Browse Items (45 total)

A photo of the attendees of the Retsof company picnic on Conesus Lake in 1933

The Roman Catholic Church attended by residents of Little Italy

Jennie Mather was a resident of nearby Livonia in 1867. Her voice gives us the perspective of a woman whose life was filled with “visits” to Geneseo. Through her retellings, we see Geneseo as a place of adventure, festivals, and family centered…

Alida K. Fitzhugh chronicles her time during the historic Genesee Valley Hunt from the fall of 1891-1893. She talks about multiple taverns, trails, and scenic locations in the valley and her positive experiences as she rode horses, jumped fences, and…

Buzzo’s Music Shop on Main Street is an exciting stop-in for students of all musical abilities. Featuring CDs, records, guitar strings, sheet music, and most importantly, Buzzo’s wild stories, there is never a dull moment from the second you enter…

Aime Alden is woman who grew up in Geneseo, graduating from high school in 1973. She recounts growing up in a different time period and notes the changes the town has undergone over her lifetime. The oral interview was taken by Ken Cooper and…

A black and white photo of Main Street during the 1950s.

Stills and composite image from Frank Capra's film "It's a Wonderful Life" juxtapose Dickensian, nightmare version of Western New York town and its All-American counterpart Bedford Falls

Shanties built ca. 1884 for Italian immigrant employees of Retsof Mine. It was demolished in 1923 because the houses had become dilapidated and a new, larger mine was under construction.

Sheffield Peabody was a farmer who chronicled his life in Springwater, NY between 1849 and 1914. In many ways his life was typical of his peers: he struggled to make a living at a time when American agriculture favored railroads, food processors, and…