All Blog Posts
THE STAR CROSSED POTTER’S FIELD:THE HOWARD CEMETERY
September 15, 2017
THE STAR CROSSED POTTER’S FIELD THE HOWARD CEMETERY by David Mack-Hardiman Like a lonely European castle dropped into a busy urban neighborhood, the former Buffalo State Asylum is striking, majestic and mysterious. Architect Henry Hobson Richardson designed the massive structure in Victorian Gothic style with dramatic arches and curved connecting corridors. The center of the complex, constructed of mauve Medina sandstone, is framed by looming twin towers. To the north was a farm which p…
The Old Poor House on Poor House Hill
July 20, 2017
Abandoned History A Visit To The Old Poor House Cemetery By James Boles,Ed.D. J.Boles 2017 “Here lie the residents of the Niagara County Almshouse who were laid to rest between 1929 and 1916” - an inscription on the poorhouse cemetery bench. Donated by Orleans Monument Company, Lockport NY. J.Boles 2017 The only marked stone in the cemetery. Reconstructed and donated by Orleans Monument Company. The poor house cemetery, which was not kept up for a number of years, is now nicely maintained …
Students with Disabilities in the Field of Medicine (by Farzana Ali)
December 5, 2016
Farzana Ali (left) and Daniel W. Sheehan, Associate Dean for Medical Curriculum at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. How are you going to do the long hours of clinical rotation in this condition? As a premedical student, the strong emotion invoked by that question left me speechless. Especially since it was posed by the Associate Dean of medical education from my beloved undergraduate institution, Stony Brook University, a community where I developed my values of…
Dr. Skinner's Childhood Home for Sale (by James Boles, Ed.D.)
June 21, 2016
Skinner House For Sale - J. Boles 2016
A large 1828 house on the Prattsburg, NY Town Square Park will be soon listed for sale. This house, known locally as the ‘Blood House’, was named for the Fred and Ada Blood family who lived there in the early 1900s. Recent interest in the house stems from its first owners, the Erastus Skinner family. The Skinner family had the house built in 1828 by Asa Hopkins. A famous member of the family, Dr. Platt H. Skinner, lived in the house as a child from …Dr. BW Dean, "The Sweat Doctor"
March 7, 2016
Alternative Medicine in Lockport New York While researching early human service agencies in Niagara County New York, I came across a number of commercial ventures that were often based upon an alternative view of health care that differed from the traditional care available during 1830s – 1920s. This resulted in health products ranging from medicinal mineral waters, medicines, and foods that were produced locally and were sold widely. At this time, there were also many doctors with unique treatm…
ADA 25 and an Autistic Advocate’s Celebration of Disability!
August 14, 2015
ADA 25 and an Autistic Advocate’s Celebration of Disability! by Alec Frazier and Autistic Reality http://www.nothingaboutuswithoutus.net/ I am writing to report back on advocacy activities I have taken part in during the 2015 Conference of the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as other activities in Washington, DC.
Alec Frazier with Yoshiko Dart
I met with a number of really wonderful disability r…Out of the Shadows: Join the Conversation
October 24, 2014
By Lizz Schumer, editor of The Sun in Hamburg, NY Stephen Hawking once said, "Sometimes I wonder if I'm as famous for my wheelchair and disabilities as I am for my discoveries." And it's true that Hawking's face is as recognizable as his science; as is Einstein's, as is Ben Franklin's. But would anyone know Einstein without his characteristically crazy hair, or Ben without his bald head and pocket watch? We're quick to judge people by their appearances, even if their talents overshadow them. We…
The Buffalo State Hospital Farm Colony, Wilson, New York
June 30, 2014
By Dr. James M. Boles, Senior Research Advisor As the Museum of disABILITY History continues to research the history of Buffalo State Hospital in preparation for a new Abandoned History Series™ publication, more information has been uncovered about the Wilson Farm Colony. Our initial research was directed to the land owned by the Dwight family in the Town of Wilson. This was based upon an inquiry from a Wilson resident and New York State reports. However, with the assistance of the Town of Wil…