Events

The Society has many events throughout the year; History Presentations and Author Appearances, Special ExhibitsHistorical Tours of various types, and Board of Trustee and Committee Meetings. Please see the calendar and below for more information.

 

History Presentations and Author Appearances

We sponsor lectures and presentations featuring stimulating local and regional speakers. These programs are monthly during the year starting in September and running through May and usually take place on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. Lectures are held in the lower level of the Museum. Museum hours can be viewed on the Calendar.

Membership dues and donations allow for the continuation of exhibits, monthly programs and historic tours.

The Fairport Museum highlights the history of the town of Perinton and the village of Fairport from its early days.

 


 Events and Programs for 2023:   

OakHillCtryClub BeltzFred230919bySchillerEvanProgram: Oak Hill Country Club
Presenter: Fred Beltz
Date: Tuesday, September 19, 2023 
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Fairport Museum

Our 2023-2024 program season begins on Tuesday, September 19. Please join us at 7 p.m. at the museum as Fred Beltz shares the history of Oak Hill Country Club. 

The photograph of Oak Hill Country Club was taken by Evan Schiller.

The talk will focus on the early years of Oak Hill, including the move from the river campus to Pittsford, the club patriarch and arborist Dr. John R. Williams and the club’s history of hosting golf championships.

Fred Beltz has been a member of Oak Hill Country Club for nearly 30 years, including 12 years on the Board of Governors. He has spent nearly 20 years as the Club Historian. Fred is now retired, but during his career, he was a founding partner of Beltz Ianni & Associates, a locally-based financial firm specializing in individual and corporate retirement planning. 

This event is free and is open to the public. No registration required.

 


Fifth7DDFritscch2023Program: Historic House Tour - Faircroft Neighborhood
Preseenter: Self-guided
Date: Sunday October 1, 2023
Time: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 
Location: Nelson Street, West Church Street, and Fifth Avenue. 

On Sunday, October 1, from 1 to 5 p.m., the Society will host its 43rd annual house tour. Mr. Rogers would approve of the name and site of the tour: a vintage tree-lined neighborhood in the Faircroft subdivision. Tour attendees will stroll in a U-shaped formation, from Nelson Street to West Church Street to Fifth Avenue.

Faircroft is an area with a rich history. Nelson Lewis purchased his large West Church Street farm in about 1870. He relocated from Greece, where he served as the town supervisor during the Civil War. His Fairport property  bordered West Church Street to the south and the canal to the north. Many streets were created from his farm, including those that became the Faircroft neighborhood. 

For more on Faircroft's history.

-- While October 1 is months away, the house tour committee is busily at work. One task being addressed at this time is getting house tour docents in place. This delightful task entails two commitments: first, meeting with the committee house captain and the homeowners in advance of the tour and second, working a two-hour shift the day of the tour, sharing information with tour attendees. 

To volunteer, please contact Joyce Hawkinson (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 223-4991) or Maxine Nelson (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 425-4919).

Mr. Rogers would admire your willingness to serve the museum community in such a meaningful way! Thank you!

Dingbat

Special Exhibits

Admission to the Fairport Historical Museum is FREE and open to the public.

Membership dues and donations allow for the continuation of exhibits, monthly programs and historic tours. Museum hours can be viewed on the calendar.


Exhibits:

DeLand Family on Permanent Display 

The DeLand family, perhaps more than any other, played an essential and unique role in the history of Fairport. This impressive collection, which is on permanent display at the Fairport Historical Museum, illuminates the stories of generations of the family, and their lasting contribution to Fairport and Perinton. 

New exhibits for 2022 will include: WWII Soldier, Perinton Native: Lester Conover, Erie Canal Surveyor's Transits, DeLano Family Photos and Perinton's Mushroom House.


Erie Canal Surveyor's Transits, Lester Conover and DeLano Family Photos Exhibits

 EngineeringCorpsSurveyorTransits
Local members of the Engineering Corps pose in an
unknown location with their surveyor transits.
 ExhibitSurveyorTransitsExhibit22322
Our transit display in the atrium of the Museum.

 
ExhibitConoverLesterExhibit22222
Lester Conover display.
ExhibitDelanoFamily2022
DeLano family photo exhibit.
 

Stop by to see our ongoing exhibits on agriculture, A Centennial of Perinton Town Historians and Perinton in the Pandemic.

Agriculture

Our newly remodeled agriculture exhibit features information about the 11 century farms and sections on blacksmiths, coopers and tinsmiths.

A Centennial of Perinton Town Historians

2021 is the centennial of Perinton Town Historians. Learn about the six historians that have held the position in the last 100 years.

Perinton in the Pandemic

The perspectives of many in our community coping with this challenge are included in a notebook now on display at the Museum: The Impact of the 2020– 2021 Coronavirus Pandemic on Fairport and Perinton. 

This collection of reflections, text and photos, is the work of a PHS committee capturing an array of experiences from adults and youth, the village of Fairport, the town of Perinton and local organizations and businesses.

Our Capturing Today's History for Tomorrow committee has been gathering photos and information about life in the pandemic. Send your contributions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Fairport’s Evolving Landscape

A new notebook on display is Fairport’s Evolving Landscape, photos and articles on recent developments in the village. This work in progress includes the lift bridge renovation, improvements to the banks of the canal, the train viewing platform, housing developments, and the latest addition, the remote-control car track on Cobb’s Lane.

Dingbat

It’s a Lovely Day in the Faircroft Neighborhood - Historic Tour 2023

Fifth7DDFritscch2023On Sunday, October 1, from 1 to 5 p.m., the Society will host its 43rd annual house tour. Mr. Rogers would approve of the name and site of the tour: a vintage tree-lined neighborhood in the Faircroft subdivision. Tour attendees will stroll in a U-shaped formation, from Nelson Street to West Church Street to Fifth Avenue.

Faircroft is an area with a rich history. Nelson Lewis purchased his large West Church Street farm in about 1870. He relocated from Greece, where he served as the town supervisor during the Civil War. His Fairport property  bordered West Church Street to the south and the canal to the north. Many streets were created from his farm, including those that became the Faircroft neighborhood. 

For more on Faircroft's history.

-- While October 1 is months away, the house tour committee is busily at work. One task being addressed at this time is getting house tour docents in place. This delightful task entails two commitments: first, meeting with the committee house captain and the homeowners in advance of the tour and second, working a two-hour shift the day of the tour, sharing information with tour attendees. 

To volunteer, please contact Joyce Hawkinson (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 223-4991) or Maxine Nelson (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 425-4919).

Mr. Rogers would admire your willingness to serve the museum community in such a meaningful way! Thank you!

 


Strolling South Main House Tour - 2022

SMain199c1980sThe in-person Society House Tours are back!

This year’s tour afforded the opportunity to visit six wonderful homes at the southern entrance to the village: South Main Street, a historic area of architecturally distinguished homes. If you could travel back in time, you would see a very different area, one dotted with orchards of fruit trees and greenhouses bursting with roses and other precious flowers. 

One of the properties on the tour was the Hartman house at 199 South Main Street, in its former pink hue, as remembered by many. 
Society members strolled down South Main Street to visit six distinctive homes located between Summit Street and Hulburt Ave. The oldest house on tour was built in 1825; the newest in 2014! South Main Street, the sight of trees, shrubs, and flowers may trigger thoughts of a bygone era of acres of fruit trees and abundant blooms. Take time to smell the roses—and the gardenias too. 

SMain208v2DDFritsch2022LR

This Colonial Revival home at 208 S. Main Street was designed by C. Storrs Barrows.

The Society House Tours are a member only event. To join, see the membership page for more information.

More information about the tour can be found on the Strolling South Main House Tour page.

For many of the previous tours go to Historic Tours.


 

 

 

Search

All programs and exhibits are free & open to the public except where noted. See details at left or on the calendar.

The Museum is open until December 17th. The Fairport Museum closes for the season beginning Sunday, December 17. It will reopen Saturday, March 2, 2024.

EVENT SCHEDULE 2023:

Programs:
Sept. 19 - Oak Hill Country Club
Oct. 1 - House Tour 
Oct. 17 - TBD
Nov. 21 - Bill Poray Presentation 
Dec. 9 - Yuletide Traditions Holiday Party

Fundraiser:
Nov. 18 - Yuletide Traditions Event
Nov. 21 - Yuletide Kick Off
Nov. 25 - Yuletide Traditions Event
Nov. 26 - Yuletide Traditions Event
Dec. 2 - Yuletide Traditions Event:
 
 Kids’ Craft & Games
Dec. 3 - Yuletide Traditions Event
Dec. 12 - Yuletide Traditions Finale

Exhibits: 
DeLand Family
Odd Fellows
The Mushroom House
Surveyor Transit 
Ladies' Hats & Purses

Dingbat

Become a Member

Please make your check or money order payable to the Perinton Historical Society. Fill out the membership form and mail or drop off at the:

Fairport Historical Museum
18 Perrin Street
Fairport, NY 14450.

Membership Form (Adobe Acrobat is required to open this document)

If you would like to use an online form to join us and pay, go to the Membership page.

Dingbat

Museum Hours of Operation:

The Museum is free and open to the public on Tuesday and Sunday 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. We are closed in January and February.

Volunteers are available to answer general questions and to pull files for researchers during normal hours of operation.

Tours of the museum are self-guided but special tours can be arranged by appointment. There is no charge for special group tours, but a donation to the Museum would be greatly appreciated.

If you would like to do in depth research, the Museum Director is available to assist you. Please call for an appointment.

Tuesday 2 to 4 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m
Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.
Closed: January & February

Dingbat

  fb

Find Us On Facebook

We are now on Facebook! Go to Facebook (note, you will be leaving the PHS website), sign in or join, then search for "Perinton Historical Society" and "Like" us. You will then receive notices about upcoming programs and events. Tell your friends!

Dingbat

Past Presentations: 

WagnerTimConneautLakeParkFinsterBaby
Tim Wagner Plays the Finster Baby

ROCDiggersCravenDougSchalabba SteveSchaeber SaraMantellDan NolteMickWoodsCurtis
ROC Diggers

KimOliviaFrederickDouglassstatue
Celebrating Frederick Douglass

KeeneMichaelAbandonedBookCover
Abandoned: The Untold Story
of the Orphan Trains


CoddingtonRonaldS.FacesCivilWarNursesBook
Faces of Civil War Nurses

BenschChrisSantaClausMarch
Decking the Halls to Shopping Malls

KowiakJack hanksgivingTrivia
Thanksgiving Trivia

JohnsonJamesH.MushroomHouseperComeauKatieEggers16220
Architecture of James H. Johnson

ShillingDonovanMovieMania2015
Movies in World War II 

Grown-up Show and Tell

Pat Gorthy,
author Peppermint Summer

Children's Program:
Clothing from Yesterday

Fashions Inspired by
Downton Abbey
 

Monroe County's Civil War
Soldiers at Antietam

Mount Pleasant Cemetery Tour

Children’s Program: 
How Children Helped the U.S.A.
during World War II

Rochester War Plants During
World War II

Children's Program:
Old-Fashioned Games

Children’s Program:
Celebrate Perinton's History

wilddavidv2antiqcars4.17.12pr 














Antique Toy Cars - History and Value

An Evening with Susan B. Anthony

The Rochester and Eastern Line
Fairport Trolley Station 

Underground Railroad -
Genesee-Finger Lakes Area

carlpeters_v2b.poray
Art & Life of Fairport
Artist Carl Peters

life.letters.kategleason
Life & Letters of Kate Gleason
 

Folklore & Legends of Rochester

  

bottom5© Copyright 2004-2013