Holland Land Office Museum

Sponsored Post: Donated to the Holland Land Office Museum by The Batavian.

The Holland Land Office Museum is hosting a Fall Family Festival tomorrow from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Willow Bend Inn on West Main Street Road, Batavia.

There will be live music from Red Creek (pictured) along with children's games, period dress, musket firing, basket raffle and food. Admission is $5 for adults. Children are free. 

Proceeds benefit HLOM.

Jane Read and Anne Marie Starowitz were at Holland Land Office Museum on Saturday morning setting up a new exhibition about the history of local shoemaker p.w. minor. 

The grand opening of the display is Oct. 2.

Employees and retirees of p.w. minor are invited to a preview at 3 p.m. The public is invited to a ribbon cutting at 6:30 p.m.

Many of the items in the display were provided on loan from The new p.w. minor.

If a flood came along big enough to wash away the Holland Land Office Museum, the county would have bigger problems than worrying about the loss of an historic structure.

The building is irreplaceable, which had Ray Cianfrini, chairman of the County Legislature, wondering during Wednesday's Ways and Means Committee meeting, whether the county should spend $8,457 a year on flood insurance (The policy also covers county offices at 15 Main St.).

"If you lose the building, you're not going to replace it," Cianfrini said. "It's a loss, but we don't own anything inside. Are we spending good money to go after something we don't need?"

County Attorney Chuck Zambito said it's entirely a policy decision for the Legislature to make, but flood insurance covers more than just a total wipeout of the building (The current structure isn't even the original land office building, which was destroyed by fire in the 19th Century).

A flood could do a lot of damage to the building without washing away the main structure.

"What's more likely to happen is you're going to have significant damage and you'll need to repair it rather than tear down the building," Zambito said.

Committee Chairman Bob Bausch agreed.

"One issue we should be aware of is that in my lifetime that building has flooded at least twice," Bausch said.

The policy through Wright National Flood Insurance in St. Petersburg, Fla., has a $10,000 deductible on the land office on a $1,000 deductible on the office at 15 Main.

The buildings are covered under a separate policy for casualty and liability and damage other than flood.

Another reason for the insurance policy, Zambito said, is that for the county to file a claim with FEMA in the event of a disaster, if a building is within a flood zone and it didn't have flood insurance, FEMA could deny the building owner any assistance.

At the end of the discussion, the committee unanimously approved a resolution recommending the Legislature authorize purchase of the insurance.

Press release:

The 2014 History Heroes Summer Program at the Holland Land Office Museum is going to be our best year yet! For just $25 per day ($22 for Museum members), your child will be immersed in local and national history through group activities, arts, crafts, music, field trips, guest speakers, and more, culminating in a theatrical performance and picnic celebration!

The theme for the 2014 History Heroes Summer Program is “Railroads and Immigration.” The program runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for two weeks,Tuesday through Friday, from July 8-11 and from July 15-18.

To provide necessary attention and instruction to each child, and ensure that your child can experience our History Heroes Summer Program, please register by June 30. You may choose what days you would like to attend.

Our expert staff includes retired elementary teacher and program coordinator Anne Marie Starowitz along with Museum Director Jeffrey Donahue, Assistant Director Jeffrey Fischer, and art teacher Cathy Loria.

Highlights of this year’s program include:

• Designing “passports” and experiencing life as an immigrant coming into Ellis Island;
• A performance of the musical “We Come From Everywhere,” in which children will act, sing, wear costumes, and build and paint set;
• A field trip to the Attica & Arcade Railroad to ride an authentic steam engine;
• Healthy snacks and water are provided daily for participants. Full lunches will be provided on Tuesday July 9th, Thursday July 17th, and Friday July 18th.
• A day of weaving and knitting;
• Walking field trips;
• Historical crafts, and more!

Any questions, please call the museum, 343-4727. They will help you with your questions and tell you how to register your child.

Great and great-great nieces and nephews of Gabriel De Fabbio were at the Holland Land Office Museum this evening for a ceremony honoring De Fabbio and Paulo Busti.

De Fabbio was a resident of 38 Center St., Batavia, when he joined the Marines. He was killed in Vera Cruz during the Mexican-American War in 1914. One hundred years ago today De Fabbio was buried at the St. Joseph Cemetery in a huge public ceremony, the largest funeral in Batavia history (see the front page of the Buffalo Evening News from 1914 for photo depicting Downtown Batavia on that day).

Pictured are Joan Tresco, Kailyn Tresco, Peppi Palmer, Paul Tresco and Kay Emanuel.

A wreath was placed in front of the marker, erected in 1915, in the side yard of HLOM honoring De Fabbio, by Michelle Fuller, Jeff Donahue and Barb Toal. Assemblyman Steve Hawley presented a resolution honoring De Fabbio. HLOM board VP Garth Swanson gave a presentation on the life and military service of De Fabbio.

Paulo Busti was the principal agent of the Holland Land Office starting in 1800 and gave Batavia its name.

Frank Penepento played horn accompaniment just outside the museum while Anne Marie Starowitz inside read the lyrics to a song sung at De Fabbio's funeral.

Tom Cecere

The Holland Land Office Museum is seeking individuals who were residents of the Children’s Home in Batavia to come to the museum and record their remembrances. Also if anyone
has any pictures of the Children’s Home that we could make copies of, these would be appreciated.

Please contact the Director Jeff Donahue at the Holland Land Office Museum for more information at 585.343.4727.

Press release:

The Holland Land Office Museum is looking for yearbooks from the schools in Genesee County. We are looking for Batavia, Alexander, Oakfield, Elba, Pembroke, Byron/Bergen and Le Roy.

Please contact the Holland Land Office at 343-4727.

The Holland Land Office Museum hosted a Civil War Tea and Fashion Show this afternoon. Dona LaValle (gray dress) lectured in detail about Civil War fashion, mostly in the South; a model did show off a typical dress from the North during the era.

Participants included Melissa Landers, Kaitlyn Landers, Candice, Rachel and Elien Bachorski, Mary Joe Eddy, Rita Reichle and Anne Marie Starowitz.

Vocalist Amy Savino, accompanied by Jeffrey M. Fischer, performed (bottom photo).

Information and photo submitted by Kathy Jasinski.

The Holland Land Office Museum will host a Civil War Tea Party and Fashion Show from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, April 5. The cost is $20 per person.

The program will include Civil War Era music featuring soprano Amy Savino accompanied by Jeffrey Fischer on piano. A fashion show will highlight the event by Dona LaValle, professional Civil War seamstress -- she will show a ladie's outfit starting with the undergarments to outerwear. Live models will strut the runway in a variety of 1860s clothing. Rita Reichle will present "the Language of the Fan." She has done much research on the way the ladies of the era expressed themselves with their fans.

We will also have Victorian etiquette -- rules of conduct for the era as observed in polite society. Refreshments will be served throughout the program -- tea sandwiches, cheese, sweet breads, cookies, assorted sweets and treats. They will be prepared by Dibble Family catering.

Proper dress, including hats and gloves are encouraged, but certainly not required -- there will be door prizes and awards for creative dress and hats.

To make your reservation please call the Holland Land Office Museum at 343-4727 by April 1.