Dear Historical Society Members and History Lovers,
Our visitors have been asking us for quite some time to re-think what is on display in our museum, and how it is displayed. As I mentioned in my 2024 President’s Letter, we’ve started a plan to re-imagine all of our exhibits in the months and years ahead. I am thankful to announce that our volunteers have gained significant steam moving this re-imagination forward.
Visitors to museums of any kind, however, aren’t interested in seeing empty spaces and signs that say “New displays coming soon!” It therefore makes sense for us to do what all museums must do from time to time: suspend our standard public hours until we are finished with our exhibit rotation. This does not mean that we are closed! We remain committed to our mission to be a resource for the community, and if you wish to visit the museum for research projects, we ask that you reach out to Interim Curator Bill Lane at 585-694-8236 to schedule a time to visit during our Wednesday morning work hours, when our volunteer staff will be available to guide you to what you need.
Our current plan is to resume standard public operating hours (2-4pm) on Sunday May 19, 2024. This date is subject to change, so please check back here and on Facebook for the latest updates.
We look forward to celebrating our new exhibits with you…really soon!
It saddens us to share that Dee Kammermeier, who served us as a docent and trustee for so many years, passed away on January 9th.
Dee Kammermeier, at left, as we last saw her, with Denise (Trustee) & Cliff Dickinson (past President, right) and Vice President Charles Woolever (foreground, right) at our October 18, 2023 Volunteer thank-you dinner at Flaherty’s in Honeoye Falls.
Dee was a tireless supporter of our Society, and would take every opportunity to staff our Museum for our Sunday afternoon hours. She loved engaging with people, and she cared deeply for her adopted community in the special way a person from western Pennsylvania could. She ensured our Museum was free from dust, cobwebs, spiders — any form of grime, really — and expected us all to be running a tight ship that she could be proud of. We will miss her dearly, for her care, her passion, and her spirit. She will be with us, always, and we are thankful we memorialized her on our Society plaque before she passed away. We genuinely loved her.
Here is her full obituary, as copied from the Merton Kays web site:
Delores Marie “Dee” Kammermeier (Mazzei), 87, of Honeoye Falls, NY died peacefully on January 9th in the home of her son in Bloomfield, NY. Dee was born on October 17, 1936, in Ellwood City, PA to Mary Mazzei (Folino) and Joseph A. Mazzei. She was the grandchild of the first baby born in Ellwood City after it was incorporated, Maria A. Mazzei (Friske).
After high school in Ellwood City, Dee went on to obtain a nursing degree in 1957 from the Providence Hospital School of Nursing in Beaver Falls, PA. She worked for a time at the local hospital in Ellwood City, and later relocated to Pittsburgh with her husband Richard J. Kammermeier of Pittsburgh. She worked at Allegheny General Hospital before moving on to the medical department of the H. J. Heinz Company factory on Pittsburgh’s North Side. In 1985, she was named a Heinz Person of the Year for her “very competent but quiet and unassuming” professionalism. Dee retired from Heinz in 1997. After her husband’s death, Dee relocated to Honeoye Falls, NY to be near her grandchildren, Maxwell and Jackson, whom she entertained with books and oral histories. She volunteered as a Town of Mendon Historical Society docent on Sundays and was known around town as that quick-witted lady who loved children.
Dee is survived by sons Richard J. Kammermeier (Breezy) of Ocean City, MD and Paul J. Kammermeier (Laura) of Bloomfield, NY, grandsons Maxwell S. and Jackson K. Kammermeier of Bloomfield, nephews Lou Kammermeier (Christine) of Pittsburgh, John Kammermeier (Phyllis) of New Jersey, Laura Kowatic (Marc) of Pittsburgh, David Breyer (Theresa) of Bartow, FL, sister Nancy (Ellwood City), as well as many great nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by spouse Richard J. Kammermeier (Pittsburgh, PA), brother George Mazzei (Ocala, FL), and parents Mary and Joseph Mazzei (Ellwood City).
Dee was a wonderful, caring, and giving person who always went the extra mile to make people feel heard and loved. She took the time to keep in touch with people she met in all phases of her life. Many who lived in her sphere consider her a second mother, bonus grandmother, or trusted friend. She will be missed and remembered always.
Memorial donations may be made to Finger Lakes Home Care Hospice, 756 Pre-emption Rd., Geneva, NY 14456 or to the Honeoye Falls-Town of Mendon Historical Society, P.O. Box 26, Honeoye Falls, NY 14472. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to all the children, young and old, who fulfilled Granny’s wish to love and be loved.
Happy New Year! For the Historical Society, 2023 was another very good year. Our Annual Christmas social, which is fresh in my mind, continued with new highlights and music acts. Our Museum volunteers’ pace didn’t slow down. Our collections continued to grow in meaningful and significant ways. We re-engaged with the students of the Honeoye Falls Lima School District. Our program committee has done another bang-up job planning for 2024; please have a look at the enclosed brochure. There is something for everyone.
I must appeal to you, however, for something that concerns me: like many communities, we are having a difficult time getting people to volunteer with our organization. Will you please consider stepping up? In particular, we need:
Volunteer Museum docents to host our Museum every Sunday afternoon. Can you spare just two hours every month or two? Please call me at 585-281-0014 if you even think you might be interested.
To keep the Annual Christmas Social running smoothly for 2024, we need to line up volunteers well in advance, including music teachers who are willing to bring students to perform a recital. Please contact me if you or someone you know is willing to do this.
Here are some Museum highlights from 2023: We received many donations from donors near and far who found us via our Facebook page. In addition to donations, we search local garage / estate sales and purchase items off eBay. The most significant additions to the Museum’s collections during 2023 were:
From Kathy Gilda: Numerous Falls Dairy items, including a 12-foot-long sign that hung on the front of the dairy.
From Bill Lane: Three Greenleaf dollhouse kits
From Tracey McGrath: An Estelle Toy Company tom-tom drum.
From Sylvia Michel: Her complete 1943 – 1946 HFHS cheerleading outfit.
From Debbie Moffitt: A pass to the 1946 Sectional basketball tournament.
From Karen Schiedel: A Star Headlight & Lantern Co. flashlight.
From Lynne Menz: Several American Legion Post 664 Auxiliary items.
From Wayne Menz: His mother’s 1946 wedding dress, his Navy uniform and several military awards (including a Bronze Star) given to his uncle, Donald Menz.
In addition, we added several archival (paper) items and postcards purchased off eBay.
The Museum floor saw the following in 2023:
Cataloging of the collections continue.
The library in the schoolhouse has been reorganized, and we’ve finished sorting the Museum library that people can visit and read from (local history books and reference material)
We’ve sorted and cataloged our historic ledgers;
The Mendon Ponds exhibit has come down and, in its place, is an exhibit showing the Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR) depot over the years – from its use as a railroad station, its renovation, its subsequent use for restaurants, art gallery, antique shop and a home and business site;
Many of the exhibits in the Mantegna Room were created with the 4th graders in mind. Because of a change in Curriculum, the 4th graders no longer routinely visit the museum. Some of these displays have been removed as we begin a transformation of that room.
We’ve started a plan to re-imagine all the exhibits in the Museum in the months and years ahead.
Thanks once again to Gary Albright, Kathy Eastman, Bill Lane and Charles Woolever for all they do to curate, cultivate, and document our collections each week of the year. Special thanks also go out to Denise & Cliff Dickinson for continuing with their initiative to photograph thousands of items in our collection, which is the beginning of a long preservation journey that will take several years. Please be sure to take a Sunday afternoon between 2–4pm to stop by and see the fruits of our labor!
Our goals for 2024 include:
Continued work with the Village of Honeoye Falls to determine how to stabilize temperature and humidity on the second floor of the Museum, and to make structural improvements to the Museum building.
Continued indexing and photographing our archival materials and donations of artifacts to the Museum.
Continued development of our new website, which we hope you bookmark and visit often.
New for 2024: We have an online membership renewal form at https://hfmhistorical.org/membership-donation/ – we prefer that you use this to renew if you can. If you lack Internet access or just prefer paper, please fill out the printable membership renewal form and return it with your dues payment. Remember to include your e-mail address to receive timely and detailed notices of Historical Society program meetings and other events of interest. Any questions, please call me at 585-281-0014 or e-mail me at president@hfmhistorical.org.
I am grateful for your ongoing support. We hope to see you on the first Thursday of each month to enjoy our programs, and on Sunday afternoons for Museum hours from 2–4pm. May your 2024 bring health, safety, and joy, and I hope that your upcoming holidays help you find ways to reconnect with your loved ones.
We are looking for copies of the HF-L English Department literary magazine called “Trillium.” We have a 1988 copy; one was also published in 1987. Were there other years beside ’87 & ’88?
If you can help us understand the years published — or are willing to donate your copy to the museum — please email Bill Lane, Interim Curator, at fallsman43@yahoo.com. We have already contacted the school. Thank you.
The museum has recently inventoried its collection of HF and HF-L class photos and found we are missing 1948, 1953 and 1973. Seniors used to have 11×14 class photos given to them as part of their senior photos. We are hoping someone out there with one of those enlargements would be willing to either donate it to the museum or have an enlargement made.
If you can help with one of those three years, please contact Bill Lane, our interim curator, at fallsman43@yahoo.com.
Below is a sample from 2004. Smaller versions of these were given to the seniors.
Some people don’t know what to do with the yearbooks that they or their families have saved. They seem too important to throw out, but don’t you always suspect that there is someone, somewhere, who might find them useful?
The Honeoye Falls – Town of Mendon Historical Society Museum might just be the place for them! We already have a large collection of yearbooks from Honeoye Falls and HF-L, but would you believe that there are whole blocks of years we are missing?
If you or your loved ones possess Honeoye Falls or HF-L yearbooks from any of the following years, please reach out to us:
1942-45
1948-49
1950-53
1968-69
1980
1982-83
1985-86
1989
1990-99
2000-04
2006-08
2010-11
2013-15
Please reach out directly to Museum Interim Curator Bill Lane at 624-5655 if you are willing to offer your yearbook(s) to our Museum. We appreciate anything the community has to offer. Thank you!
For the Historical Society, 2022 was a very good year. Our Annual Christmas social made a triumphant return. Our Museum volunteers accomplished what I consider record levels of work. We launched an all-new website. Our collections grew in meaningful and significant ways. We re-engaged with the students of the Honeoye Falls Lima School District. Our program committee has done another bang-up job planning for 2023; please have a look at the enclosed brochure. There is something for everyone.
I must appeal to you, however, for something that concerns me: like many communities, we are having a difficult time getting people to volunteer with our organization. Will you please consider stepping up? In particular, we need:
Volunteer Museum docents to host our Museum every Sunday afternoon. Can you spare just two hours every month or two? Please call me at 585-281-0014 if you even think you might be interested.
To keep the Annual Christmas Social running smoothly for 2023, we need to line up volunteers well in advance, including music teachers who are willing to bring students to perform a recital. Please contact me if you or someone you know is willing to do this.
Here are some Museum highlights from 2022: We received many donations from donors near and far who found us via our Facebook pages. In addition to donations, we search local garage / estate sales and purchase items off eBay. The most significant additions to the Museum’s collections during 2022 were:
From Michelle Howland: Material related to the Howe family of Mendon Center and the Mendon Center School where her mother and grandmother were teachers.
From Tom Conroy: Material the Conroys accumulated during their tenures as Presidents of the Mendon and Honeoye Falls – Mendon Rotary Clubs as well as framed posters for the Sage-Rutty Mendon Antique and Classic car shows from 2000 – 2011. He also donated a framed 1852 plat of the Towns of Rush and Mendon as well as 1872 and 1924 framed plats of Honeoye Falls.
From Chris Cousineau: Photos and a framed 1905 wedding certificate (Alice Miller – Arthur Tobey)
From Paul Templeton: Lehigh Valley Railroad photos and miniature semaphore devices from Rochester Junction.
From the estate of Sally Gilbert: Sally’s postcard collection and memorabilia related to Honeoye Falls and Mendon.
From Patricia Barclay: A reprint version of the 1872 Monroe County atlas and memorabilia from Mendon District School #9.
From Drew Saur and Charles Woolever: Two new tables for one of our work rooms as well as a complete Rittenhouse chime unit.
From Eric Anderson: Catherine of Sienna material.
From Debbie Malm: Rittenhouse items.
From Cliff and Denis Dickinson: A collection of Honeoye Falls Distillery bottles.
From Charles Woolever: A Lehigh Valley Railroad switch lock.
From The Town of Rush Historian’s office: A number of Sibleyvillle Inn items.
The Museum floor saw the following in 2022:
A special display of Honeoye Falls and Mendon dairy and milk products companies.
The goat cart display was completed.
New LED lamps were installed in the Mantegna Exhibit Room.
Thanks once again to Gary Albright, Kathy Eastman, Bill Lane and Charles Woolever for all they do to curate, cultivate, and document our collections each week of the year. Special thanks also go out to Denise & Cliff Dickinson for a new initiative, photographing thousands of items in our collection, which is the beginning of a long preservation journey that will take several years. Please be sure to take a Sunday afternoon between 2–4pm to stop by and see the fruits of our labor!
Our goals for 2023 include:
Continued work with the Village of Honeoye Falls to determine how to stabilize temperature and humidity on the second floor of the Museum, and to make structural improvements to the Museum building.
Continued indexing and photographing our archival materials and donations of artifacts to the Museum.
Continued development of our new website at hfmhistorical.org, which we hope you bookmark and visit often.
Please fill out a membership renewal form and return it with your dues payment. Remember to include your e-mail address to receive timely and detailed notices of Historical Society program meetings and other events of interest. Any questions, please call me at 585-281-0014 or e-mail me at president@hfmhistorical.org.
I am grateful for your ongoing support. We hope to see you on the first Thursday of each month to enjoy our programs, and on Sunday afternoons for Museum hours from 2–4pm. May your 2023 bring health, safety, and joy, and I hope that your upcoming holidays help you find ways to reconnect with your loved ones.
Today, we uploaded the second in a series of newly-digitized reel-to-reel tapes from our archives to our YouTube channel.
Tape 2 features several people reading prepared local history notes. Probably mid to late 1950s. Note at about 31:40, you can hear the Lehigh Valley Railroad whistling for the grade crossing and quickly passing by the building they are speaking in.
Sally served us well, with sincere dedication, for many years. Most recently, she was known as our “Postcard Lady,” organizing our annual postcard updates and stewarding our postcard sales throughout the year around town, including at the Festival on the Green and the Honeoye Falls Marketplace.
Sally, thank you for your years of service. You will never be forgotten.
