Andrew A. Langston, Founder, Owner, and General Manager of 103.9 WDKX
Andrew Langston died in 2010 at the age of 82. His son, Andre Langston, continues to operate the station as the current general manager and is our scheduled speaker.
Other Locations WDKX was featured or mentioned in:
mentioned on “Super Hoe” Boogie Down Productions Criminal Minded 1987
VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2005
Hart of the City in 2019 (Season 3, Episode 5) which was produced by Kevin Hart and Joey Wells in Episode 5 of Season 3 featured three African-American comedians from Rochester, New York, Joel Jones, Travis Blunt, and Zack Johnson, and was filmed at Photo City Improv & Comedy Club / Photo City Music Hall on the corner of Atlantic Ave and Culver Road.
The station has a wide-ranging playlist, from classic soul to current hip hop/R&B.
Professor Oberg will discuss Indigenous land rights in western New York, and how state and federal governments, and legal systems, have underappreciated enduring and powerful Native American claims to the land in our part of the state.
The Great Canandaigua Treaty – 1794 by Robert Griffing
Treaty of Canandaigua, 1794
Michael Leroy Oberg, the author of Native America, is a Distinguished Professor of History at SUNY-Geneseo and founder of the Geneseo Center for Local and Municipal History, which he directed from 2019 until 2022.
Professor Oberg will discuss Indigenous land rights in western New York, and how state and federal governments, and legal systems, have underappreciated enduring and powerful Native American claims to the land in our part of the state.
The Great Canandaigua Treaty – 1794 by Robert Griffing
Treaty of Canandaigua, 1794
Michael Leroy Oberg, the author of Native America, is a Distinguished Professor of History at SUNY-Geneseo and founder of the Geneseo Center for Local and Municipal History, which he directed from 2019 until 2022.
Challenges faced while chronicling pioneer families and tracing their descendants.
This is an update on Pioneer Families Volume 2, content chronicles the complexities experienced when researching and documenting pioneer families and their lineage. The details for this discussion were captured on November 14th, 2023, at the Greece Office of Student Transportation Services. It underlines the remarkable yet challenging task of tracing back genealogical records, delving deep into the past of pioneer families, and sketching their subsequent descendants – an effort that requires considerable patience and meticulous research. Presented by Marie V. Poinan and JoAnn Ward Snyder.
Our eight monthly Tuesday programs from the September of 2023 to June 2024 season are being held at the Greece Central School District’s Transportation and Support Services Facility on Latta Road from 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm. They featured local historians, authors, and humanities scholars. Our programs have earned a reputation throughout the region for providing high-quality, professional, and entertaining history lessons. We would like to thank Greece Public Library Director, Catherine Henderson, and the library staff for being so supportive and accommodating to our needs. To attend our Tuesday Monthly lectures it’s best to check our events list on Facebook for when the Tuesday Programs occur.
Upcoming programs when we resume in January 2024 the first one will be The Rights of Indigenous People in Western New York on January 9, 2024, and in February it will be the History of 103.9 WDKX on February 13, 2024.
