Genesee Country Village and Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1976 |
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| Location | Wheatland, New York (in the hamlet of Mumford) |
| Type | 19th-century living history museum |
The Genesee Country Village and Museum is a special place where you can step back in time. It's a living history museum that shows what life was like in the 1800s. The museum covers over 600 acres (about 2.4 square kilometers) in Mumford, New York. This is a small town near Rochester.
At the museum, you'll find a village from the 1800s. There's also an art gallery, a nature center, and a museum for old carriages. You can even see a baseball park that looks like one from the 1800s! The museum offers many fun events and classes all year long.
Contents
How the Museum Started
The Genesee Country Village and Museum was created by a man named John (Jack) L. Wehle. He started it in 1966. Jack loved collecting art, but he also saw that old buildings were disappearing. These buildings were like art too, built by skilled carpenters and masons.
He wanted to save these amazing old buildings. His idea was to create a village with examples of 19th-century buildings. These buildings would show how people lived and worked. They would also display the skills of artisans like weavers and potters.
A quiet spot in Monroe County was chosen for the museum. This land had once been farms. It still had old stone fences from when settlers first arrived.
For ten years, Jack Wehle and the museum director, Stuart Bolger, worked hard. They led carpenters and masons to build the village. They moved about three dozen buildings from the 1800s to this new spot. These buildings were carefully restored to look just as they did long ago.
At the same time, museum staff searched for old items. They found furniture, tools, and other things from the 1800s. Now, the houses, shops, and farms are fully furnished. They look just like they did in the past.
Explore the Historic Village
The Historic Village is the main part of the museum. It's set up like a small town from the 1800s. You can walk through 68 restored buildings. These buildings show many different parts of life back then. You can see simple frontier cabins and fancy Victorian mansions. There are also shops, churches, and business buildings.
Many buildings have people dressed in old-fashioned clothes. These "interpreters" can tell you about the building's history. They also share what life was like in the 1800s. Sometimes, they even show you how old crafts or trades were done.
What You Can See and Do
You can watch or even try many activities from the 1800s, such as:
- Playing 19th-century games
- Learning about Quilting
- Watching Weaving and fabric dyeing
- Seeing Wool spinning
- Discovering old Cooking methods
- Watching Broom making
- Learning about farming
- Seeing how Printing was done
- Watching a Blacksmith at work
- Learning about coopering (making barrels)
- Seeing pottery throwing
- Watching Woodworking
- Seeing a Gunsmith or Tinsmith at work
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Humphrey Colonial house
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Kieffer House
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Bedroom
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Hamilton house
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Livingston Backus House
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Oxen team
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Davis Opera house
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Quiltmaker
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George Eastman's boyhood home
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Nathaniel Rochester's home
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The inside of a one-room schoolhouse
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A copy of the Civil War observation balloon, the Intrepid
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A treadle lathe at the gunsmith shop
Play Ball at Silver Baseball Park
The Silver Baseball Park is a newer part of the museum. It was built for games of vintage base ball. This park is the first one in America that looks like a 19th-century baseball park. It opened in 2001. The park is named after Morrie Silver, who was important to the Rochester Red Wings baseball team. It also celebrates the museum's 25th birthday.
Since 2003, baseball tournaments have been held here every August. Teams from all over the United States come to play. They use the rules from 1868. This means no gloves or protective gear! Pitchers throw underhand, and the umpire decides if a pitch is a ball or a strike.
Discover Heirloom Gardens
All around the museum grounds, you'll find thirteen heirloom gardens. These gardens are full of beautiful blossoms and sweet-smelling herbs. You'll also see tasty fruits and rows of colorful vegetables. Many of the plants grown here are used by the village interpreters. They use them for cooking meals in the old kitchens. They also use them for dyeing fabrics and making crafts.
In the spring and summer, you can learn more about gardening. The museum offers special programs, tours, and demonstrations. These are for both kids and adults.
The John L. Wehle Gallery of Sporting Art
John Wehle, who started the museum, loved collecting art about sports and wildlife. His collection is shown in this gallery. It includes art from the 1600s to the 1900s. You can see works by famous artists like John James Audubon and Frederic Remington.
Outside the gallery, there is a large sculpture garden. It's set among the trees. The art in this collection shows how people's ideas about animals have changed over time.
Explore the Carriage Museum
The Carriage Museum is filled with horse-drawn carriages. These carriages are from the 1800s and early 1900s. This special collection shows many different types of vehicles. You'll see two-wheeled and four-wheeled carriages, plus sleighs.
The collection includes simple carriages used on farms. There are also utility vehicles, sports rigs, and pleasure carts. One very interesting carriage is a 12-horse hitch wagon. It's from the Genesee Brewing Company, a local brewery that is still in business today.
Genesee Country Nature Center
The Nature Center is next to the Historic Village. It covers 175 acres (about 70 hectares) of woodlands, old fields, and meadows. Here, you can see native plants and animals. The Nature Center building also has educational programs and exhibits. There are many trails for hiking and cross-country skiing or snowshoeing in the winter.
Fun Special Events
Special events are a big part of the museum's fun. They happen all year long in both the Historic Village and the Nature Center. These events are made for people of all ages. The museum also offers many classes for kids and adults.
Events in the Historic Village
- Summer Sampler Children's Classes
- Adult Craft Classes
- Mother's and Father's Day events
- 4th of July Celebration
- War of 1812 reenactment (people act out historical battles)
- Civil War living history (learn about life during the Civil War)
- Scottish Highland Games
- Old Time Fiddlers Fair
- Agricultural Society Fair
- Halloween event
- Yuletide in the Country (holiday celebration)
Events at the Nature Center
- Children's Summer Earth Camp
- Birds of Prey event (see amazing birds like hawks and owls)
- Maple Sugaring (learn how maple syrup is made)
- Trail Hikes
- Stargazing
