North Tonawanda History Museum

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North Tonawanda History Museum A warm welcome from the volunteers at the NT History Museum!

Visit us at 712 Oliver Street in North Tonawanda, New York from 12-4pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

10/12/2026

●●● Don't forget ●●● THE HISTORY CHAT is tomorrow ●●● Tuesday, October 13 ●●● at the NT History Museum ●●● 712 Oliver Street ●●● from noon to 1 PM ●●● Hope you can make it! ●●●

10/10/2026

●●● REMINDER. ●●● HISTORY CHAT DAY is coming ●●● It takes place on the 2nd Tuesday of each month ●●● this month it's on OCTOBER 13 ●●● from noon to 1 PM ●●● at the History Museum, 712 Oliver Street ●●● Hope to see you there! ●●● Everyone is welcome ●●● Best if all, it is free! ●●●

When you visit the museum, peek inside a miniature house inspired by what a well-to-do home may have looked like in 1897...
10/07/2026

When you visit the museum, peek inside a miniature house inspired by what a well-to-do home may have looked like in 1897, the year North Tonawanda became a city. There is a surprisingly large story and plenty of history tucked inside.

The Victorian dollhouse on display in the Community Room at the North Tonawanda History Museum was created by Candace Cramer, an NT resident with a love of history, old artifacts, genealogy and interior design.

During the last year of her life, while undergoing treatment for cancer, Candace devoted herself to creating the house, researching the period and carefully choosing details that would be appropriate to a well-to-do home of the era. Her daughter, Jessica Wagner, described the project as a source of joy and a form of therapy for her mother.

Look closely, and you can see just how much thought and effort went into creating it. There is a kitchen with patterned wallpaper and a cooking area, a dining room ready for a meal, bedrooms with lace-covered beds and dressing tables, and a sitting room furnished for an afternoon gathering. Even the smaller spaces tell a story about how a household might have functioned more than 125 years ago.

The house also offers a glimpse at what was missing from everyday life in 1897. A well-to-do household might have had a cook, maid, nanny and gardener, but there were no refrigerators, microwaves, dishwashers, televisions, vacuum cleaners or modern washing machines. Food was kept in an icebox, clothes were washed by hand, and homes were illuminated by gaslight, oil lamps and candles.

Marcia Binda (who works on and creates miniature displays), Phyllis Dubickas and Audrey Monkiewicz worked on this display. Museum volunteers added period-dressed figures, including a cook, maid, gardener, nanny, young boy, man, and woman, giving the rooms a little more life. Lighting was also installed inside the house, and visitors can turn it on and off.

When Candace died in 2019, her daughter Jessica donated the dollhouse to the museum. Now, Candace’s work is on display, preserving both a glimpse of life in another era and the story of the person who spent her final year creating it.

The yellow school buses are back on the streets, and groups of kids are once again making their way through the neighbor...
09/23/2026

The yellow school buses are back on the streets, and groups of kids are once again making their way through the neighborhood, laughing and talking as they head home every afternoon. It’s a familiar September scene, but the experience of going to school has changed quite a lot through the decades.

At the North Tonawanda History Museum, you can see some of those changes in our collection of school-related artifacts. Old wooden desks, textbooks, chalkboards, globes, handwriting exercises, math tools and school photographs all offer a glimpse into the classrooms of earlier generations.

Some things are easy to recognize. Students have always needed somewhere to sit, something to write with and something to learn from. But the details of the school day could look very different. Students practiced their penmanship with cursive writing, worked from printed textbooks and used tools such as slide rules to solve mathematical problems. In some eras, students even went home for lunch rather than eating at school.

The classrooms themselves have changed, too. Wooden desks and chalkboards have largely given way to different furniture and technology, and computers have become an everyday part of learning. But looking at these objects, it’s easy to imagine the students who once sat at those desks, opened those books and worked through their lessons.

Our collection includes items connected to local schools across generations, including an original 1866 slate board from Union School, a photograph of the NT High School Class of 1920 at Felton School, and textbooks and classroom materials from the decades that followed.

The next time you’re passing by the museum, come inside and take a look. You may recognize something from your own school days, remember an object your parents or grandparents used, or discover just how much has changed since you were sitting in a classroom.

💬 What do you remember from school that you rarely see in classrooms today?

Do you remember what North Tonawanda was like in 1976?Earlier this summer, the City of North Tonawanda opened a time cap...
09/09/2026

Do you remember what North Tonawanda was like in 1976?

Earlier this summer, the City of North Tonawanda opened a time capsule that had been buried as part of the Bicentennial celebrations. Inside were photographs, newspapers, directories, a local high school yearbook, patches, a flag, and other items selected to represent life in NT at the time.

If you missed the big reveal in July, we’re happy to share that those artifacts are now on display at the North Tonawanda History Museum.

As we were laying out the items for the new exhibition, we found ourselves looking for memories that resonate with us. Maybe you remember the businesses listed in the directories, recognize a familiar face in a photograph, attended the school represented by the yearbook, or simply remember what it felt like to live in this city in the 1970s.

It’s also striking to see just how much can change in 50 years. In 1976, there were no smartphones, internet, or social media. Photographs were developed on film, and people got their news and information from newspapers, radio, and television. The objects in this collection offer a glimpse into an everyday NT that many of us remember, and those who were born later can now come by and discover.

We invite you to stop in and take a look. You might recognize something you haven’t seen in years, or even discover a piece of North Tonawanda history you never knew before.

The exhibit is open to the public, and admission is free. See you there?

09/07/2026

●●●● WOW. ●●●● TOMORROW is HISTORY CHAT DAY at the NT Museum ●●●● Tuesday, Sept. 8 is the second Tuesday of the month! NOON -1 PM ●●●● Stop by!

●●● ATTENTION ●●● Monday September 7 is LABOR DAY ●●● Tuesday, September 8 is HISTORY CHAT DAY ●●● it's the 2nd Tuesd...
09/02/2026

●●● ATTENTION ●●● Monday September 7 is LABOR DAY ●●● Tuesday, September 8 is HISTORY CHAT DAY ●●● it's the 2nd Tuesday of the month! ●●● Please join us at the NT History Museum from noon to 1 PM ●●● Bring photos, maps, albums, if you are seeking an answer, BUT ... most importantly, just stop by! ●●●

The Erie Canal carried more than boats through NT. It carried people, families and the hope of building a new life.These...
08/27/2026

The Erie Canal carried more than boats through NT. It carried people, families and the hope of building a new life.

These human stories have inspired “New Beginnings,” a proposed monument for Gateway Park by award-winning sculptor Susan Geissler. The project draws on the history of immigration along the canal, including the movement of people westward after the canal opened in 1825, and the communities that developed along the route.

The monument depicts a family, carrying limited personal belongings as they make their way up and away from the Erie Canal toward a new life.

“This will be an emotional piece of sculpture as the characters exhibit dreams, fears and excitement as they step into the unknown,” Susan shared.

Susan’s work can already be found in Lewiston, Lockport, Grand Island, and Niagara Falls, and Niagara County Legislator Richard Andres has been working for NT to be next.

Thank you to those who gathered with us at the NT History Museum on Saturday to hear Susan discuss the project, see the clay maquette up close, and learn about the complex process of turning an idea into a monumental bronze sculpture.

We learned what goes into creating a sculpture of this scale, from ideas and sketches to sculpting and the creation of a clay maquette before casting in bronze. There’s also transportation and installation, fundraising and meetings involved in bringing a project of this scale to life. Peter Henderson, who works with Susan on the business and logistical side of her projects, joined her at the museum and gave us a look at that part of the process.

The project is currently expected to cost approximately $425,000, including the full-scale model, casting, shipping and installation. Funding is anticipated to come from cultural foundations and government grants, but approximately 10% of the project cost must first be raised through public donations.

Thank you if you have already donated.

If you’d like to support “New Beginnings”, contributions can be made to the North Tonawanda History Museum, 712 Oliver Street, North Tonawanda, NY 14120. Please mark contributions “New Beginnings.” The museum is a qualified 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

●●● REMINDER ●●● Saturday - August 22 - 2 pm. ●●● SUSAN GEISSLER, nationally and internationally reknown sculptre...
08/19/2026

●●● REMINDER ●●● Saturday - August 22 - 2 pm. ●●● SUSAN GEISSLER, nationally and internationally reknown sculptress ●●● will be at the NT History Museum ●●● to reveal plans for a sculpture to be erected on the bank of NT's Erie Canal ●●● See the model ●●● Be among the first to know what is planned ●●●

●●● ATTENTION ●●● SATURDAY, AUGUST 15 at 1 pm ●●● Civil War author JOHN B. THUERSAM, Class '66. ●●● will be a...
08/11/2026

●●● ATTENTION ●●● SATURDAY, AUGUST 15 at 1 pm ●●● Civil War author JOHN B. THUERSAM, Class '66. ●●● will be at the NT History Museum. ●●● 712 Oliver Street. ●●● discussing his two recently published books ●●● Q & A session will follow his talk. ●●● the images below contains the book titles ---- available on Amazon ●●● Hope to see you there!

Address

712 Oliver Street
North Tonawanda, NY
14120

Opening Hours

Tuesday 12pm - 4pm
Thursday 12pm - 4pm
Saturday 12pm - 4am

Telephone

+17162130554

Website

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