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 to the 1800s. It's a living history museum spread across more than 600 acres in Mumford, New York. That's about 20 miles from Rochester.
At the museum, you'll find a historic village, an art gallery, a nature center, a carriage museum, a baseball park, and beautiful gardens. They also have fun events and classes all year long!
Contents
How the Museum Started
The Genesee Country Village and Museum was started by John L. Wehle in 1966. He loved art and noticed that old buildings made by skilled carpenters were disappearing. He wanted to save these amazing examples of 19th-century architecture.
Mr. Wehle imagined a village filled with these old buildings. They would show how people lived and worked long ago. You could see how things like furniture, woven cloth, and pottery were made.
A quiet spot in Monroe County, New York, was chosen for the museum. This land had once been farms but had returned to nature. Old stone fences still showed where the first settlers had worked.
For ten years, Mr. Wehle and the museum director, Stuart Bolger, worked hard. They led carpenters and masons to build the village. They moved about 36 buildings from the 1800s to this new spot. These buildings came from different parts of western New York. They were carefully fixed up to look just as they did back then.
At the same time, museum experts found old items to put inside the buildings. Now, the houses, shops, and farms are full of real antiques. This helps visitors see what life was truly like.
Explore the Historic Village
The Historic Village is the main part of the museum. It looks like a small town from the 1800s. You can walk through 68 restored buildings. These range from simple log cabins to fancy Victorian mansions. There are also shops, churches, and business buildings.
Most buildings have friendly guides dressed in old-fashioned clothes. They share stories about the building and the time period. Sometimes, they even show you how old crafts were done.
What You Can See and Do
You can watch or try many activities from the 1800s, such as:
- Playing old games
- Making quilts
- Weaving cloth
- Dyeing fabrics
- Spinning wool
- Cooking old recipes
- Making brooms
- Farming with old tools
- Printing on an old press
- Blacksmithing (working with metal)
- Coopering (making barrels)
- Pottery (shaping clay)
- Woodworking
- Gunsmithing (making guns)
- Tinsmithing (working with tin)
Play 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 real 19th-century baseball field. It opened on August 11, 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 umpires decide if a pitch is a ball or a strike.
Discover the Heirloom Gardens
All around the museum, you'll find thirteen beautiful heirloom gardens. These gardens are full of colorful flowers, sweet-smelling herbs, tasty fruits, and rows of vegetables.
Most of the plants grown here are used by the village guides. They use them to cook meals in the old kitchens. They also use them for dyeing fabrics or making decorations and crafts. In the spring and summer, kids and adults can learn more about gardening. There are special programs, tours, and demonstrations.
See Art at the John L. Wehle Gallery
John Wehle, the museum's founder, loved collecting sporting art. His collection is shown in this gallery. It includes art about wildlife and sports from the 1600s to the 1900s.
You can see works by famous artists like John James Audubon and Frederic Remington. Outside the gallery, there's a large sculpture garden among the trees. The art here shows how people and animals have interacted over hundreds of years.
Visit the Carriage Museum
The Carriage Museum is filled with many horse-drawn carriages. These vehicles are from the 1800s and early 1900s. This special collection includes two-wheeled and four-wheeled carriages, plus sleighs.
You'll see simple carts used on farms and fancy carriages for fun. There are even old racing vehicles. One interesting piece is a huge wagon pulled by 12 horses. It belonged to the Genesee Brewing Company, a local business still around today.
Explore the Genesee Country Nature Center
The Nature Center is right next to the Historic Village. It covers 175 acres of woodlands, old fields, and meadows. Visitors can see local plants and animals here. The Nature Center building has educational programs and exhibits. There are also many trails for hiking, cross-country skiing, or snowshoeing.
Fun Special Events
Special events are a big part of the museum's year. They happen often in both the Historic Village and Nature Center. These events are designed for all ages. Many classes are also available for children and adults.
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 reenactment
- Civil War living history
- 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
Images for kids
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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 interior of the one-room schoolhouse
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A replica of the Civil War observation balloon the Intrepid
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A treadle lathe at the gunsmith shop
