The Buffalo History Museum Podcast

Mar 07 2025 43 ep. 22 mins 76
The Buffalo History Museum Podcast artwork

The Buffalo History Museum Podcast is the premier source for Western New York history. Each episode, we tell a story of the people and events that have shaped our region. New episodes are released monthly. Help us grow by subscribing, rating, and reviewing us.

  History  Education  Society & Culture
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The Silent Bells of Buffalo

Mar 07 2025 24 mins  
In the 1860s, Buffalo Bishop John Timon commissioned a 43-bell carillon for the city's St. Joseph's Cathedral. The bells, however, would run into a series of problems which prevented them from being heard for more than a half century--and then for nearly another century after that. This is the story of the bells, their unlucky journey, and their eventual installation at Buffalo's F

Wedding of the Waters: The Opening of the Erie Canal

Jan 14 2025 19 mins  
October 26, 1825 marked the ceremonial opening of the Erie Canal, a waterway that would shape the future of the nation. To celebrate, Governor DeWitt Clinton led a cross-state procession, stopping in each town along the man-made waterway.

Suicide of a Goddess

Jun 24 2024 15 mins  
On July 1, 1902, the Pan-American Exposition's Goddess of Light statue was torn to the ground. The statue, which adorned the fair's tallest structure, had become a symbol of the Exposition. Now, it had been sold off. However, it would never make it to its new owner.

Two Souls Lost: The Titanic and Buffalo

Apr 14 2024 16 mins  
112 years ago today, RMS Titanic disappeared into the icy depths of the North Atlantic after striking an iceberg. The disaster would take the lives of more than 1,500 passengers and crew, two of whom were Buffalo's own. This is their story.

The Saturn Club Liquor Raid

Mar 22 2024 15 mins  
On August 23, 1923, a team of Federal Prohibition Agents raided Buffalo's elite Saturn Club in search of illegal alcohol. The raid, which uncovered large amounts of booze, was led by one of the Saturn Club's own members, "Wild" Bill Donovan.

Rise and Fall of the Canadiana

Feb 22 2024 22 mins  
Between 1910 and 1956, the Canadiana ferried passengers between Buffalo and Canada's Crystal Beach Amusement Park. This is the story of the ship, her demise, and her near resurrection.

Love Canal, Part III: Escape

Jul 06 2023 36 mins  
Twenty years after Hooker Chemical buried its last metal drum in the depths of William Love's abandoned canal, local residents begin experiencing health problems. The ensuing years become a fight for their lives.

Love Canal, Part II: Hooker Chemical

Jun 09 2023 20 mins  
Fifty years after William Love abandoned his Model City settlement in Niagara Falls, a local chemical manufacturer made use of his half-excavated canal. Part III coming next week.

Love Canal, Part I: Model City

May 26 2023 16 mins  
In 1894, William T. Love broke ground on his grand vision—a utopian community which he called "Model City." His dream however, would never come to pass. In time, what remained of his project would become the epicenter of one our nation's worst environmental disasters. Stay tuned for part two.

30-Second Nightmare: The Cleve Hill School Fire

Apr 21 2023 20 mins  
On March 31, 1954, a wooden annex of Cheektowaga's Cleve Hill School caught fire in seconds, taking the lives of fifteen children. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review us!