Archive - WNY Heritage

Buffalo’s Gunners: Bayard Wilkeson, Michael Wiedrich & the Battle of Gettysburg

Not many units from Western New York were present during the Battle of Gettysburg. But two artillery officers left a legacy—in very different ways.

A Banner Puzzle: Piecing Together a Civil War Artifact

Part history, and almost part magic, we share a fascinating regional conservation project.

The Chautauqua Connections of Horace Greeley

One of the most influential newspaper men in 19th Century America had connections right here in Western New York.

Land Riot! Chautauqua County Settlers Revolt in 1836

Early in his career, future governor William H. Seward had to institute a regime of palliative measures in order to quell the axe-wielding settlers' riot against the Holland Land Company when their farms were threatened with imminent foreclosure.

President Millard Fillmore's Dilemma of War, Peace and Slavery: The Case of Daniel, 1851

Ignoring the cries for human rights and basic human decency, President Millard Fillmore opted to support the Fugitive Slave Act in an attempt to prevent civil war and preserve the Union.

Echoes From Chloe: John Graves Simcoe and the Upper Canada Slave Act, 1793

Sold like a draft animal in 1793, Chloe Cooley's horrific ordeal set into motion a series of events that would eventually result in the elimination of slavery in British North America.

Another Look: Lincoln's Wintry Night in Little Valley

Abraham Lincoln visited Western New York several times throughout his life, even getting snowed in at Little Valley. Alan Manchester looks at the evidence to determine when Lincoln stopped at the Cattaraugus County town.

Abraham Lincoln in Buffalo and Western New York

Abraham Lincoln visited Buffalo and Western New York several times throughout his life - and once after. The spring we mark the sesquicentennial of The Lincoln Special's visit to Buffalo, as part of its nationwide funeral procession.

Western New York Heritage

The Archive