Spring 2019 - The Album

Spring 2019

LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Melissa Brown Tamara Bdour, Cheyenne Ketter-Franklin Britt Call, Robin Foley, Rebecca Justinger, Kim Luangpakdy, Megan MacNeill, Cynthia Van Ness Tuesday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Wednesday 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Thursday-Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Sunday 12 - 5 p.m.

Closed Mondays Wednesday-Saturday: 1 - 5 p.m.

Extended Library Hours Wednesday Evenings: 6 - 8 p.m.

Closed Sunday, Monday, Tuesday Members: FREE Children Under 7: FREE Veterans: FREE Children (7-12): $2.50 Adults: $10, Students & Seniors : $5 Greg D. Tranter - President Cassie Irish - Vice President Mark L. Martin - Vice President Bill O’Donnell - Vice President Mark Taylor - Vice President Anne Conable - Secretary Brian Dempsey - Treasurer Steven P. McCarville - Immediate Past President Gaile Amigone Kevin Brady Joan M. Bukowski Noel Emerling Ken Friedman

Carley Jean Hill Karna Holmes Laura Hubbard Cheryl Lyles Jennifer Liber Raines

Nancy Redeye Nicole Tzetzo Rachel Weissfeld Hon. Penny Wolfgang

The Buffalo History Museum is a private not-for-profit organization tax exempt under Sec. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. We receive operating support from the County of Erie, the City of Buffalo, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and from donors, members and friends.The Buffalo History Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

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In grad school, the exam for our material culture course was held at the professor’s home and was legendary among alumni. Filled with an eclectic mix of antiques from all eras, our task was to work through each room and identify as many of the objects as we could. Within minutes of being released to our challenge, a cold sweat rose from my skin and my chest felt heavy...is this a colonial era Windsor? What type of wood has this grain and hue? Pewter or Silver? Throughout the semester, Dr. Elbert referenced his yellowed and brittle handwritten notes, drilling slide after slide, carousel after carousel filled with sideboards, carpets, chairs, tables- material culture of every sort and from every time period. Facing a curated array of these items in real life, out of context... suddenly, the memory of those carrousels began blurring.

I’m not sure I identified one of the objects I encountered accurately. My confidence was shaken.

After the exam, Dr. Elbert sat his twelve bewildered disciples in décor down for a debrief. The exam was intended as an exercise in humility- a demonstration in how much more there was to learn. Each object, person, family, home, community, place, event, time, and era has a story. It’s impossible and consuming to grasp this notion. Some stand better to the tests of time, while others only leave traces to piece.

In October 1901, a mere four months before his death, Charles L. Tiffany visited the Pan-Am. Tiffany & Co.’s recognition at World’s Fairs was without precedent. Clipped and safe kept in the Pan-Am scrapbooks, an article from the Courier quoted the 90-year-old “Dean of All the World’s Jewelers,” I shall not see many more expositions; I have seen many, but I am thankful that the faculty for enjoying these things in not dead within me. I have never had a more enjoyable stay anywhere than I have had here in Buffalo and every night I make it a point to see the illumination and every day I see a hundred things which are entirely new to me and many more which give me food for thought and reflection. It is a magnificent presentation.

Connecting with the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company’s display to fill the inner court of the Manufacturer’s and Liberal Arts Building, the Tiffany fountain emerged as a centerpiece.

A waterfall of glass, onyx and mother of pearl, the “rich blending of the varied hues and precious stones produces a fairylike effect.”

Until I visited the archives in Parsippany, I had only read accounts of the “great diamond corsage” Tiffany & Co. exhibited. Artist Evelyn Rumsey Cary herself suggested the cascade of 2,200 diamonds be called “The Spirit of Niagara,” a nod to her prize-winning Exposition advertising poster. It is Like so many Museum guests, especially our Research Library not an exaggeration to say my heart literally fluttered as I users, I enjoy the piecing. When I learned that Tiffany & Co. leafed through the scrapbooks of Tiffany & Co.’s Design exhibited at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, I began Director, Paulding Farnham. Many of the pieces I had only searching for pieces. From Buffalo & Erie County Public read about were pictured on the pages, including the famed Library’s dozens of Pan-Am scrapbooks (now available digitally diamond corsage. at New York Heritage Digital Collections: www.nyheritage. org/collections/pan-american-exposition-scrapbooks) to These details are the pieces lost to time if not for these actually visiting the company archives in Parsippany, New scrapbooks and someone eager to rediscover. Of the many Jersey. The whole of it captivated me and I soaked in all that lessons Dr. Elbert imparted, humility in the pursuit of history I could. resonates still.

Before the weather breaks and we are itching for outdoor activity, make a point to visit our Research Library and Archives. Sit down with the finding aid to our Pan-Am collection and see where the pieces take you.

All my best,

Cover images: From the collection, Pan-American New York State Building blueprints, 1900

Did Your Ancestor Win a Medal at the Pan-American Exposition?

Finding a specific name was tedious and slow work, which we will explain in a moment. But it was a complete list at last!

Cynthia Van Ness, MLS Director of Library & Archives If you were a manufacturer, inventor, farmer, scientist, or artist, one of the incentives for exhibiting your work at the PanAmerican Exposition was the chance to win an award. We are often asked, “I heard that my grandfather won a medal at the Pan-American Exposition. Is this true?”

In 2015, the Western New York Genealogical Society generously underwrote the purchase of a microfilm scanner and workstation for the Research Library. Last year, we scanned all of the Pan-Am award pages. Assistant Librarian Amy Miller took on the project to capture the scans; enlarge them and make cosmetic adjustments for legibility; snip them into pagesized chunks, retain original order; write an introduction and table of contents, and generate a PDF. The result is a 91-page document that can be found on our website in the Online Collections page.

We rushed to our microfilm collection, found the pages, and printed them out as large as our machine permitted, which was not very large. The type was still so tiny that it required a magnifying glass. Our printouts were not completely legible.

$75 GENERAL $150 PATRON

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The first thing you notice is that award winners were not listed in simple alphabetical order. Awards were listed in order by broad category, such as Fine Arts or Manufactures. Each category had several divisions. Within divisions, gold medal winners are listed first, followed by silver, then bronze. For each category of winner, Americans appear first, followed by winners from other nations. If you seek an ancestor’s name, it helps to know approximately what they were honored for.

To answer this question, we keep a folder of lists of awards given at the Pan-Am. Until recently, the lists we had were for paintings, sculpture, drawings, etchings, graphic design, architecture, sanitation, public health, hospitals, medicines, It is also critical to understand that Pan-Am awards were fossils, paleontology, minerals, geology, fruit, vegetables, grains, granted to individuals and companies, not to specific works dairy products, wines, whiskey, honey, chocolate, canned foods, of art or products. An award went to an artist based on taxidermy, and insect specimens. the strength of his or her submissions. Most artists were represented by more than one work. So it is not accurate to These lists, while helpful, were not comprehensive. We could not always answer the question whether a given individual won declare that a particular painting won an award at the Pan-Am. Likewise with manufacturers; this list will tell you an award. We learned from our partners at the Grosvenor that a particular company won an award for “woodworking Room at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library that the machinery” without naming specific models or machines.

Buffalo Morning Express, on October 10, 1901, devoted seven full pages to listing all of the prizes, medals, and awards granted at the Pan-Am. We estimate that over 4,000 awards were handed out.

$50 MEMBERS

If you enjoy indexing, a great at-home volunteer project would be to capture all of the names of individuals and companies from this PDF with their corresponding page numbers, then alphabetize them into a single list. We would be grateful for the help. Interested? Contact our Volunteer & Internship Coordinator, Lindsey Evans, at levans@buffalohistory.org.

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PHOTO ALBUM

M&T Third Friday, Evening with an ICON: Thurman & Patti Thomas 11/16/18

Screening of film Cold Brook, by William Fichtner, which features local M&T Third Friday Merry Merry Music with the Chromatic Club of Buffalo 12/21/18 WNY locations including The Museum 12/9/18

Volunteers, led by Joyce, gift staff member and veteran Howard with a handmade quilt 12/21/18

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Millard Fillmore Birthday Commemoration at Forest Lawn Cemetery 1/7

PHOTO ALBUM

Afro-American Historical Society of the Niagara Frontier hosts 14th Annual MLK, Jr. Day Program - Photos taken by Melvin Watkins 1/20

Staff and Board of Managers tour at the Assembly House 150 1/25

President Lincoln Birthday Celebration with the Buffalo Civil War Roundtable 2/10 Opening of Front Row Buffalo: A Retrospective from the Pit by Jeffrey T. Barnes 2/13

THEN & NOW: Longtime Members and Volunteers, Richard & Sue Szczepaniec, share Hong Kong trip photos taken 50 years apart New York State Building during the Pan-American Exposition – From the collection 5

SPOTLIGHT ARTIFACTS Rebecca Justinger Registrar Souvenirs from the Buffalo Pan-American Exposition are still popular to this day. We have hundreds of keepsakes from the Pan-Am in our collection ranging from pressed coins to inkwells and from stickpins to salt and pepper shakers. It is interesting how many of these souvenirs were made of aluminum. Wide scale production of aluminum was not possible until 1886. Prior to this, a lack of electrical technology made aluminum difficult to extract from its ore.

As a result, aluminum was as unique and valuable as silver.

But by the early 1900s, aluminum became an accessible material for more common items such as souvenirs.

PAN-AMERICAN SOUVENIRS Aluminum ca. 1901

Decades of Spring in the Japanese Garden Paula Hinz, Guest Columnist Sustaining Member, The Buffalo History Museum Co-chairman, Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival As spring approaches, the pink and white cherry blossoms in Buffalo’s Japanese Garden will begin to peep out and show their vibrant color. The 6th Annual Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival will draw visitors to meet their friends in the garden, enjoy music, art, and boat rides. This new-found festival is the latest chapter in the history of the Japanese Garden.

For nearly 50 years, the Japanese Garden has been quietly sitting at the portico steps of The Buffalo History Museum.

The garden was completed in 1974 and is a visual reminder of Buffalo’s friendship with our Japanese Sister City, Kanazawa, Japan. Kanazawa is home to Kenroku-en, one of the three great gardens in Japan. It seemed fitting to build a Japanese garden in a Fredrick Law Olmsted-designed park. The park was already home to a cherry tree grove, which had been planted by the Rotary Club of Buffalo. This group was founded in 1911 with the goal of bettering Western New York.

A Japanese Garden requires sustainable resources to maintain.

For the next 20 years following the opening, the garden was

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Exposition Souvenir.” This aluminum commemorative token bears the Chilean coat of arms and an image of the Chilean exhibit building. Next is a gold-colored, cast-aluminum cup with molded designs depicting the Pan-American Exposition.

The Pan-Am buildings illustrated on the cup include the Electric Tower, the Temple of Music, the Machinery and Transportation Building, and the Liberal Arts Building. And finally, one of my favorite souvenirs is an aluminum inkwell in the form of a crab. A glass pot would sit inside the hinged top shell and the front claws could be used to hold a pen.

Here we have four examples from our collection of aluminum Learn more about the Pan-American Exposition and see other artifacts not often exhibited at our 2nd Annual Pan-Am souvenirs. There is an aluminum cup and saucer stamped with a buffalo head and the words “Pan-American Pan-Am Weekend, May 17 - 19.

basically forgotten. The Japanese Garden’s presence was further challenged with the introduction of a dam, which caused Mirror Lake’s water level to rise, causing the three islands to nearly disappear. In the 1990s, a major effort to restore the garden was initiated, and a quarter of a million dollars was invested in the Japanese Garden.

Ten years later, due to erosion and the general decline of Japanese plants, such as trees and shrubs, the garden once again needed attention. Money was raised and the Japanese Garden was restored. Still, it remained one of Buffalo’s best kept secrets.

In spring 2013, when the cherry trees were at peak bloom, the Friends of the Japanese Garden sponsored a sakura (cherry blossom) viewing picnic. Fewer than 20 people attended, but an idea was born: Why not start a festival that would highlight the sakura and bring more people to the most beautiful springtime garden in Buffalo?

In Japan, sakura viewing is treated more like a pop-up festival.

The dates are determined based on the weekly weather forecast.

Here in Western New York, spring’s arrival is unpredictable. The first week in May was chosen for the annual festival. Regardless of spring’s arrival, the festival catches the early or late stages of the cherry blossoms. This unpredictability is precisely why sakura are so revered. Their ephemeral nature reminds us of our own fleeting mortality.

The 6th Annual Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival runs from May 1- 5, 2019. Featuring boat rides, musicians, artists, food trucks, and more. A more detailed schedule is online at www.buffalocherryblossomfestival.org.

About Paula Hinz: Paula was born in Buffalo and has lived here much of her life. Her love of Japan stems from the years she spent teaching and studying there. As a founding member of the Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival, her goal is to help others fall in love with Buffalo’s “best kept secret” too.

MARCH Sunday 3/10 | 2:30 - 4 p.m.

Jazz on Second Sundays: Buffalo Jazz Collective Featuring James Burton III Featuring music by Mark Filsinger and James Burton III as performed by some of the finest musicians in WNY, including Bobby Militello, Dave Schiavone, John Hasselback, and John Bacon.

Members $5; general admission $12.

Wednesday 3/13 | 6 - 7:30 p.m.

Mark Twain and the Coal Question Thomas Reigstad presents on Mark Twain’s conflicting attitudes towards big business and social justice following his engagement to Olivia Langdon and his subsequent involvement in her father’s successful coal business.

Members free; museum admission.

Friday 3/15 M&T Third Friday Free admission to The Museum and Resource Center at 459 Forest Avenue. Visit buffalohistory.org for schedule of activities.

Wednesday 3/20 | 6 - 7:30 p.m.

Schenck Family Program Tara Mancini presents the history of the Schenck Family, who traversed hills and streams in covered wagons to start a new life near Buffalo. She explores immigration and migration in Buffalo from 1820 to 1900 and discusses German architecture and what life was like on the Schenck Family’s estate.

Members free; museum admission.

Friday 3/22 | 10 - 11:30 a.m.

Women Running for Elected Office: On the Campaign Trail, Then and Now In partnership with the Erie County Commission on the Status of Women, enjoy a pop-up exhibit featuring campaign artifacts and a panel discussion highlighting local women who have run for office.

Members free; museum admission.

Saturday 3/23 | 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

So You Want to Write a Book 2.0: Put a Bow on It Your research and writing are done, now what? What will you need to provide to the publisher? How do you work with a publisher? What should your manuscript look like? See buffalohistory.org for registration details.

Saturday 3/30 | 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

So You Want to Write a Book 2.0: DIY Learn the ins and outs of self-publishing including how to market your work and get the word out! See buffalohistory.org for registration details.

Sunday 3/31 | 2 - 5 p.m.

American History Bee Join the Northwest Buffalo Community Center and Forest District Civic Association for the annual American History Bee for 8th graders. Free.

spring PROGRAMS 2019 APRIL Tuesday 4/2 | 10 - 11a.m.

Toddler Story Time Bring your little one to our monthly program and spend some quality time at The Museum. We will read a book and do a related activity.

Members free; museum admission.

Sunday 4/14 | 2:30 - 4 p.m.

Jazz on Second Sundays: Duke Ellington Celebration Featuring works by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Musicians include Bobby Militello, Mark Filsinger, John Hasselback, George Caldwell, Sabu Adeyola, and John Bacon.

Members $5; general admission $12.

Wednesday 4/17 | 6 - 8 p.m.

Diesel-Electric Locomotives presented by Walter Simpson Environmentalist, life-long railfan, and author of Diesel-Electric Locomotives: How They Work, Use Energy, and Can Become More Efficient and Environmentally Sustainable, Walter Simpson, will talk about diesel electric locomotives. Members free; museum admission.

Friday 4/19 M&T Third Friday Free admission to The Museum and Resource Center at 459 Forest Avenue. Visit buffalohistory.org for schedule of activities.

Tuesday - Friday 4/23 - 4/26 | 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

BreakOut! Stuck inside? Break out of your house during school vacation! We will have plenty of activities and all are welcome to participate. The Resource Center at 459 Forest Ave will be open all week. Members free; museum admission.

Saturday & Sunday 5/4 - 5/5 | 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival Celebrate spring at The Museum and in the Japanese Gardens with Music Is Art, Taiko drummers, dancers, vendors, and pink boat rides! Free. For more information, visit buffalocherryblossomfestival.org.

Tuesday 5/7 | 10 - 11 a.m.

Toddler Story Time See 4/2 for details.

Wednesday 5/8 | 6 - 8 p.m.

One Community, One Book Opening Event: Margaret Creighton In Partnership with the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Margaret Creighton, author of The Electrifying Fall of Rainbow City: Spectacle and Assassination at the 1901 World’s Fair, discusses her writing process and journey and why the Pan-American Exposition is so intriguing to today’s readers. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Free, registration required at buffalohistory.org.

Friday 5/10 | 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Fridays on Forest Spend your Friday on Forest Avenue for a joint-tour experience at our Resource Center (459 Forest Avenue) and the Richardson Olmsted Campus. $30, pre-registration required at www.richardson-olmsted.com.

Wednesday 5/15 | 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Annual Meeting of Membership Annual Meeting at 5:30 p.m.; Member Appreciation Reception to follow.

Available to all current members of The Museum. RSVP to Robin Foley at rfoley@buffalohistory.org.

Thursday 5/16 | 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

20th Annual Paint the Town Participate in our long-standing celebration of art, history, and community.

The event features live and silent art auctions. $50 Members; $75 General; $150 Patron. Contact Alexis Greinert at (716) 873-9644 ext. 318 or at agreinert@buffalohistory.org for tickets and more information.

Wednesday 4/24 | 5:30 - 8 p.m.

Friday - Sunday 5/17 - 5/19 | All Day How to Trace Your Family Tree at the New York State Archives M&T Third Friday and PAN-AM WEEKEND! In Partnership with the NYS Archives Partnership Trust Program Three Days. Two Buildings. Free admission! Celebrate the 118th anniversary 5:30 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. talk Join Joshua Taylor, President of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, to learn how to best access and use New York State Archives for genealogical research. Specific materials will be discussed alongside techniques for preparing to do research, either online or in Albany.

Members of The Museum or New York Genealogical & Biographical Society free; museum admission.

of ‘The Pan’ with three full days of activities. A vintage double decker shuttle will provide free rides between our two buildings. Visit buffalohistory.org for schedule of activities.

MAY

Wednesday 5/22 | 6 - 8 p.m.

One Community, One Book: Pan-Am Plays In partnership with the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, l ocal playwrights have created 10-minute plays inspired by photographs from the Pan-American Exposition! In celebration of “One Community, One Book,” see the fair through the eyes of these local artists! Members free; museum admission.

Wednesday 5/1 | 5 - 8 p.m.

Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival Kickoff 5 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. program Kickoff the festival with a presentation about the Japanese Pavilion of the Pan-American Exposition, plus a kimono fashion show. Free, pre-registration encouraged at buffalohistory.org.

Monday 5/20 | 5:30 - 9 p.m.

Slow Roll Buffalo Visit slowrollbuffalo.org for information and free registration.

*Dates and times subject to change

Evening Hours on Wednesday until 8 p.m. • Free Parking

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