For a concise overview of the Niagara History Center’s educational tours and programs, please download Education Brochure
** Important Note to Teachers: Please call Ann Marie Linnabery, Education Coordinator at the Niagara History Center at 716-434-7433 to make a school tour reservation. For questions about the educational opportunities for your students, please call Ann Marie or email annmarie@niagarahistory.org.
Tour the Niagara History Center’s five building museum complex. Time: 1.5 hours. Lunch and Gift Shop facilities available. Admission fee: $3 per student; no charge for teachers and two chaperones; more than two chaperones, $3 each. Learn more about the buildings and exhibits here
Tour the Erie Canal Discovery Center. Time: 45 minutes. Gift Shop available. Outdoor lunch space only. Admission fee: $4 per student; no charge for teachers and two chaperones; more than two, $4 each. Learn more about the Erie Canal Discovery here
An outside walking tour of the Locks District is also available, weather permitting. Time: 45 minutes to one hour. Admission fee: $5 per student; no charge teachers and two chaperones; more than two, $5 each. The tour is led by interpreters who are knowledgeable about the history of the Erie Canal and the construction of the Flight of Five locks. Students will learn why the Erie Canal was needed for transportation and commerce; how geology played a role in where the locks were built; what obstacles had to be overcome and how these were solved by ordinary people who had no formal engineering experience; what was the life and work of an average canal laborer like here in Lockport in the 1820s; how did the locks carry boats up and down the 60 ft. tall Niagara Escarpment; see the two “new” 1918 locks in operation; and discuss how the Erie Canal has impacted the history of New York State and the United States. The tour is centered on the STEM curriculum and requires answering questions and problem solving on the part of the students.
Funded through the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, the Ticket to Ride program offer 4th grader the opportunity to both tour the Erie Canal Discovery Center and take the walking tour of the Locks District (see above description) at no charge to school or student. Bus transportation is also paid for by the ECNHC. Funding is limited and is usually allocated by March 1st for field trips in May and June. Please contact Ann Marie Linnabery for more information or visit the ECNHC’s Ticket to Ride registration page at eriecanalway.org
Tour the 1824 National Register home and the oldest brick house in Lockport. Three floors of furnished rooms to the mid-19th century period. Time: 45 minutes to one hour. $3 for students; no charge for teachers and two chaperones; more than two, $3 each. Learn more about the Bond/Hawley House here
Special request programs and hands-on activities can be arranged for an additional fee.
Please call Ann Marie Linnabery at 716-434-7433 or email annmarie@niagarahistory.org to discuss possible program ideas, activities and fees.
Through a grant from the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, the Niagara History Center was able to create six virtual lesson plans on the Erie Canal and particularly the Flight of Five locks in Lockport. Collaboratively developed by Ann Marie Linnabery, Niagara History Center Education Coordinator, Heidi Ziemer, Outreach & Digital Equity Coordinator at the Western New York Library Resources Council, and Rich Pyszczek, Coordinator for Social Studies for the Buffalo Public Schools, these lessons meet the New York State Social Studies Key Concepts 4.6 a – f as well as a Primary Source Set. These lessons are accessible at www.nfcss.org
The History Center’s Teaching Boxes can be borrowed free of charge by schools and community organizations. The Teaching Boxes include new “old” objects, books, lesson plans and hands-on activities. Topics include Pioneer Life, Civil War, Underground Railroad, One-Room Schoolhouses, Native Americans, Old-Time Toys and Games, Treasure in the Little Trunk (book by Helen Fuller Orten), Gold Lace Coat (book by Helen Fuller Orten), and Transportation in Niagara County. For more information on how to borrow the Teaching Boxes, please contact Ann Marie Linnabery at 716-434-7433 or email at annmarie@niagarahistory.org
The History Center has a variety of primary and secondary sources related to local history that teachers and students can read and interpret as part of the NYS Social Studies curriculum for grades 4, 7 and 11. Materials can be copied and used in the classroom or at the museum as part of a field trip. Please contact Ann Marie Linnabery to discuss sources that are available to use. Call 716-434-7433 or email annmarie@niagarahistory.org
Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor
P.O. Box 219 Waterford, NY 12188
1 (518) 237-7000, ext. 207
Challenger Learning Center of Orleans, Niagara, and Erie Counties.
160 Washburn St. Lockport, NY 14094
(716) 434-3196
Lockport City School District
130 Beattie Ave, Lockport, NY 14094
(716) 478-4800
NIOGA Library System
6575 Wheeler Rd, Lockport, NY 14094
(716) 434-6167
The Niagara History Center offers school holiday and summer vacation programs. All programs are offered at our 215 Niagara St. museum complex in Lockport. Call (716) 434-7433 for reservations and more information.
Our 2022 Summer History Programs for Kids will be offered for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on four Wednesdays in July and August – July 13, July 20, July 27 and August 1
This summer’s dates and themes are:
Wednesday, July 13th – “Cowboy Day” – Find out what it was like to be a cowboy in the Old West. Make gear cowboys would have used and do some of the activities needed for life on the range
Wednesday, July 20th – “Hoops, Goals and Nets” – Learn the history and then play the games that have a connection to Niagara County including basketball, volleyball, hockey, badminton, baseball and horse racing.
Wednesday, July 27th – “Nature in Your Own Background” – Explore the natural history right here in Niagara Country, from rocks and fossils to plants and animals, through hands-on activities
Monday, August 1st – “Explore Lockport Day” – Take a ride on the Discover Niagara shuttle and visit some of Lockport’s other historic and cultural sites with activities at each stop
The Summer History programs for children ages 7-11. Each day’s activities will be led by museum staff, volunteers and college interns. The cost for each weekly program is $25.00, which includes hands-on activities, craft materials, games and an afternoon snack. Children should bring a bag lunch and drink each day.
You can find discount coupons worth $5 off the registration fee in the Town of Lockport Recreation Department Summer Events newsletter or on their website www.elockport.com
Advance registration is necessary. Please call 434-7433 to register your child or email annmarie@niagarahistory.org.
Learn more about all the benefits of becoming a member of the Niagara History Center
Or purchase your membership online!
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