Archive

The Foreign Traveler from the Other Side of the Great Ocean: George Kennan

George Kennan's captivation with travel and Russia led him to expose the horrors of the exile system.

An Indignity Not to be Borne: Belva Lockwood and the Struggle for Women’s Equality

Royalton's Belva Lockwood was the first female to be admitted to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court and was later also the first full-fledged female candidate for president.

John E. Brent: Buffalo’s First African American Architect

John E. Brent’s architectural contributions to Buffalo and the surrounding areas often went uncredited because of his race. Today historians are working on tracking down Brent’s projects and giving him the recognition he deserves.

Women’s “Banner County”: Chautauqua County and the Suffrage Movement

In the late 1800s, crusaders in Chautauqua County led a movement by launching the state’s first county suffrage association, influencing public sentiment and hosting several highly attended pro-suffrage events.

The Sum of All Villainies: The Methodist General Conference of 1860

As the General Conference got underway in 1860, a growing rift within the Methodist faith, over issues of slavery and paid seating, resulted in the creation of Free Methodism right here in Western New York.

The Power of the Pen: Crusading journalist A.J. Smitherman gave a voice to his people

Crusading reporter A.J. Smitherman founded one of Buffalo's first African-American newspapers and fought for equality, both in Oklahoma and right here in Western New York.

Buffalo takes on the Ku Klux Klan

In the early 1920s, the city and its mayor, Francis X. Schwab, took a dramatic stand against a resurgent Ku Klux Klan that boasted thousands of local members.

The Wong Family of Buffalo and the Chinese Exclusion Act

The story of one local family illustrates how an entire group of people nationwide were impacted by a series of unjust immigration restrictions.

Western New York Heritage

The Archive