NIAGARA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC

Maintains permanent and rotating exhibits across its museum complex, including dedicated spaces on the Tuscarora Nation and Haudenosaunee culture (featuring beadwork, traditional dress, dioramas, and clan education), Civil War artifacts, pioneer life, historic trades, firefighting equipment, the Seven Sutherland Sisters, and a historic pantry with late 19th- and early 20th-century kitchen implements.

Operates the Erie Canal Discovery Center in a c.1843 canal stone building at 24 Church Street in Lockport, NY, as a multi-media, interactive museum interpreting the early history of the Erie Canal, including 19th-century construction, locks, and engineering challenges. The center is open seasonally with daily hours from May 1 to October 31 and limited hours November to April.

Operates a five-building museum complex at 215 Niagara Street in Lockport, NY, interpreting the history of the Niagara Frontier from Native American occupation through the early 20th century, including exhibits on early settlers, transportation, and historic trades. The complex includes multiple historic structures and is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Displays notable artifacts including the 1954 Pontiac Star Chief—the first General Motors vehicle with factory-installed air conditioning—and portions of the Charles Rand Penney Collection of historic Niagara County artifacts in the Penney Gallery at the Erie Canal Discovery Center.

Offers educational tours and programs for school and youth groups, including the Ticket to Ride program for 4th graders featuring tours of the Erie Canal Discovery Center and walking excursions, as well as the Belva Lockwood Girl Scout Badge Program focused on the life of the first woman to run for U.S. President.

Hosts annual public events including Cemetery Tales at Cold Springs Cemetery, Winter’s Fest Eve at the Col. William Bond/Jesse Hawley House, “Soup & Story” to combat wintertime cabin fever, and the “Step Back in Time” program at historic cemeteries, combining storytelling and historical interpretation.

Hosts the City of Lockport Visitor Center and operates the “Lock, Stock & Barrel” Museum Shop at the Erie Canal Discovery Center. Organizes major fundraising events including the annual Niagara Heritage Dinner, a meal event at Shamus Restaurant, and other community-based initiatives to support operations.

Provides interactive exhibits at the Erie Canal Discovery Center allowing visitors to simulate lock operation, explore canal worker life, and engage with engineering challenges, along with a 12-minute educational film titled "Gateways East & West" featuring a simulated nighttime ride through a 19th-century lock.

Purchased, relocated, and restored multiple historic buildings, including the 1835 Washington Hunt Law Office (moved in 1955 and restored to reflect a mid-19th-century law and land office) and the 1887 Kandt House (acquired in 1998 to serve as a museum space for Niagara County’s commercial and manufacturing history).

Funds general operations and recovery from pandemic-related challenges through Regrowth and Capacity grants awarded by the New York State Council on the Arts, supporting organizational sustainability and capacity building.

Provides public tours of the Col. William Bond/Jesse Hawley House, an 1824 National Register-listed home and the oldest brick house in Lockport, restored to its original floor plan and furnished with period-appropriate items across 12 rooms to reflect middle-class life during the peak years of the Erie Canal.