Doug Kohler, a middle school teacher in Clarence, has a passion for local history. He is the author of four books on the history of each of the four sections of Clarence, available for purchase at the Clarence Historical Society. Additionally, he has published several articles on topics like the Automobile Club of Buffalo and the War of 1812, which appeared in Western New York Heritage magazine. Now, Erie County is proud to call him their new historian.
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As the new Erie County Historian, Kohler will work from an office near the unique rare books section of the Erie County Public Library downtown. Even though he just received the position, Kohler is already hard at work celebrating our local history.
He is a member of the steering committee for Clarence's Bi-Centennial celebration and will be assisting other local communities in planning their own milestone events. He's also already begun working on a commemorative event for the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812.
Kohler will be performing his duties as Erie County Historian, which is a volunteer position, on top of his regular teaching duties and his continuing writing projects. (He's currently working on a piece about the founding fathers of Buffalo.) Still, he's thrilled to take on the extra responsibility, saying, "I feel there's important work to be done and there's a place for volunteerism. I'm more than happy to find the time to help the towns and villages that have projects that need an extra set of hands."
Kohler also wants to serve as a resource for the public - and especially those doing historical research - to assist with any questions one might have about local history. You can be reach him by e-mail at doug.kohler@erie.gov.
History? Man, thats old news.