This year we will reach an important milestone in Erie County. Today, April 2, 2021, Erie County will celebrate its bicentennial anniversary, kicking off a year of celebration. This significant milestone is an opportunity for the community to reflect on the history, stories, and legacies of the many men and women who came before us.
On April 2, 1821, New York State officially recognized Erie County. After the American Revolution, the Holland Land Company acquired 3.2 million acres of land from the Seneca Nation of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). In 1808, New York organized the western most land as Niagara County. By 1821, the population had increased so much that Niagara County was split. Erie County, the land south of Tonawanda Creek, consisted of ten towns and the Buffalo Creek Reservation. Today, Erie County has twenty-five towns, three cities, two tribal reservations, and a population of approximately 920,000.
Erie County has ties to several U.S. Presidents. Millard Fillmore practiced law in East Aurora before serving as President. He returned to Erie County and helped establish the University of Buffalo, Buffalo General Hospital and the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society. Grover Cleveland practiced law in Buffalo before becoming Erie County Sheriff. He married Buffalo’s Frances Fulsom. In 1901, President William McKinley was assassinated at the Pan-American Exposition, and on September 14th, Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as the 26th President at the Wilcox Mansion.
Once heavily forested frontier, the Erie Canal, completed on October 26, 1825, brought prosperity and made the region one of the largest shipping and rail center in the country offering an easy and assessable gateway to the west. Erie County is home to numerous inventors. The Ball Jar, the Barca Lounger, and air conditioning were invented in Buffalo. Wilson Greatbatch developed the implantable pacemaker in Clarence, and Bell Aircraft was one of the largest suppliers of aircraft during WWII. The county boasts major works by both local and national architects: Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, H. H. Richardson, E.B. Green and William Wicks and Louise Bethune. Famous writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mark Twain and Lauren Belfer have called the area “home.” The county has given the world Fisher Price toys and the chicken wing.
Today, we celebrate our heritage and look forward to a bright future. The county has capitalized on history, art, and architecture to become a heritage tourism destination. The bio-medical research corridor is at the forefront of international scientific research. Companies from across the county do business internationally and even in outer space!
We brainstormed with a group of collaborators, thanks to help by Burchfield-Penney, to produce a list of 200 ways that you can celebrate all that Erie County has to offer while maintaining social distance. Naturally the initial list contained well over 200 different ways but managed to whittle the list down based on these categories:
- Historic/Business districts
- Museums
- Science Cultural Centers
- Parks, Gardens and Beaches
- Architecture
- Churches
- Arts, Music and Theatres
- Visual Arts
- Performing Arts and More
Of course there is no way we could include everything in this list but its a great cross-section of what this area has to offer.
Historic and Business Districts
Over its history, Erie County has had areas all around the county blossom, where small, locally owned businesses have taken root and served as areas where the community comes together. When we think of these places, we think of the more obvious like Elmwood Village, Allentown and the Broadway Market, all located within the City of Buffalo. There are areas all around the county that are just as significant, whether its East Aurora, Clarence Center, Main Street in Williamsville or Delaware Avenue in Kenmore, small businesses thrive in these areas.
- Allentown
- Broadway Market
- Canalside
- Chandler/Pierce Arrow
- Clarence Center
- East Aurora
- Elmwood Avenue / Elmwood Village
- Hertel Avenue
- Larkinville
- Village of Kenmore – Delaware Ave.
- Main Street, Clarence
- Main Street, Village of Hamburg
- Main Street, Village of Williamsville
- Old First Ward
- Oliver Street, North Tonawanda
- Silo City
- University Heights
- West Side Bazaar
Museums
Erie County has a wealth of museums that will satisfy all manner of tastes. Our rich history has seen a variety of events transpire, while at the same time we have had our fair share of innovations that have contributed to the betterment of mankind. We hosted the Pan-American Exposition of 1901, which showed the world the wonders of electricity as well as the assassination of President William McKinley and the inauguration of President Theodore Roosevelt. We are a community made better by the groups of immigrants who came before us and who continue to come. These groups continue to shape our community in wonderful ways. This list of museums, science and cultural centers are all great ways to celebrate the bicentennial.
- Aurora History Museum
- Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park
- Buffalo Black Achievers Museum
- Buffalo Fire Historical Society Museum
- Buffalo Harbor Museum
- Buffalo History Museum
- Buffalo Irish Center
- Buffalo Maritime Center
- Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village
- Buffalo Transportation Pierce Arrow Museum
- Explore & More Children’s Museum
- Father Baker Museum
- Fireman’s Memorial Exhibit Center
- Forest Lawn Cemetery
- Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum
- Iron Island Museum
- Jefferson Street Heritage Gallery
- Karpeles Manuscript Museum
- Millard Fillmore House
- NASH House
- Roycroft Museum
- Steel Plant Museum
- The Benjamin and Dr. Edgar R. Cofeld Judaic Museum
- Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site
- WNY Railway Historical Society
Science and Cultural Centers
- African American Cultural Center
- Buffalo Museum of Science
- Buffalo Zoo
- Burchfield Nature & Art Center
- Colored Musicians Club
- Dnipro Ukrainian Cultural Center
- Penn Dixie Fossil Park
- Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium
- Williamsville Water Mill
- WNY Book Arts Center
Parks, Gardens & Beaches
We are extremely lucky in this region. Erie County has a bevy of parks, gardens and beaches. These cater to interests in a variety of areas, from outdoor sports to the casual hiker or bicyclist. We have a first class system of parks across the county. We are lucky here because we get to experience all four seasons and as a result of that, each season offers new and different ways we can enjoy the outdoors, whether its bird watching, gardening, swimming, skiing or snowmobiling.
- Akron Falls
- Amherst State Park
- Arlington Park
- Beaver Island State Park
- Bennett Beach in Angola
- Bidwell Parkway
- Big Six Mile Creek Marina
- Black Rock Canal
- Boston Forest
- Broderick Park
- Buckhorn Island State Park
- Buffalo Botanical Gardens
- Bureau of Forestry in Sardinia
- Cazenovia Park
- Chestnut Ridge
- Como Lake Park
- Days Park
- Delaware Park: Hoyt Lake, Statue of David, Rose Garden, Japanese Garden, and Ring Road
- Eighteen Mile Creek
- Ellicott Creek Park
- Elma Meadows Golf Course and Park
- Emery in South Wales
- Erie Basin Marina
- Evangola
- Evans Town Park Beach
- Franklin Gulf in Eden and North Collins
- Glens Falls Park
- Grover Cleveland Golf Course in Amherst
- Hamburg Beach
- Hawk Creek Wildlife Center
- Isle View Park
- Johnson Park
- Knox Farm
- Lake Erie Beach
- Martin Luther King Jr Park
- Red Jacket Riverfront Natural Habitat Park
- Reinstein Woods
- Seneca Bluffs Natural Habitat Park
- Sergeant Mark A. Rademacher Memorial Park/Hunter’s Creek in South Wales
- Sprague Brook in Glenwood
- Stiglmeier Park
- Thomas F. Higgins Natural Habitat Park
- Tifft Nature Preserve
- Times Beach Nature Preserve
- Tow Path in Buffalo
- Wendt Park
- Wilkeson Pointe
- Woodlawn Beach State Park
- Yates Park
Architecture
Erie County has a rich and storied history. In 1900 Buffalo was the 8th largest city in the United States and 6th busiest water port in the world. Large cities tend to attract talent in all shapes and sizes. Erie County also has a strong faith community. As a result, Erie County has some amazing architectural treasures. People immediately think of Frank Lloyd Wright when you talk about architecture and Buffalo but other talent. The first female architect in the country, Louise Bethune, designed the iconic Lafayette Hotel. In a November 14, 2006 article, Nicolai Ourousoff, architecture writer for The New York Times wrote “Buffalo was founded on a rich tradition of architectural experimentation. The architects who worked here were among the first to break with European traditions to create an aesthetic of their own, rooted in American ideals about individualism, commerce and social mobility.” What better way to celebrate Erie County then to visit not just the well-known architectural masterpieces, but the hidden gems as well.
- 800 West Ferry
- Blue Sky Mausoleum
- Brisbane Building
- Buffalo Central Terminal
- Buffalo City Hall
- Buffalo Savings Bank
- Calumet Building
- Campanile
- City Court Building and exterior sculpture (Snelson)
- Coit House
- Connecticut Street Armory
- Cyclorama Building
- Dun Building
- Electric Tower
- Ellicott Square Building
- Frank Lloyd Wright Darwin Martin House
- Frank Lloyd Wright Filling Station
- Frank Lloyd Wright Fontana Boat House
- Frank Lloyd Wright Graycliff
- Guaranty Building
- Hotel Lafayette
- Kleinhans Music Hall
- Lafayette Square
- Market Arcade
- Niagara Square / McKinley Memorial
- Old Post Office
- One M&T Plaza
- One Seneca Tower
- Pierce Arrow Factory Complex
- Pierce Arrow Showroom
- Richardson Olmsted Campus
- Sidway Building
- Sattler Theater
- The Buffalo Lighthouse
- The Statler
- Tri-Main Building
- Trico Plant
- Twentieth Century Club
- Utica Station
- Walter V. Davidson House
- William R. Heath House
- Williams-Butler House
- Williams-Pratt House
Churches
- Our Lady of Victory Shrine and Basilica
- St. Adalbert’s Basilica
- St. Andrew’s
- St. Louis
- St. Michael’s
- St. Paul’s Cathedral
- St. Paul’s Episcopal
- Temple Beth Zion
- Trinity Episcopal Church
- Unitarian Universalist Church
Art, Music, & Theatre
When it comes to art, music and theatre, Erie County has a strong and vibrant community. This should come as to surprise given the fact that University at Buffalo ranks in the top of Performing Arts and Visual Arts Schools in the United States and number 12 and 11 in New York State. We have a large variety of art galleries, not just the Albright Knox, but places like K Art (the first Native American owned commercial art gallery), Hallwalls and Squeaky Wheel. Erie County also has an amazingly strong and talented performing arts community. What a great way to celebrate Erie County by checking these places out, it will help support all the local talent that this area has to offer.
Visual Arts
- Albright Knox Gundlach Northland
- Albright Knox Public Art Initiatives
- Assembly House 150
- Benjamin Gallery
- Beyond/In Western New York
- Big Orbit Gallery
- Buffalo Art Movement (BAM)
- Buffalo Arts Studio
- Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology
- Buffalo Institute for Contemporary Art
- Burchfield Penney
- Carnegie Art Center
- CEPA Gallery
- Dana Tillou Fine Arts
- El Museo
- Eleven Twenty Projects
- Hallwalls
- Indigo Art Gallery
- K Art Gallery
- Meibohm Fine Arts
- Nina Freudenheim/Metro Rail Public Art
- Queen City Gallery
- Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, Rare & Special Books Room
- Revolution Gallery
- Silo City
- Squeaky Wheel
- Starlight Studio & Art Gallery
- UB Anderson Gallery
- UB Arts Collaboratory
Performing Arts & More…
- Alleyway Theatre
- Babeville
- Irish Classical Theatre
- Kavinoky Theatre
- MusicalFare Theatre
- North Park Theater
- O’Connell & Company
- PAUSA Art House
- Riviera Theatre
- Road Less Traveled Productions
- Shakespeare in Delaware Park
- Shea’s Performing Arts Center, 710 Main & Shea’s Smith Theatre
- Showplace Theater
- Theatre of Youth
- Torn Space / The Adam Mickiewicz Library and Dramatic Circle, Inc
- Ujima Theatre Company