A few hours learning about North Tonawanda history

My husband and I visited North Tonawanda this morning, including the North Tonawanda History Museum. We had been there a few times before but they have expanded their exhibits over the last few years, so there was a lot we didn't see in the past. In addition, during this past summer I had donated an item that had been in my family and wanted to see how it looked on display.

 

Last summer, when I was getting ready to finalize the sale of my parents home, I had been debating on what to do with this old weaving loom in the corner of the basement which had been there as long as I could remember. My Uncle Adolf, a religious brother, had built it long before he became a brother and had given it to my dad when he joined the brotherhood. Since it was a dusty old thing, I was originally just going to leave it with the house, but that didn't feel right. Since my uncle lived in North Tonawanda, I contacted the North Tonawanda History Museum and they were happy to take it.

The loom was partly set up, although Donna, the director of the museum, said she was waiting for someone who knows more about looms to get it fully functional. Still, it was nice seeing my uncle's loom on display.

One could easily spend hours browsing through this museum, as there are hundreds of thousands of items that tell the story of the history of North Tonawanda and the people who lived there. Even if you have no connection to North Tonawanda, it's still a fascinating place to visit
North Tonawanda History Museum, 54 Webster Street, North Tonawanda, 716-213-0554 www.nthistorymuseum.org

Afterwards, we had lunch at Uncorked Café, 72A Webster Street. It's fairly new, as the last time I was here there was another little café in the same space. The food was good and the servings enormous. I had a turkey club sandwich and brought half of it home and my daughter had it for lunch.

I was sad to see that the Hodge Podge gift shop next door closed, however, another gift shop opened in its place: Michele's Motif, which has women's clothing, accessories, and jewelry. They even offer beading and wire wrapping jewelry classes.
Michele's Motif, 72 Webster Street, North Tonawanda. 716-957-4900.

It also looked like a new restaurant was going to be opening on Webster Street. Canal Club 62 Tap and Eatery, at 62 Webster Street. It looked nice from what I could see through the windows.