Brockport Community Museum

Have you heard of the WHAT’S IT? project? What’s it you say?? You tell us!! The image is a artifact "teaser" image. Every two months, the Brockport Community Museum hosts an artifact identifying contest where any one can use their historical skills and provided clues to guess the artifact. The physical artifact is on display in the Seymour Library but, you can view the artifact and clues at on the Museum’s website. All entries must be received by Monday, March 22. Around April 5, the answer to this artifact will be provided and the new artifact will be available at the Seymour Library and on the Museum’s website. Guess and learn more at brockportcommunitymuseum.org! This is a collaboration between the Brockport Community Museum, the Seymour Library, and the Brockport Central School District.

We are searching for a Graphic Designer / Photographer who also has an interest in local history. Ideally this person has solid experience with: -Adobe InDesign, -Photoshop, ... -Acrobat, -Illustrator A volunteer, un-paid position but there are advancement possibilities within the organization. Inquire with the Museum by emailing [email protected] or by calling 585-326-1376.

Hi, my name is Christopher Cohen, and I am a history student at SUNY Brockport, and I am interning for the Brockport Community Museum this semester. Currently, ...we are researching the former Buffalo, Lockport, Rochester Railway that operated an electric trolley company from Buffalo o Rochester and ran through Erie and State Sts. in the Village of Brockport between 1908-1931. The former Flash’s Tavern and, prior to such, the Colonial Inn, were the successors of the trolley’s station in the Village. Our goal is to document this important aspect of local history more and to note the location of the station and existence of the railway in the Village. We are canvassing the community with hopes that individuals might have any primary sources or pertinent information like photos, firsthand accounts, artifacts, etc. that we might be able to document/record to showcase this aspect of our local history. If you have any information, please contact the Museum by emailing [email protected] or by calling Garrett Roe, Secretary at 585-326-1376. Comments below are welcome. Thank you for helping to preserve our local history!

Check out this SUNY Brockport Department of History post regarding our wonderful student intern, Grace Pulcini.

Do you know where these interpretative panels are located? The Museum is currently in the process of updating two interpretive panels, Brockport and the Canal and Manufacturing in Brockport, to preserve the important local history displayed. Originally, these panels were designed by William G. Andrews and installed as part of the Village canal bank improvement grant in 2000 and 2006, respectfully. Due to weathering, the panels have deteriorated (see images). Replacing the... panels is one part of the project supported by an Erie Canalway IMPACT! Grant to restore the Main Street Erie Canal Mural above the Lift Bridge Book Shop. Check out brockportcommunitymuseum.org > DESTINATIONS > Interpretive Panels to learn more about these specific, and other community panels. More to come!

The next board meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 1, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. via Zoom. Meetings are open to the public. If you are interested in attending please email or call Secretary Garrett Roe at [email protected] or 585-326-1376 for more details.

Have you stop and thought about who placed historical markers through NYS? Learn more about the roadside historical markers from Bill Sauers, President, Greece Historical Society, and Susan Hughes and Matthew Urtz of the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. This was a virtual session at this year's APHNYS annual conference. The restored markers by the Brockport Community Museum and markers in Clarkson were featured in this presentation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkM1B_ZliHA

Searching newspapers are essential for studying the past, genealogy, and can be nostalgic journeys down memory lane. The NYS Historic Newspapers project provides free online access to a wide range of newspapers chosen to reflect New York's unique history. Check out https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/ to start your history project today!

APHNYS* is launching a groundbreaking new crowdsourced COVID-19 documentation project for you to use and to share to capture stories about the pandemic and its effects in your community. The APHNYS Witness to History PixStori project allows anyone anywhere to participate by sharing images and stories about their pandemic experiences from the safety of their own home using a web-based social-media-style application. The goal is gather a large-scale collection of image-based sh...Continue reading

Combine your passion for local history and getting outdoors by checking out the various local history Interpretative Panels in the community that highlight fire... departments, education, commence, religion, and MORE! There are 9 museum panels and other historical panels in the community. Learn something new and add a few steps to your daily count! Our website has a TOUR BROCHURE mapping each one AND each has a corresponding supporting document for more information. VISIT DESTINATIONS > Interpretative Panels > for the BROCHURE and more info! (The Museum recommends that all individuals practice safe physical distancing and following other important guidelines.) Featured is one example of an Interpretative Panel on Main Street. brockportcommunitymuseum.org

We remember, today and always, the brave Americans who gave the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation. Please check out the Museum’s website for several documents dedicated to military members in the Brockport community. -American Revolution Plaque-Listing of Service Members -World War I Tablet-Listing of Service Members... -listing of College employees and interviews of service members http://brockportcommunitymuseum.org > TOPICS > Military

We know, a lot of things are closed, but you can find history in many places. Try a walk in an old historic cemetery for example. The one in this photo is Mt Albion cemetery over in Orleans County, but we have a number of historic cemeteries in Brockport of course!

Here's a site where nothing is closed, and a lot of history freely available! https://historyview.org/

This is pretty amazing, JSTOR, the huge online collection of academic journals and ebooks, many going back to the 19th century, is opening up the database for free access thru the end of May: http://www.universitytimes.ie//jstor-makes-database-acces/

Stop by the Seymour library and have a look at this tree slab and timeline some of our members did. Support your local library and see a neat display piece, a win win

Sanborn insurance maps at Library of Congress, great local history resources! https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3804bm.g3804bm_g057871892/

One element of local history is all around us, houses! Here's a link to a simple guide to prominent housing styles of the last 200 years. https://www.thisoldhouse.com/21018307/american-house-styles

The new "What's It" item will be on display at Seymour Library tomorrow. Follow the link here to learn about the item, and visit the library to see it for yourself! http://brockportcommunitymuseum.org/

Rochester History is a journal about the history of not only Rochester but the surrounding region, including Brockport, Clarkson.... It has been published for many decades, and all of it is available online: https://www.libraryweb.org/~rochhist/indexa.htm

It's a bit complicated, but what an amazing resource if you have the time and interest! https://unwritten-record.blogs.archives.gov//researching-/