TOWN OF GREECE HISTORIAN'S OFFICE

and the
GREECE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
2009 ANNUAL REPORT

The Greece Historical Society is under contract with the Town of Greece as the "official" Town
Historian. That is, the Society, not an individual is the Greece Town Historian. However the historic
documents, files, books etc. from the Historian’s Office files are still considered the property of the Town
of Greece. One room at the Greece Historical Center is considered the historian's office and not part of the
Greece Historical Society. The Greece Historical Society accessions household, farm, business etc.
objects for their collection. There is reciprocation between the two entities, but each remains separate.
Although various individuals in the society carry out some of the responsibilities of the Town Historian
(i.e. education and programs), Alan Mueller, a long time Greece resident and Society member has the
primary responsibility of maintaining the historian's office. The information about the historian's office
is his report, followed by other programs and activities of the Greece Historical Society.

HISTORIAN'S OFFICE
We continue to revise and archive important materials in the files. Archival boxes and binders of color
slides now have better labeling and identification of both slides and documents.

A number of displays boards were on display with material relating to

various monthly talks by guest speakers sponsored by the Greece
Historical Society at the Town Hall. We also assembled two display
boards with an over view of some of the highlights of our Society for the
40th anniversary celebration at Golden Ponds Restaurant, October 9,
2009. They were later on display at the Museum. A good portion of the
display boards used for the museum or for other venues are now being
retained for future use.

Ralph DeStephano contributed a CD of numerous photos taken of the last days of Buckman's Dairy (Sept
- Oct. 2009) just prior and during the final demolition.

Twenty years after being obtained at sale, a box of 26, 5"x7" glass negatives have had photo copies made
by Rowe Photo. They all pertain to the Losey family of West Greece. Most of them are from the 1905-
1910 period. The Losey's were early settlers in the area and active in farming, carpentry, store keeping
and numerous other pursuits. The prints and a CD are now on file in the Historian's office and G.H.S.
files

The historian's office continues to supply photos and historic material for the Society's by-monthly
publication, the Corinthian.

The education committee has made use of the historian's office materials and files throughout the year to
aid Greece Central Schools Social Studies teachers in planning curriculum.

Most of our outside inquiries continue to be received by email or phone. We supplied many articles and
photos for a blog site about the former Cardinal Mooney High School. Several important calls came from
relatives of farm families. A distant relative of the Peter Veeder family (Latta Road), living in Nantucket,
proved to be most rewarding for both her and ourselves, since we were able to exchange information
neither of our files contained.

1
A large collection of crumbling Greece newspapers had been microfilmed and digitally scanned a year
ago. Since they were becoming a storage problem and major fire hazard they were offered to any
interested party. They have been removed by Society member Jack Kemp and may eventually become
part of the Charlotte history group at the Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse. Two sturdy, four shelf racks take
their place and can be used for archival boxes etc.

Betty Fetter continues to help copying of current newspaper articles and material, plus filing as time
permits from her other duties in the Society.

MUSEUM EXHIBITS
“Here Comes the Bride” and a Model Machine Shop
belonging to Don Stilson, Town of Parma historian
resulted in a large increase in our Sunday visitors.

Andrea Peeck, a 19 year old college student, created

an exhibit on strange weather in the Rochester area.
A Community Christmas tree with ornaments from
area businesses, individuals & organizations was our
holiday attraction and we had one antique appraisal day during the year.

MUSEUM TOURS
Approximately 1,000 individuals toured the Greece Museum during 2009.
There is no way of knowing the exact number, as many individuals that tour
the museum do not sign our guest book, however approximately 875
individuals did sign in. Also group tours, included seniors, scouts,
elementary school children, the Landmark Society of Western New York
docents and Leadership Greece.

COMMUNITY EDUCATION
Lee Strauss and the Education Committee continues to work with Marc
Flemming and Michelle Scamacca, Social Studies directors for Greece
Central Schools, supplying primary source materials for curriculum
development. The Historical Society’s efforts in local history education
was recognized this year with the Marguerite Hare Brown Award and a
grant of $200.00. The committee members have organized the library into
color coded subjects and made a card catalog. Our history files continue
to be reorganized into subject and cross referenced them with the library,
maps and photos. Tours for students, scouts, and community groups have
been given and we continue to plan for them.

ORGANIZATIONAL PROMOTION
We spent two days at the Hilton Apple festival, one day at a History Fair in
Rochester and a day at the Faris Pharmacy open house promoting our
organization and had an information booth at the Town's Ground Hog Day
celebration. The Greece Post and Democrat & Chronicle have featured the
Greece Historical Society in many articles and columns during the year and
the “Historian’s Notebook” by Lorraine Beane was featured several times in
the Greece Post.

2
PROGRAMS

Our monthly programs have again proven to be very popular with the
community, during 2009 attendance has varied from as little as 65 to as many
as 100. Programs in January and October were part of the Speakers in the
Humanities series sponsored by the New York State for the Humanities. Three
of this past years programs were recorded by local public access Educable,
and are available for sale through Educable.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT
In the past year the Greece Historical Society has been represented at a
Document Heritage Program held in Victor, a presentation on the
archives at Valentown Museum, a Rochester Regional Library Council
program on the availability of Grants, and a “behind the scenes” tour of
the Fairport museum and the new Rochester Historical Society facilities
at the Rundel Library. William Keeler, curator of the Fairport Museum
and Archivist at the Rochester Historical Society, has volunteered many
hours in teaching some of our volunteers the correct museum procedures
in collection management.

EQUIPMENT ACQUIRED
New equipment this year included a new fax/copier machine, a small glass display case, new wooden
display easels, a microfilm reader (free from a professor at SUNY Geneseo) , a used laptop computer
from the Town of Greece, and a mannequin for exhibits.

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS

Capital improvements this year included the replacement

of the back exhibit hall doors by Straight Line
Contractors, the purchase of some new rugs, installed by
Christie Carpets, and the painting of the copula, the
north side porch and the back basement door.

MEMBERSHIP
The membership is down slightly from the previous years which are typical for many non-profit
organizations. As a membership promotion, we are continuing to offering A Growing Legacy, An
Illustrated History of Rochester’s Parks, while supplies last, to anyone who visits our museum shop and
purchases a new or renews a membership. The books were a gift from the City Historian to be given away
as a promotion. A business membership drive has also begun. A new volunteer, Sue Hodge who also
volunteers at the Genesee Country Village & Museum, will be focusing on increasing membership.

3
ORGANIZATIONS:
It’s imperative that the Greece Historical Society maintain a relationship with professional and
community organizations. The following are the organizations that the Society is a member of or has a
working relationship with: The Association for Public Historians of New York State, Greece Chamber of
Commerce, Landmark Society of Western New York, Western New York Association of Historical
Agencies, Upstate History Alliance, American Association of State and County Historians, Rochester
Regional Library Council.

INVENTORY – CATALOGING
Fred Stock has continued to photograph and catalog the Society’s
archives and artifacts. Fred is under contract with Experience Works.
Experience Works, is a federal Title V senior program covering the
States of New York , Pennsylvania and New Jersey, which provides
training and support to those 55 years and over find employment.
In order to provide some temporary financial aid and practical
learning skills, non-profit organizations such as the Greece
Historical Society assist these clients to function in a real work
environment. Payment to the clients is minimum wage through the
federal program.

40th ANNIVERSERY
Our 40th anniversary celebration dinner was held October 9th at Golden Ponds Party House, at which time
we were presented with proclamations from the Town of Greece, presented by Supervisor Auberger, the
County of Monroe, presented by County Legislator Rick Antelli and from the State of New York,
presented by State Senator Joe Robach.

WEB SITE
The Greece Central School District had hosted our web site for several years. During the summer of 2009
we were notified that they would no longer host our site, therefore we were required to find another site
and change the URL name of our site, which is http://www.greecehistoricalsociety.net

HISTORIC PRESERVATION
The Greece Historical Society provides information to the Historic Preservation Commission and Bill
Sauers is a member of that commission.

VOLUNTEERS
It takes many volunteers to run our organization. Some may loan us
a treasured heirloom, fix a broken chair, help with a single event or
guide visitors through our museum on Sunday afternoons, still
others spend literally hundreds of hours during the year to keep the
place going. The following are the some of the volunteers who
gave their time or talent this past year to help the Greece Historical
Society.

Cathy Anderson, Doug Angold, Jim Beane, Lorraine Beane,

Carolyn Brewer, Phyllis Brown, James Butts, Pat Butts, Edie Coe,
Bill Coe, Faye Cole, Edith Crawford, Jim Dirks, Dory DeJaeger, Sally Dickerson, Tracie Doerner, Linda
Evans, Betty Fetter, Kathleen Firkins, Pat Flugel, Evelyn Gardner, John Geisler, Lester Haines, George
Haines, Pat Haines, Barry Hartley, Mary Lou Hartley, Jack Heller, Sue Hodge, Terry Hogan, Allison
Hopkins, Eleanor Kanous, Bill Keeler, Jack Kemp, Paula Koerner, Paula Kosioriek, Lucy Kraemer, Keith
Kroon, Gary Leary, Dick Lewandowski, Lois Janiak, Lorna Logan, Sharon Logan, Dean MacGregor,
Bob Martin, Bonita McClure, Lucia McEntee, Ed McKeown, Mike McManus, Beth Mitchell, Lee
4
Morelli, Alan Mueller, Pat Palumbo, Dave Pandina, Peg Paradise, Holly Pearl, Sandy Peck, Bill Peeck,
Wendy Peeck, Andrea Peeck, Ann Pepe, Craig Ristuccia, Virginia Robinson, Carol Riesenberger, Joe
Riesenberger, Renee Sanger, Sue Sauers, Bill Sauers, Tom Schommer, Dorothea Schommer, John
Schroedl, Betty Schmidt, Cynthia Shevlin, Betty Smith, Dee Stein, Don Stilson, Fred Stock, Mary Lou
Straub, Heidi Strauss, Richard Strauss, Lee Strauss, Jeremy Tuke, Beverly Tulloch, Marcia Turpyn, Jack
Wallenhorst, Bernice Wallenhorst, Rene Ward, Vi White, Josh Woodland, Roberta Young. The Charlotte
Genesee Lighthouse, GPAS, the Greece Chamber of Commerce, the Shorewood, Woodside, Thyme in the
Garden, Lakeshore and Lakeview garden clubs, the Signery sign shop, Vay Schleich & Meeson and the
employees of the Town of Greece.

2009 BOARD OF TRUSTEES:

William M. Sauers (President)
Wendy Peeck (Vice President)
Jack Wallenhorst (Treasurer)
Sandy Peck (Secretary)
Cynthia Shevlin (Newsletter Editor)
Alan Mueller (Historian’s Office)
Lee Strauss (Book keeping & Education)
Roberta Young
Phyllis Brown
William Coe
Lucia McEntee
John F. Wallenhorst
Viola White
Lorraine Beane (Executive Director)
Donald C. Newcomb (Honorary Trustee)