Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village (Tour)

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The General Store provided small communities and local farmers with goods that would be otherwise difficult to obtain. It also served as a meeting place where farmers and townspeople could meet to socialize. Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village's General Store was once originally the home of a local tenant farmer, but it has been repurposed as a store in order to focus on trade and commerce from the Erie Canal.

2. Schmitt Farmstead

Upon arriving at their new home the first thing that immigrants, such as the Schmitts, would do would be to build their barn. The barn was the focus of activity and had multiple purposes, making it the most important structure on the farmstead. The barn stored hay, feed, tools and equipment, as well as stabled the animals. Visitors to the Schmitt farmstead will learn about the development of agriculture in our area from the 19th century to the early 20th century.

3. Schmitt Log House

The Schmitt Log House was built in the 1840s and was originally located in what was known as the "French Settlement" near Ellicott Creek Road and Niagara Falls Boulevard. The house was a part of a 25 acre farm. Here at Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village, the Schmitt Log House shares the story of the immigrant experience, the Erie Canal, and farming in early 1840s Western New York.

4. Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church

The Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, built in 1854, was a rural Lutheran Church which served neighboring farm families, many of which were German immigrants. Through the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church we share the story of church as a community. The church wasn't just a place of worship but also a community center.

5. Bigelow House

The Bigelow house, originally located at the southeast corner of New Rd. and Smith Rd., was a part of the 366 acre Ransom Creek Farm. Built in the 1840s by Henry Bigelow, it was inhabited by his farm manager and his family. The Bigelow house shares the story of a lower-middle class farm family with a special focus on chores and keeping house.

6. Hoover House

The Hoover house, built in 1856, was originally on a 125 acre farm at the present day intersection of Dodge Road and Glen Oaks Drive. At the time, it was adjacent to the Bigelow Ransom Creek Farm. The Hoover house shares the story of upper middle-class life with special focus on Hoover's agricultural business and entertainment of the late 1800s.

7. Elliott House

The Elliott house is an example of a middle class, 1850s era, simplified Late Greek Revival style village house. It shares the story of rural village life in the early 1850s with a special focus on the kitchen and historic cooking. Originally located on the corner of Garrison Road and Park Drive in the Village of Williamsville, it is the only house in the BNHV village that is from the Village of Williamsville.

8. Doctor's Office & Pharmacy

Rural 19th Century doctors often shared office space with pharmacies, as they could offer benefits to each other in this arrangement. Doctors could receive office space in the back room free of charge from the pharmacy owner. in return for referring their patients to fulfil their prescriptions at the pharmacy. This is the sort of reciprocal arrangement we exhibit in our Pharmacy & Doctor’s Office. Specifically we focus on sharing the stories of Swormville doctor Andrew Helwig, Buffalo pharmacist Robert Knight Smither, and through them stories of 19th century medical and pharmaceutical practice.

9. Blacksmith Shop

The Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village Blacksmith Shop is a reproduction which was built onsite in 1997. The role of this Blacksmith Shop is to represent the kind of Blacksmith business that would have been in Amherst from the early 1800’s to about 1930. This Shop seeks to highlight the fact that the Blacksmith was respected and considered an essential resource to the community.

10. Williamsville Schoolhouse

The Williamsville Schoolhouse was built in 1880 and served the farm families living in the northeastern part of Amherst, NY. Located on the northeast corner of New Road and Smith Road, the Williamsville Schoolhouse was used as an elementary school until the early 1950s. The building then served as a youth center from 1953 to 1971. In 1974, the Williamsville Schoolhouse was donated to and moved to Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village.

11. Weaver's Cottage

Built in 1840, the Weaver's Cottage was originally a farmhouse on 100 acres of land on New Road. It was used by several residents of North Amherst. It has been repurposed to share the story of textile production during the 19th century, and displays 19th century textile processing and manufacturing equipment.

This Tour is a Virtual Museum or Site Tour.

Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village

Created by Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village on January 14th 2019, 1:30:51 pm.

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Description

Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village is located on a 35-acre campus and the Historic Village contains ten historic buildings dating from circa 1840 to 1888. These buildings were moved to this location after they were threatened with demolition during the town’s rapid growth and development. A dedicated, on-going program of preservation and conservation has resulted in these buildings being restored to their 19th century appearance, so that visitors may experience what life was like in the Buffalo Niagara Region during an earlier era. The village’s indoor museum features rotating exhibits, the Niederlander Research Library, and a collection of 40,000+ artifacts.

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Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village

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