A Cultural Town, Historically Renowned

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

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 .

Get ready for the Col. Bruce R. Sutherland Golf Tourney 

Please join us for a wonderful day of golf at the annual Colonel Bruce R. Sutherland Memorial Golf Tournament on Monday, June 22. 

The tournament, a fundraiser for the Historical Association of Lewiston and the VFW Post 7487 Scholarship Fund, will be at Niagara Frontier Golf Club, 1058 Lake Road, Youngstown. 

To register for the tournament, or become a sponsor, contact the Historical Association at 716-754-4214.

The tournament schedule includes lunch at 11 am, a shotgun start at noon and dinner and awards to follow. Registration is $160 per golfer. For dinner only, it’s $40. 

The Historical Association operates the Lewiston Museum at 469 Plain St.

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