If it’s autumn along the Genesee, it’s apple time, cider time, and fry-cake time. For anyone who’s lived in Western New York, the familiar sight of bushel baskets of apples, … Continue reading The Glen Iris Orchard Company
Category: Wyoming County History
Crime Along the Genesee: The Bertha Kingsley Shooting
The news is filled with senseless crimes—road rage that turns deadly, an argument that results in someone being shot, and random assaults. But it’s nothing new, and the story of … Continue reading Crime Along the Genesee: The Bertha Kingsley Shooting
The Noted Musicians of Castile
This month’s story is a personal one and part of my maternal grandmother’s family history, dating back almost 100 years to the time of the Great Depression. It’s a story … Continue reading The Noted Musicians of Castile
Riding the Stagecoach Along the Genesee
Just mentioning the word “stagecoach” likely conjures up images of vintage western movies featuring desperate gangs of robbers holding up passengers, or a high-speed chase across the desert with Indians … Continue reading Riding the Stagecoach Along the Genesee
Scales, Shape Notes, and Singing Schools
Early in the 19th century, as villages dotted the landscape along the Genesee River and Western New York, churches sprang up, and residents organized according to Protestant doctrinal persuasions—Presbyterian, Baptist, … Continue reading Scales, Shape Notes, and Singing Schools
The Letter Mystery
For history researchers, personal letters and diaries can be treasure troves of information, not only about the person you’re researching but also about the time period in which they lived. … Continue reading The Letter Mystery
Ambition by Design: The Life of Elisha Johnson
Part One When the Genesee River Valley opened for settlement in the early 1800s, it was driven primarily by the Holland Land Company, a group of Dutch investors and banks. … Continue reading Ambition by Design: The Life of Elisha Johnson
Marcena Sherman Ricker, M.D. Personal Physician to Susan B. Anthony
Marcena Sherman Ricker, M.D. was one of four well-known women doctors from the Castile area leading the way in the care of women and children in the late 1800s. Dr. … Continue reading Marcena Sherman Ricker, M.D. Personal Physician to Susan B. Anthony
Caroline Bishop, Letchworth State Park’s First Superintendent
One of William P. Letchworth’s final requests was for his longtime secretary, librarian, and executive assistant, Caroline Bishop, to become the first superintendent of Letchworth State Park, which was honored … Continue reading Caroline Bishop, Letchworth State Park’s First Superintendent
Lemuel M. Wiles, Genesee Country Artist
One of the Genesee Country’s finest artists grew up just outside the Village of Perry on Suckerbrook Road. If you take a drive out that way, you’ll find a historical … Continue reading Lemuel M. Wiles, Genesee Country Artist
