Happy Birthday, Ellicottville
Happy Birthday, Ellicottville
Historical Society Committee prepares for Bicentennial festivities
There’s no time like the present to celebrate the past, and next weekend is the perfect occasion to honor 201 years of the town of Ellicottville! From July 16th through July 18th, the Town of Ellicottville Historical Society is hosting the bicentennial celebration, complete with a street dance, parade, and so much more!
Dawn Westfall, head of the Town of Ellicottville Bicentennial Committee, is looking forward to both the bicentennial celebration and a full slate of Ellicottville Historical Society events through the end of the year.
“This past year was a quiet one,” Westfall recalled of 2020, the year that the town would have celebrated its actual 200th birthday. “Due to the pandemic, we opted to postpone the bicentennial to 2021.” She noted that restrictions on gatherings, especially indoors, were an important consideration for committee meetings and planning sessions, and the availability of volunteers was also a challenge. This affected not only the bicentennial planning, which began in January of 2019, but also the historical society’s normal event schedule, which includes a monthly speaker series.
“We had speakers lined up for 2020, but with our audience, which includes many older members, we knew that wasn’t going to be possible,” Westfall explained. The historical society building was also closed to visitors last year and will continue to be closed for the remainder of 2021 due to volunteer availability and the logistical considerations of socially distancing in a small space.
Westfall was pleased to share that despite the pandemic, the historical society is still going strong, as evidenced by members’ enthusiastic response to the president’s annual membership letter. Plans for the bicentennial have been underway since this spring through meetings over Zoom and the first in-person meeting, which took place in May.
“The bicentennial is all about tying the celebration into the history of a place,” Westfall explained. “Over the past year, place has been such an important concept - we’ve been sheltering in place. Home is where we shelter, no matter what is going on.”
Importantly, Westfall noted, this bicentennial will celebrate 201 years of Ellicottville, where generations of residents have persevered through challenges and uncertainty. Referencing the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, Westfall noted that Ellicottville residents sheltered in place then, too. Even further back, “During the Civil War, people had no idea what the world was going to be like when they got through that,” she pointed out. “They - and now we - are warranted to have a celebration of one kind or another!”
The celebration begins on Friday, July 16th with a street dance in the square in front of the Town Hall on Washington Street from 7:00-10:00pm. Music will be provided by Dave Elder and the Party Squad at the Town Hall Gazebo, and everyone is welcome to dance or bring a lawn chair or blanket, as well as their own snacks and beverages.
On Saturday, July 17th, the celebration continues with a parade beginning at 10:30am at the Village Park near the fire hall. (Registration forms will soon be available at Town Hall, the Chamber office, Katy’s Cafe, Kwik Fill and Tops.) From 2:00-5:00pm visitors are invited to the Nannen Arboretum at 28 Parkside Drive for the reunion of the descendants of the New York 154th Civil War Regiment, hosted by Mark Dunkelman, whose ancestor, John Langhans, lived on Jackman Hill in Ellicottville and served in this regiment. This is the 35th year that Dunkelman has hosted this reunion, which takes place annually in different places throughout Cattaraugus County.
Dunkelman is hosting this year’s reunion in Ellicottville to coincide with the bicentennial, as the first reunion of the NY 154th regiment was held in Ellicottville in August of 1888. Many who served in the regiment hailed from Ellicottville, including notable residents T.R. Aldrich, Alexander Bird, H.E. Bolles and B.A. Johnston. Civil War memorabilia and other historical items will be on display inside the Rotary Auditorium, including a restored Civil War recruitment flag. The flag restoration was made possible through a grant from the Greater Hudson Heritage Network with conservation work completed by The Textile Network of South Salem, New York. (On Wednesday, July 14th at 7:00pm, Dunkleman will be the featured speaker and will present on "Gettysburg's Costed Avenue: The Brickyard fight and Mural” at Ellicottville Memorial Library.)
The bicentennial celebration concludes on Sunday, July 18th at St. John’s Episcopal Church, which is hosting Wendel’s Chicken Barbecue from 1:000-3:00pm. Seating will be available on the church lawn under a tent, and take-out options will also be available. Dinner proceeds will benefit the Ellicottville Historical Society.
Fortunately for local residents and history buffs, the fun doesn’t end with the bicentennial celebration! On Saturday July 31st at 1:00pm the historical society is hosting an historical walking tour, which begins at the Town Hall Gazebo. Tickets are $10, and those interested in participating can contact Ellen Frank at 716-699-2276 to reserve a spot. On Wednesday, August 11th, John Burrell will be the featured speaker and will present his family history in Ellicottville. On Wednesday, September 8th, Pam Litchfield will share "A glimpse of the Past": Ellicottville through pictures. The August and September events will take place at the Ellicottville Memorial Library at 7:00pm. Those who are interested in attending a meeting can call Ellen Frank to set up a reservation due to limited space.
Westfall is excited to announce that the historical society’s ghost walks, a community favorite, will be resuming in October! Stay tuned for more details by following the EHS on Facebook at @EVLHSM.