The Village That Might Have Been
Envisioned by John L “Jack” Wehle to showcase the art of regional carpenters, master builders, and house wrights, the Historic Village at GCV&M began taking shape in 1966. That year, Wehle and architectural historian Stuart Bolger began gathering the “village that might have been” on a quiet hillside in rural Monroe County. Ten years later, the Museum was opened to the public in honor of the nation’s bicentennial.
The 68 buildings that make the village were moved from communities across Western and Central New York and represent life throughout the 1800s. Learn more about each of them below!
Early Settlement
1790 - 1820
From 1790 to 1820, at least 800,000 people moved into or through upstate and Western New York. Many settled in the fertile Genesee Valley.
Center Village
1830 - 1870
Rather than the scattered, self-sustaining small farms of the pioneer period, by 1830 the Genesee Valley was comprised of homes that were gathered around a proper town center.
Gas Light District
1850 - 1900
The Civil War accelerated change, bringing in more mechanization on the farm and additional industries in the cities and towns.