E.M. Statler's Buffalo 1896-1925

Everyone knows the Statler Hotel in Niagara Square. Few know that E. M. Statler built two other hotels in Buffalo, a ground-breaking restaurant, and a grand estate on Soldier's Place. He was not born in Buffalo but decided that booming Buffalo in 1896 shared the same attitudes as he and so he moved here to grow with the Queen City. This presentation illustrates the parallel evolution of E.M. Statler and his adopted city from 1896 through 1925.

Powerpoint with lively narration. 40 Minutes.

World War 1 Series (click to print the flyer)

WNY Men in WW1

 The “Eager” young men, like Laurence Dana Rumsey and Harry Ramsdell, Jr. went abroad as early as 1915 to volunteer as ambulance drivers with the American Field Service. Others volunteered for ambulance duty as soon as the U.S. entered the war in April 1917.

The “Willing” were career soldiers such as Akron native Dennis Nolan, a West Point graduate who would end his service in the war as a Brigadier General. Others from around Western New York were called up immediately when war was declared because they were National Guardsmen with the 74th or 65th Regiments. And William Donovan of Troop I, New York State Cavalry, transferred quickly to the 42nd Division, the “Rainbow” division, in order to go abroad as soon as possible.

The “Reluctant” were part of the 2.8 million men called up through the draft, instituted on May 18, 1917. They were young men for the most part, and reported  for duty when asked, in what would be an unforgettable introduction to war on an industrial scale.

 Powerpoint with lively narration. 45 Minutes.

 

WNY Aviators in WW1

In a class by themselves, early WNY volunteers for aviation served primarily with the French in the Lafayette Escadrille. American squadrons were formed after April 1917 but organizing, training, and equipping the new Army Air Service took so long that only 45 all-American squadrons fought in France by the end of war. See how John Knox MacArthur, Nathaniel Duffy, Laurence Dana Rumsey dared to fly their “peach crates” in dog fights with the superior German pilots.

Learn how Buffalo’s Aero Club and the Curtiss Aeroplane Company helped move WNY into the forefront of aviation.

Powerpoint with lively narration. 45 Minutes.

WNY Women in WW1

WNY women who went abroad were varied in their background and motivations but felt compelled to find a way to help the French and British armies, the Belgian and French refugees, and later the 4.7 million American “Sammies” who joined the war in 1917. About all these volunteers had in common was that they were single, educated, and most were from well-to-do families.

Listen to Alice Lord O’Brian and Anna Perit Rochester as they describe opening the first Red Cross Canteens in 1917, serving French soldiers until the Americans arrived.  Enjoy Doris Kellogg’s exuberance over being able to assist in a hospital and canteens. And see how Mary Belknap’s experience with the wounded and her own struggle with the pneumonia that accompanied influenza drove her to come home to Lockport as soon as possible when the war ended.

Powerpoint with lively narration. 45 Minutes.

Emblem of Equality: Woman Suffrage in WNY (click to print the flyer)

This presentation is based on The Buffalo History Museum exhiibit of the same name which I was honored to guest curate. Where the exhibit celebrates the contributions of many area women, this presentation focuses on the words of a gifted Buffalo columnist who with humor and passion leads us through those exciting decades of the Western New York suffrage movement.

Ada Davenport Kendall organized for suffrage in the last years of the 19th century and wrote for nearly 18 years about how transformative woman suffrage would be for society. Hear her words as she records history for us and explains why she was willing to go to prison for her cause.

Powerpoint with liively narration. 50 minutes.