named programs · 9 · from sources
What they call their work
A Day in the Life
Two-hour immersive experience of 19th-century childhood, including historic chores, games, and making a period treat; supports Junior Girl Scout badge.
All About Me
1.5-hour genealogy program where participants learn about ancestors, use research resources, and create a family tree; supports Girl Scout and Boy Scout badges.
Collections Digitization Project
Volunteer program to digitize 3D and archival collection materials for preservation and access.
Gardening Basics
1.5-hour program teaching gardening methods, plant selection, and pest management, including planting a take-home container garden; fulfills multiple scouting badges.
Marble Madness
Two-hour program on the history of marbles, making marbles and a marble bag, playing traditional games, and inventing new ones; supports Brownie and Cub Scout badges.
Oral History Project
Volunteer-led initiative to record personal memories and life stories related to regional agricultural and rural history.
Textile Artist: Sheep to Shawl
Two-hour program where participants learn about fiber, fabric, and textiles, and make their own textile project; supports Girl Scout and Boy Scout badge requirements.
Victorian Tea
Two-hour program on Victorian manners and etiquette, including a tea party and traditional parlor games; supports Junior Girl Scout badge requirements.
Woodworker
Two-hour program where participants learn about early settler woodworking, use hand tools, and build a project; meets requirements for multiple scouting woodwork badges.
activities · 7 groups
What they do
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Local History Museum Operations 2 activities
- Operation of museum collections and exhibitsMaintains an indoor museum with a permanent collection of over 40,000 artifacts related to the agricultural and rural history of the Buffalo Niagara region, and operates rotating exhibits such as the Amherst Gallery, Crowning Glory Hat Gallery, Land of Plenty, Vice & Virtue: Prohibition, Victory on the Menu: WWII Food, and a 9/11 memorial display.
- Public access and seasonal operationsOperates general admission to the heritage village seasonally from May to September, open Thursdays through Saturdays, 10 AM to 4 PM, with additional Spooky Season programming in October. Reopens annually for regular operations including tours, programs, and events.
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Local History Preservation and Education 2 activities
- Oral history and research initiativesConducts an Oral Histories Project to record personal memories and life stories related to regional agricultural and rural history. Also conducts research in its Research Library using census records, microfilm, and topic files, and supports genealogical research.
- Preservation and interpretation of regional agricultural heritagePreserves, interprets, and exhibits the agricultural history and rural heritage of the Buffalo Niagara region through physical collections, historic structures, educational programming, and public exhibits. Serves as Co-Town Historian of Amherst and stewards thousands of local historical artifacts and archives.
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Historic Site Public Programming 1 activity
- Educational programming and community outreachOffers educational programs, guided tours, classes, artisan workshops, camps (including Pioneer Day Camp and Introduction to Raising Backyard Chickens), and community outreach activities focused on 19th-century agricultural and rural life. Programs include Scout workshops on fiber, gardening, woodworking, genealogy, marbles, and Victorian etiquette, all with hands-on components.
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Archival Digitization and Preservation 1 activity
- Library and collections management projectsConducts a Research Library Inventory Project involving the inventorying, evaluation, sorting, and reshelving of books. Also conducts digitization projects to digitize 3D and archival materials using scanners and digital tools.
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Historic Building Restoration and Preservation 1 activity
- Preservation and restoration of historic buildingsPreserves and restores ten 19th-century historic buildings that were relocated to prevent demolition, maintaining them in period-appropriate condition to reflect 19th-century rural life in the Buffalo Niagara region. The buildings are part of a 35-acre campus used for public interpretation and education.
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Commemorative Brick and Memorial Installations 1 activity
- Tributes and dedications programOffers a Tributes & Dedications Program allowing individuals to commemorate others through installations on the 35-acre campus, including benches with aluminum plaques (Heritage Package) and gold or silver plaques for garden beds, benches, and trees (Villager Package).
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Development and maintenance of a working farmsteadDeveloped and expanded a working farmstead between 2015 and 2021, including construction of a chicken coop, main barn, ram barn, sheep pasture, ewe barn, and lambing shed. Maintains farm animals including chickens, bees, and heritage breed sheep as part of its educational and interpretive mission.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$598K
Contributions & grants$520K87%
Program service revenue$55K9%
Investment income$20K3%
Other revenue$3K
expenses
Total expenses$872K
Program expenses55%
Admin / overhead31%
Fundraising14%
Salaries & benefits$602K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$513K
Cash$61K
Investments$417K
Liabilities$41K
Net assets$473K
Liquid reserves6.6 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -3.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| CARRIE STIVER | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $71K |
board members · 8
- EMILY HOCKWATER — TRUSTEE
- JACQUELINE WELSCH — TREASURER
- JEFFREY TYRPAK — TRUSTEE
- JOSEPH HEINS — TRUSTEE
- KEVIN COPE — TRUSTEE
- MARK BAJOREK — SECRETARY
- MICHAEL TYRPAK — PRESIDENT
- TREK FULATER — TRUSTEE
relationships · 17
Who they work with
- Amherst Town Board Government — Collaborates on community and cultural development initiatives.
- Assemblymember McMahon Funder — Announced public funding allocation for the museum.
- Boy Scouts Partner — Offers programs that fulfill requirements for multiple Boy Scout merit badge achievements.
- Brittany Zandi Partner — Program Coordinator for the Village Tributes & Dedications Program
- Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village Partner — Core organization offering volunteer experiences, membership benefits, and historic programming.
- County of Erie Government — Provides major funding and support for Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village.
- Culturals Partner — Provides reciprocal benefits through partnership with select cultural institutions.
- Dolores Attea Sapienza Partner — Donated her personal hat collection, which is featured in the Crowning Glory exhibit.
- Girl Scouts Partner — Offers programs that fulfill requirements for multiple Girl Scout badge achievements.
- M&T Bank Funder — Provides major funding for Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village.
- New York Council on the Arts Funder — Provides major funding for Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village.
- New York State Supreme Court Government — Judicial decision impacted museum relocation plans.
- Speaker Heastie Funder — Announced public funding allocation for the museum.
- Supervisor Brian Kulpa Government — Local government official supporting museum initiatives.
- Town of Amherst Government — Founded as a department of the Town of Amherst in 1972; three original buildings were moved to the site under its stewardship.
- Town of Amherst Government — Founded the organization in 1972 as a department of the Town of Amherst; original steward of the museum before its transition to an independent nonprofit.
- Town of Amherst Government — Provides major funding and support for Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village.
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Community-Based Heritage Preservationmethodology: community-engaged_preservationBy involving the public as members, volunteers, and contributors to tribute programs, the organization strengthens community ownership of regional heritage, because sustained engagement through participation and personal recognition fosters long-term stewardship and connection to cultural history.
- Immersive Experiential Educationmethodology: experiential_historical_educationBy using hands-on, multisensory, and age-inclusive historical experiences — such as period activities, live farm animals, and sensory-rich exhibits — the organization fosters deeper public engagement and understanding of 19th-century rural life, because experiential immersion creates emotional and cognitive connections that passive learning cannot.
- Structured Youth Learning Through Badge Alignmentmethodology: badge-aligned_educationBy aligning educational programming with scouting badge requirements, the organization increases youth participation and learning retention, because structured, goal-oriented frameworks provide external motivation and clear achievement pathways that enhance engagement with historical content.