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Aurora Town Historian

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Aurora Town Historian

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ROBERT LOWELL GOLLER, Town Historian Since 1919, New York State law has required the appointment of an official historian in each town, village and city.

The Historian's Office is available as a resource for local history for both the Town of Aurora and Village of East Aurora in Erie County, New York. OUR MISSION:
—To document and promote the history and heritage of the Town of Aurora and Village of East Aurora in a
transparent, equitable and politically non-partisan manner.
—To advise local officials, boards and residents on issues related to the history of the town and village.
—To collect, preserve and maintain the archives for the use of the public in their own research.
—To curate and present the Aurora History Museum exhibits at the Municipal Center in collaboration with the
Aurora Historical Society. RESEARCH HOURS: The Historian's Office archives are open for research Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1-4 p.m., and by appointment. Appointments are not necessary during regular office hours, but please feel free to call or email ahead and we can have materials from the archives ready for your visit. EXHIBIT HOURS: The exhibits of the Aurora History Museum, located throughout the first-floor hallways of the Municipal Center, are open during regular Municipal Center hours, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Town of Aurora social media policy: By visiting this site, you understand and agree that the Town of Aurora's social media pages are provided "AS IS". The Town of Aurora makes every effort to provide accurate and complete information of this website. The information contained on this website is not official or in any way shall it be deemed to be legal notice where such legal notice is required by law. The information contained in this site is provided as a convenience to people needing information about the Town of Aurora's local government. Portions of the information of this site may be incorrect or not current. The Town of Aurora government, its officers, employees, and agents are not liable for damage or losses of and kind arising out of or in connection with the use of performances of information including, but not limited to, damages or losses caused by reliance upon the accuracy or timeliness of any such information, or damages incurred from the viewing, distributing or copying of these materials.

11/02/2026

'STAND BY THE CONSTITUTION'...The 18th Amendment, which prohibited "intoxicating liquors" across the country, was only six years old a century ago when a strong movement came out in favor of repealing it. However, this advertisement for the New York State Prohibition Party candidates urged a vote for their ticket to fight against the repeal and to preserve prohibition in New York State. Those who favored allowing alcohol were known as "wet"; those who were against it were known as "dry."

Although a strong third party, the Prohibition Party trailed a distant fourth for statewide offices in 1926. (Interestingly, the Prohibition Party still exists in 2026 and a Prohibition Party candidate has launched a write-in campaign for New York State governor this year).

The 18th Amendment was repealed in December 1933.

(Advertisement from the October 28, 1926 issue of the East Aurora Advertiser, preserved in the archives of the Aurora Town Historian's Office).

10/30/2026

EIGHT HALLOWEEN LOOKS...Who remembers the Halloween costumes with the vacuum-formed plastic masks? They first became iconic in the late 1950s and were popular in part due to their low cost. For this collage on the front page of the October 25, 1961 issue of The Orbit newspaper, eight-year-old Bette Sue Pfeifer posed in eight different masks and costumes borrowed from the sale racks at Hill's News Stand, which was located at the corner of Main and Riley Streets.

The Orbit was published in East Aurora for a few years in the 1960s. Copies of the newspaper are preserved among the newspaper collection in the archives of the Aurora Town Historian's Office.

10/29/2026

HALLOWEEN COSTUMES could be purchased for as little as $1.98 at the Seaman, Hood & Morey Department Store 65 years ago. The store was located on the north side of Main Street between Riley and Church Streets.

This advertisement was published in the October 26, 1961 issue of The Orbit, a newspaper published in East Aurora for a few years in the 1960s. Original copies of The Orbit are preserved among the newspaper collection in the archives of the Aurora Town Historian's Office.

10/28/2026

SAVE HISTORIC EAST AURORA...In addition to historic photographs and documents, preserved in the archives of the Aurora Town Historian's Office are several T-shirts from East Aurora's past. This one, from the 1994 "Save Historic East Aurora" campaign against the construction of a Wal-Mart store on Commerce Way at the west end of the Village of East Aurora, was recently donated to the archives.

10/26/2026

THE STORY OF ERIE COUNTY....Check out this website from the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library - Central Library, the result of The America 250: Mapping Erie County Development, 1804-1909 project, which used census data, maps curated by the late Cheektowaga Town Historian Julia Boyer Reinstein, and other data points to help tell the story of how Erie County came to be. It includes interesting historical information about the Town of Aurora and Village of East Aurora, too!

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/086b4191c4774a96a2a0b1fd95cc5251?fbclid=IwY2xjawVHMfxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mAWJyaWQRMVNBbVdrdWZaTjRzOEFHWVFzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe6z5vUWbSFj3E8ajVPDfywV9bnkfJsSqJ9TuSjf7Dhd7hLbEUa6jFsdIZCa4_aem_u3XTVHv_TGQiG3f4nyTRLg

Government-Appointed Historians of Western New York

Mapping Early Erie County Development, 1804-1909

10/23/2026

STORAGE FACILITY AT KNOX AND GREY...Preserved in the archives of the Aurora Town Historian's Office are many bound issues the East Aurora Shopping Guide, which was published in East Aurora for more than 30 years beginning in 1938. Sixty years ago, in 1966, the newspaper published this photograph of the then-new storage facility at the corner of Knox and Grey Streets. The construction of the building, on the site of an old junk yard, drew a disagreement with village officials over property lines.

(From the June 30, 1966 issue of the East Aurora Shopping Guide, preserved in the archives of the Aurora Town Historian's Office).

10/22/2026

GET A RADIO FOR THE WORLD SERIES!...Without TVs, the best way to experience the World Series 100 years ago (besides attending the games in person, of course) was to listen on the radio. In preparation for the series, the Peck-Whiting Electric Co., which was located in the The Aurora Theatre and Popcorn Shop building, advertised its line of "radiolas," which ranged in price from $35 to $575. (That's about $660 to $10,900 in today's dollars).

(Advertisement from the September 30, 1926 issue of the East Aurora Advertiser, preserved in the archives of the Aurora Town Historian's Office).

10/21/2026

GROCERY STORE, 1926...This is what the inside of a grocery store looked like 100 years ago. In the mid-1920s, Clarence E. Erbin operated his store at 704-706 Main Street, the brick building located just west of the East Aurora Advertiser offices. The young employee pictured is Charles Paul.

10/20/2026

10/19/2026

THE NEW LIBRARY/THE OLD AUDITORIUM...Hidden above a drop ceiling for decades, the proscenium of the original auditorium stage at the East Aurora Middle School, with the famous phrase, "Ye Shall Know the Truth and the Truth Shall Make You Free," was recently uncovered during the renovation of what is today the Middle School library. The auditorium was part of the original building when it was constructed as the High School in 1917 at the corner of Main and North Grove Streets. The auditorium, which stretched from the second floor to the third floor of the school building, doubled as the homeroom and is shown in these circa 1920s and 1930s images from our archives, alongside a modern image of the room.

The East Aurora Union Free School District will host a community open house to showcase the Middle School renovations on Tuesday, October 20, at 6 p.m.: https://www.eastauroraschools.org/article/3175587.

Address

575 Oakwood Avenue
East Aurora, NY
14052

Opening Hours

Wednesday	1pm - 4pm
Thursday	1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+17166527944

Website

http://www.townofaurorany.gov/departments/historian/

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