The Genesee Country Village and Museum is a 19th-century living history museum covering more than located in the town of

Wheatland, New York Wheatland is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 4,775 at the 2010 census. The town is home to Genesee Country Village and Museum. Geography and geology The town of Wheatland is located in the southwest part of M ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, in the small hamlet of Mumford, about from

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

. On the museum property is the 19th-century village (the Historic Village), the John L. Wehle Gallery of Sporting Art, the Genesee Country Nature Center, the Carriage Museum, the Silver Baseball Park and the Heirloom Gardens. The facility offers special events and classes throughout the year.

Origin

The Genesee Country Village and Museum was conceived and founded by John (Jack) L. Wehle in 1966. He was a collector of art and recognized that another art form, the work of regional carpenters, master builders, and housewrights, was fast disappearing from the landscape. The proposed museum was to be a village of selected examples of 19th-century Genesee Country

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

that demonstrated not only form, but also function. The buildings would be showcases of the disciplines of cabinetry, weaving, pottery and other

artisan An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art ...

s which would be displayed in appropriate cultural context. A site for this undertaking was chosen in Mumford, New York, a quiet corner of Monroe County. Much of the land, once cleared and farmed, had reverted to the wild state which greeted the first settlers. Stone fences trailing through the rolling woodlands and anchoring the hedgerows remained as evidence of the frontier farming venture. For ten years the founder and the museum director, architectural historian Stuart Bolger, guided a corps of carpenters and masons in turning the long-neglected land to new uses in the form of a recreated village. During the first decade of development, some three dozen buildings of the style, type, and function found in the rural communities of

western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY i ...

were acquired and placed in the configuration of an early

Genesee Country The Phelps and Gorham Purchase was the purchase in 1788 of of land in what is now western New York State from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for $1,000,000 ( £300,000), to be paid in three annual installments, and the pre-emptive right to th ...

hamlet. Vintage farm structures were moved in and placed alongside the village. With care and historical respect these buildings were restored. Concurrently, the curatorial staff undertook the quest for relevant artifacts to furnish and equip the renewed buildings. The results of their quest are fully furnished houses, shops and farms supported by a large collection of antiques and historical pieces.

Historic Village

The Historic Village is the core of the museum. With the layout of a small 19th-century village, 68 restored and furnished buildings are available to walk through. A wide spectrum of buildings is presented, from the simple frontier cabin to an elaborate Victorian mansion, with professional, religious, and business buildings as well. Most buildings are staffed by costumed interpreters, providing information about the history of the building, the time period, and in certain instances, demonstrating a

craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pro ...

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct excha ...

Demonstrations occurring throughout the village

* 19th-century games *

Quilting Quilting is the term given to the process of joining a minimum of three layers of fabric together either through stitching manually using a needle and thread, or mechanically with a sewing machine or specialised longarm quilting system. ...

Weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

* Fabric dyeing *

Wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...

spinning * Cooking *

Broom A broom (also known in some forms as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. I ...

making *

Farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

Printing Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ...

Blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

ing * Coopering * Pottery throwing *

Woodworking Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mate ...

* Gunsmithing *

Tinsmith A tinsmith is a person who makes and repairs things made of tin or other light metals. The profession may sometimes also be known as a tinner, tinker, tinman, or tinplate worker; whitesmith may also refer to this profession, though the same w ...

ing File:Genesee Country Village Colonial.JPG, Humphrey Colonial house File:Genesee Country Village Cottage.JPG, Kieffer House File:Genesee Country Village Farm Bedroom.JPG, Bedroom File:Genesee Country Village Hamilton House.JPG, Hamilton house File:Genesee Country Village Livingston Backus House.JPG, Livingston Backus House File:Genesee Country Village Mumford NY.JPG, Oxen team File:Genesee Country Village Opera House.JPG, Davis Opera house File:Genesee Country Village Quiltmaker.JPG, Quiltmaker File:GeorgeEastmanBoyhoodHomeFrontViewOblique.JPG,

George Eastman George Eastman (July 12, 1854March 14, 1932) was an American entrepreneur who founded the Eastman Kodak Company and helped to bring the photographic use of roll film into the mainstream. He was a major philanthropist, establishing the Eastman ...

's boyhood home File:NathanielRochesterHouseFromDansville.JPG,

Nathaniel Rochester Nathaniel Rochester (February 21, 1752 – May 17, 1831) was an American Revolutionary War soldier, and land speculator, most noted for founding the settlement which would become Rochester, New York. Early life Nathaniel Rochester was born ...

's home File:RushNewYorkSchoolhouseInterior.JPG, The interior of the one-room schoolhouse File:TheIntrepidReplicaGeneseeCountryVillage.JPG, A replica of the Civil War observation balloon the ''Intrepid'' File:TreadleLathe.JPG, A

treadle A treadle (from oe, tredan, "to tread") is a mechanism operated with a pedal for converting reciprocating motion into rotating motion. Along with cranks, treadmills, and treadwheels, treadles allow human and animal machine power in the absen ...

lathe at the gunsmith shop

Silver Baseball Park

The most recent addition to the museum's grounds is Silver

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

Park. Americans have enjoyed baseball for nearly 200 years. The park was built to provide the historical background to this American pastime. Silver Baseball Park is the first replica 19th-century baseball park in America, and began its operation on August 11, 2001. The park's name commemorates both

Morrie Silver Morrie E. Silver (July 28, 1909April 26, 1974) was an American businessman based in Rochester, New York. He is best known for his work with the Rochester Red Wings minor league baseball team. Business career A native of Rochester, Silver attended ...

, the former owner, president, and general manager of the Rochester Red Wings; and the museum's twenty-fifth anniversary. Currently, the museum has six ladies' and men's teams, dressed in period-style uniforms that face off each Saturday and Sunday, playing with period-appropriate equipment and by 1866 rules. Visitors can view the games from wooden bleachers that face an outfield fence sporting period-style advertising. A manual scoreboard is operated by two young lads on scaffolding, while a press box tower is home to a tally keeper and announcer. Concessions are available and include peanuts, birch beer and other period-appropriate food.

Heirloom Gardens

Spread throughout the museum's grounds are thirteen heirloom gardens. Eye-catching blossoms, fragrant herbs, luscious

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

s and rows upon rows of colorful

vegetable Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...

s are the components of these gardens. Most of what is grown in the gardens is used regularly by village interpreters for preparing meals in the historic kitchens, dyeing fibers and making decorations or craft projects. During the spring and summer months, both adults and children can learn more through various educational programs, tours and demonstrations that are specific to gardening.

The John L. Wehle Gallery of Sporting Art

John Whele was an avid collector of sporting art. His collection, displayed in the gallery, includes wildlife and sporting art that spans four centuries - from the 17th to the 20th. Included are featured works by artists such as John James Audubon, Robert Bateman,

Frederic Remington Frederic Sackrider Remington (October 4, 1861 – December 26, 1909) was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in the genre of Western American Art. His works are known for depicting the Western United Stat ...

Carl Rungius Carl Clemens Moritz Rungius (August 18, 1869 – October 21, 1959) was a leading American wildlife artist. He was born in Germany though he immigrated to the United States and he spent his career painting in the western United States and Can ...

Maud Earl Maud Alice Earl (1863-1943) was a British-American artist, known for her canine paintings. Her works are much enjoyed by dog enthusiasts and also accurately record many breeds. Biography Alice Maud Earl was born in Marylebone, London, to Georg ...

Bob Kuhn Bob Kuhn is a former mayor of Glendora, California. Kuhn was elected to the Glendora City Council in 1986 and was the city's mayor in 1990, 1993, and 1994. He also served as a Planning Commissioner from 1982 to 1986.Allan Houser Allan Capron Houser or Haozous (June 30, 1914 – August 22, 1994) was a Chiricahua Apache sculptor, painter and book illustrator born in Oklahoma.Bruno Liljefors Bruno Andreas Liljefors (; 14 May 1860 – 18 December 1939) was a Swedish artist. He is perhaps best known for his nature and animal motifs, especially with dramatic situations. He was the most important and probably most influential Swedish wil ...

. A large sculpture garden is located outside the gallery amongst the trees. The paintings and sculptures in this collection trace the social, artistic and ideological changes in the interaction between humans and animals.

The Carriage Museum

A range of horse-drawn carriages from the 19th and early 20th centuries fills the Carriage Museum. This unique collection presents a broad scope of two- and four-wheeled vehicles and sleighs. The collection includes the basic horse-drawn conveyance that characterized the 19th-century rural scene, utility vehicles, sporting rigs, pleasure carts, and veteran vehicles from the harness track. One drawing much interest is the 12-horse hitch wagon from the

Genesee Brewing Company Genesee Brewing Company ( ) is an American brewery located along the Genesee River in Rochester, New York. From 2000 to 2009, the company was known as the High Falls Brewing Company. In 2009, High Falls was acquired by the capital investment fi ...

, a local

brewer Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer ...

that is still in business in the region.

Genesee Country Nature Center

The Nature Center sits adjacent to the Historic Village on of

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (se ...

s, old fields and

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or arti ...

s. Visitors can view the native

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

and

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is ''funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as ''Biota (ecology ...

, and explore educational programs and exhibits at the Nature Center building. There are a number of trails in the area for

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

and cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.

Special events

Special events are the highlight of the museum. They regularly occur throughout the year in both the Historic Village and Nature Center and are designed for all ages. Numerous classes are also available for both children and adults throughout the museum. A few offerings are listed below:

Historic Village events

* Summer Sampler Children's Classes * Adult Craft Classes * Mother's and Father's Day events * 4th of July Celebration *

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

reenactment * Civil War reenactment * Scottish Highland Games * Old Time Fiddlers Fair * Agricultural Society Fair * Halloween event * Yuletide in the Country

Nature Center events

* Children's Summer Earth Camp * Birds of Prey event * Maple Sugaring * Trail Hikes * Stargazing

References

External links

Genesee Country Village and Museum official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Genesee Country Village And Museum Museums in Monroe County, New York Living museums in New York (state) Open-air museums in New York (state) Nature centers in New York (state) Carriage museums in the United States Art museums established in 1976 Art museums and galleries in New York (state) Transportation museums in New York (state)