About Amherst Historical Society
From the Amherst Museum to Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village
Local history in Amherst, New York — the Erie County town just northeast of Buffalo — is preserved today by Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village, the organization established by the Town of Amherst in 1972 as the Amherst Museum. In 2011 the museum became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and adopted its current name, reflecting a mission that reaches beyond the town line: to preserve, interpret, and exhibit the agricultural history and rural heritage of the entire Buffalo Niagara region.
The museum occupies a 35-acre campus at 3755 Tonawanda Creek Road on the northern edge of the town. Its signature attraction is a village of ten historic 19th-century buildings, dating from roughly 1840 to 1888, that were relocated to the grounds for preservation. The first structures — the Hoover House, the Bigelow House, and the Williamsville Schoolhouse — were moved to the site between 1972 and 1975, and additional buildings arrived through 1996, including churches, residences, and a combined doctor's office and barbershop. Together they recreate a 19th-century crossroads community where visitors can tour historic homes, gardens, churches, a one-room schoolhouse, and a working blacksmith shop for a firsthand look at life on the Niagara Frontier.
Indoors, the main museum building offers rotating exhibits drawn from a collection of more than 40,000 artifacts documenting everyday life in the region, from farm tools and textiles to household furnishings. The museum also maintains the Niederlander Research Library, which supports research into the area's agricultural and rural past. Seasonal events and educational programming round out the visitor experience, making the village a living classroom for Western New York history.
Plan Your Visit
Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village is located at 3755 Tonawanda Creek Road in Amherst, New York 14228, a short drive from Buffalo. The 35-acre campus combines an indoor museum with a walkable village of ten historic buildings. For current hours, admission prices, and event schedules, visit bnhv.org.
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