This year we are so excited to bring back the United States Gypsum Company display.  We had highlighted the USG a few years ago, since then we have had so many calls and letters from people all over the country asking us to see it as they were traveling through.  After much discussion we decided to make this a permanent display.  The USG helped form Oakfield, so many people came here to find work.

You will also find our new display “Community Organizations”,  here will learn about the IOOF, IOOB, Mother’s Club, Lion’s Club, the Grange, Betterment Committee and the Drum & Bugle Corp.

Something else we are pretty excited about is a short video we found of Dr Marian White’s “dig” at the Indian Woods from the 1950’s.  In our Native American room you will find some really neat reproductions as well as some great artifacts.

Make sure you check out our Facebook page for the Oakfield Historical Society we are always updating with pictures, polls and upcoming events. https://www.facebook.com/OakfieldHistoricalSocietyNY/

Find us on Twitter and Instagram too.

We also offer our many fascinating publications about Oakfield. These make great gifts - buy one for yourself too! http://oakfieldhistory.org/index.php/items-for-sale/ 

For a personal tour, please contact: Laurie Nanni 585-259-4145 or Dar Warner 585-948-5926. Email: oakfieldhistory@yahoo.com

This year we are so excited to bring back the United States Gypsum Company display.  We had highlighted the USG a few years ago, since then we have had so many calls and letters from people all over the country asking us to see it as they were traveling through.  After much discussion we decided to make this a permanent display.  The USG helped form Oakfield, so many people came here to find work.

You will also find our new display “Community Organizations”,  here will learn about the IOOF, IOOB, Mother’s Club, Lion’s Club, the Grange, Betterment Committee and the Drum & Bugle Corp.

Something else we are pretty excited about is a short video we found of Dr Marian White’s “dig” at the Indian Woods from the 1950’s.  In our Native American room you will find some really neat reproductions as well as some great artifacts.

Make sure you check out our Facebook page for the Oakfield Historical Society we are always updating with pictures, polls and upcoming events. https://www.facebook.com/OakfieldHistoricalSocietyNY/

Find us on Twitter and Instagram too.

We also offer our many fascinating publications about Oakfield. These make great gifts - buy one for yourself too! http://oakfieldhistory.org/index.php/items-for-sale/ 

For a personal tour, please contact: Laurie Nanni 585-259-4145 or Dar Warner 585-948-5926. Email: oakfieldhistory@yahoo.com

“Across time and space, Christians have reflected on the mystery and hope epitomized in the transfiguration, yet their voices have been heard primarily within their own cultural and ecclesiastical contexts. This study gathers many of those voices from the panorama of Scripture and church history and fins in them the common theme of radical transformation in Christ. The point of this theological conversation is spiritual transfiguration and hope for each of us as we reach toward the future Christ has shown us in himself.”

D. Gregory Van Dussen is Adjunct Professor of History, Ministry, and Spirituality at Northeastern Seminary, Rochester, New York.

There will be a presentation of Dr. Fitzpatrick's book the previous night, Friday February 16th at 7pm. Tickets are $5 per person, please R.S.V.P. to the museum by Wednesday, February 14th. 

There will also be a free panel discussion with Fitzpatrick and other local historians on the Gensee Community College's Batavia campus on Saturday, February 17th at 10am. For more information regarding the free panel discussion, please contact the museum. 

The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to present "An Evening with Dr. David Fitzpatrick." Fitzpatrick is the author of a newly published work on Batavia's own Emory Upton. He is also professor of History at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Mich., and the leading authority on Emory Upton's career.

The book, entitled "Emory Upton: Misunderstood Reformer," seeks to revise the current view of General Upton and his importance in American military history. 

A Meet & Greet with Fitzpatrick with begin at 7 p.m., and the presentation will begin at 7:30 on Friday, February 16th.

Tickets are $5 per person, and those interested must RSVP by Wednesday, Feb. 14th, as seating is limited. You may RSVP by calling the Holland Land Office Museum at 585-343-4727 or by emailing the museum at hollandlandoffice.com. The Holland Land Office Museum is located at 131 W. Main St., Batavia, NY 14020.

There will also be a free panel discussion with Fitzpatrick and local historians on the Genesee Community College Batavia campus on Saturday, February 17th, at 10 a.m. For more information on the panel discussion please contact the museum.

CLASSIC COUNTRY NIGHT:

The music of Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, & Johnny Cash

The Holland Land Office Museum continues its 2015 Concert Series with Classic Country Night, featuring veteran performers Dave Armitage, Dona LaValle, and Sam Powless. Together, the trio will be playing the timeless classics you know and love by some of country’s greatest artists, right in the Holland Land Office Museum on Friday, June 19th at 7:00 pm.  Light refreshments and coffee will be provided.  For just $5.00, you will not want to miss this intimate concert! 

The steps of the Old County Courthouse will be the site of gathering for local lawyers, judges and legal professionals, along with several dignitaries, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Genesee County Bar Association (GCBA) on Thursday.

Thursday's ceremony will last from 4 to 6 p.m. at 7 Main St. in Batavia.

GCBA President Durin Rogers said it is free and open to the public, and that "everyone is encouraged to attend" (a gala event at Terry Hill's will follow, but according to Rogers, and it's already sold out).

Notables scheduled to attend include:

• Hon. Eugene F. Pigott Jr. (keynote speaker), Court of Appeals justice

• Hon. Paula L. Feroleto, Eighth Judicial District administrative judge;

• David M. Schraver, president-elect of the New York State Bar Association;

• Michael Ranzenhofer, New York State senator;

• Stephen Hawley, New York State assemblyman; and

• Mary Pat Hancock, Genesee County Legislature chairperson and New York State Association of Counties president.

GCBA is a voluntary association of professionals in the justice system working together to benefit Genesee County and to improve the practice of law locally.

According to a press release, the association was founded in 1912 and quickly got to work to address "a widespread feeling of discontent with the judicial system and the manner in which justice was being administered."

"We are very proud of where we have been, and even more excited about where the GCBA will go over the next several years," Rogers said.

According to Rogers, GCBA has grown tremendously over the past several years, making new initiatives possible for both members and the community.

Some of the association's offerings include continuing legal education (CLE) seminars for members, philanthropic efforts with local agencies, and the "People's Law Series," which Rogers described as "a forum for local residents to become more knowledgeable on particular areas of law."

"GCBA intends to continue its present offerings and is always looking for new ways to benefit its members and the public," he said. "My time is limited; however, having spoken with the president-elect of the association, Mary Kay Yanik, esquire, I know that she intends to focus on several civic functions that give back to the community during her presidency."

Here are some past GCBA members (photos courtesy of Lisa Scott, of the Batavia law firm Bonarigo & McCutcheon):

Barber B. Conable Jr. would go on to become a New York State senator and congressman, serve as a confidante to three U.S. presidents (Nixon, Reagan and Bush), and be appointed president of the World Bank, a position he held for five years.

Honorable Robert E. Noonan Sr. who served on the Supreme Court in the Eighth Judicial District from 1949 until the early 1960s. Afterwards, he was permanently appointed (after two temporary appointments) by Nelson Rockefeller, then-governor of New York State, to the Fourth Department of the Appellate Division.

Alice Day Gardner was the first woman to practice law in Genesee County. She graduated from the University of Buffalo Law Department in 1901, being the fourth woman in history to do so and the only woman in her class. As a female lawyer in the early part of the 20th Century, she was a pioneer. The article about her above was published in the Batavia Daily News in 1985.

For more information on Thursday's ceremony, call Rogers at 345-1205 or visit www.gcbany.com.

Redfield Parkway, one of the City of Batavia's historic neighborhoods, has changed quite a bit over the years.

Photo provided by Jim Owen

Above is a picture from 1912, when it was first founded by Charles A. Williams (former Genesee County Sheriff and mayor of Batavia) and his then-partner, David Garrett.

Jim Owen, a Redfield resident known as "the mayor" to some of his neighbors, is part of the committee organizing the "100th Anniversary Redfield Parkway Program" on Saturday.

Other members are Linda Conroy, Kathy Owen (Jim's sister, who lives with him), Tricia Clark, Lori Wendt, Julie Mancuso, Jane Johnson, Lisa MacDonough and Alicia Kaus.

There will be a ceremony that is free and open to the public from 1 until 2 p.m. on Saturday. Sunday is the rain date. It will include:

• Music by the Batavia High School "Blue Bells"
• Proclamations by Assemblyman Stephen Hawley, Senator Michael Ranzenhofer, City Councilman Pierluigi Cipollone, City Councilman-at-Large Jim Russell, County Legislator Ed DeJaneiro Jr. and possibly Congresswoman Kathy Hochul (who is a former student of Owen's)

Wayne Fuller of WBTA will be the Master of Ceremonies.

Owen looks forward to celebrating Redfield's heritage with his neighbors and fellow Batavians.

"From an historical point of view it's neat to find out where we came from," he said.

At 1:45 p.m., a time capsule will be dedicated. Made by Redfield resident Rick Wendt, it will include news articles, a DVD of photos from Saturday's event -- to be made by Redfield resident Alicia Kaus -- a current phone book, literature on the street's history and much more.

Owen said the tentative plan is to bury it near the pillars, with a stone made by Derrick Monument Co. of Le Roy marking the spot.

Copies of local historian William F. Brown Jr.'s book "The Story of Redfield Parkway: The Beginning" will be available for purchase for $5 from Owen.

Redfield Parkway: A quick history

Photo from Brown's "The Story of Redfield Parkway: The Beginning"

Redfield Parkway was named in honor of the family of Heman Redfield, a local politician, lawyer, landowner and one-time Le Roy Postmaster. His home, according to Owen, was where Batavia's Valu Plaza is located today.

Redfield was born in Connecticut on Dec. 27, 1788, but he lived in Genesee County for most of his life. A member of St. James Episcopal Church, he served as a warden and vestryman. He also helped build St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Le Roy.

He was elected to the New York State Senate in 1823, serving with Attorney General Martin Van Buren (before he became the eighth president of the United States).

A War of 1812 veteran, he fought at the battle of Queenston Heights at age 24.

On July 22, 1877, Redfield died at age 89. According to literature provided by Owen, his funeral procession was the longest in the history of Batavia at that time. He is buried in the historic Batavia Cemetery on Harvester Avenue.

He had 12 children, and his family owned the land where Redfield Parkway now stands until 1912.

A postcard of Redfield Parkway from the 1940s. Photo provided by Jim Owen.

Redfield Parkway was a private street until 1928, at which point it became part of the City of Batavia. It has existed in its present state since 1966, when the last house was built.

Over the years, it distinguished itself not only by its beautiful flower beds, but also by the row of American flags running down the street's median. Appropriately, the flags would eventually lead the way to the Batavia VA Medical Center (they were stolen, but Batavia Downs is supplying new ones).

The Owens

Photo provided by Jim Owen

Owen and his sister are lifelong Redfield residents. Their parents, Frank and Natalie (pictured), bought the house in 1930 and the adjacent land in 1945. They bought the land from Edna Gruber, who was Batavia's "most famous madam" and well-known for her local charitable work.

Interestingly, 2 Redfield is technically 4 Redfield (anyone who drives by and looks closely will see that although the house has a "2" on it, the house right next door is 6 Redfield).

The vacant space to the right of the house is 2 Redfield. The Owens had lived at 4 Redfield for 15 years by the time they bought this space, so they just gave the same number to the whole property.

Here is a photo of the real 2 Redfield, a garden well tended by Kathy.

Celebration of a heritage

People can learn more about these and other stories on Saturday.

"(Our neighborhood) has a tradition that's been carried on for 100 years, and I hope it continues," Owen said.

To that end, he added that the neighborhood will be making an effort to save the pillars at the parkway entrance in the near future.

"They're 100 years old, and the mortar is coming out," he said.

At this point, the pillars are owned by the city. Owen said the repairs will cost about $16,000, and they are hoping for a grant.

For more information and for any updates, visit the Redfield Parkway 100th Anniversary page on Facebook.

Heman Redfield trivia

• Redfield's daughter, Jane, was said to have been the first woman to cross Niagara Falls in a basket;
• Some people trace his ancestry to the Mayflower;
• His grandfather fought under General George Washington at Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War.

The Friends of the Batavia Peace Garden, the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce and the office of the County Historian are planning an afternoon of educational entertainment that includes refreshments and costumed reenactments. It is free and open to the public, but people should bring their own chairs.

The Peace Garden is located at West Main St. in Batavia. It is right next to the Holland Land Office Museum, which is at 131 West Main St.