Cast Your Vote!
Your vote will help determine the $25 prize-winner!
Vote online or at the museum. The museum is open Tuesdays Thursdays and Saturdays from 2-4:30 pm.
We will be closed Christmas Day.
Trees are displayed in the order you would see them on a visit to the museum.
The Burkhardt Family Creche
The Burkhardt family Creche was hand carved in Germany by a church architect named C. Jess. He made one piece a year between World War I and World War II. He started the first piece in 1918 and the last in 1944.
He gave the creche to Freida and Henrick Seaubert of Frankfurt, Germany. Mrs. Seaubert was the sister of Rudolph Burkhardt, Sr. of Salt Road in Webster.
To protect the creche it was kept hidden during World War II and despite the Seaubert's home being bombed, the creche survived.
The creche would have been passed on to the Seaubert's only son, but he was killed during the war. Instead they shipped the creche in three boxes to their American relatives, the Burkhardt family of Webster, New York.
Through the kindness of the Burkhardt family it is displayed each year at the Webster Museum for all of Webster to enjoy.
ROC THE DAY
The Webster Museum is participating in this year's ROC THE DAY.
You can support the Webster Museum through ROC THE DAY on November 29th, or show your support right here on the museum website.
The Webster Museum has no admission charge so our primary source of funding is through donations and memberships.
Join without fear. We won't send you SPAM. 
Webster High School Faculty of 1922
100 years ago, Webster was in the midst of a few growing pains. With a national emphasis on education, school districts were scrambling to improve their facilities and attract qualified teachers. Webster was a small school district and found itself competing against more established districts for staff. Within 2 years of this photo being taken, all but 5 of the female faculty pictured had left Webster for positions with other districts. (Khan Musa, the school's lone male teacher remained until the summer of 1927.)
The 5 teachers that remained were in Webster to stay.
Mary Knight graduated from Geneseo Normal School in 1886 and taught in Pittsburgh, PA and Johnstown NY, before arriving at a one room schoolhouse in Webster. In 1904 Knight moved up to Webster High School where she would remain for the next 35 years. Miss Knight lived on Lapham Park in the village.
Marie Stone taught Latin at Webster High School for 43 years. Caesar met his end in Stone's classroom each March 15th of those 43 years. Latin met its end soon after. Miss Stone lived on Dunning Avenue for most of her life.
Blanche Parshall grew up in Greenwood, NY which is south of Hornell. She taught in Greenwood before moving to Webster where she taught mathematics and was the junior preceptress of Webster High School for many years. She lived on Lapham Park and Park Avenue with her sister and let rooms to fellow teachers. When she wasn't teaching, Miss Parshall could be found playing the organ at several local churches.
Elizabeth Gaffney taught 1st grade at Webster High School for many years. In 1953 she ran for the then elected position of "School Director", but lost by 2 votes. She was married to Thomas Gaffney, who was the Webster Town Historian prior to Esther Dunn.
Agnes Klaver was the daughter of George Shoemaker and Elizabeth Herman and grew up in Webster. She taught in West Webster for 6 years before moving to Webster High School to teach 2nd grade in the fall of 1921. During the summer of 1921 she married Herman Klaver and took up residence on Ridge Road. She retired from teaching in 1930 to raise her own children.
The individual portrait photos are from the 1936 yearbook, with the exception of Agnes Klaver's photo which is from the 1930 yearbook. Can you spot them in the 1922 group photo?
RIBALDRY
n. [It. ribalderia.] Mean, vulgar language ; chiefly, obscene language.
Randomly generated oft-forgotten words from Webster's 1828 dictionary.
Visit our Random Portmanteau page!
The Webster Walkabout Adventure Lab
The Webster Walkabout Adventure Lab will take you on a walking tour of some of the historical locations in the Village of Webster. This adventure is kid-friendly and handicap-accessible. Please stay on sidewalks throughout your journey.
You will be guided on a walking tour of the Village of Webster, NY, visiting five sites of historic significance to the founding of the Village of Webster. Your walking tour will take you on a 1.5 mile walk and will take about an hour to complete.
In order to play the Adventure Lab, you need a smart phone, with the Adventure Lab mobile app installed. The app works with both iOS (iPhones) and Android phones. You must have a free account on geocaching.com and you must also have a data plan and cell service. The Adventure Lab mobile app is a multi-media, interactive app.
To open this adventure in the Adventure Lab mobile app, use the following URL: labs.geocaching.com/goto/WEBSTER
Once you complete the Adventure Lab, you will be given a code to unlock a special bonus puzzle geocache located at the Webster Museum, located at 18 Lapham Park, Webster, NY.
To find out more about geocaching, go to www.geocaching.com
A Virtual Tour
With Doreen and Laureen from the Webster Public Library and Sharon Pratt of the Webster Museum.
National Hamburger Month
OK, we may be a little biased, but there can't be too many cities with a tastier relationship with the hamburger than Rochester. Imagine heading out for a hamburger and only having the choice of McDonald's, Burger King or if you're lucky Wendy's. Here in Webster, we have Bill Gray's, Charlie's and when the bridge is open, Don's Original. Each restaurant with its own story and connection to the Webster community. Take a look at our little timeline of Rochester Hamburger history.
The Webster Basket Factory
Behind the scenes at the Webster Museum (February 17, 2020)
Don Kittelberger who worked at the Webster Basket Factory for many years, was kind enough to stop by the Webster Museum to share some of his knowledge of baskets and the Webster Basket Factory with our museum volunteers.
Night at the Museum
Our new nightly look, with thanks to Allan Electric. (Photos courtesy of Lynn Barton.)
World War Two
The beginnings of a page honoring the all too numerous Webster residents who lost their lives fighting for our country during World War Two.
Dear Webster Museum
A selection of letters sent to the museum following student visits.
The Cunningham Automobile
100 years ago it was possible to buy an automobile that was built in Rochester, NY. Possible, but expensive. James Cunningham, Son and Company produced some of the most expensive vehicles available at the time. The Cunningham Automobile was a handmade, high performance vehicle that rivaled the likes of Rolls Royce.
Cunningham's clients included Cecil B. De Mille, George Eastman, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Marshall Field, William Randolph Hearst, Harold Lloyd, Mary Pickford, and the Wrigley brothers.
A small glance at the Civil War
New to the Webster Museum
Thanks to the many talents of Tom Pellett, the museum now has a miniature diorama portraying a battle during the American Civil War.
WEBSTER MUSEUM AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY
18 Lapham Park Webster, New York 14580 585.265.3308
