Have you visited our YouTube page recently?
We’ve got a couple of great new pieces up on our YouTube page – please check them out!
President
About President
Posts by Drew Saur:
Looking for HF-L “Trillium” Magazine Issues & Details
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.
Seeking HF and HF-L Class Photos for 1948, 1953 and 1973
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.
Seeking Old HF & HFL Yearbooks
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!
A Letter from President Drew Saur for 2023
December 20, 2022
New Year Greetings to Members & Friends!
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.
Sincerely,
Drew D, Saur, President
president@hfmhistorical.org • 585-281-0014
Reel-to-Reel Tape 2 Added to Our YouTube Channel
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.
We hope you enjoy this trip back in time!
Sally Gilbert Memorialized in our Appreciation Plaque
We recently honored the memory of Sally Gilbert, who passed away in August 2022 at the age of 79, by adding her to the Appreciation Plaque in our Museum:
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.
Union Star Lodge #320 Centennial Celebration & Tour
On January 4, 2019, the brothers of the Union Star Masonic Temple hosted a special tour of their facility at 3 North Main St. It was well-attended, yet many folks missed the opportunity.
Good news! The brothers are offering a special fundraising event that will include another tour of the facility. This special event will occur on Saturday, November 19, 2022. You can read more and register for the event on the Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel web page.
Here are some photos from our January 4, 2019 event:
New on Our YouTube Channel: Reel-to-Reel Audio Recordings From Our Archives
Today, we uploaded the first in a series of newly-digitized reel-to-reel tapes from our archives to our YouTube channel.
Tape 1 features a woman reading a local history paper, answering questions, and telling of old local history. Probably mid to late 1950s.
We hope you enjoy this trip back in time!
Remembering Sally Gilbert
We’d like to take a moment to honor the memory of Sally Gilbert, who passed away last week at the age of 79.
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.
If you would like to donate to the Historical Society per Sally’s wish, please address checks to:
Honeoye Falls-Town of Mendon Historical Society
PO Box 26
Honeoye Falls NY 14472
