Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Christmas Open House 2018

The Galen Historical Society will be holding a Christmas Open House on Saturday December 1st, 2018, from 10am-1pm at the Brick Church Museum. There will be refreshments, Christmas music from 11am until noon played by Larry Dapolito on the Wilcox and White pump organ, and a short presentation honoring former GHS president Sharon Rice for her contributions to the historical society.
Please come in and join us as we welcome in the beginning of the holiday season. And, watch for the beautiful refurbished stained glass windows that will be lit up for the month of December!

ROC the Day 2018


Today, Tuesday November 27th, 2018, is the National Day of Giving. Once again, the Galen Historical Society is participating locally in ROC the Day through the United Way of Rochester, NY. Please consider donating to the Galen Historical Society. Your generous contributions help us to collect and preserve items and information about our local  history so that we can help visitors, students, and the local community to understand our place in  history.
This year the historical society has published a video on YouTube called "Swamp to River" about the construction of the Erie Canal and it's effect on our history. We have also erected a historical marker to honor a local Revolutionary War soldier and assisted a Congressional Medal of Honor society locate a Civil War soldier so that he can be recognized.
Please help us to continue producing programs that spotlight our local history, and to update and preserve our local museums with their amazing collections. Thank you.

Sunday, November 11, 2018

Revolutionary War Veteran Honored with Sign

The Galen Historical Society has erected a historical marker sign to recognize and honor our local Revolutionary War veteran, William Vermilyea, just in time for the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day. Mr. Vermilyea was buried with family members in the White School House Cemetery on the corner of Rte. 414 north and Kelsey Rd.
The sign was purchased through the joint efforts of Tom Sawtelle, Town of Galen Supervisor Steve Groat, the Town of Galen, the Village of Clyde, and the local SOAR organization, using a historical signage grant from the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. We are very grateful for their assistance.


Wednesday, November 7, 2018

GHS Veterans Day Observances

The Galen Historical Society Brick Church Museum will be open on Sunday November 11th, 2018, from 10am-12pm in honor of the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day (11/11/1918- 11/11/2018).  We will also be open on Monday November 12th,  2018, from 10am-12pm during the Federal holiday. Please stop in and view our display that honors our local veterans. We have some new and interesting donations from the Civil War. Plus, our Revolutionary War veteran, William Vermilyea, will be honored with a sign at the White School House Cemetery.

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Clyde Community Sidewalk Sale


The Clyde Community Festival is featuring a community sidewalk sale on Saturday August 11th, 2018, starting at 9 am. Look for the Galen Historical Society table in front of the SOAR/Clyde SPAN office at 70 Glasgow St. We will have gift shop items, such as Clyde glass jewelry, stamp cachets, tote bags, books about local history, and vintage children toys, available for purchase.
There is also a table of GHS gift shop items for purchase during business hours in the LNB lobby. They are featuring the Galen Historical Society as the business of the month for August. 
Be sure to stop in either place and see what's for sale!!

Friday, July 6, 2018

The Case of the Disappearing Steam Engine

Did anyone notice something missing from outside of the Mill Museum in Clyde, NY? Don't worry; it was on purpose. On Saturday June 30th, 2018, thanks to Brian Howell and his new tractor, we finally managed to get the "Big Ole" Steam Engine into the basement of the Mill Museum. This is part of the historical society's efforts to clean and reorganize the Mill Museum and the wonderful agricultural exhibits.
Also assisting Steve Groat and Brian Howell was Burt Bogart (museum neighbor). Please refer to the photos for a guide to success. Don't get fooled, it wasn't as easy as the
photos look. We had three Engineers on site and that combined brain power
reduced the entry time to one hour. Again, many, many thanks the Mr. Howell!
Thank you to Steve Groat for the information I used and the pictures.






GHS July 2018 Quarterly Meeting Planned

Here's the article from the July issue of the GHS newsletter "Blockhouse Bulletin"written by Jim Darnell.
Importance of Wayne County Farmer and Freethinker James Madison Cosad Featured at Quarterly Meeting & Picnic
   The GHS Summer Quarterly Meeting & Picnic will be held on Monday evening, July 23, beginning at 6 p.m. under the picnic pavilion at Lauraville Landing.  In the event of inclement weather, the meeting will be held at the Clyde Methodist Church.
   Our evening’s program, titled Huron Suffragent — James Madison Cosad, will outline the life and impact of one of the leading Freethinkers in America.  Cosad, who grew up in Junius and later moved to Huron was an avid promoter of abolition, spiritualism and women’s suffrage.  Presenter Rosa Fox, Huron Town Historian, will highlight local connections to the early suffrage movement. The program will follow our picnic and a brief GHS business meeting.
   The event is open to the public. Those attending should bring a dish-to-pass and their own table setting.  Water and lemonade will be provided.

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Galen Historical Society Video Now Available on YouTube

The Galen Historical Society is happy to announce that the video "A local Erie Canal Story, Swamp to River” is now available to be viewed on YouTube. Just follow the link provided. The video is a compilation of current and historical photographs, and video of the Erie Canal, with narration written and given by Town of Galen Historian Hugh Miner. It features music written and performed by local singer/songwriters Nancy and John Bryan. Town of Galen Supervisor Steve Groat did the current photography and editing. It's a beautiful, historical look at our area. I strongly recommend that everyone take the time to watch it.


https://youtu.be/I4ryWxPjiio

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Brick Church Museum 2018 Holiday Closings

FYI:  The Brick Church Museum will be closed on the following dates- Wednesday July 4th, Thursday July 5th, and Wednesday July 11th, 2018. It will be open on Tuesday July 10th, 2018, from 10am-1pm, for the Erie Canal Bike Tour, and Thursday July 12th, 2018, from 3-6pm. All are welcome to visit, tour the museum, and enjoy our summer display.  We will return to our normal summer schedule the following week. The Galen Historical Society wishes everyone a happy and safe Fourth of July holiday.

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

GHS Has Exciting Plans for Summer 2018


There are some exciting changes at the Brick Church Museum this year! We have moved displays and cases around in order to make it easier to view our exhibits, like our beautiful Clyde Glass collection.
Our summer display is all about genealogy this year.  We have some interesting, and helpful hints about "digging up your family roots".  There is also the documents that the late Bill Dean collected and donated to the historical society that are available upon request. 
Our summer hours have changed again this year.  The Brick Church Museum will be open Wednesdays from 1-3pm from June 13th through August 29th.  We also added open hours at the Brick Church Museum on Thursdays from 3-6pm to coincide with the Clyde Community Farmers' Market in the village park.  These hours start Thursday June 14th and go through August 30th. We are planning extra open hours during the Clyde Community Festival in August.
Unfortunately, the Mill Museum is currently being refurbished and will not have regular open hours this year. Both museums are available for tours upon request. Just email us at galenhistoricalsociety@gmail.com, or call a key holder to make an appointment.
We are planning our annual picnic for Monday July 23rd, and an auction on July 25th.  Our fabulous Clyde Glass jewelry is currently available for sale, and we continue to accept memorial brick orders all year.  Watch for details in your next copy of our newsletter.  Have a great summer, and don't forget to drop in and check out our summer display!