A Cultural Town, Historically Renowned

“Top 10 Best Small Towns in America” – USA Today & Rand-McNally

Lewiston Jeopardy is back!

The Historical Association of Lewiston’s popular fundraiser, “Lewiston Jeopardy” will return at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16 at Bella Rose Winery.

Tickets for the event at 1243 Ridge Road cost $45 per person and can be obtained by calling the Lewiston Museum at 716-754-4214. Seating is limited to 90 people, so don’t procrastinate.

Fashioned after the “Jeopardy” show, the event gives area residents a chance get to test their knowledge of local history and lore in a lightning fast game where they’re provided the answers and try to come up with the questions first.

Pizza and wings from Favorites will be served and a cash bar will offer wine, beer and soft drinks.

Funds raised will support the ongoing mission of the Historical Association and the Lewiston Museum.

At the event, this year’s Historical Association of Lewiston award winners will be honored.

Tom Deal will receive the Volunteer of the Year Award for his outstanding service to our organization and for his efforts in making
Lewiston one of the most admired small towns in America. His community spirit is an inspiration for all!

Steve Brown of Brown & Company will receive the Business of the Year Award for his decades of professional service as a trusted vendor, generous support for our mission, and as a dedicated and exemplary community leader.

Tim Henderson and Eva Nicklas will receive the Friends of History Award for preserving and promoting Lewiston’s rich heritage through their inspiring Marble Orchard performances as Josiah Tryon and Sally Barton, and for enriching our community’s appreciation of its pioneering legacy.

Paul Lymburner will receive the Bruce Sutherland Outstanding Contribution Award for his exceptional volunteer efforts in upgrading the Museum’s technical systems, digitizing archives, and partnering with the WNY Library Resources Council.

Meanwhile, some lucky guests at Lewiston Jeopardy could go home with big prizes. Cash prizes will be raffled off, and there will be an impressive lineup of items offered at auction.

Among the items to be auctioned are:

— Overnight accommodations at the newly restored Frontier House and at Barton Hill, Lewiston’s oldest
home and historic mansion;

— A golf package for four at Niagara Frontier Country Club and a luxurious five-star spa experience at the Spa at Niagara Crossing. 

— Four tickets for the Whirlpool Jetboat.

We’re digitizing the Historical Association of Lewiston’s archives

The Historical Association of Lewiston has embarked on a project to digitize our paper archive, which includes documents, photographs, maps, articles and a myriad of other items.

We have partnered with New York Heritage who accept historical content from all kinds of organizations across NYS. Our effort has taken a few months to get started, but hopefully will continue for years to come.

The homepage for our collections is: Historical Association of Lewiston | New York Heritage

Specific Collections include:

Frontier House: Frontier House | New York Heritage
Lewiston Bridges: Lewiston Bridges | New York Heritage
Ice Jams: Ice Jams | New York Heritage

These collections will grow as we add more content and we will be expanding the number of collections as we are able to resource the scanning effort.

See what’s in the Lewiston Museum

The Lewiston Museum, located at 469 Plain St. in Lewiston, is open Tuesday through Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m., during June, July & August. During other months, call 716-754-4214 for an appointment.

The top 3 Questions Our Museum Curator Gets Asked

Tom Collister is our resident curator and historian. He fields calls from people from all over the U.S. and Canada who are seeking information about Lewiston.  

Collister said these are the questions he get asked the most, and his answers. 

Question #1:  What is going on with the Frontier House?

“After years of responding to inquiries about the status of the Frontier House, I can finally tell people the building has been restored with a restaurant on the first floor with apartments and rentals above.  Now people are asking me if the food is good and when the restaurant is open.” 

Question #2:  What’s the story about the Museum being a church?

“Yes, the museum is housed in a former church that was built in 1835 by a congregation of people who quit the First Presbyterian Church, located around the corner.  There was a big controversy involving the kidnapping and disappearance of the Masonic traitor, William Morgan. Many at the Presbyterian Church were glad he was gone.  The others who condemned the kidnapping of Morgan decided to leave the church and chose to align with the Episcopalians and built the structure that now houses our Museum. We purchased the property in 1973, over 50 years ago.” 

Question #3:  Do you have information on ________, who lived in Lewiston?

“Yes, if they have lived in Lewiston, I can usually find information on them.  We have records going back over 200 years.  We have tax records going back to 1835 and censuses going back to 1820.  We also have cemetery records, birth and death records, and some marriage records. I also offer to show them the places their ancestors lived if they are coming to town.” 

The Historic Association of Lewiston wishes everyone a joyous holiday and happy New Year in 2026.

The association hosted a Sunday brunch Dec. 14 at Apple Granny Restaurant for 81 of its members, volunteers and sponsors. The annual event is the association’s way of thanking those people for everything they do, said Executive Director Patti Mahoney.

To contact Collister for information, call the museum at 716-754-4214 or email him at curator@historiclewiston.org .

Lewiston-Themed Gifts For The Family

The Lewiston Museum has special Lewiston-themed gifts that make shopping easier.

The museum at 469 Plain St. in the village has all sorts of hard-to-find and unique items that you can’t buy anywhere else, including Lewiston Christmas tree ornaments.

And if you can’t get to the museum, you can call 716-754-4214 to order gifts from the museum’s online store: https://historiclewiston.org/store/

Here are some of our most in-demand items:

Christmas Ornaments ($25 each)
The Opera Hall
Frontier House
Fairbanks Mansion
Apple Granny
DiCamillo Bakery
Orange Cat Coffee
Lewiston Museum
Hennepin Hall
Presbyterian Church
Red Brick School
The Stone House
Barton Hill
The Silo
Hibbard’s Custard
Freedom Crossing Monument
Lewiston’s 200th Anniversary
Little Yellow House
Stella Chapel

For the kids:
Train Whistle, $4
Old Tavern Shooters Game, $8
Cabin Fever Ring Toss, $8
Hopscotch, jump rope and marbles, $10 each

Coffee Mugs:
Historic Lewiston, $25
Tuscarora Heroes, $20

Books:
“Freedom Crossing,” $10
“Tuscarora Heroes,” $10
“Lewiston American Images,” $20
“The Haunted,” $17
“Niagara Gorge Belt Line,” $16
“Lower Niagara River,” $5
“The Gully Treasure,” $30