The Album - Digital Issue 1

BUFFALO WILL SEE IT THROUGH

DIGITAL ISSUE 1 2021

VIDEO MESSAGE FROM THE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

“2020 indeed was characterized as ‘a special time of connection’ for the Museum. From connecting-the-dots to connecting with community- the pandemic has pushed us to a new place.”

-Melissa N. Brown

2

BUFFALO WILL SEE IT THROUGH: WORLD WAR I AND THE GREAT INFLUENZA

By Anthony Greco, Director of Exhibits & Interpretive Planning Buffalo Commercial, October 12, 1918 via Newspapers.com

As Erie County and much of the nation endures daily life under quarantine, many have taken the opportunity to look back at the nation’s experiences. A century ago, the 1918 influenza pandemic swept across the globe, killing an estimated 50 million people.

At this time, our world fought not only the Great Influenza, but also the Great War. The gathering of troops in training camps, trenches, and on the battlefields of Europe exacerbated the spread of the virus, making it among the deadliest pandemics in world history.

By the time the United States entered the conflict in April 1917, war had been raging for two-and-a-half years. America hurried to raise and train its army in crowded camps across the nation. At one of these camps, Kansas’ Camp Funston, an influenza virus emerged in March 1918 which quickly spread, transported by troops throughout the nation via train, and then to Europe by ship. Camp Funston and nearby Haskell County Kansas are widely believed to be the origin point of the virus.

3

In newspapers locally and across the country, the pandemic was a secondary issue compared to the war effort. Stories were written, of course, though they rarely commanded front page headlines.

The war required the full support of the American people and any stories deleterious to that cause, even something as crippling as the influenza, would only damage morale.

Epidemiologically, the war and the flu were inextricable; the state of war that existed in the world created the opportunity for the virus to spread so rampantly. In the media, their confluence was referenced more strategically. In one ad published in the Buffalo Commercial, the Liberty Loan Committee creatively used the flu, along with a street car strike, to double-down on the city’s dedication to the war effort. The ad reads: “The War Gave Buffalo its Name as ‘The City That Never Fails,” Are Disease And Trolley Trouble To Take It Away?”

The flu’s deadly second wave hit Western New York in September 1918, infecting approximately 28,000 Buffalonians and taking the lives of at least 2,500 - though due to inaccurate case reporting, these numbers are possibly undercounted.

The slogan, “Buffalo Never Fails” was created by Buffalo’s Liberty Loan Committee to promote Liberty Bond sales. This slogan was applied to the second of five government bond issuances. Another popular slogan, “Buffalo Will See It Through,” was applied to the fifth issuance known as the Victory Bond.

Under the leadership of acting Public Health Commissioner Franklin Gram and Buffalo Mayor George Buck, the city was placed under quarantine on October 10. The shutdown lasted for three weeks before being lifted November 3. In that time, local families faced many of the same restrictions we face today - keep socially distant, wear masks, avoid gatherings.

Today, throughout the city, many are now aware of these popular, century-old slogans and apply them to the difficult situation we currently face. Though these slogans were created and primarily used for one specific purpose, they have since been applied to reinforce what we believe of Buffalo today: we are a resilient city, one of good neighbors and we will see it through.

FROM THE COLLECTION

DOROTHY ERICKSON

By Rebecca Justinger, Registrar Born to Swedish immigrants, Hildur

Dorothy Erickson served as a Yeoman (F)

Dorothy Erickson was one of eight

2nd Class for one hundred days before

children. In August 1918, at the age

the Armistice was signed on November

of 22, Dorothy enlisted in the Navy;

11, 1918. Once she was discharged from

during World War I, as it was the only

the Navy, she worked as a civil service

branch of the American military that allowed women to enlist. They began to recruit in 1917 and nearly 600 Yeoman (F), a rank to distinguish female Yeoman from the pre-existing Yeoman rank, were on duty by April

United States Navy Reserve Uniform William A. Rix & Sons Buffalo, NY Gabardine Wool/Metal Ca. 1918

Station in Great Lakes, Illinois.

Dorothy’s World War One Navy Reserve uniform celebrates Buffalonians who made

1917. While Yeoman (F) primarily

a difference when the world was facing a

served in secretarial and clerical roles,

crisis. This navy blue gabardine wool jacket

they also worked as cryptographers,

and skirt was made in Buffalo by William

recruiting agents, translators, and

A Rix. & Sons, a tailor and importer who

mechanics.

worked on Main Street.

Photo Credit: 4/18/1919 The Buffalo Enquirer Left to right: Elsie Hoffmaster, Dorothy Erickson, Deborah Parsons, and Helen Wurtz, naval yeomen.

4

stenographer for the US Naval Training

Photo Credit: Photographed by Howard Beach, currently owned by Susan Eck

EOS: EXPERIENCING OUR STORY Inspired by the Greek goddess of dawn, EOS offers history-based programs through podcasts, videos, virtual events, exhibits, and tours.

EOS programs are inspired by and share the Museum’s artifact collection and stories. You’ll hear stories about Buffalo and Western New York history, heritage, architecture, and personal accounts directly from the Museum’s professional staff, as well as featured guests.

Check out EOS videos and podcasts on

EOS is made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional support is provided by M&T Bank, the County of Erie, 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.

5

PHOTO ALBUM

FROM THE COLLECTION

Demonstration in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in Niagara Square, April 1968.

Patricia L. Houck selling warsages, corsages made of War Stamps, July 10, 1942.

Teressa Bellissimo, co-owner of the original Anchor Bar.

Purchasing department of M. H. Birge and Sons wallpaper company, February 1929.

SHOP HISTORIC BUFFALO PHOTOS AT OUR PICTURE STORE 6

Aerial view of Buffalo, 1962.

E. J. Meyer Memorial Hospital student nurse, T. Daniel Moore.

Ely S. Parker - engineer, legal scholar, Seneca leader, and army officer.

Press Cycle Club, April 12, 1891.

Franklin Street at the intersection of West Tupper Street, 1948.

SHOP HISTORIC BUFFALO PHOTOS AT OUR PICTURE STORE 7

RESEARCHING PANDEMICS OF THE PAST

By Cynthia Van Ness, Director of Library & Archives Polio Poliomyelitis, also called infantile paralysis, was a virus that terrified parents everywhere because young children were the most vulnerable. Buffalo had outbreaks in 1912 and 1944. The city’s best-known case may We took this as an indication of widespread have been attorney, writer, and toy designer interest in previous epidemics in Buffalo, so Gordon MacLeod, who died in 2010 at this article focuses on three public health age 84. He was New York State’s youngest crises from our past. polio victim when he fell ill at 5 months old. Spain’s press did the most thorough initial He used leg braces, a cane, and eventually reporting on it. The overcrowded military Cholera a wheelchair. barracks and hospitals of World War I Buffalo suffered cholera outbreaks in 1832, provided ideal breeding grounds for the 1849, and 1854. The disease was spread We know of no surviving name lists of area virus. At least 2,500 Buffalo-area people by consuming water contaminated by polio victims, but we do have a report on lost their lives in the 1918-1919 pandemic. bacteria from human stool, but this was not Buffalo’s medical response to the 1912 understood at the time. Blame was assigned epidemic. It is online courtesy of HathiTrust We know of no surviving name lists of area to Irish immigrants, “vapors” or “bad air,” Digital Library: flu victims. Our closest connection to that and stereotypes of lazy or drunken living.

Fronczak, Dr. Francis Millard Fillmore’s only daughter, Mary A study of the acute anterior poliomyelitis crisis is the influenza death of Allithea Birge Cary at age 35 in November 1918. A Abigail, died at age 22 from cholera in epidemic which occurred in the city of member of the Birge family (of wallpaper East Aurora in 1854. She is buried in Buffalo...1912 fame), she was married to George Cary Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Buffalo (N.Y.). Dept. of Health, 1912 (1859-1945), the architect who designed Dr. Glenice Guthrie compiled a list of Polio was almost completely eradicated The Buffalo History Museum’s building names of Buffalo-area cholera victims by vaccine in 1954, an enormous project in 1900. She is buried in Forest Lawn in chronological order as reported in that included testing and field trials in Erie Cemetery. newspapers, and granted us permission to County: share it online: Here are the sources we have, online and Cholera Deaths: 1832, 1849, 1854 Winkelstein, Warren and Saxon Graham offline: Factors in Participation in the 1954 In 1854, Dr James Newman kept a ledger Poliomyelitis Vaccine Field Trials, Erie Influenza in Buffalo, 1918-1919 of cholera cases in Buffalo. That ledger is in County, NY our Library collection. Dr. Rosanne Higgins American Journal of Public Health, If you are fascinated with Buffalo’s medical laboriously indexed all 1,000 handwritten v. 49, 1954 history, you can explore more online courtesy names into a spreadsheet and granted us of HathiTrust Digital Library, which has the permission to share it online: Influenza, 1918-1919 Cholera Deaths, 1854 The so-called Spanish Flu did not originate full text of The Buffalo Medical Journal, 1846-1918. in Spain; it acquired that name because In the weeks since March 23, when our staff began working from home, one question appeared a few times in the Research Library’s inbox: What do you have on the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919?

8

THE HUMAN CONNECTIONS TO HISTORICAL EVENTS

By Walter Mayer, Senior Director of Museum Collections During the coronavirus pandemic, the public’s attention has coalesced around examples of altruism and heroic actions. Years from now, the people who populated these deeds will aid future generations in understanding this pandemic. These individuals and their stories will make the current pandemic less abstract.

It is these accounts that will give the pandemic that “come to life phenomena” when someone’s intimate story can make a historical event more relatable.

One of the most moving stories of this sort involving local figures interwoven into an historical event is that of Samuel Wilkeson (b. 1817 – d. 1899) and his son, Bayard (b. 1844 – d. 1863). Samuel was the son of Samuel Wilkeson, Sr., most notably known as the father of the Buffalo harbor and ardent supporter for the construction of the Erie Canal.

Samuel, Jr., at the time of the Civil War, was a highly regarded war correspondent for the New York Times. His 19-year old son, Bayard, was a Lieutenant in command of Battery G, 4th US Artillery. On the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1, 1863), Bayard positioned his unit on what is now known as Barlow’s Knoll. Almost immediately, the unit took confederate artillery fire. A shell passed through Bayard’s horse, killing it, and mangling his own right leg. He was carried to a makeshift field hospital which was overrun

by Confederate troops shortly after Bayard arrived. The Union surgeons fled leaving their wounded patients behind. Lt. Wilkeson died later that day having bled to death.

Samuel Wilkeson arrived in Gettysburg 9

on July 2, 1863 in his capacity as a correspondent to report on the battle. It was then he learned the fate of his oldest son. Before he could file his report, Samuel searched the battlefield amongst the dead and dying looking for his son. Wilkeson eventually found him buried in a shallow grave with other soldiers.

Wilkeson had to make the transition from grieving parent to war correspondent. He begins his news account of the battle with, “Who can write the history of a battle whose eyes are immovably fastened upon a central figure of transcendingly important interest – the dead body of an oldest born?” He concludes his account with, “My pen is heavy.

OH, you dead, who at Gettysburg, have baptized with your blood the second birth of Freedom in America.” It is thought that President Lincoln must have read Wilkeson’s report of the battle and his reference to a second birth of freedom. Lincoln’s Gettysburg address closes with, “… that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

The story of Samuel and Bayard Wilkeson goes beyond the staggering cold statistics of Gettysburg (approximate total casualties: 51,112 of which 7,058 killed, 33,264 wounded, 10,790 missing and captured) and puts identifiable personalities in the event.

I can’t even begin to fathom what it would be like for a parent to search a battlefield for their fallen soldier - for their fallen child.

Lieutenant Bayard Wilkeson Holding His Battery (G, 4th United States artillery) to its Work in an Exposed Position Alfred R Waud, Artist John William Evans, Engraver Wood Engraving Paper 1888 The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library.

Lt. Bayard Wilkeson W.E. La Montagne Oil on Canvas 1867

CHRONICLING COVID-19: CONTRIBUTE TO BUFFALO’S COLLECTIVE HISTORY In May 2020, the Museum launched Chronicling COVID-19 – our initiative to collect the community’s experiences as we cope with the impacts of the pandemic.

Since 1862, the community has entrusted us to care for their stories- these include stories of hardship, but also of hope, tenacity, grit, strength, and perseverance. COVID-19 will have lasting impacts we have yet to realize; yet our role remains the same- to document, collect, and safekeep our shared experiences as we navigate this time together.

Much has changed since launching Chronicling COVID-19 just 10 months ago. Historic events continue to shape our daily lives, including Black Lives Matter protests and a refocus on racial equity and police brutality. Healthcare workers and essential employees preserve, support, protect, and care for the community. We are all adjusting to the changes needed to abide by new safety requirements as Western New York’s economy reopens in phases.

Over 100 individuals have captured history in the making by donating photos and postcards, sharing video projects, and participating in an online survey.

You can document and share your experiences in many ways, including but not limited to* • Writing postcards or notecards that provide your insights, feelings, and thoughts during the pandemic. Original artwork can also be accepted at a preferred size of card stock no larger than 4×6.

• Sending photographs dated and appropriately identified (location and the names of those in the photo). Photos can be mailed or submitted digitally to covid19@buffalohistory.org.

• Taking our online survey • Recording your perspectives in a journal or notebook.

*Please note that materials can be restricted and unavailable to the public for a designated period of time at the request of the donor upon submission.

All postcards, photos, journals, and paper objects chronicling your COVID-19 experiences can be mailed to: The Buffalo History Museum c/o “Collecting COVID-19 Stories” 1 Museum Court Buffalo, NY, 14216 Should you need rights or disclaimer information regarding a donation or have any questions, concerns, or thoughts about the initiative, please contact us at covid19@buffalohistory.org.

10

COMMUNITY SUBMISSIONS: CHRONICLING COVID-19 EIGHT DAYS OF HOPE

Eight Days of Hope, with a satellite location on Kensington Avenue, launched two initiatives in response to COVID-19.

First, they distributed over 120,000 masks to people in need. The second initiative, “Feed Buffalo,” provided a week’s worth of groceries to over 1,100 families in Buffalo.

BUFFALO QUILTERS

A quilter of 45 years and a co-curator of the Museum’s past exhibit, Quilts: Techniques and Styles, Linda shares the power of quilting. Many quilters took to mask making at the onset of the pandemic and continue to sew and provide masks for the community.

Image donated by Linda H.

SACRED HEART GRADUATES

The Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart celebrated their graduating class with lawn signs dedicated to each student with her senior portrait and where she plans to attend college. Copies of these signs were also given to students.

Images donated by Steve Tybor III, President & CEO of Eight Days of Hope

11

Image donated by Maryann J., Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart Alumna

COMMUNITY SUBMISSIONS: CHRONICLING COVID-19 BUFFALO’S BEST BATMAN

Volunteering has allowed the community to share resources and bring joy to others. Buffalo’s Best Batman has attended a number of charity events from food giveaways to socially distant parades. Batman not only gives back, but brings smiles.

SIGNS IN BUFFALO

Small businesses, organizations, and facilities temporarily closed or changed operations. Signage and messaging were spread far and wide, from closure notices and words of hope and inspiration. Local photographers, including Mason, captured these messages.

Images donated by Mason M.

Images donated by William L. Jr., Buffalo’s Best Batman

12

ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR THE RED JACKET, DANIEL B. NIEDERLANDER AND OWEN B. AUGSPURGER AWARDS

DUE MARCH 5, 2021 NOMINATION FORMS AVAILABLE ONLINE AT

BUFFALOHISTORY.ORG/RED-JACKET-AWARDS

13

Photo courtesy of Jeffery T. Barnes

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

BOARD OF MANAGERS

Melissa Brown

OFFICERS

ART DIRECTORS Tamara Bdour, Cheyenne Ketter-Franklin

CONTRIBUTERS Anthony Greco, Rebecca Justinger, Walter Mayer, and Cynthia Van Ness.

THE BUFFALO HISTORY MUSEUM STAFF Anthony Greco Cheyenne Ketter - Franklin Cynthia Van Ness Elizabeth DiPaola Kelsey Reed Kimberly Luangpakdy Kristin Hatch Lorraine Robinson Mathew Holland Megan Hahin Melissa Brown Patrick Ryan Rebecca Justinger Robert deGuehery Robin Foley Walter Mayer

14

Greg D. Tranter - President Kevin Brady - Vice President Cassie Irish - Vice President Jennifer Liber Raines - Vice President Mark L. Martin - Vice President Bill O’Donnell - Vice President Mark Taylor - Vice President Anne Conable - Secretary Brian Dempsey - Treasurer MANAGERS

Gaile Amigone Dr. Lisa Marie Anselmi, PhD Joan M. Bukowski Noel Emerling Karna Holmes Dr. Bharat Kohli, M.D Dr. Barbara A. Seals Nevergold, PhD Alexander Schimert Aaron Siegel Nicole R. Tzetzo, Esq. 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.

LEARN MORE AT

BUFFALOHISTORY.ORG

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR HOURS, EVENT INFORMATION, RESTORATION UPDATES, NEWS, AND MORE!

15

THE BUFFALO HISTORY MUSEUM IS SUPPORTED BY

AND ALSO BY DONORS, MEMBERS, AND FRIENDS OF THE MUSEUM.

THANK YOU! 16